Mr. M’s Class Blog

Great job everyone. As you know we have had a number of visits with a couple of “guest” commentors in our blog. My goal is to keep this blog active over the summer and continue in the new school year. What I am asking is for are ideas on what you would think would enhance our blog and the blogging experience.

Again let the discussion begin.

Two recent tragic events involving teens have again highlighted the news. Alcohol, improper seatbelt use, and unsafe driving practices were contributing factors. It is well known that schools consistently try to educate students in these and other areas in hopes of preventing such tragedies. Do these programs work? If not, why? Is it the design of the program? Do teens see themselves as bullet proof or have the mind set that it won’t happen to me? Is it the responsibility of schools to educate teens or should a different agency take on the challenge? Would the messages these programs carry have more impact if they are held away from a school environment? Tragic events will always occur because of human error but if you were responsible to design an education program what would it look like?

Let the discusssion begin.

Oscar Pistorius is a para-athlete who is posting world class sprint times and wants to compete at the Olympic Games in Beijing. His qualifying times are closing in on what he needs to be eligible for the Beijing Olympics however, the IAAF ruled that he couldn’t compete against able bodied athletes because his prosthetic blades give him an unfair advantage.

Recently, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in favour of Pistorius and opened the door for his possible participation in Beijing. This has created a huge divide in the world of amateur sports and the sport of track and field.

What are your thoughts? Should Pistorius be allowed to compete at the Olympics against other able bodied athletes? Do his blades give him an advantage over other athletes? Do some research and post your thoughts.

Follow this link for TSN report on Oscar Pistorius.

It is well known that the Japanese have had to become very creative in ways of dealing with an extremely high population in realtion to the country’s land mass. The following video is one of the ways that the Japanese are trying to make public transportation more efficient. Are the Japanese on to something? What are your thoughts?

A tragic eventhappened recently in Calgary. A toddler was discovered by his parents unconscious and having trouble breathing. A call to 911 was immediately placed and this is where the problems began. The parents were using an internet phone service and when they placed the 911 call EMS was sent to their former location in Mississauga, Ontario not Calgary, AB. Calgary EMS were not dispatched until neighbors phoned and when EMS arrived a half hour after the first call by the parents it was too late. The 18 month old toddler was dead. What are your thoughts on this event? Who should be held accountable for this tragedy and why?

The recent release of Grand Theft Auto 4 has once again sparked debate over the merits of video games. Some people have spoken strongly against games like Grand Theft Auto. They feel that video games such as this promote racism, violence against women, glorify drugs, and promote gun violence. It has been debated that the increase in youth crime, violence, and disrespect for authority is directly linked to video games such as Grand Theft Auto. The other side of the debate defends video games saying that the games are purely entertainment and it is the parents who are not doing their job in creating a set of values and respect for society in the children. It can’t be argued that games such as Grand Theft Auto are extremely violent games but are these games responsible for the problems of youth in our society? Or is it a breakdown in the family unit with parents not doing their job to properly raise their children to become positive contributors within society? Are video game designers pushing the limits by creating games such as Grand Theft Auto? Are the warning labels on these games sufficient to alert consumers about the contents of these games? Should they even be on the market? I would like to hear your thoughts about this topic. Let’s start blogging.

Monday night the Montreal Canadians clinched a series win with a 5-0 victory over the Boston Bruins. After the game many fans emptied into the streets to celebrate. This is not uncommon in Canada. What was disturbing was that riots broke out causing injury to innocent people and damage to police vehicles and businesses. Follow this link to read the story or follow this link to watch the video. What are your thoughts on the situation? What do you think causes this type of situation? I am interested to find out your thoughts.

Recently, Brent Butt announced that this will be the last year of filming for Corner Gas. At this time it is unknown how this will affect the Town of Rouleau and its residents and business. What are your thoughts about this announcement? How will it impact Rouleau? Rouleau School? Your life in general? Will Rouleau always be known as Dog River?

Recently our premier, Brad Wall, has had a video surface that was filmed 16 years ago. In this video Mr. Wall is making fun of former premier Roy Romanow and talking in a Ukranian accent. Mr. Wall was 26 years old at the time this video was filmed in 1991. Mr. Wall has publicly apologized both in and out of the provincial legislature. He has also indicated that he will be contacting Mr. Romanow to personally apologize. Some people are saying that this is not enough and that Mr. Wall needs to resign from his position as Premier of Saskatchewan. What are your thoughts? Should people in high ranking positions be held accountable for things they may have said or done even if it was many years ago before they entered their chosen profession? Should this apply to people not in high ranking positions? 

Recent developments in Tibet have sparked controversy and protests around the world. Protests are being held as a response to China’s hard-line rule over the region while others are using protests to show their support of the Chinese government. The protests in Tibet have turned deadly with reports saying that up to 140 Tibetans have been killed. With Beijing to host the summer Olympics many Tibetan supporters are asking countries like Canada to boycott the Beijing Olympics. Is boycotting the Olympic games the right course of action? What are your thoughts?