Opinions Blog

Brown bans California minors from tanning beds in landmark bill


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Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation earlier today that renders tanning beds off-limits to minors in the state of California. The bill will take effect starting on January 1, 2012, and was part of a handful of other bills related to health initiatives the governor signed in one swoop. Minors at least 14 years of age are […]

Canadian radio station hosts “Win a Baby” competition


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Infertility might be a sensitive subject to many, but apparently not for Ottawa music station Hot 89.9, which launched a “win a baby” competition with the prize of three rounds of fertility treatment valued at $35,000, the winner of which will be announced tomorrow. Contestants had to convince listeners and a panel of judges that […]

Jury selected in ‘underwear bomber’ trial


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A jury was chosen Oct. 6 in the trial of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the alleged “underwear bomber” of 2009. Shortly after selecting 12 jurors and four alternates yesterday, one of the initial jurors was dismissed because she was a women native to Abdulmutallab’s home country of Nigeria. The jury consists of nine women — six […]

Fashion police hard at work in southern states


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This week, Tuscumbia, Alabama became the latest town to join the fight against a fashion trend long known to offend the eyes — sagging pants. Areas that mandate an ordinance against said crime of fashion, such as Albany, Georgia — which began enforcing the law last November — have recently begun to see an increase […]

ABC to collaborate with Yahoo


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ABC News declared Oct. 3  it is teaming up with Yahoo News to collaborate on news content, reporting materials and authentic videos. Announced on Good Morning America and at a New York City press conference, the partnership revolves mainly around original video and is expected to reach 100 million people per month. Good Morning America […]

Florida eases up on sexting penalties


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Penalties regarding teen ‘sexting’ in Florida have been reduced. The state law, first passed in June, prohibits teens from sending nude photos via phone. Beginning Oct. 1, changes have been made to penalties for violators of this law. Under the earlier law, a teen caught sending nude photos or videos could have been charged with […]

American student Amanda Knox freed in appeal of 2007 murder case


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Former American college student Amanda Knox was freed after an Italian court determined she was not guilty in an appeal Monday of murdering her former roommate. Knox and her former boyfriend Raphael Sollecito, 27, were cleared of an earlier conviction for the murder of Meredith Kercher, a British student also studying in Perugia, Italy, in […]

Sentence, not license, revoked in Saudi Arabia


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In a positive turn of events for women’s rights, a Saudi Arabian woman’s sentence for driving was revoked this week. King Abdullah made the decision not to give the woman her original punishment of 10 lashes. The outcome is the first of its kind, and came just two days following Abdullah’s announcement that women will […]

Long Island students arrested in SAT cheating scandal


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Seven high school students in Long Island, New York, were arrested Tuesday in an alleged SAT cheating scandal. Samuel Eshaghoff faces felony fraud charges, while six others are charged with misdemeanors. Eshaghoff, 19, is accused of impersonating six Great Neck North High students between 2010 and 2011, in which he allegedly charged between $1,500 and […]

Contaminated cantaloupes pose serious health risk


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In what the CDC is calling the deadliest foodbourne outbreak in a decade, Listeria-infected cantaloupes in 18 states have sickened 72 people, killing 13 so far. Officials say the epidemic will most likely worsen as the government struggles to trace how far the bacteria have spread into other states. In addition, the symptoms of Listeria […]