Earthquake survivor pulled from rubble, walks away from destruction

          On Thursday morning, a man was pulled from beneath the rubble of the United Nations compound in Port-au-Prince, Hati. He was one of many people who have miraculously survived the massive earthquake earlier this week. The man didn't come out easy though. According to Mike Davis, a specialist with the Fairfax County, Virgina, Urban Search and Rescue Team, a 15 member rescue squad worked for five hours to remove the debris using a jack hammer and buckets. The rescue squad had to climb down two to three stories of rubble to reach the covered man, as the building collapsed on him when the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Hati. Unfortunately, the geographic location of the United Nation's headquarters proved to be problematic. Davis told CNN's "American Morning" that the location was on the backside of a hill, so everything was upside down and inverted," David also said that luckily "we were able to self-assist him out, and he was able to walk out on his own." This rescue is only one of the many that are currently going on in Hati right now. Not all rescues have had the benefit of professional aid workers. Many have done whatever they can to help find survivors. Some have even clawed their way to survivors beneath buildings, using only their bare hands! Due to the shortage of heavy machinery to clear the debris, residents have used their hands and whatever tools they could find to lift large slabs of concrete. Near the presidential palace, Hati residents dug for hours on Wednesday to rescue a thirteen year old girl named Bea. As she was pulled out alive, a wild cheer erupted. She was happy to be alive, but sad to see the bodies of her family members lying nearby. As of right now, Haitians and rescuers are rushing to save as many people as they can. They know that some will perish waiting for help. A Fairfax rescue member, Sam Gray, said that "the hardest part is to know how many people aren't going to be saved."

          I agree with Mr. Gray, it is extremely hard to know that a great deal of people are not going to be saved. This earthquake is currently the worst disaster of the new year, and for it to happen to the poorest country in the western hemisphere is extremely sad. Before the earthquake, the people of Hati were living in poverty, and now they are living with nothing. All of the buildings in Port-au-Prince collapsed, crushing thousands of people with the debris. The hospitals have been destroyed, and the jail as well, so there is criminals running around the streets for the first time in a while. This is the definition of a catastrophe. There is thought to be as many as 500 000 people dead, which is terrible. The people of Hati must be extremely sad, but thankful that they survived. I can't imagine how I would feel if my whole entire town got demolished in seconds. It would be devastating, so I am very sensitive to the situation. I would love to help, and I hope that other people in the world feel the same way. I hope other countries around the world send money and resources to help Hati. The people of Hati are grateful for anything. After the cleanup is finished, the world should focus on helping Hati rebuild. They need a stronger government, a new hospital, and a new jail to start. Sending people to help build new houses and schools is crucial. I think that this was a terrible disaster, and I hope that nothing like this ever happens again. The only positive side to the whole event is that the countries around the world are working together to help. China, the United States, Canada, and Russia are all sending aid. I think that this may help to contribute to world peace, but it is still sad that Hati has to go through all of this. I hope that they can successfully rebuild, and I hope that as many people can be saved as possible.

Traffic cop holds up speeding surgeon

           On Saturday, a man named Jeffrey Halstrom suffered a massive heart attack around lunchtime, and was taken to St. Michael's Hospital, where he lay on the operating table fighting for his life. Meanwhile, the surgeon who had been rushing to his rescue was waiting on the side of the road for a Toronto police officer to write him a ticket for speeding. When Halstrom was brought into the hospital, the hospital's cardiologist, Dr. Michael Kutryk, was called in. On his way, Dr. Kutryk was stopped by a radar unit while rushing from his Leaside home to help. Dr. Kutryk explained the situation to the officer, but to no avail. The officer made him wait there to issue him a $300 ticket. Const. Wendy Drummond, a police spokeswoman, said Kutryk was driving 35 km/h an hour over the posted limit of 40 km/h in the Bayview and Moore Aves. area. On Monday, Dr. Kutryk did not return any of his many phone calls, and police would not identify the officer who wrote the ticket. The top officer at the force's 53 Division, where the ticket was issued, confirmed the incident had occurred and that Kutryk had complained to him about it and was intent on fighting the fine. Staff Insp. Larry Sinclair, the division's unit commander, explained that roadside officers use their own discretion to determine whether an emergency warrants illegal speeds. However, Sinclair defended his officer, saying that the officer might have prevented an accident by stopping the doctor. "It doesn't matter if it's a physician or whoever that is on his way to what he or she considers an emergency. If he or she gets in a collision on the way to that emergency, they're no use. They're going to be tied up a lot longer than what it takes to write a ticket." Michael Oscars, Halstrom's longtime partner, recalled that "the doctor arrived a little later than he wanted to be, very upset, very angry because he had encountered a police officer. In spite of him (Kutryk) saying he was on his way to an emergency of a 47-year-old man in cardiac arrest, and that every minute counted ... the police officer either chose to disbelieve him or chose to be a moron." Oscars believes that the officer should have at least escorted Kutryk to the hospital. However, a senior Toronto officer said that police do not escort civilians at high speed because they face liability issues if there is an accident. Because of the delay and the severity of the heart attack, damage to Halstrom's heart was so severe that he was given a post-operative 50 per cent chance of survival.

          I find this situation to be very unique. While my first instinct is to believe that the police officer is a jerk, I realize that this situation is more complicated than it seems. From the doctor’s perspective, I am sure that he was pissed and extremely mad at the officer. I would be too if the same thing happened to me. However, rules are rules, and the police officer was only doing his job. The doctor was speeding, and how did the police officer know that the doctor wasn't just saying this to avoid getting the speeding ticket? Isn't the doctor supposed to have papers or some kind of document that shows that he is in fact a doctor? Maybe this could be considered the doctors fault as well for not having his papers. I think that a solution to this problem would be to give the doctor a special green light to put on the top of his car that flashes to let police officers know that he is in a rush. It is the same idea as an ambulance, and an ambulance driver doesn't get charged with speeding! Anyways, it is unfortunate that this situation happened on the way to the hospital, but I am still happy that Mr. Halstrom is alive. He is lucky to have survived the heart attack, as it was very severe with three clogged arteries. Due to the delay of the doctor’s arrival, Mr. Halstrom received lots of damage to his heart, and only has a fifty per cent chance of survival. I hope that Mr. Halstrom has a safe recovery, so that he can enjoy life even longer. I wish him the best in the future.

In winter, some homeless choose between independence, warmth

           More than 21 000 people in Atlanta, Fulton and DeKalb counties were estimated to be homeless sometime last year, according to the Metro Atlanta Tri-Jurisdictional Collaborative, a group that records homelessness in the area. Of these 21 000 projected people, a 42 year old homeless man named Brook counts for one. Brook lives wherever he can, usually in what he calls his "cathodes," places in which he has slept which have provided some refuge from the outdoor elements. Brook does what he can to keep warm during the winter season. He covers up with a donated blanket and rests his head on a bag where he keeps his belongings. Last Tuesday night, although the temperature was extremely cold, Brook slept in one of his usual cathodes. You would think that a man like him would go to a homeless shelter to keep warm, but not Brook. He has different ideas about homeless shelters. He doesn't trust the men who stay at them, and he believes that "it's an environment where you can't keep your eyes closed." Brook mentioned that he has seen too many men stealing from others in shelters, and he feels that he is better off alone. Brook is among the thousands of Atlanta- area homeless choosing where to keep warm during the winter season. Another homeless man named Sherman Vickers, who is 63, also prefers to sleep on his own, but when temperatures get too cold, Vickers gratefully stays at The Shepherd's Inn, which is an emergency men's shelter run by Atlanta Union Mission. Vickers explained that "This time of year, you need to be somewhere out of the cold." His statement seems to be true in Atlanta, as the shelter took in more than 400 people on Tuesday night due to the cold temperatures. Although shelters try to accept many people as possible during cold weather, not every homeless person who'd want to stay at a shelter can. "In 2007, the U.S. Conference of Mayors reported that 12 of 23 U.S. cities surveyed said they had shelters that at least sometimes had to turn people away because of a lack of capacity." Brook is thankful that more shelters like The Shepherd's Inn exist, as he feels that "being here at the mission is a good thing. It's well-staffed, it's comfortable, clean, the food service is good, and they're safe," he said. "It's good being out of the cold."

          It seems to me that Brook has adjusted being homeless pretty well. I know this may sound strange, but he is trying to make the best out of a very tough situation. I admire his courage, because not very many people can summon the will to keep living in situations like his. I am sure that tons of homeless people have given up, but not Brook. He is a positive thinker, and I hope the best for him in the future. As for the shelters, I find it very disturbing how Brook says that people steal from other people in the shelters. I can see why he avoids staying at them as much as possible, but I think it would be nice if the homeless people could learn to respect each other’s property. It is sad how Brook says he must stay awake all night if he does stay at a shelter. After a few cold nights, I am sure that Brook would become extremely exhausted after having to stay awake for forty-eight hours. I guess this respect will never happen because people in situations like these will do almost anything to make a small amount of money. It is sad but true. I hope that the people of the United States do their part to help out their communities by trying to make a difference. The United States definitely needs to build more shelters to help out those who are less fortunate and in need.

TSA takes responsibility for Newark airport breach

          Today, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) took full responsibility for a security breach earlier this week at the airport in Newark, New Jersey. On Sunday, a man walked the wrong way through security, which prompted a security breach that resulted in a shut down Terminal C for hours as well as forced the rescreening of thousands of passengers. When TSA when to confirm the cause of the breach, they realized that their cameras were running, but not recording. TSA is unsure of the length that the cameras have not been recording, and they are working on figuring it out. Spokeswoman Ann Davis said that "although the TSA was unable to locate the man, any threat he may have presented was eliminated by rescreening everyone and re-combing the airport to make sure he didn't introduce anything to the environment or hand anything off to anyone." The security breach caused many delays, which mainly affected the airport’s largest tenant, Continental Airlines. After the incident, TSA met with Port Authority, who installed and operates the cameras. They decided that they are going to make it a daily task to check the cameras to ensure that they are properly recording. Davis also said that "the TSA has changed the location of the officers' station at the exit lanes in Terminal C and added staffing there." The airport source confirmed that "Continental's cameras did in fact show a man going the wrong way through security and leaving through a normal airport exit." Newark was one of the airports that some of the September 11 hijackers departed from.

          I find this incident to be very random and puzzling. After the disasters from previous years like the September 11, 2001 bombings, weird incidents like this always raise an eyebrow. Hopefully this was just an accident, and not a real terrorist hijack attempt gone wrong. I believe that the TSA needs to tighten up their security and maybe add more staff to ensure for the best. I am optimistic that the TSA will figure out their camera problems for the future, and I am impressed about how the TSA has already adjusted to this incident. It shows that they are taking this situation seriously, which is more comforting as a passenger departing from the airport in Newark. I think that this was a good practice test for the airport security, as they had to deal with panic and frustrated passengers, which will hopefully help to prepare them in the case of a real terrorist hijack attempt. I hope that nothing like this ever strikes Newark ever again, and by tightening our worldwide airport security, I am confident that we can limit the amount of terrorism and hijacking which will contribute to the peaceful nature of the world.