Article One: Clerical Sexual Abuse Victims Gather at Vatican

This article explained the candlelight vigil that took place outside of the Vatican in Rome held by the alleged victims of clerical sexual abuse. People from America, Asia, and Europe all gathered in a certain designated area near the Vatican to promote the need for further action by the Pope. The fact that a protest even took place in the Vatican is somewhat rare. The protesters were not allowed to bring their letters to the brass doors of the Pope though.

I think this article is definitely very controversial. I think it was the right thing to do to let the protestors conduct their candlelight vigil and I can see why they did not allow them to deliver their letters to the actual brass doors for safety reasons. The whole situation is very complicated and difficult to classify and deal with. I do believe that a priest's criminal records should be accessible by the public just like the average criminal. I think it is absolutely hypocritical for them to be kept private.

Article Two: Brazil Elects Their First Female President

This article details Brazil's newly elected President, Dilma Rousseff and her plan for her presidency. She says she plans to eradicate poverty and rush for complete gender equality. Rousseff has been a powerful figure in Brazil for a while now and with the election of her as President there are sure to be some big changes.

I think that the election of a female as the president of Brazil is a huge step. It makes me wonder why we have yet to see a woman as a leader of our country, despite the recent attempt by Hilary Clinton. I think that this is definitely a big step for the world's governments and will remain a symbolic leap for women seeking gender equality.

Article Three: Iraqi Forces Storm Church to end Stand-off

Iraqi troops stormed a Catholic Church where men were holding worshippers hostage that were believed to be part of al-Qaeda. Thirty seven people were killed. These victims included Iraqi troops, hostages, and the men that were holding the worshippers hostage. Arrests were made. Nearly all of the hostages were killed or injured when the hijackers set off explosives during the storming of the church.

Obviously the whole war in the middle east is extremely controversial and goes very deep. It is nearly impossible to point the finger at one cause for the war. Although Obama promised to reduce troops in certain areas of the middle east, Americans continue to die every day fighting for something so many citizens have come to take it as something average and normal because it is something that has been going on for so long. It is too hard to pick a definitive side on such a complicated subject.

Pens

Everyone has a favorite writing utensil. Some people prefer a nice ballpoint blue pen to write with while other would rather have a nice inky black pen to record their thoughts with. What you choose to write with, could say a lot about you.

Take for instance, the well known Bic Round Stic. Its a comforting tinted white with a nice blue striped grip. It writes smoothly and doesn't smudge for those that are left handed. The plastic is easy to hold in your hand and it is fairly sturdy as well. It won't run out of ink too quickly and overall provides a writer with a reliable structure. The pen has a cap which can be easily lost but ensures there will be no obnoxious clicking throughout class or a work meeting. The ink does not blot anywhere and writing can be seen clearly.

On the other hand, the Zebra Retractable Gel pen is quite different. The plastic is dark but clear and the grip is overtop the plastic. The pens are very inky and often stain through to the other side of a piece of paper. It is retractable thus the ink can be accessed with a simple click on the top of the pen which can also happen accidentally. The ink is sure to smudge if touched too quickly. The plastic with the brand name scribbled across it is easy to break too.

Evaluation

I would like to evaluate the Transformers movies series. With the first two films grossing nearly $800,000,000 and the third film of the series being currently filmed, this topic merits evaluation because it has been and continues to be one of the greatest film series to date. Directed by Michael Bay, the movies contain immense amounts revolutionary computer generated imagery. This has been controversial amongst movie critics because many feel that Bay flaunts special effects too much which takes away from the actual story line, or lack thereof.

These movies remain popular despite their poor reviews. Another area of controversy is the decision to replace Megan Fox in the newest upcoming Transformers film: The Dark Moon, which is scheduled to premier in July of 2011. Fox’s character, Mikaela Banes, will now be portrayed by Victoria’s Secret model, Rosie Huntington. The decision to replace Fox in the new Transformers film is quite controversial in itself. Rumors of conflict between Director, Michael Bay, and the actress have been floating around the Internet since the production of the second film. The two claim that it was a mutual decision for Fox to not sign back on with the film, however it seems a bit too convenient and unconventional for something of that matter to go smoothly between people like Bay and Fox.

There are multiple forms of criteria I will use to evaluate the Transformers films. Michael Bay has a reputation among the movie industry to “go big, or go home” with his films. They are notorious for containing a lot of explosions and fire and other dramatic special effects. Therefore, the Transformers films can be compared to Bay’s earlier films. It would be interesting to see if his movies have gotten consistent feedback from critics or not. Another form of criteria could be reviews and critiques from both professionals and the average moviegoer. I plan to analyze gross box office revenue from the first two films of the series and hopefully make an educated guess on how the third film will do especially with the absence of Megan Fox. I also plan to evaluate the film based in its audience. Do younger people tend to enjoy the movies more? Finally I want to evaluate the film based on the actors and actresses. If Shia LaBeouf did not play Sam Witwicky, would the film be as successful? These means of criteria will help to provide an accurate and interesting evaluation of the series.