O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
Gun sneaked into high school
Officials investigate security breakdown after 2 are hurt
By Mary Owen
Tribune staff reporter
April 11, 2007
After two students were shot at a South Side high school Tuesday, school officials are investigating how one of them was able to slip a gun into the building, especially since security had been beefed up at the school following a shooting last month.
Police said a 15-year-old student at Chicago Vocational Career Academy brought the gun to school and accidentally fired it once, striking himself in the left thigh. The bullet also hit the right thigh of a 14-year-old student sitting next to him in class.
The students had been passing the gun between them and thought it was not loaded, Deputy Chief Michael Shields said.
Both students were hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday.
School officials said students enter the building through three main entrances, where they must swipe identification cards. The entrances are equipped with metal detectors.
Chicago Public Schools spokesman Michael Vaughn, said reports that students go through the metal detectors at random were untrue.
"Every student is screened every day," Vaughn said.
However, school security records show the two students did not swipe their cards Tuesday to enter the school, said Andres Durbak, an officer with the district's Bureau of Safety and Security.
Vaughn said they will review surveillance video and conduct interviews to determine how and where the students entered the school, located at 2100 E. 87th St.
Additional security guards were added after two 16-year-old students were injured March 22 when an unknown person opened fire on them in the school's parking lot, Vaughn said. After Tuesday's incident, even more security guards will be at the entrances, he said.
"We'll provide additional presence at the building and talk to administrators and make sure to get the weapons out," Vaughn said. "Obviously, the safety of our students and staff are of the highest priority to us, and we will do everything we can do to beef up security at our school."
Tuesday's shooting occurred about 2:15 p.m during 8th period, police said. One of the students was showing a 9 mm Ruger handgun to another in the back of a science class when the gun went off accidentally, said Assistant Deputy Police Supt. Robert Lopez.
Lopez said the 15-year-old student ran outside bleeding and threw the gun in a grassy area on the east side of the school. Security guards confronted him as he came back inside, and he led them to where the gun was hidden, Lopez said.
He is being treated at University of Chicago Hospitals, while the other student was taken to Stroger Hospital, Lopez said.
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mowen@tribune
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Do the still play the blues in Chicago
when baseball season rolls around?
When the snow melts away, do the Cubbies still play
in their ivy covered burial ground?
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
but now they only bring fatigue
to the land of the brave,
the home of the free,
and the doormat of the National League.
Steve Goodman
Men drained by bed sharing
Scientists in Austria say sharing a bed with someone temporarily reduces men's brain power.
When men spend the night with someone their sleep is disturbed, whether they make love or not, and this impairs their mental ability the next day.
According to the New Scientist study, women who share a bed fare better because they sleep more deeply.
Professor Gerhard Kloesch and colleagues at the University of Vienna studied eight unmarried, childless couples in their 20s.
Each couple was asked to spend 10 nights sleeping together and 10 apart while the scientists assessed their rest patterns with questionnaires and wrist activity monitors.
The next day the couples were asked to perform simple cognitive tests and had their stress hormone levels checked.
Although the men reported they had slept better with a partner, they fared worse in the tests, with their results suggesting they actually had more disturbed sleep.
But women apparently managed to sleep more deeply when they did eventually drop off, since they claimed to be more refreshed than their sleep time suggested.
Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep expert at the University of Surrey, said: "Historically, we have never been meant to sleep in the same bed as each other. It is a bizarre thing to do.
"Sharing the bed space with someone who is making noises and who you have to fight with for the duvet is not sensible."
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my lord (hallelujah)
I really want to know you (hallelujah)
Really want to go with you (hallelujah)
Really want to show you lord (aaah)
That it won't take long, my lord (hallelujah)
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson to Reprise Roles in the Final Two Installments of Warner Bros. Pictures' ''Harry Potter'' Film Franchise
BURBANK, CALIF., March 23 /CNW/ - Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson will reprise the roles they have made their own: teen wizards Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively, in Warner Bros. Pictures' "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the final two motion picture adaptations of J.K. Rowling's best-selling book series. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.
.
In making the announcement, Robinov said, "When Daniel, Rupert and Emma were first cast as Harry, Ron and Hermione, we knew they were not only talented, but had a very special chemistry. Through the years, and in each of the 'Harry Potter' films, we have watched them grow into extraordinary young adults, as well as remarkable actors. It would be inconceivable to imagine anyone else in the roles with which they have become so identified, so we are thrilled and proud that Daniel, Rupert and Emma have chosen to complete the arc of their characters in the final two films."
Both "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" are being produced by David Heyman, who has produced all of the Harry Potter films to date and was instrumental in bringing the franchise to the screen, beginning with the first blockbuster, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." David Barron, who served as an executive producer on "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and is a producer on the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," will also be producing the final two installments of the franchise.
Producer David Heyman said, "One of the highlights of this journey has been to witness Dan, Rupert and Emma blossom from children into young adults. They have emerged as consummate professionals who are dedicated to honing their craft and striving for excellence. And yet, throughout, they have retained their enthusiasm and spirit, and they remain, to this day, the same wonderful, kind and generous individuals I met all those years ago."
Daniel Radcliffe remarked, "Playing the role of Harry Potter has been an immense privilege, and I look forward to completing the series. I feel a huge sense of loyalty to the character of Harry and the fans who have supported these films over the years. During filming, I have learnt so much, made lots of friends and met people who have changed my life. I am indebted to J K Rowling, Warner Bros. and David Heyman for giving me this fantastic opportunity."
Emma Watson stated, "I could never let Hermione go--she is my hero! I love her too much and love what playing her has meant to me. I am excited and honoured to be finishing what I started and playing her in all seven of the films."
Rupert Grint offered, "Ron Weasley has become a big part of my life and not just because we've both got ginger hair! I've been so proud to play him and loved every second of being part of this world. I'm really looking forward to filming the last two films and being back with my 'Weasley family' and, of course, to seeing my good friends Emma and Dan. Thank you to everyone for being so supportive over the years; we couldn't have done it without you."
Warner Bros. Pictures' fifth film in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," is slated for release in the U.S. on July 13, 07
| You are a caring and loving individual. You understand people's emotions and you are able to comfort and counsel them.  |
You Are 28% Evil |
 A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil. |
| Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.  |
`Don't ask' rule's serious tradeoffs
Published March 4, 2007
Thanks to the growing demands of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military has had increasing trouble finding and keeping recruits. So it's had to lower its standards. How much? Since 2003, the number of convicted felons allowed to join has nearly doubled--to 1,605 last year. The military has also welcomed nearly 44,000 enlistees convicted of serious misdemeanors. Going from an orange jumpsuit to desert camo must be a refreshing change.
But the Pentagon hasn't eliminated its standards entirely. You still can't serve your country if you have a thing for people of your own sex. And if you are secretly gay, you can be kicked out if your sexual orientation becomes known. Since 1993, more than 11,000 troops have been discharged under President Bill Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. If you were in the Army, would you rather bunk next to a homosexual or an ex-con?
...
Many of those soldiers evicted under the existing policy have vital skills that are hard to replace, such as fluency in Arabic or Farsi. At the same time the military is discharging gays, it is compelled to embrace ex-cons. That's the weird tradeoff we've chosen with don't-ask-don't-tell.
If the policy were only detrimental to gays, it might be justified. But right now, it looks like a policy billed as preserving military effectiveness that actually does just the opposite.
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Steve Chapman is a member of the Tribune's editorial board. E-mail: schapman@tribune.com
