Couple jailed for gay wedding

A MALAWI gay couple has been sentenced to the maximum 14 years in prison with hard labour for holding the country's first same-sex wedding, which landed them with a sodomy conviction.
Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza were arrested on December 28 after their symbolic wedding and accused of violating "the order of nature". They have been in jail ever since.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malawi and most other African countries.
"I sentence you to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour each," magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwa Usiwa told the two men in a courtroom in the commercial capital Blantyre overnight.
"I will give you a scaring sentence so that the public be protected from people like you so that we are not tempted to emulate this horrendous example," the judge said.
"Malawi is not ready to see its sons getting married to its sons."
The couple looked subdued when the sentence was handed down and were quickly rushed out of the packed courtroom.
As they were escorted away under heavy police guard, hundreds of curious onlookers outside the court shouted at them, with one woman yelling, "Malawi should never allow homosexuality at any cost."
The sentence could be appealed, said the judge.
Former colonial power Britain and the United States expressed "deep disappointment" at the ruling.
"We view the criminalisation of sexual orientation and gender identity as a step backward in the protection of human rights in Malawi," said the US State Department.
"The sentence is entirely disproportionate and against international human rights principles," said Ireland's overseas development minister Peter Power.
"We are working with our partners for a strong EU response," he said.
Homosexuality is illegal in most African countries. Nearby South Africa is the only country on the continent to recognise same-sex marriages.
Thirty-eight out of 53 countries criminalise consensual gay sex, which is punishable by death in some nations, according to Human Rights Watch.
In January, the Malawi couple appealed to the Constitutional Court to toss out the case, but the top court refused to consider that appeal.
Their lawyer Mauya Msuku, who has been hired by the country's underground gay-rights group, the Centre for the Development of People, argued that laws banning homosexuality "violate the right to marry and find a family".
Mr Msuku said he would consult with his clients on filing an new appeal.
In an unusually graphic language, Usiwa Usiwa convicted Monjeza of "having carnal knowledge of Tiwonge through the anus, which is against the order of nature".
Chimbalanga was found guilty of "permitting buggery", which the judge said was similarly contrary to the natural order.
Human rights organisations said the sentence was a blow for minority groups and the fight against AIDS.
Undule Mwakasungura, director of Malawi's Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation, said the sentence would drive gays into hiding.
"We have many of them who need to publicly access information and HIV and AIDS medical care. It's a big let-down," he said.
Richard Bridgen of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre said the sentencing was a "real tragedy for Malawian society".
"The deep point is that they have the right to be different... the right to live the life they choose," said Mr Bridgen.
But Protestant churches in Malawi have urged the government to uphold its ban on homosexuality, which religious leaders described as "un-Christian".

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Comment:

i feel that homosexual should be treated fair and square. People have the right to choose their own partner and being homosexual may not be their deliberate intend. They were born like that and we should not see them as the 'special spesies'. But for the case, if gay-marriage is illegal in that country, maybe they can consider living together forever without the marriage contract. Try to tolerate and harmony of a country can be maintained.

Argumentative Essay - The effect of television viewing: Final Draft

As the sophisticated lifestyle spearheads this modern century, television has become a prevalent necessity rather than a luxury good. American Time Use Survey(2003) states that men and women in United States spend approximately 2.4 and 2.8 hours per day respectively in watching television. This statistics manifests the truth that more than ninety percent of households in modernised countries own at least one television set (Sharif 1999). Parallel to this, issue on television viewing becomes highly controversial when the detrimental pitfalls of television viewing are getting noticeable on all levels of people. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that television viewing can bring negative effects, as it affects the children’s thinking, intervenes their positive behaviour building and jeopardises people’s health.

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Firstly, children’s thinking skills can be adversely affected if they watch inappropriate television programmes for a long period. According to Sharif (1999), short segments with interesting presentation in modern children’s programmes and music video clips encourage the development of short attention spans in children. Children may have the wrong thoughts that overwhelming all the difficulties in life will be a piece of cake as they are used to those thirty minutes problem-solving programmes like ‘Friends’. As a result, they always lose out patience when it is the real time for them to counter the hardship and rigour situations. Moreover, Jones claims that children who are heavy viewers are among the lowest achievers at school because they do not develop imaginative skills to create fictitious characters, situations and make-believe worlds (Leigh 2001). In short, excessive television watching hours may plague the healthy thinking of the children.

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Secondly, the structure of children’s behaviours will be less desirable, particularly the emanating of wildness and violence. Television programmes and even the news, televised at prime time, depict violence scenes which may cause the children to become desensitised to violence (Sharif 1999). Consequently, they may feel that violence is a plausible and acceptable way in solving problems. Furthermore, some children attempt to imitate the superhero in the television shows they have watched. For instance, there were children jumped out of trees in Superman costumes and got themselves injured (Sharif 1999). Besides, the stereotyped movies showing the narrow roles of characters played by the women and men in society influence the children’s behaviours towards themselves and others. This evidence proves that television viewing can be actually harmful by forming disfavour behaviours among children.

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Prolonged periods in front of the television which is a sedentary activity can trigger many health problems such as obesity and related diseases. Nowadays, people, especially the youngsters, become inured to the habits of indulging themselves with snacks while watching television (Rutherford 2002). The elevated number of couch potatoes is intractable as it spreads erratically without control. Meanwhile, extended periods in front of the television mean that children are not being physically active (Sharif 1999). Moreover, children may become autistic as television viewing encourages the development of antisocial behaviour. Briefly, obesity will become the most discernible fallout when children consume too much calories, adding to the dearth of physical exercises.

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In conclusion, I strongly believe that television viewing can bring harmful effects such as underdevelopment of thinking skills, formation of negative behaviours and cultivation of unhealthy lifestyles. The negative effects of television viewing are stark, albeit, some people assert that its pros outweigh the cons. However, I am prone to the stance that television viewing brings more harms than benefits. A balance point on television viewing should be adhered in order to best utilise the television by minimising its negative effects and at the same time get ourselves refreshed and ready to concentrate on things like homework (Rutherford 2002).

Argumentative Essay - The effect of television viewing: Draft#2

As the sophisticated lifestyle spearheads this modern century, television has become a prevalent necessity rather than a luxury good. American Time Use Survey(2003) states that men and women in United States spend approximately 2.4 and 2.8 hours per day respectively in watching television. This statistics manifests the truth that more than ninety percent of households in modernised countries own at least one television set (Sharif 1999). Parallel to this, issue on television viewing becomes highly controversial when the detrimental pitfalls of television viewing are getting noticeable on all levels of people. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that television viewing can bring negative effects, such as affect the children’s thinking, intervene their positive behaviour building and jeopardise people’s health.
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Firstly, children’s thinking skills can be adversely affected if they watch inappropriate television programmes for a long period. According to Sharif (1999), short segments with interesting presentation in modern children’s programmes and music video clips encourage the development of short attention spans in children. Children may have the wrong thoughts that overwhelming all the difficulties in life will be a piece of cake as they are used to those thirty minutes problem-solving programmes like ‘Friends’. As a result, they always lose out patience when it is the real time for them to counter the hardship and rigour situations. Moreover, Jones claims that children who are heavy viewers are among the lowest achievers at school because they do not develop imaginative skills to create fictitious characters, situations and make-believe worlds (Leigh 2001). In short, excessive television watching hours may plague the healthy thinking of the children.
----------------------------------------------------
Secondly, the structure of children’s behaviours will be less desirable, particularly the emanating of wildness and violence. Television programmes and even the news, televised at prime time, depict violence scenes which may cause the children to become desensitised to violence (Sharif 1999). Consequently, they may feel that violence is a plausible and acceptable way in solving problems. Furthermore, some children attempt to imitate the superhero in the television shows they have watched. For instance, there were children jumped out of trees in Superman costumes and got themselves injured (Sharif 1999). Besides, the stereotyped movies showing the narrow roles of characters played by the women and men in society influence the children’s behaviours towards themselves and others. These evidences prove that television viewing can be actually harmful by forming disfavour behaviours among children.
-----------------------------------------------------
Prolonged periods in front of the television which is a sedentary activity can trigger many health problems such as obesity and related diseases. Nowadays, people, especially the youngsters, become inured to the habits of indulging themselves with snacks while watching television (Rutherford 2002). The elevated number of couch potatoes is intractable as it spreads erratically without control. Meanwhile, extended periods in front of the television mean that children are not being physically active (Sharif 1999). Moreover, children may become autistic as television viewing encourages the development of antisocial behaviour. Briefly, obesity will become the most discernible fallout when children consume too much calories, adding to the dearth of physical exercises.
--------------------------------------------------
In conclusion, I strongly believe that television viewing can bring harmful effects such as underdevelopment of thinking skills, formation of negative behaviours and cultivation of unhealthy lifestyles. The negative effects of television viewing are stark, albeit, some people assert that its pros outweigh the cons. However, I am prone to the stance that television viewing brings more harms than benefits. A balance point on television viewing should be adhered in order to best utilise the television by minimising its negative effects and at the same time get ourselves refreshed and ready to concentrate on things like homework (Rutherford 2002).
---

Argumentative Essay – The effect of television viewing : Draft#1

As the sophisticated lifestyle spearheads this modern century, televisions has become a prevalent necessity rather than a luxury good. American Time Use Survey(2003) states that men and women in United States respectively spend approximately 2.4 and 2.8 hours per day in watching television. This statistics manifests the truth that more than ninety percent of households in modernised countries own at least one television set (Sharif 1999). Parallel to this, issue on television viewing become highly controversial when the detrimental pitfalls of television viewing are getting noticeable on all levels of people. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that television viewing can bring negative effects, such as affect the children’s thinking, intervene their positive behaviour building and jeopardise people’s health.

-------------------------------------------------
Firstly, children’s thinking skills can be adversely affected if they watch inappropriate television programmes for a long period. According to Sharif (1999), short segments with interesting presentation in modern children’s programmes and music video clips encourage the development of short attention spans in children. Children may have the wrong thoughts that overwhelming all the difficulties in life will be a piece of cake as they are used to thirty minutes problem-solving programmes like ‘Friends’. As a result, they always lose out patience when it is the real time for them to counter the hardship and rigour situations. Moreover, Jones claims that children who are heavy viewers are among the lowest achievers at school because they do not develop imaginative skills to create fictitious characters, situations and make-believe worlds (Leigh 2001). In short, excessive television watching hours may plague the healthy thinking of the children.

-------------------------------------------------
Secondly, the structure of children’s behaviours will be less desirable, particularly the emanating of wildness and violence. Television programmes and even the news, televised at prime time, depict violence scenes which may cause the children to become desensitised to violence (Sharif 1999). Consequently, they may feel that violence is a plausible and acceptable way in solving problems. Furthermore, some children attempt to imitate the superhero in the television shows they have watched. For instance, there were children jumped out of trees in Superman costumes and got themselves injured (Sharif 1999). Besides, the stereotyped movies showing the narrow roles of characters played by the women and men in society influence the children’s behaviours towards themselves and others. These evidences prove that television viewing can be actually harmful by forming disfavour behaviours among children.

--------------------------------------------------
Prolonged periods in front of the television which is a sedentary activity can trigger many health problems such as obesity and related diseases. Nowadays, people, especially the youngsters, become inured to the habits of indulging themselves with snacks while watching television (Rutherford 2002). The elevated number of couch potatoes is intractable as it spreads erratically without control. Meanwhile, extended periods in front of the television mean that children are not being physically active (Sharif 1999). Moreover, children may become autistic as television viewing encourages the development of antisocial behaviour. Briefly, obesity will become the most discernible fallout when children consume too much calories, adding to the dearth of physical exercises.

--------------------------------------------------
In conclusion, I strongly believe that television viewing can bring harmful effects such as underdevelopment of thinking skills, negative forms of behaviours and unhealthy lifestyles. The negative effects of television viewing are stark, albeit, some people assert that its pros outweigh the cons. However, I am prone to the stance that television viewing brings more harms than benefits. A balance point on television viewing should be adhered in order to best utilise the television by minimising its negative effects and at the same time get ourselves refreshed and ready to concentrate on things like homework (Rutherford 2002).

Final version of the argumentative essay(Junk Food)

The recent arise of junk food issue that jeopardized the children’s health has alerted the schools to scrutinise the selling of junk food in school canteens. Junk food is food that is perceived to be unhealthy and of low nutritional value (Family Journal 2005). According to the statistics published in Health Foundation(2005), out of 13 most popular snack foods, 6 of them are of low nutritional value while 3 are of moderate nutritional value. The prevalent consuming of junk food is aggrandising even though the public are acknowledged with its pitfalls. I strongly believe that the sale of junk food in school canteens should be banned because excessive junk food consumption leads to childhood obesity, unhealthy growth and disposal problem.

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One of the detrimental effects of consuming junk food is childhood obesity, which may contribute to many future cases(Weekend News 2005). According to Weekend News(2005), consumption of junk food raises the kilojoule intake of the students and the situation is worsened when they do not exercise much. Besides, obesity problem is also contributed by the high content of fat and sugar in junk foods. For instance, Steven Reynolds says that the sale of junk food in school canteen gives the youngsters the wrong thought that they can consume junk food whenever they like without any consequences(Weekend News 2005). Parallel to the drifting of junk food consumption, statistics from Australian Nutrition Journal(2004) shows that the percentage of Australian children aged 12-14 that intake sugar in the level more than recommended intake is far outweigh the percentage of children that intake in ideal level. Therefore, sale of junk food in school canteens should be confined to prevent any peril consequences.
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Secondly, I agree with the banning of the sale of junk food in school canteens as junk food hinders the healthy growth of the children. Junk food contains chemical additives to enhance flavour and colour and to increase shelf life. These addictives build hyperactive children who have poor concentration(Family Journal 2005). Regards to The Food Show(2005), a child psychologist voices out that there is research showing the reducing unhealthy foods in children’s diets can improve their behaviour. Besides, nutrients required for healthy development and growth are not supplied by junk food. Consequently, their learning potential will be reduced. A teacher from Hillview Primary feels that the students become calmer after a lunch with no junk food consumption. In short, junk food should be banned to make sure the students can have a holistic growth.

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Thirdly, the banning of the sale of junk food in school canteens is encouraged as it triggers the litter problem. Students prone to discard their junk food package anywhere other than trash bins. The schools end up having a dirty compound with plastic wrappers all on the floor. According to Family Journal(2005), litter increases cleaning costs and creates bad reputation of our communities. It is proven that the removal of junk food in school canteens reduces the litter problem. Consequently, school groundsman can have more time for beneficial maintenance projects rather than spending the whole day just for cleaning. Thus, the banning of junk food in school canteens can ensure a cleaner and better environment for effective learning.

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In a nutshell, the sale of junk food in school canteens causes childhood obesity, unhealthy growth and litter problem. Although the sale of junk food in the school canteens generates vast funds for the schools, but it contradicts with the health education they learnt in school. The negative fallouts should not be neglected. In order to move the country a step forward, we have to ameliorate their growing environment to assure the young generations are capable to lead the country in the future. Last but not least, I am against the sale of junk food in school canteens.

Fatal crash driver 'too busy chatting up passenger'

Sean Fewster, Court Reporter , From: AdelaideNow , May 06, 2010 12:53PM

A DRUNK and drugged driver was more interested in "chatting up" a backseat passenger - and asking to see her breasts - than in watching the road minutes before a head-on crash, a court has heard.

Matthew Scott Shepperd was therefore unable to avoid another drunken driver, resulting in a collision that killed his cousin Bettina Appelt.

Today, prosecutor Kos Lesses told the District Court it was not the first time Shepperd had put the community at risk - nor the last.

"He has a prior conviction for driving with excess blood alcohol of .147, just under three times the legal limit," he said.

"Subsequent to this crash, he accelerated through a crowded car park with a reading of .194, almost four times the legal limit.

"This man, frankly, has problems with alcohol and driving, which we say is sufficient basis for an immediate jail term."

Shepperd, 27, of Sheidow Park, pleaded guilty to one count of driving in a manner dangerous to the public.

In November 2007 he was driving himself, Ms Appelt, her partner Rachal Shepard and another woman down Wheatland Rd, Seacliff.

His car was hit head-on by a vehicle driven by Mark Lewis David Henson, whose blood alcohol level was five times over the limit.

Henson was last year jailed for a minimum 27 months, and disqualified from driving for 15 years, for causing Ms Appelt's death.

Today, Mr Lesses said the group had been drinking and smoking cannabis prior to the crash.
"Shepperd was very drunk, his words were slurred, his eyes were glassy, he staggered and was falling down," he said.

"Witnesses said he was trying to chat up the other woman and `behaving like a bit of a wanker'.

"While driving, he kept turning around to talk to the woman instead of watching the road, saying `show me your tits'."

Grant Algie, for Shepperd, said his client's crime was less serious than those who drive recklessly, aggressively or with "willful" disregard for the law.

"He did not cause this crash or its terrible consequences," he said.
"There was really nothing he could have done."

Judge Julie McIntrye will sentence Shepperd on Monday.

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Comment:
It is so ridiculous that someone risked his and others’ lives by driving in unconsciousness, and even sacrificed his cousin’s life for paying no attention during driving. The news reflects that there are many drunkards who have been punished before still drive with body blood alcohol level exceed the limit. This situation endangers all the drivers on the road, passengers and passerby who are sober. The innocent one may be involved in those unnecessary accidents that actually can be avoided. Advice to all the drivers, drive safely, for yourselves and for the rest.