“Can call all you want, But there's no one home, You're not gonna reach my telephone! 'Cause I'm out in the club, And I'm sippin' that bubb, And you're not gonna reach my telephone”!

In December 2009, Governor Paterson made New York one of the country’s toughest states against drunk driving. The new law mainly protects children from the dangers of driving while intoxicated but the legislation also includes a provision that requires all DWI offenders to install a mandatory ignition interlock device in their vehicles.

With taser guns now an integral tool on most police forces, it’s not unusual to hear stories of atrocious police brutality. Sure our officers need protection against society’s most dangerous criminals, but some find the temptation of power too great.

The days of ideological exclusion during the red scare are long gone, but some believe this form of suppression has returned, creating unlawful restrictions on foreign nationals. With passage of the Patriot Act, former President Bush granted exclusionary power to government officials that banned certain individuals solely because of political beliefs.

With most celebrities and businesses now entangled in the web of tweets, it’s difficult to shake this addictive habit. For some, Twitter can be a useful and productive networking tool but for others the ability to broadcast inappropriate personal thoughts is quite tempting. In recent months, athletes and others involved in the sports industry have been testing the limits of twittering.

With immigration to the US always growing, prejudice and nativist attitudes have skyrocketed, placing immigrant workers life threatening situations. In particular, regions with the greatest degree of documented and undocumented workers have experienced drastically increased violence against immigrants. Last year’s killing of an undocumented worker in Suffolk County, New York is a shocking example of how much hatred towards immigrant workers has amplified. Reporting on instances like this is minimal and difficult to find considering raging political opinions. Nonetheless, should the rights of immigrant workers be limited or has hatred gone too far?

Last week, the European Union announced a fairly radical stance on the use of capital punishment. For the first time, the EU said the death penalty should be abolished globally.

The startling pictures of naked prisoners piled on top of one another at Abu Ghraib prison was a frequently seen image on the news. After investigation, seven soldiers and two officers were convicted on charges of cruel and abusive interrogation techniques. While pictures provide visible evidence of these allegations, it remains unclear as to who, if anyone, ordered this type of unlawful behavior. However, the recent release of memos ordering harsh interrogation techniques by former President Bush shed light onto the reality of the situation.

The sweet taste of chocolate is something we probably all enjoy once in awhile, but chocolate is the cause of cruel and abusive treatment to one of the world’s most vulnerable populations. While child labor has been around since the dawn of civilization, the use of young labor is becoming an increasing problem in countries that harvest cocoa. Considering that chocolate is one of our most satisfying pleasures, cocoa is in high demand - and cheap labor is vital for maintaining low production costs for struggling farmers.

As most of us are aware, much of US security and intelligence data comes from satellites orbiting the earth. With growing suspicion of countries possessing nuclear weaponry, celestial technology has seen major innovation in recent years. On Tuesday, President Obama approved a bill calling for the purchase of multimillion-dollar commercial imagery technology, including several satellites with unprecedented abilities. Most of the advancements in satellite spying have been delayed since 2005 and the Obama administration is now working to reinvigorate the program and bring intelligence to a new level.