Nike Removes 'Boston Massacre' T-Shirt

     On April 22, 2013, Meredith Bennett-Smith wrote the article, "Nike Pulls 'Boston Massacre' T-Shirts After Marathon Bombings" in The Huffington Post. A baseball-themed T-shirt from the Nike company was removed after being considered insensitive after the Boston bombings. The T-shirt said
"Boston Massacre" with blood spilled on it to represent the "Boston Massacre", to commemorate two the series sweeps in 1978 and 2006, when the New York Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox. This became known as the first and second "Boston massacres" to fans of the rival teams. Producer of "Late Show by David Letterman", Eric Stangel, was the one who pointed out the offending T-shirt this weekend. The producer tweeted a picture of the shirt, and said that employees told him they had started to take the shirts down. In a statement emailed to The Huffington Post, a Nike spokeswoman said the company was aware of the issue. "The shirts being referenced are older baseball shirts that were predominantly being sold through our Factory Stores Outlets," the representative wrote. "In light of the tragedy in Boston we took immediate action last week to remove this product from distribution. We conducted this process as quickly as possible and are confident the product has been removed from distribution." The T-shirt might become a collector's item now that it is no longer in stores.

Armenian GENOCIDE

     On April 24, 2013, Mark Kellam wrote the article, "Armenian genocide recognition overdue, congressman says" in the LA Times. Representative Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) spoke in Armenian on the House of Representatives floor today, as he honored the 1.5 million lives that were lost in the massacres of the 1915 committed by the Ottoman Empire. As the lead sponsor of the Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress, Rep. Schiff, in Armenian, said, "I speak to you from the floor of the House of Representatives in the language of your grandparents and your great-grandparents — the language they used to speak of their hopes, their dreams, their lives and their loves in the years before 1915.... I speak to you in the language of sons who watched their fathers murdered. I speak to you in the language of the girls begging the gendarmes for mercy. I speak you in the language of the children begging for a drop of water. I speak to you in the language of those who were lost. Their voices drift across the decades, begging us to remember." This speech was made Wednesday, April 24, 2013, the same day President Obama once again did not use the term "genocide" in his annual statement about the event. For the past ninety eight years, the Turkish government continues to deny the systematic annihilation of the Armenian race from the years 1915-1917, and continues to financially aid the media, along with the United States government for them to disguise and hide any evidence of the Armenian genocide. Rep. Schiff noted that their is "overwhelming evidence" from American diplomats and journalists, as well as Turkish historians, that the genocide occurred, and should be globally accepted and recognized. The Armenian community remains forever grateful for non-Armenian individuals, such as Rep. Schiff, for advocating the truth and endorsing the end of the cycle of denial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX6nHPiuhqg

Poisonous Letter

     The article, "Obama Ricin Letter: Poison-Tainted Mailer to President Intercepted at Screening Facility" was written on April 17, 2013 by the Associated Press in The Huffington Post.  On Tuesday night, a letter sent to Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) was tested positive for the deadly poison ricin. Less than a day later, two more letters tainted with ricin have surfaced, including one to President Obama. The second letter was intercepted on its way to the U.S. Senate. President Obama's letter and Senator Wicker's letters were intercepted in facilities outside of the White House and Senate. On Wednesday, Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said police have a suspect in mind who, "writes a lot of letters to members." There has also been a rumor of a suspicious package in the Senate's office, where a bomb squad has been called. Events like these, including the tragedy of the Boston marathon, instill fear into innocent people and make them cautious, in a negative and obsessive way, of their surroundings. Especially after the September 11 incident, the American people are still trying to recover. How are we allowed to do that when the world refuses to offer us peace?

Medical Emergencies from the Boston Marathon

     On April 16, 2013, Svea Herbst-Bayliss wrote the article, "Boston Marathon Amputations: Faced with Legs Mangled By Bombs, Doctors Had To Amputate" in The Huffington Post. On Monday, April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded more than four hours into the race, as hundreds of runners approached the finish line after running the forty three kilometer race, and as a thousand spectators stood cheering them on. Surgeon's at Boston's largest hospitals raced to save the lives injured. Although only three people have died so far, more than 170 are critically injured. Doctors said that the injuries were so gruesome that they had no choice other than to amputate legs. So far ten legs above the knee have been amputated, some of which bones were sticking out and limbs were hanging on by shreds of muscle. However, the amputees woke up to the shock of finding that they only have one leg were graced with gratitude. They believed they were going to die from the bomb, and did not expect to live. Doctors frantically raced around the entire night trying to save the injured, and said that had it not been for those doctors and nurses waiting at the finish line for the usual, minor injuries, this many people would not have survived. Doctors also said it took them the most time cleaning the dirt from patients' bodies and finding metal objects, such as pieces of metal trashcan and carpenter nails implanted in the bomb. Although most have survived their injuries, many still cannot breathe on their own, making it difficult to speak.

Stereotypes

     Stereotypes are the cause of prejudice and hate in society. Often times, they are used in cruel jokes that target a group of people. Stereotypes in society are used as an acceptable way to humiliate and discriminate an individual, or sometimes an entire race. However, it is certain that these stereotypes do not classify and correctly describe someone. With that being said, the question, "What factors contribute to such prejudice and how?" comes into play. The idea of stereotypes generates from many different outlets. The most powerful one is usually the media. The media regulates and decides what can be implanted into people's brains, especially children's. From a young age, children learn through biased media that it is acceptable to make fun of a race, gender, religion, because the rest of the world is participating also. Other factors include parental attitudes, and general viewpoints based off of certain events we see throughout our lives. These factors are not necessarily valid, and contribute to why prejudice takes place in the form of stereotypes. Consequently, the question of, "Is it possible to grow to adulthood without harboring at least some prejudice toward certain groups?" arises. At a young age, we learn it is acceptable to have some sort of discrimination against a certain person, for example if a friend does not share their toys, they are now the enemy. This idea makes its way into adulthood. In adulthood, however, the issue of toys is transformed to the issue of money, well-being, and other advantages that arise. For example, if a coworker is not dressed as fashionable as you are, but receives the promotion you were working so hard for, that coworker is now made suspicious by you and the rest of the staff. The stereotype of appearances plays a major role in adulthood, because of the way life decisions, such as promotions in a job, are made.

Steubenville Rape Trial Verdict

     The article, "Steubenville Rape Trial Verdict: Trent Mays, Ma'lik Richmond Found Guilty" was written on March 17, 2013 in The Huffington Post by the Associated Press. On August 11, 2012 two high school football players, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, supposedly digitally penetrated a sixteen year old West Virginia girl, first in the back seat of a moving car after an alcohol-fueled party, then in the basement of a house. The football team of Steubenville, located in Ohio, is the pride of the city, and this case has torn the city into two. The trial opened up last week when prosecutors claimed that the girl was so drunk she could not have been a willing participant that night, and the defense attorneys claiming that although drunk, she knew exactly was she was doing. The girl, who is unknown, testified that she does not remember anything except waking up the next morning lying naked in an unfamiliar house. She believes she might have been drugged, and that she believed she was assaulted from reading text messages between friends and seeing a photo and video from that night that made fun of her and alleged the attack. Two former friends, however, testified that the girl has been known for drinking heavily and lying. A judge announced on Sunday that the defendants in the trial were found guilty. They received delinquent verdicts, the guilty equivalent for juveniles, on all three charges. Mays was also found guilty of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material. The boys will serve their sentence in a juvenile detention until they turn 21.

McDonald's in Trouble Again!

     The article, "McDonald's Franchises in Pennsylvania Accused of Exploiting Student Guest Workers" was written by Dave Jamieson on March 06, 2013 in The Huffington Post. The National Guestworker Alliance, a labor group representing foreign guest workers in the United States, has accused McDonald's franchises near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania of paying lower than legal wages to student guest workers, as well as housing them in unsafe and uncomfortable conditions. Students from Argentina, Peru, Chile, Malaysia, and other Asian and Latin American countries paid as much as $3,000 a person to travel to the U.S., work a typical U.S. student's job usually in the service or food industry, and learn the American culture. This cultural and educational program happens through J-1visas. On Wednesday, a number of students walked out their jobs at McDonald's because they believed their working and living conditions, which consisted of four hour work day's with less than $7.25 an hour, which is deduced by the housing fee, and eight people living in one room, was unfair and protests began in front of their jobs. The Labor Department has dealt with a similar situation, in which the student groups were paid extremely low wages to do tedious work at a Pennsylvania packing plant for Hershey chocolates, in which the Labor Department was able to obtain an agreement from Hershey's to pay the students $200,000 back in pay. Congress is currently trying to extensively change immigration reform, and labor groups have paid closer attention to guest worker visa programs.

Veevo in Wonderland

     $100,000 budget to throw the most extravagant party known to mankind? Mission accepted. The theme of the party: Alice in Wonderland meets West Hollywood. Step one are the invitations, which are sent out to over 300 exclusive residents with a small bottle that says drink me, costing $2,000. Once the guest drinks the content, they can remove a key from the bottle which gives the location of the party. The guests are anyone and everyone who I have been acquainted with. $7,000 will be used to rent out double decker buses to transport the guests to and from their arrival areas. Next, I will rent out the Andaz hotel rooftop and outdoor pool, with the price weighing in at $8,000 for the night. The catering will be provided by Wolfgang Puck and other Iron Chefs, adding up to a total of $15,000. The food will include a wide range, varying from double truffle and Iranian saffron hamburgers, Almas caviar, pizza topped with lobster, creme fraiche, and chives, club sandwiches with 30 month-cured ham, quail eggs, white truffles, semi-dried Italian tomatoes, and sourdough bread, sushi made by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Kobe beef, lamb chops, chicken, duck, over thirty different salads, and of course dessert. The dessert table will have a chocolate waterfall, macaroons from Bottega Louie, ice cream and frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity 3, cake, cupcakes, cookies, cake pops, and cannoli from Carlos Bakery, cotton candy, and of course tea pastries to go along with the tea party. However, the tea is spiked with alcohol. Alcoholic beverages will include over seventy five packs of beer, Grey Goose and Ciroc, different martinis, and Hennessy. There will also be a beer pong competition throughout the night, with over thirty tables to play on; the alcohol will be about $5,000. Of course, there needs to be a hookah section representing the Caterpillar, with over fifty flavors to choose from and a professional packer. The total price will be about $5,000. Next, entertainment. The Weeknd, Rihanna, and A$AP Rocky will perform throughout the night, costing $30,000. Lastly, to represent the Queen of Hearts, card games, such as poker and black jack, will be provided indoors. All individuals who lose will hear "Off with his head!" and be removed from the table they were playing at for twenty minutes. The tables will be $20,000. $5,000 will be used for colorful decorations, servers, cleaning crew, and inflatable hamster balls so individuals can swim in the pool without getting wet. The remaining $3,000 will be used to give out puppies as party favors.
*Since I do not drink nor smoke, I will assume the role of Gatsby and observe the actions of my guests. Absolutely no video/photography/cellular devices will be allowed.

 

Teacher Fired for Premarital Sex

     The article, "Teri James, Pregnant Woman Allegedly Fired for Premarital Sex, Sues Christian School" was written in The Huffington Post on March 1, 2013 by Katherine Bindley. Recently, a controversy involving religious schools and the strict contracts they impose on the administration has been the cause of many court cases. Teri James, 29, a teacher at San Diego Christian College, was fired for engaging in premarital sex and has now hired a high-profile attorney to sue the college. James was asked to sign a two-page contract that included a clause that did not allow her to engage in "sexually immoral behavior including premarital sex." Last fall, she was humiliated when she was called into the supervisor's office and asked if she was pregnant, then let go. After she was let go, the school offered her fiance (now her husband) a position in the school, even though they knew he had had sex before being married too. Cases similar to this have happened all over the nation, including the Southern Baptist-based Shorter University. A third of the faculty decided to quit rather than sign a "lifestyle" statement, which did not allow the faculty to drink in public, have sex before marriage, or allow homosexuality. Discriminatory cases such as these cause individual's to lose their jobs in an economy like this, which can cause great difficulties emotionally as well.

1920's Clothing

     The 1920's fashion was much different from that of previous decades. The cultural change after World War I was apparent in the clothing apparel. It represented more closely to artistic taste, by incorporating elegant designs, delicate fabrics, and a variety of colors for women, and a more baggy, slim and simple style for men. This reflected the sense of the party lifestyle, in which music, theatre, and exciting times were a staple for daily life. Women experienced a period called "the roaring twenties", in which the American population, tired from war, wore new and colorful fabrics accompanied with elegant jewelry, hats, and shoes to represent the joy they felt for the ending of the war. Men's fashion changed drastically. The once "sharp", tight suits were transformed for the young men to become slim and more casual, with unpadded jackets over the trousers, lighter and brighter fabrics then ever before, and an overall more baggy and relaxed look. Women's dresses were brighter and shorter than ever before, giving designers the leisure to experiment with different fabrics and colors. Shoes and stockings also played a larger role in clothing, which is also the cause of corsets becoming smaller, and the bra being introduced. Flappers, as these women were called, wore short dresses with a loose silhouette. Seams also rose to just below the knee, and the knee could be seen while dancing. The women also wore pantsuits, canes, and hats, whose style was named after the novel La Garconne by Victor Margueritte. This look was accompanied by the "bob" haircut, reintroduced by the actress Louise Books. Men took their influence from sports. "Plus" pants, taken from famous golf stars, were categorized by how far the pants fell below the knee before becoming tight around the leg area. The pants were topped with a colorful Fair Isle sweater (sweaters that originated in Scotland that had different colors and patterns.) Men also wore white trousers and V-neck sweaters around town, modeled after tennis players.
     The clothing makes a powerful mark in the first half of The Great Gatsby, which also takes place in the 1920s. The elegance and luxurious aspect is described in almost every chapter, with it being a significant sign for money. At Gatsby's party, the women are wearing elegant dresses accompanied with expensive jewelry, while the men are wearing posh clothing as well. The choice of clothing ties into the characters' desire to have exciting times by partying with alcohol and music.

Pope Resigns

     The article, "Who Will Be Next Pope After Pope Benedict XVI's Resignation?" was written by Cavan Sieczkowski in The Huffington Post on February 11, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI of the Catholic Church plans to resign from the papal office on February 28, 2013. This marks the first resignation of a pope in the Catholic Church in almost 600 years, with the last pope being Pope Gregory XII in 1415. Benedict was elected in April 2005, and announced Monday, February 11, that he would no longer lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. Traditionally, a Pope's reign ends with his death, and a mourning period continues. However, being that the situation is different, the College of Cardinals will meet to elect the next pope sometime in March. There are 118 electors eligible to vote for the successor as of January 2013, with Italy having the most electors, twenty eight, and the United States having eleven. A conclave, a meeting of the cardinals to elect the next pope, could occur early as mid-March. The conclave must begin fifteen to twenty days after the Pope's resignation, with the eligible cardinals, who are all under the age of eighty, casting their votes in secret at the Sistine Chapel. Two votes are held in the morning, and two in the afternoon, until a new Pope is chosen. The ballots are burned after each round, with black smoke signifying that there has been no decision, and white smoke signifying a new Pope has been chosen. Three Vatican experts told USA Today that the top five cardinal contenders include: Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa; Cardinal Marc Ouellet, former Archbishop of Quebec; Cardinal Angelo Scola, Archbishop of Milan; Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture; and Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, head of the Vatican's office for Eastern Churches.However, cardinals from Latin America are also in the running, because "The universal Church teaches that Christianity isn't centered on Europe." Also, two cardinals from Africa are each front-runners, which could possibly make them the first black Popes.

Colbert Commends NASA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tnq4TJYN7A

     In this video, Stephen Colbert satirizes the accomplishments of NASA about three years ago. He targets NASA, a United States government agency that deals with aerospace issues, by underplaying their accomplishments in 2010. Colbert wants to force a recognition of common sense, by using his version of President Bush's "bold challenge", which is"launching a probe to find oil in heaven before the decade ends", and showing how he "won" the popular vote in the online node naming competition, but lost the actual competition to the name "Tranquility". Colbert uses the satire technique of exaggeration, congratulating NASA on a great year, by finding "dramatic pictures from Cassini", "finding water on Mars", and their "dramatic discovery of a new administration that believes in science." He also exaggerates when saying that the node name of "Tranquility" will scare the aliens. Colbert also uses innuendo, by aiming the attack on President Bush, implying that the President only cared about finding oil in every inch of the planet, and if he could not find it, he would attempt to use NASA to reach the "oil in heaven." He also aims the attack at the fact that the President lost the popular vote during his election, but somehow managed to win the Presidency. Lastly, Colbert uses distortion to satirize the weight of astronauts. His prize for winning the popular vote was a space treadmill, that was going to be installed in the international space station to slim down the astronauts. Colbert says ,"It's Buzz Aldrin, not Butt Aldrin." He distorts the idea that in reality, astronauts fly to space to escape the scale in the bathroom, and feel the sense of being weightless. Colbert wants the viewer to realize that the NASA has not accomplished as much as it has praised it has. Also, its accomplishments were minor and their pretentiousness is a point to satirize.

Annotation At Its Finest

     The article "Copy of 'The Scarlet Letter' Can't Believe The Notes High Schooler Writing in Margins" was written on January 23, 2013 in theOnion.com. A mass-market paperback edition of The Scarlet Letter confirmed on Wednesday its disbelief that a high school sophomore from Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania, Phoebe Dobson, could write such misguided notes in her The Scarlet Letter book. The high schooler had numerous spelling and grammar mistakes, along with the fact she was able to misinterpret and complicate the book's straightforward plot. Phoebe had written down in the margins that the letter 'A', along with standing for "adulteress", also stood for "America", and that "red=success." She highlighted the entire first page of the book and many unimportant page numbers. Phoebe also not only circled the word 'cottage' every time it came up in the book, she wrote on page thirty seven that the novel might be an allegory for the Civil War, and that the novel's "black man", who represents evil, is a "random black guy who keeps showing up." Along with other mind boggling mistakes, Phoebe referred to the author of the book as Hemingway, and applied nail polish to the about-the-author page that was used to compare slightly different shades of burgundy.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/copy-of-the-scarlet-letter-cant-believe-the-notes,31007/?ref=auto

McDonald's is Sued

     On January 21, 2013, Jeff Karoub wrote the article, "McDonald's To Pay $700,000 To Settle Allegations Franchise Falsely Claimed Food Complied with Halal" in The Huffington Post. Dearborn, Detroit is home to about 150,000 Muslims, one of the nation's largest Arab and Muslim communities. It is also the home of the only two McDonald's in the United States that sells halal products. Halal forbids the consumption of pork, and requires God's name to invoked before an animal provides its meat for consumption to be slaughtered. Dearborn Heights resident, Ahmed Ahmed, a Detroit Health clinic, bought a chicken sandwich in September 2011 at one of the McDonald's that advertises halal Chicken Nuggets and McChicken sandwiches, but found that it was not halal. Ahmed's attorney, Kassem Dakhlallah, said there were no problems on the production side, but he alleges that the McDonald's sold non-halal products when it ran out of halal. "The lawsuit against McDonald's and Finley's Management Co. covers anyone who bought the halal-advertised products from the Ford Road restaurant and another Dearborn McDonald's with a different owner between September 2005 and last Friday. Since that would be impossible to determine, Dakhlallah said both sides agreed to provide money to community-based charities that benefit members of this group. About $275,000 is expected to go to the Huda Clinic, $150,000 to the museum, $230,000 to attorneys and $20,000 to Ahmed."

Observing Nature

     The wind is whistling. Squirrels are fighting over a fallen pine cone. The pool is being kissed with leaves from the nearby trees. The sounds of cars passing through the calm street can be heard from the backyard. The door opens and a 'beep' is heard. The aroma of food from the kitchen fills the air. As I am about to go inside, I suddenly hear chewing noises. Walking around the house, a group of three deers are seen in the neighbors' yard. The large deer is attempting to steal an apple from the tree with its teeth. The two younger deer await for their mother to steal their meal. My grandmother yells my name so that I can eat. The deer are scared and run away. As I go inside, the normal environment of technology surrounds me. The TV is on the highest volume, my brother is playing video games, my mother is on the computer, and I run to my iPhone. The amount of time it took to switch from a calm, serene environment to that of which we experience on a daily basis, took a matter of seconds. It dawns on me that if technology did not exist, our purpose in life would have dramatically changed. Although we are one with our technology, we must learn to keep in touch with our roots, and also be one with nature. The clarity and calmness in our lives is found in an environment unfamiliar with us, in which we must soon become acquainted with if we are persistent in succeeding in life.

Deaf Belgian Twins Euthanized

     The article, "Marc and Eddy Verbessem, Deaf Belgian Twins, Euthanized After Starting to Turn Blind," was written by Eline Gordts on January 14, 2013 in The Huffington Post. Assisted suicide is one of the most controversial topics worldwide. Last month, the first reported double euthanasia of twins worldwide occurred. Marc and Eddy Verbessem, 45, were born deaf and were slowly becoming blind. Fearing they might lose communication with each other, they decided to end their lives together. Belgium is one of the three countries, besides the Netherlands and Switzerland, that allows euthanasia for non-terminally ill patients. They permit euthanasia when a patient requests for it, and the doctor agrees that the patient is in an unbearable physical or psychological pain. Although the law permits it, euthanasia is a highly controversial topic, which was the probable cause as to why the first hospital the twins visited denied their request. It was reported that the twins were happy on the day of their deaths, and were cremated and buried together in identical urns. Judge Nicholas Kearns says, "It would be impossible to ensure the aged, disabled, poor, unwanted, rejected, etc. would not avail of this option to avoid a sense being a burden on their families and society."

Independent Reading

     It is safe to say, that the books each student presented for the independent reading project provoked a variety of emotions within the classroom. The topics ranged from suicide, adventure, life lessons, and so on. However, the book that provoked the most emotion from me was Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen, which was presented by Ani N. I would most likely read this book because it showed the struggle of a young woman to determine her sanity in this world. People cope in different ways when they face certain situations, and in this case, Susanna lost her sanity and was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which is a serious issue to deal with. Another reason I would read this book is because I have already seen the movie starring Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder, and although movies are detailed, the book has ALL the information. The book I would most likely not read is Ambulance Girl: How I Saved My Life by Becoming an EMT by Jane Stern, which was presented by Kristine. I did not feel that the book gave much insight into Jane's life as the other author's did in their books. Also, I did not feel that the period of time she was discussing in her life was interesting enough to write a book. Although becoming an EMT to save lives is an act of courage, the story did not grasp my attention.

Candy in North Korea

     The article, "Kim Jong Un Sends Birthday Candy To North Korean Children in Honor of His Day of Birth:Report," was written on January 7, 2013 by Sara Gates in The Huffington Post. Kim Jong I1 was the leader of North Korea from 1944 to 2011, which is when he passed away. As a tradition set by his father, Kim Jong I1 Sung, candy, gum, and caramel are delivered to the children of North Korea ages 10 and younger, as an honor to the leader's birthdays. However, when Kim Jong I1 died in late 2011, his son and the current leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, had not delivered candy to North Korean children. This is the first year as ruler that Kim Jong Un delivered one kilogram of candy to each child in North Korea. He managed this by airlift, and not by shipping routes which might have been affected by the cold weather. All children who attend elementary schools, kindergarten, and day care centers received the traditional candy just in time before the leader's January 8 birthday. Although it is a tradition, this act of kindness was also used as a tactic to show the new leader's benevolence. In a surprising New Year's address, Kim addressed the issue of economic improvement in North Korea. North Korea struggles with feeding its population, especially in rural areas.