Child Abuse and Heroin

Article: “Daughter’s brutally honest obit for her mom goes viral”

Author: Audra Schroeder

Published: September 13, 2013

            In the article “Daughter’s brutally honest obit for her mom goes viral” written by Audra Schroeder she talks about an obituary written by Marianne Theresa Johnson- Reddick.  Most obituaries are nice and are fond of the person who has passed away, but this obituary talk about child abuse and neglect.  Instead of writing how wonderful their mother was Marianne Theresa Johnson-Reddick and her brother decide to write about how abusive their mother was in hopes that it would raise awareness towards child abuse.  Schroeder then says that the paper holding this obituary took the listing off of the internet indefinitely until they have completed a review to determine what actions to take.  She then ends the article with the actual obituary itself.

            Being abused and neglected while growing up, I can only imagine how hard that could have been to deal with.  I cannot imagine the psychological affects that some children go through and have to deal with for the rest of their lives.  Raising awareness about this topic is important and well known.   There are people out there who are doing everything in their power to protect all the children they can and to raise awareness about this issue.  The people who were abused in this article are people who have personally dealt with this matter and who want to help other children.   Do I think they should have done it in a way like this, probably not but it is still getting the message across.

Article: “Two cases in Arizona are the first involving caustic, heroin-like IV drug that originated in Russia.”

Author:  Michael Winter

Published: September 27, 2013

            In the article “Two cases in Arizona are the first involving caustic, heroin-like IV drug that originated in Russia” written by Michael Winter he writes about a new drug called Krokodil.  It is a drug like heroin that rots the flesh and bones.  This drug is made with homemade opiate is made from over-the-counter codeine-based headache pills mixed with iodine, gasoline, paint thinner or alcohol.  When this drug is injected into the veins it turns the skin scaly green.  Winter says this drug emerged in Russia around 2002 and the first cases in the U.S. just now hit in Arizona.  This drug became popular in Russia because it was cheaper similar to heroin but cost three times as less. Michael winter then ends his article talking about a Russian woman who was involved with this drug for years along with friends.

            Are you kidding me! This drug turns your skin green when it is injected then rots your flesh and bones? What are people thinking now a days or even at all.  I cannot even wrap my head around this.  It just hit the United States even though it has been around for years.  Let us hope this is where it stops and that people actually think about the consequences and the seriousness of this drug.  But then again if you are a hardcore drug addict and have gone too far, what more can I say to convince you otherwise. 

Beauty Pageants and Homecoming.

Article: “No Honey Boo Boos in France: Parliament moves to ban kiddie pageants”

Author: Priscilla Lalisse-Jespersen

Published: September 21, 2013

            In the article “No Honey Boo Boos in France: Parliament moves to ban kiddie pageants”  written by Priscilla Lalisse-Jespersen, she talks about how the French Parliament has moved to ban beauty pageants for children under the age of sixteen. She then goes on to talk about how the French are not known for not being “prude”, but sexualizing children goes too far.  Girls should be taught that what matters most is on the inside and their brains.  Instead children are being taught that all that matters is your beauty and winning a contest to succeed at that goal.  Priscilla Lalisse-Jespersen then talks about a twelve year old named Margos Gianos who is already an entrepreneur that has her own line of lip balm.  She then ends her article by saying “Beauty pageants, who needs them? I say, toss the tiaras, we need more Margos.”

            I would have to agree with the French Parliament moving to end this kind of sexualization when it comes to children.  Beauty pageants are not something children should be concerned with.  They should be out playing and exploring the world.  They do not need to worry about whether or not they are pretty enough to win a contest. I mean what happens to their self-esteem when they lose that contest? Could it result it negative effects for years to come, possibly, maybe?

Article: “Transgender Teen Crowned Homecoming Queen Wipes Away Tears: 'I Can't Even Be Happy”

Author: Alexis Shaw

Published: September 22, 2013

            In the article “Transgender Teen Crowned Homecoming Queen Wipes Away Tears: 'I Can't Even Be Happy” written by Alexis Shaw she gives an overview on a video posted to YouTube by Cassidy Lynn Campbell.  The sixteen year old teen lets out her frustrations through this viral video.   She is the first transgender teen to be crowned homecoming queen in Huntington Beach, CA.  Alexis Shaw talks about how the teen received negative reviews on her becoming the queen.  This was supposed to be an exciting and memorable night for Cassidy Lynn Campbell but she could not enjoy it due to the backlash she was receiving.  She talks about how she was being criticized for who she was.

            I wish I could say that this type of thing happens rarely, but I cannot do so.  I can only imagine how Cassidy Lynn Campbell feels.  It is ridiculous that that she is receiving so much negative energy.  She is who she is and that is something that will never change.  She is the first transgender teenager to win homecoming queen in Huntington Beach, CA and I say props to that.  Though it was a bad experience that should have been great, she not only did this for herself but she did it for others across the country to set an example.  That will go far. 

Cheap Tickets and Resumes

Article: United to honor free fares

Author: Chris Isidore

September 13, 2013

            In the article “United to honor free fares” written by Chris Isidore, he talks about United Airlines honoring mistakenly sold plane tickets.  The company made a comment saying this mistake happened by human error not a computer glitch.  Tickets were being sold as low as five to ten dollars apiece.  Chris then quotes a man named Andy Farrimond, where he talks about how he noticed those prices and began telling coworkers around him.  His coworkers, along with himself, bought multiple plane tickets ranging from Las Vegas, NV to Honolulu, HW.

            Where was I when this mishap happened? Five dollars to go to Hawaii, I missed out! In my opinion it was awesome that the company is honoring these plane tickets, especially since it was a human error in the first place.  Of course it also sucks for the company to lose money because who knows how many tickets were sold for those low prices.  They can only hope that this mistake does not happen again. 

Article: Hiring managers reveal the biggest resume mistakes

Author: Aliah Git

September 11, 2013

In the article “Hiring managers reveal the biggest resume mistakes” by Aliah Git, she talks about the biggest and common mistakes found in resumes.  The study was conducted by a research firm Harris Interactive and it was published by CareerBuilder.com.  Some of the outrageous mistakes found were resumes using text language, the candidate neglecting to include his/ her name and baby pictures included in the resume.  The common mistakes in resumes had typos, inappropriate email addresses, missing information, the resume is too generic, printed on decorative paper and the resume was either too short or too long.  The article then concludes by answering the question” How long should a resume be”?

I think this article was helpful.  It gives more insight to the mistakes that happen in resumes. I know that I will double check my resume and have someone revise it/ and or give me pointers. “How long should a resume be” is a question that I often here and I never know the answer.  In the article it states that if you are freshly out of college your resume should be a page long.  If you have been around for a long time it should be two pages highlighting the skills you obtained over the years through your experiences. Resumes are the first thing employers see, therefore the most important thing besides a first impression. But initially that is your first impression. 

Lies and Sports

Article: Have Sports Teams Brought Down America’s Schools?

Author: Elizabeth Kolbert

September 6, 2013

                In the article “Have Sports Teams Brought Down America’s Schools?” written by Elizabeth Kolbert, she talks about a book called “The Smartest Kids in the World” by Amanda Ripley.  Kolbert then goes on to talk about Amanda Ripley’s book who tells a story about a young man who decides to spend his senior year in Poland.  She goes further into the article comparing the test scores of other countries whose schools have no sports versus America where sports are everything.  Of course the other countries had higher test scores because their main concern is school and education not sports.  Elizabeth Kolbert then ends her article by saying “American kids' performance on the field shows just how well they can do when expectations are high and they put their minds to it. It’s too bad that their test scores show the same thing.”

                In my opinion sports are important. Do I think sports are more important than education? Of course not but I do stand on the fact that they are important.  Sports teach valuable lessons as well as going to class to learn a different subject. But it is pretty sad that the test scores of our children are going down the drain, but people cannot blame just sports for that.

Article: How to Catch a Texting Liar

Author: Alexandra Sifferlin

September 5, 2013

                In the article “How to Catch a Texting Liar” written by Alexandra Sifferlin, she talks about a study that was done by researchers from Brigham Young University.  The researchers asked college students to respond to 30 questions that were generated by the computer and texted to the students.  Not only were they asked to respond to these questions, they were also asked to lie to half of them.  What they found,  Sifferlin claims is that it took longer for the participants to respond when they were lying and that more edits were done in the process.  She then goes on to talk about how it is much easier to lie through social media and digital conversations. 

                I would have to agree with this article.  It is easier to lie through social media because you it is not like you are reading the face of the person you are talking to, their facial expressions, or even hear that person talking.  When you are having digital conversations there is nothing you can do to know when a person is lying unless you are paying close attention to the details that you have been given.