"Susan Stillwaggon, New Jersey Mom, Allegedly Told Son He Had Cancer In Scam"

 An article called "Susan Stillwaggon, New Jersey Mom, Allegedly Told Son He Had Cancer In Scam," was posted on April 28, 2013 on the Huffington Post.  Susan Stillwaggon,  a thirty-five year old New Jersey mom, was charged by Pennsauken police, because she lied to friends, family, and her own son about her son's health in order to receive money. She told her son, school officials, her husband, and others that her son had stage three Hodgkin's lymphoma. Police investigated the child's health records and found out that he does not have cancer. Stillwaggon received 3,500 dollars through the fundraisers for her child. It is unbelievable how a mother can make up a lie about their child to receive money. Not only is it bad that she had the nerves to lie about her child's health, but she also wanted to make money through her lies. Did she not feel bad when she saw the fear in her son's eyes while convincing him that he had caner? This so-called "mom" did not realize that there are consequences for all of her actions.

"7th- Graders Named 12 Girls To Kill In Video: Police"

An article called, "7th- Graders Named 12 Girls To Kill In Video: Police," was posted on the Huffington Post. Mark Russell posted this article on April 26, 2013. Unfortunately, nowadays some children are on the path of becoming criminals. Two seventh-grade girls were caught listing about twelve girls that they wanted to kill. They had posted a twenty minute YouTube video in which they threatened girls from their school. The two girls claimed that they had special skills and special tools ready for the girls that they wanted to murder. This began on Tuesday when one of the girls read the names out loud in the classroom, and one of the victims heard her name being called out. After hearing her name, she ran to the bathroom, crying to her mom over the phone. The seventh-grader that read the names out loud was interviewed by the doctor and he allowed her to return to school. This did not last long because the police found the YouTube video that they had posted, consequently they were removed from school. Thankfully, these dangerous seventh grade girls are not in the same environment as the other innocent children, because they will not be able to harm any of the girls in school. It is scary how a child that should be thinking about playing at recess is too busy thinking about killing people.

"Meliton Andrade, Taco Fresco Cook, Accused Of Secretly Filming Female Patrons In Restaurant Bathroom"

     An article called, "Meliton Andrade, Taco Fresco Cook, Accused Of Secretly Filming Female Patrons In Restaurant Bathroom" was posted on April 18, 2013, in the Huffington Post by Rachel Tepper. A cook who worked at Taco Fresco in Naperville, Ill., installed a camera in the bathroom stall to watch a woman. She realized that she was being filmed when she noticed a canvas bag with an activated cell phone inside that was pointing at her. She informed the restaurant's manager, who decided to call the police. After investigating, the police found out that the cell phone was Andrade's and it was recording the woman while she was using the bathroom. Andrade was put into jail for unauthorized taping, but he had been freed after a 1,500 dollar bond, which only covers about 10 percent of the bail. This man's actions are unacceptable because he invaded an individual's privacy. There is a reason why there are separate restrooms for men and women. Andrade should not even be able to work after this incident.

Another Bomb Threat?

     On April 18, 2013, an article called, "Hooters Bomb Threat In Hollywood Neighborhood Of Los Angeles, Calif.," was written on the Huffington Post. A man jokingly claimed that he had a bomb in the Hooters restaurant in the Hollywood neighborhood. LAPD sent a bomb squad to make sure there was no bomb that would put people's lives on the line. An entire block of the street was evacuated as the police were investigating, and the area in which Hooters is located is a tourist zone. Fortunately, by 6:30 p.m. the bomb squad was almost done with their investigation. The man claimed that he was joking and he did not really have a bomb, but LAPD officers said that a bomb threat is not a joke and it is a serious crime. An entire block of the street was evacuated as the police were investigating, and the area in which Hooters is located is a tourist zone. This was the second bomb threat in Los Angeles on Thursday. On Thursday, thousands of people were evacuated from the Cal State campus in Los Angeles due to a false bomb threat. A bomb threat is not a joke, especially after Boston's incident earlier this week. People died because of a bomb and joking about having a bomb in a public area is similar to putting salt on a wound. The suspect should receive a punishment for his actions because a joke could always lead to a serious crime.

Stereotypes

     There are many types of stereotypes and some are funny and some are mean. Stereotypes are not always valid because they are based off of certain habits people have. The saying, "Genocide can never be eliminated because it is deeply rooted in human nature" is not valid. Genocide is not rooted in human nature because it is something that takes place due to certain people wanting it that way. It does not take place without people wanting it to and people can prevent it if they try. Committing murder is not something that should be accepted as a part of nature. If people believe that genocide and murder cannot be eliminated then it never will be.
     In my opinion, in order to overcome habits of stereotyping I need to accept people for who they are. Stereotyping is a form of habit and by teaching myself how to overlook one's ethnicity and different habits, I will overcome my habits of stereotyping.

"Misty VanHorn Pleads Not Guilty To Child Trafficking After Allegedly Trying To Sell 2 Children"

An article called, "Misty VanHorn Pleads Not Guilty To Child Trafficking After Allegedly Trying To Sell 2 Children," was posted on March 3, 2013 in The Huffington Post. An Oklahoma woman was accused of putting her two year old and ten month old children for sale in order to raise money. She was raising money to bail her boyfriend out of jail by asking for 4,000 dollars for both children. The twenty-two year old pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in the Sequoyah County District Court. She was arrested earlier this month for child trafficking. Who knew someone would try to sell their own children in order to bail their boyfriend out of jail. It would sound normal if she was trying to make money for her children but this "mother" found a better solution which was selling her children for a boyfriend. Maybe blood comes after someone that can be temporary in one's life.

"Brian, Shannon Gare Guilty Of Keeping Daughter In Cage For Years"

An article called, "Brian, Shannon Gare Guilty Of Keeping Daughter In Cage For Years," was posted on The Huffington Post on March 8, 2013. Brian and Shannon Gore pleaded guilty to child abuse. They were arrested because their eight year old daughter was found in a cage with an upside-down crib. The girl had been there for many years and she was starving because the parents never gave her food. The eight year old was naked and covered in feces. She ate her own flaking skin as substitute for food. She was born at home without a birth certificate and she had never visited the doctor, yet her father insisted that she had Down syndrome. They also had a one month old boy that was healthy and taken care of and a body of a third child was found buried near their home. The daughter is now under the care of another caring family and she is trying to live a normal life. One would think that if a parent has the heart to do this to one child they would do the same to the rest of their children also, but Brian and Shannon treated one of their children normally but kept their daughter in a cage without food. Instead of going to school and living a normal life this child was forced to eat her own skin and live through trauma. What could an eight year old child do to deserve such a harsh and long- lasting punishment from her own parents.

Unforgettable Party

A Beverly Hills party that all my friends and family will attend will be the party of the year. With a 100,000 budget, I will please all my guests with the best entertainment, food, and drinks. The party will be taking place in a 5 story Beverly Hills Villa that will cost 30,000. Happy DJ and belly dancers will be entertaining my 500 guests while they enjoy their food and swim. Entertainment will cost 4,500. A total of seven Bentley's costing 6,500, will bring the guests to the mansion and also take them home because we do not want drunk drivers on the road. Speaking of drunk people, 10,000 dollars worth of drinks and hookah will be provided because we all know how crazy a party can get with alcohol and hookah. Every table will have hookah and the bar will have almost every type of alcohol drink you can imagine.  How can I forget the unlimited food that will be catered? My guests will enjoy sushi, lobster tails, oysters, and other types of seafood while the guests who do not eat seafood will be enjoying kebab and rice. As they enjoy their martini or vodka by the pool, they will be served with their favorite dish. The endless amount of food will cost 35,000 dollars. The party of the year hosted by me, will cost 86,000. Hope all of you can come and enjoy this memorable night!

"Radcliffe Haughton, Wis. Salon Shooter, Asked Taxi Driver's Advice, According To Police Report"

An article called, "Radcliffe Haughton, Wis. Salon Shooter, Asked Taxi Driver's Advice, According To Police Report," was posted on The Huffington Post on March 1, 2013 by Carrie Antlfinger. A man who shot his wife and six others before killing himself at a salon in Wisconsin gave hints to the taxi driver before arriving at the salon. Haughton asked the driver what he would do if his wife was cheating on him. He also told the driver that he thinks his wife is cheating on him and he has a gun. The taxi driver noticed Haughton being very nervous as he left the car. Radcliffe Haughton's friend also heard him telling his father that if he had a gun he would shoot his wife. Haughton went into the salon and took his wife into another room and shot her seven or eight times with the .40 caliber semi- automatic handgun. Three days before the shooting, his wife Zina Haughton obtained a restraining order from him because he had accused her of cheating and threatened to kill her. The people who noticed something strange about Haughton should have taken a stand and done something before he was able to reach the salon and shoot people. His friend who overheard a call should have spoken to him about it in order to try to give him good advice. Maybe if these people tried to do something about what they heard, this would not have happened.

blog # 9

During the 1920's the Eighteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution was passed, prohibiting alcoholic beverages in the United States. Even though the sale of alcohol was illegal, alcoholic drinks were still widely available and many people had private bars at their homes in order to serve their guests. A large amount of alcohol was smuggled from Canada and overland. Limited amounts of wine was aloud inside one's house but people took it overboard. Whiskey could only be obtained through a doctor's prescription but doctors began to give them out without a reason. People had the urge to consume alcohol since they were not allowed to. The Great Gatsby has a correlation with the prohibition in the 1920's since it took place during the 1920's and the rich would serve a lot of alcohol at their extravagent parties. It was obvious that there were ways to go around the laws on prohibitng alcohol and Gatsby in the book had parties every weekend with an endless amount of alcohol for his guests even thought alohol was prohibited which meant that people with power were still able to get a hold of alcohol. The fact that there was alcohol at the party was emphasized greatly in the book showing how it was a popular topic at the time. People attended the weekly parties in order to have a good time since it was hard to get a hold of alcohol during that time.

Blog #8

An article called "Fifth Graders In Washington Accused Of Plotting To Kill Fort Colville Elementary School Girl," was posted on The Huffington Post on February 15, 2013. Two fifth grade boys admitted to plotting a little girl's death. The students were ten and eleven years old and they were arrested on February 7, 2013 because they were found with a knife, a pistol, and a full ammunition clip. A fourth grader noticed that one of the boys had a knife and he went and told one of the teachers. Their reason to why they wanted to kill their girl classmate was that she always made fun of them and their friends and she was rude. The older boy was going to stab her and anyone who tried to respond to what they did would be replied to with the pistol. The boys are facing charges of conspiracy for attempting to commit a first degree murder. An insult from a classmate may even drive children to think about killing a friend. These children should have consulted with a teacher about the girl's rude remarks instead of planning death.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcKswwkTVyE

In this video, John Stewart satirizes negotiation tactics. He targets John Boehner who does not agree with Obama on the fact that taxes should be raised, because Boehner feels as if it is unacceptable. John Stewart's target is on the low level of negotiation skills and the house committee chairman's. John's purpose is to bring a recognition of common sense and to make people realize a change in the way decisions are made should change. He is trying to show people that there is something wrong. In order to reach his goal, he uses techniques such as innuendo, exaggeration, understatement and diminution. John Stewart responds to John Boehner's remark about taxes, by directly questioning his skills at negotiating on issues. His use of exaggeration, especially in his tone, makes the people realize the problem automatically. Understatement was used when the issue on the fact that the house is made up of all white males was brought up. John Stewart used understatement and diminution by completely down sizing the issue and trying to come up with ways to make the house look like it is diverse when it really is not. His use of understatement was used to draw attention to the truth and show its faults. The satirist wants us to know the idiocy behind some of the remarks politicians make and the faults in what they do by directly using satirical techniques.

"Procrastinating Surgeon Putting Off Coronary Bypass By Cleaning Entire Hospital"

The article "Procrastinating Surgeon Putting Off Coronary Bypass By Cleaning Entire Hospital" was written on January 13, 2013 in theOnion.com. Columbia University of Medical Center reported that Dr. Robert Klinge, who is a cardiac surgeon procrastinated when he needed to perform an important coronary bypass procedure. Dr. Robert did not putt of the surgery because he was on an important call, but he had the urge to clean the hospital mess. He vacuumed, recycled and made sure everything was aligned perfectly. He thought that if he did not clean it then he would worry about it all throughout the surgery, as if the surgery is just another task on the side. Dr. Robert thought it would not be a problem if he left the surgery for the next day. He was adding a coat of pain and due to that he did not hear the call that indicated a "code blue." A coronary bypass surgery is not a simple thirty minute surgery that can be put off, especially for cleaning. A doctor should not be satisfying his OCD needs when he is responsible for another human's precious life. People trust doctor's with their life and doctors like Robert Klinge should be caring and smart enough to know that a patient comes before cleaning the hospital. I thought workers are hired to clean the hospital and not a heart surgeon that is on call.

"Dad Forgets Baby In Car For 8 Hours On Cold New York Day"

The article, "Dad Forgets Baby In Car For 8 Hours On Cold New York Day," was written on January 25, 2013 in The Huffington Post.  A New York man left his year old son in the car for eight hours on an extremely cold day. If it was not for his wife, he would not notice until the day was over because his wife called him in middle of the day asking about the child which resulted in the father realizing that he had not taken his child to day care that morning. He forgot to drop his child off at day care and instead he parked his car in front of his office for eight hours. As soon as he realized, he rushed his son to the hospital. The baby did not suffer any injuries but his body temperature barely reached 15 degrees. They have not determined if the father should be charged for his actions. People forget at times and make mistakes but being a parent is a big responsibility. Everything that has to do with one's child should be on top of their list and making such a huge mistake could have resulted in the one year old dying.

Nature

As I take a seat on the stairs and take a look around me, I realize there is so much to enjoy outside. The birds are speaking to one another in their loud yet soothing language and the wind is making a sound that almost feels like music to the ears. Cars are passing by, causing the leaves to make a crunchy sound. The trees are moving in a rhythm with one another as if they have a routine and the fresh air blows in my face making me feel so calm. As I stared at the buildings and cars on pause, I felt relaxed due to the lack of noise. The soft and white clouds in the blue sky made me feel at peace and it made me forget about all the was in my head before I sat down. Technology keeps me away from this beauty, and at times I do not even notice it. I could get used to this soothing feeling.

"Nicholas Tankersle Allegedly Forced Female Inmates To Strip In Indiana Jail"

The article, "Nicholas Tankersle Allegedly Forced Female Inmates To Strip In Indiana Jail," was written on January 19, 2013 in The Huffington Post. An Indiana jail officer had been charged for convincing the female jail inmates into stripping for him. Not only did he ask for something very wrong but he also promised to give favors in return for their "work." He promised the women that he would provide them with extra sheets, oranges, ink pens, if they stripped in front of him. He asked two jail inmates to perform a sex show for him and he touched another inmates breasts while she was on her bunk in her cell. The officer admit that he added previous jail inmates on Facebook but his wife told him to remove them. This man not only broke jail rules but he also went against morals. Jail is supposed to serve as a punishment for people who have gotten themselves into it and not a place for give and receive from the officer. Not only is the officer supposed to be punished for his sick actions but the jail inmates who agreed on doing such things for "favors" deserve to be punished also. Jail officers are supposed to move in a strict manner.

"Robert Jarell Neal Accused Of Stabbing Deaf Man After Confusing Sign Language With Gang Signs"

The article, "Robert Jarell Neal Accused Of Stabbing Deaf Man After Confusing Sign Language With Gang Signs", was written on January 11, 2013. Police in North Carolina reported that a deaf man was stabbed in North Carolina by another man because he was communicating with another deaf man and it was mistaken for gang signs. Robert Jarell Neal stabbed 45-year-old Terrance Ervin Daniels with a kitchen knife in the middle of his conversation. A neighbor reported the scene to the hospital and Daniels is in a stable condition at the UNC Hospitals. Robert Jarell Neal was arrested and charged for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill a handicapped person. This type of act is unacceptable because Neal stabbed a handicapped man who was simply communicating using sign language. Neal's temper resulted in an unfortunate situation due to a misunderstanding and lack of patience. Even if this man was throwing gang signs, Neal had no right to step in and commit such a crime. It is sad that a deaf man was punished in such a painful way for being deaf.

Favorite Piece of Literature

Over the winter break, we were assigned to read an autobiography or memoir. All students presented their book in a short manner but that time was enough for me to figure out which book I would enjoy reading and which book I would not want to read. Lucky by Alice Sebold is the book I would most likely read because it is similar to Fat Girl by Judith Moore and it is about a young girl's unfortunate life. I prefer sad books because it grabs my attention and urges me to read more. Lucky by Alice Sebold falls into that category because it seemed like a book where the reader can analyze one's life and reasons to why they are a certain way. This particular book is about a rape victim and her family and I would most likely read this because I do not know what it is like to be a rape victim fortunately, therefore it is interesting to read about their thoughts. The book that I am least likely to read is Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. As I mentioned earlier, I enjoy sad books and this book is nowhere near that category. Pieces that have no action tend to bore me and in my opinion Into Thin Air did not have an interesting moral or meaning. This specific memoir described how a group of men climbed a mountain and reading an entire book on a journey to the top of a mountain would not have my attention.