Natural disasters

I read this article on the New York Times online about how illegal immigrants would not seek help or evacuate because there were afraid that they would arrested. This was an old article, more focusing on the situation of Katrina. How the specifically Latin residents did not evacuate, fearing that when they got into the shelters they would be arrest by the federal government and bring them back to there home land. But the Red Cross did something about it. Making a quiet statement that; unless feds. Had a warrant of some sort, they could not enter the Shelters and bust people for being illegal. Further more, they said that; no one ask if they are illegal nor deny there rights to come in. I think it was important that that made this a quiet change; it was the responsible thing to do. If they made a big deal about it, people would make a fuss saying illegal immigrants have no right to be there and such. But since it was a hushed movement they were able to make the change without anyone getting hurt. I also agree that illegal immigrants have the right to be safe. Some may argue that they have no right to be here but it’s a human right to have safety, and not die because you’re in fear of the government. It would be very inhuman to let those people drown or starve in the hurricane; the Red Cross did the right thing.

Downes, Lawrence. “Hurricanes and the Price of Fear.” The New York Times September 11, 2008
Website address: http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/hurricanes-and-the-price-of-fear/#more-323

In class activity

When doing this activity, the things I gave away was in this order: hair color, skin color, eye color, can’t remember, girl, and my religion (atheist/wanna be Buddhist… I don’t know how that works out but that’s what it is.) This was typical as Ms. Tholen explained. I kept my religion card because that stuff I can change and it’s me who decides what that is, and of coarse it’s a big deal to many of us. But on the other hand when I gave away the hair color so quickly It’s because I dye my hair and its not really part of my identity. Maybe if I had something like full pink hair I would keep it but I don’t it’s kind of not a big deal to me. This put in perceptive of how people that are forced in new cultures feel, even through I could never imagine how that feels, we got a teeny tiny taste. I think we keep the thing most unique about us because we want to feel like we are important. It’s nice to have something that others don’t, we feel like its ours, and it should never be taken away.

Butt bandit caught!

Articles: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?Butt_Bandit_jailed_for_one_bum_imprint_too_many&in_article_id=437924&in_page_id=2
And
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?Butt_Bandit_terrorises_town&in_article_id=306495&in_page_id=2

In Valentine, Nebraska a man named Thomas Larvie, 35, has been arrested. He leaves his butt imprints on various car windows, businesses windows, school and church windows, eight times, that they know of. I’m not going into detail but he smears lotion and sometimes KY jelly on his you know were and presses up against the windows. Sometimes he has reportedly made not just butt implants everywhere, but for that extra special touch, he’ll do genital implants too. Store owners, church workers and school janitors of coarse wash this off, and that must suck. Some found it funny but when Larvie started doing it to churches, people got all crazy and that’s when police staked it out. When they caught him he was convicted of eight misdemeanor counts of public indecency and one of disturbing the peace. Of coarse this man deserves punishment, but in my opinion the punishment given was not fair. Larvie was sentenced to thirteen months in jail! That’s more than a whole year! It was a stupid gag, and it was funny. If he did that to my house or church or something, I would be pissed, yet it is really funny. Plus I think the town needed this, I mean how much do they have going on in Nebraska? I think a fine would be fair, not jail. Jail time just takes up space and money for Larvie to be in when real criminals need to be in there.
Come on people! It was kinda funny! Its just a butt we all have one, let him out of jail!!!

Sex demand

http://www.sharedhope.org/what/storiesofhope_tanya.asp

~I read this story about this girl named Tanya. ~
~It’s a good example of what sharedhope.com is all about and there points they make. ~

There is the supply, manufactures, and the demand. On shared hope it talks about the sex industry and how by even watching porn would contribute into the increasing number of victims.

I think they make a real good analogy by saying prostitution is like a business. Of course, businesses only care about money, no matter how they do it, like the sex industry. This is a modern day slavery trade. Real human beings being sold and used to have your few minutes of pleasure. The supply, the humans, like Tanya are victims. The manufactures are the pimps, “boyfriends” (as Tanya had) and other people who lure young people to their business. The demand, something no business can live without. The demand is people who go and have sex with hookers, buy porn, ECT. And just think if there were no demand, there would be no need for supply and no manufactures. I know that it’s natural to want sex and such, but at what price?

Many young girls are arrested because they were prostituting, and go to jail. But if they had the choice, they would not want to hook. Like Tanya, she went to jail at seventeen for hooking. When she went to jail, it only made things worse, because she needed help with the things she had gone through.
The girls should not be the one arrested; they are the ones who need help. Many of them had no choice in hookering.
Tanya was twelve when she met this guy. She only had a mom and she was alcoholic, she was looking for someone who cared about her and this man was there for her. He was the only person she had and when Tanya found out that he was a pimp, he asked her to join. She was a young girl, she did hook. It was horrible, not allowed to talk to anyone but the people in “the family.” The family was the pimp and the other hookers. Every cent went to her pimp, or he would kill her. Often beaten and raped, Tanya’s live was bad.

Many hookers can not leave because the pimps have their information on them. When they get them in “the family”, usually they will have a wallet. The pimps will look at it, and write down they info. So if the hooker turned them in to the police or run, they say “well, I know were you and your family are living and I’ll kill them.”
Many hookers need a pimp because people could abduct them or not give the money.

Tanya got rescued by the shared hope foundation and is doing well. Now finishing up school and helping other girls in same situation.

Society has a common misconception that hookers are dirty and deserve jail, when really they are victims. I know no one would want to do this.
This is one business that should be stopped NOW!

Bodhisattva Thích Quảng Đức

http://www.quangduc.com/BoTatQuangDuc/01selfimmolation.html

June 11, 1963, in Saigon, Vietnam, a Buddhist monk sets himself on fire (kind of suicide) and died. It wasn’t that he wanted to end he’s life, he was making a point; a peaceful protest. President Ngô Đình Diệm’s administration was tyrannizing the Buddhist religion. People watching were too horrified to even cry, smelling the burn human flesh. Is was a public suicide and did this in the middle of a busy intersection.
He didn’t hurt anyone but himself and sure made a point. It shows you don’t need to go to war or set off bombs to have yourself heard. You don’t need to set yourself on fire but you can make a difference by a peaceful non-violent way. Gandhi did it, so did Dr. Martin Luther King, and makes a huge positive difference. It’s not a weak way to prove your point; in fact it’s a very manly way to do it. You could get arrested and beaten when in peaceful protest. It’s the right way though it may be a harder way. Setting bombs and war is just ignorant, dumb and irrational thing to do. In fact it makes you more likable and people will most likely be on you side. Thích Quảng Đức is prove.
No one has been so courageous and passionate about what they are fighting for. Could you ever light yourself on fire to make a point? Setting yourself on fire is one of the most horrific ways to go. Thích Quảng Đức will be remembered and be missed.
There is also a famous picture from New York Times:
Courtesy of http://www.quangduc.com

Abusive bus driver

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=534319

On some buses they have been putting up cameras and in Ambridge, Pennsylvania here is what they found. A bus driver named William McCartney warns the kids that he will “gonna knock you down. I mean I'll knock you down". He threatens the kid twice, while slamming on the brakes hard and kids go flying. These were elementary children and one of them called the bus driver a name. Being a bus driver is a hard job for anyone. William was maybe having a bad day. I’m not defending the guy but he should not have done that. Kids should feel safe even while misbehaving. Hitting the kid does nothing. Do we really want to teach children violence is ok? Even if the bus driver was just treating them. Children don’t learn respect from being hit. Its fear. He was the adult and should have been the adult. The article never said anything about him knowing the camera was there or not but if he did then it is worse cause who knows what he would’ve done without a camera on.

Franken’s up 225 votes

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/37047159.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU

They have recounted all the votes from November’s race and Franken is in the lead of Colman by 225 votes. It’s been a shaky and we have all been biting our nails but Franken looks like he has won. It’s not official and will be announced by court on Monday. It is speculated that Colman will take this to court and argue it was fair. I don’t like that Colman is doing this. He is a baby but that’s just what my opinion. They didn’t do that in Gore/Bush race. The difference was sum in that race was 500 votes that made the variation. This really shows you that what a difference you make in the elections. How you could decide the next person in charge, witch is the way it should be. That even the smallest people make a huge difference. It makes you feel important and your voice is heard as it should. Everyone deserves to make a difference, but I’m getting really cheesy now. Anyways I just think that this election was exciting. Demonstrates democracy in action.