Van der Sloot admits to murdering Stephany Flores

Joran van der Sloot has finally admitted to murdering 21-year-old Stephany Flores of Peru in a Peruvian police broadcast on Monday.  In a hotel room last year, Flores stumbled upon something on van der Sloot’s computer that connected him to the disappearance of Natalee Holoway, who vanished in Aruba during a 2005 graduation trip. Panicking, van der Sloot attacked Flores, hitting her and ultimately strangling her to death. Luis Jiminez Navarro, van der Sloot’s present attorney proposed that van der Sloot would confess to simple homicide charges that would result in a 20-year maximum prison sentence, but would not confess to more complex homicide charges. Flores family has asked the court to prosecute van der Sloot with aggravated murder, or something similar, which would carry a maximum life sentence in prison. Maximo Altez, van der Sloot’s previous attorney, made a statement saying, “My client ... admits having murdered the victim, but not with ferocity, for profit or pleasure, nor any of the other element(s) that make up this murder, but only by violent emotion that overtook him at the time he was attacked by the victim"(cnn.com). It seems to me like Altez is trying to justify van der Sloot’s actions and trying to justify murder. Should murder ever be justified? In this case, I think it is disgusting that van der Sloot would beat and strangle an innocent girl just because she may or may not have thought he had a part in the Natalee Holoway disappearance. This only makes him more of a suspect because he killed someone who may have seen crucial evidence that could result in him being found guilty of murdering Holoway. 

         Will van der Sloot ever formally confess to his part in the Natalee Holoway disappearance? Probably not. I think that letting van der Sloot off with a simpler charge than what he deserves is a disgrace of justice and another stab to Flores' and Holoway’s families. We hope that justice will prevail in this situation but it always seems that van der Sloot slips between the cracks. Although the world has been waiting for a confession from van der Sloot regarding Natalee Holoway’s disappearance for just about 6 years now, his confession of murdering Stephany Flores reassures the public that he did, indeed, cause the disappearance of the high school graduate. I believe that many people, like me, find it aggravating and disrespectful that van der Sloot is always so nonchalant and calm when discussing Natalee Holoway and Stephany Flores. It is very creepy and reminds me of a bad Sunday night movie. Karma will get van der Sloot in the end and hopfully his conviction will save the lives of many other innocent women around the world.

         The author of this news post clearly knew his audience. The article was written in an unbiased and informative way, using direct quotes and dates to support his evidence. I feel that I learned a lot from this article and I look forward to seeing how this situation turns out. 

CNN Wire Staff. "Video shows van der Sloot confessing that he killed woman - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., 27 Sept. 2011. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/26/justice/peru-van-der-sloot/index.html>.

A Mother-Daughter Fight for Life

What are the odds of a 28-year-old mother and her 15-month-old daughter developing cancer at the same time? Kezia Fitzgerald, 28, was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is cancer of the lymph nodes, a vital part of the immune system. Although this sounds daunting, Hodgkin’s lymphoma is considered one of the most curable cancers (cnn.com).  This gave Fitzgerald hope, until 5 months later when her 15-month-old daughter, Saoirse, began waking up with bruised eyes, was unusually cranky, and was vomiting. While Kezia was undergoing her own treatment, a stage four malignant cancer called neuroblastoma was found in Saoirse’s abdomen. Her nerve cells were turning into tumors instead of cells and fibers (cnn.com). Saoirse’s cancer was spreading throughout her adrenal glands, bone marrow, ears, and the remainder of her body. Saoirse is now without adrenal glands and will have to take steroids for the rest of her life and will have to endure stem cell transplants in order to save her bone marrow.

            This article really hit me because of my love for medicine and because of my compassion for others. It is very sad to read about a family going through two cancers. They are a very strong family and are blessed to have friends fundraising to help with their insurance and hospital bills. It is quite interesting, from a medical point of view, that both mother and daughter would develop cancer around the same time. A couple of weeks ago the Fitzgeralds were happy to find out that Kezia’s cancer is in remission. Hopefully Saorise will emulate her mother this time too.

            The author of this article wrote in an informative but informal way, which made the text easy to read. The author used pathos to bring out the reader’s emotions for the family. This article was current, clear, and concise, which make for a great combination. After reading this I think that, like me, thousands of other people are wishing for a quick recovery for Saoirse. 

Park, Madison. "A woman and her toddler fight dual cancers - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., 17 Sept. 2911. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/09/17/mom.baby.cancer/index.html?hpt=he_t5>.