Wishing For Some Good News

I first blogged about Sky Metalwala on November 7th, 2011. Three months later, I was hoping that when I typed his name into the Google search bar I would find happy articles and pictures of his reunion with his father and and close-ups of his mother in an orange jumpsuit. This is not what I found when I hit enter. Unfortunately, there are no new leads as to where Sky might be... only ideas and theories that seem far-fetched and improbable. A little recap: Sky Metalwala was reported missing near Seattle, WA after his mother allegedly left him in her car for an hour while she and her daughter went to get help for their broken down car. After investigating the case, officials found that the car had no problems and had a full tank of gas: proving her a liar. Sky's father, Solomon, now has custody of the daughter, Maile, and says that he is inclined to believe that Sky might be with a third party or a friend of his mother's. Although Solomon has not said much publicly, his attorney makes himself very clear as to what the two think, saying "We are talking about a life of a 2-year-old child, whose mother is so vindictive and hateful, probably due to mental illness to some degree, that she is obsessed with the thought that she must prevent Solomon from (having) their children... She is not intelligent, and she definitely does not have what many would consider a creative side … I am not saying that to be mean, but we are in the trenches trying to come up with a way to circumvent Julia’s silence while her baby is missing" (cnn.com). It is very sad that Sky is missing. I just hope that he is alive and happy somewhere and that someday we will all know what really happened to him. 

The author of this article, Matt Phelps, uses a unique structure in his writing. After every two or three sentences he starts a new paragraph, neglecting to indent. Looking at only the structure, this article looks like a bunch of short sentences put together. I do think that this technique makes this article easier to read. If this were not spaced out I think that many people would be too overwhelmed by the large article that they would not read it. I think that Phelps is aware of his audience and knows that many people just want an update on Sky, and not some lengthy fluffed up article. He does a good job of recapping what happened to Sky without going into too much detail that it would make the article boring. I hope someday soon he has good news for us. 


Click Here For The Update On Sky's Case

Stop Abusing Infants

Abuse of any kind is horrible. Child abuse is unthinkable. But infant abuse is unimaginable. Sadly, the journal Pediatrics, surveyed almost 89% of hospitals in the U.S. and looked at the 2006 Kids Inpatient Database from the Department of Health and Human Services. This study found that for every 100,000 children, 6 were seriously abused. But for children under 1 year old, this likelihood increased more than 8 times, making the rate 58 in every 100,000 for infants. This rate is higher than Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which gets much more research opportunities and publicity than child abuse. The study also found that infants covered by Medicaid were abused 1 in every 752. Karel Amaranth, executive director of the J.E & Z.B. Butler Child Advocacy Center, explains that there is a "strong association between poverty and child abuse such as stressful economic situations and lack of support for young mothers" (cnn.com). Still, no matter how broke you really are, there is no excuse for taking out your frustration on your baby. Your baby who is unable to protect itself in any way, shape, or form. 

The author of this article, Nadia Jounang, does a wonderful job enhancing the logos and ethos in her writing. I did find, however, that she was lacking in pathos. This is somewhat surprising because when talking about child abuse there seems to be a myriad of opportunities to play up on the pathos. I think that her article would've have a greater impact on the reader if it had enhanced people emotions a little more. But, this was a medical article and therefore it is fitting that she did not play up the pathos. 

Click Here To Read This Logos-Packed Article!

Lyme Disease Studies

Dr. Maria Diuk-Wasser of the Yale School of Public Health and her colleagues spent over three years running pieces of cloth through forests collecting ticks. With the information that they gathered, they were able to create a map that shows which areas of the country are most affected by Lyme Disease. This disease is transmitted by the bite of a deer tick. Although antibiotics usually cure people, some victims develop arthritis, meningitis, and other serious illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the latest data available is that there were 30,000 cases of Lyme Disease in 2010. They also say that "more then 90 percent of those cases were in 12 states: CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, MN, NJ, NH, NY, PA, VA, and WI" (huffingtonpost.com). This data coincides with the map below very well. 

The author of this article, Holly Ramer, provides some good background information on Lyme disease, stating that is was originally named after a small Connecticut town. However, I think she does not place this information in the appropriate or best place. She places this information right in the middle of the passage. I am not sure of the technique, but I think it would have been better if she discussed Lyme disease towards the beginning so that the reader could then understand the rest of the article. Maybe she wanted to add suspense. She does make good use of logos, though, when she says "About 1 in 5 ticks collected were infected- more than researchers expected- and that percentage was fairly constant across geographic areas" (huffingtonpost.com). Overall, I am glad that I read this article. 


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First Anniversary Trumps Super Bowl.. rough

Stacy Tavor Merwin is putting her foot down, and I am not so sure that I would do the same. Would you? Here is the situation: Her husband, Josh, is a freelance sports photographer for Sports Illustrated and ESPN. They were married on February 5^th of last year, which at the time was the day before the Super Bowl. Now it is on the day of the Super Bowl. Stacy, insisting that their first wedding anniversary trumps the Super Bowl, has made dinner reservations for 8:00 pm… right in the middle of the game. But trying not to be a very controlling wife, she is allowing her husband an hour and a half of the game. Personally, I think they could’ve celebrated their anniversary during the day and enjoyed watching the game together. Clearly, sports are a big part of her husband’s life. But hey, who am I to give marriage advice?

Merwin appears to be on the defense throughout her article. She has to know that so many men and women sports fanatics are out there judging her marriage and her demeanor. She says, “But before you judge me as a demanding, insensitive wife, I should explain: It's our anniversary. Our first anniversary” (huffingtonpost.com). She uses the repetition of, “It’s our anniversary. Our first anniversary,” to add dramatic effect and importance of the phrase. Merwin is trying to get people to take her side on this issue. She then goes on to say that, “Before you start throwing rotten tomatoes, know that I make my fair share of sacrifices for my husband” (huffingtonpost.com). But is it really about an eye for an eye? Should Merwin make her husband miss the game?

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Memoir #2

For my second memoir, I will be reading "Running With Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs.

The Police Are Crackin' Down

        Uh-oh oreo, Hingham teens. The police are on the hunt for you! Officer Heather Mendes is aware of teen drinking and parties, and has made it very clear that she will do everything in her power to catch these teens in the act. After a rowdy party in Milton that resulted in teen stabbings, police in Hingham, Milton, Norwood, and Westwood are really cracking the whip on parties. Mendes admits to patrolling the town, looking for groups of cars and trying to ambush teens in the woods or outside of houses. Hingham Police Chief Michael J. Peraino, says "Part of the issue now is the social attitudes. There are many parents out there who condone it and provide the alcohol" (boston.com). It is a no-brainer that parents should know better than to give their children alcohol. It can harm their health as well as their future. Peraino also states, "We have zero tolerance for underage drinking in Hingham. If officers are called to a house party, and they see alcohol when walking around the house, they can run the plates, call parents, tell them to come pick up their kids… or they can arrest them. And even if they're not arrested, we notify the schools, so there's an impact on their athletics or club activities" (boston.com). So, for all you Hingham teens out there and teens in general, keep your eyes out or stop what you're doing.

       The writer of this article, Meg Murphy, did a great job researching on her topic. She presented quotes from Officer Mended and Chief Peraino, as well as information regarding a Milton stabbing. The stabbing situation, although an extreme case, helped to bring out the pathos and ethos in the article. The pathos is that teens were stabbed and hurt, and the ethos is that they shouldn't have been in that situation to start with. The ethics of this is also that parents should not be giving alcohol to their children. As a teen, the last thing I want is to be involved with the police and I would not want my friends involved either. But when it comes to my safety and the safety of my peers, I agree that the police should do everything they can to stop these parties.

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Some News Close To Home!

        Nancy Smith was inducted into the Northeast-10 Conference Hall of Fame during halftime of the women's basketball game on Saturday. Growing up in Quincy, MA, Nancy was schooled by her older sisters, Susan and Diane, in many sports. Basketball took hold of her and she says, "It became pretty much my passion" (boston.com). Scoring over 20 points a game, she earned a scholarship to Stonehill after graduating from Archbishop Williams in Braintree. Averaging 5.6 assists per game at Stonehill, her 604 assists ranked her 6th in conference history. She says this is "bittersweet because Susan died of cancer on Jan.6" (boston.com). Susan was her sister.

The writer of this article, Lenny Megliola, uses logos and pathos in his article. He has many statistics of game point averages and rankings, which help bring out the logic in the article. His pathos comes in when he uses a quote of Smith talking about her sister passing away. Although this is a happy time, it is obviously bittersweet because it was her sister who taught her how to play the game. Megliola also brings in the use of background information to keep his article valid and interesting. Some things i thought he could've improved on were his explanations of universities and high schools. Yes, most of us know that Stonehill is Stonehill College and that Archbishop Williams is Archbishop WIlliams High School, but if someone were to read this article who didn't I think they might be a little confused. 

Click here to read the article!

Don't Get Senioritis!

Senioritis sucks, let me tell you. I was out all last week because I had my wisdom teeth removed, which also sucked big time, and now that it is Sunday night and I want to watch AT LEAST another 5 episodes of Grey's Anatomy, I have to finish my physics lab and math homework. Yes, this is every high school student's problem on a Sunday night, but when you're a senior and have already been accepted to schools... you'll understand. Trust me. I have come up with a pro's and con's list of senioritis... here it is.

Pros:
Sleeping in helps reenergize the body and mind
Mental Health days preserve and/or repair mental health
A Grey's Anatomy marathon becomes an option!
A long shower or even possibly a bath is possible
You get to take your time eating breakfast
There is time to day-dream about college
You don't stress out if you get an 89.9 because it wasn't that 90 you were hoping for

Cons:
You become extremely lost in school and find it almost impossible to catch up
Your teachers lose some respect for you
Your parents might get upset if your grades drop
WORST CASE SCENARIO you get senioritis so bad that your college takes away your acceptance
You miss out on all of the fun inside-jokes that happen in class... wait never mind there aren't any...
I'm out of con's

As you see, there are more pro's than con's. But, let's be honest here. I am me, and if you know anything about me you know that I am going to fight that 89.9 until my last day at HHS. Why? Because I set goals for myself and I work as hard as I physically can to make them a reality. And when that is done, I set a new goal. The big big goal that is always hovering over me is one that I set when I was only 3 or 4 years old. I want to become a doctor. Regarding the speciality, I am thinking surgery or trauma but that I am comfortable in leaving for a later time. Anyway, so that is my goal and doctor-dreams and senioritis make for a bad, bad relationship. So yes the pro's may weigh out the con's, but I am still going to try.

Think about this... You get on a treadmill (think of the treadmill as life itself, goals if you will) and start walking at 2 mph. Everyday you increase your speed by a small amount, but years later you've reached a speed that you are satisfied with. If you were to get "treadmillitis" and take a break for a couple of minutes, you would surely feel relieved. But when it is time to jump back on, and that time always comes back around, it is nearly impossible to start where you left off... you'd fall smack on your face. So don't get off the treadmill. Keep going until you find the speed that YOU want, and then stay there.

That is why I am going to fight senioritis and just keep rambling about it.

Something needs to be done about unsafe abortions

Abortion has always been and always will be a controversial matter, however, I hate to think that all of those pro-life people out there wouldn't want an abortion to be done right, if it were to be done at all. Between 1995 and 2003, the abortion rate per 1,000 women dropped from 35 to 29, but remained the same (28) in 2008. Alarmingly, the percentage of unsafe abortions rose from 44% in 1995 to 49% in 2008. An unsafe abortion is defined by the World Health Organization as, "a procedure for terminating a pregnancy that is performed by an individual lacking the necessary training or performed in an environment that is not up to minimal medical standards" (cnn.com). Dr. RIchard Horton says, "Condemning, stigmatizing, and criminalizing abortion are cruel and failed strategies. It's time for a public health approach that emphasizes reducing harm – and that means more liberal abortion laws" (cnn.com). I agree, people are going to have abortions one way or another no matter what the law says. This does not mean I am pro-life or pro-choice, it means that I am a realist and I understand what people are going to do. It is unavoidable, so I think it is more important that these laws focus on the safety of the mothers rather than punishment. Birth control and other methods of contraception need to be available. 

The author of this article, Val Wadas-Willingham, seems to be a realist as well. The writer included many statistics that pointed to the increase in unsafe abortions and the increase in improper laws. The logos was there in the statistics and quotes, however, I believe that Wadas-WIllingham was lacking in the ethos, which is so easy to insert in this type of article. She could've shed light on the mother's stresses of how to go about an abortion or the affects of having an unsafe abortion. I liked this article but there could've been a little more fluff to it. 

Click here to read this article

Where to travel safely in Mexico!

This is the time of year when seniors are getting antsy to finish up first semester and start planning their senior trips. Many parents are obviously hesitant to allow their freshly graduated babies to fly off to Mexico in fright of the drug wars, and obviously because of the movie "Taken". The San Fransisco Chronicle's Five Safest Places in Mexico rates Tlaxcala the safest, with only 1.1 deaths per 100,000. Next in line is Yucatan, which has 1.3 per every 100,000, and has a well-developes tourist infrastructure and thousands of historical and archaeological sites. Puebla, Queretarp,Baja California Sur, Mexico City, Todos Santos, San Miguel de Allende, Hautulco, and Playa Del Carmen complete the list. So, for all you seniors out there, remind your parents that not all of Mexico is dangerous, although any teen on a trip should remain cautious.

The author of this article, Chris Owen, seems to be aware that many people are leaning away from traveling to Mexico in his first sentence, "Crime in Mexico has kept travelers away from some parts of the country that are riddles wit the results of drug carte operations" (www.gadling.com). I think a good strategy of his was to state the obvious right off the bat to get rid of the "elephant in the room" situation. He then goes on to list the places and does not really use any other techniques other than giving a brief description of what attracts people to each area. 

Click here to learn where in Mexico to travel safely!

Bird flu strikes again!

Unfortunately, China has reported their second bird flu death in less than a month. The H5N1 bird flu virus is to blame, although neither victims reported being in contact with birds or poultry. Since people in contact with the victims have reported no symptoms, specialists say that this case does not involve transmission among humans, and that they are still trying to find out what the means of transmission is. According to the World Health Organization, bird flu has killed 343 of the 582 people who are known to have been infected, including 28 of the 42 infected Chinese victims. China is said to be the major breeding ground for the H5N1 bird flu virus since it has the largest poultry population and close contact between birds and people in rural areas. Close by, Vietnam has reported 60 deaths and Indonesia has reported one. I hope that this virus stops spreading and is contained quickly. 

The author of this article, Michael Wines, enhances his logos by including ages, dates, and locations. This helps readers to see just how fast this virus is spreading and to recognize the severity of H5N1. It is helpful that he included information regarding surrounding territories and countries, as it gives perspective on the location and spreading of the virus. Wines also puts his syntax to use within the first three words, "A man died" (nytimes.com), immediately grabbing the readers attention. 

Click here to read this captivating article

Uh Oh, Papa John's... Uh Oh

Just when we all thought America was not a racist country… a Papa John's Pizza worker put "lady chinky eyes" as the name for an in-store order. All I have to say is "wow". Minhee Cho is an Asian-American who works as a communications manager at ProPublica. She posted a photo of the receipt (as shown below) on her twitter page, which received over 200,000 views by Sunday afternoon. Papa John's said, "This act goes against our company values, and we've confirmed with the franchisee that this matter was addressed immediately and that the employee is being terminated…We are truly sorry for this customer's experience" (cnn.com). Sorry is not going to cut it, in my opinion. Althought Cho wants this to just blow over, I think that Papa John's reputation will be forever tarnished. 

This article appealed to the logos when it said, "The receipt had been viewed online almost 200,000 times by Sunday afternoon, according to the counter on the Twitpic page" (cnn.com). It was helpful that the author, Alan Duke, added in facts about how many people saw the picture. It was also helpful that he provided the picture so that there can be no disbelief about the article. He also applied to the pathos when he described where Cho works, because it makes us as readers see her as a person and not just a character in an article. 

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Dead Body Found On Royal Estate

On Sunday, the body of a 17-year-old girl was found on one of Queen Elizabeth II's estates. A dog walker found the body three miles from the royal residence at Sandrigham House. Part of the 31-square-mile estate is open to the public and officials say that the crime is in no way related to the Royal family. The body was identified as Alisa Dmitrijeva, who has been missing since August. Hopefully, justice is brought for the victims family.

The author of this article did not use many strategies, and if he had I believe that this would have been a better article. I did not like how the writer did not include the name of the missing girl until the second paragraph. Readers want to know who, what, where, when, and why right off the bat. No one wants to wait until the second or third paragraph to read what happened. I think that the writer was very all over the place and should've thought more about his order.

Click here to read the article.

Bless Me, Ultima Final Chapters

            Well, I have finished the book and am not sort of at a loss for words on what to say about it. I have to admit; I am a little disappointed by all but the last chapter. I kept expecting something big to happen that would change everything. Don’t get me wrong, big things happened such as Antonio taking his first communion, Tenario’s curse on the Terrez’, and Florence’s death, but I still feel like there are a lot of loose ends left at the end of the book. What ever happened to Antonio’s brothers? I thought that this was the biggest question that went unanswered. Yes, all of us readers want to know the fate of Antonio but he almost says it for us when he was talking to his father and his uncle. Tony explains that he is a Marez first and then a Luna when talking to his uncle. Later on while talking to his dad he asks if you can make your own religion. If I were to write a “tying up loose ends” chapter to this book, I would write that Antonio makes his own religion and helps people to the best of his abilities, just like Ultima. But… I am not going to write this, so we’ll all just have to use our imaginations.

            Anyway, at the beginning of this reading Father Byrnes was explaining eternity and if sent to hell, how long you would be stuck there. This really scared me. A huge pile of sand has to be moved grain-by-grain thousands of miles away by bird. And that is only one day of eternity. Anaya did a great job of capturing the students’ fear… and evoking mine. He writes, “We gasped and fell back in our seats, shuddering at the thought of spending eternity in hell. The story made a great impression on us. Nobody moved” (202). Yeah… I didn’t move either!

            Continuing on the topic of Antonio’s maturity, I thought that he proved a lot about himself in the scene where the mob of students were pressuring him to give penance to Florence. Tony says, “I had stood my ground for what I felt to be right and was not afraid” (Anaya, 214). I thought that it was amazing how Tony stood up to his peers for Florence. He really believed that Florence was telling the truth when he said that he had not sinned against God. Florence believed that God sinned against him, and I believe it too. I thought it showed a lot about Tony because even though he is extremely religious, he was accepting of Florence’s beliefs and opinions. I think this would make Antonio a great leader and/or priest one day.

            After Antonio’s first communion, he is expecting to know all the answers to his questions just because he has “eaten” God. It seems a little ridiculous to me to think that you’d know all of the answers just because you ate a wafer. I am not religious so I do not really feel the same significance but it just seems far-fetched. Tony should know that it would take time to figure out the answers.

            It was very sad when Florence died. He was one of my favorite characters. I think that Florence taught Antonio a lot about life and religion. He taught him that sometimes life isn’t fair and sometimes it’s hard to believe in religion because of the hardships you might have to face. Both of Florence’s parents died and his sisters were whores at Rosie’s. He had a very unfair life and it is even sadder that he had to drown. I believe that Antonio became more accepting of other religions after being so close to Florence and learned even more that God cannot always help people.

            My favorite quote of this reading is, “… life is filled with sadness when a boy grows to be a man. But as you grow into manhood you must not despair of life, but gather strength to sustain you” (Anaya 245). This is Ultima talking to Antonio. It is true that when you grow up you see a lot of sadness, and sometimes that sadness can get you down. There is a limit, or should be, to how much sadness a young child should see, though. Tony has now seen 3 people die and I think that going to work on the farm was the best decision for him.

            Overall, I think that the death of Ultima could have been predicted. This event was foreshadowed in the beginning of the story when Antonio’s family took Ultima in to make her comfortable before she died. It was obvious that this was going to happen. I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it.  

Tips To Stay Slim In 2012

       As we start off 2012, it is important to be aware of these 9 bad eating habits. Probably the most common New Year resolutions are to lose weight, eat healthier, or go to the gym more. Well, just avoid these and you’ll be all set!

1.     1. Mindless Eating: Brian Wansink, PhD, of Cornell University found that the larger plate or bowl you eat from, the more you unknowingly consume. To avoid this, eat from smaller dishes and try swapping a large dinner plate for a smaller one.

2.    2,  Nighttime Noshing: If you want to lose weight, eating at night is never a good idea. Just think about this: Whatever you eat at night has 8 hour to just sit inside your body and turn to fat. You can fix this bad habit by telling yourself that the kitchen is closed after dinner. If you brush your teeth after dinner, you’ll also be less likely to eat again.

3.   3.   Endless Snacking: Snacking all day long will obviously lead to weight gain. To avoid this, try to snack on healthy things all day… or just avoid snacking all together!

4.     4. Skipping Breakfast: If you skip meals, your metabolism slows and you will probably gain weight. Try to at least eat a yogurt in the morning.

5.    5.  Emotional Eating: If you had a stressful day, try to relieve your stress by taking a walk or talking to a friend instead of eating 5 tubs of chocolate pudding.

6.     6. Eating Too Quickly: Your brain doesn’t register that you’re full until 15-20 minutes after you’ve started eating. If you eat really quickly, you will probably end up eating more because your brain is unaware that it’s full. Try to take smaller bites and eat slower and you will feel more full.

7.     7. Not Getting Enough Sleep: Not getting enough sleep leads to higher weight gain. So as 2012 begins, try sleep more and you will feel more energized and less hungry.

8.     8. Vegging Out With Video Games: Researchers found that people eat more during the day if they play video games while eating. Try to take frequent breaks while in front of the computer; this will help keep you from getting dazed.

9.     9. Eating Junk Food: Junk food is addicting, says researchers. Instead of completely cutting out your favorite junk foods, try to eat in moderation and only on special occasions.

Good Luck!

Eerie Coincidence...

            Remember hearing about the group of people who helped lift a burning car off of a trapped man last year? Weirdly enough, in the SAME town, a similar heroic act occurred on the first day of 2012. Roger Andersen, 46, lost control of his car in icy conditions and flipped into a frigid Utah river. Two 9-year-old daughters and one 4-year-old son were trapped inside. Onlookers didn’t hesitate to jump into the icy river and try to free the children. One man shot out the window of the car after being unsuccessful in opening the door. One of the daughters found an air pocket and was able to escape but the other was floating at the top of the car. The boy was also upside down in his car seat, floating. After much effort, the children were freed from the car and another bystander performed CPR while waiting for the ambulance. Luckily, all survived this scary accident due to the help of their heroic rescuers.

            The author of this article new that his audience might not put two and two together when they read the town of Logan, UT. I thought it was beneficial that he included a little bit of what happened in that town last year. He used pathos in his article when he said, “’I remember thinking to myself, you’re going to se some dead kids, get ready… I’ve got three of my own and it was going to be an awful start to the New Year’” (huffingtonpost.com). Many people could relate to this and be thankful that so many heroic people risked their lives to save those of innocent children. 

click here to read the article.