Saturday, May 8, 2010

Columbine-Style Shooting Planned

Former Connetquot High School student, Christopher Franko, along with girlfriend and current Connetquot High school student, Dana Saltzman were arrested recently after a tip from Franko's social worker was reported to authorities that the two teenage students were planning an attack.
Evidence from both of the teenager's cell phones and computers revealed text messages discussing plans to buy firearms and kill people, as well as research regarding explosive websites and bomb-making. Because of a former grudge against his school in Long Island, Franko planned with his girlfriend, Saltzman, to "buy shotguns, enter his old school and indiscriminately shoot down students and teachers days before his ex-classmates were scheduled to graduate," according to a huffingtonpost.com article.
Franko, who left Connetquot High School and graduated from a special-ed program apparently had a lot of hatred towards his whole class, especially when a facebook message to a memorial page showed satisfaction concerning the death of two classmates earlier in the year.
The two teenagers were arrested and charged for conspiracy as adults and pleaded not-guilty. If convicted, they could each face up to a year in jail. Saltzman was released without bail, and Franko will be held in jail until his court date of June 8th.
In my opinion, these two teens got off slightly easy. For how devastating Columbine was, the same style shooting planned in this situation should not be tip-toed around, especially if Franko already has something wrong with him. (grudges, special-ed program)
Also, considering that we talked about ethics in class on Friday, I thought that some of the content stated in the article that I got this story from was inappropriate, specifically the two teen's exact plan. I don't feel as though that teacher's and student's and their families would appreciate reading about the "plan of attack" that could have potentially happened to their loved ones.
I know the media and whoever reported this is just doing their job and that everyone has their own set of ethics, but give deep thought about what you're putting out there.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

"Get off my mound!"

Although I'm not an avid baseball fan, and can only base a judgment off the little that I actually do know about the sport, the story of Alex Rodriguez crossing Dallas Braden's pitching mound was enough to spark my interest, just as the media wanted it to.
During last Sunday's game between the New York Yankees and the Oakland A's, A-Rod made a big boo-boo by cutting across the pitcher's mound from third base to first after a sixth-inning foul ball. This drew a reaction from A's pitcher, Dallas Braden, who got on A-Rod about his actions. It is an unspoken rule in major league baseball that a player doesn't cross over the pitcher's mound because it is the pitcher's territory.
'A-Rod gets big mound of criticism.' This was the perfect name for the article that a San Francisco Chronicle writer posted. A-Rod claimed to know nothing about this so-called rule, and that his reasoning was that he was tired. "I was tired. It's really not that big of a deal. I've done that maybe a few dozen times. It's the shortest route. I thought it was pretty funny," he had stated.
Others would disagree. For someone who has been in the game of baseball for as long as Rodriguez has been, he should know that that's something you just don't do. Many people are commending Braden for his courage to stand up to A-Rod. "Get off my mound!"
The problem is that the disagreement that was probably as simple as "boys being boys" has continued to cause a lot of trouble. Braden said that he wasn't trying to cause any controversy; it ended just as soon as it started in his opinion. He wasn't trying to call anyone out or shed light on someone's attitude. He was only trying to get the respect he deserved. Of course, the media will take just about anything and run as far as they can with it.
Was it a careless move by A-Rod? In my opinion, yes. Did Braden over-react? Maybe just a little. But you can't say that if Joe Nathan was at the mound, A-Rod would have just waltzed his way across as he did last Sunday. This just shows a little bit of a poor attitude from A-Rod, who, by what I an in-experienced baseball fan have been reading, is not a very well-liked player.
There are rules made my the leagues, but the players make their own rules as well, and A-Rod most definitely broke one.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Is Tiger finally out of the Woods?

I'd been racking my mind all day on what I was going to post about for my blog today until I heard my roommate cheering on Tiger Woods in the final day of the Masters while she was watching tv today.
Tiger Woods made a huge first step reuniting with golf, taking a tie for fourth in the 74th Masters Tournament today even after a bit of a rocky start. He would tell you that it was unsuccessful and that he didn't get the job done, but others would argue that considering the fact that he's been away from the game for at least five months now and was only five strokes behind the winner, Phil Mickelson.
Although Woods ended the day with a nice birdie on par-4 of the eighteenth hole to finish 11-under 277, which earned him a standing ovation from the crowd. He feels that people are making too big of a deal about his performance, because he really doesn't feel as though he has much to be happy about.
With that being said, could the hype of the crowd and even the support of my own roommate mean that people are FINALLY getting over the mistakes of this big time celeb?
His newest commercial that features him staring at us on a black and white screen getting questioned by his late father, Earl Woods is another big hype in the media. "I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?" This is a legit statement for how Tiger's life has been going lately and his finally returning to the game of golf. The commercial also shows that his big sponsor, Nike, has still got his back even considering what has happened.
So again, are people finally getting over this big scandal? Is Tiger finally out of the woods? Some may say yes, while others say no. In my opinion, I think his performance in the Masters is just what he needs to move on with life. People need to give it up. What's done is done. Everyone messes up at some point in life and it doesn't need to be everybody else's business.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Leave Her Alone

Of all the things that USmagazine.com could focus their attention on, one of their biggest worries was how Kate Gosselin spent her 35th birthday today.
Instead of being at home spending time with her eight children, she was thousands of miles away to rehearse for Dancing With the Stars in L.A. Yesterday (Saturday) wasn't too far off from her day today either. She spent a portion of her morning practicing with her DWTS partner Tony Dovolani in her basement. After receiving gifts and lunch, she ran errands with her body guard. Someone told US magazine that the eight kids stayed home with the body guard's wife where they played outside and "ran around like they haven't been outside in a month."
Kate's action-packed couple days was quite a ways off from her 34th birthday, where she stayed home alone and Jon reportedly took a former mistress snowboarding in Utah.
So this could be considered a fairly interesting story that has probably caught many reader's attention, as it did mine. But as we talked about in class the other day, is this REALLY news worthy? It's not really all that important how she spent her 35th birthday if you ask me.
I don't think it should be made such a big deal that her birthday wasn't spent with her children, even if there was a tv show basically based solely around the little ones. Jon and Kate Plus 8, if you ask me, is probably a small regret in Kate's mind. I think it aided in the failure of she and Jon's marriage. Plus, I'm sure there's a lot of mothers out there that don't ALWAYS spend their birthday's with their children. It happens.
At the same time, its obviously a big obligation of hers to do all she can for Dancing With the Stars. She knew the commitment and she's got to stick to it.
Again, as we discussed in class, media needs to rethink what they are putting out there. Yes, it is what some of us may want to read/ask for. And yes, it is fairly entertaining. But a mother of eight, whose marriage has failed shouldn't have her personal life strewn about for all to see, no matter if she's a celebrity or a mediocre house wife.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Killer Whale Kills

This topic came up this weekend while I was visiting with an old volleyball coach. She and her family had just visited SeaWorld only weeks before the incident occurred.
A horrible incident happened at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida just last month in mid-February. A Killer-whale seized it's trainer in the tight clench of it's jaws. He then continued to pull her underwater and thrash around with her in his grip. This horrific scene happened in front of a live and terrified audience. Forty-year-old Dawn Brancheau, one of the park's most experienced trainers, was killed.
Because of past violent experiences, Tilikum, the killer whale, was normally kept separate from other killer whales. Trainers were not allowed to swim in the tanks with him either. This was the third time that the whale has caused death to a person.
It was very undetermined about what had actually happened that day. Some say that Brancheau slipped and fell in the tank, while others said that Tilikum jumped out of the water and grabbed her.
However, a couple claimed that the killing occurred during the end of a noon-time show. Eldon Skaggs said that the trainer was on a platform with the whale, massaging it, when all of a sudden it pulled her under and began swimming around. An alarm sounded and the staff then rushed the audience out while workers began scrambling around with nets.
Another audience member claimed that the whale took off really fast, came back, shot up in the air, grabbed Brancheau by the waist and began thrashing around, one of her shoes falling off. Two other audience members made comments that the whale grabbed her by the arm and began tossing her around while swimming rapidly through the tank.
Tilikum reportedly did not respond well to directions during the show and was acting somewhat "childish."
This occurrence has been the second time in just two months that a trainer has been killed at a marine park.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Should the Olympics brush up on safety?

I'm sure all of you reading this know exactly what I'm talking about - 21 year old, Nodar Kumaritashvili's life-taking luge crash during his Winter Olympics training run at Whistler track in British Columbia.
For those of you who don't know this story. Kumaritashvili was in his last turn of his final training run. Flying down the track at speeds up to 90 mph, he lost control and crashed into a wall along the final straightaway. He was thrown from his luge and collided with an unpadded steel pole. Paramedics began working on him immediately. However, it wasn't enough, as he was pronounced dead when they reached the trauma center in Whistler. This would have been Nodar Kumaritashvili's very first time participating in the Olympics.
The Whistler track and it's dangers had been talked about for months before training runs. It is supposed to be one of the fastest tracks around. This track scared Nodar Kumaritashvili, as he told his father, and it ended up taking his life. He had been on this track before so it would be very wrong to say that he was unprepared for what the track had in stake. This however, was also his second crash in just a few days.
According to a story on The Huffington Post website, Christian Niccum, U.S. doubles luger answered when asked about track safety, "When you are going that fast it just takes one slip and you have that big mistake."
Kumaritashvili was the fourth athlete/competitor to have died at the Winter Olympics, and the first since 1992. Some people commented that this was a very rare situation that occurred and that the track really didn't seem or look unsafe. However, at least twelve sliders wrecked just that week on the Whistler track. And some couldn't even remember the last time, or if they'd EVER even seen someone get thrown over the wall.
The track crew does it's best and works hard to make sure track is as safe as it can be. And that track, to most people, doesn't seem anymore dangerous than anywhere else.
Another thing that could be considered controversial about this story is that it, it's pictures, and the numerous videos about the story are every to be found.
So I ask you, what are you views on this story?




Sunday, February 7, 2010

Avatar Blues

I haven't personally seen James Cameron's brand new film "Avatar." However, I have been hearing about how the audiences/viewers of this billion dollar movie have been feeling a little blue about their experience with it.
A story on CNN.com by Jo Piazza gave some rather chilling information on the fact that this motion picture may have been a little too real for some fans that said they have been experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they 'long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.'
For those of you, like myself, who don't exactly know the story of the movie, I thought I would give a brief little summary of it. As Piazza's story explains, "A greedy corporation is trying to mine the rare mineral unobtainium from the planet Pandora, which is inhabited by a peace-loving race of 10-foot tall, blue-skinned natives called the Na'vi. In their race to mine for Pandora's resources, the humans clash with the Na'vi, leading to casualties on both sides. The world of Pandora is reminiscent of a prehistoric fantasyland, filled with dinosaur-like creatures mixed with the kinds of fauna you may find in the deep reaches of the ocean. Compared with life on Earth, Pandora is a beautiful, glowing utopia."
There have been several disturbing blog posts from various viewers, saying things such as the fact that it's hard to accept that Avatar is only a movie, and that thoughts of suicide seem helpful for the fact that if one commits, they may be reborn into a world such as Pandora. The stories go on and on. However, there is a bright side to so many people feeling this way, depending on how you look at it. Having the opportunity to express their feelings and share their thoughts to other people through blogs and such has helped quite a few people come out from the darkness.
Creating relationships, which seems to possibly be one of the keys to human happiness, might be what saves some of these people so it is good that they can share their thoughts with other people even if it's an online companionship. Other suggestions to getting over these depressing feelings and suicidal thoughts is to perhaps play "Avatar" sort of games, or maybe purchasing the soundtrack for the movie.
Trying to think like those people might, I came up with this. What if these bodies that we inhabit are no more than an avatar? Flesh that feels and moves. Perhaps we as spiritual beings are sleeping as we control the actions of our avatar. At some point in time, maybe we will wake up to our spiritual world - heaven, or to some people, beautiful Pandora? Time will only tell depending on what you believe.

Or perhaps, maybe there needs to be a rebound movie. Something to cover up these thoughts.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Money... welcome to college, in-coming freshman

I, as a freshman in college know exactly what it is like to be worried about money, student loans, financial aid, etc. But ultimately, shouldn't college students be more concerned about their life goals rather than if they are and/or will be well enough off or not? A recent story of USA Today by Mary Beth Marklein caught my attention. So here I am, writing my first ever blog about it.
In this story, it talks a lot about the worries of college freshman, and that the highest worry on most in-coming students' minds is whether or not they will be "well off" during college, as well as after college while truly being on their own and working for a living.
Another issue talked about in this story is the most thought about thing when students are making the big decision of choosing the college they want to go to, which is the cost of four or in some cases more, years at a university. Along with this story was a picture of New York's Bernard College's commencement exercises in 2007. A graduate of the college taped the cost of four-year education, which is approximately $200,000 at her college, to the top of her graduation cap.
A survey in 2009 showed a lot of different numbers, which also happened to be higher than normal. These percentages show signs that financial hardships are intensifying in the minds of young adults trying to decide the life path worth taking. The cost of college and paying for students loans and financial aid is a big worry; going to a college that absolutely promises finding a good job in the future is an extreme must; the thought that some careers or majors just won't "get them ahead of financial spectrum."
However, the 2009 survey of over 220,000 first-time, full-time students from over 297 four-year universities/colleges showed that the value of freshman was to be well off financially at 78.1% rather than to develop a meaningful philosophy of life at 48%. This can be compared to freshman from the year of 1969 whose value was to develop a meaningful philosophy in life at 84.9% rather than to be well off financially at 42.2%.
So now you might be thinking that this is somewhat of a controversial story. And if you ask me, it definitely is. The values of present day college students are rather questionable and could seemingly be what you could call screwed up. In my opinion, yes, money is pretty important these days, but we all need to set our life goals straight. I've always gone with the thought that you should work at a job that you love, that maybe brings in a decent amount of money.
I know where my opinion stands. Where does yours?