No blog this week- free pass!

LAKELAND, Fla. – A 45-year-old man lost part of his left arm when an alligator attacked him Wednesday, but he was alive after four sheriff’s deputies jumped into muddy water and pulled him from the reptile’s jaws.

Fla. man loses arm in alligator attack – Yahoo! News

As I read this article I didn’t find it that interesting until I read
the second paragraph. It says’s that Deputies responded to a call about a
man yelling for help around 4am. According to this article the man lost his left arm when an alligator attacked him in Florida. Adrian Apgar was his name-he was sent to a hospital and said to be in critical condition. The doctors
said that his right arm was also broken and had leg injuries. His leg
was also partially amputated. This article disturbs me because what the
hell was the guy doing in the water in FLORIDA no less at 4am in the
morning. FLORIDA! is this guy crazy there are so many alligators and
crocodiles in Florida. I wonder why he did such a stupid thing. I
almost feel as though he deserved it? But then again that would be
really mean because there is really nothing left to his body. He is
missing an arm, half a leg and other broken bones. This is sad but then
again he shouldn’t have been in the water. I wonder if he was on drugs
or something? It’s not like he is a 10 year old boy or a little older
that didn’t know enough to go in the water at this time-he is 45 years
old! The article was short but straight to the point. I hate when
newspapers publish articles that leave us with questions that will
never be answered. Best of luck to this man and his injuries. I wonder
how his family feels about this accident?

What are your thoughts on this strange article?

    In the book, “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich, the beginning chapter breaks down her mission for the readers. Her mission is to experience and to live the life like others less fortunate than her. She is a strong woman with a lot of potential and hard work behind her. She is over skilled and over qualified for most of the jobs she tries to obtain during her book. I think this lady is an extremely brave woman to strive to experience what life is like for others rather than just her self. It’s like she is putting her self in other people’s shoes. I give her a lot of credit for creating this book and living through the experiences. She also had many other advantages that the less fortunate didn’t have such as a car (means of travel), better health than most and her children were all grown up. The best part about this book is that she wasn’t doing it for the money-she was doing it for herself, to get the experiences and be able to put them in words and create this book. She says in her introduction, “How does anyone live on the wages available to the unskilled? How in particular, we wondered, were the roughly four million women about to be booted in the labor market by welfare reform going to make it on $6 or $7 an hour?” When Barbara Schizophrenic asked her self this question she realized that it would be brilliant to live through it and try to come up with an explanation or answer. She traveled to Florida, Maine, and Minnesota with certain limits and expectations. During her experience people knew her as a cleaning lady, nursing home aide, retail clerk or a waitress. She obtained many jobs that differed from her primary one (WRITER). So far I really enjoy this book; I think it’s interesting to read about someone trying to live the life of others. Experiences the hard ships and difficulties they probably never knew existed because they were better off. Even though Barbara set certain rules for her experience she eventually broke them, then again it is hard to live a life you’re not used to.

NEWARK, N.J. — Nearly seven years after a dormitory fire killed three students at Seton Hall University, two former roommates pleaded guilty Wednesday to arson, admitting for the first time that they set a banner ablaze in a prank that tragically got out of hand.

Ex-Students Face Up To 5 Years – News – wnbc.com | WNBC

Just about seven years after the Seton Hall University (January 19, 2000) dorm fire which killed three students- two former roommates have admitted to starting the blaze. This was later determined to be arson. The two 26 year old males go by the name of Joseph T. LePore & Sean Ryan. The boys admitted to setting a banner on fire in there third floor lounge at around 4:30 am, after winning their basketball game. In their statements they both claimed, “I did not intend to harm or injure anyone. It was a prank that got out of hand.”  The stupid act of these two individuals cost the life of three freshman team mates who were overcome by smoke. Both Joseph and Sean accepted a deal with prosecutors -no more than fives year in prison, but they had been on trial for murder. If they would have been convicted they would have faced 30 or more years in prison.

For seven years now these two men have been denying the fact that they caused the deaths and fire of Seton Hall. “These two men have had 6 years to come up with something and that’s the best they can do Shame on them.” said Prosecutor Paula Dow. She was arguing against the defense of Lenore’s lawyer who claimed, “The intervening cause was Seton Hall’s lack of response in preventing fires, if they had fire suppression systems the fire would not have spread.” If you ask me this is a crazy thing to say in court. I would have come back with the same response as the prosecutor did-If the fire was not set ion the first place this would have never happened! I cannot believe that the two men’s attorneys are trying to blame the school for taking out the fire hoses a week before this incident. It’s obscene and out of control. The two students had set the fire and that’s all there is too it. There were three deaths and those two idiots should face up to there mistake. 5 years in prison without parole for at least 16 months is all there punishment is. That’s a slap on the wrist like the families said. I’m sure the victims families are happy these two have finally admitted up to there mistake, but they would have liked to seen harsher punishment. But then again harsher punishment will never be able to bring back there lost loved ones.

I also in a way feel sorry for the two males who are being charged with this because college athletes like to have fun and in return they do not think about what they are doing until it’s finished. In this case setting a banner on fire to these two basketball players was not going to harm anyone- but the chances that it would get out of control did kill three of there teammates. It’s a shame, but now they have to face the consequences for their actions. Hopefully this will teach everyone a lesson-think before you act!

P.s Why do you think it took six years for these two athletes to finally admit to their actions?

PEARL RIVER, N.Y. — Orangetown Police are calling it a freak accident. A FedEx deliveryman was apparently struck and killed by his own truck in front of the Pearl River post office.

FedEx Driver Run Over By Own Truck, Killed – News – wnbc.com | WNBC

According to this news article, a 27 year old male by the name of Felix Rosario was found dead Monday night. The police were called around 6:45 pm because a truck had jumped the curb. When investigators arrived at the scene they found the Fed Ex truck running, which led them to believe that Mr. Rosario had left the truck in neutral or drive when he got out. This is a tragedy because it says they think he might have saw the truck moving and tried to stop it but ended up getting run over. The investigators are also looking into any malfunctions in the truck which might had lead to this freak accident.

I feel horrible for the Rosario family because he was so young. Now a day 27 years old is extremely young- he had a lot of life left to live. There are so many precautions that can be taken from this case. Maybe now the car industries will take a further step and install a system where when you get out of the vehicle and it is still in drive or neutral it will automatically stop or break. I don’t know it’s just a thought! Maybe if that would have been the case with this truck this young man would never have been killed. Freak accidents like this happen everyday, but it’s really sad that Felix Rosario was so young. I’m curious to know if the truck had any malfunctions-if so maybe the family can sue. All though that will never bring there beloved one back to them maybe they can get some closure?

What do you think about this case? What precautions would you take from this freak accident?

Out of the two readings I really enjoyed Hunger as Ideology the most. I found myself relating real life experiences with this story. I have a few friends that are going through anorexia, bulimia and other types of eating disorders. the story sets up a true statement that women/ girls have an ideal body image that really isn’t possible. The reading describes how women tend to not eat because of their surroundings such as the opposite sex. They tend to eat when they are not around because they are scared to eat a large portion at dinner time. Girls have an expectation to eat small portions unlike men who can eat whatever they want. Everyday women look in the mirror and can’t stand what they see. The skinniest girl thinks shes fat and needs to loose weight because of the media and photographs. Diet pills, exercise, not eating, binge & purge you name it I’ve been through it with one of my friends. Teenage girls don’t understand that the media edits and alters all the magazine pictures that make women look flawless and perfect. I know from experience that a girl will often feel shameful if she eats any candy, chocolate, ice cream anything not healthy no matter what the size is in front of a male. It’s sad but thats the world today-issues such as weight are blown out of proportion. All the advertisements for diet pills and exercise catch the eyes of young females and manipulate them to use them and or make them feel bad about themselves. Bulimia and Anorexia are two diseases that are hard to fight and take time. I honestly can say that I’ve never came into contact with a female who was content with their body. It’s either there too skinny or too fat. I guess it’s true no one really is ever happy? I wish there was something that could be said or done to prove to females that being content with your body leads to happiness. It’s a hard situation to deal with because no matter what you tell someone they have there mind set on what they’ve been told or what they think. You can tell a girl she’s perfect 100 times but it’s those 5 times she’s been told she’s overweight or chubby that will stick in the back of her head. She’ll never be happy with herself or her body.

To be honest with you I was completely lost while reading “Class Identity and the Politics of Dissent: The Culture of Argument in a Chicago Neighborhood Bar” by Julie Lindquist. During class I began to understand the story a little bit more. I read the first few pages over and over and could not seem to understand the relevance of the story. It was just one of the stories I could not relate to there for it was hard for me to understand. Some discussion questions during class really made me understand the main points.The reading describes a bar as a place where a working man or woman goes to after work, it’s a sort of home away from home. A place where they can talk about politics and society itself- a chance to unwind. The one thing I don’t understand is maybe they do have a drinking problem, but why are these people not at home with their families. Maybe if they don’t have families- why are they at a bar? One person responded to my question basically stating they didn’t want to be home with their family or they just wanted to escape. I do not believe a bar is a classless place as the reading made it seem like. I have my own opinion on bars which maybe is not right. I feel as though if you walk into a bar you categorize people into different groups such as drunks, working men, dirt bags maybe? I never really walked into a local bar but I know people who have and you don’t see to many “high class” people there. Of course the people that go there have to work to make money to spend on drinks, but in other situations thats not always the case. I know of people who don’t have jobs and sit in the bar all day, drinking. How they make their money I have no clue, but I never will know either. I don’t know if I agree with this reading as to obtaining information and behavior as a bartender. The author expresses a sort of judgment here. Just because these hard workers go to a bar and socialize does not mean they are bad people. But how can a bartender judge a person on how they communicate in the bar setting. I do not agree with how she went about judging her customers she served. It seems as though she almost went against there sense of privacy. Her bar was supposed to be a place where they could go and relieve stress and have a good time, but little did her customers know-they were being judged.

A horrific apparent double murder-suicide claimed the lives
of two young sisters who were gunned down in a house in the Manahawkin section
of Stafford, N.J., Thursday morning.

7Online.com:New York City and Tri-State News from WABC-TV

Just before noon on November 9, 2006 neighbors rushed out of their house when there heard gun shots next door. One neighbor saw a girl lying on the front lawn. Never the less it was there neighbor’s daughter. It does not specify who was pronounced dead on the scene, but all together 3 people were killed- two girls and their murderer. The 15 year old sister Jessica was described as a loving, happy young girl with dreams to one day be a model. It’s a shame that this guy took the life of two young sisters and also himself. Now he does not have to live his life in misery, I would have liked to see him suffer the rest of his life in prison. It sounds like a horrible thing, but in reality it’s not. The poor mother of these girls I can’t imagine how she is coping with this tragic loss. The murderer was described by neighbors as a friend of the mother of these two girls. Just imagine being a mother of two girls, working your butt off and coming home to find out BOTH your daughters have been murderer. I can’t even begin to explain how I would feel. It’s horrible, but the worst part about it is that guy is getting away with it because he’s dead. In this situation the man who committed suicide is stubborn because he should have manned up and faced the consequences of taking these innocent young lives. It makes me so mad-why would he take the life of two innocent girls to begin with and then have nerve to kill himself. Some people are just messed up in the head. Imagine walking outside your door because you hear gun shots only to find your neighbor’s teenage daughter lying on the front lawn. It’s so sad because these two sisters had there whole lives ahead of them. I’m curious to know if it was the mother’s friend who killed these two sisters. And if it was what does the mother have to say about it? I feel bad that the mother does not have some kind of closure with her kids or at least get to face the man who killed them.

Sexual Assault: Campus Problem, It’s A Reality All Colleges And Universities Must Face, And Happens More Than They’d Like To Admit – CBS News

As I was searching for a current event this title caught my eye “Date Rape Common In College”. When I clicked on it, it was a video from the CBS News Early Show. I recommend all girls who attend a university or college to watch this informative video. During the video it explained the fact that sexual assaults on campus happens far too often. The numbers alone are frightening. One unbelievable fact was that 1 in every 5 women will be the victim of attempted or actual sexual assault during their college career. No matter what college you attend whether it’s private or public it is possible. The video presented a few girls who had been raped or sexually assaulted. They explained how there freshman year was turned upside down because of it. One girl who went by the name of Annie Hilton, who attended the University of Virginia (UVA) went to a party on a date when she got raped. She had been drinking that night and when she woke up the next morning realized she had been raped. She did the things that most girls don’t do. She went to the hospital and reported the incident to university authorities. These are the two best actions any girl can take when she believes she was raped or sexually assaulted. Annie sat face to face with the guy she claimed had raped her. She explains her horrible feelings during that time. The judge ruled in Annie’s favor claims the guy had violated the school code of conduct. He was guilty and responsible for his actions but the University continued to let him live in the Frat house where Annie had been raped. He was not expelled but he did face other sanctions which were unknown. In response the University toughened their rules on sexual assaults but still Annie felt re-victimized. The University of Virginia and other colleges know that they have a long way to go to prevent sexual assaults but its not only there job but also Societies too. The video went on to say that less than 5% of campuses rapes are not reported because the school makes it difficult to come forward students explain. A student at the University of Notre Dame was sexually assaulted by 4 football players and you know what the school told her when she reported it? They told her NOT to report it to police. Out of spite Lindsey Charles wet to police and the 4 football players were expelled. She explains how hard it was to get her case heard and that it was the hardest thing she ever had to do. Sexual Assaults and rapes are far more common on campuses than anyone thinks. The best thing for someone to do if they believe they have been raped is to report it and come forward other wise they will never get justice. Less than 5 % of rape cases ever get reported. In conclusion the video gives this message for young girls who are going off to school to watch out for drinking and the schools rules of sexual assault. When looking at the college, it is suggested to look at the Cleary Act which expresses how many crimes have occurred on campus. All campuses MUST report ALL cases of sexual assault and rape. I had a feeling that alcohol was a big factor in all rape cases but I didn’t know for sure. This video says that most rape cases involve ALCOHOL.

I’m so happy I came across this news video because it taught me a lot. Just hearing about other girl’s cases and their struggle to get justice really makes me look out for myself more. This can happen to anyone anywhere and I don’t think many girls/ women understand it. I wish that every girl could just sit down for 6 minutes and watch this video because I truly think it can impact a girl’s life and the way they go about it. I know that now when I attend a party I will be aware of my surroundings and alcohol. Of course we’ve been told over and over don’t put down your drink. It’s that one time you do put it down that something is going to happen to you. What I don’t understand is what are young girls supposed to do? Is there really a way to avoiding date rape besides what is said in this new video? Are we supposed to sit in our dorms instead of going out because we have a fear of being raped? It scares me so much to know that things like this happens on every campus including St Rose. It seems like it can not be escaped.

MAHOPAC, N.Y. – A shopkeeper got so angry about the way a man had parked his car that he climbed into a forklift, placed the fork under the car and lifted it off the ground, police said Wednesday.

Angry shopkeeper uses forklift on car – Yahoo! News

    I chose to blog about this article because Carmel, NY is my hometown. Our rival is Mahopac, which is where this incident took place. I know exactly where the shopping center is on Route 6 where this crazy Somer’s shop owner overreacted. Apparently Wasek Safrah, 51 years old went a little over the edge when a car was blocking his access to a storage container/trash bin. Mr. Safrah got into a heated argument with the driver of this car and punched the car, denting it. When the driver walked away Safrah jumped into a near by forklift and lifted the car off the ground. He also punched the man who owned the car in the face. Safrah was later arrested and faced charges of criminal mischief and assault. The police are unsure of his motive or intentions.

    At first when I read this article I was laughing because I’ve never heard of such an incident. I’ve heard of worse but never someone lifting a car with a forklift just because they were blocking the way to a storage bin. These reactions were unnecessary and he deserves to be charged with criminal mischief and assault. In my eye’s it’s completely unrealistic. This man obviously has some kind of anger problem and maybe some psychological issues that should be taken care of. It’s not as funny to me when I think about it because they’re a lot of people like this in the world and my hometown especially. I’m kind of scared to go home now. Well not really but I will definitely watch where I park from now on- god for bid I run into another human being like this man. There were so many other things he could have done to avoid getting into this criminal mess.  But instead he chose to make a stupid mistake without thinking of the consequences and now he’ll suffer.