Yesterday three American teenagers from Denver were arrested in Germany as they attempted to make their way to Syria to join the radical terror group ISIS. The girls took a flight from Denver, connecting in Germany, then planned on flying to Turkey before making their way to the Turkey-Syrian line.
The girls' parents were first alerted when their school called to inform them that their children had not reported to class. The father of two of the girls, Ali Farah, saw that his daughter's passports were missing along with $2,000 cash. He immediately called the FBI saying he thought they were on their way to Turkey. German authorities intercepted the trio (ages 15, 16, 17) in Frankfurt; they were put on a plane back to the United States where FBI agents took them into custody... they were questioned and released. Thoughts? This past week Toys R us has come under fire for selling action figures from the popular show "Breaking Bad." The action figures are of the characters of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman... the pair are Meth dealers from the series.
There is an online petition circulating to try and get the company to remove the toys from the store. Many feel that a store which has families and children as its primary customer base should be a bit more discriminating in what they sell... especially considering the toys include a detachable sack of cash and a bag of meth. Barnes and Noble and Wallmart also sell the toys. Thoughts? Reverend Juan McFarland of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Alabama has been accused of an almost unspeakable act. Authorities are claiming that this, "man of God" had sexual relationships with married women in his parish with the full knowledge that he was infected with AIDS.
When the allegations first were made public, he refused to leave his position as the minister of the Church, however as authorities are considering if they are going to bring criminal charges against him, Church leaders met with McFarland and ended up suspending him pending an investigation. It is unlikely he will ever return to his position in the Church. If authorities can prove that McFarland knew of his condition and had sex with people for the purposes of infecting them, they may be able to charge with with a homicide or attempted homicide. But it may be difficult to prove that knowledge or intent. Thoughts? Fashion designers and retailers are always on the lookout for the next "big thing"... after all they are in business to make money. However sometimes it appears that these corporate types suffer from a serious lack of common sense and/or morality.
In an effort to compete in the growing online retail market, there is a section on the Sear website called "Marketplace." The Marketplace links partners from around the world through the website but they are not really part of Sears, they simply allow these retailers to sell products through the website (for a fee). According to Yahoo Finance one of these retailers was selling Swastika Ring which would "make you look beautiful at your next dinner date." Sears apparently does not monitor what is sold on the Marketplace very well because as soon as it was brought to their attention they removed it. Last month in the Philippines a clothing store was selling T-shirts which read, "It's Not Rape, It's a Snuggle With a Struggle." The image went viral and the store removed the product. H&M recently got in trouble by selling jumpsuits resembling clothing worn by female Kurdish soldiers fighting against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Reebok lost significant money when it had to recall its "Incubus" shoe line because it was pointed out to them that an "Incubus" is an evil male spirit which rapes sleeping women. The only way to hold these companies accountable is to hit them where it hurts... refuse to buy their products until they come to their senses. Thoughts? Last week in Parlin, New Jersey, the superintendent of schools abruptly canceled the season of Sayreville War Memorial High School's football season. The reason being... severe and brutal hazing by some of the team's players against new team members.
According to reports, the hazing was more than what is considered normal behavior. Allegations include battery and sexual assault. The superintendent, Richard Labbe, argued that because it was unclear how widespread the hazing was, he was forced to cancel the season for all players. Realizing that innocent players would be punished with the loss of football, he simply stated that the safety of players is of far more importance than a football season. Thus far no charges have been brought against the coaching staff, however Stuart Green, the founder of the New Jersey Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention argues that, "When these problems arise they're never primarily a function of the individual kids or players... these problems primarily arise because of the behaviors of the adults and leaders who manage these environments." Clearly the implication here is that while the coaches may not have been involved in this particular case, they may have created an environment in which hazing is allowed or perhaps even encouraged. To date seven players have been arrested on charges of harassment, intimidation, bullying, and sexual assault. On New Year's day, 29 year old Brittany Maynard was diagnosed with brain cancer. A week later her doctors performed surgery to remove the malignant tumor and resection her temporal lobe to keep the remain tumor from growing. Following the surgery, the doctors told her she had 10 years to live.
However in April Brittany's doctors informed her that the tumors had returned and she had only 6 more months to live. She was also told that when her time came it would be extremely painful. After hearing the news Brittany decided that she would not allow her death to come in such a way. She decided to move to Oregon, one of for states which allow assisted suicide (the others being Vermont, Washington, and Montana). She then received a prescription for the drugs which would end her life... now she waits. Brittany has decided to end her life on November 1, in her own bedroom, surrounded by her family... her mother, stepfather, husband, and best friend. She claims that she is no suicidal... "If I were, I would have consumed that medication long ago. I do not want to die. But I am dying. And I want to die on my own terms." Assisted suicide is one of the most hotly debated issues in our society. Some claim that any form of a person willingly ending their own life is immoral and in some cases doctors who have helped terminally ill patients end their lives have been prosecuted. Others feel that in cases like Brittany's, doctors should be allowed to help patients end their lives in a dignified way. The debate continues... Thoughts? The United States has its first confirmed death from the Ebola virus. Eric Duncan dies on Wednesday in isolation at the Texas hospital where he had been battling the illness over the past week. Officials have been closely monitoring those who may have come into contact with Duncan in order to contain any potential outbreaks.
While Ebola is a real threat and should be taken seriously, it is also important to understand how the illness is actually contracted. You can find a quick video by clicking here which explains exactly how one can get Ebola. In addition, the man who has apparently survived Ebola has donated his plasma to another victim of the same blood type in the hopes that he could build the same antibodies which allowed for recovery. |
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