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Happy Earth Day

Did you know that in 2010, each person created 4.43 pounds of trash in the United States? That may not seem like a lot, but if you multiply it by 365 days, that’s 1,617 pounds of garbage per person over a year. Plastics are one of the top things thrown away and are the least recycled. A … Continue reading »

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Child abuse is any mistreatment or neglect of a child that results in non-accidental harm or injury and which cannot be reasonably explained. Child abuse can include: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. April is Nation Child Abuse Prevention Month, and is a time to acknowledge the importance of families and communities working … Continue reading »

Lil Wayne, Emmett Till & Common Decency

I’ve done a lot of research on Emmett Till, and I’ve written a lot of blog posts about him. If you have never heard his story, allow me to tell you about it: Emmett Till was a little boy from Chicago, where racism was not as strong in the 1950s. He has family down in … Continue reading »

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is one of the holidays that people either hate or love. In the US and other places around the world, people will be exchanging flowers, cards, and chocolate tomorrow. But where does the tradition come from? I was curious, and I thought some other people might be too. The story of Valentine’s Day … Continue reading »

Snowflakes for Sandy Hook

The Sandy Hook PTA wants to create a winter wonderland of snowflakes for the children when classes resume later this month in their new building. Send your snowflakes to: Connecticut PTSA 60 Connolly Parkway, Building 12, Suite 103 Hamden, CT 06514 by January 12, 2013.

Happy New Year’s

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and I hope 2013 is fabulous for everyone. I was writing this post to let everyone know that AAA is providing a service called the “Tipsy Tow” between the hours of 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Anyone who wishes to take advantage … Continue reading »

‘Tis the Season

The next time you cringe when looking at your holiday shopping receipts, keep this story in mind. Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson has an annual Christmas ritual. He funds twelve children selected by Child Protective services to go on a c. The children range from ages 8 to 16, and have all suffered from some form … Continue reading »

Police raise Breast Cancer Awareness

A patrol car at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has a new paint job. It is for a good cause, although it may not scare criminals. The patrol car has been painted pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It will patrol different areas and raise Breast Cancer Awareness The Sheriff, Mike Hale, said “We love … Continue reading »

Suicide Awareness Day

Every year, September 10th is Suicide Awareness Day. As of 2011, an estimated one million people per year die by suicide or “a death every 40 seconds or about 3,000 every day.” There are also twenty failed suicide attempts for every one that is successful. Suicide is also the thirteenth leading cause of death worldwide. In honor of today … Continue reading »

Penn State scandal & how it influences you

I’m willing to bet that everyone has heard of the Penn State scandal, even if they don’t know all the details. The story probably leaves you absolutely repulsed, but you may think that it doesn’t affect you. You’re wrong. If you’re a woman who is in college, or you have a daughter, sister, cousin, friend or … Continue reading »

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Endangered species!

Did y’all ever watch Zoboomafoo? If you did, you should know that lemurs are dangling on the verge of extinction. Madagascar’s lemurs are now the most endangered vertebrates on the planet. There are 103 known lemur species and 91% of them are threatened. Scientists blame destruction of the tropical rain forests for the decline of the lemur’s condition. Political unrest has made poverty rates … Continue reading »

The Supreme Court, miscegenation & gay marriage

I’m not about to write some lengthy post about whether or not gay marriage should be legalized. I don’t want to throw my opinions at you either. However, I do want to give you something to think about. Interracial marriages are not uncommon. Well, up until 45 years ago, they were illegal. In 1967, the Supreme Court made … Continue reading »

New York takes a stand against sex trafficking

In the fall, a new law will require New York City cab drivers to keep an eye out for possible victims of sex trafficking. Although sex trafficking by taxi is rare, is does happen. Police have cracked down on brothels, which means that traffickers have to transport victims directly to the customer. The city is training drivers … Continue reading »

RIP, Lonesome George

He was an unusual looking creature, wasn’t he? Odds are you’ve never seen another one like him, because he was the last of his kind. George was the only remaining Pinta Island tortoise, and he was estimated to be over 100 years old. Lonesome George was discovered on Pinta Island in 1972 at a time when tortoises of … Continue reading »

Rock The Slut Vote 2012

Feminists and women right’s activists have banned together to form Rock The Slut Vote. Rush Limbaugh called law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” for testifying before Congress in support of contraceptives. Women everywhere are banning together to “diffuse” the disrespectful term. The founder of the movement wants to change the meaning of the word, so that it can’t be used to bully … Continue reading »

Do we need to think twice before legalizing marijuana?

Forty four percent of Americans say that marijuana should be legalized, and sixty five believe that it will be legal within ten years. People say that weed is less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco, because it doesn’t cause drunk driving and isn’t as bad for your lungs. However, marijuana use does alter your mental status. A mother … Continue reading »

What are “Slut Walks”?

In Toronto last year, a police officer caused an outrage after he said that women should “avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized” during a speech to a public university. That statement didn’t sit right with many women, who felt that the way they dress doesn’t make them any less of a victim … Continue reading »

National Missing Children’s Day

Around 800,000 children go missing every year. Surprisingly, out of those cases, only between 110 and 200 are abducted by strangers. Those rare cases get the most media coverage, however, and are how we ended up with May 25th as National Missing Children’s Day. Many of the most famous cases of missing children helped us to … Continue reading »

Protecting the future

In April, I visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum with my English class from AUM. Towards the end of the tour, they had a section dedicated solely to reporting terrorism. They talked about September 11th and how the media impacted the tragedy. After going through and watching the footage from 9/11, I decided that I wanted to … Continue reading »

Is copyright actually right?

I had just about decided that I was done blogging. It wasn’t something I had done regularly before I started English with Professor Woodworth in the fall. In the few weeks since school has been out, I’ve found that I actually kind of miss it. My biggest problem was finding something to write about once my topics … Continue reading »

Hope

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is a story about a little girl who lived in Japan at the time of the atomic bombing on Hiroshima. She developed leukemia from the radiation and was on a mission to fold a thousand paper cranes, because a Japanese legends states that if you fold a thousand origami cranes … Continue reading »

We Are Alabama

Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. A year ago today, the unthinkable happened here in Alabama. Tornados killed 253 people. They hit Birmingham, Tuscaloosa , Eclectic and many other counties in the state. In Montgomery, we were fortunate. We waited and waited…hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. And then the worst … Continue reading »

Transgender teen not wearing cap and gown

A high school student is choosing not to walk in graduation with his friends, because his school wants the male-identifying student to wear a female robe because he is identified as female on his birth certificate. Damian Garcia, a senior at St. Pius, says ”I just want to have a happy graduation, and just walk in my … Continue reading »

Your last love is the beautiful one

I used to avoid posting personal things on my blog, because I wanted to be “anonymous.” Nothing is truly anonymous on the internet, so I’ve done away with that idea. And also, unlike other posts, I am most certainly writing this because I know that my boyfriend sometimes reads my blog. Your last love is the beautiful … Continue reading »

Dear Me:

I recently tweeted that I have less than a month until my birthday. I was then asked by one of my followers how old I will be. They were shocked to hear that I will be turning 20. (Apparently I act rather middle-aged.) So, in preparation of my 20th birthday, here is a list of … Continue reading »

National Police Week

May 15th is National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls is National Police Week. It began yesterday and will end on May 18th. Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection … Continue reading »

Westboro Baptist Church coming to Alabama

I’ve always said that if they ever came anywhere near my home to protest, I would like to do something cool like this to stop them. The Westboro Baptist Church has announced plans to picket at the University of Alabama on May 18 to ”remind them of the wrath of God that visited them two years … Continue reading »

Ladies, Whatever you do, don't lose weight this way

Reblogged from ASpoonfulofSuga: While I can understand there is much more pressure for ladies to look a certain way, I feel if for whatever reason you choose to embark on the journey to lose weight please whatever you do do not do the following: Restrict your diet to only 1000-1100 calories per day Do hours … Continue reading »

Tim McGraw Explores the Dangers of Texting and Driving in Powerful ‘Highway Don’t Care’ Video With Taylor Swift & Keith Urban

http://vevo.ly/11ZaWP8 <—- Link to watch the video! Sorry about my technical difficulties y’all. I’m not computer savvy. Even if country music isn’t your cup of tea, this song is still worth listening to. (Although I personally loved the song even before I saw the video.) The plot of the ‘Highway Don’t Care’ video features a bereft … Continue reading »

EDIT: Alabama Amber Alert

The state of Alabama has issued an AMBER Alert for a 6-year-old girl from Mississippi. Jashayla Hopson was last seen Tuesday before she was taken from her school in Kemper County, Mississippi. She was wearing turquoise pants and a pink shirt with an ice cream design and white sandals. She was possibly seen being taken … Continue reading »

I’m Thankful

I’m thankful for the days when the sun is shining and for the days when its not. I’m thankful for my mom and the unconditional love she gives me. I’m thankful for my family, even though we are far from perfect. I’m thankful for my boyfriend, who lets me ramble on about the same thing … Continue reading »