Heartbreak in Ferguson

     I am writing and posting this today with the knowledge that I may stand alone. However; I would rather stand alone for what I believe is right than stand with many if it means clandestinely covering up my thoughts. I believe what happened to Michael Brown in Ferguson was intolerable and sinisterly grotesque. I understand that the firsthand sightings and some of the evidence can be viewed in a contradictory light but I still believe Darren Wilson should have been held responsible for what he did. He took away a life of an unarmed teenager. I find it disgusting frankly, that some are using his alleged stealing of an item (which cost around 99 cents,) as a reason to validate and give meaning to killing someone. Where do we draw the line? Criminals kill people every day and do not even get half of the punishment Michael Brown sadly received. I can acknowledge that if Brown did actually charge the officer, the officer should have been allowed to exhibit self defense. However; I believe he could have embodied his defense in a more realistic and less crude and damaging matter. There are many ways to practice self defense that do not include shooting someone (and shooting someone that many times.) I think that police should now be required to wear the on body cameras the Brown family is suggesting. After all, if we had those cameras on Darren Wilson to begin with, we would know the unedited truth that no one really knows completely with the exception of Wilson. I also recognize even with my beliefs on the matter, I will never be able to truly understand the severity of what the people in Ferguson and Brown's family are facing. I hope someday we as a nation reach a true and unbreakable equality. The riots in Ferguson may be seen as terrible and without reason through the silver screen but we must realize we are not able to fully and completely judge the situation when we aren't and were not there and in their shoes. I stand with the heartbroken in Ferguson for justice but hope that they may be able to reach a prosperous and beneficial synergy in a somewhat peaceful matter as the Brown family has said. Whatever viewpoint you hold, I think we can all agree that a life was lost and that life cannot be brought back. Brown's life was and is irreplaceable and my thoughts and prayers go out to the Brown family at this time full of tragedy, travesty and mourning. So today, let's remember Michael Brown as his family stated he was- a kind, shy and caring individual.

Nolan Burch has died but will be remembered..

Nolan Burch, A college Freshman of a West Virginia University and Williamsville native died on November 14th.  Burch was reported to have attended a campus Fraternity and found unconscious after consuming a heavy amount of alcohol. He was said to be pledging for Kappa Sigma; a frat no longer recognized by the university for reasons unrelated to this incident. The message I would like my friends and people of similar age to take away from this is that life is sacred and although it may seem that way- no one is indestructible. It's so easy to say "it wont happen to me," but as we can tell from this unfortunate and sinister tragedy it can indeed happen. I'm sure Nolan didn't go to that party or to pledge with the desire to die that night. He probably didn't even have an inkling of what could and would happen. Drinking is a coveted desire among many teenagers and young twenty somethings because it's not legal to ingest alcohol at these ages. I would like my classmates to remember that when something like this happens, your parents can't "save," you like in most cases no matter how much they undoubtedly would want to. Nolan's life is and was irreplaceable. I would advise my peers to drink in moderation if at all and always practice self control. I would tell them to not become a victim of peer pressure and to remember this grotesque incident when picking up what might be their third beer. I send my thoughts and prayers to the Burch family at this time, who is with out a doubt shattered. I also would like to make sure we don't forget Nolan at this time, although he left his parents in what seems to be a cloud of grief and heartbreak, we must remember he didn't want this either- it just was an unfortunate decision under the vice of alcohol. Nolan must be remembered for all the good he did for his school and community and first and foremost as a person and not just a victim of a "crazy frat pledge." In our time of remembrance towards Nolan, we must keep this instance in the back of our mind when entering college and other places as a young adult where our self restraint will be tested.

Potential Chocolate shortage?!?!?!?!

As many news sites such as MSNBC have reported, The world may experience a dire shortage in chocolate in the future. The cause to this shortage is farmers -producing less and less cocoa (a key ingredient in those chocolate treats many consume freely and daily,) and more people than ever before buying chocolate products. It is common to think that chocolate sales would go up around holidays such as Easter or equally as celebrated days but it seems as if this whole year there has been a constant demand for the sugary sweets. In fact in 2013 alone, people consumed around 70,000 metric TONS more cocoa than produced (The Washington Post.) As the world desires more and more chocolate, the need for cocoa becomes bigger and some countries such as China which didn't consume much of the candy before are eating more than ever. As the popularity of dark chocolate inflates, more buy the darker sweet and this innocent looking little candy bar takes even more cocoa to fabricate. Scientists are now trying to create a new strain of trees that will produce this cocoa but with these new trees the delicious taste will be somewhat lost. What a good excuse to go out and buy a myriad of chocolate today!

Tackling Gender roles

Everything that one does in life, from the time they are an infant to their death include the effects of gender roles. From the time you are born, you are categorized based on your gender. For example even with the simplest things; boy's rooms are usually blue or an equally dark color while little girl's rooms are commonly tainted a pale or garish pink shade. It doesn't stop here, it is common for boys to play sports and for girls to be encouraged to do more "feminine" things such as dance. If a boy or girl strays too far from their designated "gender role" it is often frowned upon. There is hope in the future for a change, however. Gender roles are being challenged daily as seen in the Flocabulary video. More boys are taking on jobs such as camp councilors or baby sitters which were once considered jobs only fit for a female. In an online article that's title reads "Corps to tackle gender bias as combat jobs open to women," good information about the topic at hand is provided. It states that many more women are being freely accepted into higher positions in the Marines. In fact, they expect so many women to fall into higher ranks and positions that they had all Marines take a series of classes on how to tackle unconscious and maybe even subliminal gender biases. Yes, it is sad that a precaution like this must even be taken in a world where everyone should be seen as equal but at least, they are making an effort to challenge these "norms." At the heart of all these classes despite the centralization on Gender Neutrality, is true leadership skills. The online article does support the headline, the journalist continues on as previously stated, and tells of the Marines tackling a past of unrelenting gender roles. The article tries to remain neutral with their opinions to provide an accurate account of the actions being fabricated. Both Flocab and this article make me hopeful for the future. I personally, don't feel a need for these meticulous and discriminating Gender roles whether they are oppressing a male or female. If everyone is truly equal, we shouldn't have an imminent need for gender roles. I would encourage women to strive for whatever goals they have even if they were once seen in a "masculine" light and vice versa for males. I think both the article and the Flocab deliver the message trying to be presented well and articulately. My only question following these pieces would be how Americans and people all over will continue to tackle and end gender roles. The article could improve his article by providing a background of how the Marines acted differently towards women before. I hope people continue to tackle these gender roles. A movement is becoming more prominent and I wish it all the best. These ideas are coming up more in more in social media, on the web and in real life. These ideas are represented in things such as the music video recently made by "Benny," entitled "Little Game." And that video can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNr3x1kVVEc

Pat Roberts for the win!

Pat Roberts won the Kansas Senate race and defeated Greg Orman (the independent candidate.) Senate has been taken over by the republicans this year. Kansas has not elected anyone other than a republican candidate since the 1930's- so this does not really come off as a surprise to anyone. It is likely that Pat Roberts won largely on the basis of the state being majorly Republican. These hard nosed republicans would never vote for any other party when a republican was in the running. Orman even with tons of money in marketing and publicity could still not overcome a strict republican state. This being said, we now can tell just how hard Orman had to work even to get half of the amount of votes he did. Orman may have lost to Roberts but he did better than many could have originally hoped.