“It’s Easy For You, You’re Pretty”

 As I was recently browsing through the quote section of Pinterest, I came across a peculiar quote that seemed to be repinned many many times.

It’s easy for you, you’re pretty.”

 

Upon reading this, I was genuinely angry and horrified that people could be so ignorant and actually believe this to be true.  No one wants to be the prettiest girl in the room.  No one wants to be prematurely judged under the notion that simply because they are good looking, that everything comes easy to them.  That could not be farther from the truth.  With good looks, comes a lot of jealousy and a hell of a lot of judging.

I remember my mother would tell me time and time again to smile and always be more approachable because unfortunately, some people take one glance at you and think everything is handed to you on a silver platter.  As someone who has dabbled in modeling, I can say I have had many unwarranted comments and prejudgments thrown my way, some even from coworkers! I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard “you always get what you want” or “you eat with a golden spoon”. It’s just as hard, if not harder for “pretty” girls.  They have to try much harder to prove to the people around them that they are genuine, that they are smart, that they are capable, and most importantly that they can offer more than just a pretty face.  There is absolutely no such thing as a hand out in life, especially on the weak foundation of being pretty.

 Being pretty, in all honesty is a state of mind.  Being pretty stems from being confident, not arrogant.  “Always getting what I want” stems from the hours of hard work I’ve put in.  I have a difficult time wrapping my head around the fact that people STILL carry such an insensitive mindset.  Looks fade with time.  There will always be someone prettier, smarter, skinnier, have whiter teeth, longer hair, better at sports, etc. BUT there will be no one quite like you.  Nothing comes easy in life, but with an open mind and heart, life can be pretty damn easy.

Detroit Declares Bankruptcy

Detroit, one of the largest cities in the Unite States has declared bankruptcy late this Thursday afternoon.

A city infamous for high crime rates as well as a fluctuating economy can be facing a looming debt of 18-20 billion dollars.

Founded around 300 years ago, the city of Detroit flourished especially with the booming of the automobile industry. However, in the past decades, the economy as well as city began to spiral downwards. Now home to about 700,000 residents as opposed to nearly 2 millions in the 1950s, Detroit now resembles a ghost town in shambles.

With abandoned houses, buildings, and unlit street lights, concern of citizens is high. Unfortunately, with no plan and a tense week of failed negotiations, the bankruptcy matter is being brought to federal court. Other major cities such as Philadelphia and New York City have come close to bringing similar economic issues to court, but never had filed under Chapter 9 bankruptcy.

Numerous factors have played part in the downfall of the Detroit economy and can take months to find resolve. Residents are not only concerned about the economy but the racial implications that are coming with trying to fix it. Nearly 80 percent of the population is African American but the state is primarily run by white Republicans.

Orr, a bankruptcy lawyer who arrived in March will be over seeing major decisions. With current mayor still paid to make decisions, Orr has the right to revoke those powers at any time.

With plans to put forward 1.25 billion dollars towards city infrastructure and services, many hope other services aren’t cut short in this crisis as government officials and bankruptcy lawyers scramble to make ends meet.

Hollywood Sucks You In And It Will Spit You Out

            In an interview with television personality Ellen DeGeneres, Rihanna stated that the “last thing she wanted to do, was to become a role model.” And it certainly shows.  Miley Cyrus, after turning from a fresh faced Disney sweetheart to a fresh mouthed, curious teen also agreed with Rihanna on multiple occasions, stating that it is not her job to be a role model and to parent or make kids follow her and her actions.  The unattainable standards that Hollywood has set with its mammoth influence permeates throughout our lives, whether it be how we act, dress, eat, or even our viewpoint on the world that surrounds us.  These celebrity influences, whom people have come to idolize so much damage the average person and their view not only of society, but themselves as well, both physically and emotionally.  This Hollywood influence is a dangerous one, leading people everywhere to conform themselves to these guidelines.  People everywhere want to be and have what these stars have, and these big shots must realize that being someone who is idolized, or a role model, comes in the job description, whether they like it or not.

            Not only do they have a role on the big screen, but they play a major role in everything we do, from how we behave in situations, to how we dress, to even how we eat.  Their role negatively affects people all over, young and old, male or female.  We as a society continue to follow suit and fall victim, spending our lives trying to reach the elusive, unattainable Hollywood standard.

            Idolizing people in the mass media negatively affect self-image and the way we see the world. We are consumed by competition to be the best, the best-looking, the best-dressed, the best-singer, whatever it may be. Everywhere we turn, we see billboards, commercials, magazines, all covered with beautiful, thin, “perfect” people.  In a recent Newsweek Poll, a whopping seventy-seven percent of Americans believe that Hollywood icons hold too much influence on society, especially young girls.  Since becoming surrounded by these impossible standards of beauty, our self esteem begins to diminish as we begin to become unhappy with ourselves.  We find ourselves often asking why we can’t look that, why we can’t have what they have, and so on.  The same goes for the male population.  They feel the need to put up such a tough front and walk around being independent and strong.  With most of us trying to be like those in the media, we are becoming just as discontented with ourselves than they already are themselves.

            Another big impact stars hold on us, is our view of right and wrong.  The viewpoints of right and wrong vary from society and culture, but there are many things that go on in in the media that we would all agree is questionable.  Statistics show that men are basically 95 percent more violent towards woman.  For example,  Chris Brown simply beat the life out of Rihanna, yet she continues to back to him.  This tells young girls that it is okay to be in an abusive relationship.  After supposedly fighting for and being an advocate for domestic violence, how could Rihanna go back to a man you used extreme brutality on her?  What does this tell us about both the female and male mindset nowadays? Has the media really brainwashed us this much?

            There may be a lot of people in the world today that we should not idolize or be swayed by, but Hollywood stars hold the greatest influence in society today. If we stop idolizing others and look into ourselves, or at least idolize normal, down to earth stars, society will be better off.  We won’t have jealousy, a constant strive for perfection.  We will be free to live the way we want without these Hollywood standards being shoved down our throats.  Judgement upon others will be far less and as a society, we can flourish without the gender stereotypes.

WR “SPECIAL” MEETING REGARDING INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT.

As the citizens of Wood-Ridge continue to be held in the dark regarding the position of Superintendent Dr. Beth Ebler, the Board of Education called for a special meeting on June 7th, at an interesting time of 3:00 PM.  The meeting, open to the citizens of Wood-Ridge, seemed to proceed like a circus gone terribly wrong, or a rehearsed play, but with everyone forgetting their lines.

With many parents arriving late due to the 2:55 PM dismissal of their children at Doyle elementary school, they began to voice their opinion for future meetings to be held at a more reasonable and convenient time.

At first, the BOE of tried to blame the inconvenient time on reporters and the newspaper’s need for 48 hour notice.  With a shocked reporter sitting nearby, a parent stated 4:30 could have worked, and that reporters are able to cover night sporting events, the public got a reply that could only be expected.  A reply that brought eye rolls and deep laughter.

“The reason why we chose 3 PM…some people drive down the shore, and I don’t know if anyone else had plans for the weekend coming up, so I wanted to be considerate,” Mr. Albert Nieves stated in all seriousness.  Maybe he didn’t read the weather reports for the approaching hurricane this weekend.

In a prior BOE meeting dated May 15, 2013, suspicions regarding Dr. Ebler had arose, especially when she was not present at the meeting.  64 out of the 65 faculty members in the district of Wood-Ridge had filed a no confidence vote against Dr. Ebler, and word was getting out, maybe too fast for the BOE to handle.

Attendees were simply told with a shrug by Mr. Nieves that Dr. Ebler was on a vacation.  With her office absolutely cleared, this supposed “vacation” would last three weeks before the BOE dished out yet another disappointingly vague answer today. In today’s meeting, it was stated that the public will “never” find out what the exact issue with Dr. Ebler was.

“With regard to Dr. Ebler…[she] is on a leave of absence. She is utilizing leaves that she has under the terms of her contract.  Since this is a personnel and personal matter, certainly the board is unable to comment on that issue,” BOE Attorney Michael Gross stated.

In May 2011, Ebler was signed to a five year contract according to records.

Gross continued, “I know that is not an acceptable answer…I can’t answer nor will I ever answer rumors or gossip.”

One parent brought up that fact that anything over a five day absence period requires Board approval.  We were then enlightened to hear that the Board can give consent without it being open to the public.

“If she is not physically able to be in the district, are we paying her and somebody else? If we are, where is that money coming from, since we don’t seem to have any?” asked a parent.

With Dr. Ebler utilizing her leave days within her contract, she is entitled to her pay.  On top of that, an interim superintendent who will be working on an as needed basis, which is likely three days per week, will get paid as well.  With enough funds to sustain everyone right now, certain funds are being moved around, and assistance is being sought out.

“[Ebler] will not be in the district for a seeable future,” Gross said.

Things took an awful, yet not surprising turn when Nieves closed the meeting and began to recite resolutions for action.  The climax: prior to the meeting, they handed out the wrong packet with the wrong resolution.  Perhaps a coincidence, and with that, the meeting was opened again.

At this time it was made known that, within the audience sat Joseph C. Longo, the newly appointed interim superintendent.  With that, Nieves announced he had a little something for Longo, a welcoming Blue Devil football jersey.  He’s going to need shoulder pads and a helmet for what he is about to step into.

New Heart Throb In Town

Step aside Justin Bieber, there is a new teen heart throb in town.

Taking what we can call a climatic twist, Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar “Jahar” Tsarnaev is the latest crush of thousands of American girls.

These smitten teens are the pioneers of a social media movement to exonerate the terrorist who helped to wound and claim lives of the innocent.

With hash tags such as #FreeJahar, this Twitter sensation has taken off, enabling a startling amount of young girls to proclaim their love for this man.

The one twitter user behind all of this goes by the name of @FreeJahar97.

Believing he is too good looking to have been the person behind the bombing, the users information describes her as a 16 year old girl with “big boobs” who is going by the name of Gianna.

“I believe Jahar is innocent. I don’t need videos I knew the first time I saw his eyes :)” she writes.

Completely enamored by his looks, girls quickly jumped on the band wagon, allowing this page to get to 331 followers in a short amount of time.

In one tweet Gianna claims she has faith he is innocent, yet in the next tweet she is bashing and making snide remarks about the Bible.

In other instances she claims to believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, however when someone counters her opinion, she lashes back. For example she writes to @slim3113: “hahah u are an adult and u sound like a 12 year old. I would ask if you’re autistic but I don’t want to insult autistic people.”

As other usernames such as @WeAreForJahar and @FreedomDzhokhar are being created, more and more people are becoming aware of this disturbing situation.

@WeAreForJahar writes, “I sympathize with Jahar a lot cause he’s only a year older than me. And he had such a great personality. And I hope for the best for him.”

Besides tweeting and making their “undying love” for Jahar known, some fans of his have gone as far as making erotic fiction based around him.

One of his fans however writes, “These fan fictions about Jahar are actually disturbing.”

Okay, so it seems as least one fan has half a brain.

When our country is inflicted with pain and suffering, we stand united. For every Jahar follower, there are thousands of Americans who support the actual truth and stand by justice.

Where Is The Justice?

For those of you who have been following the Jodi Arias case, I am sure you are at your wits end, just as I am.

In 2008, Jodi Arias was a suspect in the murder of her then boyfriend Travis Alexander, a self-made man.  Alexander was found dead in his home with 3 gun shot wounds, 29 stab wounds, and a slit throat from ear to ear.  Talk about gruesome.

Arias, after trying to seduce cops with hair flips and perking her chest out, proceeded to make up an elaborate story stating that ninjas came in, killed Travis, then threatened her life, hence making her flee the scene.  Unfortunately, almost everything that has come out of her mouth has been one gruesome lie after the next.  Watch out Steven King.

She even stated, “No jury will convict me.”

And she may be right.  Even with her pitiful defense team going against Arizona’s number one death penalty prosecutor, Juan Martinez, due to the fact she is a young, pretty, seductive woman, who knows if she will ever be convicted.

When she took the stand, she even admitted to killing him.  If that is not enough evidence, I don’t know what is.  I do know however, her treatment as well as the defense witnesses treatment of Mr. Martinez is absolutely disgusting and brings such disgrace to the courtroom.

Arias repeatedly sat stony cold with her emotionless shark eyes and would counter everything Martinez asked her.  The defense psychotherapist “expert”, (using that term as loosely as possible), even stated she would put Juan in a time out!  Arias also somehow having a Twitter account from jail has been poking fun at Martinez, from his demeanor to his stature.  Is this not direct violation of the law? When posts were deleted, the judge stated there was no official evidence of the tweets. I’m sorry, but where is the judge in all of this? Where is the justice?

This man is agressive, and that shows in everything he does in court.  He shows passion about his job and the justice system.  I just wish others could see that.

The defense team and experts seem to be enraptured by Arias and her scandalous nature.  Portraying her as a battered woman? Get out of here.  What battered woman drives thousands of miles just to see someone that is “so abusive”.  Mind you, she did this drive all of the time, and it was only to him for a few hours, basically so they can have sex.  If this woman was so battered, why was he the  one texting her saying to stay out of her life? Why is she made out to be the victim when Alexander is the one six feet under?

Even admitting to murdering him, and admitting to lying, how could it be that Arias has even the slightest chance of getting off and walking a free woman.  It’s absolutely shameful.

I highly recommend tuning into HLN for live broadcasts of the trial to get the whole story so you can formulate your opinion.

Police Officer, Boston Suspect Dead

Boston, one of the major cities in the United States was on lockdown last night. In a shoot out between police officials and suspects of the tragic Boston Marathon bombing, two were left dead, including an officer as well as suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, age 26.

Wearing explosives as well as devices, the fugitive was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Hospital with gunshot wounds. His younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, is still on the loose.

Allegedly said to be in Watertown, Massachusetts, Boston police officers embarked on a manhunt like no other.

After robbing a local 7/11 and killing an innocent Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer who was sitting in his car, the two brothers proceeded to hold a man at gunpoint then hijack his car. The man was dropped off about a half hour later.

Hurling explosives out of the car window whilst cops tried hunting them down, the search lasted well into the night.

Watertown and surrounding neighborhoods went completely still. Businesses were asked to remain closed and residents were told to stay in their houses, opening the door for no one except authorities.

The city of Boston, the fifth most metropolitan area in the United States shut down schools, taxi services, bus, and Amtrak train systems.

“He got what he deserved,” said a Maryland man in regards to Tamerlan Tsarnaev. This man, Ruslan Tsarni allegedly stated he was the uncle of the suspects. He also stated he felt sympathy for the victims of the bombing.

Living in the United States for only a few years, the brothers moved from the Russian Caucasus to Kazakhstan at a fairly young age.

“According to preliminary information, coming from the relevant agencies, the Tsarnaev family moved many years ago out of Chechnya to another Russian region,” press secretary Alvi Kamirov told Russia’s semi-official Interfax news agency.

“After that they lived for some time in Kazakhstan, and from there went to the U.S. where the family members received a residence permit. Therefore the individuals concerned did not live as adults in Chechnya.”

For follow up information as well as updated stories follow: CNN

Be The Change

From the days of Prohibition to the feminist movement to the recent rallies in support of gay marriage, we as citizens have and always will be the change which we want and need to see.  This freedom to protest and fight for our rights is considered an alien right, even a luxury, compared to other countries, especially those in the Middle East. 

Since the 1800s, women in the United States have fought for equal rights with men, and we have seen extreme progress since then.  On the other hand, Egyptian women have not been able to have a taste of equality since the 7th century, when Arabic people began to take over.

“Starting from the 7th century, Egypt witnessed huge changes.  We started to follow Arab culture, learn Arabic language, and follow the traditions of Arabs in terms of marriage, divorce, and their beliefs,” stated Eman Shenouda, a Fullbright scholar as well as professor at a Cairo university.

Throughout her life, Shenouda has travelled all over the world spreading awareness on feminism within Egypt.  As part of Women’s History Month, she spoke here at BCC to spread her message.

Feminism movements started to occur in the early 1920s, shortly after women in the USA were granted the right to vote.  Hoda Shaarawi, founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union inspired women, but caused absolute uproar with the men.  Her movement sought out to change not only change women in society, but society itself.  As aggressive as the women fought, the men fought back harder, Shenouda said.

In response to women vying for equality, Tal at Harb, an Egyptian nationalist stated, “The emancipation of women was just another plot to weaken the Egyptian nation and disseminate immorality and decadence.”

Following World War II and the decline of King Farouk’s monarchy, by 1952, all feminism movements were banned.

“Women were serving in homes and taking on traditional roles in family … Household work and child-rearing were exclusively women’s responsibilities,” Shenouda said.

As much progress as Egyptian women have seen since 1919, when women were sacrificed for the cause and were partaking in hunger strikes, there is still a long battle ahead.  With a 40-60 percentage rate of illiteracy among women in Egypt, the lack of education is enough to prevent them from obtaining their goal of equality.

Two different types of Muslims live  in Egypt, those who admire and respect women and children, and those who have an extremely conservative attitude towards women.  They believe women to be an obstacle or difficult challenge to men, because they could potentially take opportunities from the men.

“This is why we have violence in the streets,” Shenouda said. “They want the women to get back home, not to work.  They have their own tools that make the violence start.  We have witnessed many types of behavior like women beaten, sexual harassment, violence against the children.”

These demonstrations for women’s equality started in 2006, but became most prominent during 2008.  Due to new leaders and not being able to politically leave Egypt, the past seven months have been full of violence towards women, she said

“Women say they won’t be afraid of a group that represents only 3 million Egyptians.  This group is a minority; we are Egyptian and proud.  We have to fight to take them back to their place,” Shenouda said.

As the future leaders of our generation, we have the ability and power to make a difference, and to stand up for what we believe in.

“It’s a great honor to be with you, to be with this young generation. I think from my point of view that the hope and the future is coming from your eyes,” Shenouda stated.

 

 

Photo credit: freestylee / Foter.com / CC BY

Prayers For Those In Boston

Earlier today at the Boston Marathon, a beloved event for runners internationally, two horrific explosions occurred, turning everyone into runners.
The first explosion went off just north of Boylston Street, which is right near the finish line. Seconds later, another explosion took place.
Over 130 have been injured and two reported dead, including an 8 year old boy. Amongst the injured include children, runners, spectators, and police officials. Many remain in critical condition with missing limbs and excessive bleeding. All were rushed to medical tents that were initially set up for tired runners.
One runner stated that many people were bloody and were being brought into the tent. In aerial pictures blood was splattered all over the sidewalk where eager fans and spectators awaited the runners.
A fire later broke out at the JFK library only a few blocks away from the original explosions. Police officials initially thought the fire was in relation to the explosions, and is still under investigation.
Tests shows the bombs were small and no high grade material explosives were used. Another bomb was discovered in a hotel near Boylston Street, as well as a location that was undisclosed by the government.
Although considered a terrorist attack FBI officials are unsure whether the people behind the attack were foreign or domestic.

For updates on the story follow: http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-75425852/

3 killed, more than 140 hurt in Boston Marathon bombing

Where Are Your Manners?

When it comes to business etiquette within the workplace, most of us are well aware of what is appropriate or what actions should be avoided.  In fact, most of these common guidelines are summarized in employee handbooks, however, the handbook cannot cover certain coworkers pet peeves.  As part of human nature, we all have pet peeves, especially when it comes to our workplace. The following tips are only common courtesy and should always be upheld, no matter how little of importance they appear to be.

“To some people, manners seem to be an old-fashioned concept- some stuffy idea from when people were not allowed to wear flip flops to work,” Steve Strauss says.

Steve Strauss is what we can call a Renaissance man, a jack of all trades.  Strauss is a lawyer as well as author and public speaker who specializes in all things business, especially business relations and etiquette within the workplace.

From how you present yourself to how you answer the phone, every move you make at work can be related to not only your work etiquette, but your work ethic as well.

When it comes to cubicles, or what we can compare to tiny coat closets, they are still worker’s own personal spaces.  Regardless of how cramped or messy or hardly used the cubicle appears to be, barging in without knocking or sticking your head over their wall to merely talk to them is one big no no.  If someone allows you to come into their cubicle, don’t lets your paws touch everything, don’t sit on their desk and make yourself at cubicle, I mean home.  Depending on the coworker, these action can be enough to drive someone off the deep end.

Some offices have the luxury of having a kitchen, equipped with a fridge, sink, drawers, and maybe (if your lucky), a dishwasher.  These luxuries can sometimes turn into burdens, especially if you have a coworker that leaves food in the fridge until even a dog would turn its nose.  It simply just makes for a disgusting and stinky work place.  If you borrow dishes from the cabinets, be sure to wash them and put them away.  Leaving your mess for another coworker or the receptionist to clean up will give you the reputation as a slob.  Even though I am sure we all know this next tip, sometimes we just need to be reminded- do not, I repeat do not eat other people’s food, unless they give you the okay! We are humans not squirrels.

An important aspect of business etiquette is obviously manners, from phone manners to even using polite terms like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.  When on the phone, never act bored, or hang up on a customer.  Always use the “magic words” you were taught when you were younger.  They will come back to haunt you.  Using your office phone regularly does not mean you can use your personal phone the same amount of time.  Constantly texting or making calls is not only rude to whoever may be trying to talk to you, but it also implies you have a lazy work ethic.   It is the little things that count.

Chances are if you are working in an office, things are supposed to be somewhat professional, especially in regards to dress.  Although the description may state dress is casual, in today’s society, casual is turning into complete mess that just rolled out of bed.  Presenting yourself in a nice, clean and professional way not only makes you feel and look good, but it makes your business look good.  Other employees may be inspired and who knows, maybe you’ll be the new trendsetter in the office.