What one will do to try to avoid death

"The last thing he saw before he lapsed into unconsciousness.... was the blade coming to his throat," Martinez said.  "And the last thing he felt before he left this earth was pain." USA Today reported.

Body of Travis Alexander.  Photo from
http://men-factor.blogspot.com/2013/02/quick
-break-from-black-history-month.htm

Jodi Arias proven of murder and mutilating
her ex-boyfriend Photo taken from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-2254933

Travis Alexander was a salesman in his 20's when his life would be cut short. On June 4th, 2008 Travis Alexander was both mutilated and then murdered by his ex-girlfriend Jodi Arias.  From the photo you can see that his throat was slit.  In addition to this he was stabbed more than 20 times and shot with a .25 caliber gun.  

On May 28th, 2008 Jodi Arias already had plotted ideas for killing Alexander when she stole a gun from her grandparents house.  But at the time no one knew she stole the gun they thought someone else robbed them.  She would have gotten away with this crime except when she tried to destroy the camera she erased the images but cops were able to restore the lost images and she claimed she last saw Alexander in April 2008 but rather the images showed images of the two of them together on June 4th, 2008 and one even showed images of Alexander bleeding.  In addition she had multiple cuts on her arms and continued to tell people different stories about how she got the cuts.  Then when confronted by the cops she told them three different stories about his death.  One was that she was not with him, the second was two intruders broke in and murdered him and attacked her, and lastly she stated she killed him in self defense.  By this time she has proven herself guilty.     

Now it is 2013 and Jodi Arias is being tried by courts in California for the death of Travis Alexander for the final time.  On May 8th she was convicted by all 12 jurors of murder first-degree premeditated murder and then 7 of the same also charged her with felony murder.  California courts are one of the few in the United States that allow the death penalty to occur.  

For Arias she might just get her very wish.  This is what she said during her latest trial, "Longevity runs in my family, and I don't want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place," a tearful Arias said.  "I believe death is the ultimate freedom, and I'd rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it."  

What do you think should happen, should Arias get her wish and be sentenced to death for her crime or live her life in jail wishing she was dead but having to live with other murders for the crime she committed?  Keep in mind for every person in prison it cost approximately $42,000 tax payers dollars a year to keep them in prison?  

Please read more about this cases:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/16/jodi-arias-sentencing/2165197

History in Progress

Photo provided by http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/us-navy-launches-stealth-drone-x-47b-makes-aviation-history

The United States military makes history.  On May 14th for the first time a military drone the size of a fighter jet X-47B saw air without a pilot inside, total cost was $1.4 billion US dollars to create.  What does this mean?  This could mean that more military pilots will survive battles in the future because they are not needed inside these jets but without these machines being run by pilots how will they know who to aim their missiles at?  Is  the idea of having these types of aircraft's good or bad?  Some say this is a good thing because it would be able to shot down missiles without putting a human life in danger where others say its not a good thing because how does this machine know what people are good or bad because it has no detection of individuals whereas a pilot might be able to see a soldiers uniform or know where not to aim its missiles at because of commands from their generals back home.  There is one major drawback to this idea and that is the idea that if the computer system would be hacked then the fighter jet could potentially become a major threat to its own nation.

Here's a clip from The New Zealand Herald:
The new Joint Strike Fighter jet "might be the last manned fighter the US ever build.  They're so expensive, they're so complex, and you put a human at risk every time it take off from a carrier," said James Lewis, senior fellow at the Centre for Stategic and International Studies in Washington.

Right now it might not be far enough along in the process to decide whether this is a good or a bad thing but I want to know what readers are thinking from both the United State prospective and from another countries prospective?

Baby murdered

Franklin County Sheriff Jeff Richards said in a statement that remains recovered in eastern Kansas on Saturday are believed to those of Lana-Leigh Bailey, a child authorities previously reported as presumed dead. Picture provided from:http://www.kctv5.com/story/22227511/body-found-believed-to-be-missing-toddler

Kansas baby Lana-Leigh Bailey was found dead only a few short days after her 21-year old mother was murdered along with two other men. The adult bodies were found early May but the baby's body was just discovered on May 11th in Osage County, Kansas.

Please read more: http://www.kctv5.com/story/22227511/body-found-believed-to-be-missing-toddler

Its tragic to say that someone would think of committing a crime like this.  What was he thinking?  Did he not realize all the people who have and will continue to suffer from this horrifying act.  Its not just everyone who knows the victims but affected the police officers most with families of there own, and the nation as a whole.  Everyone was worried and parents were grateful that their children are safe but this is terrifying for all.  As a parent how can we protect the most important people in our lives when we are not safe ourselves?  No one knew that when they seen Lana and her mom in April it would be the last time.  Why would anyone murder a baby? What was the motive for doing such a horrific act?  

Kyle Flank was in jail for 4 years and released in 2009 for attempting to murder his old boss after being fired and now he is out there killing innocent people.  The good news is that there is a $10 million bond on Flank and he will be trialed at court in a few weeks which could put him behind bars for good and save other people from becoming his next victim.

Open-minded

Photo provided by: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=where
+electronics+end+up&view=detail&id

Have you ever thought about what happens to your electronics when you choose to upgrade and just leave your old ones behind?  Most people would be surprised to find out that millions of perfectly functional electronically devices are left to die in landfills more than 4.6 million tonnes ended up in land fills before the year 2000.  So why don't more people utilize the electronics they have if they still work?  The reason is because electronic companies are promoting people to buy new electronics when they really don't need the new electronic device but if they choose not to upgrade all of that persons peers will judge them.  We see this a lot, think about one time you were peer pressured into doing something you did not want to do or forced to buy sometime you did not need because everyone you knew owned sometime and you were left out?  That's exactly what happens with electronics.
Please look at the cycle of electrons provided by:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/toxics/electronics/the-e-waste-problem/where-does-e-waste-end-up
Even though we can see time continually changing and today people can own multiple personal electronics devices that does not mean that people should always be upgrading these devices every time something new comes out but rather they should consider how the environment and other nations are being affected by this constant upgrading of electronics.  Example it creates jobs in other nations but uses more resources and pollutes more air and damages land where land fills are.  Instead of throwing out a electronic device that still works or donate it to a program that will provide people who are unable to afford electronics with them.
Examples of place to donate include:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4580223_donate-electronics.html.

Abduction

Photo provided by Fox 7 News Facebook page

Have you ever imagined what it must be like to meet your loved one after they have been reported missing for 10 years?  Most would have thought that with this much time in between the abduction and now these three women would never been seen again and no one imagined finding all three at the same time. 

Just two days ago on Monday May 6^th three women were found in Cleveland Ohio where they were held hostage for the past 10 years of their lives.  It is very sad that such a thing would happen and the worst part is they were only miles from their houses and their families for all these years. Currently the courts are trying to figure out if the man in charge of the abduction was originally their bus driver when they were students. 

Please read the news story about these women:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10041410/Ohio-abduction-three-women-found-alive-as-it-happened.html

Please go one step further and listen to the 911 call Amanda Berry made after her escape from abduction.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/national_world&id=9093010

It’s sad to see what our world is coming to every 40 seconds in the United States at least one person is abducted.  EVERY 40 SECONDS! That is scary and shameful.  Why would someone every do this, abduct a person?  We will never know why someone would abduct someone else’s child but it happens.  As parents we need to make sure that we are keeping our children safe and away from harm. 

Other facts about child abductions are stated below:

http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/stranger-safety/child-abduction-facts/

We also need to be grateful for journalists for gathering the facts and allowing us citizens to read these stories.  As a nation if we want to be stronger we need to work together and ensure each other’s children are safe.  If everyone did this abduction would cease to exist.  As a parent it is your job to know what your children are doing and who they are with at all times.  Keep in mind that today most young people have cell phones, as a parent this can be an advantage because you child could call for help or better yet if they are abducted we can track their phone to wherever they are with modern technology.  Let’s promise to use technology to our advantage and help save our nation’s youth.

Should citizen journalism be credited at the same level as professional journalism?

    

Image from www.onextrapixel.com

This article was about Steve Jobs the president of apple electronics where a citizen posted information about his death on CNN's I-report.  This is a prime example of a citizen journalist posting something that a journalist would have never posted.  First off a journalist would have had it confirmed the death before releasing to the public that Steve Jobs was dead.  Secondly, a journalist would have contacted his immediate family before releasing the data to the public.  Imagine finding out that your loved one died through a website to only later find out that it was all fake.  

This would not happen if a profession journalist would have covered the story or would have it?  Check this out, play the video and see this for yourself:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/new-york-post-photo-subway_n_2237300.html

The first story should not have been released but at least we can try to understand that this person was only a citizen and does not have to follow as many rules and regulations as a professional journalist but what about the second one?  What happened?  This was how his wife and son found out about his death.  Was this appropriate?  What should have been done?  Do you feel this image should have even been released and on the front cover of New York Post. 

When the event occurred in November 2012 many people were shocked to see this image on the front cover of their paper.  The thing that seemed to shock people even more than this image was the fact that the camera man was a professional journalist and choose to take pictures of this man right before he died instead of helping him out of the subway.  People were straight out appalled when they found out the photographer sold these pictures to other companies for person gain and did not go as far as to contact the family or ask for permission to use these images.   

If a citizen can produce the same quality of journalistic work then why can't they be credited at the same level?  There are many reasons why.  The first reason is because journalists need to follow the media creed and a code of ethics.  Part of this code ensures that the journalist will not release something that is inappropriate for the public to view.  

     

Please take a quick look at this article:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/98447-steve-jobs-fake-heart-attack-courtesy-of-cnn

Wansolwara goes viral

Wansolwara Online (Fijian Style)

     The organization that I am writing for just launched their new online     newspaper called Wansolwara.  Wansolwara is an entirely student driven newspaper that is attempting to beat the main stream media when it comes to publishing current news.  Most of the articles revolve around local and regional issues that occur in Fiji and the South Pacific but there will occasional be publications of international issues.  I know how much work has gone into creating this website and how much effort we as students put into this program to ensure that our readers are always reading new current news.  I would encourage everyone to check out their website at http://www.wansolwara.org.    

    

 Below I have linked my first article that is featured in the paper.  

http://www.wansolwara.org/student-participation.html

    Please comment in this blog about the differences you see in the writing style from this paper and what your are used to back from your home countries.  Also express what you like and dislike about the website.