[mbarryblog-blog]

Blog #11

One of my favorite blogs was the first blog telling a story about yourself or the sixth blog involving you to choose your own topic. Choosing our own topics led to a wide variety of blogs that week. I found this to be so interesting because by the topics people chose you still learned more about them without even realizing it. I overall enjoyed the blogging assignments and I am really starting to like blogging. Tumblr is one of the best ways for an individual to express themselves without feeling worried or judged because this website was  created to respect others opinions and for you to open your mind to new ideas.

When I was in a freshman in high school, reblogging artsy pictures on Tumblr was the cool and popular thing to do. I had my own account but I barely used it because I was too worried what people thought of my reblogs. When I found out we were blogging in the beginning of the year, that worriness came back. I was always shy growing up and I never grew out of that phase until college. I was always worried I would say the wrong thing or opinion on the internet and I would get judged for it. After reading a couple of blogs, I realized I was actually going to enjoy this concept of blogging and sharing my stories to my followers. After the first couple of blogs, I realized this concept of blogging and getting to know my peers was a judgement free zone. This helped me to open up in my blogs and talk about things that are super important to me. I learned a lot about my classmates and things you would never know by just looking at them. This concept of blogging and having new topics every week helped my writing skills strengthen and helped me expand my views and thoughts about certain topics. I would always plan out my blog beforehand so I had a general idea of what I was going to write about that week. I enjoyed writing these blogs no matter how late it was or what the topic was because it was a way for me to express myself and to open up to my audience, allowing them to agree or disagree with my opinion or story. These blogs have helped me become more understanding and respective about others opinions and viewpoints. Also creating a broader aspect on individuals who had a different lifestyle than me growing up.

[mbarryblog-blog]

Blog 10

My favorite topic was rape is still rape no matter what age. This topic is so important to me because nobody likes to talk about it and spread awareness. You never realize how much it actually happens and how aggressive it has become. Not only does rape affect an individual’s behavior but it affects their outcome and perspectives on the world. It causes them to blame themselves for what has happened to them which can cause depression or worse behaviors or symptoms. During this presentation Afeisha brought up court cases involving rape that did not resolve in any punishments. When they do not end up with punishments I feel as if the rapist does not learn their lesson or this will just cause them to do it again to another victim. If there was a set punishment for this crime then people would be less likely to get involved in this category of crime. An awful punishment would reinforce the crime and law because it would decrease the probability of it happening and the individual would know the punishment they are getting into. The individual might think is it even worth it? Rape is such a touchy subject but it is because nobody thinks it is socially acceptable to talk about.

My favorite presentation was Yasir’s because the message was so powerful and it truly made you think about racial discrimination. I never realized how much stereotypes affect any race whether it is based on skin color or religion. This message was super powerful due to the fact that he included his own experiences involving this subject. I found that experience to be shocking and overwhelming, I could not even imagine how he felt in that situation. This whole presentation gave me a new opinion on this subject and an overall aspect on how to approach it if I witnessed something like that in the future. I was speechless when he changed into the suit then asked the class if we would still judge him the same way? No one should be judged based on what they wear, their skin color, religion or sexuality. Stereotypes should be broken because most of them are incorrect and this leads to false judgment. This is the twenty-first century, there should be no stereotypes! Yasir did such a great job on his presentation due to the face that he could relate to his subject, helping him connect to it more.

[mbarryblog-blog]

Gender Roles

 Gender roles originate from the social norms and standards in society today. Male roles and masculinity is associated with strengthen, superiority and aggression. While females are associated with nurturing and subservience. In culture today, men and women are expected to follow this guidelines and roles. These roles play a huge part in our society today involving how much male and females get paid, treated and respected based on your privileges, age, physical looks and ethnicity. The word gender is associated with inequality based on the different levels males and females are judged on. One of the major stereotypes are the male in the household goes to work everyday and provides for the family while the female stays at home and watches the children. Luckily this stereotype has been broken recently, although they are still considered a misjudgment. Men and women have equal powers therefore they should gain equal respect in society. No race or gender is superior to the other. 

Toby Morris’s comic strip “On a plate: A short story about privilege” represents 2 different aspects based on the characters gender. You realize how much growing up in a secure or insecure environment effects ur future and the way you perceive events in life. The male character, Richard was fortunate enough to have supporting parents who made him succeed beyond realistic expectations while the female character, Paula grew up in a less social-economic background. Paula realized the important things in life like nursing her father back to health while Richard just argued about money, his job or business. Although Morris portrays different genders, these stories can happen to anyone. Paula is portrayed as the sensitive girl who abandons school to take care of her father while Richard is the type of guy who lives off of his job and the thrill that it comes with when you accomplish tasks. 

Representation plays a huge role in society today involving technology because with social media, young adults tend to care more about what other people think of them. Either based on their likes on a certain picture, the amount of comments or how good they look in it. The standards are high in the twenty-first century due to models, famous people and the wealthy. The way you represent yourself in front of your peers does not reflect on your personality. An individual could just be looking for attention from guys but then she goes home to nurse a loved one back together and take care of her siblings. These stereotypes involving how we represent ourselves on social media and in society, needs to be broken because this would assure more respect for everyone. 

[mbarryblog-blog]

Blog 8 : Missing Women

It’s sad to think this does not get more news or social media attention, because nobody deserves to live their life in fear that something bad might happen to them because of where they live or their race. Stereotypes should be eliminated from society today. The local and national government needs to do a better job at ensuring our safety and making every citizen feel secure. They need to step up and prevent this from happening instead of thinking that this issue will go away because it clearly has not if the numbers keep rising. I believe social media can play a huge role with this issue coming to an end. The more people know about it, the more people that get involved to end this. 

[yasmeney-blog]

Missing

Recently I have been seeing many stories about the 64,000 black woman that are missing in America. The issue has been brought up because with the disappearance rate of black women going higher, news coverage on the topic isn’t. The founder of Black and Missing Foundation Natalie Wilson was the one to bring about the topic. She brought to the light the fact that the training on missing persons in law enforcement isn’t really priority, and it should be. Also she brought attention to the fact that in many cases black minors who have gone missing end up being labeled as “runaways” and is not further inspected. Even black adults disappearance is said to be mostly related to their crime backgrounds. In the many articles I have read and post that I have seen many people say that there isn’t any for sure reason of the disappearances. Some say for scientific reasons, and others say sex trafficking. I believe this is something we all need to know about because these girls that have been going missing aren’t appearing up dead or returning home, so maybe they could be alive. Our government should be taking this matter serious, if enough people talk about it and its gets the exposure it needs these woman can return home safely with our help. This topic needs to be discussed until the numbers decrease, because there only increasing because no one cares enough. African American woman are being taking from their cars, homes, and public places and never heard from again.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2088428/The-shocking–forgotten–toll-missing-black-women-U-S.html

https://mic.com/articles/93780/64-000-missing-women-in-america-all-have-one-important-thing-in-common#.ACGhIJVHg

[mbarryblog-blog]

In todays society there should not be the stereotype that associates African Americans to crime because white people commit it just as much. You can not just focus on one race when you are talking about crime backgrounds and family history. The government needs to realize how many women are getting affected by this because this is not acceptable. None of these reasons are even good enough for an explanation of what has been happening to these women. I'm sure some women are scared to leave their house alone sometimes, because they might fear the worst thing or witness an event dealing with trafficking. No women deserves to live in fear. 

[unrulydon202-blog]

Intro to Schizophrenia

For years, Schizophrenia has withdrawn patients negatively from society and social life. Mental Health America, stated that “Schizophrenia is a serious disorder which affects how a person thinks, feels and acts. As well as a withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.” Someone diagnosed with schizophrenia may have difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is imaginary. Pain, suffering, and loneliness had derived from this complex mental disorder, manipulating a person’s actions and emotions. Whereas the cause may be unknown, the illness could be influenced by genetics and the patients’ environment. In addition, schizophrenia is a general disease which appears differently for everyone but has a similar impact on friends, family and loved ones. Due to the amount of time loved ones spend with the patient, they may suffer from emotional and physical exhaustion. Although this mental illness is severe it can be treated through medication and therapy such as antipsychotics.

Some schizophrenic patients may isolate him/herself from their peers without realizing the harm done because of cognitive disorders.  Also, they will have difficulty recalling details, events, and experiences shared with family and friends. Based on the Do Something.org “cognitive symptoms include trouble focusing or paying attention, and difficulty remembering.” For instance, they might day dream during class or just by sitting down in the library reading a book. This may be disastrous in some cases and could cause a lot of frustration with family members and friends towards the patient. Hence, a relationship/marriage may come to an end due to such frustration and loss of love and connection.  

Some schizophrenic individuals are incapable of doing simple tasks around them, which later gets overwhelming for family and friends. Based on National Institute of Mental Health, “a schizophrenic patient may be unable to speak clearly and coherently, and/ or take care of his or her hygiene such as bathing, getting dressed and brushing their teeth and hair. This person may also have a difficult time attending to daily tasks such as paying bills, cooking, caring for children, driving, and shopping.” The absence of normal behaviors may cause other people to be distant towards such a person. This is due to the abnormalities that are symptoms of schizophrenia  

Living with Schizophrenia may be one of the hardest things to do in life but loving a person with this disease is much harder. Jan Schakowsky once said “there is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help.” This simply means that there are only some circumstances that can be helped and some cannot. I agree with this because a schizophrenic patient will drive a relative or friend away which can be helped but the constant frustrations in which a relative/friend emit cannot. To treat a person with this disease, therapy and medications are necessary however the treatment may be lifelong. But the best thing to do as a caregiver is to remind the schizophrenic patient that you love them.  

So, to what extent would you go to help a friend or relative recover from Schizophrenia? Do you think families should have the right to pull the plug after some time?

[mbarryblog-blog]

This blog really opened up my eyes to this common disorder. I have never had a loved one be diagnosed with this disorder so I never really thought too hard about it and the outcomes it has on the individual and their family. It’s sad to think schizophrenia is negatively talked about today in society because it’s not something we can control, so why not try to help the people who have it and talk about the positive things? I believe therapy can help with so many disorders and diseases. I believe family and friends will try their hardest to help out their loved one who has schizophrenia but once they past a certain extent of trying to help, they might realize it might be better to let things happen naturally. You never want to see your loved ones in too much pain. 

[rolliethechamp-blog]

                                                 Uniforms ?

        In every public, as well as private school, there is some form of formal or informal dress code stating what students can and cannot wear; however school uniforms are not universal. In many parts of the world, children who attend school are required to wear school uniforms. In the United States school uniforms were predominantly enforced by private and religious schools. However during the 1990’s many believed school uniforms would result in the solution to issues surrounding violence, drug use, and academic shortcomings associated with public schools. In this modern world, children have become much more concerned about their clothing rather than their performance in class. Everyone wants to fit in; everyone wants to be perceived as being cool. This may result in a decline in academic success. So the question is: Should public schools adopt a uniform policy? According to the National Center for Education nearly twenty percent of public schools require students to wear school uniforms. However those opposed to the ratification of school uniforms suggests it violates the First Amendment limiting them as a means to express themselves. Critics also believes wearing uniforms takes away a child’s creativity, but this is not the case. School uniforms has indeed become a very controversial issue in the world of education. Although it is believed that the adoption of school uniforms should be applied to public schools.         Schools that have implemented school uniforms have been said to see an increase in the student’s academic performance. Students that wear uniforms are more inclined to stay focus in the classroom, rather than worry about what others are wearing. Clothing is in fact, a great distraction. If everyone is wearing similar, if not the same clothing, students are more prompt to focus and pay attention. Also, if one is not so concern as to what he or she is wearing the next day, more time could be used in studying as well as completing assignments. The adoption of school uniforms affects a student’s grades, behavior, and attendance resulting in an increase in academic success. According to International News ,“ In one study at Youngstown University, the researchers found that uniforms improved attendance and graduation rates while decreasing suspension rates” ( Greenwood paragraph 5). Decreasing suspension rates while increasing graduation rates is also a direct correlation with positive effects when implemented correctly. In addition to increasing graduation rates and decreasing suspension rates uniforms improve attendance. A number of students miss school, merely because they can not find something to wear. However, that entire issue is prevented with the implementation of school uniforms. Thus illustrating that, in more ways than one, uniforms are beneficial to a student’s academic success.

[mbarryblog-blog]

After reading your blog, I support school uniforms because I never realized how much it could effect their school performance and behaviors. You made some excellent points on the supporting uniforms side. We have all had those days were we have nothing to wear and we stress about it way too hard, although kids should get the right to wear what they want. In the long run I feel like grades and a good performance overcomes getting to wear your own clothes to school. Now a days kids worry too much about their clothes wondering if it’s the right brand or newest style. In my opinion if uniforms were mandatory, there should be an incentive for the children. 

[mbarryblog-blog]

Nasal Ranger

I chose this current event because to me it seemed funny. The article I read was titled “Nasal Ranger” that intrigued me so I looked into it deeper. The article addressed a problem that until now has never been an issue, the problem is smell. In major cities where marijuana has become legal for recreational use, major cities have been receiving complaints about the smell of people smoking marijuana. As if it harms anyone more than car exhaust or pollution from buildings or factories. There has been pushes for legislation in LA and in New York City. The offender could receive up to a $2000 fine if they are in violation.

 My next thought after reading this was how could anyone prove that the person was in violation since smell along with taste is a very subjective thing and varies greatly from person to person. The answer is a small device that looks like a blow dryer. The machine would then detect whether the smell is strong enough to issue the fine. This machine is not limited to just marijuana smells it also applies to houses or people that “sink” in New York City the town tried to force a woman to tear down her walls and rebuild them because the smell of cat urine was so strong you could smell it across the street. In a case like that an officer could issue the fine and hopefully incline the person to fix the smell issue. To me it just seems a bit excessive, and I can see there being a lot of lupeols. 

For example, if someone was smoking marijuana in an ally in NYC someone would notice the smell, then notify an officer of that smell. But by the time all that happens there is no chance that there would be any smoke to take a sample on the machine. I agree with the idea of this fine however. It makes sense to use the fine as a deterrent forcing people to control and be aware of the smells they generate every day. After all we can all agree that a stink free place makes everyone happier. I just think that going about it in this way may present some challenges. Yes, it is an issue and people have their right to push this into motion but I can’t help but feel that this is fairly low on the totem pole of important things to be worried about. Especially when it comes to politics and making laws. 

http://hightimes.com/culture/should-you-fear-the-nasal-ranger/

[mbarryblog-blog]

The best 4 years of my life.

Overall high school made me realize how lucky I am. When I look back on high school I just can’t help to smile because I was the happiest I have ever been. Some children will never experience high school or a great education and that is another reason why I am so lucky to have enjoyed those four years. A lot of my peers were just excited for college but truly nothing beats high school.

High school has been the greatest four years of my life. I remember my first day of high school like it was yesterday. The night before my first day, I had just arrived back in Buffalo. I was returning from a vacation in Las Vegas with my family. We landed in around eleven o’clock that night and I was too nervous and excited to sleep so I didn’t. I pulled an all nighter that night by just unpacking, picking out an outfit and curling my hair. I wore a dress to school that morning with my newest pair of flip flops. By the time I had cross country practice I was so exhausted, I could not even think about running.

The four years I spent in high school shaped the rest of my life. Those years showed me how hard work really does pay off, how teachers do care, how much your friends mean to you, how being popular does not mean everything and it helped me find myself and who I want to become in the future. High school helped me open up to strangers and make new friends.

My teachers my junior and senior year motivated me to work hard and to explore my opportunities. My track coach had a huge impact on my life because he taught me you can achieve anything you want if you have the right mindset and motivation. One of my favorite teachers Mr. Betrus, left my senior year and it made me realize how lucky I was to have him around for my first three years of high school. Even though my friend group changed a lot throughout those years, I still had my best friends who always had my back. I spent most of those four years with the same guy, who I am still friends with to this day. We did not attend the same high school but that is what made us such a good couple back then. I still have my same best friend from seventh grade and now we both go to Buffalo State.

[teck23-blog]

New Beginnings

A day I will never forget was the last hockey game I ever played in competitively. Playing hockey my entire life, it was always a part of my plan to continue playing after high school, and take time off of school.  To play hockey in college you have to play juniors and mature before playing college hockey with much older competition.  Up until my last hockey game during my senior year at St. Francis Prep High school, I had set to continue playing hockey in Philadelphia  and take a few years of school off to hopefully play college hockey.   After college I then planned on becoming a high school teacher, something that I had always aspired to be.  Rewinding back to playoffs in my senior year of high school, my last game was the semi final against St. Andrews College, resulting in a loss that changed my perspective on hockey greatly.  Stepping off the ice with a loss was upsetting at the first glance, but after time passed I realized that hockey lost all of its importance to me.  The millions of lessons that I take away from the game  are still valued but the greatest lesson I learned was to be able to let go of even the greatest things that I had in my life, hockey being one of them.  Not everything is easy to let go of but I realized that continuing to play hockey would still direct me to becoming a teacher, but if I gave up on hockey then I can do so sooner.  Growing up and changing perspectives allowed me to realize that being a teacher was more important to me than playing hockey and potentially wasting time at reaching my ultimate goal.  I commend the many friends that I made playing hockey, many continuing to play today, and some on their way to bigger and better competition at higher levels, but I have sorrow for those who took the chance I was unwilling to take and fail.  Not a day goes by where I don’t miss playing hockey, but I thought it was best for me to I take all of the lessons that playing hockey taught me and run with them while I was still able to. I am happy with the choice I have made and learned how to let go of something difficult, a situation I will inevitably face in the future and will be ready for.       

[mbarryblog-blog]

I felt the same way with track in high school. Throughout my first couple of years of high school, I was determined to run track in college even if it was division three. My senior year I realized it would take away from my willingness to achieve an outstanding GPA and just motivation in general. I’m glad you figured out what you wanted before you went to play juniors and realized it wasn’t right for you. After reading this story I’m a firm believer on the quote “everything happens for a reason”. You losing your last game helped you decide what you really wanted in life. 

[t-frantz-blog]

This weird

This tumblr stuff not for me 😂😭😂

[mbarryblog-blog]

I was never a huge fan of tumblr either. I never found myself wanting to blog until this class. I feel like tumblr helps an individual to open up and explore new things as if that’s meeting new people online or reading interesting articles. You should really try to blog more because you might turn out liking it! I enjoyed reading the other notes on your article because there all telling you to give it a try. Since i started blogging, I’ve became more social, aware of my surroundings and how to address your audience properly. I hope you post a couple more blogs! 

[pinkpanthertee-blog]

The song “Last Chance” by Nicki Minaj has a verse that relates very much to my life: This is my life and I only got one… Safety’s off and I put it on stun…” Even in the middle of a crisis, I have to deal with it and realize that I’ve overcome life-threatening situations and living with an ongoing disease it just going to have to become a part of who I am. Rain or shine, I have to get up every morning and work towards being the powerful, dynamic woman who aspires to make a difference in the world.

One of the most  devastating days of my life was the day I was diagnosed with a sickness that in the blog we will keep anonymous. It was in October of 2009: for about a month I struggled with many symptoms such as stomach aches, dry mouth, constant urinating, weakness, and shortness of breath. No one would have known it was because I was getting sick. Not even the doctors because I was a typical happy, healthy, adverturuous teenageer in the urban planes of the South Bronx.

After a long depressing week in the hospital and receiving my diagnosis, I’ve grown to become a stronger person. Knowing myself, I would say my only other weakness is talking about it. As you can see i left it anonymous because still to this day i struggle to speak about it to others.

As well as hiding my sickness, I tried to hide my emotions and feelings. My sickness relates to my everyday life and has a huge impact on it, such as having extreme mood swings or wanting to be alone for long periods of time, in bed or at the park into sundown. Growing up being a little different from other kids my age was challenging, which caused me to ignore it at times. When I needed to take my medication around people, I would hide it or not take it at all to hide from embarrassment. Going to bathrooms or under a table so nobody would see. At the time my health conditions worsened.

Now that I’m becoming more open about it, it’s easier to manage and control.This is something I would like to continue to work on in my everyday life. I feel like being more open when it comes to my feelings and emotions would help me feel less trapped and more open to the world. Living with this sickness a once devastating thing that turned me into a very strong individual young woman. Being more open about about things that bother me is the next step to become even more stronger. My goal is break my inner shell and dominate the world. Change is calling and one day I won’t just send it to voicemail and actually pick up.

[mbarryblog-blog]

Never be ashamed about your illness, it will only make things worse! You’re a very strong person and you seem to keep getting stronger everyday. I find your story very motivational and inspiring because most kids our age, don’t go through anything serious like that. I can relate to music in the same way. I find it interesting how even hip hop lyrics are so meaningful and it’s a different meaning to everybody. I love how you have goals and motivation to change yourself for the better, you deserve to be happy and to love yourself. Also hope you’re feeling better! 

[therealbigwormblog-blog]

The Story Of  My Life

Well my real name Marcus but some people may call me big worm or mar

,Growing up my father was never around because he had so much kids already that he had no time for me so I been with my mom very since. My mom used to work two jobs when I was growing up so I been almost everyone in my family. Once I turned seven years I’ve seemed to experience bullying because of my weight, and I got pushed around a lot and I didn’t know what to do because I didn’t want to tell my mom that to make it seem like I was a chump and neither did I have a father figure in my life to teach me how to be a man. So I had to learn on my own, a few years later I went through the same thing my freshman year, so I called my grandfather and told him the situation and he taught me how to box and since then I have not been bullied. When I was younger I always wanted to play football but I was always overweight to play and I ended playing my first official football game until I was a junior in high school and we ended up winning the state championship. The next year I played for the Bennett Tigers and we won our division championship and lost in the second round playoffs. A few months after the season was over I received a call from Buffalo State an they awarded me a Division 3 football scholarship to play for them this upcoming fall. I would not say that I am lucky but blessed because I would’ve never thought  that I would be who I am today and have this opportunity to be able to play for the Buffalo State Bengals. #RipDez #NeverGiveUp #AlwaysBeStrong

[pinkpanthertee-blog]

Before attending Buffalo State College I was unsure if I wanted to go away for college. Not because I hated school or I was scared of being away from my family. I just felt like I should spend two years in the city so that I can have a job at the same time to save money to cover some of my college expenses. My councilor told me that I should still at least apply to SUNY schools so I did. When I got accepted to Buffalo State College a little bit of ambition struck me. Two weeks after my acceptance I got another letter from Buffalo State telling me that I was accepted into the EOP program. After that I knew it was my chance so I changed my mind and came to school a whole month early and am also blessed to have this opportunity to be in this program and I am glad I made that decision to come to school here.

[mbarryblog-blog]

I know it probably seemed like a difficult, stressful time in your life when you were being bullied but if you think about it, it made you the man you are today. It motivated you to become a football player throughout high school and college and to better yourself by losing weight. Most people don’t have serious motivation like that. I look up to people like you because even in bad situations, they rise up and beat the odds. That’s awesome that you won a couple championships in a short amount of time! I hope your enjoying the football program at Buffalo State. Your mother and grandfather are definitely very proud of you. 

[misunderstoodandoutspoken-blog]

Love Yourself

Growing up I wasn’t the prettiest. I was bullied every single day from the third all the way to the eighth grade. Being so overwhelmed with the emotions from being called everything in the book put me into a deep depression. I had no self-esteem. I stopped believing in who I was. Overtime, I created a new image of myself. A “false” image of myself that I created to please everybody else. No longer thinking of myself and my well-being. But, I  loved the attention I was getting from everyone. All my new “friends” with me skipping class, skipping school and Fighting all day everyday with any and everybody. I was the talk of the school. That’s when I realized I had developed a very bad temper and had zero patience for everything. Throwing tantrums with the authorities, other students and teachers. Everyone who tried to help me I  got angry at. I completely lost who I was trying to be like everybody else because I was bullied out of who I used to be. Quiet, happy, smart and to myself. Who was I ? Where did the child my mother raised go? I  questioned myself  in the eleventh grade after being told I was on the edge of being kicked out of school. That’s when I decided to talk to my mom. Let her know how my school life was going. I wasn’t confident, I wasn’t happy with myself anymore. That’s when she told me the story about how I was named “Aereiana”. My mother met a little girl named Aereiana who had a twin sister. Aereiana was dark and her twin sister was light. The twin sister got the majority of her family’s attention because they thought she was so pretty because she was light skinned. Aereiana didn’t get any attention because she was dark. The family and their friends looked over Aereiana because she was dark and they didn’t think she was as pretty as her lighter twin sister. My mother told Aereiana that she was beautiful and that she will remain beautiful even when other people don’t think so. My mom told Aereiana that when she had a daughter she would name her “Aereiana”. When I was born, My mom saw Aereiana in the hospital and told her that she had me and that my name was Aereiana. The girl cried. After, hearing that I lived up to my name and learned to love the skin that I’m in. I  built my self-esteem again and turned my whole life around. Now I am a early graduate and I graduated top of my class with a 4.0 GPA and an advanced regents diploma. To this day I live by the quote, “Love yourself. Don’t change who you are because others think negative of you. Live your life to the fullest. And keep away from setbacks.”

[mbarryblog-blog]

First of all, you have a beautiful name Aereiana. I loved reading the story on how you got your name because most people don’t have a background to their name like you do. Your GPA motivates me to work harder in school now. It must feel so good to have a 4.0. I loved how you were so open about your struggles and what you had to face everyday, a lot of people are afraid to talk about their problems. You didn’t deserved what happened to you but if you really think about it, it changed you for the better. 

[mbarryblog-blog]

Claudette Colvin : Black History Month

At the age of fifteen, Claudette Colvin refused to move to the back of the bus. She started studying black, independent leaders during grade school and Claudette felt inspired to join the movement and stand up for herself. On March 2, 1955 Claudette sat in the front of the bus. Once the bus driver noticed a white passenger asking her to move, he ordered her to get up and her response  was “It's my constitutional right to sit here as much as that lady. I paid my fare, it's my constitutional right.” She described the situation as if it felt like “Sojourner Truth was pushing down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman was pushing down on the other—saying, 'Sit down girl!’.” Claudette stood her grounds. This situation did not discourage Miss. Colvin, actually encouraged her to stand up more for herself and African Americans. Shortly after she challenged the law multiple times, she was arrested and thrown into jail. During her jail sentence she explained how scared she was to be in prison, mostly because she was always unaware of what white people would do to her. The NAACP was considering using this case in court but they ruled against it because of her age and her troubled behavior. She was pregnant at the time and they decided an unwed mother would attract too much negative attention to the case. Claudette was one of the four women involved in protesting the segregation laws in court, Browder vs Gayle. Browder vs Gayle ruled that the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama was unconstitutional. Two years after the ruling, Claudette moved to New York City where she became a nurses aid in an Manhattan nursing home. Although she is not known worldwide, she helped advance civil rights movements in Montgomery, Alabama. Her attorney from court explains how she gave the city hope and moral courage. He also explains how she helped to shape the support Rosa Parks received in the future. 

Why is it most people know about Rosa Parks but not Claudette Colvin? Miss. Colvin’s bus situation happened before Rosa Parks and she was not the first to refuse but typically you do not hear about these women. Due to the fact that Rosa Parks inspired herself to become a better icon during this movement. Rosa was also the secretary of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People. Miss. Parks was already well known and extremely respected by her peers. Miss. Colvin's experience happened nine months prior to Miss. Parks situation. Claudette story received little publicity unlike Rosa Parks. 

http://www.biography.com/people/claudette-colvin-11378 

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Hockey & Concussions

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/sports/hockey/nhl-chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy-cte-juliet-macur.html?_r=0&referer=https://www.google.com/ 

Every hockey game the audience finds enjoyment out of the many hits and fights that occur, not only because it is a huge part of hockey, but because it is what makes hockey unique to other sports. Hockey is known for the speed, toughness and fitness aspect and that’s why anyone can find entertainment out of it.

Concussions and brain damage have a direct relationship with hockey but does the National Hockey League want to be blamed for this? Hockey is known for the hard body slams and endless amount of checking, without direct contact is hockey the same? The National Hockey League is valued at $4 billion while the National Football League is valued at $75 billion and in NFL’s most recent lawsuit regarding concussions and brain damage they were sued for $1 billion. The NHL could be frightened by the lawsuit and former players suing them, therefore they try to hide the evidence and only release information such as a small number of players are affected by this. Even though in case studies such as the one currently happening at Boston University by the neurology experts, examining the brains of professional hockey players to see the reality of this disease.

Since the league hasn’t worked out an agreement with how to respond to players getting chronic traumatic encephalopathy, they have been ordered to pay retired hockey players to whom have been affected with serious brain damage endless amounts of money. With the fear of c.t.e, will this cause younger athletes or their parents to change their opinions or decisions on sports? The players argue that the NHL has not done enough to protect them or provide them with information or studies showing the result hockey has on their brains. The more studies that come regarding the impact on the players brains, the harsher impact or punishments it could have on the NHL.

One new change the league is making is assigning spotters to every team so they can observe the players every move and conclude if they could have potential brain damage or simply a concussion. If these spotters see signs or distinct behaviors they will requested to remove the player from the game until further notice or until a certified medical staff clears them. If teams do not follow these guidelines, they will be punished with fines and sanctions. This idea came from players playing regardless of how serious their concussion or injury was. One major player being affected by his third concussion right now is Sidney Crosby, one of the best hockey stars.

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My hero

A couple years ago my grandfather had prostate cancer and he got radiation every morning before work, he battled 40 treatments. But recently at the end of August, he was off with this normal activities such as reading the newspaper, remembering events and names. It was happening for a week straight so my grandmother took him to see his doctor. Shortly after I get a phone call while I'm at work saying "They found bleeding in the brain and they will have to operate immediately". I instantly started balling my eyes out at work and I talked to my boss and he allowed me to leave early. When I got home my mother, my great aunt and I went to the emergency room to go be with him in case anything major was happening that night. They found out later that day he had a cancerous tumor on his right side of his brain that was the size of a golf ball. The doctors operated on him within the next couple of days, shaving half of his head. After a successful surgery, the doctors informed us that he would also need to receive radiation on his brain to make sure they killed all of the cancerous cells. About a month after the brain surgery, we found out he has spots on the spine from the radiation of the prostate cancer.  The doctors knew they would have to operate soon to remove the spots on his spine. After another successful surgery, we needed to start working on his lung cancer. Roswell was hinting on us to move faster with radiation for his lungs because the spots were serious, around stage 3 or 4. So starting in November, he started receiving radiation every couples weeks for 3 hours each time. Last year around this time, he was fixing washer, dryer and refrigerators. He and one of his friends have started a business about 40 years ago and he continued to help build the business up until the last weekend in August last year. He use to be able to do everything and anything he wanted. But since August, he has had to use a walker everywhere he goes or we typically wheel him into places like Roswell. He still has a hard time walking around but we frequently have nurses and physical therapist here, helping him build his strength up, slowly but surely. He is my hero. He did all of this radiation, treatments and surgery for us. I love him more than life, there's nothing I wouldn't do or try to do for him. Every time I think life is tough or when something goes wrong, I just think of him and I get the biggest smile on my face. He’s my motivation to succeed in life and he’s my favorite person.