Week 3 EOC: Rolling Stone

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev -- "Jahar", or the "Boston Bomber -- was recently written about in Rolling Stone magazine last month in July's issue. He appeared on the cover with the caption "How a Popular Promising Student Was Failed by His Family, Fell Into Radical Islam and Became a Monster."





As I was reading the article, I couldn't believe it, but I was feeling sorry for Jahar. According to his teachers and his fellow classmates, Jahar had so much going for him. He seemed to have a decent personality, was ambitious, and seemed like a normal kid. It's unfortunate that he changed into someone who made awful and heartless decisions. "I felt like a bullet went through my heart," the coach recalls. "To think that a kid we mentored and loved like a son could have been responsible for all this death. It was beyond shocking. It was like an alternative reality."


The writer of the article seems to have stirred up quite a bit of controversy. Not only were people disturbed to see "The Boston Bomber" on the cover of Rolling Stone, but some think that the article will create a biased opinion in Jahar's trial. However, the writer had every write to say the things she did, whether or not people agree with her. “The First Amendment guarantees rights of free speech, free press, and religion.” (Introduction to Business Law - Jeffrey F. Beatty, Susan S. Samuelson, and Dean A. Bredeson: pg 6)


I personally didn’t find the article too offending or biased. I feel that the author gave a point of view from both sides. Like I said, I almost felt bad for the kid at first. There is always going to be controversy, especially over touchy subjects such as The Boston Bombing.









Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/jahars-world-20130717?page=4

Week 2 EOC: Stand Your Ground Law

The stand your ground law is a sticky subject in our nation right now as it brings up a major problem in the murder case of Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman was found not-guilty on behalf of self-defense. Although many skeptics believe that Zimmerman was inaccurately charged and assume he is a "racist", the stand your ground law has more to do with his case than any of the factors. By law, if Zimmerman truly felt that he was going to be attacked or harmed by the young man, he had every right to favor the "stand your ground law" and defend himself. "A “stand your ground” law states that a person may use deadly force in self-defense without the duty to retreat when faced with a reasonable perceived threat" If self-defense was this man's true intentions or not, who is to know?

The problem with the "stand your ground law", is that it is taken advantage of. To many times guilty people try to get away with claiming not-guilty due to self-defense. I truly believe the stand your ground law should remain, however what do we do about the liars? “It’s a law that allows people to, well, stand their ground — pretty much anywhere — instead of retreating if they reasonably believe doing so is necessary to ‘prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.’ ” If we didn't have the law, then what happens when an innocent person, police officer, security guard, (etc.) is put in danger but cannot defend themselves with a fire arm or something else?

"We'd like the repeal of 'stand your ground' or some type of modification where we can hold people responsible to a level that humanity expects, where we don't have 17-year-olds getting gunned down with no justice for them and their families," said the group's legal and policy director, Ahmad Abuznaid.

Week 1 EOC: Voice

Fashion is art. We see fashion every day, everywhere, on everyone. It expresses our personalities, our mood; it is creative, artistic, and always changing. Fashion is one of the most important ways of marketing one’s image. Image is everything, and first impressions are the key to having good business and personal relationships. The constantly changing fashion industry is something I have discovered to be a passion of mine. I get a rush from everything about fashion- the trends, sketching, history, styling, and of course shopping. The beauty industry goes hand-in-hand with fashion and is another on of my long-lived passions. There’s something about enhancing a person’s appearance and watching their confidence glow when they look in the mirror.