Cannibals in Court #4

On October 25th of last year, a New York cop, by the name of Gilberto Valle was arrested by the FBI for his plans to kidnap, rape, kill, and eat women. It is important to note that none of his plans were actually carried out, because the FBI was able to arrest him. Yesterday, his wife testified in court against him. His lawyers are defending him with the statement that since he never did any of these things, no charges can be pressed against him. Obviously, I disagree.
The problem is, they're right. In America, anyone is allowed to have sick, disgusting thoughts, as long as they don't act on them. But I would argue that Valle in this case, had the intent of acting on these plans. For goodness sake, he had files on his computer about over one hundred women that he stalked and was planning to cook. Files that he used police databases to get. If that's not a crime, I don't know what is. Did I mention that he was also offering up $5,000 on the internet for someone to kill and rape a woman for him, before he got the chance to eat her, because he didn't "want to be tempted the next time [he] abduct[ed] a girl.” Since he hasn't done anything, though, he is just some cop who has a weird fantasy about which he chats with others online about, which begs the question, Is that enough to convict him? I would hope so.


Sources:
http://sourcefednews.com/nyc-cop-totally-planning-to-eat-some-women/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKb5ZLgRR4E&list=PL8kma_GjQgWxiIbjU_JcWcjHMixor2AOW&index=2
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/cannibal-cop-trial-fbi-agent-corey-walsh-gilberto-valle_n_2772821.html
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/02/27/cannibal-cop-chatted-barbecuing-woman-with-olive-oil-fbi-agent-testifies/

The Beethoven of Today #3

A nightclub. Many of us under 18 have never had the experience of going to one, but we certainly see enough about it on  the television and internet to know what goes on. There's alcohol, dancing, and a general party atmosphere with complete strangers. Some would argue that the most vital part of a nightclub is the music, which, after all sets the tone for the entire club.
"DJ'ing", creating the music for these clubs is not an easy task, it requires a higher level understanding of the music and how sounds from different tracks and songs blend together and whether they sound harmonious together or discordant. It's a difficult thing to do even for someone skilled in music. So what if I told you one of the most respected and talented DJs is actually deaf?
DJ Robbie Wilde has been in Hewlett Packard advertisements, played at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the Sundance Film Festival, and even New York Fashion Week. The only catch? He's completely deaf in his right ear and 80% deaf in his left. He works harder than all of his fellow DJ's to not only keep up, but excel in his career.
I think that Robbie Wilde shows exactly how far hard work and determination can get you. For someone who has everything against him, to be able to do what he does, create beautiful music, even when he can't hear it, is incredible. His story is a testament to those who are hoping to follow their dreams, as long as one works hard and never gives up, they can do anything, which may sound cheesy, but true. So to sum up this story in an even cheesier way:

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/23/showbiz/deaf-dj/index.html?hpt=hp_c1
http://act.mtv.com/posts/interview-deaf-dj-robbie-wilde/
http://www.elektrodaily.com/news/2012/04/robbie-wilde-that-deaf-dj-documentary/

Gun Control and Connecticut #2

The events that occurred last Friday, in the town of Newtown Connecticut rocked our country to its core. Twenty little girls and boys and six educators were shot. Twenty girls and boys with parents and brothers and sisters. Twenty children who may not have cured cancer or solved world hunger but were never even given the chance to live normal lives. Six educators that had families who loved and cared for them. Needless to say, there is a change that needs to take place so that tragedies like this don't happen as often. As a person who has not lived in America her whole life, I don't understand the obsession that Americans have with these weapons of destruction. And now the NRA, who are proponents for guns,  has released a statement saying that to prevent more shootings like this we need armed guards at every school. The solution is not to fight fire with fire. That just results in more death and the last thing we need is more families being broken during the holidays.

Works Cited:

http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167739918/connecticut-residents-reevaluate-gun-control-after-newtown-shootings

http://blog.pe.com/crime-blotter/2012/12/21/gun-control-nra-breaks-silence-on-connecticut-shooting/

http://news.yahoo.com/gun-lobbyists-plan-media-push-newtown-massacre-004918145--finance.html

Expensive Vintage: Worth it? #1

As a high school student, I get to see the many waves of fashion trends that take over the general population from time to time, and recently I have noticed a new one, or rather, an old one taking hold. Vintage clothing, is clothing that was previously outdated that has returned to the forefront of fashion. The concept itself isn't new, but swerves in and out of fashion like a crazed car, shifting from "cool" to "uncool" and back again faster than you can visit a thrift shop. But recently, more than just thrift stores have taken to selling this outdated  clothing for example, Urban Outfitters. Some have looked into where exactly Urban Outfitters gets its clothing and have discovered that they usually come from yard sales and are marked up 50% or more on some occasions just because it now contains the Urban Outfitters brand name. I find it ridiculous that the name of a brand printed on a tag can cause it to become so expensive.
Of course, the employees of Urban Outfitters have worked hard to scout out particular clothing from yard sales that are still wearable now, but their work does not make a 5 dollar yard sale t-shirt into a 50 dollar shirt. To be fair, the clothing items that Urban Outfitters sells under the vintage tag are also usually former brand name items, but still, a 20 year old shirt with a Lacoste logo on it and a 20 year old shirt without a logo should be worth the same price. To avoid wasting money on a brand name, its probably better to just go to a thrift shop yourself. Of course, there will be some musty smells and some questionable stains, but isn't it better to find a good deal than pay double the price purely because someone else found it first?

Works Cited:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/15/lisa-frank-urban-outfitters-photos_n_1968412.html
http://sourcefednews.com/urban-outfitters-sells-vintage-clothes-not/
http://www.businessinsider.com/urban-outfitters-buys-yard-sale-clothes-2012-12