Teen Forced To Stay In Fireplace

For my outside reading I went to www.cnn.com and read an article under the crime section titled Teen Forced To Stay In Fireplace. This article is about the abuse and torture of a 17 year old boy. Officials say the boy was once placed in a foster home several years ago after his father was accused of beating him. He was reported to have ran away from the home in 2007, but what really happened was he got kidnapped by Kelly Layne Lau and husband Michael Schumacher. While in their home he was tortured and abused in many different ways. He was forced to be chained to the fireplace or heavy table at all times. He suffered a sprained ankle from the chains, and there is now a perminent dent in his ankle. Also the couple would reportedly make him drink alcohol, smoke marijuana, and consume unidentifiable pills. He finally managed to escape the torture chamber by finding a spare second when the couple were not looking, jumped out the back door and limped to the nearest athletic gym, pleading for help. The couple were eventually identified and taken under arrest, charged with 13 counts of abuse. My reflection on this article is that what they did to this boy is horrible, and I am so glad they finally caught them. This article reminds me of the book i read, A Child Called It. That book is about a child who was also abused, in many different terrible ways. He was stabbed witha knife in the stomache, he was forced to live in the basement with no food or water, and when he did sneak a snack he was forced to throw it up into a bowl and eat it. Those are just a few of the things that he had to do, and it just makes me sick.

Here is the article I found on cnn.com http://www.kcra.com/news/18215190/detail.html

Fat Kid Rules the World

I have continued to read Fat Kid Rules the World for my outside reading assignment. What happened next in the book was that Curt followed Troy home, completely against Troy;s will. But Troy being the shy self concious kid that he is, did not object. When they reached Troy's home and climbed out of the taxi, they were rudely greeted by Dayle. Dayle is Troy's freshman brother who is pretty much the complete opposite of Troy. He is extremely athletic, playing juts about every sport imagineable, has a ton of friends, and is very confident in himself. He is also horribly mean to Troy, and always ridicules him and teases him for being his size. When Dayle sees Curt, he recognizes him instantly, and immediately dissaproves. Although Troy's brother and father didnt really welcome Curt into their household, Curt is not at all fased by this. He acts completely nonchalant about the whole thing and leaves when he feels the need. Before his departure he tells Troy to meet him tomorrow outside of the Gym during second period. Troy doesn't know how to react to this, considering he has never once skipped a single class in his life. But yet again, he refuses to object to this request, reminding himself that the last time somebody asked him to "hang out" was in the second grade. The next day Troy arrives at school, only to see a sight he has never seen before. Kids are crowded around his locker, his locker. He gradually gets closer to the mob of teenagers and realized Curt is the reason for this commotion. Nobody had seen Curt for months, and most people assumed him dead. When Curt looked up and saw Troy, he raced over to him in excitement. They talked for a little bit, then the bell rang. When second period rolled around, Troy had made the decision to meet Curt MacCrae outside the gym. After 45 minutes of standing by himself, Troy began to lose hope. He returned to feeling like a loser that no body cares about. Right as he was about to go back inside, Curt came running up. That is as far as i have gotten in the book. So far i really like this book, i think that it is really interesting and funny. However; i also think that it is sad how poorly Troy thinks of himself. I have come to hate his brother, Dayle. He is so mean to him and never quits mocking him about his size.

8 year old kills father and friend

For my outside reading i read an article from www.cnn.com. The atricle is called Prosecuter Seeks to Drop Charge Against Young Murder Suspect. The article is about an 8 year old boy who is suspected of the killings of his father, Vincent Romero, 29, and his father's friend, Tim Romans, 39. They two men were found to be shot in their home. At first when the boy was being interviewed by the police, he completely denied shooting the two men, and claimed that he never even got near the gun. Later in the questioning, the boy admitted to shooting his father after he found him on the ground drenched in blood slightly shaking. He said that he shot him because he was suffering, and he wanted to end the pain. This was quite confusing to the officers, considering the boy was giving a number of different stories to them. They repeatedly told him that the truth was the most important thing in this case, and that telling the truth would make everything better. In the end they decided that the 8 year old boy who was suspected of killing his father and friend, was innocent. They dropped all the charges, and let him go. I thought that this article was pretty interesting because I personally would not have let the boy go, considering he lied to the officers at least 3 times.

Playing With Fire

For my outside reading, I read an aritcle out of the magazine Teen Vogue called "Playing With Fire". This article is about the latest research on smoking habits and how dangerous it can be to your health. It has information about how smoking can affect all of the following areas of personal health; weight/height, skin, sleep, heart, brain, and hair. It reports that many girls decide to start smoking because they have heard that it could help them lose weight. Well studys show that that myth is completely false. Also, researchers have found that boys who smoke an average of 100 cigarettes per month are roughly an inch shorter than non smokers. Another fact about smoking and what it does to your health is that it can be very dangerous to your skin. According to New York City-based dermatologist Francesca Fusco, M.D. "Smoking constricts your blood vessels, thereby restricting blood flow to the skin. That translates to slower skin-cell turnover, which can lead to clogged pores and acne." The article also talks about how smoking can affect a person's heart. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that people, ecspecially women, who smoke cigarettes are up to 4 times more likely to develope some kind of heart disease. A very interesting fact about smoking is that it causes hair to gray and thin at a very young age, much younger than it would for a non-smoker. This article even comes with some how-to-quit tips for addicted smokers. Some include substituting a daily smoke for a walk, organizing a group of friends who are willing to quit with you, to repeatedly put out your cigarette so that you eventually get in the habit of it, try chewing on carrots, celery, or apple slices instead of smoking a cigarette, and to seek professional help. Furthermore, this article as a whole is completely against smoking and shows people the dangerous effects it can have one you. My opinion is that smoking is a gross and dangerous habit that can harmfully effect you and others around you.

Fat Kid Rules the World

I have just started this book called Fat Kid Rules the World. I read up until chapter six, learning a lot about the main character. His name is Troy Billings, and he lives in New York City. The book opens with a pretty tragic scene, Troy is attempting suicide. He is standing at a subway station thinking deeply about life, and right when he was about to jump he hears some voice behind him talking. He realizes they are talking to him and turns around. He sees a filthy, extremely thin boy about his age. After introducing themselves, Troy realizes he knows this boy. His name is Curt MaCrae, the school famous drop out druggie. He is known all through out the school as the kid who gets in daily fights, gets invited to all of the local band's parties, does drugs, and is homeless. He tells Troy to since he "saved his life", he owes him lunch. Troy knows that Curt most definately did not save his life, only briefly distracted him, but on the other hand would never turn down the chance at making a friend. Troy is obese and severly depressed because of it. He gets mocked on a daily basis for everything he does, and really doesn't know the point of living any more.

Cartoon Heroes::

rugrats
quotes:
Tommy:Sometimes a baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do.

Tommy:That's the fun of it, Chuckie; you never know what you're going to get until you get it.

superman
quotes:
[Superman gets a cat out of a tree]
Superman:Here you go, miss.
Little Girl:Gee, thanks, mister.
Superman:Well, good-bye, Frisky. So long, now.
[Flys off, turns and waves]
Superman:Bye.
Little Girl:Bye.
[Goes inside]
L:ittle Girl:Mommy! Mommy! Frisky was stuck in the tree! This man swooped out of the sky and gave him to me!

batman
quotes:
Dick Grayson: "What's so important about Chopin?"
Bruce Wayne: "All music is important, Dick. It's the universal language. One of our best hopes for the eventual realization of the brotherhood of man."
Dick Grayson: "Gosh Bruce, yes, you're right. I'll practice harder from now on."

Batman: "Better put 5 cents in the meter."
Robin: "No policeman's going to give the Batmobile a ticket."
Batman: "This money goes to building better roads. We all must do our part.
Robin: "Boy! That was our closest call ever! I have to admit that I was pretty scared!"
Batman: "I wasn't scared in the least."
Robin: "Not at all?"
Batman: "Haven't you noticed how we always escape the vicious ensnarements of our enemies?"
Robin: "Yeah, because we're smarter than they are!"
Batman: "I like to think it's because our hearts are pure."

charlie brown
quotes:
“Hapiness is anyone and anything that's loved by you.”

mickey mouse
quotes:
Walt Disney:Mickey mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. He was a means to an end.

Walt Disney:Mickey Mouse...is always there-he's part of my life. That really is something not everyone can call their clain to fame.

spiderman
quotes:
Peter Parker:Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option.

Peter Parker:Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: "With great power comes great responsibility." This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spiderman.

The Unspeakable Odyssey of the Motionless Boy

In early November 1999, a regular teenage boy by the name of Erik Ramsey set out for a movie night with his friends. After the movie on their way home they got in a head on collision with another vehicle, leaving him with a twisted leg, perforated head, lacerated spleen, ruptured diaphram, and a collapsed lung. While going through agonizing pain in the hospital Erik had a stroke. Resulting from this was a very rare condition called Locked In Syndrom, in which case you are paralyzed from every aspect of your body unable to move a single muscle. For Erik the only movement he could do was the up and down movement of his eyes. From this they developed a way for him to communiate with others. Erik has been unable to talk since the day of the crash, but now thanks to new electronic devices that were implanted through surgery into his brain, that may be able to change. Doctors say that Erik has the chance at living just as long as the rest of us, which is very good news.

Teen Vogue Article

I read an article out of the magazine Teen Vogue that was titled "Food For Thought". It was about a new eating pattern called orthorexia. People with orthorexia are more concerned with the purirty of food rather than how much of it there is. "It is not quite an eating disorder, but it is a form of disordered eating." Says Tara Gidus, RD, an Orlando, Florida National Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Studys show that although Orthorexia is infact not an eating disorder it can easily lead to one such as bolemia and anorexia. Teenage girls are influenced on eating patterns like this one from celebrities and the media. They are typically hearing that they should stay away from all dairy, meats, and refined sugars to obtain a skinnier figure. One teenager, Jackie, avoids social outings with friends all together. She is afraid that while out with her friends she may be tempted to eat foods that are not appropriate for her body and does not want to take that risk.