Source: Los Angeles Times
By: By Matt Stevens and Garrett Therolf
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-foster-mother-prison-20140221,0,5480985.story#axzz2uEKVquH2
About three years ago foster mother, Kiana Barker beat her adopted two year old girl to death. The tragic incident occurred as Barker burst into the room after numerous amounts of alcohol consumption. She repetitively beat little Viola until she realized that she stopped breathing at one point. After hearing no pulse form the child she called 911 and informed them of the situation. She was then sent to the hospital, but only to discover there that she was dead on arrival. After years of viewing this case the court just recently sentenced Barker's punishment of 25-years-to-life in prison.
Not only did this case gain the justice it deserved, but the recognition and change it needed. Before this incident the Los Angeles County was contracted with United Care, a non-profit foster care agency. This agency united Barker and Viola together, but soon after the death of the young girl they terminated the contract. At least four children in Los Angeles County had died as a result of abuse or neglect over the past five years in homes overseen by private agencies, such as United Care. By making the precautions of reviewing criminal history and terminating the connection of unreliable foster agencies they prevent any future cases, such as this one to occur again.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Nature
The sun is about the set. Its beautiful gleam shines upon the palm trees outside my house. Everything is so calm and peaceful. There isn't much noise except for the faint sound of music coming from my neighbor's home and a few cars cruising through the town. I smell the familiar scent of charcoals that are going to be burned for a barbecue as my neighbors get ready to host a social gathering. However, in the midst of all the observations I made I realized one thing was missing in the beautiful scenery of this fine afternoon. It was the colorful clouds I looked forward to seeing and taking photos of as the sun set everyday. Those pink or orange clouds were one of the smallest, but largest aspects of happiness to me. Seeing those natural beauties gave me something to look forward to everyday. However, in this case the skies were clear and so was my thought process. Nothing really went through my mind, except for how beautiful life is when you take a moment to appreciate all of its fine aspects.
Throughout the day I come across at least one time where I find myself fascinated in the beauty of nature, whether it be the sky and its clouds or the moon and its stars. Something about the way it all works together and creates such magnificent and exquisite beauty for all of its people to witness will have me mesmerized forever.
I read once that nature is flawless and realized that it was true. There was never a time I looked at a tulip and thought it should have been another color. All aspects of nature are created perfect and as people of nature, so are we. People want to change who they are all the time: physically or personally. However, we are just like the colorful clouds, tulips, or palm trees we see in this world. We come as a certain color, shape, and kind. There is nothing to alter, except for the mentality that we are not good enough. As the bible says, "Come as you are."
Monday, February 17, 2014
Community
Communities are groups of people who share common interests or values in something, someone, or somewhere. I belong to a few communities, as do most people in this world. For starters, I am a member of the North Hollywood community since I live in that location. As a member, I do my part in keeping the environment a safe and clean place to live in by picking up after myself and recycling. As a supporter of my community, I actively buy and consume the local goods sold in the area to promote business. Another community which I actively participate in even more is the Justin Bieber fandom, or which I like to call my family of beliebers (Justin Bieber fans).
In the Justin Bieber fandom, us beliebers do our part in supporting our idol by listening to, buying, or promoting his music. Since the beginning of his career we have worked as a unit and continue to do so to create a bigger name for him in the music industry. However, our duty is to not only advertise or convert nonbelievers, but also keep that beautiful smile on our idol's face for as long as we can. Every second of the day there are beliebers all around the world sending positive and heartwarming messages to remind Justin of the constant love he is surrounded by. However, in the midst of this process our true goal is for him to be aware of who these messages come from, in order for him to have a slight acknowledgment of our individual existence. We are aware he knows his fans as a whole, but for him to be familiar with each of us at an individual level would mean the world. As a belieber, having Justin Bieber know who you are will literally be the highlight of your entire life, although a fragment of it has not even began yet. All in all, we are apart of this community to support the person we have grown to love and help each other in any way of being noticed through our idol's eyes.
In the Justin Bieber fandom, us beliebers do our part in supporting our idol by listening to, buying, or promoting his music. Since the beginning of his career we have worked as a unit and continue to do so to create a bigger name for him in the music industry. However, our duty is to not only advertise or convert nonbelievers, but also keep that beautiful smile on our idol's face for as long as we can. Every second of the day there are beliebers all around the world sending positive and heartwarming messages to remind Justin of the constant love he is surrounded by. However, in the midst of this process our true goal is for him to be aware of who these messages come from, in order for him to have a slight acknowledgment of our individual existence. We are aware he knows his fans as a whole, but for him to be familiar with each of us at an individual level would mean the world. As a belieber, having Justin Bieber know who you are will literally be the highlight of your entire life, although a fragment of it has not even began yet. All in all, we are apart of this community to support the person we have grown to love and help each other in any way of being noticed through our idol's eyes.
"Riverdale mourns mother, children killed in fiery crash"
Source: Los Angeles Times
By: Scott Gold
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-riverdale-mourns-family-killed-in-crash-20140217,0,3544432.story#axzz2tds0bJxJ
On Saturday evening a fiery car accident killed five family members in the small town of Riverdale, California. The incident occurred when motorist, Juana Martinez Bejarano ran a stop sign on an intersection and collided with the family's car. Mother, Esmeralda Saucedo and her four children, Issac, Nikko, Jada, and Breanna were instantly killed when the car burst into flames after the impact. When this happened, residents of the home next to the intersection, Lori Pearce and Robert Pearce, heard an explosion and went outside to see what happened. As they reached the scene, they met with Saucedo's husband who had seen the incident from his own car. They all rushed to save the victims, but Robert Pierce felt the flames were too intense and helped Saucedo's husband step away from the wreckage for the sake of his own life.
The whole community crumbled to pieces after receiving the news. One of its members said, "People love each other here, and the sadness is just overwhelming. One life is precious. This was five precious lives, taken in one fell swoop." Numerous residents of the town visited the crash site to pay their respects. Ever since the incident people have been providing ideas of new ways to improve the safety of the intersection where the crash occurred, such as adding bumps and lights. They have also been planning a permanent memorial and plaque in honor of the deceased. Volunteers from the local fire department have held fundraisers to help support funeral expenses as well. These are the extra measures one community will take for a few of its members to show their true dedication and love for one another. In the end, that is what a community is all about- supporting and helping one another out.
By: Scott Gold
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-riverdale-mourns-family-killed-in-crash-20140217,0,3544432.story#axzz2tds0bJxJ
On Saturday evening a fiery car accident killed five family members in the small town of Riverdale, California. The incident occurred when motorist, Juana Martinez Bejarano ran a stop sign on an intersection and collided with the family's car. Mother, Esmeralda Saucedo and her four children, Issac, Nikko, Jada, and Breanna were instantly killed when the car burst into flames after the impact. When this happened, residents of the home next to the intersection, Lori Pearce and Robert Pearce, heard an explosion and went outside to see what happened. As they reached the scene, they met with Saucedo's husband who had seen the incident from his own car. They all rushed to save the victims, but Robert Pierce felt the flames were too intense and helped Saucedo's husband step away from the wreckage for the sake of his own life.
The whole community crumbled to pieces after receiving the news. One of its members said, "People love each other here, and the sadness is just overwhelming. One life is precious. This was five precious lives, taken in one fell swoop." Numerous residents of the town visited the crash site to pay their respects. Ever since the incident people have been providing ideas of new ways to improve the safety of the intersection where the crash occurred, such as adding bumps and lights. They have also been planning a permanent memorial and plaque in honor of the deceased. Volunteers from the local fire department have held fundraisers to help support funeral expenses as well. These are the extra measures one community will take for a few of its members to show their true dedication and love for one another. In the end, that is what a community is all about- supporting and helping one another out.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Man electrecuted while taking photos of Tustin sunset
Source: Los Angeles Times
By: Angel Jennings
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-coroner-identifies-tustin-man-20140209,0,3077912.story#axzz2suAAvdEh
A Tustin man was taking photos of a sunset from the tree in his backyard when he somehow got tangled in electrical wires. The 28 year old man instantly died when he became electrocuted Saturday night. The deadly encounter occurred in the 15600 Block of S. California cross of Medallion. Orange County Fire Authority's Captain Steve Concialdi said that the victim's parents were looking for him and calling his name after the incident occurred. It was only until the next morning they found the damaged body in the tree. After calling the police the fire department arrived to the scene and spent one hour de-energizing all the electricity in the area for safe recovery of the man's body. After taking out the victim the firefighters took some time to comfort the family and sympathize for their loss. They also discovered David posted a picture of the sunset on facebook shortly before he died.
Concialdi's main message to people was to stay away from any type of electrical wires. Coming into contact with one of them, even a cable wire can cause serious damage. David is a prime example of the dangerous events that can occur because of electrical currents if not handled properly. Therefore, all people should be careful and aware of the consequences.
By: Angel Jennings
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-coroner-identifies-tustin-man-20140209,0,3077912.story#axzz2suAAvdEh
A Tustin man was taking photos of a sunset from the tree in his backyard when he somehow got tangled in electrical wires. The 28 year old man instantly died when he became electrocuted Saturday night. The deadly encounter occurred in the 15600 Block of S. California cross of Medallion. Orange County Fire Authority's Captain Steve Concialdi said that the victim's parents were looking for him and calling his name after the incident occurred. It was only until the next morning they found the damaged body in the tree. After calling the police the fire department arrived to the scene and spent one hour de-energizing all the electricity in the area for safe recovery of the man's body. After taking out the victim the firefighters took some time to comfort the family and sympathize for their loss. They also discovered David posted a picture of the sunset on facebook shortly before he died.
Concialdi's main message to people was to stay away from any type of electrical wires. Coming into contact with one of them, even a cable wire can cause serious damage. David is a prime example of the dangerous events that can occur because of electrical currents if not handled properly. Therefore, all people should be careful and aware of the consequences.
The Great Gatsby Movie
The Great Gatsby was absolutely wonderful in every way. The film had captured the story's idea in the most accurate form from all of its major themes, such as Moral Corruption and The American Dream to symbols like the green light and Dr. T.J. Eckleberg. Each of these aspects were presented in the most entertaining and detailed way for all of its viewers to enjoy including myself. The film also did a fantastic job at depicting life in the 1920's with the means of stock market success, prohibition, huge parties, and jazz music. The collection of the soundtrack music correlated with the variety of scenes in the movie set the mood just right. However, none of the work would be successful without its amazing actors who played their characters phenomenally in all their words and actions. Almost every single script was traced back to the novel and fit perfectly into the movie's plot! From the portrayal of extravagant parties to the undying love Gatsby owned for Daisy had me off my feet. I am glad to say this is one of my favorite movies. It truly is a flawless and brilliant creation for all eyes to witness. Great thanks to Baz Luhrmann for directing this terrific film.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
"Police officer delivers baby in gas station parking lot"
Source: Los Angeles Times
By: Thomas Curwen
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-police-officer-delivers-baby-gas-station-simi-valley-20140202,0,648855.story#axzz2sF4tTlYH
Saturday afternoon sparked an exiting task for one of Semi Valley's police officers, Kyle Crocker, as he was sent to aid a pregnant woman ready to deliver her child on the road. Earlier in the day Anna May, a dispatcher from the police department received a call from one of the children saying that his mother was ready to give birth as he drove her to the hospital. It would be just a matter of time before the baby arrived. As a result, the teenager got off the freeway into a parking lot of a gas station to prepare for the birth of his new sibling. Just as he arrived the police officer May contacted joined the family and comforted the mother as he waited for the Ventura Fire Department and paramedics to appear. Even though he stalled time, Crocker realized the baby was going to come out in that moment and he had to do his best in preparing the delivery. Minutes later the officer successfully delivered a new baby girl into this world and found out later in the hospital she was named Ariel.
There could not have been a more heartwarming story to read. News such as this one are what present the idea of not only kindness and helpfulness towards one another, but the humanity in people that still exists. One does not need a certain occupation or knowledge to do what is right. A heart and a few good morals are all that is required.
By: Thomas Curwen
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-police-officer-delivers-baby-gas-station-simi-valley-20140202,0,648855.story#axzz2sF4tTlYH
Saturday afternoon sparked an exiting task for one of Semi Valley's police officers, Kyle Crocker, as he was sent to aid a pregnant woman ready to deliver her child on the road. Earlier in the day Anna May, a dispatcher from the police department received a call from one of the children saying that his mother was ready to give birth as he drove her to the hospital. It would be just a matter of time before the baby arrived. As a result, the teenager got off the freeway into a parking lot of a gas station to prepare for the birth of his new sibling. Just as he arrived the police officer May contacted joined the family and comforted the mother as he waited for the Ventura Fire Department and paramedics to appear. Even though he stalled time, Crocker realized the baby was going to come out in that moment and he had to do his best in preparing the delivery. Minutes later the officer successfully delivered a new baby girl into this world and found out later in the hospital she was named Ariel.
There could not have been a more heartwarming story to read. News such as this one are what present the idea of not only kindness and helpfulness towards one another, but the humanity in people that still exists. One does not need a certain occupation or knowledge to do what is right. A heart and a few good morals are all that is required.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)