Pasitos de Jesus

Pasitos de Jesus (footsteps of Jesus) is an orphanage in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, for young girls whose parents were abusive. Dalma Florian opened up her home to two young girls who had been abused. One of the girls was mentally handicapped, and for ten years of her life she was locked in a room with a dog. When her mother died she was found, Dalma brought her into her home, and that was when Pasitos de Jesus was created. Now it is home to more than forty girls from ages of 9 months to 18 years old. Despite all the abuse and sadness these girls had been through, they are so joyful. Visiting this orphanage changed my perspective on life. These young girls were so excited just sit and play with us. They loved to color and make bracelets, such simple activities made them so happy. I loved visiting them, and I can't wait until I go back!

Surprise Election Upset

Surprise Election Upset

During the Iowa midterm senate election Republican

candidate Joni Ernst had to work very hard in order to  

switch the state from blue to red. Her opponent Bruce

Braley and the rest of the Democratic party felt very

confident that they would hold the senate seat. With only

two weeks left in the race, the Democratic party lost their

confidence and began to invest more money, hoping to gain more support. Joni Ernst, a very strong conservative, increased her efforts throughout the race. She boldly spoke out against Obama, and ended up gaining a lot of support. Seeing that siding with Obama’s policies was hurting his chances of winning, Braley began to distance himself from Obama and his policies, but it was too late. Joni Ernst won the Iowa Senate midterm elections. This was an upset for the Democratic party, it weakened their chances to continue to have the majority in the Senate. I agree that Joni Ernst was the best choice to become the Senator of Iowa. I agree with her stand on abortion, I also feel that the affordable care act hurt the country, and that President Obama is not looking out for the best interests of the country.

Racial Unrest in Ferguson

Racial Unrest in Ferguson

All the event that have happened since the beginning of the Ferguson trial until

now have caused further racial division

throughout the United States. The protests,

rioting, and the racial tension in all the cities

were mostly based on emotions

instead of justice and the law. Once

everyone heard that a young African American man had been killed, they immediately began to riot without hearing any of the facts. Even some government officials took advantage of this situation to further their own personal agenda. I believe that the driving force behind all of these events is racial division. I think that the police officers were underrepresented. Officer Darren Wilson hardly received the support he should have gotten. It seemed like everyone was against him before and after the facts were known. He was only trying to do his job, and protect the community.

France in a State of Shock

France in a State of Shock

There was a planned terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France. This is a satirical weekly newspaper that makes fun of ALL different groups of people. It attracted the attention of Muslim extremists when they made fun of Muhammad. Since the attack, the assassins have been killed,and there was a unity march with forty world leaders, and two million people. Parisians and people around the world are feeling anger and resentment towards the Muslim terrorists. The shock has turned to sadness and mourning, but is bring a sense of nationalism and unity that has been lacking in the European countries. With all the tension and recent public attacks I would not feel safe traveling to Paris. There is too much uncertainty at this time, the extremists might retaliate and plan more attacks. The government has raised the countries terror threat to the highest level. The city has also issued enhanced security measures at public places such as schools, malls, and tourist attractions. I would want to wait until the country was more secure and stable.

Homeless Outreach Team

Officer Steve Wick of Houston, Texas does more than just patrol the city streets. He has been making friends with the people, especially the homeless. HOT stands for Homeless Outreach Team, which the police department helps the city run.Wick, four other officers and three mental healthcare workers have already helped 400 people off the streets and moved them into temporary or permanent housing. They have ben doing this since 2011. Their mission is to stop complaints associated with homeless people by finding them stable shelter, changing the lives of Houston's most vulnerable people. One homeless man said about officer Wick, " He always stops and says "Hi" that doesn't happen very often with other cops. It means a great deal, because at least somebody cares, you know?" Showing a little kindness to those in need gives them hope, and lets them know that people do care about them. We need to hear more good stories about the police, it seems like so many stories make the police look bad, but stories like this show that the police care and protect the people around them. There are police officers that go above and beyond their normal duties to assist those who need help.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/17/houston-police-homelessness_n_6341520.html

Random Airport Searches

After the terrorist attack in France and a magazine associated with Al Qaeda which published a bomb recipe, the Federal Government has ordered random searches of airports throughout the United States. The issue of Al Qaeda's Inspire magazine gave instructions on how to make the explosives, how to get through security, and they even told suicide bombers where to sit on the plane. The bomb-making instructions are very sophisticated and could cause a lot of problems, especially in smaller airports where the technology is not as advanced. Americans need to be alert while they are traveling and take steps in order to increase their security.  

Obama Should Show more Support

On Sunday in Paris, France there was a unity march.m  More than forty world leaders joined the 1.5 million people on the Paris streets. Sadly the United States did not send anyone to be represented at the march. I think this is a very bad example to the world. The United states is supposed to promote peace and unity, and by not sending anyone it looks like Americas leaders do not care. President Obama should have went to show support for the victims, and stand with our allies.

Stabbing in Abu Dhabi

On December 1st an American was stabbed to death in an Abu Dhabi mall. A year ago she moved there with her children and began teaching in Abu Dhabi. Ibolya Ryan went to the mall and was killed in the bathroom. She was stabbed multiple times with a knife. A surveillance camera shows a veiled figure walking into the mall, picking up a paper and then disappearing around the corner where the bathroom was. The suspect then ran to the elevator and left the mall. Ibolya's ex-husband had to fly to Abu Dhabi to be with their children, a 13 year old daughter and 11 year old twins. The UAE is making sure that their children are taken care of, they are going to pay for all of the children's education. That can't make up for the loss of their mother. It is so sad for these children and the rest of their family.  Her ex- husband was interviewed, he was devastated, and could not believe that someone would kill any human the was Ibolya was killed. Dala al Hashemi adimitted to murdering Ibolya, they say she was a lone wolf terrorist, and she will face the death penalty.

Courage

A small plane traveling from Key West, Florida to Nashville, Illinois crashed on Friday night in Kentucky. The only survivor was seven year old Sailor Gutzler. Her parents, sister, and cousin were killed in the crash. Sailor walked about a mile through the woods wearing shorts and no shoes in almost freezing temperatures to find help. She knocked on the door of Larry Wilkins house. He called the police, and Sailor was able to tell them where the crash was and what had happened. Sailor is a very brave girl, she has shown so much courage. Although we do not have all the answers to why tragedies like this happen to people, but we hope and pray the something good will come from this for Sailor.

Acts of Kindness

Helen Johnson a 47 year old mother was caught stealing five eggs from a grocery store. After talking with her the police officer, William Stacy, found out that she need food for her starving family. She feed her family with a $120 welfare check per month, and this time it got lost in the mail. Her family had not eaten for two days, and she was desperate to get food for her family. Instead of arresting her Officer Stacy bought her the carton of eggs, and a day later he brought two truck loads of food to her house. Enough to keep her family fed throughout Christmas. Also people donated clothes and toys to their family after hearing about what officer Stacy did. Little acts of kindness may not seem very important to the people around you, but when you help someone it just doesn't help them it helps you too. Giving and caring for people can bring so much joy into your life and the life of the people you help.

Pakistan Massacre

A school in Pakistan was attacked by the Taliban. 141 people were killed, 132 of them were children. This was the deadliest attack by the Taliban in Pakistan. This school, run by the army,  was targeted by the Taliban in response to army operations. The Taliban said  "To hurt them at their safe haven and homes—such an attack is perfect revenge.”The Taliban set off a bomb outside the school, and then they entered the school, going from classroom to classroom shooting students. Some say they allowed the youngest children to leave, but others say it was indiscriminate.  Innocent children were killed, and the Taliban is not going to stop here. They will continue to kill innocent people because they want to have total control. They don't want people to go to school, become educated, and then grow up to be against the Taliban. This such a devastating situation, we need to pray for the people of Pakistan.  

Life is Unpredictable

Ken Gemmell and his five year old daughter were out when a private jet crashed into their home in Maryland. One of the wings containing fuel crashed into their house and erupted into flames.  His wife Marie, their three year old son, and their six week old baby were in the home when the plane crashed. They found Marie and her two sons in an upstairs bathroom, she was trying to protect her sons from the smoke and fire with her own body. Ken said, "No words can describe the enormity of our loss and sadness over yesterday's tragedy," he wrote. "We lost Marie, the love of my life and college sweetheart, and our two young, innocent and joyful sons -- a loss that no person should ever endure." Ken and his daughter need our prayer and support. This is a tragic unexpected event. During times like this you realize that life is so unpredictable. So many of us live our lives thinking that nothing  tragic like this could happen to us. We need to live our lives to the fullest, enjoying every moment that we have been given on this Earth. 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/mom-died-holding-sons-plane-crashed-home/story?id=27469162

Thank You

Gregory Jean Jr. is a thirteen year old boy who was missing for four years. He was found in a hidden compartment in his fathers house in Atlanta, Georgia. His father and step mother were arrested and charged for false imprisonment, cruelty to children and obstruction. When they were both confronted by the police they both acted like they had no clue who the child was. When the police found the boy he was afraid at first, but when he knew that they were there to help him he was overjoyed and kept saying thank you. Gregory was reunited with his mother, and there is still an investigation going on to determine what really happened and why he was hidden behind a fake wall. 

Bosnian Immigrant Murdered by Teenagers

 Zemir Begic and his family moved to the United States in 1996 after fleeing Bosnia. Zemir loved America, he had a good job, a lot of friends, and he was married six months ago. Early Sunday morning Zemir was murdered by a group of teenagers at an intersection in St. Louis. They surrounded his car and began banging on it with the hammers. He got out of his car to confront them, but they attacked him and beat him, leaving him fatally injured, and later he died in the hospital. There is a large Bosnian community in St. Louis, and they reacted to this incident by asking for more police protection. They also held protests.They came to America to escape the murder and destruction in  Bosnia, his sister said that she would have never imagined that someone in her family would be murdered in the United States. The police did find three suspects, they were between the ages of 15 to 17 years old. This is so sad for Zemir's family and the Bosnia community and the teenagers who killed Zemir will be charged with first degree murder. Now their lives are ruined and Zemir's family has to suffer because of what they did.

Immigration Reform

The other night President Obama told America what his plan was for immigration. Obama's plan would let some 4.4 million who are parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents remain in the country temporarily, without the threat of deportation.Undocumented residents could apply legally for jobs and join American society if they have lived in the United States for at least five years. This is not fair to all the people that came into the country legally, they went through everything to become an American citizen and now it seems like Obama is giving the illegal immigrants a free pass to stay here and live the American lifestyle. Having new legal citizens is such a good opportunity for them and America, but when they come over illegally it is wrong and dangerous to American citizens. I think President Obama overstepped his power, clearly there was a reason why Obama took executive authority, he knew that Congress wouldn't agree with his plan. I think that more Americans would trust this plan knowing that more than one person approved it (Congress), Obama is overstepping his power, he is acting like he is a king. 

Darren Wilson Not Indicted...

The grand jury has decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for killing Michael Brown. Michael Brown and a friend were walking down the middle of the street when Darren Wilson stopped to tell them to walk on the side of the road. Before this Wilson received a message that there was a robbery, and the robber was wearing a red hat and yellow socks. Wilson realized that Brown fit that description. That's when he confronted Brown and there was a struggle for the gun in Wilson's car, and then Brown began to charge at Wilson and Wilson fired his gun. After a lot of investigation and evidence the jury decided that Darren Wilson was not guilty. Americans need to look past race and realize that the court justly made their decision, not based on race but on specific evidence. The way the protesters are reacting should never have happened, even Michael Browns parents asked them to protest in ways that would make a positive change. There are even protesters in cities like New York City and Chicago. The decision was made and because they didn't get their way this is how the people are reacting. They need to think about all the damage that they are doing to the town and the innocent people around them, and realize that what they are doing isn't helping it's only making everything worse.

Nolan Burch

Nolan Burch, a freshman at West Virginia University, passed away on Friday. Nolan was from Williamsville, and he graduated from Canisius High School in 2014. The University calls the incident a "catastrophic medical emergency" at a fraternity house. The incident was alcohol-related, but they will not say if that was the cause of his death. His friends in Buffalo and at West Virginia University are so upset about this sudden death. The incident was alcohol-related, and whenever alcohol is involved in a situation there almost always ends up being a problem. His friends and other college students should realize that drinking can cause a lot of problems, and it can be prevented by making better decisions. They should not pressure each other into drinking, students need to learn from this situation and try to think about how it can affect their future.  

Ukarine rebels are being backed by the Russians

Ukraine claims that the Russians are arming their rebels. NATO has accused Russia of sending in tanks, troops, and weapons into Ukraine. The title of the article is "Ukraine back on the brink amid claims Russia is arming rebels." It supports the information that is in the article, it's mostly about the Russians sending in troops and weapons even though there was an agreement in September that included a ceasefire. The writer supports his agreement by giving information based on what NATO decided and from the US ambassador and Russia's Ambassador. With Russia going against the Minsk Agreement, they are not afraid of the United States or the rest of the world like they used to be. Russia needs to be stopped before it is too late, once they get control of Ukraine they will move on and try and take over other countries.  What is NATO going to do about the Russians? Are there going to be any consequences for the Russians because they went against the Minks Agreement? The writer could have given a better description of who the rebels are, what they are being given by the Russians, and what are the consequences when Ukraine rebels are armed? 

 

http://www.thejournal.ie/ukraine-on-brink-as-russia-accused-of-arming-rebels-1777554-Nov2014/

Joni Ernst: the Senator of Iowa

Joni Ernst won the 2014 midterm election. Ernst won by 52.2% , while barley had 43.7%.  Ernst's television ad went viral, and this brought her a lot of supporters. In her ad she promised to "cut pork spending in Washington". Her conservative views are what helped her win this election. A lot of people do not like what Obama is doing in Washington, and her ideas are against Obama. By voting for Ernst they are going against Obama.

Who will win?

It looks like Joni Ernst is going to win this years midterm elections. She has a seven percentage point lead in this race, se has a 70% chance of winning. Throughout the whole race she has always been favored to win. Therefore I think that Joni Ernst is going to win the election this year.