He Leaves the Door Unlocked and the Lights On.

Hey guys, soooooo I decided for my post to take an approach that has not been discussed. Not frequently. Maybe some of you reading this may not even know that these types of issues even exist. However, I would like to take my opportunity and share with all of you something that really has an effect on me, poetry. Poetry is a great way to express emotions and get thoughts down on paper and then into pictures for those who are listening.

 Now you may be saying to yourself 

"pshhh poetry isn't violent! It doesn't belong in this class!" 

well, you're kind of right, but it's what stands behind the poetry, the person sharing their lives to others, that can relate to the topic of this course.

This man, his name is Neil Hilborn, is presenting a poem of his own.

Before I give you more details I'd like you to watch his presentation.

*Disclaimer: One F Bomb is dropped*

So hopefully, his presentation has given you some type of feels. ya' know, pathos and such. As you have observed from Neil's poem... he is living with OCD... and he has some obsessive ticks that he tries desperately to control. Now this women that he had the privilege of having in his life walked out on him because she did not have the patience for Neil's ticks any longer. 

Most,not all, of these posts are the blunt, easy to see, media influenced violent topics.  I can not turn on the news with out hearing about a shooting, a rape, a murder or a drunk driver. All of the negatives in society are just thrown through that magic photo box that we spend hours in front of. 

The point of this post is to get you all to think about this: What about Neil? What about those who live with OCD, ADHD, Eating Disorders, Depression and other mental illnesses? What about the ignorance given to those surviving with these situations in their lives? Are their stories not as important? They are humans too. We are all equal, aren't we ?

The you tube group for Button Poetry is a great inspiration to those with issues in their lives that they deal with every day. If you would like to check it out I'd recommend any of their videos and I suggest exploring their channel. These individuals poems really have an effect on me and I hope you enjoy them as well. 

Button Poetry Youtube Channel

In a final thought: You never know how much a smile can change a strangers life.

- Darrin J Mayotte

Quoting and paraphrasing

For Wednesday's class, please select 2 passages from any of the following links that you think you might quote in your project. These should be passages that will serve a relevant informational and/or persuasive purpose. Once you have chosen your passages, write your own paraphrase next to or under each one. Please have these ready to share on your blog by the start of Wednesday's class.


Remember, Google Scholar is your friend.

Video games: http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2013/sep/20/video-games-cause-violence-claims-cause-violence

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/video-games-spark-aggression-article-1.1293112

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197103000976

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2001.tb00787.x/abstract

 

SSRIs:

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cds/2006/00000001/00000001/art00006

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anxiety-help/201111/anti-anxiety-medications-explained

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/7/mental-illness-in-youth-could-prevent-gun-purchase/?page=all

Bullying:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9507.00083/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false

http://cjcmh.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,7,16;journal,39,65;linkingpublicationresults,1:120150,1

http://www.stopbullying.gov/

LGBTQ rights:

http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.91.11.1869

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=879246&show=abstract

Music:

http://pwq.sagepub.com/content/15/1/49.short

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/84/5/960/

Sexual assault:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2005.00237.x/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false

http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2002-01701-007

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735898000750

Domestic violence:

http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/united-states-v-castleman/

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735803001119

http://bases.bireme.br/cgi-bin/wxislind.exe/iah/online/?IsisScript=iah/iah.xis&src=google&base=REPIDISCA&lang=p&nextAction=lnk&exprSearch=170567&indexSearch=ID

http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1997-36305-000

T.J. Lane Shooting in Chardon Ohio - Sami Misheck

CHARDON, Ohio -- T.J. Lane will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing three students and wounding three others in the Chardon High School cafeteria Feb. 27, 2012. Before his sentence, Lane, wearing a white T-shirt with the word "killer" written across the front, said: "This hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory. F--- all of you.” Gasps were heard around the courtroom at that point and some in the gallery began to cry. Geauga County Common Pleas Judge David Fuhr ysentenced Lane for the slayings of Daniel Parmertor, 16; Demetrius Hewlin, 16; and Russell King Jr., 17, in a rampage that has tortured a small town and its students for the past year. Lane sat silently as the sentence was read. Defense attorney Ian Friedman says Lane plans to appeal, and has asked the court to appoint him a lawyer for that process. "The defense is deeply sorry for the families, all of the families’ pain, all of the families that have been affected by this," Friedman said. "There’s nothing we can say that’s going to lessen that. "However, my hope is that this community and the families that have been affected can at least begin to seek closure." Fuhry acknowledged before before sentencing that Lane had a "tumultuous" upbringing. But he said Lane knew what he was doing when he committed the shootings, and his lack of motive or remorse makes him dangerous. "What was the motive for this merciless rampage? The answer is we don't know," Fuhry said. "We have not been provided a clear answer, or even a murky one."It appears to the court that the defendant simply wished to make a name for himself, to make a big splash, to make front-page news." Emotional parents and family members were allowed to address Lane before sentencing. "You're really lucky there's so many police in this room," said Holly Walczak, mother of shooting victim Nick Walczak, who was left paralyzed, during her statement. Lane smiled back at her. "Because of you, our quiet little town will never be the same. Why? Why did you do it? Why?" Chardon Student Nate Mueller after TJ Lane sentencing Dina Parmertor, victim Danny Parmertor's mother, said: "You're a pathetic excuse for a human being. In fact you're not even human. You're a monster" "I want you to be ensured years and years of pain, which in my opinion is not enough. You don't deserve to take another breath while my 16-year-old son lies in the ground because of your cold, disgusting actions." "You're a weak, pathetic, vile coward." Prosecutor James Flaiz also responded, saying: "What we're dealing with is a disgusting human being. ... He still refuses to offer any explanation for why he did this. The only explanation I can offer the court is he is an evil person." Lane, 18, pleaded guilty Feb. 26 to three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder and one count of felonious assault. The plea came a day before the one-year mark of the shootings. Because he was a juvenile at the time of the shooting, he could not face the death penalty. It was up to Fuhry to determine when or if Lane would be eligible for parole. The earliest Fuhry could have set a parole hearing was in 26 years.

Besides killing Demetrius, Russell and Daniel, Lane also shot Nick Walczak, Joy Rickers and Nate Mueller. Nick is in a wheelchair because of injuries he received in the attack. Joy was treated and released from the hospital shortly after the shooting. A bullet grazed Nate's ear. Nick declined to comment after the hearing. Lane attended Lake Academy in Willoughby, an alternative school. Authorities said he fired the shots from his uncle's .22-caliber Ruger handgun as he waited for the bus that took him from Chardon High School each morning. After he bolted from the school, Geauga County Sheriff's Deputy Jon Bilicic found Lane seated along Woodin Road, about a mile from the school. There, he sat muddied and wet, with a shirt that read "Killer" on the front. Family members of victims in Chardon High School shooting give statements in court. Bilicic told Lane his rights, and the youth quickly admitted that he, alone, was the gunman. Asked why, Lane said he didn't know. Bilicic said Lane told him he just "killed a bunch of people." When Bilicic asked him why, he said, "I don't know." At another point when asked why, he said, "I don't really understand myself." The deputy said Lane told him he was aiming for heads so students wouldn't suffer. Bilicic asked Lane if he was suicidal, used drugs or alcohol, or suffered from depression; Lane replied, "No."

I chose this article I came across recently, although it happened over a year ago. After reading the article below I was in complete shock. It disgusts me that someone can go into a school and shoot people to begin, but what the shooter does to the families of the victims makes me sick to my stomach. I chose this article because school shootings are becoming more prevalent in our society today, although I have never heard of something as messed up as this. It makes me wonder how someone could get to the point in their life where they believe bringing a gun to a school and shooting students is entertaining. Also, the level of disrespect that T.J. has for not only the victims, but the families and friends of the victims of the shooting blows my mind. This article makes me think, what drives someone to do something as evil as this? There is a video on YouTube, of T.J. in court when he says what he did to the families of the victims and it made me sick to my stomach. He seems to get some sort of sick happiness out of this situation. This whole scenario makes me wonder if someone like T.J. had something in his past that brought him to these ideas and made him act upon them?

Violence in my Own Backyard

Sorry about being so late, there was a miscommunication and delay, please excuse the difference in time:

As most people have heard others say, “violence is all around us.” But you don’t really notice it until the situation comes to light. This at least holds true for me. In class we talked about school shootings and preparedness, and above all, gun violence. But you never really know what you’d do in a situation unless you’re put into it. Last Thursday, as most of you know, there was a shooting in Romeoville of all places. The incident happened about 5 minutes from my house, at a place with I run past regularly in the warmer months. At the time it happened all I knew was that there had been a shooting and the shooter had not been caught. Panicked, and unsure what to do I went straight home and locked all the doors and closed all the blinds.

Within a few blocks where the shooting was there are 3 schools. Irene King Elementary, A Vito Martinez Middle School, and Romeoville High School. All schools were put into soft lockdowns with police all around Irene King because it was the closest (only a block away). I texted my friend who lives on the street over from Emery to make sure her and her family were okay, and she told me how the cops were outside the elementary school rushing the children who were being dropped off by their parents inside. Everyone was assuming the worst at that time.

Even though I was about a mile away from the scene I was still freaked out to go outside, with the picture of a creepy guy walking around outside trying to hide stuck in my head. Nothing like this has ever happened so close to home before, it was so unexpected. I remembered seeing all the cop cars speeding that way as I was on my way to my 8 o’clock class that morning with no idea of what had actually happened until I got out of class. (Emery is only about 5-10 minutes away from Lewis as well). Later that day I went to work and to my surprise people hadn’t even heard about it. I was shocked! How could you not of heard about a shooting in Romeoville! Chicago I would understand, but not this little village. If you sneeze you’ve missed almost the whole thing. The shooting was the talk all day.

As the news reported more, I learned it might not of been a random shooting as originally thought. But that didn’t make me feel any safer. Knowing that the son of a bitch had been arrested and was in jail was the only thing that would make me feel better. The fear that was put into everyone close by, and the loss that family suffered because of that one stupid man is not something you can tell. It has to be experienced first hand. This incident was kind of an eye opener; it made me realize that even in the dinky village of Romeoville, there are still crazy people, outside from the usual crazy people, like the woman that walks around looking like a Barbie doll, and Lou, the man I always see in Fountaindale Library who is related to Al Capone.

The sense of fear that I felt for just a short time is felt by tons of people daily living in unsafe neighborhoods. There are shootings all the time in some parts of Chicago, and all over the world. Do the shooters feel no mercy? Gangs thrive on that fear, but why? Anyone can pick up a gun and shoot someone. Why does that make them feel empowered, and why do they think they have the right to choose who lives and who dies? That 15-year-old girl although not shot by a gang, didn’t deserve to die. Most people don’t deserve to die, but it still happens. No place is totally safe from guns and violence.

How did this man get a gun so easily? Why was he dating a 15-year-old? And I wonder if he had a history of violence that lead to this vicious act.

Megan Naylor

Teens Charged With Torturing Disabled Boy 
Updated: Monday, March 17 2014, 06:46 AM CDT

 Two teenage girls are behind bars following allegations that they carried out a campaign of harassment against a mentally-challenged boy including stabbing him, dragging him by the hair and forcing him to engage in sex acts with an animal. The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office said 17-year-old Lauren Bush and an unnaned 15-year-old girl - both students at Chopticon High School in Morganza, Maryland - recorded the assaults against the autistic 16-year-old victim on their cell phones. ALSO READ:  3 Horses Saved After Repeat Animal Abuser in Gallatin Jailed Footage shows the suspects force the teen to walk on a partially frozen pond, which resulted in him falling through the ice several times. Each time, police said, the suspects refused to help the boy out of the frigid water. Sheriff Tim Cameron said that the allegations leveled against the girls are among the most disturbing he has dealt with in his career. He says that several times between December and February, the suspects preyed on the victim – assaulting him with a knife, kicking him in the groin, dragging him by the hair, coercing him to engage in a sex act with an animal, and forcing him to walk on the partially frozen pond. ‘Another video depicts the male on an icy pond being told to continue to walk out further, actually falling in the water several times and pulling himself out,’ said Cameron. Bush, who lives in a rural part of the county south of Mechanicsville, knew the victim well, according to investigators. Police say the girls have admitted to videotaping the incidents, but officials are still trying to figure out why. 'Who could harbor this ill will to do something so completely heinous?' said Cameron. 'I don't know. It's hard to fathom, really.' Both girls have been charged with two counts of 1st degree assault, two counts of 2nd degree assault, soliciting subject in the production of child pornography and false imprisonment. Bush was charged as an adult. She is being held at the St. Mary's County Detention Center. The other teen is being detained at the Waxter's Children's Center.

Read More a
t: http://www.fox17.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/teens-charged-torturing-disabled-boy-20249.shtml?wap=0

Sooo to start off, this makes me outrageously disgusted and disappointed to be in this generation of people. Anyone else? Coming from experience of being a stupid teenage boy, falling through ice flat out sucks and is one of the scariest things I've experienced. After the initial scare of the ground disappearing from your feet, it gets painful and doesn't take long for your body to go numb and cause every movement to become a major effort. Now I know this boy had autism, but i don't know if he had physical disabilities as well. Regardless, the thought of forcing a well functioning person to do this is bad enough, but forcing a disabled person to do this is some stupid shit that makes myself feel violent. As for the rest of the acts forced upon this boy, I'm dumbfounded. What could this boy have possibly done to these girls for them to feel justified to do this? Seriously.. like WTF!?

The question asked on the page of the article is "Should these girls be tried as adults?", so I'll stick with that question. Also, as sadistic and counter-productive as it would be to our class, did anyone else wanna throw these girls on thin ice as well?

Topic proposal board shot and additional ideas

I've noticed something: a lot of your topic ideas, while great, tend to be about subjects *I've* suggested. If you're truly interested in what you've chosen, by all means pursue it. Otherwise, feel free to explore other areas - for instance, is no one interested in doing a project about violence in video games, movies, art, etc.? Is anyone interested in college-specific projects, issues, organizations? The sky's the limit - even if you're not yet sure (like Darrin) how what you want to explore relates to the course theme, don't give up on it. I guarantee there's a way to may it work.

And now, here's a snapshot of me the week before the semester started:


OMG I have no idea how I'm actually going to make this class work. What if the theme I pick doesn't interest anyone? What if no one else cares about it? What if I go off an tangents and rant on and on about my own ideas? What if they don't like it? What if they don't like me? What's it going to look like when it's finished?


If this even approximates the way you're feeling about your research project, let me reassure you that this is TOTALLY normal and you're on the right track. There's a saying that writing is like driving a car at night - you can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.


See you Wednesday - don't forget to email me your proposals by tomorrow!