Get Off Your Phones!!

What is this world we live in, where people cannot have a normal conversation at a dinner table because everyone is on their phones. I thought about this as I sat outside my door, on top of the long staircase below me. Taken away by my clouded brain filled with thoughts of school, worry and stress, I was unable to see what was right in front of me. There was nature and beauty surrounding me. Immediately my dog zoomed down the stairs ready to run a marathon. He was distracted by the constant song of the birds resting on the trees casting the shadows in which I was sitting under. A little spider was accompanying me while spinning a web, on the side of the railing. I ended up taking its life, but that is besides the point. As I was sitting on the warm steps with nothing to do, the cars passing by seemed as if they were trying to catch the last plane flying out of the airport. People were in an unbroken trance in their daily lives, going from point A to point B. Not one person passing by stopped to realize the beauty and simplicity around them. I realized, that when I blocked out the things that do not matter out of my head, I was quick to grasp what really did matter. The Instagram posts and  Twitter updates are not what make a person. The people and environment surrounding each and every one of us, is what shapes who we become. I came up with this idea within the thirty minutes I was sitting outside of my door, shut away from my phone and computer. I wonder what life would be if we were completely and permanently shut out from the unimportant things in life.

In A Barbie World

"Blondie Bennett, Barbie-Obsessed Woman, Uses Hypnotherapy To Make Herself 'Brainless'"

-The Huffington Post

Women nowadays strive to achieve "natural beauty" by avoiding chemicals and surgery. The less beauty products, the better. However, a California woman who describes herself as Barbie-obsessed certainly disagrees. This thirty-eight year old woman changed her name one year ago to 'Blondie' Bennett, hoping to make her name sound a bit more "barbie." Ever since she was a little girl, she wanted to mirror her life to the life of barbie doll. Since age eighteen, she hoped to live the same and exciting life that Barbie lived. Throughout her life, she spent twenty-five thousand dollars on five different breast enlargements. She moved up from an average C cup to a 32JJ, definitely grabbing people's attention. Besides the breast enlargements, Blondie gets botox and lip fillers to finally reach the perfection she wants in her face. She does not mind looking "plastic," instead it is a quality which she admires and reaches for. 

Blondie's family is extremely against her decisions and lifestyle. The only supporters she seems to have is of the opposite sex. She has many male supporters which want her to reach the level of perfection which she dreams of. They pay for her surgeries and hypnosis sessions. She recently began hypnotherapy, with the idea of making herself "brainless." Blondie wants to lower her IQ in order to completely capture being a doll. She goes to her hypnotherapy sessions twice a week and she claims that it is working. She is becoming incredibly forgetful and ditzy. 

All women want the feeling of being perfect and living in a perfect world, but not necessarily the world in which Barbie and Ken live in. 

"I don't like being human, if that makes sense... Natural is boring... I would love to be like, completely plastic."

-Blondie Bennett

February 19, 2014

Community

A community consists of a group of individuals associating with each other because of common interests, talents, physicalities, races, religions and ages. This list can go on forever because of the diverse world we live in, giving its people unlimited amounts of opportunities to be who they want to be. Communities involve interacting with others, sharing thoughts and ideas, learning new things and helping one another. We all belong to a community even though some may not realize it. Students all over the world are in communities at school. They are placed in classes with other students of the same age range. Communities such as fan bases are a major part of our society. People who are madly in love with singers, actors and other celebrities come together and create "fandoms" where they can discuss and obsess over their idols. Throughout my life I have been in and continue to be in many various communities. I am in the same community as many teenagers around the world. I consider myself to be a part of the Armenian community since I have been educated in an Armenian cultural school pretty much my whole life. Being apart of this community is important because this is how people keep their culture and traditions alive. Being apart of the dance community is extremely important to me. Dance is a major aspect of myself and I cannot imagine my life without the community. Dance and the people involved in it are a big part of who I am today and surely without it, my life would have been different. This is how a community should feel like. Communities are what create and help people figure out who they are and give them a sense of belonging somewhere. Without communities, humanity would truly be lost.

Fix-a-Flat

"Rajee Narinesingh, Victim Of Fake Doctor, Gets Relief For Her Cement Face"

-The Huffington Post

by David Moye

A forty-six year old transgender, Rajee Narinesingh was ashamed to show her face in public after a fake plastic surgery. A supposed unlicensed doctor named Oneal Ron Morris carried out a surgery using his special technique. He specialized in cut rate but injections by using Fix-a-Flat and cement to shape the buttocks. Morris is currently serving his sentence in prison for practicing medicine without a license. He is also facing manslaughter charges for the death of Shatarka Nuby, a thirty-two year old, who paid about two thousand dollars for treatments to enhance her buttocks, thighs, hips and breasts. The trial for this case is still pending.
However Rajee is furthermore trying to deal with the repercussions of the surgery. Rajee, being a transgender activist, paid Morris three thousand dollars to make her look more feminine. Well according to Morris, cement was the answer to all of Rajee's needs. Rajee described herself as "a monster." She said that initially the injections looked and felt perfectly fine. However as time passed, the injected areas gee bigger and bigger until one day they seemed to explode with green pus and blood. Rajee stated that she felt betrayed. She is now being treated by licensed Dr. John Martin, trying his best to recover her monstrous figure. Rajee is now finally ready to go out and find herself the perfect partner.

"Recently this guy said that being with me is like being with a sexy dragon. I didn't know whether to slap him or kiss him."

- Rajee Narinesingh

- February 16, 2014

Movie Review

The Great Gatsby

After seeing the movie for the sixth time, it is safe to say that it is one of my favorite movies of all time. Every aspect of the movie is simply brilliant. The cinematography of the film is truly breathtaking. It seems as though the movie was filmed in the 1920's but with more glamour and more extravagance. Baz Luhrmann did an amazing job recreating such a world renowned book into a blockbuster movie. I expected much more from a book that is talked about by many. Unfortunately I was greatly disappointed after reading the book. I feel as though it did not capture the readers emotions into the events of the story. The movie succeeded in telling the story of Gatsby and his love for a woman who once belonged to him. The soundtrack of the movie was one of the most amazing soundtracks to ever be created. Each of the songs completely captured each and every moment of the story. Contradicting the era of which the story took place in, the music was modern. The actors and actresses did a phenomenal job fitting into the characters of the novel. Leonardo Dicaprio as always left me wanting more. He never fails to emotionally attach the viewer to his own emotions and feelings in the movie. Overall I completely adore this film and will most probably watch it again in the near future. It was absolutely fantastic!

OOO! OOO! AAA! AAA!

"Chandre Oraon, Man With Tail, Worshipped As God (But Not By His Wife)"

-The Huffington Post

by David Moye

A thirty-five year old man in Alipurduar, a town in India, is considered a god. But why? Is it because he can read minds? Is it because he has super strength? How about considering the fact that this man, Chandre Oraon has a fourteen and a half inch tail growing out of his back. Oraon has had his tail since birth and the Hindus believe that it is a sign of reincarnation of a monkey god known as "Hanuman." The tale of the monkey god is not the only convincing factor. The man's job consists of picking tea leaves while climbing up trees like monkeys. Worshippers from all over India, travel long ways to be able to see and touch his tail for a blessing.

A woman named Monika Lakda said that she travelled overnight  to be able to see Oraon's tail. She had high hopes that his tail would cure her nephew's fever. The baby recovered soon after her visit. However not all people believe in Oraon's tail as a sign of a god. Bhushan Chakraborty, the local medical officer, told the Indian Express that the man was no monkey god. Oraon's condition is actually a form of spina bifida, when the spinal column does not close all the way down. Some people with the condition develop growths on their lower back or tufts of hair, according to Dr. Scott Meyer. Most doctors recommend patients with tails like Oraon's have surgery to put it back into the body, but he refuses to have any work done on his vestigial tail. Maybe he likes the idea of being someone that people see as a god.

- February 7, 2014

Miss Harper

"Pit Bull Puppy 'Miss Harper' Recovering After Leg, Ears Cut Off"

-The Huffington Post

by Sebastian Murdock

January 31, 2014

A pit bull puppy in New York was found abused and left for dead. She was discovered back in September because of an anonymous tip. She was found with her hind leg and both ears cut off. The event was described as the "butchering" of the helpless pup. The pit bull was named Miss Harper, by the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cr

uelty to Animals. Police are searching for at least one suspect for the vicious abuse of the five month old Miss Harper. Fortunately the SPCA states that they are close to making the arrest case for the person responsible for the atrocious act of violence.

While the police are moving forward with the case, the SPCA is trying to raise funds for Miss Harper's long road towards recovery. Doctor Kim Barlow from My Pet's Vet is in charge of the rehabilitation of the puppy. The surgeries include amputating the remaining of the butchered leg in order to restore balance in her walking. A prosthetic leg will take the place of the missing leg. Besides helping the pup fully recover, the SPCA is trying to find the perfect and loving home for the broken soul. No animal should ever feel abandoned and abused. The person responsible for the horrible actions taken against this helpless creature will get what they deserve in the end.