Teens held hostage in Marinette WI

What would you do if you were held hostage? Imagine if you were fifteen years old and one of your classmates came into the classroom with a gun. This is exactly what happened to Zach Campbell who was held hostage at his school in Marinette Wisconsin. When I read this article I was shocked because Marinette is not far from La Crosse. I can only imagine the terror that the students went through along with the teacher.
According to the superintendent Tim Baneck who said “the student started class without any weapon, he asked to use the restroom, and when he returned he was carrying the duffel bag containing the two guns and ammunition” (para 12). It is frightening to think that this fifteen year old boy was able to get the two guns, a 9 mm semi-automatic and a .22 caliber semi-automatic with the ammunition into the school. I can’t even imagine how I would feel if it were my child being held hostage. What I don't understand is, why didn't the superintendent question him or wonder why he came out with a duffel bag if he didn't have one before he went into the rest room. Wouldn't that automatically set off a signal.
The gunman came into the class room and shot the projector while the class was watching a movie. He then fired again and told everyone in the class room to place their cell phones in the middle of the room, the gunman ended up breaking his phone in half after his phone rang (para 14). Everyone including the teacher tried to stay calm, after about six hours he let five hostages go, and then later he let the rest, twenty three hostages go. The teacher Valerie Burd tried her best to keep everyone calm and she did a great job dealing with the situation, Even though the gunman had no interest in talking to her. He did talk to the class mates that he held hostage and they tried their best to talk to him so that he wouldn’t flip out.
Zach, one of the hostage, said the gunman looked depressed but probably did not want to harm anyone( para 3), the police have no idea what the gunman’s motives were. The police heard three shots and broke down the door, as the officers approached him, he shot himself. He is in bad condition, “grave condition,” his name has not been released. I can just imagine what his parents are going through, this morning I heard on the radio station. The gun mans uncle saying that he couldn't believe that his nephew would do such a thing that it wasn't like him at all. I believe that when someone is depressed or broken, you have to search deeper, look closer and listen. I am sure the gunman had some problems and maybe he was depressed.
This whole incident makes me feel sad; it makes me wonder why a fifteen year old boy would do this to his classmates, to his teacher and to himself. What could be so bad that would drive this boy to go on a rampage? Whatever his reason is no one knows. I hope that the school will get past this along with the parents whose kids were held hostage like Zach Campbell and the teacher Valerie Burd. I am glad that non of the hostages were hurt.


Richmond, Todd. "Updated: Teen in Shooting in Grave Condition." La Crosse Tribune - LaCrosse News Source. 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. .

Five Steps to Take When You've Been Stood Up

Have you ever gotten stood up by a date? If so, how did you deal with it? Here are five steps on dealing with being stood up. First is acceptance, embarrassment, anger, moving on, and why me.
First step is accepting the fact that your date did not show up. He or she didn’t show up because they didn’t want to. Let’s say your date was running late, he or she would probably call, unless they weren’t planning on meeting you. If it’s a no call no show, it means you were stood up. It happens to best of us, accept it. That’s the only way you can move past the fact that you were stood up. Whatever you do, do not call your date and ask why you were stood up. Let it be a lesson learned and know that whoever your date was that stood you up is not worth your time.
The second step is embarrassment; it is embarrassing when you and your date plan on meeting at a public place such as a restaurant or a bar and your date does not show up. Especially, if you two planned on meeting at a romantic place. You might feel less awkward if you two had planned on meeting at a pool hall or a bar. The embarrassment might not be that bad if you were stood up and this was only the second or third date. In reality, if that is the case you shouldn’t feel too embarrassed since you both don’t know each other too well. Either way the level of embarrassment varies depending how many dates you both have been on, the place of where he or she stood you up and if how much you liked your date. It’s always embarrassing if you and your date are on different levels of feelings. The more you like your date the level of embarrassment will be higher if you were stood up.
The third step is anger, no matter how angry or hurt you are; do not damage any of your belongings such as your phone or a mirror. Your phone is worth more than the person who stood you up. Damaging things or throwing things around might ease your anger at the moment but after you have calmed down you will probably realize that it was stupid of you to ruin your phone or whatever it is that you decided to break. Let out your anger by calling a friend, go for a walk, or play video games. Channel your anger into something positive.
The fourth step is moving on, move on and be happy. You are not a victim and there is plenty of fish in the sea. Obviously if your date stood you up, it means they just weren’t that into you. It doesn’t mean that you should never date again or trust anyone. Not everyone is going to like you and you are not going to like everyone you meet. It doesn’t feel good to be stood up but that doesn’t mean it is the end of the world.
Finally, the last step is why me, “why me?” you might ask yourself, and you’ll probably start thinking that it was your fault that he or she stood you up. You might never know why you got stood up, it might be something you said or it might not be you at all. It might have been your date. Instead of asking yourself “WHY” just be glad your date stood you up, he or she saved you a lot of time now you can cross him or her off your list and know for sure that the relationship would have gone anywhere.
These are just the simple steps you can do to deal with being stood up, but at the end you will figure out that it was for the best. Don’t be too hard on yourself, just accept the fact that you were stood up, face the embarrassment, take your anger out in positive ways such as going for a walk or a jog, get over it and move on, chances are you not the only one who has ever gotten stood up, and do not question yourself as to why your date stood you up. Being stood up is not fun and can damage a person but it is how you deal with it. If you act like it is the end of the world then it will be. If you stay positive, everything will work out at the end.


"5 Stages of Dealing with Being Stood up - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 29 Nov. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. .

Twin Death Investigation

There has been many unusual deaths but what could be more unusual then the death of twins. The incident seems like a suicide, there was no reason for them to want to die, the details of the case seem strange.
They were at a shooting range, according to the owner of the shooting range Doug Hamilton, he said “the twins were using small caliber guns and were probably recreational shooters and that they probably had a plan to shoot each other (para 17). The case is still under investigation but they are not looking for a suspect. There didn’t seem to be a sign of a struggle and both of the twins fell to the ground at the same time.
The twins were from Australia, one was pronounced dead at the scene and the other is in the hospital recovering from surgery after being shot in the head. The police are trying to contact the twin’s family in Australia, so far the names of the twins have not been released. The police do not know which of the twin survived. I don’t see how they would shoot each other, no one knows, the police are waiting for the twin who survived to become conscious to ask her questions.
After all these details and the story line of where they were seen and how they were at the shooting range, shooting as if it wasn’t their first time. It is strange to me, that these twins would plan and willingly to shoot one another. It is unbelievable the story itself and that it actually happened. It is unfortunate because they were only 29 years old, hopefully when the twin wakes up the police can get to the bottom of this. I wonder what the surviving twin will feel when she wakes up knowing that her sister died and that she didn't, and if this was suppose to be a suicide mission, I can only imagine the chaos of everything that will come next for the twin that survived.

Wolf, Jeffrey, Matt Flener, and Anastasyia Bolton. "9NEWS.com | Denver | Colorado's Online News Leader | Twins Shot: Deputies Don't Know Which Twin Is Dead in Cherry Creek State Park Shooting Range Death." 9NEWS.com | Denver | Colorado's Online News Leader | Breaking News, Local News, World News and More... 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. .

Facebook

Many people use facebook, it is the new way to keep in touch with friends. Many people who use facebook post how they are feeling or what they have planned for the day on their status . They may even post a negative thought about an individual or how much they dislike that individual. Should there be a limit on certain things that can be posted on facebook, do you think there should be consequences for people who do post negative and nasty comments on facebook, and if the comments were about an individual’s employer should they get fired from their job.
The facebook world is huge, you can find almost everyone on facebook. People need to realize that posting something negative about certain things can result in a negative consequence. For instance, An emergency medical technician got fired from her job. She was accused of posting negative comments about her supervisor on facebook. I don’t think there should be a limit on what you can post on facebook but also one should know better than to post anything work related on facebook. Most people would say it’s common sense.
If one posts negative comments about anything work related they should be talked to by their employer, otherwise I don’t believe punishment is necessary. Even though, I have read some outrageous comments on facebook . I think it would be absolutely ridiculous if there were a law or some kind of violation on posting certain things on facebook, considering the fact that there are enough laws that limit us to doing simple things. UNLESS it is about one’s employer.
Getting fired for posting negative comments on facebook would be reasonable. Especially if it were a nasty comment. Dawnmarie Souza, the lady who got fired is going to court January 25th, “according to Jonathan Kreisberg, director of the board’s Hartford office, which filed the complaint, Ms. Souza then mocked her supervisor on Facebook , using several vulgarities to ridicule him” (Greenhouse para 11). I could understand why Dawnmarie mocked her supervisor on facebook, not everyone likes their boss or supervisor but expressing it on facebook is going to get an individual in trouble and that is exactly what happened to Dawnmarie.
Facebook is a great way to stay connected or reconnect with old friends. Sometimes expressing your honest thoughts could cost you. I was surprised when I read the article about Dawnmarie losing her job over a facebook post. I have read posts on facebook about how an individual felt about their job but to get fired over it, the thought of it is insane. Should there be a limit on certain things that can be posted on facebook, should there consequences and should an individual lose their job if the post is work related?


Greenhouse, Steven. "Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post." Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post 8 Nov. 2010. 8 Nov. 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

Ten Year Old Having a Baby

Can you imagine a ten year old girl giving birth? It’s hard to imagine and the thought of it is disturbing. It happened to a ten year old girl in Spain, this girl’s mother who is a Romanian Gypsy is absolutely delighted to be a grandmother and in some cultures certain things are acceptable. How would you feel if your mother let you lose your virginity at age ten and then finding out that you have a baby on the way?
The mother to the ten year old girl who gave birth sees nothing wrong in her daughter having a child. The father of the newborn is only thirteen years old, they both are so young. Their childhood years are completely gone. The mother of the ten year old made a comment to a reporter stating that “she also said she didn't understand the attention the case was generating because she and her daughter are Romanian Gypsies, or Roma, and their custom is to allow girls to marry young even though that's against the law in Romania.”(Associated press 4).
In the United States our laws and our beliefs are different than in other countries. We don’t have arranged marriages and the legal age in the United States is eighteen. With parental consent a sixteen year old can get married according to the Romanian law otherwise eighteen without parental consent. I understand that cultures vary in what they frown upon and what they consider to be acceptable, but I personally would never give permission for my daughter to marry at age sixteen or have a baby at age ten.
It is hard not to find it disturbing when you read about young children already having kids of their own. It’s unfortunate that it happened, although the article doesn’t express how the ten year old girl feels, she could be happy and she could be completely miserable but it is a a big responsibility. It’s a mother’s responsibility to protect her children; being that I came from a different culture than the American culture I do understand how that mother didn’t see anything wrong with her ten year old daughter having a baby but I would never allow my daughter to lose her virginity and age ten and have a baby. Like I said, every culture is different but to me a child should not be having a child of their own.


"Mom in Spain Happy That Her 10-Year-Old Gave Birth - FoxNews.com." FoxNews.com - Breaking News | Latest News | Current News. 3 Nov. 2010. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. .

The Most Horrifying Day of my Life

“Wake up sleepy head, ”there was no response so I pulled the covers off of Diamond. “I’m tired mom, just let me sleep,” “NO Diamond, you have to get ready for school.” Diamond woke up, looked around the room, pulled the covers over her and laid back down. I pulled the covers off of her again and opened the curtain to the window beside her bed. The morning sun beamed right at her making her frustrated and eventually Diamond got out of bed. We did our daily routine, ate breakfast, got ready and flew out the door. I dropped Diamond off at daycare, before I left I gave her a hug, a kiss and told her I loved her. Then I was off to work. What started out as an ordinary morning soon became the most horrifying day of my life.
It was Tuesday, like any other Tuesday; I went to work and school. As usual, work was boring and school was long. I couldn’t wait to get done with class so that I could see my daughter. I was nervous about her starting Kindergarten and since today was only her third day of school, she was all I could think about. Sitting through my sociology class felt like slow motion, it felt as if the clock would never hit 3:00. Finally, 3:00 came around and I was free, done with work and school for the day.
I rushed to my car and I was on my way to pick up Diamond. When I arrived at day care, Krista, one of the staff, pointed to the back room and said Diamond had just gotten off the bus and was in the back room. As I made my way to the back room I could hear the kids running and talking. I entered the room waiting and expecting Diamond to run to me and give me a hug as usual. She always noticed me right away, I looked around the room but I didn’t see Diamond. Jenny, the staff in the class room said she didn’t see Diamond come into the room. I figured maybe Diamond was in the bathroom so I checked, but no sign of her. I immediately found Krista and told her that Jenny didn’t see Diamond enter the class room. Krista said she swore Diamond got off the bus, but her face expression was full of uncertainty and her voice was soft and shaky as if she were scared. So I asked her, “Krista did you or did you not see Diamond get off the bus?” finally, Krista said “I’m not sure,” I was frustrated with her and thought to myself, how could this clueless girl be working at a daycare. I pictured myself in slow motion punching her in the face, but I snapped back into reality and without thinking twice, I went into Katie’s office, the director; I told her Diamond was not at daycare. She looked at me and told me not to worry because kids sometimes fall asleep and miss their bus stop,or get off on the wrong bus stop. I called the bus company while Katie called the school. Kathy, the lady who worked for the bus company said she would contact all bus drivers and as soon as she heard anything she would contact me.
Thirty minutes later, Katie’s phone rings, I jumped up hoping to hear that Diamond was at school and that she was safe, Katie turned and looked at me and said “Diamond is not at school” as she hung up the phone. I could tell Katie was worried, she kept on walking back and forth holding her phone tight. I felt more nervous every time I heard her high heal boots hitting the hard wood floor while she was pacing back and forth. The sound reminded me of a ticking time bomb that was ready to explode at any minute; I tried my best to ignore the sound and to focus on remaining positive. Finally, an hour later, the bus company called to confirm that Diamond was not on any of the buss's.
The next step was to call the police, Katie called 911 and handed me the phone, the dispatcher asked me to give a detailed description of what Diamond was wearing. I felt sick to my stomach; my voice was shaking as I talked to the dispatcher. All I could think about was where my five year old daughter could be. What if she was lost? What if she was in the hands of a petifile? What if I don’t find her? My mind was racing from a horrible thought to another. I imagined myself handing out fliers asking anyone and everyone if they’ve seen this little girl that belonged to me. I was numb, I was afraid, and I was worried. This is a mother’s worst nightmare and it was happening to me. The Onalaska Police Department was searching for my daughter, retracing all the stops the bus made in case she got off the wrong bus stop. The principal of Diamonds school came to the daycare to meet me. While introducing himself to me, he said, “I am so sorry, I don’t know how this could have happened.” I was so angry, I felt as if my heart was pounding out of my chest, I took a deep breath, as I replied, “How did this happen? I drop my child off at daycare, she made it to school safely, why was she not on any of the busses and why was she not checked out of school?” the principal had nothing to say except that he was sorry, he stayed at the daycare for about fifteen minutes and was off to search for Diamond along with the bus driver and the police. He took my phone number and told me he would call me if he found or heard anything about Diamond.
At his point it was a waiting game and I felt helpless. I wanted to go look for my daughter but the police officer demanded that I stay at the day care incase anything happened. I watched nervously as each parent came to pick up their children. I thought to myself, why didn’t I give Diamond a longer hug and a longer kiss, now she is missing and I don’t know what’s going to happen. This very thought made me nauseas and everything around me became blurry as if everything I looked at was out of focus.
6:30 pm my phone rings, without hesitation I pick up “Hello” it was a police officer, “I found Diamond, she was riding her bike down the street.” Before the police officer could say another word, I said “have her stay at my neighbors house I will be right there” I called Carol my neighbor, to inform her of the situation and told her to keep an eye on Diamond until I got there. Before I ended the call I was already out the door. I raced home and when I saw Diamond, without saying anything, I gave her a hug. She cried and told me what happened. Somehow she got on the wrong bus, luckily the bus that she was on made a stop close to our house. Diamond was able to notice a house that looked familiar located two blocks down from our house and got off that bus stop with the other kids. She ended up walking home, since I wasn’t home and I was still at the daycare, no one was there to open the door for her. She walked down the street to her friend’s house and stayed there for about two hours. She came back to the house but still no one was home so she took her bike out and went for a bike ride and that’s when the police officer spotted Diamond.
Although Diamond was found safe, I think back on that horrifying day, from the moment me and Diamond woke up until I picked her up. Retracing every emotion I felt that day, I now take time to enjoy breakfast with my daughter, I give her longer hugs, more kisses and I tell her I love her more. Since this incident I have realized how easy a child could get lost or go missing, I hear on the news and on the radio of children missing, where they were last seen or what they were wearing but I never knew the feeling of those parents with their children missing until it happened to me. I am just glad and grateful that my beautiful daughter is alive and safe.