PETA Reacts to Video of Apparent Animal Abuse

A video recently posted to youtube, and the wildly popular site, 4chan, depicting a young girl throwing puppies into a river, has sparked outrage amongst animal activist groups, and has many questioning the video's authenticity. No matter whether the video is authentic or not, the depiction of anyone harming any creature in any way is just despicable. In the video, the girl, who, according to CNN Justice, is speaking Croatian, is seen lifting 6 puppies out of a basket and launching them into a moving river. This particular incident of animal abuse really struck a chord with me. The fact that it (allegedly) happened in another country angers me more-so because the rules and regulations in regards to animal cruelty in other parts of the world differ greatly from the laws associated with it here in the United States. The link to the actual article from CBS News can be found here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20015283-504083.html

Suicide Awareness

Suicide is a big issue when it comes to college students and college campuses. Many students each year commit suicide on countless college campuses each year, and the threat is becoming ever-worsening with these hard, economic times. That is why I believe there should be better suicide awareness at Western Connecticut State University. The only thing we have going for these at-risk students is a Counseling Center on campus hat not many people know about. I feel like there should be yearly (maybe even monthly) reminders about awareness of such a troubling issue. Newsletters can be handed out on campus for incoming students letting them know there is a counseling center available if needed, and events like 'To Write Love on Her Arms' held annually to further that awareness. This potentially devastating problem has an easy fix, we just need to get on top of it and keep students (and faculty) aware. Awareness is key, and we must try our best!

Betty White Has Still Got It!

This past Saturday there was a special first-ever event on the television show Saturday Night Live: Betty White was hosting! The 88-year old legend was hosting after her extensive years in show-business, after a viral campaign on Facebook allowed people to rally for her own hosting gig. It certainly payed-off, and the show, according to popeater.com, had its highest ratings in "18 months."

White, who has been around for almost three decades, rolled with the punches and showed the rest of the SNL-world that she was just as quick-witted and snarky as they come. I, myself, watched the event take place, and let me tell you, Betty White burned up that stage! That episode is likely to go down in history as one of the greatest comedic events on SNL's stage.

To read the full article, or watch any unaired clips from the show, go to: http://www.popeater.com/2010/05/10/betty-white-snl-debbie-downer/?icid=main|main|dl2|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popeater.com%2F2010%2F05%2F10%2Fbetty-white-snl-debbie-downer%2F

James Dyer- Past and Present

Former Danbury, CT Mayor James Dyer recently spoke about his past history in politics, and the past is the key word here. It seemed Mr. Dyer was living in the there, driving around in his convertible campaigning for civl rights and going against the Vietnam War. Personally, it felt like he mentioned many things surrounding his golden (and sometimes not-so-golden) days as Mayor, and the years prior to that. I feel like he definitely has a lot t brag about being the former Mayor and all, but the fact that he went on about it kind of made me feel like he was stuck in that decade.

James Dyer gave many good pointers on how to be a good speaker. He said, "Never rely heavily on audio or visual aids because you want the center of attention to be you, and you alone." I find that to be both true and no so true, but depending on the situation. VIsual aids are great, say, if you are presenting something to your business firm on how to generate more revenue. That way, if you are charismatic enough, the attention will be focused on your, and your presentation as a whole. Dyer also noted that "giving the audience some form of paper or handout to bring home" is a great way to keep the audience informed and talking about you, even after the speech, presentation, etc., is over. You will find that most seminars and lecturers will do that very same thing.

According to Dyer, the steps you need to follow in order to be a good speaker are these: 1.) Organization, 2.) Articulation, and 3.) Presentation. Agreeably, these are what most public speakers do. They make sure their material is organized to be presented in a chronological and well-fashioned manner, and they make sure to articulate everything they say. It's always good to follow those steps, and they seem to work well for the former Mayor.

Although I wouldn't agree with some of James Dyer's politics back when he was Mayor (or currently), I feel that he presented some useful information on how to be a good speaker, and how to handle being a part of (and handling) the media. You always have to remember who your audience is, and maybe try and rethink going into politics at this time, because, according to Mr. Dyer, "This is the worst time to be a part of any government."

Dr. Abbey Zink

Dr. Abbey Zink, Assistant Dean of Arts and Sciences at Western Connecticut State University, is one of the great Journalistic minds on campus. She is a woman who grew up in West Virginia playing softball and listening to Billy Idol, who graduated with a doctorate in Journalism, and became one of the key components of our small New England college.

As well as being well-read and highly intelligent, she is also very funny and compassionate to all her students' needs. For all my years here at Western, I have grown to accept her as my advisor, and highly recommend her to anyone seeking mentorship. It's hard not to have a good time with her when you sit down and talk. This woman knows her stuff, and she is more than happy to help anyone out, no matter what their major or problem.

I am proud to say that I know Dr. Abbey Zink, and regard her as one of WestCONN's most valuable faculty members.

Poynter

One of the more curious things that Poynter.com suggested in it's "Writing Tools" section was to "choose words the average writer avoids, but that the average reader understands." This got me thinking of how I, myself, write. I tend to use my best friend (the thesaurus, or the Web site, Thesaurus.com) to come up with synonyms of words I commonly use. I try to avoid using the same word more than once in my pieces, because that way the writing seems more colorful and intelligent rather than boring and redundant. Also, avoiding jargon is another technique. I would never use a word a reader might not understand without possibly explaining it first. Jargon doesn't ever help. It falls along the lines of "filler" in my book.

Snapshot Profile

There was a time in my life when I was sorely absent, emotionally, from the rest of the world. I found myself feeling completely disconnected from everyone around me: my family, my friends, my colleagues, and I saw myself falling into a deep depression. It was only when I was eighteen when all of the accumulated emotions burst from me and I found myself institutionalized, and that's when I truly found out who I really was. With the help of psychiatrists and other in-patients, I grew to accept who I had become as a person, and deal with mental illness and all the other issues circling my life.

I've come to the realization that not everything in life is perfect, and that everyone has problems (not just me), and dealing with reality is a normal way of life. Instead of disconnecting myself from my own harsh reality, I had an "awakening" of sorts. With the encouraging of my friends, co-workers, family, and therapists on campus, things have finally started to normalize themselves.

Looking back on that period in time, I didn't realize how "lost" I actually was. It took something so horribly damaging to me, personally, for me to come out on the other side and embrace acceptance.