McKenzie Hartmann- FDA approves drug - 4th period

This article is essentially about the endeavors of a family to secure an experimental new drug the FDA has recently approved for treating brain tumors.  The patient, a young girl, suffers from an inoperable brain tumor that has left all those around her hopeless, until now.  The FDA has just approved an experimental drug that could potentially cure her.  The excitement this engendered was short lived, however, as the family is struggling to find a doctor to treat the patient using this drug.  Their apprehension comes from the act that the drug was developed by a heavily criticized Texas doctor, causing others in the field to reject his proposals.  The family has chosen to remain optimistic saying they will travel any length necessary to secure her treatment and meet with any physician.  Another hinderance is despite the fact that the drug has been approved, the FDA has been very stingy in its distribution.  Hope is still alive for the family who are meeting with doctors and attempting to get the medicine.

I think its incredible that new drugs such like the ones that could benefit this family are being produced and approved, but what good are they if nobody can use them?  Its difficult enough getting new drugs approved, even on an experimental basis, but once they are, they shouldn't go immediately out of circulation.  It's a little bit ridiculous that after all this family has been through, they have to suffer more at the hands of the people who claim to be on their side, by their blatant refusal of aid.  I hope this girl gets the treatment she needs and there is wider circulation of the drug.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/03/26/fda-allows-nh-girl-to-try-controversial-brain-tumor-drug/?hpt=us_bn7

Mudslide missing number drops Peyton Wilson 5th period

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-26807482

The number of people missing from last week's Washington state mudslide has been revised down substantially from 90 to 30, the authorities say.

The official death toll has risen to 18, with several bodies yet to be formally identified.

Rescue workers halted operations briefly on Saturday to observe a moment's silence for those who died.

It has been over a week since the town of Oso, north of Seattle, was struck by a 177ft (54m) wall of mud and debris.

Analysis:

It's certainly comforting to know that the suspected number of deaths has gone down, but there is still that nauseating feeling in the stomach to know that we don't really know. Authorities have only identified five bodies and the number of unidentified bodies is rumored to be 27. To me, that ratio is terrifying because of the sheer uncertainty of it all.  

Claire Zimmerman: Burger King baby meets mother

Back in 1986, a woman, pregnant and afraid, made the heart wrenching decision to leave her new born child in a Burger King. The mother, who has chosen to remain nameless, was worried what her family would think, and scared of getting an abortion, so she decided to not give birth in a hospital. She afterwards decided she could not keep the child, and decided to leave her in a Burger King restroom. In march, the child decided she wanted to know who her mother was, so she posted a picture of her with a sign of Facebook, asking for people to repost until her mother saw it. And as luck would have it, her mother did see it, and they had a joyous reunion.

This is a beautiful story. I know many people will think that this mother is terrible, and should be arrested or otherwise persecuted for doing this, but she did the only thing she thought would be good for the child that would also not get her into trouble. Yes, it was selfish, but I'm going to say something kind of out there: it's not much different than abortion, except in this case the woman actually gave birth to the child and abandoned it. I doubt it was out of spite. I don't think any mother is capable of doing something like that out of spite. She was just doing the only thing she knew to do. Was it right? Of course not. She should have put that child through the proper adoption services, but she was young and foolish, and the past is in the past. The important thing is that she got to see her child again and maybe they can learn to forgive each other and build a path to recovery.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-26755905

Report: 2 Spanish journalists kidnapped in Syria arrive home by Jenna Cary 1st Pd

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/30/world/europe/syria-spanish-journalist-kidnapping/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Nearly six months ago, two spanish journalists were kidnapped. The men were kidnapped at the Tal Abyad checkpoint in Raqqa province, close to the Turkish border, as they prepared to leave Syria after two weeks of coverage.The journalists were traveling with four fighters from the Free Syrian Army, who were also kidnapped, but released 12 days later. The fighters were supposed to have provided protection to the Spaniards, the newspaper reported. They have just arrived back safely to spain.

I think this is really awesome that they have been set free. Usually, in these types of situations, the kidnapped are not released. It seems that nearly everything is dangerous these days. Basically anyone sent to a country at war is in danger of being held captive. I think it looks very bad on Syria that they were kidnapped, but it does help that they were returned. I think all this in the middle east has been very out of hand in the past years. 

This one is about sex. Sam Smathers 4th

“On ‘Late’-In-Life Virginity Loss”

By: Jon Fortenbury from The Atlantic

URL: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/on-late-in-life-virginity-loss/284412/

Commentary by: Sam Smathers 4^th

            This article is about the relationship between when you lose your virginity and psychological damage pertaining to sex. Fortenbury says that the “best” time to lose your virginity is when you are about 17 because people that lose their virginity then tend to have less psychological damage in regards to sex later on in life. But he also provides testimonies from various people that did not lose their virginity until their thirties and suffer no psychological damage. Fortenbury’s closing point is that abstaining from sex for reasons such as nervousness or lack of self-confidence will cause psychological damage to the individual abstaining from sex.

            I think that people should have sex whenever and however they want with whomever they want. I think that abstaining from sex because of past experiences is probably not psychologically healthy, but abstinence is that person’s individual choice and it is not my place to say if this is wrong or right. Sex is one of the most physically intimate things you can do with someone else, and so, it can be expected that some sort of damage could come from this encounter. People should not have sex because they are told they need to by pop culture and the status quo, people should have sex because they want to.

"Mag disses tutu of woman battling cancer'- Madison Russell

  Self magazine printed a picture of a woman who, at the time of the picture, was battling cancer and going through chemotherapy. 

The picture of her and her friend pictured them in 2012, wearing tutus as they ran (it is unclear whether they were wearing them to support the woman on her cancer journey or not). Whatever the case may be, the photo was pictured in a tidbit bashing the tut-while-running trend in the magazine. 

 The woman, Monika Allen, was notified that her picture was being used, but wasn't told what it would be used for. When she found out that it was being used in a negative light, she contacted Self magazine and received apologies for the use of the picture in such circumstances.

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Whether she was a cancer survivor or not, the picture shouldn't have been used in that light. Understandable as it is that the cancer makes the situation worse and more offensive, either way the picture shouldn't have been bashed as such. 

Self should've notified Allen of the way the picture was going to be used, but Allen did approve the use of the picture. It was a deceptive way to communicate, but it was approved. 

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2014/03/27/tutu-cancer-survivor-self-magazine?hpt=hp_bn17

Veronica Jones: Search for missing D.C. girl intensifies

Relisha Tenau Rudd, an 8 year old from Washington, has been missing since the beggining of the Month. The search for her has been going on since then, but a new lead has recently popped up and it comes in the form of Kahlil Malik Tatum, the janitor of the shelter she was temporarily staying in, who's wife was found murdered in a Maryland hotel last week.  Rudd was last seen in the Aquatic Gardens on March 1st and "On March 2, we know that Mr. Tatum purchased, among other items, a carton of black, 42 gallon, self-tie contractor trash bags within the District of Columbia... Not long after that purchase, Mr. Tatum was in the area of the aquatic gardens for a period of time." An Arrest Warrant for Tatum and Amber Alert for Rudd have recently been issued. 

I know it's probably too optimistic to hope that Rudd is found alive and unharmed, but I really do. Stories like this not only make me sad, but also angry. Why does this have to happen to children? Why does this have to happen to anyone? I hope Rudd is found and reunited with her family. I hope for the best.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/27/us/dc-missing-girl/index.html?hpt=us_c2