Smoking kills people. My dad’s parents were smokers. I never met his mom and I don’t remember his dad. This is because his mom died of lung cancer the year before I was born and his dad died of lung cancer when I was about five. My older brother and dad always tell stories about […]
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You have a minute to get five or six kills straight without getting killed. Your primary weapon is low on ammo1 and your secondary weapon is a ballistic knife only useful for confronting your opponent at close range. It sounds like a Clint Eastwood thriller. Actually, it is just a close game of Deathmatch on […]
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Frosty morning. Christmas Eve. I woke to the cries of the tiger mother unsettled by the inconvenient truth that I had slept past 9:30 AM on the first day of winter break. “Time for SAT prep!” No smile. No breakfast. No “Merry Christmas, hon’.” Just a six-syllable imperative to start my long-awaited holidays. I sank […]
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Imagine if the state or country you lived in would not allow you to marry someone you wanted to marry. Gay couples do not get the same rights as other couples and face discrimination in some societies. I think gay couples should receive the same rights as other couples. Many churches oppose gay marriage because […]
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Changing urban education is not impossible, nor is it easy, but we as individuals and as a community must make changes within ourselves to ensure the success of every student. Focusing on parental involvement, teacher involvement, early childhood education, building positive living communities, and decreasing poverty will improve students’ performance in school and success in […]
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In 2010, the estimated number of HIV infections was the highest it has ever been. Black/African-Americans continue to experience the most severe burden of HIV, compared with other races and ethnicities, but all people of races suffer HIV infections. Many people are not being tested because they are scared or unaware, but in reality we […]
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Four years ago, and counting, I was a gymnast. I woke up at 5:00 am every morning to go to practice. We trained for three hours in the morning and four at night. I was committed, and in the best shape of my life, both mentally and physically. Being competitive, aggressive, and determined was required […]
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It all started with a strawberry pop-tart. I was sitting at home and my older sister, Larissa, came up to me. She simply asked, “Why are you eating that stuff?” “What?” I responded. “You know that stuff is full of chemicals and GMO’s, right?” “Chemicals and what?” I had no clue what a “GMO” was. […]
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As I walked my dogs down the street, a low humming noise emerged from around the corner. As I glanced behind me I saw a modern Toyota Prius turn down the street and drive away. The silent car was gone. As a hybrid, that Prius was running on battery electricity and that’s why it was […]
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According to a popular credit card company, there are some things money can’t buy. Love, common sense, and talent to name a few. Many people want a bit of extra cash to throw around, so they could quit their job and relax – I know I would. But psychologists and economists who have studied the […]
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The topic of crime prevention is so important to me because I have been both the victim and the aggressor in prior situations in my past. As I started interacting with friends in my neighborhood peer pressure became a leading role in my everyday life until I made bad choices that landed me in Youth […]
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There have been a number of terrible shooting incidents recently with young people being the perpetrator. Much of the discussion after these shootings has centered on whether playing violent video games makes kids more violent and more likely to hurt people. While there are many people who blame video games for violence, most kids who […]
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