Penn State Ordeal

If even the devil is upset, you know it is bad. There are very few words I could use that would accurately describe the revulsion I feel towards the Penn State scandal. For those of you who don't know, first off: do you live on planet Earth?? This is BIG. Like ground-breaking, WTF, people-are-going-to-Hell big. Google this case now, and shed a tear with me for the possibly-hundreds of boys that were sexually abused by Former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky started a charity called the Second Mile Foundation, which was supposedly a non-profit organization that helped impoverished youth. Turns out this charity was a way to get to his ideal victims; kids who won't speak out because they believe no one will help them, or kids who think this is the way help comes to those who need it. This man actually makes me so angry to the point of tears, thinking of how he stole the innocence of children looking for help. He is the scum of the Earth, the lowest of low, the definition of a monster. And the sad thing is, this information is only starting to be made public, and the story is going to get alot more scandalous. This is what they already have. More is bound to come out too, since you don't just wake up one day at age 55 and say, "O I guess I'm a pedophile now." And if you look at the "what was done" column, you see a long history of reports and coverups. Which makes me believe that Penn State is one horrid place, that places its football program over basic morals. If you hear/see ANYTHING that would give evidence to a young boy getting raped AND/OR sexually abused, anything at all, you report it. You report it right away, no matter who it is, no matter if you aren't quite sure how serious it is, no matter if you are scared for your job or football season. Obviously Penn State didn't quite know that. So Mr. JoePa (Penn State's pride and joy, the football coach who was recently fired; go figure), you are guilty in my eyes too. Guilty of protecting a football program over a child. Failure to report. You reported to your superiors. Big whoop. They aren't the police, they aren't going to arrest the people in this blatant cover-up. Who knows: maybe JoePa was in it all along? The janitor failed to report. The under-graduate failed to report.  The "superiors" failed to report. It was all a sick cover-up. At this point, the entire staff should be fired. And most have. But it is still not enough. Penn State better start a fund to help these boys that they have allowed to be taken advantage of at the least, if the university can even recover from this ordeal. Sandusky is currently out on bail, and probably will be shot by an outraged person before the trial is over anyways. I can't even talk more about this right now, I'm so upset. I'll do a follow up.
Sincerely Sydney

You have got to be kidding me.

Just when I thought I had seen the most stupid thing kids are doing, there is something new that takes the cake. The new thing: tampons soaked in vodka. That's right parents, you little girl is using her super-sized Playtex to get wasted. The science behind this is sound; a girl's lady business is very vascular, so the alcohol is basically absorbed right into her blood. A quick buzz. Unfortunately, there is no barrier down there to break the alcohol down; there is no stomach acid or anything of that sort. Which means alot more alcohol is being put in the blood stream than it normally would be by just straight up drinking, allowing kids to get really wasted. The problem: infection and alcohol poisoning. A tell-tale sign of alcohol poisoning is throwing up a few times, then possibly passing out. Since the alcohol isn't going to the stomach ever, you can't throw it up. So kids are just passing out. Doctors don't know what is wrong with them, don't know to check the tampon of all things, can't smell alcohol on the kids breath, and don't know how to treat the kid until it is too late. How do they know these kids are dying of alcohol poisoning then? Well, the kids still won't pass a breathalyzer.
Unfortunately, girls aren't the only one using this method either. You heard me right; boys are putting vodka-tampons up their only hole down there. It sounds so vulgar and nasty, but for whatever reason they think this a smart thing to do.
Kids find this a good method for quick, strong buzzes, and also find it a good way to avoid having alcohol-tainted breath, making it easier to hide their drinking from their parents. So please, parents, if you find your son/daughter using an unnatural amount of tampons, check your vodka supply.
Sincerely Sydney

Premature Senior Slump

Ya. I'm pretty sure it is a real thing. A senior slump junior year. It all starts with the receiving of a motor vehicle. It is like giving a child a key to independence; we can go wherever whenever. Parents now give you a curfew to follow, and don't expect a play-by-play of the evenings activities, as they don't need to be there to shuttle you around. You push that curfew to the limit, sometimes speeding to get home, or calling and asking for an extra 30 minutes to finish -insert here- (ex: movie, project, eating). You find with your new found freedom you have more opportunities to meet people as you are going to more social events, until you reach the point where you are actually having to turn away plans as you have too many things scheduled in a day. With this fluster of activity, where is there time to do the 18 hours (and growing with each week of procrastination) of homework? There is none. Yet we are still encouraged and forced to take a schedule of classes that is far beyond our capabilities in regards to time management. So we have to make choices of what is important. And generally, being the irresponsible teenagers we are, we choose the fun party over reading 3 chapters in AP book. Which is where I am now. Too many activities that I want to do, and too little time to do everything. My schedule is challenging, and if I didn't have hobbies, sports, and friends, I would have no problem fulfilling all requirements of my classes. But unfortunately, that is not the case.  I'm afraid my procrastination is getting the better of me, and if I don't get back on track, I will be very disappointed in my performance, and in myself. I know I am better than this. So, I decided to google how to avoid the premature senior slump. Nothing really good was found, so I'm just going to tell you my plan. Hopefully this will help you as well.
Using my planner. Seems like a baby step, but then atleast I can visually see deadlines. Also, not saving all homework for Sunday. Which means doing a little every night.I might even make a daily plan for bigger projects. And finally, stop opening facebook, email, or texting while doing homework. Focus is necessary I'm slowly beginning to realize, because when you need to reread what you are doing 60 times because you keep stopping, you aren't exactly being time efficient.
I know those things seem small, but I think they really cut at my main problem.
(Side note) I know my blog is supposed to be about current events and travel, but this is a current event for me so I believe it counts.
Sincerely Sydney