Carpe Diem Final

Samuel Fogel woke up one day and his life was changed forever.  Becoming a teenager is hard enough but when 11 year old Sam Fogel woke up in the middle of the night he had no idea he had just had his first seizure.  Sam’s mother MaryBeth told the story from that night, “His older brother Andrew came downstairs and told me that Sam fell off the bed and wasn’t acting right.”  Sam said that Andrew turned him on his side before he ran downstairs and he possibly saved his life.  MaryBeth had worked in hospitals for many years and when she saw Sam she knew he was having a seizure and immediately called 911.  She said, "I have seen it all before, but it rattled me because you never think it will by your child.”  Sam had no recollection of the day before his seizure or the seizure its self.  He went through many hospital visits after his grand mal seizure.  The doctors found that his seizures were nocturnal and could be controlled on high doses of medicine.  He spent several years in and out of the hospital and doctors office hindering his school work and his time of being a child.  “He wanted to keep it private so no one treated him differently, but he was always in such good spirits,” said MaryBeth.  When Samuel was fifteen he went to the Cleveland Clinic to have tests ran and possibly have brain surgery.  While he was at the clinic they took him off his medicine for a span of two hours and he had anywhere from 3-5 major seizures.  The Clinic was monitoring his brain activity and if they could pinpoint where the seizures were active they could do surgery to stop the activity.  What the Clinic found was that there was a high chance that his seizures were child benign, only active in childhood.  MaryBeth said this was a relief because he wouldn't have surgery but it also gave them hope that it would be over soon.  The clinic also had to monitor Sam after they put him back on his medicine, they also gave him medicine for the pain he had after the seizures. “He was high as a kite. He called his brothers, was singing, and talking to everyone.  When he had to go back employees recognized him from his video, it was the number one video they showed in the hospital, everyone loved it,” MaryBeth said.  

That same year Sam was part of the make a wish program and, like any fifteen year old boy, his wish involved sports.  Sam went to the 2007 pro bowl in Hawaii.  He got to spend a week in Hawaii, went to practices leading up to the pro bowl, went to a luau, and got to meet many of the players.  “I told Payton Manning I thought he was the best quarterback and he laughed at me because I was in my Steelers jersey and told me I better not let Ben hear me say that,” said Sam.  He said the experience was one of the best experiences he has ever had and that it made him respect some players more but it also made him lose respect for one player.  Terell Owens walked right by all the make a wish kids and wouldn't even look at them.  At the time he was one of Sam’s favorite players but after that Sam did not like him as a player or person anymore.  Sam went on for the next few years in a daze because of his medicine but without any complications from the seizures.  When he was 18, right before Sam’s graduation he had the final of three perfect EEGs, which proved the Cleveland Clinic to be right about his seizures being child benign.  They took Sam off of medication at a fast pace starting in April and he was completely off medicine by June.  Sam went on his senior trip and said he was not worried about just being off medicine, he just wanted to go to Florida. He had no complications on the trip and has been seizure free since that time.  Sam is open about talking about his seizures and said that they were a crucial part of who he is as a person.  He says he doesn't worry about having seizures at this time of his life.  “I know that everything will work out, so I'm fine,” he said.  Sam is an excellent student at Slippery Rock University and is on the inline hockey team and also participates in several intramural sports.  He is happy with where his life is and thinks that he is a stronger person because of his past.

Carpe Diem proposal

I chose to do this project on my friend Sam Fogel.  When he was younger he suffered from seizures.  He struggled with that disease for many years.  He got to make a wish and went to the pro bowl in Hawaii with his family.  The doctors got his seizures under control and he was able to participate in sports, go to school with out missing long periods of time, and he eventually got to go to college.  He didn't let his seizures define him or stop him from living the life he wanted.

Meograph Final Project: Marijuana in America

Marijuana in America Draft

http://www.meograph.com/raejax/137628/marijuana-in-america

The Legalization of Marijuana in America

I have chosen the legalization of marijuana in the United States.  This includes decriminalization, legalizing for medical use, and complete legalization.  There are several states that are still criminalized as well. This is an on going debate in the United States, especial since Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana in 2012 for recreational use.  California took the plunge in 1996 legalizing marijuana for medicinal use.  This is something that can be mapped across the United States and can also be spanned from the beginning of the United States, hemp paper is what the Declaration of Independence was written on, up until now when two more states legalized marijuana for recreational use.  This plant has been used for more than just getting high.  This plant can be used for many positive things such as, paper, textiles, helping to slow cancer cells, and many more.  So I plan to do a history of why it was criminalized and why now it is getting legalized.  I will be choosing several states to focus on and reasons each one has for their marijuana laws.  It will be mapped  across the United States going from coast to coast and I have not decided on the time frame yet because it has deep roots in our country; however, it will at least be from 1996 until present.

Native American Day

Native Americans are one of the strongest, most proud cultures in the United States and Thursday the Three Rivers American Indian Center celebrate their culture at Slippery Rock University. Native American day is not a well known holiday in the United States but has been recognized in many of the states, especially in the west where the Native American population is greater and more concentrated. The day is not a set date, it varies by state and year. The Three Rivers American Indian Center performs from 9:30am until 4:00pm in the Robert Smith Student Center ballroom. Thirty-four Native Americans perform, speak, and demonstrate traditional and contemporary Native American existence in Western, PA.  The participants are indigenous tribal people from the greater Pittsburgh area who have won awards in traditional dances, drummers, and singers in their tribal traditions. They have many activities going on for the students such as, make your own dream catcher and participation in the tribal dances.  They have hand made jewelry, paintings, and other artifacts for sale as well.  The Three Rivers American Indian Center was established in 1969 to provide the opportunity for Native Americans to share their culture and values and to provided education to improve the quality of life and to elevate their economic status. They go to different schools and perform for the students so that they can see how different their culture is compared to the american culture.  This event happens every year at Slippery Rock University and other schools attend this event as well.  It is open to everyone and everyone there was in awe at the performances.  There is a mutual respect between the Native Americans and the students attending.  Several activities that the Native Americans did were open for anyone to join.  They encouraged others to join them in dancing.  They also had crafts for those attending to create and make themselves.  There are people there who would talk about how to make traditional cloths and the meanings of the feathers, which is very important in the Native American culture.  They talked about the repression of their people and how they bear no ill will to those who slaughtered their ancestors.  They also talked about their POW-WOW a little.  The POW-WOW is a meeting the Three Rivers Native American Center holds every year between the tribes in the greater Pittsburgh area.  It is a two day event that happens late September every year.  It is much like what they brought to Slippery Rock University but on a much larger scale.  They have competitions and prizes and more ways to get involved.  Celebrating our differences and similarities is one of the fundamental rights of being and American.  Unity and celebrating culture of this nation is what Native American Day is all about.

The logo for the Three Rivers Native American Center.

Ron Miller sitting with his table of merchandise.

                                                                    Slippery Rock students making their own dream catchers.

Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead

Kettle Corn Proposal: Hope for the Girls

On October 17, 2014 200 girls were abducted from the Abuja school in Nigeria and have yet to be returned.  The Nigerian government established a truce with Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist group in Nigeria.  The truce has been broken several times since it has been made Friday, October 17, with 5 attacks that have killed dozens of civilians and the girls have not been returned. The Nigerian government plans to continue talks with the group Monday, October 20, 2014.

#RollPride

Slippery Rock Inline on Dipity.

Kiss Away Cancer

National Coffee Day!

Intramural Sports: Get in the Game

To Ban or Not to Ban?

The questions is whether or not we should ban and make illegal the possession of all handguns.

Lets start out with the number one reason this is a controversial question, The United States Constitution states, "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."  This was the second amendment to our constitution which is pretty important if you ask me. This is the number one reason America is having a hard time giving up their gun rights because if we give this right up how many more will we have to give up? Theres is a website that has its own debate about this going on now. 

With regard to the homicide rate in the United States firearms claim over half of the deaths. Gun laws also differ by state as seen here.  The other side of the spectrum has a few things to say about why they do not want to give up their right to bear arms.  There has been numerous studies and data collected about the topic of gun control. A lot of the reason that gun control is on the rise is because of things like Sandy Hook and Newton, mass murders of innocent people and in this case children.  The violence at Virginia Tech and other places with in the last ten years has seemed to be on the rise.  However there are facts that show most people are thinking with emotions left in the wake of these incidents when discussing harsher gun control laws.  There are petitions for both sides going on one for the ban of guns and one to keep guns.  There are a few websites that make a funny but good point on why guns shouldn't be banned. 

The United States is always changing the laws they have in place to fit the times and the people who are currently being governed.  The government does listen to the people but it listens to the facts as well.  The government wants to be 100% sure about everything they do because lets be honest who wants another probation fiasco. 

My Life Be Like..

     Hey there! My name is Rachel Jackson.

                                                                                                             

Here's a little insight into my life via links and sassy comments:
 
   This one is for my Twitter.  I don't know how people can have social media with out twitter.  It is by far the best social media out there.  I am that person that will tweet everything.  I barley see people that I actually know because I follow so many people. I may have a problem. #twitterovereverything
 
   This one is for my Facebook. This one is for keeping in touch with long lost friends, seeing the best Tuesday night drama, and so my mom can think she is keeping up with my life.
 
   The last social media I will put up here is my Instagram. Here you will find my witty pictures, a few selfies, pictures of my Starbucks or my food.  I always forget I have an IG but the pictures that get posted are pictures that everyone needs to see, at least I think they do.

   My university has a pretty cool website too, check it out!  Yes, there is a university named Slippery Rock.. Lets go Rock!  I am currently a Senior Communications major with an emphasis in Public Relations. I am an avid Slippery Rock inline hockey fan. All of my friends play and I love going to their games at Neville Island but especially the ones I get to travel with them for their NCRHA games. They even let me spend my time with the cup after their championship win last year.  am currently enrolled in a class called New Media Journalism which is why I have started this blog. All of my class' blogs can be viewed on our Facebook page, or you can find links to our blogs on Twitter using #nmjatsru.

   One traditional media outlet I enjoy reading is the Observer Reporter. This is a newspaper in my home town, Canonsburg, Pa.  I have fun reading it because a lot of the times, good or bad, there are always people I know in the paper.  I definitely hope there is more people I know doing stupid stuff so I can feel better about myself.

  My favorite new media outlet is definitely Twitter.  I find out almost everything on twitter.  It is a fast paced short winded media outlet so it is right up my alley.  There is 140 characters to catch my interest or its on to the next one. And like I said before, I may have a problem.

  Besides tweeting I enjoy playing softball, watching any type of hockey, and going on adventures at 2 in the morning. I have a turtle named Kush and he is the love of my life, even though he is a spoiled brat. I love to read and the book is always better than the movie.  The only show I watch religiously is South Park, which has its own take on the issues going on in the world that I find amusing.  I want to travel the world one day and I'm hoping I can do a lot of it while working with PR companies from different areas of the world.  But my main goal in life is to just be happy.