Article #20: Jean Strahan Holds Yard Sale in Order to Make Ends Meet

Countless Montclair residents rummaged through Micheal Strahan's home during a yard sale held by none other than his struggling ex-wife, Jean. Walking off with $300 dresses for $20 a pop. From Strahan's game-worn gloves for $50, two of Michael's televisions for $100 total, picture frames that used to hold loving memories for $2 a shot and countless other things from jersey's to complimentary Pro Bowl handbags. This may rank in the top 10 all-time worst and most public divorces. Jean has gone out of her way to destroy the character of her ex-husband and has done so at any cost -- even opening their home, the most private of all things, to the public.

Article #19: Sports Concussions Called a 'Ticking Time Bomb'

An estimated 350,000 athletes endure some kind of head injury while playing sports every year in the United States, and that's only counting the ones who lose consciousness after impact. Counting the rest of the dings, pings and "rung bells" that result in concussions, the total could be as high as 3.8 million. That's why concussions are, in the words of agent Leigh Steinberg, "a health epidemic, the consequences of which are a ticking time bomb that may not be seen in their totality for 10, 15 or 20 years." Steinberg and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, who suffered the first of his half-dozen concussions at age 11, headlined a summit Friday designed to draw attention to the growing problem of concussions in sports. It's a problem most widely recognized in the NFL, where the suicide of former defensive back Andre Waters and the story of former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson's hurried return to the field made recent headlines. But the issue has repercussions in almost every sport, at almost every level.

Article #18: Va. Tech Student Killed in Crash at Home

A Virginia Tech freshman who returned home with his family after last week's campus massacre was killed in a car crash, his father said Sunday. Jeff Soriano died from his injuries Friday in Senatara Norfolk General Hospital after he was pulled from the wreckage of his burning vehicle, police said. Enrique Soriano, speaking by telephone from his home in Chesapeake, Va., said he picked up his son in the days after the April 16 slaughter on the Blacksburg campus, which left 33 dead, including gunman Seung-Hui Cho . Soriano said his son was in the engineering school. Soriano's vehicle flipped several times and struck a tree before coming to a rest, investigators said. The cause of the crash was not known. Rob Waring said he heard the crash from his office and found Soriano unconscious inside the burning car. After helping pull Soriano to safety, Waring said he talked to a relative of Soriano at the crash scene.

Article #17: Jury Awards $9 Million in Beating Case

A jury awarded $9 million to a black man who suffered permanent brain damage after being beaten and dumped in a field by four men in 2003. Billy Ray Johnson, 46, lives in a nursing home because of the injuries he suffered in the beating. In the criminal case, the men accused of assaulting him were fined and sentenced to probation and jail time, but none served more than 60 days behind bars. In a four-day civil trial in District Court that ended Friday, jurors found James Cory Hicks and Christopher Colt Amox responsible for Johnson's injuries. Defendants Dallas Chadwick Stone and John Wesley Owens previously reached confidential settlements, attorneys said. A jury of 11 whites and one black deliberated less than four hours before returning a unanimous verdict, said attorneys for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of Johnson. Authorities in this poor, pine-locked east Texas hamlet had said that Johnson, well-known around town as a friendly but "slow" character, was lured to an all-white pasture party where underage drinkers fed him alcohol and picked on him. Authorities said Johnson, who lived with his mother and brother and had no criminal background or history of violence, was taunted for the defendants' amusement. He was found unconscious on a fire ant mound and had suffered a serious concussion and bleeding in the brain.

Article #16: Bomb Threat Forces Plane to Land in Munich

An Olympic Airlines flight carrying Greek European parliamentarians from Greece to France made an emergency landing in Munich, Germany, on Monday after a bomb threat was reported, German air traffic control officials said. The Boeing 737 - en route from Athens, Greece, to Strasbourg, France - landed at 10:45 a.m. at a special area of the airport set aside for emergencies, spokeswoman Anja Tomic said. Munich airport spokesman Peter Pruemm said the plane belonged to Greece's Olympic Airlines and that "the pilot apparently said there was a bomb threat." He said the plane had 137 people on board, all of whom safely evacuated shortly after the landing. Athens airport spokeswoman Marina Papagorgiou said 136 people were on board the plane, including 11 Greek members of the European Parliament. The parliament was to open a session in Strasbourg later Monday. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in the total number of people on board.

Article #15: Investigators Seek Clues to Blue Angel Death

The Navy Blue Angels were back home Monday to regroup and mourn the loss of one of their pilots, killed in a crash while performing in one of his first air shows with the team. Witnesses said the plane clipped a stand of pine trees before it went down in a South Carolina neighborhood Saturday. Investigators were still examining the wreckage, and the Navy said it could be three weeks or more before it announces what caused of the crash. At the Pensacola Naval Air Station, Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Davis's parking space was turned into a makeshift memorial with flowers and posters remembering the 32-year-old pilot. Davis was from Pittsfield, Mass., and was in his second year with the Blue Angels, the team known for its high-speed, aerobatic demonstrations, said Lt. Cmdr. Garrett Kasper. The rest of his squadron decided not to participate in a weekend airshow in Vidalia, Ga., and returned home to tearful reunion with family members late Sunday, Kasper said.

Article #14: Missing Boy's Remains Found in Crocodile

A crocodile shot to death in south China during a search for a missing 9-year-old student was found to contain the child's remains, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The crocodile was shot Saturday in a park in Beihai, a city in the Guangxi region, by investigators looking for the missing child. Investigators confirmed that human remains found in the reptile were that of the student, the report said. The child, surnamed Liu, disappeared Friday after Liu and three other children climbed over the fence around a pool in the park that had been used to stage crocodile shows, Xinhua said.

Article #13: Grieving Students Return to Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech is allowing students to drop classes without penalty or to accept their current grades if they want to spend the rest of the year at their parents' homes grieving last week's campus massacre. But whatever decisions they make academically, many students say they will do their mourning on campus -- and that they can't imagine staying away now. Classes were to resume Monday, one week after gunman Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed 32 people before turning a gun on himself. Students and faculty were expected to gather at 7:15 a.m. Monday near the dormitory where the first victims, Ryan Clark and Emily Hilscher, were killed. At 9:45 -- the time of the second shooting -- the university planned a moment of silence, with a single bell tolling from the tower of the main administration building. A minute later, the bell will toll 32 times -- once for each victim -- as 32 white balloons are released from the field below. University officials were not sure how many students planned to be back Monday. Students began returning as more details about the rampage emerged. Dr. William Massello, the assistant state medical examiner in Roanoke, said Cho died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head after firing enough shots to wound his 32 victims more than 100 times.

Article #12: Smoke Break Saves Woman From Falling Tree

Smoking just might have saved Brenda Comers' life. She said she had just finished washing dishes Monday and stepped outside to smoke a cigarette when an 80-foot oak tree crashed through her roof, landing across the sink where she had been standing just seconds before. The tree, felled by strong wind, also missed the couple's adult daughter, who was at the other end of the house. The family's insurance agent said they could not live there after the tree cut the kitchen and living room in half, scattering the contents of the kitchen cabinets.

Article #11: Donkey Becomes Witness in Dallas Dispute

The first witness in a lawsuit Wednesday between two neighbors was a real ass. Buddy the donkey walked to the bench and stared at the jury, the picture of a gentle, well-mannered creature and not the loud, aggressive animal he had been accused of being. The donkey was at the center of a dispute between oilman John Cantrell and attorney Gregory Shamoun that began after Cantrell complained about a storage shed Shamoun was building in his backyard in Dallas. He said Shamoun retaliated by bringing Buddy from his ranch in Midlothian and putting him in the backyard. Cantrell complained of donkey noise and manure piles. Shamoun said Buddy was there to serve as a surrogate mother for a calf named Lucy that needed to be bottle-fed. Neither jurors nor Buddy had the last say. The neighbors settled their dispute while jurors deliberated. Shamoun agreed to buy some of Cantrell's land and Cantrell agreed to withdraw his complaint with the city.

Article #10: Democratic Congresswoman Dies of Cancer

Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, who fought for electoral reform and reached new heights for a black congresswoman in seven terms serving Southern California, has died. She was 68. Millender-McDonald died of cancer late Saturday at her home in Carson, said her chief of staff, Bandele McQueen. The congresswoman had asked for a leave of absence from the House last week to deal with her illness. McQueen couldn't immediately provide details on what form of cancer Millender-McDonald had, but said she had been receiving hospice care. Carson Mayor Jim Dear told the Los Angeles Times that Millender-McDonald had colon cancer that had metastasized to her liver.

Article #9: Suicide Bombings Around Iraq Kill 27

Three suicide bombers launched attacks in different parts of Iraq on Monday, killing at least 27 people and wounding nearly 60 on Monday, police and politicians said. A parked car bomb also exploded outside the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad , killing one civilian, and a drive-by shooting wounded two guards at Tunisia's Embassy in the capital. Monday's first suicide car bomb attack occurred near the northern city of Mosul at 10:10 a.m. when a suicide attacker detonated his car in front of an office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Massoud Barzani, leader of the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq, an official with the group said. At least 10 people were killed and 20 wounded in the attack in Tal Uskuf, a town 9 miles north of Mosul, said Abdul-Ghani Ali, a KDP official.

Article #8:Cop in court for stealing from suspect

The father of Melbourne underworld identity Carl Williams has given evidence at the trial of a police officer accused of stealing $7,500 from his bank account. The policeman, Barry Joseph Gipp, 45, is accused of stealing George Williams' Commonwealth Bank passbook from his home during a 1999 police search and then withdrawing the money from it the following day.
The detective sergeant, who was working with the Broadmeadows Crime Investigation Unit at the time, has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges including theft, dishonestly obtaining property and making a false document. Prosecutor John Champion SC told the court Gipp was one of several police officers involved in a search of George Williams' home on November 25, 1999.
Just prior to that Mr Williams and his son, Carl, were arrested at another property on suspicion of being involved in the manufacturing of drugs, the jury was told. During the search of Mr Williams' home, Gipp was seen by other police officers searching near a dressing table where Mr Williams' bank book was kept, Mr Champion said. Five other police officers had also searched the bedroom, the court heard. The following day $7,500 was withdrawn from Mr Williams' account at three separate banks in the city during a period of about 30 minutes. Mr Williams told the court he saw a police officer looking through his bank book in his bedroom during the search. However, he could not identify the officer, the court heard. Mr Williams, who was in police custody when the money was withdrawn from his account, said his wife was the only person who had permission to withdraw money from his account, and she had not taken the money. Mr Champion said there was evidence Gipp had been in the city about the time the money was withdrawn. Gipp's lawyer Brett Young told the court his client did not dispute that he was one of about nine police officers who searched the house that day. But he denied stealing the passbook or withdrawing the cash from Mr Williams' account. The trial before County Court Judge Leo Hart continues on Thursday.

Article #7: Ads target cannabis smoking teens

A NSW anti-cannabis campaign will target teenagers as they travel to school and surf the internet. NSW Health launched the $600,000 campaign, which it says is designed to warn the 14 to 19-year-old age group on the dangers of starting the marijuana habit. Print advertisements, carrying tag lines such as "Pot. It mightn't kill you, but it could turn you into a dickhead", will appear in youth magazines and on bus stop posters. The ads feature a person staring accusingly from a black and white photo and quotes such as: "You've got great eyes, when they're not bloodshot" and "I'd lend you money, but you still owe me from last time".
Cinemas will screen a montage of the print shots, as will online advertisements which are set to run on youth-orientated websites, including myspace, msn messenger and gaming sites.
A NSW Health spokeswoman said online displays were an excellent way of spreading the anti-drug message as the websites' registration requirements meant the correct age group could be targeted. NSW Health drug and alcohol programs director David McGrath said the campaign was aimed at reducing the number of teenagers experimenting with the drug. Mr McGrath said teenagers needed to be made aware of the consequences of smoking pot, including mental illness such as depression, as well as damage to physical health and social interactions.

Article #6:Kids 'bumped' from Qantas flight

A New Zealand mother has vowed never to fly with Qantas again, after the airline bumped her young children travelling alone on a flight to Australia. Victoria Read from Martinborough in New Zealand said her two children, William, 11, and Beatrice, 8 were travelling as unaccompanied minors on Sunday when they were stopped from boarding the plane. The children were travelling to visit their father in Sydney and the airline knew they were unaccompanied by an adult, Read said today. Despite the children travelling alone, Qantas put them on another plane because the original flight was over the weight limit, she said.
Read said the children were at Wellington Airport for one-and-a-half hours before their flight, which was due in Sydney at 5:25pm. But instead they arrived about 8pm after they were put on a flight that went to Sydney via Auckland. She said the children had to wait about an hour in Auckland before finally leaving for Sydney. Their father, James Pearce, who picked up the children from Sydney had been told by Qantas that their itinerary had been changed, she said. Read said since her children's ordeal she had been contacted by a man who claimed to have been given compensation after a similar thing happened to his 17-year-old daughter. A Qantas spokesman said he could not make an immediate comment, as the airline was still trying to ascertain what happened.

Article #5: College surrenders cannabis stash

Boroondara Police this afternoon attended Xavier College, where they have taken possession of a small quantity of cannabis after this morning's reports of a student dealing drugs on the premises. News Limited reported that a former student was expelled after allegedly selling marijuana in the school grounds in February. Three students who bought the drug were reportedly suspended from the school. The school reportedly told students of the incident but did not inform police. This morning, Victoria Police Drug and Alcohol Unit's Senior Sergeant Tom Ebinger said the Booroondarra police station was making inquiries into the matter and will be contacting Xavier.

Article #4: New father and name for Anna Nicole Smith baby

Her full name is now Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead, and she can at least be 99.9 per cent certain of who her father is. DNA test results released in the Bahamas yesterday established that Dannielynn's father is 34-year-old Larry Birkhead, a Los Angeles freelance photographer, very occasional television actor and consort of Anna Nicole Smith over several years.In asserting his paternity, Mr Birkhead had previously claimed that Dannielynn was conceived in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve 2005. Mr Birkhead was jubilant after yesterday's announcement. He waved and gave a thumbs up to the crowd outside the Bahamian court. Now seven months old, Dannielynn lost her mother on February 8 when Anna Nicole Smith died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. In her will, Smith had named her son Daniel as heir. But Daniel, 20, died of a drug overdose in September last year. This left Dannielynn, as the sole heir to an estate in which not only the source of the wealth has died, but also the two bitterly opposed litigants — Smith and Howard Marshall's son Pierce, who died last June. Court action on the division of the estate is still pending. With yesterday's announcement, Mr Birkhead has at least entered the vault. Whether he can open it may be decided later this week, with further court hearings to resolve Dannielynn's custody. That is being contested by Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, in a Florida court. The loser in the case is Howard Stern, Smith's lawyer and companion, who was one of several to claim paternity. Mr. Stern had said he and Smith planned to wed on February 23. Mr Stern has had custody of Dannielynn at a house in the Bahamas since Smith's death.

Article #3: Drug Overdose Killed Anna Nicole Smith

DANIA BEACH, Fla. (March 26) - Former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith died of an accidental overdose of a sleeping medication and other drugs after she was found unresponsive at a hotel, authorities said Monday. Broward County Medical Examiner Joshua Perper said Smith died of "combined drug intoxication" with the sleeping medication chloral hydrate as the major factor. Smith was taking a lengthy list of other medications, including methadone for pain, he said. Chloral hydrate is a sedative used to treat insomnia and alcohol withdrawal, relieve anxiety and ease post-surgery pain. Perper said Smith had been on several antidepressant and antianxiety drugs prior to her death. Nothing was found to indicate any foul play. The autopsy also shwoed no evidence of disease.

Article #2: Why Lie?

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (Feb. 24) - Los Angeles Lakers forward Vladimir Radmanovic admitted Friday that he lied to the team about how he injured his shoulder during last week's All-Star break. The truth is that he hurt himself in a fall while snowboarding. He apologized for covering up what happened last Saturday in Park City, Utah . Initially, he told the Lakers he fell on a patch of ice while walking and separated his right shoulder. He is expected to be out two months. Lakers spokesman John Black said no decision had been made about possible disciplinary action against Radmanovic. Some player contracts ban athletes from participating in risky activities such as skiing and snowboarding. It's not known whether Radmanovic's contract contained such language. Radmanovic has been a disappointment in the first season of a five-year, $30.2 million contract. He was slowed by a hand injury early in the season and is averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds.

Article #1: 'McMissile' Mom Faces Prison Time

A mother of three was sentenced to two years in prison by a jury for throwing a cup of ice into a car that cut her off in traffic. A judge can still reduce the sentence Wednedsay. Jessica Hall, a North Carolina mother, drove down I-95 on a hot, sticky and gridlocked day with three kids whimpering in the back of the car, a pregnant sister in the front of the car and her husband serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. Suddenly, the same car cut in front of Hall twice, and it was more than she could take. She snapped. She tossed a large McDonald's cup filled with ice into the other car. "It was a dumb decision to do what I did," Hall said later. Hall's outburst didn't do any real damage, but it did land her in prison with a two-year sentence. "I had to drop everything, all my life, my kids, everything," Hall said. Her three kids are living with relatives until her husband gets back from Iraq. Even the occupants of the other car — sticky and angry at the time — are shocked at the final sentence. But the prosecutor argued that the cup was a missile and could have caused major damage.

Book Report 1- Crime

Depictions in the media of murder and of crimes by youths and minorities are way out of whack with reality, giving a scary and untrue image of crime in America. Blacks are overrepresented in the media as criminals and underrepresented as victims. Stories in Newsweek and in magazines find that the term young black males had became synonymous with the word criminal. The criminal justice system is a key stakeholder and plays a vital role in achieving the adhering fidelity to the protections provided by all citizens under the constitution.

Viewpoints of Intolerant Beings
Hatred and violence now infuse virtually every aspect of our culture. Both are examples of crime. From the movies, to games, music, and even the newscast provide us with daily exposure to levels of unthinkable graphic violence. Many critics blame the sheer saturation of violent images for the reality of violence in American life. The problem is far more subtle. Violence per se is merely a symptom of a more fundamental issue. Violence does not arise spontaneously. Violence results from hatred, and while publicly profess to despise hatred, behavior as a society gives the lie to claims of tolerance. From fascination with hate groups and serial killers to casual reliance on the thought and language structures that enable hatred and violence. Tolerate not only intolerance in others but also the seeds of intolerance in ourselves.

A lone gunman rushes the door of a Jewish community center, opening fire on any person in his path. A group of kindergarten-aged students are the first to encounter him. He does not discriminate, his bullets rip through three of the children, a teenage helper, and an adult employee of the center. While fleeing, he shoots and kills a postal worker.
The first report is of a black man shot down in front of his children. Soon after, word crosses the airwaves that a group of Orthodox Jews has been targeted by a drive-by shooter. Almost immediately reporters announce that a car driven by Asian teens also has been hit. One day later a Korean student is killed outside his church. It comes to show that no matter where or what a person of any race might do, they are still a target.

Student Conflicts Leading to Violence
Everyone saw bullies picking on kids in the schoolyard while growing up. This behavior has contributed to many acts of school violence, yet no one in the United States really paid much attention to it until recently. Though mobbing and bullying in schools have been going on for many years, children were not bringing weapons to school and mass-murdering each other. It is amazing that we have been in such denial that we have to be told the obvious out loud before anyone would take action. In this case, someone had to die and a finger had to be directly pointed at this type of behavior before anyone would pay real attention to the issue.

Two young men wearing long black trench coats enter a suburban high school. It is their high school, filled with their classmates and teachers. They take their time. More than two hours pass before they kill themselves. In those two hours, they kill thirteen others. The response to potential violence is often more reactive than proactive. Instead of creating awareness and promoting dignity and respect for all people, schools install security systems and surveillance cameras. Stiffer gun control laws are suggested. The plain truth is that many people are walking around with a deep anger inside of them, yet no one knows so nothing can be done.

Since the early 1970s the concerns and rights of crime victims have gained increased attention by the American public. Victim witness programs and Victim advocate groups have sprung up across the country. These groups have urged criminal justice officials and politicians to accord the same concerns and rights to victims of crime as they give to criminal defendants. Fear of crime is only one barrier that inhibits minority persons from being actively involved with victim rights. Other barriers include all overall distrust of the system, a belief that society places greater importance on the rights of the offender than on the victim, communication problems, and financial problems.

The lack of minority involvement is rooted in the historical relationship between minority persons and the criminal justice system . African Americans, Hispanics and Southeast Asians have traditionally distrusted agents of the criminal justice system, especially the police. The distrust by African Americans can be traced hack to slavery and Reconstruction when criminal justice agents were used to support the slavery system and to continue slavery long after its abolition. Hispanics have often viewed the police as oppressors who use immigration laws to harass them. Many Southeast Asians who have experienced life under a political system where the police have little or no regard for human rights also tend to view the police in a negative light.

Minority crime victims and minority persons wanting to be advocates for victims of crimes can overcome the barriers that stand in their way. Minority persons must first decide to be an active part of the system and make it respond to those special needs of minority crime victims.

References
1. Jody M. Roy, Love to Hate: America’s Obsession with Hatred and Violence, (2002).
2. National Criminal Justice Association, (2005).

Human Rights

Human Right #1- We're All Born Free and Equal
We all are diserved to be treated with dignity.
Human Right #2- Dont Discriminate
Do Not Judge A Book By Its Cover.
Human Right #3- The Right to Life
Every Child Should be Given The Right To Live.
Human Right #4- No Slavery
No One Should Be Treated Like Animals.
Human Right #5- No Torture
No abuse, no bullies, no punishment.
Human Right #6- You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go
Your rights protect you where ever you may go, either to America or Africa.
Human Right #7- We're All Equal Before The Law
We have the right to protect ourselves bofroe the law.
Human Right #8- Your Human Rights Are Protected By Law
Protection from all.
Human Right #9- No Unfair Detainment
They cant lock you up for no apparant reason.
Human Right #10- The Right To Trial
Everyone has the right to be seen before a judge.
Human Right #11- We're Always Innocent Til Proven Guilty
Dont accuse unless you have your facts straight.
Human Right #12- The Right To Privacy
Everyone has the right to keep their lives a secret.
Human Right #13- Freedom To Move
Go where you want.
Human Right #14- The Right To Seek A Safe Place To Live
Live wherever you feel is more comfortable to you.
Human Right #15- Right To A Nationality
Human Right #16- Marriage And Family
Human Right #17- The Right To Your Own Things
Human Tight #18- Freedom Of Thought
Human Right #19- Freedom Of Expression
Human Right #20- The Right to Public Assembly
Human Right #21- The Right to Democracy
Human Right #22- Social Security
Human Right #23- Workers' Rights
Human Right #24- The Right to Play
Human Right #25- Food And Shelter For All
Human Right #26- The Right to Education
Human Right #27- Copyright
Human Right #28- A Fair And Free World
Human Right #29- Responsibilty
Human Right #30- No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights

Two Brothers

In the overcrowded streets of Compton, sat the last of old project homes. In one of these homes, where the windows were taped shut with dark drapes blocking its view, lived an elderly man. Sebastian, better known as the "Ice Cream Man" was who he was. Planting and raising little trees, nicks and crannies here and there. He always had some type of "work" and was the key supplier to go to when you needed some type of substance.

Being so fond of his duty, he wanted to find out the true value and reactions of his particles.

In the home next to the craved man, there sat an overlooked yet misguided household consisting of a mother and her two young sons. Everlasting thoughts past ones mind when they think of the bond of two loving brothers. But not these boys. For some strange reason the two just seemed more abnormal than the rest of the young boys on the block. The younger and yet shaking one always twitched at the sound of strange and object noises. Just the mere sound of the birds chirping made this lunatic go hay wire and start flipping off the walls. Kicking at every little detail thing in site. While the elder of the two was more calm and alert. Always asking questions, like why does daddy wear woman's clothing, and where does babies come from? He always had his head in some book.

One evening the younger boy lay in bed reading a new issue of the Source magazine, where Dr. Dre way the cover story. He then became lifted and day dreamed away. He noticed that nothing around him was the same. He was now a white man with a tattoo of a young girl's face on one of his arms. Before he knew it, he was calling his mother out of her name and just wishing she would die. Rapping to every little beat he heard. He found himself a regular customer to the elderly man next door. It was no secret that he had fallen into the life of Sir Marshall Mathers. It seemed to him that his bed had became a black on black Chevy Caprice.

Was he really dreaming? Not long afterwards had the voice of Dre crept through his head. He then heard Dre say, "Slim Shady you a base head." It was true. The Eminem poser could do nothing but laugh his head off. In as little as twenty minutes, he was high off his own supply.

There it went to show that the "Ice Cream Man" had come up with something new. Rolling everything he had into one and leaving it to a clueless boy to experiment. The older brother walked in the room where he found his sibling laying on the floor rocking back and forth, shaking his hands, as if he was waiting on a flow to come to mind, and asked "what was that craved aroma in the air?"

The boy replied, "a yo check this out son. I got this from old dude next door. Gone head and hit that, tell me what you think."

Not knowing what the young boy was handing him he lit the rolled substance and puffed. Before they knew it, they were both sitting on the floor looking out the window holding each other. Rapping. One about getting shot nine times and the other about his crazy wife Kim.

Hours had went by till their mother knew that they were too still. She called out to them by their names, Marshall???? Curtis???? They could do nothing but lay there glazed. The whole west coast now knew who the brothers were, but most importantly, where to go for the goods.

Reading Definitions

1. Main Idea- The central, or most important idea in a paragraph or passage. It may also be described as the controlling idea, and, as such, it sets the direction of the paragraph or article.
2. Supporting Details- 1) details within the text that helps provide facts about the reading and supports the main idea by telling how, what, when, where, why, how much, or how many. 2) Facts and secondary ideas that an author uses to develop and support the main idea.
3. Context Clues- 1) examples known to help guide the reader to information or facts within a text. 2) The context includes the sentence, paragraph, or passage that surround a word and makes it meaningful.
4. Author's Purpose- author's reason or intent in writing.
5. Organizational Pattern- the order in which the material will be presented in the text. For example, chronological (time) order or sequence, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, definition, example, description, division/classification, simple listing, spatial/place order, and order of importance.
6. Fact and Opinion- 1) something known to exist or to have happen; can be verified or checked for accuracy. 2) A statement that can be validated or proven to be true or false by using measurements, historical or scientific documents, or even personal observation. A fact is not always true. (fact). 1) A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof' are subjective and relative. 2) Is a statement that expresses an author's beliefs, judgements, and values. It expresses a point of view and cannot be proven. (opinion)
7. Bias- 1) a tendency or indication that prevents impartial consideration of an idea; a quality to consider when producing or evaluating persuasive writing. 2) A predisposition, prejudice, or prejudgment; may be in favor of or against something or someone.
8. Tone- 1) a reflection of a writer's or speaker's attitude toward a subject. 2) The attitude or feeling he creates in writing about his subject; the reader can recognize a mood or feeling in written material in the same way as he would recognize a mood or feeling from a speaker's tone of voice.
9. Relationship Within Sentences- if the relationship within the sentence is explicit (stated), transition words and phrases will be used. If the relationship within the sentence is implicit (unstated), the reader must infer the relationship. Some types of relationships, along with transitions that help identify them are, addition, clarification, comparison, contrast, example, location/spatial order, cause.effect, summary, and time.
10. Relationships Between Sentences- recognizing how one sentence relates to another sentence, such relationships may be explicit (stated) or implicit (unstated). Some signal words and transitions are, contradicts, ,similarities, summarizes, example, added, effect, clarifies, place, order, and defines.
11. Valid Arguments- 1) details inside the text that provides logical statements that can be discussed. 2) A statement that fits into logical pattern of reasoning and/or which makes use of relevant, verifiable proof to support a particular conclusion.
12. Inference and Conclusions- 1) the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation. 2) Inference is what the reader thinks the writer is suggesting through the words or ideas presented.

My Life

And now introducing the self confident and highly sophisticated Crystal Bishop. Born October 11, 1987 and residing from Carol City, Florida. Daughter of Miss Kim and sister to many. Growing up in the over-crowded city of Miami, Crystal attended Carol City Elementary for pre-kindergarden and kindergarden. She later moved to North Miami Beach where she attended Madie Ives Elementary for yet another two years of grade school. Upon entering Madie Ives, Crystal was tested for the entrance of the gifted program for Elementary Schools throughout Dade-County. Being accepted to the program, she was transferred to Highland Oaks Elementary for two days a week to attend the classes listed for the exceptional students. From third to fifth grade she attended Hibiscus Elementary still maintaining her achievement in the gifted program over at Highland Oaks.

Middle School was a big jump start into the whole school life. While attending Norland Middle, Miss Crystal engaged on a whole different style of friendship. She started dating and began to understand the whole feeling of being heart broken. Despite this harsh feeling, she left the whole boyfriend status to the future. Her world now revolves around her new little twin sisters. Always being the baby she now accepted the responsibilities she had towards being a big sister. No matter what her single mother needed, her and her big brother were there to lend a helping hand.

After leaving middle school, Crystal conquered the High school life. It was an even bigger challenge, especially moving to Pompano Beach her freshman year, but was the best time of her quiet and innocent life. Her second year in High school she joined the Miami Norland Junior Varsity Cheerleading Squad and during her senior year joined the Superior Rated Marching Band where she was Flagette. Hitting the big one-eight (18) she had gotten her third tattoo, a car, and her first job. Balancing work, the band and maintaining her 3.4 Grade Point Average, Crystal had discovered that High school was beginning to come to an end. She knew she had to start making decision about her future. Whether she was going off to college or going the army. Being undecided about what she wanted to major in she leaned more toward going to the reserved. After receiving acceptance letters to various different colleges throughout the state of Florida, she decided to attend Florida International University, where she received an academic scholarship.

The first semester of college was something she was looking forward to. Facing that experience was great. Having the idea that the college life was all about studying and big term papers, she realized that that was all a big scare. FIU was the best experience she've had so far. Coming and going as I pleased was great. The professors were always there to lend a helping hand. No matter what the situation was. Going on to the fall semester at the University was much more different. It got to the point where she seen herself getting to relaxed and falling off on her work. It got to the point where she had to drop one of her classes to keep from failing. After doing so, she got back up, to scale passing the remaining of her classes.