laura’s blog


Letterman Apologizes

I feel two ways about the whole David Letterman-sex-blackmail deal.

One, I don’t want to hear about it. There are other things that are more interesting and applicable to my life, and I don’t care that he had sex with people he worked with and that someone tried to blackmail him. I mean, how many people thought he was faithful to his wife always, especially in the business he’s in? You don’t find many people who are. So it’s not a huge surprise.

Two, I am kind of impressed with how he handled it. Not very impressed, there’s still that fact that he did cheat on his wife, several times, but he didn’t try to cover himself or blame others. He came out and admitted it and apologized, and that is what I am impressed with: that he is man enough to own up to his mistakes.

But I wish it still hadn’t have happened. It just feels typical of American entertainment.

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Intense hunt begins for new shot’s side effects

Many people are worried about the swine flu vaccine. A few years ago, a swine flu vaccine seemed to have coincided with Guillian-Barre outbreaks in those who had the vaccine. There is no definite information for or against those claims, and people are still worried about side effects from the vaccine.

My aunts were just talking about this the other day and they are trying to decide whether to get their kids vaccinated or not. One of my aunts’ nephews had Guillian-Barre a few years ago, and it was very scary for her family so hearing that Giullian-Barre could be potentially linked to the swine flu vaccine has her family and my family worried about it. Personally, I would rather be sick with the flu for a week or so than have a chance of contracting Guillian-Barre.

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Man kills family

After several reports of domestic abuse and a conviction, Mesac Damas is believed to have murdered his family. The police had been called to their home because a family member was worried. They did not see anything wrong, so the police left. A day later, the police returned because the family member filed a missing person report. They found the five children and their mother slain.

Could this have been prevented if the police had entered the day before? I doubt it. It was probably too late by then. I feel like I hear this story too often, and I cannot believe the terror the family probably felt. I do not understand why the mother did not leave with her children. Damas had a history of abuse, and his wife had taken it far enough so that he was tried in court and he pleaded no contest, yet there was no jail sentence or anything. There was not a restraining order against Damas either, so it makes me wonder what was going on with the family in the past few months.

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Where am I?

I can hear the toilet flushing in the bathroom, and CNN is on the tv. Every 5 seconds the fan blows a cooling breeze on me. Without the fan it would be pretty hot in here. On the floor are cords, shoes, backpacks, cans of pop, and cracker boxes. The lights are off but the sun is shining in the window so it’s not very dark but it is still making me sleepy, but the chair I’m sitting in is uncomfortable so I won’t fall asleep.


Calling Obama’s Bluff?

Borger: GOP should call Obama’s bluff. <-for full story

On cnn.com, Gloria Borger states her opinion about how the political parties are doing with health care reform. She says that since the Republicans say they agree with 80% of the guidelines, they should vote for the reforms and then see if Obama does what he says he will.

But the Republicans do not want Obama to win, so they won’t pass the legislation, says Borger. They are following a plan so they can win seats in 2010 by saying they did not agree with Obama.

I think all the talking and debating is not getting us anywhere right now. Stop talking about it and do something. The only way that a compromise will come is if both parties start working on an actual reform and try to work together. They need to put aside their political agendas and begin working together for the good of America. Actually doing something good is the best thing they can do for their political party, instead of stopping something from happening.

I’m sure there is something both parties can agree on, even if it’s not exactly what they want. But they will have to grow up. And then we will see what Obama will do.


Peaches and Greens

I was watching the Today Show on NBC this morning (9/6/09) and they had a segment on a lady who lives in Detroit. She had started a business called Peaches and Greens, which sells fresh fruits and vegetables to people in Detroit. She has a van that she drives around in to sell her produce, and also has a store in which to sell the produce. She began Peaches and Greens because of the scarcity of fresh fruits and vegetables. One of the facts that the Today Show stated was that liquor stores outnumber grocery stores in Detroit 27:1, and it is extremely difficult for people to get fresh fruit and vegetables in Detroit.

Shocking, right? Here in Iowa, there are grocery stores all over, and several times a year, farmer’s stands of fresh produce can be found on every other block. Even in the larger cities in Iowa grocery stores are easy to find. Why is it that Detroit is lacking in grocery stores?

Because of Peaches and Greens, some non-grocery stores in Detroit have begun to offer fresh fruits and vegetables along with their normal inventory. Hopefully Peaches and Greens continues to grow and provide good, healthy food for  those in need.