Four years later....

I have and will always have two brothers. One of them just isn't here anymore.

Four years ago last Friday, my oldest brother Jason presumably died. I say presumably because we don't know exactly when or how he died, just that a month later our worst fears were confirmed.

Being part of such a large family, I've seen a lot of death. Family members, friends, friends of family.... the list goes on.

From left: Aaron, Jason, me.

But losing a sibling- that was the worst experience I've ever gone through in my 25 years and something I don't know that I've fully recovered from.

As a junior in college, my focus was on school and my care-free lifestyle, all of which got rocked by one phone call from my dad when he said "Jason's missing".

I remember thinking, "ok", like it was no big deal. He was a grown man, he'd be alright. See, Jason and I weren't that close. We had a strained relationship because of our age difference- he was 10 years older than me- that never got fully reconciled before he passed.

I wasn't as worried as my brother and dad were. Jason and my other older brother Aaron shared a connection and become extremely close in those years leading up to Jason's death.

During the month before Jason's death was confirmed, my family was forced to play the waiting game. The unknown is truly the most frightening feeling during those situations and we truly didn't know what happened, we still don't for sure.

My own feelings of loss were almost immediately overshadowed by my dad and brother's grief back then. Aaron took it really hard.

Quilt for my dad of Jason's old shirts. Second row, yellow outfit was Jason's when he was a toddler.

My dad was the worst. Jason was his first child, his first son and his best friend. He struggled and continues to with Jason's absence.

In the four years Jason has been gone not much has changed. We all continue to live our lives but have more questions surrounding Jason's death than answers.

We still regularly talk about him and celebrate his memory the best we can.

The less than ideal relationship that I had with my brother continues to be something I have a hard time coming to terms with because now, it can never be mended.

Aaron always said that Jason always said, "Live hard, die young".

Pretty ironic mantra considering, I'd say.

Unfortunately now, I think the lyric "only the good die young" is more applicable here because my brother was good and he died young. And although we had a less-than-perfect relationhip, he will always be my brother and I miss him now more than ever.

As time goes on and I get older, I understand my brother more and the type of person he was. Photographs step in where my memory fails to remind me of the role my brother did play in my life when I was younger.

After all, I was his baby sister.

Four years seems like a lifetime when your missing someone. It's so hard sometimes to move on and recover from the loss of a loved one, so how do you do it?

Does it ever get any easier to "trust the physician" within?


"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Just as the stone of the fruit must break, so that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain. And if you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy. If you accept the seasons of your heart, as you have always accepted the four seasons, you would watch with serenity the winters of your grief. Much of your pain is self-chosen. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility. For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen." Kahlil Gibran

Why I chose to revert back to being a part of the "Generation Screwed"

Ironically, about two months ago I wrote about and attempted to start a series of blogs about being a new reporter.

Let's just say I failed after only one post.

I can't say that I was ever "too busy" to blog or didn't have anything to blog about: I just didn't do it.

Now, two months later I am attempting to get back into the saddle of everyday writing and figure out my next move. I feel like I've said that a number of times within the past three years but it's true.

My "ugly blue house" in Fort Scott.

Since my last post in June,  I have quit my job, moved out of my own house back into my mom's in Topeka and have fully embraced the title "Generation Screwed".

I'm not thrilled with my current situation- single, 25-years-old living in my childhood room, my  two animals in a different location- but I think it was the best decision for me personally, financially and professionally.

I chose to go from being part of the small pool of recent graduates who had aquired a position in their field to joining the ranks of the unemployed. (Note: I'm not really unemployed, I just don't have a full-time position in my field anymore.)

I became apart of the 1/3 of 25-34 year olds who live with their parents and I did so voluntarily.

While the odds are stacked against our generation and recent graduates, we have something that other generations somewhat lacked: a passion and optimism that everything will work out in the end.

We, myself included, went into fields and careers simply because we enjoyed them and were passionate about them. I mean, I'm a journalist and will not likely make millions of dollars in the near future but I'm okay with that. Correction, I will be okay with that after I find another full-time job that I can actually financially survive off of from day-to-day.

I don't ever think I chose the wrong field but I do think I was a little ill-prepared for "the real world" and all that it entails.

Cal Newport, a writer and assistant professor at Georgetown University, said in a recent article that the passion I mentioned above is incorrectly invested for must of us.

He said, "We're ambitious and ready to work hard, but we need the right direction for investing this energy."

"Follow your passion' is an inspiring slogan, but its reign as the cornerstone of modern American career advice needs to end," Newport wrote. "We don't need slogans, we need information — concrete, evidence-based observations about how people really end up loving what they do. "

He nailed it, in my opinion. No one told me how hard the first year or even six months of my first professional job was going to be professionally and financially. No one told me about how expensive health insurance was and how horrible my coverage was going to be.

Instead, I was always told "do what you love and it won't matter".

Wrong.

It did matter.

But fortunately, I've decided I'm going to try my hardest to let my optimism overshadow what I consider my first professional failure. I'm going to keep applying for jobs- I did get on as a freelance reporter with the Lawrence Journal World recently!- and looking into graduate schools, regardless of how many times I hear no or "you're not qualified enough".

I have to believe that things are going to get better and that I will ultimately become the journalist I want to be. I have to hold on to the hope that I will slowly detatch myself from all that makes me part of the  "Generation Screwed" and move on to becoming, well, not screwed.

But obviously questions and doubts abound. Did I give up to quickly in my first quest post-graduation? Or are we really facing some tough odds in pursuing professional careers in fields that we chose because of our passions and not because of the money?

How do you deal with being a member of this so-called unfortunate generation?

Mr. Bob Marley said "everything little thing is gonna be alright". Do you agree?

Tales of a new reporter: Part 1

As I was checking my email this morning, I came across a discussion on LinkedIn about creating an audience for yourself and blogging. It mentioned the "good bloggers" to do so frequently and often blog within a certain topic or theme in mind.

Well, I realized I don't do either of those.

I pretty  much blog whenever I think about it or have a free minute and don't tend to link my posts.

Since I feel like I made it clear in my last post about how boring my life is and how I don't do much everyday, I decided to blog about what I actually do: gather information and write stories.

A journalists' job and day-to-day duties aren't typical of most professions. I mean I pretty much make up my own schedule and am my own boss, or so it seems.

I spend the first, small portion of my day checking email, social networks and catching up on local and national news.

My work is contingent on everyone else's life,  returned phone calls and an abundance of clear and concise information. But it's never that easy or readily available.

As per the school beat, I've noticed my story options have gotten limited with the onset of summer.
I now spend half of my day trying to track down a story idea or sources for a potential story for the day. What this all translates into is: downtime.

Waiting for a return call can be the worst feeling and that's initially what prompted me to start writing this blog. It's like when every channel seems to be on  a commercial, it seems like everyone avoids a reporter's phone call on cue.

Me waiting for my line to ring...

So far today, I've made a few phone calls, sent a few emails and have gotten no response in return.

I've tried to start figuring out how redistricting has affected Fort Scott and the area I'm reporting on.

But all I have discovered is that the dingo did in fact eat the baby and the whole Kansas redistricting topic is confusing!, and if you do a Twitter search on "McNaughton" a lot of random stuff comes up. Like the fact that there are a lot of McNaughton's in Canada, it seems, and their is a McNaughton Collection at the UNC library. Oh, and McNaughton Ave was closed today in Canada.

So, in essence this is what my day has consisted of.

As I tackle other stories and topics, I'm going to try my best to regularly post about it to continue the series. I missed out on the opportunity when I covered the Joplin High School graduation. That would have been a day to write about in terms of emotions and the experience of going through security and being in the same room as the president. Let's just say my morning consisted of a lot of nerves, several outfit changes, and my practicing of questions I would ask the president after I got my exclusive scoop before being swept away by the Associated Press or the Huffington Post.

Unfortunately, It didn't quite happen like that but it was still fun to pretend.

Still waiting for returned called myself but what have you done today?

Being an adult is boring, or is it?

At 25, I'd like to think of myself as fairly mature and ready for the next, grown-up chapters of my life.

I've been on my own since I was basically 17 and have had at least some form of a job since I was around 13-years-old.

"Bills" was a word I became familiar with at a fairly young age. After getting my first part-time job at 15, I began regularly paying my cell phone bill and have done so ever since.

For more than 7 years I have fed, clothed and taken care of myself and continue to do so now.

I got my first full-time, 40-hour-a-week job in February and am almost four months into my first stint.

Like I said, I've always worked but this was different.

When I applied for the job, I felt this unfamiliar urgency to grow-up, lose my student status I had held most of my life, and enter the "real world"- be an adult!

But after only four months of this, one thing I've come to realize is: if this is the real world, it's pretty boring.

I mean I feel like I do the same thing day in and day out. Don't get me wrong, I need structure, a schedule and consistency in my life but is this it?

Is this what being an adult is? Waking up early, going to work, working out, eating dinner then bed? So far, it feels like a pretty boring existence.

Maybe I feel bored because in essence I'm alone here. If I had my boyfriend, Travis, maybe I wouldn't be so "bored". I do enjoy my job, so that's not it.

I just found myself thinking the other day, is this being an adult? If so, I'm going to live for vacations and crave detours from the "ordinary".

We went to a concert this past weekend and when it was over, I said aloud, "now what do I have to look forward to?"

I might be the type of person who needs so-called "drama" in their lives, but only for the adrenaline it can incite.

I'm the type of person who always needs to be doing something or have a plan of something I'm doing later.

Maybe I need to join some organizations or do some charity work.

Maybe I need to shut my mouth, suck it up and realize I'm fortunate enough to have a job, let alone a job that I really do love because I"m sure some people would beg and pray to have a so-called "boring life".

Or, maybe, just maybe, adulthood isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Am I being to cynical or do you ever get bored with the routine?

What no one told me at Graduation!

With graduation ensuing for presumably, and hopefully, millions of American students across the country, I find myself reflecting on what I've done since I graduated.

In the past year I've: secured a paid internship and completed it; moved back in with my mom after 8 years of freedom; bartended for about 6 months; and eventually I landed my first professional gig in my field as a reporter in Fort Scott. Definitely thankful to at least be employed because it sounds like at my age that's a rarity since the Associated Press's latest data reported that roughly 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor's degree holders under the age of 25 were underemployed or jobless last year. 

So, not too bad but not the most successful post-graduation year.

People like to think, and I'll admit I was one of them, that upon graduation, degrees or diplomas make life easier and that the knowledge acquired as students from hours of lectures and paper-writing will naturally propel us into fascinating and rewarding careers where we make a butt-load of money, right?

Wrong!

Graduation does not a successful, happy person make.

A graduation is not only a celebration it's a farewell. 

A farewell to friends, to fun, and to a care-free lifestyle that only a student can lead. I'm somewhat kidding but like professional student Van Wilder once said, “Don't be a fool, stay in school! “ He should have added, for as long as you can.

Now I'm not saying my undergrad experience was all roses and sunshine and that others are the same. What I am saying is that graduating does not automatically entitle anyone to success. It only entitles us to the tools to achieve that success because really, the work is just beginning.

A couple of lists have been circulating the Internet in recent weeks about things they “didn't tell you at graduation.”

Wall Street Journal writer Charles Wheelan's list "10 Things Your Commencement Speaker Won't Tell You" included advice like:  9. It's all borrowed time. You shouldn't take anything for granted, not even tomorrow. I offer you the "hit by a bus" rule. Would I regret spending my life this way if I were to get hit by a bus next week or next year? And the important corollary: Does this path lead to a life I will be happy with and proud of in 10 or 20 years if I don't get hit by a bus.
AND
6. Read obituaries. They are just like biographies, only shorter. They remind us that interesting, successful people rarely lead orderly, linear lives.

Washington Post opinion writer Alexandra Petri offered a little more real world advice in her blog "The 10 things they really don’t tell you at graduation" which included advice about living arrangements, finances and the fountain of youth: 1) Next year, you will probably be unemployed, or live in your parents’ basement, or be unemployed and live in your parents’ basement. This is not cruel. It is factual. Fifty percent of new graduates are either unemployed or underemployed. And 29 percent of 25-to-34 year-olds live in what the poll-taker was kind enough to refer to as “multi-generational living arrangements” rather than “your mother’s basement” or “your old room with all the anime posters and Admiral Ackbar figures carelessly splayed on every surface.”

7) Being young isn’t everything, but it’s a good thing. Life can be divided into two sections: the years when you know that if you fall over you are unlikely to break a hip, and the years when you’re not so sure. Enjoy your time in the first half! 9) You have no idea how personal finance works. Actually. There are only two things that your education should have taught you: how to deal with having money and how to deal with not having money.

 The lists are good and worth reading. But just for the fun of it, here's my list of what they didn't tell me at graduation!

1. The first year is going to be the hardest year. Having the freedom of choice and a good education to back that choice doesn't make anything easier. It's a lovely problem to have but not knowing what to do with that degree can be overwhelming. I feel like I have so much to choose from but because I have so much to choose from I don't know what to choose. Say wha? Exactly. 

2. Depending on your field, most of us start out at the bottom. By bottom, I mean the very bottom. The bottom in terms of pay scale and at times respect. I knew that I wasn't going to be making Donald Trump money within my first few years as a journalist but to me enjoying my job was the most important thing. But now, living off that starting wage isn't easy. Loving what you do everyday, unfortunately, does not pay the electric bill, rent or the cell phone bill.

3. Has anyone even brought up what happens post-graduation if your in a relationship? This one is tricky because not only are you stressing about ending your educational endeavors you also have the added pressure of deciding what that "next step" will be in your relationship. You could be like me and mine and we opted to forgo marriage to work on ourselves and our relationship. But now, I have a job in a different city. It's  hard but it's what we have to do.

4. Insurance is expensive and is never as great as when you were on your parents plan!  Insurance sucks. I didn't have it for the last two years of college and honestly wish I didn't have it now. I was uninformed about my policy before I signed up and am now locked into a plan that costs too much and won't let me get out of it until January of next year. Damn Healthcare.

5. A degree does not entitle you to experience or a job. This image says it all:

These are just a few of the things I've came across in my experiences. What would you add to the list?

People are people

With all the debate about same-sex marriage and relationships, military service and the rights of gay spouses,  do you ever find yourself wondering 'does it really matter'?
Does Lisa Smith loving Jan Jones really tarnish and change the value of Pete and Mary's relationship and/or marriage? Does John  and Tim's relationship really affect John's ability to defend his country?
I don't think it does.
Forgive me for being naive, but I believed what they told us in school about "every man" being equal. 
A blog on the Huffington Post's "Gay Voices" news blog forum caught my eye today because of one line, ""When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."
 As much as some people may not like it or even agree, people are people regardless of their sexual orientation, skin color and religious beliefs.
Why must we constantly degrade and strip the rights of individuals based on our own convictions.
I truly believe to each his own. So why can't everyone else jump on board versus pushing others off? What do you think about same-sex marriage and the Don't Ask, Don't tell policy?

Photo via the Huffington Post and website of Leonard Matlovich

Things that make you go Hmmmm...

Have you ever wondered what your animals are thinking about you or about life in general? I know I do.

I'm so lame, I often find myself commentating my dog and my cat's life for them. Like: "Oh please can I have just one bite!" or "Keep petting me baby and making me purr" Well, maybe not the last one.

I mean consider this.

Our animals see us at our best, worst, happiest, saddest, most inappropriate and awkward of times. And considering all they may have seen or are yet to see, they know we are their only hope for survival- they depend on us and love us unconditionally.

12.
This sloth kind of feels like you should update your blog more frequently.

 

But what if we could know what they were really thinking. Would it be something like the picture to the left, from Buzzfeed? Do you think their opinions would make you alter your behavior? Or would you keep doing you, not acknowledging the disappointed looks being shot our way from various species?



If you did wonder what they might think, click here and check this out! I'm GLAD I don't know what my animals think of me! 

Probably something like "this crazy wench let him almost chop my ear off!"

"Why, why all the freaking pictures huh?"

Adjusting

I'm about a month and a half into my first professional job as the schools and county reporter in Fort Scott. So far, it's going pretty well.

Structure works well for me and I love having something to do every single day, especially writing. I like to think I'm good at my job and I enjoy doing it. I've hung out with elementary kids, attended school board meetings and even visited a nuclear power plant.

I get to take pictures and have a lot of freedom in what I do, which I love.

As for the town and my house- it's not quite Lawrence. I love Lawrence and everything it has to offer but I'm adjusting to Fort Scott. It's comforting to have both my animals with me again and I enjoy taking care of a household. Not to mention, when it's nice out, the city of Fort Scott makes for a pretty decent run. Old, brick roads coupled with a variety of strange and unique homes makes it a rather historic, scenic workout. I have discovered, though, that small town running can be a pain if train tracks are a part of your route.

By far though, the hardest part of the transition, has been the distance from my boyfriend. We are about an hour and half away from each other these days, around 90 miles. And so far, we have done pretty well with seeing each other about every weekend. But I am realizing, long distance relationships are tough and for a whole bunch of reasons that vary from couple to couple.

For me and us, my first qualm about the whole thing is my own personal guilt about the situation. The decision to move was solely mine and while I considered Travis, I never actually consulted him, huge mistake on my part. While he supported me in any decision, after around 4 years of being together and 6 years of friendship, he rightly felt he should have had a say in the prospect of me moving.

So that makes me feel guilty. But it's also the little things. Travis is my best friend and has been for so long, it's hard to not have that support system right at your side after you've grown accustomed to it.

And to be honest, neither one of us really likes talking on the phone. We choose instead to have a bunch of brief conversations throughout the day, just to see what the other one is doing. Which is fine, it just doesn't make for very content rich conversations.

If he didn't support me like he does, I don't know if I would be able to enjoy my time down here like I have.

We choose to take it day by day. We know we'll be together eventually, we just need this time to focus and do what we want to do before those I's and me's really do become "We".

Missing someone isn't about how long it has been since you seen them or since you've talked. Its about that very moment when you find yourself doing something and wishing they were right by your side.

And then there were four....

You know what I'm talking about... I mean it's March for crying out loud!

This past Saturday my beloved Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team led my alma mater to a victory over former coach Roy Williams and North Carolina. The win carries us to New Orleans for our 14th Final Four appearance to face Ohio State- once again- this Saturday night.

Every fan always says "My team's the best" and Kansas fans are no different. The only difference between us and them is that not only is our team the best, so are our fans.

When Kansas beat UNC in 2008 to advance to the championship game against Memphis, students, parents, kids, teachers, coaches, police, drinkers and non-drinkers alike, flocked down to Mass. Street to celebrate. Fortunately for me, I was a student at the time and did the same thing. 

Fast forward two days.

Kansas faced Memphis in the championship game in San Antonio and won after Mario Chalmers' "Shot heard 'round the world" in the last 2 seconds of the game. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

After that victory, again to Mass. Street we flocked.

No one can ever understand or even fathom the feelings and emotions that are on display during an experience like that. I am so fortunate I was able to go.

Massachusetts Street Lawrence, Kan., April 8, 2008

Fans celebrating the Jayhawks' 2008 National Championship Title

Mass. Street after the Jayhawks defeated UNC to go on to the Final Four. March 24, 2012

Unfortunately after we won last week, me and Travis had to celebrate quietly in Fort Scott while everyone else celebrated Roy's demise in true KU fan fashion- by storming downtown.

Travis and I celebrating the win in Fort Scott, Kan.

You see, for those who don't know, basketball in Kansas is not just an interest or sport you like to watch, it's a way of life. We bleed crimson and blue. We cry when we lose and we cry when we win. We get chills when we hear the words "Rock Chalk" and our Alma Mater.

Most fans are excited their team makes it into the NCAA tournament. Well us, our fans, we expect to win it every time, even during those "rebuilding" years.

When Roy Williams left Kansas to coach at UNC, we felt like he left us. I've been a Roy fan as long as I can remember and still get pissed about his leaving.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I love Kansas basketball and what it represents. I mean our first coach, and ironically worse coach, invented the game. We've produced greats like Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning, Paul Pierce, Drew Gooden, Mario Chalmers, the Morris Twins, Thomas Robinson and so many more.

I love how we all rally around our team every year because when they win, we win. We all know what the saying is in Lawrence- "wait until basketball season"-  and we don't care because it's true! We are basketball and if you disagree with me, that's fine because I didn't say your team, school or fans, are any less because of it.

So as you prepare to watch, or not watch, the Final Four game just remember.... We Are Kansas! And we will prevail! Rock Chalk Jayhawk, go KU!

The Hype, or is it?

The explosive power of social media has brought one viral video to more than 70 million pairs of eyes across the globe.
For those of you who have yet to click on the link that has been popping up in your news and twitter feeds for the past two weeks, I am going to make a small attempt to explain the newest trending topic and the criticism while also expressing my thoughts on the matter.

#KONY2012

On March 1, the non-profit organization Invisible Children released a 29-minute documentary to make African warlord Joseph Kony “famous”. The video, Kony2012, has reached more than 70  million YouTube viewers since its release. It was the number one trending topic on Twitter and has been retweeted by celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Justin Bieber, Oprah Winfrey and P.Diddy. One of P.Diddy’s tweets about Kony2012 was reportedly retweeted more than 57,000 times.
Documentary maker Jason Russell narrates the docu-movie and even features his 5-year-old son in the film. The YouTube description of the video states that “Kony 2012 is a campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice”.
The group’s website states that Invisible Children uses “film, creativity and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony's rebel war and restore LRA-affected communities in central Africa to peace and prosperity”.

THE FILM

The opening line in the film states that “Nothing is more powerful than an idea” and that’s what the video aims to do, tell viewers the Invisible Children’s idea to rid the world of Kony for the atrocities he has committed against children and humanity.
Russell starts out with talking about people’s desire to connect and how social media has enabled those around the world to do so at an ever increasing rate, “this connection is changing the way government works, the game has new rules”.
The first scene takes place in a delivery room with the birth of Russell’s son, he says “he didn’t choose where or when he was born but because he’s here, he matters”. But he was “born into a pretty complicated world”, Russell says.
“Who are you to end a war, I’m here to tell you who are you not?”
Russell describes how about 10 years ago he met and befriended a Northern Ugandan boy who was “running for his life”. In the film the boy, Jacob, vividly describes how his brother was trying to escape from rebel forces and was captured and killed. At one point, Jacob explains through tears how he would rather die than stay on earth “we may meet in heaven, if I saw my brother once again...”
“We are going to do everything we can to stop them. We are going to stop them,” Russell told Jacob in the film.
In fulfillment of that promise, Russell said he posted the video. “The only purpose is to stop the lord’s resistance army and Joseph Kony”.
Thus was born the Kony 2012 campaign.
The video uses provocative photographs and statistics to capture the minds of the viewers and attempt to explain who Joseph Kony is.
“He makes them mutilate children’s faces.”
“He forces them to kill their parents.”
“He turns the girls into sex slaves.”
Just some of the claims Russell makes about Kony.
In a New York Times article Russell is quoted as saying “No one wants a boring documentary on Africa,” he said. “Maybe we have to make it pop, and we have to make it cool.” “We view ourself as the Pixar of human rights stories,” he added in the March 8 article.
Invisible Children’s calls to action:
*”Do three things: 1) sign its pledge, 2) get the Kony 2012 bracelet and action kit (only $30!), and 3) sign up to donate. “
*On April 20- Invisible Children is calling on its supporters to stop Kony and the LRA’s campaign —
“This is the day when we will meet at sundown and blanket every street in every city until the sun comes up,” Russell says in the video. “The rest of the world will go to bed Friday night and wake up to hundreds of thousands of posters demanding justice.”
The end of the docu-movie asks for viewers to also contact representatives and celebrities. The Kony 2012 website provides links for visitors to message celebrities such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, Oprah, Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga and Jay-Z. And links to message policymakers like Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Condelezza Rice and George W. Bush.

THE CRITICISM

Just as quickly as the supporters of Kony 2012 rallied behind the cause, the criticism surrounding the campaign’s purpose, finances, facts and all-around agenda exploded as well.
Washington Post blogger Elizabeth Flock addressed Invisible Children’s response to their campaign’s criticism.
In her post Flock wrote “But in November, a Foreign Affairs article pointedly challenged the tactics used by Invisible Children and other nonprofits working in the region. “Such organizations have manipulated facts for strategic purposes, exaggerating the scale of LRA abductions and murders and emphasizing the LRA’s use of innocent children as soldiers, and portraying Kony — a brutal man, to be sure — as uniquely awful, a Kurtz-like embodiment of evil,” the magazine wrote”. Flock went on to address criticism of a bill Invisible Children helped pass into law in 2009. “The bill is designed to support stabilization and peace in Uganda and areas affected by the LRA. Critics say it has strengthened the hand of the Ugandan president, whose security forces have a human rights abuse record of their own. The Enough Project, an NGO that fights genocide and human rights abuses, has said the bill’s bipartisan support showed people “come together for peace.”
Another blogger has also gotten media attention recently for his personal criticism of the Kony campaign. “I do not doubt for a second that those involved in KONY 2012 have great intentions, nor do I doubt for a second that Joseph Kony is a very evil man. But despite this, I’m strongly opposed to the KONY 2012 campaign.” Blogger Grant Oyston went on to address the non-profit organizations facts and finances.
“Invisible Children has been condemned time and time again... Last year, the organization spent $8,676,614. Only 32% went to direct services (page 6), with much of the rest going to staff salaries, travel and transport, and film production. This is far from ideal for an issue which arguably needs action and aid, not awareness, and Charity Navigator rates their accountability 2/4 stars because they lack an external audit committee. But it goes way deeper than that. “ Oyston goes on “is awareness good? Yes. But these problems are highly complex, not one-dimensional and, frankly, aren’t of the nature that can be solved by postering, film-making and changing your Facebook profile picture, as hard as that is to swallow. Giving your money and public support to Invisible Children so they can spend it on supporting ill-advised violent intervention and movie #12 isn’t helping. Do I have a better answer? No, I don’t, but that doesn’t mean that you should support KONY 2012 just because it’s something. Something isn’t always better than nothing. Sometimes it’s worse. If you want to write to your Member of Parliament or your Senator or the President or the Prime Minister, by all means, go ahead. If you want to post about Joseph Kony’s crimes on Facebook, go ahead. But let’s keep it about Joseph Kony, not KONY 2012. “

SO, WAS IS IT GOOD OR BAD?

A New York Time’s article on March 8, I think, summed up and addressed the topic from the most objective standpoint I have seen thus far.
“Gripping and evocative though it is, the video has alarmed many veteran observers of the devastation Mr. Kony and his fighters have left in their wake over the years.”
“Some have called the video a pitch-perfect appeal to so-called slacktivism, a pejorative term for armchair activism by a younger generation, often online. But rather than eschew such digital action, the video takes it as one of its primary goals. Making Mr. Kony infamous, after all, is just a click away."

 Pernille Ironside, a senior adviser for child protection at Unicef who is an expert on the Lord’s Resistance Army said in the Time’s article “It’s not just one organization in the United States who has discovered this issue,” she said. Still, Invisible Children “is essentially distilling a very complicated 26-year war into something that’s consumable and understandable by mass media.”
“It’s ultimately a good thing,” she said. That’s what I agree with. Finances and facts aside, Invisible Children acheived their goal, I would say, of making Joseph Kony famous.
Maybe they did exagerrate facts. Maybe donating to their organization is not the best way to help the conflict in Africa or the children suffering because of it.
But, one thing I do know is that Joseph Kony is a terrible human being and has been for the past 26 years. He is currently on Interpol’s Most Wanted list and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for:  War crimes , Kidnapping, Life and health, Hooliganism/vandalism/damage and crimes against humanity.
So regardless of all the media attention and whether Oprah or Ryan Seacrest support the campaign, children are suffering at the hands of Kony. Awareness is NEVER a bad thing. What one chooses to do with that awareness is up to them, I just say make sure you have all of the facts that you can readily and realalistically attain.
Actor Don Cheadle said it best, “"Still cycling through the info. Firsthand: I have been to the night commuters camps, world vision and the like. No Q Kony is a bad guy," he wrote. "But divergent perspectives I find informative and the truth often lies somewhere betwixt and between what's proffered. You must use your.. critical minds and innate instincts to decide for yourselves while leaving open the possibility to understand more as more is understood.”
Regardless of what you believe, there is one thing I 100 percent support and agree with that Russell said in the documentary, “where you live shouldn’t determine if you live”. Well said Mr. Russell.

Oh the places you'll go!

I don't know what the rest of you did today, but I celebrated reading with more than 400 students at Winfield Scott Elementary in Fort Scott.

It was an assignment for The Tribune but deep, down inside.... I really enjoyed it because it was about getting youngsters excited about words.

Today, March 2nd, marks the annual celebration of Read Across America day. To pay homage to one of my favorite activities, reading, and childhood authors, Dr. Seuss, I decided to provide some background on the literary genius and recall some of my favorite reads throughout the years.

In 1998, the National Education Association chose this day to celebrate literacy in honor of Dr. Suess.

 For more than 50 years, the rhymes and talents of Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Seuss to most of us, have inspired waves of avid readers across the globe. Born in 1904, at the time of his death Dr. Seuss had written and illustrated more than 40 children's books. His children's masterpieces had been translated into more than 15 languages. More than 200 million copies of his books have been sold world-wide and some have been transformed into television series and major motion-pictures.

Some of his more popular tales are: Green Eggs and Ham, Oh, the Places You'll Go, Fox in Socks, The Cat in the Hat,  How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Horton Hear's a Who!

Motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong successful readers, according to the NEA website. Research has shown, the website said, that children who are motivated and spend more time reading do better in school. 

And I believe that. I know that not everyone enjoys reading, some even see it as a waste of time. But for those that do enjoy reading, I think we see and experience things differently because we've opened our worlds to hear and read how others see and experience things.

My dad and older brother were always big readers and as far as I can tell that's what inspired me. 

One of my favorite first books was Green Eggs and Ham.

Sam!
If you will let me be,
I will try them.
You will see. 

I remember checking that book out from my elementary school library week after week. So the point is, I was hooked. I loved what reading was about because as a child, something that encourages you to use your imagination can't be beat.

I would check out other Dr. Seuss books, picture books, and books about animals- which were my favorite.

My first big read was Hugh Lofting's The Story of Dr. Dolittle. What I remember as 300 pages was probably more like 150, but to an 8-year-old that was an accomplishment.

Other books I read throughout elementary school that I can remember were: Charlotte's Web, The B.F.G (Big Friendly Giant), and The Diary of Anne Frank.

I got into more serious topics in middle school and the one book that I read then that still really sticks out was called Billy. It was about a 10-year-old black boy in in 1930s Mississippi who is executed for the accidental death of a white girl.

In high school I got into murder/mysteries reading whatever Barnes and Noble had in that section. I also was assigned some great reads in my classes such as The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, about the meat packing industry, The Hot Zone, about the ebola virus, and the autobiography of Malcom X.

My love of words and the images they could inspire in my mind led to my majoring in English at KU. There I was introduced to the "greats" and not-so-known authors of our time and times past. I read such classics as: the Catcher in the Rye, the Great Gatsby, The Odyssey and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I was exposed to authors like W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, William Faulkner, Hemmingway, Sophocles, Virgil, Stephen King and so many more I can't name them all. I took fiction and non-fiction classes. I was exposed to Toni Morrison in my African-Literature class and now own about 6 of her books , all of which deal with slavery.

Recently, I finished the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Help. I'm currently working on the Rum Diaries by Hunter S. Thompson.

Some of my all-time favorites are: Francesca Lia Block's Dangerous Angels, Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Mayo Angelou's I know why the caged bird sings and many, many, many more!

For those who don't like books, I don't judge you. As long as you don't judge me when I spend 10 hours in one sitting finishing a book I can't put down.

My niece, Areya, reading the first few pages of my book to me while I was driving.

I got so giddy when my 7-year-old niece said she enjoyed reading because "it makes you smart and it's like a movie in your head".  She said, "Aunty, I like books because you can picture the characters in your head however you want them to. If you want them in a purple shirt, you put them in a purple shirt Or if you want a flower on it, you put a flower on it."  Areya Lin, I couldn't have said it better.

And so now that I've rambled on about the books that have inspired me and have affected my life in one way or another, I hope all of you take the time today and everyday for that matter to just, read.

If you've actually read this far, you're doing great.

So remember- Just keep reading, just keep reading... You never know where it will take you.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” Dr. Seuss

Makin' moves

Two vacations and about 5025 miles later, I don't think I'm stuck anymore.

I have ultimately decided to accept a reporter position at the Fort Scott Tribune and am moving in less than 3 days with mixed emotions abundant.

In the past few months I have had the opportunity to go to Jamaica twice and the Grand Cayman Island.

                                                     Morning in Falmouth, Jamaica

                                                 Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman

                                                            Ocho Rios, Jamaica
One thing in particular that those trips made me realize was the fact that the world continues to move whether I'm moving with it or not.

I've always known what I wanted to do, I just needed to take the initiative to do it.

Now I have.

I'm on the brink of turning 25 and since I graduated, I've felt like I was just standing still while everything and everybody else was progressing towards something.

Now I am too and I can't wait to see where I go from here.  I'll miss being close to my family and friends, especially my best friend and boyfriend, but I have to do this for me.

Luckily I have a support system in my boyfriend and family so I know I will be just fine.

"I am where I am because I believe in all possibilities."