Autism remains one of the most highly complex and least understood developmental disorders of all time. With such a varying spectrum of severity, it can leave a person completely unable to function socially or barely inhibit their daily life at all. Those unfamiliar with autism often confuse it with mental retardation. However, the disorders are quite different. Autistic people are typically highly intelligent, often exceptionally, and their difficulties come not in mental capacity but in the ability to communicate. Depending on the severity of the condition, an autistic person could be a certified genius but not be able to hold a conversation. This results in great frustration and often anger for the sufferer and those close to him or her. The origin of this disorder is as of yet unknown; some suspect there is a genetic cause, while others cite environmental factors, such as childhood vaccines, heavy metals and pesticides.
Children enjoying lunch at ADAPT4Autism's summer camp
A local nonprofit organization in Southern Illinois, ADAPT4Autism, has dedicated its efforts to making life both easier and more enjoyable for autistic children and their families. Since 2010, they have provided educational programs and pro-social therapy for autistic children, including summer and winter camps, private in-home therapy and social skills training. Their camps and programs give autistic children a chance to participate in outdoor activities and social outings, things that would normally be next to impossible given their condition. Perhaps more importantly than providing opportunities for fun, however, the program also teaches autistic children skills to make day-to-day life easier to navigate. “Now that school has started,” one parent said after the camp, “Travis is adjusting better than ever to his new classroom and new teachers. I’ll ask him each day, ‘How was school?’ He will always respond now to my questions.”
Continue reading ‘ADAPT4Autism Changes Lives, Will Hold 5K Fundraiser’
Joe Paterno, who served as assistant and head coach for Penn State’s football team for 62 seasons, passed away yesterday, January 22, 2012, from complications with lung cancer. Many are mourning the death of this football “legend,” despite the fact that he was fired from his coaching position in November due to child sex allegations against his assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky. Reports allege that Paterno knew Sandusky was sexually abusing children on school property, and did not report the matter to authorities. The alleged abuse started as far back as the 1990s, and at least seven people have now stepped forth to file charges against the assistant coach.
Joe Paterno (right) with assistant coach Jerry Sandusky in 1999
While I try to lead a relatively peaceful life mandating forgiveness, understanding and respect for human life, the world’s response to the death of Joe Paterno leaves me feeling betrayed, uneasy and, ultimately, very angry. As far as my personal life goes, my Facebook news feed was bombarded yesterday with “R.I.P. JoePa” statuses, thanking him for all he did for Penn State and for the sport of football at large. More importantly, every news article I read seems to idolize Paterno, focusing on his coaching accomplishments and only mentioning the scandal as if it was an unfortunate incident for which we should feel sorry for him. Most disturbing, perhaps, are the repeated claims that losing his position at Penn State perhaps hastened his death.
Continue reading ‘Joe Paterno Dies, Nation Mourns…?’
President Obama has received a considerable amount of criticism during his time in office, from conservatives, liberals and independents alike. Many liberals and independents claim to feel betrayed by the president, because he has not followed through with many of the idealistic promises made during his campaign (as if a president of any party could follow through with promises in the face of our rigidly divided Congress, Senate and House of Representatives). Conservatives, on the other hand, have had a vendetta against Obama from the get-go, maintaining that his particular (liberal, communist) plan of action would be—and is now—detrimental rather than beneficial to the country’s future.
Protesters hold signs quoting President Obama at a rally against the Keystone pipeline in Washington
Regardless, there are several very momentous things Obama has done for the United States of America, both in policy changes and by simply being a primary figurehead that isn’t a blubbering idiot, which critics from either side cannot ignore. He has (somewhat) effectively ended the Iraq War and extended health care to millions by signing the Health Care Reform bill. He has improved the quality of life of marginalized groups by repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, increasing funding for the Violence Against Women Act, expanding U.S. hate crime laws to include sexual orientation and appointing more openly gay officials than any president in the country’s history.
Continue reading ‘Obama Rejects Keystone XL, Stands Up Against Hasty Republicans’
January 18 could prove to be an unprecedented day in the history of the Internet. For the first time, several of the world’s most popular websites will “black out,” or go offline, in protest of the Stop Online Piracy and PROTECT IP Acts (SOPA and PIPA, respectively). These bills were designed primarily to stop foreign-based websites from violating U.S. copyrights online. However, glaring flaws leave room for fears of Internet censorship equivalent to that of North Korea and Cuba.
One of Wikipedia's proposed 'blackout pages' for Wednesday, Jan. 18
A number of high-profile websites have now officially released statements declaring that full blackouts will indeed happen tomorrow, Wednesday, January 18. The most notable of these is Wikipedia, whose English-language site will be shut down for a full 24 hours, from midnight EST on January 18 until midnight EST January 19. The English Wikipedia houses nearly 3,850,000 articles and receives roughly 25 million visitors a day from around the world. Tomorrow, however, Wikipedia’s largest Encyclopedia will be replaced by proposed “blackout pages,” detailing information about the proposed SOPA and PIPA acts.
Continue reading ‘Wikipedia, Reddit to ‘Black Out’ Wednesday in Protest of SOPA’
Thursday evening, comedian and political pundit Stephen Colbert made an announcement that could potentially be the best news the U.S. has heard in decades. Colbert, host of the Comedy Central satirical news show The Colbert Report, revealed on last night’s show that he is “forming an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for [his] possible candidacy for President of the United States of South Carolina!”
Stephen Colbert for President!
The announcement comes after a Public Policy Polling survey released on Tuesday found Colbert polling ahead of former Utah governor John Huntsman in Colbert’s home state of South Carolina. According to the survey, Colbert has five percent of the vote, while Huntsman only has four. Discussing the results on his Wednesday show, Colbert said, “This just got real.”
While many people often have trouble determining when Colbert should and should not be taken seriously, it would be a mistake to underestimate his intentions in this instance. In 2008, he attempted to enter the South Carolina Republican primaries to run for president, but could not afford the hefty fee. The Democrats of his state made a decision to block him, ending his campaign aspirations.
Continue reading ‘Stephen Colbert for President?’
Khloe Kardashian Odom has taken to Twitter in the oh-so classy and mature fashion characteristic of her and her socialite family to slam the two women who have made claims that she is not really a Kardashian. Jan Ashley and Ellen Kardashian, both ex-wives of father Robert Kardashian, spoke to Star magazine yesterday, alleging that Robert revealed to both of them that Khloe is not his daughter.
Who's your daddy?!
“Khloe is not his kid. He told me that after we got married. He just kind of looked at me and said (it) like it was a matter of fact,” Jan Ashley, Kardashian’s first wife after Kris Jenner, told the magazine.
“Robert did question the fact that Khloe was his,” Ellen Kardashian, Robert’s third wife, maintained.
Rather than confronting the issue in an adult fashion via a professional medium, however, Kim Kardashian’s little sister decided to angrily tweet her response to the women’s serious claims:
“The audacity you have to mention my father’s name like this! Should be ashamed of urself! I let a lot of things slide but this one is really low. YOU ARE DISGUSTING! (yes you know who YOU are),” she wrote.
Continue reading ‘Daddy Doubts for Khloe Kardashian’
As if the frigid, overcast weather didn’t already have me yearning for the long-awaited festival season, the infamous Southern California Coachella music festival has officially announced this summer’s lineup, igniting a buzz of excitement and anticipation amongst music lovers of all genres. Held at the beautiful Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has historically been one of the biggest events in music.
Coachella officially announced their full 2012 lineup yesterday
Like Lollapalooza, Wakarusa, Summercamp and others, Coachella boasts big name acts as well as independent musicians. This year, Coachella is garnering special attention, as two of the biggest acts in underground music will reunite to perform at the three-day event. For the first time, I (and many others, I’m sure) am legitimately considering a cross-country trip for the stinky, muddy, hippie-lovin’ debauchery that is a music festival.
Headlining the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival are alternative music legends Radiohead, along with the more recently popular Bon Iver and The Black Keys. Rappers Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg will appear together for a special duet performance (holy ****!), and singer-songwriter Feist and the one-man mash-up machine Girl Talk will also perform.
Continue reading ‘Refused, At the Drive-In to Reunite at Coachella 2012′
Stephen Hawking, perhaps the most brilliant mind of our generation, has revealed in an interview with New Scientist magazine that there is still one aspect of the world that completely defies his understanding. Hawking, a University of Cambridge physicist and theoretical cosmologist, has dedicated his life’s work to unearthing the nature of the universe at large, including where it came from, what it is and where it is going. He gained fame for his bestselling book “A Brief History of Time,” in which he attempts to explain a wide variety of subjects in cosmology to the common reader, including the Big Bang, black holes and light cones. Hawking, who is about to celebrate his 70th birthday at a symposium entitled “The State of the Universe,” has been left almost paralyzed from the rare motor neurone ailment called Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Stephen Hawking still doesn't understand women
In an interview with one of the world’s best science and technology news magazines, Hawking admitted the most significant mistake of his career. “I used to think that information was destroyed in black holes,” he said. “But the AdS/CFT correspondence led me to change my mind. This was my biggest blunder, or at least my biggest blunder in science.” Garnering more attention, however, is a comment in the same interview regarding the one aspect of the world that still totally defies his comprehension: females. “Women,” he said, “are a complete mystery.”
Continue reading ‘Genius Stephen Hawking Admits to Having Trouble With the Ladies’
The Iowa caucus is easily the most anticipated and most overrated event in the United States presidential elections. Since 1972, the Corn State’s caucuses have been the first major electoral event of the nominating process for the Office of the President. For that reason, the outcomes of Iowa’s caucuses are typically interpreted to represent the supposed opinion of “America’s Heartland” in its entirety. Those who fair well often tend to go on to receive a Republication nomination on the national level, and those who do not usually drop out after this very first caucus. Despite the emphasis placed on Iowa’s caucuses, however, only about one percent of the country’s electoral delegates come from the Iowa State Convention, rendering the state largely obsolete in the long run, other than for mere speculation.
From left to right: presidential candidates Santorum, Paul, Romney and Gingrich
Even so, the Iowa caucus was rendered just as important in 2012 as it has been in years past. Candidate Rick Perry spent $4 million on TV ads in the state, and Rick Santorum invested roughly $30,000. The official caucus took place yesterday, Tuesday, January 3, 2012, and the results released early this morning were surprising on many fronts. Conservative Republicans Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum nearly tied for first place, with Romney winning by only a fraction of a percentage and eight total votes. Santorum’s success was most surprising of all, as his popularity seemingly appeared out of nowhere in roughly two weeks. The Conservative, anti-gay and anti-abortion candidate is widely believed to have succeeded due to the wide range of Evangelical and “born-again” Christians who came out to vote in the state. Ron Paul, who has run in just about every Presidential election since I can remember and is perhaps only now being taken seriously, shocked everyone by coming in third place with 21.4 percent of the votes.
Continue reading ‘What the Iowa Caucus Really Means (and Why We Should Fear for the Future of Our Country)’
As most of us learn with age, the holiday season can often be a time of tragedy despite its promises of cheerfulness and new beginnings. Residents of Washington State experienced this firsthand yesterday, January 1, 2012, when a gunman shot and killed a ranger in Mount Rainier National Park. The woman, 34-year-old mother of two Margaret Anderson, had been serving as a park ranger for four years.
Authorities examine a vehicle believed to belong to suspected gunman Benjamin Colton Barnes
Her husband, also a Mount Rainier park ranger, was working elsewhere in the park at the time of the shooting. Around 10:20 A.M., the gunman sped past a security checkpoint making sure vehicles had tire chains for the snowy conditions. While another ranger followed, Anderson blocked the road to stop the driver. The perpetrator began firing shots, and Anderson, who should have been armed, was hit before she even left her vehicle.
Continue reading ‘Authorities Hunt for Armed Gunman in Mt. Rainier’
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