Tuesday, July 1, 2014

sexual assault/ Lizzie Velasquez/ Surviving Evil



Jun. 12 Sexual assault: I was reading in the Metro on Jun. 10, 2014 that a 19 yr old student was sexually assaulted in Egypt during the inauguration of the country’s new president in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.  Police pulled her out.  She was naked, and bloody.  They’re investigating 27 complaints about sexual harassment.

There’s video footage on social media.

Boko Haram: I was reading in the Metro on Jun. 10, 2014 that Boko Haram’s gunmen kidnapped 20 women from north- east Nigeria.

India rape: I was reading in the Metro on Jun. 2, 2014 that 2 teenaged girls were gang-raped and hung from a mango tree in northern India.  Three men did confess to it.  Indian television showed villagers sitting under the tree and the girl’s bodies, and they demanded they will leave when the police find the attackers.

Unicef and Star Wars: I was reading in the Metro on May 23, 2014.  Neil Morton wrote:

“May the Force (for Change) be with you.  Donate $10 and you could have the chance to appear in JJ Abrams Star Wars: Episode VII sci-fi sequel.  This is part of a new charity campaign run by Disney called Star Wars: Force for Change, and the proceeds got to Unicef’s Innovation Labs.  Great idea that more movies and TV shows should embrace and offer fans.” 

Justin Beiber charity: I was reading in the Edmonton Journal on May 26, 2014 “Beiber goes big for AIDs research.”  At the Canne’s Film Festival, he donated $545,000 to AMFAR, a charity that raises money for AIDs research.

Deer/ car accident: I was reading in the Metro on May 29, 2014 about Heidi Conner was driving in her car with her 4 kids in Chicago.  A 90 kg deer leapt from an overpass and onto their minivan.  The van was totally wrecked, and there were minor injuries.  The deer died.

My opinion: That reminded me of The Simpsons.  The family was driving in the car, and then this big fish falls on top of them.  The family screams.  It turns out the fish fell from a Russian spaceship.  Homer and Bart then start being con men to pay for the car to be fixed.

Lizzie Velasquez: I was reading this Edmonton Journal article “Inner beauty trumps ugly cyber bullying” by Enrique Lopetegui on May 26, 2014.  This is a very inspirational article about how a woman who has a rare disease where she can’t gain weight and is blind in one eye.  She overcomes adversity with the love and support of her family and her inner strength.  Here are some excerpts:

In December 2013, she inspired millions with her TED Talk. Now Lizzie Velasquez, once called "the world's ugliest woman," hopes to reach an even wider audience through an anti-bullying documentary about her story.

"I know what it is to be bullied and what is to be bullied online, and I want to be the protector of those who think it won't get better," said Velasquez, 25, who has a rare disease that makes it impossible for her to gain weight. She has never weighed more than 29 kilograms (64 pounds) and is blind in one eye.

"The idea is that they see the documentary and realize that, yes, it is possible to overcome everything," she told The Associated Press.

"Instead of just taking shelter of my tears, I chose to be happy and realize this syndrome is not a problem but a blessing that allows me to improve myself and inspire other people," said Velasquez.

In the years since she saw the video, Velasquez graduated from college, wrote three self-help books (the third, Choosing Happiness, will be published in August) and gained tens of thousands of followers on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. She's been interviewed by Katie Couric and ABC's The View, where she met Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg.

Velasquez credits her strength to her parents, who have always loved her the same way they love her siblings, Marina and Chris, neither of whom suffer from the syndrome.

"They're the best parents in the entire world," said Velasquez. "From the moment I was born they showered me with love. And they didn't just raise me. They raised my brother and sister in the exact same way."
Velasquez was born four weeks premature. Doctors used a photo to show her to her mom for the first time.
"I started crying inconsolably, but I asked them to bring her to me nevertheless," said Rita Velasquez. "I wanted to see her, hold her and love her."

Her father said Lizzie realized she was different on her first day of kindergarten, when other kids didn't want to play with her. "We told her about the syndrome and, ever since, (Lizzie) showed great signs of maturity," he said.

"Lizzie has such an inner strength and sense of humour that anyone can relate to her," said Sara Bordo, a first-time director working with Velasquez on the film project. "We all have difficulties in life, but nothing compared to what she has been through. Her positive attitude elevates the spirit of any person in the world."

Velasquez says she's not interested in a possible cure. "No, there is no way, I wouldn't even consider it," she said. "If you had asked me that question when I was 13, I'd probably have said yes. But if you ask me that now, I've learned and I've come such a long way to be able to accept who I am and own who I am that, if I changed anything about me I wouldn't be Lizzie, I wouldn't be true to myself."

Jun. 20 Wedding dress revenge: I found this on Yahoo news:

“Don't know what to do after you discover your wife of two years cheated on you with a best friend?
Well one Sydney Gumtree user, Dan, has chosen to advertise his heartache on the local classifieds site.

"Due to be married soon? Not planning on staying faithful? Want to sleep with one of your soon-to-be husband's closest friends? Then THIS is the wedding dress for you!" Dan proclaims in his post.

"This stunning, tuille swathed, ivory bridal gown has a proven track record of producing an adulterous, deceitful, double-crossing and traitorous "soulmate".”


My opinion: I saw something like this on Jay Leno about Ebay ads they found.  Is it sold or not sold?  A man was selling his ex-fiance’s dress and it was sold.

Burlap prom dress: Here’s a story about a teen girl who made a prom dress out of burlap and donated the rest of the money she could have spent on a dress to charity:

“Courtney Barich looked stunning strutting around the prom in her burlap dress, happy to have saved money that could be put to better use, like helping those orphans in the Philippines. We should all take a page from this young philanthropist’s book and realize it’s not always about the price tag.

Barich, having raised $7,500 so far, plans to return to the orphanage to visit in September. She’s hoping by then to raise the full $10,000. Click here to see Barich’s beautiful burlap prom dress in some of her Facebook photos.

A comment:

Atrista: For all the people wondering how burlap manages to be attractive and comfortable.....Burlap is not limited to the stuff of potato or feed bags. It comes in different weights and even colors just like other types fabric; from a coarse, loose weave to a fine, almost linen-like texture.


Stop Seattle shooter: Here’s some good news: 

“Jon Meis became an instant icon of courage on Thursday when he and fellow students helped subdue a gunman who was on a rampage inside Seattle Pacific University.

It turns out that the 22-year-old is also planning to get married. His newfound fans discovered the student’s wedding registry and have been buying up presents for Meis and his future wife.”


Jul.1 Surviving Evil: 

Charisma Carpenter: On Jun. 30, 2014, I was reading in the Globe and Mail about the new Investigation Discovery Channel docu-series called Surving Evil.  It’s on Slice at 9pm starting Jul. 4, 2014.  The episode will be hosted by Buffy and Angel star Charisma Carpenter who played Cordelia on the show.  It said she survived an experience when a gun man attacked her and her 2 friends in 1991.  She was 21 back then.

The show is where they re-enact true- life stories where women experienced this and survived it.  Here’s the article and they actually re-enact Carpenter’s experience.  It’s intense to read.   She talks about after it happened, she didn’t really deal with it.  Then she went to counseling.


Debbie Puglisi: In the Globe article, it talked about the new Surviving Evil episode about this woman Puglisi who’s husband was murdered and then kidnapped for 5 days.  The police thought she killed her husband.

Here’s the article:


Here’s her personal website:

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