Rest In Peace Kendrick Ray Castillo:

This week on, May 7th, another tragic school shooting abrupted in Colorado at a local STEM school. This shooting left one student dead, along with eight others injured. “This school did not have a resource officer on duty after a dispute last year with the county sheriff’s office” reports Nicole Acevedo with NBC News. This K-12 charter school held around 1,800 students at the time of the shooting. Four days before the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, a woman had made threats and prompted the lockdown of schools including the STEM school across Denver. Around 1:53 PM local time, two perpetrators  went into the school with handguns and other weapons. They split up and opened fired in different locations of the school, where they began opening fire amongst the students. Police responded to the first 911 call within two minutes, following a tweet, which warned civilians to stay away from the area. According to a student, Devon Erickson allegedly pulled out a gun and yelled “nobody move”. This is when senior Kendrick Ray Castillo jumped on him and was fatally shot in the chest. Erick was quickly subdued and disarmed by two other students. While this was going on in the high school section of STEM, Alec McKinney, the other alleged shooter was in the middle school section, where he opened fire, wounding eight students. (two are seriously injured) A total of three handguns were used in the shooting along with a rifle that was not used. We pray for America and the students across the globe who have endured these tragic events. We also pray for Kendrick Ray Castillo and his family for his heroic death. Castillo was set to graduate three days before death, may God bless his soul. The remaining question is when will these gun laws become stronger, and what will be done to avoid these horrific events?

Kendrick Ray Castillo — Class of 2019 — A Hero

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/kendrick-castillo-stem-highlands-ranch-school-shooting

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/colorado-stem-school-where-shooting-happened-didn-t-have-sheriff-n1004636

 

 

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Easter Tragedy

It was 8:45 a.m., when the first suicide bomber explosion blasted through the wooden pews as Easter Sunday worshippers were praying. It was only minutes later when a second suicide bomber shattered the Sunday brunch tranquility at the Shangri-La-Hotel’s Table One Restaurant, a favorite of foreign tourists. Reports Dharisha Bastians, Jeffrey Gettleman, and Kai Schultz with the New York Times. It the matter of only a few hours, three Christian churches as well as three upscale hotels in the Indian Ocean island nation of Sri-Lanka were attacked by suicide bombers. There were at least 214 civilians dead and 36 were reported as foreigners. The Nation of Sri Lanka mourns victims and is still recovering from their quarter-century civil war in which the suicide bomb was pioneered. As the investigation continued, the Sri Lanka government temporarily blocked major social media services, including WhatsApp and Facebook, to prevent the spread of false information, according to the president’s secretary, Udaya Seneviratne. There has been a raid into a home of prime suspects involving the bombings. Sri Lanka says 15 died in the raid, including four who detonated explosives. Easter is a holiday that we as people, no matter our faith, come together to celebrate the resurrection of the most highs son. No matter what word of God we read or decide to follow, we are all one — Human. We pray for Sri Lanka during this time of tragedy.  

(Picture Taken From New York Times)

 

Paris is Burning

Nearly 500 firefighters battle the blaze for close to five hours. This past Monday as the last rush of tourist were trying to get in for the day, the doors of Notre-Dame were unexpectedly closed–without explanation– later finding out, the symbol of beauty and history of Paris–caught on fire–causing its spire to collapse–, “bruised the Parisian skies with smoke and further disheartened a city already back on its heels after weeks of violent protests.” writes Adam Nossiter and Aurelien Breeden (New York Times). Watching, gasping, and–wiping tears away–onlookers gathered amongst the surrounding plaza of the nearby Hotel de Ville as well as the banks of the Seine River. “It is like losing a member of one’s own family,” said Pierre Guillaume Bonnet, a 45-year-old marketing director. “For me there are so many memories tied up in it.”  The fire began around 6:30 p.m., by 11 p.m. Paris time, the church had been “saved and preserved as a whole,” the fire chief, Jean-Claude Gallet said. The two main towers were spared, but two-thirds of the roof was destroyed. “The worst has been avoided even though the battle is not completely won,” President Emmanuel Macron said in a brief and solemn speech at Notre-Dame on Monday night, vowing that the cathedral would be rebuilt, reported Nossiter/Breeden. No one was killed, officials stated, but sadly, a firefighter was seriously injured. Centuries worth of kings and queens that ruled France were married there. The cathedral is visited by around 13 million people a year, so it’s clear that this isn’t just a landmark only for Paris. Napoleon was crowned emperor in Notre-Dame in 1804. Followed by the gracious Thanksgiving ceremony after the Liberation of Paris in 1944, which was led by Charles de Gaulle. Investigator’s still are not certain on what caused this fire, but are assuming it was an electrical issue. ABC NEWS reports, “An estimate of $339 million pledged to rebuild Notre-Dame cathedral after fire nearly destroys Paris Landmark.”  We all pray for Paris during this time, and an global appreciation to the dedicated first responders. Praying for a healthy and rapid recovery to the one severely injured firefighter.

(Images from Google/ABC News)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/world/europe/notre-dame-fire.html?login=email&auth=login-email

Rape Whistle

After a rise in attacks on seniors in South Kent CT, the local authorities are urging women to carry a new device, that makes a loud sound, which will typically scare off the predator/draw attention to the attack. “Inspired by the Military, the Safe Personal Alarm uses ear piercing sound to deter bad guys and is quickly becoming one of the most sought after safety devices in America.” writes Rachel Manfield. This device is legal to carry everywhere including planes: unlike pepper spray. This Personal Safety Alarm was originally created for women and children, but over 1.5 million have been sold in the US alone. This device is extremely useful because you do not need any training to use it; anyone at any age can use this device, no strength required. Highly recommend this for everyone, you never know when you may need this. 

https://trysafepersonalalarm.com/safety/protection2.php?zero=8asti87t43y8iksyth4iuktyh874e5gy5&affId=CB771A3E&power=gsiou7gyf8iwastgf47&c1=us&c2=unun_c_po50&win=fuagw6487iwt764tg6fuyty7u4ktfu6t7ue&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIspzpw9rQ4QIVBGzBCh2VZwxXEAEYASAAEgJvU_D_BwE

(Picture taken from google images)

Death Of Nipsey Hussle

This past Sunday on March 31st in Los Angeles, Grammy-nominated Rapper, father, brother, son, husband, and community mentor, Nipsey Hussle, was shot and killed in front of his store called, The Marathon. This store is located in the late rapper’s neighborhood, Crenshaw. The suspect identified in the killing of Nipsey Hussle is, Eric Holder. Sources say that Eric Holder was once a good friend of Nipsey Hussle’s, but no longer due to Holder’s past cooperation with the police. Holder had entered The Marathon, where Nipsey Hussle then politely asked him to leave. Holder had left the store, and returned on foot, shooting at Nipsey Hussle, killing him, and wounding two surrounding gentlemen. Two days later XXL Magazine released a statement from LAPD Chief Michel Moore: “I saw the name Nipsey Hussle, and I looked at that again, and I looked at it again, and I was like I could not believe it… This is a voice that was trying to help.” Nipsey Hussle not only leaves his wife, Lauren London, children Kross and Emani Asghedom, and brother Samiel Asghedom behind, but a whole generation and community that he has worked so hard to keep on a positive and ethical note, despite his own journey throughout life. The alleged killer, Eric Holder, is currently in custody, and being held with a seven million dollar bail. Fans and loved ones across the nation mourn this tragic death, and we pray for peace among our fellow black communities across the globe. The violence has to stop. https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.50919/title.lapd-police-chief-stunned-over-nipsey-hussles-death-as-street-petition-soars#

DOG BANNING

According to BBC, The capital of Iran, Tehran, has banned dog walking in public. This ban was warranted by the country’s effort to prevent dog ownership. “the new law would, in fact, be enforced, saying Tehran’s police “will take measures against people walking dogs in public spaces, such as parks,” according to a translation of the interview by the BBC.” Said, Police Chief Hossein Rahimi. It is forbidden to drive dogs around in cars and, if this is observed, serious police action will be taken against the car owners in question,” Rahimi added. Dog ownership as a whole has been a controversial issue nationwide since the 11979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. Iranian officials state that dogs are seen as “unclean” and a symbol of the Middle Eastern culture. This epidemic started in the early 2000s, when police began “periodic crackdowns” on dog ownership. This issue has exacerbated due to lawmakers siding with the Mullahs that dogs are “impure”. Although, dogs are animals, they should not have to suffer for not being raised/trained correctly. Many people including myself disagree with this cruel law. I hope this and many other unfair laws in Iran change.

(Picture is taken by BBC News reporter)

CLIMATE CHANGE

Over the past 15 years the United States has delayed there efforts into taking, climate change / “global warming” into consideration. However, this past year researchers have found devastating agriculture information that may help raise the pressure on more financial support from the Govt. for research involving climate change. Out of all the U.S. industries threatened by extreme climate change, agriculture and the broader food system it supports are especially vulnerable to unnoted global warming. Our scientific advances technology will no longer be a help to researchers within decades due to the high rate of global warming. “Congress created the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative more than a decade ago, but of the $700 million the program was supposed to get, only $400 million has been spent.” Says Tom Grumbly president of Supporters of Agriculture Research. We only have about 10 years left to help make a change in order to help us and our children and our grandchildren throughout the middle of this century.

(Picture taken from Google Images)

Spotify Recent Update:

Spotify and Apple Music have been the top feuding music apps used by college students and many more. Although, Apple Music is leading the way with more users than Spotify, Spotify has made recent updates that allow users to mute certain artist or bands they do no listen to or want to see on their feed. Apple Music does not have this option, which has many users recently switch to Spotify instead. The most muted artists so far by Spotify users are, Nicki Minaj and R.Kelly. Many do not question why R.Kelly is one of the artistes that has been muted the most, his life and choices are controversial all on its own. But, many have questioned why Nicki Minaj is the second leading. I wonder if it is because past arguments between her and on the rise rapper, Cardi B? Either way, Nicki Minaj is still the top selling female rapper. As a user of both music apps, I would say Apple Music is my favorite because I am an iPhone user. Spotify is better on my iPad because of the easier music streaming as well as unlimited skips— in my opinion.

(Photo is taken from Google Images)

Is this really America?

Three Chicago police officers: David March, Thomas Gaffney, and Joseph Walsh were accused for covering up and falsely stating what had really happened when a white police officer shot Laquan McDonald, an African American teenager. This past week all three officers were acquitted of all charges re: their cover up for a fellow police officer after he shot and killed Laquan McDonald in cold blood. This verdict was a complete shock to the community because everyone expected that the officers would actually be held accountable for a longstanding history of defending one another. Sadly, our own American people have failed us again. Associate Judge Domenica Stephenson, reading her verdict to a Cook County courtroom, which was filled with reporters, dismissed prosecutors’ assertions that the officers had conspired and obstructed justice. “This court friends that the stare has failed to meet its burden on all charges,” Judge Stephenson said. These three officers aren’t the first and unfortunately will not be the last to keep their broad concept of police “code of silence.” Chicago is a city that has police officers who have been accused for decades for covering up fellow officers’ misconduct. Tragic situations like this happen everyday and everywhere in America, with the same outcome. Where is the line of justice drawn? Are we the American people slipping away from our constitutional obligations to provide safety and justice for every “equal” man. Or are we not equal in the eyes of the law? Sending my deepest condolences to the family of teenage boy, Laquan McDonald.

(Pictures from New York Times)

Industry Relationships

Throughout many ups and downs in rappers Cardi B and OffSet’s marriage, Cardi B has recently split with her husband for his second time cheating. The first time he cheated was with two bartenders that worked at a very famous club in Queens. Which warranted his wife to later assault them months later when they were at work. This assault landed Cardi with a charge of disorderly conduct—she is still dealing with this case. She recently appeared in court on a continuous hearing. OffSet and Cardi seemed to be doing well after his cheating incident. However, Cardi B posted a video stating that she is no longer with OffSet. She expressed the deep connection and love that she still has for OffSet, but that she cannot be with someone who acts the way he’s acted. They are not on bad terms, she says they are both very good business partners as well as friends. As far as we know there is no court issued case involving custody of their daughter, Kulture. After the split, Cardi posted the first picture of her daughter to the public off of her instagram. Her daughter is so beautiful and we hope the co-parenting moving forward is peaceful for the sake of the baby. Subsequent to the split, rapper OffSet tweeted: “F*%! Y’all I miss Cardi”. Cardi hasn’t responded or commented about his tweet. However she was found partying at a club in Miami, seeming stress free. Fans are happy that she made the best decision for her life in all facets. People make mistakes, however it is not Cardi’s responsibility to put up with toxic behaviors just to maintain a good family image in the public eye.

(Image taken from Google photos.)