Category Archives: Shanika Isaacs

‘Heartbeat bill’ passed in Ohio

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

Gov. Mike DeWine signed an ‘Heartbeat Bill’ Thursday afternoon, which banned the abortion of a five to six week old pregnancy in Ohio, even though it was considered unconstitutional in other states. The bill was expected to take full effect in the next 90 days which inevitably invites many who are unhappy about its passing decision.

The state’s government believed that as their duty to protect the citizens of state, they also needed to protect those who were not given the choice to have a voice. The only exception to the bill would be if a woman was in imminent danger due to her pregnancy and as a resulted needed to terminate it.

Many angered organizations joined forces to show their lack of support toward the bill and voiced many of their opinions toward it.

“This legislation is blatantly unconstitutional and we will fight to the bitter end to ensure that this bill is permanently blocked,” said Freda Levenson, ACLU Ohio Legal Director, in an article for NPR by Gabe Rosenberg.

Some of the groups who plan to use were Pre-Term Cleveland, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio and the Women’s Med Center of Dayton.

As the political battle enraged the dislikes of the business community and those who believed in a women’s right to chose what she does to her body, the rest of society was left to consider the consequences. Would this law benefit the upcoming future or would it continue to tear society apart?

Rapper Nispey Hussle killed

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

Nipsey Hussle was an American rapper and song writer from Los Angeles who was killed on April 3, creating an uproar in the black community.

His caused of death was as a result of obtaining gunshot wounds to the head and torso. According to Stacia Brown who wrote an article to The Washington Post, the conspiracy theory of Hussle being killed due to his connection with Dr. Sebi and HIV, proved to be false.

Many people believed that the documentary Hussle was working on with the herbal doctor, would prove that he was killed by government officials, for having the cure for HIV aids. A claim that would have dismantled the multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical empire that ran the country.   

She explained in her article that this type of response from the black community was a form of grief where many were bewildered by his death as they searched for a deeper explanation. Hussle quickly moved from a hero status to a martyr. The murder suspect Eric Holder, Hussle’s best friend, was arrested and charged for his friend’s death and attempted murder for bystanders who got injured. However, Holder pleaded not guilty on Thursday to these charges with a $5 million bail.

Kidnapper, murderer pleads guilty

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

A man was in court on Wednesday to answer for kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents in Wisconsin on Oct. 15, 2018.

James Patterson pleaded guilty on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide one count of kidnapping. The remaining charges of burglary were dropped, which was ruled as a life sentence for the accused.

After three months into her disappearance she was able to escape from her kidnapper’s house. By the time she was able to get to safety an arrested was made against Patterson within 30 minutes. Upon exiting the courtroom, his last words were ‘Bye Jayme’ but she was not there.

According to The New York Times, Patterson had trouble finding direction and appeared to lack companionship.

“Former high school classmates and teachers described Mr. Patterson as a quiet, bookish boy who struggled to find his way after graduation. He enlisted in the Marines but was sent home from boot camp after five weeks. Neighbors said he bounced from job to job and spent much of his time alone.”

What are some of your thoughts about this person? Do you think he’s mentally challenged or he plain evil?

College admission scandal leads to arrests

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

About 50 people were arrested and charged including many celebrities, famous coaches and wealthy parents for their participation in one of America’s biggest college admission scandal the country has ever seen.

Lori Loughlin, the wife of Mossimo Giuannulli were reported by People that the entire family went completely under the radar as they tried to avoid the on-going tension of the issue. Olivia Jade, 19 and her sister Isabella Rose, 20, daughters of Loughlin both dropped out of the University of Southern California which was one of the implicated universities.

“The whole family is still laying low at their Bel Air home. Lori and Mossimo both have court dates in Boston next week. It’s still a very stressful time for them all,” a source told Aurelie Corinthios, who wrote an article for People.

The sting lead by William Rick Singer called ‘Operation Varsity Blue’ took place at The Keys, his college admission prep company. Those arrested included two SAT/ACT administrators, one exam proctor, nine coaches, one college administrator and 33 parents.

Many people were disturbed by the actions of the elites and some even shared their views of understanding why the rich would always be ahead.

Elle Fromm told “PBS News Hour,” “You know, maybe it used to be your parents donated a library. And now it’s you have got a fixer who bumps your SAT score up 400 points. But, yes, I’m not that surprised.”

To live in a society that rewards the rich for their minimal efforts would endlessly encourage the cycle of inequality. If people at the top of the pyramid continue to teach their peers a way of lying and cheating to get to the top, then the wheels of morality would be highly skewed. Life cannot persist like this and such behavior requires an overall change of perception. What are some of your thoughts on the scandal?   

Plane crashes in Fort Lauderdale

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

A small banner plane crashed into a Fort Lauderdale condominium last Friday, killing the pilot and destroying a resident’s kitchen. No other people were hurt.

Derek Morgan, 28, was a resident of Washington state before moving six weeks ago to South Florida to accomplish more hours for his commercial pilot license. Many of his co-workers, friends and close-friends remembered him as someone jovial and warm to be around.

“It’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy for the family. It’s a tragedy for all of us. He traveled across the country just to get here to do some flight hours,” said Patrick Phipps, one of Morgan’s friend.

According to witnesses they told the Sun Sentinel that the plane’s banner was caught on a nearby building which sent it hurtling into The Berkley South. It landed between the 16th and 17th floors before toppling onto the pool deck that was still undergoing construction.

The Piper PA-25 was registered to Ariel Banners Inc., which was based at North Perry Airport. After the crash all residents were evacuated from the building in fear for a gas leak. Once a fire threat was clear and further investigations were done they were not allotted back inside until it was safe to do so.

Student overdoses on opioid Oxycodone

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

A Marathon High School student was rushed to the Fisherman’s Community Hospital in the Florida Keys area on Wednesday for an opioid overdose that caused a complete body shutdown.

According to the Miami Herald, which was one of the only news media sources that covered the incident, the Monroe County 911 operator received a call around 9:48 a.m. that three students took Opioid but only one ‘crashing’ as a result.

Opioid Oxycodone, defined by Erica Jacques who wrote an online article with the VeryWell Health organization, is an opiod painkiller, otherwise known as a narcotic painkiller. It is correctly used to treat moderate to severe forms of both acute and chronic pain. It works by changing the brain’s perception of pain thus providing release. However, with the abuse of this drug it can cause tremendous repercussions for an individual where they can experience irregular breathing and moments of unconsciousness.

The other two students involved in this incident were handed over to their parents who were briefed by Superintendent Mark Porter to expect an undergoing investigation into the matter.

“Our main concern is the health and well-being of the students involved,” said Porter, “Disciplinary actions may be taken once we have all the details of the investigation.”

As the numbers of daily opioid overdose were reported to be on the raise by the South Florida police departments, law makers continue to scramble in finding a way to keep them down. How did the kids get access to such powerful drugs? What is the accountability of the parents in this situation? What are some of your thoughts on the issue?

Trump visits Venezuelan exiles at FIU

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

On Monday, President Donald Trump visited Florida International University to talk to one of the largest Venezuelan communities in the state at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center about the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. Many supporters rallied together as they chanted “USA! USA!” and waved “Make America Great Again” flags.

In his speech, the president expressed his support and recognition for Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the standing president of the country. He encouraged the Venezuelan military that were loyal to President Nicolas Maduro to back down. In doing a peaceful switch of loyalty to Guaidó’s leadership, Trump ordained that there would be no repercussions whatsoever.

The Trump administration, along with 50 other nations, have declared Guaidó as the rightful leader of Venezuela. However, many supporters of the Maduro’s regime out-rightly disagreed with the American’s involvement as Maduro described Trump’s speech to be ‘Nazi-styled’.  

According to CBS Miami, “A tired rhetoric questioning our right as a free country to adopt the ideas of socialism which is humane and Christian. It was a Nazi-style speech,” said Maduro as he addressed his people.

Maduro still opposed to accept humanitarian assistance from America as the military assisted him in closing off all boarder access to the country. No one in and no one out.

Maduro also used his broadcasting platform to share to his fellow Venezuelans that they would instead be receiving humanitarian assistance from their Russian supporters. According to the Miami Herald, the Russians look to invest $5 billion on boosting Venezuela’s oil production and an additional $1 million in mining principally for gold.

With Russian bomber jets touching down in Venezuela and President Trump clamping down for a change of government, it was an irony of how the U.S. got in this position. What are some of your thoughts on how this would follow through? Do you think Russia purposely helped Venezuela just because America stood for Guaidó?

Crisis in Venezuela deepens

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

As Venezuelans struggled to meet their daily needs, President Nicolas Maduro continued to block passage for humanitarian efforts of supplying food to the public. For the government not to take the responsibility of assisting his suffering people, this in-turn spoke depth into the type of president he represented.

With the country facing the backlash of a heavily depreciated dollar, the cost for basic living skyrocketed, making it very hard for people to get find or get food. Jobs in the country depreciated to the point of no existence which made it very hard for anyone to make a living.

Thus, the crime rate was recorded as the highest in the Western Hemisphere, as new born babies faced a higher chance in being malnourished. Health care and medicine became scares as elders suffer the most. Imagine living in a country that did not provide the necessity of filling a prescription, while in America pharmacists cater to their patients as a norm.

The UN estimated that there will be more than 5.3 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants by the end of 2019. Around three million people were said to be displaced and found in nearby countries like Colombia and some as far as Spain.

Why would President Maduro allow the country to get to such a state? As a result, why does he not allow Juan Guaido to take over? Is this a matter of power or humility?

Global warming crisis continues

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

According to NASA, global climate change is increasing rapidly as its impact continues to affect the environment around us. As time progresses, we continue to see ice glaciers melting, the rise of sea levels, more frequent and severe forest fires, increase ocean acidity, extreme winters, heat waves and the list goes on. However, with new information surfacing and the fate of the United States changing, President Donald Trump seems less concerned about this evolving world crisis.

“WHAT THE hell is going on with Global Warming. Please come back fast we need you,” said President Trump.

As the play on words pertaining to a serious issue, nature will continue to take its course. Likewise, the unattended struggles of Puerto Rico since the hit of Hurricane Maria in 2017, will continue to cripple the country up to this date.

Collin Powell once said, “Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”

The president’s administration still intends on removing the United States from the Paris climate agreement which will have severe impact on the world. The Washington Post states that while the Trump administration ripped up clean-air rules, U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions shot up 3.4 percent last year, putting the lie that market forces alone will adequately drive down the country’s carbon footprint.

President Donald Trump instead continues to focus on the opposing party funding his $5.7 billion border wall and threatens another partial shut-down for Feb.15 if it is not funded. Why are we so heavily invested in the smaller problems and not more focused on the bigger ones? Where are our priorities as a nation moving forward?

What’s happening to our government?

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By SHANIKA ISAACS

According to an article written by Josh Haufner for USA Today, the partial government shut down became the longest in history both breaking and setting a 34-day record. Anticipation for the Republicans made itself comfortable in the White House as doubt and fear started to trickle in.

Even though the government is up and running again President Donald Trump promises for a next partial shut down if the Democratic Party does not provide ways and means of funding his $5.7 billion budget for the country’s boarder wall.

The stakes are high as many Republican supporters became aggravated with the president upon signing the government back into operation. Ann Coulter, a known Trump supporter, bashed the president by calling his efforts “whimpy” over Twitter. The president responded to such a comment at the first White House press briefing on Monday and said “I heard she’s become hostile. I must not have returned her phone call or something.”

Approximately 800,000 government workers officially resumed work on Monday. Half of that number was furloughed and the other half had to work at their necessary agencies for security reasons. Many government workers still struggle financially as they recover from the backlashes of the partial shut down even though they received their paychecks this week.

Partnership CEO Max Stier told WBUR news that working for a federal agency feels even less rewarding especially for those workers with a sense of mission.

He continued “Yes, it had real financial implications, but even more than that, it disrupted the core value proposition of the job, which is to be able to make a difference, to work for a purpose.”

Comments like these permits one to sit down and truly consider the odds as we look into both scenarios. Was the partial government shut down really for a positive cause or did we allow it to move us 10 steps backward? Or are we to be angry like Coulter and blame the president’s efforts for failing us? Exactly what are we to be thinking when considering all circumstances?