Protection

The millions of American soldiers, men and women, serving our country and overseas are to be admired. Since 9/11 and the War in Iraq/Afghanistan these are the true Americans who continue to protect our way of life.
This patriotic sentiment is not expressed by all soldiers.
For some military females, they not only have to protect our country, but they have to protect themselves. The silent reality; male soldiers are sexually harassing female soldiers. Women are finding it difficult to end relationships with fellow soldiers who aren't taking "no" for an answer. To those women who are struggling with this, we must give them our unconditional support. If this happens more often than not, why isn't the US Military taking these threats more seriously? The first step is talking about this issue.

To find out more about these unfortunate circumstances, check out http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/us/28women.html?_r=1&hp.

Shame, Shame, Shame

If you catch a cold, chances are, it will be passed on.

At the height of the flu season, many companies are gearing up for expected sick days from workers--it happens.

Wal-Mart takes a rather unethical approach toward employees for calling out sick. Instead, contagious employees are given a demerit badge for every sick day accumulated. This is the sad reality; we are in a deep recession, Swine Flu has everyone on pins and needles and now, hard-working individuals have to fear punishment. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place!

All hope is not lost. If you visit www.demeritwalmart.com you can give Wal-Mart a demerit for imposing this unfair, callous rule towards people trying a make ends meet. Lets help them out!

And to the employees--stay strong!

What We Ponder

Marriage is suppose to be a joyous time, a time when two people fall in love and make a promise to one another. A promise of faithfulness, commitment. A promise to remain upbeat when times are rough. No one was expecting an outstanding athlete like Tiger Woods to cheat on his wife, model Elin Nordegren, with multiple women. No one expected the man that changed the game of golf to openly financially support women who were not his wife. No one expected the father of two young children to tell a few of his women that he was unhappy with his life at home and no one expected to read this information in a text.
As the air grows stagnant and we ponder about the future of Woods, there needs to be time for the Woods' to gather their bearings and lean towards healing. In a society that expects to know everything about everyone at anytime, perhaps we need to reflect on the troubles that have befallen the famed golfer and his wife. Perhaps their problems are deeper than we understand. Perhaps we can offer kind words, respect and space, so that they can remain strong and hopeful that the promise they made to one another can be carried out.

Book Review

A good book could stumble upon you as unexpectedly as a rain shower, whether or not it is needed. However it comes, a great read is sure to spark good conversation.
For young adult readers, literature tends to be outdated or excruciatingly boring. Enter The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.
The story centers around Charlie who, through a series of quirky, detailed letters, tells a "friend" about his school year and the chaos that comes with being a teen. A true page turner, the book gets to the heart of what I Stay Strong is about, finding strength through adversity. Charlie is an interesting character and Chbosky's description of each character really brings the book to life. Charlie uses his writing as a means to find himself through dire circumstances. The book is also a great stepping stone for those who want to read great literature, as several classics are mentioned; The Catcher and the Rye, The Color Purple and Hamlet. Happy reading!