MySpace suicide

So, this is the first time I'm going to venture into tabloid territory on this blog. Not that I'm above dipping into gossip territory; I have posted on Kate Brockhouse's blog and anonymously on Buddy TV about Bachelor season 11 related stuff, after all. Mostly, it was because I'd thought Hillary (and later Solisa) had gotten raw deals in their experience with the show, and I felt they deserved a little better. Otherwise, I'm done with the whole thing - that show sucks, creates entertainment out of the misery of others, and really insults my intelligence. Which I hate. And that is all I am ever going to say about this subject.

All of which leads into the real subject of this post, which is the tragic news of Megan Meier's suicide, allegedly aided and abetted by the mother of a former friend, who helped create the fake Myspace profile that may have contributed to Megan's decision to kill herself, more than a year ago. I say that I am heading into tabloid territory because, ultimately, this is a sensationalistic topic. This topic is one that some people might consider on par with news about Britney and Lindsay and (insert celebrity of the moment here) "news". This dis
tracts from more important stuff like the depressing state of affairs in Iraq, the sad state of health care in this country, the raw deal that poor people (in particular) get in this country, the struggle of workers to fight for better working conditions, and the appalling conditions the elderly in some nursing homes have to suffer through because a few private equity investors want to make millions in short-term profit. Among other things.

The point being that there are more important things to blog about, and it feels weird to bring this up. Yet, it is hard not to read that St. Louis Post Dispatch article, and not feel horrified that something like this was allowed to happen, and law enforcement can't do anything about it! It's bad enough when we get bullied by our peers, and let's face it, competition is a fact of life. It's even worse when an adult is involved in the bullying of a teenager, especially one who struggled with her self-image and feelings of self-worth. I don't condone vigilante justice, which is why I haven't blogged about the identities of those involved with the MySpace profile (although that is easily accessible information for those who care to Google). However, I have little sympathy regarding the harrassment that woman is receiving as a result of being outed, either. Still, I feel something should be done, so I will do my part to bring some limited amount of attention to this issue as well.

Rest in peace, Megan. I'm sorry it had to end this way. Believe me when I say that I know exactly how this kind of shit goes down, and I know what it feels like to think that everyone hates you. I hope your family finds some measure of justice, somehow, although without the vigilantism that might seem the natural reaction to this situation.

Updated with link to Bill Moyers' Journal website.

Governor Rendell and the big showdown!

Cool, looks like Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) is going to make a personal appeal to the state legislature regarding a gun control bill. It just shows how passionate he is about saving lives, and not caving in to the idiot gun lobby. Best of luck, Governor Rendell! I pray for the day when reasonable gun control legislation is signed into law and enforced. Don't take this to mean that I want to outlaw handguns altogether, but I think something has to be done about all the gun murders and woundings that have been happening this year, especially in Philadelphia. And, no, I don't think locking up every poor black man just for being black is the answer either.

Union action by nurses in West Virginia

Just wanted to post a quick update, to highlight this article I found while browsing Alternet. If any nurses from the Kentucky and West Virginia Nurses Associations/United American Nurses are reading this, I just want you to know that I support you in your union action against Appalachian Regional Heath Care, and hope you come to a peaceful solution sooner rather than later.

I support you, not just as a fellow nurse, but also as someone who believes that effective collective bargaining is one of the most effective ways for workers in all industries to negotiate better working conditions for themselves. This is especially true in this era of ever growing trans-national mega corporations, with greater and greater financial resources at their disposal to squelch any such actions. Individuals may not stand a chance against the army of lawyers and politicians arrayed against them by these corporations, but unions have a much better chance of effecting real and lasting change for their members and their members' families.

All that, and I find it distasteful that someone would go and torch someone's car just for helping others speak up for their rights. I hope your insurance covers this damage.

Best of luck to the striking nurses, and a big raspberry to whoever would stoop as low as to set someone's car on fire over this.

I love Children International!

To be more specific, I love that they keep me in touch with Vhera, my sponsored child. I just got a letter from her, the presence of which makes me even happier because she's still writing to me despite me not having answered her the last couple of times. (This time, Vhera, I promise to write back!) Seems like school is very much at the top of her mind now (last time, it was the family business of being small time entrepreneurs and selling sodas). She is now in the third year of high school, and goes there from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM from Monday through Friday. Now, that is a lot of learning!

God bless you back, Vhera. You and your family, who struggle hard to keep out of the mire of destitution that has swallowed many others in your socioeconomic situation. I've never met you, but I love you anyway. If I ever have children of my own*, I hope they are as cute and nice and lovable as you are. And I say that with absolute sincerity, knowing that it makes me sound very gay indeed :P. Not that I care what anyone thinks about me, anyway.

So, Children International is a very cool organization because of the above, and I urge anyone reading this to check them out!

*This statement is somewhat like putting the cart before the horse. First, I need to find myself a woman. I kind of want to give up, but I guess I won't just yet.

A couple of new links

Longer update tonight, because I actually have something to say today :)! Got through a group presentation in front of the palliative care case study class this evening, and all three of us did reasonably well, especially Katie and Rebecca. I hate public speaking as a rule, but I knew just enough about the subject (from my own personal experience with loss and bereavement), to wing it, and not feel too much of a fool up in front of the class.

Anyway, just wanted to call attention to two other links I've added to the Activism column on the left side of the blog page. One, is the United Hollywood blog, which is being maintained by members of the Writers' Guild of America (WGA), who are on strike. For those who are not familiar wit their beef, the WGA is protesting the fact that many of them get paid peanuts to write scripts for television shows (like Heroes, 24, Prison Break, and, yes, the Daily Show and Jay Leno) and movies, and don't get paid at all for DVD and digital distribution sales (like on iTunes, Netflix, and through broadband streaming off the show websites, e.g., www.nbc.com/heroes). If it weren't for the fact that the term "sweatshop conditions" should be reserved for the very real problem of people, for example in Saipan, working for much less than minimum wage in slave conditions, I would be calling what the writers were putting up with "sweatshop conditions". Update: In fact, it isn't even close, and wouldn't be a fair comparison. Just wanted to make that clear. The writers are still getting screwed over, monetary wise, and that's still bullshit.

The other link is to Children International, which is an organization I have supported for about three years now. Nothing quite gives me a warm inner glow like getting a letter from the child I have been sponsoring, thanking me for helping her and her family, well not exactly escape poverty completely, but at least keeping them from being completely destitute. Best of luck, Vhera!

One last thing before I sign off for the night. I'm starting to clear out my collection of Facebook links, because it's starting to get unwieldy, and I'm thinking about leaving Facebook anyway. I found this link to a video, called "Killing Us Softly 3", which is a lecture about the effect that advertising has on American women's self-image. Very interesting, and somewhat disturbing, in view of how pervasive advertising is in our very environment. It's a couple of years old, but still just as relevant today. Any female visitors to this blog, please take notes.

Back to work, real soon hopefully

Short update today, got to get some reading done before bed. Feeling a lot happier now that I finally have my sense of purpose back - I am now officially a Bayada Nurse. This is going to be my first home care job; as soon as I call the nursing supervisors (maybe tomorrow morning) and see if they have anybody to assign me, I will get a better sense of how things operate.

I am praying this whole thing goes well, and I am praying that I truly prove myself worthy of doing this kind of work. As with all things that I truly care about, I will put forth 100% effort, and strive to maintain the highest level of professionalism.

Perhaps, I may blog about work here from time to time. No private information will be disclosed here about any clients, and no one's name will be posted. I will follow HIPAA rules to the best of my abilities (rules summary here), but if anyone objects to any future postings, feel free to message me and I will remove the offending posting as soon as I can.

Okay, enough for now. Sorry about the lack of updates; I guess I should change the name to something like "Brother J, what do you have to say this week?". However, that wouldn't sound as good because it just doesn't rhyme. Oh well, maybe when more interesting, or important, stuff happens that warrants blogging, I will publish it here.

Take care. Be good to yourself and to each other.