Tag Archives: Opinion

03.21.17
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Commentary #50: “Students Turn the Tables on a Journalist”

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Image Credit: Ask Ideas

I read several advice columns, on almost a daily basis:

I don’t always agree, but several letters have made me think about certain things in my own life, such as dealing with certain friendships, how to consider money matters, and how to help the environment in different ways.

Last Monday, I stumbled upon an intriguing headline:

I don’t normally read “Parents Talk Back,” but I felt like I needed to read this one.

And, I was right.

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Scenario: The columnist is approached by her daughter. Daughter asks mother to come talk to her middle school classes before starting a unit on investigative journalism.

Mother agrees, and creates a lesson plan with the teacher. Her ideas: Discuss the First Amendment, explore how the free press works, the different types of news sources, and examples of investigations.

She taught this lesson six times, to groups of 40 students. That’s 240 students! Armed with candy, she encouraged the students to answer and ask questions.

She later received over 100 notes from the students, thanking her for the enlightening discussion.

Here’s some of the responses:

  • “I learned a lot of new things about how to gather information on public files.”
  • “I’m taking journalism in high school, and I wasn’t that excited about it, but now i am! Can’t wait for that class.”
  • “Who knows — you may have possibly inspired a future journalist.”
  • “It gave me new insight on the steps reporters take to write a story and how they’re viewed by the public. My favorite part was when you explained the impact of journalism on real world issues.”
  • “My favorite thing you said was that reporters helped bring bad things to light.”
  • “My favorite thing you said was that investigative journalists don’t do it for the money, they do it for the truth.”
  • “My favorite thing you said was you’ve been a journalist for 20 years, and that’s a record to me, because most people quit because people say mean things.”

I found myself re-reading this column a few times over the last week. It’s awesome that one woman made such an impact on 240 students, in one day!

Reading this column has inspired me to look into opportunities of sharing my varied knowledge on topics such as reading, writing, journalism, mass media, blogging, donating blood/blood drives, and maybe even the world of healthcare.

I’m not sure where this will lead me, but I’m excited!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.15.17
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Writing Prompt #49: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 11)

Week #11: Someone Who Inspires You.

There are so many people that inspire me – It’s really hard to pick just one person!

When reviewing the prompt this past weekend, I thought of my mom’s mother – My Grandma Grace. Some of you have seen me mention her on the blog before. She was an amazing woman!

She lived to be 96. This year will have been her 100th birthday!

Born in 1917, in West Virginia, she lived through the Great Depression. She went to college in Ohio, which was still relatively unusual for women back then. She married my grandpa just five days before D-Day in 1944, at an Army base in Texas. Grandpa proudly served in the Army and fought in World War II.

After he got out of the Army, they moved to Florida. She worked as a social worker, and was a dutiful housewife. My grandpa was a successful businessman in Miami for many years, owning/managing furniture stores and other businesses. My Uncle Richard was born first, and then my mom came along two years later.

I was very lucky to have her in my life until I was nearly 25! She was a wonderful caregiver for Grandpa, who passed away in August 2008. I loved traveling to Coral Gables to see them several times a year – Over the years, I gained a great appreciation for Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Miami, and the surrounding areas.

She was incredibly wise, and super smart. She loved doing the crossword puzzle in The Miami Herald every day, and she nearly finished it before the day’s end, every time. She taught me how to play to Scrabble. She also taught me that Oreos simply taste better when they’ve been frozen!

Grandma Grace inspired me to do, and taught me, many things:

  • Take good care for my possessions
  • Travel the world
  • Learn how to cook good food
  • Visit the library early and often
  • Going to church is important, and also a wonderful source of socialization
  • Read, read, and keep reading
  • Always send thank-you notes
  • Find a craft that you love (Hers was with her church group, making place mats out of greeting cards!)
  • Call your family and friends frequently
  • Keep up with current and world events
  • Enjoy your family for as long as possible

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.10.17
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Hot Topic #19: The Water Crisis in Flint, and Others

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Image Credit: Michigan Radio

This particular issue has been running through my veins for a good while now – No pun intended.

The purpose of this post is to review the events of what’s happened with the water in Flint, Michigan. In addition, I want to highlight other cities that have or have had their own water crises.

In my humble opinion, this is simply unacceptable. Everyone needs water to survive!

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a person can live about a month without food. However, one can only survive about a week without water.

Lack of clean, safe water leads to further illness and disease, and ultimately, death.

Flint, Michigan

One of the most recently updated articles about the crisis in Flint comes from CNN:

In a nutshell, the city officially switched water sources in 2014. At that time, Flint’s water supply fund was $9 million in the hole. Flint has gotten its water from Lake Huron since 1967. But, nearly three years ago, the source was switched to the Flint River while a new pipeline was under construction.

The Flint River was not being treated with an anti-corrosive agent, which violates federal law. Because this agent was not added, when the supply was switched over, lead from old pipes started to contaminate the water.

Lead exposure is known to cause adverse health effects, particularly in children and pregnant women. There are medicines that reduce the amount of lead in the blood, but further treatments have not been developed.

Since then, it’s been disaster after disaster. Finger-pointing back and forth, multiple lawsuits, and tons of bureaucratic red tape. All the while, the residents have been holding the bag – All they want is to be able to use their tap water again.

Among other things, tests have come back positive for horrifying things over the last few years, such as Legionnaire’s disease, total coliform bacteria, disinfectant byproducts, and bacteria buildup. Even Flint’s General Motors plant stopped using the city water because high levels of chlorine were corroding engine parts.

Flint has been in the spotlight for another reason – About 40 percent of its residents are African-American. There have been multiple claims / allegations that race has been a factor in the crisis, as well.

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Here’s some more information. The timelines were immensely eye-opening.

Other Cities in the U.S.

After the Flint crisis broke loose, other cities in the U.S. started reporting elevated levels of lead in their water supplies.

A simple Google search of “water crisis in America” immediately hits upon an article, dated March 2016, from CNBC, titled, “America’s water crisis goes beyond Flint, Michigan.”

Another startling article, titled, “America Is Suffering From A Very Real Water Crisis That Few Are Acknowledging,” is more recent. This was published just a few months ago, in January. It cites several sources, but most striking is one report from Reuters that states shocking statistics. There are 3,000 localities in the U.S. alone that have lead levels at least double the amount in Flint.

That’s just insane.

Like Flint, many of these communities have what’s referred to as “legacy lead,” meaning that most are former industrial hubs that have crumbling paint, old plumbing, and industrial waste.

However, many of these localities have not been in the national spotlight. Most of these areas have had to fight the poison on their own.

With that said, there are multiple problems here. There is data showing contamination, but funding has not been increased or allocated to fix the plumbing, pipes, or water supplies. While recent focus has been on lead, there are water supplies all over this country that are tainted with numerous hazardous metals and elements (mercury, arsenic, chlorine, etc.), bacteria, and other things that are far from safe.

Around the World

It’s no secret that other cities and countries on our planet don’t have regular access to clean, safe drinking water.

A quick Google search lists numbers of at least 1.1 billion people on our planet that have scarce water.

Here’s several links that illustrate the worldwide water shortage:

What Can We Do?

At this point, you may be feeling helpless, or confused, or sad. So, what can we do?

  • There are multiple charities that are dedicated to providing safe, clean water to water-scarce areas.
  • Educating others about these issues.
  • Spreading awareness.
  • Harvesting rainwater.
  • Researching and advocating new technologies.
  • Decreasing the effects of climate change.
  • Pursuing cleaner means of energy.
  • Consuming products that use less water.

Source: Conserve Energy Future

We may not be able to change the world right now, but educating others goes a long way!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.08.17
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Writing Prompt #48: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 10)

Week #10: List Five Things You Like About You

  1. I love my physical features. I love that I have a good mix of my mom and my dad. Most of you know that my mom and I have the same face shape, and look very much alike, with the exception of our hairstyles. On several occasions, people have recognized me as my mom, both in person, and especially over the phone. I have my dad’s hair, skin, and eyes. I feel unique!
  2. I love that I love to read and write. These two are two of my biggest passions!
  3. I love that I’m no longer embarrassed about my American Girl dolls. I felt sheepish for several years; I felt un-cool talking about it. No more!
  4. I love that my interest in mass media has continued after college, especially since I didn’t go into that field for my career. The state of our country is troublesome right now, but I’ve tried really hard to keep up with the current events.
  5. I love that I’m left-handed! I’m a proud southpaw.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.03.17
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Commentary #49: Rec’d and Wreck’d – Music Albums!

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Image Credit: Shealea at That Bookshelf Bitch.

Here’s the links to my previous Rec’d and Wreck’d posts:

Ready?

Here we go!

The Rules:

  1. Download the Rec’d & Wreck’d header and include it in your post.
  2. Specify what you’re going to Rec’d & Wreck’d. If you were tagged to do a Rec’d & Wreck’d post, let us know and mention the person who tagged you.
  3. List three things you would recommend (rec’d). Rave until your heart’s content.
  4. List three things you would like to wreck (wreck’d). Rant until your heart’s content.
  5. State your challenge for the next Rec’d & Wreck’d post. Here’s an example:
    Rec’d & Wreck’d challenge:
    – Type: Books
    – Genre: YA Contemporary
    – Prompt: I’m looking for a book that can make me ugly cry
  6. You can open the challenge to all your blog readers, but you should nominate at least seven (7) people to do your challenge.
  7. Do not forget to link back to the original post on That Bookshelf Bitch. That way, more people can learn about the feature and join in on the fun!

Rec’d

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Image Credit: Wikipedia

(1) Glee: The Music, Volume 1 – Many of you know that I am a huge “gleek.” I’ve loved the show from Day One. The same goes for most of the music. I own most of the CDs. This CD will always be my favorite. It has a great mix of songs from the first season. “Don’t Stop Believin'” is my favorite, but they also feature “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” “Sweet Caroline,” and “Defying Gravity,” to name a few. If you haven’t listened to their music, I highly recommend it!

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Image Credit: Wikipedia

(2) …Baby One More Time, Britney Spears – I begged and begged my parents for this CD! I had a huge poster of Britney on the back of my bedroom door. I finally got it for one of my birthdays, and I think I wore it out with my CD player!

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Image Credit: Wikipedia

(3) Millennium, Backstreet Boys – This was another CD that I begged for and pleaded. My parents gave it to me for one of my birthdays. My favorite song is “I Want It That Way” – And yes, I did dance in front of my mirrored closet doors, singing into my hairbrush!

Wreck’d

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Image Credit: Wikipedia

(1) A Thousand Different Ways, Clay Aiken – I tried SO HARD to love this album. But, it just didn’t sit well with me. I absolutely loved Measure of a Man (2003) and Merry Christmas with Love (2004), but this one was disappointing. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but it’s not my favorite.

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playon

Image Credit: Wikipedia

(2) Play On, Carrie Underwood – As much as I love Carrie and her voice and her music, I regretted buying this album. This one has the least amount of play time for me. Similar to Clay Aiken, I loved her albums Some Hearts, Carnival Ride, and Blown Away, but not this one. Her singing felt different, and a little strange.

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(3) I can’t actually come up with a third one – I can’t! I love most all music. I tend to have love/hate relationships with individual artists, or a certain song, rather than a particular album.

That’s all!

Do you have any Rec’d and Wreck’d recommendations? I’d love to hear them!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.01.17
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Writing Prompt #47: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 9)

Week #9: How Did You Do & Feel?

I feel really good about this challenge right now. I’m really glad I picked Wednesdays for these posts – They’re in the middle of the week, and it gives me a chance to compose my thoughts over the weekend, if need be. I’m happy with my progress so far!

Come back next week for more!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.26.17
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Book Review #29: “The Whistler”

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Image Credit: Amazon

This was another book that I picked up with the generous Barnes and Noble gift card from my parents. John Grisham has always been one of my favorite authors – I give partial credit to his writing for getting me interested in the legal field!

When I bought this book, this marked one of the first times I bought an author’s newest book within a few months of its release. With Grisham, I’ve typically found copies of his books at libraries and thrift stores. However, as I’m wrapping up my Paralegal Studies degree, I’m finding that I want to read as many new legal-themed books as I can get my hands on, even if it is fiction.

The Whistler is a powerful thriller, full of twists and turns. I liked the setup of the Board on Judicial Conduct (BJC) – Grisham followed a different angle of the legal profession with this one. 

I liked Lacy and Hugo working together. I’m partial to books set in Florida, too.

No spoilers – But there’s a big bombshell almost smack in the middle of the book that made me stop reading for almost a whole week. It was too painful!

To be honest, I almost gave up on the book altogether.

However, once I picked up the pieces from the bombshell and soldiered on, it got better. At the end, I felt it was a very long book. I thought it could have been about 100 pages shorter. There were several characters that weren’t crucial to the overall story, and they muddied the waters quite a bit. It got a bit confusing to keep up with, and that always bothers me with novels.

Despite a few pitfalls, I liked the structure of the book. When I got completely engrossed, it was really hard to put the book down. I found myself flying through 4-6 chapters for several nights in a row!

Grisham disappointed me a bit with this latest work, but The Whistler had enough drama, mystery, and intrigue to keep me interested!

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.22.17
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Writing Prompt #46: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 8)

Week #8: Express Gratitude to Three People.

  1. To Stephanie – Thank you for being amazing! I’m so grateful that you agreed to be a bridesmaid in my wedding. You are a wonderful friend and a great pastor! Thank you for always greeting me at church with a smile and a big hug! You are loved and treasured, friend.
  2. To Kristian – You are an awesome woman. From the minute I saw your blog, I knew we had a connection. Thank you for your support. Thank you for turning me on to this challenge! I’m so excited to meet up with you later this year. No excuses!
  3. To Diana – I’m grateful that you’ve shared your life and world on your blog. Your faith is amazing to me. You are a pillar of strength. Thank you for being so open and honest. I’m grateful to be able to read your words. You’re a beautiful friend!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.15.17
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Writing Prompt #45: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 7)

Week #7: A Friend 1

The first person I thought of for this post was my best friend in this world, Melissa Beebe.

In the photo below, she’s the lovely lady with the glasses, making the bunny ears 🙂

View More: http://stellarexposures.pass.us/vwedding

The girls!

We’ve been friends since we were in 5th grade – Which means that we have been friends for 17 years now!

Astonishingly, the only photos of us, that I can find via Facebook, are from my bridal luncheon and my wedding day. Yikes! We need to take more photos!

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Bridal luncheon, August 2015.

View More: http://stellarexposures.pass.us/vwedding

Gorgeous maid of honor and bride, November 2015.

I can hardly put into words how grateful I am for Melissa and her friendship for all these years. Writing this post has a lot of memories flooding back – Fighting over those silly boys at Chittum and Jolliff, voraciously reading, the fort in her backyard, chorus/orchestra trips, going to different schools for high school and college, dating, eating sushi and seeing Lindsey Stirling, calling to ask her to be my maid of honor, late-night Facebook messages, and more.

Thank you for everything, so far. Here’s to many more years!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.08.17
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Writing Prompt #44: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 6)

Week #6: The City You Live In

I currently live in Portsmouth, Virginia. It’s a historic city, and, as new residents, we have a lot of exploring to do!

Since Al was born in Portsmouth and raised in Chesapeake, and I’ve been in the 757 since the age of 4, we mostly know our way around.

However, we’re always up for more adventures!

I took this photo from our bedroom window after the huge snowstorm in January.

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The first floor of the Children’s Museum of Virginia, in downtown Portsmouth. Al and I went on an adventure here in August of 2015. We both have fond memories of coming here as kids, but they’ve done a nice job with updating it!

I don’t have a lot of my own photos that showcase our city – Not yet, anyway.

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Image Credit: City of Portsmouth

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Image Credit: www.portsmouthva.gov

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard is located in Portsmouth, where it repairs and overhauls ships for the U.S. Navy. It has the ability to dry dock an aircraft carrier! Wow! It was originally named “Gosport.” There’s an amazing restaurant in the downtown district called Gosport Tavern. We went there for New Year’s Eve – Awesome food!

It was first established as a town in 1752, but its roots for shipbuilding date back to 1620! Given that we’re basically a stone’s throw away from Colonial Williamsburg (about 45 minutes), it makes sense.

There are several historic sites in our city. There’s the Olde Towne Historic District – The homes there are just gorgeous! They are always beautifully decorated for most holidays – Especially the 4th of July, and Christmas. Naval Medical Center Portsmouth has been in operation since 1827! Cedar Grove Cemetery was established in 1832.

The Commodore Theatre is another favorite – It’s a restored movie theater that looks and feels like a time capsule. They only show one movie for a limited run, with one nightly show and a matinee three days a week. You can eat lunch or dinner there, and it’s a great place to see a movie!

Portsmouth City Park is a beautiful space, and features the Pokey Smokey II locomotive. Al has taken his quadcopter there a few times, and I want to go back at least once or twice this year.

The city of Portsmouth is part of the reason that my family moved back to Hampton Roads. My dad served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 23 1/2 years. Among other active duty assignments, he served on the USCGC Bear, whose homeport is Portsmouth.

After several years and a few moves, he went into the Coast Guard Reserve, while his main full-time job was across the river in Norfolk. The Fifth District is headquartered in downtown Portsmouth, and the Coast Guard base is about five miles from our house.

I’m grateful that we found our house in Portsmouth, in a beautiful neighborhood. I’m excited to enjoy married life with Al, and eventually start our family here. We have several friends who live close by, and my parents are roughly 10 miles from us. We have almost everything close to us – The gym, grocery stores, restaurants, and a decent school district for a few years from now – and I’m very happy.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂