TresSugar

How Have You Been Touched by Breast Cancer?

DearSugar — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:00:00 -0700

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I have been hearing a lot about this disease. Of course my favorite thing to hear are the stories from survivors - we all need to hear that whisper of hope in our ears, since so many women are touched by breast cancer.

It's important to share all our stories with other women to give us a sense of community and strength. Whether you have been diagnosed with breast cancer yourself, or a family member or friend has been, I'm sure most of us know someone who has been affected by this disease. It's for those women that we continue our fight against breast cancer.

I'd be honored to hear how you've been touched by breast cancer so if you feel comfortable sharing your stories, please do so in the comments below.

Source

Survivor: Seattle

GiggleSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:00:00 -0700

Something tells me indie dude Jason here isn't going to last too long on "Survivor"-- even an episode set in Seattle. His challenges? Fight for one purple skittle and find cream for his double tall Americano. His strategy? Curl up in a fetal position and rock back and forth like a baby. That'll work.

Teenage Girls Support Alleged Richmond Rapist on MySpace

TresSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:21:49 -0800

The news about the gang rape of a teenage girl in Richmond, CA, outside a homecoming dance while others watched and did nothing continues to get crazier.

A seventh suspect (the oldest so far at age 21) was arrested today, but even as details about the horrific crime continue to come out, one of the youngest accused rapists, who is 15, seems to have unlikely supporters: teenage girls on his MySpace page.

It's not clear if they think he's innocent, but they hope he's freed and that anyone who "snitched" on him gets theirs.

"F*uck the system. F*uck the snitchz. Free Cody," writes Vanessa.

What is going on here? Typical teen confusion? Are young girls oblivious to their own vulnerability? Are they repressing their knowledge of their vulnerability by supporting an accused rapist instead of a female rape survivor? Or do teen girls just learn to hate themselves and each other at an earlier age? Help me out - I am genuinely at a loss for words.

Italy Searches For Survivors, Authorities Ignored Warning?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:00:41 -0700

While residents east of Rome slept this morning, a deadly quake shook the earth. As of now, almost 100 people have died, 1,500 were injured, and tens of thousands are homeless. The search for survivors continues in the medieval town of L'Aquilla, and camps have been set up for those who lost their homes.

About a month ago, seismologist Gioacchino Giuliani predicted a large quake in the area. Vans equipped with loudspeakers went around telling people to evacuate their homes. But the local authorities accused the scientist of spreading panic, and he was forced to remove his warning from the Internet. While many claim that its impossible to predict earthquakes, this sounds like a dangerous form of censorship!

Check out photos of the destruction and recovery in this slideshow. Source

View Slideshow ›

Has US Airways Treated Passenger Survivors Fairly?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:30:22 -0800

A modest pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger seemed to think his hero's welcome-home parade was more than enough a couple weekends ago, but some passengers from Flight 1549 feel that US Airways has not taken the appropriate steps to make up for their near death experience.

Since the crash landing in the Hudson River, the survivors (aka everyone on board) has received $5,000 for lost luggage and other expenses. In addition, the airline has given them premier status . . . for a year. The status includes first-class domestic travel (when available) and one upgrade to Europe or Hawaii.

Source

Infamous Reform School For Girls Closes Its Doors

TresSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

The idea of a reform school for girls seems to come straight out of a B-movie from the '50s, complete with stock characters like the naïve innocent, the hardened mean girl with a heart of gold who ends up plotting a way for them both to escape, and an evil warden who gets in their way. It's hard to believe that such a place could still exist.

Until August of this year, the notorious Beloit reform school for girls in Beloit, KS did exist, and the school, founded in the 1890s, only recently shut down because the state could no longer afford to house the remaining 21 girls to the tune of $200,000 a year.

Although the school's founders had good intentions, Beloit's dark history includes the severe mistreatment of girls, many of who were running away from physically and sexually abusive homes. In effect, the abused were shipped off to be further abused. How bad did it get? In the '30s, a superintendent who was influenced by Nazi eugenics practices had 62 of her charges involuntarily sterilized. To read more about the history of Beloit and how it evolved, read more

Beloit was founded and in part funded by the suffragist and pro-Prohibition group The Women's Christian Temperance Union in the 1890s. Sometimes, the girls there were practically "indentured" by farm families in this rural town in order to earn the food they ate. (This was all before the state took over.)

At the time, according to Russell Jennings, commissioner of the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority, girls "were really viewed in our society much more as property." They didn't even have to run away to be deemed "incorrigible" or "wayward." They only had to be, as he put it, "a pain in the neck."

In a file from a girl housed (incarcerated?) at Beloit in the '30s, her offenses were that she "associated with Mexican men" and "became intoxicated at dances." Another woman was sent to the reform school for "being immoral (with father)."

A federal law passed in the mid-1970s ended the practice of sending girls to reform school when their offenses, if they'd been committed by adults, would not be considered crimes. But their incarceration continued in Kansas until 1983. Now, troubled teenage girls are sent to community centers where they can get the help that they need.

In spite of its history, for some who stayed there, Beloit was a haven from abuse at home. "I will always believe that because of Beloit and the staff, I am where I am today," said a 50-year-old who is happily married with three children and counsels survivors of sexual abuse. "They saved the lives of unwanted children."

Source

Abortion Survivor Sets Sights on Obama: Too Far or Fair Fight?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:00:45 -0700

The 527, BornAliveTruth has unleashed a very pointed attack on Obama's abortion record, specific to the Illinois Born Alive Protection Act. In the ad, abortion survivor Giana Jensen looks straight at the camera and after outlining that Obama failed to oppose a law leaving babies to die after failed abortions, makes an appeal to the Senator saying, "Senator Obama, please support born alive infant protections. I’m living proof these babies have a right to live.”

Obama's campaign issued a firm and immediate response to the ad, saying:

The recent attacks on Senator Obama that allege he would allow babies born alive to die are outrageous lies. The suggestion that Obama -- the proud father of two little girls -- and others who opposed these bills supported infanticide is deeply offensive and insulting. There is no room for these kinds of distortions and lies in this campaign.

The campaign says Obama voted the way he did because the votes were attempts to undermine Roe v. Wade. The ad will be running in New Mexico and Ohio next week and it's apparently only the first phase of the campaign. Is this a fair criticism of Obama's record made by a strong spokesperson, or misleading politics?

Katrina Survivors Required to Repay Rebuilding Money

CitizenSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:00:04 -0700

In another blow to Hurricane Katrina survivors who've struggled to rebuild their lives, some are receiving crushing phone calls - they may have to refund thousands of dollars of grant money they received to rebuild. Apparently in the rush to get aid to homeowners in need, over-payments were rampant.

The contractor who was hired to distribute payments from the Road Home grant program has just uncovered 1,000 to 5,000 cases that it says will require collection effort. How much? The average amount to be collected is estimated to be about $35,000, and in some cases it may be as high as $100,000 to $150,000.

As that's the biggest grant amount allowed by the Road Home program it's clear that some applicants received the maximum when they didn't qualify for a penny. But the trouble isn't limited to over-payments. To find out, read more.

About a third of qualified applicants for Road Home grants had yet to receive any rebuilding money as of this past week. The picture above is from the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Two years later the people in the picture are still living in their formaldehyde-contaminated FEMA trailer behind their house. With that in mind it seems this statement from the executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority about over-payments seems unbelievable: ''The state must walk a fine line of treating homeowners who have been overpaid with fairness and compassion and ensuring that all federal funds are used for their intended purpose.''

Is it clear yet that we've utterly failed the residents of New Orleans? What in the world can we do to fix this?

Source

"Miss Landmine Survivor" Beauty Pageant Coming to Angola

LibertySugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:00:02 -0700

Even the saddest tragedies have beautiful silver linings. Angola will host a "Miss Landmine Survivor" beauty pageant this April, as a way to heal the country that just came out of a 27-year civil war. As many as 1.5 million people died during the war and Angola only has a population of around 12 million.

The pageant will star 18 landmine victims, representing all of the country's provinces. Check out the contestant profiles here. Many of these women, who were injured as children, are now working mothers.

As a result of the war, which ended in 2002, tens of thousands of victims lost limbs or were otherwise injured by landmines. Today, millions of leftover landmines still claim victims. Hopefully, the pageant will provide hope to those facing the challenges of losing limbs, while also bringing awareness to the ongoing existence of mines, therefore preventing more maiming.

Source

Shawn Hornbeck, Kidnap Survivor, on Jaycee Lee Dugard

TresSugar — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0700

"You're brainwashed. It's as simple as that. I know people use that term a lot, but that's what happens to you. It's like you are on autopilot, only someone else is controlling all the switches. They control every little, minute detail in your life. Everything."

- 18-year-old Shawn Hornbeck on why Jaycee Lee Dugard didn't escape from her kidnapper Phillip Garrido in the 18 years she was held captive. Hornbeck, kidnapped at age 11, spent four years and three months living in an apartment with his male abductor and gave People magazine an exclusive interview.