Craigslist Sex Advertiser

- "Man accused of seeking sex with underage girl on Craigslist" by Alicia Lopez
- Published on January 26, 2013
- The Los Angeles Times
- http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/sex-underage-girl-craigslist.html

     The Internet is a place where we can find help for our homework or jobs, socialize with friends, and a place where we do not know who is on the other side. Fifty-five year old, Carlton Earl Griner was arrested due to many accusations from the felonies he did from his past and the present. However, the main reason for his arrest, was because of what he did on Craigslist: advertise for sex. He later on continued to socialize with a thirteen year old girl, sending sexual emails to her. On January nine, he planned to meet the girl at the shopping center. After he made it to the shopping center, he was arrested by the Huntington Beach police department, who was pretending to be the thirteen year old girl. His previous felonies include attempting to have sexual contact with underage girls. If he is found guilty, he will be registered as a sex offender for the remaining of his life with five years of prison. For now, he is held in jail with the bail of $100,000. The Internet can be a scary place when not paying attention to safety. You can socialize with almost anyone from around the world, and that can either have a great or terrible ending. Therefore, it is important to be careful all the time when using the Internet because anything of yours can go viral and anything can happen.

Nature

     On most days, I love to go out or spend time outside. However, if I am not paying attention to my surroundings and only paying attention to my cell phone or the people I am with, I rarely notice all the little parts of life and nature around me. While spending time out at the beach yesterday, I began to feel more peaceful when noticing my surroundings. The night sky was almost like a dark blanket, filled with hundreds of tiny, sparkling stars. The stars scattered everywhere, as a small airplane could be seen from the ground, flying to its destination that holds many awaiting possibilities. Lights snake their way up on the bark of the palm trees, as they sway with the wind. The leaves from the bushes dance with the sound of the wind and the variety of different colored flowers sit on the ground. Thousands of lights surround the side of the ocean, while it continues to bring its crashing waves back and forth, holding billions of water molecules and its own life. The serenity from the inside of the ocean and under the sea is not seen, only the dark side and outside of it is what we are shown. Cars rush by, speeding away to their own destinations. People chatter and huddle closer for warmth. Their laughter fills the atmosphere as they enjoy their short time with their spouses or families. The smell of fresh air, the salty ocean, and fresh fish being cooked wafts around. The tall mountains hide whatever lurks behind it. The small, far away moon provides all the light it has to offer, staring at everyone from above. There is a feeling of peace and tranquility that is felt when noticing nature. Its beauty is a part we can all see, yet we choose not to because of how busy we are looking at all the wrong and superficial parts of life.

Death at Taco Truck

- "Man fatally shot after argument at taco truck" by Jeff Gotlieb
- Published on January 20, 2013
- The Los Angeles Times
- http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/man-fatally-shot-after-argument-at-taco-truck.html

     When one gets hungry, they want to eat. When one goes to eat, they do not expect to die.Yesterday at around 10 p.m., an argument had started between two people by a Taco Truck located in El Sereno. The argument was between Angel Serna Mancilla, who had gone to buy a taco from the taco truck, and another man, who was not identified. Mancilla was shot more than once by the man he was arguing with. The pistol he had used to shoot Mancilla, left him lying on the floor wounded with several bullets. Mancilla died a few hours later after being taken to the hospital. Lately, more and more shootings and killings have been occurring in the United States. They have been very common, especially for the most unimportant and pointless reasons. If two people have an argument, it should not give one of them the right to shoot the other in a way of expressing their anger towards them. They should have completely avoided the problem and continue with their lives. I only hope they find the suspect that killed Mancilla and give him the punishment he deserves.

Fashion Island Mall Shooting

- "Man accused of firing shots at Fashion Island mall pleads not guilty" by Lauren Williams
- Published on January 13, 2012
- The Los Angeles Times
- http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/fashion-island-not-guilty-plea.html#more

    After the Sandy Hook shooting, which killed twenty children and six adults, it was as if nothing could get worse. Although, another shooting seemed necessary to Marcos Gurrola. The day after the Sandy Hook shooting, Gurrola fired forty and more shots at Fashion Island mall located in Newport Beach. Fortunately, no one was severely hurt or was hit by the bullets Gurrola carelessly fired. However, due to the panic everyone felt, a woman and her daughter were injured from the rushing shoppers, who were desperate to escape the scene. In his recent court trial, Gurrola pleaded guilty for the charges police had placed on him. As decided, March fifteenth is his new court date. After all the shootings that had taken place in 2012, I am glad to hear that no one got hurt by the shooting and that no one was killed. As more shootings happen, more people tend to think that it is okay to shoot others. Guns should not be given to others lightly and occurrences such as these, should be taken seriously to prevent another shooting to happen again. In my perspective, Gurrola should be found guilty because even if he did not kill anyone, he attempted to do exactly that in the first place. If he is released, then we cannot say that he will not attempt to do another shooting again, since it is very likely for it to happen.

Which Piece of Literature?

     There were many interesting pieces of literature presented these past three days. In fact, most of them were books I would one day want to read. If I were to pick a book I would most likely read, it would be Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen. Many people have referred this book to others, which makes me want to read it even more. In addition, from what I have heard or seen about the book, it seemed easy to relate to, which would make it an easy and interesting read. Also, the book is still well known present day, having many positive reviews and a movie created for it. For that reason, I can safely assume it is a good enough book to read and create a movie for. The book I am least likely to read would be, A Child Called It: One's Courage to Survive by David J. Pelzer. I would not read this book because I have already read it once. Instead, I would prefer to spend my time reading books I have not before. However, Pelzer's autobiography was not boring at all, but riveting. It was not hard for me to be engrossed in Pelzer's story of his tough childhood. Although a few of the books seemed more interesting than the others, I would not mind reading them all.