First Amendment and Flag Burning?

So I'm currently taking a Media Law class for my Journalism major. Well, our main focus is discussing, understanding and interpreting just what the first amendment is and how we feel about it. One of our first in class assignments was to write what we thought about the freedom of expression when it comes to flag burning. While I did focus on flag burning, I also turned my opinion on protests such as the ones that are put on by Westboro Baptist (who I think are completely wrong and do absolutely horrible protests most of the time).

It is my personal opinion that people do have the write through freedom of expression to burn the American flag if they wish. While someone may not agree with it being done, it is something that should at least be tolerated. The line between what should be legal and illegal to me is when the flag burning (or protest) becomes outright malicious and the true intent behind it is to hurt an individual or certain group, whether emotional (to a point of trauma) or physical. I think many people do things such as flag burning as a way to prove a certain belief that they have, and because of the freedom of expression, they have this right and it should be respected.

What do you think? Please share if you have an opinion, but don't attack. 

Al-Madeena Cupcakes

A few months ago, my friend Mike invited us to go see his medieval fighting group and thus now, my boyfriend does medieval fighting and I'm doing some belly dancing classes and also cooking/baking with some very fun, happy, amazing ladies. So I'm part of the group called Al-Madeena and I made these cupcakes for the group (its the group symbol)

My Final Project!

So, we had to create a publication for my final Editing and Design Project, and being me, I decided to do a modern tattoo magazine. I wanted it to be more posh and high-class and all the pictures and some of the articles are from the Washington Post

Finally Posting AGAIN!

Hey all!
I haven't been posting at all enough but now I'll have way more time! I have more cupcakes coming at you, as well as some recipes that have been passed along to me and I've started an awesome new activity called EMP as well as belly dancing!
Hopefully I'll post again later tonight and check back!
Love always,
Kelly

BIG NEWS!

Hello to all that have actually looked at my blog =D

I'm very sorry I haven't been posting, I've been dealing with relatives and finals, but yay! now I have time again.
So my wonderful big news is that I am going to be doing my dream job, music journalism, for my college's newspaper =D I'm super excited and I'm also working on redoing a couple articles that I did for my journalism class and going to submit those as well to the paper so YAY! I'm totally on my way!

College Ink: Responsibility Mandatory

Every kid goes through the question “Should I get a tattoo?”

For most kids the idea is about rebellion and looks and “how will mom and dad react?” but for many others it is about expression and dedication. In college, when kids are given more freedom, both financially and from parents, getting a tattoo is a tightrope walk of responsibility and fun, on which every student tries to not fall off.

In 2009, the average credit card debt for a college student ranged around $2000. Along with this students were getting a mean monthly income from work of $453 and $312 from parents.

So after all the shopping, food, booze, books, and entertainment, how much is really left for that first little star on your foot or “MOM” on your arm? Not enough at all

Most students by the end of the month can’t afford enough money to fuel coffee for all nighters and do their laundry, yet according to the Pew Research Center 40% of people ages 18-29 have at least 1 tattoo.

This means that many students are spending money they don’t have on tattoos, when many actually come to the conclusion that they don’t like what they got done.

So does this mean that age defines who is responsible enough to get a tattoo?

While many might believe this question is answered by the simple fact that you can’t get a tattoo until you are 18, that’s not entirely true.

Many kids today are growing up faster due to outside sources that generations before us have not had to deal with in such great amounts, such as the availability of illegal drugs or domestic abuse.

When looking at college students who take on the load of school, family, sports, work, friends, and acting as their own parents while away from home, responsibility is thrown onto them and expected.

So when the time comes to make the decision of whether to get that first tattoo or not when no one is standing in the way, responsibility lays in the scales: can you afford it, will you love it forever, and can you defend getting it?

On the MTV show “College Life”, a show focused on college freshman with cameras filming themselves during their first year, cast member Jordan is shown definitely ignoring his scale.

Jordan weighs his debt of school tuition he has to his parents (both of who work full time jobs) and instead spends $2000 on a full arm tattoo, an average amount for many tattoos.

Jordan stands out as a major warning flag to college students in the US: make sure that getting a tattoo won’t come back to hurt you, in money or regrets. Getting your first tattoo defines whether you really are responsible or not.

Neighborhood Parents = NOT Responsible

In Seattle, everyone knows that each neighborhood has its own hill(s), so when it snows here, an overall panic takes over everyone and really for good reason. It gets DANGEROUS!

So in my neighborhood we have McGraw St. the main street that goes through my neck of the woods. It goes through the little shop area and goes up the hills on either side, exactly like a staircase (3 stairs on each side). When it snows, both hills become like ice and thus the fire department shuts them down.

Well around 10 years ago, a girl (I'm not sure how old) was sledding down the West McGraw hill and when she went to stop before the 4 way intersection that is at the bottom of the hill by turning onto a side street, she ran into a parked car. The girl died. I take it very seriously that this girl died sledding down this hill and everyone in the area knows about it.

So today when my mom and I drove to the grocery store, I was amazed to see a large number of kids sledding down the hill, and their parents either sledding with them or standing and watching them sled. As we stopped and watched, I saw that the kids only had two ways of stopping when they got near the bottom: either bailing and having to land on frozen cement and snow or being stopped by someone at the bottom, which means almost tackling the child.

Its bad enough that the parents know that a girl died doing what their kids are doing, but the sprinkles on the cupcake was when after reaching the top of the hill, I saw a mother sit in an innertube made for water, place her 4 year old daughter in her lap, and head down the hill.

I don't understand why people are so easy to just ignore something dangerous because they don't want to be the uncool parent or spoil their kids fun. There are many other streets in the neighborhood that are safe as well as a closed in park with a large hill that is perfect for sledding. Safety is not being first when it should and I know that I don't want to hear about another dead kid.