This article is about a group of social workers who hit the streets to promote adoption awareness. After an unusual abandoned baby case in Guilford County, the social workers felt compelled to spread the awareness of adoption. The now 5 month old who sparked the walkers, is now safe at home with a foster family after only 2 months time. This agency specifically promotes adoption to reduce the amount of children in foster care. Great article!

solving the depression stigma isn't only about allowing people to be able to get help for their depression it is about preventing them from taking a horrible urn and committing suicide. Depression is the leading cause of suicide and by changing the attitude towards depression you could be saving countless lives. A startling statistic in my article was that for every suicide death and estimates 8-25 people attempt suicide. This is so frightening because if all those people succeeded the world would be a far worse place.
This article really made me think about what could be done to change the stigma. The whole semester I've talked about the stigma and how horrible it is but now that I am starting to think about what could be done to change it it's a far more complex issue than I thought. I look forward to finding out more about changing the depression stigma.

This piece in particular caught my attention because it focuses on such an intimate part of our lives: dating and sex. All human beings should experience this, we're all capable of experiencing this. But many view those with a disability as an exception to this.

"Youth with a disability can find the idea of dating and sex especially overwhelming, given that they may have a poor body image along with performance anxiety related to their physical restrictions," says Dr. Miriam Kaufman, head of adolescent medicine at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

"You might very well feel unattractive and you might have gotten a strong message from even your parents that no able-bodied person is going to be interested in you and that really your only chance is to find somebody else with a disability who might possibly be interested in you," Kaufman says.

That makes me upset. Everyone should experience the emotions of attraction, love and intimacy. It's a part of our humanity, and it's how we connect with one another.

The article goes on to spotlight a few stories from youth suffering from the challenges of dating and sex, even socializing in general.

"I just want to have a relationship with somebody who likes me for me, regardless of how I look and what I have to go through, and be supportive," says Sasha (not her real name), 20 years old. "Isn't that what everybody wants?"

Not gonna lie but this last part of the news piece really made me emotional. Of course this is what everyone wants! I know I can personally identify with this. Although I don't consider my birth defect a disability in my life, I can relate to the self-consciousness it may create with intimacy...

Like for instance, would a man be okay with me even touching him? My fingers aren't normal, would he feel uncomfortable if I put my hands on him? That's a sad thought that should never cross my mind, but it's the reality of our society.

I thankfully no longer think this way, no man deserves me if they can't accept me. Like I've said before, my birth defect is like a blessing, it allows me to appreciate the little things in life. You know when couples hold hands walking down the street? It's such a simple gesture, but it's one of my favorite parts of a relationship. For me, it's like my partner accepts and understands my difference, and isn't afraid to publicly show the world.

Little things like that mean a lot to me, and I'm sure the same goes for someone else with a disability.

Care to read the rest of the article? Click here >>>> "Dating, sex can be daunting for youths with disabilities," Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press

http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=24&sid=af0a5820-101b-4945-9fcc-89ee7bcbc2bf%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=82926967

So here it is. The final weekly blog post for this research topic. I thought about focusing on this weekly blog post with an example of the utmost horrifying example of internet hating and bullying that happened within this past month I could find in my research.

Amanda Todd, a 15 year old teenager from Port Coquitlam committed suicide after internet haters dared her to take her own life. They rejoiced after hearing about her death. One month before her death, she posted a heartbreaking eight-minute YouTube video about the events that led her to serious depression. There is a public consensus about Amanda Todd that she should not have exposed her breasts online which led to grouping of her internet haters.
What was surprising is that this editorial talk about a study done in Plymouth University which found out that 80% of respondents used web and smart phone for sexual purposes, with teenagers from 13~15 more likely than older teenagers to take their tops of on webcam.
The finding of this study I read about surprised me. Perhaps there is more reason to point fingers at people who do hate-inducing behaviors online. But let's consider rape in relation to this issue. it is stated that if the woman or man is intoxicated then, he or she is legally incapable to give a consent to sex. Perhaps this person made a wrong decision to be drunk knowing that such behavior can lead to unwanted sex. However, no matter what, it is always the perpetrator's CHOICE whether to rape or not.
That said, would not the same be for Internet hating? Perhaps the temptation is great to hate knowing that there will not be consequences do to anonymity. However, in all my research I have done this semester, hating is a choice. Posting hateful comment is a choice. When you type something and press "enter," you already made the choice to hate.

This editorial also talked about a study done that found out that 7.5 million children with Facebook accounts are younger than 13. How do parents expect to protect these children from Internet haters when they are so susceptible to influence?

Digging deeper and deeper into the topic, I learned that hatred can be done easily because it happens in the virtual realm with haters who is misguided to think cyberworld is separate from the real world. Haters tend to be teenagers. But all in all, what was unifying about every resource I researched is that hating results pain.

I liked this article firstly because it was put out around Thanksgiving when we all need a little reminder to be thankful for what we have and to share that joy with others. The second thing that really stood out to me in this article was the quote "it doesn't matter how old you are to have a big idea." Today we spend so much time thinking that it takes people in charge to make a change, but this article is proof that even young children can make a large difference. It started with just a few boy scouts in the Minneapolis area making sandwiches for 150 homeless people in shelters, and over the years and the dedication of the scouts they are now Feeding 4,500 homeless people in the area each week! That's an amazing number when we think about how young these kids are and how limited their resources are. While we might look at this and say, oh that is just a quick fix to a deeply rooted issue, it is still important to see that the impact of every person is felt no matter what the age or capabilities. While making sandwhiches for homeless shelters may not end all homelessness, it sure is getting people headed in the right direction and from a young age which is important all on its own.

Link: http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/16638955-418/advocates-prep-for-indiana-gay-marriage-battle.html

Unbelievable this is my last blog for this class. after finding and analyzing these research, I learned a lot and developed myself internally. I saw my growth through my switch on topic chosen for each week blog. used to focusing on "why" journals, but now I kind of change my mind. Instead of seeking the reasons, it is more important to have a realistic action plan if I want to change the community situation. For my last week blog, I find an interesting point of view of "how" social networking technology affect on high educated people. according to this analysis, schools are embracing by social media using. and all percentage of using is growing. in addition, there is a trend to use quick and short technology. Facebook is still the most popular site and Twitter's development is impressive. on the other hand, bloggers are keeping on the same level. Students are prefer to use quick reflected media such as Twitter sentences posted than blog which needs more time to manage. Linkin is gaining more users recently too. Linkin is a professional social networking media. it represents the pros of social medias. Schools and professors act important in social media usage. So I believe that to change the community using habits of social medias is not impossible. I could start from education.

This article focuses more on binge eating disorders and relates the stress and comparison to past years as being a drive to increase the behaviors. A really cool point the article talks about is deciding what is the kindest thing you can do for yourself when you are in those low points during the holidays. Not meaning eat that pie it will make you happy, but what can you do that is kind to yourself. That could mean eating a good meal, or talking with a friend, or writing in a journal. I really took a lot from the statement that these holidays are just once a year. Relapsing or having an instance that you fell back into a bad habit does not mean that you have undone all the work prior...its just a "case specific instance" that will move on. I am left wondering what other techniques can be used to relieve the stress of the holidays..and it is family that causes these high anxiety provoking times or is it the food, the memories of good years past?

Anyway, I recently saw this video by the the Human Rights Campaign. It features the voice of Morgan Freeman. He talks about gay rights and allowing everyone to be allowed to be married. "Now, across our country, we're standing together for the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person they love,". Hearing Morgan Freeman's voice narrating this is simply amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wdnxMFs8tTk

This video relates to me because of all the campaigning I did for the Vote No in Minnesota. Morgan Freeman has a huge following, and people love him. People tend to follow in the footsteps of who they like and who their idols are. This is a positive ad and it is just what we need to move forward. When will this be airing on TV? Will it make a difference to those who might be undecided on how they feel?