Current Events Blog #6

The article I read was about a little boy who is suffering from cancer for the fourth time. He is in critical condition and there is not much out there that can help him. One thing that his family has found is a new medicine that has not yet been verified by the FDA. The family of the little boy and his doctors have requested to use this medicine to try to save the little boy but all efforts are pointless. The company has no interest in letting the drug be used to help anybody that is sick. They have their reasons but many disagree with their decision. The company has received many letters and emails from people trying to pressure them to make the medicine available for the little boy but they still won't comply. Many can not believe that this company will not let the little boy receive the medicine because of selfish reasons.

This event connect to me because the medicine is located in North Carolina, which is where I live. Another reason is because I want to work in the medical field in the future. At school we are talking about Utopian societies. Not making medicine available to the public seems like something that would occur in those times. Also I am taking a business class. I see why providing this medicine could harm the company that is trying to create the medicine but to me there is still no reason that this child should be refused.

I think that its terrible that this company is refusing to allow this boy to use this medicine. Its is the only thing that his doctors and family can think of to help him. It makes me want to cry to think about this because I don't think any child should die this young and he has been through too much already. He is innocent and his loss would be greatly felt. If this medicine saved this boy, the positives would far out weigh the negatives. I hope that this company changes its mind and allows the boy to receive the medicine. I hope that this family has all the support they need because they are going through a tough time right now.

The writer uses quotes to help better understand both sides of the problem. The father of the little boy said, "This is just beyond belief to me." The CEO of the company that owns the medicine said, "There are no words to express our compassion for this young boy and his family and what they're going through." He feels for the child but he cares more about his company. It makes you see where the company is coming from but I think most still are on the side of the child. She shows both sides equally and that makes it even more obvious which side is right.

"Tablets pills medicine medical waste". Photograph. Wikipedia Commons. Wikipedia Commons, 9 Dec. 2009. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tablets_pills_medicine_medical_waste.jpg>. 

Cohen, Elizabeth. "Company denies drug to dying child". CNN Health. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/10/health/cohen-josh/>.

Current Events Blog #5

This article was about communication between parents and their children of any age. Wallace talked to many parents about how they handle talking to their children. She told some of the mistakes parents make, like talking too much. Also she gave tips to help parents have a good relationship with their kids. Lastly she talks about when parents should have the talk.

This article relates to me because I am a teen. Also I think I have a good relationship with my parents to where if I was in trouble, I could defiantly go to them. Last semester in my Intro to Publication class, we talked about online safety. This topic connects to that because if kids and teens can talk to their parents, then they are likely to make better decisions. As a teen, I believe that communication between kids/teens and parents is important, especially today.

I think this article is completely true. The mistakes are things that I have seen parents do, even mine. Listening to what your kids have to say can help prevent arguments. Most teens are willing to talk at first but if they get the wrong response from their parents, then they will not try to talk to them again. Communication can fix problems everywhere, not even just in homes. I would be willing to show this to my parents, so that they could know how to act or talk to us. It amazes me that there are parents like this out there already.

The authors point of view is that communication between teens/kids and their parents is key. She emphasizes this by using quotes from parents that have the same view point as her. Two of these that stuck out to me were from Antony Tseng, a single dad, that said "Be involved in what they are interested in..." and from Kelli Caprine, a mom of four, who said "Mean what you say... stand by that." Both of these are similar to my opinion. If parents are not involved in their children's lives, then they cant stop them from making bad choices. Also if parents change what they say and essentially lie, then their child wont believe them. This can cause their child to think that talking to their parents is not an option.  The example's she uses all go back to the same thought. This helps make the effect of the text more obvious. For me, it makes me want to talk to my parents and I think that it would make parents want to have a relationship with their kids.


Wilke, Selena. "Two-people-talking-logo." Digital. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 22 Feb. 2010. Media. 9 Mar. 2014. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Two-people-talking-logo.jpg>.

Wallace, Kelly. "OMG! Your teen actually talks to you?" CNN Living. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/19/living/talking-to-teens-communication-parents/index.html?hpt=hp_c4>.