BALTIMORE — The defense rested its case in the trial of Officer William G. Porter early Friday afternoon. Testimony resumed Friday morning with Porter’s defense calling several people who know Porter well to testify to his character, including his mother. Helena Porter, the officer’s mother, took the stand and said her son was “the peacemaker in…
Cover Photo Credit: Fibonacci Blue/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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College-Bound Girl Sails 3,000 Miles Alone For One Year
By Allyn Farach
With not a soul but her dog Elli, Sally Gardiner-Smith spent the last nine months at sea. The 19-year-old pledged to sail 3,000 miles by herself to college as a gap year, making it just before freshman orientation.
Gardiner-Smith decided that in October, she would set sail from Woolwich, Maine to Eckerd College in Saint Petersburg, Florida where she would attend college in the fall.
Traveling has been a part of Gardiner-Smith’s life ever since she was a little girl – she was born during a two-year sailing trip that her family was taking.
“Some of the earliest years of my life were spent traveling on a sailboat with my parents and sister. On two trips, which each lasted about two years, we traveled to Central America, the Caribbean and across the Atlantic to Europe,” Gardiner-Smith said on her Portland Press Herald blog.
Like any grand voyage, there were obstacles along the way. A dinghy line got caught in the propellor and caused the engine to stop. This proved to be an easy fix for Gardiner-Smith, who jumped into the water and cut the line.
Another issue arose when Gardiner-Smith’s dog, Elli, was hit by a car in Maryland and had to have a leg amputated. Gardiner-Smith was at first upset by the damage that her dog had suffered. She wrote: “… I hope that I can be like her when faced with catastrophe. There’s a lot that I cannot control and misfortune strikes everyone. It can hurt us, make us sad, and set us back. But there is never, ever, a reason to give up. Life is too full of wonders – for Elli there are places to be sniffed and belly rubs.”
Gardiner-Smith docked in Saint Petersburg in late July and is currently attending college, but is showing no signs of slowing down. She plans on taking a trip to Cuba over winter break.
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DOGG: Snoop Dogg Launches Own Line Of Marijuana Based Products
Snoop Dogg, the well known rapper and lover of marijuana has launched his own line of weed called Leafs By Snoop.
The line is available for purchase at 10 Colorado marijuana stores and has a flashy website.
Snoop Dogg launched the line at a party last night at what Rolling Stone Magazine described as a “surreal suburban house party” in Denver.
“It’s a true blessing that I can share the products I love so much with y’all today,” Snoop Dogg said in a statement obtained by CNN. “From the flower, to the concentrates, and edibles – it’s all hand-picked by yours truly so you know it’s the hottest product out there. It’s the real deal and you gotta get out to Colorado to try it first!”
The line includes 8 types of flowers and multiple edible choices from peanut butter gems, fruit chews and gummies.
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Cover Photo Credit: Leafs By Snoop/ Youtube (Screenshot)
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“You’re Pretty. I Mean For A Brown Girl”
By Shireen Valliani
The roaring words “You’re pretty; I mean, for a brown girl” continue to thrash through my mind. My response? I guess I could have been a little appreciative that someone took the time out of their day to throw a so-called “complement” my way, instead I was outraged that someone even bothered to make such a disgusting remark.
Even though I am a VERY proud Pakistani, the color “brown” does not define me. There are so many components that women tend to worry about- their body type, their facial features, their hair, their intelligence, their rights, their skin, their clothes.
You’re too fat, you’re too skinny, you’re too pale, you’re too dark, you have thunder thighs, you have chicken legs, your face is too round, your face is too narrow, you’re cake faced, your face is too bare.
Why does culture have to be added to this already elongated list of things women need to worry about? Women are beautiful, and not because of their physique or appearance, but because of their power and intelligence.
Unfortunately, I have been raised in a society that has centralized physical features. I grew up being told to stay out of the sun because my skin tans easily and “darker skin is not appealing.”
These stupid beauty standards have impacted many women very negatively.
Some days, I look in the mirror and instantly become upset because I’m not a size 0 and as a matter of fact I am on the chubbier side.
But as I sit down and truly reflect on the past 21 years of my life, who really cares about those superficial things?
No one is going to leave a mark on the world for their external features, they will be known for their intellect and the contributions they make in this world. Why has attaining an unnatural beauty become our one true goal?
Lip Jobs, nose jobs, liposuction, screw all of that. I would want my daughter to appreciate her natural beauty, and above all her intellect. I want her to understand that she is worth so much regardless of her size, skin color, appearance and I never ever want her to feel ashamed of her color.
Brown is just as beautiful as any other color and honestly the world would be a boring place if we were all just ONE color.
I used to be ashamed of my tan skin, I used to be ashamed of my color, my culture, and my religion.
Today, I couldn’t be prouder. I am proud of the way that my color reflects my origins and the country in which my parents were raised. My color is not just a color, it represents my identity and traces me back to the beautiful country Pakistan.
It reminds me of all the challenges that my parents went through to become who they are today, all the endless time they spent providing money to put food on the table and simultaneously being educated. It reminds me of all the hardships my grandparents faced to provide their children with basic necessities.
So, to some people I may just be some “brown girl” but I embrace my color openly.
Although understanding how to be confident in myself is a journey that I venture on everyday, I have learned to appreciate myself for who I am and refrain from comparing myself to those around me.
My color is beautiful. YOUR color is beautiful. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
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Cover Photo Credit: Zaheer Molu
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