Scandels, Courage, & Compassion

In the past few days, U.S. Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts revealed intimate secrets from his childhood that no one knew, not even his family. In his memoir Against All Odds, which was released today, he tells of his most horrible memories of his childhood which includes physical abuse at the hands of his mother's many husbands, sexual abuse at camp, stealing food so that he could eat, & many others. His mother recently came to know about his being sexually abused at camp by one of the camp counselors who Brown doesn't name. Everything he went through has made him into the great Senator that he is today. He wanted everyone to understand why he believe's so much in victims' rights and why he has voted the way he has voted. His book is definitely on my list of books to read. He is one of many inspirational leaders of our decade and I strongly recommend his book!

BERKELEY COLLEGE ANNOUNCEMENTS!
So the following are fliers of activities going on our Newark campus in the next few days! I hope you guys can participate by attending and just having fun with our fellow students and professors!

ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25,2011 AT 8:15 A.M. MANY OF US WILL BE VOLUNTEERING AT BRANCH  BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATED AT 228  RIDGE ST, NEWARK, NJ. WE WILL BE READING TO CHILDREN AND HELPING THEM A EXPLORE THE WORLD OF LITERATURE! WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT TODAYS CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE LEADERS! THEIR EDUCATION IS IMPERATIVE AND IF WE HAVE A CHANCE TO HELP THEN WE SHOULD REACH OUT AND ASSIST.IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER, THEN SIGN UP AT THE STUDENT DEVELOPMENT OFFICE OR SEND AN E-MAIL TO SDG@BERKELEYCOLLEGE.EDU

So that's it for this week! I hope everyone is trying their best this quarter! I know studies can be dificult but just hang in there and you'll see the fruit of your labor! TAKE CARE,BE SAFE, AND TILL NEXT TIME!

VALENTINE'S DAY IS ALMOST HERE......

SO.... it's almost February 14th again,you know, that time of the year when you just don't know what to get that special person. It can be such a headache for so many people, especially for men! BUT DON'T WORRY BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO GIVE YOU A FEW WEBSITES THAT WILL SAVE YOU TIME AND ENERGY  IN FINDING THE PERFECT GIFT THAT WILL MAKE HIM AND HER SMILE!

VALENTINE'S DAY TIPS FOR MEN AND WOMEN:

1. If you head over to http://www.vermontteddybear.com/, you can find the cutest teddy bears for any occasion. I can guarantee you she is going to LOVE it!


2. http://www.1800flowers.com/ have the cutest arrangements of flowers, candy, and teddy bear for various prices! You can never go wrong with flowers and candy, Ladies & Gents=)

3.  If you head over to http://www.aquaspasalon.com/promotions.html, you can receive a special 10% Valentine's Day discount. Any woman loves to be pampered any day. What other better way to make her feel special than to let her relax from her daily hectic routine while being next to the person she loves the most?


4. Now,what would Valentine's Day be without a night out at a beautiful restaurant? One of my favorite places has to be Cuban Pete's in Montclair. It's an amazing restaurant with great food, amazing service, and a wonderful environment. To find out more details, head over to http://www.cubanpetesrestaurant.com/.


5. Now the 5th & final idea is........ well that depends on him and her. Any woman loves jewelry and any man loves sports. So,Guys, buy your girlfriends/wives a beautiful necklace and/or matching earrings.It will be greatly appreciated ! =)  And,Ladies, buy your boyfriends/husbands sport tickets so they can attend their favorite games (NETS, NJ DEVILS,YANKEES,METS,GIANTS,JETS).YOU CAN NEVER GO WRONG WITH GAME TICKETS!

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT! IT'S REALLY NOT COMPLICATED AT ALL! BUT VALENTINE'S DAY SHOULDN'T BE ABOUT WHERE YOU GO OR WHAT YOU RECEIVE. IT SHOULD BE ABOUT CELEBRATING THE LOVE BOTH OF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO FIND IN EACH OTHER. APPRECIATE EVERY MOMENT YOU SPEND TOGETHER BECAUSE TIME IS THE ONLY THING YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET BACK. SO ENJOY YOURSELVES WHILE YOU'RE MAKING LIFETIME MEMORIES.

And to those of you who are single, don't hate this beautiful holiday just because you're not in a relationship. Just because this holiday is mainly targeted at couples does not mean you can't go out and enjoy yourselves! Treat yourselves! Go shopping, go see a movie, go eat out with your friends, go clubbing! There are endless possibilities. Don't just sit and mope around! Instead, be happy and take advantage of the situation.

NATIONAL CONDOM MONTH!GET PASSIONATE ABOUT PREVENTION!

According to my favorite site, http://www.brownielocks.com/, February is National Condom Month! James R. Allen, CEO and President of ASHA said,"Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain one of nation's biggest public health threats, and it is high time that we as a nation get serious, get passionate about addressing the problem". I could not agree more with this statement. Teens are becoming more and more sexual at a young age. Yet, at their young age they are not aware of the various forms of STDs.This is expected since many parents and schools choose to ignore the problem rather than to sit down and explain various forms of contraception to their children. However, I don't think college students have any excuse when it comes to not using contraception. Here are a few facts about the consequences of choosing to have relations with various partners with no condoms:

• Every year there are ,approximately, 15 million new cases of STDs! That's an extremely high number!
• In the U.S., 65 MILLION people are living with a chronic STD such as herpes or HPV!!
• In most STD cases, 2/3 of the victims are under the age of 25
• 1 in 4 new STD infections occur in teenagers
• About 15% of American infertile women are infertile due to an untreated STD
• It cost more than $8 BILLION to treat and diagnose STDs

Who wants to live a life with the consequences of a STD that could have been prevented by using a condom? It's not a hard decision.Being "caught up in the moment" can have devastating consequences. Don't let your partner influence you into not using condoms! GET PASSIONATE ABOUT PREVENTION!

Now,here's a story that really touched my heart and grabbed my attention. Little Anabelle Whitehouse is a 5 year old girl with a rare genetic disorder called icthyosis. Only 1 out of 200,000 or 300,000 Americans live with icthyosis. This rare disease causes Anabelle's body to literally shed its skin every day. Her parents have to rub a full-body exfoliating lotion on Anabelle every half an hour so her skin won't turn into hard,thick scales; and she has wear bandages various times a day. Thankfully, her disorder does not effect her life expectancy. She lives her life like any 5 year old little girl should.


BERKELEY STUDENTS, don't forget that it's BLACK HISTORY MONTH!

 There are various activities going on on our campus this month! Don't forget to get involved and check them out.

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

DON'T FORGET TO COMPLETE YOUR TAXES,OR REMIND YOUR PARENTS, SO THAT YOU CAN RE-APPLY FOR FAFSA! IT'S VERY IMPORTANT SO THAT YOU CAN RECEIVE ALL THE FINANCIAL AID POSSIBLE THAT YOU DESERVE FOR YOUR EDUCATION!