T.I. Sentenced to a Year and a Day

T.I. , who’s real name is Clifford Harris Jr., was recently sentenced to 366 days in a Georgia prison as part of his plea deal with prosecutors over a 2007 felony weapons charge. The 28-year-old rapper is required to voluntarily turn himself into prison within the next 30 to 60 days, but not before May 19, due to his other commitments. It is not clear yet where T.I. will serve his time, but he will be receiving credit for the 305 days he already spent in home detention. As for his sentence, since it is more than one year long, he will be eligible for early release, should his good behavior warrant it.

T.I. pleaded guilty to a federal weapons charge and agreed to complete 1,000 hours of community service, pay a $100,000 fine, and complete an additional 500 hours of community. His release from prison will be followed by an additional three years of supervised release. As part of his community service agreement, T.I. has made 262 public appearances in addition to taking part in a pro-voting campaign, working with children, and appearing in the MTV reality show called “Road to Redemption”. Attorney David E. Nahmias said that they are very pleased with the results of the case and that T.I. has used his public image and his real world experience to deliver the correct message to thousands of kids.

Do you think that it is a good idea that T.I. is using his public image and real life troubles to set an example for young kids?

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Madonna Urged by Charity to Rethink Adoption

Madonna wishes to adopt a second child from Malawi. She has already filed papers to hopefully bring home a 3-year-old girl by the name of Mercy James, who has recently become an orphan. Madonna has already adopted a little boy from Malawi in 2006, by the name of David Banda, with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie. They have also helped to build an orphanage there.

Many people are against Madonna adopting another child because they believe she cannot just take every poor child who does not have parents and transport them across the world to London. Save the Children UK’s Dominic Nutt said in an interview that the proper thing to do is to support the community that the children are in, rather than adopt the children. It is better to support the local agencies and charities that can look after the child so that the child is cared for in the community.

In your opinion, should Madonna be allowed to adopt another child from Malawi? Take into consideration that she just recently divorced her husband as well. Furthermore, do you believe the child should be raised in her community or can Madonna provide the little girl a better life?

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Funeral Services Held for Natasha Richardson

There weren’t too many news stories or articles to choose from this weekend on E! besides the accidental death of beloved actress, Natasha Richardson. With this said, a private funeral was held for the late Natasha Richardson Sunday afternoon near her Millbrook home in upstate New York, where family and friends gathered to say their farewells. Approximately 40 people attended the services, including her husband, actor Liam Neeson; their two sons, Michael and Daniel; mother Vanessa Redgrave; sister Joely Richardson; and other co-stars and friends. More than two dozen reporters and onlookers also gathered quietly outside of the church. Natasha will be buried nearby St. Peter’s cemetery, where her paternal grandmother, Rachel Kempson, was also buried in 2003.

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Medical Examiner: Natasha Richardson Died of "Blunt Impact to Head"

We were all shocked to hear of Tony Award-winning actress, Natasha Richardson’s, death this past Wednesday. The 45-year-old stage and screen star was taken off life support just two days after what was described as a minor fall during ski lessons on a beginner slope with her two sons. Following an autopsy, it was determined that the actress suffered from an "epidural hematoma due to blunt impact to the head." The death was ruled an accident, said medical examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove. Resulting from head trauma, an epidural hematoma is a buildup of blood in the skull that exerts pressure on the brain and can trigger coma or death. After Richardson's minor and ordinary fall at the Mont Tremblant resort near Montreal, she got back up and did not show any visible signs of injury. Later, after returning to her room her condition worsened and an ambulance rushed her to the hospital, where she was later declared brain dead. This was just a horrible accident and my heart goes out to her family and children.

A head trauma can be very serious, no matter how minor it is, because it can cause bleeding in the head, which the ski instructor should have known. Do you think the ski resort is partly to blame since they did not insist on a doctor examining her immediately after her fall?

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Lindsay Lohan Launches Self-tanner Called Sevin Nyne

This particular article sparked my interest especially after reading Lisa's post about an article from msnbc.com entitled "Excessive tanning salons throughout America's big cities". According to her article, young American females continue to use tanning salons despite all the known health risks. So I found it interesting that Lindsay Lohan chose to invest in launching her own line of self-tanners despite all other possible business ventures. The new line of self-tanning mist is called Sevin Nyne and will be launched on April 15th. A "tanning expert" by the name of Lorit Simon, helped Lindsay devise the product. The spray contains the active ingredient DHA and has no harmful chemicals. The color only lasts for about four to five days, so it may be costly for young females to keep up their color during the summer. Yet, I give props to Lindsay for coming up with this idea, especially during a time when girls are obsessed with being tan and going to tanning salons, not thinking of the repercussions of their actions in the future. Many girls look up to Lindsay Lohan and want to look like her, so if they think that she does not go tanning and uses self-tanners instead, then perhaps these girls will start doing the same which would thus be much better for their health. I believe that celebrities in the media should try their best to set good and healthy examples, especially if they have a young fan base. So perhaps if more celebrities would at least endorse self-tanners, then this tanning craze among young females would subside.

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Despite Outcry, Chris Brown Still Nickelodeon's Choice

We are all aware of the confrontation that had occurred between Chris Brown and Rihanna on February 8th. If you have been living under a rock and are not aware, R&B singer Chris Brown was charged for allegedly beating up singer and girlfriend Rihanna. Last Thursday he finally had his day in court and was charged with two felony counts, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury and making criminal threats. After this news broke out is when a group of angry moms, called Twittermoms, immediately launched an online petition demanding Nickelodeon to remove Brown from the ballot for the 2009 Kids' Choice Awards. Yet, Nickelodeon is letting kids decide for themselves who should win and said that they have no plans of removing the embattled R&B singer as a contender. Chris Brown is currently still up for Favorite Male Singer and Favorite Song for "Kiss Kiss" in the 22nd Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards ceremony which is set to take place in Los Angeles on March 28th.

I can definitely understand why these parents are upset. They do not want their children looking up to someone who is not a good role model and do not want their children to think his behavior is acceptable. I am actually very surprised at Nickelodeon's decision, especially since numerous radio stations have stopped playing his songs and he has lost many of his endorsement deals as well. I would assume that a kid's television station would be the first to refrain from supporting him, at least in this year's Kids' Choice Awards.

What example is the media setting for young children today?

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