The Classic Love Story Ends in Tragedy

By: Melvin Hernandez


Verona County - In late February, a teenage couple was found dead in their Verona County town home. Police reports say that Romeo Montague, 16, and Juliet Capulet, 12, had committed suicide after an terrible misunderstanding. Full details on the events leading up to their deaths, are still under investigation, but our sources have covered some breaking information.

A family rivalry is initially the reason behind Romeo's and Juliet's forbidden love. They first met at a Capulet's Birthday Celebration. Romeo was not on the guest list, however he was in attendance, against his will, with a few friends. Tybalt, cousin to Juliet, took notice of the party crashers and was furious at their presence. It wasn't long before Romeo and Juliet began sneaking around the party, unnoticeably. Shortly thereafter, they were "in love" and wished to get married with the assistance of Juliet's Nurse, and Friar Lawrence, who agreed to marry the youngsters in hopes that it would "end the feud and join the families together at last." All, however, had to be kept secret.

Things take a turn for the worst, once Romeo wishes to avenge for the death of his dear friend, Mercutio. He kills Mercutio's murderer, Tybalt, who was seeking revenge on the the Montagues for stepping onto his grounds. Romeo flees the scene, and Verona, for he has just killed his wife's cousin. Juliet hopes to scare Romeo into returning home by pretending to be ill and dying. Romeo misinterprets this information into thinking she has already passed and decides to end his life than to continue without her. Juliet hears of this terrible news, and finds Romeo dead in his home. She then also, ends her life. They were found that evening laying next to each other.

Romeo's Profile:

Romeo, a young boy around the age of 16, has always had a compassionate heart, intelligent mind, and peaceful hand. Although in the middle of his family's feud with the Capulets, Romeo pays no mind to what is going on between the two households. Instead, he enjoys spending time with his cousin Benvolio and close friend, Mercutio, kinsman to the Prince of Verona. Romeo has also dealt with a heavy hand of heartbreak. But he was soon able to move on with his life shortly after being dragged along to a Capulet's party, where his life was altered at the first sight of Juliet Capulet.

Juliet's Profile:

Juliet was a very young girl, of about 12. Her care-taking Nurse thought of her as highly naive, although that would be normal for a child of her age. She knew nothing about love, or marriage, even though at the time, her wedding was already being arranged. Her world soon changed, after laying her eyes on Romeo at her cousin's birthday celebration that the Capulet House was throwing. She did not know that the boy, who she thought was her true love, belonged to the Montague household, and that this was about to make her life more complicated than it destined to be.

Statements from Capulet:

In an emotional interview with Juliet's mother, Lady Capulet says, "I can't believe this all happened so fast, and without any of my knowledge either. Juliet never told me about Romeo, for i would never approve of their hidden relationship. However, knowing would have been much better than having to lose my precious daughter. I would've stopped that vile Romeo from ever entering her life and ruining her future. He took so much away from her, and us, her family."

Statements from Montague:

I was also able to get an interview with Romeo's father, Lord Montague, who was also very upset, but saw the story from a different standpoint. He says, "Romeo was a very good boy. He was the perfect son. Always so passionate, making him very likable. I'm sure Juliet was a wonderful girl, despite her having a despicable father. If I had known about the relationship, i would i have tried to deal with what was happening at the moment. Unfortunately, all was kept under wraps, ending both our son and daughter's lives."

Consequences:

Discussions are still being held as to what penalties, if any, will be held against the families of these two unfortunate souls. What is heard and believed to be negotiated, is having a trial where both households will have their say on the matter, but neither will be punished for acts committed by the victims, for there was little involvement within the two families. The case is still being discussed. The Prince, however, has scheduled a hearing for the Nurse and Friar Lawrence to attend, which will be held next month.

The Views On Euthanasia

What do think about Euthanasia...

Well, after reading two informative articles giving me some perspective, and the novel "Of Mice and Men", my own personal opinion on Euthanasia has not changed or varied in the lease bit, because instead i received more of an understanding for the exceptions and also the absurd objections. I can earnestly trust that Euthanasia is a practical way to end someone else's life with out their direct command. I mean, this is one of those controversial topics that would be better off if people extrapolated the concept. However, that that is not the case. People can be so quick to judge so rigorously that they don't take the time to comprehand what is reality. In one of the articles i read, a father decided to pull the plug on his then 38 year old daughter after 17 years of being in a vegative state. I think that what he did was one of the best things that could've been done. It was at her request. She said that she would prefer to not live, if she can't live for herself. Finally, the anguished father was able to put his daughter out of her nonliving state, and a burden was liberated off his shoulders. Although their lives surely would not stay the same, they can ultimately live and rest peacefully.
Soon after, i read an article about a father and mother who thought that they would be better of dead after getting canned from their positions at a Los Angeles hospital. After loosing all hope, the father decided to shoot and kill his entire family in their home. At first i was bewildered at the thought that such event could happen, but as it sank in, i had this insanely morose feeling inside of me. This "Mercy" Killing was what i believe, the worst way to handle a situation and i am still saddend that these parents were unable to get a hold of and foundate what was necessary to take care of their family.

"Mercy" Killing

1A.
-George probably decided to end Lennie's life because it would make thing a lot easier for him and in some way, Lennie too. Certainly, he did not want to do it, but he thought that it was one of the final options. The best option. He would've hated to see his good friend brutally murdered by angry farm men who were not going to take it easy in anyway. Instead, he decided to do it himself, in a much faster way.
1B.
-I mean, being killed is not the best thing for anyone, but in Lennie's case, there is no longer the struggle for survival. What i mean by this is that there was just so much trouble being caused by Lennie, and Lennie was getting himself into some trouble too. It was just harder to live life with out any complications all around. There definitely was another way to do things, but regardless this is how it did happen.

2A.
"Late last year, 67-year-old Beppino Englaro, won an intense 10-year legal battle to allow his daughter's feeding tubes to be removed, saying that was her wish."
-This father clearly believed that after 17 years, it was time to pull the plug on his daughter. It's what she wanted. And he only fought so hard, for so long to give her what she wanted.
2B.
"...,his daughter had expressed a preference for dying over being kept alive artificially."
-The good man was only trying to meet her daughter's request. It had been much too long, and it was time to come up with a decision. Luckily, he was able to base it on his daughter's words. What better way to die, than the way you preferred to?
2C.
I would have to agree with the father's decision, and i can say this because i am putting myself in his position. The way i look at it, there's no point in living, if you can't live for yourself. Being on life support; you are restricted. And being in a vegetable state, well your helpless. So do you die, or continue living off of machines? There comes a point where someone else has to make that decision for you. I myself would prefer go out easily, and not struggle. And i would hope that someone would choose that as the best choice for me if such thing were to happen. Then again, everyone thinks differently.


3A.
-This father unfortunately lost hope. He was scared of the outcome, so he decided to quit the game early. He was probably drowning in emotional thoughts such as:

• "Why did all of this happen?"
• "How badly are we going to suffer from this?"
• "How am i going to support the kids now?"
• "I've let my family down."
  
• "She says we should kill ourselves. It might be the only way."
• "We have to take the kids with us. We just can't leave them with anyone else."
• "This is what they wanted. So we have to go."
• "There's no other way out. This is the easiest escape."

Ervin was paranoid about how he could possibly become incapable of supporting his family, because he believed that there was no way that he could ever be employed again.

3B.
Clearly, there were other ways to go about this situation. I believe that it was up to he parents to morally support their children, but sadly they failed. What they could've done was reassured their kids that everything was going to be okay. Sure they were in a huge slump, but in time they could've found their way back to the top. They also lacked encouragement. His wife, Ana, was in no way a confident person in order for her to suggest that the family is better off dead. Ervin, the father, was neither hopeful or confident that things could turn out alright at the end. So they gave up. At this breaking point, their licenses shouldn't have mattered. What did matter, was the kids. They needed to know that the lighter things in life sometimes come at the darkest hours. So they should've encouraged their kids to succeed in school so that later in life they would have greater opportunities. A lot things could've been changed. Now if only there was going back.

"Route South"

Playing the Role of Ralph: Milo Ventimiglia-Milo (Heroes) was chosen for Ralph because he's been said to have taken a variety of challenging roles. Therefore, playing Ralph should be no hard task. He also stars in NBC's hit show, "Heroes", and I'm confident that he can play the hero that Ralph wants to be. The clash between Ralph and Jack, would play out pretty well when Milo and Cam take their place.

Playing the Role of Jack: Cam Gigandet

-Cam (Twilight, the Unborn) has very often played the villain or antagonist. His face says it all. He can portray the bad guy with a single smirk, so it shouldn't be hard for him to want take control, just like Jack did in the story. His past acting roles and films are the main reason why i chose him. It couldn't have been an easier decision.

Playing the Role of Piggy: Jim Sturgess -Jim (Across the Universe, 21) is a great actor. He is also in fact, from London, United Kingdom, so you already have the voice that would remind you of Piggy. In "Across the Universe", Jim Sturgess plays Jude, who quickly befriends Max (played by Joe Anderson), so this leads me to believe that he can play Piggy who befriended Ralph. Piggy is put through a couple emotional test when on the island, and i believe that Jim is a good enough actor to portray any feeling.

Playing the Role of Simon: -Zach (Scrubs, Garden State) is one of my all time favorite actors. He's a really wacky, yet witty, character in real life. But his work in "Garden State" is what made it one of my favorite movies. He was able to play the numb-to-emotional feelings Andrew Largeman, and for most of the film he was in his head because he just had so many thoughts running around. Well, his somewhat quiet role makes me think that he's capable of playing the somewhat quiet Simon.

Playing the Role of Roger: Joe Anderson-Joe (Across the Universe) puts in a lot of energy into his roles. In 2007's "Across the Universe" he played Max, who was a young man who was drafted to the Vietnam War. His character was exciting, yet somewhat temperamental and leads me to think that he can play Roger. Roger also supports Jack's decisions, and i can see Joe and Cam working great together to fill those roles.

The "Beastie":

The Hot Sun over the Desert

Location/Setting:
I decided to change the location to a desert road in Nevada mainly because i was inspired by the Independent Film Wristcutters: A Love Story. I thought that it would be more realistic if my cast were to be driving down an empty road, after an unexpected detour, when suddenly their car breaks down. Being older people, i imagine that the storyline would take a different path. For only about 24 hours, (instead of days) the guys are left to cope with each other for the meantime, until they can receive help.

Hiroshima...then, later, and now.

This is the Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Hall before the Atomic Bombing. It was just 200 meters away from the Hypocenter. It's a great image showing just exactly what the city was... Normal. Everything was at peace, and running smoothly. But this image would no longer stay the same in a matter of moments.


So, on August 6th, 1945, the U.S. dropped a bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. This was sort of an unnecessary strike back from President Truman. Basically, revenge after the pearl Harbor incident. This is the same Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Hall, only, after the the atomic bombing. These are the left over ruins. It is now known as the Atomic Bomb Dome. Self-explanatory. So it shows just how fast things disappear after just a significant moment. The building no longer looked the same, nor did it have the same feeling, that day at approximately 8:15 am.

When i look at something like this, i see very strong and inspirational people. A terrible event has just occurred, but they do give up. In fact, they continue to move on with life in whichever way they can, especially after having an explosion hit your city just moments before. These people will now undergo physical, emotional, and mental trauma. But they continue to live. I can only imagine having myself in the same situation. Walking next to dead bodies, as an adult or child, it would still hit me pretty hard.

It's a lot to handle. To be a survivor and have this image in your mind forever, is one of the hardest things to do. So much is happening, in so little time. I see agony, fear, panic, and destruction. It's not something you live everyday to see. But to have it happen right in front of you, to be a witness, and then draw it, is something extremely extraordinary.

Abortion. . .

Intro:
What a topic. It is a controversial issue that we all come upon thinking about at one point, even if you're not in the situation. But it's the terrible truth. And then we all have the decision to be Pro-Life or Pro-Choice. And some of us try to avoid it all together so people won't get mad at us. I like to believe that I'm one of those people. But i do lean more towards one of them. And that would be Pro-Choice.

1)It does sound kind of harsh, but i might strongly believe in being Pro-Choice. I have yet found a reason to ever be Pro-Life. I guess no one has ever really convinced me. But one thing i do have to make clear is that when i say that I'm Pro-choice, i am not saying that aborting the baby is the only option. I am clearly stating that having the legal availability to terminate a pregnancy is only a choice that should thoroughly be thought over. And there are many reasons why i can back this up. Also, i get very very stubborn, because, well, i like being right. Who doesn't? But when i hear others give their reasoning for being my opposite, i often try to change their mind. And here's why.

• I believe that Abortion is completely up to the mother, because she is the one that might have to carry it for 9 months. Not the father. But that is only if she chooses to. Okay, and then this is where we get a little aggressive. For those of you who believe that a baby's life begins at the moment of conception. I almost want to, well, I'll put it in an understandable manor. I almost want to. . .chuckle with confidence a bit and get ready for an argument. The baby, does not have feelings, nor a brain. It is still in development. As you go further in time, yes, this will fetus will develop its full form. But that's going really into it and well then it gets really hard to think about it. But I'm saying that abortion is best to due in the early stages of a pregnancy. I mean, that's what the Roe vs. Wade Court Case suggested. Well, it didn't really suggest it. But it did allow a mother to have an abortion if she shall choose, up until the point where the baby is viable, or able to live outside the womb. This would be somewhere around 4-5 months.
• I also think that a mother should be able to have an abortion because they are clearly not ready. This could include their age, income, or home situation. Maybe they have fallen into poverty, or are unable to cope with another child. I don't see how a baby should have to suffer for such reasons. I guess, that it's best for the mother, and best for the unborn child.
• I can not really believe that I have heard "Just because the woman was raped, doesn't make the baby the problem. Why can't she have it and hold it up for adoption?" No, that is not the case. A crime is a crime. A problem. Big one too. I don't see why a woman must put aside 9 hard months for something that wasn't her fault. It was not her decision to get raped and then pregnant. Along with all the physical difficulties, there are mental issues. If i had to go through the pregnancy, i would hate to see that my child was made in such a vulgar manner. It's not the baby's fault, or the woman's; only one is at fault. And that's that.

2) "At various times some of the following [circumstances] have been allowed in some societies: abortion for the sake of the mother's health, abortion where a pregnancy is the result of a crime, abortion where the child of the pregnancy would have an ' unacceptable quality of life', abortion for social reasons, and abortion as a matter of government policy."

3) I believe that these circumstances are completely understandable. With enough imagination i have put myself into the above situations. It's hard. I would very much be concerned about my own health. The woman's should be put into consideration first. I have already explained pregnancies being results of crimes, along with social reasoning's: age, incomes, and home situations. But there is one very sensitive matter to a lot of people. Abortion where the child of the pregnancy would have an ' unacceptable quality of life'. I would be very devastated to hear that my child may have physical and mental disabilities. That's pain that they would have to go through, along with myself. Some people decide to take their chances, and i respect their decisions and reasoning's. I could just never live with the results and chances that i have taken. That says a lot about who am i am and how i think, but it's the truth.

Replicas

A 360-degree replica of Earth? Surprised it looks really nice. But thats not the truth in real life. Yes. This will be an Economy talk. Here we go.


1) So this would a 360-degree rotating model of the Earth showing changes in the winds and currents. It's on display at Washington's Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

2) I don't know what it is, but this model looks really clean. Our planet is in crisis dealing with global warming. But then agian i'm being a little dramatic. It's the truth though. When i said i was surprised earlier, i meant it because our ozone layer is so filled with junk that it should see our awsome green lands.

3) I can very much relate to this picture. I guess i just get really sensitive when it comes to our economy because it does affect us every day. It's even gonna affect me later on today because its so hot outside! Funny, but harsh. Haha.