We Need Our Girls Back

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

On April 14^th, 2014, in Chebok, Borno, 276 Nigerian girls were abducted by Abubakar Shekau, a Nigerian Islamist rebel leader of the group, Boko Haram.  Since the time of the kidnapping, some of the females have been able to escape. For the past month, we have heard little to nothing at all about the troubling situation. Instead, we have been fed stories of the hostages being forced to marry their kidnappers, being sold as sex slaves, and being trafficked over the border to Cameroon.

Today was possibly the first time I heard anything on these girls. I happened to hear a brief and detailed report about them on the Channel 6 News. The Islamist rebel leader submitted a video through Youtube, announcing that he will exchange the girls for Boko Haram’s prisoners. In the video we also witnessed the Nigerian ladies clad in ebony and grey veils, sitting on the ground, chanting and singing in Arabic. However, the strangest factor of the video is the speaker himself. According to sources like CNN and other web sites, Shekau is supposedly deceased. Clearly, this must be someone impersonating as him, carrying on his name, and actions of his departed leader.

After the video was presented, the reporters made their remarks. One in particular triggered my brain into a frenzy of confusion, anger, and concern.  This comment included that the president of Nigeria was possibly considering returning the girls home.

The word ‘possibly’ shouldn’t even be used in that sentence.  ‘Definitely’ should replace ‘possibly’, especially when it comes to rescuing the lives of young, human beings who haven’t even seen the world yet. We are dealing with youthful lives here and not property or inanimate objects. These lives should be treated as humanly as possible and should be returned home; not possibly considered, but definitely considered. What troubles me even more is the fact that everyone is just now reporting on this dire situation and taking a stand to do something about it. It baffles me that nothing was being done over a month ago when it originally occurred.

On May 10th, Nigeria’s government has assigned two army divisions to find the girls. The Nigerian president has claimed to meet with neighboring countries as well as Britain, France, Israel, and America.  Let us hope we can find these girls and bring them back home, where they belong, and not in the possession of their captors. 

Farewell 2013

Greetings everyone and welcome to the near end of the year at The Magical Mystery Blog.

Wow, what a year and it seems to have flown by fast, too.  One moment we were welcoming 2013 and now here we are bidding it a fond farewell.  So much has happened this year, from the death of prominent persons to Miley’s train wreck of a performance at the VMAs. It’s amazing how as a society we can keep up with all of this information circulating throughout the globe and always being there for us to catch up on. Below are just a few notable topics from 2013.

4) Here Comes the Groom

This has been a good year for homosexual marriages. With tons of states approving it, wedding bells have chimed for many couples. Other places across the globe have also approved homosexual marriage, while others are still playing catch up or ignoring the rise of happy homosexual newlyweds.

3) Journey to the Red Planet

In August 2012, the Curiosity rover landed on Mars and showed us more than what our science classes did. This year the rover has released information about the red planet and based on what’s been revealed Mars could potentially qualify as a habitable planet. Along with this exciting knowledge, NASA has launched the MAVEN probe to understand Mars’ atmosphere. In the future, more crafts will be sent to Mars to analyze it better.

2)  Boston Marathon Bombing

The Boston bombing was a tragedy that shook the media and rocked the nation. Over 200 people were injured and even killed at the marathon on April 15^th, when two bombs exploded at the finishing line. While citizens were escorted away from the scene and rushed to the hospital, the entire city shut down until the terrorists were captured. Thankfully, they were able to find them scattered throughout Boston.

1)  Collapse of Healthcare.gov

No sooner this web site was launched it greeted people with glitches, cookies, viruses, and other problems. Originally supposed to be a marketplace for healthcare insurance, the site turned out to be quite a historical flop.  Not only was it an embarrassment for the government but it showed everyone that not all technology is perfect.

Well here’s hoping the new year to come will be better, filled with fortune and love for all, and be as memorable as 2013. Happy New Year’s everyone! Try not to get too hammered and have fun.