CIMA Law Group Blog

Dealing with Stress During Finals Season

For many college students, finals season or exam season is rapidly approaching. It can be a time of increased stress which can cause physical and mental decline. Here are some tips for dealing with exam season stress to get through this time as smoothly as possible.

Write everything you have to do down. This may seem like a simple and skippable task, but it helps you take all the anxiety about due dates and write it down. Places such as Notion offer great resources for planning. If you like tangible lists, going to your local store or ordering a planner online would be helpful.

Practice breathing exercises. There are hundreds of different exercises online to choose from. Some personal favorites are box breathing and blowing through a “straw.” You can do these exercises discreetly anywhere even during exams.

Check in with yourself and understand that a little stress is normal. You are going through a stressful time, but it will be temporary. Ask yourself: am I catastrophizing? Will this stress last forever?

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

DC Sniper 20th Anniversary

In October of 2002, the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (also known as the DMV) areas were living in terror because of the notorious sniper killing innocent people in broad daylight. Just a year after the 9/11 attacks, many suspected these were acts committed by Al Qaeda. But it was actual veteran John Allen Muhammad and 17-year-old Lee Boyd Malvo. They were the two behind these horrendous acts. 10 people were killed and 3 seriously injured. The pair had also killed several others in different parts of the country before going on this killing spree.

Their victims were innocent people filling their gas tanks, mowing the lawn, or walking into a grocery store. Muhammad drove the infamous blue Chevy Caprice with a hole in the trunk while Malvo used a rifle to shoot their victims through the hole. The entire DMV was terrified for their lives. Similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, people were afraid to leave their homes.

What would make someone do such an evil thing? Muhammad planned to terrorize the area because he had recently lost custody of his children to his ex-wife. She was one of his targets, and he believed the police would not look at him as a suspect if several other random lives were also taken. He brainwashed young Malvo to partner with him in hopes of getting his children back.

The terror continued for 3 weeks until the two were caught in Maryland asleep in the caprice at a rest stop. At just 17 years old, Malvo was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Muhammad was sentenced to the death penalty. He was executed in Virginia in 2009.

Now, twenty years later, people mourn the lives that were innocently taken. Law enforcement in the area is still applauded for solving this case and getting justice.

https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/beltway-snipers

https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/10-Facts-You-Probably-Didnt-Know-About-the-DC-Sniper-Attacks

https://northernvirginiamag.com/culture/news/2022/09/28/dc-sniper-20-year-anniversary/

How to Cope with Anxiety

Anxiety is a term that is very often used and coined in today’s culture. Twenty years ago, the average person did not know what this meant. The definition is “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” It is a mental health disorder that impacts 6.8 million adults in the country. The causes of anxiety are endless and impact each individual in different ways.

It is hard to say there is a direct cure for anxiety because it comes and goes. Certain situations that arise give individuals feelings of anxiety. Some medications can be prescribed to those who have chronic anxiety. But the majority of people with this disorder do not get it treated. So how can one deal with this constant feeling when it takes over? There are many ways to cope with anxiety.

Breath: Anxiety causes breathing to be faster, so it is important to take deep breaths to calm down your body and mind
Be in the present: Many causes of anxiety are things we cannot control, like the actions of others or the future. Remember to be in the present moment and let go of the things out of your control.
Stay active: Taking care of your body will significantly affect your mind’s response to stress and anxiety. Working out can release hormones that give you happy feelings which can combat anxious thoughts.
Talk with others: With the extremely high numbers of those who deal with anxiety, it is very likely someone close to you also deals with it. Talk to them and you will feel less alone.
Be gentle with yourself: It is easy to beat yourself up for feeling this way. But we are all imperfect human beings. Remember that your anxiety does not define you.

These are just a few essential tips for coping with anxiety. Everyone’s minds function differently, so not everyone will have the same results. Remember that everyone you meet is facing a battle you may know nothing about, so always be kind to others.

https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics#:~:text=Facts%20and%20Statistics-,Generalized%20Anxiety%20Disorder%20(GAD),co%2Doccurs%20with%20major%20depression.

https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Anxiety-Disorders#:~:text=Anxiety%20disorders%20are%20the%20most,develop%20symptoms%20before%20age%2021.

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety/treatments-for-anxiety/anxiety-management-strategies

Have A Spooky Halloween!

With Halloween right around the corner, the world seems to be a bit spookier. Myths, cryptids, ghosts, and demons are flooding the television. Baking shows are now competitions about who can create the spookiest treat, children’s shows are having their Halloween countdown, and many teens and adults are huddled up on their couches, watching horror movies that make their skin crawl. Others are reading their favorite chilling stories. Decorations are fillings streets, autumn leaves are painting the ground in an array of colors, and Jack-o’-Lanterns are lighting up the nights. In celebration of this time, we’re going to dive into three of the most popular, well-known legends in America.

Bloody Mary

Those who are brave enough to chance the ghost must follow the ritual to a T. Legend says that you must “hold a lit candle in a darkened room with a mirror”, though the bathroom is the room most often used, and say, “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary” while staring into the mirror. It’s said that once you’ve completed saying her name three times, you’ll be met with the sight of Mary’s reflection in the mirror, her figure standing right behind you. However, in other tales, it’s said that once you finish saying repeating her name, you better “hope you won’t be found dead with your eyes scratched out” or “with claw marks all over your body” or “trapped behind the glass of the mirror for all eternity”.

Who is the person behind the legend of Bloody Mary? There are mixed answers. Historians say that some “believe that the Bloody Mary legend is directly tied to the queen who bore the same nickname”—Queen Mary I of England. Others say that it could have been Mary Worth. It is said that Mary Worth was believed to have been a witch, “simply because she lived in the forest, in an extremely small cabin, and was known around the local village for selling tinctures and herbal remedies”. The locals didn’t want to get close to her, fearful that she was a witch and would curse them. But things took a turn for the worst when little girls began to go missing. It is said that the villagers looked everywhere for the missing children but they couldn’t be found. Eventually some of the villagers decided to visit Mary Worth’s cabin and, though Mary claimed not know where they went, the villagers were suspicious. Mary’s “usually elderly and haggard appearance had drastically changed and she was starting to appear more feminine and youthful”, which led the villagers to believe that Mary Worth had taken the children and sacrificed them for the sake of youth. Yet no one truly knows if Mary Worth really existed. Another legend says that Bloody Mary was once a young woman who was having an affair with a married man. After announcing her pregnancy to him, he murdered her. Some say that she attacks those that look like her past lover—or those who have done wrong to another.

The origins of Bloody Mary are blurred and uncertain. From being related to Queen Mary I of England, to being a murdered young woman, to being a witch named Mary Worth, the legend continues to shift depending on where you live.

But give it a try!

One night, holding a candle, stand in front of a mirror and say, ‘Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary’.

Who knows what you’ll see.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Written by Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells the tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. However, Irving’s story is not the original—in fact, it’s a retelling of a folktale.

The folktale states that on a cold winter night, a “Dutchman left the tavern in Tarrytown and started walking to his home in the hollow nearby. His path led next to the old Sleepy Hollow cemetery where a headless Hessian soldier was buried”. With only a lantern to guide him in the darkness, the Dutchman began to feel nervous as he passed the graveyard, “remembering the rumors of a galloping ghost” and began to hum to himself. Suddenly, he noticed a light rising from the ground. Heart pounding with fear, he could only watch as “a white mist burst forth from an unmarked grave and formed into a large horse carrying a headless rider”. With a scream, the Dutchman ran, the horse galloping after him. Heading for the bridge that he knew ghosts and evil spirits could not cross, because of the running water beneath it, he “stumbled suddenly and fell, rolling off the road into a melting patch of snow. The headless rider thundered past him, and the man got a second look at the headless ghost. It was wearing a Hessian commander’s uniform”. Upon returning home, the Dutchman told his wife about what occurred that night, and that was how the tale of the headless Horseman began.

Irving’s story, however, takes place in the village of Sleepy Hollow, in Westchester County. Irving tells the tale of the new schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, and the young heiress, Katrina van Tassel, who is being pursued by another man known as Dutchman Brom Bones. After Crane is “rebuffed by Katrina at a party at the van Tassel farm where ghost stories are shared, Ichabod is chased by a headless horseman (who may or may not be his rival) who hurls a pumpkin at the man, throwing Ichabod from his horse”. It is written that after that night, the schoolmaster is never heard from again.

While there is uncertainty regarding this being an actual event, the folktale is influenced by facts. During the American Revolutionary War, Britain hired Hessians (German soldiers) to help fight against the American troops. Folklore and truth begin to merge and collide when it was said that “the soldier’s head was lost during the war, and his headless corpse was buried in an old church in Sleepy Hollow”.

Still, if you’re interested and feeling especially brave, you can visit Sleepy Hollow and, please, if you see the Headless Horseman, let us know!

The Jersey Devil

In the New Jersey Pine Barrens in 1775, a horrible storm erupted. Amid the howling winds and crashing thunder, “a woman by the name of Mrs. Leeds cried as the storm raged, giving birth to her 13^th child”. Distraught and frustrated by this being her thirteenth pregnancy, she cursed the child: “Oh, let this one be the devil!”

And so it was born.

With a horrifying screech, the creature unfolded its wings and flew up the chimney, disappearing into the storm and creating the legend of the Jersey Devil.

According to this legend, “for more than 250 years this mysterious creature is said to prowl through the marshes of Southern New Jersey” and has been blamed for everything from “raiding chicken coops and farms” to “destroying crops and killing animals”. The threat of this legend is very real to some–it haunts their homes, causes fear, and brings many paranormal investigators searching for the creature. According to the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, “the Jersey Devil is described as ‘a kangaroo-like creature with the face of a horse, the head of a dog, bat-like wings, horns and a tail’”.

The origins of this cryptid are varied. Some say that it was Mrs. Leeds who gave birth to it, others say that it was a young girl “who had fallen in love with a British soldier” and was cursed for her act of treason. It’s been said that the creature was born of a young woman who refused to give a begging gypsy food and was cursed. Another famous version states that in October 1830, Mr. John Vliet, a resident of Vienna, New Jersey, was “entertaining his children with a mask he made. A mask of a monstrous face”—a mask that later became tradition among local townsmen and their children that was repeated in late “October as parents and children alike put on scary faces and costumes”.

Of the three legends reviewed, this one has the most evidence behind it. There are “reliable people, including police, government officials, businessmen and many others who so integrity is beyond question, have witnessed the Devil’s activities”. A recent story was reported by David Black in 2015. Black “alleged he saw the Jersey Devil on Route 9 in Egg Harbor Township, near a golf course”, even capturing a photo as proof.

The Jersey Devil appears randomly. If looking for a little Halloween fright, why not go and see if you can find it? I expect it will be out on Halloween night.

Halloween: Most Profitable Independent Film Ever

On October 24,1978 one of the biggest horror films of all time was released and since that day horror movies have not been the same. American film-maker John carpenter released a movie about a silent masked killer stalking a girl and her friends in Haddonfield, Illinois murdering anyone that got in their way. This film would lead the way for an entire sub-genre of films known as the slasher, without Halloween we don’t get Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, or scream. It showcased that whatever we were imagining would be twice as scary as anything that was shown on the screen, the film is known for not really showing Myers violent killings or even showing blood. This film also has the grand distinction of being the most profitable independent film ever grossing $70 million against a $300,000-$325,000 budget and spawning a franchise that is still going strong after more than forty years, with the latest entry in the series being released October 15,2022. But how did this movie come to be and what lead one man to want to create this ultimate embodiment of evil.

Director, Writer, Composer John carpenter

Creating the film that would become Halloween was quite the process and it was made on an almost minuscule budget, even in the 70’s the budget was seen as very small compared to the hits of this time. The movie idea was created by movie producer Irwin Yablans, a recent movie producer, who coming off a recent moderate success with a film by John Carpenter called “Assault on Precinct 13” wanted to make another film. He had the idea of creating a film around a man who tries to kill a group of babysitters, it is said that the original title of Halloween was the Babysitter Murders but Carpenter/Irwin decided to set it during Halloween, Irwin wanted to make a cheap horror movie so he offered the job of directing the film to recent collaborator John Carpenter. Although the initial idea was Irwin’s the movie really became Carpenter’s who decided to make the movie if he could write, compose, and direct the film. Carpenter also asked for his name to be above the movie’s title, which as a relatively new director was a big deal, and have Debra Hill be producer. Irwin agreed and the movie began work.

A scene from Halloween where the main focus is actess Jamie Lee Curtis but Michael would just be out of frame to scare the audience and Curtis

What Can be Done with a small budget?

As mentioned before this was an independent film which also meant it had a very small budget, especially during this time in filmmaking. Irwin was able to get about $300,000-$325,000 in funding and actually most of this budget was actually spend on a camera. The Panaglide camera was a relatively new camera during this time, it was only ever really used in one movie before Halloween, but Carpenter insisted on using it, and he could not have been more correct. One aspect that sets the original Halloween apart from its sequels and other slasher films is actually its lack of blood and gore, from just this aspect the movie has almost no blood or gore. The reason for this was because producer Irwin would tell carpenter about how when he was younger and would listen to horror stories on the radio whatever he was imagining in his head was much more scary than anything that could be shown on screen. So Carpenter listened to this idea and with his trusty Panaglide camera which were equipped with a mount for operator stabilization, allowing for pristinely crisp shots. The cameras also allowed Carpenter and director of photography Dean Cundey the ability to capture smooth shots through varying degrees of focus and misdirection. These filmmaking techniques were essential factors in establishing Michael Myers’ iconic aura. The film relied much more on having this spooky aura instead of trying to showcase a bloody scene.

There was also the overall casting of the film. In order to give the movie a sense of more pedigree, that this wasn’t some B movie that should be ignored Carpenter and Irwin decided on getting noted Thespian Donald Pleasence to play the part of Michael’s psychiatrist. Although reluctant to play the part Pleasence did sign on. Then there was trying to get a good lead for the movie, to play the main female heroine part of Laurie Strode there were several female leads considered but the person that Carpenter decided on was Jamie Lee Curtis, who at this point had only been in a few movies. But Curtis came from some important movie stock herself, her father acclaimed actor Tony Curtis and her mother being one of the original scream queens, Janet Leigh, who is probably best known for her part as the first victim of Norman Bates in the notorious shower scene in Alfred Histchock’s “Psycho”

Janet Leigh’s character “Lilia Crane” meets her end at the hands of Norman Bates mother in this memorable scene from 1960’s “Psycho”

Slaher of the movie Michael Myers with his trademark William shatner mask, full blue body suit and his trusty carving knife

Creation of Michael Myers

There are several factors that lead to the creation of Michael Myers but for director John carpenter there was one specific moment from his life that lead to Michael’s demeanor and his silence. While attending Western Kentucky University Carpenter visited a local mental institution where Carpenter described seeing some of the most serious and mentally ill patients, including a young boy, no older than 13, with a “schizophrenic stare.”This moment combined with Caprenter’s study of Celtic tradition of halloween where evil souls are let out to wreak havoc on everyone, there is one specific idea in the tradition that Carpenter zeroed in on and it is the idea that evil cannot be stopped or killed. Myers through carpenter’s eyes represents the ultimate evil it only lives to cause destruction and ruin people’s lives, Myers is just a monster who’s only goal is to kill and nothing else, he never shows emotions or even says a word. Then there was simply the issue of getting Meyer’s look. The creation of one of the most iconic mask in horror films was created due to the simple fact that the film didn’t have a large budget. John Carpenter sent art director Tommy Lee Wallace to a store to buy any mask he could use for the movie, so he chose a captain kirk mask. He took the mask shaved the facial hair and eyebrows, widened the eyes, colored the mask white, and darkened the hair. This created an expressionless face that ended up terrifying the crew and they loved it, this emotionless monster was just around the corner ready to kill whoever got in their way. Then the role of the hulking Michael Myers was given to John Carpenter’s friend Nick Castle who during filming was just always around where the crew was filming and John gave him the part.

What Happened once it was released?

The movie finally wrapped up on filming in May 1978. Although an amazing movie in its own right. Producer Irwin decided to first have a very limited release of the film in Kansas city. Initially a slow start but soon through word of mouth more and more people began buying tickets. Then the movie opened in more and more theatres across the U.S selling millions of tickets in the USA the movie grossed $47 million and $23 million internationally. Then there was the simple fact that the movie was named ” Halloween” the reason this is important is that then for years after the initial run we would see the movie played again and again during halloween time. The movie has spanned countless sequels, of varying degrees of critical acclaim and also began an era of countless slasher movies and villains, Halloween directly influenced the “Friday the 13th” film series and character of Jason Voorhees, with the big difference between the Franchises is that “Friday the 13th” does have all the gore, blood, and over the top violence that “Halloween” tried to avoid.

Jason Voorhees the “slasher” of “Friday the 13th” is known for big large, silent, and ruthless in his killing like Michael Myers

Halloween Stats:

Budget: Estimated $300,000-325,000
Gross: $70 Million
Combined gross of Franchise: $773 Million, and rising

This is a CIMA Law Group blog entry. CIMA Law Group is located in Arizona and specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations. If you live in Arizona and need legal assistance CIMA Law Group can help.

How to Calm Yourself Down When Anxious

Anxiety can be triggered by a multitude of things: school, work, social situations, and more. Here are some helpful tips on how to calm yourself down when anxious thoughts arise.

Practice breathing exercises. Of the many breathing exercises, here is one I find especially helpful. It is called box breathing or square breathing. Start by inhaling and counting to four, then hold that breath for four seconds. Continue by exhaling for four more seconds. Hold for four seconds, then repeat.

Check in with your five senses. What are you seeing? What about what you can hear? What you can taste? etc. Other ways to work with the five senses include counting 3 things you can do with each sense.

Have an object to center you. Whether that be a fidget toy, a stuffed animal, or a piece of furniture. Have something you can go to that calms you down. It may be beneficial for this item to be small enough that you can carry it around.

Journal or talk with a friend about your anxious thoughts. Writing down or speaking aloud your anxious thoughts can be extremely helpful. For journaling, you can use prompts, free write, or work through your anxiety on the page.

New York Gubernatorial Race continues to tighten.

Siena Poll Shows Zeldin Gaining on Hochul in NY Governor's Race - The New York Times

In an election that follows former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s resignation, Republican congressman Lee Zeldin continues to close the polling gap between himself and current New York governor Kathy Hochul. While Hochul still maintains a comfortable lead, the margin is starting to close in major polling with Quinnipiac University releasing a poll that shows only a 4 point advantage for Hochul over Zeldin among 1617 likely voters. This is within the margin of error, making this election increasingly a toss-up and following the trend of Republicans increasing their poll numbers in races across the country.

A new Sienna poll also reveals that Zeldin is gaining ground, especially among suburban voters. While 538 continues to maintain a 51.2%-41.6% margin in their polling aggregate, this is likely to change as more polling is done in the closing weeks of the election. The Zeldin campaign is also likely to increase their campaigning efforts along with multiple PACs pouring millions of dollars in an attempt to increase voter turnout and potentially flip a long time Democrat governed state.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations

La Llorona: Latin America’s Boogeyman

La Llorona translated as ” The Weeping Woman”

In every little Central American child’s nightmare’s there lives one person and she is known as La Llorona. The story goes that one day a young woman named Maria married a rich man and they had the happiest life together having 2 children. But the husband began coming later and later home until one day Maria caught the husband cheating on her. In all her rage she decided that the way to truly get back at her husband was to drown their two children, which she did in a river she lived by. But soon after she regretted what she had done and she began crying and wailing lamenting for her children she then decided to also drown herself, leading to her death.Before drowning herself she cursed, now, the legend says, she floats over and near bodies of water in her white, funereal gown, forever weeping as she searches for her lost children, exclaiming ” Ay Mis Hijos”, oh my children. Whenever she sees misbehaved children she will take them with her. This story has caused never ending grief for latin children all over the world terrified of La Llorona coming after them.

The history of La Llorona is not entirely certain but through research and looking into ancient Aztec stories and mythology we are able to see a very similar being also appear. This time in the form of the Goddess Cihuacoatl, a being who most scholars agreed was a fertilizity godess to the Aztecs. But she was also known for participating in infanticide and there are stories where it came to pass that the demon that in the form of a woman walked and appeared, by day and by night, and was called Cihuacoatl, ate a small boy, who was in his cradle in the town of Azcapotzalco. This very story/myth would then be heard by the conquistadors with a few aspects added in as well such as the. Such as there are versions of the story where it was actually an indigenous woman who fell in love with a rich Spaniard man in Mexico. Then there is the overtly Christian/Catholic aspects added to the original story. Including the fact that the original woman went to heaven and was rejected due to her crime, or God himself punished her to always be looking for her children in order to get into heaven. One of the reasons also we see this influence is that José Maria León y Domínguez, a Jesuit academic from Cadiz, published a story about a weeping female ghost called “La Llorona” in 1866. He presented it as a tale he heard from an old man in the town of Rota, Spain.

One interesting aspect about La Llorona and her history is that there are many cases of people reporting to have seen her all over areas influenced by latin culture. Although the original story is that she only haunted by one river in Mexico she has been reported in several areas including in the Southwest, Arizona claim they have seen La Llorona or the weeping woman. People have spotted her along the Rio de Flag in Flagstaff all the way down to the San Pedro River near Tucson. People love to tell their stories of having seen her, there are countless stories of people walking alone at dark seeing or, or in a quiet town at night hearing her yelling for her children.This also isn’t an occurance that is going away either as recent as 2019 during the filming of “La llorona actress Patricia Vazquez and the crew spoke about how during the filming of the movie “Half the crew actually does believe the house that we shot in was haunted, and there might have been something to that”. We see La Llorona appears in stories, books, movies(just in the last few years we saw the release of two movies in English. Also a very famous Mexican folkoric song titiled “La Llorona” even appeared in the hit pixar movie Coco.

The Great-Grandmother of main character Miguel sings “La Llorona” in the film

The story of la Llorona is one of sadness, of a mother losing her children in a fit of rage and having to then deal with the never-ending guilt of what she has done. It is a story teaching Hispanic children to always listen to their parents and not cause problems, its effectiveness in actually helping children behave or just be super spooked is another entry for another time.

What It Means To Be A ‘Derry Girl’

In Northern Ireland, four sixteen-year-old Irish girls and one sixteen-year-old English boy try to live their life during the Troubles. This “explosive era was fraught with car bombings, riots and revenge killings that ran from the late 1960s through the late 1990s” and was “seeded by centuries of conflict between predominantly Catholic Ireland and predominantly Protestant England”. For Erin, Clare, Michelle, Orla, and James, their fictional lives reflected the truth of many real ones during this time. Though living in an environment wrought with war and constant danger, they act like normal teenagers: “the friends fight with their parents. They lie to teachers. They stress about upcoming tests”. But they also have to deal with the news of bombings on the television, of people that were taken captive, and of deaths of those around them. And, strangely enough, it is a show about a time, though in the past, that many teenagers and young adults can relate to today.

Created by Lisa McGee, who grew up in Derry, Ireland—the same setting as the show— these stories demonstrated the true day-to-day experiences of life during the Troubles. McGee lived through the violence but also spoke of the reality behind it, including how bomb threats were so common that, “once, there was a bomb scare in a a shopping center, and her mother pushed to the front of the queue, exasperated” or how the British soldiers were, as McGee explains, “Around so much that you just had to get with it, and sort of think, Probably nothing’s going to happen today, like most days”.

Though teenagers and young adults may not be able to directly relate to the time of the Troubles, they can relate to some aspects. That’s what makes Derry Girls so enjoyable. Whether it was the impact 9/11 may have had on you, or COVID-19’s quarantine, the threat of the looming Recession, or the current Russia-Ukraine War, there is some way that a person today can understand and connect to the characters shown on the screen. As Derry Girls Erin Quinn’s diary states in the opening of the show: “I’m sixteen years old, and I come from a place called Derry, or Londonderry, depending on your Persuasion, a troubled little corner in the northwest of Ireland. It’s fair to say I have a somewhat complicated relationship with my home town. The thing about”. We are surprised to find out that it is Erin’s cousin Orla who is reading the diary, something quite relatable for those who have siblings or family living with them.

So what is a Derry Girl?

As character Michelle puts it, being a Derry Girl is a “state of mind”. A state of mind that many might be relating to today.

Gun Violence in School Shootings vs. Pandemic

The pandemic has made us fearful; to closing down businesses, schools, and even closing down on ourselves. People lost interest in themselves as a result of the pandemic and became more self-protective and separated from the outside world. With the CDC recommendations of donning masks and standing 6 feet apart, this can alter how we perceive the world, give us little freedom, and cause fear for certain people to leave their homes.

Gun violence has sky-rocketed over 30% during the pandemic. During the pandemic, children had to stay home and virtually learn from their own devices. Once the pandemic has officially calmed down, innocent children are excited to go back to school and see their friends that they haven’t seen for 1-2 years. The first day they are back, a unfamiliar face with the one soul purpose is to cause bodily harm to them and the teachers that come to work everyday. Children are supposed to learn in a secure environment while attending school and discovering their true selves. How can schools be considered safe if a person “decides” to target a group of children with no correlation to that individual? Was school ever safe? Gun violence has increased dramatically since the pandemic subsided, and school shootings have occurred all around the United States at a unprecedented rate.

Let’s examine the history of the worst mass school shootings in American history, which is regrettably known:

Sandy Hook Elementary, December 2012.

A total of 26 lives were lost in this horrible incident in Newtown, Connecticut, including the innocent lives of 20 6-7 year old children, 6 staff workers, and many more who had just begun working at the establishments. The shooter was Alex Lanza, 20, who happened to committed suicide after the killings.

According to Peter Langman’s article, He may have had delusional visions of murder, he may have been envious of the happiness of the Sandy Hook students and envied their connectivity, and the fact that he murdered his mother did not at all lessen his rage since he believed that she loved the Sandy Hook students more than he did. Is there a disconnect between his psychological desires and his drive for straight forward love?

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, February 2018.

In Parkland, Florida, 19-year-old Nickolas Cruz started shooting at 17 children that were taken by surprise and 4 staff members. Currently, the jury advises Cruz receive life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of the death penalty.

Coming from a difficult background, he was objectified in his own community, frequently arrested, and removed from his own guardians’ house. He eventually came to despise himself. Why did he chose Valentine’s Day from all the other days? A love day? Is it the fact that no one adored him in high school? Why would shooting a high school alter his perspective? According to this article, Nickolas’s birth mother drank excessively while she was pregnant, which caused him to develop alcohol spectrum disorder and caused brain dysfunction, erratic episodes, and violent behavior, all of which may have contributed to his decision to shoot up the high school.

Robb Elementary School, May 2022

Salvador Ramos, 19, died earlier this year from suicide after shooting 19 children and 2 adults. This incident is recognized as the deadliest in Texas history. He shot his grandma in the face while visiting her before going to the elementary school and fatally pointing the AR-15 weapon towards innocent children and taking lives too soon.

With children to be eager to return to school after being isolated for so long, unaware that Salvador Ramos will open fire on an innocent elementary school, he took that opportunity. According to PBS, he declared that he didn’t want to live in this world any longer. He was very focused on gaining popularity and believed that social media would help him be noticed and earn attention. How was he taught by social media to like violence and amass weapons? What caused Salvador Ramos to lose faith in the world?

Considering the three schools where innocent lives was taken from. The procedures for handling gun violence have not altered since the outbreak. Did the shooters believe that using a gun was a way to intimidate others and demonstrate their authority to them? It is well known that the pandemic has been mentally affecting other people and influencing them to make poor decisions. Did the pandemic have a impact on the shooters minds to desensitize themselves from others? Is this the new wave of them expressing themselves?

Instead of the pandemic uniting us and making us stronger, it indoctrinated people into making poor decisions and injuring others in order to “prove the point,” and society is full of problems, when there should be benefits. Sadly, there are more firearms than people in the United States, and if adolescents continue to have access to them, can the gun violence trend change?

The thought that parents will pick up their children from school and prepare their after-school dinners for the final time is heartbreaking. As a result of someone’s wrath towards children and the loss of staff members in schools—thinking that schools is a safe place where children can be themselves—is far from true and has to be debated to modern time; this must stop right away.