Something I feel strongly about: friend break-ups

Breaking up is hard to do
Recently I broke up with a good friend. Breaking up with friends is harder because they know you well. A best friend knows your thoughts and feelings about experiences and people. Ultimately I have felt more pain and frustration with ending friendships than I ever had breaking up with a boyfriend.
I wanted the friendship to last for years, potentially into the unforeseeable future. But that is not what happened. What happened was rather human, we had a disagreement. I want to say that I was right but I think I had just had enough: countless unanswered texts, emails, and then a dozen stand ups. She always had an excuse for them and would return most communications days or weeks later.
After almost a year of this behavior I felt disrespected, often getting ready and left waiting for hours with no call until I gave up. The only I ever got phone call was to help her through another drama or hear another story about her life that she was unwilling to change to make better.
Reading the article "Best-Friend Breakups" by Amy Sohn at New York magazine reiterated my belief about the importance and prevalence of breaking up a frienship. The fact that Amy Sohn and her friend are slightly older, single professional women was interesting.
I was gutless for many months unable to change the dynamic between us until I realized that I had some strong feelings about the way I was being treated. Instead of acting passive-aggressive I decided to make a change and address the issues I had with her.
It was difficult to for me to tell a person that I felt my good nature was being taken advantage of. I had to realize that in most adult relationships love is conditional. Also if I did not address the situation I was telling her and myself that my time was not valued.
I was met with total hostility and she balked at my presentation of facts about her behavior. It was nothing I was going to break up over but she demanded it. I stayed friendly and casual in our last communications just to see how she would respond, if I was participating in the correct action. All of her communications were hostile and used expletives, it was then I felt the break up was the correct thing to do.
In break ups, I've always said that people reveal their true nature to you. I was disappointed that she chose to act so crudely to someone who was so close to her. Since I had not seen her very much for the past year and a half I did not even feel an absence.
If you ever have to break up with a friend do it, you'll show more respect for yourself than they will for you.

Arizona News Event: Sweat Lodge Deaths in Sedona

Unintentional Life-Changing Event
Last Thursday authorities recieived a 911 call from Angel Valley Retreat on Sedona's Oak Creek where two people were reported not to be breathing after participating in a recreated Native American ceremony. A structure was built similar to Native American sweat lodges that enclosed 64 adults participating in the final day of "Spiritual Warrior" a five-day program hosted by James Arthur Ray spiritual and self-help guru. Spiritual Warrior was an annual event at Angel Valley that cost nearly $10,000 dollars to attend.
Nurse Unable to Revive
Associated Press and The Arizona Republic writers contributed a thorough article describing Ray's background and the traditional Native American uses of a sweat lodge ceremony. CPR was performed on site by a hired nurse on the two victims later pronounced dead at Verde Valley Medical Center. 19 other participants were also hospitalized, four were released and one remained in critical condition at Flagstaff Medical Center as of Friday.
Indian Country spin
Another article by AP writers Felicia Fonesca (of Prescott) and Dinesh Ramde details the victims lives, Ray's reaction and how the sweat lodge ceremony was misused that could possibly explain the deaths. One victim a 38-year old woman was in great physical shape the other victim was a 40 year old man. The other nineteen hospitalized people suffered from dehydration, breathing problems, burns, elevated body temperatures and kidney failure. Ray and his staff are being investigated by Yavapai County Sheriff department to determine if the deaths were caused by criminal negligence. Sheriff Steve Waugh said that Ray would not speak to authorities and left the state.
Words that Come Back to Haunt You
The seventh Spiritual Warrior retreat rented to Ray at Angel Valley promised to "absolutely change your life." Ray's twitter account has also come under scrutiny since his last post before the deaths that read: "Still in Spiritual Warrior... for anything new to live something first must die. What needs to die in you so that new life can emerge?" That along with two other tweets were also deleted shortly after. Despite James Ray International publicist Howard Bragman declining further comment, Ray released a tweet, “My deep heartfelt condolences to family and friends of those who lost their lives,” he wrote. “I am spending the weekend in prayer and meditation for all involved in this difficult time; and I ask you to join me in doing the same.”
Misuse of Spiritual Practice
Traditional Native American uses of the sweat lodge which is basically a sauna made by heating rocks and pouring water over them do not permit more than 12 people to participate for practical reasons like possible suffocation in a hot enclosed space. 64 people in a sweat lodge is unheard of and most shocking for the Native community. Taking frequent breaks outside and drinking water are also part of the ceremony. Results of the autopsies reveal that carbon monoxide was not a cause of the deaths. The new age movement is criticized for co-opting many cultural practices and ethnic traditions for profit. Ray was no different, his website offers a sundry of culture specific practices for his guide to spiritual and personal empowerment.

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Natalie McGee "TUSD discipline plan holistic not racist"

The entry did not specify that TUSD had been under a federal court order for 30 years. The entry did not also specify that the order was placed because of racial inequities and imbalances at Tucson schools. Nor was the name of the plan mentioned called Post Unitary Status Plan. The plan aims to figure out why minority students are punished at higher rates than their Anglo classmates in Tucson Unified School District. McGee also did not mention the statistics of the editorial article which were crucial because the district numbers state the imbalance of disciplinary action toward minority students.

The links McGee used in New Approach section didn't go to anything specific and there were over 200 articles about Crime and Punishment to search through, but it was a good source for free articles and information. In the Criminal Research section the link www.ncpa.org there was again "link rot". The article used from www.journals.democraticunderground.com was too brief and didn't meet my desire for statistics. However I liked the fact that she looked for objective studies from universities or criminal institutions. I also agree that discipline should be used but that not all problems with students of a school district can be solved using one approach.