“A Gisborne school is fighting to save an 11-year-old boy from a life of crime after his mother bragged he had already passed Mongrel Mob* initiation tests.

 The boy is said to already be running his own gang which includes some 18-year-olds.

But Awapuni School principal David Langford says he is being hampered by a lack of early intervention support for pupils with severe behavioural problems.

The boy was excluded from his first primary school in 2006, aged eight, after a series of violent incidents including bringing a baseball bat to school, crushing a pupil’s hand with a chair leg, and assaulting and injuring children.

That principal, who did not want to be named, said the boy had been behaving violently since his first day at the school as a five-year-old.

The principal also said the boy’s mother had recently boasted to educational professionals that her son had passed gang prospect tests.

“This is a child we are talking about who was encouraged to complete criminal acts,” she said. The boy, whose father had been a Mongrel Mob leader, is known to police.

The boy was described by a psychiatrist as a predatory assailant several years ago and is now believed to be running his own gang, which Langford said included some members who were aged 18.” – http://www.stuff.co.nz/4739968a11.html

I think this is a disgrace. I think there should be more done to support this boy and lead him away from the path he is straying down. Such as counselling, or maybe his parents just need to be more strict and keep a better eye on him. This story just goes to show how gang culture is affecting New Zealand’s children- I don’t think it’s fair to be exposed to crime and violence at such a young age. Especially in this case- the boy was obviously exposed to the world of gangs through his father, who was apparently a Mongrel Mob member. My opinion is that all gangs need to be cracked down on. You know that it is getting out of control when younger and younger people are getting involved. I don’t know that this boy is the youngest child to ever be involved in a gang, but I do know that the last thing New Zealand needs is another one.

* Mongrel Mob-a New Zealand gang.

“The fire began shortly before 9am yesterday in the bedroom of the house in Kauika Rd, Whangarei, and may have started by the two boys playing with matches, said police.

The name of the dead child, a five-year-old, had yet to be released. His three-year-old brother was in a critical condition in Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital.

The two men carried both to the front lawn where an attempt was made to revive the older child and the younger boy was given first aid.

The occupants were alerted by a passer-by who saw smoke pouring from the eaves.

One of the people living in the house and the boys’ stepfather ran to the bedroom but burnt their hands on the door handle and had to kick down the door.

Northland police said “initial indications” showed the fire began in the children’s bedroom and matches were found in the room.

All four smoke alarms in the house had no batteries.” -stuff.co.nz

I think the two men should be given an award for doing this. I mean, it’s not every day that your house catches on fire, and you save a life. I’ve also read different stories where people doing great deeds like this got a medal.

I don’t think it was a very smart idea to play with matches. Maybe the boys’ parents should have realised what the two were doing, so the tragedy never had to happen. At my old school, people came in to talk to us about fire dangers- they mentioned never playing with matches. But the two young boys might not have been to school yet, so they wouldn’t have learnt about fire safety.

The men were very courageous, considering the situation. I can only hope that if anything similar happens at my house, I can be as heroic as them.

I was getting ready for school this morning and I happened to glance at The New Zealand Herald newspaper on my way past the kitchen bench. My eyes fell upon an article about this, and I had a quick read. The newspaper’s title on the story shocked me, so I was eager to find out more.

An outbreak of Staphylococcus Aureus (a deadly bacteria) has infected at least 21 babies at Auckland’s City Hospital. This bacteria can cause diseases such as Meningitis, Pneumonia, Septicemia and Toxic Shock Syndrome for babies. It isn’t so bad for the rest of us though, usually producing only boils. But the bacteria is one of the top three fatal infections for newborn babies. All of the babies are being tested for the infection, and some of them are already seriously ill. But the hospital staff aren’t entirely sure if this is because of Staphylococcus Aureus or not.

I was pretty gutted when I read the article about this, because I thought of the babies’ mothers and/or fathers, and how it must have affected them. I mean, how would you feel if you had just gotten a new pet or something, and then you found out that they may be about to die? Yeah. Pretty disappointed. I wish that there was some way we could help the babies and their families, but for now all we can do is hope that they get better.

“Education Ministry figures show a 41 per cent increase in girls being stood down, suspended or kicked out of school for assaults between 2002 and 2006. But the way violence is dished out appears to be changing. Experts point to a new gang-like mentality among schoolgirls whereby a popular “queen bee” uses friends to bully or hurt others to reinforce her power.

Secondary Principals’ Association president Peter Gall said schools were seeing not only more overt physical violence by girls, but a big increase in cyber-bullying – sending nasty text messages and e-mails, or putting humiliating images or words on the Internet.” -Stuff.

I was looking around at stuff.co.nz, and I stumbled across this article. The information wasn’t new to me, but I decided to share it with whoever reads my blog, incase they ever come across a situation that involves cyber/mental bullying. I think this is a much worse variation to bullying than the physical kind. Because in some cases, words can hurt far more than hits. It contradicts the old saying; ’sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’. Bruises and cuts heal a lot faster than a wounded soul. If you are ever aware of somebody being bullied in this or any other way, I think you should stick up for them, and help them get through it. If you ever get stuck in a cyber bullying problem, I think a good way to deal with it would be to try and ignore whoever the bully is, and tell someone you trust and/or know will help you fix the problem. I have never exactly been a target in cyber or mental bullying, but I am sure to watch out for it. I advise you to as well.