Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Suicide and the Media
MY son's death was ruled a suicide. After my own thorough investigation, it was later determined by me to be an "accidental" death by hanging.
Children experiment, copy-cat, etc. what they "see or hear" about. The night I stood over my son's body in the morgue, the medical examiners said this: "Half of the children I see come through here, don't intend to be here..." These words rang hollow in my ears. Here I was standing over my precious child as I said: "what?" He further explained: "In as little as two-three seconds a person can lose consciousness when cutting the air off to the brain & eventually they die when all alone with no one to help them escape from their mistake." Getting too near something as dangerous as a rope or belt around the neck is deadly in many, many circumstances. That's why having "fun or joking" can be dangerous & lead to death, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally".
My true story at our book site... www.TrueTreasuresinLife.com "A Child Died, a Father Cried & God Answered!"
I deal with some of the following in the book:
* Church abuse and suicide, both priest and pastoral sexual abuse (we offer a message of hope and healing for suicide victims families/friends that "falsely believe their child or loved one is in "hell")
* drugs and suicide
* accidental or unintentional suicide
* life after suicide, www.IveGotHope.com- 4 year history here.
Mark Canfora
330 865 1000
www.IveGotHope.com
The Office controversial Halloween suicide starring Steve Carrell's and his hurtful comment was bad or worse than the actual real looking suicide hanging act as seen in the show at prime time in front of tens of millions of viewers (many children)...please read from AP:
Nov 5, 2009 7:38 pm US/Pacific
Suicide Prevention Groups Protest 'The Office'
NEW YORK (AP) ―
Click to enlarge
1 of 1Steve Carrell in Warner Brothers "Get Smart." (File)
Warner Brothers
Close
Some suicide prevention groups aren't laughing over a scene in "The Office" where Steve Carrel's character tries to scare young children by struggling in a hangman's noose.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and other mental health organizations say NBC and other entertainers should stop using suicide as a punchline. They worry that depiction of a method of suicide might encourage mentally ill people to take their own lives.
"We try not to be zealots about this," said Robert Gebbia, the foundation's executive director. "But this one ... kind of crossed the line."
A spokeswoman for NBC's entertainment division did not have an immediate comment.
There's been a run of television shows that have inflamed sensibilities lately. The Parents Television Council has urged affiliates of the CW network not to air a Nov. 9 episode of "Gossip Girl" following on-air promos for a sexual threesome. Some religious groups were angered by an episode of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" where a drop of Larry David's urine is splattered on a portrait of Jesus Christ.
"The Office" Halloween episode last Thursday opened with the paper company hosting a haunted house for young children. Carell's socially clueless office manager Michael Scott promises a scare, and pops out with his depiction of a hanging.
Afterward, Scott speaks like an exaggerated public service announcement: "Kids, just remember, suicide is not the answer. It is the easy way out."
Gebbia said it's impossible to imagine a death due to breast cancer, for example, being used as a joke. He said he wants entertainers to be aware of the impact of their work.
Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Suicide Awareness Voices in Education are other organizations that joined Gebbia's group in calling for sensitivity. They said research has shown that explicit depictions of suicide may prompt vulnerable people to copy the act.
Two years ago, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention protested a General Motors commercial that showed a robot leaping off a bridge, and a Volkswagen ad with a man standing on a ledge threatening to jump.
"We're not trying to be censors or fall into the trap of wanting everything to be PC, politically correct," Gebbia said. "But on the other hand, it's offensive to some people who have lost relatives to suicide by hanging."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Children experiment, copy-cat, etc. what they "see or hear" about. The night I stood over my son's body in the morgue, the medical examiners said this: "Half of the children I see come through here, don't intend to be here..." These words rang hollow in my ears. Here I was standing over my precious child as I said: "what?" He further explained: "In as little as two-three seconds a person can lose consciousness when cutting the air off to the brain & eventually they die when all alone with no one to help them escape from their mistake." Getting too near something as dangerous as a rope or belt around the neck is deadly in many, many circumstances. That's why having "fun or joking" can be dangerous & lead to death, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally".
My true story at our book site... www.TrueTreasuresinLife.com "A Child Died, a Father Cried & God Answered!"
I deal with some of the following in the book:
* Church abuse and suicide, both priest and pastoral sexual abuse (we offer a message of hope and healing for suicide victims families/friends that "falsely believe their child or loved one is in "hell")
* drugs and suicide
* accidental or unintentional suicide
* life after suicide, www.IveGotHope.com- 4 year history here.
Mark Canfora
330 865 1000
www.IveGotHope.com
The Office controversial Halloween suicide starring Steve Carrell's and his hurtful comment was bad or worse than the actual real looking suicide hanging act as seen in the show at prime time in front of tens of millions of viewers (many children)...please read from AP:
Nov 5, 2009 7:38 pm US/Pacific
Suicide Prevention Groups Protest 'The Office'
NEW YORK (AP) ―
Click to enlarge
1 of 1Steve Carrell in Warner Brothers "Get Smart." (File)
Warner Brothers
Close
Some suicide prevention groups aren't laughing over a scene in "The Office" where Steve Carrel's character tries to scare young children by struggling in a hangman's noose.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and other mental health organizations say NBC and other entertainers should stop using suicide as a punchline. They worry that depiction of a method of suicide might encourage mentally ill people to take their own lives.
"We try not to be zealots about this," said Robert Gebbia, the foundation's executive director. "But this one ... kind of crossed the line."
A spokeswoman for NBC's entertainment division did not have an immediate comment.
There's been a run of television shows that have inflamed sensibilities lately. The Parents Television Council has urged affiliates of the CW network not to air a Nov. 9 episode of "Gossip Girl" following on-air promos for a sexual threesome. Some religious groups were angered by an episode of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" where a drop of Larry David's urine is splattered on a portrait of Jesus Christ.
"The Office" Halloween episode last Thursday opened with the paper company hosting a haunted house for young children. Carell's socially clueless office manager Michael Scott promises a scare, and pops out with his depiction of a hanging.
Afterward, Scott speaks like an exaggerated public service announcement: "Kids, just remember, suicide is not the answer. It is the easy way out."
Gebbia said it's impossible to imagine a death due to breast cancer, for example, being used as a joke. He said he wants entertainers to be aware of the impact of their work.
Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Suicide Awareness Voices in Education are other organizations that joined Gebbia's group in calling for sensitivity. They said research has shown that explicit depictions of suicide may prompt vulnerable people to copy the act.
Two years ago, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention protested a General Motors commercial that showed a robot leaping off a bridge, and a Volkswagen ad with a man standing on a ledge threatening to jump.
"We're not trying to be censors or fall into the trap of wanting everything to be PC, politically correct," Gebbia said. "But on the other hand, it's offensive to some people who have lost relatives to suicide by hanging."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A Child Died, a Father Cried...and God Answered!
Warning: You will not find literary genius here, but you will find truth, love, compassion, and real life experience from a man, a husband and a father that has suffered (in my opinion) life's most difficult tragedy- the death of your child. No father, parent is ever prepared for that...no father expects or is ready, or prepared to ever bury their child before them.
At that moment life changes as you knew it-forever.
The question and decision we must make: is that change for the better or for the worse? It really is up to us to decide and other lives depend upon our choices.
I am a father that has walked in those-painful gut wrenching, life altering-shoes.
I put them on daily after I rise to my feet from my knees each morning after asking God for yet another day of His strength for my remaining time on this earth.
One day at a time.
It has now been 52 months since my oldest child of five, Mark Jr. 18, suddenly passed away on July 12, 2005. God instructed me to journal and document those early "valley of the shadow of death" days back in the summer of 2005. He has now released me to take this message of hope and healing in Jesus Christ to the world in print, audio, Internet and visual. I can't explain the peace I have after getting it all off my chest, my mind and my heart and onto "paper".
In my early days I journaled such things as: "book, contents, titles, names, media, Celebration of Life, Message of Hope, etc". All documented on nearly 100 pages in the immediate hours, days and weeks after Marky's passing. I continually wrote down my dreams, visions, signs, etc...most have come true and many are yet to arrive, but are looming.
Why me? I came to a place in my life where I was 100% totally dependent, totally committed-totally reliant upon God for simple things such as breathing, getting out of bed, surviving from one moment to the next. I needed Him wholly and He responded lovingly. He revealed Himself to me in mighty, powerful, life changing ways. Life changing not only for myself, but for thousands thus far and ultimately millions of others. What I reveal are God's promises and answers to the desperate "cries of a father".
God will and does reveal Himself to those that seek Him with 100% dependence and reliance upon Him for EVERYTHING in their lives. EVERYTHING, including praising and thanking Him for each heartbeat and breath you, your children your family loved ones and friends... are granted by Him from moment to moment.
He says "ask, seek, and (you will) find" Matthew 7:7.
The answers God gave me to my cries are revealed and evidenced from Ohio to Florida and around the world over the last four years. The moment I received the middle of the night phone call from my sixteen year old daughter-Carly, "Daddy, Marky is dead..." are shared in the book and is my life's testimony and passion.
That night that I experienced every parent's worst nightmare come true:
"...that your child has passed away."
I am that father and like millions of fathers before me, that cried out to God for help, for answers, for understanding...cries with such simple, yet immensely complex questions seeking answers from God-the creator of the universe and my child-desperate cries such as:
why? how? what? As I struggled to breathe, to rise to my feet, to get dressed and then finally make my way to be with my precious child, my son, my Marky. Alone, in the middle of the night, I stood over my son at the morgue in downtown Akron, Ohio, crying out to God-I receive many of my answers and left that place, forever a changed man.
I will release a series of messages on the status of the book, our ministry efforts in Ohio, Florida and soon to be nationwide and then internationally. I pray this testimony and real life tragedy turned victory inspires you to seek to know who the real Jesus Christ truly is...your eternal life depends upon finding the true answers to that question. I have shared my life's journey in that quest from the mountain top to the death valley experiences.
Book release: A Child Died, a Father Cried...and God Answered!
Book Status: Estimated Publishing and Distribution Date-01/01/2010.
More info on pre-orders, discounts, free books and the first three chapters of the book go to: temporary site: www.TrueTreasuresinLife.com or main site: www.IveGotHope.com
At that moment life changes as you knew it-forever.
The question and decision we must make: is that change for the better or for the worse? It really is up to us to decide and other lives depend upon our choices.
I am a father that has walked in those-painful gut wrenching, life altering-shoes.
I put them on daily after I rise to my feet from my knees each morning after asking God for yet another day of His strength for my remaining time on this earth.
One day at a time.
It has now been 52 months since my oldest child of five, Mark Jr. 18, suddenly passed away on July 12, 2005. God instructed me to journal and document those early "valley of the shadow of death" days back in the summer of 2005. He has now released me to take this message of hope and healing in Jesus Christ to the world in print, audio, Internet and visual. I can't explain the peace I have after getting it all off my chest, my mind and my heart and onto "paper".
In my early days I journaled such things as: "book, contents, titles, names, media, Celebration of Life, Message of Hope, etc". All documented on nearly 100 pages in the immediate hours, days and weeks after Marky's passing. I continually wrote down my dreams, visions, signs, etc...most have come true and many are yet to arrive, but are looming.
Why me? I came to a place in my life where I was 100% totally dependent, totally committed-totally reliant upon God for simple things such as breathing, getting out of bed, surviving from one moment to the next. I needed Him wholly and He responded lovingly. He revealed Himself to me in mighty, powerful, life changing ways. Life changing not only for myself, but for thousands thus far and ultimately millions of others. What I reveal are God's promises and answers to the desperate "cries of a father".
God will and does reveal Himself to those that seek Him with 100% dependence and reliance upon Him for EVERYTHING in their lives. EVERYTHING, including praising and thanking Him for each heartbeat and breath you, your children your family loved ones and friends... are granted by Him from moment to moment.
He says "ask, seek, and (you will) find" Matthew 7:7.
The answers God gave me to my cries are revealed and evidenced from Ohio to Florida and around the world over the last four years. The moment I received the middle of the night phone call from my sixteen year old daughter-Carly, "Daddy, Marky is dead..." are shared in the book and is my life's testimony and passion.
That night that I experienced every parent's worst nightmare come true:
"...that your child has passed away."
I am that father and like millions of fathers before me, that cried out to God for help, for answers, for understanding...cries with such simple, yet immensely complex questions seeking answers from God-the creator of the universe and my child-desperate cries such as:
why? how? what? As I struggled to breathe, to rise to my feet, to get dressed and then finally make my way to be with my precious child, my son, my Marky. Alone, in the middle of the night, I stood over my son at the morgue in downtown Akron, Ohio, crying out to God-I receive many of my answers and left that place, forever a changed man.
I will release a series of messages on the status of the book, our ministry efforts in Ohio, Florida and soon to be nationwide and then internationally. I pray this testimony and real life tragedy turned victory inspires you to seek to know who the real Jesus Christ truly is...your eternal life depends upon finding the true answers to that question. I have shared my life's journey in that quest from the mountain top to the death valley experiences.
Book release: A Child Died, a Father Cried...and God Answered!
Book Status: Estimated Publishing and Distribution Date-01/01/2010.
More info on pre-orders, discounts, free books and the first three chapters of the book go to: temporary site: www.TrueTreasuresinLife.com or main site: www.IveGotHope.com
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