Jennifer Van Laar
IJR
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Past articles by Jennifer:
A Cancer Victim Writes Her Final Facebook Post and Has a Firm Request for Those She’s Leaving Behind
"Anyway, this is me saying 'peace out, people...'" → Read More
8 Years Ago, a Kid Asked Obama About Stem Cell Research. He Had No Idea Then How Personal It Was…
The White House opened a new Tumblr account this week, featuring letters written to President Obama since he took office. A touching letter from 15-year-old Gavin Nore described how the boy met Obama back in 2007 and asked then-candidate Obama about his position on stem cell research. Obama assured the boy that, should he win, stem cell research would be continued. Nore had no idea just how… → Read More
Football Coach Becomes the Talk of the Campus After Drunken Appearance at School Pep Rally
At the University of Southern California, football is taken very seriously. Each season begins with a “Salute to Troy” pep rally where players are introduced and the entire coaching staff is honored. At this year’s rally on Saturday night, they didn’t get around to introducing the entire coaching staff after the remarks of head coach Steve Sarkisian: > USC coach Steve Sarkisian was so faded last… → Read More
13-Year-Old Disney Channel Star Tackles ‘White Feminism’ with Three Powerful Instagram Posts
Rowan Blanchard, the star of Disney Channel’s “Girl Meets World,” recently posted a long response to a fan’s question about “white feminism” on Instagram. It took three full posts for Blanchard to fully give her answer. It’s quite a response, especially considering that Blanchard is only 13 years old. > A photo posted by Rowan Blanchard (@rowanblanchard) on Aug 22, 2015 at 12:31am PDT The… → Read More
Nearly 70 Percent of These Babies Don’t Make it to Birth. One State is Pushing a Law to Change That
“We all want to be born perfect, but none of us are..." → Read More
14-Year-Old Uses What His Dad Taught Him About Guns to Protect the Lives of His Younger Siblings
Fourteen-year-old Andrew Mason was home alone with his twin siblings when the knock at the door came. The North Las Vegas teen was taught to never answer the door in that situation, so he ignored it. > “Eventually I hear a thud on the door so I assume, he’s breaking in.” Andrew grabbed his siblings and ran upstairs, taking a rifle and cell phone, with him to hide in a closet where he called 911.… → Read More
Actor Chad Michael Murray’s Touching Tribute to His Best Pal Will Hit Pet Owners Right in the Feels
"Almost 15 years of adventures, Joe, and I'm so grateful for every minute..." → Read More
California Removes the Term ‘Alien’ – But the Only Guy to Vote Against It Says the Reason Is Baloney
California legislators have voted to delete a commonly-used word from two sections of the state’s labor code. The potentially offensive word- “alien”- will no longer appear. SB 432 was introduced by state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), who explained in the Los Angeles Times: > “Alien is now commonly considered a derogatory term for a foreign-born person and has very negative connotations.” The… → Read More
Marines Face Off Against ‘Professional’ Fighters and the Results Are…
Five UFC fighters spent a morning at the Marine Corps Martial Arts Center of Excellence in Quantico, Virginia. → Read More
Student’s Request to Form Pro-Life Club Was Shot Down- Yet No One Saw a Problem With These Clubs…
"I never imagined I would have to sue my school to be able to exercise my free speech rights." → Read More
The Picture of Scott Walker That Was Posted in a Pro-Environment Facebook Group Is Beyond Disturbing
"This is a terrible picture and could seriously undermine your efforts." → Read More
64 Notable Mississippians Just Made a Strong Statement to Fellow Residents About Their State’s Flag
The Mississippi state flag, which contains the Confederate battle flag in the top left corner, has been a subject of contention for years. But that controversy heated up after the shootings in Charleston, SC. Some state legislators have said it’s time to do away with that flag and perhaps change to the Magnolia flag that Mississippi used to fly: Image Credit: Facebook Now, a large group of… → Read More
A Man Dramatically Rescues His Baby Niece…The TV News Anchor’s Reaction Says It All
He found their car upside down, 100 feet down a steep embankment... → Read More
Man’s Disturbing Experiment Shows Parents Why They Need to Keep an Eye On Teens’ Social Media
A scary video showing how easily teenage girls are lured into dangerous situations by social media “friends” has gained over 10 million views since being posted Monday. YouTube prankster Coby Persin, 22, takes a more serious turn and poses as a 15-year-old boy by creating a fake Facebook profile. He then sends friend requests for younger girls who are total strangers. With permission from the… → Read More
School Won’t Be Starting on Time for 1500 Employees at Chicago Public Schools
The schools have also asked teachers for a concession the union calls "strike worthy." → Read More
What Ferguson Shooting Victim Was Holding in His Hand Shows Why Many Deny He’s Another Michael Brown
"My son was running to the police to ask for help..." → Read More
Officials Said a Dad Can’t Bring His Gun to His Daughter’s School. Then the Judge Stepped In.
Kenneth Herman, a Clio, Michigan, native, filed a lawsuit in March, after school officials denied him access to his daughter’s school grounds because he was open carrying his pistol. According to MLive, state law allows concealed carry holders to open carry on school campuses, but the Clio Area School District reportedly instituted a strict ‘weapon’s free zone’ policy. Image credit: Clio Area… → Read More
A Marine Entered VA for Treatment and Never Came Out. What the Medical Examiner Found Is Horrifying.
"I slept horrible last night. I toss and turned sweating all night. I woke up over a dozen times..." → Read More
When You’re Claiming Disability, It’s Probably Not a Good Idea to Go On Reality TV and Do This
One of the stars of “Wicked Tuna,” a National Geographic reality show following a group of fishermen from Gloucester, MA, has been accused of collecting government disability checks while he was working on the show. > Almost time to get hooked. Who's ready for the new season of #WickedTuna at 9/8c! @WickedTuna @NatGeoChannel pic.twitter.com/VXxx9iiOrt — Paul Hebert (@PissahTunaPaul) February 16,… → Read More
Blind Woman May Press Charges Against McDonald’s After She Was Forced to Leave in Tears
Tina Marie Asikainen posted on Facebook that she, her five-year-old daughter and her guide dog were forced to leave a McDonald’s in southern Norway because no dogs – not even guide dogs – were allowed. > “She tried to explain that the dog was a guide dog and showed her handler’s identity card to staff – but said: ‘They were not interested in reading it. There must have been twenty customers… → Read More