Top 10 List | Top Ten Lists

Would you turn in a family if you had evidence of their involvement in a serious crime? You see people doing this and wonder what you would do. What is the most ethical thing to do? Let’s take a look at decisions 10 people made.

1. Mark Madoff:

Mark Madoff, the eldest son of Bernard Madoff, hanged himself in his Manhattan apartment in December 2011. The date coincided with the second anniversary of Bernie Madoff`s arrest for running a Ponzi scheme which devastated thousands of lives around the world.

Mark Madoff in the weeks leading up to his suicide was in a fragile state of mind. He was said to have expressed resentment toward his father and anxiety regarding a number of lawsuits that were filed against him, his brother and other family members.

It was Mark and his brother who reported their father to the federal authorities on December 11, 2008. This was after their father admitted to having absolutely nothing left and that the whole investment fund was just a Ponzi scheme. Two days before that Bernie Madoff disclosed to his sons his plans to pay out $173 million in bonuses. Nothing made sense.

2. Hector “Junior” Pagan:

Federal agents arrested and charged several members of the Bonanno, including the father of Mob Wives star Renee Graziano. The informant was Graziano’s ex-husband. The family is one of the “Five Families” that dominate organized crime activities in New York City. The founder, Joseph Bonanno, was interestingly enough the first to be kicked off the Commission. The commission keeps order in the Mafia and the family was allegedly dealing heroin.

You can read more here: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/family_epics/bonanno/1.html

3. Melissa Phillips:

This is the toughest decision any mother ever has to make. Melissa Phillips went to clean her son’s room where she noticed a leak. After further examination, Phillips found the body of the neighbour Maddie, who went missing from her home 7 days before. She went across the street to call the police. Joshua Phillips is now serving a life sentence for his crimes. An appeal were made in 2002, but was denied.

Checkout the video: 48 Hours-Joshua Phillips (2006)

4. John Franzese Jr.:

A former Colombo associate-turned paid informant helped convince the courts that his father’s frail state and the use of a wheelchair were deceiving. John Franzese Sr. is a long-time member and the underboss of the Colombo crime family. His is the oldest current member of the American mafia. In 2011, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison for extorting Manhattan strip clubs and pizzerias. The man was dozing off throughout the trial making it look like he is dying.

5. Linda Kasabian:

Charles Manson made an unfortunate call to pick Linda Kasabian to join the group of killers who killed 8 inside the homes of actress Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Kasabian did go along, but stood in horror as the murders took places. Escaping from the Manson family, she would later turn in state’s evidence convicting Charles Manson and his crew during the Tate and LaBianca murder trials. It was also her eye-witness testimony that sealed the convictions of those responsible.

Many TV families have set precedents. The modern family has been redefined several times throughout history. Here are just 10 examples where families were seen as unconventional.

1. The Huxtables:

An African American family was featured on the television show, The Crosby Show, in the 1980s and 1990s. Unlike in previous shows, this African American family was affluent and was living in Brooklyn. The patriarch was an obstetrician, while the matriarch was a lawyer. The stereotypes of the African American family changed ever since this show.

2. The Connors:

This TV family was different from its predecessors. Before the show Roseanne began, its predecessors showed a working class family with only one breadwinner. On the show Roseanne, the Connors were a work class family with 2 breadwinners. Both mother and father struggled throughout the series to find their foothold.

3. Drummonds/Jacksons:

First time in television history one sees a blended family. A wealthy businessman takes in two orphans whose mother (former employee of the wealthy businessman) dies. The two orphans, Arnold and Willis (African American), join the family of their new father and new sister.

4. Torres/Robbins:

Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins are a homosexual/bisexual couple on the TV show Grey’s Anatomy. The idea of a family with 2 mothers or 2 fathers has been left untouched by other shows. This was the first time 2 major characters would become parents (one being an adoptive parent) on the show and raise a child. The father is Mark Sloan, from Callie’s one night stand.

5. The Winters:

This is another family that has changed television history. Since the 1990s, the Winters have defined daytime television on the Young & the Restless. The show promulgates them as affluent: doctors, CEOs and even models working for Fortune 500 companies. Soaps have gone a long way since the 1980s, where African Americans were gang related and bad guys. Most of them were also lower or middle class citizens.

Many families treat their pets as if they were their own children. Many pets have been popularized on TV shows such as the Simpsons where the family owns a dog, cat and a pig at one point. Others may go to the extremes and buy themselves a rat or even a skunk to use as a pet. It was quite common in the past as it is today to buy a pig for a pet in a rural area. As such, here are the top 10 unusual pets people welcome into their homes. Raise your hand if you have one of these.

1. Skunk:

One cannot help but associate this animal with their black/white fur and the foul smell they spray when attacked or about to be harmed. Although an outdoor animal, it is common to raise skunks indoors as a companion. Many individuals in the Netherlands, Italy, Canada and the United States buy skunks for these purposes. The emitting scent glands are of course taken out to make this animal more human friendly. Many countries still ban skunks from being house pet. If you are thinking of purchasing one, check your laws.

2. Rats:

These destructive and pesky rodents are also quite common, yet unusual to have as pets. There are fancy rats which have been domesticated for humans to buy at pet shops. They are small, live up to 2 years and do not carry diseases like those who have caused the bubonic plague. One should realize that not many visitors will like seeing a rat, so if you have one, do not keep him/her on the loose.

3. Ferret:

This animal is only allowed in 9 states in the United States. House-trained for 2000 years, it is an exotic animal that is dangerous to keep, especially around children. In Grand Valley, Missouri a ferret ate a child’s 7 fingers up to his knuckles. Both parents were charges with reckless endangerment. If you’re wondering why this is an unusual pet to have, look up Vinnie the Ferret and his war dance pose.

4. Pigs:

These animals are also unusual to have. Popular culture on the Simpsons: The Movie domesticated this animal. In the movie, Homer Simpson brought home a pig which he adored and buddied like a dog. Pigs are smart, and they will be able to get into anything like the drawers. When trained properly they could become the warmest and the kindest pets one may have. If improperly trained, they could be destructive.

5. Monkey:

One Versailles man will put his health and the wellbeing of others’ in danger to have a monkey help his wife who is sick with cancer. The animal carries Herpes B virus which can spread to humans easily. In 2009, another Chimpanzee left a woman with life threatening facial disfigurement. Even though the damage can be severe, monkeys are domesticated pets.

Flipping back to the pages of history, we would find that most successful people in life had one thing in common; they were all inquisitive as a child. Backgrounds do not matter neither does the culture or religion. It is the environments in which children grow provide a medium for a well rounded growth of a child. Growing up is not important it is the proper development and inculcation of right kind of habits and values in a child that results in a pleasing personality. The exploring capabilities are infinite in kids, remember how a crawling kid moves to the edge of a bed and falls off to his dismay. The ignorance of results and the motive to explore is the basic foundation of learning and development. There is no knowledge if there is fear and there is no learning if there is not any doubt. Thus it is very essential to be supportive and extremely patient especially while dealing with younger lots. This platform gives a great chance to jot down top ten best methods to bring up children in a manner that wins hearts and minds.

1. Ensuring proper health

A healthy child can grow up and adjust to all the changes properly. Ill health makes a child lag behind in studies and other co curricular activities in school. A child who does not keep well most of the times is also low in terms of social skills and feels shy to mix up with others. Thus a well balanced nutritional diet and proper hygiene go a long way in way in keeping a child healthy.

2. Providing Right Education

Schooling plays a vital role in the development of a child. It is the parents’ responsibility to provide proper schooling and education to their children. School takes care of the formative years of a child’s life, ranging from elementary education to playful activities and making friends for life all happen in the school days.

3. Inculcating culture

The child is the bearer of culture and tradition, he is the fore runner of the human race and life on earth; thus inculcation of proper traditions and culture is another vital aspect of bringing up children. However a thin line differentiates tradition from habits and fads from culture. Thus the responsibility lies on parents’ shoulders to provide right set of education as far as their family traditions and culture is concerned, so that the torch that he bears for his future generation emanates same kind of wisdom and brightness.

4. Teaching discipline

Teaching discipline is yet another task the parents are responsible for as it is in the company of parents that a child learns the difference between right and wrong. Discipline includes respect and right treatment of elders, peers and younger ones. Discipline reflects not only in behavior but also in day to day routine and other habits of keeping clean or eating.

5. Developing self confidence

Developing self confidence in kids is the key to a bright future. Supporting kids to be inquisitive and respecting their opinions, helping them to learn from their mistakes and letting them take minor decisions in life is the cornerstone of harvesting self confidence in children. This confidence makes a child smart enough to face the world on his own.