Are You Kidding? Part 7

I don't know how many times I have to write about the idea of respect, but I will as long as it takes for these numbskulls to understand it. Pres. Obama was, once again, heckled. Where was the "lucky" place this time? Oh how about Los Angeles. The president was holding a fundraiser and was interrupted in the middle of his speech by a man who shouted out many things. What struck me, though, was what he said when Secret Service escorted him out. He shouted to Obama, "You're the Antichrist!"

How many times does it need to be said that we do not know who the Anitchrist really will be? I decided to dive into the Bible and I found these key chracteristics about the Anitchrist (according to 1 John): "He will deny that Jesus is the Christ;" "He will deny both God the Father and God the Son;" and "He will be a liar and deceiver."

Now, so far, I don't think the president has done any of those things. So who are we to call him an Antichrist? I've also heard that the Anitchrist will be someone we would never expect. In other words, I think the president may be a bit too obvious. No one knows who it will be except God Himself and that's the way it will be until we find out here on Earth.

Message Of Hope

This is a great story about Steve Gleason, former New Orleans Saint, who brought jubilation to a recovering city after the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. His most memorable moment was when he blocked a punt on the night the Superdome reopened for the first time since the storm. That moment continues to lift the spirits of everyone who saw the game.

However, five years after that memorable moment, a now retired Gleason has publically announced that he has been diagnosed with ALS or, more commonly, Lou Gehrig's disease. He hopes, with this disease, that he can inspire even more people and continue to inspire those who saw that amazing play in the Superdome, saying, "In a way, I see this as an opportunity to continue to be an inspiration, maybe even more so than I ever have been."

Since his diagnosis, Gleason has established a foundation, called, Team Gleason, which sets out to improve the quality of life for those with ALS. "You have to continue to do things you love," Gleason said. "There's technology available that, if I'm proactive, I can continue to do some of those things." Gleason hopes that, although this is a progressively fatal disease with no cure, he can reach as many people as he can and give them the inspiration to never give up on their lives.

Production 'Value'

As much as I love the production side of television, I have to criticize it. My latest criticism is the canceling of the popular soap All My Children. No, I've never been crazy over the show (or any soaps for that matter) but I've watched it from time to time mainly because my mom has (and will always be) a die hard fan. In fact, she's watched it since middle school! That's pretty amazing! 

It's pretty sad to see such a staple in daytime television finally come to an end but, what makes me upset is seeing ABC make the bonehead move in replacing it with a show called The Chew. The show is a glorified food talk show that will give you tips and tricks on cooking food and the like. It sounds like Food Network ran out of time slots for its shows and bought one from ABC...seriously! Who would watch a show about food when you're probably eating lunch? It makes no sense at all!

I'm no TV expert or critic but I think The Chew will be a one and done show. Plus, they say this is what the viewers want but I don't buy it. When we have Food Network and so many other food programs on, it's no wonder we have such an obsession with food!

Suing Over A Sonogram

This Oops Award is one that will make you pretty angry. A court in West Palm Beach, FL have awarded the parents of a child born with no arms and one leg $4.5 million. The couple claimed that, had they known of their unborn son's disabilities before he was born, they would have aborted him. 

Instead, a jury found an obstetrician and ultrasound technician 85% and 15% negligent, respectively, for "failing to properly read sonograms." The couple actually requested $9 million, claiming it would cost them that much to take care of their son over an average 70-year life. The lawyers of the two specialists said they would appeal, arguing that the couple rejected amniocentesis, which could have revealed the abnormalities. According to the lawyers, the couple rejected it because they were told there was a 1 in 500 chance that the procedure could cause a miscarriage.

This is just unbelievable! How can someone have the right mind to do this? It's truly sickening to me. I mean, maybe the couple is in financial trouble but it still gives them no right to do this. My message to this couple: the doctors who performed the sonogram, at last check, are NOT God! They are not perfect. And let's not forget the fact that you should love your child no matter the circumstances. That whole saying about "had they known, they would have aborted their son" is just flat out apalling! If you can't (or don't want) to take care of him, the very least you can do is give him to someone who can!

Story Courtesy: Life Site News

Choices

College can offer so many choices regardless if its size. Here at NC State, the major and minor possibilities are endless. Lately, I've been thinking about minors to take along with my major. I honestly don't know what kind of career I want to go in. Right now, I'm in the sport management major which I'm liking so far. However, my passion is journalism.

After attending Pres. Obama's rally yesterday and seeing all the campaign workers, etc. I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be cool to have a job like that someday?" So, I got thinking about minors and NC State offers a journalism and political science minor. My idea is to minor in both of those (if I can and if it's not too much) and combine the two somehow. I also thought I could intern at the White House. It would be an amazing opportunity for me and there are some really interesting departements to work in.

Of course, I still have a little while to decide on all this. The main problem is I have so many interests: journalism, politics, children's ministry, photography, and music. In a perfect world, I would combine everything into one great job that I enjoy. However, this is not a perfect world, so I'll have to make some choices. Just pray for me as I try to map out my professional career.

Pres. Obama At NCSU

Today, I had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing the President of the United States in person! The best part is I didn't even have to leave my school to see him. Pres. Obama paid a visit to Reynolds Coliseum to promote his American Jobs Act legislation. Tickets were pretty hard to come by as you can imagine.

Apparently, NCSU had about 2,000 student tickets available. Students (including myself) lined up early to get a ticket to the event. Some even camped out from Monday night to Tuesday morning to get tickets. I didn't camp out but I got there a good 2 hours before the ticket distribution began and, let me tell you, the line was crazy. In fact, they had 2 lines going and each one stretched as far as you could see. Here's a picture of the lines in the Brickyard...

While we waited outside Reynolds Coliseum to get in, I was fascinated by all the things happening around me. Tons of Secret Service, police, and event staff running back and forth, bomb sniffing dogs that even had to check out an ambulance. I even got to speak briefly to a campaign advisor who, while talking to me and some people behind me in line, had to answer her phone. Why am I telling you this? Well, what she said next was amazing. She said "Yes, Mr. President?" What?!? That's crazy that the POTUS called her on her cell phone and talked to her. Just imagine if you had that privilege!

The speech in Reynolds was great! I was sitting in the upper section but only 5 rows up so I had a great view of Pres. Obama. I still can't believe I got the opportunity to see him in person! It's a memory I will always have throughout my time here at NC State and the rest of my life!

Below is a video of the President's speech in its entirety...

Remembrance

Photo of Ground Zero I took while in NYC in 2010

Today is the 10th anniversary of 9/11. I can't believe it's already been 10 years since that dark day in our nation's history. I'm sure we can all remember where we were when we heard about the attacks. I still can remember where I was just like it was yesterday. I was in 4th grade and it seemed like a normal day. Our class went to lunch like always but, every few minutes during lunch, we would hear names of other students being called to go home. I know 10 or so went home just during lunchtime. My friend and I didn't think anything about it at the time but I knew something was up.

We get back to class and, later on, someone comes in our classroom and whispers something to our teacher. I don't remember her reaction or anything and I, once again, didn't think too much about it, but I think that person may have told her what happened. I finally found out about everything when I got to my grandparents house after school. I remember seeing those horrible images on their TV thinking, "what in the world has happened?"

You know, although the time has flown by and so many things have changed since then, one thing will never change: the true blessing we have to live in this country. I know we all get mad or upset with decisions made by our nation's leaders and things that go on in the country, but we still should be thankful for the country we live in! On this anniversary, let's all remember those who have given their lives for our freedom and pray for those who are still fighting for it.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Double Dose of Oops

This week, I decided to give you all a double dose of Oops Awards. The first is a pretty crazy lawsuit over a lottery prize and a back injury. The second is so crazy, I'm going to let you read it for yourself. Here we go...

For one Ohio businessman, the odds were not in his favor when a back injury caused him to lose out on his office lottery pool winning $99 million. Now Edward Hairston is suing them over what he says should be his share of the prize. His reasoning is that he participated in the pool for the past eight years with his colleagues before a back injury put him out of work for June, July, and August. The group matched all six numbers on August 5.

Hairston's attorney told ABCNews.com that there apparently was an agreement that when one co-worker was out, the others would cover for them. The attorney added that Hairston even "covered for a co-worker who was on a leave of absence." The lawyer for the 22 co-workers told ABCNews.com that the "Plaintiff didn't play for three months and despite being invited to do so through email he chose not to put money in, therefore he can't be a winner."

The second Oops Award is ridiculous! According to Billboard.com, a 36-year-old man broke into Celine Dion's Montreal home and decided to do more than just steal things. He raided the fridge and took the time to pour himself a bath before he was nabbed by police. The man even had the audacity to eat a pastry while waiting for his bath and asked the police what they were doing at the house; almost like it was his home! Police spokesman, Franco Di Genova, said the man "had jumped a fence to get on the property and used a garage door opener that he found in an unlocked vehicle to gain access to the residence."

All I have to say about these two is...wow!

Respect

re·spect

1. To feel or show deferential regard for; esteem

2. A feeling of appreciative, often deferential regard; esteem

3. Willingness to show consideration or appreciation

These three definitions bring home the true meaning of the word respect. However, it seems as though most of our Congressmen and women in Washington as well as some of our fellow Americans have a tough time with this concept. What I'm getting at is the respect of presidents. It has happened for many years but it seems to have happened frequently over the past couple administrations. There was a lot of disrespect of Bush when he was president but, honestly, nothing like I'm seeing now with Pres. Obama. No, I'm not writing this because I'm a democrat just trying to defend the president or what have you. I'm writing this out of disappointment of our country.

Let's talk about Congress first. The most famous instance of disrespect recently was when Congressman Joe Wilson called the president a liar during one of Obama's speeches to a joint session of Congress. But there have been numerous other times as well. For instance, Sen. Pat Roberts from Kansas told the media after a meeting with the president and other senators that the president needs to "take a Valium before he comes in and talks to Republicans and just calm down; don’t take anything so seriously." And it's not just the GOP who's doing this. Democrats are guilty of it too whether it's attacks on Obama or on Bush back when he was president. For example, Dems booed Pres. Bush during his 2005 State of the Union Address.

Now on to our fellow Americans. I'm sure we've all said something about a president, but most of us do it in the privacy of our own homes. Some take it to the next level by publicly mocking or disrespecting a president. Most of the time with us, it comes in the form of booing. Soemtimes, though it very well could be heckling and/or interrupting a speech.

Respect (or a lack of it) may not be talked about on a daily basis but it's a big problem in our country today. Here's my stance on it: you need to respect your president regardless of what political party they're affiliated with. I never liked Pres. Bush during his administration but when I made my first trip to Washington and saw the White House, I was amazed that our president works in that building just feet from where I was standing. I joked about him, sure, but I never once disrespected him like people did or do now with Pres. Obama. As a country, we all need to wake up and, at the very least, repsect our president instead of treating him like some are now. It's truly making his job a lot tougher! 

Bad Insurance Policy

This is an update to the $50,000 Mixup post a wrote a couple of weeks ago. The insurance company (Odds On Promotions of Reno, NV) has decided to not give the Smith family the $50,000 for their son making that remarkable hockey shot. They are, however, going to donate $20,000 to the Minnesota youth hockey league in the family's name. And that is why I'm giving the company a little reward of my own...an Oops Award.

I think the insurance company should have given the family the money anyway. Yes, it was a bad mistake on the dad's part, but at least he was honest about it. Honesty is something we don't see a lot of these days. I think by denying them of the cash prize, Odds On Promotions has sent a message that honesty doesn't always pay off. This could make kids and teens believe that there's no use in being honest because you don't get a reward from it. I may be over thinking this but, in my opinion, this is a very bad move on the insurance company's part!

What's worse? Odds On tries to be nice and donate money to the youth hockey association, but why are they not giving the entire $50,000? In fact, they're not even giving half of it! They're giving the short end of the stick to the hockey association in this time of need while they, in turn, are keeping most of the money for themselves. Thank you corporate America!

What do you think? Should the family have gotten the money? Leave a comment and tell me what you think.