Boston Bombing: And in other news you might have missed…

Breaking news banner logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last week Monday the United States was thrown into shock and mourning when two bombs exploded at the Boston marathon killing three people.  Since then, our televisions and social media have been bombarding us with Newscasts, sportscasts and talk shows, tweets and statues that keep rehashing the bombing.  You just cannot escape the coverage.   Tributes continue to pour in from everyone from everywhere.  In its quest to be the first with breaking news, CNN keep stumbling over their own feet, bringing us erroneous and contradictory briefs.

Two days later in Texas, a fertilizer plant exploded killing fifteen people and injuring over one hundred, including five firefighters. Homes were flattened including a nursing home.  There were stories of bravery by civilians who pitched in to help save victims. The toll on both humans and property was larger than that of the Boston bombing but you may have missed it.

A few days after, a large earthquake rocked china, killing over 200 people and injuring close to 10,000.  The sheer magnitude dwarfed the Boston bombing but again, it’s quite possible that you may have missed it.

Did you know that Iraq is gearing up for its elections and in the past two weeks 13 of the candidates have been murdered? You may have missed this.  It’s only Iraq.  It was important a few years ago when we sacrificed our loved ones in a ‘war’ to free the people from a tyrannical ruler.  Update:  Since the ousting and murder of Saddam, the country is now even more unstabilized but that’s just my opinion.  A week prior to the the worst terrorist act on US soil since 9/11,  a NATO strike killed 10 children.  Most of us didn’t get that news and heck, sacrificing a few kids to get those elusive militants is totally worth it.  We lost a few good men on the battlefield in Afghanistan too during the week. In fact, we are losing them almost daily but we seem to have given up on them a long time ago anyways so in reality, maybe they are already dead to us.

During the coming days and weeks, we will find out what the surviving brother has to say, if he’s allowed to live.  We will hear what he consumed the day of the bombing. His favorite quotes, his favorite music and maybe even his favorite blogger.  Information overload will be underway.  Some of us will care, some of us won’t give two hoots.  I will be one of the latter.

I do feel for the victims of this heinous crime but unfortunately, it comes with the territory.  It doesn’t matter if the perpetrators were Hindus or Muslims, Chechen or Czech.  These crimes will continue and strike close to home. Sorry for breaking the bad news.  Until someone close to me is a victim, I can be sympathetic but not empathetic.  While we are consumed with the Boston Bombing and whodunnit, babies are born, people are laughing, a kid is learning to walk, and the world turns and life goes on.  And you won’t want to miss it!

If I sound insensitive, it is unintentional.  It’s just My Take.

Related articles

• What separates a death in Iraq from one in Boston? (abc.net.au)
• Empathy for Boston, from Iraqi children (salon.com)
• How Can We Condemn Boston Murders But Excuse U.S. Bombing of Civilians? (blogs.scientificamerican.com)

But I Love Celine Dion! Oh, And Rita MacNeil Too!

A few days ago, I was reading the comments on a blog about Justin Beiber’s ‘dissing’ of Anne Frank.  I am sorry but I had no prior knowledge of who she was and had to hurriedly do a google search.  A neat story indeed.  I sided with the Beibs on this one.  Maybe she would have been a Belieber.   But back the comments.  One blogger, obviously a Canadian, said he didn’t like the fact that Beiber was from Canada as Canada is done apologizing for Celine Dion.  Double ouch!

Which brings me to the question, ‘Why do so many Canadians not like Celine Dion?’  She’s a true Canadian icon.  The woman can sing.  My humble opinion of course.  Well and the guys at Caesars too.  Arguably one of the greatest singers in Canadian history.  With the few genuine celebrities we can call our own, we should be proud of Celine Dion.

To understand this phenomenon, you must understand that us Canadians suffer from a sort of inferiority complex, maybe as a result of living in close proximity to the United States.  The self-proclaimed master of the universe.  We hate our sports teams, preferring to support US teams.  I am a fan of the Washington Capitals even though we have our own NHL team in the city.  Even our Canadian born players choose to play in the US than stay in Canada.  According to us, CFL sucks. NFL is the way to go. Our high school and even university basketball games are not worth televising because it can’t compete with NCAA. Our television shows? Well that’s another story.  Why do  you think we own illegal satellites?  We have tried mimicking American reality shows like ‘So  You Think You Can Dance’ and ‘Canadian Idol’ to name a few, but the ratings were so low that they were cancelled.  Who really wants to watch Canadian Idol with some Canadian judges when there were real celebs like Randy Jackson and washed-up Paula Abdul judging American Idol?  A no-brainer for sure eh?  I think our winning idols played a few gigs at malls then went back to whatever they were doing in relative obscurity.  Apparently the Canadian Idol judges tried to copy the antics of their US counterparts.  I am guessing they were never told to ‘be yourselves’.

So, we are an apologetic nation.  We say sorry, whether we mean it not.  We think the grass is greener on the other side of the 49th parallel.  We know more about the US Presidents than we know of our own.  Harper who?  We think Justin Beiber is one of Canada’s biggest embarrassment.  I am not a Belieber but I disagree with that sentiment.  We hated the late icon Rita MacNeil.  Such a sweet and honorable woman.  We diss Celine Dion. Awesome pipes and great concerts.  And there’s more but you don’t have that much time.

While we are apologizing to the States for invading them with our ‘watered-down talents’, they accept our apologies and give us Kardashians, Britney Spears, Honey Boo Boo and whatever they could dredge up from the society’s also-rans. So who should apologize?

It’s just my take, what do I know eh?

Related articles

• Trailer Park Boys and Rita MacNeil (*Coarse Language*) (reflectionsonlifethusfar.wordpress.com)
• Celine Dion – The Quantity A single Singer (celinebagsonline1.wordpress.com)
• Celine Dion can hold a hell of a note, and end a date just as crazy (lorenserritella.net)

 

Don’t mess with my clocks!

I am not a fan of DST.  No, it’s not a sales tax.  I am talking about Daylight Savings Time.  I hate this ‘Spring forward, fall back’ crap that I have to endure every year in the pretext of saving energy.

I did a little digging around to see exactly how and when this silly practice came about and found out it was actually the brainchild of one Benjamin Franklin, ever heard of him? Well damn you, Benny! *Yawn*

So what are the benefits of this?  Other than turning me into a zombie, it helps to keep employees so tired and confused that they fail to recognize when their bosses are screwing them around.  When you are tired, you never argue.  It saves energy because when we uhm…er…ok, forget that one.  It helps us to maintain a healthy lifestyle by spending an extra hour outdoors, enjoying that extra hour of daylight.    In fact, I did see an increase in my outdoor activities. NOT!  I spend that extra hour indoor trying to catch up on my missing hour of sleep.

Ok, the verdict is in.  Daylight savings is useless and a big waste of time and energy.  It messes with our bodies as studies show.  And…and…well…I just don’t like it.

Related Articles:

• Daylight Saving Time Wastes Electricity (blogs.wsj.com)
• Mo. lawmaker proposes to end Daylight Saving time (fox4kc.com)
• Four things you might not know about Daylight Saving Time (which starts this Sunday) (news.nationalpost.com)
• Too tired to come up with a title, or Why I Hate Daylight Savings Time (jenniewho.wordpress.com)
• Viewpoints: Daylight saving messes with all kinds of clocks (sacbee.com)
• How Daylight Savings Is Costing Americans More Than an Hour of Sleep, According to New GoBankingRates.com Report (prweb.com)

 

Thursday Thoughts: William Wilburforce

English: Portrait of a Gentleman (Mr. Wilberforce) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My Thursday thoughts are about a great man, William Wilburforce.  Who is he?   Well William Wilburforce, and Englisman, was a powerful champion in the fight to abolish slavery, not only in his country of England but also worldwide.  He fought hard for the freedom of slaves and was a leader in the campaign.   On a side note, he also created the first Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals.

“Wilberforce has long been viewed as a Christian hero, a statesman-saint held up as a role model for putting his faith into action.  More broadly, he has also been described as a humanitarian reformer who contributed significantly to reshaping the political and social attitudes of the time by promoting concepts of social responsibility and action.”  (Wiki excerpt)

Now as we, or you, celebrate Black History Month, Mr. Wilberforce’s contribution to the advancement of black people should be a part of black history.  I must remind you though of my apathy towards the continued celebrating of Black History Month.  I feel it has no place in this day and age and is anti-progressive.   As a black man, I share the pride of the accomplishments of black people.  Because we are striving to eliminate racial barriers and see each other as just fellow humans,  I see these celebrations as ‘us against them’.  I see them as barriers that serve as speed bumps on the road to the eradication of racism.

Back to Mr. William Wilberforce…Black history would not be complete without the inclusion of people like Wilberforce.  His name should be spoken of in the same breath as Martin Luther King’s.  Granted, he was English but his aim was to secure the freedom of slaves across the oceans.  Because of him and other non-blacks like him, us black were able to get to where we are today.  Without them maybe we wouldn’t have had King or Obama or me.

And that’s my take…

Related articles

• Black History Month Makes Me Uncomfortable (thislifeinphotos.wordpress.com)
• The Problem With Black History Month (theroot.com)
• My Take On Black History Month

Straddling the line between bravery and stupidity.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier #respect #honor (Photo credit: FashionbyHe)

As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the United States with dangerous intent, I read an article that the US servicemen who guard the Tomb of The Unknowns, would not be taking refuge from the storm.  They would instead, treat it like any other day and stand guard, just as they have since 1948.  Bravery? Dedication?  Or just plain stupidity?

Now don’t get me wrong, I admire the brave men and women of the armed forces who fight to protect our countries.  I also take my hat off to the many who died in the wars.   Their contribution is admirable.   Still, I think that these soldiers lives should not be put at risk while their superiors are most likely hiding out from the storm.  I am sure that the dead soldiers that they are guarding would rather they seek self-preservation than guard their remains.  It’s a good show of respect yes, but also a good show of stupidity and misdirected commitment.

I think that if the dead unknowns could talk they would say, “Don’t be idiots, we are already dead.  Do you want to end up like us?  Go run for cover!  We’ll still be here when it’s all over.”  I can understand firemen risking their lives to save the living but risking your life to save the dead?  Doesn’t make sense.

Just my take.

Related articles

• Tomb of the Known Unknowns (outsidethebeltway.com)
• Everything Else In D.C. May Be Shut Down, But Not The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier (businessinsider.com)
• Amazing photo: Sentinels brave forces of Hurricane Sandy to stand guard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; Correction: Photo taken in September 2012 (twitchy.com)
• Soldiers Stand Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington during Hurricane Sandy (IMAGE) (americanlivewire.com)
• Amazing photo: Sentinels brave forces of Hurricane Sandy to stand guard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; Correction: Photo taken in September 2012 (gds44.wordpress.com)

 

When Dreams Come True

Polski: Oscar Pistorius podczas startu w 2. Memoriale Kamili Skolimowskiej, 20 września 2011 roku w Warszawie. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A little South African baby boy legs are amputated just below his knees.  A Kenyan girl leaves home seeking a way to take care of her family living in poverty.   A young African-American girl is forced to train while the process of her parents divorce hovers overhead.  She is also faced with the obstacles of being a black girl trying to excel at a sport not normally dominated by blacks.  A brash Jamaican boy with a mischievous attitude, went from relative obscurity to being one of the top marketable athletes in the world.  What do all the above have in common?  They all fought the odds and went on to Olympic glory in 2012.  Olympic glory is not defined by a medal, it is the spirit of being there. Of being in the spotlight while dreams are realized.

Some of us see the Olympics as a financial drain and waste of time.  Why would any country want to host such a thing when the world is in such economic turmoil?  Well after watching a fair bit of the Olympics yesterday, I can say that this thing is bigger than the world’s economy.  Bigger than politics and Hollywood. Much bigger.

Oscar Pistorius was the little boy from South Africa born without fibulas, which eventually led to amputations in both legs at the tender age of 11.  Despite the setback, he gained the use of special prosthetics that allowed him to take part in sports at a high level, eventually, the Olympics.  Oscar qualified for the 400m by placing third in his heat!  Quite an accomplishment in itself and one that had never been done before.  His story will warm your heart as will his winning and genuine smile.  He has faced criticisms in chasing his dream.  Critics debated whether he held an unfair advantage with his use of the specialized prosthetics.  With Oscar’s performance, children around the world who are living with handicaps can afford to dream and dream big!

Athletes from Kenya and other parts of the world, took the hard road to the Olympics.  Their stories leaves you in awe as they tell of their ailing parents and their many children living in huts.  The set out to be the best at what they do best, running, knowing that this would provide for them and their loved ones.  Inspiring to say the least.  After reading their story you will cheer for the Kenyans the next time you watch a race in which they are running.

By now most of us know the story of the darling of the Olympics, Gabby Douglas.  Gabby became the first African-American to capture gold in a sport not known for African-American domination, gymnastics.  Behind the scenes, Gabby is distracted by the impending divorce of her parents, partly due to her army dad deployment being prolonged.  Gabby has fought mental battles on her way to glory.  She finds strength in her faith in God and her 10000 watt smile on her face is worth gold.  Dreams do come through.  Thanks to you and others like you, color never has to be an excuse.

I watched the great Michael Phelps celebrate yet another medal to add to his world record haul, Serena Williams‘ antics as she easily dispensed of her Russian rival, Maria Sharapova.  Rosie Maclennan, the Canadian gold medal winner in the trampoline event.  Her deceased grandfather was her source of inspiration. The list goes on.  Each one has a story to tell and the looks on their faces as they compete and complete tells their own story.   Some collapsed on the field, tears flow, the grins broadens.  Some thank God and their family, some cry for the loved ones who were not there to share their moment, others cry as their dreams are realized. They encircle themselves with the flags of their countries, patriotism at its best.  No losers are here, they are all winners.

Yes, in a time when economic instability is everywhere, this is what the world needs.   Let’s all dream. Dreams can come true.

Related articles

• The Faith of Olympic Champion Gabrielle Douglas and the Strength of Her Mother (wisdomformom.com)
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2183256/Gabby-Douglas-secret-heartbreak-Gold-medal-sensation-tormented-absent-soldier-father–family-split-Olympic-dream.html
• http://www.npr.org/2012/07/28/157503759/kenyan-runners-dash-to-olympic-gold-and-wealth

Needle sandwiches on plane poke man, son and new bff.

English: A Delta Airlines Airbus A330-323E landing on runway 18C at Schiphol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I hate it that I am so suspicious of everything lately.   Well maybe not exactly ‘lately’.  I have always been one to lean towards the controversy theory side of a lot of things.  Don’t hate on me, it’s just that with the way things are these days, it’s hard not to be.   Everyone has their own ulterior motives and personal agendas.   So I say if it walks and quacks like a duck, it could very well still be a chicken.   And that’s why when I read the story that I am going to blog about, I took it apart searching for clues of motives and agendas.

The story, which you could read here, is about  businessman, James Tonges, who was sitting in the VIP section of a Delta Airlines flight travelling from Amsterdam to Minneapolis.   While enjoying the benefits of flying first class, he bit into a sandwich that was served and pricked his mouth on a sewing needle.   For the records, it was  a turkey sandwich.  Now don’t go blaming the turkey.  Last time I checked, turkeys don’t sew.

The soon-to-be-richer businessman was so devastated that he at once thought  ’OMG! I have AIDS!’  Oh wait, do business people say ‘omg’?  Anyways, the first thing he did was get himself a prescription for HIV.  No word on if he was concerned about the other serious needle-borne illnesses out there like Hepatitis.

Fasten your seatbelts you controversy theorists out there.  The story gets weirder, or as Alice would say, curiouser and curiouser, at least to me and my doubting Thomas self.  Another passenger on the same flight, Mr. Jack A. Drogt,  was also pricked by biting into his sandwich too.  (No, his own sandwich.  Read English much?).  In the story, it states that this other victim was someone who the first victim conveniently  coincidentally met on the plane. Ahem.

And that’s it.  Oh no, sorry, it isn’t.   I forgot to mention that Mr. Tonges’ teenaged son not only happened to conveniently coincidentally be on another Delta Airlines flight from Amsterdam BUT also flew first class also.   How did I know that this lad flew first class?  Well he too was pampered with a Turkey needle sandwich.  See, told you it gets weird.    If that isn’t a terrorist act, then I don’t know what is.  As if we didn’t have enough to worry about when we fly, like pilots falling asleep and drunken flight attendants, now needles in turkey sandwiches?  Anyways, the teenager refused to hand over the offending object to authorities, claiming that he wanted to use it as evidence in his LAWSUIT.  Don’t lie,  you saw that one coming a mile away.  To you law students out there, does he really need the needle to have a legit claim?  If so, next time a dog bites me, I am seizing it to use as evidence in my lawsuit against the owner.

Six needles in total, including the three that poked the hapless victims, were found on Delta flights, which means that these guys, James Tonges, Jack A. Drogt and Tonges’ son  just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and coincidences do happen.  Do not become like me and let your mind wander off into seeing things that are not there.  Even though I am suspicious, there’s no way that these guys could have had anything to do with placing needles into sandwiches just so they could take advantage of an American trend.  Now way!   Sarcasm? What sarcasm? I am serious.  But hey, could you imagine if they were actually the ones who planted those needles?

Just me and my take…

Related articles

• You: Needles found in Delta sandwiches (thedailybeast.com)
• Needles In Sandwiches: Terrorist Plot or Hoax? (radio.foxnews.com)
• Believe It Or Not: Needles Found in Sandwiches on Delta Flights (foxnewsinsider.com)

For The Love Of…Oil?

Whenever the USA decides to ‘free’ a country from its grip of tyranny, the common consensus is that the ulterior motive is oil.  The fact that these countries are often some of the world’s largest oil producers, lends credence to this belief.

Even though I tend to err on the side of conspiracy theories, I chose not to follow this path of thought in favor of giving the US the benefit of the doubt and believing they operate for the good of all mankind.

As they lay waste to countries ruled for many years by strongmen who were in most cases actually embraced by the US Government, I noticed some troubling scenarios.  All these countries actually saw a spike in lawlessness upon being emancipated.  Bombings continued, citizens armed themselves and became vigilantes with no respect for the law and the list of atrocities goes on.  We rarely hear about this because it tarnishes the supposedly good deed that was done in ‘freeing’ this country.

While other, sometimes even more war-torn and violated, countries cry out for help in Africa and China violates human rights, nary a finger is lifted.  No threats are issued.  Why?  What is good for the goose should also be good for the gander, right? If the USA stands up to injustices against humanity, then why the bias?  How do you select who gets bombed and who doesn’t?

If the consensus is wrong and the USA is actually in this for the greater good of the world, then maybe it needs to reassess how it goes about this delicate operation.  The middle east is an ant’s nest that should be walked on lightly and bombs are not the answer to everything. War breeds war.

This is just my take on things as usual. I have been wrong before. Although I can’t remember when, I know I was.

Related articles

• Specs… (lazarus5712.wordpress.com)
• Chavez: Venezuela Free to Sell Its Oil Anywhere (abcnews.go.com)
• http://news.yahoo.com/gaddafis-fall-why-libya-more-dangerous-place-054000250.html
• Libya celebrates first anniversary of uprising against Gaddafi (telegraph.co.uk)

Herman Cain, Again

Ok,  here’s a piece of advice for today, if you are contemplating running for president or senator or any high ranking position for that matter, please make sure you have no skeletons in your closet and your past is not checkered.  If you are thinking that you were smart and didn’t leave a trail in any of your shenanigans, think again.  Did it involve more than just one person, namely you? Then if so, your tracks are not covered.  Money talks and even your mom may sell you out for the right price.

Mr. Herman Cain, what’s the matter with you, Sir?  I went easy on you on the sexual allegation charges.  I know campaigning brings out a lot of false accusers dug up by the opposing parties. I gave you the benefit of the doubt.  Now I am finding out that you have been carrying on an long time affair until as recent as last September?  Did you not think she will talk? What made you want to stick your dirty nose out in the public while you had snot in it?  A temporary case of amnesia?

You are not yet a president but yet you are already trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people AND thinking that you can get away with misrepresenting yourself.

Sir, your behavior is despicable! Please do everyone a favor and drop out of the race before you tarnish it any further.  I wish you the best in your single life.  What single life? Yours of course.  Your wife is taking her half and walking.

Just kidding, or maybe I am not. Just my take

http://myvuze.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/sexual-harassment-charges/

• Georgia Woman Finally Accuses Herman Cain Of The Affair He’s Denying [Herman Cain] (jezebel.com)
• Herman Cain To Finally Quit His Campaign? (hellobeautiful.com)
• Gloria Allred on Herman Cain bombshell: “He can’t put this genie back in the bottle” (piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com)