(Week 18) Tinsley vs. Qatano

Joey Qatano, an employee of the Pacers, is suing Tinsley, a player. The two were at a night club when Tinsley got in an altercation with a few men. The two quickly got in Tinsley's car and drove to their hotel, but were followed. When the others started shooting at the car, Tinsley jumped out. Qatano was riding in the back seat, and the child-safety lock were on, preventing him from getting out. He was shot multiple times.

Qatano has the right to sue Tinsley for wrongful endangerment. Tinsley probably did not realize that Qatano could not get out of the car, but he also probably didn't care, as long as he made it to safety. And if he hadn't started a fight in the first place, then the whole incident never would have happened. It was his car, his fight, and his hotel. Qatano was just a bystander.

Obama (Week 16)

There was an article in Newsweek about how Obama is adjusting to being under constant security. He is not allowed to walk anywhere without tons of body guards, and every time he walks in a room, everyone stands up. He was quoted as saying "Would you guys stop it? You're freaking me out?"

I think that Obama's struggle is a good sign. It shows that he is more like the rest of us than we might think. He just wants to walk to a meeting that is five minutes away, and instead has to take a car that makes it just one minute away. It is nice to know that he is just like us, in that he wants to take walks and he wants people to call him Barack. I am more comfortable with him as a president than someone who gloats in the fact that they got the position.

Swine Flu (Week 15)

Egypt has recently ordered the killing of every pig in the country. Because many Egyptians are Jewish, or other religions, and do not eat pig, the country itself only has 250,000 pigs. And even though the Swine Flu is thought to have not been started by swine anyways, it is unclear whether they will continue with their plans. It has recently been renamed 2009 H1N1 because of the misconceptions.

I think it is horrible that Egypt may slaughter their pigs anyways. Even if the swine flu had come from pig, they should at least check their herds to see if they were infected. If not, they would be murdering 250,000 pigs for no reason. I am actually surprised that I haven't heard more about PETA protesting this. The flu is spread from human to human, anyways. And, it has part avian flu in it. Should we kill all the birds too?

Paternity Suits (Week 14)

Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo was recently proven to be the father of a 6-year-old after a paternity suit was filed against him. He fathered this child while he was a Catholic bishop, which caused controversy. Now, he has been hit with a second paternity suit, also from when he was a bishop.
This man went against the Catholic church in many ways. He was a bishop, so he shouldn't have had a relationship. And he fathered a child out of wedlock. My opinion is, the Catholic Church needs an update. Men who are married and have children wish to become priests, but they cannot because they are supposed to be "married to God". Women are also not allowed to become priests, although many wish to. With the number of people enrolling in seminary school down, you would think that the Catholic Church would allow people who truly hear God's call but are currently not allowed to participate in the sacrament of Holy Orders to do so. Many other religions have already taken this path. The Catholic Church should at least consider it.

Horrific Crime (Week 13)

A woman in Tracy, California was recently charged with stuffing her daughter's 8-year-old friend into a suitcase after killing her. This is the fourth horrific crime in Tracy in the past couple of months. In December, a boy showed up at an LA Fitness shackled and emaciated. A plastic surgeon was founf to have molested 64 women in his office.
The common phrase "There must be something in the water" definitely applies here. These tragic events raise many questions like, "Why are all of these crimes happening in this concentrated area?" There really is no answer, but in my opinion I think the crimes are not connected. They are too varied and the people charged with the crimes have never met. The woman who stuffed the girl in the suitcase was a Sunday school teacher and the grandaughter of a local pastor. She seems like someone who would never do anything that horrible, yet she did. It just goes to show that you never can tell who people really are.

Post-Christian America (Week 12)

We recently read an article about how the number of people who are Christian is going down. The number of people who believe in God are also going down. It is unclear whether this is because of the poor economy and people's losses, or just a cycle. The priest featured in the article was worried about how less Christians would mean less opposition to abortion and gay marriage in the government.

In my opinion, church and state should be separated anyways. If the church doesn't want the government to meddle in its business, then it should do the same. And I don't think that the decrease in people who believe in God should be a huge worry for the church. As long as the church has their doors open to people who wish to believe in God, then that is all we can do. It is difficult to change people's minds. Church attendance is up anyways, so that is not being effected. Overall, I do not think that their is too much to worry about.

Helping the Homeless (Week 11)

We recently watched a video in class about people collapsing on the street, and how others reacted. When the well dressed woman fell, it only took people 4 seconds on average to stop and help her. However, when a homeless man fell, it took 3 minutes on average. And when the actor had a beer can in his hand no one stopped to help him except for a partially paralyzed woman who was also homeless. People walked by her as she asked them to call 911.

We stereotype homeless people as drunks. We assume that when they ask us for money, they will use it to buy alcohol. And when the "homeless" man collapsed on the sidewalk with a beer can in his hand, it gave people a reason to keep on walking by. But what if that man was collecting cans for money? Or what if he had just picked it up to throw it away? Just because someone is homeless does not mean that they don't try. We should always stop to help someone who has collapsed on the street, whether they are rich or poor. And even if a man collapsed because he was drunk, we should still help him. What if that was you? You would want someone to help.

Obama's Slip Up (Week 10)

President Obama was recently on Jay Leno. When asked if he had a bowling alley in his home, he said yes, and proceeded to comment that he bowled like he was in the Special Olympics.

Immediately, people became enraged. They said he was degrading the Special Olympics and calling it's athletes incompetent. It seems like every little thing someone important, such as President Obama, saysis picked apart and made to mean more than what was intended. People seem to forget that Obama is a person, just like everyone else, and that he makes mistakes. Every one of us has made fun of someone who is different from us, and if not, then those people may criticize.

The same people who are enraged at Obama's comment have probably heard someone use "retard" in a derrogative way and simply turned their heads away. Those people may have even said it themselves, even if it was a slip. Barack Obama slipped, but he meant no harm. Give him a break.