Extra Credit Blog Post

     A couple of days ago another tragedy happened in America that will be remembered for generations. The bombings at the Boston Marathon. First of all, this is an American tradition, and it is disappointing to see tragedy strike at such a monumentous event. Participants had been training for months to compete on such a stage, and when they finish, of all times a bomb goes off. For example, there was a 78 year old man who was about to cross the finish line, and the burst of the bomb knocked him over. While this was tragic for the runners, their feelings cannot compare to those who lost loved ones in the event, and my heart and prayers go out to them.
     In the wake of the bombings I heard many people talking about who the perpetrator could be, and if it would be better for the criminal to be from inside the United States, or from a Middle Eastern country.  If they were domestic, there could be talks of revolts or crimes within the country. Even bigger than that , would be if he/she were from the Middle East. While tensions are just now starting to simmer there would be emotions stirred up again sending the United States into action once again. Even more there would be a lot of hate directed towards Middle Easterns within the United States which is never good. Things like the uproar about Islam places of worship being built would be all the more prevalent, and there would probably be more hate crimes. All in all I hope that whoever the terrible person is who did this was not from outside the United States, but rather he was just a crazy person who had nothing better to do.  

Engagement Parties

     At the end of the first semester of college I began seeing a plethora of older guys pursuing friendship with me. Little did I know it was solely because they wanted me to join their fraternity. About the same time a different group of guys from my church started hanging around me, but their intention wasn't to get me to join their group, because they were all independents. In fact, they just wanted to invest in me as a person, which was refreshing. Since then I have hung out with them in multiple occasions watching movies, playing games, going hiking, etc. A week ago, the little sister of one of these guys was being really secretive and wouldn't tell us what was going on, so we all just assumed she was going on a date with a guy we wouldn't have approved of. But, that night I got a text saying her older brother had just gotten engaged and she had been a part of it. Evidently he had taken his girlfriend to the Biltmore, and his two best friends were at Bald Rock and had set up a table and a nice dinner. The only problem was that they had only taken 45 min to go through the Biltmore instead of the 2 hours they thought it would be. Therefore, my friend Joe, had to stall. He pulled over at a local Hardy's and stayed in the bathroom for 20 minutes and stopped for ten minutes to put gas in his car that was full. After canceling his card a few times he was on his way, and luckily she said yes.
     Well, I just got back from their engagement party where they had friends and family there and food. The cookies and cream cupcakes were off the chain. At the party they told the story of their engagement and just enjoyed being in the company of their loved ones. I think engagement parties are a new trend, and I like them. It gives people a chance to step back and actually enjoy the couple in a less intense and stressful setting as a wedding.

Pixar

     The other day I was on Facebook and was super excited. I saw a post that had the picture of the ocean, and in the ocean were the letters F-I-N-D-I-N-G- -D-O-R-Y. Pixar is making a sequel to the hit Finding Nemo, and I for one am ecstatic. Pixar has done a very interesting thing recently. They have been marketing their movies in a way that it applies to at least two demographics. Typically, their movies only apply to the younger generations, but they have been making sequels to where the people who saw the original will see them as well as the younger generations. For example, the first film to do this was Toy Story, the first came out when I was a child, and the third came out about the time I was going to college, and in the third Andy (owner of the toys) was going to college as well. Then Monster's Inc. was released after Toy Story, and this summer they are coming out with Monster's University, which is when the Monster's are in college, again so the college age students can relate. This way, it appeals to just about all people; college students can reconnect to their childhood, children can see it, and adults have to take their kids there. All and all it is a genius plan. Not to mention Pixar announced Finding Dory almost three years in advance, so they take plenty of time to make sure their movies are the best they can possibly be, and in my opinion they do not disappoint. 

     On an unrelated note, I got April fooled the other day. I saw an article on April first saying that Robert Downey Jr. would not be playing Iron Man in The Avengers II. This ruined my day, but luckily , I saw today that it was a a joke. 

Zombie Drills

     Sorry this is a few hours late, wireless hasn't been working all day. Anyways, I read yesterday that Lander University was having a Zombie Apocolypse drill. My first reaction was, "Why on earth would you have a drill for something that doesn't exist?" But then, I started to think about it and realized it actually made a lot of sense. Typically, when there is a drill for a real potential disaster, i.e. fire, hurricane, tornado, people don't get very excited and it is very routine. But when there is a Zombie drill, people get more into it because the word Zombie, which has become so popular in pop culture is attached to it, and it adds an element of fun. I read some more on the drill and it turns out their nursing students are going to get involved with it, and the campus police are going to help. So, while it is not a real concern, it can potentially prepare people for a real one, and because it has an element of fun involved people will remember procedures better. It is the same thing when adding a little bit of fun to any mundane task makes it more enjoyable. For example, when you are doing a basic chore turning it into some kind of game. In conclusion, props to the people putting on the Zombie apocalypse.

Bracketology

     I have never filled out a bracket for this supposed "March Madness." I went to an all guys school throughout middle and high school so around this time of year I would feel somewhat left out. I tried to like that type of thing, I really did. I remember sitting at home alone watching sports center trying to like it, but it just didn't happen. The only thing remotely interesting I found was the top ten plays, and everything else just kind of bored me. My friends tried to persuade me to fill out a bracket, saying I could just write in random names, but I realize now they just wanted to have more money in the pot.
     However, I've been at the place for a while where I feel incredibly comfortable with my dislike of sports (with an exception of soccer). Still, sometimes I like to have fun with it. If people are talking about football I'll mention the guy who threw the ball to the guy who ran really fast and got hit by that big guy on the other team. This happened one time last year when I was coaching a girls' soccer team with a guy from my church. He was a huge Alabama fan and was getting ready for the game against LSU. So, he decided to talk to me about it. Luckily, I had a groin injury at the time and had spent a substantial amount of time in the training room. In there they had also been talking about the big game coming up, so I just repeated everything I had heard. He actually bought it all and got in an argument I had not stake in. It was fun. With all of this being said, I didn't really have any idea what to write about concerning bracketology. Go Braves!

Video Game Violence

     Ever since the Newton shooting everyone has been up in arms about gun violence (pun intended). However, there has also been a smaller movement against violent video games. Information has come out saying that shooter Adam Lanza partook in violent video games. People have then tried to link his actions to his activity with such games. I personally don't see how this connection can be made. Of course if someone has aggressive tendencies they are going to play violent video games, what would you expect them to play, Mario Kart? People have tried to link violent video games to violent people numerous times as encouraging their behavior, but any statistic that comes out is flawed. I would suggest that whatever relationship exists is not causal at all.
     In fact, I would go as far as to say that violent video games can have the exact opposite effect than what critics suggest. Violent video games could provide a release of aggression rather than spark more aggression. Of course, this can't be proven, because there is no way to know if there would be more shootings without the presence of violent video games. Still, one should be careful when finding connections like the one between Adam Lanza and violent video games, while they may tell us something about the character of Adam Lanza, it doesn't tell us necessarily about the effects of violent video games.
     After reading this one might assume that I am a strong supporter of violent video games, or video games in general. The truth is, I couldn't tell you the last time I played a video game. Everyone is into XBOX these days, and quite frankly, those controllers are way to big for my hands. I miss the days of Gamecube controllers, but anyways, I'm going off on a tangent, and that could be a blog post all on its own. My point is people should be cautious of drawing causal connections concerning any kind of correlation.

The Pope

     The Pope is resigning. He was the first to do so in 598 years. Was his decision right, or justified? I think that it is. It doesn't make sense that such an important position as the Pope should be a life long position. It only makes sense that as one gets older they may not be able to perform the job as well. If Pope Benedict XVI believes that he can't perform adequately then he is doing what is right for the church. This is likely a difficult position to take. He obviously knew that people could look down on him for doing such an unorthodox thing, but he did the right thing regardless.
     The cardinals looking for a replacement say they are looking for someone who can govern, has a devout prayer life, has a good personality, and cares for the poor. Seeing as a monumental resignation has occurred what if something else monumental happened? They say they want a Pope that cares for the poor, but the majority of the candidates are probably upper class clergy that have never spent any actual time among the poor. Jesus said himself that it is easier for a canal to fit through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore, what would it look like for someone to take the position that actually lived their life like Jesus did? Perhaps a nonprofit worker who lives with the poor on a daily basis, or a missionary living in a third world country, what would the church begin to look like then? Could it finally become the hands and feet of Christ serving the discouraged and outcasts of society? I would love to know the answer to that question, but if I had to guess I would say we won't get one.