I always look forward to the Olympics. I was mesmerized by the Italians ability to form shapes that seemed to be alive like the beating heart, the ski jumper, and the acrobatic dove. The lighting of the torch was spectacular. I could do without the endless commercials, Bob Costas descriptions of the obvious, and Brian Williams unnecessary political commentary had me switching channels before the Opening Ceremonies got off the ground. Good thing for the parade of athletes!
I don’t know what it is but watching each country march in is my favorite part of the show. I enjoy seeing which countries have been newly formed since the last competition and which are bringing in their first team. I get tears in my eyes when one lone athlete is the country’s competitor and the flag bearer. What that lone person had to do to get to Turino is remarkable. The people from countries in the Middle East and Africa who came despite their nations not have winter. And, the one guy whose country did not have a skiing federation so he became competitor and Olympic official all rolled in one.
There will be plenty of time for the winners and the flag wavers. And, I will cringe each time I hear “She is so disappointed to get the silver”. It really isn’t about who wins how many. Only a handful of the many athletes will get to take a medal home. It’s about the athlete who comes to beat their personal best. The athlete who finishes despite being 2 hours behind everyone else. And, the athlete who is there to be a part of the experience despite the fact that they have no chance to even be in the top ten. That is the real Olympic spirit and for one night that spirit was allowed to shine.
Since 9/11, the world seems alot scarier. Tensions between the Middle East and Americans is at an all time high. Each day we seem to create some new situation that adds fuel to the fire. How can we gain an understanding so that we can treat each other with respect?
Enter the Axis of Evil–Comedy Tour, that is! The comedians all come from Middle Eastern backgrounds. They poke a little fun at everything including the Middle East culture, American politics, and everything in between.
The comedians are Maz Jobrani, Ahmed Ahmed, Maysood Zaid, Dean Obeidallah, and Sam Tripoli. They hail from such far away places as Egypt and New Jersey. Their backgrounds and experiences are varied. They’ve done the night club circuit, TV, and films. And, Maysood Zaid was the first person to do stand up in Palestine.
On the Bernie Ward Radio Show Thursday Night, they did alot joking around but also spoke of how different the world is since 9/11. It hasn’t been easy for Americans to accept their twist on comedy. The name “Axis of Evil” has shut some doors. But, they slowly gaining a following and with that opening some eyes (and some hearts). But, the point of the jokes is the underlying message that we all could use a little more common sense and understanding. Our misunderstandings about each other are what lead to most of problems. The more we learn about each other, even through humor, the better off we are.
Here’s more on the Comedy Tour: The Axis of Evil website
You may have heard 1st Lt. William Rebook’s story. A year ago, Rebook got hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq. His arm was a mess and a field medic worked furiously to stop the bleeding from multiple shrapnel wounds. They saved Rebook’s life that day.
Rebook decided to leave Army life behind. He handed in his gear, but not his body armor. Rebook has no clue as to what happened to his body armor. It was removed after the blast in order to operate on him. Common practice is the burn bloodied body armor as it can post a health risk.
Because Rebook can’t prove his body was removed that day, he receive a bill for $700. Even though he defended his country, he still had to pay for the missing piece of equipment. Rebook still hasn’t found work so the $700 was a big deal.
Thanks to Americablog.blogspot.com Rebook won’t have to come up with the money. The owner of the blog put out a call to their readers to help this guy out. In short amount of time, they collected $5,000 in donations. They will reimburse Rebook. Then the rest of the money will be used to help out other service members who find themselves in a similar predicament.
It’s nice to know that people are out there to help our soldiers out in their time of need. Way to go AmericaBlog and your readers!
[Coretta Scott King passed away this week. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr. was 78 years old. She was suffering from ovarian cancer which was complicated by a stroke last summer.
A horse drawn carriage carrying King's casket wound through the streets of Atlanta. It's final stop was the Capitol building. The casket was escorted to the Capitol by a Honor Guard and the Governor and his wife. King becomes the first woman and the first African American to have this honor.
Thousands lined up on Saturday to take their last glimpse of the woman known as the First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement. An estimated 42,000 paid their last respects. Churches throughout America held special services this weekend as well.
Like Rosa Parks, who passed away in October 2005, King was loved by the whole nation. She carried herself with such dignity despite living with hatred, death threats, and the assassination of her husband. She could have sought solace in privacy and no one would have blamed her for it. Instead, she carried the torch her husband handed off to her. She guarded his legacy and made sure that people did not give up after her husband's death. She fought to have a national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. She gave a voice to woman's movement and spoke against apartheid in South Africa. She was well respected and revered by all.
Many are now too young to remember what has been fought for and won. There is still long way to go towards equality in America and we must make sure the next generation has a better life than the previous one. We need more people like Coretta Scott King to lead the way.
[Photo courtesy of that Library of Congress]
While the sports world anticipates the next recordKobe Bryant will set, a teenager from New York City snatched the spotlight this week. Epiphanny Prince is a senior guard for the Murry Bergtraum High School girls basketball team. She had established herself as a star player, but she really set the court afire Wednesday.
Wednesday Night her team won 137-32. Epiphanny scored 113 of those points! She made 54 of 60 shots.
It’s a new National High School record. The previous record holder was Cheryl Miller. Prior to the game, Prince’s highest scoring night was 51 points.
Epiphanny was named to the High School Basketball All Stars in 2005. Prince will graduate this year. She’ll be off to Rutger’s in the fall.
Pittsburgh Steeler, Larry Foote, had more than one surprise this year. The Steelers are going to the Super Bowl so he’ll be playing in the big game. He also found out he has a son.
Foote had sex with a girl back home when he was 15 years old. He had no idea that she had become pregnant and was raising his son by herself. When the woman popped up with her story last year, he was skeptical. However, once he saw the boy, he knew he was his father. Blood test confirmed his paternity.
Foote has taken full responsibility for the boy. They now live together and Foote has gained custody. It appears that the situation between Foote and the boy’s mother is amiable.
Now that he is a father, Foote has done a 360. An admitted bachelor and partier, he has settled down into family life. Raising a child has forced responsibility on him–and he is taking it very seriously.
His son will turn 10 years old on Friday. Will his father bring home a Super Bowl championship for a birthday gift? Whether he does or not, he has already proven himself a winner. He could have denied knowing the woman or he could have sent her child support payments and been done with the child. Instead, he has decided to be a father. Let’s hope they will be able to build a loving relationship now that they have found each other.
