Step Forward

The anniversary of the Columbine tragedy reminded me how far we’ve come in education and in life. School violence hasn’t been a focus in the media; instead, it’s been Tiger, Big Ben, and other role models who’ve lost their way. But today…today was denim day. If you’re not familiar with it, you should be.

In the 1990s, a woman in Italy went out with a driving instructor and by the end of the day, he raped her by the side of the road. She was vindicated when he was convicted of the rape. But in 1999, the Italian High Court overturned the conviction, stating that the woman was in tight jeans, so there was no way the man was able to get them off by himself. In other words, she had to have helped him, and therefore been a willing participant. Have these people ever worn jeans? Women of the Italian Legislature protested the decision by wearing jeans to work, and as news of their decision spread around the country, so did the protest. So universities, colleges, junior high and high schools, and various other organizations around the world selected to join the campaign to step forward and take a stand against rape and sexual violence against all people, not just women. So April 22nd is now Denim Day, and hopefully you’ll step forward next year! If we don’t speak up for ourselves and others, there’s no point in having a voice.

Baggy Pants Begone

I find it so interesting that guys are still wearing baggy pants they have to hold on to. Did “Pants on the Ground” not show them how ridiculous this fashion is? Not to mention, it proved to me that guys absolutely dress for other guys, not for girls. How many girls see a boy with his jeans belted below his butt, having to hold onto them as he walks, and thinks, “Oooh, hot boxers.” Gone are the days of these guys having their butts admired by girls. Not to mention, there is nothing appealing about watching a guy walk bowlegged, holding his crotch or waist, to keep his jeans from falling. I mean really, guys, this isn’t a fashion girls like, so why are you dressing to fit in or please other guys? We girls have done that for years, dressing for other girls, whether competitively or for the sheer appreciation factor, but it doesn’t work for guys when that fashion doesn’t flatter you in any way. Will this fad ever end?

Of the People, For the People, Buy the People…

I saw a video today about toxins, poisons even, in imported seafood. It’s in a huge percentage of all seafood in your local grocery store. Worse, less than 1% of all foreign seafood , especially fish, get tested, and Far East countries knowingly send us tainted food. They even raise some of their fish in sewage, in packed channels that allow them to charge less than local, U.S. fish farmers. We’re all about cheap, about saving money, but at what expense? I own a Toyota, but a percentage of Toyotas are built in Detroit (you can check your VIN number to determine where your car was built)…that’s where mine was built. I’m an American snob. I buy American when I can: food, products, services. Do you?

If you don’t, you should. Our country is outsourcing at an alarming rate. Eventually, we will have outsourced ourselves to death – the death of American commerce, of American farmers, of American productivity. We are doing it to ourselves. From toys made in China, jobs from cheap labor overseas, to clothes sewn in India; so much of what we buy isn’t made in America (check labels next time you’re shopping at Wal-Mart). One perfect example is that we buy gas at Citgo, whose corporate office is in Texas, but the true “owner” is the Petróleos de Venezuela. They have been outspoken against the U.S. government, resulting in 7-Eleven terminating a contract with them. At one point, the Venezuelan president even stated on his TV show, “Enough of imperialist aggression; we must tell the world: down with the U.S. empire. We have to bury imperialism this century.” And we help Chavez fulfill his dream by buying Citgo gas. As soon as he became president in 1998, he created immediate ties with Cuba and Fidel Castro, and has openly denounced the American way. So what the heck is wrong with us? We buy gas from a company that denounces our country, our way of life?

The best advice we can take to improving U.S. economy is to truly buy American. Ask your grocer where the shrimp was raised, where the fish came from, read your labels on everything. If you aren’t inspired yet, watch the video. We really can make a difference. YOU can make a difference…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0F8x4i5GYE&feature=related

I Read the News Today...

I stumbled across a news story today, while reading about the highlighted events of the week. A freshman in a middle school in Alabama shot a classmate in the back of the head and killed him. A middle schooler. The news report stated that it was an isolated incident, inferring that there was just no need to worry. There were no breaking news reports on CNN, no interrupting stories on network news, and no continual, round-the-clock coverage on MSNBC. While Marilyn Manson once reported of Columbine coverage, “You should’ve seen the ratings that day…” it’s become evident that in America, one 9th grader killing a classmate shouldn’t disturb us.

But I am disturbed. As a teacher, it haunts me. As a human being, it terrifies me, and as an American, it shames me. No matter what this young man was thinking, this isn’t just a parental problem. It’s not a trend that could/should panic teachers nationwide. There’s nothing education systems can do to prevent random acts of violence (though I do believe bullying can be stopped, and thus a large percentage of hardcore retaliatory acts of violence).This is not an issue a Democratic or a Republican government can set straight for future students, schools, and administrations. This is a societal issue that epitomizes what we’re all about – violence, immediacy, revenge. The fact that a child has killed another child in a public school and that isn’t headline news says so much about us as a country, as a people, as human beings.

In the wake of mudslides in California, hundreds of thousands dead in one of the worst earthquakes in history, snow storms referred to as snowmageddon, and ice caps melting at an alarming rate in the Arctic, it sort of makes you wonder what God is trying to tell us…. And are we listening?

Stepping In

Hey, it’s Benson here, stepping in for Barri…Remember me? The dreg? Well, I was, but now, I'm sorta not.

NEway, God, what a lame ass holiday Barri’s had. Hysterectomy, infection, emergency 2nd surgery… It sucks, but she’s also fallen off the grid. Percocet fog, she calls it. Lazy, I say. Try being a freshman juggling soccer, geometry, physics, peer pressure, Tim Silvey’s daily put-downs, a coach’s unspoken comparison to a perfect brother’s memory, hovering under that God-like brother’s eternal shadow, parental ghosts, ex-girlfriends you want in the current category, and the wrath of the Barbie Brigade and all their worshippers. That doesn’t even include coming up with the perfect project for Publications or writing a column for the paper this week… I think I have what big-time writers call The Block. But no biggie. I’m considering exposing Silvey. Him and his dweebs are all caught up in a new scam – he’s figured out that skimming bottom feeders’ Ritalin is big business. Did you know that the elite take Ritalin to focus and speed up so they can study for tests and SATs? How dumb is that? Teenagers will pop almost anything in their mouths, and for what? A better college? An A on a paper? Yep, life as a teenager these days is a piece o’ cake…who wouldn’t want to do it?

Well, I’ve gotta get ready for practice… Big game Friday. Maybe Mallorie will be there. You can bet Silvey will be – ready to wheel and deal his magic pills. I wonder if they can make your parents wake up and notice you? Or the fact that all this crap might just be as hard for you as it is for them?



Westwood’s motto might be that we all fly with the same wings, but I can tell you from first-hand experience that not everybody takes off from the same point. And not everybody has somewhere to go…

Renewed Faith in Humanity

Last week, after learning about the gang rape at Richmond High School, the very same school the movie Coach Carter is based on, I wondered if we had sunk too low to be saved. The idea that people watched this poor girl get gang raped for two hours while not one of them called 911 makes them just as culpable as those who committed this heinous crime. Granted, they didn't commit the rapes, but as proven in the true case behind the movie The Accused, people who fall prey to the Bystander Effect are just as responsible. Witnesses walked by, watched for a few minutes, and then would leave. Even if terrified that the rapists would turn on them, I'm sure every one of them had a cell phone that has a 9 and a 1 on it, and how hard would it have been to dial anonymously? But not one person did. I'm disgusted to be a human being when I hear about tragedies like this. Those people will have to live with themselves for the rest of their lives, and I hope it haunts them every moment of every day.

Even with that having just happened, I have renewed faith. I left nearly $500 worth of jewelry in a Brighton tin in a restroom at Wilson's Fitness Center the other day. I was changing to work out, and I simply forgot to put it in my bag. The tin got left on the back of a toilet. When I realized what had happened (at midnight, mind you), I frantically called. The late night worker didn't know, but he insisted I call the manager the next morning. When I did, she informed me that the tin was safe and sound in her desk, and I could pick it up any time. Wow. Whoever picked it up, and I wish I knew who it was, you have renewed my faith that not everyone is like those at Richmond High School who saw and did nothing. Good people still walk among us and remind me that there's still hope.

If only we could send everyone else to Siberia.

Everything Matters

I spent the day with my mom going through a neuro series to determine what her memory issues officially are. It confirms what I've always believed: everything matters.

Tell those close to you that you love them...every day.
Tell people you work with how much you appreciate them...every chance you get.
Hold a hand out for a stranger, open the door for someone who needs it, and pay it forward in all ways possible. Choose your words wisely, because people will never forget them: if they're inspiring, then what an impact you'll have.

The best adage to embrace is one I learned in Hawaii two summers ago: live well, love much, laugh often. And believe Maya Angelou when she said that people will forget what you said and what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Don't wait to do these things. Someone may need it today more than ever.