Weather

Weather, weather, weather. Seems to be all we ever think about anymore. Living in the Midwest during the winter sucks. It is beyond horrible. I hate cold weather. I absolutely hate icy roads. I just really enjoy being warm and wish I lived in Florida right now. But hey, I’m not the only one who hates it so I guess I better keep this rant short because I’m sure you have all heard it before about a million other times.

 The weather in the winter here in the Midwest, affects us a lot. It gets kind of crazy sometimes. For example tomorrow and tonight we are expected to get a huge ice storm. They are already cancelling many things for that tonight when we haven’t gotten any bad weather yet.

Today it is 35 degrees and that feels warm right now. That’s crazy! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Did I mention I hate the cold weather? Because I do. It’s horrible.

They are even talking about postponing the Super Bowl in February. It isn’t even Christmas yet! Weather sucks. Unless of course its Sunny and 75.

Regarding the Super Bowl date to be moved due to weather,

“There are contingency plans for multiple different days,” Supovitz told the New York Daily News. “There is the potential of a move-up scenario, there is the potential of a move-back scenario, depending on what we are seeing coming. It could potentially be on a Saturday or it could be on the Monday or Tuesday. There is also a scenario where we could play the following weekend, a scenario that is incredibly unlikely. You’re dealing with progressively infinitesimal possibilities.”

The article this quote came from can be found here:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/super-bowl-xlviii-nfl-could-reschedule-if-weather-becomes-issue-121813

This is crazy to me. Weather affects us so much. In fact I’m supposed to be in my third hour class right now and I’m at home with winter breaking starting a day early due to this nasty weather! But hey I guess I should not complain.

But anyways, wouldn’t it be crazy if the Super Bowl was not played on a Sunday? Seriously though, its called “Super Bowl Sunday” it wouldn’t be the same without that.

The weather does some crazy things this time of year. I hope you’re prepared to be bundled up when you go out!

Continue to stay warm and be prepared to be bundled up!

Honoring Nelson Mandela gone wrong

In the event with many major world leaders, a man used fake sign language on stage. Standing next to President Obama and many other leading officials he used fake sign language to interpret what these people were saying in honor of the fallen Nelson Mandela.

To me, when I first heard this I didn’t really believe it. However, if you go back and watch the event the man was just using common hand gestures. I don’t think this is right at all. The death people in attendance should have been able to take part in the ceremony in honor of Nelson Mandela.

He was just as much their leader as he was to people who are not deaf.

According to reports, the man’s name was Thamsanqa Jantjie who had a medical record of many mental illnesses. According to him and his wife that day he had a vision of angels flying in the room and lost his focus. Hmmmm… why would the officials hire him to sign if he had these mental illness issues?

I mean c’mon people this guy was standing next to some very prominent people around the world. What would happen to all these countries if he had gone mad and hurt their officials? That is not right. People with that status in society always have others who do not like them and want them dead. Anyone who is going to be so close to these prominent leaders should have to be background checked.

However, the South African government didn’t look into Jantjie’s medical records before hiring him for the job. I know this was probably a mistake and nothing terrible came out of it, but really? That’s putting a lot of things at risk.

Hopefully this taught the government of South Africa a lesson and other country’s officials a lesson on making sure they do full background checks and full medical checks.

This situation could’ve potentially put a lot of people in danger. Good thing in this situation it did not.

It is just horrible though that the deaf people in attendance were cheated like this. They did not get to join alongside the people of their country because they could not understand what was going on due to this. They too had the right to remember and honor Nelson Mandela but because of this mix up they did not get the chance too.

I hope somehow this can be made up to them and that everyone learns from this.

The man is now in a mental hospital and the deaf people in attendance should be paid back in some way for this event.

An article on this can be found here:

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/19/21969085-fake-interpreter-from-mandela-event-is-admitted-to-psychiatric-hospital-report?lite

Nobody likes a snorer!

Snoring. I absolutely hate when people snore. Worst thing ever. How do you sleep through someone next to you or even a room away making a loud noise all through the night? You can’t sleep!

My biggest pet peeve is when people are being loud when others are trying to sleep. Yes when this is snoring I know people can’t help it but it’s horrible.

I NEED MY SLEEP!

Snore, snore, snore, thirty seconds later, snore.

This is horrible. Biggest pet peeve.

Snoring and sleep apnea are not only bad for people’s health who are listening to it, but also bad for the person who is snoring.

They can cause diabetes, increase in blood sugar, hypertension, heart disease, depression or premature death.

Overall, snoring is just bad.

Now the FDA has approved the American Sleep Association oral appliance to eliminate or reduce sleep apnea and snoring. This oral appliance readjusts the position of your lower jaw forward, opening the back of your throat thus reducing the symptoms of sleep apnea and snoring.

This is a good thing.

According the this article: http://www.smarterlifestyles.com/2011/05/27/how-you-can-get-a-good-night%E2%80%99s-sleep-2/?fc_id=51826&fc_app_id=8035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kcrg.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2FBody-Found-on-top-of-Frozen-Cedar-River-235551081.html

“In normal sleep, air enters your mouth and nose freely flowing to your lungs, heart, brain and other vital organs.  However, if you have sleep apnea or snore, the muscles in the back of your throat collapse while you sleep thus obstructing air flow to your lungs.  The oral appliance repositions your lower jaw forward clearing your air passage allowing air to freely flow to your lungs thus eliminating the cause of sleep apnea and snoring and their dangerous side effects.”

This is an interesting invention.

I suggest if you know someone who is snoring you should get them one of these, or if you are snoring get one ASAP no one wants to listen to a snorer when they’re trying to sleep.

So please, get help.

Nobody likes being woken up when they sleep!

Life expectancy rates

In America, the average person lives to be 79 years old. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way we could live longer? I know I want more than 79 years of my life.

Americans’ life expectancy is only 26th highest. Life expectancy in the U.S. has risen, in 1970 life expectancy at birth was 70.9 years, and it rose to 78.7 by 2011.

 Recently, Wall Street researched countries’ life expectancy rates based on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development releasing a report with the latest life expectancy figures for its thirty four member nations as well as several other developed nations.

In the countries with higher life expectancy, the people that live there tend to be healthier than in other countries.

The majority of these countries with high life expectancies have below-average rates of cancer and diabetes.

Spain, Iceland, Japan, Italy and Switzerland are rated in the top five for highest life expectancy.

See y’all later guys looks like I’m moving to Spain!

Spain is ranked number 5 for longest life expectancy. The average life expectancy in Spain is 82.4 years old. That sounds a little better than 79 years here in America.

Iceland ranked number 4 for longest life expectancy also has an average life expectancy of 82.4 years old. According to the article linked below: “Only 14.3% of Iceland’s population were daily smokers as of 2011, less than all but three other countries reviewed. Alcohol consumption in 1990 was low compared with most European countries. Eighteen years later, alcohol consumption was still relatively low, at just over seven liters per person, less than most other developed nations.”

This is impressive. This is how people are staying healthier as a nation and living longer. You go Iceland!

Number three ranked Japan has a life expectancy average of 82.7 years old. This sounds even better! According to the article: “Just 4.1 percent of Japanese adults were obese in 2011, vs. 36.5 percent in the U.S.” AKA the U.S. is fat. We need to find healthier ways of life.

Italy is ranked number two on the average life expectancy list with an average age of 82.7 years old. Most of the country of Italy is on a diet called the “Mediterranean diet” which consists of fruits, vegetables, and olive oil and is very healthy for you.

We need to get on this diet plan!

To top of the list, the number one country for average life expectancy is Switzerland, with an average age of 82.8 years old. It’s probably Switzerland’s health care plan that makes them the most healthy and to live longer.

Take a few minutes out of your day to read up on this subject. It will educate you and make you want to become part of a healthier nation.

Looks like I will see you guys in Switzerland!

http://money.msn.com/retirement/5-countries-where-people-live-longest

ONE Campaign

There is an organization called the ONE Campaign that students at my school help out with every year. I’m writing this to reach out to people and help get donations.

Kennedy High School has participated in the ONE Campaign every year since 2006. This year we are trying to reach out and get more donations.

The ONE Campaign is the global campaign to eradicate world poverty. Each year since 2006, Kennedy students have raised around $10,000. With that money, we have packaged 40,000 meals with Kids against Hunger. This totals to be $60,000 and 240,000 meals.

That’s a lot of meals for a lot of people who are in need. This is my favorite part of the whole ordeal. I like to work with my classmates to package meals because it creates team work with your peers. It’s also an enjoyable experience and you feel good helping out those who are in need. 240,000 meals take a while to package but many different clubs and classes throughout Kennedy all come together to make this happen.

For the past couple years we have sent these 240,000 packaged meals to an orphanage in Haiti.

However, this year we decided to take a different approach. This year we would like to send the food to the Philippines where more than 4,000 lives have been lost and 3 million people have been displaced due to Typhoon Haiyah.

We would like your help in donating to the ONE Campaign. You could make a difference to the lives of many in the Philippines who have lost so much to the horrible Typhoon Haiyah.

If you donate, your donation will be tax deductible so it would benefit you as well.

It is the season of giving so why not, give a little to those who have none. Let me tell you it’s a really good feeling to know you helped out this people. Just think of the joy it will bring to them.

Please help Kennedy High School’s ONE Campaign help these people in need.

If you would like to help us out you can send your donation to:

Kennedy High School – ONE

4545 Wenig Road NE

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402

Or for more information you can check out the following websites:

One Campiagn: www.one.org

Kids Against Hunger: www.kidsagainsthunger.org

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this and thanks for your donation. It is much appreciated.

 

And ask John F. Kennedy himself said, "One person can make a difference, and everyone should try."

Woman charged for killing her husband after eight days of marriage

A woman is being charged for allegedly killing her husband. What? Is marriage really that unhappy? Did I mention they were only married for eight days? Yes, you read that right, eight days. Just over a week. That’s insane.

Marriage just isn’t the same as it used to be. Why do people get married these days? Because more often then not it seems to end in divorce and apparently now killing your spouse. This is ridiculous.

Prosecutors say Jordan Graham was unhappy in her new marriage and deliberately shoved her husband off a cliff while hiking a steep trail.

 

The above line should not be a headline you read in the news. People these days are going mad. What’s wrong with this world?

This article can be found here:

http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/bride-goes-to-trial-in-glacier-park-newlywed-death

I just think this is crazy.

According to the article, eight days after the wedding the bride was having second thoughts about marriage. My question to that is, why the heck would you get married then? Marriage is a big commitment people; even I know that as a teenager.

 People just don’t think anymore.

When this argument happened the couple walked on a trail in Glacier National Park. This also leaves me with questions. Was the husband willing to go on a walk? Did he just think they were going to talk it out while the walked? I don’t understand why they would go to a place with cliffs to argue, that just seems like an accident waiting to happen. People can not control their emotions when they are upset.

It will be up to a jury to decide what happened and whether the 22 year old bride should be convicted of murder in the death of her husband for eight days, Cody Johnson.

I don’t really know how they would say she didn’t do it. To me, she has guilty written on her forehead in a permanent marker.

There are witnesses, but not eye-witnesses.

At first, Graham gave a false statement saying, her husband drove off with friends but then three day later she called off the search for her missing husband and led park rangers to his body.

This is another sign of a guilty woman.

Her lawyers are going to try to defend her saying that she has trying to get his arm off of her wrist when he stumbled off the cliff, but to me that’s a line of bologna.

 It will be interesting to hear what they decide but if it was up to me, she would be guilty. She should’ve thought about marriage and it’s importance, but apparently she wasn’t thinking at all.

Remembering Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s former president died this week at the age of 95. Many people of different races and religions from all around the world have gathered to pray and sing for their beloved president.

Mandela was a very prominent figure to the people of South Africa and people through out the world.

There have been many gatherings in honor of Nelson Mandela since Thursday when he died, but all of these gatherings have been celebrating his life instead of mourning his death.

 In an article found here:

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/08/21818968-day-of-prayer-begins-week-of-services-honoring-mandela?lite=

I read the following quote and it really touched me personally,

““The public is urged to gather in halls, churches, mosques, temples, synagogues and in their homes for prayer services and meditation, reflecting on the life of Madiba and his contribution to our country and the world,” urged South African President Jacob Zuma.” 

This is true; Nelson Mandela really did touch many lives within South Africa but also around the world too.

Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa and helped lead the country out of its heavily racially-divisive history of apartheid. That is pretty amazing.

Nelson Mandela was an extraordinary person. He did not only help the black people of South Africa, he helped the whites as well.

"Pastor Niekie Lamprecht remembered, "What helped the white people of South Africa was Mr. Mandela's attitude. He said, 'Let's forgive,' and he forgave."”

This quote is an amazing representation of Nelson Mandela. He was an extraordinary person who helped people see things in a better light and find peace with others. This is how he touched so many people.

Nelson Mandela didn’t just make a difference for black people; he made a difference for white people too. This is something that not a lot of people have done.

Nelson Mandela forgave all the people who discriminated against him, even those who imprisoned him. This is amazing to me. There are people in today’s society that can’t forgive others over little things. Nelson Mandela forgave all, and just wanted peace.

We need more people like Nelson Mandela in this world. He was truly an amazing person and will hopefully be remembered for years to come. More people need to realize that being kind to one another and having peace will make this world a better place. So in the remembrance of Nelson Mandela, forgive someone for their wrong doing and make this world a better more peaceful place to be.

"He said, she said"

An interesting, “he said, she said,” dilemma has popped up in the world of college football. A young women is accusing Florida State University Quarterback Jameis Winston of sexual assault.

Winston is up for Heisman, and has still had a great season even with all this drama surrounding him. There is a press conference today, December 5^th to tell whether or not Winston is guilty.

Personally, I don’t think he is based on the evidence but I will let you decide what you think.  

The main reason I believe he is innocent is because the woman accusing him of rape did not identify him until five weeks after the event, and the case didn’t really take priority until Winston was having a great season and leading his time. It didn’t become priority until he was in the spotlight. Usually, in my opinion, this means someone just wants to throw him off his game. I could be wrong though. Also, Did I mention this happened a year ago Saturday?

According to the following article,

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/jameis-winston-florida-state-quarterback-unlikely-to-be-charged-sexual-assault-120413

There are many things that back up Winston in this case.

One being, the press conference today is being held by the State Attorney, Willie Meggs to announce the results of his investigation. Typically, the results are not just announced in a press conference, unless the arrest is already made. Winston has not been arrested.

Another being, like I said earlier the women didn’t identify him till later, and when identified, Winston did admit he had a sexual encounter with her, however it was not rape. Later DNA testing did prove that his DNA was found on evidence, but he had already told police prior to this finding about his encounter with her.

Also, at the time she identified him, he was a redshirt player for the Seminoles. Seems kind of like she was trying to hurt his career. When she reported this she did not want to cooperate with investigators, this tells me she wasn’t telling the truth.

Also, I don’t think Meggs would plan an arrest right before Winston is scheduled to leave to play Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship against Duke. He would probably arrest him sooner than that, or after the championship game.

Based on all of this, I don’t believe that Jameis Wilson is guilty. He has done the right thing by telling his side of the story and then keeping quiet and focusing on football and I give him props for that. I guess we will wait and see what happens today.