A Year After The Bombings

 

On April 15, 2013, many people lined the streets of Boston for the beloved Marathon that is held every year. Calamity stuck as two bombs went off at the finish line killing three people and injuring 264. It was revealed that two Chechen brothers were behind the plot of bombing the race. One of them was killed after a firefight and also being ran over by his brother, the other was captured days later in a suburban backyard inside a boat. On Tuesday, Boston held a tribute service at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Three survivors of the terrorist attack spoke about the event and what the support of everyone around them meant to them personally. Patrick Downes said that he does not wish the pain onto anyone in the world, but he does wish that someday everyone would feel as loved as he has this past year. Downes lost his leg in the bombing and has been learning to walk with a prosthetic leg. But he says he is proud to be a Bostonian and will be at the marathon on the 21st. Boston Strong has been the motto the past year, from the T-Shirts to David Ortiz yelling choice words into the P.A. mic at  Fenway Park, everybody in Boston has stood behind this. As someone who had family at the bombing I too can see where the people of Boston are coming from, you mess with us but we will not back down. April 15, 2013 will always live in infamy, but it will forever draw the people of Boston together and make them stronger  

Global vs. Local

In the book of Genesis, it states in chapters 6-9 that there was a flood that covered the entire earth. And also, in modern times, people have found fossils and rocks in the mountains and evidence in volcanoes that their pillow lava's seemed to have been formed underwater. People who believe in this also have Biblical verses that they say backs them up. In Matthew 24:39, Jesus says, "The flood came, and took them all away." Believers in this theory use this verse to firmly back up their theory.

Other believers say that their is no possible way that it could have been a global flood. Mainly, they say that the we have lost the  true meaning in translation. They say that it truly meant over the whole land, like over Israel. They also say that the animal migration could not have happened because of the over 2 million species of animals could not have fit onto that one ark. Also, they say that it would be too hard for the animals cross over these to where they exist today.

My personal view and in looking at these two arguments is that there was a global flood. Many fossils have been found of fish in mountains and also the fossils are had to  been formed by rapid destruction. As for the local flood believers idea about animal migration, i believe the land was all connected, so in turn it was only one big piece of land, so in turn yes, the original authors were saying over one land because that's all that it was! So, as the flood ended, the land split and separations were created, how long after i do not know. But, in my opinion i believe it was a global flood. But, the main thing that really matters is our heart, and if we love God and want a relationship with Him, not whether we are right on what happened in the flood. The flood was a showing of God's love and his yearning to save the world from sin.  

Plagiarism

In the Piper High School case, many Sophomores are accused of plagiarizing their leaf project that counted for half of their semester grade. All who did received zeros and will probably fail this semester, but many kids are fighting with their families saying that this is too harsh of a punishment. If this happened at my school and i was convicted of plagiarizing my project and i knew i was guilty, I would not fight it, I knew what I had done. If I have the gumption to try to pass off someone else's work as my own, then I better be ready to face the consequences of cheating.

As for my parents, no way would they try to bail me out of a failing grade because of me cheating. My parents instilled in me to always tell the truth in everything that I do, without question to always tell the truth, and passing off someone else's work as my own is not telling the truth, it is taking advantage of someone who has worked hard to push myself through doing the bare minimum that is required.

Some say that since they are paying these teachers that they should pass their kids. But, what about the kid who did his work the right way? Why does he or she get the short end of the stick for doing what is truly the right thing. No, I do not think that because of what I pay the school that I should have a passing grade, i have to earn it, not have it given to me.

No, this story does not affect the way i view plagiarism. It is wrong and deceitful. The whole idea of plagiarism is stealing another's words and using them as your own.

What I take away is that so many people today feel entitled to everything. That we have lost the sense of hard work and everyone is always looking for the easy way out and trying to just get by in life. God tells us to do everything for Him, so does God want us to do everything half halfheartedly? No, he wants us to truly give Him and others our best. Entitlement is a dangerous thing, and it seems like so many people are slipping in to it more and more.

NBA Refs

It is no secret to anyone that follows the NBA that the refs can be a tad shady in some of the calls they make in big time games. Referees such as Joey Crawford and Dick Bavetta are both in the midst of scandal-according to the San Antonio Spurs(Crawford) and the Sacramento Kings(Bavetta). And also, let's not forget the 2007 scandal of Tim Donaghy betting on postseason games and altering the outcome due to his officiating. Yes in some games as a referee you do tend to get annoyed at a certain whining player or coach, which makes you want to call it against them, but you don't bet on a game and call it so you make money off it, that's crazy!  In the NBA front office there has been a changing of the guard, so to speak, as Adam Silver takes place of the ever-so-loved David Stern. Silver has said that he wants to change the way the NBA selects officials and no longer wants to operate behind closed doors.

As a fan i would love to see the officiating in the NBA change from giving all the calls to the guys who make the most money(ie. LeBron, Kobe, Durant, Wade, Melo etc.) to actually calling a fair game, yes some games LeBron may have to play with 5 fouls, but doesn't that add to the excitement of a league that has been called soft by Charles Barkley.

Back to the officials, the NBA is wanting to show that their officials are doing a great job and are a "difference is small percentage points, so how bad can our worst guy be?"  As the NBA looks into their refs and promises better and more open ways of conducting themselves, as a fan, all i can do is wait and see what happens.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2014/03/06/adam-silver-mark-cuban-joey-crawford-dick-bavetta-officiating-referees-analytics/6133967/

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2943095

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2014/01/charles-barkely-calls-todays-nba-teams-girly/

Manziel reaches out to Brady

As great of an athlete that Johnny Manziel was is college at Texas A&M he still has to cope with leaving college and becoming a rookie in the NFL. So, who does he reach out to help him cope with this? None other than Tom Brady himself. Johnny Football reached out to Brady and texted him to ask how to deal with the upcoming draft. Brady told him to "Ignore the noise" and to enjoy the experience of the NFL draft. It's kinda hard to imagine how Brady enjoyed the draft when he was passed up all the way down to the 6th round of the draft. But unlike Brady, Manziel has a little bit of a wild side to him that seems to always leak out into the public eye. It will be fun to see how a wild child like Johnny Football will be able to handle the responsibilities of an NFL Quarterbackl

Creation Vs. Evolution

What do we know? How do we know what we know? The ever long debate over creation vs. evolution continued yesterday between Ken Ham and Bill Nye. As a Christian today i feel that this debate could give Christians a bad name and a bad reputation for the way that Ham defends his beliefs in 6 Day Creation. He adamantly stands in his belief that there was a 6 day creation. Christians today, including myself, feel that the way that Ham presents his arguments and the ways that he, for lack of better words, attacks people who disagree with him.

In my belief i honestly do not think that it matters whether you believe in a 6 day creation, or God guided evolution. The foundation of our faith is knowing that God is love and that He sent his Son to die for us so that we can have eternal life with Him! We get to be apart of this great story and great life God has blessed us with. I don' think that God intended us to go around bashing people for little details in the framework of the story. To me its like telling a story about going to a park and arguing that you got there at either 4 o'clock or 5 o'clock. It doesn't matter as long as you both agree you got there and had the time of your life being with someone you love and care for.

Today the TCA Lions go down to the little town of Adamsville to take on the Cardinals in a match-up of District 15-A rivals. These two teams met earlier this year, but Trinity was not in full strength as the football players were just coming back after a semi-final run in the state playoffs. This time around the Lions are ready for a fight as they are hungry after three losses this past week. Against Middleton, Trinity showed what they are capable of, but then when they failed to convert on free throws late in the game, they fell in OT to the Tigers.

Now, after a hard week of practice, Trinity is ready to make a stand. Determination to get to state is what propels this team to work hard this week. The talent is definitely there for the Lions to make it to Murfreesboro and compete for a gold ball. As the coaches push the team to get back to winning, the players are ready to avenge their loss to the Cards. Nothing would make the players happy than a win against their most hated rival.