Swine in Kearney?

Just in...first case of swine flu reported IN KEARNEY at the hospital. Now do not quote me on this, but I heard it today from a friend who heard it from a professor---yes it is hearsay but OH MY. The point: If you are feeling sick STAY HOME. The most common disease or sickness in America is the common cold but this time we must treat the common cold with more precautions. “It’s not a pandemic, it’s not an epidemic — it’s an outbreak,” he said. “It’s like the old saying, ‘There’s no need to panic until it’s time to panic.’ And I’m not entirely sure that it’s now time to panic.” Personally, I thought same day different disease, but after I heard about the reported case in Kearney, I think we need to think twice. So far I have no information to back up the reported case in Kearney, but maybe tomorrow there will be some article. The scary thing about this is that it is sooo easy to catch.
On a different note, sometimes you wonder if this is going to be the pandemic that ends the world. Crazy I know, but scary. I remember being a kid and being scared of Y2K and the world ending with terrorist, but hell maybe its the swine flu. I understand that its not a guarantee death, but when there are few vaccines for this, its makes you wonder, are we going to become similar to extinct dinosaurs. Sounds nuts! It makes me think of my brother and what he would be saying about this right now. He is scared to death, full of the history channel and other nonsense programs about the world ending, of something killing off humans...it would be interesting to hear his thoughts.
Anyway, I strayed a bit, but a case possibly hitting so close to home, makes you wonder. We must take precautions.

Another national disease....

Another day, another disease. It seems like America is no longer the melting pot of the world, but now the center of disease control. From West Nile, to bird flu, to peanut butter contamination and now to the Swine flu. It's funny though because compared to the other diseases, it is almost as if America is not scared. I mean obviously they are scared, but it does not seem as if there is near as much hype about this disease as all other diseases, when this disease probably could affect Americans the most. I watched a segment on CNN last night about the Swine flu and how these pig farmers are denying the infection of their own pigs. What was most disturbing to me is how the pigs were kept. There were over thousands of pigs pinned up in cages where they could not even turn their heads. The thought of it makes my stomach curdle. Maybe American officials should worry about how these pigs are kept! Besides that, it is no wonder that this disease is spreading. The show explained that because these pigs are kept so tightly in cages, they have very weak immune systems and when one pig gets a cold or any sort of sickness, more than likely every pig will get it simply because they are kept so tightly and close together.
I have grown to have feelings for pigs and set aside their ugliness and the smell. My dad works for a pig corporation in my home town, so there is sensitivity for pigs. But after seeing the show last night, I was disgusted.
First thing is first, officials need to reorganize how these farmers keep these pigs and this would solve the whole problem.
I don't think disease is the only problem we have on our hands here. Anyone who would watch this clip would be amazed and probably change their eating habits fast.

Jon and Kate + Eight-1?

Jon and Kate + Eight-1? I recently read an article on yahoo.com about Jon from the infamous Jon and Kate plus eight "showing poor judgement." It is so funny because the web address it www.omg.yahoo.com OH MY GOSH! Apparently, Jon went out on a night on the town and was seen with another women in the car, her driving. Jon admits to this, but claims that he does have male and female friends and one of his female friends wanted to drive his car....no shame there. I think this can go three ways 1. typical guy behavior, needs a break from the wife, so hangs out with another women to boost his ego a little---no problem, 2. sick of Kate (with all of her nagging that is obvious on the show) so decides to go a different route, or 3. WANTS TO HAVE A NIGHT OF FUN AWAY FROM HIS EIGHT CHILDREN! BIG DEAL! This is so ridiculous. No, I will not say that he can be trusted, but I will say this, any man who sticks through it with his wife after eight children all very close in age, is a keeper and entitled to at least one night on the town without being ridiculed. The sad part about this is that he actually feels bad, he says, ""Like most people, I have male and female friends, and I'm not going to end my friendships just because I'm on TV," the dad of 8 tells Extra. "However, being out with them late at night showed poor judgment on my part." There is no shame in what he did and no reason he should feel bad that is if he is telling the truth.
Do I feel sorry for the guy? Not really, he and his wife chose to do the show that revolved around their lives and Jon going out to all hours in the morning was part of his life, this is exactly what he asked for. But, in all consideration, he deserves to have fun and take a break from his huge family, as does Kate, that is if his true confession is only that he feels bad for "staying out late."

Slumdog Millionaire Review

A Free America?

One of the hottest topics in today's society is same sex marriage. Although I personally am very liberal about the subject, some are not and that is their prerogative. For example, Miss California Carrie Prejean states her thoughts about same sex marriage openly on national television saying, "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised." Should we criticize her? Absolutely not. Apparently this is why Miss California did not take home the crown. Ridiculous. Although we are suppose to be living in a open society, criticizing someone for their beliefs is not something that should reflect them as people. According to a FOX News story, Keith Lewis who runs the Miss California pageant was "As co-director of the Miss California USA, I am personally saddened and hurt that Miss California believes marriage rights belong only to a man and a woman." I believe in one of two things here: 1. we live in a free society which can mean that same sex marriage should be allowed to give people rights and also that people opposing this should be able to voice their opinion, especially according to the First Amendment. 2. how come the judges and the whole nation judge Miss California calling her a "stupid b****" and that be okay, but Miss California herself cannot voice HER OPINION, not judging on anything else? Does not sound like a fair society to me.
Another thing that concerns me is the fact that we have a swarm of media around this topic. You hear more about the runner-up than you do about Miss USA herself. And instead of proposing objectivity, the media decides to interview every gay man or woman in the audience to talk about the subject, making it seem worse than it is. One statement in the FOX news article stated, "I think it's ridiculous that she got first runner-up. That is not the value of 95 percent of the people in this audience. Look around this audience and tell me how many gay men there are.""I think it's ridiculous that she got first runner-up. That is not the value of 95 percent of the people in this audience. Look around this audience and tell me how many gay men there are.""I think it's ridiculous that she got first runner-up. That is not the value of 95 percent of the people in this audience. Look around this audience and tell me how many gay men there are." Yes, I am sure there are a lot of gay men in the audience, but whats better: a dishonest person or a strong person?
In conclusion, this is ridiculous. I do not even think that pageants should be able to ask such controversial issues. Why? Because the contestants are going to do one of two things: 1. lie to please the audience or 2. be honest and get accused of discrimination or racism, or just in general being a bad person.
Personally, I am proud of Miss California. I respect her honesty and most of all I respect that she has "no regrets" about the pageant. How come I can accept this, but no one else can? I believe in society today, people gay, straight, or whatever, can be and do whatever they please, including Miss California.

Go Big Red

Drinking at football games seems like a trend for most. Most of the time people go to sports games simply for the drinking, even if they have no idea who is playing. Except for NCAA/college games. For example, Nebraska football games. People go tailgating outside of the games in parking lots, but no alcohol allowed in the stadium. Which is weird, because more than likely a person going to a game is already 10 sheets to the wind by the time the game starts, so basically, the game itself is just a ticket to being "cut off." I agree that alcohol should not be served at Husker football games because we all know how crazy they are already. People and Nebraska football are like anyone from Texas and the state alone. I remember one year listening to the radio about 4 or 5 different people calling in and complaining about weddings on Nebraska Husker Saturdays! Really? No one in Nebraska can get married from Sept. until Dec. because the Huskers play? Or are they just suppose to be sure if they do get married in these months it is between Sunday and Friday? Ridiculous.
Anyway, back to the drinking. April 23 marked the day when those privileged die-hard Husker fans that get to sit in the sky boxes can no longer drink in the boxes. According to an article in the Omaha World Herald, there was a case last season of alcohol poisoning, so Tom Osborne announced yesterday, that those in the boxes could no longer drink and officials would be more strict.
Thank you Tom Osborne. I mean really, these people have the cake and get to eat it too? They get the best seats in the house and get to drink while watching. More than likely half of them are too intoxicated to know what is going on anyway, so they may as well sit in the nose bleed sections, but hey, this is what money can do for you.
Go Big Red!

Is this for real?

A story that I have been following for some time is the story of pirates capturing a U.S. ship. Today, the captain finally came home. When I first heard of the story, I was astounded and felt like I was in some kind of movie, Hook or something. I guess I always thought that Pirates were some sort of imaginary villain. Last night when I was watching the news, it became reality. One rescued coast guard said, "We all had knives and they had AK 47's." My stomach immediately got sick. I could not imagine being captured by pirates, not because it would be terrifying but because it seems so fictional. What seems even more surreal is that in order to get the captain home, Navy snipers had to kill three pirates. The whole story seems make-believe, yet was so appalling to me. I only wish that I would get to see a picture of the actual "pirate." I know that seems odd, but I wonder what classifies them as pirates and if they look as we all would assume. Hooks on their hands, bandannas in their hair, and mean as hell. When I heard the news that the captain was to return, it was like I finally got to breathe for the first time. It was the never ending bizarre story to me. No, I am not ignorant, but it is not as if these stories pop up all the time. It had the works-the villain and the hero, and thank goodness the hero came out on top.
My only amazement with the story concerning the press is that they did not have a hay day. Perhaps because information was so limited, but I did not hear any false stories or fictional statistics, just the facts, which was nice for a change.
I think the best aspect of the story is that the captain said, " I am not a hero, the military is." He is grateful to be home and very modest.
In conclusion, this bizarre story finally came to an end and really it is like watching your favorite movie and the star of the show coming out on top. Amazing.

Kutcher v. CNN

Another new technology, that is just what we need. First it was Facebook, then MySpace, and now Twitter. All greats to electronically communicate, but what ever happened to traditional communications. One of two things are happening, everyone is becoming a write and social face-to-face communication is declining. But obviously, this Twitter thing is a hit-recent member, Oprah! Last night at 2:13 a.m. Ashton Kutcher got over 1 million tweets! Wooohoooo! According to CNN Kutcher and CNN had a deal that Kutcher would donate over 10,000 mosquito bed nets if he beat CNN and 1,000 if he did not, fortunately he did. I have heard so much about Twitter and can be honest, do not know much about it, but if the Web site will be used for more causes as this, I am all for it! If these Web sites could be more for good causes rather than just for communication, I believe they could be held much more credible and useful. Right now, people use Facebook simply for communicating, whatever happened to calling your friend or running over to their house and talking to them. Why not starting a group of Facebook and taking donations for a good cause? There are so many possibilities with sites like this, especially because they reach such a vast amount of people. The capabilities are amazing-it even got the current President in office.
Many may think I am a hypocrit for talking trash about social networking especially as I am blogging and am currently a member of Facebook. But Facebook is no source of communication for me, a hi here and hi there that is it. Social networking sites could be so useful. For example, I recently posted a blog about how irritating Charter Communication can be. A few days later, the manager out of Missouri wrote me back apologizing for bad service. He has also been e-mailing to fix the situation and to be honest with you, it gave me a whole new perspective of the business. So I will not say there are no good things that come out of networks such as these, but I do believe that they should be used more for changing the world and less for personal communication.

Pondering on Eating Out....Random

This week I went out to eat with my boyfriend and his family....interesting. I have much respect for waiters and waitress because I used to work at a coffee shop and tips were a great source of money for me. However, one question? Why is that cooks/waiters/waitresses whoever it might be always bring your food all at one time? I understand it is not the waiters or waitresses fault, but it is really confusing to me. We all ordered side salads before the meal and a tray of chips and salsa. We waited about a half hour or so before we even got the side salads and FINALLY they brought them out. Approximately 3-3 1/2 minutes later, five huge plates with the entree plus side plates with dressing were brought out. We ended up wasting a lot of food because we simply could not fit it on our tables. I understand that restaurants are busy especially in a town as small as this where as there are only a limited amount of places to go and sit down and eat. But if you are going to bring out the appetizers late (which we specifically told the waitress the salads and chips were) why not just wait 15 minutes or so to bring the actual dinner out? Again, I am not "bitching" I am just saying, it does not make much sense to me. Why the rush? not only that, but when the staff does this, especially this waitress, she actually got upset with us because we had too many plates. Regardless, we were paying for the plates so we can have as many as we want right? I guess not. I respect staff at restaurants and again, have been in the position. As irritated as I was, I left a good tip and smiled the whole time. It was actually more funny to me than anything, because when the waitress brought the plates she looked at us as if we were suppose to immediately swallow all the plates in front of us. No apology, no explanation. I understand she was more than likely overwhelmed, but hell, I would rather the food be cold then it go to waste. I know whoever is reading this will probably just say, "and if the food was cold, you would complain about that too," but you are absolutely wrong.
I have never been rude to a waiter/waitress because I understand, not completely, but somewhat. I am not blaming them for what happened, it was just something that got my blood going, I hate wasting things!
Anyway, aside from my eating out experience and the clutter of plates hanging over our table which eventually just got threw to the strays, the food was great!

Biden v. PETA

Getting an animal from a shelter could be condemned as "the right" thing to do, but for some people, it just isn't. It brings many risks such a behavioral and social problems, especially for families with children. Getting a dog from a shelter is a great idea, but it also limits a person to only certain breeds of dogs, for example. For some people, if they are going to spend the money on an animal such as a dog, why not get one that accommodates to them?
I read a recent story from yahoo online about a dog breeder selling a German Shepard dog to the notorious Biden family last December. Today, she says she will "Never, never, never again," sell a dog to someone with a high profile. The Bidens are being criticized by places such as PETA for not buying a dog from a shelter, so for not saving a dog. Then after that, the lady who sold the dog ended up paying $4,000 for court fines when she tried to fight the citations such as pieces of dog hair on the floor, against her. This is absolutely ridiculous. I understand that dog activist want to help and save animals, but not everyone needs to take their point of view. Plus, what is it any one's business how someone makes a living or how someone chooses to purchase an animal? Sometimes I feel like activist organizations such as PETA are trying to force a belief on people that they don't choose to side with. Personally, I would choose to adopt and save an animal before i would buy one from a breeder, but again, that is MY choice, would you scorn me? No, probably not because I am not a high profile individual.
In conclusion, leave the two involved parties alone. They live in a free society and can choose to live their live and spend their money which ever way they want. PETA should not force their beliefs on anyone, just be happy for the believes they have already.

Dear Pauly...

Dear Paul Montgomery Shore,
Your behaviors and the words that come out of your mouth brought laughter to my life. I still remember the first time I saw you in the 1992 movie Encino Man. Your comical views and corky behaviors brought a new meaning of “funny” to my life. You were the legendary “weasel” of Hollywood when you faked your own death in “Pauly Shore is dead.” How genius. But that night, you gave support to the stereotype that illustrious people are haughty, and you left everyone disappointed.
As you were crawling your way up the food chain, cracking jokes and initiating laughs, I was just a college student working long hour shifts at the local coffee shop, Scooters. I know, I define the word pity. I had been there for two and half years and it was the same routine every day. Except for that one night, the door opened and it was just like a movie in itself. Customers froze in their place, but not me, the coffee making process never stops. No one could move or breathe until you had made your entrance. As you took your first step, the glow around you darkened and everyone exhaled. Not one person spoke to you whether it was because they were in awe or only anxious. But I knew, I knew from the moment you stepped through those glass doors.
“I need a double espresso with milk.”
I stood there, staring, covered in chai tea syrup and vitamin D milk as if I had no idea what two shots of coffee with a touch of milk was. I still am not sure how long it took for me to process what you said but I do remember the look on your face and the feeling in my stomach. Even after you gave me that, “are you stupid” look, I still did not judge you. However, it only took a few s words to change my mind. Judging by your attitude on screen, you seemed care-free, friendly, and very approachable. I imagined telling jokes with you and laughing until my abdomen hurt and my eyes watered, but you surprised me.
Someone else recognized you and was not going to let you walk out of that coffee shop without confirmation that you were in fact “The Pauly Shore.”
“Pauly Shore? Are you Pauly Shore?”
“Um…no, no I am not.”
At first I smiled, because you are notorious for your humor and I was sure it was a joke. But then you abruptly took your coffee and faded into the dust.
I was flabbergasted. You were not different from any one of us, other than the fact that your wittiness took you somewhere beyond the local comedy venue. Your fans support you and your career. Don’t you at least owe us a hello, “Hey Buuuuudy,” anything?
I was disheartened, astonished, and most of all embarrassed. You did not reflect your on-screen characters even slightly. How does a person act as another, yet in reality become so different?
The disappointment lingered in the store after you left and then…you were forgotten. I attended your comedy show that next night, but it was not the same. You were just another arrogant luminary with hordes of green paper.
I hope as you read this you will consider my plea. Acknowledge those who look up to you, even if it means slapping on a phony smile and only saying “hello.” Don’t give evidence to the stereotype that those who are prominent are also arrogant.
Let yourself be known for your humorous competence, not your discourteous attitude.

Sincerely,
Your Faded Fan

Dear Britney....

Okay Britney, I felt sorry for you the first time and now you are doing it all over again. Just when you started reliving your life the way you should and needed too! You were getting better and back at what you do best...singing, and now he has sucked you into his trans again.

First of all, why? What is it about him? Before he met you, he was a nobody. I commend you for not judging people and following your heart, but you deserve better than that. He has taken everything you have worked so hard for since you were 17, even your children.

Now I do not know if the rumors are true, but an "anonymous insider" has spilled some information about this. You and K-Fed together again? I thought you would be smarter this time through. I thought for sure that after all you went through, shaving your head, losing your kids, in and out of rehab, not even having control over your own finances, you would have learned. He is not good for you or for your career or for your health. I know maybe right now it seems logical to be with him, I mean he is your baby's daddy, but reconcile, that's it, that's as far as it needs to go.

An article posted on MSN, shows you and K-Fed together and a source says, "It's like they're newlyweds all over again. Brit and Kevin can't keep their hands off each other! The flings have made them both a lot happier." Of course he cannot keep his hands off you, you are back in the limelight! "The center of the ring just like a circus!" If he really loved you, he would have been there for you when you lost your hair, your estate, and family....but he wasn't. He was only there for the court appearances when he was taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from you monthly.

This is your last chance Britney. Your fans stood by you once through thick and thin, but your relapse was not easy on anyone. If you fall back into his trans, you might lose everything...for good this time. Think about it.

Charter versus......ME

Charter Communications files for bankruptcy....Charter Communications going out of business....I have heard many different rumors about Charter Communications and to be honest, I hope they are true and as far as I am concerned they are. According to Stock News, Charter filed for bankruptcy on March 27, so is this why they decided to raise their prices $20? Because they are going out of business and want to screw their customers over once more before they do? Maybe that was a little harsh, but since I moved here two years ago, I have had only bad experiences with Charter and my experience two days ago put the cherry on top.
It was a typical day for me, got up, went to work, came home, ran outside to get the mail, sit down, and look at the mail. But, looking at the mail was not that exciting that day, to be honest with you, I think that I may have had water streaming down my face from my eyes. I go to school full-time and work full-time. Yeah, I make money, but not enough. Last month, we decided to get an upgrade with our cable but adding a new addition, the DVR. Genius, I must say. This was only a $15 upgrade, which we could afford. I got my bill yesterday and the total bill for ONE MONTH REGULAR CABLE SERVICE PLUS A $15 UPGRADE WAS $160! At first I thought maybe it was an April Fool's joke played on by Charter and they just got the bill sent out late missing the actual April Fools day. So I called them, basically laughing through the whole discussion thinking that it would for sure be mistake.
"Well mam, actually our prices have raised $20," said the associate.
I said, "Well, were you going to make us aware of this? Did Charter also decide to add two movies, Showtime, and a big package plus upgrade on? Is this part of the price change too? Because I do not want any of this."
Of course, no answer, no explanation, NOTHING. Then looking for the bill a little more thoroughly I realized, they also threw on a random $35 service charge. What the hell?!
The associate was nice, decided to take Showtime off and one movie: $160-$5-$11= $144
I hung up the phone, but realized he did not take the random service charge off. So we called back and talked to a women representative. She said no problem, I will take the fee off. My thoughts...144-135=$109--this should be our bill which is at regular price as always, therefore prices did not go up $20.
"Okay mam your total now is going to be $129 for the month of March," she said.
I laughed and my boyfriend stared at me. Really?
In conclusion, someone is getting screwed over here and it is me. Get it together Charter.

Scams: Beware!

As any other consumer, I get wrapped into infomercials and any diet pill I see on television. Approximately 2 weeks ago, Oprah featured Dr.Oz on her show to promote his new diet pill: a colon cleanse plus acai berry pill. The cleanse is suppose to detoxify your body while the acai berry, a super fruit from the Amazon, is suppose to increase energy and suppress your appetite. Unlike any other fad diet, I figured, well it's on Oprah it has to be pretty legitimate right? So what do I do, rush to the Internet to get my "two free trial bottles, money back guaranteed!"
I mean, I get a full dose of this fabulous, weight loss pill and only have to pay shipping and handling, a measly $5.95! Wrong! As I went to order it, I could only order 1 bottle and after looking up reviews, I also found an article saying, "read the fine print." I am always very skeptical about ordering products online, but most of my friends always tell me to "lighten up, everyone does it."
The article posted by this lady stated that she ordered the exact same product and after 13 days still did not receive the pills. On the 14th day, her credit card was charged $80. Turned out the fine print said after the 13 trial day period, you will be charged. In the end, the lady had a whole hell of a lot of depth and no weight loss.
The point of this blog entry is 1. to warn you about Internet scams and 2. to warn you about fad diet pills.
Internet scams are occurring all over the net and millions of people are getting their identify stolen and racking up massive charges on their accounts. I have read a numerous amount of tutorials about consumers who buy products online, especially trial products, and if you do not cancel within a certain amount of days (usually written in the fine print) you get charged a lot more than expected. These companies are clever, because then when you try to cancel, you are on hold FOREVER and when you finally get through, they pass you off to another representative who again puts you on hold FOREVER. There are many articles in which I have provided links to that you can read about scare ware, phishing, and other scams by companies.
As for this breakthrough diet pill, first of all you cannot find the ingredients in it ANYWHERE, why because there are the exact same products on the market for about half the price. After hearing about the Dr.Oz diet, I called Complete Nutrition in Omaha and GNC right here in Kearney and was told that basically this is a marketing strategy for this company, they do not want you to know the ingredients because it is so similar and they want you to buy it online so they can screw you over. You cannot buy these two pills in stores, because they want to charge you twice the price, plus more after they screw you over, and make consumers buy it online.
After going to GNC, I got 2 similar products for less than $50 when the online companies were expected over $80 plus the shipping and handling. Moral of the story: NEVER buy "free trials" online and always search in stores for the products you are wanting, usually you get them cheaper and don't have to take a chance at losing money.
As for Oprah, being a credible source, she should think twice about every featuring fad diets on her show, so far no results for me (so far), and the reviews about the product are very negative, making her look bad!

Twilight Review: Typical or Brilliant?

The time of day immediately following the sunset, when skin turns to crystals, and all immortal beings must bring their days to an end, twilight. The definition gives a preview to this awaited vampire movie written by director Catherine Hardwicke. In conclusion, a gloomy, unfit girl Bella played Kristen Stewart is protected from evil by the hearth robbing, yet mysterious vampire Edward played by Robert Pattinson. Peter Bradshaw says, "Twilight is mad, bad and deeply unwholesome to know, and perhaps, in its serious way, the most entertaining teen film since 10 Things I Hate About You. It is certainly a new twist on the time-honoured nice-girl-bad-boy storyline." A movie released in 2008 directed at the audience of teenagers, is not so young at heart while at the same time promoting the ever ending movie trend of the power of men. In general the story plot is simple: Young girl is forced to move to a new town, young girl meets mysterious vampire. Girl falls in love with crazed vampire, who shows no interest in here other than the fact that he cannot resist her smell....of blood that is, and finally girl wants to become vampire solely to please her man. Typical? Not really, realistic? According to most other movies, yes. Entertainment Weekly says, "For girls, the intense, ego-stroking appeal of Meyer's novel was the way that Bella becomes this undead Byronic stud's soul mate without quite knowing why she's worthy." Through out the movie, Edward treats Bella with no respect, yet she longs to be with him allow for the longest time not knowing why. Numerously, Edward opts to leave the girl, but she does not allow this. This says a lot about her character, demonstrating a girl who is desperate and longs for the love of someone whose only interest is the hunger for her blood.
The movie is well-written and nontraditional, allow does not teach good morals especially for teenage girls. The red lips, pale skin, and high cheek bones of Robert Pattinson could reel any human girl in, but the desperateness and unworthiness consumed by Bella is pitiful. As a love story, the spark and chemistry of the two lovers is only in the hands of Bella. Jake Wilson says, "In a film of this kind a great deal depends on the chemistry between the lead actors, and here Twilight falls especially short."
"Dumbest vampire movie ever," said Rob Grimm, however, not quite. The movie was well directed and actors well picked. Grimm explains the movie lacks reality, "Why make a vampire movie when you can't see any real vampire action?" Why? Because the movie is directed toward young adults and because this movie throws a twist on vampires. An animal blood sucking vampire, not human. Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp suck blood, Robert Pattinson longs for only one humans blood, Bella, which brings a whole new perspective to vampire movies.
In conclusion, this is a movie that "sucks" any audience into it. Allow it is far fetched and not your typical love story, the mystery and twists is sensational.

Stop complaining, it's FREE!

Sometimes I wonder who has more power, President Obama or the makers of Facebook? I wonder how many people would rather "creep" on Facebook than watch a speech given about their country from their President. I also wonder if people were more apt to listen to their President in a time of dwindle or their friends on Facebook. FACEBOOK HAS TAKEN OVER!
Everywhere I look there is another article about Facebook and what it did or did not do. The most recent article was featured on CNN and was written just to let users know that the Facebook team members are listening to your complaints. Really? This story states that Facebook has over 175 million users and I guarantee that those 175 million users are active users. Basically, people are mad about the new layout about Facebook and "want the old layout back." My mind is blown. I am not sure if people realize that Facebook is more of an addiction that it is a social network. This complaint about a new layout showed up in a blog and asked users to rate the new layout. Here's the problem although it may sound cliche: Fargo, ND is flooding, the south is being swarmed with gangs, drugs, murder, American Idol is down to nine singers, Denise Richards got kicked off of Dancing with the Stars, and there is a massive blizzard on its way. Point being: there are so many other things to care about than the layout of Facebook.
I realize that for some this is communication, but what ever happened to phone conversations, not texting or mailing letters? Lunch with friends? Actualy face to face communication?
I will admit the last few days I have made an appearance on Facebook, so call me a hypocrite. It is quite amazing, I have people talk to me on this Facebook chat application that have not talked to me for years! I have random people I have seen a couple times from a class talk to me and then when I go to class and sit right next to them, they do not even bother to say hi. Appalling huh?
Not only this but its a scary place. Many individuals have random friends they do not know and all their personal information for everyone to see.
I know that I rant a lot about Facebook, this being probably my third complaint and many of you may think I just repeat myself, but the fact and the point is that there are bigger and better things to worry about in life rather than whether or not Tommy from Facebook wants to be your friend or not.
If you take nothing else from this article or do not care if I think that Facebook is more dangerous than social take this: it's a free website and almost everyone is a Facebook addict, so stop your complaining, let the lay outs be layouts and applications be applications.

More Media Bias: A Follow Up

The other day in class we discussed media bias and the more I thought about it, the more I agreed with my professor. It reminded me of a tragic event that took place a few weeks ago I believe. It was the story of Natasha Richardson who was skiing and got into and accident and died. Don't get me wrong, its a terrible tragedy, but it's nothing new. Hundreds of people die while skiing and not only while skiing but while living life. Life is the risk you are taking and it is dangerous, but if the media tried to cover all the deaths that took place daily, news would no longer be news. But why should they only pity those who are famous or are well known in their community? Richardson was not a notable actress or star but had a well known family and did appear on screen in minor productions many of times. It also made me think of our class discussion about media bias concerning race. A few months ago Jennifer Hudson's two family members were found murdered. Yes the media did high lite this, but it was not much talked about, not near as much as Richardson and her legendary acting family and their tragedy.
Again, both incidents are terrible and I do feel sorrow for Richardson's family, but why must media only high lite those who are known? If media believes that deaths and tragedies are newsworthy, they should never have a problem producing a story but should also never have a problem reporting a story that doesn't involve someone wealthy or well-known.
The more and more I read the news, the more I get frustrated. We are all Americans and we all deserve the lives we live. The media should not only cherish the lives of those who are well-known because many others are well-known for other aspects of their lives and in someones eyes are very important.

Spring Break Story

He’s tall peeking at 6’5’’. She’s tall, for a female, reaching 6’2’’. He is known for his excellent skills and good looks. She is known for her outspoken personality and good looks. They both are athletic and majored in communications in college. Although he is better known than she is, she surprised him with her presence that night.

It all started on a Monday, the first day of Spring break. We sat there bored, cold, and in Nebraska. All through the night our phones rang off the hook from other friends who were fortunate enough to actually have a Spring break outside of the middle of the U.S. No lakes, no oceans, no extravagant malls, no friends, just her, me, and the cold, isolated city of Omaha.

Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves about the situation, we packed our clothes, and headed on a short trip to Kansas City, Missouri. The question was, were we cut out or even expecting what was ahead of us?

Two girls, in their twenties, no money, and no destination ahead of them. A spur of the moment trip brings more surprises than they had expected.

They arrived in Kansas City around 2 p.m., got lost in the “bad” part of town by 3 p.m., noticed bars on all the windows of businesses by 3:30 p.m., and finally by 4 p.m. were sitting in a gas station looking for directions. Finally, getting their directions they headed downtown Kansas City wondering if their luck to find a destination was going to get any worse. After stopping at four different hotels that all seemed to be vacant, they settled in a Super 8 which was completely empty, so the shape the hotel was in was obvious, but the time spent there would be minimal.

After showering and getting “dolled” up, we walked down the dark sidewalks of Kansas City, finally, reaching the only place we wanted to call home—the bar.

Two hours later, being two young girls that obvious could not have the fun as the other Missourians, were done for the night and hungry. It’s amazing how much one person can fit in their stomach at the end of the night. Fortunately, the bar across the street had a pizza stand in it and it just so happened to be the best pizza in town. Making their way to the next bar, the girls went their separate ways.

Approximately 30 minutes later, there my friend Jess was screaming at me from across the bar, “Kylie you have to come here!”

As I neared closer to her I noticed a group of five other people sitting around here laughing. She looked like a kid in a candy shop, perked up, big smile, pizza all over her hands and face. But, instead of using a paper towel to wipe her hands on she decided to use the bright, white, clean t-shirt of Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs tight end football player.

“Kylie, you have got to feel his abs, his muscles, he is so buff,” she said to me as she ran her hands down the front and back of his shirt.

As for Tony, no smile, yet no anger, just amazement. He is a pro-football player and some twenty something year old girl is rubbing pizza all over him while admiring his muscles. While he sat there in astonishment, I stood there and laughed. Everyone knew he was there, but no one wanted to be that “crazy fan.” Not one person approached him the whole night even though every person wanted too. But, my friend Jess did and she definitely made her presence known.

Gonzalez states on his Web site that, “He loves to meet new people and enjoys talking to his fans.” That night, it seemed as if Jess was his biggest fan although it is still unsure of whether or not she actually realized who she was talking to at the time.

Though they had a lot in common, both living in Midwest states, both fans of Barack Obama, both with good looks and high IQ’s, the chemistry just was not there that night, but I guarantee the pizza stains were and will always be.

Leno appearance, was this a mistake?

On Thursday night, President Obama appeared on Jay Leno's show and some are wondering if this was a mistake or glory. Personally, I believe this is a huge mistake. In a recent article from FOX News, this was the first sitting President appearance by any of our leaders on a talk show. In the middle of an economic crisis one has to wonder whether Obama is trying to up his credentials or genuienly cares about whats going on in the world, such as are worsening economy. One media analyst told Fox News that, "it is no accident that no President has ever done a show like this." Perhaps because this shows that he is not only a President, but now he is just another talk show guest. There are far more things to do than for him to be present on a talk show, and not only this but I believe it decreases his credibility. Talk shows to me are for entertainment. They're funny, comically, and sinister. Most times shows as these are making fun of the worldly news and Obama going on a show as this makes him a perfect target for this. It was also noted that Obama was caught cracking jokes about the Special Olympics. Basically, shows as these are to entertain and those who watch shows such as these want the entertainment so it is no wonder that guest, even Obama, get caught up in jokes and often times making fun of issues, as he did.
In conclusion, one has to wonder, was this a mistake? Personally, yes this was. Obama must not worry so much about becoming an entertainer or "the people's choice" but solely to run the country. No one wants entertainment from him and no one needs to like him, we just want him to fix our country, in which so far does no look promising.

Wal-mart Hoax and the Power of Technology

Today around 3p.m. I received many text messages concerning a "gang initiation" at Wal-mart tonight. It all started when a woman came into my fitness center and said to me, "Kylie, do not go to Wal-mart tonight. I received many text messages that said there is going to be a gang initiation tonight and three women would die." I looked at her with a funny face and said, "Well, I actually need to go to Wal-mart because I need something for dinner and I don't get off work so..." She looked at me puzzled, laughed, and said, "Wouldn't you rather starve than be dead?" My only response was, "This is a sick joke." About 10 minutes later I went and checked my phone and sure enough, 4 new text messages all saying the same thing. So instead of taking the message at face value, I did some research on the Internet and found out in Georgia newspapers people were writing how they received the same message two days ago! About an hour later, it was on the news that this was only a hoax and there was no evidence linking this message to any gang related activity.
Most people are probably wondering why I am even writing about it, but it is interesting to me. Not the fact that some really unintelligent person was boycotting Wal-mart and decided to send a message to everyone else so they would join in, but because everyone else jumped on the bandwagon and believed it! I do not know how many people came in tonight and told me to stay away from Wal-mart yet they did not even know the facts. First of all, the message said from some Wal-mart, we only have one here in Kearney, second of all, no one even took the time to look it to it. I guess I am writing about it because it gave me a scare and a laugh all at the same time. The power of technology and word of mouth all at the same time and the fact that people go to such extreme measures to look for entertainment. Now, I would feel really bad if something like this did happen tonight after I have been bashing it, but honestly, get the facts before you spread the words!

Spring Break: Fun or Risky?

Everyone knows the hot spots for spring break. It used to be going to California and Florida, just some where warm, but now where is the place to be? MEXICO. Although this seems fun and exciting students must be cautious. Although I would love to take a trip for spring break, I would rather make money than loose it so jealousy is not the issue here. The issue here is that students need to open their eyes. I have heard about a lot of students going to Mexico for Spring break and I guess my question and concern is why? Are students so blind about what is going on in Mexico that they choose to drink for 12 hours in 90 degree weather over living for 40 more years? Even if I wanted to go on vacation, this would be the last place I would go. It just seems as if people are oblivious to the issues going on around the world and they would choose to put their lives at risks. In a recent article on AOL news, some universities were actually warning students about going to Mexico. Not only are university officials warning students but the U.S. State Department is also warning students. What does this tell you? That obvious this problem is so serious that students must consider their spring break plans. If you are not aware, Mexico is being taken over with a surge of drugs, murders, shootings, kidnappings, and other uncontrollable violence. It is crazy to me that over 100,000 students would chose to go here for spring break when half of these students are scared to go to "bad" places in their own cities where they are not even sure violence takes place. More than 6,000 people were killed last year in drug related sprees. Mexico is fighting each other and government forces. personally, you would have to be crazy to want to travel here.
Spring break is fun and there is no reason students should not travel and let loose, but safety comes first. Students must consider their destinations before choosing them. We all know its a cheap and fun way to spend break, but in the end it could cost you as much as your life!

Another Shooting and Another Field Day for the Media

Looking through news clips from Fox News, ABC News, and my favorite....Nancy Grace, horror continues to sweep the world. I was reading an update from recent article on Fox News entitled "Home of a Killer." I am sickened by this incident but it seems as though there is one every year that people are talking about. Gun violence and innocent people. In this article, a young man walks into a church, shoots the pastor and wounds many others. After this, his fame is accomplished by exposing the incident all over the news. This is another one of the infamous questions of reporters to either report the truth or protect citizens. I understand this incident is newsworthy, but then as I ask myself again I wonder why? Why do we like to hear about it? Not only this but what is the point in basically advertising the gruesome crimes of these screwed up individuals only to have some other kid commit the same crime next year? My only concern with in incidents such as these, school, mall, and now church shootings is that the individuals want the fame simply because they have never had it. They have nothing to live for so they take incident lives in order to be remembered. So why should we remember them? For example I still remember the shooters of Columbine and Omaha West Road's Mall. Matter of fact, I can remember exactly when the events happened, what I was doing, and how I felt. These individuals do not deserve to make people feel the way they do when they watch these programs.
No, I do not think media should NOT cover these incidents and there is no way that they wouldn't. As Dr. Hanson writes in his blog post, the media is like a pack of hungry wolves. They are sensationalist and only look for stories. But, there is no need to advertise these stories because I guarantee there is some psychotic person out there watching what this German teen did last week and wondering if this is how he can catch his fame too.
It's annoying to me that the media cannot find anything else to cover than the horror of someone else's lives. I understand the immediate coverage, but this will go on for weeks after, replaying what happened, reminding families of what they lost, and reminding viewers of how messed up the world actually is. We do not want to continue to watch this. The media must inform us and then move on.
There are many other problems in the world and bigger problems than this teen shooting everyone. Yes, I am sympathetic to the families of the deceased and wounded, and this is why I write this. I can't imagine being in the shoes of these families and watching the incident over and over because the media has to have a field day with this.
In conclusion, gives us the immediate coverage, then move on. Protect the emotions of the families and future incidents like this from happening.

To ALL Facebook Junkies...Watch the clip!

Saturday night drinking binges...got those pictures up. Last weeks party at Jim's house...yep got those up too. Bob streaking down main street....posted. Pictures on facebook....hmmm...good idea? NO! A recent New York Times article expresses the concern for the information Facebook users put on their social networking site. on Friday, I had the opportunity to speak with an employee of The New York Times, who was visiting UNK, about social networking sites. She explained to me that Facebook owns all information that anyone posts on their and then when employers hire people this is the first place they look. She said they cannot hire people who have unacceptable information on Facebook because it is too big of a risk. My question is, what exactly can Facebook do with your material? Sell your pictures? Modify your pictures? Students and individuals across the world are the sole reasons as to why this Web site is so popular and creators of Facebook are basically stabbing us in the back. Personally, I am not a huge fan of this social network only because I feel as if I have a lack of privacy and I am not sure who is looking at it. As for those who are Facebook junkies, I do feel as if they have the right to use this tool for what it was created to be used for. On the other hand, why do people take the risk in putting some of the chosen material on social networking sites? Are you not concerned with your privacy let alone your well being?
personally, I think the Web site with its over 175 million users is getting a little out of hand. However, some users are only doing with it was it was made for. Why would Facebook creators want to own this information? How does it benefit them? There is a reason for everything and that is why Facebook users must be cautious. Also, it seems fun now, but just like anything else, all fun comes to an end. Look out for your future! AND WATCH THE CLIP BELOW....HILARIOUS, BUT SO TRUE!

Brown + Rhianna = Love?

One of the hottest issues in entertainment today is the Chris Brown and Rhianna dilemma. This is also one of the most embarrassing and pathetic issues in entertainment today. In a March 6 article from FOXNEWS.com, the headline read, "9 Days before Chris Apologized." My question is, what does it matter anyway? Other recent reports on covers of magazines have been saying that she will "give him one more chance" and that two of her close friends and former stars, P-Diddy and Kayne West, will also forgive him. Interesting enough in this Fox News article it says that, "Rhianna is a role model to young girls." So what exactly is she teaching young girls by forgiving him? That it is okay to experience dating violence in relationships? That everyone deserves a second chance? The chilling event is stated in another article by Fox News that says that they have reconciled. Apparently, Brown suffers from anger and psychological problems which is why he lashed out therefore making it okay for him to beat up his girlfriend. PATHETIC. The more and more the details from this story unravel the stupider these two young people look. At a time when America is fighting sexual assault, dating violence, and crimes against women, they are also letting entertainers such as Brown get away with these same incidents putting the blame on some other factor. Not only that but one of girl's biggest role models is sitting back and taking it.
The fact of the matter is this was not an accident, this was a crime and because it happened once, it will happen again.

Parking Wars

Every commuter student goes through the same situation every morning: drive around, and around, and around, finally finding a parking space four blocks away from the class you're due to be at in five minutes, carrying almost ten extra pounds on your back. No matter how well you plan your morning, parking just does not seem to get any easier and the day does not go any smoother.
UNK faculty and administration are fed up with complaints relating to parking, but this makes it evident that it is a problem, not just students complaining. It seems like everyone has a solution to the parking situation, but the administration has yet to even try one common idea: eliminating on-campus student's, more specifically, freshman parking. There are few other solutions to this problem that will not cost the University a fortune. This would simply mean forcing students, more specifically freshman who live in the dorms, to park off-campus. These students live on campus and are they are there overnight so getting to class is not an issue to them. Adding parking spaces around campus does not seem to be a solution because there are few places already, but requiring on-campus freshman students to park off-campus would not cost and would open many parking spots to commuters.
Student commuters pay $50/ year for a parking pass, but what is the point when there is no guaranteed parking spot? Morning parking seems to be the biggest issue for students, by having on-campus students park on the streets the night before when there is parking would open more spaces for commuters in the morning. Not only that but on-campus students would still have closer parking spacing than off-campus commuters. This would be a system of hierarchy, freshman would park off-campus so that upperclassman could park closer to their classes.
There is no other alternative to this situation that will not cost money. Cutting spots for freshman on campus is only minor to how some Universities have solved parking issues. Many Universities across the nation have not allowed freshman to have vehicles on campus in order to open spots, for example the University of Maryland does not allow freshman to register for campus parking unless they can prove they have an off-campus job.
If this does not work, UNK administration only has one other solution: stop making $14.5 renovations to the campus and start working on a multi-level parking garage.
Too many students and too little space. With UNK's population steadily rising, this situation is going to only get worse and worse. Eliminating freshman parking would give more spots to upperclassman and commuters would have the chance to park closer to campus.

Octuplet mother has never been financially stable and on top of her 6 children she decides to have 8 more. Implanting embryos is not an inexpensive procedure, so how did she pay for her? The twist...over $160,000 in disability checks in which is suppose to go for her two mentally challenged children. And she expects to take care of 8 more children, doesn't this prove her inability and irresponsibility? Selfish.

14 Children and Financial Woes

The rage goes on as octuplet's mother tries to defend her decision of implanting six embryos after already conceiving six children prior. Not only is the public, including taxpayers, but her biggest two supporters, her mother and father, have went against. In a recent article posted by AOL news, the mother and grandmother of the babies got in a heated argument in relation to the welfare of the children. The mother's defense? " You either use them or destroy them. You either use them or destroy them. You either use them or destroy them." WRONG! First, she was nor in the right place nor the right time to have these newborn children. She already has 6 children all born after the year 2001. She must think about the welfare of her first six children before she tries to raise 8 more! Not only that but there are thousands of couples in the world that are infertile and are desperate to have these embryos. She made a mistake and worst of all she has no defense to back it up. She is not even giving these children or the public hope in success for her family.
As bad as the situation seems, there is evidence that these hospital officials who created the fiasco have some sense after all. In a Feb. 23 ABC News Report, Phil McGraw reported that Kaiser Permenante officials are now saying that the mother might have to prove she can handle the load before they can release the babies. There is no question about it, she MUST prove she is financially stable before she tries to take care of 14 children, attend college, and have no source of income. The blame is on the mother, not the children and not the taxpayers and there is no logical reason why anyone else should feel the woes of her failure except for her.

11 the new 18?

Whatever happened to human interest stories concerning the good tasks people have accomplished? Stories that make you smile when you read them? Stories that make you proud to live in a world so complex? Skimming through many different headlines of newspapers such as the Time, Washington Post, and even our own Kearney Hub, I came across stories that talked specifically about kidnapping, sexual assault, rise in crime rates, 9-year old bride-to-be, and last of all murder by an 11-year old. A recent article that didn't make me smile or be proud was that by Fox News. The article talked about the recent tragedy of a 26-year old pregnant woman who was the girlfriend of the 11-year olds father. Jordan Brown shot the woman with a 20 gauge shotgun perhaps because of jealous. The issue here is whether or not to charge the boy as a juvenile or an adult. In the article, his attorney claims, "he's confused. He looks and acts like a typical 11-year-old." This is no typical 11-year old boy! The gun the boy used was a Christmas present from his father who was training him to be a hunter. After he shot the woman, he jumped on the school bus and headed off to school. I think there is more than one issue here, whether to charge him as a child or adult and why the gun was so easy for this child to occupy. The child should be charged as an adult with 1st degree murder because he knew what he wanted to do, planned on doing it, and finally did it, period. Secondly, why was it so easy? He is 11, not 16. Has the boy had proper training to use this gun? Did anyone ever tell him the possible dangers of occupying a gun? Did his father even realize that he was only 11 years old? It seems that anymore the ages below 13 are the 18, legal. No the father should not be to blame, but there is no reason for an 11 year old to possess a 20 gauge shotgun.

Campus/Local Ideas

There are many local and campus issues at UNK and around the community of Kearney. Some issues that I have found interesting were as follows:
Rise in Tuition: An Oct. 2008 issue of the L.A. Times warns that tuition may rise approximately 6% for the 2009-2010 year for colleges nationwide including UNK. The main reason for this is state budget cuts. The main question I have is, isn't education one of the most important aspects of a state?
College Textbook Prices: A New York Times article, along with many other, addresses the issue of the cost of textbooks on campus. The main issue here is whether or not bookstores and professors consider the price of the textbook when they ask students to buy it. Is there any alternative? Now with UNK only have one bookstore, there is no other choice or price decision to be made.
Purchase of First Tier Event Center: This is a local issue that the public will have one more chance to vote on. This issue is the debate on whether or not the city of Kearney should purchase the event center located south of city limits. Most city residents, tazpayers,are against the purchase due to the rising of taxes in order to pay for the $2-$3 million center. the question I wonder is why are taxpayers responsible for this? Why not let a private company buy the center instead of raising the prices for local citizens. because of the revenue it could possibly bring to Kearney?

Ryan Allen's Gain of Fame

A recent article that was very appalling to me was an article from MSNBC and on many other websites entitled, "Drag Queen Becomes Homecoming Queen." This was a very interesting article to me for a couple reasons. First, it shows how far we have came as a country and how accepting and supportive Americans really tend to be on subjects such a gay rights. However, an article like this makes me wonder how serious people really take issues such as these. Are people really sincere about issues such as gay rights or is just a humorous approach for public interest and fame? This article is about a drag queen, Ryan Allen, who entered the homecoming queen contest and actually won. He first did it as a joke, but after he won he said it was one of the happiest moments of his life. So which is it? A joke or a real victory and step forward for American diversity?
I remember being in high school and seeing bullies vote in, as they would refer, "not so popular" students into events like homecoming candidate or prom candidate. I remember their snickering and gossiping with their friends about how funny it would be if one of the "not so popular" students won. Listening to them made me raged with anger and in a funny way really saddened. They were not doing this out of sincerity, but pure evil and in the end the "not so popular" student was talked about as the school joke.
After I read this article, I felt the same way, except I did not feel sorry for the Ryan Allen. I felt remorse for him. I felt as if he takes his lifestyle, as does everyone else, as a big joke. He ran for queen as a joke and just happened to win. He did not win because George Mason University is so diverse, but yet because it was new gossip and a way to get a good story that Allen himself participated in. I am "pro-diversity" and a firm believer that every one person must be treated equally no matter how they choose their life and how you portray yourself and show yourself to other must be with confidence. I do not think this is Allen's happiest time of his life, because really, what did he accomplish? He certainly got his fame.

As Joe Jackson, anti-smoking ban activist would say, "Smoking has always been something many people love and other people just do not get."

Smoking Ban

The recent uproar over the smoking ban leaves some businesses to smolder into ashes. This is not a civil debate; this is simply a one-sided argument that does not take into consideration the harm it could do to small businesses and their employees. The idea of legislatures trying to force individuals to take an action that they have established a right to is illogical.
The solution here is clear, cigar bars and pool halls bring in over 50% or more of their revenue from tobacco products. These venues are popular because they allow individuals to sit down, sit back, and enjoy a cigar or cigarette without getting dirty looks from the family of five at the next table. Basically, this is why establishes such as this are opened. It is obvious that slapping on a ban that would outlaw what this company was created to do would force them out of business.
Governor Dave Heineman signed into law a smoking ban that would outlaw smoking of tobacco in all public places. According to Heineman the reason was the concern of public health in the interests of business owners. He states that, “the public has a right to clean indoor air and this is a public health concern that is critical.” However, it is uncertain that Heineman took into consideration small business owner’s right to operate their businesses and also the public’s right to privacy. Heineman explains that he weighed the interests between the businesses and public health deeming that public health is more important. Individuals who have taken on this habit are knowledgeable about it. They are aware of its effects and know its harmful, but that is meaningless in this case. The fact is that people have a right as a citizen to smoke and they should choose how they want to proceed with their lives.
The last thing our state needs is another reason to support the downfall of the economy. According to John Larkin, co-owner of cigar bars in Lincoln and Omaha, since the Omaha ban has gone into effect he has gone from 12 employees to 3. His income has decreased $168,000 over 6 months. When Omaha’s first smoking ban went into effect, the Legislature made an exception for retail tobacco stores, but as of June 1, currently there are no plans for exemptions. With vast number of businesses that will no longer allow smoking, profits will decrease; therefore employees will be laid off only to again increase the national unemployment rate. Smoking in bars has been a trend that has stuck around for hundreds of years, why the sudden change now? Today’s economy already makes times challenging for all Americans. There is no sense in putting more jobs and businesses at risk.
Banning smoking in local family restaurants seem very reasonable but, banning smoking in a bar where most individuals expect it seems absurd, especially for businesses whose niche is smoking, such as most cigar bars. Banning smoking in cigar bars could be compared to banning the consumption of alcohol in bars. If individuals do not want to be around smoke they should simply not put themselves into positions in which they are. If people are entitled to “clean indoor air” they should stay put in their own homes instead of adding more exhaustion to small businesses that are already in tough positions.
In conclusion, Governor Dave Heineman must rethink the decision or be prepared for far worse results. We live in a free society and that is how it should stay. Most individuals know the harmful effects of smoking, but whether 18 or 25 years old, it is their prerogative. This sort of legislation is just another way for the government to take away our rights. This ban has two sides and legislatures must do what is best for the state as a whole. One guarantee is that individuals are not going to quit their habits, only become more and more frustrated with the people who they have voted to reflect their opinions and represent their state as a whole. This is not the right decision nor the right time to put businesses in jeopardy.

Babies, Babies, and More Babies....and There Mother

At 5 p.m. on MS NBC Dateline, an interview with the mother of octuplets was conducted. After watching it, more disgust overwhelmed me. One aspect of the interview that made me a little angered was when the mother had said she currently has NO income coming in. She is a single mother who is going back to school. She said she still plans to continue school, but in return, that allows her to be unable to hold a job. She also said that money is coming into the family through student loans and disability checks because she currently has three children who are disabled, however, her student loans are already used. Basically, she is a single mother of 14 children with NO source of money to raise them. She also claims to not be on welfare, but she is on food stamps in which she "hopes to be off when she graduates from college." The whole interview was disgusting. My question is, why did she feel the need to bring eight more children into her life at that particular time? Why did she not wait until she was finished with school and she had some source of income? Personally, I the recent pregnancy was a great way out of her existing lifestyle. She was a struggling mother of six children, had no job and no source of income, and decided to take the easy way out...having more children to claim fame. Her situation is a historical one and she knew that being a young, single mother she would get the public attention. She has more than likely accumulated thousands of dollars from interviews and speaking to the public, which in her situation helps her dearly. It's pathetic.
This woman is a selfish woman who has decided to put her children in a dire situation in order to help her financial status. What happens to the other children with eight more babies? How does one woman take care of 14 children and give enough attention to each one including one with autism? I recently worked at a daycare and state laws require there be one adult over the age of 18 for every four children. In her situation, she would need at least three people 24/7 to care for her children aside from the other every day duties a person holds.
I thought after seeing her interview and giving her a chance to speak out I would be able to understand her and her situation better, but the interview only made me more disgusted and truly proved how selfish this mother is.

He Plead the Fifth

President of Peanut Corp. has plead the fifth! On Feb. 11, Stuart Parnell went in front of the court to be question about whether or not he told his crew to send out products that he and others knowingly knew were contaminated. At court, he plead the fifth and refused to answer any questions about the situation. There is one of two reasons Parnell did this. One, he in fact did knowingly send out contaminated products and now has the guilt of seven deaths and over 400 people sick on his mind or two he again is in fact guilty and when he sent the products he was willing to take a chance and that chance sunk. Either way...the man is guilty. In a recent MS NBC article is stated that in court on the Feb. 11 an e-mail was released from Parnell to his plant manager that said, "Turn them loose." He was referring to the products that may possibly have been contaminated. It is hard to understand what was going through Parnell's at the time of this e-mail. It also goes to show really how much manufacturers really care about their consumers. Yes, the products could have went out without no one falling ill and Parnell would have been cleared...but they did not. One has to wonder if this is how every manufacturer handles problems at plants...decide on a whim and hope that everything goes well? Interesting.
After causing seven deaths and almost 400 falling ill you would think that the last thing that Parnell could do is explain or try to explain himself in front of his consumers, but as of Feb. 11 he could not.

Nebraska State Issues

As I was reading through the newspapers, I found three key issues that were repeated a lot through Nebraska news papers.

Smoking Ban
Immigration
Gambling

A lot of the articles in the paper focus around the coming of the smoking ban that will go into affect June 1. It is interesting to read these articles and see how the ban has already affected some businesses. Another issue is that of immigration. The article above is a debatable article in which states that Nebraska needs to quickly address the issue. Lastly, I was surfing the web and came across the ever ending issue of gambling in Nebraska. The article above talks about gambling in the sense of what it could do to horse racing...which is something I never really thought about. It talks about how if Nebraska does not address the issue, horse racing will come to an end...pretty interesting! Some other state issues that I came across was that of education for the younger generation, state tuition increases, and of course job losses associated with the downfall of the economy. All very important and interesting issues.

Reality T.V.

The last couple of days, I have been watching a lot of television. I have been sick since last Saturday which has forced me to stay inside and do a great deal of channel surfing. As I go through the channel, I started to do some calculations...almost every other channel I switched to was some reality show. Not the good reality shows where they would have people actually work for $100,000 but the ones where they kept the losers on the show until the end solely to make the show watchable. The first two programs I caught myself watching was, "Bad Girls Club," and "Rock of Love Bus." I swear my face remained with a disgusted look on it for 2 hours straight. Yes, I have heard bad words and I have been around drinking and etc. But every episode I watched was two girls drinking as much as they possibly could, making complete fools of themselves, then fist fighting with another girl. In the end what happened? They were asked to "Please continue to rock...blah blah blah." With the Bad Girls Club, there was no incentive whatsoever. Seven girls are thrown into a house together to get drunk, yell, then pull each other's hair out. Is this really what entertainment has come to? What happened to good old episodes and series such as Friends and Seinfeld or reality shows such as Survivor or The Bachelor where people are actually judged on the skills they have? The entertainment industry is trying way to hard to make good television when in reality all they need to do is have good programs with actually story lines.
In conclusion, reality shows have gone way to far to please their audience. Honestly, I really do not know what kind of audience these producers have conquered with the shows they are making.

Guns in Nebraska....Why?

I am currently doing an article about gun control in Nebraska and I am appalled with many mixed feelings. If I am not wrong, Nebraska recently passed a bill that allows individuals to carry a concealled weapon with a permit. Supporters for this say people have a constitutional right, and those who oppose it believe it will cause crime rates to increase. However, reading a couple different articles, it has been said that there was no link to legalizing concealed weapons and crime. My only question here is why? Why do honest people need weapons? I have talked to a few people concerning this and there response is always, "for protection". WHAT?! You're telling me that people need to carry guns around in order to scare off predators? How many times a day, especially in a city that HAD a city ban on guns, do you hear about a person getting mugged or shot? If you say once a week, that's pretty fortunate compared to some places. So 30 some thousand people should be allowed to carry guns around just feel better protected? We may as well engage in another city lay off too...the police department.
Personally, I see no relevant point in passing this law. I think if anything, everyone is now going to be a hero. Every defense case that is brought to courts will be "self-defense."
I wonder, is this law going to go in the same direction as that of the safe haven law?

Michael Phelps

I have heard a lot about Olympic superstar Michael Phelps and the recent accusation of him caught smoking marijuana. About a week ago I saw the headline on MSN that he "regrettably" admitted to smoking marijuana. I write about this to express two things: 1. this is not his first time and will not be his last, and 2. he does not regret it or is sorry for it, he is only sorry that he got caught.
Point one, Michael Phelps seems like a genuine guy with good morals. I suppose the press and himself will say he just got caught up in the fame and made a mistake. WRONG. Before winning the Olympics, Phelps was just a normal guy, who had a normal job, and partied like some normal kids (not implying that smoking marijuana is normal, but it is more common that some would think). For most people this discovery is a major shock, but really? He is a Olympic swimmer, not a activist for making marijuana illegal across America. In other words, this is not his first time and the only mistake he made was that he got caught. Not that I support him and his ways, because I do not at all. Phelps knows he is an idol and he is now "famous" and he just stuck himself right out there to get eat up by the press.
Second, Phelps is not sorry for what he has done, he just upset because he was not more careful to not get caught.
In conclusion, he is not perfect and the only mistake he made was that he became absent minded, maybe he forgot that he was an American Star now.

Babies, Babies, Babies

What kind of doctor would give a women with 6 kids already fertility drugs? Let alone place 8 more embryos inside her? Especially when the mother is quite young and still lives with her parents according to an article on MS NBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28927339?GT1=43001. This issue brings up many questions for me. The first thing that comes to my mind when I heard this is that the mother is either doing it for attention or government money. To be honest, I am not even sure that the federal or state government gives families money for having babies, but I would assume that this women would have to be on welfare or some other state or federal aid program in order to raise, now, 14 children! In this article, it states that doctors have no control on family sizes but they do try to prevent families from doing things like this. Basically, it seems to me, that the doctors feel helpless. Perhaps the doctors should not be to blame, but I do believe that a person will react to the actions of others. I think if the doctor would have tried harder, told her the risks, the expenses, how wrong this actually was, maybe this lady would have changed her mind. Fertility drugs are to be used for those people who are not able to conceive children. It sickens me to see someone who already has 6 children using these drugs, its selfish. There are so many people in the world who cannot have children and it is sad to see a woman like this basically take advantage of what she can do. Not only do I think it is wrong that she used the drugs, but in the long run it is only going to affect the children. Though she has 14 children, there is only one mother and one father. These parents will not be able to give their children the attention they need, which in the long run could cause bigger problems.
All in all, this was mistake now and will be a bigger mistake in the future. Whether this children did this for attention, money, or fame, I do not know, perhaps she did it because she just really loves going through the pain of having a child!