Never Go Into The Samurai Sword Infomercial Business

Reading Post on Grave Robbery

     I read this article from startribune.com written by Jim Adams.  The article was about the robbing of an infant grave from 1925.  Only the remains of the infant were stolen.  Dirt and parts of the coffin were left behind.  The sheriff's detectives have not yet found any motives for stealing body remains.  They commented that they were hopeful this was an isolated event and was executed by out of hand kids.  The gravestone read only 1925 and "Baby Locke".  The sheriff also mentioned that he had previously seen nothing like the crime in his past sixteen years in law enforcement.  Personally I think the crime is sick and below human nature.  I wonder if the corpse was dug up for some kind of Halloween prank.  I doubt it but I don't know a better explanation.  Whatever the reason, I hope nothing like this happens again.

Reading Post on Clergy Sexual Abuse

     I read this article on dealing with sexual abuse among leaders of the Catholic Church.  Because priests never get married, priesthood sometimes attracts persons of different nature.  Rev. Michael O'Connell is receiving an award for leading the charge in dealing with clergy sexual abuse issues.  O'Connell started dealing with these issues because he believed they were some of the greatest problems the Catholic Church had ever faced.  I think that Michael O'Connell is doing great work and should be rewarded for it.  No matter what religion you are, combating sexual abuse is always a good thing to do.  I also agree with O'Connell that children abuse is a great problem facing the Catholic Church.

Jim Marshall Wrong Way Run

Reading Post on cocaine charges

     I read this article on the star tribune's website written by Judd Zulgad.  The article was about a man named Jeff Dubay.  Apparently Mr. Dubay was arrested in Maplewood when his car was pulled over.  Although a minor cocaine possession is against the law, Dubay's attorney noted that people blew the circumstance out of proportion.  Apparently in news websites, his possible charges listed were false.  In one news broadcast, he was said to have been involved with methamphetamine.  I think Mr. Dubay should get justice for what he has done, but I believe that it is very harmful to the recovery process to falsely accuse someone.  Just because someone goes to jail does not mean that they can no longer benefit society.  He will most likely be forced to go through drug rehabilitation  programs, and having your image scarred any worse than it is makes returning to civilian                                                              life that much harder.

Football Heroes

     The term hero is all in perspective.  Someone may be a hero to you, but not to me.  Pertaining to football heroes, some people become heroes over long periods of time and others become heroes on a single play.  Others are often considered heroes because of their learned wisdom

This video shows a kids football team whose coach is smart enough to call a trick play.  It worked perfectly and was completely legal.

  Here is an article about the Wisconsin College football coach calling intentional penalties on plays to win the game.

  This is a perfect example of someone using their head to get the job done.  The Wisconsin College football coach intentionally got his team flagged for penalties so that they could run the time out and win the game.

  Antonio Freeman is a hero in this game because of one great play.  He bobbles the ball, and the Viking receiver thinks the play is dead.  Then Freeman gets up and runs for a touchdown to win the game. 

This is yet another amazing catch.  Edwin Baptiste of Morgan state instantly becomes a hero because of one amazing play.   

                            

This is a picture of Vince Lombardi.  He was the coach of the Green Bay Packers, and became a hero for his long had work that led his team to world championship titles.

                         

     This is a picture of Eli manning after beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl last year.  He achieved the rank of hero in my opinion by progressing through the years as a so-so quarterback to winning the Super Bowl.

 Conclusion:

  Through my findings, I have discovered people become heroes in football over long periods of time, on a single play, and some even become heroes because of learned knowledge.  Although these are all different ways of attaining the title, they are all the same in a sense.  All of the ways involve accomplishing something great.

  Whether this thing is an amazing catch, or an amazing play call by the coach, it is still a great achievement.  To be referred to as a hero even in football is an honor.

Reading Post on Final Presidential Debate

     I read this article from startribune.com on the final presidential debate. The article was written by Beth Fouhy. John McCain and Barack Obama debated in New York for the final time on 10/15/08. McCain modestly attacked Barack Obama's plans for the future. This does not suggest that John McCain is hostile in nature. It simply is a sign to the US that McCain is running out of options. He needed a crucial and decisive win in the final debate to change the direction of the race. Although I believe that McCain got some good points in, I do not think it was enough to change the direction of the race. I think Barack Obama has this election in the bag. I am not a super fan of either candidate, but I believe John McCain got the raw end of the deal. With Bush's poor presidency as a republican, McCain had a disadvantage from the start. With a bias media and a failing economy, McCain lost the fighting chance he had. It is crossing the line to have SNL sketches written by Al Franken.

Fan Steals Ball From Favre

Reading Post on Vikings Head Coach

     I read this article on profootballtalk.com about the Vikings head coach Brad Childress.  The article was written by Mike Florio.  The article emphasized that Brad Childress is not fit for the job of a head coach in the national football league.  When playing the Tennessee Titans and down by 13 points, Childress decided to punt on 4th down with no timeouts.  He thought that the Vikings could get the ball back based on the way their defense was playing.  It was very apparent that Childress had used bad judgement when Tennessee took a knee three times and the game was over.  I know that coaches have made many bad coaching calls in the history of football, but this has to be one of the worst.  It is simply mathematical.  The other team can run two minutes off the clock by kneeling when you have no timeouts.  I am not a Vikings fan but I think they should get a new coach.

Reading Post on Politics in Lakeville

     This article is from  startribune.com and is written by Bob von Sternberg.  John McCain visited Lakeville South High School on Friday where his supporters were angry because of his respect for Barack Obama.  Some extremists even went as far as calling Obama a Muslim and a terrorist.  McCain restated that Obama is a decent family man, and that they only disagree on fundamental issues.  McCain also encouraged his supporters to be respectful.  His supporters booed however when McCain claimed that he admired Obama.  Obviously we all have our viewpoints, but I believe everyone should respect everyone else's opinions.  Republicans should not boo at John McCain for admiring Obama.  People should not smuggle inappropriate signs into the RNC attacking McCain.  We all want to better America.  We just do not always agree on the best way to do that.  No one should make anyone feel bad for what they believe, regardless of political preference. 

Reading Post on Moose Hunt

I recently read an article on startribune.com about a guy who went moose hunting in Alaska.  This article was written by columnist Dennis Anderson.  Sgt.  Brad Erickson of Minnetonka hunted this moose, which had almost a 75" antler spread, last month in the Alaskan interior.  Sgt. Erickson had a 21-year-old guide named Jake.  Apparently Jake did not even tell Erickson to shoot.  The moose turned out to be a legal bull luckily.  Erickson could have been in trouble for shooting the moose if it had been illegal.  Erickson's uncle paid for the hunting trip.  He died however before Erickson actually went on the trip.  A cow came out into the river and the bull followed her.  This is how Erickson  got a clear shot.  I am not big into hunting, but it sounds like it must have been very exciting.

Tom Petters Article Reading Post

     I read another article on startribune.com today by James Walsh and Liz Fedor.  The article is about Tom Petters, a Twin Cities businessman.  He is facing charges of mail and wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice.  He was arrested on Friday, October 3rd and is being held by the court without bail until trial.  Because he has charges against him possibly leading to life in prison, authorities had reason to believe he might flee.  This idea was enhanced by Petters claiming that his intentions were to be out of the country by the time of the presidential debates.  Federal police raided Petters' house and headquarters in Minnetonka on September 24th.  Petters still claims he is innocent.  I think this guy is obviously guilty and should go to jail.  Unfortunately, many wealthy people get out of trouble simply because they are wealthy.  If you have enough money, you can afford a very expensive lawyer and greatly increase your chances of going free.  I think this is a huge problem in the United States' court system.

T-Mobile Fav 5 Sketch

Reading Post on Monetary Theft from the State

     I read this article on startribune.com today written by Rochelle Olson.  It is about a person named Sabrina Walker who received a check from the state of Minnesota for $2.6 million.  Walker called the Department of Health and Human Services confirming that the check was not actually intended for her.  She then went on a $267,000 spending spree in just a few hours.  She purchased several expensive automobiles, jewelry, retirement accounts, and a U.S. treasury bond worth $500,000.  In March 2007, a check that was supposed to be for the Hennepin County Medical Center was accidently sent to Sabrina Walker when a state worker typed a single digit wrong.  Judge Marilyn Rosenbaum sentenced Walker to nine months in the work house saying that she gave Walker a generous sentence, because Walker could have gone to jail for a year.  Walker pleaded guilty and only received three years probation.  I think it was very poor thinking of her to do such a thing, but at least she apologized.  I think she learned her lesson and sent a message to everyone about honesty.

of Mice and Men SNL Sketch

A Civil Action Response

     Sometimes we can live our whole lives a certain way until something inspires us to change.  In the movie A Civil Action, John Travolta plays a lawyer who only cares about money until the stories of the children dying sink in.  He goes from trying to get money for himself to actually trying to help the families feel that justice has been served.  We know he had a change of heart because he refused to settle and even drove his firm into bankruptcy trying to win the case for the families.  This story is similar to that of Codi's life in Animal Dreams.  Codi goes her whole life without feeling a sense of belonging or pride until Hallie dies.  Codi then realizes she should "live" life because it does not last forever.  Sometimes it take us a lifetime to understand the most important lessons in life.

Animal Dreams

  My favorite quote from Animal Dreams occurs when Codi gets her last letter from Hallie.  Hallie writes, "You think you're no good, so you can't do good things.  Jesus, Codi, how long are you going to keep limping around on that crutch?  It's the other way around, it's what you do that makes you who you are."  I like this quote because it is a line that more or less describes the theme of Animal Dreams.  Codi is finally being told to stop complaining and go do something.

  Hallie is my favorite character from the book.  She acts freely and very optimistically.  She also has fun and never complains about her life.  It is much more fun to read about Hallie as opposed to Codi.  Codi is kind of boring, doesn't do much, and complains a lot.  Hallie is a character we all yearn to be more like, adventurist and optimistic, except most of us don't want to be captured and killed.

  I believe the most important scene in the story so far is when Loyd and Codi get in a fight about their relationship.  The fight occurred because Lloyd wanted more from the relationship, and Codi was still planning on leaving Grace after a year.  This scene, along with Hallie's last letter to Codi, gets Codi thinking about leading a more positive and meaningful lifestyle.  That is why I believe it is a very important scene.

Recent Read

                                                                      www.nfl.com

                               

  I recently read an article on www.profootballtalk.com about the Packers' victory over the Lions last Sunday.  The article was titled "Kitna walked off the field while his pick went for six".  I am a Packers fan so it is always fun to read about football.  The Packers were down by one point in the fourth quarter.  Then they scored a field goal, a touchdown, and then two more touch downs from interceptions being returned to the end zone.  The Packers won 48-25.  Apparently Aaron Rodgers is playing extremely well.

State of Fear

    http://www.crichton-official./books-stateoffear.html  

  The book State of Fear by Michael Crichton is my favorite book.  It deals with the potential effects of global warming in a thrilling plot and takes place all over the world.  One of the best parts of the book is the author's note in my opinion.  The author informs the reader about fact and fiction concerning global warming.  The book brings up points about data being bias in presentation when a speaker or scientist has something to gain.

Codi and Loyd

This is my cool double bubble map of Codi and Loyd!