Someone broke into Caitlin Prater-Haacke’s locker at school and stole her iPod. The thief then took the time to access Caitlin’s Facebook account and posted a message telling her to die!
Now the average individual would have retaliated any way they could against this bullying tactic by an obvious coward, but Caitlin chose another path.
Caitlin, a student from Alberta Canada, handled the situation with a level of love and maturity the average person would not understand, and in so doing, started a wonderful movement.
By now, I’m sure you’ve seen many of your friends and family do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. You’ve probably seen your favorite actor, musician or athlete do it too. In fact, there is a good chance that you have also completed the Challenge. Your Facebook time line is probably clogged with people pouring ice cold water on themselves. Are you bored of it yet? Well don’t be.
Despite the fact that you have seen it everywhere, many don’t know how it became about ALS and even more don’t know the correct way to complete the challenge.
This is Pete Frates. He was 27 when he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He was 27 when a doctor looked him in the eyes and told him he has a disease that was a death sentence and has no cure and no course of treatment.
You wouldn’t blame the guy for giving up. You wouldn’t blame him for feeling sorry for himself or being angry. That’s not what happened though. You see, Pete was a hard nosed baseball player. He was the captain of the Boston College team. Giving up wasn’t something he was accustomed to. So he charged at the problem and began speaking and raising money for the ALSA which is an association that aides research in the hopes of finding a cure for ALS.
It was Pete’s friends that had seen others doing this ice bucket challenge to benefit various charities and decided to do it in honor of Pete. Well, it took off and now Pete has achieved what he set out to do. Pete is the reason that since July 29th of this year, ALSA.org has raised $31.5 million. And just to point out how incredible that actually is, that’s 16 times more than what the foundation received in the same time period last year.
Still, we can all do better. There are still many who don’t quite grasp how the challenge works. If you are nominated to complete the challenge, you are expected to dump a bucket of ice water over your head AND donate an amount of your choice to The ALSA . You can choose to not dump the water over your head and donate no less than $100. Either way, the foundation should be receiving a donation.
The whole point of dumping the ice water is to add a little fun to donating for a good cause. It keeps the cause circulating and getting bigger because each person nominates 3 others to complete the challenge.
I have to admit, I was one of the people who did not believe this challenge was helping anyone because I just didn’t understand it, but now that I do, I am amazed by how such an amazing cause has spread like wildfire. And it’s all thanks to a wonderful man names Pete Frates and his awesome friends. Thanks Pete!
I. I believe. I believe that. I believe that we. I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!
In case you’ve been living under a rock, that is the battle cry of the American Outlaws. They are the official fan club of the United States Men’s National Team. You can find them all over the country. The group has 125 official bars, nation wide. If you are in the big apple, you can find these hooligans at Dempsey’s on West 34th street. But if you’re in Brazil this month, you will find a whopping 590 of these die hards.
In fact, it’s been said that the United States has the most supporters in Brazil other than Brazil themselves. If, that doesn’t make you feel proud, check your pulse.
This American team should not have made it out of the “group of death” according to experts, but they did. They sought revenge against Ghana for knocking them out in two previous cups, and got it. They almost beat Portugal but ended up with a heart breaking tie. And of course, they lost a 1-0 game to a German team that is capable of scoring often. The effort was good enough to get them out of the group.
Next is Belgium. And if you’re an American, then you should be very sure of what you are doing on Tuesday at 4:00. You have to understand that when it comes to sports, or pretty much anything, America is anything but an Underdog. However, in the World Cup, that is exactly what they are. Still, they are forcing teams to take them serious. With youth on their side and their country behind them, they believe they can do the impossible. Beat Belgium and go on to win 3 more games, to capture the Cup.
Now if you are one of the few that hasn’t flocked to places like Grant Park in Chicago or Madison Square Park in NYC or a bar like Dempsey’s, then my guess is that you really just aren’t into soccer. That’s fine, because this isn’t about soccer. It’s about screaming your f**king head off for the red white and blue. Americans don’t agree on anything. Not war, religion, politics or even sports teams. But when those players put on those jerseys with the US Soccer logo, we can agree on them. And we can cheer for them
So on Tuesday, leave work a little early. Go find a bar or a deli or a restaurant or a park or a doctors office waiting room or a barber shop
or any place with a TV, because I guarantee that they will all be showing the game. Sit down or stand up and cheer for Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Graham Zusi, Tim Howard and the rest of the Red White and Blue to do something it has never done in the men’s World Cup. Win the whole damn thing!
If the Greatest Generation fought and won World War II and created a new world where a war like that one was far less thinkable, then the Baby Boomers must be the Double Secret Greatest Generation for fighting multiple wars on multiple fronts.
We fought the War on Poverty. Haven’t won that one yet. We’re currently fighting the War on Terrorism, the War on Women, the Climate War, the War on Christmas (how will we know if we’ve won that one?) and other, lesser wars on education, entitlements, health care, obesity (seem to be winning this one), the minimum wage, voter ID laws, sabermetrics and a few others that I’m sure others believe us to be waging.
What we really need, though, is a War on War. That one would be worth fighting, albeit delicately. Because obviously we couldn’t’ be fighting an actual war while fighting a war to end wars. So don’t look for the United States to enter Syria, Iran, North Korea or even Nigeria with a force ready to end hostilities or to slap some people in the face, grab them by the shoulders and yell, “What the heck are you thinking?” (I would volunteer for this kind of duty. I do outrage really well.)
The War on War has to start with every individual and every media outlet in the country. It requires a sustained effort on the part of every citizen and we need to teach it to our youth. It would be an idealistic campaign, but sometimes those are the most successful ones. Besides, we can’t afford to lose this one.
When the retirement community in which Evelyn lives got rid of the bus that took its members to the grocery store, her friend Joyce was dismayed and afraid that she would be moved. She didn’t want to go anywhere else and she didn’t have to, because Evelyn stepped up and obtained a license, making sure that Joyce could go to the store (and anywhere else she needed to go).
Evelyn’s quiet confidence and fortitude are admirable, and she points out that while she doesn’t have much money, she still wants to help others in any way she can.
Claremont United Methodist Church’s annual Nativity display this year features a “dying Trayvon Martin” as the “centerpiece,” as reported yesterday at InsideLocal.
The artist, John Zachary, has previously created several such Nativity Scenes for the Claremont United Methodist Church in California, using themes such as “homelessness, war, immigration…
The Church’s website proclaims,
“As faithful disciples of Jesus and His teachings, we advocate for the full inclusion and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons and their families in the church and community.”
This politically active church features a blog that highlights “action alerts.” Some of the items include “40 Days of Prayer for Immigration Reform,” “Safe Communities, Safe Schools, Ban Assault Weapons,” and “Protect Young Women, Immigrants, Native people and LGBTQ people from violence!”
Chelsea resident Robert Samuel has made a business off lazy New Yorkers, hanging tight for those desperate for Cronuts or the latest Apple iPhone but unwilling to wait.
“People want these things like it’s the end of the world,” Samuel, 38, told The Post. “When I show up to their offices with a sleeping bag in one hand and the Cronuts in another, they know they’re getting their money’s worth.”
Modal Trigger
Samuel rakes in up to $300 a week by lingering in the outrageous line outside Soho’s Dominique Ansel Bakery. For $60 on weekdays, he picks up two of the croissant-donut hybrids and delivers them to clients. That’s $240 for eight Cronuts — which cost $5 apiece.
He’s usually first in line when he arrives at 5 a.m., and soon has buddies who fall in line. Because there’s a two-pastry-per-person limit, he hires friends to idle in lawn chairs for larger orders.
Samuel launched his company — called SOLD Inc., or Same Ole Line Dudes — last fall after losing his job. A former AT&T salesman, Samuel posted a Craigslist ad offering to wait for the iPhone 5 for $100.
That’s when he realized line-sitting could be a part-time job. Out-of-towners have hired him to wait for “Saturday Night Live” tickets from midnight to 7 a.m. and to hold their places for concerts.
Facing a double mastectomy with grace takes courage. Facing one with courage and joy is extraordinary.
But that’s exactly what Deborah Cohan did yesterday right before she went into surgery to have her breasts removed. Cohan, an Ob/Gyn and mom of two, held a dance party with her medical team in the operating room of Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco.
This inspiring 6-minute-long video of the fete, posted on YouTube, shows Cohan busting some serious moves as she wiggles and twerks to Beyonce’s hit “Get Me Bodied.” Cohan requested that friends and family make videos of themselves dancing to Bey too so that she could watch them during her recovery. “I have visions of a healing video montage,” she wrote. “Nothing brings me greater joy than catalyzing others to dance, move, be in their bodies. Are you with me people?”
They were. You can check out videos of Deborah’s fans shaking their booties in solidarity on her CaringBridge page.
Deborah, we wish you a speedy recovery. And can we go clubbing with you when you’re all better?
This week thousands of Americans will scoop out the flesh of a gourd, crudely carve a haunting face into its rind, and stick a candle inside. Then the jack-o’-lanterns will proudly be displayed on porches and stoops. Who or what is this wacky tradition named after?
The British can claim ownership of the original use of the phrase “jack-o’-lantern.” In the 17th century, it referred to a night watchman, a man who literally carried a lantern.
But it was also a nickname for strange, flickering lights seen at night over wetlands, or peat bogs, and mistaken to be fairies or ghosts. This natural phenomenon is also called ignis fatuus, which means “fool’s fire,” and will o’ the wisp.
Eventually what was called a “turnip lantern” became known as a jack-o’-lantern. Young boys used these hollowed-out and lit-up gourds to spook people.
Legend has it that this use of jack-o’-lantern was named after a fellow named Stingy Jack, who thought he had tricked the devil. But the devil had the last laugh, condemning Jack to an eternity of wandering the planet with only an ember of hellfire for light.
Irish immigrants brought the jack-o’-lantern custom to North America, which is where pumpkins were first used to make the Halloween decorations.
This is a true story, inspired by you. Not only is this a true story that is inspired by you, but it’s a true story about you.
A story that you have given birth to, yet a story that you probably don’t even know.
It’s a story about your radiant exceptionalism though seemingly lost in the dullness of the mundane. It’s about your outstanding luminosity all but drowned in the in the fictitious myth of your common-ness.
A trashy common novel with no intrigue or plot has been written about you. All the while, a sparkling gem of an original and timeless classic remains buried in the bookshelves of your soul waiting to be born. This is a story about your brilliance.
The hidden jewel of our brilliance — a seed that is inherent in each of us — is a baby in its mother’s womb.
When mother reaches down deep to the part of the bookshelf of rarely read gems, she simultaneously reaches up to the poetic and enlightening words of that original and timeless classic that feeds the baby his true milk. You are what you eat and a sparkle of brilliance has just flickered in the eye of the child.
To be brilliant is to be you…uniquely you. Resist the invitation to be introduced as a character in that common novel written by other than your brilliant self.
Brilliance is the stars vivid light in the background of the night sky.
Brilliance dazzles. The same materials that illuminate the cosmos are the materials of which you are made…literally. So brilliance is yours by nature.
Be your brilliant self and find the radiant light in yourself. Use it to light the way as you travel on your path up the road from moments of slight brilliance to a lifetime of brilliance that can be studied by others and used as a light in their darkest hours. The same way we use the luminous radiance of the stars to see — so shall your brilliance light the way of those who will walk the path after you.
Frederick Douglass’ brilliance was a sparkle in the darkness of a Plantation and grew to be the brilliant star that moved a president towards emancipation.
Sir Isaac Newton saw brilliance in motion and attraction and became the embodiment of attraction. He became the brilliant twinkle that attracted the seeker of knowledge like moth to a flame.
The Son of Man says, “Know that the obstacles of life are only tools used brilliantly by Mother Nature and Father Time to apply pressure to forge the diamond that is you”. The facet of a diamond is but one side of a many-sided thing. The brilliance of the diamond is the light bouncing off of one facet at a time. Your brilliance may come in one moment, one action, one thought at a time, but the brilliance is yours.”
Read from the bookshelves of rarely read gems and be the original that stands out brilliantly from the rest. As stars shine in front of the dark blue skies, so can you shine in front of the dark blueprint laid by fools.
The Son of Man says, “Brilliance is a gift of itself to the darkness.”
To those who have an ear let him hear.
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