Boston Marathon

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/15/explosions-near-finish-of-boston-marathon/?hpt=hp_t1

Today our nation was struck with once again another tragedy as it seems like we do regularly every few months or so. As of 4 o’clock central time, three bombs have gone off in the city of Boston Massachusetts. The first two bombs happened on opposite sides near the finish of line of the Boston marathon. The third bomb which just recently went off occurred at the JFK Presidential Library located just about three miles away from the marathon’s finish line. So far, as many as two have died along with thirty others injured (not counting the most recent 3^rd bomb).

 It really makes me angry that we live in such a world like this. There are people who won’t be making it home to their families tonight due to this act of terrorism. The sad thing is though, there’s really not a whole lot we can do about it as the cruel people behind all these national tragedies are mentally ill. I’m not sure if the people responsible for this attack are mentally ill but still. It’s messed up. People were either just running 26.3 miles which takes a whole lot of training to do, their families were there to support them and they get attacked. My mom used to run marathons. She ran one in San Diego and another in Minneapolis. It scares me that what if she was still running them? She may have ran this one. And my dad probably would have gone with her. It just opens my eyes for me to realize how lucky I am that I have both my parents coming home tonight. My prayers go out to everyone who is and is going to be affected by this. God bless. 

T-Shirt Tales

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/22/living/irpt-t-shirt-tales/index.html?hpt=hp_bn11

Some shirts we wear for certain reasons. This article shares those reasons through others’ personal stories and experiences. Everyone can relate to this. We all have a favorite shirt. It might be because shirt reminds us of a past event, possibly it reflects our personality or what we like, expressing a connection or even a time when we may have fallen in love. A T-shirt can tell a story without us even having to say one single word.

I think one thing every single human being has in common is that each person has a favorite T-shirt. I know that I do. I wear mine once a week at least. It’s a long sleeve red Nebraska Football shirt that tells a story. I bought it a few months ago for probably right around $20 on Black Friday. I’ve worn that shirt on several days that I won’t ever forget for the rest of my life, each a happy experience. So I get the feeling that when I put on the shirt I’ll have a good day. Also, the shirt explains to people that I’m an avid supporter of the Huskers so it says something about me. 

Facebook

Facebook was once the top social networking sight in the entire world just a few years ago. With the ability to post statuses about how you feel, upload pictures, and mark certain times as well as special points in your life that was all recorded onto one profile. Although most people have switched over to Twitter, another social networking sight that prefers that user Tweet often about really anything, some people still stick to Facebook like younger teenagers.

A Boston father of a fourteen year old teenage girl was reached an agreement for his daughter to quit Facebook for the next five months in exchange for paying his daughter $50 in April and the remaining $150 in June. The father gets her password and will be able to change it thus deactivating the account and not permitting his daughter to reactivate it before the contract is up.

I’m a teenage boy and I can even see this is stupid parenting. Children should respect their parents and when a parent makes a decision for you, assume it’s for the best. I’m unsure how it could be negative taking away her Facebook account. If my parents ever told me to delete one of my accounts I’d do it right off the bat because I respect my parents. Some children in America these days apparently do not. It’s saddening. 

The "Harbowl"

Tonight, the 47^th Super Bowl will kick off with an interesting twist between the AFC Champions Baltimore Ravens and the NFC Champions San Francisco 49ers. The head coach of the Ravens and the head coach of the 49ers are brothers. John Harbaugh, the older brother by 15 months, coaches the Ravens while his younger brother Jim Harbaugh coaches the 49ers. This 47^th Super Bowl has been named the “Harbowl”.

John became the head coach of the Ravens back in 2008 after Jason Garrett, my dad’s second cousin and the team’s first choice for the position, turned them down although Jason is now the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. In two of his 5 years as head coach he led the Ravens to three AFC Championship games and lost the first two. This year the time has come when they’ve been able to succeed and get into the Super Bowl.

Jim Harbaugh is in his second year as head coach of the 49ers. He previously coached at Stanford. Unlike John, Jim has experience actually playing in the NFL. He has a quarterback for about 12 years playing for the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, and ironically the Baltimore Ravens.

This is the first time two brothers have ever faced each other as head coaches in the Super Bowl. The two teams previously met on Thanksgiving Day in 2011 when the Ravens were able to slide past the 49ers. Sibling rivalries are one of the perks that make sports interesting. For example, the Manning brothers Peyton and Eli whenever they face. Or Serena and Venus in professional tennis. It’s also a classis literary idea that was used even back when the Book of Genesis was written with Cain and Able. This game will for sure go down in history as a classic of Older Brother v. Younger Brother. The Harbowl kicks off tonight at 6:30 P.M.

#TeamZeke

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Papillion-Teen-Battling-Cancer-Gets-Nationwide-Support-188117351.html

I woke up Tuesday morning for school after a three day weekend. I checked my phone and the clock read 6:00 AM. When I wake up I usually lie in bed for about 5 minutes and check my few social networking accounts that I have. I checked my Twitter account first. There, I found my timeline filled with the hashtag #TeamZeke.  I wasn’t too sure what it was. I later found that it was a local story about a boy in my grade. His name is Nolan Zikas. Everyone calls him Zeke. He lives in Papillion, Nebraska. I’ve never met Zeke nor have I ever heard of him but his story is really moving. Zeke is a very good baseball player and played for Frozen Ropes, one of the better select Little League teams in the city and is also a passionate golfer. He had cancer just a few years ago and beat it. Then just a few days ago he discovered cancer may have come back for a second round, this time in the form of lung cancer. The city pulled together through social media support and by Tuesday night #TeamZeke was trending worldwide on Twitter. Zeke also received various tweets from not only local icons like Will Compton and Doug McDermott but also national icons such as Johnny Manziel, Bubba Watson, and Justin Bieber.

 Zeke has gone into this potentially deadly situation with his head held high. His story really shows us that we do need to be thankful. Thankful for everything we have in life, even the smallest things such as our health which we take for granted every single day. As a society, especially at Prep, we need to start thanking the Lord more often for what he does for us. From the roof over our heads, the warm meals at the dinner table, the family God has blessed us with, as well as the opportunity to go to such a prestigious school like our beloved Creighton Prep. Some people will look at this and think "Wow, that's sad," care about it for maybe a week tops, and then drop it like it was no big deal. But I challenge you the reader, as well as myself, to look into this and really take more time out of your day to pray for others as well as to thank God for every little thing he does for us. Zeke is a model to all of us young adolescents and shows us that no matter what our situation is, no matter how bad it is, we should always approach things with our heads held high. #TeamZeke.

                My given name is Samuel James Garrett. I go by Sam and Sammy. I’m currently 15 years old and turn 16 in a little over a month. I have lived in Omaha my whole life. Baseball is my favorite sport and I’ve played it ever since I can remember. I also love football as well. But my sport, if you will, is martial arts. I’ve done it for ten years and it’s simply what I’m best at. I have two jobs. One is at OSA and I score keep, manage concessions, and take admissions for basketball games. My other job is at my martial arts studio where I come in and instruct a class to kids ranging from kindergarten all the way through 8^th grade. After the class I play with the kids, talk to them, and help them do homework. I work this every weeknight. I come from a big Italian family as well and am very close with my cousins, aunts, and uncles as they are all my parents and siblings in my mind. I have a 110 pound German Shepherd named Mace who is my dog that I bought myself in the summer before 7^th grade. Also, I love the St. Louis Cardinals professional baseball team.