Worst Person 31-Raptors Mascot

backinphillyLeave a comment

Well, I’m back and ready to get another worst person in sports out. This episode doesn’t even involve an athlete or a coach or even an owner. There’s no front office propaganda or anything like that. No crimes were committed, but a MASCOT tore his Achilles.

Yup, you read that right.

The Toronto Raptors’ mascot tore his Achilles tendon during a performance for a school in Halifax.

The main problem with this is that now Toronto doesn’t have a mascot. For some reason, every article I’ve read about this “injury” classifies the Raptors as a team with playoff aspirations.

Let’s take a more in-depth look at this accusation. I feel a little weird writing about basketball during football season, considering that of the big four professional sports in the US, basketball is at the bottom of my list.

Other than Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry, there’s not a whole lot of talent on their predicted starting five.

Quite honestly, I don’t even remotely care about the state of the Toronto Raptors, or basketball at all right now. It’s football season.

I just think it’s a little bit strange how a MASCOT is getting national recognition when his team plays in Canada.

That’s just two things that don’t register with me.

Are Electronic Cigarettes safe?

infamousdolphinLeave a comment

The use of Electronic cigarettes has sky rocketed during the last 3 years with the promise of providing a safe alternative to the pesky, cancer causing tobacco cigarettes. However, is that promise true? Or are the users  getting their money snatched out of their hands in an elaborate scam?

Considering that Electronic cigarettes contain no tobacco, they are not subject to the United States tobacco laws, which means that it’s not necessary to be 18 or older to buy one of these nicotine-filled tubes and enjoy it on the side of road.

Electronic Cigarette

Even though the e-cigs appear to be harmless, scientists have performed tests that suggest the contrary. Harmful chemicals have been found in the vapor of the electronic cigarettes; however, they still prove to be considerably healthier than the conventional tobacco ones.

It has yet to be determined if the E-cigs cause cancer. The FDA website claims that not enough studies have been performed on electronic cigarettes to know if they are harmful or not.

However, E-Cigs should remain available to all public because they offer an alternative to the tobacco cigarette that is considerably healthier.

Pasta

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

One of my all time favorite foods is pasta. I realize that it’s not very exciting, or gourmet. But it’s just so good, and there’s so many different things you can do with it.

Ravioli, one of my favorites, is best with a tomato sauce. Tortellini is best with Alfredo sauce. Gnocchi goes perfectly with either. And then there is every other kind of pasta that you just can’t go wrong with.

Living in the dorms, pretty much all I eat on weekends is pasta. We don’t have to check in at the cafeteria, so I like to make my own food instead. One of my go-to’s is the Annie’s Mac and Cheese. It’s a lot healthier than the Kraft stuff, and it’s way better. I also like to make just regular penne or rigatoni with vodka or tomato sauce.

When I’m home though, my dad gets a little bit more creative. When he has plenty of time before dinner, he’ll make his own tomato sauce starting from scratch. He boils the tomatoes, then cuts them up and adds them into a pan with garlic, onion and basil. He then generously pours it over bow-tie pasta. It is so good.

A lot of my friends say pasta is all I eat. While they’re exaggerating a little, they’re not far off base. It’s easy to make, delicious, filling and there are so many different variations possible. Pasta is definitely one of my favorite foods.

Armadillo Escape

indigoshellLeave a comment

While Stevie was one of the loudest creatures in the habitat area, people would often double back and investigate the out-of-place scratching noise coming from one of the habitats.

At first glance the habitat seemed to be occupied by a single prehensile-tail porcupine perched up on a tree. Once a camper enters the enclosure Ned might pop out of the wood shavings and trot happily around your feet, the little tree, his den, before pausing to scratch at the wall.

Ned was a six-banded armadillo and almost reminded me of a little old man due to his small tufts of hair and wrinkled skin. His back plates were hard like nails, though kinda weirdly fuzzy…

When I first entered his enclosure he was already running around, zooming along the walls and pausing to scratch at a worringly large hole on the rightmost corner of the wall.

I personally think that Ned is planning an escape. He charms newcomers by running circles around them.  Then while they’re distracted, he makes a dash at the door. Which is what he did when I didn’t close it quick enough.

I quickly used my foot to block his escape but wasn’t sure how to handle him. Should I pick him up? Scoot him away with my foot? With the help of a counselor I managed to keep him inside before snapping the door shut. “You know you can just pick him up, right?” he says.

Often times when things are slow in the habitats, counselors like to let Ned out and he’ll skitter along the small hallway the same way he does in his enclosure. Each time I visit his habitat the hole seems to be a few chips larger and maybe a little deeper.

I wonder if Ned’ll still be there when I go back next summer.

A Deadly Chariot

frog3Leave a comment

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The chariot rode throughout the sacred city.
It hoped for the defaulted nation’s pity.

Weapon in hand and courage in tow.
Intentions, one does not know.

Doesn’t matter in the end.
Soon enough the violence begins.

Citizens were not suspected of such crimes.
Now is the end of those times.

One was dead and the rest were hurt.
The nation has not seen the worst.

A child remained sill alive.
His mind was rotted from the inside.

Once again the circle spins.
The nation will go through it again.

A Government Shutdown?

frog3Leave a comment

f4r

What is a government shutdown? One would expect that it involves a government shutting down. In the United States however this is not the case. Instead government shutdown is a term Democrats and Republicans use to blame each other. It is also used to stir up fury in the American people, who would fear a dreaded shutdown.

A more accurate term for this “ government shutdown” would be a limited government cutback. In its current state the federal government is shutting down non-essential services and unfortunately jobs. Approximately 800,000 federal workers will, temporarily, lose their jobs.

A true government could occur if Democrats and Republicans cannot pass a federal budget that both agree to. The longer this government cutback lasts the larger the effect it will have on the United States and the American people. Most likely one side will cave in to the other sides demands. I find the possibility of a true compromise remote, if a budget is not created then the federal government will cease to function.

Drive Safely.

eternity1030Leave a comment

A few days ago, one of my friends in China got injured from a car accident, in which the driver was texting while driving.

The tragedy reminds me of an informal survey I did during this summer. The survey was based on the new policy about “texting-while-driving.”

Gov.Andrew Cuomo signed new legislation increasing penalties for teens caught texting-while-driving, and the penalties apply to any kind of cell-phone activity while driving. Under the proposal, violators’ licenses would be suspended for 60 days after their first conviction.

The number of cellphone-related car accidents in New York State increased by 143 percent between 2005 and 2011, according to New York.

According to my informal survey of 10 New Yorkers from East Village area, teenagers spend more time on texting than the older group and about 10% of people interviewed drive and text.

Drivers talking on cell phones are 18% slower to react to brake lights in front of them and they take 17% longer to return to their original speed after braking, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Also, early CBS reports showed that Harvard researchers estimate about one in 20 U.S. traffic accident involve a driver talking on a cell phone.

The legislation brought people in agreement. Most of people think the policy was fairly helpful and efficient.

However, there are still lots of people who remain neglectful the importance of not doing something else while driving. I think it is not only the governments’ responsibilities to reinforce the laws, but also people’s obligations to control themselves.

Please, when you drive, do not do anything else.
Texts can be delayed, lives can not.

Left-handed vs. Right-handed

eternity1030Leave a comment

There simply were not many left-handers left alive compared to right-handers, and more car accidents occurred among left-handers according to earlier researches.

To determine the reason of why fewer left-handed people are among the elderly population, a study was conducted last year by Diane Halpern and Stanley Coren at San Bernardino.

Researchers studied death certificates of 987 people in two Southern California counties. Relatives were queried by mail about the subjects’ dominant hands.

The results showed that left-handed people represented 10 percent of the U.S. population and left-handers usually died earlier than the right-handers.

Their findings support a 1989 study published in The American Journal of Public Health that found a higher rate of accident-related injuries in left-handed people.

Dr. Halpern and Dr. Coren also speculated that “left-handers might fall victim to underlying neurological or immune-system problems as well.”

An earlier study of baseball players showed that from the time statistics were kept, the average life span of left-handers was, “nine months shorter than that of right-handers.” The proportion of left-handers is “13 percent among people in their 20’s, but only 1 percent among those in their 80’s.”

“People born left-handed were forced to change to their right hands,” Halpern said. “Almost all engineering is geared to the right and there are many more car and other accidents among left-handers because of their environment.”

Should Marijuana be legalized?

infamousdolphinLeave a comment

After the legalization of recreational Marijuana in Colorado and Washington, stoners from all around the world have their hopes at an all time high (pun-intended) for a nation-wide legalization. Would legal weed be good for America? Or will it end up with the addiction of many?

Protester takes it to the streets

Even though most stoners might try to convince everyone that weed is “all natural” and that it has no repercussions, that is not entirely true. Heavy consumers have shown deteriorating mental and physical health over time, as well as slower reaction time. However, no one has ever died from an overdose, or at least it has never been reported.

Asides from the negative effects, what good could it bring for America? The legalization of Marijuana could help the economy by taxing the product, and considering that Marlboro cigarettes is the second most profitable product in America, it is certain that a company that big could bring the project afloat.

Braai

Daphne Psaledakis1 Comment

While I was in South Africa I experienced a lot of different traditions. One of them, and probably the most significant one, is that of a braai. A braai is basically a barbecue – except so much better.

Instead of using a grill, they cook the meat over a fire. Honestly I don’t even know how it works, but it’s like all the flavor is locked inside the meat. It doesn’t dry out, and the meat is perfectly done.

Weirdly enough though, and this is the part I couldn’t quite understand, they don’t braai hamburgers or hotdogs. For the most part it’s chicken or lamb, sometimes steak.

A braai is a way for family and friends to come together. They occur far more often than our barbecues. I was there for five weeks and we must have had four or five braais, if not more.

The friends and family come over, and while the meat is cooking, the kids play around in the yard and the adults sit and talk. It’s a chance for everyone to connect. And once the food is done, everyone sits down together and eats until they’re absolutely stuffed.

At least that’s what I did.

I thought it was a great tradition. We should definitely have more traditions like that back home in the states. I brought my dad home a braai cookbook, so hopefully we’ll be having our own little braai back home in Aspen, Colorado sometime soon.