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Fenway Park celebrates 100 years of baseball

America's favorite pastime makes history again

Baseball is America’s pastime and dates back to the first pitch that crossed home plate. America’s pastime has stood tall against any struggle that American citizens have faced. Whether Americans faced war, the depression or the redundancy of normal daily life, baseball has provided an outlet of happiness, enjoyment and in some cases escape. It is with pride that America now stands to celebrate their favorite pastime.

The Boston Red Sox stadium, Fenway Park, opened its doors 100 years ago for its first major league game. The Boston Red Sox played against the New York Highlanders, later to be renamed the New York Yankees on April 20, 1912. Boston won that first game with a victory score of 7-6 over the course of 11 innings.

To celebrate Fenway Park’s 100 year birthday Boston held a repeat Boston/New York game and invited past players back to the field for an opening celebration. Any player that had ever been part of the Red Sox and Fenway Park was invited, this included those players that have retired, those who have long since been traded and even players who have held their head down with disgrace such as Jose Canseco. Even though every past player couldn’t make it, those players who were able to show up were applauded by a crowd of excited, screaming fans.

This day of baseball history will be remembered by baseball fans everywhere and will especially be remembered by the New York Yankees. The opening game that was originally lost to the Red Sox, didn’t repeat itself 100 years later. The New York Yankees ended the day with a victory score of 6-2.

Political issues and basic rights explained with one little Facebook image

Lately I’ve tired of the political rhetoric. I’ve tired of illogical thought patterns, bullying, irrational actions and extreme measures. This happens from time to time and my brains goes into overdrive trying everything to prevent listening to or watching yet another maniac screaming for his or her vendetta against fellow human beings who haven’t done anything wrong other than to choose what felt right.

Today I went on Facebook with the intention of playing a mindless Zynga game and there before my eyes I saw a simple little picture post that said it all. You can read the picture, however it can be summed up to if you don’t like it then don’t do it. That’s really simplifying the message.

Not only can you see the meaning of if you don’t like it then don’t do it you can also see the bigger picture. The bigger picture goes back generations before us. It’s what every mother whispered into every child’s ear at some point. Remember, treat people how you would want to be treated. Haven’t we all been told those very words at least once? You can’t help to wonder what suddenly changed. It can’t even be blamed on the younger generation; most of the people who are guilty of this particular message could easily be our parents. Too bad mass posters of this picture couldn’t be plastered in every office and on every street, though in actuality it probably wouldn’t make an impact. Hardheaded people never really seem to get the full picture no matter how simplistic an explanation is.

5 Ways to lesson gas prices

Gas prices are continuously climbing and it seems as if high gas prices are going to be a regular part of daily life. There’s not a whole lot that any of us can do to lower gas prices. You can however try to utilize these 10 gas lowering strategies.

Reduce your Weight

Have you ever stopped to consider what everything in your trunk weighs? It can actually add up pretty quick, you might think everything in there is light and alone everything probably is, in truth when you add it all together it can stack up pretty heavy. To combat this try to keep your trunk as empty as possible.

Reduce your Speed

I know you’re in a hurry, it’s hot, you’re tired or you just want to get there and be done. Believe me I’ve been there. The thing is you burn more gas when your RPM’s are up; therefore keeping your RPM’s regulated will help you to save money at the pump. Additionally, it’s probably safer to drive at a normal speed.

Keep Tires Pump Up

You’ve probably heard this one a million times and I’m now going to say it one more time. Pump up your tires, low tires cause your car to experience more friction and more friction equates to more gas. Reduce your gas usage by keeping air in your tires, it’s as simple as that.

Car Drafting

This isn’t real popular and if you’re not really that good of a driver you probably shouldn’t attempt it. Drafting reduces turbulence which ultimately reduces the amount of gas that a vehicle requires. Drafting is simply driving close enough behind another vehicle so that the vehicle in front of you is splitting the wind turbulence. Drafting should only be done during highway driver and should probably be avoided during rush hour times.

Stop car Idling

Cars are actually left idling for some pretty long time spans. It can really sneak up on you, you start out thinking you’ll just be a minute while picking someone up however that minute suddenly turns into 10 plus minutes. If you stop and think about it you’ll actually be surprised at how much time you spend in the car waiting with your engine running.

See more gas saving Tips at Fuel Economy and Open Travel Info.

Gun Violence on the Rise

School Shootings are becoming more and more Prevalent

Almost 13 years ago the nation sat by and watched in shock and pain as the Columbine Shooting aired across every newscast in America. It had exceeded any school shooting since 1966 and took 13 lives. To date it remains the only high school shooting of such a high magnitude and is third only behind Virginia Tech and the University of Texas. It was a senseless crime that left many scarred and uncertain.

Now school shootings are becoming more common, fortunately the number of victims tend to be under that of Columbine yet even one life is too many. Only 3 months into 2012 there has already been 3 intentional school shootings ending in a total of 5 deaths, 3 at Chardon High and 2 in Jacksonville, along with additional injuries, though one injury was self-inflicted and 2 deaths in the Episcopal School located in Jacksonville Florida were not directed towards students. The Jacksonville Florida shooting was a murder suicide, following the firing of Spanish teacher at the school.

Many schools have been spared shootings by social media monitoring, anytime threats are made and caught either by school officials or reported by students the student making the threat is apprehended for questioning. This in itself is a good practice, however sometimes it’s not enough and tragedy occurs. In addition to actual shootings and potential shootings there has been numerous gun confiscations that may not have ended in a school shooting, however regardless the guns made it onto school property. Additionally there have a few accidental gun shots that have ended in tragedy, one accidental shooting at Bremerton elementary school landed an 8 year old girl in the hospital where she remains connected to a ventilator.

Anytime that a shooting occurs at a school we find ourselves in the aftermath revisiting the same questions that we asked following the Columbine shooting, Why did it happen and how could it have happened. Each time we look at what was wrong with the shooter and if it could have been prevented. Then we seem to always look for blame. Was it a result of a damaged home life? Did school bullying become too much to bear? These are questions that always seem to come to mind, we look for answers in these questions that will somehow give us understanding into a horrific crime that would haunt us all without some form of understanding.

We follow each school related shooting with great intentions. We work with school officials to create prevention strategies, we actively teach our children not to bully and we even set aside time to take a more active role in the lives of our own children. We do all of this until our memory of that last dreadful day begins to fade.

Toddler Tooth Decay on the Rise

Wow do you think it just might be the declining American diet

Do you ever look back at your childhood and compare it to children today? Occasionally I do and when I do I’m usually left somewhat speechless. Today I’m not so much left speechless, I’m just a bit amazed and disgusted.

After reading a recent report of increased cavities being found in toddlers and then also reading at the end of the report that dentist suggest brushing twice a day I am amazed. Brushing twice a day isn’t new, we’ve been required to brush at least twice a day for a while now. That’s not really what gets me, what really gets me going is that no one addressed what I think the real problem might be and that is the change in what toddlers today eat.

When I look back into my childhood I remember having a sweet snack as being a treat. That’s not the case any more for a large majority. The next time you’re out and about pay a little attention to each young child that you see, or at least the ones that are eating. You’ll see them eating cookies, dried sugary cereal, pastries, processed foods filled with added sugar. You rarely see them eating bananas, apples or grapes all of which are considered sweet and healthy all at the same time.

The reason that I’m disgusted is that there wasn’t a single mention of eating healthier. A large number of children today eat terrible, apparently so terrible that the number of cavities is on a rise. I would expect the dentist to mention brushing to combat this, though I would also think that they would’ve wanted to address the real issue of limiting high sugar foods that are eating away at young teeth.

Should Medical Marijuana Legalized Across the Nation?

Would it be legitimized with better regulation?

What is your view on the use of medical marijuana? I have recently read an article in Rolling Stone magazine discussing Obama’s look at Medical marijuana. It seems like the topic of medical marijuana can create extreme disagreements, some people are pro medical marijuana whereas others see it as criminal. Occasionally, you’ll find people like me that are in the middle.

I had lived for a short time in Denver Colorado due to a temporary work transfer, as a result I saw a firsthand account of medical marijuana and its effects. The one thing that stood out the most as a problem was the prescription clinics and subsequent care centers. Some of them advertised practically guaranteed prescription for various amounts of dollars. This resulted in a lot of people going in, paying a fee and getting a medical card that they didn’t actually need. Around the time that I was preparing to move back home, lawmakers were beginning to crack down on the ease of access, so it’s entirely possible that this trend has at least slowed or possibly ended.

The other point I remember is that there didn’t seem to be regulations, or at least not enough. I remember driving down one of the major streets running through Denver in the peak of rush hour and being stopped at a red light. The aroma was literally filling my car, so I looked to the side and found the source, the car beside me. The light turns green and this very car nearly ran into me and a few other cars for what I believe was a result of slight intoxication. This event was an all too common scenario by individuals who had a little too much of their needed medication. This could be avoided if there were laws such as, only use when at home or don’t drive while smoking.

All in all, if it really helps then I’m sure it couldn’t be any worse than any other harmful medications that are handed out one prescription at a time. I do however believe that regulations need to be added to it. What’s your take, are you for medical marijuana, against medical marijuana or in the middle?

Housing market Crises may Lead to New possibilities

Home ownership may not be as complicated as you think

The Housing market has continued to decline across the nation, one city at a time. Homes that once cost $300,000 and up can be picked up for under $100,000 and often less. Fixer up homes have been listed at such a low cost that people actually have the potential of buckling down and literally buying their home in cash, imagine owning a home with absolutely no mortgage.

Most people will still need to qualify for a mortgage, after all the one thing about buying a fixer up home is that it needs to be fixed up. For those who are qualified to repair a home or happen to have friends or family members that are qualified to repair a home and are willing to help out for a reasonable price purchasing a fixer up home just might be a way to reach home ownership without a heavy monthly payment dangling overhead. Here in Duluth MN homes are being listed for under $50,000 and some as low as $25,000. Imagine picking up a home for say $30,000 and throwing another $15,000 in material into along with some work and actually having a beautiful home that you could be proud of.

This route takes a great deal of determination. It requires that you save every penny and cut back even more than you already have, however in the end it could be worth every struggle, every moment that you had to say no to something you wanted. It’s strange to think that it took the economy turning upside down to bring the American dream of homeownership back to becoming a possibility. It may not be the traditional route to home ownership, however it’s a route that has an advantage of being completely safe from foreclosure down the road.

Funny and Strange City Ordinances

Just how far have we progressed?

Cities across the nation are known for their progress. They are believed to be a step beyond their rural neighbors. In truth they are, yet you may question that if you read some of their funny and outdated city ordinances.

Riverside, California city ordinance – “Kissing on the lips, unless both parties wipe their lips with carbonized rose water, is against the local health ordinance.”

I’m really not sure exactly what Carbonized Rosewater is. For that matter where would I even purchase some? Furthermore, I’ve been to Riverside and I’ve seen people kissing and I’m certain that they didn’t rub anything on their lips first.

Zion, Illinois Ordinance – “It is illegal for anyone to give cats, dogs, or other domesticated animals a lighted cigar.”

I didn’t actually know this was a problem. I mean in all my life I can honestly say that I haven’t seen any animals smoking anything. I have seen the occasional idiot give their dog, beer so I guess if they changed that ordinance up a bit it would make more sense.

New York, New York city ordinance – “Women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business.”

Staten Island, New York City Ordinance – “In Staten Island, You may only water your lawn if the hose is held in your hand.”

Can I just say, For the state that never sleeps there sure are a lot of backwoods city ordinances. There were actually quite a bit more that were strange and entertaining. I just thought it would be a bit it easier to share the top two.

Let me first address the topless New York City women. I’ve been to New York and haven’t seen any topless crazes however, just in case you feel the need know that it’s a go just as long as you don’t get paid. Maybe this city ordinance is just a polite way of saying no prostitution.

As for Statin Island, I just want to know where they were putting the hose. They may have just been lazy and hanging their hose off of a fence or leaving it on the ground. Or it may have been more colorful than that, maybe those Staten Island guys and gals have a sense of humor that the rest of us would have never guessed that they had.

New Federal School Lunch Guidelines will Decrease Obesity Rates - Or Will They?

Is it what they eat or how much they eat?

There has been a growing debate throughout the last several years over the connection of school lunches and child obesity rates. Recent federal guidelines are requiring schools to revamp their school lunch program. The new school lunches will have a vegetable or fruit choice, whole grain breads and pasta and fat free dairy products. The outlook is good, however I question whether or not it’s as simple offering specific foods.

I would like to first state that I think implementing a healthy food menu is commendable and will most likely help many students, however I believe the problem goes beyond the type of food served. If we take an honest look back in time and remember the lunches that we ate, we’ll be remembering pizza, chicken patties, cheeseburgers, meatloaf and many more similar dishes. In all honesty, we’d have to admit that our school lunches weren’t all that healthy either, yet we were smaller and healthier.

What exactly changed? One thing that I know of through my Brother is that school lunch isn’t ran the same. When we went to school we went through the line and grabbed a tray of whatever they gave us. Now children are allowed to go through and grab what they want, which is then added up at the end of the line and subtracted from each students account. At least that’s how it is at my 7 year old niece’s school, needless to say the school was constantly notifying my brother that more money had to be added to the account. To combat the cost and the possible overeating, my brother now only loads $5 on each day.

This leaves me wondering if each school is run in the same way. If so, then could it possibly be that the problem isn’t so much what the students are eating as it is how much the students are eating. Add to this that more parents are working today than in the past and students are home alone to eat as many snacks as they want. As I said, I think food choices are great, however we may need to spend more time looking at the amount of food consumed.

Should Prostitution be Legalized?

When comparing the safety of Nevada to the risk of other cities, it seems like maybe we could learn something from Nevada

Could the dangers, consequences and impacts of prostitution end if it were legal? I ask this because yet again, another prostitution ring has been busted. Though the impact of illegal prostitution goes beyond prostitution rings, prostitution has affected every city across the nation to one degree or another.

Prostitution Abuse Risks

Many prostitutes are at risk of physical abuse that can in some cases lead to death. They are often in the dark seeded areas of town and jump from one car to the next without any way to confirm who the car belongs to or where someone should search for her, should she not return.

Prostitutes have been the target of many vicious killers, including serial killers. Such is the case of William “Bill” Suff who claimed the lives of several prostitutes, in total he was originally charged with 19 murders though that was eventually reduced down to 13 of which 12 of them brought back a guilty verdict.

It’s commonly believed that prostitutes make easy targets. This is primarily due to a lack of family ties. Many of them are also addicted to various types of drugs. They make the perfect victim, there’s no one for them to tell and no one to notice if they’re gone.

Prostitution Health Risks

Health risk of prostitution can affect both the prostitute and those who require their services. Though you would think that most people would be even more careful with a prostitute, that isn’t always the case. As with any sexually transmitted disease, it travels. A disease caused by the act of prostitution will follow the male participant home, potentially exposing the innocent to his original indiscretion. As for the prostitute, it’s even worse. She puts her numerous clients at risk along with anyone in her personal life that she chooses to go to.

Health risks that are connected to prostitution goes beyond the possible contraction of sexual diseases. There are also mental health concerns that often go untreated. In fact many times prostitutes don’t actually receive care until they are picked up by police and then it can often be considered substandard.

Prostitution Taxpayer Cost

If you just can’t except that prostitution should be legalized due to the welfare of the prostitute then maybe the actual cost to individual tax payers will be enough. When prostitutes are injured they naturally lack health insurance so the only way for them to seek help is through emergency room visits, ultimately raising healthcare cost which reverts back to the general public by way of higher insurance premiums and a higher cost for general medical practices.

This also includes the cost of treatment for drug addiction. Many prostitutes end up in treatment following their initial arrest as part of their sentence. This may be their sole sentence or added on to actual jail confinement.

Then there is the actual cost of being housed in a jail along with any court fees. Add to this the cost for a public defender and even the cost or time taken up by police departments to locate and arrest prostitutes. As you can see the costs continue to climb.

Nevada as a Model

The state of Nevada has several legal brothels, that abide by specific regulations. Health screenings are mandatory. This eliminates a multitude of sexually transmitted diseases. Though it does much more than just limit the possibility of contracting a disease.

Reduces Abuse Risks

All prostitution in the state of Nevada is conducted within a safe environment. Bouncers are on site at all times to protect the workers inside of the brothel. They’re also available to ensure that the prostitutes get in and out of their cars safely, in fact many legal brothels conduct regular parking lot sweeps.

My grandfather retired to Mound House Nevada and by mere chance moved into a community that is positioned in front of the Kit Kat Guest Ranch. While visiting my curiosity took over and me and a friend drove over just to take a look. We stopped directly in front simply because of the way that it was set up, it had a huge picture window with girl after girl standing in front, waiting to be chosen.

While taking in the sights we were almost immediately noticed by security, who actually followed us out to the main road before he had turned fully around. I believe had we parked and went in, there wouldn’t actually have been concern for alarm. As you can see, not only is security provided in the ranch, it’s also provided outside of the ranch. Nevada brothels provide a safe work environment for each woman choosing to take this particular career path.

Reduce health risks

All brothel women receive a physical before they are able to begin work. In fact not only is their employment dependent on a medical exam through the brothel, they must also receive a health card through the county. In addition to their initial exam, they receive regular exams to ensure that they remain healthy and safe.

Reduced Taxpayer Costs

Since regular health screenings are paid for privately, either by the individual prostitute or through their place of employment that added cost doesn’t hit the general public. The public is also spared from the cost of treatment, for not only are these women required to be physically clean, they must also be drug free. Finally, since it’s not a crime police rarely have to arrest prostitutes, out of all the times that I have visited Nevada, there has only been one time that I noticed a street based prostitute, within minutes of me noticing her, the police were there to arrest her.

Should Prostitution be legal? I think many times people get caught up on the ethics behind legalized prostitution. For me if I put the ethical thought of prostitution aside and simply weighed out the good next to the bad, I’d have to at the very least admit that it may actually be a good thing to legalize it, with the same requirements that Nevada has. What are your thoughts, should it be legalized, why or why not?

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