Anthony “Tony” Bourdain has a job that a great deal of us envy. Traveling around the world, tasting authentic cultural cuisines, then scrupulously describing each savory bite in his writing and on his show, No Reservations. The thought of getting paid for doing a job that combines all or most of your own greatest passions is just that to most of us – a thought or a daydream. But Bourdain, as it seems, earned this dream, spending his life embarking on a journey that would eventually lead him to what can only be described as the best job in the world.
He started out at the bottom, working in restaurants in New York as a dishwasher, a line-cook, and then moving up to chef. Bourdain made it big following the publishing of his book entitled Kitchen Confidential, to which the Denver Post referred to saying, “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry…your gonna love it”. It became an international best-seller, and Bourdain “milked that lucky break for everything it’s worth”, according to the No Reservations website.
Tony, you are the man’s man. Beer, great food, travel, and baseball – BOTTOMS UP!
Firefighters automatically take on a heroic image. While I certainly do not disagree that firefighters deserve that image, police officers get a bum rap. I frequently hear other citizens talking about how police officers did this, and it was against their rights, or how police officers are corrupt. The truth of the matter is, a police officer’s job entails duties that are not considered popular by many of us.
The fact is there are corrupt cops, just as there are corrupt firefighters, politicians, businessmen and women, clergy, and so on, and so on. However, those corrupt cops truly are few and far between. Now – I’m not saying that most police officers are nice or courteous, but most are well-trained professionals whom we pay to do a job, and they do it.
Police officers are paid little appreciation for the jobs they do and the dangers they face. Some people want to push their negative thoughts about police officers on to others. I have two questions: Whom are you going to call when someone is breaking into your home, endangering the lives of your children? What are you teaching your child when they overhear you talking negatively about the brave men and women who protect our communities, who enforce our laws, and who educate our children in an effort to keep them out of trouble and prevent crime?
Next time you see a police officer, express your appreciation. This will help keep the morale of the police departments up and improve community-police relations. This will show those officers that their community supports them.
DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF
DEPUTY SARAH JONES
Deputy Sarah Jones, Monroe County (Indiana) Sheriff
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — A Monroe County deputy lost her life doing her job when a teen driver struck her while she was helping out at an accident in Bloomington.
It’s a topic that has been worn brutally by speculators, debaters, religious groups, women’s rights groups, politicians, medical professionals, scientists, and constituents from all over the United States. This nation is still greatly divided on the subject, a tough one in its very nature.
The notorious U.S. Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade, in which justices ruled that induced abortion is female’s right up until the point that the fetus is “viable” (meaning that the fetus could live outside the womb without artificial life support measures), marked a huge place in U.S. history. The controversy comes into play in several aspects of the case, including questions such as, when is the point of viability reached, when should abortion be restricted, and to what extent?
In U.S. history, the government and the people have made judgments and legislation that could be described as nothing less than faux pas. Whether these faux pas were the results of ignorance, immorality, or the like, they were, nonetheless, mistakes. Take, for example, slavery. George Washington had moral battles with himself over slavery, and yet, knowing it was wrong, allowed it to go on. Later in his life, these moral dilemmas showed in the writings of his living will, in which he expressed his desire that all of his slaves would be freed immediately upon the death of his wife, Martha. History repeats itself, and abortion will be as slavery is, a milestone in history.
I think that when brainwaves are measurable, the fetus is not just a fetus, but a living person. The laws of the land should protect that person just as any other person is protected, whether still in the womb, or whether that person is ninety-nine years old.
While I certainly do not endorse assisted suicide, I find it ironic that there are laws prohibiting it in all states, excepting Oregon (see Gonzales v. Oregon, 2006), while abortion is still legal. A person who is facing death from grave illness cannot decide to die legally, but a person who has a beating heart and measurable brainwaves, and would otherwise live can be terminated.
A fetus’ heart begins beating at four weeks. Brainwaves are measurable at six. At six weeks, that fetus is a baby person. I think the case of Roe v. Wade and the overall issue, needs to be reconsidered based on this scientific evidence. Furthermore, the court should take another look at “viability” and its definition.
Please note: I do want to stress that the opinion I express here is based solely upon cases in which there is NO imminent threat at hand to the life of the mother.
With my brand new love of politics, I was recently debating the worthiness of the presidential candidates with an acquaintance. It seemed we shared pretty much the same views, but disagreed on the character of the candidates. With that came the subject of Vice Presidential nominees. I civilly voiced my opinion, as that was the purpose of the conversation, and I find it enjoyable to hear others’ points of view.
As the conversation went on, I made a simple statement that I liked Joe Biden. I would not be ready for what would ensue. The person blew up, he began telling me, with some fury, why I was wrong and all of the cons of Joe Biden becoming Vice President. Still in a rant, this acquaintance began calming down. Trained to handle such situations, I calmly let him finish and replied, “Calm down, you do not have to agree with me.” Somewhat embarrassed by his little outburst, he played it off like he wasn’t really upset.
This incident got me to thinking; if you can’t contain yourself while discussing certain controversial topics, avoid the subject. Opinions are like body cavities, everyone has, and is entitled to, their own. If those opinions are expressed appropriately, each of us should strive to respect that.
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