24Feb 2011 by CJ

Blaming Unions is Unfair is Not as Black and White as it sounds

Information & Education, Life & Living
Regardless of my or anyone’s affiliation to union workers, the current regime of politicians in the spotlight are really no different than any of their predecessors – regardless of what they might say. They’re out to make a name for themselves, in a crowded political arena, and what better way to do so than to make headlines with dirty politics by blaming unions. What concerns me more however is the naivety of the human race. Instead of demanding facts, we listen to just about anyone who’s persuasive enough to convince us that somehow we’ve been wronged – oftentimes fictitious propaganda to further one’s agenda. But isn’t that politics in a nutshell or maybe a religious cult in which followers go along blindly with no opinion of their own? Fine, the…
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18Feb 2011 by CJ

Athlete Salaries are Disrespectful to Hard Working Americans

Information & Education, Life & Living
Recently, I stumbled upon an interesting fact about baseball great Babe Ruth and other athlete salaries. It’s been reported that Ruth earned a higher salary during the Great Depression of the 1930’s then President Hoover - publicly defending his $75,000 earnings by saying, “Why not? I had a better year than President Hoover did.” While professional baseball players are skilled at the game they’re playing, I’m not sure their salaries should be more than someone guiding our country through one of the most difficult times in history. Think about this – our current president earns some $400,000 a year - seems like a lot of money, right? Hold on to your hats folks. In 2010, Derek Jeter of the Yankees earned almost $23 million, the average player’s salary among the…
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16Feb 2011 by CJ

Supporting children’s dreams is part of being a good parent

Information & Education, Youth
When a parent says, “That’s a waste of time. My money is not paying for that. You’ll go to a regular college and that’s good enough.” Are they really supporting children's dreams? Here's an example. My main complaint with people talking on their cell phones in common areas such as supermarkets, coffee shops and even at work is that many times you have no choice but to become a part of their personal, and often, vocal conversations. Like the other day when I was forced to listen to a mother deflating her child’s self-esteem over the phone. Talk about feeling uncomfortable. I mean seriously, wouldn’t you rather have that conversation in the privacy of your car, or here’s a thought, at home face to face? Surprised by what I was…
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15Feb 2011 by CJ

Racism is still everywhere even in places you wouldn’t expect

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth
As a graphic designer for a large newspaper group, I’ve been asked to do some crazy things over the years. But I never thought I'd find a bit of racism in the mix. There was the time a sales rep asked if I could take a dentist’s picture and close the gap between his two front teeth – ironic, huh? Another was adamant about placing party hats on the heads of lobsters in a tank – though I suspect they had no reason to celebrate. But my favorite had to be this past Thanksgiving – when I was asked to put everything from dumb bells to a bottle of beer in the hands of a smiling turkey. That was just weird. While I’d never consider the above creations worthy of…
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12Feb 2011 by CJ

Twilight now a required read in the classroom?

Information & Education, Youth
Sometimes I stumble upon a news headline that truly leaves me scratching my head. Take the book Twilight for instance. I opened my email the other day to find an article entitled, “Twilight Is Now Required College Reading.” My first immediate reaction was, “Twilight? The vampire book series for teenagers?” A little further digging online confirmed what I found utterly unbelievable. Apparently the book is being featured in an Introduction to Fiction course at Ohio State University – where “Twilight” is in fact on the syllabus. Could you image strapping yourself with student loans in excess of $20,000 a year for an undergraduate education only to find out that some teenage fiction novel is part of your required reading? Needless to say, I’d be over at the registrations office dropping…
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