A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Current events

It’s time to be good to one another

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a fan of restrictions when it comes to doing what I want to do. And though the beginning of this seemed to be full of mixed feelings between full lock downs and overreactions, we know now that this is a serious situation we are in.

And while it might seem like the whole world doesn’t need to be on full lock down, the issue with not doing it everywhere is that those who are in areas that need it, might look to run to areas that don’t need it and … well, you get the idea of what could happen.

So the steps being taken now are very necessary and we all need to be smart and go along with this. 

I also think we weren’t ready for this and the fact that high-ranking officials didn’t necessarily take this seriously from the start also hurt. Alas, that’s not my point here. I don’t like to get too political on my blog, so I want to talk about a few more things on a broader spectrum. 

Local reach

As many of you know, I’m in New York. I’m not in the city or downstate, though. My county, as of me writing this, has supposedly 16-20 confirmed cases. Now, my county is also a large area with about 45,000 total people. So a lot of ground to cover. Though the population might not be as big as many other places, the size of the county is large.

The problem is, we have no idea where these cases in our county are as health services will not release the town names. 

Yes, you read that right. 

The county in which I reside will not release the towns the cases are in. As I noted, we are a vast county. So some people might get spooked a little more based on where people are. I’m not saying people shouldn’t be alarmed either way – they should – but it would be nice to know. They claim privacy etc. And they claim where people are located doesn’t matter. 

Yet, every other county seems to be releasing the towns. 

Our county leadership (outside of a few departments) is not the greatest. So this doesn’t surprise me. But the fact that they won’t even release the names of the towns is downright crazy. 

Every bit of news you hear is this town and that town. Not in this county. Allow people to know the truth so they can be a little more wary. 

The overall view of what is happening

I don’t think people, as a whole, are meant to be confined to their homes. They like to get out and see and do things. And with the spring months seemingly starting to really come along, people are going to get antsy. 

Still, we must be smart. 

This disease is moving rapidly. Though there appears to be good work being done on medicines and vaccines, it will still take time. 

I know I’m bummed because it’s baseball season. I love this time of the year. I should be getting amped up for seeing my first minor league game of the year next week. 

Not happening. 

At this rate, I will be happy if I get to see a dozen live games this summer. I’m hopeful. I truly am. But I also know the thought of thousands of people being put into close proximity isn’t going to be something officials are going to be rushing to do. I get that. 

What we should be thinking about is humanity as a whole. Yes, it’s inconvenient. Yes, it’s bothersome. Yes, it can be boring. Yes, the fact that businesses are shut down and people are out of work for now is awful. 

But all of this is far better than the likely alternative if we all just went around like nothing was going on. 

A few months from now when we are hopefully back to somewhat normal lives, we’ll look back on this with different thoughts. We need to do this for us, and for humanity as a whole. 

How to cope?

Things aren’t easy. 

I miss doing certain things and seeing certain people. I work in two schools and this is the time of year when things get amped up. Kids are usually looking forward to the end and all the exciting and outdoor activities would soon be underway. That’s changed.

Though I always washed hands and used hand sanitizer, I find myself doing it way more now. And I also find my hands are taking a beating from it. When I have gone to the store, I keep my space. When I go out for a walk, I keep my space. I tend to make sure I’m six feet the days I have to go into the office. 

Still, sanity isn’t a joke. I bet there will be a spike in depression medicines from this time. There are probably other things that will come out of this. It’s something we all are dealing with. 

But we have to try and keep some sanity. So what can you do? I’ve read many articles about this because, honestly, I wanted to make sure I took care of my health – physically and mentally – throughout this whole ordeal. Here are some of the best items I have found. If you have other ideas, drop them in the comments below!

  • Walk. If you aren’t mandated to stay inside because you are sick or fully quarantined, get outside. The air and sun can do wonders. Walking for 30-60 minutes can be a great way to clear your mind. Throw on some headphones and music or your favorite podcast and walk. Now, you should practice social distancing and be smart when outside, but it’s very good to get out. Make it solitary or with people in your immediate household. 
  • Visit a park. Many parks – statewide and national – are still open. Go visit. Hike. See some nature. Move through parking lots quickly, though, and if you see crowded areas, find another direction. 
  • Connect. Use FaceTime. Use Skype. Use some other sort of platform (Zoom seems to be popular)! Keep in touch with loved ones, especially those “vulnerable” who might be staying in a whole heap more. We have a lot of technology at our hands now – use it to keep sane. 
  • Play some games. If you have board games and have people in your immediate household, play some. There are a lot of great apps where you can connect with people to play with another person. Do some things where you can interact with people, even if online, so you can somewhat connect. (I’m on Word With Friends 2, and Boggle with Friends … I’m not always fast depending where I am, but I’m up for games. And suggestions for others!) 
  • For bloggers: Write and take photos. Use this time to get ahead. Write some things, take some photos, and try and make the most of this time to be creative. 
  • Take time to set personal goals. Look forward 3, 6, 9 months down the line when we hopefully will be back to normal. What kind of things do you want to get done? Start planning them out. 
  • Read a book. Listen to a podcast. There are SO many great books (and if you have E-readers, even more) and podcasts – there’s something for everybody. 
  • Binge some Netflix or something else. Hey. a day of binging a favorite show can let your mind rest and make you smile.

Here’s one thing from my end, and I’ve seen this written in several places. It’s OK to feel down or sad. It’s human emotion. But if you feel it’s bad, reach out for professional help. There are many tele-med ways of doing this, so seek the help if you feel yourself spiraling downward. We need to watch out for ourselves and loved ones. 

Reality is, we are in a situation many of us have never seen and, hopefully, will never see again.

But take care of yourself.

Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer!

Be smart and safe.

And most of all, keep smiling and be good to one another.

I know the climate with the world is tense and unnerving. I’ve done my best to distance myself from too many political talks or watching daily updates on TV, especially because we aren’t going to get along with opinions right now.

The one thing we can control is how we treat one another. Be good to others and we’ll find a way to get through this.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

The results of bullying are reaching extreme levels

Oh, society, you keep outdoing yourself.

Life is a precious thing, as we all know. But I have to be honest when I say I have no faith in the future of humanity or society as a whole.

Yes, I’m going to get a little serious with this post. I usually try and avoid things like this, if not just because I know people can get emotional and quite crazy when talking about things like this.

But if society and this world doesn’t find a way to change (and it likely won’t), this world could be in some serious trouble when the youngsters of today are adults.

Taking away politics and the economy, one of the biggest issues I think we need to worry about is bullying. This situation can happen at any level — high school, college, and in adulthood (if you don’t think wars and such are a form of bullying, check things out and think about it — it is). But the scary situation is in the younger ages.

When I was in middle school/high school I felt what it was like to be bullied. Not so much in a physical way, but in mental ways. Name calling and all the catty crap that happens in high school. I wasn’t part of any particular clique, but I kind of roamed. I had friends in all different “social classes,” but I also had “enemies.” By enemy, I mean people who felt it was their nature to call me (and many others) names or crap like that.

It made high school pretty much such.

See, I hated high school. With a passion. I consider those years some of the worst of my life. I didn’t go to my last high school reunion because I didn’t want to look back at that time in my life. The people who I want to deal with from that era, I do, whether it be by seeing them on occasion, being close friends or seeing updates and such on Facebook.

I assure you, for the group I graduated with, it isn’t many.

A couple friends I graduated with tried to assure me that many people had “grown up and gotten past that stage.” My response was simple — I don’t care.

See, people grow up. I understand that. But for those who were on the opposite end of that situation growing up, you don’t forget. For me, those years were awful and it was because of a certain set of people. I have no interest in seeing or talking to them again. I don’t forget.

To be fair, I probably said some unkind things to people as well. It’s a trickle-down effect. One gets slammed and then continues it down the chain. I hope my words back then to others weren’t as bad as what I felt. If it was, it’s probably karma that really got me. And if that’s the fact, I full apologize to those I said things to — though I wouldn’t expect anybody to ever forget because I know the feeling.

That leads me to the reason for this post.

No matter what was done to me during that time period in my life, I got through it. Whether through a physical altercation or two, or just ignoring and battling through it, I got by.

And I’m still here.

An alarming amount of kids these days aren’t graduating high school because of bullying. Why? Because they are committing suicide. That’s a scary situation, folks.

In all the years I received harsh treatment, I never once considered that. Never. Even in the past two years when my life has taken a downward spiral with the economy, it’s never crossed my mind. Ever.

But 14- and 15-year-old kids are figuring this to be the best thing.

It doesn’t matter why someone is being bullied. Whether it’s because of how they dress, the color of their skin, their sexual preference or where they live/come from, it shouldn’t matter.

Leave them alone.

Have you heard the name Amanda Todd?

If you haven’t, you should Google her name. The name has been in the news and all over social media for a couple of weeks. Amanda was a 15-year-old who lived in Vancouver.

Notice I use her name in the past tense. That’s because she committed suicide a couple of weeks ago. This was the culmination of several years of being bullies, online and off. It got so bad that this poor girl decided the best way to escape everything was to kill herself.

This story, obviously, is spreading. I’ve seen it in many different publications and online media places.

As it’s told, the story is one of a young girl who made a mistake when she was a seventh grader. She would webcam with friends to meet and talk to new people. Some stranger talked her into flashing the camera. A year later, a man contacted her on Facebook with the threats of sending said photo to everyone if she didn’t put on a show.

Scarier? The stranger knew many details about her — address, school, friends, names of friends and family etc.

Soon, the naked photo had been forwarded to “everyone.”

From that, Amanda apparently developed some serious issues, including anxiety and depression. Drugs and alcohol followed. She changed schools and tried to find new friends. But the man followed and created a Facebook profile, using that naked photo as a profile photo.

The bully started up again. She cut herself as a way to release the pain. She moved again. Maybe things would get better? A boy started to seemingly like her. But some girls from her first school came and beat her up. It was filmed. She was left along. After that, she tried to down bleach to commit suicide. She was saved — that time.

And how is all this known?

Amanda told the story. Take a peek at this YouTube video she posted a month before killing herself. It’s a nearly nine-minute video, but I encourage you to watch. It’s heart-wrenching in all aspects. This video has more than 5,000,000 views.

The sad part of this is Amanda isn’t the first teenager to commit suicide from being bullied, whether cyber or in person. And, unfortunately, she likely won’t be the last.

But this is an issue that needs to be dealt with in a much better way than it is. Parents are part of this, too. Society today has the parents whose kids can never do wrong. It’s been that way for a long time, but more numerous now. When I was in newspaprts, I was accosted many times by parents who thought I should write more about their kid, or this other kid shouldn’t get written about because he or she wasn’t as nice as their kid.

I’m all for backing your kids in anything they do, but one needs to keep it in perspective.

We have to remember that things like this aren’t reversible. Amanda Todd’s smile will never be seen on Earth again. She won’t be able to hug her parents. She won’t have a fairy tale wedding, have kids and grow old with her husband.

And that’s sad.

Instead, the people who bullied her will continue their lives. They’ll get to experience those things. It’s my hope proof is found and the people who bullied Amanda will be dealt with in a legal manner so that they, too, will suffer. It’s my hope they find the person who has cyber bullied Amanda and punish him to the full extent of the law. Apparently, a hacking organization has outed somebody, but Vancouver police said he’s not the person.

I honestly don’t know the next step in society. As the world continues to grow and develop more and more, society is going to change. It’s not the 50s anymore. There’s a lot of hate and it comes out quite easily now.

For anybody — but especially somebody who hasn’t even graduated high school yet — suicide should never be an option. Always find something to live or push for. Instead, it seems like it’s becoming more commonplace for people to consider this a justifiable solution.

And that’s sad. Not just for the person and his or her family and friends, but for society as a whole.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Notes from my Noodle: January 23 edition

It seems that every time I think I have seen it all when it comes to being politically correct, something else makes me shake my head in wonderment.

This time, it’s in Utah.

The Cougar is not a good nickname for one Utah school, for an odd reason. (Photo by Mike Fisher via Flickr commons)

See, though I may not agree with everything that has to be politically correct out there, I understand it. I can see why schools change their team names from something like Warriors or Chiefs or Braves because of being sensitive. I really can.

There’s many more I understand.

Not this time.

See, it seems that there’s this new school in Utah — Corner Canyon High School. And, well, the school ran a contest to let future students decide on its future mascot. The school, according to a USA Today story, is slated to open in 2013.

The board, however, rejected the winning mascot from the contest. And what mascot put the board up in arms?

Cougars.

Raise your hand if you see where this is going.

It turns out the board though calling their mascot the Cougars would be offensive. To whom? To middle-age women who like to chase younger men. Because the term “cougar” is becoming synonymous with that act.

I can’t make this stuff up.

It’s to note, also, that three other schools in Utah, as well as Brigham Young University, all use the nickname Cougars, according to KSTU Fox 13.

The school had decided, instead, to call itself the Chargers.

But being the school doesn’t open until 2013, I’m sure the board will have a chance to re-visit this and see if it offends anyone else by then.

—

Legendary football coach Joe Paterno died Sunday at age 85.

His death ends the life of the winningest coach in major college history and also one of someone who stayed in Happy Valley for more than half of his life. His donations to and his love of Penn State is known my pretty much anyone who has heard JoePa’s name.

Paterno in November 2010 (photo by Jeremy Kahn via Flickr's creative commons license)

Though his final months were doused in controversy because of the alleged dirty doings of a former assistant coach, I personally don’t think his legacy is tarnished. He still did much for that University.

One could argue that he should have done more with the Jerry Sandusky situation. That’s a fair argument. Morally, should he have done more? Probably so. But, legally, he did what he was supposed to do. I understand both sides of the argument and I’m not going to get into one here. Everyone is entitled to believe what they want.

I still think Paterno got railroaded at the end, which is a shame — especially looking at how his final months unfolded. But he had tremendous support as was evident.

I went to college at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, which is about a 20-minute ride to State College. Needless to say, during my years at The Haven, I knew all about Penn State and its athletics.

JoePa was loved indeed.

Though I never attended a football game at PSU (probably a silly move, eh?) I did venture to State College a bit. I explored the campus once or twice, saw a few other athletic contests and did have the chance to see the stadium.

And, I saw JoePa.

It only happened once. I had gone to this restaurant a few times and had been told it was one of Paterno’s favorite spots. I didn’t think I’d ever see him as it was apparently his “breakfast choice.”

Alas, one night a few of us went to State College and ate at the place. Soon after we arrived, JoePa and his wife came in. They ate not far from us, so we got to see the legendary coach. People said hi as they walked by and he greeted them the same. But nobody bothered him. No autographs. Nothing. They let the man be.

That’s the way it should be.

It was quite cool to see this legendary figure as a member of this small community. Embedded in it.

He was an amazing football coach and one of the best things to ever happen to Penn State. He’ll be missed by many, in football and in life. Rest in Peace, JoePa.

—

When owning a blog, you really see some interesting comments.

Though spam is awful for your e-mail inboxes, sometimes blog spam comments can be quite funny. (Photo Eddie Awad via Flickr commons)

Many comments are spam and need to just be deleted. But I like to read some of them before I delete them. Why? Because they are quite interesting and funny.

Usually, however, they make no sense.

It’s pretty simple to figure out the spam because you get random comments on posts where the comment makes no sense or on posts that are several years old.

A post of mine from the Day Zero Project — about traveling to five new cities — recently got a comment. It made NO sense whatsoever.

I realize that it might have picked up on some key words or something or maybe it’s because the post was about some travel of sorts, but it still didn’t make full sense as to why this comment would just show up, outside the fact that its spam.

One day while driving, I came to a stop at a red light. I looked both ways and made sure no one was coming, then proceeded to make a left turn. A few seconds later it hits me — you can only make a right on red. I felt like such an idiot.

I will admit it made me laugh.

Though I try to make sure these spam messages don’t make it through, I do give credit that at least some of them can be a bit funny!

—

You’ll remember that I had my personal stand with the legislation PIPA and SOPA last week?

I thought I’d give a quick update.

Apparently the Internet blackout work as both pieces of legislation have been pulled for now. That’s not to say they won’t come back at some point. I’m sure those who worked on these two will want to find a way to get them back, albeit with some workings.

I looked at many of the people in Congress who switched over on these bills and like that they did. They seemed to see the light — if even just in saying it. The reality is this — America talked and Congress finally listened. Things can happen when done in ways like this.

Protests don’t always have to be taking over public parks and making them slum palaces. There doesn’t always need to be a march, or people getting together in places all over the country.

Sometimes it can be quick, clean and effective. You just need to have a definite agenda, a hope for a resolution and an actual plan for what to do. This one-day blackout worked effectively and was way more successful than some other protests that have been going on for months with seemingly no true direction.

I applaud the country for getting this done, especially some of the Internet’s biggest sites who showed that getting people together in something like this can work wonders.

Again, these bills could slip back soon enough, so we — as  country — need to make sure we can stand for what we believe in. And I’m a firm believe that piracy needs to be stopped, somehow. Just in a different way than these two bills were showing.

Stay proud, America. The Internet is safe, for now.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

Yes, this is really happening…

I realize society needs to grow and keep moving forward.

I’m all for equality. For (some) things being all politically correct. I have no issues with age, color, creed, sexual orientation or anything like that. Seriously. People are people. Let them be who they are.

But, sometimes, things are getting downright stupid.

Did you hear the one about the 9-year-old boy who was suspended for two days at a school in North Carolina?

I’m sure if someone told you that on the street, you’d have common thoughts. A fight. Arguing. Being mean. Bullying. Something.

Nope.

How about sexual harassment?

Look, I get why sexual harassment is such a topic in the current day. But it’s getting out of hand. It seems like anything somebody does can be construed as it. And when that happens, you risk really screwing with somebody’s life. This isn’t a joke. This is real. When you place that tag on someone, you can flat-out ruin somebody.

Don’t get me wrong, we don’t need to go back to the 50s. I’m not looking for it to be like Leave it to Beaver where June stays home cleaning and cooking all day waiting for Ward to come home.

And this isn’t like the old black and white flicks where “dame” and “broad” were normal and accepted terms.

But seriously, folks.

Let me relay the story of this 9-year-old kid, which I read about the other day.

See, he was having a private chat with a friend. Nothing serious or anything. Just the two talking. This boy didn’t grope anyone or touch someone inappropriately. He was talking to a friend.

And what happened?

He told his friend that a teacher was cute.

That’s it.

Further, he didn’t even say it to the teacher. It was in the private conversation. He didn’t yell it. He was talking to a friend. A substitute teacher overheard the conversation and reported the child. A substitute.

Then the kid got suspended. For two days.

Sorry, folks, but this is ridiculous. What’s next? A 14-year-old asks a pretty girl out on a date or to “go steady” and she slaps him with a lawsuit? I know several teachers who have been asked to proms over the year. Will this soon be sexual harassment?

Where does it end?

Look, I don’t think inappropriate behavior should be tolerated — by men or women toward each other (remember, sexual harassment isn’t always male to female). Especially in the workplace or things like that. But there has to be a level of what is defined as inappropriate.

Telling someone they are cute or pretty is not sexual harassment. Why should it be a crime for a co-worker to tell someone they look nice on a particular day. Has our society become such a bunch of drones that we can’t compliment one another? Has society become so ridiculous that a 9-year-old boy can’t think a teacher is cute? Heck, I know for a fact I had several crushes on teachers when I was in elementary school. It’s part of growing up!

We need to really evaluate ourselves as a society when things like this are happening.

***

So a 12-year-old boy in Florida killed his 2-year-old brother.

I’m not defending this action, by any means. But how’s this for what’s coming?

He’s being charged with first-degree murder — as an adult. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in jail.

As a 12-year-old.

Believe me, I’m not condoning what happened. The defense has rejected a plea deal that would lock up this child until 21. But he would admit to murder and the final three years of his sentence would likely be in an adult prison.

According to reports, Cristian Fernandez allegedly shoved his brother into a bookshelf, fracturing his skull and giving the tot internal bleeding to the brain.

The boy should be punished, for sure. But life in prison? They are saying this is premeditated? Can a 12-year-old boy really premeditate  murder? I think Florida should re-evaluate itself here. Again, the boy killed someone. But did he plan it? Did he want to do it? Or are there other issues here we are not seeing.

There are so many crimes and such out there that people commit and get second chances. But this kid could be facing life in prison? Are we sure, as society, that he can’t be fixed to become a good member in society?

The trial is scheduled for February. I’ll be interested to see how this all comes out.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

Really? Jail time possible for this?

File this in the “Really?” category.

I realize that there are some odd laws on the books. Like some really dumb ones.

Here are a few from my state of New York, from Dumb Laws.

Women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business.

  • It is illegal for a woman to be on the street wearing “body hugging clothing”.
  • Citizens may not greet each other by “putting one’s thumb to the nose and wiggling the fingers”.
  • A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting.
  • A person may not walk around on Sundays with an ice cream cone in his/her pocket.

Seriously?

Let’s go to Pennsylvania.

  • It it illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors.
  • Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.
  • A special cleaning ordinance bans housewives from hiding dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling.
  • You may not sing in the bathtub.
  • A person is not eligible to become Governor if he/she has participated in a duel.
  • You may not catch a fish with your hands.
  • You may not catch a fish by any body part except the mouth.
  • Dynamite is not to be used to catch fish.

And sticking with the theme of states that touch New York, how about a few from New Jersey?

  • It is illegal to wear a bullet-proof vest while committing a murder.
  • It is against the law for a man to knit during the fishing season.
  • It is against the law to “frown” at a police officer.

If those aren’t enough, how about this local law from Bernards Township?

  • It is illegal to frown as the town is a “Frown-Free Town Zone”.

Sheesh!

But the video I am going to post below really caught my attention. This is real. Someone is facing up to 75 years in prison for a level one felony for recording police without their consent. Seriously, this person is facing the same sort of a felony a murderer or rapist would be facing.

Seriously.

And it appears the law, which is some sort of an old eavesdropping law, is in something like 12 states. So if you witness a cop beating someone and record it, you could face jail time.

As someone who believes in our constitution, this is absolutely ridiculous. And that they are pulling this guy through the systems over this is amazingly stupid. This is what taxpayers are footing the bill for in Illinois? For the state to prosecute someone who recorded cops coming onto his property over something about cars in his driveway? Really?

The video is about 15 minutes long, but I implore you to watch it. To think that someone could be put in prison with real criminals over something like this is mind-boggling. I hope, in the end, it works out for this person. And I hope, too, that when these state prosecutors come up for re-election, the people vote them out of office. Quickly.

There are links, too, to some radio interviews with the guy being charged. They are worth watching, too.

Thoughts? Drop them in the comments below.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!