tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86414189163495954432024-03-12T21:08:18.136-04:00KevinCanessa.comWelcome to KevinCanessa.com -- where the only thinking is progressive thinking.Kevin Canessa Jr.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17342528505149965275noreply@blogger.comBlogger627125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-74530197959079031022013-10-22T20:56:00.002-04:002015-02-05T09:55:33.724-05:00Until teachers and admins speak up, bullying of teens won't ever end<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Oswald; mso-bidi-font-family: "Droid Serif";">The Canessa Commentary</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Oswald; mso-bidi-font-family: "Droid Serif";">By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kiXPcqjXKPY/UQxaIFHbS_I/AAAAAAAABoU/31dYefXdYlI/s1600/commentary-222x222.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kiXPcqjXKPY/UQxaIFHbS_I/AAAAAAAABoU/31dYefXdYlI/s1600/commentary-222x222.png" /></a><span style="font-family: Oswald; mso-bidi-font-family: "Droid Serif";">WEST
PALM BEACH, Fla.</span><span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";"> – It continues
to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">A teen gets
bullied. The bullying teens get away with it. The bullied teen sees no way out,
and commits suicide. The latest example happened here just a few days ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">But there’s
a twist this time – the mother of one of the girls accused of being a bully has
herself been arrested. And it’s about damn time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">I’ve shared
this story before, but it’s worth sharing over and over. One of the reasons I
no longer teach is because of several cases of bullying I saw whilst a teacher
that were ignored by my administrators.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">The kid who
was being bullied was picked on mercilessly. He was called every name in the
book, but the predominant names included “fag,” “faggot,” and “homo.”</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">The kid, no
question, was a little feminine. But he was a decent kid nonetheless. He’d
never so much as harm a fly. But for whatever reason, his classmates found it
necessary to pick on him day in and day out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">I brought
this to the attention of the school’s leadership (for privacy’s sake, I won’t
mention the school or admins by name). Not once did any administrator take noticeable
action. Not once. And the bullying would continue for quite a while – that is,
of course, until I finally took it into my own hands and contacted the kid’s
parents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">It blew my mind
that in the 2000s, it was possible that high-school administrators would
totally ignore bullying of any kind. But it indeed happened – and it sickened
me to no avail…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">I will never
understand why it is that happened. I still don’t understand how some of my
colleagues would not only tolerate the bullying, they’d sometimes join in.
Maybe it was to gain acceptance from the students. Maybe my colleagues were
bullied themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">But more
times than not, I’ve noticed one of the biggest reasons bullying still exists
in schools to this day is because the people who run schools often simply allow
it to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">Not even
these stories we see in the news are enough to get them to intervene.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">It reminds
me of the documentary “Bully.” One of the administrators was so oblivious to
bullying that took place right before her very eyes, it blew my mind that any parent
would ever let their child enter that school – ever. At all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">Until
administrators and teachers are willing to stand up, this cycle is never going
to end. Ever. And we’re going to continue to see, every single week, more
stories of young people who kill themselves because the very people entrusted
to care for these kids are failing miserably.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">This is not
a blanket condemnation. It’s a simple reality that entirely too many adults are
willing to allow this culture to exist in schools. I’m not holding my breath in
anticipation of this changing anytime soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">And that, my
friends, is the saddest part of bullying period.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">If just one
administrator or teacher who normally remains quiet would change their mind and
stand up for the bullied kid, perhaps we’d see fewer cases suicides among
teens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">This day
must come soon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">Not one more
child should ever have to contemplate suicide. Ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";"><br />
Sadly, we’re far away from the day when this will be eradicated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">I pray I get
to see that day, nonetheless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-3313237325643507892013-10-17T00:29:00.000-04:002015-02-05T15:45:25.303-05:00Is it fair to blame a suicidal teen who took other lives?<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "oswald","serif";">The Canessa Commentary<br />By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "oswald","serif";">EDISON, N.J. -- </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">On Wednesday, we learned of the suicidal death of a 15-year-old boy, Srijan Saha, a student
at JP Stevens High School in Edison, N.J. When the story was first made known
to the public, it was believed to be a horrific crash that took the lives of
Saha and two other men driving in another car. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">The two men
who died were Mohammed Zia, 46, and his brother-in-law, Ali Behzad, 36, both of
Edison, N.J. The Star-Ledger reported the two men had gone out for a late-night
cup of coffee, and wound up being hit, head on, on state Route 27.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">A simple cup
of coffee turns into an epic tragedy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">But on
Wednesday, we learned the boy, whose name hasn’t officially been released by
police, wrote a suicide note on himself. And what was first seen as a tragic
car crash turned into a homicide-suicide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CFbFv3jpBaQ/Ul9m8k02GKI/AAAAAAAADeY/71Tc7O9zgW4/s1600/saha-fb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CFbFv3jpBaQ/Ul9m8k02GKI/AAAAAAAADeY/71Tc7O9zgW4/s200/saha-fb.jpeg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saha's Facebook photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">Saha, at 15,
wasn’t even old enough to have a learner’s permit driver’s license. Reports say
he took his family car without his parents’ knowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">This story
opened up a discussion on NJ.com, the official website of The Star-Ledger, that
was, at time, poignant, and at times, downright disgusting. For me, it opened
up thoughts again of yet another teenager whose mental health was clearly in
irreparable shape – and whose mental health problems somehow appeared to go
unnoticed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">Before I go further,
let me say something clearly here: Three lives were lost in this crash – and
the loss of any life in a car crash is always terribly sad.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">But this now
leads to what caused an ugly dialogue online – and that is, should blame be
assessed in this case?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">Based on the
reports I read, the two men who died leave behind a total of six children. Saha
leaves behind a family, including both his mother and father. There are
countless people from many families who are suffering – right this very second
– beyond anything most of us can comprehend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">And yet,
it’s impossible not to take note that two men would be alive today if a
15-year-old boy didn’t make the decision to take his own life. Somehow,
inexplicably, he decided to take his own life by crashing his car by driving it
into on-coming traffic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">And with
that being said, it begs the question: As a society, do we place blame on the
boy for doing what he did?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">The saddest
part of this entire story is that another case of mental illness, in all
probability, went untreated and unnoticed. Perhaps down the line, we’ll learn
more about Saha and what kind, if any, treatment he got. But for now, it’s
appropriate to presume anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">Mental-health
issues continue to be ignore in our country. Whether it’s biological depression,
bi-polar-mania, schizophrenia or a number of other diseases, we often forget
that many people who do bad things in this world do so because of untreated
mental-health issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">There is
still an amazing stigma attached to mental-health problems. So many who suffer
from these illnesses – and their families and friends – see medicating and
treating as unacceptable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">I personally
remember a family member once telling me that people who are depressed “don’t
need medication – they need to just suck it up and snap out of their sadness or
confusion.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">But as
someone who has battled depression my entire life, I know personally it’s just
not that easy. I can’t even begin to recall all the times in my life I came
down with depression for no good reason at all. The bottom line is, at least
for me, there’s a chemical imbalance somewhere in my brain that causes the
depression. And if I don’t medicate it properly, it’ll only get worse. There is
nothing I can do to change that unless medication is involved. And it’s the case
for anyone who suffers from any kind of mental illness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">Yet some,
still, won’t take medications because of the side effects. Some won’t take
medications because people tell them not to. Some don’t take medication because
they simply don’t know – they’re not aware – that there is help out there. And
it can and does get better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">Saha had to
have something terrible going on in his head. Saha likely didn’t tell anyone
(or many) about what was happening to him on the inside. Saha got behind the
wheel of a car a few nights ago, took his own life, and the lives of two
innocent men in Edison.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">And the
question still remains, should we blame him for what he did?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">If he wasn’t
afforded a chance to get better, how COULD we blame him for what he did? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">Sadly, we’ll
likely never know what was happening to him before he did what he did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">But if one
thing is clear, if anything is evident – it’s that as a nation, we’ve got to
come to grips with a reality that mental-health issues are everywhere. Someone
you know likely suffers from a mental disease. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">And turning
them away from the help they could be getting is about as wrong as anything a
human being could possibly do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">And until
this country wakes up – and realizes most mentally ill people can be helped –
we’re doomed to see more and more cases like this one, like Tyler Clementi and
like so many others we’ve seen on the news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Serif","serif";">That,
unfortunately, is the biggest tragedy of them all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-56077288745865554282013-07-31T15:30:00.000-04:002013-07-31T15:35:28.857-04:00The 10-biggest mistakes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oxt0HVKKjVQ/UfllLtFfe6I/AAAAAAAADTc/HUr_A3k5oYM/s1600/GreysAnatomy_Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oxt0HVKKjVQ/UfllLtFfe6I/AAAAAAAADTc/HUr_A3k5oYM/s200/GreysAnatomy_Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I’ve been a huge fan of “Grey’s Anatomy” for a long time now. And as such, I wanted to do a series of pieces on the show. I’ll start off with a list of the 10 biggest mistakes of the show’s history. Keep in mind, this is just a numbered list — it’s not meant to be a Top 10.<br />
<br />
1. <b><u>Allowing Isaiah Washington to walk</u></b>. His choice of words toward T.R. Knight were awful. But Preston Burke was a critical character of the show’s initial development. His return would really energize the show.<br />
<br />
2. <b><u>T.R. Knight’s late-run treatment</u></b>. In Season 5, Knight had such a limited role in the show it was a surprise his death was such a big deal to end the season. Season 5, one of the best, could have been so much better had T.R. had a greater role.<br />
<br />
3. <b><u>Killing off George</u></b>. The funeral scene was epic. But I hate when characters are killed off. I’d always like to see a George return, but unless it’s with someone else hallucinating — like Izzie did when she had a tumor — it ain’t gonna happen.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nbn4-g5KPL8/UfllLXOcdxI/AAAAAAAADTU/dw3H8xoE0RQ/s1600/14George.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nbn4-g5KPL8/UfllLXOcdxI/AAAAAAAADTU/dw3H8xoE0RQ/s200/14George.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George O’Malley, MD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
4. <b><u>Killing off Mark</u></b>. Another vitally awesome character.<br />
<br />
5. <b><u>Killing off Lexie</u></b>. Same as above.<br />
<br />
6. <b><u>Izzie’s departure.</u></b> It was bizarre. Does a woman really leave her husband of just a few months that quickly, only to return twice? Shonda Rhimes is a brilliant writer — but she missed out on this one.<br />
<br />
7. <b><u>Cristina’s two pregnancies</u></b>. One was enough.<br />
<br />
8. <b><u>Erica Hahn</u></b>. I just never liked her character — ever — from the heart transplant for Denny Duquette to her becoming head of C.T. at Seattle Grace/Mercy West. I was never more upset than when she was getting ready to rat out Izzie for her role in Denny’s transplant — but was thrilled that was her last-ever episode.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kkW3yNFF3v0/UfllLqkkFiI/AAAAAAAADTg/qMeTG0UtXXQ/s1600/adele-webber-returns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kkW3yNFF3v0/UfllLqkkFiI/AAAAAAAADTg/qMeTG0UtXXQ/s200/adele-webber-returns.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adele Webber</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
9. <b><u>Spinning off Addison and sending her to Cali</u></b>. She was such a great character. And I never quite liked “Private Practice.” And yet, every time she made cameos on “Grey’s,” I found those episodes to be stellar. Here's hoping she makes many more cameos now that PP is over.<br />
<br />
10. <b><u>Adele getting Alzheimer’s right in the midst of MerDer’s clinical trial</u></b>. Really? The chief of surgery’s wife just happens to get Alzheimer’s as one of the most prominent Alzheimer’s clinical trials is on-going at the hospital, leading to as much trouble as it did for Meredith? It was just too much. Also, getting to see Ellis Grey with Alzheimer’s was difficult enough to watch — seeing Adele going through it — and Richard for that matter — was just way too much to stomach.<br />
<br />
What did I miss? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @kevincanessa.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-22155779641390821012013-03-14T17:13:00.000-04:002013-03-14T17:13:18.242-04:00The greatest Jesuit I've ever known: Father Tony Azzarto, SJ<br />
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<b><i>NOTE: I wrote this piece in 2007. And yet, so little about Tony has changed. I decided to 'republish' it in light of the new pope, Francis, being a Jesuit priest.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>The Canessa Commentary</i></b><b><i><br />By Kevin Canessa Jr.</i></b></div>
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If he knew I were writing this column, the Rev. Tony Azzarto, S.J., of St. Peter’s Prep, would politely say something like: “What would you be thinking there. There’s no need <span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">for</span> this.” With his great Brooklyn accent, the emphasis would be on the word “for.” Anyone who knows Tony would realize this.</div>
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Of course, he’s been like that his entire life. A man who has given of himself to generations of students at St. Peter’s Prep and to many thousands of Nigerians in West Africa rarely realizes just how much impact he’s had on the lives of so many people. Instead, he’ll tell you it’s not what he does that has an impact on people, it’s the reaction of the people to his guidance that really creates the impact.<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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But the truth of the matter is that Tony Azzarto really has had that impact on so many — and he embodies was a member of the Society of Jesus should be in every sense of the word. He is the greatest living example of a Man for Others, something a wonderful Jesuit priest, Father Pedro Arrupe, called all associated with the Jesuits to be. If there were a book written in the modern world simply on examples of being “Men for Others,” there isn’t a Jesuit more deserving of having his photo on the front cover than Tony Azzarto.</div>
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Tony’s story is a very simple one. As a boy, he attended Brooklyn Prep, a school that closed its doors in the ‘70s, and a school that was home to many a recognizable name, including Curtis Sliwa, founder of The Guardian Angels. And, like many boys who attended Brooklyn Prep way back when, Tony went into the Jesuits not too long after his high school days were over.</div>
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While preparing to become a Jesuit Father, he studied philosophy and theology, and had a few years as a scholastic at St. Peter’s Prep in the late 1960s — he taught religion back then.</div>
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He then came back to St. Peter’s Prep, and it likely wasn’t until 1985, immediately following his first big stint of five years in Nigeria, that he had his greatest impact on the St. Peter’s Prep family.</div>
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When he came back, he took over the Emmaus Retreat Program which, unbelievably, turns 30 this year. For 20-some-odd years, Tony was the leader of Emmaus, and can be recalled fondly by any Prep alumnus who ever made the retreat.</div>
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And if you want to talk about sports — my goodness was and is he ever a big sports fan. Professionally, he was a huge fan of the Dodgers, perhaps because of his strong Brooklyn roots. I can still recall that even though I was a fan of the New York Mets, I was very happy for Tony when the team from L.A. beat the Mets in the 1988 National League Championship Series — and then went on to win the World Series against the heavily favored Oakland A’s. Tony is the kind of guy who can really get you to love your enemy — whether a sports team, a rival, whatever. His aura of peacefulness transcended any kind of negativity — and he did a great job of it in 1988 (and heck, every other year he was part of the faculty at St. Peter’s Prep).</div>
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On a personal note, Tony was for me a mentor — and was the single-greatest reason I considered entering the Jesuits in the early 2000s. I had always wanted to be a priest, and having someone like Tony as a mentor made it all the more natural that it would be the Jesuits for me — or nothing at all. Though I didn’t ultimately wind up entering the Jesuits, a decision I still question from time to time, Tony continued to mentor me well beyond my years (1988-1992) at St. Peter’s Prep.</div>
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When I was a teacher at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, he allowed me to “borrow” the Emmaus model for the students there. Then, at Oratory Prep later, the same thing happened, and the results were incredible. Our Emmaus program was as successful as it was at St. Peter’s, and without Tony, none of it would have been possible.</div>
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So many times, when we’d have a retreat, Tony would make his way up to Mount Arlington to the retreat house to say Mass. Never would he accept a penny for saying the Mass, a custom most diocesan priests are used to. He would say, on a regular basis, “As long as you have a cookie or two for me, and maybe a slice of pizza, I would love to be there for you for Mass.”</div>
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And there he was, time and time again, on his own weekend — doing what he loved so much — for free.</div>
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Though he may not realize it, hundreds of kids from St. Anthony’s and Oratory Prep each had an opportunity to experience Emmaus because of Tony. Again, he’d say it was The Holy Spirit that allowed the kids to have such great times — but I would always disagree, and tell him that it was he who made much of that joy possible, a joy that for many kids, would not otherwise have happened.</div>
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And you see, that’s what he’s all about, is Tony Azzarto. He never drove a fancy car; in fact, on two occasions, when he came to say Mass for us, he came in a huge yellow St. Peter’s Prep school bus. Talk about simplicity. He never much boasted about being able to wear a Roman Collar. Instead, he often wore regular clothing, an outward sign of his humble nature and vow of poverty. He also showed so many of us that, unlike many other priests, he firmly believed he was no better or worse a person than the average layman. He believed in that so much so that he would always invite kids to surround him at the altar when he’d say Mass, and bless the bread and wine as it became the Body and Blood of Christ.</div>
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He never as much as asked for a thank you for anything he ever did for me, or for anyone else for that matter. He was only doing the work of Jesus, he’d say. Prayer and pizza were thanks enough.</div>
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But really, if you want to talk about a man who is deserving of all the praise and accolades in the world, it’s Tony Azzarto, because he’s done so much for so many that it’s impossible to list even a handful here — it would take up so much space.</div>
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He is really the greatest Man for Others on this planet.</div>
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<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Back to Nigeria</span></div>
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A few years ago, I had an opportunity to spend an entire day at St. Peter’s Prep, sitting in on several classes, meeting with seniors and administrators — and I even had a chance to eat lunch with many of the women and men who taught me while I was in high school. That day turned out to be a really sad one, though, because it was the day I learned that Tony would be leaving St. Peter’s Prep to return to a place he’d been before — Nigeria, West Africa.</div>
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Oh what a bummer this was to learn.</div>
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For two years, Tony was the pastor of a church there. And, for the most part, I didn’t have contact with him during that time period. But now, Tony’s back.</div>
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He has a different role now at St. Peter’s. He’s the alumni chaplain.</div>
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I haven’t had a chance to ask him yet just what alumni chaplain means. But I’m sure whatever it is, he’ll do it with class. The entire community at Prep is fortunate to have him back. The school is better when he’s there.</div>
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There will also be one more fan rooting at sporting events, too. I failed to mention this before, but if there’s a Prep sporting event — even if it’s freshman basketball or, yawn, a track-and-field meet — you’ll likely find Tony there.</div>
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And it’s things like this that separate Tony from just about anyone else you’d ever come across.</div>
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He’s a true Man for Others.</div>
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He should one day be canonized a Saint, though he’d certainly tell you otherwise.</div>
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And now, he’s finally home — where he should be, doing the work God called him to do, right in our own backyard.</div>
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Welcome home, Tony Azzarto!</div>
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Welcome home!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-38773463682238863812013-02-19T12:30:00.000-05:002013-02-19T12:49:27.674-05:0010 years ago on Feb. 20 -- 100 lives lost at the Station Nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #750000; font-family: oswald;">The following post appeared on this site on 5 Jan. 2013.</span></div>
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It's nearly impossible to believe it, but on Feb. 20, it will have been 10 years since the deadly fire at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, R.I., that took the lives of 100 people.<br />
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That night, the band Great White was performing. Shortly after 11 p.m., the band began its first set -- and as they played their first song, pyrotechnics were set off. Merely 40 seconds thereafter, the area behind the stage was ablaze -- and just 2 minutes after the first pyrotechnics were set off, the entire club was engulfed in lurid black smoke and flames.<br />
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Perhaps the most heartbreaking element of this tragedy was that while there were multiple exits to the club, most flocked to the main exit -- and scores of people fell on top of each other, trapping them in the tiny hallway that led from the club to the parking lot.<br />
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Of all ironies, the night of the fire, a TV crew from a local station was on site to do a story -- on nightclub safety. The video was released to the public some time after the fire -- and demonstrates the ferocity of the fire, and just how quickly it spread. Of course, a later controversy spread after it was learned the journalist who was doing the piece was actually a part owner of the club -- an egregious conflict of interest.<br />
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Further, there was belief -- judge for yourself after seeing the video -- that the person with the camera didn't vacate the club quickly enough after the fire broke out. It was suggested that because he stood still as he did, he made it more difficult for patrons to exit the fire.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-19406120492034023992013-02-14T00:32:00.000-05:002013-02-14T00:36:10.703-05:00Rhode Island man looks to make profits over photo he took before 100 people died 10 years ago in nightclub fire<br />
<span style="font-family: oswald;">PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.</span> —<br />
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Folks, I made a huge mistake.<br />
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A few weeks ago, when I wrote a piece about the 10th anniversary of the death of 100 people at the Station Nightclub Fire in West Warwick, R.I., I posted with it a photo taken inside the club just as the fire started. (<a href="http://www.leftyviews.com/2013/01/10-years-ago-on-feb-20-100-lives-lost.html" target="_blank"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: slategrey;">Click here</span></b></a> to read the original piece)<br />
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I found the photo on Wikipedia, not realizing it wasn't in the public domain. Most of the time, there's fair use on Wiki photos — but this time, I was wrong. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Station_fire_at_40_seconds.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="color: slategrey;"><b>Click here</b></span></a> to see the photo on Wikipedia — I wonder if Mr. Davidson made Wiki pay for the use of the photo or if he'll demand $100 for linking to his photo?<br />
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Fast forward to a few nights ago — I get an e-mail from <b>Dan Davidson</b>, of Wyoming, R.I., (yes, that's the name of a town there), who demands I send him a check for $200 for posting the photo.<br />
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Folks, I made an error here. I shouldn't have posted the photo (I could have easily used a screen cap from videos taken that night that are in the public domain). But I must admit — in 20 years of journalism, I've never been more disgusted than I am by what this guy is doing.<br />
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On Feb. 20, 2003, some 100 lives were lost in a most tragic way in West Warwick. And this man, Dan Davidson, is looking to score a profit over it.<br />
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I invited him to sue me. I took the photo down the moment he e-mailed me. I make no money on this blog. Though I would if I could, I've never sold an ad for it. And if he wants to tell a court of law he's suing for $200 because I used a photo that showed the last moments of people's lives before they were burned and trampled in one of the nation's most horrific fires, so be it.<br />
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But you deserved to know this story. There's a man in Wyoming, R.I., looking to profit over the deaths of 100 people.<br />
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If it gets more despicable than that, let me know.<br />
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Boy am I ever sorry I posted that photo.<br />
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Video below was taken the night of the fire, 20 Feb. 2003.<br />
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</object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-17587658594009210132013-02-05T17:08:00.004-05:002013-02-05T17:10:05.640-05:00Leslie Gold, the Radiochick, is tearing it up on Fox News Radio and with 'The Gong Show Live-Off Broadway'<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Canessa Commentary</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">NEW YORK CITY</span><span style="font: 14.0px 'Droid Serif'; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> —</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leslie Gold 'The Radiochick'</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I will preface this by saying I consider her a dear friend, someone who I care greatly for — and someone I’d take a bullet for. With that said, this piece is instantly OK to dub “biased.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And yet, that matters not one bit, because whenever I get a chance to share the good news about what </span><span style="font: 14.0px Oswald; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Leslie Gold</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> is doing — you remember her as </span><span style="font: 14.0px Oswald; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Radiochick</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> — I enjoy it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For those of you in New York, you will no doubt remember Leslie from her days on three prominent New York City radio stations — 102.7 WNEW, 92.3 when it went talk and Q-104.3. For years, she came into our homes and cars with her two sidekicks, </span><span style="font: 14.0px Oswald; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Butch Brennan and Chuck Nice</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> — and she made us laugh, she made us cry. She made us think, she made us shake our heads. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Unfortunately for us — the FM hot talk genre didn’t do well in New York (though Leslie’s shows were always the antithesis to the norm of the stations … they ALWAYS did well ratings-wise and in billing). So after her days on terrestrial radio were over, she and Butch did a podcast for about six months.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And then, in 2009, I got to meet Leslie when she founded Shovio.com — and did her show there for more than a year.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But it’s the post-Shovio days that have been extremely intriguing for Leslie — she’s the owner of the rights to “</span><span style="font: 14.0px Oswald; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Gong Show Live--Off Broadway,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">” — yes, that “Gong Show,” and she’s constantly filling in on </span><span style="font: 14.0px Oswald; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Fox News Radio</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Imagine that — our Leslie is doing fantastic work on Fox News radio. If it first it’s hard to envision Leslie talking Republican politics, think again. She’s so damn good at it that even this left-wing nutcase goes out of his way to tune in whenever she’s filling in for </span><span style="font: 14.0px Oswald; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Brian Killmeade, Tom Sullivan or John Gibson</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> — or whomever.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">She brings humor and deep insights to politics in ways no one — and I mean no one — at the network can. She can make a story like the </span><span style="font: 14.0px Oswald; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Manti T’eo</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> hoax come to life. She can make the most ardent </span><span style="font: 14.0px Oswald; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Barack Obama</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> supporter (like me) think twice about his decisions. She can make the most ardent liberal actually want to listen to Fox News Radio.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">That’s how good she is.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And it shows.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Though she doesn’t call herself “The Radiochick” on the air, quite often, callers remind the audience she’s still the Chick. So she’s certainly not averse to remembering back to those days.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s just the topics that are different.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">She still offers an amazing perspective on the news of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">She still gives the audience a real reason to tune in whenever she’s on the air.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In other words, though she’s Leslie on Fox News Radio, she’s really still the Chick — and brings something special — something intangible … to the mic. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m going to do my best to post whenever she’s on the air, both here on this website — and on Facebook and Twitter, too. If you’re like me, and miss the days of Chick, Chuck and Butch, trust me when I tell you — you won’t be disappointed when you tune in to her Fox News shows. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If the most ardent liberal in the world can do it — and I can’t put </span><span style="font: 14.0px Oswald; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sean Hannity of Bill O’Reilly</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> on for more than 20 seconds without flipping the channel — you certainly can, too.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Gong Show Live Off-Broadway</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But her new incarnation goes well beyond the radio. In fact, she’s running a show she loved when she was younger. And a few years ago, when the rights to the show were for sale, she jumped and bought them.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now, once a month, “The Gong Show Live-Off Broadway” is brought to life, off Broadway, at the Cutting Room in Manhattan — 44 E. 32nd St. This isn't an amateur deal either — this is as professionally run an off-Broadway show as you're going to see. No amateurs. We're taking the real deal here.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leslie, seen here waving, at a recent 'Gong Show Live-Off Broadway' performance.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Each month, the sold-out shows bring the audience to their feet, with rip-roaring laughter and an all-around great experience. And the show has been in other places throughout the country — and could be, again.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Perhaps the most amazing of the shows was a few months ago, after Hurricane Sandy.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Leslie got a few sponsors together — and an entire performance was done in front of a house packed with people whose lives were turned upside down by Sandy. Each person went to the show for free — and got a free drink and appetizer, too.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And you see, this is what Leslie is all about. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For as long as I’ve known her, her biggest concerns were for others. She had every right to be angry when things didn’t work out with certain radio stations. Same with Shovio, too. And yet, in a real way, she’d taken every adversity she’s been faced with, and has turned it around and make life better for so many people.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Whether it’s those affected by Sandy, or wanting to get me a job in radio when I was first dipping my toes into the water — whatever the scenario — she’s always put others first.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And that’s just one of many things that make Leslie special.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As for “The Gong Show Live-Off Broadway,” if you’re interested — or if you’d like to perhaps do an office outing at the show — the show can be tailored to any office’s needs — I want you to go to the show’s website, </span><span style="font: 14.0px Oswald; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">www.gongshowlive.net</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Check out “The Gong Show Live-Off Broadway.” And check out Leslie’s work on Fox News Radio.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you’re disappointed, I’d be shocked.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Then again, I’m not worried about disappointment one bit.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-70836813731998534842013-02-05T00:22:00.000-05:002013-02-05T00:22:20.921-05:00For me, 'Monday Mornings' will be appointment TV<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Oswald; font-size: 14px;">A REVIEW BY KEVIN CANESSA Jr.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I love to write TV show reviews. It’s just that I usually wait a few days after I’ve seen the first episode of a show to do so. But in the case of “Monday Mornings,” I couldn’t wait — it was that good.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The show, Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on TNT, gets its name from the Monday morning meetings in hospitals that surgeons attend — Morbidity & Mortality meetings, or M&M — to discuss the good, and the very bad, in their surgical performances. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the first episode, we meet a doctor, brilliantly played by <b>Blake Robbins</b> (you’ll remember Blake as Dave Brass, the hard-luck correctional officer whose achilles tendon was severed by an inmate in “Oz”), who is on the proverbial hot seat. He’s drilled by the chief of surgery, Dr. Harding Hooten (<b>Alfred Molina</b>, who we’ll profile next week) on a case of a runner who was in pain who died after the doctor missed a form of cancer a simple MRI would have caught.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In an impeccable way, Robbins captured the intense scrutiny these surgeons face when they’re put on stage, in front of their colleagues, and absolutely humiliated to the core about errors of judgment made. In the opening 10 minutes alone, between Molina’s portrayal of arrogance and Robbins’s portrayal of a doc who made serious errors, I was hooked and literally on the edge of my seat.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My heart was breaking for the patient.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My heart was breaking for the doctor.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And if the pilot is any indication, we’re going to get a myriad of emotions — anger, sadness, joy, disgust — from this show.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And for fans of “ER” who have felt a certain void since that show ended in 2009 after an amazing run, we’ve finally got our sequel.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Each of the doctors have extreme personalities that are relatable. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And yet, it’s the doctor played by <b>Jamie Bamber</b> I seem to identify with most already.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Those of you who are fans of “Law & Order UK” will remember Bamber as D/S Matty Devlin. In this role, where he plays American Dr. Tyler Wilson (his “American” accent is brilliant, by the way), you’ve got a surgeon we rarely got to see on “ER,” except when Dr. John Carter spent his first years in surgery. He is perhaps the complete antithesis of “ER’s” Dr. Peter Benton — he cares deeply for his patients. He worries with his patients’ families — and he shows emotion in ways we rarely get to see in fictional surgeons.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the debut of the series, he’s tasked with operating on a young boy who comes in with a headache, only to learn he’s got a potentially life-threatening tumor in his brain.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For fear of spoiling the episode for those who haven’t seen it yet, let’s just say Bamber is magnificent in dealing with the quickly done surgery — and he shows an amazingly deep side in dealing with the boy’s mum and in the subsequent M&M.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And the surgery was hardly what one would call a “success.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There are a few other characters in the show, too, who are just great. One is Dr. Jorge Villanueva (<b>Ving Rhames</b>), who is Peter Benton with about 20 years more experience. And Dr. Tina Ridgeway (<b>Jennifer Finnegan</b>), who is a mixture of Dr. Susan Lewis and Kerry Weaver). </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We also meet a doctor whose English is poor — but whose neuro-surgical skills are impeccable. And a few others whose characters aren’t yet developed.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The bottom line, though, is this is a winner. We’ve waited a long time for a great medical drama after “ER,” and this one appears to be it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the coming weeks, I’ll break down more of the doctors/characters. But in the meantime, “Monday Mornings” is worth every second of the 2,400 it runs each week.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And I cannot wait for the next episode next week.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">5 of 5.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><b>“Monday Mornings” can be seen on TNT every Monday at 10 p.m. Eastern Time.</b></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-83718627111300755422013-02-04T12:00:00.000-05:002013-02-04T12:00:07.322-05:00It's time for Newark Archbishop Myers to be removed<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: oswald;">The Canessa Commentary</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">By Kevin Canessa Jr.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bMszeW0yRLo/UQ8lRrvBEBI/AAAAAAAABvU/Bf509U_qorw/s1600/MYERS,+JOHN+J.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bMszeW0yRLo/UQ8lRrvBEBI/AAAAAAAABvU/Bf509U_qorw/s200/MYERS,+JOHN+J.jpg" width="139" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myers</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">After the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles released the files of more than 150 priests accused of sexual abuse, I sifted through about 20 of them. I couldn’t help but wonder whether any lessons were learned by <b>Roger Cardinal Mahoney’s</b> decades of inaction, covering up for priests, trying to avoid the police and more.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And then, I turned to <b>The Star-Ledger</b> on Sunday — on nj.com — and read the absolutely unbelievable. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Rev. Michael Fugee, accused and admitted child groper, was being appointed to a prestigious archdiocesan position — one that will oversee the formation and educational opportunities afforded seminarians.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In 2001, he told police he inappropriately grabbed the crotch of a boy while in a Bergen County parish. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He was convicted in a court of law — found guilty — but because of a technicality, the conviction was overturned. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But let’s make no mistake here — the man admitted his guilt. And no technicality could or will ever negate that reality. He admitted to a “moment of arousal” when he touched the genitals of a pre-pubescent teenage boy.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As part of his agreement with the courts — didn’t matter his conviction was overturned — he is required to have no contact, none whatsoever, with children.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This all came down in 2001.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And yet, it’s obvious the Archbishop of Newark, John J. Myers, seems to have forgotten that. And he’s forgotten this priest, regardless of what the courts say, is a predatory monster.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Fast-forward to 2009. He was assigned to a hospital as a chaplain.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What a shocker here — Myers never told the hospital admins.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It wasn’t until someone told the hospital powers-that-be that Fugee was removed from the chaplaincy.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Lest we forget — there are children in hospitals, and is there any doubt that he had contact with kids while working there?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And now this. A prestigious archdiocesan position.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It may not require him to have contact with kids, but for the love of God, could Myers, who appointed Fugee to this position, be more tone deaf? Could he be more arrogant? Could he, frankly, be any more stupid?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Here’s what Myers said with this appointment without actually saying it: “So what if one of our priests touches boys. We’ll just give him a promotion of sorts and put him in a position of honor.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s as disgusting as anything Myers has done in his 12-year reign of terror as Newark’s archbishop. And I simply don’t have the time to list them here — it would take hundreds of pages and hours to write them all.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But it simply confirmed something I knew the day we learned he’d replace the last archbishop, the now-retired <b>Theodore Cardinal McCarrick </b>— and that is that Myers has no business running a dollar store, let alone a flock of around 1 million Catholics.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Not only should Fugee immediately be removed from this position, it’s time for Myers to go, too. For far too long, he’s ruined everything he’s touched. He’s mismanaged the priest-abuse scandal here — and, for that matter, in Peoria, Ill., his former diocese — in as bad a manner as Mahony has in Los Angeles.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He’s never really wanted to be in Newark, and quite frankly, this writer never wanted him here either. And yet, he’s lasted, shockingly, as long as he has.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Pick up the pen, Myers. Write the letter to the holy father. Tell him you’re ready to leave the archdiocese.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And do it now.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Because if you don’t, lord knows how many more lives — and families — you’ll ruin.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You’ve had too many chances to do that already.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And if past history — recent history — says anything, there’s no doubt you’ll strike again with something stupid, inane and outrageous. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sooner than later.</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/561652-fugee-police-statement.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> to read Fugee's statement to police from 2001.</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-25823279813177587892013-02-03T13:00:00.000-05:002013-02-03T13:00:04.806-05:00Nicholas Aguilar-Rivera, a Catholic priest, is still hiding in Mexico after first accusation made in 1988 in Los Angeles<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">LOS ANGELES</span><span style="font: 14.0px Asul; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> —</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He was a monster — and somehow, he was allowed to slip away from Los Angeles back to his native Mexico, not long after the authorities were made aware that <b>the Rev. Nicholas Aguilar-Rivera</b> was a predator.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pMw4dDivS40/UQ1gC4hX0oI/AAAAAAAABpc/v0_at9zQsGU/s1600/aguilar-rivera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pMw4dDivS40/UQ1gC4hX0oI/AAAAAAAABpc/v0_at9zQsGU/s200/aguilar-rivera.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aguilar-Rivera in an<br />
undated LAPD photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He came to California when he was having “family issues,” and the Archdiocese was all too willing to grant him faculties there. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And when he got those faculties as a priest, he used them to allegedly abuse about a dozen children — in families that knew him, loved him, cared for him as a priest.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When the first complaint came in, he was simply transferred from that parish to another — where he struck again, and again, and again, and again.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And yet, somehow, inexplicably, the archbishop of Los Angeles at the time, <b>Roger Cardinal Mahony</b>, didn’t demand he turn himself in to the authorities. And because of this, the coward ran home to hide in Mexico — and he’s been doing that — hiding — since around 1988.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>The Rev. Thomas Curry</b>, vicar for priests at the time in the archdiocese, immediately upon learning of the accusations, confronted Aguilar-Rivera. He says so, at least, iIn a letter sent to his Mexican bishop.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“I spoke to Father Aguilar-Rivera on Saturday, Jan. 9 (1988), and told him that until a full investigation has taken place, he may not serve in this archdiocese, and that his faculties have been withdrawn,” Curry wrote. “I believe he plans to stay with some family members here and then return to Mexico.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This letter clearly demonstrates the archdiocese had no plans on ensuring this beast remained here in the United States. The vicar for priests — and thus, the archbishop — were aware a man who faced criminal charges was going to head back to Mexico, where anyone with an iota of common sense would be able to tell you he would hide to avoid and hinder apprehension. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Curry, in his letter, said he regretted having to inform the Mexican bishop of the charges.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Regretted? Really?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I wonder what he really regretted here. Was it regret a priest was involved in such an atrocity, or was it regret the monster got caught and, as such, would need to be turned over to the authorities?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Oswald;">It gets worse from here</span><br />
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This was the first of many very troubling communications involving Aguilar-Rivera. </div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Mahony, in letters and memos, demonstrates a shocking disregard for the victims and ensuring the priest was properly dealt with by police and prosecutors.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">His only priority, at first?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ensuring the victims “got counseling.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And when the police wanted to talk to “altar boys,” potentially victims, Mahony refused to release their names and contact information to police.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mbjCU4MJzWs/UQ1gC845LzI/AAAAAAAABpg/AqnLZW8_ifQ/s1600/mahony.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mbjCU4MJzWs/UQ1gC845LzI/AAAAAAAABpg/AqnLZW8_ifQ/s200/mahony.png" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mahony</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“We cannot give such a list for no cause whatsoever,” Mahony wrote by hand in response to a memo received Curry that detailed his dealings with detectives and other law-enforcement agents.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Meanwhile, as all of this was happening, parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Los Angeles, and St. Agatha’s, Los Angeles, where the abuse was alleged to have happened, were wondering where Aguilar-Rivera was and why he was missing.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Mahoney had the pastors read a brief, cold statement.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“I am extremely saddened by the allegations that have been made,” Mahony said. “Our sympathies go out to the families involved, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will, as always, be available to help families in their time of need.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Any mention of bringing justice to the families?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">None.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Any mention of the abhorrent nature of the priest’s actions? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">None.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s as if the crimes were suspect-less. Like the kids deserved what they got. I understand that’s a harsh thing to say — but that’s how it seems here. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nothing more, nothing less.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JIhji4I4qY4/UQ2F8XZFs_I/AAAAAAAABp8/D8CoEgnhnMY/s1600/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe_Catholic_Church,_Rose_Hill,_Los_Angeles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JIhji4I4qY4/UQ2F8XZFs_I/AAAAAAAABp8/D8CoEgnhnMY/s1600/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe_Catholic_Church,_Rose_Hill,_Los_Angeles.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Los Angeles, one of the place where Aguilar-Rivera<br />
is accused of molesting boys of the parish while a visiting priest.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Meanwhile, Curry kept on suggesting counseling.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“If you have any contact with the families involved, do encourage them to go to counseling, and let them know the archdiocese will support them in this and pay for therapy,” Curry wrote to the pastors. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s as if he believed that if the kids and their families would just go to counseling, this would all disappear. Life would return to normal.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And heck, Mahony’s going to pay for it all! How noble!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">While Mahony was cooperative with police and with the priest’s presiding bishop in Mexico, it was clear he didn’t want this to be happening. He did, however, cancel some trips so as to be available for meetings with police, as needed.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Meanwhile, as months passed, Aguilar-Rivera was nowhere to be found — and when someone contacted him in Mexico to tell him police were searching for him, he flippantly responded to the call.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“For what?” he asked.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He truly tried to pretend he’d no idea why cops sought him.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Fast-forward to 2004.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Mahony gets word Aguilar-Rivera is improperly serving as a priest in Mexico and he writes a letter to the bishop there to inform him of the possibility a fugitive from justice could be serving the people of a parish in Santa Cruz, Mexico.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the letter, Mahony strongly suggests Aguilar-Rivera be sent back to California to face the charges if he’s found.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He never was.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He still faces 19 felony charges of committing a lewd act with a child. In fact, charges were also filed in Mexico.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">He’s still on the run.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And Mahony, somehow, is not behind bars.</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Below: Some of the documents released in the Aguilar-Rivera case. Click to enlarge them. <a href="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/58490507/%3Ddocuments/Aguilar-Rivera%2C%20Nicolas.pdf" target="_blank"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">CLICK HERE</span></b></a> to read all the Aguilar-Rivera documents (Adobe Reader or Preview for Mac required).</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LwIJdyx2XqU/UQ2XjY11ODI/AAAAAAAABqU/6zifnIgDR-o/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-02+at+12.41.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LwIJdyx2XqU/UQ2XjY11ODI/AAAAAAAABqU/6zifnIgDR-o/s400/Screen+shot+2013-02-02+at+12.41.12+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mahoney's hand-written response for information on altar boys.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qyoB67Sxu9I/UQ2XjcPFA9I/AAAAAAAABqY/hgfxuSJ6-2I/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-02+at+12.43.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qyoB67Sxu9I/UQ2XjcPFA9I/AAAAAAAABqY/hgfxuSJ6-2I/s400/Screen+shot+2013-02-02+at+12.43.52+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A message to parishioners from Mahoney</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-et0VngDV1xo/UQ2Xj1ejwWI/AAAAAAAABqk/_oMaBO17sHY/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-02-02+at+12.44.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-et0VngDV1xo/UQ2Xj1ejwWI/AAAAAAAABqk/_oMaBO17sHY/s400/Screen+shot+2013-02-02+at+12.44.38+PM.png" width="393" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A published story on Aguilar-Rivera from the LA Times.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-51991623344212936202013-02-02T13:56:00.000-05:002013-02-02T13:56:10.938-05:00Years of neglect revealed in Los Angeles Archdiocesan documents; Mahony must be prosecuted for his neglect<br />
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<div style="font: 14.0px Oswald; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.</span></div>
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LOS ANGELES —</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mbjCU4MJzWs/UQ1gC845LzI/AAAAAAAABpg/AqnLZW8_ifQ/s1600/mahony.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mbjCU4MJzWs/UQ1gC845LzI/AAAAAAAABpg/AqnLZW8_ifQ/s200/mahony.png" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roger Mahoney<br />
Retired LA Archbishop</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Roman Catholic Archdiocese this week released a staggering 142 files of priests who were accused of some form of priestly sex abuse on minors. The archdiocese cooperated with the courts in the release.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What can be found in most of the reports reveals an unthinkable culture of lies and coverups. The man in charge, <b>Roger Cardinal Mahony</b>, reveals an utter disdain for having to deal with the accused priests — and in many cases, it appears Mahony wants to do everything within his grasps to ensure the police weren’t involved.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In many cases, the archbishop appears to think all it would take to get the victims to shut up was to “offer them counseling at no cost.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Overall, the documents reveal a man who was utterly clueless, a man who truly didn’t realize what a problem his archdiocese was faced with, a man who was extremely ill-equipped to deal with such a crisis — and a man who had absolutely no business running America’s largest Catholic archdiocese.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Since the documents were released, Mahony has been fully stripped of all public duties as archbishop emeritus.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But this is simply not enough.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We’re seeing 142 cases here. Many of Mahony’s actions are criminal in nature. And quite frankly, he must, at some point, be prosecuted for protecting priests, for just re-assigning priests and for permitting countless priests who were accused to go back into ministry elsewhere, rather than facing justice.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pMw4dDivS40/UQ1gC4hX0oI/AAAAAAAABpc/v0_at9zQsGU/s1600/aguilar-rivera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pMw4dDivS40/UQ1gC4hX0oI/AAAAAAAABpc/v0_at9zQsGU/s200/aguilar-rivera.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aguilar-Rivera, who fled<br />
to his native Mexico<br />
after being accused<br />
of sexual abuse.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Justice these kids (now adults) so dearly deserve.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Because these cases have finally been released to the public, it is our intention, over the coming months, to share stories about each of the 142 priests whose cases were released. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We will take them, one by one, starting with <b>the Rev. Nicholas Aguilar-Rivera</b>, a Mexican native whose presence in the Los Angeles Archdiocese led to the abuse and innocence being taken from two youngsters. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s going to take months to do this — but this is an undertaking I want to take on for the sake of the victims — the very people who deserved justice, but who were completely forgotten about by Mahony.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The series will begin in the coming days. Please check back for more.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-29985506642793647732013-02-02T13:00:00.000-05:002013-02-02T13:00:00.845-05:00Larry King put the moves on Katie<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="1" height="295" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed.html?eid=v65425jjshfxhoyktnnkzg" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="525"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-2854392970740337242013-02-01T16:27:00.000-05:002013-02-01T16:27:42.365-05:00Ed Koch, dead at 88<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: oswald;">The Canessa Commentary</span><br />
<span style="font-family: oswald;">By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: oswald;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: oswald;">JERSEY CITY, N.J.</span> —<br />
<br />
I must have been 5 or so. It was 1979.<br />
<br />
I was in the living room with my grandpa, <b>Tom</b>, and as usual, as was the case every day at 5 p.m., we had Channel 4 on for the news. It was likely <b>Chuck Scarborough</b> behind the mic and in front of the camera.<br />
<br />
They broke to a story about <b>Ed Koch</b>, the mayor of New York.<br />
<br />
"How come he says 'ahhhh' all the time?" I asked my grandpa.<br />
<br />
"That's just how he talks," grandpa told me.<br />
<br />
Grandpa wasn't the biggest fan of Koch — the mayor was a liberal Democrat, and grandpa was a Republican who loved <b>Richard Nixon</b>.<br />
<br />
And yet, despite Grandpa's views of Koch, I loved the man. I was 5, and it was the beginning of a love affair with politics, one I didn't realize was happening at the time, but one I know of now that I look back at it.<br />
<br />
There are so many reasons why Ed Koch will go down as one of the most beloved politicians in my lifetime.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it's the notion that like me, he came from humbled beginnings in the Bronx (I from Jersey City). Perhaps it's because he told it like it was. Perhaps it was because he cared more for the little guy than he did the big banks and unions.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it's because he could be friendly with fans — like everyone in the Democratic Party — and with his foes, like the-late <b>John Cardinal O'Connor</b>, with whom he never saw eye to eye, but who saved him a seat every Christmas Midnight Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it was because every time he spoke, you knew it was coming from his heart, and not form a terribly awful prepared speech laid into a teleprompter.<br />
<br />
Most likely, it was just because Ed Koch was seriously just like you and me.<br />
<br />
Before he died, Koch told <b><i>The New York Times</i></b> he wanted to be remembered as "being a proud Jew who loved the people of the City of New York and did his best to make their lives better."<br />
<br />
And that's precisely what he did.<br />
<br />
He made the lives of millions of people better.<br />
<br />
He restored pride to New York City at a time when the city was burning (Summer of 1977), had no money (Ford to City: Drop Dead), there was no law and order and people just wanted to get the hell out.<br />
<br />
After he was mayor, New York was safer. People wanted to stay.<br />
<br />
People wanted to come.<br />
<br />
And regardless of what your political affiliation is or was, there's no doubt — he truly did make people's lives better.<br />
<br />
And our world is short one great man today.<br />
<br />
Somehow, I suspect, St. Peter and the Lord are getting an earful right about now — and they're probably close to changing their minds about a lot of things.<br />
<br />
Rest in peace, Ed Koch.<br />
<br />
Rest in peace.<br />
<br />
And thank you for making me love politics like few others could.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the final photos taken of Koch, during a recent hospital stay.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-40548167938402811302013-02-01T15:43:00.000-05:002013-02-01T15:43:06.642-05:00A remarkable video obituary for Ed Koch<iframe frameborder="0" height="295" id="nyt_video_player" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/bcvideo/1.0/iframe/embed.html?videoId=1194834046901&playerType=embed" title="New York Times Video - Embed Player" width="525"></iframe><br />
<br />
I will write a reflection of my own later today.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-27531196962837590092013-01-28T18:04:00.002-05:002013-01-28T19:57:39.746-05:0027 years ago today I remember where I was and what I was doing<br />
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<span style="font-family: oswald;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Canessa Commentary</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: oswald;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: oswald;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: oswald;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">KEARNY, N.J.</span></span> — </div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s hard to envision it, but it was 27 years ago today.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I was home for lunch — sixth-grade at Schuyler School — as I was on my days. And the memories are so vivid that I can remember having a tuna fish sandwich, with a Capri Sun juice box that day. When I got home, I did as I normally would — I turned on TV to prepare for “Super Password.” But the thing is — “Super Password” was nowhere to be found, because just moments earlier, the Space Shuttle Challenger had blown up.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">At the onset, there was mass confusion.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L3Ll5k4vux8/UQcDD9ip7LI/AAAAAAAABdw/oVyPWevFrnA/s1600/challenger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L3Ll5k4vux8/UQcDD9ip7LI/AAAAAAAABdw/oVyPWevFrnA/s1600/challenger.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Challenger Crew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The networks kept showing, over and over, the ball of fire that erupted — and the subsequent fall, from nine miles over the Cape Canaveral skies — debris from the break up.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Over and over, they showed Christa McAuliffe’s parents, both in attendance for the launch on that cold January day, as the explosion happened — and some cheered, thinking it was all part of a great display as the seven astronauts propelled to space.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Over and over, there were questions, concerns — and few answers — as the narrator said what we all saw: “Obviously a major malfunction.”</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">While we lost a teacher in space that day in McAuliffe, there were six others who also died. I used to know their names by heart — but will admit to looking them up to ensure I got their names spelled correctly.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utxW8N4puqM/UQcDDyy6caI/AAAAAAAABds/jY7s4r5l4z0/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utxW8N4puqM/UQcDDyy6caI/AAAAAAAABds/jY7s4r5l4z0/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liftoff — 28 Jan. 1986</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Judith A. Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka and Gregory Jarvis were the other six.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">McNair’s memory is vivid — as I went to high school not far from a school named in his memory, Jersey City’s McNair Academic High School.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">All seven lives were lost in service to our nation — and they were what true role models should be. </span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">That was the one and only day I ever cut a class in grammar school. I was too deeply into watching the coverage that I remained home — my own decision — and did not go back for the afternoon session in sixth-grade. My mother even says, all these years later, she would have told me to stay home if I had asked — which I didn't.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Some 27 years later, you’d never even know there was an anniversary.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Maybe it’s because it really IS 27 years later.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Maybe it’s because in the greater scheme of American tragedies, what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, makes this look microscopic.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But for its day, it was a real American loss. It’s one that, every year on this day, I pause to remember, if even for a few moments.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A8m8lURvWm4/UQcDDw09JaI/AAAAAAAABd0/9-UcZuqZgAg/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A8m8lURvWm4/UQcDDw09JaI/AAAAAAAABd0/9-UcZuqZgAg/s1600/11.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The debris, falling from the sky — 28 Jan. 1986.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Seven true patriots died on Jan. 28, 1986, just moments into the flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger — a mission that would have seen lessons being taught from space.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Seven lives ended prematurely that day — and some have suggested they may have even survived the initial explosion, only to die on the return to the ocean.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Twenty-seven years later, many have completely forgotten.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">All these years later, I’ve never failed to remember them on this day.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And I hope the day never comes that I forget.</span></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 17.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font: 14.0px Asul; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ever.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-1771609974080365842013-01-28T14:03:00.001-05:002013-01-28T14:06:07.013-05:00Boy Scouts may end ban on gay members, leaders<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.glcscouting.org/images-ClipArt/FleurDeLis_4K.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.glcscouting.org/images-ClipArt/FleurDeLis_4K.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
Looks like the Boy Scouts of America are finally getting with the times, and may be close to ending their ban of gay scouts and leaders.<br />
<br />
If the change is made, it looks like each individual chapter would decide whether at admit gay members — so this is good news for blue states, not so good in red states.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16739587-exclusive-boy-scouts-close-to-ending-ban-on-gay-members-leaders#.UQa89ZLS8Cc.twitter" target="_blank">Click here </a>to read the story from NBC News.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-45014122126496061992013-01-25T18:00:00.000-05:002013-01-25T18:00:05.527-05:00If this doesn't make you think twice about texting and driving...not sure there's anything that will<iframe frameborder="0" height="295" src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=136092496551988" width="525"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-31925005569947025222013-01-25T16:00:00.000-05:002013-01-25T16:00:01.572-05:00Couric - Te’o chat leads to more questions than answers
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Oswald; font-size: 16px;">The Canessa Commentary</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="font: 16.0px Oswald; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-waTa1OJF_j8/UQLQAH5hH7I/AAAAAAAABUY/6cHElzoGHdY/s1600/teo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-waTa1OJF_j8/UQLQAH5hH7I/AAAAAAAABUY/6cHElzoGHdY/s1600/teo.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Oswald;">PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. --</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Oswald;"><br /></span></div>
I want to believe his every word.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yet, after an interview with <b>Katie Couric</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> — after hearing him refer to himself as a “kid,”
after hearing the story in its entirety (or was it the entire story?) — I
cannot help but feel we’re still not hearing the truth. Because I can’t help
but think the people who advised him — or supposedly advised him — really did a
poor job.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A horrendous job.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To the point where it seems nearly impossible to believe
anything he’s said, despite having the reputation of being a wonderful young
man, a God-fearing man, who clearly loves his parents, his teammates and the
game of football.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be very clear here — I do not watch college football
consistently. In fact, I only watched a few games all year. Ironically, they
happened to all be <b>Notre Dame</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> games. I
only watched the games because someone else in my household is as huge a Notre
Dame fan there is.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember some months back when my roommate, at the time,
said you’ve got to watch this. It was the piece where his story — of losing his
grandma and girlfriend on the same day — aired. It was a remarkable story, one
I thought couldn’t even be written for Hollywood. It was too surreal for the
big screen even.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I recall, during those games I watched, hearing the
name <b>Manti Te’o.</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s the kid who lost his grandma and girlfriend the same
day, right?” I asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still, I really knew nothing of his ability as a football
player — not until a few weeks later when <b>Zach Gelb</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> told me he was covering the Heisman Award Ceremony
— and that he’d sat down with Te’o for a one-on-one interview.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fast forward, quickly, to a few weeks ago. The story breaks
that it’s all a hoax.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A hoax.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His girlfriend wasn’t real. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’d later learn whomever she was purported to be was
actually someone else — a man.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yet, on “Katie,” we heard voicemails she allegedly left
for Te’o. We heard how distinctly, the voice was that of a woman — not a man.
And we learned that, if anything else, as smart as he is on the football field,
Manti Te’o is not a very bright man otherwise. And it’s very difficult to say
that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s why.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many questions remain unanswered — even after the interview.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite hearing the woman’s voice — and knowing it — I still
cannot help but wonder: Why, over all this time, did Te’o believe her when
every single solitary time the two used Facetime, she could see him, but he
could never see her? After the third or fourth time, didn’t it start to jive
there was an issue here? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When he was of the belief, after he thought she was dead,
that she was actually STILL ALIVE, how, in good conscience, could he go on
television and numerous radio programs and still refer to losing his girlfriend
to cancer THE SAME DAY his grandma died?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When he learned she was still alive, didn’t it ever cross
his mind he had to speak up? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s what I saw on “Katie.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw an immensely immature man. I saw a Notre Dame football
player who said he was “just a kid,” as if a man’s conscience isn’t formed yet
at 21 (tell that to an assignment judge). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw a man whose very words begged more questions than they
provided answers. I saw a man who, despite every technological advance in the
world, never apparently thought that he could conduct a video call with his
girlfriend, even though she could always see him on the other end.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw a man who had an opportunity to “see” Lennay in San
Diego on his way to Hawaii, when he was told she’d been in a car accident, hit
by a drunken-driver. He smiled when Katie asked him why he didn’t take a
two-hour car drive to see her in hospital, and said it was because he didn’t want
to tell his parents he “missed the flight” to see her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I didn’t want to test that,” he said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw a man who had answers — absolutely inane answers — to
questions that could have vindicated his story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw a man who says his girlfriend came out of her coma
while he was on the telephone with her — all while not a single doctor tried to
end the call to tend to her, to see how she was doing, having spent days in
that coma.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw a man who believed that shortly after his girlfriend
came out of a coma whilst on the phone with him was soon, thereafter, diagnosed
with Leukemia (are cancer tests even administered to comatose patients)?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw a man who said he’d known of this “woman” when he was
a freshman.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A sophomore.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A junior.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then in his senior year — when he got to know her better
—became her boyfriend.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw a man who is as frighteningly immature as anyone I’ve
ever seen — and I’ve seen all aspects of the maturity scale as a teacher.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw a young man who, at 21, appears to fear the shit out of
his father — and to a lesser degree, his mother.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw a man who, despite actually thinking something was
amuck, did nothing to fix the craziness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We may never know the real truth of this story. Perhaps he’s
telling the truth. Maybe he was just petrified of the truth. Maybe he was
looking to increase his visibility. Maybe those voicemails were fake. Maybe
they were real. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regardless, whoever it was behind this mess did an
absolutely horrific job of making this all a reality. It was absolutely too
much for a Hollywood script — and now, looking back, it was absolutely too much
for reality.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And we, the people of America — and the world — completely fell for it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So maybe we’re the real suckers here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And all the while, <b>Manti Te’o</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> will
continue to smile — all the way to the bank.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-76110040348109483602013-01-21T11:00:00.000-05:002013-01-21T11:00:02.250-05:00On this Inauguration Day, we remember America's first Black President: David Palmer<br />
Man did he ever know how to handle a crisis, that <b>David Palmer!</b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-87796184454214749942013-01-21T10:00:00.000-05:002013-01-21T10:00:08.279-05:00BREAKING NEWS: What the First Lady is wearing?<br />
<b>WASHINGTON, D.C. —</b><br />
<br />
Really?<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4_sslprJJZI/UP1T-ZQJl-I/AAAAAAAABEw/0B3aBMZ9b4Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-21+at+9.38.20+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4_sslprJJZI/UP1T-ZQJl-I/AAAAAAAABEw/0B3aBMZ9b4Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-21+at+9.38.20+AM.png" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-92017483536799292072013-01-21T09:47:00.005-05:002013-01-21T09:48:36.414-05:00... But will Roberts get it right today?<P><embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="v=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcnewyork.com%2Fi%2Fembed_new%2F%3Fcid%3D187659671%26path=%2F%2Fnews%2Fpolitics" height="295" src="http://media.nbcnewyork.com/assets/pdk449/pdk/swf/flvPlayer.swf?pid=xovOqxsTEJyf" width="525"></embed> <br />
<div style="font-size: small;">
View more videos at: <a href="http://nbcnewyork.com/?__source=embedCode">http://nbcnewyork.com</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-57955687745146205932013-01-21T09:06:00.001-05:002013-01-21T09:06:32.315-05:00SNL Cold Open: Lance, Te'o and Foster<iframe frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1428978" width="525"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-4481087641998528142013-01-18T22:00:00.000-05:002013-01-18T22:00:03.199-05:00Francesa's LGBT commentaries have been alarming<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2nyrYvpgVoI/UPnTPQj45sI/AAAAAAAAA-U/EWlyhaFnG0c/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-18+at+5.55.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2nyrYvpgVoI/UPnTPQj45sI/AAAAAAAAA-U/EWlyhaFnG0c/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-18+at+5.55.35+PM.png" /></a>There once was a time I thought there was nothing worse than
when <b>Mike Francesa</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> pretends to talk
about hockey. Just the other day, I cringed when he called Rangers goalie </span><b>Henrik</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><b>Lundqvist</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> “Mr. Lundqvist,”
because it appeared he couldn’t remember the man’s first name. But alas, I’ve
found something else Francesa has no business talking about — and yet he has
over the last two days, in as nauseating a fashion as possible.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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And it has little to do with sports.</div>
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LGBT issues.</div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
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For two days, Francesa has taken phone calls from people
across the nation about the <b>Manti Te</b><b>’</b><b>o</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
girlfriend hoax. Among the callers, some have suggested — and perhaps
rightfully so — that the reason Te</span>’o purported to have a girlfriend online was
his way of easily hiding the fact the Notre Dame star is gay.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This may very well be the case. It might not be. But it’s
been Francesa’s reaction — his demonstration of an utter ignorance of LGBT
issues — that is most alarming.</div>
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Francesa is a man who scolds anyone who isn’t an authority
to speak on a topic. He constantly asks callers: “Were you there?” or “Who’s
your source?”</div>
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And yet, for some reason, he thinks he’s well-qualified
enough to talk about — of all things — LGBT issues? </div>
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Let’s take a look at a few things.</div>
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First, he keeps saying “homosexuals” where he should be
saying people who are “gay.” Calling someone a “homosexual” is derogatory — and
he uses the word like he does “caller,” “player” or “update.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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He also says no one in football would tolerate a gay
teammate in the locker room — and yet, he conveniently forgets that Brendon
Ayanbadejo and Chris Kluwe — two bona fide NFL players — have both been
outspoken proponents of same-gender marriage. And there have been many other
players who have backed the two and their outspoken nature.</div>
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He also doesn’t have a clue when it says that it’s
impossible a man like Te’o would need to “hide” being gay with an online
relationship when he could, as an All-American at Notre Dame, “get hundreds of
women if he wanted to.”</div>
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Really Mike? Do you think it’s that simple?</div>
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<br /></div>
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And do you think it’s right that a college football star
would need to “get women” because he can get women just to cover up that he
might be gay? </div>
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I wonder if Francesa really realizes what he’s saying here.</div>
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In essence — the guy’s good looking and popular enough to
get the women he wants — so why wouldn’t he just do that to “cover things up?”</div>
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The logic isn’t just flawed — it’s incredibly stupid.</div>
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Everyone has a right to opinions. Lord knows I’m never one
to hold back.</div>
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But for the love of holy bloomer, Francesa, shut up — or
learn what the hell you’re talking about before you comment on such matters are
if you’re an LGBT expert.</div>
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That’s not all, either.</div>
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Francesa says he isn’t sure pro athletes are ready to handle
having <b>gay journalists</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> in the locker
room.</span></div>
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Is he really serious?</div>
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Is Mike the only person in all of New York who wasn’t aware
that at least one prominent New York sports reporter — it is, after all, ESPN
Radio employee <b>Jared Max </b><span style="font-weight: normal;">— came out on
the air a few years ago? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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And it’s not like Max hasn’t been in a locker room before —
or after — his announcement. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Sometimes, it just blows my mind what Francesa will say. But
the utter hypocrisy of the man is downright alarming, when you consider he’s
the ultimate guru to tell someone to shut up when said person isn’t an expert
on a topic. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And yet, ignorantly — and clearly without giving much
aforethought — the guy comes across like he’s an LGBT expert. Yup — Te’o
wouldn’t need to fake a relationship if he were really gay. All he’d have to do
is choose from among the hundreds of women at Notre Dame who are ready to knock
boots with him because he’s a football star.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Forget about the idea the kid might actually be gay — and
worried. That doesn’t matter one bit.</div>
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<br /></div>
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According to Francesa, it would be perfectly OK for Te’o —
or anyone else who might be gay — to just find a woman to hide the reality.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This is absolutely insane — and part of the reason why so
many are afraid, shamed of simply being gay, let along being “out.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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The big danger here is that the LGBT community has made
excellent strides in the world of sports and sports radio. And despite
Francesa’s assertions it would be “problematic” in a locker room if an athlete
came out, I believe that’s not the case.</div>
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The problem is when a noted sports-talk host says it will be
a problem, scores of ignoramuses will buy into it — and when an athlete finally
does come out while still playing — the phone lines will light up with these
fools who <b><i>will</i></b><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
find a problem with it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Because Mike said so.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The best solution here?</div>
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Francesa should shut his damn mouth and do some homework.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And for once — just once — follow his own advice and not
speak about that which he doesn’t know.</div>
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I won’t be waiting with my breath held for him to do this.</div>
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<br /></div>
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After all, he <b>IS THE Mike Francesa.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Who knows better than he does about, well, everything?</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-43986159705704610292013-01-17T23:00:00.000-05:002013-01-17T23:00:03.532-05:00The greatest fraud on earth — Lance Armstrong<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b>PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — </b></div>
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This is the second time I’ve started off a column like this.
</div>
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I have oft been the one to forgive people.</div>
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I have oft had to beg for forgiveness.</div>
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And I’m not sure there’s a more powerful aspect of life than
being able to forgive someone who wronged you. And yet, having watched the
first part of Lance Armstrong’s interview with Oprah Winfrey tonight, I can’t
help but think — how anyone could forgive this guy is inconceivable. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And it’s not because he was a complete and utter fraud and
liar — no, that’s not it at all. </div>
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It’s because of the attacks he waged with on so many people
who were truthful.</div>
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It’s because he lied under oath, and made the questioners
look like the bad guys.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s because even in his moment of contrition, it looked
more to me like he was angry, not at himself for the lies he purported — but
because he got caught and was forced, in essence, to spill his soul to the
world through Oprah.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And I’ll be honest here — I never quite understand why
leagues and organizations strip titles earned. This happened a few months ago
with Penn State University when the NCAA took away the university’s football
wins from 1998 on. Every win they had now goes in the books as a loss, even
though they were, well, wins.</div>
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And in the case of Armstrong, it makes little sense to me
that his Tour de France wins were stripped. He did, after all, kind of win
those races along side others who doped. </div>
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He just doped “better” than the others.</div>
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But in the court of public opinions, I could never see
allowing this man to be involved in this sport again.</div>
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And ironically, again, it’s not because he doped. </div>
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Plenty of athletes have done that — have come clean — and
redeemed themselves.</div>
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It’s simply because of his attitude.</div>
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During the interview, Armstrong swallowed hard numerous
times. As a former teacher, I remember seeing that hard-swallow every time a
student got caught in a lie. In the interview, it made me wonder just how truthful
he was being with Oprah.</div>
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Couple that with the attitude, and we’ve got a most
detestable, insufferable man who is sorry.</div>
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Not sorry he bullied people.</div>
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Not sorry he doped.</div>
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Not sorry he lied.</div>
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Not sorry he ruined lives.</div>
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Sorry only, however, because he was forced to tell the
truth.</div>
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I can only hope he never again gets a chance to lie again.
Or, for that matter, to tell the truth, too.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8641418916349595443.post-54974648224047609192013-01-15T23:45:00.000-05:002013-01-15T23:48:08.784-05:00For the love of holy hell: STFU with the complaints that there was too much pork in the Sandy relief bill<br />
<span style="font-family: oswald;">The Canessa Commentary</span><br />
<span style="font-family: oswald;">By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.</span><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: oswald;">WASHINGTON, D.C. --</span><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: oswald;">Editor's Note: the following commentary contains strong language that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9NT9k1JStWU/UPYsocsIVmI/AAAAAAAAA7s/iXhjhnZmOgU/s1600/epa_usa-hurricane-sandy-aftermath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9NT9k1JStWU/UPYsocsIVmI/AAAAAAAAA7s/iXhjhnZmOgU/s320/epa_usa-hurricane-sandy-aftermath.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Most conservatives, it seems, would just presume to leave<br />the roller coaster where it is because it's too expensive<br />to pay to remove it from the Atlantic. </i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Earlier today, the House voted in favor of a bill that would bring immediate relief to the people most hard hit by Hurricane Sandy.<br />
<br />
Of those voting, 180 members voted against the measure. It was 179 <b>Republicans</b> and 1 <b>Democrat</b>.<br />
<br />
And immediately after —in light of criticism of those who voted against the bill —the usual Washington grandstanding began. And it spread to <b>Twitter</b> and <b>Facebook</b>.<br />
<br />
There are some <b>conservatives</b> — both elected and civilian — who say it was irresponsible for any member of the <b>House</b> to have voted for the bill since it contained pork.<br />
<br />
It's as if this is the first time — ever — that there was a bill before Congress that contained pork.<br />
<br />
I am at a point where it's intolerable to listen to these buffoons make an argument. Any American with half a brain knows pork is as much a part of a bill before Congress as a puck is to hockey or a glove is to baseball.<br />
<br />
And while it's sickening there was, no doubt, items in the Sandy relief bill that had no business being there — I'm not going to read the bill and list specifics here — this is NOT the time for grandstanding. This is not the time for conservative nuts to be critical of pork-barrell spending.<br />
<br />
<b><u>This is not the time to pretend like this has never happened before.</u></b><br />
<br />
Because it has — and it did — when Katrina hit.<br />
<br />
It has — and it did — after Sept. 11, 2001.<br />
<br />
It has — and it did — to fund a fraudulent war in Iraq.<br />
<br />
It has — and it did — for as long as this country has been, well, a country.<br />
<br />
If you want to bitch and moan about adding irrelevant items into bills in Congress, I'll be there to back you up — 100 percent. But I will not sit back and tolerate it when the moaning happens over a bill that will provide much-needed relief for the people of <b>Seaside Heights, Breezy Point, Staten Island</b> and countless other communities.<br />
<br />
There were 180 people in Congress, nearly 100 percent of whom were conservative, right-wing nutjob Republicans — one was a moronic Democrat — who decided NOW was the best time to send a message that this Congress spends too much. There are countless other Americans who believe this is the time to bring attention to pork-barrell spending, when this is been the modus operandi for more years than can be measured.<br />
<br />
Those people make me sick.<br />
<br />
And I hope the people most affected by Sandy remember this, too, that in their greatest time of need — when they most needed the government to be there for them to, oh, let's say, simply get back to normal — that 180 elected officials, most of whom are conservative RWNJs, turned their backs.They said "fuck off, you worthless pieces of shit in New York and New Jersey." They said your well-being is not as important as is sending a message that the government spends too much.<br />
<br />
These people seem to think they're the real champions here.<br />
<br />
Try telling us something we don't already know for once.<br />
<br />
And do not — under any circumstances — do it at the expense of people who have been hurting.<br />
<br />
And if you don't like that? Perhaps you can do what you, the RWNJs, often tell people who get angry with out country to do whenever there's a debate over immigration — get the hell out. No one's keeping you here by force.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, it's just plain embarrassing to be American. To think these members of Congress — and these civilians — enjoy the same citizenship that I do makes me want to vomit.<br />
<br />
And believe me, if I had a chance to vomit, I'd almost consider looking for one of those members of Congress to puke on.<br />
<br />
That's how despicable they truly are.<br />
<br />
And there's no question in my mind — they'll never, ever get it.<br />
<br />
I just hope and pray none of them — regardless of whether they're elected — ever have to face a situation where they need help from the government.<br />
<br />
Because chances are — when that day comes — they won't be worried about pork-barrell spending for a nanosecond.<br />
<br />
They'll only be concerned about why the government forgot about them and their loved ones.<br />
<br />
We could only be so lucky to see that happen.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441080470652440959noreply@blogger.com0