Just Sayin’: Live Intentionally
On Aug. 26 in Moneta, Virginia, a gunman shot and killed a reporter and her cameraman.
The shooter, who captured the whole ordeal on video, ran away from the scene, tweeted about his actions, and then shot himself before law enforcement caught him.
The victims, Alison Parker and Adam Ward, were 24 and 27, respectively. They had each found love. Ward was engaged. They had their whole lives ahead of them.
Their dreams and aspirations were gunned down by a disgruntled former employee with ...
An Advisor, a Mentor, a Friend
I remember the first time I met my current advisor. I had just made the decision to switch my major from exercise science to journalism. The problem for me was that I knew virtually nothing about journalism or what it would take to complete the major. I anticipated a lot of writing, which I didn’t mind, but I was scared. My walk from Brock to his office in Alford was filled with nervous anticipation.
That first meeting ended up lasting close to an hour. Initially, we talked about why I ...
Just Sayin’: The Last Goodbye
I woke up, put on my wool beanie and unzipped the tent door. The horizon of the Ohio cornfields stretched out miles into the distance. A slight glow could be seen coming up against deep navy blue sky. My tentmate woke up and inched his way over in his sleeping bag. The two of us just sat, watching as the world emerged into a new day.
We hadn’t decided to camp out until after 10:30 the previous night, and by the time we decided to go to sleep, it was well past midnight. But that didn’t ...
Just Sayin’: Lollipop
It was a warm fall night. Clouds filled the sky, blocking any light from the moon and stars.
The only reason we could see ahead of us was the headlamps two or three of us had grabbed before heading out for the run. We were all freshmen on the cross country team at Cedarville.
It was Labor Day weekend and we had decided it would be fun to go running in the dark on some back roads none of us had been down before. We spent the run trying to learn more about each other, talking about our ...
Just Sayin’: FeBREWary
I am not sure exactly how or why it happened, but a few weeks ago I decided to stop drinking coffee. If you know me at all, you understand that not drinking coffee is a big deal. Every morning I would have two large mugs of coffee with breakfast. Usually I would make enough in the morning so I could have at least one mug in the afternoon as well. If I was studying at Panera I would have three or four cups. I learned from many sleepless nights not to have too much in the evening, but I loved my ...
Preview: The Oscars
It’s that time of year when the conversation starter is something like: “Felicity Jones or Rosamund Pike?” or maybe, “Michael Keaton or Eddie Redmayne?” A person’s thoughts turn to the allure of the silver screen and hope that artistic merit wins over mere power of celebrity.
An imperfect system
Although the Oscars are typically a reliable and respected establishment, it comes as no surprise that the system isn’t perfect.
Among the common criticisms is the possibility of ...
Is Speech Ever Free?
Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical newspaper, is making news once again. This time, it’s for riots that have been sparked in Niger in response to the cartoons published in the most recent issue of the magazine. The cartoons were meant to make a statement to terrorists letting them know they have not succeeded in silencing the magazine. But at what cost?
Part of the reason the shooting at Charlie Hebdo struck a nerve with the American public was because attacks on freedom of speech were ...
Just Sayin’: New Year, New Resolutions
Well, here we are. 2015. I recently watched the “Back to the Future” trilogy, and if any of you are familiar with those movies, you would know Doc Brown takes Marty to 2015 in the second movie. October 21, 2015, to be exact. That is still a few months away, but we have a long way to go to live up to those expectations. No one has a flying car or hover-board. “Jaws 19” is probably not quite in the making yet. Although, I did hear Nike is potentially releasing a pair of shoes that ...
Just Sayin’: Row Your Boat
Well, you’ve made it. Almost. Only one more week stands between you and the freedoms of winter break.
For some of you, thoughts of finals send shivers down your spine. Your professors seem to find joy in condensing an entire semester into a single two-hour time period. And not just one professor. All of them. Your weekly planner is a mixture of all-nighters at Tim Horton’s and multiple Killer Bees from Rinnova the following day.
Others of you may not have it so bad. Maybe you have a ...
Just Sayin’: Don’t Lose the Plot
The two-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy making landfall in the Mid-Atlantic region was last month. The storm would end up costing the United States around $65 billion, second only to Hurricane Katrina.
It had been almost a full month since Hurricane Sandy came ashore when my family joined a group from my church in Pennsylvania on a day trip to help with the relief efforts.
The first thing I noticed was the garbage hanging six feet above the ground in the trees. The worst of it had ...
