In case you didn’t know, I enrolled about a month ago at Rose State College in Midwest City. I enrolled with Computer Information Technology as my major and due to several classes being closed, I am only enrolled in 12 credit hours this semester. Continue reading ‘How I survived my first day of College’

On this day, years ago, The Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City was bombed. The man who destroyed it and killed 168 people, the man who nearly tore the very fabric of america as he broke countless families apart as sons and daughters, aunts and uncles were thoughtlessly slain in the name of revolution. Not that this revolution had any chance of success, but this was more of a micro- revolution, one which changed many lives forever. One day, one man, one ton of fertilizer, one day on the calender to stab the hearts of millions for years to come.

    The lyrics to the Tears for Fears song rings true today, as Elliot Spitzer is caught in a tangled web of controversy as he is caught via wiretap on the phone with a prostitute.  I find this ironic, since Spitzer is the one who spearheaded New York into becoming the police state it is rapidly becoming. New York conducts about 30% of the wiretapping in the United States. Spitzer pushed for the interception of text and multimedia messages sent by cell phones.

Now that Spitzers own creation has slapped him in the face, his political career is careening on the edge of a cliff, so to speak. His political agenda has always included smearing those he would label as being corrupted. Well known for his attitude of cleanliness and his starched white shirts, Spitzer prided himself in his “spotless” appearance that he thought would carry over to his politics. His habit of smearing has turned around and bit him in the butt, as he is no doubt viewed as a hypocrite by many.

It was on CNN this morning. A passenger on an American Airlines flight was twice refused oxygen by the flight attendent. The passenger

compained “I can’t breath” and was heard to say “Don’t let me die”. The agitated passengers asked the flight attendant why she wasn’t doing

anything.

When the flight attendant finally called the cockpit and asked what the procedure was, it was too late. Two nurses and a doctor who were

aboard attempted to administer oxygen through a tank which had no oxygen in it. The second tank also failed. The defibrillator also failed.

According the the medical experts, her cause of death was natural causes. The flight attendants laid her body on the floor of the first class and covered her with a blanket, as not to disturb the other passengers.

This upsets me greatly. Since when is it a choice, whether or not to save someone’s life? Why does it take more than one request for a flight attendant to take initiative to administer oxygen? Even if the tanks were empty, there is emergency oxygen aboard which can be applied.

The fact that the medical oxygen and the defibrillator were malfunctioning is only half the problem. The procedure is wrong. You don’t simply deny a passenger oxygen, simply because you don’t know what it is. Last time I checked, there is a phone to ask the pilot what to do. Frankly, the flight attendant should have administered CPR and done everything in her power to save the woman’s life. I don’t recall any procedure anywhere prohibiting saving a life.

I’m boycotting American Airlines until they make a public apology and admit that they are running a bureaucracy, and are not paying attention to the customer needs.

Jet Blue Part Duex anyone?

I’m a little bitter today. I’m hearing too much of this lately; and that is people mourning celebrities who they know nothing about, except for the movies they’ve watched. To me, it’s more upsetting that parents lost their son, and a daughter lost her father, rather than whining over losing a celebrity. All life is precious.

The loss of one life is no more significant than the loss of any other, except in how it affects us. But I guess it affects everyone in some way, depending on the situation.

That being said, my thoughts and prayers go out to Heath Ledger’s family and loved ones. I wish I had something less cliche to say about him, but here goes; He was an artist, and loved life. His hopes and dreams were simply human. He believed in being a person, and he saw past the facade of the celebrity lifestyle.

It’s important to breathe every now and then. To metaphorically stop and smell the roses. Life is a very precious thing. And I think more of us need to treasure it.

This is coming from a troubled teens counselor who has seen more pain through other people than any person should have bestowed upon them.
I have no speculations as to how Mr. Ledger died, but I will continue to respect the life he lived and the fact that he lived it as a person with hopes, dreams, and aspirations, rather than simply another celebrity.
I think we all have our own demons, and they have an easier time getting the upper hand in our lives when we don’t seek help and love from other people.

That’s it I guess.

Peace be with you all.

-Dave