The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

As I noted in a previous post, my mother and I unfortunately fell victim to a scam recently. Due to this, I started a GoFundMe page to try and, via the kindness and generosity of others, get some of our money back. Just yesterday, a friend suggested I provide more details to our story on said fundraising page, so I did so. If curious, you can find said updates at this link. - https://www.gofundme.com/f/scammed-shaken-seeking-assistance Thanks to anyone for taking the time to read this, and a sincere thank you for any and all donations. We're beyond grateful. Thanks again.

The mainstream media is a fickle beast, especially in the 24-hour news era. Take the Covington Catholic high school controversy, where students from the Kentucky school, donned in MAGA gear, appeared to harass and mock a Native American veteran following a March to Life rally. The media reported it as such. Then video was released of a small group of black Hebrew Israelites throwing insults at both the students and Native Americans, which was believed to have started the series of events. So most in the media changed their narratives from "These kids are to blame" to "These black Hebrew Israelites are to blame." Some went the Swiss hippie route and decided to say, "Hey, man, all sides took a part in this, so like yeah..." The student at the front and center of the controversy, Nick Sandmann, hired legal representation to write him a refutation to the media's initial narrative, contending they and the before-mentioned Native American, Nathan Phillips, w...

Mistakes are a part of life. I've made them; you've made them; even Gandhi made them. We've all said and done things we haven't been proud about, wished these moments never took place, and often promised ourselves we'd learn from such experiences so we didn't repeat them. When another is hurt by our mishandling of a situation, it's common to make amends by apologizing. While some may be more hard-headed than others when it comes to admitting mistakes and apologizing for them, I think a large majority of people whom aren't in serious denial know when they've done wrong and when it's time to offer a sincere apology for this wrongdoing. So long as the same mistakes aren't being committed, leading to the same apologies, a sincere apology can be quite a helpful tool in calming a situation, regaining another's trust, and helping progress the relationship. Apologies aren't always sincere, however, and it's during these very instances w...

Just last night, I spoke to a friend about a date he had the other night. It was a blind date a mutual friend of theirs had sent them up on. They had talked over the phone and texted quite a bit over the course of the past week, things appeared to be going very well, and she even told him how great she thought he was and that she really liked him. While he thought the date went really well (it was actually her idea) and they had tentative plans for a follow-up date, she texted him with the message, "I think you're a great guy, but I don't really see this going anywhere." Ah, the ol' "...but..." line. The "...but..." line never seems to go out of style, does it? Like my friend, I've heard this line uttered to me on a number of occasions. It's as if people feel that they're being nice by using the line - that it will lighten the blow and rid them of the guilt that goes along with the rejection. - "You're really nice, BUT ...

I'm not sure what the deal is exactly, but I can't tell you how many articles I've read or rants I've heard lately regarding the "nice guy." These rants typically include the following statements: - "'Nice guys' aren't really that nice!" - "What's the big deal about nice guys being nice? Isn't everyone nice? They're just doing things all guys do, but not all guys talk about it like they do!" - "These 'nice guys' are simply sexists looking for an excuse to blame women for their problems!" - "Look, nice guys - she's not into you because you're a loser, because you're ugly, and because, did I mention you're a loser? It's not because you're nice, so get over it!" Yes, it appears as if a fairly decent sized segment of the population is anti-"nice guy." They feel these "nice guys" are either fake, weak, or a bit of both. So, what's the ...

Especially in the television era, it has seemed that a presidential candidate's personality has been of at least as much, if not greater importance than his or her policy ideas. If we look at the eventual winners of these presidential elections, there has appeared to be a fairly noticeable trend when it comes to the winners being more personable than their opponents. If we just look at the most recent elections, Jimmy Carter was an extremely nice and likable guy. Ronald Reagan was incredibly personable. George H.W. Bush may not have possessed the charisma of Reagan, but was still more likable than his Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis. Bill Clinton, which some ladies can attest to, was more personable than H.W. Bush. Likewise, he was more likable than Bob Dole. Even though I didn't care for the guy's policies, George W. Bush came across as more likable than either Al Gore or John Kerry. Finally, in 2008, Barack Obama was definitely the more attractive candidate than Jo...

It only took 17 days. Not long after the "47%" video made its rounds on the web and television, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke at a conference that the words he used in the video were "not elegantly stated." He seemed to continue with this language for the coming few days, even defending the accuracy of his video comments, before realizing that this strategy was doing him no good and began telling the American people that he was about the "100%." However, he refused to apologize or admit he was wrong about his remarks. Through these 17 days, Mitt Romney saw polls which showed the gap widening between he and President Obama. He saw other polls which illustrated just how much his "47%" comments had hurt him. Then, 17 days after the onset of the video, he finally altered his tune. Last Thursday night on Fox News, Romney said this: "Well, clearly in a campaign, with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question-and-...

Know anyone who seems to constantly clamor that they hate drama? They dramatically exclaim they hate drama? Yeah, me too. I often times find with these very people that they're the most dramatic of the bunch. It's almost as if they're attempting to persuade the masses (including themselves) they're not dramatic by repeatedly claiming they're not (the mere-exposure effect). However, in due time, when people actually spend time with them, they'll discover the truth. I also often times find that these people try to evade drama at all costs, which only results in escalating tension and a once light-hearted drama will eventually become Shakespeare. I don't know TOO many people whom enjoy drama, but repeatedly making that claim won't convince anyone of this and may make them wonder, "What are they hiding?" At the same time, evading drama in an attempt to avoid drama, will likely result in greater drama than one would have faced if they had confro...

It really is a shame to see anyone pass along and in Joe Paterno's case, to pass on as he did. When the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal broke in November of 2011, Paterno was fired not long after the stories broke and his record-breaking numbers as the head football coach of Penn State will forever battle the before-mentioned scandal when it comes to how the sports world and world at large remembers JoPa. It was confirmed yesterday late morning that Joe Paterno had passed away and I found it quite interesting to listen to sports writers, anchors and analysts respond to the news. Ever since the Sandusky scandal broke and Paterno was fired, many of these individuals adamantly spoke out against Paterno, saying he should have done more, that he did the bare minimum and if they had been in his shoes, they wouldn't have even hesitated to have done more to protect the children who had already been harmed and those who may have potentially suffered a similar fate. Almost all of them...

Two-Faced Kind and thoughtful, Overjoyed by my presence, Warm and caring, All words and actions genuine, The smile on her face when she sees me, The loving look in her eyes, The warm embrace she gives, Me believing there’s nothing to hide, As she walks away from me, The smile transforms into a scowl, The look in her eyes cold and bitter, The seeming joy and warmth nothing but a lie, Her friend’s phone rings, The earlier event is then shared, Negative words emanate from her mouth, Falsities and rumors are spread, Two faces to signal directions, Never sure of which way they’ll go, Believing they’re fooling everyone, But it’s only themselves that they fool.

The Imaginary Moral Compass of Reality A story told, A lesson learned, For moral guidance, A teaching tool, That which can’t be seen, Only imagined, Actors witnessed playing the role, In an attempt to make valid, The backdrop is set, Characters walk on stage, The music begins, A persuasion of reality, On the edge of their seats, Their eyes widen, Wanting to believe, The story is genuine, When the lights dim, The actors leave the stage, Toss the beards to the side, Walk back to real life, To teach lessons, Bring people together, Provide hope, Instill faith, But the characters cannot be seen, The story only heard, Before the lights dim, And we walk into the real world.

Fool(ed) Her eyes seemed so honest, Her voice sincere, Her compliments genuine, I’ve been fooled again, Her words without hesitation, Flirting constant, Smile glowing, Fooled once again, Her laughter consistent, Curiosity displayed, Emotions exerted, The fool I played, Her sincere voice goes silent, Her smile is no more, Flirting non-existent, I’ve been fooled again, The role I was born to play, The cycle never-ending, Mistaken of her identity, I’m a fool again.