As many of you remember or previously read in one of blog posts, I started a campaign called #InclusiveBitmojis last year to request Bitmoji to include and create disability-related options to their app so we can better represent ourselves in our Bitmojis.
I am planning a new video about #InclusiveBitmojis to gain more traction towards the campaign and hopefully have Bitmoji show us that they are in fact really working on disability-related options rather than telling us (as they repeatedly have for years).
Also, again, I'm not just asking for wheelchairs as options for Bitmojis. I'm asking for ALL disability-related options (wheelchairs [power chairs], canes, walkers, prosthetic, orthotics, amputees, breathing tubes, hearing aids, and more).
A couple weeks ago, I came up with an idea about doing a NEW video for my YouTube channel. About what? About #InclusiveBitmojis, of course! I think it would be great to do a video where I can have multiple people (plus me) to ask Bitmoji for disability-related options because they feel misrepresented in their Bijmojis.
So, last week, I made a Facebook post asking for 30-45 second videos from my Disabled friends and others by February 10th. Here is the post:
So far, I have not received any videos and I understand that many may feel uncomfortable on screen or don't know if this is really that important (or if their opinion is important) But let me tell you - IT IS! And that's why I wanted to do this type of video.
I feel if Bitmoji hears from YOU and others about why it's important for you to have a Bitmoji that better represents us, disabled people - then THEY will finally do something about it. I feel the more people I get for this video, the better. The longer the video is, the better.
Yes, signing petitions are great (which by the way, if you haven't sign it yet - CLICK HERE). Yes, tweeting about is great (continue doing so!). But actually saying it, and saying it in a video with many others will get more to believe in it and see why it is in fact important.
And who knows? It could lead to more & better representation of disabled people.
So...if you or if you know anyone who would be interested in taking part in this video - read my Facebook post above for more information on what you can include in the video (30-45 seconds) & when to send it to me by!
Please share this with your friends!
Let's get disability-related options for our Bitmojis!
20 years ago, in 1999, I was introduced to the Children's Lightning Wheels by one of my physical therapists who's also one of the assistant coaches. I participated in the sports of track & field, table tennis, and archery (even fencing for a couple years).
Joining the team was one of the best things that I could've done. Over the years, I've met many great people (teammates, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, competitors, and many more). I've also competed at 12 National Junior Disability Championships (New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Arizona, Missouri, and Iowa) as a member of the Lightning Wheels.
As a member of the Lightning Wheels, I learned about independence, confidence, teamwork, friendship, sportsmanship, and so much more. I've also became stronger while taking part in the gym program and different practices. They have helped me strengthen my core muscles, as well as my other muscles.
I aged out of the Lightning Wheels in 2015 but still compete as an adult adaptive athlete. I decided to no longer do track (since track and I had our differences lol) but still do field events (shot put, discus, and javelin), table tennis, and archery.
Even though I aged out from the Lightning Wheels, I still help out with the team from time-to-time whether it's archery or if I'm at their track & field practices. I also help out whenever and wherever I can at sports meets (timing track events, helping the coaches with heat sheets, answer any questions members of the team have, etc.).
Adaptive sports has taught me a lot over the years and I wouldn't change a thing. I've made life-long friendships. I have a different point-of-view than many do. It's given me many opportunities that I definitely wouldn't have if I was never introduce to sports in 1999.
I always say that I know who I would be or where I would be if it wasn't for being a part of the Children's Lightning Wheels and adaptive sports. I still believe that til this day.
There is so much more that I can say about my 20 years of adaptive sports but instead of writing it all down here, I will be doing a video for my YouTube channel so STAY TUNED!
I think it's time to start talking about #InclusiveBitmojis again! If you don't know what I'm talking about - here is some background:
#InclusiveBitmojis started about six months ago when I was planning to update my Bitmoji. And I did. I changed out of the winter clothes and into summer clothes. BUT there was something missing that I should've really noticed earlier (I think I did but didn't think too much of it at the time) and that was a wheelchair! I searched & searched the whole Bitmoji app for it, and there was nothing which got me thinking...
Bitmoji really need to add disability options and I'm not just talking about wheelchairs, I'm talking about all different kinds of options like prosthetics, orthotics, breathing tubes, canes, and more. So I had a thought of doing a video for my YouTube channel:
THEN, I also started a change.org petition to raise even more awareness towards getting Inclusive Bitmojis and hopefully to get a response from Bitmoji themselves.
After posting the video and petition, I received some feedback. I believe I had about 50-100 signatures after a few days but to me, it still wasn't enough feedback. This is an important topic and needs more push towards it.
SO I took it to Instagram and posted the following picture with more info about the reasoning behind the importance of wanting Inclusive Bitmojis (diversity being the main reason):
That's basically the main point of my Instagram post because it does. We see talks about representation mattering when it comes to other minority groups but there's never a huge talk when it comes to the disabled community (remember my Oscars' controversy post).
BUT anyways back to the Instagram post. After I posted it, I started getting more feedback and even more signatures towards the petition. AND it wasn't all me as it took one more person to see the post for it to really start reaching more people and that was one of my former teachers who helped a lot with the campaign, as well as one of my friends who too would like to see himself represented in his Bitmoji.
Ever since the initial Instagram post, we have done more videos - a PSA on Facebook & Instagram and a couple update videos on my YouTube page.
With all this push, the petition now has 1,600 signatures and I'm ecstatic about it! We even received a couple responses from Bitmoji on Twitter. The first response was a generic one (similar to one they've been giving for the past three years to others who have asked):
That was definitely a generic answer and they say they're "actively working" on it but they've been saying that for almost three years now and haven't shown any movement of having disability options for Bitmoji. So we kept at it and tweeting #InclusiveBitmojis, and after (I believe) a week, they responded again with a more real answer:
It's still NOT a great answer but it's a better one than their previous answer. But I still have a question: Is it really that hard? I mean...you have cars, you have lounge chairs (and other kinds of chairs), and more. It's not like we're asking for every sticker in the app.
We know some of the disability options won't work for some of the stickers. We just want to be able to see that we're included and that there are options & stickers for us. I no longer use the stickers where my Bitmoji is standing because I feel it truly wouldn't represent me if she's standing and I'm not.
It's time, Bitmoji! Even if is just one option...for now. Show us that you are serious about adding disability options. And remember, it's not just wheelchairs we want - we want ALL disabilities to be represented.
Now - the reason why I'm writing this post is to bring the #InclusiveBitmojis campaign back to life because it has slowed down over the last couple months and we need to pick it back up! Bitmoji hasn't shared any new disability options yet and I feel we should remind them that we are still waiting for those options.
As I'm writing this post, the petition has 1,607 signatures and I would LOVE that number to go up. So if you haven't signed the petition yet, please do so and if you have signed it, SHARE it everywhere you can: Bitmoji Needs Disability Options Petition
Along with sharing the petition, you can share this blog post or any of the videos that we have posted. There are a couple videos on Twitter, a couple on my YouTube channel, and Instagram. And don't forget to use the tag #InclusiveBitmojis in your posts. Also tweet Bitmoji on Twitter using #InclusiveBitmojis!
As most of you know, I have a spinal cord injury and became a wheelchair user due to complications in major surgeries. Well guess what? It's September! And September is National Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Awareness Month! :)
At first, I had no idea that there was a National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month until a few years ago and the color for the awareness is lime green (check out the ribbon above). I was happy to find out that SCI had an awareness month because it should be celebrated and help raise awareness towards spinal cord injuries.
There's an average of 17,000 new SCI each year and no, they aren't all from accidents (something many believe to be the case). Having an awareness month brings different kinds of awareness towards SCI: different kinds of causes of SCI, the aftermath of a SCI, finding out cures, and more.
Every year, I can't wait for September because that's when I post throughout the month different pictures for SCI awareness month. Here is a picture of one:
During this month, many think back and wonder the 'what ifs' and the hopes of a cure so they can have the life they once knew upon a time back while others take this month as a reflection & celebrate their SCI. I am one of the ones that celebrate my spinal cord injury.
I always say without the SCI and becoming a paraplegic, I wouldn't be who I am today. I wouldn't have participated in adaptive sports. I wouldn't have the friends I have today. And I wouldn't have the kind of view of the world I have today. It helped shape me to the person I am and I wouldn't change a thing.
I always look forward to September and hope that there will be more awareness towards future National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Months. If you would like to learn more about spinal cord injuries, you can click on the following links:
I will close this post by sharing the video I posted on my YouTube channel where I spoke about National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month. You can watch it below:
Well...it's been awhile. Two years to be exact. So you're probably asking: "Where have you been?" "Why haven't you written any new posts?" "What's been going on?" Well...I'm ready to answer all THREE questions and to give an update on where this blog is going 😊
Where Have You (I) Been?
I've been in the same place I've been when I was writing a couple years ago. I'm still working at Kohl's. I'm still competing in adaptive sports: field (shot put, discus, and javelin), table tennis, and archery. But, I am now a part of the Tri-State Wheelchair Athletic Association (TSWAA) board. And I'm still working on writing my book(s).
Why Haven't You (I) Written Any New Posts?
Honestly...I think it had to do with writer's block and procrastination. I had ideas of what to write on here but didn't know how to start or where to go with it so I would say "I'll write it next week," then it would be the next week and I'll say it again. Then, it ended up being a month later and then months went by and now two years went by. That's really all to why I haven't written anything.
What's Been Going On?
Ok so the answer to this question can be the same as the answer to the first question. BUT, I do have more to share and add. It has to do with my YouTube channel. I've always had a channel but now I'm actually using it and posting videos on it. Videos like 'My Top 10' where I share my top 10 favorite things of a top (for example: my top 10 favorite Disney Channel Original Movies [DCOMs]), Disability Awareness (for example: National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month), about myself, and other fun videos. Make sure you check out my channel and SUBSCRIBE & press the bell so that you're alerted every time I post a new video. And again, I'm still working on my book(s) and in the process of something that I will soon (hopefully) let you all in on 😉
NOW, I want to let you know that since I'm writing this post - it does mean I am planning on writing some more and officially return to my Wiki-Wheelz blog. YAY! I have a plan set up for how I'm going to do my blog and my YouTube channel. What is that plan? Well...press the play button below and watch as I explain what it is 🔻
So what do you think? Do you think I'm going to be able to keep up with both YouTube and my blog? Only time will tell and I hope I definitely will be able to keep up with it. That's my goal. I definitely won't let another two years go by before writing another post.
Make sure you enter your email into the top right corner (if you haven't already) so that you can be alerted every time I update the blog. AND don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can watch all my new videos! Also, if you haven't yet - check out all my previous posts so you can see what kind of posts you can expect from me on here.
That's really all I have for now. But stay tuned for future posts & videos!
A few months ago, I received a comment on one of my instagram posts from an Instagram page called yoocandoanything asking if I would like to post my story on their site.
The first thing I did was look at their instagram page and then noticed that they are a site for people with disabilities to share their stories and empower others. I was like "oh this is cool. Let me check out their website." And when I did, I immediately was excited to add my story (called "Roll With It and Never Give Up" to the site.
Yoocan was started by the Gaon family after a young boy named Erez was born in 2008 with a rare disease and complex cognitive & physical disabilities. This brought the family together in many ways but was also hard as they needed to adjust a new way of living. Erez is one of over 1 billion people in the world who are living with some kind of cognitive or physical disability.
They created yoocanfind.com was created to be the leading empowerment source in the world for ideas, tips, and solutions to make the life of people living with disabilities and more inclusive. The mission is the focus on what people can do and not what they can not do.
Their overall goal is to show the world the amazing things that people with disabilities are doing each and every day: sky diving, running marathons, being Paralympic athletes, etc. They want to reach every person with a disability living around the world.
I highly recommend joining the family. Also, if you are a parent or a relative of someone with a disability, you can post a story on their behalf (or from your point of view). If you are unsure what to write, make sure you check out the stories that people have already written.
Even if you aren't someone with a disability, you should still follow their Twitter & Instagram pages to see the posts about the awesome things that people with disabilities are doing across the world. On instagram, yoocan features one storyteller each day.
When I first joined the family and followed them on Instagram, they had less than 20,000 followers. Now they have more than 23,000 followers. They also currently have over 1,000 story tellers from over 100 countries.
It's always great to see their posts & stories every day on my feeds and I look forward to it every day. You will too once you click that "follow" or "like" button on each of their pages.
Ok so lately there's been a lot of talk about diversity (especially with the Oscars controversy and presidential elections) and there's something that has been bothering me in these different talks. I have not yet heard the word "disability" in these talks.
Diversity and discrimination include the following types: age, disability, equal pay, gender, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation and more.
But the main ones that are discussed in the media or anywhere really are age, race, gender, and sexual orientation which I'm in supportive of but if you're going to include groups of people then you discuss all groups which include the group of people with disabilities.
Did you know that people with disabilities make up 20% of the United States' population? That means that 1 every 5 people may have a disability of some sort whether it's mental or physical.
So why is the disability group the last to be mentioned or not even not mentioned? Especially when we're in the middle of an election year leading to a new president? Shouldn't discussing what they're going to do to help people with disabilities be a topic (like employment, schools, etc.)?
Is this too much to ask? No. Not at all. After all like I said 20% of the population which is about 49 million people. That's a lot of people that aren't being spoken for or about in the mainstream media.
There needs to be more discussion about disability. About awareness towards disability. How to make inclusion better between the disabled and the abled. Sports are very important towards awareness for people with disabilities but there still needs more awareness to be done!
By the way, where are the actors who have a disability? Ok, yes there are actors who have disabilities but aren't seen as much as others. Also what's with disabled characters being portrayed by abled actors? Ok I understand that the story-line may have the person injured or something which leads them to be disabled but we need more disabled actors/actresses.
Ok that's another story for another time. But it's still relevant to this case. Anyways, back to the problem - INCLUDE the word "DISABILITY" in the discussions about working with people and diversity.
"...based on religion, or race, or gender, or LGBT, or whatever else it might be." - Presidential Candidate, Hillary Clinton (on the Ellen Show discussing loving one another)
"In 2016, the mandate is inclusion of its facets: gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation." - Academy President, Cheryl Boon Isaacs (in her statement about the Oscars controversy)
Can't you see the problem here? Disability is never brought up in the group of words that people say when speaking of diversity. You can't leave out one group of people when discussing diversity because then you're not really being diverse.
Don't be afraid to say disability. Don't be afraid to bring it up in conversations. Don't be afraid to "stand up" for your own group of people. There needs to be a discussion about disabilities and what we can do to bring awareness to the group.
This leads me to January 20th (may write another post about this) which is International Day of Acceptance. It's time that we all come together and celebrate accepting of people with disabilities.
We are in a different and better position then we were 10 years ago but there's still a lot that needs to be done and spoken about.
Include disability in history books. Include disability in your discussions. Include disability when speaking about the other types of groups of people. Include disability in your political campaign (and continue including it after campaign is over). Include disability wherever you can. It's time that we do this. If we have one person start, it will lead to more speaking about it.
By the way you can help spread disability awareness by speaking about it, sharing posts about it, and also placing the wheelchair emoji to your display name on Twitter.
New Wheelchair Emoji (there are
different ones depending on your
phone, computer, tablet, etc.)
Remember, if you want there to be a change and more diversity (including ALL groups of people) to happen then YOU need to take part in that change.
So about a month ago, while shopping for Christmas gifts - my mom and I had decided to stop at Old Navy to do get some gifts there and I also wanted to try on some clothes. Let's just say my experience with the Old Navy's fitting rooms wasn't so great. After my experience, I took it to Facebook and wrote a post about it using a picture that I saw hanging up in the fitting room. Want to read what I wrote?
Here it is:
IMPORTANT ------ So today while being at Old Navy in Livingston Mall, it took awhile to see the inside of the accessible...
Posted by Caitlin Goerlich on Saturday, December 12, 2015
As you see, there was a big problem here. They blocked the two accessible fitting rooms that someone who needs it wouldn't have been able to get in there which goes against ADA and many other situations. I have received feedback for this post: 13 comments (all supportive), 15 shares, and 31 likes. This was great feedback and one of the comments suggested that I post it on Old Navy's Facebook page and another suggested to share it on Twitter, both of which I did. On Twitter, Old Navy did respond which I think was a step in the right direction.
Old Navy's response on Twitter
But there still needs more to be done about these situations. Why are these situations still happening in this day and age? I'll never know. But I'm sure one of the main reasons why these things are happening frequently because they aren't being brought up in the media or shared as much as other situations are. Don't get me wrong, the other situations (shootings, terrorist, inequality with race, gender, and sexual orientation, etc.) that are brought up in the media and on the internet are important but YOU can't cover some of the types of discrimination and not all (especially leaving out one).
In one of my previous posts about adaptive sports programs needed in schools, I wrote about how 20% (49 million people) of the United States' population has some type of disability so why isn't there more spoken about things that happen in this group of people? I don't know. I can write another post about that which believe me I will. Look out for that one!
This post is about Old Navy. I love Old Navy. It's a great store, has great people who work there, and love the clothes that I buy but this situation needs to be fixed. I was told by one of my friends that this store in particular was the same way for about three months (could have been more) because she was there around Thanksgiving and spoke them about the fitting rooms, well as you can read from above, it wasn't fixed!
Has it been fixed? I don't know. I haven't returned. But I will. If you have visited the Old Navy store in Livingston Mall and has seen a change or have not seen a change, let me know in the comments below. We need to seriously have these types of conversations.
Now, I did go to another Old Navy at another mall and I have to say their fittings rooms was slightly better (they had one of the accessible rooms open but did have the other one blocked off). I'm not upset with theirs. At least they had one open but both need to be open especially if I had one of my friends with me or there was someone else with a disability in the store.
Was this store like the one in Livingston Mall before I had my Facebook post? I'll probably never know. Had Livingston Mall changed? We'll have to see and don't worry, I will update you all after my return visit!
Let me know what you think by writing a comment below.
Back so soon? Yep. Well, I have written something for sports writing class that I thought would make a great blog post so I have decided to put it on here. I was going to put it next week but today is International Day of Persons With Disabilities so I thought it would be best to post it today.
For one of my writings, we had to write a column and I wrote it on getting adaptive sports programs in colleges which is something that needs to be addressed (it has already but there needs to be more). I hope you enjoy this and feel free to share!
Here it is:
Did you know that there
are about 49 million people with a disability in the United States? If the
numbers are so high then how come there aren’t more adaptive sports programs in
colleges? Well that needs to change.
In
the past few years, there has been a great deal of need of adaptive sports
programs to be added to colleges and universities. In 2009, American Collegiate
Society of Adapted Athletes was formed to spread awareness towards creating
adaptive sports programs to help disabled athletes have somewhere to go when
they graduate high school. Right now, there are only 23 colleges/universities
that offer adaptive sports and there are more than 4,800 colleges/universities
overall. See the problem here? It’s time that more schools start offering these
sports programs as the number of disabled athletes too is growing.
Ok, I can see why you’re going to say ‘uh why? Why is it
really necessary for adapted sports programs?’ How many athletes are really going
to be going to the school and will take part in the program? How exactly is the
school going to pay for the new program? There will need to be money for
salaries (new coaches), equipment (even though many athletes have their own),
and whatever else that will be needed for the programs. Well honestly, every
single question can be answered and yes, it is necessary for these programs to
be formed.
Now before I go into why adapted sports programs in
colleges are necessary, let me tell you what my search for college was like.
First, I am an adaptive athlete and do the sports of track & field, table
tennis, archery and at one point, fencing. When I was looking into colleges, I
was looking for schools that had sports programs whether adapted or open to
adapted but do you want to know what I found? Nothing. At least nothing in New
Jersey. So I decided to stick with focusing on education and continue being a
part of the Children’s Lightning Wheels but even that has to come to an end at
some point. What’s next?
Do you know how much more diversed sports would be if colleges/universities
included adapted sports? Athletes would get to know one another and learn about
each other’s sports and how those athletes do their sports. Isn’t this country
all about diversity and getting to know different cultures? Well this is exactly
the same! A baseball player can get to know a disabled field athlete. A
wheelchair track athlete can show a non-disabled track athlete how they use
their arms instead of their legs. It gives everyone growth and it will lead to
more diversity in other areas of sports, not just college.
Hello! Can’t you see there will be many more opportunities
open for people with disabilities? It’s time that people with disabilities get
the same recognition as other groups. I mean, we are the biggest minority group
in the world. Did you know that? Of course not. Why would you? We’re the last
group people think about. But there are 49 million people in the United States
alone that have a disability which is 20 percent of the country’s population.
Shocking huh? Well if colleges bring adapted sports programs to their schools,
people will start seeing people with disabilities as people and might actually
consider looking more into how to better equality for those.
Now having these sports programs in colleges will lead to
more across the country like in public school (middle and high schools) and
programs like the Lightning Wheels which will lead to more athletes. More
athletes means more students and that could bring the tuition down because more
students equals less to pay. Sounds like a plan to me. Don’t you agree? Also,
these athletes will no longer be “hidden” away in their homes and take part in
the world which could lead to a better economy. Don’t we all want that?
You still don’t agree? All right then, how about this?
Why don’t colleges allow people with disabilities take part in the sports
programs that are in session now? Like if a school has a track team, let a
wheelchair track athlete be on the team and create a wheelchair division, you
know like how the high schools do it. If numbers rise in the amount of disabled
athletes then the school can create a separate sports program for the adaptive
sports. But I’m telling you right now, it might just be easier to create the
adaptive sports program right off the bat.
Well there we go. What did you think? Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts!
How is everyone doing? It's been awhile hasn't it? Seven months. I don't know if you're interested in wondering where have I been or what I have been up to but as you are my readers, I'm going to say that you are and I will let you all know. Now let's see what should be first? I'm going to set up the post like I usually do and break it up in sections (below).
But before I do so, I would like to say that I am definitely considering to bringing back the song, movie, and TV show of the week back. I know I only did one week of it (two for song but the same song) but at the time, I don't think I could keep up with it. Now I do. At least I might in about three to four weeks (you'll understand after reading Education section). I'm not going to be 100% on board with it until I do about three weeks (which will show that I can keep up with it). I might not start those posts until after four weeks from now.
Anyways, here we go.
Education:
I am currently in my final semester in college. It will be 4 1/2 years in school. My final class will be in a few weeks (the week of December 16th) and I will be walking (wheeling) in graduation in May of 2016. I am looking forward in doing so. I have worked on my graduation papers this semester and felt a relief when I completed the papers needed for graduation. Now what am I learning this semester? A lot!, I know that. The following are classes that I am taking: Accounting, Social Media, Interpersonal Communication (a class I believe everyone should take), Sports Writing, and Senior Writing Seminar. In each class, I have learned so much more that I thought I would and will be looking to take what I have learned in these classes and previous classes with me as I move into the real world. Three weeks. That's all that's left and there is so much left to do - papers, tests, group projects, etc. So this is why I said, above, when I might update my blog next. But after that, expect reading many posts from me.
Writing:
So as you know, from the previous post, I have finished one of my books and was looking into querying agents with the book but I have taken a break from that. But have no fear, I am still writing. I am not focusing on my senior project which I hope will turn into the book that I am going to definitely work on. I have not given up on the other book but I feel my senior project is something that I will be able to focus on more and have more of a chance with. I actually have a better feeling with this project but I'll always go back to the other one, possibly revising it once again. You (I) can never be finished with revisions!
Sports:
Well the 2015 sports season is coming to a close which also means that my career as a junior athlete is coming to a close. 17 years. 17 years with the Children's Lightning Wheels and I will never forget any of the time that I had with sports, teammates, coaches, parents, officials, competitions, etc. This year, we hosted the 2015 National Junior Disability Championships (NJDC) and it was a blast. We won 2nd place for the Large Team division and it was great getting to compete in front of friends and family. Thank you to those who came out and supported all the athletes. It was a great turnout and I hope that the future NJDC continue growing. It was also a bittersweet week as it was my final junior nationals and the final time in a racer (track). Thank you to all my coaches, teammates, parents, competitors, officials and anyone who I have met over the years for giving me a great ride and I will gladly take everything that I have learned from you with me as I move forward with my athletic career. I am looking forward to moving on to the adult word of sports, as well as helping coach archery with my junior team. Bring on Season 2016.
Well, I believe that is everything that I have done since my last post. I could be missing something and if I am, you will be the first to know! So like I said, I will be more involved with my blog starting in the next few weeks and I am looking forward to being more conversational with you all!
I have been trying to figure out a way to update my blog more often! I tweeted out yesterday asking my followers, other tweeters, and bloggers if they had any ideas for what I can post but unfortunately, I received no feedback...HOWEVER, once I tweeted that tweet - ideas just started coming to my mind. I thought about writing about music, movies, and shows. but I realized that one post would not be enough for either of those subjects so I have thought about a way how I can write a lot without writing a lot.
This brings me to the title of this blog post - New Weekly Plan! - and I will explain exactly what that is or what it could be. I was thinking about doing a weekly thing where I write a post about a particular song, movie, or show. The title of these posts would be - Song of the Week; Movie of the Week; Show of the week. These will be of my favorite music, movies, and shows. Now, I'm not sure if I'll do all three every week but that is an option that I am thinking about doing.
I, of course, will still be writing other posts if and when anything else comes up in my life but I thought this would be something exciting to try and a great way for you, my readers, to be involved! You can share your input on what I choose at the song/show/movie of the week.
I am still figuring out the exact details of with me doing this but I am excited for this plan of mine and I'm hoping that you will be too! I am also hoping that I will stick with this because I'm not sure if I'll have as many shows/movies as I do with songs, but we will see what happens as the time goes on.
Please let me know what you think in the comments below. (I am going to try and get started this weekend with my first weekly posts) Have a great day and week!
It's that time where I bring out the passionate side of me back out.
So as you can tell with the title, who this is going to be about. "Victim" Kanye West...
Now, before I explain why our dear friend, Kanye is getting his own "special" post - the 5th anniversary of the MTV VMAs where Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift as she was getting her first VMA for Best Female Video. If you want a recap, here is the video of it.
Now, moving onto this year, actually this week. If you haven't heard what happened, here we go. During one of his concerts, in Sydney, Australia - Kanye stopped his concert to tell everyone to "Stand up!" His direct quote is "I can't do this show until everybody stand up. Unless you got a handicap pass and you get special parking and s**t." That's not all but I want to stop here for a moment. How can you say that? Especially when there are fans of yours who are disabled and need that "special parking". Also, when he mentioned "special parking and s**t, his whole audience started laughing. Great role model there.....
Now, let us continue. Shall we? Kanye then goes on and finds two people still sitting and he looks at them and starts basically "taunting" (Don't like the word...too bad) them. Everyone even started booing and chanting "Stand up! Stand up!" at the two who couldn't. Kanye also said "Do you all want the show to continue or boo the people won't stand up." He spent four minutes, halting his show, just because people wouldn't but couldn't stand up, or even those who didn't want to stand up. He kept saying "If he's a wheelchair, then it's fine." but he wouldn't stop there. He had his security guard CONFIRM that he was in a wheelchair. Would you like to see the video? Here it is:
You can take the video however you want but watch it closely because everything I said above is what really happened.
Now. I'm not done. There are people out there who defend Kanye saying it was all just a "misunderstanding" and that he "apologized." Well newsflash, saying "It's fine" and then continuing the show is not apologizing. Also, it was NOT a misunderstanding. I watched the same video everyone else did. First, if I pay to see a show and if I was able to stand up, but didn't want to stand up then I wouldn't stand up just because someone who I PAYED to see, wanted me to stand up.
If you are to pay your own money to see someone "entertain" you, would you really stand up if you didn't want to? Like I said, if I could, I wouldn't. If I was everyone at the concert, I would've either sat down or walked out - not booing and making Kanye's ego even bigger.
Now, let's get back to the apologizing situation. Here's a hit about how to apologize. "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry for humiliating you in front of thousands of people." "I'm sorry to the audience for stopping my concert for stupid reasons." and so on. That's how you apologize. Sincerely apologize. Now say "It's fine" and then just continue on the show like nothing happened.
Now I know you are probably wondering why I put "victim" before Kanye West above before I started talking about everything. It's because Mr. Kanye "perfect" Kanye thinks he's the victim here. He thinks the media targets him. Well another newsflash - if you don't want the media to "target" you then stop opening your mouth and having these unnecessary rants.
A few days after the Sydney incident, he is now at another one of his shows where once again he stops his show midway so that he can rant about the media. This time it's for about five minutes. He claims "I'm a married Christian man with a family." Yeah, I can tell with your rants and your music. Idiot. Here is another video that you can watch which is the video where he "defends" himself and calls himself a target and tell the media to pick another one:
As you can see, he never apologizes about the incident. It's all about "me, me, me, me" and never once "I'm sorry that I did what I did." And he never does. Ok, he "apologized" for the Taylor Swift situation but we all know how that was...Not only was he defending himself, but so was his wife. Kim Kardashian-West (she deserves her own "special" post but that's for another time) tweeted "Its frustrating that something so awesome could be clouded by lies. Kanye never asked anyone in a wheel chair to stand up & the audience videos show that. He asked everyone to stand up & dance UNLESS they were in a wheel chair." Well then, she and I must not be watching the same videos and once again he never said "unless they were in a wheel chair," he said " Unless you got a handicap pass and you get special parking and s**t," which is a HUGE difference.
There is more that I can say about this situation but I believe someone else had written a great thing to this and that was Harshada Rajani who wrote an open letter to Kanye. Everyone should read it and share it!
Now, I think that's all so far I can say about this. Like I said, there is more that I can say to this but for right now, this is all I have.
If you have defended Kanye, I hope you rethink who you are defending because you should be defending the fans, not the "artist" who claims that he's the greatest thing that God has created, which he isn't at all. "Genius," "Jesus," "God," "President," and whatever else he calls himself is not who Kanye is. He is a narcissist, idiot, moron and is self-absorbed and I can tell you that you will never see me buy anything that has something to do with him. (Also, I rarely call people names so you know that I'm serious about this)
I hope others follow lead because that is the only way you can prove to someone that enough is enough.
Feel free to leave a comment to this, whether you agree or disagree.
I know, I know...It's been awhile, more like two months. I was going to try and write a post each day that I was in Iowa but even though there was time, there wasn't time. So, I have decided that before I start back up in school for my fourth year, I will update you all on how this Summer has gone and is going. What do you all think about that?
Let's first start with the National Junior Disability Championships (NJDC) that were held in Ames, Iowa during the week of July 5th-12th. After having tons of fun on the bus ride on the way to Minnesota, we decided to do another road trip with the bus, as well with the same awesome bus driver! First half of the ride out to Iowa was fun, watching movies, reading books, listening to music, laughing and talking with each other. One of the movies that stood out to me, of course, was watching Eight Below (my favorite of Paul Walker's [RIP]) which was one of the movies that I brought. Reason why it stood out was because of what happened when this following scene happened:
The whole bus jumped in surprise when the seal came out of the whale because it was something that no one but my mom and I were expecting it (even I jumped, it gets me every time). It was a little funny seeing everyone jump out of their seats because it brought be back to the day when I saw the movie for the first time in the theaters and everyone jumped up. Sorry team for not warning you!
Now, another moment that stands out on the bus ride was when broke down in Indiana due to mechanical issues with the bus. We had stopped a few times before our bus driver pulled off at a rest stop while we could get our bus be fixed. We were stuck in Indiana for a about five-six hours but once we got back on the road, we were about seven hours away from our destination.
Now, after the road trip, we are now in Ames, Iowa getting ready to compete! My first competition was the first day of competition and that was archery. I had a rough time during the first round due to issues with my bow and arrows but I improved during the second round. I shot a 100 which wasn't my worst but not my best either. My next competition was table tennis and I had very close matches that led to game 5 but overall, I won one match but two of my teams made top three of all the athletes! Two days later, I had both field and track which was my final day of competition. For my 100 meters race, my time was 34.22 seconds and I was also in a relay which did great/awesome! For my field events, the following distances were my best that day: Discus - 5.93m, Javelin - 7.49m, Shot Put - 2.88m. All distances were close to personal bests. Overall, I had a great week in competitions and had a fun time with my friends, teammates, officials, event organizers, coaches, families, and more. Children's Lightning Wheels won 2nd place in the large team division! Yay team!
Our ride home seemed like it went quicker than the ride out there and we got home a little earlier than planned which always feels good. Here are some pictures from the week. Also, if you want more information for the week of this year's Nationals: NJDC 2014.
So, that is the update for Nationals. What else have I been up to this Summer? Well, two days before we left for Nationals, my sister had a new baby - a boy! I met my new nephew the day after we came home from Nationals and he is very adorable. Also, my other nephew (7 years old) stayed with us for a week, a couple weeks ago. It was an interesting week. When Summer comes around, I always go to work with my Mom to help her with shredding, filing, putting together packets, etc.
So far, I have done two other things Summer that were a blast. Last Monday, I went to the Somerset Patriots game with my parents, aunt, and uncle which I always enjoy doing. It was a hot day so I wasn't able to stay in the spot where I normally sit the whole time so I moved to the back for the shade. Good chicken fingers and french fries which is usually what I get when I go to ball games. I don't like hot dogs. Well, I do but I don't. That's a story for another time. Sadly, the Patriots lost but it was still a fun day.
The final event that I just recently was at the 19th Annual Softball Benefit Tournament for Children's Lightning Wheels, this past Saturday, which is an event that I go to every year. This tournament is held every year to raise money for my team and I always have a blast. This year was no different, maybe even more fun than other years (don't know why..lol). I have a new nickname from the guys (players, umpires, event organizers), and it is The Commissioner (Commish) which I will enjoy having from now on. I had lots of fun seeing, hanging out, and laughing with the players who I have known for awhile and meeting many new ones. I can't wait for next year and excited for it because it will be the 20th Annual Tournament and it's going to be awesome! Also can't wait to see everyone next year.
I have more pictures from the event, but the above collage are four of my favorite pictures from the day. Once again, on behalf of the Lightning Wheels, thank you to all the players, sponsors, umpires, and event organizers for another great day!
Well, that is everything that I have done this Summer. Oh! I forgot to mention that for my Spring 2014 Semester for school, I made the Dean's list. I was very happy when I achieved that honor and I'm going to push myself for my last couple (few) semesters to make the list again.
I hope everyone has/had a great Summer and if you are returning to school, have a great year and push through everything.
I am not sure when my next post will be but it will be sooner than two months (maybe).
I originally wrote this post for my Journalism class and decided to place it on my personal blog :) Hope you enjoy!
London 2012′s Opening Ceremonies
Courtesy of Google images.
For the first time in 53 years since they started, the Paralympics (Olympics for the physically disabled) will be seen live on television in the United States.
For the 2012 London Paralympics, NBC aired only about 5.5 hours of the Paralympic Games, which were mostly of highlights, and not of live events. The only places you could have seen the Games live were to tune in on the Team USA website and/or their YouTube channel under ParalympicSportTV. After receiving many views on the website and YouTube channel, there were many complaints because they weren’t on television.
HISTORY of Paralympics
1948
First
organized athletic day for disabled athletes. Dr. Ludwig Guttmann hosted the
competition for British World War II veteran patients with spinal cord
injuries.
1960
First
official Paralympic Games, held in Rome, and was no longer open entirely to
war veterans. 400 athletes from 23 countries competed at the Games.
1964
First
organization, International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) was
founded. It was dedicated to focus on
advancement of athletic opportunities.
1976
Athletes
with different disabilities were included to take part in the Games. Also, in
Sweden, the first Winter Paralympic Games were held.
1988
First
time the term “Paralympic” came into an official use.
1989
ISOD
reorganized to International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and is the global
governing body of the Paralympic Movement.
2001
International
Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IPC agreed that host cities would have to
manage both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
2012
London
2012 held the largest Paralympics ever with 4,302 athletes which have shown a
major growth between 1960 and now.
2013
Was
announced that NBC will show television coverage of both the 2014 Winter
Games and 2016 Summer Games.
NBC Olympics and the U.S. Olympic Committee have come together and agreed on coverage of the 2014 Winter Paralympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The Winter Paralympics will be held in Sochi, Russia during the week of March 7-16. It will receive 50 hours of television coverage.
2016 Summer Paralympicswill be held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil during the week of September 7-18. It will receive 66 hours of television coverage.
