Girl On Fire: The Literal Version

No matter how meek or timid you are, everyone has those moments where you feel like a badass. Sometimes it's simple things like tossing something blindly at a trash can and nailing the shot. Other times it's ignoring a rule or law just because you can. Sometimes, however, that latter can turn ugly.

Take for example, Austin Dawkins. Austin was in Atlanta at a gas station with his wife getting gas. Now everybody with any common sense knows you shouldn't smoke near the gas pumps for risk of fire BUT with all the safety precautions on modern gas pumps, some people think it's unnecessary. Austin was one of those people.

While pumping gas, Austin flicked his lit cigarette to the ground near the truck's gas tank... THAT HE WAS CURRENTLY FILLING UP! What do you think happened? If you said "it went out and everybody went home happy" you were mistaken. The cigarette ignited the gas fumes near the pump and flames erupted ENGULFING AUSTIN'S WIFE!

She ended up with 2nd and 3rd degree burns. He has been charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct. This just goes to show, sometimes being the badass that breaks the rules just isn't worth it.

Here's the video of what happened thanks to WNCT.com:

WNCT

Taking the "Care" Out of Health Care

Before I even start this blog, this has NOTHING to do with the Affordable Care Act. If you're hear to gripe about Obama or whatever, please stop reading this and go away.

Our health care system in this country SUCKS! And this time I'm not talking about prices or insurance or any of those atrocities. I'm simply talking about the actual facilities and care (or lack thereof) that's being given to patients out there. Take for example, this story out of California I read this morning:

An assisted living community in Castro Valley, CA called Valley Manor Residential Care closed it's doors on Thursday, Oct. 24th after orders from the California Dept. of Social Services to "protect the health and safety of the clients in care." Sounds noble right? Well, any thoughts of good intentions disappear when you find out THEY LEFT FOURTEEN PEOPLE LOCKED IN THE FACILITY!

14 residents, several who were unable to leave their beds, were left after the staff walked out when they found out the place was closing and they would no longer be paid. Luckily, a cook, a janitor, and a caregiver were the only 3 out of the entire staff to stop and consider the residents and stayed behind WITHOUT PAY because they felt bad for the patients.

The patients were all removed and taken to other facilities and now police are searching for the owners and criminal charges are coming.

Sadly, this isn't an isolated incident. More and more health care facilities are being treated more like Fortune 500 companies and less like places to receive help. Budgets and bottom lines have replaced helping and healing.

Just remember next time you visit the doctor that your well being may not be their first priority... if it's a priority at all.

Can You Really BUY Respect?

I'm not a big fan of the Huffington Post. Never have been. I see it as more of an opinion page than the "news source" many have treated it as over the years and articles like this are exactly why I don't put a lot into what they say.

The article is called "Nine Disliked Celebrities Who Deserve Another Chance" which honestly sounded pretty interesting. Was I wrong about some of these pretentious douches? Did they do great things to the benefit of mankind that outweigh whatever makes them unlikeable? Were they unfairly portrayed in the media?

Nope, they just have money.

Don't get me wrong, the donations and time spent supporting whatever charities they support is a great thing. The problem is, I can only assume after seeing people like Kanye, Kim Kardashian, and Justin Bieber act like spoiled, selfish, conceited children that these acts of kindness are just for show. Yes Jay Leno took a pay cut so his staff wouldn't lose their jobs but that's only after he screwed Conan O'Brien and his staff out of jobs he gave them less than a year before.

There are others like Taylor Swift and Ashton Kutcher who are disliked, not for being a bad person, but for their respective performances who probably have the right intentions and things like this can totally sway my opinion of them. The ones who are just crappy people, however, can't just buy my respect.

Redefining "Crappy Food"

Everyone has been to at least one restaurant where you left saying "The food tasted like s***." Well now, there's a restaurant where the food LOOKS LIKE CRAP... and it's supposed to!

Modern Toilet (not surprisingly) got its start in Taiwan. The concept was born from one of the creators reading comics on the crapper. It began with chocolate ice cream served in toilet shaped bowls but when the response was positive it blossomed into a full blown toilet themed restaurant. Check it out:



These are mostly located in the Philippines but one is now open in Pomona, CA if you want to experience a whole new concept of the #2 Special.

Keep On Truckin

In case you've been living in a cave for the past few weeks, we are in a Government Shutdown. It's been 8 days long so far with no signs of letting up. The short version of the story is that the American Care Act went into effect on Oct. 1st and in an attempt to block it, even though it had already been voted into law, Republicans refused to sign a new budget without provisions to strip funding from the ACA. Democrats and President Obama refuse to budge on the ACA and demand a budget with no provisions to strip the ACA of funding. Now we're basically at a stalemate where even high profile Republicans are asking House majority leader John Boehner to allow for a vote to get a budget passed while he still stands firm that the bill won't pass if it goes to a vote.

But you probably already knew all of that. Well what you may not know, is that the protests are starting to organize. One planned for this weekend is called "Truckers Ride for the Constitution". TRFTC will see large numbers of truck drivers clogging up the beltway in DC throughout this weekend. The plan is to run 3 lanes wide at the posted speed limit of 55 MPH and only allow vehicles through their maze of trucks if they have the events acronym displayed on their vehicle.

Some may see this as a burden to innocent residents of the area and it will be BUT it's also something to get people talking and hopefully open the eyes of those on Capital Hill. The group says their main intention is to ask for "the arrest of everyone in government who has violated their oath of office" which includes Senator Boehner and President Obama.

It's highly doubtful any arrests will be made in Congress but the group did say if police hassle them "we're going to lock the brakes up, we're going to stop right there, we're going to be a three lane roadblock" so if you're planning a trip to DC this weekend... DON'T!

I have a feeling this is just the beginning of many many protests and demonstrations unless this government shutdown comes to an end and even then I'm not sure any faith in government will return.

Miss America Apparently Not 'Merica Enough

Before I begin this rant, let me say that I am proud to be an American. I truly believe this country has the potential to be a figurehead and an example to societies around the globe.

Now, time to vent...

First, let me introduce you to Nina Davuluri, the 2013 Miss America winner:

Gorgeous right? Nina also has the honor of being the FIRST Indian-American to be crowned Miss America. A great day for racial equality and social progress, right? NOPE! While we as a country should have been sitting back thinking of how much progress we've made socially, more than a few people took to social media to prove that there are plenty of Americans who are about as forward thinking as a brick. 

Here are a few of the THOUSANDS of ignorant things posted on Twitter:

"9/11 was 4 days ago, and she gets Miss America?"

"More like 'Miss Terrorist'."

"Congratulations Al-Qaeda. Our Miss America is one of you."

And one moron even commented that Obama must be happy because "another Arab" won Miss America. I'm not sure what is more embarrassing: the fact that apparently if you're not a fat, stupid, white person you don't look "American enough" or that there are that many people who don't know that India is not in the Middle East or that all Arabs aren't Al-Qaeda.

I never gave a crap about Miss America until now. Now, I'm proud of our new Miss America. Not because she won, but because I HOPE she represents a more open minded future for our country. Otherwise, the ignorant racist morons win and NOBODY wants that.

#Merica

ECU = Embarassed by College Undergrads

In my 13 years of being a Pirate, I can now say I have officially felt EMBARRASSED to admit it.

Saturday was the first game of the 2013-14 ECU football season. Having a season opener at home is always exciting because you get to see the boys start the year at home and don't have to wait the extra week like we do with an away opener. And the Pirates put on quite a show starting the season with a big win against Old Dominion and our QB throwing for 5 TDs with ZERO interceptions!

But the troubles and shame happened before the first pass was thrown...

For years 99.5 The X has been the OFFICIAL tailgate station of the ECU Pirates. We've hosted our tailgate show in various places over the years but the past 4 we've been at the bottom of College Hill Dr. with the Student Pirate Club. We love getting crazy and a little rowdy before a football game too but this week was just shameful.

During our 2 hour broadcast we had one drunk chick grab our lunch off our table without asking then put it back after she got her hands all over it, a drunk guy leave his empty liquor bottles on our table... right in front of us... even though the recycling bin was literally 10 feet away, someone threw drink on the side of our van, and last but not least: a guy had to be carried away on a stretcher.

We've seen the EMT's have to attend to people over the years for heat exhaustion, dehydration, or a few bumps and bruises but never have I seen a full ambulance come in and carry someone out on a stretcher. Not only was he carried out but the poor guy was bleeding profusely from his HEAD! I was told it was from a fight which is even worse than if he fell while drunk. Drunken stupidity is bad enough but when we can't make it through 1 freaking tailgate party without a fight breaking out, that's bad.

I don't know what the solution is without making the tailgate fields so stiff and sober that nobody wants to be there unless the younger generation of Pirates pull their heads out of their collective asses and start to respect others around them.

I know that makes me sound old but honestly, if your first thought after reading that is that I'm old you're probably one of the d-bags I'm embarrassed to share my alma mater with.