Self-esteem

China badminton players were tossed out of the Olympics for trying to lose matches to get better playing positions in finals. If the coach had just told the officials that he knew his team was going to win all the matches so he just wanted to let other teams win some matches to build their self-esteem, then they would have been praised instead of being punished. 

Cures for what ails you

Why are we spending so much on doctors and medicine when it is not needed? All you have to do is read the newspaper, watch television, or listen to the radio to learn that there are cures for almost every disease, that are free, and that they are just a phone call away. All you have to do is give them your credit card number to pay for shipping and handling. Of course, there is a problem, the "cures" do not work, the shipping and handling fees are exorbitant, and, once they get your credit card number, they will continue to send you the product and bill you the same exorbitant amount until you tell them to stop, and that you will find it is nearly impossible to get them to stop.

Again with the heroes

Every time there is a catastrophe, conspiracy theories arise, but also other dubious claims arise. An example is the claims that abounded after the murders in the movie theater in Aurora , Colorado.

It appears that every boyfriend that died was a hero for sacrificing himself to protect his girlfriend. A just as believable version would be that they were both running away, she tripped, and he fell on top of her. Or, they were both running away, he was shot, and fell on top of her. Or, they both dived to the floor and since she was in front of him, he landed on top of her.

Does this mean the girlfriends that died did so because they had boyfriends who were cowards because they did not sacrifice themselves to save them? Apparently, women are still helpless and need men to protect them. You never hear of girlfriends falling on top of boyfriends to protect them. Are women cowards?

The heroes would have been the ones running TOWARD the killer in an attempt to stop him from killing more people.

The same week of the 12 murders in Colorado, 14 died in a truck accident in Texas. Where is all the concern for them? Most people do not even know about the Texas deaths. What is classified as a tragedy is determined by who it was that was killed (from whom may the media garner the most attention) and whether the media decides to make the incident into a tragedy. Fourteen people killed by a truck is local news, twelve people kill by a firearm if a national tragedy.

Secret agenda

I watch the television show House Hunters. From the large number of episodes that involve homosexuals, one might assume that a large portion of couples in the United States are homosexual couples. However, according to the 2010 census, only about 5% of Americans report that they are homosexual. Something is wrong here.

A tale of two dog parks

There are two dog parks in Forsyth County, NC. Each one is unique in the type of people who bring their dogs to it. 

Washington Park is 1 mile from the center of Winston-Salem. On a typical visit, you will find at least one owner who thinks their dog does no wrong, at least one owner who will ignore the dog and what it does, at least one owner who will panic if another dog plays with his or her dog, and at least one owner who will let his or her dog take balls and discs from other dogs and will even then use the toy to play with his or her dog. Many owners, and their dogs. are at the park every day and think it is their territory so they become territorial.

Horizon's Park is about 15 miles from the city center. Being in a rural area, the dog park gets fewer visitors and most visitors are from rural areas. On a typical visit, you will find ordinary people out to play with their dogs and to let their dogs play with each other. The owners are attentive to their dogs and are friendly and helpful to other owners and their dogs. There are rarely any problems with the dogs or their owners.

Must be nice to be God

Last week at a church in a nearby town, children were playing in the cemetery while their parents stood nearby. A large stone cross toppled and crushed a four-year-old girl to death. When a child is healed of a deadly disease, it is called a miracle from God. What is it called when a child is killed by a cross at a church? The pastor called it a freak occurrence. Why is not the healing of a child also considered a freak occurrence? God gets excused when things go bad and gets thanked when things go good; you can do no wrong when you are God.

Offending

Isn't it strange how schools say cannot control bullying, but they have cracked down on such things as drawing a stick figure of a gun, bringing unhealthful food in lunchboxes, offending Muslims by wearing a tee shirt with a Bible verse on it, or offending illegal immigrants by wearing a tee shirt with an American flag on it. If you bully by only using force, it appears schools cannot control it, however, if you offend anyone, they will squash you.