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Sunday Sundown Rundown - 5/15/22


3 Up

1. California Church Heroes - It's soooooooo weird that the top spot is a result of something so horrific as our ongoing domestic terrorism problem of mass shootings. Still, the courage shown by the five members who stopped the shooter deserves it. Those individuals tackled the shooter and tied him up with an electric cord, while wounded. 

It's so tough to fathom that those possibilities are within the realm of your Sunday worship, within the sanctity of your church. 

But such is America...

2. Olivia Rodrigo & Drake - Rodrigo continues to reap rewards on an excellent album in 2021 as she topped the Billboard Music Awards with seven awards. There was also Drake who I'm beginning to sense we won't really appreciate his body of work until he's near the end of his career. But yeah, Drake poured in a few more for the legacy debates and discussions. And, somehow Kanye swept the gospel and Christian categories once again. I need to poll people about how they feel about this...

3. 2022 Graduates - After what has been THE hardest academic year in my career, it's great to finally say, congratulations to this class of 2022. It was weird. 

And to the classes of 2020 and 2021 who are getting "make-up" ceremonies (depending on the institution), my advice is to take advantage of it. Don't be too cool to go back for that moment. 

3 Down

1. Mass Shootings - So, when do we really think we'll say enough, is enough? The entire ordeal of the Buffalo Mass shooting makes me incredibly sad, frustrated, and angry. Especially, once you learn about the community there in Buffalo, what that Tops Supermarket represents, and the historic effects of red lining and segregation in that area. And then this happens? This?!

SMH. 

2. Online Radicalization - As we come out of the Pandemic, we are seeing so many terrible residual effects on society, including the amount of time individuals have online to become radicalized. This, of course, is supported by language by our politicians and media. From QAnon, to the hate spewed on 4Chan and Reddit, and the daily sewage that is some Twitter circles, we are a troubled society. 

As stated before, America has a huge domestic terrorism problem.

3. Baby Formula Shortage - If inflation wasn't bad enough - which feels like there is an ending nowhere near in sight - we get the problem that is the growing shortage of baby formula in the country. Here is to sending so much love and support to parents of young ones in need of supply in this moment of time.

1 Weird

Pirates/Reds - The Pirates won a game without event recording a hit. The Reds threw a no-hitter and essentially lost this game. I want to just say, "Hey, that's baseball Suzyn", but my immediate reaction every time I reset my thinking on the occurrence is that Major League Baseball has to do something about its competitive issue. 

Am I the only one thinking - yeah, that would happen between the Pirates and Reds? 

Cover Photo

Artemi Panerin's overtime goal propelled the New York Rangers to a 4-3 Game 7 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

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Sunday Sundown Rundown - 11/15/15

3 Up 1. Paris Stadium Security Guard - Not much has been revealed, and we don't even know if this security guard is still alive, but whomever this person is/was, they helped save a lot of lives. LOTS! Just by doing their job well and finding the vest of the bomber, they prevented what could have been a much larger catastrophe. Too often we mock security guards, especially those who approach their jobs with lackadaisical effort. This person is a hero. A huge, huge, big time hero.  2. Facebook - I'm not a huge fan of Facebook as I find Twitter and Instagram to be more interesting. That's just me. However, Facebook's "Safe alert" feature is a new concept that is just brilliant. Knowing a former student who worked for me and who now lives in Paris, it was nice to see her check in as "safe" in the midst of the chaos. I can't even imagine how convenient it was for those with closer friends and family.  3. Holly Holm - As gloomy as the week...

Trump Wins.

I can't say that I'm surprised.  This week, I purposely took some time to take in the moment, the time in history, and even those around me - strangers and known individuals - to understand it all. The hours and days after I awoke from going to bed purposefully (I was under the weather) to awake to an alert on my phone - DONALD TRUMP ELECTED 47th PRESIDENT - not once did I feel shocked. In fact, I'm not sure that I felt anything at all.  I said to my wife heading into election day, I very much don't blame anyone for voting for him in this election. I'm not a big Trump guy. I gave him a chance in 2016, and well, I'll do so again in 2025. I have no choice. However, after watching Kamala's run toward the election, granted, it was short and abbreviated (somewhat forced), it was hard to understand. The celebrities. The counter-rallys. For a party that said the right lost themselves, how could it be, that the party of the working class was trying to persuade my vo...

Quick Ponder: Man Love

"A man is only loved under the condition that he provide something"  - Chris Rock  Feeling that these days,  with the understanding  of privilege,  and responsibility.