Held to Gunpoint for a Toy Car?!?!

On April 6, an armed man approached a 16-year-old boy in Florida and held him at gunpoint. What for? The young man’s remote control car! Like any reasonable person held at gunpoint, the boy gave him his remote control car and the robber fled. But he wasn’t done yet! Apparently he came back and took the poor boy’s cell phone too! Read the article below.

http://www.osceolasheriff.org/sheriff/113-14443-22618/suspect_arrested_for_armed_robbery.cfm

This sort of stuff breaks my heart. When I saw this, I have to admit my heart went out for this victim. Can you imagine what it was like for this kid? You’re walking down a street, and suddenly a man with a gun comes up and demands your remote control car. Your remote control car! You don’t have a choice, so you are forced to give this crazed man your remoter control car. But you’re just left wondering: Who is that desperate for a miniature car? The answer: Efrain Burgos-Delgado. But strangely enough, this guy didn’t want to just play with the car. Apparently, he sold it to purchase drugs. But I see where this guy is coming from. I mean, he probably thought a toy car like that was worth a lot of money, however, I can only speculate on the estimated street value of that remote control car at press time.

Creighton to the Big East

Last week, Creighton announced its inclusion into the Big East Conference. Along with Creighton, the Big East will include DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova, Providence, Butler, and Xavier. There are many pros and cons to this decision. At the end of the day, however, I believe this was a bad decision.

The pros of moving to the new conference were attractive to a mid-major school like Creighton. First, through a deal with Fox Sports, Creighton’s athletic revenues would be boosted, a major plus to athletic director Bruce Rasmussen. Also, compared to the Missouri Valley Conference, the Big East would give Creighton much more national publicity. In the Missouri Valley Conference, not many people outside of Omaha heard about Creighton. In the Big East, however, all the major news outlets on the East Coast will be reporting on Creighton as the season progresses. Cons come with this decision though.

These cons include the increased pressure to recruit, a skill that Coach Greg McDermott had trouble with at Iowa State. In four years in Big 12 Conference play, Iowa State went 18-46. As Coach Tim Miles demonstrated this year at Nebraska, good coaching can only get you so far. In order to win in a power conference, you need good recruits. While this may be a worst-case scenario, I imagine that after Doug McDermott leaves, Creighton will do awful in the Big East and Greg Mcdermott will not be at Creighton in five years. I hope I am wrong, because I like Creighton and I want them to do well. Unfortunately though, I think Creighton is in a little over their heads. The article is below, feel free to negatively comment.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130321/BLUEJAYS/703219903

Kai, The Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker Who Saves Lives

If you have not heard about Kai the hitchhiker, check it out below.

Basically, a man claiming to be Jesus Christ was giving Kai a lift in Fresno, California when he decided to hit an African-American man, pinning him against a car. When a woman ran over to help, he grabbed her in a huge bear hug. Luckily, Kai ran up from behind with a hatchet and, like he has said, “Smash, Smash, Sumaaashed” the man, saving the woman’s life.

But who is Kai? The unedited, uncensored interview tells a little more about him, but I don’t think I should post it, so look it up yourself. On February 7, KMPH News, the station that originally reported this news story caught back up with Kai to learn his story, something many people have been wanting since this video has gone viral. Watch the video below and read the short story at this link: 

http://mashable.com/2013/02/10/kai-hitchhiker/

At press time, that is the most detailed backstory on Kai’s life. While vague, his allusions to his childhood (divorce, and an abusive and molesting father) are a sobering story of preservation and getting through tough times. His spirit seems to be the reason he has endured his tough situation, and he believes he was put in his situation for a reason. There are rumors of a biography and maybe even a documentary, and I would definitely be interested to hear his full story of how he become the “homefree" hitchhiker he is today.

Oh, and did I mention he is plays guitar and has written an original song? It is shown here below. Comment if you are interested in his story or know anything else about him.

A Serious Post

This Christmas, I got a biography called Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and I just finished it yesterday (February 2). It tells the incredible story of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic runner turned Air Force Lieutenant during the second World War. Born 1917 in Southern California, Louie was a trouble-maker, stealing anything he could. He was able to outrun his pursers, yet still found himself getting caught nearly every time. Luckily, his older brother Pete recognized his running potential, and turned him into the finest high schooler miler in the world, running a 4:21 mile. Two years later, he ran the 5000 meters in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Although he placed 8th, he was still only 19 years old, and his final lap of 56 seconds caught the eye of Adolf Hitler, who insisted on meeting Louie. Hitler shook Louie’s hand and congratulated him on his fast kick.

After that, Louie set his sights on the 1940 Olympics. Unfortunately, war broke out and canceled the Olympics. Louie then enlisted for the Air Force to fight in the Pacific. From there, Louie’s story became nearly unbelievable. His plane crashed into the Pacific and after almost 50 days battling the elements and sharks, he was captured by the Japanese and becomes a POW.

Unbroken lives up to its name, as Louie proves that literally no POW camp can break him. It is without doubt the best nonfictional book I have ever read, and is an inspiring account of how far sheer willpower can carry a man. The links below, while they give good previews of the book, they do reveal whether or not Louie lived through his experience. So if you want to be surprised, stay away from the links below. Please comment if you have any comments.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/books/15book.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjfGxiE2UzI

The Great Belichick Mystery

First I would like to correct a mistake from last week's blog. I incorrectly wrote that the New York couple glued 39,000 pennies. However, upon further review, it has come to my attention that the couple actually glued a whopping 60,000 pennies to their floor! I apologize for the mistake and resolve to be more diligent when fact-checking. Please see the link below for more information.

http://todaynews.today.com/_news/2013/01/21/16623719-couple-glues-60000-pennies-to-bedroom-floor?lite

Now for the bad news. I am not a Patriots fan. I think they are cheaters and they run up the store. But I never realized that Bill Belichick would go this far. *WARNING* The following article is not for the faint of heart *WARNING*

http://www.theonion.com/articles/bill-belichick-builds-new-tight-end-from-mutilated,30952/?ref=auto

I will be completely honest. This article disgusts me. As stated before, I do not like the Patriots. But I did not know that Belichick would ever go this far. I personally do not know why people are not making a bigger deal about this. Tersey! I have noticed that Rob Gronkowski has mysteriously gone missing this season, no one knows where he is, and now a dog abomination has replaced him? Does anyonhe guy created a FRANKENSTEIN DOG for crying out loud! And he has Gronk’s je else think this is a little fishy? When I tried to dig a little deeper, I could not find any other articles describing this crime. I am shocked and am in the process of drafting an e-mail to this Onion Newspaper, which calls itself “America’s finest news source.” I am going to get to the bottom of this strange story. Tune in later this week for an update on this story. Feel free to comment.

NBC New York recently published a story about a young couple in Chicago that renovated their bedroom. The catch? They used 39,000 pennies to cover their 380 square foot room! Check out this story at the link below.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/weird/NATL-CHI-Couple-Glues-39000-Pennies-to-Bedroom-Floor-187453441.html

I think one of my cousins is studying to become an interior designer, so that must make me some sort of expert. So as a self-proclaimed interior designer, I have to admit I was pretty impressed when I saw this story. This creative couple explored the boundaries of interior design, and for that, I think that they should be applauded. As of now, I consider them my artistic role models. Really! This penny floor has provided me some deep inspiration for my art. I wish I could be that creative by myself, but if I follow the example of Ryan Lange and Emily Belden, then maybe one day I could outdo the tremendous work that they have done. While by no means am I advocating this type of designing for everyone, I think this couple showed that if you want to be considered a legitimate interior designer, you should definitely have some kind of monetary-themed floor.  Interior design world look out! These guys are for real and show no sign of going away anytime soon.

So what do you think? Is this couple creative or crazy? Is the floor expressive or just expensive? And what about those rare pennies? Can someone please tell me where I can find valuable coins like those?