I hate soccer.  Let me tell you why...

First, soccer has become a racist sport that produces prejudices of all kinds.  Very often, at stadiums all around the globe, but usually in Latin American countries, crowds will chant racial slurs at opposing teams simply because of the color of their skin.  I watched in horror a few years ago as a soccer game in England turned into a race riot, with Europeans calling the African team many racial terms that cannot be repeated here.   Furthermore, at the 2014 World Cup, a Neo-Nazi racist German fan insulted the Ghana team by running on the field with his face painted.  Also at the 2014 World Cup, the Mexican soccer coach actually defended the vulgar/dirty chant that Mexican fans love to yell at the opposing team's goalies.

The episode that really says it all is in regards to the Mexico vs. USA soccer match a couple years ago in Pasadena, CA.  Out of the 100,000 fans, 80% were cheering for Mexico - which is fine.  What is not fine was how they acted: booing the American National Anthem, chanting racial obscenities at the US goalie, etc.  Many more instances could be cited, but an honest soccer fan will admit that soccer produces nationalistic tendencies which often become racial prejudices.

How about the war that broke out over a soccer match... yes, you read that correctly, a WAR broke out over a soccer game.  The war is sometimes called "The Soccer War" and it was between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969... look it up and see if I'm lying.

Soccer is also a very violent sport.  I know what you're thinking, "But so are football, hockey, and other American sports."  But, I am not referring to the sport itself, I am referring to the fans.  I could literally spend the remainder of this blog post citing instance after instance of violence at soccer games, even involving death.   Yes, some violence occurs at baseball, football, and hockey stadiums, but it's usually on the field between the players!   I have a theory as to why so much chaos happens at soccer matches:  Since the game itself is so boring for 90 minutes, the fans get frustrated just sitting there watching so they turn to other means of "entertainment."

One of the worst instances of soccer violence is when Columbian defender Andres Escobar was shot dead after the 1994 World Cup.  He was murdered by fans who were angry at him for accidently scoring a goal against his own team.

Of course, soccer probably has its roots in the old Mayan game of Pok-a-tok, in which the losing side would be executed!

Of course, soccer PLAYERS have been notoriously violent, too.  Recently, you may have seen the futbolista that enjoys BITING his competitors!  If you haven't seen it, watch it here.

Soccer is also a deceiving sport.  It is filled with actors who pretend to be injured when they're not.  (PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR PROOF).  Earlier this year, I made the mistake of turning on the World Cup and actually watched a few minutes of it (until I fell asleep).  I watched three players in three minutes roll around on the floor and pretend to be injured, and moments later each one of them was running around full speed with a goofy grin on his face as if no injury had ever happened.  Fakers!

Furthermore, soccer fans are particularly wacky.  Many weird events could be cited here as proof, but I will just mention a couple.  How about the fan that was recently killed by a flying TOILET BOWL!   Or how about the Columbian fans that brought their DEAD FRIEND to the game in a casket!  Read about it here.

ANOTHER CLASSIC MOMENT:  Video footage showing players milling around a field during a club soccer match in Isfahan, Iran, captures several objects on the ground. Some of them appear to be trash or plastic bags. One of these objects though turns out to be an explosive.  The footage posted on YouTube shows a player picking up what is being described as a live “grenade” (although it doesn’t seem it is a grenade in the traditional sense of the word), seemingly not recognizing what it was, and throwing it casually off the field seconds before it went off.

I've seen soccer players do some of the most despicable acts I've ever seen in athletics... but this may be the worst!  Here's what happened:  A stray dog learned the hard way during a soccer match in Argentina that you apparently don’t interrupt lower-league player Enzo Jose Jimenez.  And what, exactly, did the Bella Vista player do about the match interruption? He picked the dog up by its neck and hurled it off the field, right into a fence!!  I would link you to the video of this, but it is too disturbing.

Every four years, soccer produces fake fans.  Every World Cup, thousands of people pretend to be big soccer fans and experts... usually these same band-wagon fans cannot name 10 players in soccer history, let alone 10 players in the current World Cup. 

Here are some more fakers:  In one of the most deceiving acts I've ever seen, soccer fans at the 2014 World Cup showed up in wheelchairs pretending to be disabled... in order to get preferred seating!  ... and then would stand up and cheer when their team would score!  Read about it here.

Many soccer fans are particularly annoying.  Soccer fans always want us to think that soccer just needs a few more years and then "it's gonna get BIG in America!  You just wait and see!"   Well, your time is up... it hasn't gotten big.   Soccer fans love to say that millions of little kids are out there playing AYSO and that's their proof that soccer is on the rise in the United States.   The problem for soccer fans is that kids grow up and soon realize that other sports out there have more technique, intrigue, history, tradition, and fun than soccer.  I played soccer as a kid - my team was called Blue Thunder and I was a good player - then I discovered baseball and its richness as a game and I said bye to futbol forever.   Soccer fans also love to proudly yell that "Soccer is the world's favorite sport!" or something like that...  quite frankly, I don't really care what the world thinks when it comes to sports.   It isn't even in the top five sports in America... Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, NASCAR, golf, tennis, boxing - all of these are ranked higher in the United States.   Why should I care what the world thinks about favorite sports?   Most of these countries can't even elect capable leaders, so I don't trust them in choosing a sport.

OTHER PROBLEMS WITH SOCCER:

Soccer counts time the wrong way!!   I wish soccer would just grow up and have a COUNTDOWN like football, basketball, hockey, etc.

Soccer games can end in a tie!  Do I need to explain why this is annoying?  But EVEN WORSE than this is that teams often play TO tie!   You heard that right - teams actually play with the intention of getting a tie game!!   I can’t accept the idea that teams often play to tie. It goes against every aspect of my competitive athletic being.   You play to win the game!   I literally heard a soccer pundit on TV say that the US should tie Germany in their next match.   I understand that it’s early in the World Cup, and that teams undergo a prolonged feeling-out process because they know you can’t win the Cup in the first match but you can lose it. At the same time, seeing a team drop 10 defenders back in an effort to gain a single point in the standings runs contrary to the very notion of sport.

These are only some of the reasons I hate soccer ... enough for now. 

So is the "selfie" craze over yet?  Oh wait, I just watched a clip on TV of Obama taking one, so I guess this selfie thing is here to stay.  Let me tell you why I have NEVER taken a selfie - I think they are selfish.

Recently, 'selfie' was named the Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionary.  What?  Are we serious?  I didn't think selfie was even a word!

The words selfie and selfish have the same root word - SELF.  They are all about self.  Why do people want so many pictures of themselves?  I think it is so refreshing to meet people who are all about OTHERS, not themselves.  Humility, gentleness, meekness, goodness, self-control, kindess... these USED TO BE charateristics that we valued.  Today, our society values arrogance, conceitedness, pride, lack-of-control, etc.

Unfortunately, we now live in a selfie world. “Selfie” has already given way to various other specialized subspecies. There is the “helfie”, which is a selfie of one’s hair.   A “welfie” is a selfie taken while working out.  WOW.

The name says it all. Selfie. Selfish. Self-absorbed. It is a tag that claims nothing beyond ME! Forget the marvels of the world. Forget the physical beauty that surrounds you. Forget the rising of the sun over the ocean. Forget the kindnesses of strangers. Forget everything but… me!  (http://www.israelnationalnews.com)

I remember a LONG time ago when something called MySpace burst onto the scene.  Even some of my acquaintences started using it.  I immediately chirped, balked, and mocked them for using this self-centered website.  "At least it's mostly kids using it," I thought.  Then Facebook came on the scene, and made being self-centered cool for adults.  Why do I call these social media sites self-centered?  Because MOST people use them for all sorts of bad reasons.  The very first thing these sites allow/ask you to do is put in information about yourself... and people like to talk about themselves.   In fact, if you need any more evidence that Facebook is a tool for wickedness, consider a recent study that showed that 1-in-3 divorces in the U.S. involves the use of Facebook!!   I didn't believe this until I began reading about it.

Don't get me wrong, I think businesses can use Facebook to their advantage... and I think that's smart.  In fact, I use Facebook as a Business Page to give historical and class information.  I do not use a personal Facebook page because I don't want to talk about myself, and I don't want to speak with old or current friends over the web.  When I have an urge to speak to someone, I meet with them or call them.  Simple.

But let's get back to selfies.... this is how bad these are getting:  Recently, a new craze has developed where people take selfies at funerals (with the casket in the background!).  How about the various people who recently stopped to take selfies while a suicidal man stood on a bridge, ready to jump?  (see picture below)  This is getting out of control.

Where it really bad is when I see the leader of the free world taking selfies regularly... the first one below was taken at Nelson Mandela's MEMORIAL SERVICE!!

Now of course, there are dozens and dozens of social media sites, and kids always seek to stay one step ahead of the adults.  Ask.fm, tumblr, snapchat, etc.  These are all excuses for kids to not only waste time, but to engage in pure selfishness.  Parents, you need to get smart and learn how to block the internet in your home!  You child is smarter than you and will find a way to get on the internet, unless you learn how to use the Router Settings to block all sorts of things.

So where do we go from here?  How can we reverse this selfish trend?  Here are my suggestions:

- start mocking those who stop every minute to take selfies.  Tell them that they seem to be self-absorbed, and it's annoying.

- let's quit thinking about ourselves and start thinking about others.

- stop posting/forwarding/retweeting pictures of people's selfies.

- put down your cell phone, with all its social media, and read a book.

2 Timothy 3:1-2a

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 

For people will be lovers of self...

According to an analysis of education around the world, the United States' modern education system is in need of much help. I believe I have a possible solution, so please allow me to try to convince you that our short,180-day school year needs to be lengthened.

The school year: 180 glorious days of learning and then… three months of NOTHING.  Summer vacation has been in place for decades and centuries – but that was when it had a purpose. Today, a long hiatus after the school year puts both our nation and our nation’s future – the students – at a disadvantage. The tradition of a lengthy summer vacation is antiquated: itwas put in place long ago when we were a nation of farmers, and a long summer break meant time for children to help bring in the harvest.  Let’s face it: These days, most kids don’t go home after the last day of school and harvest crops. And no, playing Farmville on Facebook doesn’t count.

So yes, three months of summer vacation is basically pointless. But is it harmful?  I think so. Because our nation holds to a short (yes, I said short) 180-day school year, we are unable to compete educationally with other world powers.  Many industrialized nations, including Japan, have school years that are over 220 school days long. Our short school year puts us at a disadvantage to other nations around the world, and thus stifles our advancement as a nation.

Lastly, the education system is supposed to prepare kids for real life – WORK. Once you graduate high school or college, you are thrown into the real world where your boss doesn’t work you for 180 short days, with multiple vacations and flex days throughout the year.  You have to go to work EVERY DAY.  This means that our current school system is failing in giving students a true preparatory experience.

These are only a few of the reasons I support lengthening our school year.  If you agree or disagree, I welcome your opinion!

I am well aware that the most hated combined two words in a student’s vocabulary are school and uniforms (but perhaps summer and school are considered more terrifying).  However, I believe that a good case can be made in favor of school uniforms, so please consider the following six arguments.

First, uniforms are usually less expensive for most families than back-to-school shopping every August.  Moreno Valley Unified is considered a low-income school district.  Clothing costs lots of money these days, and our economy is hurting.  School uniforms would save families money.

Second, gang-related dress-code issues would be reduced.  It bugs me every time I see some wannabe gangster (a “wangster” ) sagging his goofy pants, trying to look cool.  While theoretically a student could still sag his Dockers while wearing his school uniform, it wouldn’t be as cool, so kids probably wouldn’t do it.

Third, dress-code violations would be practically eliminated.  We have dress code violations on a daily basis at our school, and most of the time it’s the females who are breaking the rules. School uniforms would completely remove dress code discipline.

Fourth, many students would spend less time and energy loving themselves in front of a mirror each morning,and more time getting ready for school. I think it’s safe to say that the average girl at Vista Heights spends more time in the mirror than in homework.

Fifth, with uniforms, campus staff could easily spot non-Vista Heights students and keep our school safe. (Perhaps this would also eliminate the need for school IDs!)

Sixth, kids can be cruel to each other these days.  In fact, some kids are what we call the “fashion police,” kids that pick on other kids for the way they dress.  Uniforms - since everyone is dressed the same - would reduce peer pressure.

These are only six reasons why I support school uniforms – there are more.  What do you think?  Did I convince you?