Rolling Stone (gonna find my picture on the cover, gonna buy 5 copies for my mother)...

So Rolling Stone magazine decided to put the Boston Marathon Bomber (the surviving brother) on their August 1, 2013 cover.  What do you think?  I've seen comment that it looks a little "Jim Morrison-ish"  If you didn't see the words "The Bomber," what would you think?  Nice looking guy.  Perhaps an up and coming musical artist?

But no.  He's a terrorist.  He moved to our country as a child, had a promising academic and athletic career here in the United States and then decided to blow it all.  Literally.  He and his older brother are responsible for planting the bomb at the Boston Marathon, killing and maiming a number of people.  Does this cover seem to glamorize him? 

Here's how Rolling Stone justifies their cover choice: 

Our hearts go out to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, and our thoughts are always with them and their families. The cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone's long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day. The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens.

Hmmm...so in the interest of legitimate journalism, Rolling Stone wants to explore Tsarnaev's dark side.  Here's the rub:  log on to rollingstone.com, and you'll see the sub-tabs on tops:  Music - Politics - Movies & TV -  Reviews - Artists - Blogs - Videos.  Look down at the bottom of the page and you'll see their "channels":  pretty much the same list sans blogs.  My point:  since when did Rolling Stone decide to become, ahem, a serious news source?  My advice:  stick to the concert reviews, album reviews.  Tell us about the up and coming rock bands.  Maybe an update on country singer Randy Travis' condition (viral infection of the heart, stroke), perhaps a profile of the late Cory Monteith...important news to the entertainment field, no doubt.

A terrorist?  Not entertainment.  Not hero-worthy.  Rolling Stone should stick to what it does best:  cover the entertainment industry.  Putting Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover of Rolling Stone - an entertainment magazine - is NOT the same thing as Time magazine (news magazine) as putting Osama bin Laden on the cover, despite assertions to the contrary.  Apples and oranges, people.

"Rolling Stone...gonna find my picture on the cover....Rolling Stone....gonna buy five copies for my mother..."   (Dr. Hook, 1973)

I'm not buying it...neither their statement, nor the magazine on the newsstand. 

Happy 18th Birthday, Son #1!

Son #1 celebrated his 18th birthday today!  To read his birth story, click here.  

So what has he been up to in the past year?  He enjoyed a busy senior year in high school.  He had a very challenging course load (two dual-enrollment classes!), but managed to graduate with a 3.96 weighted GPA!

He was finally invited to attend the State Cross Country Meet as an alternate.  He didn't compete but was thrilled to attend.  He also attend the State Award.  He finally received a varsity letter in Cross Country and his 3rd varsity letter in Wrestling.

He was accepted to, and received scholarships from, several universities.  More on that in another post.

He attended his prom with a blind date (sort of) -- she was a friend of a friend.   He also joined the Powder Puff Spirit Team (the guys were the cheerleaders/dance team; the girls played flag football).  I'll try to post a video soon -- it was too funny!

He made Eagle Scout this year!

He had a blast on his class' senior trip to Disney.  He still isn't excited about driving (he's had his learner's permit for over two years).  He still loves reading, playing video games.  He's looking forward to college.

This seems like just yesterday:

Happy Birthday, Son!  I'm proud of you!

Happy 16th Birthday, Son #2!

Isn't he handsome?  Very sweet and polite, too.  If you're interesting in reading his birth story, click here.

 

What has he been up to in the past year?  Last year, on his 15th birthday, he took his first-ever airplane ride.  He, his dad, another man and a handful of Boy Scouts flew to New Mexico.  They enjoyed 12 days backpacking and hiking in the mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch. 

 

He was inducted in his school's National Honor Society this past spring.  Ironic for boy who doesn't like to read.

 

This year in Track and Field, he joined the pole vaulting team.  He also took his first helicopter ride in a Blackhawk with some JROTC folks.

 

Oh, and he passed his dad up so Son #2 is now the tallest person in our family. 

 

Today, he decided to forgo cake and have a sundae bar instead.  He'll unwrap presents later and probably go see a movie with friends.  Tomorrow we'll take him to dinner at his favorite restaurant (7th year in a row - but they're closed on Mondays).



Bad, Bad Blogger!!!

Yep, that's me. 

I've been distracted by Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Amazine...never really caught on to Twitter.  But I have seriously neglected my blog.

I'm going to try to do better.  I know I said it before, but I really will try to post more often.  Of course I'm starting from scratch because I'm sure my few loyal followers are gone by now.  That's okay, though.

If anyone out there sees this, leave me a comment, okay?