New Pope

This past Tuesday we found out who our new pope was. From all of the news and press coverage he has received I get the feeling that Pope Francis is a really down to earth guy. He is being portrayed as the people’s pope a guy who understands the people.  Before he first addressed the people for the first time ever on Sunday, he walked by a crowd and stopped to say hello to several priest he knew previously. And when he finally did make his speech he seemed very relaxed and collected. He is a down to earth kind of guy. Not only was Pope Francis a shocker, but he was also elected within two days which has never happened before. Obviously he is a favorite among the people and the cardinals who elect the pope.  Last spring break I was lucky enough to go to Rome, Italy and I went inside the sixteenth chapel and it was unbelievable. I can picture all the priests and cardinals sitting in there together trying to discover the next pope. I can picture Pope Francis talking to his colleagues and them immediately falling in love with him. He seems to be a very enjoyable guy to be around. On top of all of his qualities he's the first Jesuit and the first Latin American in modern times to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. He chose the name Pope Francis because he wanted to honor St. Francis of Assisi an admirer of nature and a servant to the poor and destitute . St. Francis of Assisi was born the son of a rich cloth merchant. But he lived in rags among beggars at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. To show he is truly a pope of the people.

Hazing

The last four years my view on hazing has always been very relaxed, because I never thought there was bad hazing at Deerfield High School and still don’t. But in other areas like college and even around the corner at schools like GBN there is. I never saw the harm in class colors and a freshman bedtime chant, if that is really going to ruin your high school experience in my opinion you need to grow up. I understand that there are some things that need to be shut down right away like making pledges drink vinegar and swim in the most discussing mixture of feces and urine. In the Dartmouth case I think the kid has a right to sew and be disappointed in the colleges Greek system, because what him and fellow pledges had to go through is abuse and an awful case of hazing. Honestly any kids that would put there “brothers” or friends through that are just gross. I don’t know why anyone would want to hang with those kids it is just weird. I agree hazing like the one that took place at Dartmouth is awful and needs to be stopped but I also think that some people need to lighten up and not worry about class colors or a freshman bed time chant because it isn’t insulting it playful fun that should offend anyone.

Female Kicker

 Lauren Silberman was the first woman to compete at an NFL regional scouting combine on Sunday, but left the New York Jets' practice field after re-injuring her quadriceps. She tried two kickoffs, the first going 19 yards and the second about 13 yards, and then asked to see a trainer. Tons of news networks came to see her attempt and she made a joke of it. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful and harsh but she only attempted two kicks not one going over 20 yards.  The NFL was grateful in giving her a chance, not because she is a woman, but because she is a unheard of inexperienced kicker. To get invited you usually need to have experience and need to be heard of.  It was great to see a woman get a chance to show talent, I just wish Silberman was able to represent herself and woman better than what she did.