My Opinions On Things That Could, Should or Might Not Change...”America is not the greatest country in the world.” (It’s not, but it could be) Given in a speech on June 24, 2012, in the opening episode of The Newsroom by Cable News anchor Will McAvoy .That speech inspired this blog. America is great, but there’s always room for improvement. Hopefully something posted here will inspire you to Make America Better.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Why Are American Health Care Costs So High?
GUEST Video BLOG by John Green
Please listent to the very end. It's really worth the full explanation!
ORIGINAL: By the incomparable John Green, who says the following about his sources: "For a much more thorough examination of health care expenses in America, I recommend this series at The
Incidental Economist and The Commonwealth Fund's Study of Health Care Prices in the U.S. Some of the stats in this video also come from this New York Times story."
John Green is the New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and The Fault in Our Stars. He is one half of the vlogbrothers on YouTube and co-creator of educational series Crash Course.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Louis C.K. Hates Cell Phones-Especially For Kids
It's easy for kids to be to be mean with a cell phone:
"I think these things are toxic, especially for kids...they don't look at people when they talk to them and they don't build empathy."
Louis C.K. on Conan Obrian on 9/19/2013.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
An Open Letter to Ann Coulter
Posted on October 23, 2012       by Tim Shriver on the Special Olympics BLOG on Wordpress
      
 
Dear Ann Coulter,
Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?
I’m a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.
I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.
Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey sound bite to the next.
Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.
Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are – and much, much more.
After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.
I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.
Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.
No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.
Come join us someday at Special Olympics. See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.
A friend you haven’t made yet,
John Franklin Stephens
Global Messenger
Special Olympics Virginia
EDITOR’S NOTE: John has previously written powerful opinion pieces on the R-word. Read one here.
To read the original post CLICK HERE
 The following is a guest post in the form of an open 
letter from Special Olympics athlete and global messenger John Franklin 
Stephens to Ann Coulter after this tweet during last night’s Presidential debate.
John Franklin Stephens
Dear Ann Coulter,
Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?
I’m a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.
I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.
Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey sound bite to the next.
Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.
Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are – and much, much more.
After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.
I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.
Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.
No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.
Come join us someday at Special Olympics. See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.
A friend you haven’t made yet,
John Franklin Stephens
Global Messenger
Special Olympics Virginia
EDITOR’S NOTE: John has previously written powerful opinion pieces on the R-word. Read one here.
To read the original post CLICK HERE
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