Brett's Viewfinder

I Bought A Tattoo

2011-07-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight at the grocery store I had an interesting experience. Well, it was more of an interesting thought while I waited in the check out line.

The couple in front of me was your typical white trash family. The guy was wearing a wife beater, and had tats all over his arms and legs. The wife was really over weight and when she bent over I not only saw her tats but her butt crack too.

Their baby looked like it had just finished crying for hours.

Now, after observing what they looked like I thought to myself, Brett, you have a judging problem! Why am I thinking I am better than these people who have probably had a much rougher life than me?

As I was recognizing how I needed to be a little more Christlike, the husband pulled out his wallet and took out two cards. His personal debit card and then his Food Stamp Card.

He first paid for all his food, and then with his own money he paid for his dog food, his energy drinks and some other crap. This really bothered me. Because he was spending his own money on his wants, he could not pay for his needs. So essentially all you taxpayers out there are paying for his pets, his vices and yes, even his tats.

Our welfare system is broken, very broken! Now, I am all for helping the poor and needy. I pay my tithing and give a fast offering every month, but I know the church keeps a good record of the money they give out in assistance and requires those receiving it to give back in return. I however do not like the government taking money out of my pay check and giving it away with requiring no accountability of the person receiving it. There are thousands of families who need assistance, some how we need to make sure they can receive that assistance, and at the same time prevent others from abusing it. I have no idea how to fix it, but I do believe if our country continues to reward poor planning, and support irresponsibility we will continue down a slippery slope that will end the greatness of the greatest country on earth.

Americans Don't Like Aliens

2011-04-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

Because I work in the TV biz, I see my own station's ratings every couple of months. I am always fascinated to see how many people are watching Local News 8 and at what times they are watching. We have some pretty awesome ratings so it makes it fun to monitor.

Knowing how the whole ratings system works makes it so interesting to see how all the TV shows are doing and how many millions are watching each program. To think 10 percent of Americans are watching American Idol on Tuesday nights never ceases to amaze me!

But I have recently discovered another little tidbit about Americans when it comes to who is watching what. Avatar, E.T., Independence Day and many other movies involving extra terrestrials all do very well in the box office, but on TV most people are not interested in shows with aliens or science fictional themes.

ABC's 'V', and No Ordinary Family, and NBC's show The Event are all on the chopping block for renewal next season due to low ratings. What do they all have in common? They involve aliens or super powers. I guess people aren't interested in watching TV programs that aren't very realistic. Which is too bad cause I actually like all of those shows. :(

The top rated shows are all believable reality TV or dramas. Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, NCIS, CSI, they are the top rated shows and none of them include ideas that are so far fetched you know they are not real.

SO if you're worried your favorite TV show may not be around next fall, check out to see how its ratings look at tvbythenumbers.com

Why Always Winning Isn't Always Best

2011-01-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves win, right? I mean, who wants to be a loser? But over the last month I’ve learned, it is possible to win too much. Local News 8 has been the number one station in the eastern Idaho media market for years, but as of last week they are the only full size TV station in the market!

At the beginning of December New Press Gazette, who owns channel 8, struck a deal with channel 3’s owner, Fisher Communications, that they would operate and manage the channel. So over the next month we are merging our station with channel 3. We will have one newsroom, one studio, one staff but separate anchors on each channel's newscasts.

The first week of January, as in last week, the local NBC affiliate, KPVI channel 6, announced they are making cutbacks and will only have shows Monday through Friday with content gathered by only two full time reporters.

So I don’t really know what that is. I wouldn't call channel 6 a media watchdog. What if something happens on the weekend? They have no one to report and no way to report it if they did. I would just call their shows cheap TV programming.

So Local News 8 is pretty much now the only local TV media in the area. We alone are THE media! This cannot be good for democracy. The media is the watchdog on the government. How can we do our job with only one third of the eyes we had last year? It is essential that that the press serve the people to inform them so they can make good decisions when it comes to business and government.

For years channel 8 has received the highest ratings and now we have taken out the competition. But it doesn’t feel like we won, because we now all have to work harder to make up for the non existence of our former competitors.

In essence, the community of southeast Idaho looses on this one.

I’m the Weatherman!

2011-01-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

As kid I watched the news every weekday. It was a family rule that we could only watch the news during the middle of the week. My mom didn’t want us kids wasting time watching TV instead of doing homework. In junior high I joked about being a weatherman when I grew up, but I never actually thought I would…

So after being a reporter for nearly a year my news director came into the newsroom one day and asked if any of us reporters had any desire to learn how to be a weather forecaster as a substitute when the other forecasters were out of town over the holidays. I jumped at the offer. It sounded like fun and I figured the more skills I have, the more marketable I am for my next job. Right?

So I began training in November to prepare for when I would take the green screen during the Christmas season. But even before I had the chance to forecast one show my news director pulled me in his office and told me they were going to make me the weekend weather anchor.

I was not planning on doing the weather thing on a regular basis when I said I wanted to learn how to be a weather forecaster. Nonetheless, I am, and I LOVE it! It wasn’t even that bad having to wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning to substitute for the morning shows. I actually liked it because I got off work at one in the afternoon. Now that I am forecasting for the weekend shows it kind of breaks up the week.

I love it so much I am thinking I may want to go back to school (ugh) and get a degree in meteorology. I am going to take the next couple of months to think about if it’s something I really want to do. It could open up a lot more doors for the future.

As for now I still have a lot of room for improvement.

I Saw the Prophet of God

2010-09-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

While in Salt Lake this week I had a pretty awesome experience. After my friend’s wedding luncheon downtown I suggested to two of my other buddies we go over to the new Deseret Book store to kill time before the reception. After we had been there for about 15 minutes I made my way to the other side of the store only to find that there President Monson and his wife were there checking out the store’s new display for a biography that’s coming out about President Monson. In a matter of minutes everyone in the store gathered around him just staring while he looked around the display. But it’s the prophet, who wouldn’t watch?

Once he noticed everyone was there watching him, he just started talking. He first spoke to the little kids and then to everyone else, cracking jokes and sharing a few stories related to the display and about him and his wife.

It was so good to hear from him in such an informal setting, to see that he was just like any other man, but at the same time you could feel a special power radiate from him. I could feel the spirit testify to me that this man really is a prophet of God and that it’s really true! Not that I didn’t know it before, but it was just cool to receive that special confirmation.

Marriage

2010-09-03T20:03:00.001-07:00

So the other day while I was out on a story I had an interesting conversation with a woman I interviewed. As I was setting up my camera to interview the woman for my story she asked me if I was married. I replied “no.” Then she asked how old I was, and I told her, “I’m 24. I know that’s old for Eastern Idaho.” Then she said something that shocked me. “Well, you know we just get married young because we want to stay chaste.”

“Are you kidding me?” I thought. “Did this woman just admit to me that Idahoans get married young fast just so they can have sex?” I was so shocked by her bold statement that we had this awkward moment of silence before I suggested we proceed with the interview. I just didn’t know how to respond.

Days later I still can’t get over the comment she made about young people in Idaho getting married young to stay chaste, hence I’m blogging about it. After thinking about it, I think it’s true though; except I am not saying this with a smile on my face.

When someone asks me why Mormons get married so young I don’t know how to answer because I think it’s different for each individual. However, I do believe a lot of them do it for the wrong reasons. That wrong reason could be a variety of things.
Who I marry is the most important decision of my life. I would not want to do it quickly, I would not want to do it for the wrong reasons.

I am not against every couple getting married at a young age and there is not a specific amount of time I think a couple should wait. I just don’t understand how so many people can find that love at such a young age. (Maybe it’s just because I haven’t.)

One of my good buddies got married this week and I had the privilege of attending his sealing in the Salt Lake temple. It was the best sealing I had ever been to! Not only did the sealer share some awesome thoughts and could we feel and amazing spirit, I could tell these two individuals were really in love. You could just feel they really cared for each other and they were truly getting married for the right reason.

You could tell they had found the person they wanted to be with forever. While sometimes I wonder if I will ever find that, I will settle for nothing less.
So I guess what I want to get at is that like my friend, I will marry for love and not just to stay chaste.

The Singles Ward

2010-05-21T17:45:00.001-07:00

Since I have moved away from home I have gone to church with only other young single people (minus the two years on my mission), that's four years now! What have I learned about the singles ward? That I would rather go to church like a normal person.

First I better make myself clear. There is a difference between a singles ward and a student ward. Student wards are inevitable. At places like BYU there is no one else in the ward boundaries that is not single, so there must be student wards. But there is still a problem with student wards. Everyone is the same! This is especially true at church schools. I know everyone is different, but everyone is in a similar circumstance. They are all in school, they all attend the SAME school, they all go to church, and the list goes on. It is so homogeneous it made me crazy sometimes.

Then there is the singles ward, where some are working professionals, and some still live in their parents basement. Some are 31, and some are 18. Most are less active...

Young single adults are hard. You can't separate us and you can't integrate us.
With the church centered so much on the family it makes it difficult for many young people. When I went to stake conference last week the Saturday night meeting was very inapplicable. Talks on budgeting for youth programs and dealing with separation in marriage because of travel is hard to apply into my life right now.

Separating us is just as much of a problem. It's not natural, it's a make believe world where everyone else is looking for someone to hook up with so they can quit having to go to church at the single's ward. I don't go to church to hook up, but since the norm is to go to a single's ward it would just be more awkward to go to a normal ward.

My solution to the whole awkward stage of life: designate one ward in each stake to be where all the singles attend. That way they can feel like a normal person in sacrament meeting and then mingle with their own kind during classes and their own activities. But it will never work unless the prophet made it so and it became accepted as the norm. There are only two ways to get out of the singles ward... get married or grow old.

The Canker Sore(s) of Death

2010-04-27T15:12:00.001-07:00

Last Monday was like the best day I had ever had at work here in Idaho Falls. It was 75 degrees and sunny. The prior three and a half months on the job have been rather cold so I was loving life. However toward the end of the day I felt a small tingling in my throat. I thought it was allergies but would later realize it was the start to two weeks of excruciating pain.

By Wednesday morning the pain in my throat seemed too great to be allergies. Besides, I never get allergies in my throat, so I figured I must have a cold. I went to the store to buy some cold medicine. With a fever coming and going every few hours it was a bad cold, and bad timing with my sister's wedding on Thursday. I tried to do everything in my power to get this cold out of my body but it was still here to stay on wedding day. I was alright until midway through the pictures. I started to sweat due to my fever caused by my irritated throat that I wanted someone to rip out of my neck. Seeing that I looked like crap, my aunt came over to check up on me, she felt my forehead and told me I was burning up so offered me some meds. After swallowing the two Advils I was soon feeling happy again. After the reception though all I wanted to do was crawl into bed because once again I had the chills.

After sleeping no longer than an hour at a time by 4 am I was determined this was no cold. I grabbed the flashlight and went to the bathroom to check once again that my throat wasn't white, indicating that it was strep. Sure enough white dots covered the back of my throat. I woke my mom to tell her the news. (By the way I am supposed to walk at graduation at 8:00.) I then decide to call my dad to call in a prescription so I can get started on the antibiotics. By 6:00 I have taken the meds and think in a few hours I will be home free... oh how I was wrong.

I never got better the whole day! I have never had strep so didn't know what to think. I decided I better sleep the rest of the afternoon because I had to be at work the next morning so I had to be better. As the day went on though I only got worse.

The next morning by some miracle I had no fever so felt well enough to drive home. How I made it home safely I have no idea, I cried half the the three hour drive because of the never ending pain in my throat.

Once in Idaho Falls I went straight to a doctor before heading home. I knew this could not be just strep throat. And I was right, it wasn't. It took the doctor only a matter of seconds to see in my throat there were about 20 canker sores in the back of my throat. To be honest the doctor was a jerk. He didn't offer any sympathy and never told me how long it would last and what the prescription would do. He just sent me on my merry way. But he called it some weird long medical term which meant lots of canker sore in the back of your throat.

It's been 3 days since that doctor's visit. I haven't had a fever but it still hurts to swallow and talk. What is a life with no food and no communication? Not a very happy one! I have never felt so miserable in my life! I would never even wish this sickness upon my worst enemy. And the worst thing about it is that there is nothing I can do but wait it out and try to get as comfortable as I can. I hope I never get this again.

I didn't ask for your Opinion

2010-03-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

As a reporter I often find myself asking random people to tell me their view of a certain issue on camera. This last week I went to the hospital to ask people what they thought about the health care legislation that Congress voted on Sunday night. In the half hour that I wandered around the parking lot with my camera and tripod in hand I talked to about 15 people. Only two of whom were willing to talk to me on camera but ALL still told me their opinion on the issue. Really? Maybe I worded my question wrong, but I know asked everyone I stopped if they would talk to me ON CAMERA about their view on the issue. At the time I was annoyed because while the people would talk my ear off about how Congress is ruining our country others who might talk to me ON CAMERA were getting in their cars and driving away.

Two days later though I find it more humorous. People seem to be vary passionate about the topic of health care, especially the people in a hospital's parking lot. Since I watch a lot of news and work in the media I'll share my opinion on the issue - which isn't very passionate from a Health Care perspective. Neither I nor 99.9% of Americans really know what is in the Health Care bill. I only know bits and pieces, and even then, what I have heard I don't understand how it will affect me.

What I do know if that out government is broken. The Democrats seem to have the attitude - we will pass anything no matter what our constituents want. Republicans seem to have the attitude of NO. I am actually really disappointed that the Republicans have not come out and laid out an alternate plan for Health Care Reform. I don't know, maybe they have, but they did they suck at getting the word out about it.
Ultimately, whatever happens needs to be understandable to the average American. Enough with all this crappy legislation with loopholes, bribery, and confusion!

Peopleofwalmart.com

2010-02-17T17:35:00.000-08:00

So I didn't take that picture, but I sure saw something similar today at Walmart. A co-worker of mine opened me to the world of peopleofwalmart.com about a month ago and since then I have been laughing my head off! Today at Walmart I saw three odd looking people and wished I had taken pictures of them, but I couldn't do it discretely, so I didn't.

The first strange woman I saw was a 90 year old woman dressed in all the colors of the rainbow. She wore this sweet hot pink sombrero as she cruised around in her red robotic chair. She rocked that store! The second woman was probably at least 400 pounds and wore a 10 year old tank top that sagged to her belly button with her boobs. It wasn't flattering at all to say the least! Then the last man looked like a punk motorcyclist. I guess it was just the stereotypical Harley Davidson look, but it's Ammon, Idaho - he stood out... a lot!

So next time I go to Walmart, I am taking my camera with me!

MPAA Ratings

2010-02-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

I do not believe in MPAA ratings. Growing up my mother made a family rule; no PG-13 or R-rated movies. For the most part I followed that rule... at least when I was at home. :) I am glad she laid down rules on what type of entertainment was appropriate and what was not for us as children. it never ceases to amaze me how some parents let their kids just watch whatever.

I did see a few PG-13 movies at my friends homes while growing up, but the first PG-13 movie I ever saw in the theater was 'Pirates of the Caribbea' when I was a Senior in high school. Looking back that might seem like I was sheltered... and maybe I was, but I like to think my mind might have been more pure and innocent...

Today I rented a movie that was PG-13 in the theaters but NOT RATED for its DVD release. I wanted to watch it though and so was a little worried I would have to turn it off, but to my surprise I found the movie to be fairly clean; no cursing, no sex scene, and no bloody violence.

This summer I saw an R-rated movie that was not edited for the first time and was surprised to find that it was not this horrible, satanic, pornographic, super-bloody movie, but a fairly clean movie with a great message. My whole life I had been taught that R-rated movies are, essentially, "of the devil," yet I have found that while some R-rated movies may be inappropriate for any age - it really depends on what movie it is!

There are a lot of great R-rated movies that have good messages and stories in them and a heck of a lot PG and PG-13 movies that are kind of raunchy. So yes I will continue to be selective of the entertainment I choose to watch, but throw the ratings out the window. Who rates them anyway? What are those people's values? And if they rate every movie from G to NC-17, who says they have a clear mind to rate a movie appropriately?

Another Reason Government is Less Effective

2010-02-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

Living in DC this summer I learned a lot about how wasteful the federal government is. I also learned they are not very frugal, nor can they do things as effectively as private organizations. In the last month that I have lived in Idaho Falls, I have learned that this is the same case on the local level.

In Idaho it is cold. In Idaho is snows... a lot. When it snows, it tends to stick to the roads, and therefore, the city is in charge of making sure the roads are cleared so cars can drive on them. While the roads are always drivable, they are not always plowed, nor are they always free of snow.

In contrast, I have yet to go to a store's parking lot and find more than an inch of snow on the pavement. It seems that the roads are not cleared because the snow plows are busy plowing out parking lots. Well, why plow a parking lot if no one can drive on the roads to get to it!

I find it amazing how private companies can manage to always keep their parking lots clear of snow. Now, Idaho Falls is actually 100 times faster at plowing their streets than Provo, but not quite as good as a non-government institution. But until the day I die I don't think that will ever change.

I am most definitely not a communist.

My New Home, My New Job, My New Life...

2010-02-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

On January 1st I moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho to begin my career as a TV reporter. Tomorrow will be my one month mark at my job at Local News 8. I can't believe it has already been a month. I still feel really new, but I also feel like I have learned a lot in the last month. Over the last 4 weeks I have interviewed a Haiti earthquake survivor, snow-shoed in the mountains to measure the snow pack, gone live with breaking news over a robbery, talked with a family grieving over the lost of a loved one and another family that lost all their earthly possessions after their house went up in flames.

I love my job! It can be really exciting, and yet kind of depressing at times, but it's worth the minimal pay. It is a very stressful job since I am working on deadline, but the need to cram everything into the day is like a drug. Working under pressure can be fun and gives me kind of an adrenaline rush. I have a long way to go and feel under-qualified at times, but I also know I am improving with each story I write.

To follow me and the stories I cover, click on the link below, or go to localnews8.com and type Brett in the search box.

Sold to the Higest Bider!

2010-01-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

The beloved blazer a.k.a. The Great White is no longer with us. I sold it on KSL for $500 bucks. When I put it on KSL I received more than 10 phone calls in the first 24 hours from people wanting to know more about it. I think the reason I got so many calls was because I just wrote what the specs were instead of naming all the cars problems. The first day I had one guy come look at it, but he didn't offer me anything. Most of the people that called me also said they were going to come look at it but no one showed up. So when the guy who bought it offered me $500 (I asked $900 on KSL fully realizing I would probably only get about $500-600 for it.) the day before I moved, I took it! Funny side note, almost all the guys that called me had a Spanish accent, only an illegal would want that thing! From it's broken door to its lack of air conditioned air even its roaring like a lion will all NOT be missed. Because...

I got an upgrade! Obviously it cost a lot more than $500 but so far it has been worth every dime. This is not a picture of mine because the one I have is covered in snow and dirt but it looks like that. I was deciding between a Mazda 6 and this Nissan Altima but the Altima proved to be the better deal. It's nice having a car you can rely on.

A Christmas to Remember

2009-12-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009 had to be one of the best Christmas' I have ever had, and it wasn't because of anything I got. On the Monday before Christmas we headed up to Sun Valley, Idaho to our family's cabin and skied on Mount Baldy and hung out in the warm cabin. But Christmas proved to be a special day unlike every other day we were there. On Christmas Eve we had a lot of fun. Every year everyone in the family gets a new Christmas ornament to place on the tree. This Christmas we had a real tree for the first time since I was in elementary school and since we were on vacation and didn't bring all our ornaments we decorated it with popcorn, cranberries, and of course our new ornaments.

The kids kept wanted to play with them though...

My mom even read us (or rather recited to us) the Night before Christmas and she did it with motions.

Then we had a little nativity. As you can see the smallest of us, baby Nathan, played baby Jesus. My other two nephews and me were the wise men bringing the baby Jesus gifts. After the pictures we then went and watched Luke 2 and Alex liked it so much we wanted to watch it again!

Once all the festivities were over and the kids were all snug in their beds with sugar plums dancing in their heads the rest of us gathered around the warm fire while Santa got ready for the night. However before Santa came the lights went out...and they didn't come right back on. Power was cut for more than 16,000 people in the area. So we decided to all just go to bed. Well morning came and we were still in the dark. The kids woke up around 7 when it was still too dark to see anything Santa brought them. Eventually as the sun came up they saw some toys though. So once the sun came up we opened gifts and had a normal Christmas morning, but don't forget we all stayed around the fire because with it only being 2 degrees outside that was our only heat source. So our sticky buns and quiche we prepared to make the day before...didn't happen. We cooked scrambled eggs over the fire and used metal sticks to re-heat left over french toast from the day before.

Then the rest of the day was fun, we just hung out together, went sledding outside, played with the kids new toys and had a great time. It was kind of nice not to worry about our turkey meal, it just sat in the fridge while mom relaxed with the rest of us. Instead we cooked dinner in the fireplace. Shoot, my mom still made us all a 3 course meal in the fireplace with the leftovers from the 3 previous days. We re-heated pork to make pulled pork sandwiches, re-heated taco soup, meat loaf, potatoes as well as the the leftover green beans and carrots from my grandpa's garden. We also had corn bread the night before so we re-heated that in the fire too. My mom is a pretty amazing cook I think.

So in the end it was better than a normal Christmas because we got to really come together as a family and spend more time together and pretend it was like the time when Jesus was born, with no electricity. Yeah nobody showered that day and we had to fill the toilets up with the water from the hot tub, but it is those memories that will always be with us.

My Top 13 destinations around the World

2009-12-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

So the other day I realized that I needed to write down all the places in the world outside of the country that I want to travel to before I die. Remember a goal not written down is merely a wish. These are not in any certain order.

1. Australia - I think I would visit Sydney for sure, but I also would want to travel north to visit the Great Barrier reef and I also want to go camping in the Outback.
2. New Zealand - The south island!
3. Dubai, United Arab Emirates - They have the coolest and most expensive hotels in the world, not to mention visit the tallest building in the world that is currently under construction.
4. Italy - Rome for the architecture and Venice because it is unique.
5. Greece - Athens and Corinth because they also have cool ruins.
6. Costa Rica - Because it is the most stable Central American country and its a rain forest! I want to walk through a forest and see monkeys swinging on the trees above me.
7. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - for the 2016 games!
8. Hawaii - I know this isn't another country, but it might as well be.
9. South Africa - because Capetown is Beautiful, and its Africa.
10. Spain - I need to visit the land where my second tongue was born.
11. Cuba - Because I met a Cuban once and they had the coolest accent. Plus the Caribbean sea is amazingly blue.
12. Fiji - Ever since I read the book 'The perfect Storm' now titled 'The Other side of Heaven' I have wanted to go to a south pacific island. The people are awesome and the place is amazingly beautiful as well.
13. Egypt - To see the pyramids and the Sphinx. The Luxor in Las Vegas just doesn't quite do it for me.

And there you have it. The top 13 destinations I would like to visit I'd the world. Why 13? Because it's my lucky number.

Negative Ads

2009-12-11T12:59:00.001-08:00

I am not a fan of negative ads and their popularity seems to be increasing. In politics they have been around for every election that I can recall in my lifetime, but this fall they seem to have crept into a lot more advertising campaigns. About a month and a half ago Verizon came out with a TV commercial comparing their coverage to AT&T's service. Normally a company just says "competitor(s)" in their ad but in this case Verizon points at AT&T by name and uses graphics to emphasize that they are somehow better. In response to the negative ad, AT&T released at least three different commercials stating that Verizon actually doesn't have better coverage and had their facts wrong.

Similarly Apple just came out with an TV ad that bashes PC's and more specifically the windows operating system. Yes, I am a PC. (If I could have afforded a Mac I would have bought one instead.) Apple sells an amazing product and most people know that. Why does Apple need to bully their competitor. It makes me think poorly of the company, not want to buy their product.

I don't understand why you need to knock down your competitor to sell your product. Isn't that what middle schoolers do? ...Knock down others to build up themselves. Apple has an amazing product! They don't need to sink to a lower level and trash talk Windows. Same thing goes for cell phone companies. They all have a loyal customer base because they deliver a good service. Why do they need to say someone else is worse if they can PROVE they are better?

Every election it bothers me how negative ads skew information to knock down the opposing parties candidate. It is childish and not good for the public. It reminds me of the Jehovah Witness' proselyting strategy...find out what religion the person is and bash it! If your faith doesn't have a leg to stand on without tearing apart someone else s belief then something is wrong.

I will buy a product based on its own merits, I will vote for a candidate because of what they do and say (or what they have done and said), not what their competition says about them. And I will practice a religion that respects others beliefs and can show it's truthfulness without criticizing another faith.

How I like my Women

2009-11-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

I believe appearance is very important. Not the fact that you were born with stunning looks or not, but how you present the body God gave you. I think it is important for a person to dress to impress, BUT I have seen many girls who go so far to impress guys like me that it goes a little overboard. Every time I see a young woman wearing designer jeans, I cringe. You know what I am talking about, the jeans that have the colored thread design up and down the legs and around the back pockets. The ones that cost around $300 bucks! Why does a girl think she needs to spend such an outrageous price on the material that will cover just her bottom half! (What is even weirder is when a guy buys designer jeans) Those pricey jeans do not tell a guy like me “hey look at me, I’m cute,” they tell me “I am not on a budget and I think I need to spend a lot of money to get a guys attention because I don’t have enough charisma to do it on my own.”

Think about this for a moment. What can $300 buy? Two ipods, at least a month’s worth of groceries, or 10 tanks of gas for my’ 97 Chevy Blazer. How amazing can a pair of pants be? Maybe I would buy them if they made me fly like Iron Man or something…

Sadly enough some guys do go for the girls in the “costly apparel.” But I think after they start buying the pants they might wish they hadn’t fallen into the trap. Don’t get me wrong, if a girl has no sense of style and doesn’t take care of herself I probably won’t ask her out, but a stylish outfit need not cost near $1,000, it only yell “I’m high maintenance!”

Black Friday

2009-11-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

Let me start out stating that I am a capitalist and support our capitalistic society. I am not a socialist, capitialism provides us with more personal responsibilities and freedoms. However, I support ethical standards in business as well. I recently read in the newspaper, yeah that’s right, I am 23 and I read the newspaper! Someone has to… but that is beside the point I want to make today.
I read an article that talked about how more stores were going to be open on Thanksgiving Day this year than previous years, in hopes to make more money and get a jump start on the busiest shopping day of the year. Opening your business on Thanksgiving Day I believe is un-American. Thanksgiving is a day to spend with your family, give thanks to God, give thanks for the freedoms you have in the greatest country in the world and get away from the distractions of worldly possessions. Not think about all the things the pilgrims didn’t have! What kind of business takes their employees away from their families on such a special day? Yeah you can say, well they can just not work, or get a different job, but many people can’t. I realize many people will have to work on Thanksgiving ie. Policemen, firemen, news anchors… but K-Mart cashiers do not need to be forced away from their families so the company they work for can make a few more bucks. I think most business men work hard to get where they are and many start at the bottom, but when you start making the big bucks it appears you forget about those on the bottom of the totem pole. As time goes on we see less people making good decisions in their professional and personal lives pertaining to the good of society.

Texas

2009-11-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

After spending a week in Lubbock, Texas I have decided that I will consider it as a potential place to live in my future. Why do I like Texas? Well, it’s not because of its natural beauty, nor its tasty water! It has a distinct culture compared other states in the Union. Heck, I think it is the only state in the country that has a pledge of allegiance to the state flag. I think if Missouri had a pledge of allegiance to our state flag I would have a little more state pride, but it doesn’t.

They do have a pretty cool accent and a lot of people wear some pretty sweet looking boots, but the southern hospitality really makes it a desirable community to live in.
My Brother in law goes to Texas Tech law school so we got to tour the campus. They didn’t lie when they said everything is bigger in Texas. Texas Tech has the second largest college campus geographically in the country.

Hanging out with the nieces and nephews was a blast, except the time when Dallin's poopy diaper leaked on me when I went to go get him out of his crib.

Dallin loves his Uncle Brett and he warmed up to me pretty quickly since his sisters talked so much about me before I came. The kids and I had fun climbing trees, playing with cars, and walking/biking around the neighborhood while I pulled Dallin in his plastic car.

Thanksgiving in Lubbock had to be the warmest Thanksgiving I have every experienced with the temperature topping out at 70 degrees. Although I was there a week, it was way too short!

One More Month

2009-11-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

One more month and my life is no longer planned out. What does one do after college? No one ever talks about that growing up. You go to school, graduate high school, serve a mission, finish college (I guess you are supposed to get married in Mormon culture by now too, but I missed that, Oops!) and then...you have to decide all by yourself what your going to do. Kind of scary!

I just applied for jobs all across the country this last week so I could really end up anywhere. I never thought much about what I would do after I graduated until this last year. But nonetheless it is fast approaching. It is scary to think I will venture out into the world all alone, but I am always up for an adventure.

I will miss the comfort zone that BYU provides me, yet will not miss its culture all that much. I will miss being strengthened by the people around me who have the same standards and morals, but will enjoy being the one who is different again. I will miss my friends, but look forward to making new ones.

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time not to fix my mistakes, because it's my mistakes that I have learned from. But I wish I could go back to re-live certain moments to enjoy them again one more time. I wouldn't mind even re-visiting some of the moments that I did not enjoy at the time I was having them. Life just seems to get more complex and stressful as time goes on. But I guess that is all part of growing up...

Obama's Peace Prize

2009-10-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

So President Barrack Obama received the Novel Peace Prize today and it's the biggest news of the day...and a lot of people are upset. I will say, I don't believe President Obama deserved the Peace Prize. However I can see that Obama is trying hard to reach out to many people throughout the world to achieve peace. But what has he actually done? What has he helped change? No man who has only been President of the United States of America deserves an award after only 8 months to go. Obama's time in the service of his country has just begun. You don't get the trophy at half time, but the end of the game. Just because you are winning in the first quarter doesn't mean you will be at the end of the fourth...

I however do not agree in putting down the President for his recent acceptance of the award. Was Mr. Obama expecting it? NO. Did he apply for it? NO. Those that should be questioned are not Obama and his staff, but the committee who votes on the distinguished individual, worthy of such a recognition.

I thought Nobel Prizes were awarded to those who do something extraordinary. In literature those who receive an award write something that stands out among all the written words; in science they make great discoveries. They don't just think about writing, or fail at attempts to make great achievements...they do something. As should be the case with the Nobel Piece prize. If Obama can continue to put forth his peace keeping efforts and by the end of his presidency his efforts have made a difference in the world, then would such award be appropriate. But after only a few months of time in the White House mostly dedicated to Health Care reform and jump starting the economy, the time is not right.

The prestige of the Nobel Peace Prize has been corrupted, not by the man that received it, but by those that gave it...I want world peace too.

Proud to be an American

2009-10-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

So the other day I had to wake up and get to the newsroom really early in the morning to edit my story for the show. Usually I drive to school when it is that early in the morning because I can actually find a parking spot and since I live on the opposite side of campus it cuts my commute to the communications building in half.

Anyway, I don't know why I did, but I was walking across campus a little after 7 am to get to the newsroom. As I came out of the student center I saw a site I had never seen before in my 3 1/2 years at BYU. Every single person I could see was frozen facing the flag pole as the ROTC played the National Anthem.

Somehow I had never been walking across campus near the flag pole when they put up or took down the flag. But I had never felt more proud to be American when I did! At that moment I thought of how amazing it is that everyone just paused to reflect on the blessing it is to have the freedoms we have and to be a citizen of such a great country. It was as time stood still as everyone faced north toward the waving flag in the morning wind.

I am proud to be an American.

Convergence

2009-09-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know what the future holds when it comes to our technological advancements? Short answer: not really. But we sure are changing quickly. I love technology! Computers, ipods, smart phones, camcorders... I embrace the advancements made by our Japanese friends in these technologies. Our world is changing drastically but I think we focus too much on the negative ways in which that is happening.

When it comes to technology there is so much good and amazing things that are happening. Today I stumbled upon the story of Justin Bieber who now has a top 10 hit on the charts. How did he become famous? He sang on Youtube! The way we recognize talent is changing. Record companies will no longer need to hire scouts to find talent, the public can decide for itself by the number of Youtube hits. I am starting to believe American Idol may not have a 20th season. We won't need it...

TV is changing and I am kind of scared of the fact that we are losing dramas to reality shows and Jay Leno. But then FOX created Glee. Now the storyline of the new TV drama is not the best, but the genre and implementation of convergence is genius! If you haven't seen the show, it is pretty much High School Musical for a general audience instead of marketed to tweens. What makes it so great is in this world of changing media platforms they are selling the music from the show on itunes! When the big broadcasting companies are losing ratings and revenues in drama show time slots due to DVR's and the internet FOX has developed a way to continue making money, saving the hope for future TV dramas, which is becoming an endangered TV genre.

Now tonight a new era of TV is beginning with Jay Leno taking up the NBC time slot of 5 TV dramas. It might flop or it might become the future of TV as we know it. It might bring about better TV or corrupt our society through filth and messages of sex and drugs. But like history has proved in the past, both will likely happen. Only time will tell. The possibilities are endless!

ABC...Family?

2009-09-05T10:17:00.001-07:00

...a new kind of family is right. I have rarely watched any TV programming on ABC family, but lately I have revisited the cable channel only to find that the programming is anything but for the family. The most popular shows on ABC family are all about teens and college age kids getting it on at the next frat party. Why does the media encourage this behavior? Is it so they can report the growing teen pregancy rate on The World News?

Shows like "Greek" or "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" are but a couple of examples of the ever growing popularity of prime time drama introducing the world of sex and alcohol to 12 year olds. Is this really what our society needs and what parents want on TV? More importantly why would Disney create a cable channel and market it for families and then fill it with content for a mature audience? This is the same company that created the Disney Channel for children's programming and has strict policies as for what can be shown on that channel. Disney doesn't have such a clean image now, does it?

So in conclusion I call upon the Disney conglomerate to define their "new family" as a non-functioning family, one that promotes and encourages lots of teen pregnancies and underage drinking or start reprogramming!

No One is Above the Law!

2009-09-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Since I intern with a local TV station up in Salt Lake twice a week, I have been racking up a lot of highway miles lately. I work until after the 10 O'clock news and have noticed a much larger amount of cops and highway patrol on the streets for my commute home at night. I have also noticed that they seem to think they don't need to follow the driving rules they are supposed to enforce. On I-15 there is a heck of a lot of construction in like four separate areas where the speed limit is reduced to 55 mph. While driving through the construction zone last night I swear I was the only one who slowed down under 65! And that included the Highway Patrol car.

Along that same commute another law enforcement vehicle kept weaving in and out of the carpool lane crossing the double white line. Yes, he turned on his lights when he moved lanes, but immediately turned them off when in the normal traffic lane. So why does he get to change lanes whenever there is a slow mini van in front of him? Because I want to do that on a daily basis. Is he above the law? He had no where to go fast. He turned his lights back off and continued at the same speed for crying out loud!

How can our law enforcement expect to enforce a law they do not even follow?
How can our Congress ask us to take part in a Health Care plan that covers far less than their Health Care coverage?
Why does a Harvard professor get to go have Beer at the White House because he didn't respect law enforcement?
Why does Chris Brown only have to perform so many hours of community service for beating a woman, (Which he doesn't seem to remember doing!) while Michael Vick tortures Animals and goes to prison for two years? Is Rihana valued less than a dog?

At all levels of our society there are its members who continue to remain the exception to every rule. This is 2009 not 1609! We are a democracy, a republic, not a monarchy with classes or caste systems. How will this change? How can we change it? Where is the change our President promised? Or is he above the law too?

The RM and his Quest for Marriage

2009-09-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

So over the summer I had been thinking a lot about Mormon culture and why us Mormons are the way we are. At least us young adults and, well why on earth we get married so quickly.

After having received my RM status for over two years now and having lived in the marriage hunting grounds of BYU for the majority of that time, I have learned a few things about Mormon culture. Since I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri where the Mormon population flirts around one percent I grew up in an entirely different culture than Utah Mormons. Nonetheless when it comes to the idea of marriage, I believe there are two types of Returned Missionaries. (This does not include girls, all women can’t fit into any two categories. Although I do believe that while most won’t admit it, they all want to get married – because a woman wants to feel desired – which is not a bad thing, it is just the way women are...I think...)

Many RM’s at BYU fit the expected Utah Mormon culture's mold. They come home from the mission and soon thereafter (I mean months but probably weeks, maybe even the day before they get home) they begin to look for a mate to spend eternity with. They soon thereafter marry and then go through schooling or work while their wife starts raising the kids. Why do they get married and want to get married before they are financially secure and established? Because family is important! It is the fundamental unit of society. We are commanded to multiple and replenish the earth. Marriage brings us happiness. And well we don't have sex before marriage. We are told that we need to date often, weekly or more if possible by our church leaders. This year one of my stake's goals is for all of it's members to actively pursue a potential marriage partner. Anyone else feel the pressure?

Then there are those who go back to work or school with the outlook that finding their eternal companion will just come along the way. These are those who want to establish themselves first before taking on the responsibility of a family. It's kind of like the the airplane oxygen mask; you are supposed to place it over your face and then assist others, because what good can you do if you have already passed out? Most of these people enjoy the dating life, enjoy having relationships but do not feel ready for such a big step in their lives.

I guess you could really divide RM's into four types. Because you have those who LOOK, but don’t FIND anyone quickly, and those who DON'T look and DO find their mate. But there’s really only two mindsets.

I don’t think that there is a right or wrong way to start your family, it's YOUR family. I think it has a lot to do with the person, their circumstances and upbringing and ultimately their choice and what makes them happy. I respect the decision of my friends and family members who have gotten married young and have had to live with a very strict budget. It takes courage, faith and a heck of a lot of love to get married so young. BUT, marriage at such a young age is not for everyone, so I don’t understand the Happy Valley culture that pressures everyone into thinking it is. Now that I am coming to the end of my college career my mindset might be about to change. But I better get a job first. I only have like 200 dollars in the bank. I don't think the ladies would be interested...

The Sacrament Meeting

2009-08-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

Mormon culture is a funny thing. I find it pretty amazing that instead of having a paid preacher teach us the doctrine of Christ from the pulpit, our congregation’s members give talks that miraculously don’t preach false doctrine. However I sometimes find it hilarious the things people say when speaking in a public setting. Here are some of the classical sacrament talk examples of things you should not say, but oh so many do.

1) “Brother so and so called me and asked me to speak on __________.” Why would you start a talk about how someone in the Bishopric asked you to speak? The members of the congregation know who asked you to speak, just tell us the topic. Besides who asked you to speak is irrelevant.

2) “I didn’t want to pick up the phone when I saw Brother so and so’s name on the caller ID because I knew he would ask me to give a talk in sacrament meeting...” “I hate public speaking and really didn’t want to speak in front of so many people but here I am!...” Who likes to give sacrament talks? We know it requires time and effort and a little bit of fear of public speaking, but we have all been there so get over it. We all give talks. Most of us have felt similar feelings but you need to think of a better attention getting intro.

3) “I didn’t have much time to prepare…” “My wife’s talk was probably the better one, but here it goes…” “I was up until three this morning writing my talk so if it doesn’t make any sense, I’m sorry...” If your talk sucks, don’t tell us it sucks before you give it! There is no better way to say “tune me out” than following one of these sayings without actually saying it word for word “please, tune me out.”

So my point is, why do so many of us use such silly phrases in public speaking? I am not the greatest public speaker; if I was I would be President of the United States. (Ha Ha) But please my friends, when you speak in public never put yourself down or tell us how you got to the microphone. It does not make you look good or intelligent nor edify anyone in the congregation.

I’m Not Available

2009-08-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a hard time falling asleep and thought…a lot. My thinking about stuff then lead to me thinking about what I was going to blog about next. I was honestly very close to getting out of bed and writing right then, but I didn’t. Anyway.

I recently saw a movie with a scene where four friends went out for lunch but no one was socializing with each other because they were too busy talking and texting on their cell phones. It was supposed to be humorous, but I honestly didn’t think it was that funny because it happens to me in real life.

What is it with my generation and those younger than me and being so attached to their cell phones? I may update my Facebook status often and I do text my friends, but not while I am on a date or hanging out with other friends.

Have you ever been on a date with someone who answered their phone when their mother called? I have. Have you felt like you were being ignored by a friend because they were too busy texting rather than carrying on a conversation with you? I have.

Just as a common courtesy; if you are physically with another human being, you should mentally be with them as well. You should not be texting someone else who is not joining your social get-together. And from the other end, why do you answer the phone when I call if you can’t talk?

Just because someone calls you, does not mean you have to answer. Just because you receive an incoming text does not mean it needs an immediate response. These modern devices are supposed to help us communicate more easily with more people, but I often feel like we end up communicating less with those closest to us.

So if you call or text me, and I don’t answer; I am not ignoring you. I am being polite.

The Scandalous Teen Choice Awards

2009-08-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Reluctantly I admit last night I watched the Teen Choice Awards. There was nothing else on TV and I had nothing better to do. It was not at all what I thought it would be like. Let's just say the Academy Awards are a lot more classy. It kind of reminded me of my high school's dance team - trashy.

But what surprised me most was not the fact that Twilight won three times as many awards as any other show for its excellence in so many categories. Gag me! (Only because teen's voted - good thing they don't vote for politicians!) What surprised me was Miley Cyrus' pole dancing!

Great, my nieces idol is Hollywood's newest teen slut! Excuse my language. But come on! She is a sixteen year old with a fan base whose average age is 7! Who decided it would be good for her to do a little pole dancing on prime time television? I had hope for the split personality celebrity, but that hope was stomped on by her dance team. I guess both polls for hope in Miley and Obama are down in my book.

Another surprise was the programs newest ward - Choice Fabulous! Awarded to the favorite gay man in America. Are you kidding me? An award ceremony voted by American teenagers now gives away awards for men getting it on with men?! That is not only disgusting but pitiful that our society believes that being gay is a talent that deserves an award. How about an award for the coolest straight guy? I am sick of the double standard.

You are probably wondering why I kept watching the program. Well I think I was so stunned I wanted to see what else they would do so I could blog about it.

Last surprise, Britney Spears won an award for her accomplishments over the last decade. (That was not the surprise.) The shocker made me cringe when Miley Cyrus said Britney Spears is her idol. Now why did I cringe? Because I did some simple math while sitting on the couch. If Britney Spears is Miley's idol and Miley is countless other little girls' idol than that = lots of promiscuous woman, the disintegration of the family, a society with no morals, etc. I don't care if you listen to Britney, but if she is your idol you don't have very high standards for people to look up to.

Watching the Teen Choice Awards made me realize there is no hope for the future, at least not in Hollywood. (Most of Hollywood supported Obama's promise for hope. I guess there is no hope in that either.) I am really scared to raise my children in this world. They can't even watch the innocent Disney Channel shows, because eventually all their favorite inspirational idols on the channel will end up like Britney Spears, and if my daughter ever ended up like Britney I would vote myself world's worst dad.

Can You Testify?

2009-08-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

Up through my high school years I had friends of many different faiths, ethnicities, and religions. But for the last five years I have been surrounded by those of my same faith while attending college at BYU and during my two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While my mission provided me with countless faith and testimony building experiences I always had a companion to lean on and my mission leaders and other members of the church to look up too and work with on a daily basis.

This summer was the first summer I was on my own, and I almost suffered from culture shock after being outside the Utah bubble. I didn’t come with friends I already had, my family was over a thousand miles away, I didn’t room with Mormons, and I worked with many people of different faiths and values at an international television station; so you can imagine the diversity.

I could do whatever I wanted and no one would have to know or find out. But I didn’t do whatever because I have a testimony of what I believe in. I live my values and share my testimony of the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ that I strive to live. I can discuss doctrine and passages in the Bible with others, but when I bear my testimony that what I know is true no one can argue against me. People may intellectually question my beliefs, but find it difficult to question my sincere, heartfelt testimony.

So what I want to get to is how does anyone know what they believe? And what motivates them to practice those beliefs?

For me and many others of the LDS faith, it is simple. We followed the “Moroni Promise” at the end of the Book of Mormon.

“And when ye shall read these things (referring to The Book of Mormon), I would exhort you that ye would ask God the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”
-Moroni 10:4-5

During my teenage years there came a point where I had to find out if what I was studying at church and being taught by my family was true. There was not one event that I had that converted me to Mormonism, but a series of faith building experiences based on Moroni’s promise. I studied and prayed on my own to know if the Book of Mormon was true and to know if the other things I was being taught were true. After all, the promise says that the Lord will teach me ALL truth through his spirit.

I know that Christ lives! I know the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God. I testify to all who read my blog that God is real, that he hears us today and loves us just as much as he did those that lived when he walked on the earth. He has given us a modern day prophet to lead and guide us in this fallen world. I know that all mankind may be saved and will have the opportunity to become like God and live in his presence!

Who else can testify? I don’t care what religion you are! There is only one way to find out if Jesus is the Christ or if the Bible is the word of God. And it is not from your mom and dad, and it is not from your pastor or religious leader. It must be between you and God! You have to know for yourself, and sadly I really don’t believe that most Christians do believe in Jesus for themselves. Nor do I believe that most Muslims know for themselves that Allah is the one true God, or that most Jews know that Christ was NOT the Messiah. Many people blindly follow what they have been taught, rarely questioning those that teach them. Instead of just following your parents or friends why not learn for yourself? Everyone can get on their knees and ask their divine creator what is true and I promise, no matter what faith you profess to be, he will let you know, like he did me. So go and find out for yourself!

Government Inefficiency

2009-08-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

Did anyone know that the Department of Transportation has a new head quarters? I had the opportunity of seeing the beautiful interior of the two year old building in D.C.'s Navy Yard. Most Bureaucratic buildings in D.C. are, well, ugly. But not this new building. Granted, it was built right before the economic downturn, but I think it is just ridiculous that they made it so nice. I believe our government employees should work in a clean and somewhat aesthetically appealing environment, but over the summer I have found that the government spends money on too many extravagant things, like the new Department of Transportation building. I don't know how much it costs. (I seem to have a tough time finding the numbers when things appear to cost too much.) But I know it could not have been cheap.

I believe that tax dollars are almost as sacred as the tithe offerings people give to their church. I think we can apply the lesson from the Bible about the widow's mite. May every dollar the federal government spends count. Americans work hard for their money by wasting tax dollars the federal government is essentially stealing. This is one of the main reasons why we had a REVOLUTION against the British Empire!

I have decided that my career goal in life is to become a well known journalist for finding waste in government. I think we need more checks on the government's spending habits and I know it will keep me busy until the day I die.

Names

2009-08-04T07:20:00.001-07:00

So the other day I went to listen to a speaker at the National Press Club about a book the person had written. While talking about politics and scandals the speaker mentioned the Rathergate scandal. "Rathergate?" I thought. "Why gate?" Then I realized Dan Rather is not the only one to have gate put on the end of his name when others referr to his bad journalism scandal falsly trying to take down President Bush in 2004. What about Sarah Palin's state trooper in the Troopergate scandal? Who comes up with these? And when does something qualify for 'gate' to be tagged on the end of it? I don't know it isn't in my AP stylebook.
And what about this Beer Summit. Do not even compare it to the G8 summit or whatever international talk goes on, it is a disgrace. If anything the whole beer get together should be referred to as the Beergate because I think i.t is a scandalous publicity stunt. President Obama should never have gotten involved. It is not in his jurisdiction.
Anyway I think as an aspiring media member that the media should stop using ridiculous names such as these. It does not make you sound credible and does not provide an objective viewpoint. But I guess that is if you want it to be objective..

Your Newly Perfected Capitol Plaza

2009-07-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

So in order to get to work I walk past the capitol building everyday. It is about a twenty-five minute walk and I sometimes go in front of the capitol and sometimes I walk behind it. I like to mix it up. Well the last few weeks I have been walking on the east side of the Capitol, above the new Capitol Visitor Center that I thought was near completion. But I was wrong...

I have noticed over the last couple of weeks that once the construction workers finish laying down the stones that make up the new plaza above the visitor center, they move their equipment and then tear up a recently finished section of the plaza.

My first reaction was, "they must have found a big crack in a spot, or maybe after it settled in an area, it shifted." But after a few more days I realized that either the crack kept growing or we had an earthquake that I was not aware of because more stones were dug up every day. And not just in a small section but all over the plaza, huge sections of the newly finished plaza were now holes of dirt.
(I honestly would not have been surprised if tearing up the plaza to start all over again was part of the stimulus package to keep the construction workers employed.)
So as any good reporter would do, I decided to do a little investigation. So after work today I passed through the construction of the plaza and went up to one of the workers and began to ask him what they were doing. He looked up at me, smiled and had this really confused look on his face. Then he pushed back his helmet I saw he was Hispanic. I thought, "Brett you idiot, why did you speak to him in English?" It didn't cross my mind that illegal immigrants would be constructing the new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. (I don't know if he was illegal, but chances are if he doesn't speak English...)
So I put my Spanish to use and rephrased my question, which the man was happy to answer. He explained to me in Spanish that the since the cars drive over the plaza the stones move together and become too close. At least that is the part I picked up over all the construction noise.
But even the worker who I talked to seemed to think it was ridiculous what they were doing and told me "si tienen el dinero..." And since we THINK we do have the money, we choose to spend it.
(Oddly enough I passed this gas guzzling Escalade parked on the plaza as I walked away.)

So essentially our tax dollars are paying for the new capitol plaza twice because someone thinks the stones are too close together so they need to dig them out and put them in again.
If there is one thing I have learned about the U.S. government this summer it is that they are horribly inefficient and you should never trust them with your money.

My Political Views

2009-07-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know if posting my political views online for the whole world to see is a good idea, since I am hoping to be an objective journalist someday, but that day has not yet arrived. I honestly didn't think I would get so into politics this summer during my broadcast journalism internship, but nevertheless most of what I cover at work is political. But after hearing someone today say "I think the rich should pay for the poor's health care," I decided I could not keep silent while liberty is being thrown out of our country, while overseas we are fighting to create it elsewhere. By all means, it makes NO sense.

On the national news tonight Charles Gibson said Congress proposed taxing about 5% more on those who make an income over $ 400,000 to pay for the new Health Care bill. Although I hope to be successful in my life, I don't think I will make quite that much money, so I won't be the one who personally "donates" 5% of their income to the poor, but that doesn't make it right.

In 1776 our founding fathers felt overtaxed and under represented and our country began. Well I think the same is happening again, over taxing and under representing that is. We live in, or at least ideally we are supposed to live in a free country that gives liberty to all. But how is forcing someone to give a large sum of their income to the poor not infringing on our individual liberties?

If someone makes over $400,000 I would hope they give to those who have little, but it is not just under God's law nor the United States of America's constitution to force some one to do so. I believe in a God who has given us the gift to choose for ourselves what we do with our time here on earth. Jesus never forced anyone to follow him, to help those in need, nor choose the right. Who are we to think that we can force others to be philanthropists?

Health Care is not a right! In one way or another you will pay for your so called right. I fear that in 50 years it will become a right to have free cell phone service and an internet connection.

Plugged In

2009-07-11T05:01:00.000-07:00

I will be the first to admit how much I enjoy my ipod when walking long distances to work or school and while working out. But I fear about our future society being being much more socially disconnected.

While on the metro yesterday I watched how a young mother who couldn't have been over 25 interacted with her toddler and baby. When they came onto the metro both the children were in the stroller, the baby asleep in the back and the toddler crying in the front. To calm the toddler down I was amazed how the mother just stuck her earphones into the kids ears and he was instantly calmed down. I don't know what kind of music was playing, but doesn't matter. The two year old had become disconnected to the world around him. Not to mention the physical damage it could do to his ear at that age.

After about five minutes the kid took the earphones out and started eating his crackers and then his mother stuck the earphones in her ears, disconnecting herself from her two small children for the remainder of the time I was on the metro, which was about 10 minutes.

Maybe I am over-reacting but she can't be the only parent out there who does this! How many parents disconnect themselves from their children and escape to some other world? It used to be with just drugs and alcohol, but now they can do the same thing and not even know they are doing it. I have seen so much bad parenting out there I sometimes get prideful and think I would be so much better, but I guess that has yet to be proven. I do believe that when it comes to socially interacting with those in our families, it is essential that the communication waves are open, especially at such a young age. Oh how I worry about the future.

Don't go Skinny Dipping

2009-06-28T18:12:00.000-07:00

Everyday, at least twice a day I am greeted by a man just outside 208 Massachusetts Avenue who uses strange phrases such as "don't go skinny dipping" and "how many days til the weekend?" To the right of my building there is a gas station and on the sidewalk in front of that gas station there is a tarp and underneath this tarp (10 X 30) lye all of this man's possessions. But how can he just dump all of his things on the sidewalk? In the middle of the city nevertheless! There are two signs posted on a pole next to this tarp warning that the contents on this sidewalk will be removed on such and such a day, but that day passed over a month ago!

While this man is almost always sitting on a chair next to his earthly possessions greeting passersby, I have never seen him sleep. (Maybe he is under the tarp?) I don't know where the man goes at night. The only other place I have seen the guy is at the gas pump talking with a customer.
Honestly he is the most friendly homeless man I have ever known and he never asks anyone for money, but why is he allowed to live on the corner? Why does the city threaten to move his things and not move them? And why does he tell me not to go skinny dipping on my way to work?

Cupcake Craze

2009-06-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

What is it with people and wanting to go out for cupcakes? Cupcakes that cost $2.75 nonetheless. What makes a cupcake so good? What makes it worth almost three dollars? In New York and Washington DC there seems to be an obsession with cupcakes. When I went to Georgetown the other day I saw a line outside of Georgetown Cupcake and couldn't understand why so many people were willing to go purchase a tiny, ordinary cupcake for an outrageous price. Wouldn't you rather have ice cream, gelato, a cookie even, but no, they want a cupcake that cost $1.00 a bite!

My mother is an excellent cook and I truly believe she could put Georgetown Cupcake to shame. She could make better, bigger cupcakes for a lot less! I think I could even do that with her recipe.
Most businesses, big and small make a margin of profit of 5%, but I know this place is making at least double that. They have a freakin Land Rover as their delivery vehicle! Someone please put Georgetown Cupcake out of business because they are taking advantage of people who don't know the difference from a quality cupcake and an ordinary treat.

The Fleecing of America

2009-06-10T14:55:00.001-07:00

Today I found out where all the taxpayers money went. Anybody been to the new Capitol Visitor Center Lately? If you have you might have noticed why the marble quarries in Italy have been depleted. Not only is the new addition to the capitol massive, but the quality of the craftsmanship is second to none. Did we really need to spend $621 million on the addition? I don't think so!
I think it is interesting that when it comes to federal expenditures there is never a debate over the elected officials salary nor anything that would be of use to them i.e. an expanded capitol building.
The new visitor center is a beautiful structure and I would hate for anybody to damage it. But why did they have to build it like a fortress? It is built to withstand any terrorist attack that is for sure. The place is covered in marble! It adorns the floors and walls; and the ceiling lights, well lets just say that they aren't very energy efficient. No expense was spared and I fear that is becoming the case in all our government does. I hope I am long gone before China wants their money back.

Too Extreme for me!

2009-06-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

As an intern for Voice of America (for those of you who don't know what that is, it is the federally subsidized news agency that broadcasts international news to countries all over the world in more than 45 languages to promote American ideas and values.) I have had the opportunity to cover a couple of press conferences/panels of congressmen from both sides of the aisle. After doing so I think I better understand why nothing is accomplished in Washington; everyone is so extreme!
On Thursday I went to a press conference called by Congressmen Honda of CA (DEM), Honda and other co-signers of his bill called for immigration reform. The bill they are trying to pass is called the "Family Unity" bill. (Who would want to vote against any bill with that kind of title?) One of the main proponents of the bill was to allow "non-traditional" families (a.k.a. - gays and lesbians) receive the same path to legalization as heterosexual couples. So I go to this thing just expecting to record some government announcement on camera, but no it is like a gay activist rally! I never thought I would ever be in such an environment in my life. But nonetheless, I was. Although I didn't agree with many of their views, it was rather intriguing to see their view on the issue. (And after seeing a lesbian couple make out on the subway last night I don't think I could support the idea of gay marriage.)
Friday was the complete opposite. I went to a panel that bashed Obama's economic policies and praised Ronald Reagan's. While I did agree with much of what was said concerning capitalism and the concerns of a large deficit, I did not like the doom and gloom mentality. Why don't the Republicans offer a better solution rather than stating how wonderful everything was 25 years ago? Reagan is gone and Obama is the President so lets work together! Politics is frustrating, people don't know what it means to compromise.

My first blog

2009-06-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

So I don't really know what I am doing when it comes to blogging, but I am going to try it anyway. I think life can be very humorous at times. I try to be funny and not get so pessimistic. Why is it that so many people in this world only want to discuss their problems and are always complaining? (Although after living in DC for three weeks, there are many more problems than I thought there were before.) But that isn't what I really want to get into today.
In this blog I want to ask questions, and share about how funny life can be. Like how I can ride the subway in New York and see a man throw up, a woman have a tantrum, a Jehovah's Witness preach and a old drunk man sing oldies all in one day. You have to laugh at life not get upset by it. Life is for laughing and enjoying and this photo is of me doing just that at a Peanut Butter Restaurant.