Trending on Thursday - July 14, 2011

1. Andre Agassi Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
2. Steven Tyler Prepares for American Idol Return, Upcoming Aerosmith Tour
3. shirley temple - Observations: The good son?
4. Contact lenses help man to win Harry Potter competition
5. Miracle of the Day - Gods Protection

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Andre Agassi Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
When Andre Agassi wasn’t throwing fits on and off the court he was capable of playing some of the most energetic, exciting, fun tennis we have ever witnessed and it’s for that reason Agassi was inducted this weekend into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.

During his career Agassi racked up 60 titles with an 870-274 win/loss record. Agassi’s records included eight Grand Slams, the No. 1 ranking for 101 weeks and the fourth highest winnings of all-time at $30 million.

Speaking to the crowd Agassi said:

    “I’m thrilled and humbled and quite terrified, to be honest, to stand in front of you,” while adding, ”I’ve grown up in front of you. You’ve seen my ups and downs. You’ve given me compassion, understanding and love, more than I expected — and many times more than I deserved.”

Congratulations to my favorite tennis player, watching him on the court was like watching lightning bottled only to be released on anyone in the vicinity of her verbal and physical assaults. Agassi wasn’t also pleasant to watch in a refined sport like tennis, but he made it all seem like so much fun thanks to his never ending passion for winning and the sport.

Agassi was accepted into the hall of fame in the “Recent Player” category, while Kellmeyer was inducted in the “Contributor” category.
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Steven Tyler Prepares for American Idol Return, Upcoming Aerosmith Tour

the enigmatic lead singer of legendary rock band Aerosmith, is in negotiations at the moment, but looks likely to return along with Randy Jackson for season 11 of American Idol.

While Tyler and Jackson are “most likelys,” fellow former judge Jennifer Lopez is currently “on the fence” as to whether to come back or not for another season.

In addition to renewing his moonlighting gig on the popular Fox Network show, Tyler published his autobiography titled “Does the Noise In My Head Bother You?” on May 11th, and has since returned to his hometown to work on the iconic rock band’s first album since 2004.

    “It’s always great to be home. I’ve been away for so long,” Tyler told FoxNews recently. “You know, we jumped right into writing some songs; we got three already and the band is rockin’. We’re working on the album right now,” Steven continued, “We go on tour November/December, and we should have the album finished in a couple of months.”

While there is no official word on the US tour dates, Tyler and Company recently announced their South American tour will begin on October 22nd in Peru.
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shirley temple - Observations: The good son?

Often I think that if I were a good son, I’d pack up our lives and move to that little town in Minnesota..
This was hard. As we drove away from The Meadows, I told my wife Michelle to take the route that would pass by her apartment. Sure enough, there she was in the window, waving goodbye.

The Meadows is an assisted living facility where Mom moved two months ago. Her new apartment is very spacious and very nice with a private deck off the living room. It is, however, much smaller than her house and her condition prevents her from filling it up with the things she loves in life.

Most of those things, the result of a lifetime of collecting the antiques that she loved so much, are now laid out on the floors of her house like some cheap market bazaar. To see her century-old, handmade, wooden furniture and her precious and very fragile glass items set into piles like so much unwanted merchandise was highly upsetting for me. That’s not how it is supposed to be.

But that’s how it is right now. She can’t have too much clutter in her apartment, she can’t have wall-to-wall antiques because it is important that her new home not present obstacles to how she gets around — sometimes with a walker. From a physical standpoint, she needs the space more than she needs her stuff. But from an emotional standpoint, she needs her stuff.

We spent an afternoon bringing over her extensive collection of Shirley Temple items. For years, that was her hobby, her mission really. At first, she bought anything and everything; but as the collection grew, she became much more selective. What she has now is a collection that would rival a museum, filled with unique and interesting things — some of which may be the only artifacts remaining in existence. After all, how many Shirley Temples finely carved and painted from soap could still be around after nearly 80 years?

After an afternoon of moving and carefully stowing away boxes and excess Shirleys, her entire collection was once again in one place, now packed into a closet in her apartment. Beyond Shirley Temple, there is much more stuff that had meaning for her spread out on the floor of her house. We spent the evening slowly walking through the house grabbing the things she wanted. With the larger items we’d stop and ask, “Are you sure you have room for this?”, but most things just went into boxes to be taken to her new apartment without question. As we finished up, she remarked to Michelle, “I’m not dead yet.”

My brother feels bad about it, I think. He tried to move everything that had meaning to her — he thought he had. But she tells each of her kids something slightly different. In his case in particular, as her primary caregiver and an exceedingly busy man with little free time for himself, almost certainly she just didn’t want to ask him. She didn’t want to add to the burden that he already carries. He has no reason to feel bad, but he does. He wants her to be happy. He also wants her to be safe.

There is a fine line between safety and happiness. There is a fine line between the autonomy that Mom still wants and the protection and safety that her children want for her. Mom’s stuff, her antiques and knickknacks, give her happiness, but they also have the potential to become a hazard to her. Is depriving her of the things she loves in the name of safety the best way to ensure the happiest, longest life she can have?  There’s no good answer to that. The only thing that is known is that each of her children wants her to be both happy AND to be around for as long as possible.

It’s hard to leave. I wonder what my dad, now gone for 33 years, would want. Often I think that if I were a good son, I’d pack up our lives and move to that little town in Minnesota to be there to help her and my brother with the day-to-day needs of living. I’d be there to spend time with her. I’d be there to swap out antiques that she doesn’t feel comfortable enough to ask my brother about. I’d be there when the fear of the unknown begins to take over, ruining days that should not be ruined. She’s not dead yet. She deserves to enjoy to the fullest the time she has left.

I wonder why I didn’t plan to see Mom’s life left in boxes on the floor when I was in my 20s and she in her still-youthful 50s. But then, I realize that I could not have because it would have been unimaginable then. It is unimaginable now.

The antiques themselves, spread out on the floor, somehow haunt me. When they were made, life was so much harder, so much less luxurious than it is today; but somehow the answers to life’s questions seemed easier, clearer. Families stayed together because they had to. More often than not, they needed each other to survive. Besides, where else would anyone go?  Today that’s not the case. Kids move away and build their own lives far from home, relying on modern transportation and technology to bridge the gap that they themselves created. It seems life is easier today, but the questions are much more difficult. The answers certainly are.

I tell myself that I need to try to be a good son. I need to try to be a good brother, a good husband, a good reporter, a good friend. When I fail at any of those, I tell myself to try harder. But what I really need to do is not to try but to do. The question is, “What should I do?” I know there are many other people out there in my situation, far away from home with an aging parent who increasingly needs help.What should anyone do?


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Contact lenses help man to win Harry Potter competition

Harry Potter fever is currently sweeping the nation as the final instalment in the record-breaking franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, hits UK cinema screens next week.

However, one lucky fan of the books and films has been able to see the movies before anyone else, thanks to his ingenious use of contact lenses and other products.
Kieran Thomas, from Didcot, entered a competition run by Yahoo! Movies to find the biggest Harry Potter fan in the UK, with the prize of a lifetime on offer.

The winner netted the chance to attend the world premiere of the final Harry Potter film in Trafalgar Square, meet all the cast and crew, plus JK Rowling, before being swept away to New York on a jet, along with the stars of the film, to attend the US premiere.

Mr Thomas told the Oxford Mail that he had no intention of missing out on the prize of a lifetime, so he set about making a costume which would set him apart from all the other entrants in the competition – a replica of the villainous Lord Voldemort.

The costume was made by sculpting a prosthetic head, manufacturing the robes to resemble He Who Must Not Be Named and adding the final, important touch – coloured contact lenses.

The completed costume was enough to wow the judging panel and Mr Roberts was soon on his way to London to party with the cast and crew form the biggest film franchise in history.

He told the newspaper: "In the past few days I have been working on it until 5am in the morning and getting up again two hours later!"

However, the effort, and the £2,000 he spent designing the costume and purchasing the associated robes and contact lenses, appears to have been worth it, even though his wife, Jo, has barred him from making any more movie-themed outfits.

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Miracle of the Day - Gods Protection
"The Lord has protected me from two near miss explosion while traveling to and from work during my tour in Kabul Afghanistan. Upon notification of this deployment the Lord led me to Isaiah 4110 “Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea, I will help thee, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." The Lord has proved Himself to me time and time again that He’s faithful to His people and He WILL honor His word."



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