Week 6: Hally Visits Laramie, We Roadtrip to Casper and FoCo and the Highlights of the Week

A little about my week:

This last week was pretty uneventful for me. Unfortunately, I think my blogs won't be too exciting until the summer or on weeks like you'll see in an upcoming blog (because it is spring break). So I'll try to make something out of nothing for you guys.

Much of the beginning of the week consisted of school, school, and school. I'm not sure if you have caught on yet, but engineering is one of the busiest degrees. I often find myself working on homeworks and other assignments for upwards of 25-35 hours per week (I go to class for 15 hours each week). Nonetheless, when I graduate with my degree and get a well paying job that I can take care of Hally and my future family with, it will be well worth the hardship. 

On Wednesday, Hally was able to make the trip from Chadron to Laramie thanks to her awkward schedule and the fact that the following week is her spring break. Yes, our spring breaks are only a week away from each other... I know, it is the worst. When I say that she has an awkward schedule, I only say so because she has class 4 days a week (M-Th) and her class was cancelled on Thursday, so it all worked out! We spent Wednesday night at the Arena Auditorium watching the Wyoming Cowboys defeat the Air Force Falcons on senior night with my Dad and my good buddy Tyler. Even though Air Force is not good, they kept the game close and Wyoming honestly struggled. It will be interesting to see how Wyoming fares at the Mountain West Tournament this week.

The AA looks pretty nice on Senior Night

Thursday brought class and a day of work. I say work because both Hally and I did our fair share of homework that evening. 

Friday brought with it a much needed break from the daily grind that is college. After class, Hally and I were finally able to relax and have a little bit of fun with Oliver. Unfortunately, our day of relaxation was cut short as an emergency trip to Casper was required to retrieve a forgotten wallet out of my Dad's vehicle. After the game Wednesday, the wallet wasn't retrieved upon return to my Laramie house. We were only made aware of this Friday afternoon, hence the trip to Casper. It was a good two and half hour drive there because we got Olive Garden courtesy of my father. It was certainly a different kind of dinner date you could say (;.

Saturday was what could be called a day of rest, we slept in until about 10. That was the latest Oliver would let us sleep until he couldn't stand not being touched anymore. For the most part, nothing was completed on Saturday except a trip to the movies Saturday night to watch the film Annihilation. It is a sci-fi thriller that I would definitely recommend going to watch if you want a film that will make you think. Also, we had chicken and noodles with homemade noodles courtesy of my Mom, my Aunt, and my Gran. It was delicious.

Oliver taking a snooze on our lazy Saturday

And finally, Sunday we decided to take a drive into sheep country and visit Fort Collins, Colorado. We started out in Longmont, eating breakfast at a Cracker Barrel. I have never been to one but it is kind of an big "southern" act with really good breakfast food, my favorite! Then, Hally took me on the old shopping gauntlet as we hit up her favorite stores and some of mine, including a brand-new Scheels. Overall, we both made out like fat cats as Hally spoiled me as usual! To finish the evening off, we ate dinner in FoCo at Beaujo's Pizza, a "Colorado style" pizza joint. To be honest, I'm not sure what was different about the pizza but it was pretty darn good!

Overall, it was a pretty good weekend, one that was very much needed mentally!!

Spotlight of the week:

Today I figured I could continue with the love list. I want to cover my thoughts on the whole Trump affair thing, but I will save that for next week! Enjoy!

The love list

• The first item I want to cover is another rendition of Mean Tweets on Jimmy Kimmel Live. This time Jimmy Kimmel features musical artists. It is pretty funny, here is the link:https://youtu.be/ahSKGi_21xg
• You can live like a pharaoh, in a pyramid! Now I know that the pharaoh's were laid to rest in the pyramid but you can actually live in a pyramid house! It is located in west Sussex and you could own it for only 725,000 pounds... or a little over one million USD.
  
  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/buy/chance-spend-eternity-like-pharaoh-pyramid-shaped-house/
• Last week FailArmy, a YouTube page dedicated to honoring your undoings, posted a video about teenage fails. Who doesn't love teenage fails?? Just a disclaimer: I'm not sure if these videos are censored (with cussing and such, no nudity for sure) so just be advised. Here is the link:https://youtu.be/UMOnvV5Su-s

That will wrap up this week's blog! I hope you all have had a good week and I'll talk to you next week!

Week 5: I Head to Chadron, A Comment on Parkland, and the Love List Returns

First off, I wanted to start by saying that I apologize for this being posted a day late. It has been another busy week and yesterday I never really had time to finish writing up this blog. I hope you all understand. I might try to post my blog's earlier in the week, on Tuesday, so I'm not posting about the week a week after it happens. Once again, I apologize, I hope you all had a good week and we are almost to another wonderful weekend!

A little bit about my life:

These last 7 days have been one of the busiest weeks I've had this semester because I had exams in three of my five classes. Typically this wouldn't be too bad, but the exams were in my hardest classes, so shoutout to my professors for making that happen. So far, if you would like to know, I have gotten 2 of 3 exams back and have passed both. Let's just say that after the three exam torture run, I was ready for a break.

This past weekend I headed to Chadron, Nebraska to see the ol' fiancé. It was her final dance performance of the year so both her family and I attended. The only downside to my visit to Chadron is that their basketball teams aren't the best, so we had to sit through some tough games on Friday. Hally's dancing made up for it of course. 

Hally's Dance Team

On Saturday, we took to the highway to visit Hot Springs, South Dakota and eat lunch at a brewery named Highway 79 (yes it is located on highway 79). This brewery is unlike any other I've ever been to as they have a large selection (32 to be exact) of beers on tap. Many of the beers are American made, with some being from Canada and Mexico. I had a burger with bacon, egg, and cheese on it. Hally had some steak tacos that were incredible, the only reason I know this is because I helped her eat them of course. It is definitely a place that you should visit if you have the chance while in Hot Springs and need a good bite to eat.

Also on Saturday, we attended the Chadron basketball games against South Dakota School of Mines. Fortunately for us, these games were much more competitive with the girl's team winning and the boy's team playing a 3 OT thriller. 

Sunday brought me back to Laramie through the wind. It was one of the windier trips I had ever undertaken but it was sure worth heading to Chadron and seeing my girl for a little bit. 

Spotlight of the week:

Because of the depressing nature of the story I covered last week, I think this week will one of my love weeks where I feature things that I love. 

However, I did not want to touch on some of the recent news surrounding the Parkland shooting and the response. I think it is admirable that these students continue their fight despite being attacked by their opposition, who mainly consist of adults. Now that is something that is hard to do. I also wanted to point out how disturbing some people have reacted to the students' protests. We had various individuals, who have since apologized, tweeting and mocking the students saying that "this is the worst thing they've gone through since their parents told them to get a job". Also, conspiracy theories have been popping up about some of the people involved. Like, how inconsiderate and stupid can people be? These are real victims who went through maybe the most traumatizing event of their life and you mock them? That's just heartless; don't do that.

Now that I've kind of ranted a bit, lets move on the love list.

The love list:

• A video popped up on my subscriber feed on YouTube of Wyoming's very own Brandon Nimmo fishing on the YouTube channel BlacktipH. Targeting sailfish, Brandon  manages to get a good one. Check it out here: 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCR5De3CdIE
• One of my favorite YouTube channels, Good Mythical Morning, created a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme. However, they used only the nicest ingredients they could find, totaling a whopping $255!! Check it out here:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMvWmTlT96Y
• Thanks to my fiancé, she insisted on me posting something about dogs. Here are cute pictures and videos to bless your day. 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGP6zk7jcrQ 

• I just thought that this was pretty damn cool:

Have a good end to your week and I'll talk to you guys next week.

Week 4: My Thoughts on the Tragedy in FL

A little bit about my life:

Much of my week consisted of school, school, and more school. Not very exciting so I'm not even going to try to make it sound that way at all. However, despite the rather boring and busy week, I was finally able to go home and relax for a few days. It just so happened that both my uncle and aunt from Cody, and my fiancé were able to make it home that weekend as well! So, the weekend was a good one, consisting of relaxation and fun moments with family and friends.

Spotlight of the week:

I think that I am going to begin labelling this section as the spotlight of the week because I decided that if there is a big news story that needs to be covered, I will cover it. If there is a week where the news is the same old Trump said something nasty or whatever, I'm going to focus on the positive for that week.

But this week we do need to talk about the biggest news story so far this year. As most of you know, if not all of you, there was a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida at a high school that claimed 17 lives. Some of these lives were students, and some were teachers. And of course, my prayers and thoughts are with the families of the victims, and with everyone grieving from this tragedy throughout the world. 

You may ask me if I had a good week, and I did personally. Nothing went wrong and really classes flowed smoothly to me, but boy did this mass shooting make me sick. We're talking about a high school, who was just about to be released for the day, getting shot up by a former student. I cannot imagine the sadness and anguish this situation caused for students and teachers alike. I have been combing the news for any information on why the shooter did what he did, why he targeted his old school, and most importantly why this continues to happen in America. 

As I have been writing throughout the week, I've been watching the reactions from both the right and the left. It is your typical argument of "gun's aren't the problem" and whatever else, we will get into that later. But, the most amazing thing about this shooting was the response from the students themselves. The students should be mourning the loss of friends and teachers, but instead they are planning marches of Washington, holding rallies crying for changes to gun laws. In my short 20 years of life, after a mass shooting, I have never seen this reaction from the victims. For that I applaud them, it is maybe the most courageous action a group of victims could take. 

Lawmakers don't feel the same way though. Tomi Lahren tweeted that the "Left" needs to quit politicizing these incidents and give the families and victims time to grieve. Here is the thing, why wouldn't you talk about an issue when it happens? We need to talk about it now because if we don't, nothing will get done and the situation will be forgotten. Why do you think the Civil Rights Movement or the American Feminist Movement (in 1960, for women's equality) were so successful? They didn't let the issues of our nation be forgotten. Now is the time to do something about mass shootings, whether it be to institute gun laws or increase mental health availability. 

Speaking of lawmakers, it's funny how many of them are funded by the NRA. This directly correlates to their reactions to mass shootings and talks of gun control. You guessed it, they offer only their prayers and condolences, which will never be enough. It's quite clear that politic funding is more important than the well-being of Americans.

As I said earlier, this past week has been filled with talks of gun control and how we can shape the law to stop these mass shootings from happening. Now at this point, you may be saying that no law could've stopped what happened in Florida. If the shooter wanted a gun, he would have got one. This may be true, there obviously is no way of knowing, but wouldn't that argument apply to drugs? Why do we have laws in place that make drugs illegal when it just happens anyway? The same goes for murder, rape, and really any other criminal activity. I think the argument here is that the gun in this mass shooting, and many others, was bought legally. Just from this simple statement, you should see there are flaws somewhere in the gun buying process. Why not increase the waiting period to buy a gun, require stricter background checks, or require a mental health screening before the purchase is complete? These actions might make buying a gun more of an inconvenience  but it could save lives too.

Lot's of the Republicans are saying that we need to put guns in the teachers hands, this will surely stop gun violence. Well I don't know if you are from Wyoming, but in my state there is currently a push to cut the much needed education budget. Where do you suppose lawmakers are going to fit purchasing guns, ammunition, body armor, etc. in this budget? Not only that, the expense of training staff to use firearms will cost too much. My mother is a school teacher, my fiancé is going to be a school teacher, my brother is a school teacher, I know there is no room in an already tight budget to arm school employees. The same goes for hiring employees to do strictly that. Not only this, but most mass shooters are suicidal in nature; therefore, threatening them with death won't stop their attack from starting.

I stand with the victims of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in saying that gun laws do need to change. Now, I'm not saying that we need to disarm America, I'm an avid hunter and that would go against everything I believe in. But, we need to institute laws that make these semi-automatic rifles of all kinds, not just AR's, less powerful and less likely to be used in a mass shooting. Why do you need to have a 30+ round magazine when target shooting?  By having these magazines available to the public, you decreasing the amount of reloads necessary to gun down a mass amount of people. This is precious time victims could be using to escape. Why do you even need a semi-automatic gun at all? I hunt, I kill everything I need to kill with a bolt-action rifle, and much like shooting from a long distance, using an semi-automatic rifle to mow down an animal takes the sport out of it. Obviously, there are many areas that need to be looked at but Democratic lawmakers and people like me are certainly not wanting to disarm our country, just looking to make it less deadly.

I know this will cause a stir throughout my Facebook feed and elsewhere, and will cause people to want to comment. I welcome that either here, on Facebook, or on Twitter. This doesn't mean that you can cuss me out for having an opinion, those toxic comments will be immediately removed. But if you want to have a reasonable, friendly discussion on our thoughts on guns, please comment.

I'm interested in what will change in the coming months surrounding gun laws.

If you would like to donate to help the victims and their families, here is a link:

• https://www.gofundme.com/stonemandouglasvictimsfund

If you would like to donate to help the students with their march of Washington DC, here is a link:

• https://www.gofundme.com/8psm8-march-for-our-lives

Week 3: School, Fly-Fishing, and I'm Trying Something New

A little bit about my life:

Honestly, this might have been the busiest week of my college career to date. Homework, lectures, and other assignments kept me busy for the majority of the week. I honestly have nothing interesting to report until Friday.

Friday, I took my good friend Tyler Campsey to the UW wrestling dual against Utah Valley. Coming into the duel, Wyoming ranked No. 17 in the nation while Utah Valley ranked No. 25. We were expecting a close, hard fought dual, but reality was quite the opposite. Wyoming came out and lost only one match the entire dual. Most of the matches ended in a pin, but there were some matches against Utah Valley's ranked wrestlers that were hard-fought and came down to the wire. Wyoming came out on top, dominating Utah Valley 38-4. 

When I got home Friday, my roommates and I were hosting what we called the First Annual Potato Party. This was a party that had one entry fee, a potato dish. So we ended up feasting on mashed potatoes, fries, tots, and the lot. It was maybe on of the best party ideas I had ever heard of!!

Saturday brought a day of relaxation and experience in the greater outdoors. A buddy of mine, named Brad, and I went fly-fishing at a place called The Miracle Mile. This place is known for giant trout, and is one of the most famous fly-fishing areas in Wyoming. In fact, while were there Saturday, there were still three different campers with occupants camping there (the high was 24 degrees Saturday). Unfortunately, the only fish that was caught was on the end of Brad's line. This fish was maybe the most beautiful rainbow trout I have ever seen. Even so, I enjoyed every moment of the adventure at The Miracle Mile, and I look forward to heading back. 

Brad with his fish.

I'm sorry that I didn't have a more exciting week, like the week's past, but this is how it will be sometimes. I hope you had a good week, and I'll fill you in more next week!

Something new:

So I wanted to try something new. I don't think I'm going to cover a popular news story anymore like I have been doing in my first few blogs, but instead are going to feature a collection of things that I love. I'm doing this for two reasons, the first being that the current state of the world is pretty glum. Most of the news that I can find is not positive, nor enjoyable really to report on. My second reason is that I didn't really get the response from you guys that I was hoping for. I was hoping to have a discussion in the comments but that didn't happen. 

So in light of this, I will begin to feature things that I love and things that make me happy when I see them. I find these much more enjoyable to research on, and I want to share the joy of them with you. So here goes nothing...

The love list:

1. I stumbled upon a new YouTube channel labeled The King of Random (https://www.youtube.com/user/01032010814). This YouTube channel features daily science videos that answer interesting science questions that maybe aren't that scientific. For example, the first video of his I discovered was a video about freezing acetone in liquid nitrogen and lighting it on fire to see if it will stay lit. Or one of his videos goes over the four ways that a battery says not to disturb it (puncture, crush, light on fire, etc.)
   
   
2. Back to another YouTube show, called The Burger Show. Now I don't know if you know me, but there is nothing better than a good burger. In fact, since I'm dieting, my cheat day consists of at least one cheeseburger. This channel named First We Feast (https://www.youtube.com/user/FirstWeFeast) is a show that examines all kinds of eating. They have a segment in which celebrities or famous athletes come on to do an interview, but they do it while eating extremely hot chicken wings. They put a fun twist on food that I enjoy. Now, this Burger Show highlights various kinds of burgers found throughout the US and examines them. The episode from this week consisted of a burger test with some of the most expensive burgers in New York City. It featured Adam Richman from Man vs. Food. I'd check it out!
   
3. As the Olympics are underway in Pyeongchang, I thought I would include some historic material from that. This last week saw the US figure skating team take the bronze in the team event. But the biggest tidbit from this is that we had the first US Olympic women to land a triple axel. In case you didn't know, the triple axel is a forward facing jump in which the skater rotates 4.5 times in a single jump. The point value for a triple axel is 8.5 while a double axel (3 rotations) is given only 3.3 points. This triple axel was completed by Mirai Nagasu, one of only three women to land a triple axel in the games. It was a historic moment for both the US and figure skating in this country!

I hope you enjoyed this new segment, and please comment below other stuff that you found interesting from this last week! 

Also I'm sorry for the late upload, I am having quite the week again, so I apologize.

Have a great weekend and Valentine's Day!!

Week 2: SOTU "Clean Coal" Remark, Wyoming Beats the Sheep, and an Unexpected Surprise

A little bit about my life:

The second week of the semester is well underway and my classes are beginning to heat up. What I like about this semester is that most of my classes go by a set homework schedule, helping me plan out the week ahead and when I need to work on each project. So far, the lectures have taken up the majority of my time, with only homeworks being assigned off of what is taught in lecture. No exams yet, thank goodness, but that time is about to begin I'm sure of it.

The first half of this week was like many others, go to class, complete homework assignments, and try to escape reality for a little while using my PS4 or other gaming devices. Wednesday is when my week got interesting. You see, the Wyoming Cowboy's basketball team is quite good this year (4th in conference), and Wednesday happened to be the second rendition of this year's "Border War" with Colorado State University. CSU, hailing from Fort Collins, is a mere 65 miles away from Laramie, just across the border into Colorado, hence the name "Border War". And yes, they are our rivals, no matter what anybody says, sheep or Cowboy, these are the games that fans circle at the beginning of every season because they are the best games of the year for the most part. This year was no different.

The day started at class, blah blah blah boring stuff, and soon I was heading down to Fort Collins with my Dad in the passenger seat of Old Blue (my '91 Chevy truck). The only reason we were taking my truck, and not a more gas friendly car, was because my Dad had driven his work car to Laramie for a work related venture, and we couldn't take it into Colorado. But hey, it's about the memories right? So anyways, Old Blue made her first venture, that I know of, into the state of Colorado. Since we had to go about 7 hours before game time, the majority of that time was spent in a Starbucks in Barnes and Noble doing homework, at least I was at my two favorite stores. After a long homework session, sometimes the only way to get any homework done, we heading for a quick dinner at a BBQ joint in Old Town, and headed to Moby Arena, or "The Barn" as my Dad likes to call it. Of course when we got there, the parking staff charged us $15 (too high if you ask Dad), and made us park as far away as possible (too far if you ask Dad). I'm sure they were just doing their jobs, but one would think they were taking advantage of us Wyoming folk. Regardless we made to our seats in "The Barn", and for how many showed for the game, they certainly could have made the seats a little bit wider for big bones here.

"The Barn"

Now, the Pokes could have started a little hotter, that's for sure. With about half of the first half finished, the Pokes had only scored one layup, and that was the first basket of the game. Somehow, the Pokes managed to go on a run and were up 32-30 heading into the locker room at half. Following that, the second half ran much like the first half with the Rams waltzing out to a comfortable 62-46 lead with 5:31 left on the clock. The game looked almost as if it were over, but as they say, it isn't over until the fat lady sings. The Cowboys, by the grace of God, went on a 26-10 in the final five minutes to tie up the game at 72 all heading into the first overtime period. CSU and the Pokes traded blows much of the first overtime, and finished that period notched at 80-80. In the second OT period, Wyoming made less mistakes than the Sheep, and won by a score of 91-86. It was a bittersweet moment, coming back down by 16 and beating our rivals in their arena. As we always say here in Laramie, it sucks to be a CSU Ram!!

Final score: WYO 91 - CSU 86

My week ended pretty much in that fashion, on a high note. On Friday, following class, I headed to Chadron, NE for some much needed R&R with my beautiful fiancé. Upon arrival, we took to the highway and drove the 100ish miles to Rapid City, SD to go to an Aaron Watson concert (his best song can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWOVbR-vggc). There, we met up with Hally's roommates and had a nice relaxing evening listen to some live, down-to-earth, country music! Saturday was spent mostly by shopping, and eating, in Rapid City. Hally was designing her bathroom at her house, so most of the shopping was in Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and other related stores. We did go to Cabela's and I did fantasize about owning boat, and a gigantic $4000 safe, not because I wanted the safe, but because it was big and frankly badass. Unfortunately, the day would not continue in that manner, as every time I looked outside the weather was getting worse. By the time we (by we I mean Hally) decided to leave, the snow was coming down and the wind was howling, and that made for an exciting return trip to Chadron. Nonetheless, we made it to Chadron, no harm no foul right? Wrong. It was pretty cold so I decided hey, I'm going to be nice and make some coffee for myself in order to settle down for the evening. I was getting the coffee pot filled and had moved the coffee bag to gain access to the filters when one my worst nightmares occurred. There was a freaking snake inside of the house, inches from my hand. I have never had more of a heart attack than I did in that instant. Soon, Hally and I were busy planning exactly how to take care of this menace. We completed this task by placing it in the trash can and instantly throwing the trash bag into the garbage outside, ensuring the snake a cold demise. What can I say, Hally and I were pretty happy it was gone...

A couple of photos from the Aaron Watson concert. It was pretty cool being on the floor in this indoor rodeo arena!

We got pretty close to the stage!

Our little snake buddy that decided to pester me as I was making coffee!!

All in all, it was a pretty fun packed week that concluded with the Philadelphia Eagles beating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52. What a great way to end the week. It was pretty nice because not only did the Patriots lose, but I won $30 because of it, thank you to my friends for betting on Tom Brady. I hope you all had a similar week, and have a good upcoming week as well. 


The news story of the week:

I know the State of the Union speech happened this week, but I don't really feel like covering the whole thing will do anybody any good. So I wanted to focus this week's spotlight on one statement that Trump made: "We have ended the war on American Energy — and we have ended the war on clean coal." Now, I suppose that this statement is true, since the US is now one of the biggest exporters in the world, but the fact that he called coal clean is what I'm going to discuss.

Global warming, change in near-surface temps, and climate change, change in large scale, long-term average patterns have been linked to the usage of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas, etc.). Now, you might ask how the scientists know that burning fossil fuels pumps metric tons of CO2 into atmosphere is because the CO2 from fossil fuels has a distinct signature. According the Union of Concerned Scientists, δ13C is an identifier that is common to carbon dioxide molecules unrelated to the consumption of fossil fuels. Over the years, this marker has been decreased, showing an increase of CO2 as a direct result from burning fossil fuels.

In case you didn't know how the atmosphere worked, here is a brief explanation. The sun's light is a form of energy known as radiation. This energy is absorbed by various parts of Earth's atmosphere and Earth itself. However, to maintain equilibrium, the Earth also radiates it's own heat. This heat can do one of two things, it can escape to space or it can be absorbed by gaseous molecules in the atmosphere (known as greenhouse gases). This absorption of energy warms the atmospheric temperature, therefore warming the planet. Now, this process happens all the time, no matter if fossil fuels are being burned. But the Earth's climate change is related to Earth's equilibrium. In essence, in order for the planet to maintain a steady temperature, the energy absorbed (via sunlight and Earth's radiation) must equal the amount energy the Earth is radiating back to space. Here is where fossil fuels come back into this, because burning and fossil fuel pumps CO2 into the atmosphere as fossil fuels are composed of carbon and oxygen. CO2 happens to be a greenhouse gas, therefore absorbing a portion of Earth's radiation. Since the levels of CO2 are on the rise, the Earth's temperature equilibrium is upset, as more heat is being absorbed by the Earth than is being released, hence the climate change.

A diagram showing what I described above.

Now you might be saying to yourself, well the Earth has natural CO2 cycles where the CO2 dips (ice age) and rises (interglacial period). Technically you are correct, but today's CO2 levels are up around 400 ppm (parts per million). Just to give you an idea, during an ice age CO2 levels were around 200 ppm and during an interglacial period they were around 280 ppm. Therefore, today's CO2 levels are the highest EVER recorded in Earth's history, and has a clear correlation with the burning of fossil fuels.

The blue represents the cycles of CO2 concentration but the rapid increase of CO2 that is human related is denoted by the red line.

Here is my take on the issue. I understand that coal and oil are a big part of the country's economy and I understand that these fossil fuels are a key part of our life, since there isn't any available eco fuel. However, the part that upsets me, is that the current administration and basically all of the Republican politicians refuse to address this matter. When people come forward and try to establish a secondary, cleaner means of energy, we are not trying to end the production of coal and oil immediately. All we want, and I'm pretty sure the Earth wants, is to work towards a cleaner fuel option, so we can quit harming our planet. There is no way that we could end coal and oil burning immediately since no work towards a secondary fuel option has been found or funded.

All I ask of my fellow Americans is that we address this issue, one of the most dire issues in the world today, as soon as possible. That doesn't mean put a bunch of oil/coal peeps out of a job, but give them a future that will quit harming the planet and can reverse the adverse affects of humans.

As always, please comment below your thoughts on this issue!

Sources:

https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/

https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

https://www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/science-and-impacts/science/global-warming-faq.html#.WnpjjWaZNBw

https://www.co2.earth/daily-co2

Week 1: The Tide Pod Challenge, Cowboys Upset No. 23 Nevada, and the Semester Begins

Welcome to the first legitimate post of the new blog! I hope all of you are well and healthy!

A little bit about my life:

I’m back at the University of Wyoming for my fourth semester of college. I'm still majoring in mechanical engineering, still on that college grind. This semester I’m taking 15 credit hours, a personal best for me. My classes include Applied Differential Equations, Dynamics, Mechanics of Materials, Global Warming: The Science, and finally Public Speaking. The global warming class is sure to be a roar, living in one of the reddest states in the union, people typically don’t believe in global warming (or climate change as it’s called today) so I’m sure there will be a couple rough debates to come. Also, Public Speaking might be an adventure, despite being giant, I am certainly a big introvert. The other classes should go as usual. Unlike most people, who think math is stupid, I find enjoyment in solving a difficult problem.

This past week was a special week, and I wanted to tell you guys about it. On Tuesday (Jan. 23), one of my lifelong friends turned 22. His name is Tyler. Tyler and I met about six years ago when forces beyond our control brought together in the swimming pool. You see, Tyler has cerebral palsy and was swimming to work on his movement throughout his arms and legs. I didn’t really know Tyler at the time, but I could see the competitor inside of him. Every race his goal was to surpass his previous PR (personal record) for the 50 free. Every time Tyler did, he would hoot and holler and everyone in the pool knew he was doing something he loved. Our friendship blossomed the most towards the end of the season, when we would almost always sit together, discussing sports or life and just having a good time. The next year I became his spotter when he swam, meaning I would watch over him in the pool and jump in if he needed support. Soon after, our brotherhood was formed, and we have been inseparable since. Although Tyler graduated two years before I did, we stayed in close touch and got together as much as we could. Once I graduated, the stars aligned, and Tyler moved to Laramie and that is where we stand today. So that is how I got to start my week, spending an evening in celebration for one of my best friend’s birthday.

Tyler and I at my high school graduation party in May 2016.

Later that week, included in Tyler’s birthday present, I took him to the Wyoming Cowboys basketball game on Wednesday night. The Cowboys took on nationally ranked Nevada. The Cowboys started hot, scoring 10 points before the Wolf Pack even made a bucket. But, Nevada wasn’t out of for long and the game remained close for the rest of regulation. I tell you what, Nevada has two players who are twin brothers and man are they good at basketball. They are Lebron sized and can make just about any shot the take, really that is how the whole Nevada team is, but they are something special. Because of the game being nationally televised, the game started at 9 PM… thanks ESPN. As I said earlier, the game remained close for the rest of regulation, and into the first overtime, and the second, but the Cowboys found a way to come out on top after 50 minutes of basketball. Final score, 104-103 Wyoming. The only bad thing about this game, I didn’t get to bed until about 12:15 AM, and if you were wondering, yes, I did have an 8 AM class the next day! So, all around, it was a great way to spend the week.

My fellow classmates stormed the court following the upset.

Soon a mosh pit ensued as the team and students celebrated.

The win against No. 23 Nevada was the first against a top 25 school since March 14, 2015 vs. San Diego State.

The week ended with my brother, Brady, coming down from Riverton for the weekend. It’s always good to have my brother around and to spend time with him. Friday was mostly a day of relaxation after my classes concluded, with a deliciously prepared dinner of deer, catfish, homemade French fries, and cornbread. On Saturday, Brady, a couple of friends, and I took a trip to Denver, about a 2-hour drive. We started the day at Jump Street, a trampoline park. Although we may have been the oldest group of guys in there, we still had great time playing dodgeball, doing flips, reliving our glory days, and realizing just how out of shape all of us are. We finished the evening in LoDo (lower downtown) in Denver by going to one of our favorite bookstores called the Tattered Cover, eating dinner, and walking around the area.

And that is what brings me to where I sit now, on the couch writing this blog, and mentally preparing for another week of the college grind.

The news story of the week:

The news I wanted to cover the most this week is this new challenge around eating Tide Pods. I honestly never thought we would get to a point like this, but that is where we are folks. Now I know the big buzz around this challenge was earlier this week but there is still a big problem, and multiple people are still doing this “Tide Pod Challenge”. The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) claims that there have been 86 intentional teen ingestion of laundry pods since the first of the year compared to 53 during the entirety of last year. Now, in case you didn’t know, a Tide Pod is a capsule that contains various detergents and softeners used when washing clothes. While eating soap has been a joke that I can remember for my entire life, the laundry soaps and detergents contain a higher chemical content than hand soap or shower soaps, and this higher concentration can cause serious consequences including seizure, respiratory arrest, coma, and death. Eating a Tide Pod is not the only danger, kids can inhale the toxic chemicals straight into their lungs when they bite into the pod. Since the beginning of this challenge, YouTube has worked to take down any video of the consumption of Tide Pods and Amazon disabled comments from individuals who claimed the Pods were “delicious”.  But, these preventative measures are not working; of the 86 cases reported this year, 47 have occurred since January 16.

What should Tide PODs be used for? DOING LAUNDRY. Nothing else.

Eating a Tide POD is a BAD IDEA, and we asked our friend @robgronkowski to help explain. pic.twitter.com/0JnFdhnsWZ

— Tide (@tide) January 12, 2018

Amazon has been working to delete these comments.

Now I don’t think there is an easier way to say this, but how stupid can you be? While I understand there is a certain thrill with risking death, I’m unsure what purpose completing this challenge serves in the younger communities. I think the big issue with this challenge is really lack of a response from the people who see the Tide Pod Challenge videos. While it might look like a stupid joke to you, you should really pay attention to what is happening in a video. If you see a Facebook or YouTube video that displays obvious dangers, say something to someone, say something to your kids, say hey kids don’t eat these. Even if you think a video is silly, maybe faked, that doesn’t mean an ignorant teenager won’t blindly copy that video despite the obvious dangers. I mean think about it, if every parent payed attention and said something to their kids about the dangers of ingesting laundry pods, maybe those kids can talk their friends out of eating a pod. It’s really that simple.

My message to the kids: please don’t ingest the pods, it may seem “cool”, but you’re risking a lot more than you know. They are literally poison, and if you don’t know what that word means, ask somebody. 

As always, please comment below your thoughts on the news I have covered today. Do you agree/disagree with my point of view? I'd love to find out!

Anyone concerned about the dangers of laundry pods can get more information from the American Association of Poison Control Centers. If you need immediate help, call 1-800-222-1222, or text "poison" to 797979 to save the number in your phone.

Sources:

www.foxnews.com/health/2018/01/26/teens-eating-more-tide-pods-than-ever-despite-efforts-to-stop-trend.html

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/what-is-the-tide-pod-challenge-and-how-did-it-start/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tide-pod-challenge-ingesting-detergent-risks/

www.foxnews.com/health/2018/01/12/doctors-warn-against-eating-tide-pods-in-latest-social-media-challenge.html

https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/25/16932708/tide-pods-poison-control-centers-teens-amazon-youtube-poison-do-not-eat

Blog Introduction

First off, let me introduce myself just a little bit better. My name is Baylor Beers, and I’m a Wyomingite. As I said in the basic description, I’m from Riverton, Wyoming. Currently, I’m in college and I’m engaged to my best friend, soulmate, and love of my life named Hally. When I get free time, which I don’t often, I love getting in the outdoors; whether it’s camping, hunting, or fishing, I’d rather being doing that than school/work. So, there you go, it’s nice to meet you.

The love of my life, Ms. Hally

The family.

Now, a little bit more information on this blog. My plan is to do a weekly blog post, with posts going live in the middle of the week. Each post will contain a little bit, or a lot of bit of my life’s adventures. It all depends if I’m doing a lot or just my normal, boring college/work routine. If I end up going on a long adventure (like a once-in-a-lifetime trip) I might consider doing biweekly or daily blog posts just to keep you guys informed. The final part of my blog, unless nothing exciting is happening, will contain a “gigantic” news story from the previous week that includes a run down of what it is and my thoughts on the issue. This might not sound very exciting, but I’m a college student who is opened-minded and moderate when it comes to politics. I’m in a no way a radical Republican or Democrat, regardless of living in one of the reddest states in the Union. My plan is to include news story on a Sunday – Sunday section with the blog post coming out midweek following that cycle, just so I have time to write a good, professional blog post for you guys.

I hope you all enjoy my blog. All I ask of you is to please share my blog, and while you can write comments (please do) please keep them clean and respectful. Currently this country is incredibly divided, and I’m not using this blog to continue that, nor will I allow my viewers/commenters to create a toxic environment on my blog. Also, don’t be a dick, life’s always easier and happier when you aren’t a dick.

Thanks for reading guys, and I’m exciting to bring you exciting content and to see where this experiment takes me.

-Baylor

I like fishing...

... and I like hunting!