X Factor Goes in a Different Direction

The popular hit television show The X Factor has chosen to go in a different direction involving the members of the judges panel. Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones have all been axed from the show. Simon Cowell has said to be to be keen to "take the show in a different direction", guaranteeing only one judge L.A. Reid a permanent position on the shows second season. There have been many different reports as to why the stars have gone their separate ways. The host Jones took twitter to express his disappointment at being cut from the show. Steve tweeted: "I wont be hosting next seasons X Factor which is a shame but I cant complain as I've had a great time. Good luck to everyone on the show."

It's good to see that the host has taken the high road and has decided not to bash the television show like many before him have done. It takes a lot for people to keep their emotions under control, especially after being publicly humiliated in the media.

Hockey Fights - Just Right? Not Quite.

Governor General David Johnston has recently outed that he believes fighting (high sticking and head shots) shouldn't be a part of the popular sport of hockey. After the recent trend of injuries in professional hockey, it is not surprising that complaints have been made involving the safety of the players. In an interview with Power & Politics, Johnston talks about his love for the sport of hockey and how important it is to Canadian culture and society.

I agree with the fact that the game of hockey is dangerous, but that's why we have referees. Penalties are given if the refs deem the hits or actions of a player were stretching the rules made by the NHL. The Governor General has a valid point, but at the same time, without big hits and plays, hockey just wouldn't be the same. Fans watch for the violence, as bad as it sounds, but that's a major point in why hockey is so popular in today's society. Keeping the players' safety in mind, it makes sense to set guidelines as to what kind of hits an opposing player can make, but taking away the violence would completely change the game.

The NHL has guaranteed that they plan on doing more to insure the players' safety, but how far will they go before altering the game completely? They must keep in mind how important violence is to the game, and how without it, they will most likely lose a large majority of their fan base. It's okay to make some changes, and we all know they will. The only issue is to keep the players' safety as well as the audience in mind when they make the upcoming changes.

A Boozy Game Show

Stars of the popular game show "Wheel of Fortune", Pat Sajak and Vanna White weren't as innocent as they seemed. Sajak spoke in an interview on ESPN2 this past week, he shared that he would occasionally walk over during breaks on the show to order multiple margaritas. White often joined Sajak on these outings. Over the years, they trips became less frequent until stopping completely as the couple grew older.

Game show hosts should hold off on alcohol while recording their episodes. It would only make sense to not appear tipsy on camera. I do find this article quite amusing, seeing as Sajak actually came out and admitted his need to shoot down a few margaritas to pass the time. As well, I'm sure it was perfectly okay for these celebrities to drink while on break back when the "Wheel of Fortune" first began, seeing as laws weren't quite as strict as they are now.

A Four Year-Old's Idea of Snack Time

A four year old student took show and tell to a whole other level. During school snack time, he announced to his teacher and rest of his kindergarten class that he would like to share what he brought with the class. He then preceded to pull out nine bags of marijuana out of his jacket pocket. Police were notified immediately and were called to Hanover Elementary School to resolve the issue. They were able to conclude that each of the bags appeared prepared for sale. A few statements were made by the principal and the superintendent along the lines of how disappointed they were in the adult figures in this students life.

This becomes an issue of why an adult or whoever had their hands on the drugs gave them to the four year old in the first place. At this age, children are oblivious to what is going on around them. They see the best in people and think that everything is peaceful and happy. Just thinking of how the student felt as he was escorted from the classroom to speak to police officers is painful. He obviously would have had no idea what was going on, but he would now know that what he brought to school wasn't a good thing. That in turn, will probably lead to a lot of questions that the child will have.

People throughout the world need to start thinking before they act. Giving an innocent child marijuana should never happen. The school board did well in catching the child with the marijuana before it escalated and got worse.  

1.25 Billion Wings to be consumed on Super Bowl Sunday

The National Chicken Council predicts Americans will eat more than 1.25 billion wings as they watch the New York Giants battle it out against the New England Patriots on February 5th in Indianapolis, Indiana. "Super Bowl weekend is unquestionably the biggest time of year for wings," reads an NCC statement. "If the wings were laid end-to-end they would circle the circumference of the Earth - more than twice - a distance that would reach approximately a quarter of the way to the moon." Even though it's American football, Canadians will still consume their fair share of wings.  Popular wings across Canada actually close their stores for the day because they are too busy filling take-out orders. 

I've recently been having an obsession with chicken wings, so myself and my family will probably end up contributing to the 1.25 billion expected wings. I personally didn't believe that it was going to be such high of a number but I guess people do love their chicken wings! 

Wings are a trademark food item for the NFL so I suggest that everyone does go out and celebrate next Sunday! Go Pats! 

McDee's hashtag campaign

   This past Wednesday, McDonald's began promoting the #McDStories hashtag on Twitter to get people talking about their experiences with the popular company. It was a huge success, drawing in Twitter users from across the globe to share their stories of their visits to McDees. The only problem with this is that they were not expecting the thousands of negative comments to appear. Twitter users began bashing the company, describing how awful the food is and many other things that shouldn't be written about a company. 

    Animal rights activist @michellevegan tweeted that “@McDonalds scalds baby chicks alive for nuggets,” and linked to a site run by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It was retweeted more than 100 times, which was a blow to the company. 


    Even with all of the positive tweets, the company can't help but look back on the negative ones and regret whether or not coming up with this hashtag was a good idea. 


    In my opinion, when coming up with something this big, you have to be ready to be criticized. With McDonald's being as popular as it is, there will have definitely been times where their customers have not been satisfied with the service or the food they had been served. It's hard to please each and every single person that walks into the store. At the same time, people shouldn't take this opportunity to bash the company. If you've had a bad experience, then keep it to yourself. 


    I can see both sides here; the company should have been prepared to face the fact that not everyone supports the company, but also these negative comments will have a bad effect on the company. I recommend that McDee's should focus on the positive feedback that their customers choose to share with them and the world.     

Celebrities and Divorce

   After a seven year marriage, supermodel Heidi Klum and singer Seal have called it quits. After much questioning they had revealed that they still love one another, but they have grown apart. The couple has had 4 children together and still plan on contributing to each of their child's lives.

   With this couple, you can tell that they were in love. Falling out of love is difficult for anyone, but it does happen. I just feel like couples, especially celebrities should make sure that they truly love one another before they get married. Often celebs marry because of money and power and it's just not right. Take the marriage between Katy Perry and Russell Brand. I love Katy has much as the next person, but you could tell that the couple wasn't ready for marriage. It breaks my heart to see people go through because I've had friends who have had to experience that in their own families. It's not easy for normal people to go through divorce and it must be even harder being famous, not even because of the heartbreak each person has to go through but because of the publicity it will cause as well. The last thing a pop diva wants is for the paparazzi taking pictures of her without her wedding ring on, or being asked questions in an interview regarding the breakup.

   I want people not to rush into things before they're ready. If you truly love someone and want to spend the rest of your life with them, then make that commitment. Make sure you're ready to spend the rest of your life with that person. If you know that it wont last and you're only in it for the fame or for the money, then what's the point? Marriage is supposed to bring two people together who care for each other and want the best for one another, not for people who are in it to get themselves further in life. If people just take a step back and think about what they're going to do before they do it, they will make better decisions, ones that can help them, rather than hinder.

Pats vs Giants - Super Bowl XLVI

   This past weekend, both the NFC and AFC divisional championship games took place to decide which two teams would compete in the game for the 46th Super Bowl. The first game was between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots. New England, being the stronger team did come out on top after a close game. Baltimore had their chances, but failed to put the game away with a crucial dropped catch by veteran Lee Evans and a missed field goal by Cundiff. The second game was between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. Once again, the game came down to the wire, going into overtime. The 49ers had the game in their hands but made a crucial mistake in fumbling the ball, leading Giants' kicker Tynes to win the game for them. All four teams played great football, putting on a show for football fans all over the world.

    In a perfect world, the Dallas Cowboys would be taking part in the fight for the SB, but seeing as they failed to qualify for the playoffs, I will have to cheer for the New England Patriots. Being a die hard Cowboys fan, the rivalry with the New York Giants leaves me with no choice but to root for the Pats. As much as I dislike the Patriots myself, I have to admit that they have deserved their spot as the AFC champions. They've played well throughout the season, finishing with a 13-3 record. With the talent they have, it's their game to lose. The New York Giants have played an alright season. They came from behind to win a few games that surprised many fans. The luck this team has is what has brought them to the Super Bowl once again. I have to admit that they did play good football against the 49ers and have in a way deserved their spot in the upcoming game.

   I believe that this year's Super Bowl will be a close one. After losing once to the Giants in the big game, Tom Brady will lead his Patriots to become Super Bowl champs. It will definitely be a game to watch!

Selling of Son on Facebook

   Saud bin Nasser Al Shahry, a Saudi man, attempted to sell his son on Facebook. On Tuesday, the Daily Mail reported that Shahry posted a status on the popular social media website saying he was offering his son in exchange for 20 million dollars. He suggested that he would be willing to finalize the transaction in court, if the buyer stated which city or town he/she lived in. In response to this issue, he said that he decided to sell his son so that he could continue to support his wife and daughter. Facebook later removed his profile from their database, restricting Shahry from accessing the popular social networking site.

   In my opinion, I find this issue disturbing yet hilarious at the same time. To think that this man would actually believe that he could succeed and not get caught in trading off his son on a monitored social networking site as popular as Facebook is, baffles me. Selling off your own child (which is horrifying in the first place) face to face with another person is extremely different than trying to find an offer over a social networking site. Not to say that conversing with human beings in the flesh is any better than over the internet, it would just make more sense to do it in person rather than somewhere where your every status update is put up on a screen for everyone to see.

    Facebook made the quick and correct decision to delete the status and deactivate Al Shahry's account. In the future, the admins should continue to inspect and monitor these issues closely to make sure this doesn't happen again because selling one's child over a website should never happen. For Al Shahry's sake, I really hope he's realized what he's done, for it can ruin the relationship between himself and his son (if it hasn't already) and the relationship with the rest of his family and friends. It makes me sad to think that people would give up their own flesh and blood for power and money.