Teacher Appreciation Day

Many people have influenced my life, some for good, others, not so much. But I have learned a great deal even from those in the "not so much" category. That's another story for another day, though.

Background for this blog post: I host a radio show on WHIZ-FM in Zanesville, Ohio, and in honor of Teacher Appreciation Day, this morning I shared some memories of four teachers who had profoundly influenced me throughout my school days. And my school daze, too.

First, there was Mrs. Shepherd, my fourth grade teacher. Now while I was a student at Seffner Elementary School in Seffner, Fla., I thought Mrs. Shepherd was quite possibly the meanest teacher that existed in this realm, or any other realm for that matter. And she was very stern; an old fashioned, no nonsense "school marm", if you please.

On one occasion, after I had sprinted down the sidewalk after school dismissed for the day, she caught me and as punishment made me write "I will walk on the walk" one hundred times. Needless to say, from that day forward, I always checked to make sure Mrs. Shepherd wasn't looking before I ran down the sidewalk.

Side note not necessarily relevant to the theme of this piece: My Mom was extremely irritated, not because I got into trouble or had to write "I will walk on the walk" one hundred times, but because Mrs. Shepherd referred to the sidewalk as the "walk". That just bugged the hooey out of Mom for some reason.

Anyway, one thing Mrs. Shepherd did in class that has stuck with me my entire life is that she prayed with the class each morning after announcements and before lunch. That testimony has always remained at the forefront of my hazy memory of fourth grade at Seffner Elementary.

My high school English teacher Daryl Safreed played a major role in my life over the relatively short time that we enjoyed together as teacher and student. Mr. Safreed taught me the value of writing and writing well, which helped me immensely in college and has played a key role in my professional life.

Had I not developed writing skills at the feet of Mr. Safreed, I would have never been able to work in broadcast or print journalism. He was also a good friend to me at a time when I was struggling in that no man's land between childhood and adulthood.

In my college years, Dr. Fred Afman and Marvin Easley each made crucial contributions to who I am today.

Dr. Afman was a Bible teacher at Tennessee Temple University for what seemed like ages. He was a giant of a man with a canyon-deep voice and a classic grandfatherly appearance.

The bow tie was his signature fashion item. At times, he wore an electric blue blazer around campus.

Imagine a 6-foot-8 inch tall granddad in an electric blue jacket with a bow tie teaching Old Testament Survey at 8 o'clock in the morning.

Yeah.

Beyond his unique look, Dr. Afman was a marvelous teacher of Scripture. His grasp of the Bible from both a spiritual and an intellectual standpoint was nothing short of amazing. I was captivated when he drew maps of the Holy Land on the chalk board from memory, listing all the key locations that we were studying. I always grabbed my Bible and checked the maps in the back to see if his drawings were accurate. They always were. I loved sitting under his teaching.

Near the end of a particularly horrible semester for me, Dr. Afman offered encouragement that helped me to get back on track. The fact that he noticed that I was struggling in my personal life, apart from the awful grades I was making in his class, spoke volumes to me about the man. He was so much more than just a professor of the Bible; he was a man of God who cared deeply about the well being of his students.

And then there was Marvin Easley. Marv was one of my broadcasting professors at TTU. He was a great guy.

He gained the moniker of "Easy Easley" from some students who took his classes because he wasn't necessarily the toughest prof at school. If you had class with Marv after the cafeteria was open, you were likely going to spend that time in one of his famous "luncheon seminars". But those who took his classes to grab an easy grade missed the whole point of the time they spent under his teaching.

Marv was a true professional broadcaster; a master of his craft. For years he was the voice of Honda dealerships throughout the southeastern United States. If you heard a Honda ad on radio or saw one on television, the smooth, cello-like voice telling you where to pick up your next ride was Marv's.

He encouraged me to stick with the broadcasting program at a time when I was considering changing majors. Part of his encouragement included taking my friend Dan Kennard and me with him during some of his voiceover work for Honda. It was amazing to watch him whip through that voice work, most of the time in one take.

When I worked as a substitute teacher for Zanesville City Schools during the 2011-12 academic year, I found myself utilizing some of Marv's style in dealing with students. He's shown up when I've taught Sunday school at church, too. And there's a lot of Marv in my writing style and on-air delivery. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then I hope that I have made Marv proud.

So, thank you, Mrs. Shepherd, Mr. Safreed, Dr. Afman and Marv. Thanks for being tough, caring, compassionate and great role models for me. Thanks for being good teachers.

Tip of the terrorist iceberg?

After a week of watching the federal, state, and local authorities chase down and subdue the Brothers Tsnaraev -- accused of executing the cowardly and heinous bombing at the Boston Marathon -- we have opened a new week with another alleged terrorist plot, this time north of the border in Canada.

Fortunately, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) thwarted the scheme to attack a passenger train that runs between Toronto and the U.S. The RCMP's joint investigation with the FBI and the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security turned up evidence that the two men accused in the plot were working under the "direction and guidance" of "al-Qaida elements" based in Iran.

Back stateside, U.S. authorities are still working to determine if the Brothers Tsnarnaev planned and pulled off the Boston bombing on their own or if there was some puppet master out there pulling the strings. Some politicians and pundits are tiptoeing around or all together ignoring the "Islamic extremist" term in relation to the Brothers Tsnarnaev. Others of similar ilk are calling for everything from "beefing up" immigration standards to wire tapping mosques and other houses of worship that belong to groups whose religious views could be deemed as "extreme".

Amid the speculation, arguments, and the politicians and pundits falling all over themselves at the sight of cameras and microphones, I have one question. Is this the tip of the terrorist iceberg in North America?

It's a question to which I have no concrete answer, only a gut feeling that it could be "yes". That gut feeling is based on a post-9/11 interview. The name and affiliation of the individual being interviewed at the time escapes me, but I remember clearly what he said in regards to the rise of al-Qaida and similar terrorist organizations. He speculated that one day down the road, we could very well be battling extremists of any stripe in our own streets.

I pray that it is not the case.

National shame

The number of babies murdered by "Dr." Kermit Gosnell -- the Jack the Ripper of Philadelphia -- will probably never be known, but the despicable ignorance of the mainstream media (MSM) is definitely on display for all to see.

Outside of a few conservative media outlets and Christian media, the Gosnell murder trial has been not just under-reported or unreported in the MSM, it has been covered up, until recently when even some left-leaning bloggers and online outlets finally called out the MSM for its disgraceful non-coverage (yes, it's a word for this instance) of this national shame that has been going in the Philadelphia butcher shop being passed off as a "women's clinic."

In today's edition of the "American Thinker," Thomas Lifson offers his view of the empty press section in the Philadelphia courtroom. Here's a link to his column.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/04/media_on_trial_too_as_gosnell_trial_resumes.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Where have I been?

Wow! Just noticed that it's been October 2012 since I've posted anything on my so-called blog.

Guess I'm not much of a blogger.

Or maybe I'm just lazy.

Perhaps preoccupied with other stuff.

Did I forget about it? I am getting old, or at least I feel like I'm getting old. Maybe I'm already old. Hmmm.

So what's happened since my last post on Oct. 25, 2012? Let's see.

Super Storm Sandy. Halloween. President Obama won reelection.

Thanksgiving. Black Friday. Snow.

Tragic school shooting in Connecticut.

Bunch of college football bowl games nobody watched.

Christmas. Snow. New Year's Eve and Day.

Fiscal Cliff (naughty, irresponsible brother of Jimmy Cliff). Gun control debate.

Spring in early January in Ohio. Cold again.

Goodness. Too much bad with the good.

Praying for brighter days in 2013.

Debates, huh, what are they good for?

I'm watching the tail end of the Ohio U.S. Senate debate between Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) and Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel (R), and at this point, I'm looking for a third-party candidate for whom to vote.

So I guess I need to learn more about Scott Rupert.

I'm so glad we're just about a week and a half away from election day. This election season has been exhausting from the standpoint of the contentiousness and venom that's been spewed by all sides involved in this thing. I've said it before, there's enough blame to go around for our problems here in these United States of America, but, of course, some bear a little more responsibility than others.

I didn't watch the presidential debates or the vice presidential debate live out of respect for my sweet wife's sanity. She's not a fan of the fiddle faddle and mish mash that's usually associated with the so-called debates. So I watched them on YouTube afterwards.

Naturally, as a conservative, I was pretty happy with what I heard from Gov. Mitt Romney, and not so happy with what I heard from President Barack Obama. But as far as declaring a "winner" in these so-called debates, I'll pass on that. Besides, these things are more like forums than actual debates.
And we're not in college or high school here, there's no "winner" in these so-called debates.

Another reason that I didn't watch the debates live is because I already knew who I was supporting, knew where Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan stand on issues that are important to me, and knew that President Obama's values and stand on those issues don't reflect my own.

So I'm ready to vote. Nov. 6 can't come quickly enough.

Yeah, I know I can take advantage of early voting, but I enjoy the hubbub of election day, so I can wait a little longer.

Southern Baptist panel: Can Christians vote for a Mormon?

Good read about a panel discussion at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38688

Egyptians attack U.S. embassy

Anger about an unnamed video apparently sparked Egyptian protesters to attack the United States embassy in Cairo. The video in question apparently casts Islam and its prophet Muhammad in a negative light, according to the protesters.

Although the video has not been identified, embassy officials issued a statement condemning "the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others ..."

Protesters tore down the U.S. flag atop the embassy, tore it to pieces and attempted to burn portions of it. They then replaced the Stars and Stripes with a black flag bearing the message, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet. The black flag is apparently similar to banners used by al-Qaida.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/09/11/egyptian-protesters-scale-us-embassy-wall-in-cairo/