The Para-what? Olympics

Patriotism skyrockets whenever the Olympics come rolling around. We celebrate the winners and we wish the best until next time to the runner-ups and forgotten. Many people hold their compatriot competitors in high value, but it seems like there is one specific group that remains unrecognized.

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics were held a few weeks after the regular 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony. From March 12 to March 21, numerous of courageous people went out to the snow overcoming any setback or disability. This year the Winter Paralympic Games held 64 events in 5 sports with 506 athletes representing 44 nations.

Paralympic Games athletes have either cerebral palsy, amputations, blindness, mobility issues, or any other physical restraints. Why such an inspiring event receives very little media coverage baffles me. As BBC Sport reports, "Despite the Canadian hosts enjoying a record-breaking Games, in many ways the Winter Paralympic party in Vancouver never really got going."

Hopefully for the next Paralympic Games more news outlets will take charge and decide to broadcast or feature it. Many of these people prove to contain such high sportsmanship and emit such positive energy and inspiration, and they try even harder than any regular person with a full functioning body. Every four years after the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games are held and ran by International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

The images above are not mine. They belong to The Boston Big Picture and I encourage you to check out the rest of the pictures and read the descriptions, which can be found here. (http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/03/2010_winter_paralympics.html)

A day of giving grace.

As my fellow Americans know, yesterday was Thanksgiving - a day to give thanks for everything that we have. For this post I was going to go into the hypocrisy found in this holiday, but I will keep my reserve.

Instead, I am going to thank all of you for reading my thoughts and staying interested. I want to give thanks to everyone who is doing their part in making this world a better place, a thanks to those battling against negative stereotypes, those who are tearing down the walls of prejudice, and so on so forth. I am thankful for the people in my life constantly. I try to keep them aware of my love for them. I am thankful for the person who I am in love with, I am thankful for the people who challenge me, I am thankful.

I'm not sure what I want the direction of this post to be, but before it gets any cheesier, I think I'll stop. I hope everyone has not only a fantastic holiday, but a wonderful life.


-Gabriela

Remember, remember the Fifth of November

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Let us not only dedicate this day but each day as a remembrance of those who exercise their voice - from 1605 to 2009, from London to Gaza, and all around the time spectrum and globe. And let us not only leave it as a remembrance but a reminder that we, too, have a voice.

Kiwi