Off Subject for a Good Cause

Dear Friends and Readers,

I am going to get off of the subject for someone who I believe truely needs our help.  Please read the following:

Message sent out by Mr. Kickaefer via Facebook – “Folks, I’m not gonna lie.  As of Friday, we’re going to be about $15,000 behind and late in our payments to the American High School Theatre Festival.  We really need your help.  If all of my Facebook friends (and their friends) could send $10, $5 or even $1 to Highland Park Theatre, 2424 SE California Ave. 66604, we could make our ultimate goal of $100,000! Please, please help if you can!

AHSTF has selected 51 out of thousands of nominations across North America to attend and perform at the Edinburgh Arts festival, arguably the most prestigious arts festival in the world.  This is an achievement for not just Topeka, as this is the first time a school from Topeka has been chose, but for KS because this is only the second time a school in KS has been chosen despite numerous nominations.”

I know this is an legitimate plea.  Mr. Kickaefer was our Stage Craft teacher at Topeka High School.  He is such a dedicated and passionate instructor that he is difficult to forget.  He has never asked for help from his former students before, and I know he wouldn’t unless he truly thought we could make a difference in the lives of his students.  Which I might add, Highland Park is a school that is desperate for help and often forgotten by the rest of the town.  Why not show these kids that they count too and Topeka as a whole is proud to send them to this festival and possibly give them a chance for so much more in life. 

Please consider helping.  I am going to send what I can, I hope you do too.

Highland Park Theatre

Society and the Obese

I have always been overweight, I was a fat child, I am a fat adult.  I can tell you first hand that society treats the overweight differently.  We are seen as second class citizens.  We are teased and tortured as children and we are mocked and ridiculed as adults.  We are seen as lazy, accused of being dirty and smelly, and told that we are unattractive.  It is cruel. 

I know what many people will say, it’s my own fault, I have made myself unacceptable.  But I have trouble agreeing with that.  The same society that judges me so harshly also pushes me to eat eat EAT.  Bigger, better, cheesier, sweeter, super-sized, king sized, gotta have it and so on.  We live in a big box world and it is difficult to not live a big box life. 

I am not saying that everyone should be obese, all I am asking is that you not judge the overweight so harshly.  Do not let the door shut in our faces, do not laugh when we eat, do not criticize us for breathing heavily after a flight of stairs.  We do not want to live this way, but this is how we are.  Why do you feel the need to make it worse?  Your behavior displays how shallow you really are.