On October 21, 2015, 97-year-old Margaret Thome Bekema, received an honorary high school diploma from Catholic Central High in Grand Rapids Michigan. Margaret was supposed to graduate with her class in 1936 but had to drop out when she was seventeen to care for her ill mother and three younger siblings. In the video Margaret is overcome with emotion, crying tears of joy.
This video of a little baby pretending to sleep, and the giggling when the person holding him isn’t fooled as recently gone viral.
Albert on Wheels is an Instagram account with over ten thousand followers, that features a little, fluffy white dog who walks and runs with wheels for back legs. The account is happy and heartwarming, showing Albert’s personality and vivacity despite his disability.
The Elephant Sanctuary south of Nashville Tennessee was home to Tarra the elephant and Bella the dog. The two were inseparable friends for a decade.
Virginia Mclaurin, 106, realized her dream of visiting the Whitehouse recently for Black History Month. She shimmied and shoo her way into Barack and Michelle’s hearts.
Jen Welter, also known as "Dr. J," was a training camp and preseason intern working with the inside linebackers on the Arizona Cardinals in July. As an assistant coach intern to head coach Bruce Arians, Welter’s internship ran until the third preseason game along with six other interns.
Welter has a Ph.D. in psychology, previously played rugby at Boston College, and played 14 seasons of pro football as a linebacker for the Dallas Diamonds with the Women’s Football Alliance, with one season as a running back and special teams for the Texas Revolution of the Indoor Football League, becoming the first woman to play a “nonkicking position in a men’s professional football league.” Welter has also won four championship medals and has been awarded two gold medals with the United States team at the International Federation of American Football Women’s World Championship. All of which is outstanding, but would have remained unacknowledged if it was not for Coach Arian spotting her talent.
Welter was first recognized at the OTAs this spring, and Arian “found her really passionate about football. [He] asked if she was serious about it, and if so, [He] would love to give [her] the opportunity to coach with [the Cardinals]. She jumped on it. She loves to coach.” Alongside her passion, she was also hired for her skill, outstanding resume, and attention to her players.
Welter initially thought she would be greeted with pessimism and contempt, but was pleasantly surprised by Arian, the players, the media, executive Michael Bidwill, and general manager Steven Keim’s welcoming nature.
As stated by MMQB’s Peter King, The Arizona’s owner Bill Bidwill in 2004 was “the first owner to hire African-American men, Dennis Green and Rod Graves, as coach and general manager in tandem. Last season Arizona was the only NFL team with black coordinators on offense and defense (Harold Goodwin and Todd Bowles, respectively). This year the Cardinals are founding a fellowship program that gives minority coaches a two-year job on an NFL coaching staff, in the hope that it will help coaching prospects transition to the coaching lifestyle.” With former NFL linebacker Levon Kirkland being the first to take up this inclusive fellowship program, Coach Arian hired Welter in hopes of encouraging other teams to give women an opportunity to work in the NFL.
Arian acknowledges the important contributions women have in athletes’ lives. Mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and wives inspire and support men in the sports world, and Arian sees how much his men have learned from women. Therefore, Arian knows what a big role Welter could have in his players’ lives, on and off the field. But, as stated by Welter:
" Being a woman is part of who I am. It’s not all of who I am, and I’m not here just because I’m a woman. I’m here as a football coach. If my opportunity in the NFL is a chance to show other woman what’s possible in this world, and show guys that there is another dimension to a lot of women -- that this game that they love can be loved and respected by a woman -- why wouldn’t I highlight that? At the same time, my most important obligation right now is helping Coach Arian and his team … I am focusing on attention to detail and technique with individual players, and the players have been very receptive."
In Welter’s short time working with Arizona, she has made tremendous contributions to the team and football at large. As reported by CBS news, Welter wrote individual letters to the Cardinal linebackers, creating a personal connection with each of them. Also, in response to recent domestic violence cases, she has suggested relationship counseling for all players in order for them to remain positive role models on and off the field, but she also knows that domestic violence goes beyond the field and is a societal problem that needs to be fixed. As explained by Arian, "coaching is nothing more than teaching"; it is about "how are you going to make me better? If you can make me better, I don't care if you're the Green Hornet, man, I'll listen." And Welter says, "They want to get better. They're competitors. They want to win. It's not about whether it's coming from a male or a female, it's like 'Do you have something that can help me and if you do, I'm going to listen and be receptive.'"
Overall, "the truth is, she has more playing experience than some of the coaches who coach me now," as realized by Mike Freeman in an exchange with Bleacher Report.
The first place I have driven since returning to the United States is New Jersey, and anyone unlucky enough to have driven in New Jersey knows that road rage is almost as common as traffic lights. Although I mentioned how most people miss polite drivers after leaving Japan in a past article, I have realized that there are so many more differences than just politeness that I miss.
In Japan, the drivers expect traffic and have pretty much come to terms with it. Rather than getting upset when driving in rush hour traffic, everyone sucks it up and understands that we are all in the same boat and there's nothing that can be done but wait it out. On the flip side, drivers in Jersey often get upset and frustrated, which is something I wasn't excited to return to after leaving Japan.
While in Jersey, they simply put gas in your tank. In Japan, they offer to clean your windshield and escort you back onto the road, even stopping traffic if you have to cross lanes. The extra mile that Japanese workers put into customer service is amazing and something I miss from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Although it may seem to be an obvious difference, it can be tricky adjusting to the other side. After driving in car where the steering wheel is on the right in Japan, it can be difficult to adjust back to driving a car in the States. The trickiest part isn't always the driving itself, but confusing the turn signal with the windshield wipers.
Another seemingly obvious difference, after returning to the States I realized how convenient it is to be able to read everything quickly and easily. The signs may be one of the few differences that I don't really miss from Japan.
Of course, horns and lights are also used for other reasons, but they are often polite, to alert other drivers, or say "thank you." Other drivers also slightly bow and wave while driving, after being let out or helped. While at intersections at night, drivers even turn off their headlights while facing or stopped behind another vehicle, to save their fellow drivers' eyes from the blinding lights in the dark.
While in the States, although pedestrians do have the right-of-way, they are often not given the same chances to cross that drivers in Japan give. People walking and riding bicycles are more common in Japan, and drivers are more likely to look out for them and give space, which I miss.
Although of course not all Jersey drivers are crazy, you don't get the same feeling there that you do in Japan. Driving anywhere is stressful, but driving in Japan is made a bit more enjoyable through the culture of the country and positive atmosphere on the road.
