Corasanti

Recently acquitted, Dr. James Corasanti, M.D.

"Well, he looks guilty to me! Let's sow this baby up, and get going to...wait, what?!" Maybe this outlook we have on life is part of the problem, if not the whole?


I live just outside Toronto, but I followed this story for the past six months. First off, my thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of young Alix, and all those who witnessed the incident on the road that night. Amidst the massive amount of evidence generated, the volatile public opinion pieces I saw on Facebook leading to and after the verdict, the intense daily media coverage, the thousands, if not millions of taxpayer dollars spent on the trial, and the revisiting of that terrible day for all those involved, I would expect something a little more than a misdemeanour. All things considered, the defence presented their case in a way that convinced at least one member of the jury that all was not what it seems, and that is their job. That is how the system ALWAYS worked, and its even protected in the Constitution. With that said, my reaction upon hearing the verdict was a puzzled "What?"


If you are confused about the Corasanti trial or what I am talking about, please click this link for full details and background information.

Given it is a "not guilty" verdict, which is not the same as "innocent", there is no "back to work" or "the doctor is in" for Dr. Corasanti in the court of public opinion. Dr. Corasanti's livelihood, albeit affluent, will no longer be the same as the public will take their services elsewhere, and his associates and/or employees will disappear as well, at least from public face. You only need to google search "Corasanti" to know what I mean.

No one will remember or think about his life work or all the things Dr. Corasanti accomplished in medicine because of what happened after the verdict closing this thirteen day trial. Years from now, in his obituary, James Corasanti the doctor will be mentioned in the first paragraph, however it will not mention where he practiced or whose lives he saved until paragraph six, maybe. Then again, that could be said for all of us.


At some point, we will be held accountable for what we did or do in our lives, and that comes from having an objective, moral standard. If life is a simple yet profound construction of relationships, then each of us is responsible for the death of young Alix Rice, because as individuals we constructed the culture in which we live: The culture of invincibility. Whenever I take to the baseball diamond in my RED SOX gear or PIRATES gear, I feel invincible, and not only can I do no wrong, but I can do everything my way, and come out "right" at that moment. Sometimes, when we line up at shortstop, we get away with it and everyone around us benefits in some way, so we push the envelope to get a little more satisfaction. Unfortunately, the lives of others are involved when we make mistakes, or bad choices in life. Drunkenness, leaving a party drunk, choosing to drive drunk instead of taking a cab or asking a sober friend to drive them home, driving late at night, driving while texting, driving while intoxicated, and not paying attention led to the death of a young girl riding home on her longboard that night.

No justice for the deceased, 18 year old Alix Rice.

No doubt there are a lot of upset people in WNY, and here in Southern Ontario as well. None, more so, than the parents of Alix, whose forgiving hearts and accepting nature are admirable and courageous in the wake of this tragedy. I don't know what the District Attorney (or whoever was in direct charge of organizing the trial and collecting the evidence and testimonies for the prosecution) is thinking, but if this ultimate "worst case scenario" happened on my watch, and given all the evidence, testimonies, trial, careers, money, and lives involved, I would resign. How can you go to your constituents and ask for another term when you lost a trial you led everyone to believe was a "slam dunk"? How can families place their trust in a system that could only hand out one misdemeanour for a DWI resulting in death after spending all that time and effort? I can't answer those questions, and I'm the last one to start throwing stones or respected city officials under the bus because things turned out way different from what I expected. However, I think if the public trust is so important, then I wouldn't begrudge the good people of WNY to consider making a fresh start.

Skateboarders Who Happen to Be Girls

I don't talk about individual YouTubers that often, because I don't want to sound like a fanboy or creepy o_O Nevertheless, I really like the ones I do talk about on this blog, and I am a longtime supporter of theirs. I don't want this to be an infomercial, but it so happens the next story involves one such YouTube personality. Anyway, here it goes...

A bunch of us got together for a picnic lunch at a city park on Sunday afternoon, and we were waiting for the burgers and hot dogs to finish grilling so we could eat. My friends Nathan (Hi Nathan), Jessica (Hi Jessica), and I were hanging out by the swings, and somehow we got on the subject of girl skateboarders, and how scarce they are on the face of the earth. They are not scarce on a "dodo sighting" level, or a "I was alive the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup" level, but the consensus in our group is there aren't that many around.

Her tagline: Good morning, burries! ^_^

Then I remembered one female skateboarder, and a famous one at that. I told my friends about Meghan Camarena, but to most people, who know her from YouTube, she is Strawburry17. I found her through another famous YouTuber I watch, and her friendly nature, optimism, and cutie-patootie voice are quite delightful and contagious. When she isn't skateboarding, she could be co-hosting an online entertainment show directed to teens, vlogging about what food she is eating, talking about or covering the latest music, or hanging out with friends ^_^ She's also a Christian, which is nice. It's comforting knowing there is a source to one's happiness and/or perspective on life, and her consistency and faith is very endearing.

A person with a heart for Jesus is someone whose value exceeds gold and diamonds ^_^ Their friendship, or at least in the way they look out for you or even pray for you can make all the difference in the world. Hold on to those people as best you can, because they will have such a profound effect on you. Thanks, Meghan!

Anyway, for Nathan and Jessica, PROOF GIRLS SKATEBOARD!

GCB: Dude, I think we won?

After two months on the air, ABC announced this week they would not renew the controversial comedy satire GCB. In fact, they went so far to announce this would be the last month GCB would be aired on their network.

No doubt there are PTAs and various Christian groups, who organized petitions for ABC to halt the series before it could air, dancing in the streets. However, I think we were called to more important things than watching television and complaining when something ruffles our feathers a little too much. Much like when we adults find things in the Bible that are "so B.C." and too counter to what is happening all around the world, we ignore them and the thousands of years God spent preserving that doctrine to live a "real life", do "what feels right", and "what feels good to us"; our kids are smarter than we think, after all, and even they are taking using our "logic" to bypass other sections of the Bible because they get in the way of "real life" and "what feels right". Imagine a day when the Ten Commandments becomes "The Ten Suggestions" or "The Ten Things You Are Asked Not To Do, Unless You Are Dying or About to Perform Surgery" o_O

The next generation will be in the driver's seat one day, and what better time to get involved and interested in their lives, what they are up to, and how they are doing than right now? Honour begins at home, and if you want your children to live in a better world than you did, then it starts with sitting down, turning off the television, and being the role model they look to for hours on end, and not some satirical, fictional character on the tubes.

Just a thought...

I Was In A Fight

I decided to wait a day for the emotions to die down, and for me to collect my thoughts. It happened so fast, but I am blessed to come out of it pretty much unscathed.

Unlike what the title may suggest, I did not fight anybody on Monday. Some family and friends were concerned for my well-being, and again I want to thank them for their prayers. I am alright, and by alright I mean I can type things like this o_O, and not look like this: o_O.

After work on Monday, which at that time was 4:50pm, I missed the first bus so I waited about ten minutes for the late bus. I arrived at the bus stop for the next bus around 5:25pm; I was wearing shades, but I try not to make obvious eye contact with anyone as I look for a seat. I found one next to a teenage girl asleep by the window, and sat down next to her. I did notice a young, gruff individual (combatant #1) in the next row behind me, nevertheless as I usually do I whip out my Nintendo DS and play Dr. Mario to pass the time (Hi Evelyn...I'm practicing ^_^ Sorry...)

I'm not completely in my seat, as the bag I'm carrying is heavy. So when another gruff dude walking towards the back of the bus (combatant #2), I hoist my bag out of the way and onto my lap to let him pass. He sat down in the middle of the back row, while combatant #1 sat at the right window seat with an empty seat between them, and another lady seated opposite him by the left window. How does this look, Phil? Okay...Lady, empty seat, combatant #2, empty seat, combatant #1.

Seconds into the bus ride, combatant #1 thinks #2 is giving him a weird look; I know this because he immediately asks #2 "What are you looking at?" (I'm paraphrasing). #2 claims he isn't looking at #1, but #1 is already angered. The back and forth continued between them, and some of the passengers are already telling #2 to just go to the front of the bus while others are yelling to the bus driver. Unfortunately, #2 is still sitting down, and #1 is standing over him. What makes things worse is I'm stuck in my seat thanks to #1 o_O, so I lean out of the way and nudge the sleeping teenager out of her slumber O_O

Suddenly, #1 takes a swing at #2, and the punches start flying! People are screaming, the lady in the back row is reaching out her hands to stop them from punching, and other passengers are calling the police on their cell phones, and running away to the front of the bus! I could just stand up, but both dudes are leaning in my direction. Worst case scenario: If the fight escalates, they could take the fight into my spot, and the lady and the girl next to me could be in danger! Plus, #1 could be armed! So, being six foot four I lean towards the girl, who is already crouched in her seat, to shield her from any potential blows. I might have caught something below my right shoulder, but then again it could be the results of sitting in the uncomfortable chairs of public transportation, who knows? o_O

Seconds later, #2 stops swinging and there is blood all over his face. The bus stops, and #1 takes off and runs into a nearby park. #2, who is fuming and bleeding, tries to stop the cuts on his forehead by applying pressure with his T-shirt. I help the lady and the girl off the bus with the others, and then being the hat collector I am I find #2's hat and give it to him. While the bus driver and #2 wait for the ambulance, the rest of us passengers wait a minute or two for the next bus to take us to the terminal. The whole thing lasted about three minutes or so, and afterward no one spoke about it.

I did see the drowsy teenage girl walking about the shopping mall later that evening, but I didn't talk to her and ask if she was alright. Thankfully, no one else was hurt in the incident, but now some of the people that take that bus are afraid #1 might show up and cause more trouble!

I thought bad behaviour on buses only happened in YouTube videos, which I will not provide links to here >_< In the midst of all that random swinging and screaming and maybe getting a tap below the shoulder blade, there was something or someone in control, because I was able to "sleep walk" through something that would, under normal circumstances, make me flail my arms and run in circles like a child. Therefore, the question for me becomes "where does that ability to control your actions, know precisely what almost everyone is doing, keep your blood pressure down, and sit next to a big time brawl on a bus come from?"

My answer is God, and that's it. I'm sure if I didn't believe in God, I might have a longer explanation and more confusing "what if" scenarios running through my head, but God kept me at peace through the whole thing. Given I am the same dude that yells at the television while watching NFL Films specials and historical dramas, I think it's strange I didn't say or do anything wacky, and everyone is safe. This was a really humbling experience. Thanks for reading, and for checking up on me ^_^

My PROM Story

Based on a true story; man, is it ever...

Yes, I remember my PROM; yes, indeed, I remember that Friday night very well...

I was at home; I downed one whole 3-Meat Delissio Pizza, drank six litres of soda (2L of cranberry, 2L of lemonade, and 2L of blueberry), polished off one pound of Starburst and Skittles candies, played a couple of hours of FIFA99 on my computer, and spent the rest of the night playing video games on my Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast consoles. To this day, I don't remember how I ended up in bed the next morning.

In high school, or at least I assumed that you had one chance to ask a girl to accompany you to PROM, and once you make your intentions known word would get out like wildfire that you asked a girl, and she gave you an answer. If it was yes, everything was hunky dory ^_^ Sure, if you are a dude, you might be on cloud nine, and dancing down the halls on your tiptoes. However, if she said no, it would be foolish to ask someone else. Not only would you offend the next girl by labeling her "the next girl around", but you would appear desperate in the eyes of everyone: That was my assumption.

I had plenty of work cut out for me, after all: I was loud, off the wall, not as well-mannered as I perceived to be, and HUGE (I typed fat earlier, but hindsight takes off twenty pounds; I was HUGE). I gave the girl I would eventually ask out to PROM every reason to say "No", so when she did the initial shock of rejection wasn't there because I half-expected it. However, when I would play back the rejection in my head against the assumptions I had about high school chivalry and "why you only ask once", I thought every girl in the school knew I was looking for a date, and I thought every girl was stand offish from me for the rest of that week.

That was eleven years ago, and I never got over it; I should be over it, yet the fact is my relationship status is as static as the dust collected inside the Toronto Maple Leafs trophy case only magnifies my PROM experience. I will qualify that I got in shape years afterward acknowledging what Jesus Christ did for my life, yet even so nothing changed. As I approach thirty years of age, I have a difficult time trusting people, and I spend most of my time alone at home, restaurants, or IKEA.

All I wanted was an opportunity to be THAT DUDE in someone's life: Whether it was for one PROM, or  for one year in the life of a young woman. I had an ill-conceived notion that I deserved that chance based on my comparison to other people, and rightfully so that chance never materialized. I never lived out my PROM. That's my PROM story.

Living on the Edge: Vlogging From Work

Hi!

If you read the title, then you know why I'm speaking short sentences today ^_^ I'm blogging from the office computer; although work for the day is almost wrapped up, the boss is in the next office over and I'm blogging here LOL

Why do we enjoy taking risks so much? The heightened senses, the short sentence structure, the raised blood pressure, and goosebumps percolating next to the afternoon coffee mug are all signs we are flirting with danger, when all signs point to an alternate, safer direction. Alas, safety doesn't give us the thrills and near spills risk-taking can.

I suppose there are good risks to take: You talking to that girl over there, you hoping that guy over there doesn't suddenly stand up from his seat and walk the length of the room to talk to you, and you eating that last slice of pizza two hours before your spinning class may not have disastrous consequences should you fail or flunk out of spinning class. However, there are obvious risks that, if taken, are just plain stupid.

I don't need to list them for you, nor can I with the boss next door o_O It would be easy to write "don't do it" to whatever you are thinking about doing that is unsafe, but there are enough people in your life (or at least, I hope so) telling you that already. Therefore, let's consider a little morality play: Imagine a world where everyone acted in secrecy about everything good or bad they decide to do o_O I am imagining people tiptoing to work, getting in the door at exactly the same time, and the removal of all doors everywhere. Yes, you guessed it: Zero privacy! It seems ridiculous, but in the world of facebook everything, and Google satellites tracking your every move on this planet it is not far off. Alright, now consider the opposite where everyone did not act in secrecy about every decision they make. Yes, you put to death the out in the open sins of the world like stealing, lying, and nutty behaviour found in riot videos. However, you get to see people for who they really are: Jealous people, conceited people, sad people, and angry people. It doesn't inspire too much confidence -_-

Is there a time to "live life on the edge"? Of course there is! However, one should ask (1) If someone I care about does the same thing, will I encourage or warn them? (2) Will I hope at least one other person is not around to see/hear/smell at any time what I am about to do? (3) Will it hinder my ability to talk to people about a similar subject in the future? These questions are simplistic in some ways, and there are many other questions I could ask, too. At least they are there to get a discussion going, and get your gears working before you do that thing...however extreme!

Speaking of extreme things, I should get back to work! o_O