5:30 AM. To the MINUTE news broke Sean passed. I'm not going to lie. This post took me a ton ass of time to put together, but it doesn't matter. It's 3 years to the day and arguably the best safety of all time was taken away, yet the cuts still run deep. After the jump are FOR SURE pictures you haven't seen of our beloved #21. I had the privilege 2 years ago to interview Sean's coaches in Larry Coker and Butch Davis. It's moving to hear what his Miami coaches had to say. Enjoy.........
Butch Davis: "When I recruited Sean, my son went to the same school as Sean. So, I was over at Gulliver a lot picking up my son and watching him practice. I'll never forget the year we recruited Sean, he scored 5 TDs in the championship game as the RB. That was one of the things [people don't realize in games]. They see an interception by Sean Taylor in college and the NFL and they didn't realize they just threw the ball up to one of the country's best RBs. At the time we had Willis Maghee, Clinton Portis, Najeh Davenport. We had a host of RBs..it was just more prudent to put him at safety."
Honestly. Goose bumps. Everytime S. Dot touched the ball for the Redskins he WAS a running back. GAME OVER. How was Sean as a kid? Sean Taylor's Uncle, Michael Outar, spoke at the funeral:
"I wanted him to play running back or quarterback and score all the touchdowns. The coach gave Sean number 66 and put him on the line. Before the game he said, 'Uncle Michael, what do I do?' I said, 'Hit the guy with the ball.' And that's what he did, over and over."
HAHA. Sounds about right. I had the pleasure of talking to Joe Gibbs at Russ Grimm's HoF and how he confirmed the Redskins were only taking Sean and no one else. Gibbs shot down the rumor Kellon WInslow ever had a shot.
Dez Bryant is counting his lucky stars instead of seeing them.
Why were we robbed of this for the next ten years?
I am not a Jeremy Shockey fan but he took it harder than we'll ever know.
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S.Dot...
These unis were untouchable.
How bad ass is this pic?....
The young years,,,,
Dan Snyder with Sean's dad..
F the media, Clinton. We know you bring it and don't lay down.
More worrying, some of the North Koreans shells reportedly landed on the island itself, destroying about 60—70 homes and fields. The island’s population has also reportedly taken shelter. No word on casualties.
This is good news but there is still work to be done.
After a year’s delay, legislation that would allow a young Japanese widow to honor her Marine husband’s wishes and raise their infant son in Tennessee is finally moving through Congress.
The U.S. House voted Monday to close a loophole in federal immigration law so that Hotaru “Hota” Ferschke can move permanently to the United States with her 22-month-old son, Mikey.
Mikey’s father is Marine Sgt. Michael Ferschke of Maryville, who was killed two years ago in Iraq.
The bill, which passed on a voice vote and is called the “Marine Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr. Memorial Act,” still requires approval from the U.S. Senate.
But for Sgt. Ferschke’s parents, Robin and Mike Ferschke, Monday’s action offers a glimmer of hope that the family’s painful ordeal may finally be coming to an end.
“Every day I have hope, but it scares me, too, because every time I get my hopes up, they get shattered,” Robin Ferschke said. “I don’t know how much more we can be shattered.”
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U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Maryville, and Jim Webb, D-Va., are working to pass the legislation in the Senate, but time is running out. If the measure hasn’t been approved by the time Congress adjourns for the year in December, the bill will die and lawmakers will have to start all over again next year.
The legislation would also apply to other widows in Hotaru’s situation though Congressman Duncan’s office knew of none else in her situation.
Come on United States Senate and end this senseless act of stupidity.
Strange as it may seem, the Quincy Black saga continues as local district assembly members question the responsibility of the company tasked with running the educational center where Quincy taught (and filmed). One lawmaker was particularly dogged, grilling a witness as to whether the school moved furniture from the teacher dorm room that appeared in the films in order to minimize the fallout from the scandal.
On Tuesday the Seoul Sinmun reported on the placement of native speaking teachers in public schools, and provided this helpful chart:
At top are the number of teachers by year, followed by a breakdown by nationality of teachers currently working, and at bottom are the percentages of teachers with qualifications. Interesting to see how the numbers changed over the years. The spike in 1996 and 1997 can be explained by something I quoted here (original link dead):
In 1995, at the crest of a wave of private language institutes sweeping the country, the Korean Ministry of Education launched a pilot program called KORETTA, or Korea English Teacher Training Assistants, later renamed the English Program in Korea, or EPIK. It was the first and only nationwide government-initiated program to address the demand for English education in Korea, designed to place native English speakers in public school classrooms to co-teach alongside Korean English teachers. EPIK, however, was marked from the start by disorganization, miscommunication and allegations of corruption by its foreign teachers.
In 1996, a summer intake that consisted of several orientation sessions, run by Korea University, brought in more than 860 teachers, but by the third week of October, fewer than 500 remained [468, according to the Korea Times on Oct. 23]. Those who quit cited reasons such as inadequate housing, late salary payments and refusal of severance pay.
In 1997 we see there were 856 teachers, but by the end of the year they started fleeing the country as the financial crisis hit Korea. An April 1, 1998 Korea Times article mentions that
Foreign English teachers are giving up their jobs in South Korean high schools because their pay has shrunk in value, discouraging an ambitious English education plan that started just a year ago. Education Ministry officials said 126 out of 856 native English-speaking teachers quit as of the end of last month [and few would re-sign when their contracts ended in July].
The number of teachers in public schools wouldn't reach the numbers from 1997 again until 2004.
In other news, the Daejeon city journal reports that as Daejeon Dong-gu council's administrative affairs investigative committee begins its probe into the spread of the "native speaking teacher sex video," [the one by Quincy Black] there is debate over the morality of Woongjin Think Big, the educational company in charge of running the International Communication Center, where he was staying.
(The Daejeon ICC, from Daum map's road view)
There are lots of questions being asked about the company's responsibility, whether it moved the furniture in the room afterward, calls for apologies, etc.
The article adds that
the sensation caused by the spread of the native speaking teacher sex video and the related problems with the native speaking teacher recruitment process and qualifications has raised questions regarding the morality of Woongjin Think Big, who are responsible for the management and supervision of these teachers.
If only they'd put "Do you plan to film pornography and upload it to foreign websites during your stay in Korea?" on an application form, the company would be able to blame the teacher (who, of course, should be blamed).
Lastly, Maeil Gyeongje reports that the Daegu International School is being investigated for having 10 foreign teachers work illegally, and for hiring at least 6 unqualified Korean elementary and middle school teachers. The foreign teachers were hired back when the school opened in August, but got into hot water when it was discovered they were paid on September 3, but had received their work visas on September 23, meaning they had been teaching on tourist visas for several weeks.
Veteran's Day 2010....
In Korea, today is Pepero day.
Pepero Day is an observance in South Korea similar to Valentine's Day. It is named after the Korean snack Pepero and held on November 11, since the date "11/11" resembles four sticks of Pepero. The holiday is observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange Pepero sticks, other candies, and romantic gifts. Lotte denies starting the holiday and instead states that they noticed a bump in Pepero sales around November 11th and after continued popularity they decided to then encourage the holiday with special gift boxes and other promotions. Some consider it to be a contrived holiday and some teachers have encouraged children to exchange healthy snacks to help combat obesity. An alternative "Garaetteok Day" (sticks of white tteok) has been proposed.
According to one story, Pepero Day was started in 1994 by students at a girls' middle school in Busan, where they exchanged Pepero sticks as gifts to wish one another to grow "as tall and slender as a Pepero".
In Japan, a similar Pocky Day was started however it has failed to gain traction
In the USA today is Veterans Day.
Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day in commemoration of the signing of the Armistice ending World War I, is the anniversary of the ending of World War I. In the United States it is celebrated as a federal holiday on 11 November. World War I formally ended all major hostilities ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month with the German signing of Armistice. Armistice Day was first commemorated by President Wilson in 1919, and many states made it a legal holiday. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 inviting all Americans to observe the day, and made it a legal holiday nationwide in 1938. The holiday has been observed annually on November 11 since that date - first as Armistice Day, later as Veterans Day - except for a brief period when it was celebrated on the fourth Monday of October.
Following World War II, the name of the holiday was changed (enacted 1 June 1954) to Veterans Day to honor those who served in all American wars. The day has since evolved to primarily be a time of honoring living veterans who have served in the military during wartime or peacetime, partially due to competition with Memorial Day, which primarily honors the dead. Many nations within the British Commonwealth observe a similar occasion, Remembrance Day, on 11 November.
For those who do not know, I was in the US Army from 1989-1996. Today has always been a day of reflection for me and with the candy holiday today I still have no idea how I I stay sane on this day. I have a story to tell today and its about a soldier who is no longer here.
His last name was Matthew, he was from Colorado, we called him Matt. To be honest I do not remember his first name. I met him in 1994 when I was in the Army. He was a young soldier who was part of the Field Artillery in Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. To be honest I have no idea why I liked the kid but their was something about him that I found OK.
As a lot of young soldiers, he was a good kid but he starting drinking under age and the I had to deal with with. One day I was in a hurry, and I just got a call to go to the Hospital to deal with some drunk fool. Matt was acting the fool and I stopped to talk to him. (Now realize something I'm 6'4, I had a gun on my side and I was wearing a Military Police patch) I yelled at Matt very loud so everybody could hear me, "You fuck up one more time I am dragging you dumb ass to the MP station and the shit will hit the fan! Do you understand me Private Matthew." I left and took care of the drunk at the hospital.
I did not see Matt for a few weeks, I found out later that my yelling at him forced him to take a good long look at himself and he decided that he was going to stop drinking, I was told by a Sgt. of his much later, that he believed me when I told him that I would arrest him for underage drinking.
I saw him a few weeks later and he talked to me and said that he was quitting drinking, I told him If I see it (the drinking) one more time, you are going down. I told him to get lost.
It was at this time that Matt met a local girl and they both fell in love big time. I was watching them and I was happy for him, she loved him and he loved her and they were both happy together. A few weeks later I went and talked to him, I told him that he was doing good and I hoped that things were going good.
As an MP, I worked a lot of shift work, Matt needed to borrow a car so when I was on midnight shift, I would loan him mine so he could pick her up and drive her home. She lived out in the country by the extreme back gate of Ft. Sill.
It went on for a few months and then one night he said that he wanted to talk to me. He said that he needed advice. So we talked for awhile, he told me that they were going to get married after she finished high school and we talked about her going to college and how he needed to work on his life insurance and a lot of things like that. I gave her a hug and told her to take care of my boy.
I was engaged at the time myself and I was so happy for him, I was grateful, that she was in Korea and not here, because if she would have smelled any other woman's perfume in the car I knew that I was in trouble and Matt's girl liked to wear a lot and my car usually stunk of it for a few days. He was my friend so I just deal with it.
He borrowed my car one night, while I was on mid shift and I told him that this month I am on mids so he could borrow the car anytime he needed. He borrowed the car and he returned the keys to me. i told him remember I am on mids so if you need it just call me and you can borrow it, no need for you to walk or take a taxi ride. We talked and he went home. That was the last time I would ever see him.
I got busy and Matt didn't call to borrow the car so I didn't worry about it. A few days later I was told by somebody at the NCO club that Matt had died, so that night I went to work and I read the SIR (Serious Incident Report) and it was all about Matt. The desk Sgt looked at me and he realized that I was not in a good frame of mind. I told him that this was my friend and now he is dead, he was 19-20 years old. Now he was dead. It was a quiet night that night, I just drove around in a daze for most of the night and I had no idea what the hell happened. I was worried if this was not an accident some MF was fixin to die.
I knew all of the ER (Emergency Room) techs and drivers and that day they saw me upset, one lady asked me what was up, I told her about Matt and I was worried that I was going to take somebody out for killing my friend. She told me not to do that, she also told me that she was the one who handled the call, then she told me what happened.
Matt had decided this night not to call me to borrow my car and that he was going to walk to his G/F house, it was a good 10 mile walk. He was wearing dark clothes that night and he was walking home from her house when it happened. A driver was driving his truck and was doing the speed limit and all of a sudden he thought that he struck a deer (In this area, hitting a deer happened a lot so he didn't think anything about it.) He stopped at the Love's Truck stop and called Oklahoma Highway Patrol and told them that he hit a deer and that he would go back and try and find the deer, he was afraid that he had killed the deer) the lights suck in this area, last time I was their in 2001 they still sucked.
The er tech then said, The driver went back to the scene and found what he thought was the deer, when he discovered that It was a man (Matt) he just lost it, he was loosing his mind and crying when the OHP arrived, they found Matt's ID card and they called the US Army hospital for help. The tech said that when they arrived it was too late, It was later determined that he died on impact and that he did not suffer (I pray to God this is right). It was ruled an accident due to Matt's dark clothes, bad lights and no intent, after reading the report I agreed with the decision and I forgot the man name who hit Matt ASAP. It was just one of those things that happen with no rhyme or reason.
Then I was faced with one of the hardest decision that I have ever made in my life, Do I tell his future wife how this whole thing went down. I was still dealing with and to this day deal with, why the fuck did he not call me so he could drive and see his g/f, I was on mids shift i didn't need the car that night. This has haunted me for 10+ years now, I had no answer then and I still have no answer now.
I decided not to and to be honest, this is the 2nd time I have told this story since the accident, I saw her from time to time and when I last say her in 1998 she still had not married and from what I was told, still no b/f. I do hope that she is happy once again and has found love.
I tried to go see the body at the funeral home but the unit had not brought the clothes yet and he was leaving the next day so I never got to say good-bye to my friend. I was told that he was going to be burred in his home state of Colorado and I was unable to find the funeral notice online for "The Lawton Constitution"
Ever year since I have done a little service on Memorial Day and on Veterans Day, The African-American soldiers would pour out some booze for their friends who have died. I have done it every Memorial and Veteran Day. I did it today, I remembered Matt and I told him that today was the day I tell your story, that I have not forgotten you and I still think of you from time to time. I poured some out for other soldiers that I know that have died. Then I poured a lot out for my father and said, Dad, still thinking of you and still missing you, I hope that you are proud of me, I have always thought that you thought of me as a failure. I miss you and love you."
I knew that I was typing this story tonight. A little sad but I know that my friend will always be apart of the blog, sorry we never took a photo together. So I can not post one.
I just wanted to post a Vet story tonight, the sad thing is I am getting older, in my memory of Matt he has not aged one bit. I gave up asking why and I hope that when I get to heaven we can talk again.
I am now 44 years old and I am getting older and these kids haven't aged one day in my mind.
I'm single. I believe in God and am a member of the Church of Christ. I have 2 kids, Claudia and Sean McStay. Hopefully one day we can be reunited. I miss you 2 so much, you are growing up without me.
by Kevin Ewoldt on Nov 27, 2010 9:34 AM EST
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