Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com/friend/elefie
Seriously, check it out.
It's awesome!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Amen!
MSNBC.com
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My Turn: Stop Setting Alarms on My Biological Clock
If I'm ever going to fulfill my dream of becoming a mother, I'm going to need some better role models.
By Carrie Friedman
Newsweek
July 23, 2007 issue - I am at a party chatting with a woman I know slightly. As her young son squirms out of her embrace, she slips her hand under my shirt. She's not getting fresh with me. She's touching my tummy with her cold hand and asking me, in a concerned voice, "Why aren't you pregnant yet?" I smile, break free from her touch, and head to the food table to fill said empty belly with her brat's birthday cake.
I love children and definitely plan on having them. Maternal instinct is oozing out of my pores: I've infantilized my dogs; I've gotten down on my hands and knees at the park with babies I barely know. My marriage is wonderful and solid, and we are both blessed with good health. I've been a nanny, a teacher, a youth-group leader. I've taken childhood-development courses solely for the purpose of someday raising happy, balanced children. I have always looked forward to becoming a mother.
So why don't I have kids or even the inkling right now? It's because of you. Yes, you: the fanatical mothers of the world. It may seem like ages ago now, but you weren't always like this. You, too, were sneering at the obnoxious parents who brought their infants to fancy, adult, nighttime restaurants or R-rated movies and let them carry on, ruining things for other patrons. You've been terrible advertising for the club that you so desperately need others to join.
If you want me to join your ranks—and you've made it clear with your cold, clammy hands on my stomach that recruiting my uterus is of paramount importance to you—I need to set some ground rules.
First, please stop asking me when I'm going to get pregnant.
For all you know, I cannot have kids. For all I know, I cannot have kids, as I have not yet tried. But imagine how painful this line of interrogation would be if I had submitted to all kinds of procedures, only to come up empty-wombed. It would be emotionally devastating. Yet ever since the day after my wedding two years ago, I have fielded this question from the eye doctor, the dental assistant, my yoga teacher, the bagger at the grocery store. All of them feel entitled to ask. Don't. It's none of your business.
Next, don't completely abandon your own life and passions. You're setting a bad example for aspiring mothers-to-be like me.
I recently expressed my happiness over an achievement I had at work to a mother-friend of mine. She said, dripping with condescension, "Well, you don't know happiness until you've had a baby."
That's very possible, but don't rain on my parade, as I've never said to you, "Remind me, when you went to that expensive college you majored in diaper-rash prevention, right?"
I happen to love my job. It fulfills me in ways no other person—even a child—could. I learned through my own mother's example that the best lesson you can teach your kids is to pursue their passions. It's not selfish to have your own life. In fact, it's selfish not to.
Now let's talk a bit about manners, as in please teach your children some. The world has rules, and kids should learn them. And being well mannered does not infringe on their individuality and freedom.
I crouched to meet the eye line of an acquaintance's 4-year-old to greet her, and in response, she punched me in the face so hard my mouth bled. What was more baffling was the mother's reaction: nothing to the child, but to me she said very sternly: "You really shouldn't talk down to kids."
I also shouldn't be punched in the face by kids whose parents don't know how to set basic boundaries. Experiences like this don't exactly encourage me to hurry up and get pregnant.
Finally, don't make your kid an extension of your own narcissism.
No one could possibly love your kids as much as you do, so stop inflicting them on others. Don't bring your kid to adult parties when you're not sure if it's kid-friendly. If they didn't invite your kid, they don't want your kid there. If you don't want to get a babysitter, stay home.
My husband thinks some people, particularly mothers, behave in these ways because it helps them validate their own choices. But he doesn't truly understand how infuriating it is, and that's because nobody badgers men with questions about procreation.
Becoming a parent was your decision, and I am thrilled for you. All I'm asking is that you let me make that choice in my own time. And keep your hands off my belly.
Friedman lives in Los Angeles.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19762056/site/newsweek/page/0/
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MSN Privacy . Legal
© 2007 MSNBC.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Turn: Stop Setting Alarms on My Biological Clock
If I'm ever going to fulfill my dream of becoming a mother, I'm going to need some better role models.
By Carrie Friedman
Newsweek
July 23, 2007 issue - I am at a party chatting with a woman I know slightly. As her young son squirms out of her embrace, she slips her hand under my shirt. She's not getting fresh with me. She's touching my tummy with her cold hand and asking me, in a concerned voice, "Why aren't you pregnant yet?" I smile, break free from her touch, and head to the food table to fill said empty belly with her brat's birthday cake.
I love children and definitely plan on having them. Maternal instinct is oozing out of my pores: I've infantilized my dogs; I've gotten down on my hands and knees at the park with babies I barely know. My marriage is wonderful and solid, and we are both blessed with good health. I've been a nanny, a teacher, a youth-group leader. I've taken childhood-development courses solely for the purpose of someday raising happy, balanced children. I have always looked forward to becoming a mother.
So why don't I have kids or even the inkling right now? It's because of you. Yes, you: the fanatical mothers of the world. It may seem like ages ago now, but you weren't always like this. You, too, were sneering at the obnoxious parents who brought their infants to fancy, adult, nighttime restaurants or R-rated movies and let them carry on, ruining things for other patrons. You've been terrible advertising for the club that you so desperately need others to join.
If you want me to join your ranks—and you've made it clear with your cold, clammy hands on my stomach that recruiting my uterus is of paramount importance to you—I need to set some ground rules.
First, please stop asking me when I'm going to get pregnant.
For all you know, I cannot have kids. For all I know, I cannot have kids, as I have not yet tried. But imagine how painful this line of interrogation would be if I had submitted to all kinds of procedures, only to come up empty-wombed. It would be emotionally devastating. Yet ever since the day after my wedding two years ago, I have fielded this question from the eye doctor, the dental assistant, my yoga teacher, the bagger at the grocery store. All of them feel entitled to ask. Don't. It's none of your business.
Next, don't completely abandon your own life and passions. You're setting a bad example for aspiring mothers-to-be like me.
I recently expressed my happiness over an achievement I had at work to a mother-friend of mine. She said, dripping with condescension, "Well, you don't know happiness until you've had a baby."
That's very possible, but don't rain on my parade, as I've never said to you, "Remind me, when you went to that expensive college you majored in diaper-rash prevention, right?"
I happen to love my job. It fulfills me in ways no other person—even a child—could. I learned through my own mother's example that the best lesson you can teach your kids is to pursue their passions. It's not selfish to have your own life. In fact, it's selfish not to.
Now let's talk a bit about manners, as in please teach your children some. The world has rules, and kids should learn them. And being well mannered does not infringe on their individuality and freedom.
I crouched to meet the eye line of an acquaintance's 4-year-old to greet her, and in response, she punched me in the face so hard my mouth bled. What was more baffling was the mother's reaction: nothing to the child, but to me she said very sternly: "You really shouldn't talk down to kids."
I also shouldn't be punched in the face by kids whose parents don't know how to set basic boundaries. Experiences like this don't exactly encourage me to hurry up and get pregnant.
Finally, don't make your kid an extension of your own narcissism.
No one could possibly love your kids as much as you do, so stop inflicting them on others. Don't bring your kid to adult parties when you're not sure if it's kid-friendly. If they didn't invite your kid, they don't want your kid there. If you don't want to get a babysitter, stay home.
My husband thinks some people, particularly mothers, behave in these ways because it helps them validate their own choices. But he doesn't truly understand how infuriating it is, and that's because nobody badgers men with questions about procreation.
Becoming a parent was your decision, and I am thrilled for you. All I'm asking is that you let me make that choice in my own time. And keep your hands off my belly.
Friedman lives in Los Angeles.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19762056/site/newsweek/page/0/
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MSN Privacy . Legal
© 2007 MSNBC.com
Friday, July 13, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
FOSTER'S
 | You scored as Wilt, you are wilt!
Which Fosters home for imaginary friends character are you? created with QuizFarm.com |
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Justice Has Been Served!!
MSNBC.com
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Dry cleaner wins in $54 million suit for pants
Judge rules plaintiff must pay court costs
The Associated Press
Updated: 11:35 a.m. MT June 25, 2007
WASHINGTON - A judge ruled Monday in favor of a dry cleaner that was sued for $54 million over a missing pair of pants.
The owners of Custom Cleaners did not violate the city's Consumer Protection Act by failing to live up to Roy L. Pearson's expectations of the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign once displayed in the store window, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled.
Bartnoff ordered Pearson to pay the court costs of defendants Soo Chung, Jin Nam Chung and Ki Y. Chung.
Pearson, an administrative law judge, originally sought $67 million from the Chungs, claiming they lost a pair of suit trousers and later tried to give him a pair that he said was not his. He arrived at the amount by adding up years of alleged law violations and almost $2 million in common law claims.
Pearson later dropped demands for damages related to the pants and focused his claims on signs in the shop, which have since been removed.
Chris Manning, the Chungs' attorney, argued that no reasonable person would interpret the signs to mean an unconditional promise of satisfaction.
The Chungs said the trial had taken an enormous financial and emotional toll on them and exposed them to widespread ridicule.
The two-day trial earlier this month drew a standing-room-only crowd and overshadowed the drunken driving trial of former Mayor Marion Barry.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19414287?GT1=10056
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MSN Privacy . Legal
© 2007 MSNBC.com
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Dry cleaner wins in $54 million suit for pants
Judge rules plaintiff must pay court costs
The Associated Press
Updated: 11:35 a.m. MT June 25, 2007
WASHINGTON - A judge ruled Monday in favor of a dry cleaner that was sued for $54 million over a missing pair of pants.
The owners of Custom Cleaners did not violate the city's Consumer Protection Act by failing to live up to Roy L. Pearson's expectations of the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign once displayed in the store window, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled.
Bartnoff ordered Pearson to pay the court costs of defendants Soo Chung, Jin Nam Chung and Ki Y. Chung.
Pearson, an administrative law judge, originally sought $67 million from the Chungs, claiming they lost a pair of suit trousers and later tried to give him a pair that he said was not his. He arrived at the amount by adding up years of alleged law violations and almost $2 million in common law claims.
Pearson later dropped demands for damages related to the pants and focused his claims on signs in the shop, which have since been removed.
Chris Manning, the Chungs' attorney, argued that no reasonable person would interpret the signs to mean an unconditional promise of satisfaction.
The Chungs said the trial had taken an enormous financial and emotional toll on them and exposed them to widespread ridicule.
The two-day trial earlier this month drew a standing-room-only crowd and overshadowed the drunken driving trial of former Mayor Marion Barry.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19414287?GT1=10056
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MSN Privacy . Legal
© 2007 MSNBC.com
Monday, May 14, 2007
Thursday, May 3, 2007
DISBAR THIS JUDGE!!
THIS IS A DISGRACE TO OUR LEGAL SYSTEM! Another glaring example of what bad shape this nation is in. Judges should be pillars of our society, not abusers of the system that keeps them employed.
MSNBC.com
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Judge sues for $65 million over pants | Vote
2 years of litigation x 1 pair of trousers = headaches for family business
The Associated Press
Updated: 11:22 a.m. MT May 3, 2007
WASHINGTON - The Chungs, immigrants from South Korea, realized their American dream when they opened their dry-cleaning business seven years ago in the nation's capital.
For the past two years, however, they've been dealing with the nightmare of litigation: a $65 million lawsuit over a pair of missing pants.
Jin Nam Chung, Ki Chung and their son, Soo Chung, are so disheartened that they're considering moving back to Seoul, said their attorney, Chris Manning, who spoke on their behalf.
"They're out a lot of money, but more importantly, incredibly disenchanted with the system," Manning said. "This has destroyed their lives."
The lawsuit was filed by a District of Columbia administrative hearings judge, Roy Pearson, who has been representing himself in the case.
Pearson said he could not comment on the case.
According to court documents, the problem began in May 2005 when Pearson became a judge and brought several suits for alteration to Custom Cleaners in Northeast Washington, a place he patronized regularly despite previous disagreements with the Chungs. A pair of pants from one suit was not ready when he requested it two days later, and was deemed to be missing.
Pearson asked the cleaners for the full price of the suit: more than $1,000.
But a week later, the Chungs said the pants had been found and refused to pay. That's when Pearson decided to sue.
Three settlement offers
Manning said the cleaners made three settlement offers to Pearson. First they offered $3,000, then $4,600, then $12,000. But Pearson wasn't satisfied and expanded his calculations beyond one pair of pants.
Because Pearson no longer wanted to use his neighborhood dry cleaner, part of his lawsuit calls for $15,000 — the price to rent a car every weekend for 10 years to go to another business.
"He's somehow purporting that he has a constitutional right to a dry cleaner within four blocks of his apartment," Manning said.
But the bulk of the $65 million comes from Pearson's strict interpretation of D.C.'s consumer protection law, which fines violators $1,500 per violation, per day. According to court papers, Pearson added up 12 violations over 1,200 days, and then multiplied that by three defendants.
Much of Pearson's case rests on two signs that Custom Cleaners once had on its walls: "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Same Day Service."
Judge alleges fraud
Based on Pearson's dissatisfaction and the delay in getting back the pants, he claims the signs amount to fraud.
Pearson has appointed himself to represent all customers affected by such signs, though D.C. Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz, who will hear the June 11 trial, has said that this is a case about one plaintiff, and one pair of pants.
Sherman Joyce, president of the American Tort Association, has written a letter to the group of men who will decide this week whether to renew Pearson's 10-year appointment. Joyce is asking them to reconsider.
Chief Administrative Judge Tyrone Butler had no comment regarding Pearson's reappointment.
The association, which tries to police the kind of abusive lawsuits that hurt small businesses, also has offered to buy Pearson the suit of his choice.
Support for the defendants
And former National Labor Relations Board chief administrative law judge Melvin Welles wrote to The Washington Post to urge "any bar to which Mr. Pearson belongs to immediately disbar him and the District to remove him from his position as an administrative law judge."
"There has been a significant groundswell of support for the Chungs," said Manning, adding that plans for a defense fund Web site are in the works.
To the Chungs and their attorney, one of the most frustrating aspects of the case is their claim that Pearson's gray pants were found a week after Pearson dropped them off in 2005. They've been hanging in Manning's office for more than a year.
Pearson claims in court documents that his pants had blue and red pinstripes.
"They match his inseam measurements. The ticket on the pants match his receipt," Manning said.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18471265/GT1/9951/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2007 MSNBC.com
MSNBC.com
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Judge sues for $65 million over pants | Vote
2 years of litigation x 1 pair of trousers = headaches for family business
The Associated Press
Updated: 11:22 a.m. MT May 3, 2007
WASHINGTON - The Chungs, immigrants from South Korea, realized their American dream when they opened their dry-cleaning business seven years ago in the nation's capital.
For the past two years, however, they've been dealing with the nightmare of litigation: a $65 million lawsuit over a pair of missing pants.
Jin Nam Chung, Ki Chung and their son, Soo Chung, are so disheartened that they're considering moving back to Seoul, said their attorney, Chris Manning, who spoke on their behalf.
"They're out a lot of money, but more importantly, incredibly disenchanted with the system," Manning said. "This has destroyed their lives."
The lawsuit was filed by a District of Columbia administrative hearings judge, Roy Pearson, who has been representing himself in the case.
Pearson said he could not comment on the case.
According to court documents, the problem began in May 2005 when Pearson became a judge and brought several suits for alteration to Custom Cleaners in Northeast Washington, a place he patronized regularly despite previous disagreements with the Chungs. A pair of pants from one suit was not ready when he requested it two days later, and was deemed to be missing.
Pearson asked the cleaners for the full price of the suit: more than $1,000.
But a week later, the Chungs said the pants had been found and refused to pay. That's when Pearson decided to sue.
Three settlement offers
Manning said the cleaners made three settlement offers to Pearson. First they offered $3,000, then $4,600, then $12,000. But Pearson wasn't satisfied and expanded his calculations beyond one pair of pants.
Because Pearson no longer wanted to use his neighborhood dry cleaner, part of his lawsuit calls for $15,000 — the price to rent a car every weekend for 10 years to go to another business.
"He's somehow purporting that he has a constitutional right to a dry cleaner within four blocks of his apartment," Manning said.
But the bulk of the $65 million comes from Pearson's strict interpretation of D.C.'s consumer protection law, which fines violators $1,500 per violation, per day. According to court papers, Pearson added up 12 violations over 1,200 days, and then multiplied that by three defendants.
Much of Pearson's case rests on two signs that Custom Cleaners once had on its walls: "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Same Day Service."
Judge alleges fraud
Based on Pearson's dissatisfaction and the delay in getting back the pants, he claims the signs amount to fraud.
Pearson has appointed himself to represent all customers affected by such signs, though D.C. Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz, who will hear the June 11 trial, has said that this is a case about one plaintiff, and one pair of pants.
Sherman Joyce, president of the American Tort Association, has written a letter to the group of men who will decide this week whether to renew Pearson's 10-year appointment. Joyce is asking them to reconsider.
Chief Administrative Judge Tyrone Butler had no comment regarding Pearson's reappointment.
The association, which tries to police the kind of abusive lawsuits that hurt small businesses, also has offered to buy Pearson the suit of his choice.
Support for the defendants
And former National Labor Relations Board chief administrative law judge Melvin Welles wrote to The Washington Post to urge "any bar to which Mr. Pearson belongs to immediately disbar him and the District to remove him from his position as an administrative law judge."
"There has been a significant groundswell of support for the Chungs," said Manning, adding that plans for a defense fund Web site are in the works.
To the Chungs and their attorney, one of the most frustrating aspects of the case is their claim that Pearson's gray pants were found a week after Pearson dropped them off in 2005. They've been hanging in Manning's office for more than a year.
Pearson claims in court documents that his pants had blue and red pinstripes.
"They match his inseam measurements. The ticket on the pants match his receipt," Manning said.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18471265/GT1/9951/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2007 MSNBC.com
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
New Quote
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
Walt Disney
I loved Meet The Robinsons...it came at a very poignant time in Sara's and my life...
Keep Moving Forward everyone...
Walt Disney
I loved Meet The Robinsons...it came at a very poignant time in Sara's and my life...
Keep Moving Forward everyone...
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
God Bless Teachers... :)
Have you heard about the newest "Survivor" show?
Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped into 3 elementary school classrooms for 6 weeks. Each business person will be provided with a copy of his/her school District's curriculum, and a class of 28 students. Each class will have five learning-disabled children, three with A.D.D., one gifted child, two who speak limited English, and three will be labeled with severe behavior problems. Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 5 days in advance with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize, or create materials accordingly. They will be required to teach students, handle misconduct, implement Technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also supervise recess and monitor the hallways. In addition, they will complete drills for fire, tornadoes, terrorists and shooting attacks. They must attend 100 hours of workshops, faculty meetings, union meetings, and curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor those students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the TAKS tests. If they are sick or having a bad day, they must not let it show. Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into their program. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment at all times. The business people will only have access to the golf course on the weekends, but on their new salary they will not be able to afford it anyway. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and lunch will be limited to 30 minutes. On days when they do not have recess duty, the business people will be permitted to use the staff restroom as long as another survival candidate is supervising their class. They will be provided with two, 40-minute planning periods per week while their students are at activity classes. If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials at this time. The business people must continually advance their own education on their own time, and pay for this advanced training themselves. This can be accomplished by moonlighting at a second job or marrying someone with money. The winner will be allowed to return to his or her former job.
Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped into 3 elementary school classrooms for 6 weeks. Each business person will be provided with a copy of his/her school District's curriculum, and a class of 28 students. Each class will have five learning-disabled children, three with A.D.D., one gifted child, two who speak limited English, and three will be labeled with severe behavior problems. Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 5 days in advance with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize, or create materials accordingly. They will be required to teach students, handle misconduct, implement Technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also supervise recess and monitor the hallways. In addition, they will complete drills for fire, tornadoes, terrorists and shooting attacks. They must attend 100 hours of workshops, faculty meetings, union meetings, and curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor those students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the TAKS tests. If they are sick or having a bad day, they must not let it show. Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into their program. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment at all times. The business people will only have access to the golf course on the weekends, but on their new salary they will not be able to afford it anyway. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and lunch will be limited to 30 minutes. On days when they do not have recess duty, the business people will be permitted to use the staff restroom as long as another survival candidate is supervising their class. They will be provided with two, 40-minute planning periods per week while their students are at activity classes. If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials at this time. The business people must continually advance their own education on their own time, and pay for this advanced training themselves. This can be accomplished by moonlighting at a second job or marrying someone with money. The winner will be allowed to return to his or her former job.
5 Lessons You Must Learn. (A forward and a tear-jerker)
5 Life Lessons
1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 P.M., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..
It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away.. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies..
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand:
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 P.M., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..
It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away.. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies..
You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand:
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Too Funny Not To Post! (A Forward)
SCHOOL ANSWERING MACHINE (This is hilarious - no wonder some people were offended!)
This is the message that the Pacific Palisades High School ( California ) staff voted unanimously to record on their school telephone answering machine. This is the actual answering machine message for the school. This came about because they implemented a policy requiring students and parents to be responsible for their children's absences and missing homework. The school and teachers are being sued by parents who want their children's failing grades changed to passing grades - even though those children were absent 15-30 times during the semester and did not complete enough schoolwork to pass their classes.
The outgoing message:
"Hello! You have reached the automated answering service of your school. In order to assist you in connecting to the right staff member, please listen to all the options before making a selection:
* To lie about why your child is absent - Press 1
* To make excuses for why your child did not do his work- Press 2
* To complain about what we do - Press 3
* To swear at staff members - Press 4
* To ask why you didn't get information that was already enclosed in your
newsletter and several flyer's mailed to you - Press 5
* If you want us to raise your child - Press 6
* If you want to reach out and touch, slap or hit someone -Press 7
* To request another teacher, for the third time this year -Press 8
* To complain about bus transportation - Press 9
* To complain about school lunches - Press 0
* If you realize this is the real world and your child must be accountable
and responsible for his/her own behavior, class work, homework and that it's not the teachers' fault for your child's lack of effort:
Hang up and have a nice day!
*If you want this in Spanish, you must be in the wrong country.
This is the message that the Pacific Palisades High School ( California ) staff voted unanimously to record on their school telephone answering machine. This is the actual answering machine message for the school. This came about because they implemented a policy requiring students and parents to be responsible for their children's absences and missing homework. The school and teachers are being sued by parents who want their children's failing grades changed to passing grades - even though those children were absent 15-30 times during the semester and did not complete enough schoolwork to pass their classes.
The outgoing message:
"Hello! You have reached the automated answering service of your school. In order to assist you in connecting to the right staff member, please listen to all the options before making a selection:
* To lie about why your child is absent - Press 1
* To make excuses for why your child did not do his work- Press 2
* To complain about what we do - Press 3
* To swear at staff members - Press 4
* To ask why you didn't get information that was already enclosed in your
newsletter and several flyer's mailed to you - Press 5
* If you want us to raise your child - Press 6
* If you want to reach out and touch, slap or hit someone -Press 7
* To request another teacher, for the third time this year -Press 8
* To complain about bus transportation - Press 9
* To complain about school lunches - Press 0
* If you realize this is the real world and your child must be accountable
and responsible for his/her own behavior, class work, homework and that it's not the teachers' fault for your child's lack of effort:
Hang up and have a nice day!
*If you want this in Spanish, you must be in the wrong country.
Watch out for those fanatics! A Forward.
A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War Two owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.
"Very few people were true Nazis," he said, "but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories."
We are told again and again by "experts" and "talking heads" that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace.
Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam. The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.
It is the fanatics who march.
It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide.
It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal
groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent
in an Islamic wave.
It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor kill.
It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque.
It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of
rape victims and homosexuals.
The hard quantifiable fact is that the "peaceful majority" the "silent majority" is cowed and extraneous.
Communist Russia comprised Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.
China's huge population, it was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War 2 was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel and bayonet.
And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were "peace loving"?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up,because like my friend from Germany, they will awake one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.
Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.
As for us who watch it all unfold; we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
"Very few people were true Nazis," he said, "but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories."
We are told again and again by "experts" and "talking heads" that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace.
Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam. The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.
It is the fanatics who march.
It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide.
It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal
groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent
in an Islamic wave.
It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor kill.
It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque.
It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of
rape victims and homosexuals.
The hard quantifiable fact is that the "peaceful majority" the "silent majority" is cowed and extraneous.
Communist Russia comprised Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.
China's huge population, it was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War 2 was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel and bayonet.
And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were "peace loving"?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up,because like my friend from Germany, they will awake one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.
Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.
As for us who watch it all unfold; we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
What part of ILLEGAL don't you people get? A forward.
Cheap Tomatoes
This should make everyone think, be you Democrat,Republican or Independent
From a California school teacher - - -"As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should
be aware of:
I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.
Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park, etc, where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.
Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
I have noticed that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can
attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less
then 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas" whores and throwing things that the teachers were in tears.
Free medical, free education, free food, day care etc., etc., etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?
To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the
TRUE costs.
Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc, etc. It goes on and on. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes.
We need to wake up. The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won't have the guts to enforce it Does anyone in their right mind really think they
will voluntarily leave and return?
There are many hardworking Hispanic/American citizens that contribute to our country and many that I consider my true friends. We should encourage and accept those Hispanics who have done it the right and legal way.
It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become
so weak and worried about "politically correct" that we don't have the will to do anything about it.
CHEAP LABOR?
Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about?
Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage
Consumers don't want expensive produce
Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs
But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie. there is no such thing as "cheap labor."
Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned
income credit" of up to $3,200 free.
He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent
He qualifies for food stamps
He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care
His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school
He requires bilingual teachers and books
He qualifies for relief from high energy bills
If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI. Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this is at taxpayer's expense
He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.
Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.
He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.
Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills and his.
The American taxpayer's also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up.
Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people!
And More on Illegal Immigration:
A lady wrote the best letter in the Editorials in ages!!! It explains things better than all the baloney you hear on TV.
Her point:
Recently large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration.
Certain people are angry that the US might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely.
Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.
Let's say I break into your house.
Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave. But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors. I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).
According to the protesters:
a.. You are Required to let me stay in your house
b... You are Required to add me to your family's insurance plan
c.. You are Required to Educate my kids
d.. You are Required to Provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do all of your yard work because he is also hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).
If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my RIGHT to be there.
It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I d o, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm a hard-working and honest, person, except for well, you know, I did break into your house.
And what a deal it is for me!!!
I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of cold, uncaring, selfish, prejudiced, and bigoted behavior.
Oh yeah, I demand that you to learn my language so you can communicate with me.
Why can't people see how ridiculous this is?!
This should make everyone think, be you Democrat,Republican or Independent
From a California school teacher - - -"As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should
be aware of:
I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.
Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park, etc, where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.
Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
I have noticed that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can
attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less
then 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas" whores and throwing things that the teachers were in tears.
Free medical, free education, free food, day care etc., etc., etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?
To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the
TRUE costs.
Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc, etc. It goes on and on. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes.
We need to wake up. The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won't have the guts to enforce it Does anyone in their right mind really think they
will voluntarily leave and return?
There are many hardworking Hispanic/American citizens that contribute to our country and many that I consider my true friends. We should encourage and accept those Hispanics who have done it the right and legal way.
It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become
so weak and worried about "politically correct" that we don't have the will to do anything about it.
CHEAP LABOR?
Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about?
Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage
Consumers don't want expensive produce
Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs
But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie. there is no such thing as "cheap labor."
Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned
income credit" of up to $3,200 free.
He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent
He qualifies for food stamps
He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care
His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school
He requires bilingual teachers and books
He qualifies for relief from high energy bills
If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI. Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this is at taxpayer's expense
He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.
Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.
He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.
Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills and his.
The American taxpayer's also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up.
Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT! Wake up people!
And More on Illegal Immigration:
A lady wrote the best letter in the Editorials in ages!!! It explains things better than all the baloney you hear on TV.
Her point:
Recently large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration.
Certain people are angry that the US might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely.
Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.
Let's say I break into your house.
Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave. But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors. I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).
According to the protesters:
a.. You are Required to let me stay in your house
b... You are Required to add me to your family's insurance plan
c.. You are Required to Educate my kids
d.. You are Required to Provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do all of your yard work because he is also hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).
If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my RIGHT to be there.
It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I d o, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm a hard-working and honest, person, except for well, you know, I did break into your house.
And what a deal it is for me!!!
I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of cold, uncaring, selfish, prejudiced, and bigoted behavior.
Oh yeah, I demand that you to learn my language so you can communicate with me.
Why can't people see how ridiculous this is?!
Monday, April 9, 2007
yikes.
36 have been accused of spousal abuse
7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad checks
117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault
71,repeat 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 currently are defendants in lawsuits, and
84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year
Can you guess which organization this is?
Give up yet?
It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.
The same group of Idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.
AND THEY JUST VOTED THEMSELVES $15,000 PER MONTH PENSION FOR LIFE AFTER SERVING ONLY ONE TERM IN CONGRESS!!
"Wealth Is Transferred From The Ignorant To The Well Informed"
7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad checks
117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault
71,repeat 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 currently are defendants in lawsuits, and
84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year
Can you guess which organization this is?
Give up yet?
It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.
The same group of Idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.
AND THEY JUST VOTED THEMSELVES $15,000 PER MONTH PENSION FOR LIFE AFTER SERVING ONLY ONE TERM IN CONGRESS!!
"Wealth Is Transferred From The Ignorant To The Well Informed"
Monday, March 5, 2007
tell me this
Why is it that, "Do something for yourself." means "Do what I think is right for you."?
Yes, I'm amending my eating habits...for gods sake, you talk about slim fast like I'm shoving my finger down my throat. I'm not going to go all diet crazy ...I just want to get some things under control...it was a decision I reached for MYSELF! Can't you just be happy that I'm trying to improve a small portion of my life?
I appreciate the concern...I really do... but don't tell me what you think I should do...I won't listen, I can guarantee it...I am stubborn beyond reason.
and hey, by the way...
Don't tell me my best friend is "bad for me" and that "you feel sorry for me"...you know what? FUCK YOU!
She is my best friend...what right do you have to tell me that you "feel sorry for me"...sorry that I am lucky enough to have her as my best friend?
I'm sorry you don't understand...you never will...because it doesn't make sense to you...you don't see the reciprocity in our friendship...yes, I do get stressed easily...but don't pin that on her! how I handle life events is MY problem...don't push them on her.
Just because I don't seem to aspire to the same goals you do, doesn't mean I'm not out there trying to make something of myself...just because I'm not dating anyone...just because I don't really want to date anyone right now...doesn't mean I'm a failure!
I went through HELL for awhile, and you know what? Believe it or not, I am much happier now than I ever was with a boyfriend.
I guess you just don't understand what it's like to have meaningful relationships without being "in a relationship"...
I'm so confused...people that say they care about me...and want "what's best for me"...don't appreciate when I try and take steps to help myself...they just heap on more criticism...
mother fucker.
it's not like I'm not trying!
I want MORE...I want my life to mean something...and you know, sometimes that doesn't happen instantaneously...sometimes you have to wait...be patient...for the right moment to come along.
I am sick and fucking tired of people telling me what I can or cannot do...
most people don't even know me anyways...they think they know, but they have no idea...
Yes, I'm amending my eating habits...for gods sake, you talk about slim fast like I'm shoving my finger down my throat. I'm not going to go all diet crazy ...I just want to get some things under control...it was a decision I reached for MYSELF! Can't you just be happy that I'm trying to improve a small portion of my life?
I appreciate the concern...I really do... but don't tell me what you think I should do...I won't listen, I can guarantee it...I am stubborn beyond reason.
and hey, by the way...
Don't tell me my best friend is "bad for me" and that "you feel sorry for me"...you know what? FUCK YOU!
She is my best friend...what right do you have to tell me that you "feel sorry for me"...sorry that I am lucky enough to have her as my best friend?
I'm sorry you don't understand...you never will...because it doesn't make sense to you...you don't see the reciprocity in our friendship...yes, I do get stressed easily...but don't pin that on her! how I handle life events is MY problem...don't push them on her.
Just because I don't seem to aspire to the same goals you do, doesn't mean I'm not out there trying to make something of myself...just because I'm not dating anyone...just because I don't really want to date anyone right now...doesn't mean I'm a failure!
I went through HELL for awhile, and you know what? Believe it or not, I am much happier now than I ever was with a boyfriend.
I guess you just don't understand what it's like to have meaningful relationships without being "in a relationship"...
I'm so confused...people that say they care about me...and want "what's best for me"...don't appreciate when I try and take steps to help myself...they just heap on more criticism...
mother fucker.
it's not like I'm not trying!
I want MORE...I want my life to mean something...and you know, sometimes that doesn't happen instantaneously...sometimes you have to wait...be patient...for the right moment to come along.
I am sick and fucking tired of people telling me what I can or cannot do...
most people don't even know me anyways...they think they know, but they have no idea...
Thursday, March 1, 2007
An Article Worth Reading - Women's History Month - Part 2
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Evan Agostini/Getty Images
by Joanne Bamberger
There are plenty of women in the news, and while some are good role models, many aren’t the types of women we’d like our daughters to emulate. You don’t often hear mothers saying, “Some day, I hope my daughter will be just like Britney Spears!”
So where are the role models? Sure, there are high profile heavyweights like U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, just to name a few. But what about the women who have blazed trails or championed causes who don’t get daily headlines? There are thousands of them out there, yet their names don’t often make the nightly newscasts or get mentioned in cocktail party conversations.
While it was certainly hard to choose, here are 10 women you may not have heard of who are definitely worth taking the time to learn more about:
Emme Aronson: First plus-size supermodel
Recent stories about the deaths of anorexic fashion models have suggested that more should be done to convince clothing designers and producers of runway fashion shows to resist hiring models unless they meet a certain body mass index requirement. In other words: No more stick-figure models.
Plus-size supermodel Aronson—a spokeswoman for the National Eating Disorders Association, has championed that cause for many years. The outspoken advocate tries to convince girls to embrace the fact that we all come in different shapes and sizes, and that being healthy doesn’t mean being a size zero.
”We need to take collective responsibility for this cultural catastrophe and recognize our obligation to not only learn as much as we can about eating disorders but also how our actions influence young women and girls,” Aronson says. “It is imperative that we not just skim the surface, but dig deeper about unattainable ideals of beauty which can lead to life-threatening diseases with sometimes permanent consequences."
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Christian Charisius/Reuters/Corbis
Waris Dirie: Crusader against female genital mutilation
When Waris Dirie was 5 years old, she was subjected to the ritual female circumcision that was commonplace in her native Somalia. In that culture, female circumcision is performed to supposedly ensure a girl’s purity before her eventual marriage. But many times, as in Dirie’s case, it is performed under unsanitary conditions, without anesthesia, and can lead to death or lifelong pain.
At 13, Dirie managed to escape Somalia by agreeing to work in her uncle’s home during his tenure as Somalia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom. There, years later, Dirie was discovered by a fashion photographer, which led to her eventual career as a successful model.
To help prevent other girls and women from suffering her same fate, she created the Waris Dirie Foundation to shine a light on this cruel procedure. As a result of her work, she was named the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation in 1997.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press
Dr. Julie Gerberding: Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Ranked No. 12 on Forbes magazine’s 2005 list of the 100 most powerful women, Dr. Julie Gerberding is not a name one hears on a daily basis. But with a possible bird flu pandemic on the way that could change.
Gerberding is the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Gerberding and her staff have spent years studying and preparing for an anticipated bird flu pandemic. In February, she led a drill to test the country’s readiness in the event of a human outbreak of avian flu.
Gerberding allowed the media to monitor the trial run and report on how the CDC and other agencies involved would handle such a crisis. Some were surprised at the move, but Gerberding told the International Herald Tribune that, since a human pandemic could lead to millions of deaths worldwide, it was necessary to demonstrate to state and local governments the importance of focusing on bird flu preparedness.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Salvatore Di Nolfi/KEYSTONE/AP
Dr. Wangari Maathai: 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner
An environmental and political activist, Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to receive the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, which she was awarded in 2004 for her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.”
As founder of the Greenbelt Movement, Maathai was directly responsible for convincing Kenyans, mostly women, of the need to start a tree-planting campaign in their country, both to protect against soil erosion and to provide an ongoing source of firewood for cooking fires. That effort has led to planting more than 20 million trees in her nation.
In addition to her environmental activism, Maathai also was active in opposing the oppressive government of Daniel arap Moi. She was eventually elected to the Kenyan Parliament in 2002.
According to one news report, her former husband was said to have remarked at one time that they divorced because Maathai was “too educated, too strong, too successful, too stubborn and too hard to control.”
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
Afghanistani woman at school
Safiye Amajan: Afghan teacher
Despite threats from the Taliban during their time in power in Afghanistan against those who defied their orders to cease educating girls, Safiye Amajan spent many years running a school for girls out of her home. After that oppressive government was toppled, Amajan served as the provincial head of the country’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs until she was murdered in 2006. In that post, she was responsible for opening several schools and vocational training centers specifically with the purpose of educating women and girls who had not had that opportunity under the Taliban.
Even though she must have known her life was still in danger from the Taliban, Amajan continued her commitment to educating Afghan girls. According to Amnesty International, the group that took responsibility for her death claimed Amajan had been an American spy, using the country’s nascent women’s movement as a cover for her activities.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Edward Stapel/AP
Dr. Ruth Simmons: First African-American woman to lead an Ivy League university
Dr. Ruth Simmons is not your average academic. In 2001, Simmons was named president of Brown University—the first African-American woman to be at the helm of an Ivy League university. Immediately prior to taking over at Brown, Simmons served as president of another prestigious school, the Seven-Sister institution Smith College.
Simmons did not have an easy path to academic super-stardom. One of 11 children born to Texas sharecroppers, Simmons rarely received more than a few pieces of fruit as holiday gifts. She eventually earned a scholarship to attend college.
Her career in academia has been marked by a commitment to enhancing diversity and opportunities. According to one report, a Smith faculty member once asked Simmons’ advice for two additional discussion sections for his course.
Simmons answer? “Dream bigger."
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Deborah Feingold/Corbis
Zainab Salbi: Women for Women International
Zainab Salbi was born and raised in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Surviving that nation’s wars taught her that the hardest-hit victims inevitably were the women and children—women who lost husbands, children who lost fathers, women who were used as tools of war through rape and torture.
Determined to change that, in 1993 she founded Women to Women International to help women survivors of war rebuild their lives through vocational training, providing seed capital for women to start their own businesses and helping women learn to read and write to become active citizens in their societies.
Since its inception, WFWI has raised $24 million and helped more than 55,000 women in wartorn countries including Afghanistan, Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Rwanda. For its trailblazing humanitarian work, WFWI was awarded the 2006 the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, which included a $1.5 million award to continue its work.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Nicholas Ratzenboeck/AP
Kelly Perkins: Heart transplant recipient, mountain climber, organ donation advocate
By the age of 30, Kelly Perkins was an enthusiastic mountain climber who had climbed many of the world’s most famous peaks. In 1992, shortly after she and her husband Dan returned from a European hiking trip to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, Kelly discovered she had a form of heart disease called cardiomyopathy. In 1995, she would undergo a heart transplant.
Not wanting to face life as an invalid, Perkins vowed to improve her physical health so she could continue to pursue her passion for mountain climbing. She became the first heart transplant recipient to reach some of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.
Perkins continues to climb mountains around the world, not only for her personal pleasure but also to raise awareness for organ transplantation and donation.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© PELLETIER MICHELINE/CORBIS SYGMA
Jody Williams: Founder of International Campaign Against Land Mines and winner of 1997 Nobel Peace Prize
Trained as a teacher of English as a second language, Jody Williams became aware in the 1980s of the growing problem of land mines around the world—deadly weapons planted for a wartime enemy, but left after war’s end to kill or maim innocent civilians. Williams began the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines in 1991, which led to the 1997 Land Mine Ban Treaty. Today, the ICBL has 90 countries and 1,400 nongovernmental organizations as members, though the United States has yet to sign and ratify the treaty banning the use of land mines.
Williams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for the ICBL’s efforts. She also was named one of the 100 most powerful women in the world by Forbes Magazine in 2004.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Linda Carfagno
Kathy Eldon: CEO and co-founder of Creative Visions Foundation
Kathy Eldon, an accomplished editor and journalist, when tragedy struck her family. In 1993, her 22-year-old son Dan was stoned to death in Somalia while on assignment there for Reuters covering the conflict in Mogadishu.
To honor his memory and celebrate a life cut short, Eldon and her daughter Amy created the multimedia production company Creative Visions Foundation to help encourage others, like Dan, who are “creative activists” people committed to using the arts as a way to promote awareness of important world issues, such as humanitarian crises and environmental issues.
One project of Creative Visions is called One Global Tribe, which connects young social entrepreneurs with social service projects around the world.
Joanne Cronrath Bamberger is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.
© Evan Agostini/Getty Images
by Joanne Bamberger
There are plenty of women in the news, and while some are good role models, many aren’t the types of women we’d like our daughters to emulate. You don’t often hear mothers saying, “Some day, I hope my daughter will be just like Britney Spears!”
So where are the role models? Sure, there are high profile heavyweights like U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, just to name a few. But what about the women who have blazed trails or championed causes who don’t get daily headlines? There are thousands of them out there, yet their names don’t often make the nightly newscasts or get mentioned in cocktail party conversations.
While it was certainly hard to choose, here are 10 women you may not have heard of who are definitely worth taking the time to learn more about:
Emme Aronson: First plus-size supermodel
Recent stories about the deaths of anorexic fashion models have suggested that more should be done to convince clothing designers and producers of runway fashion shows to resist hiring models unless they meet a certain body mass index requirement. In other words: No more stick-figure models.
Plus-size supermodel Aronson—a spokeswoman for the National Eating Disorders Association, has championed that cause for many years. The outspoken advocate tries to convince girls to embrace the fact that we all come in different shapes and sizes, and that being healthy doesn’t mean being a size zero.
”We need to take collective responsibility for this cultural catastrophe and recognize our obligation to not only learn as much as we can about eating disorders but also how our actions influence young women and girls,” Aronson says. “It is imperative that we not just skim the surface, but dig deeper about unattainable ideals of beauty which can lead to life-threatening diseases with sometimes permanent consequences."
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Christian Charisius/Reuters/Corbis
Waris Dirie: Crusader against female genital mutilation
When Waris Dirie was 5 years old, she was subjected to the ritual female circumcision that was commonplace in her native Somalia. In that culture, female circumcision is performed to supposedly ensure a girl’s purity before her eventual marriage. But many times, as in Dirie’s case, it is performed under unsanitary conditions, without anesthesia, and can lead to death or lifelong pain.
At 13, Dirie managed to escape Somalia by agreeing to work in her uncle’s home during his tenure as Somalia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom. There, years later, Dirie was discovered by a fashion photographer, which led to her eventual career as a successful model.
To help prevent other girls and women from suffering her same fate, she created the Waris Dirie Foundation to shine a light on this cruel procedure. As a result of her work, she was named the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation in 1997.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press
Dr. Julie Gerberding: Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Ranked No. 12 on Forbes magazine’s 2005 list of the 100 most powerful women, Dr. Julie Gerberding is not a name one hears on a daily basis. But with a possible bird flu pandemic on the way that could change.
Gerberding is the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Gerberding and her staff have spent years studying and preparing for an anticipated bird flu pandemic. In February, she led a drill to test the country’s readiness in the event of a human outbreak of avian flu.
Gerberding allowed the media to monitor the trial run and report on how the CDC and other agencies involved would handle such a crisis. Some were surprised at the move, but Gerberding told the International Herald Tribune that, since a human pandemic could lead to millions of deaths worldwide, it was necessary to demonstrate to state and local governments the importance of focusing on bird flu preparedness.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Salvatore Di Nolfi/KEYSTONE/AP
Dr. Wangari Maathai: 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner
An environmental and political activist, Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to receive the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, which she was awarded in 2004 for her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.”
As founder of the Greenbelt Movement, Maathai was directly responsible for convincing Kenyans, mostly women, of the need to start a tree-planting campaign in their country, both to protect against soil erosion and to provide an ongoing source of firewood for cooking fires. That effort has led to planting more than 20 million trees in her nation.
In addition to her environmental activism, Maathai also was active in opposing the oppressive government of Daniel arap Moi. She was eventually elected to the Kenyan Parliament in 2002.
According to one news report, her former husband was said to have remarked at one time that they divorced because Maathai was “too educated, too strong, too successful, too stubborn and too hard to control.”
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
Afghanistani woman at school
Safiye Amajan: Afghan teacher
Despite threats from the Taliban during their time in power in Afghanistan against those who defied their orders to cease educating girls, Safiye Amajan spent many years running a school for girls out of her home. After that oppressive government was toppled, Amajan served as the provincial head of the country’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs until she was murdered in 2006. In that post, she was responsible for opening several schools and vocational training centers specifically with the purpose of educating women and girls who had not had that opportunity under the Taliban.
Even though she must have known her life was still in danger from the Taliban, Amajan continued her commitment to educating Afghan girls. According to Amnesty International, the group that took responsibility for her death claimed Amajan had been an American spy, using the country’s nascent women’s movement as a cover for her activities.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Edward Stapel/AP
Dr. Ruth Simmons: First African-American woman to lead an Ivy League university
Dr. Ruth Simmons is not your average academic. In 2001, Simmons was named president of Brown University—the first African-American woman to be at the helm of an Ivy League university. Immediately prior to taking over at Brown, Simmons served as president of another prestigious school, the Seven-Sister institution Smith College.
Simmons did not have an easy path to academic super-stardom. One of 11 children born to Texas sharecroppers, Simmons rarely received more than a few pieces of fruit as holiday gifts. She eventually earned a scholarship to attend college.
Her career in academia has been marked by a commitment to enhancing diversity and opportunities. According to one report, a Smith faculty member once asked Simmons’ advice for two additional discussion sections for his course.
Simmons answer? “Dream bigger."
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Deborah Feingold/Corbis
Zainab Salbi: Women for Women International
Zainab Salbi was born and raised in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Surviving that nation’s wars taught her that the hardest-hit victims inevitably were the women and children—women who lost husbands, children who lost fathers, women who were used as tools of war through rape and torture.
Determined to change that, in 1993 she founded Women to Women International to help women survivors of war rebuild their lives through vocational training, providing seed capital for women to start their own businesses and helping women learn to read and write to become active citizens in their societies.
Since its inception, WFWI has raised $24 million and helped more than 55,000 women in wartorn countries including Afghanistan, Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Rwanda. For its trailblazing humanitarian work, WFWI was awarded the 2006 the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, which included a $1.5 million award to continue its work.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Nicholas Ratzenboeck/AP
Kelly Perkins: Heart transplant recipient, mountain climber, organ donation advocate
By the age of 30, Kelly Perkins was an enthusiastic mountain climber who had climbed many of the world’s most famous peaks. In 1992, shortly after she and her husband Dan returned from a European hiking trip to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, Kelly discovered she had a form of heart disease called cardiomyopathy. In 1995, she would undergo a heart transplant.
Not wanting to face life as an invalid, Perkins vowed to improve her physical health so she could continue to pursue her passion for mountain climbing. She became the first heart transplant recipient to reach some of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.
Perkins continues to climb mountains around the world, not only for her personal pleasure but also to raise awareness for organ transplantation and donation.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© PELLETIER MICHELINE/CORBIS SYGMA
Jody Williams: Founder of International Campaign Against Land Mines and winner of 1997 Nobel Peace Prize
Trained as a teacher of English as a second language, Jody Williams became aware in the 1980s of the growing problem of land mines around the world—deadly weapons planted for a wartime enemy, but left after war’s end to kill or maim innocent civilians. Williams began the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines in 1991, which led to the 1997 Land Mine Ban Treaty. Today, the ICBL has 90 countries and 1,400 nongovernmental organizations as members, though the United States has yet to sign and ratify the treaty banning the use of land mines.
Williams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for the ICBL’s efforts. She also was named one of the 100 most powerful women in the world by Forbes Magazine in 2004.
10 Amazing Women You’ve Never Heard Of
© Linda Carfagno
Kathy Eldon: CEO and co-founder of Creative Visions Foundation
Kathy Eldon, an accomplished editor and journalist, when tragedy struck her family. In 1993, her 22-year-old son Dan was stoned to death in Somalia while on assignment there for Reuters covering the conflict in Mogadishu.
To honor his memory and celebrate a life cut short, Eldon and her daughter Amy created the multimedia production company Creative Visions Foundation to help encourage others, like Dan, who are “creative activists” people committed to using the arts as a way to promote awareness of important world issues, such as humanitarian crises and environmental issues.
One project of Creative Visions is called One Global Tribe, which connects young social entrepreneurs with social service projects around the world.
Joanne Cronrath Bamberger is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.
An Article Worth Reading - Women's History Month - Part 1
To preface this article, the opinions contained within are an interesting read...I will share the women who are on the positive side of this critique. :)
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Luke MacGregor/Reuters/Corbis
by Joanne Bamberger
During the 20th century, legions of women worked tirelessly to help women break free of the stereotype that they were meant to be either housewives and mothers or men’s playthings. We pay tribute to these barrier-busters—such as Alice Paul, Susan B. Anthony, Betty Friedan, Eleanor Roosevelt and many others—during Women’s History Month to thank them for their amazing accomplishments.
Yet, while we honor such women, there still are those who manage, through their actions or their words, to make us wonder, have we really come that far.
You know the type: The women who either perpetuate the stereotypes so many have fought against or who forget that women have won the right to chart their own course, even if it’s as a homemaker. There’s the spoiled young woman who seems to prize a good party over all else; the woman who harangues other women to get back to the home, even though the haranguer isn’t living by her own rules; and the woman who pressures her kind to forget about the pleasures of raising children to climb the corporate ladder.
Here’s a selection of 10 women, in no particular order, who make life a little harder for the rest of us.
Paris Hilton: Socialite and heiress
Many people blessed with money and social status use their good fortune to help others. Celebrities often use their fame to raise awareness and money for pet causes. But others leverage their notoriety into extending their time in the public spotlight. Enter Paris Hilton.
Paris Hilton, an heir to the Hilton Hotel fortune, has cultivated a persona that revolves solely around her jet-setter lifestyle. In her TV series The Simple Life, she, along with gal-pal Nicole Richie, did their best to perpetuate the stereotype of a rich, dumb blond girl who mercilessly mocks others. Hilton further cultivates this portrait of herself through comments like, “Wal-Mart—like, do they make walls there?"
Unfortunately, all the attention Hilton gets attracts tweens and teens like a bee to honey, giving parents pause about the influence she has as a role model to young girls.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Dan Farrell Davis
Linda Hirshman: Retired professor of philosophy and women’s studies at Brandeis University
Linda Hirshman is pretty critical of her “sisters.”
In her 2005 article “Homeward Bound,” which appeared in American Prospect, Hirshman argued that women who leave the work force to stay home with children basically are turning their backs on other women. Forget about making choices based on what works best for one’s family—Hirshman suggests that women will never wield true power unless they return to the office immediately after maternity leave.
More recently, Hirshman took another swipe at women in her article “You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe,” where she claims that women today don’t like to think—they can’t be bothered with politics or forming their own opinions. She contends that today’s women prefer reading People magazine and asking their husbands who they ought to vote for on Election Day rather than formulate their own opinions.
It’s disconcerting when a former professor of women’s studies seems to enjoy criticizing other women’s choices—when they presumably don’t match her own.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Stephane Cardinale/People Avenue/Corbis
Lindsay Lohan: Actress
How does a girl go from playing sweet, impish twins in The Parent Trap to a wan 20-year-old in need of rehab? After developing a devoted teen fan base with movies like Freaky Friday and Herbie Fully Loaded, Lindsay Lohan appears to have fallen victim to that Hollywood lifestyle: She’s more infamous for her ability to par-tay than for her acting and singing chops.
Case in point: In recent years, Lohan has found herself in the spotlight for car accidents, run-ins with the paparazzi and purported drug and alcohol problems, not her latest movie role. This likely gives parents of her fans reason to wonder whether Lohan’s good role model material.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Evan Agostini/Getty Images
Ann Coulter: Commentator and author
Yes, we’re all entitled to First Amendment protections of the Constitution, short of yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater. But ultra-conservative right-wing commentator and author Ann Coulter seems to think it’s her birthright to criticize and lambaste whoever she wants, regardless of the facts or the impact of her vitriol.
In her book Godless: The Church of Liberalism, she discusses some of the 9/11 widows who became politically active following their husbands’ deaths. She writes that she’s “never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths,” as much as the so-called “Jersey Girls.”
In that book, and in a nowinfamous appearance on the Today show. In a testy interview with Matt Lauer, Coulter said that she felt the widows, who she dubbed “The Jersey Girls” and who were instrumental in the creation of the 9/11 Commission, had unfairly exploited their husband’s deaths in a national tragedy for their own gain. As part of her mean-spirited critique, Coulter, who has refused to express any sympathy for the widows’, muses, “[H]ow do we know their husbands weren't planning to divorce these harpies?”
Nice, eh?
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Matthew Simmons/Getty Images for Rolling Stone
Britney Spears: Pop star
Britney Spears is another good girl turned bad. She started out as a girl other young girls wanted to emulate: She had a fresh-scrubbed, squeaky clean appearance and she was a Mouseketeer! But somewhere along the way, Spears has made some questionable choices—in husbands, about child-rearing and with her wardrobe (or lack thereof).
Now, with rumors swirling about rehab, Spears has turned up in the tabloids, tattooed and head shaven à la Jesse Ventura.
Millions of tweens and teens who follow Spears’ every move must be wondering what in the world happened to Britney? Or at least parents can hope.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Michael Mauney//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
Phyllis Schlafly: Conservative activist
Self-described leader of the “pro-family” movement since the early 1970s, Phyllis Schlafly heads the Eagle Forum, a conservative organization that advocates for the protection of what it calls “traditional values,” like the role of wife as homemaker rather than as a professional.
Schlafly famously led the fight against what she called “radical feminists” to defeat the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in the late 1970s. After 30 of the needed 38 states had ratified the amendment, Schlafly began a grass-roots effort to lobby the remaining legislatures, claiming that ratification of the ERA wouldn’t just provide equal pay for equal work, but that it would also lead to same-sex marriages, women in the military and erosion of “traditional” family roles for women.
Interestingly, Schlafly, who stridently urges women to be homemakers, and homemakers only, has not gravitated to that role herself. In addition to leading the Eagle Forum for over 30 years, she also holds three degrees, including a master’s in political science and a law degree.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Ray Fisher//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
Marabel Morgan, Author, The Total Woman
In the mid-‘70s, as women were gaining rights in American society, Marabel Morgan, an anti-feminist housewife, published a book called The Total Woman—a tome for wives about how to keep happy marriages by being submissive and focusing on the desires of their husbands.
Many viewed her book, as well as her subsequent books on the same topic, as a political setback for women. Morgan’s premise? The antithesis of the feminist movement—for a happy marriage, a woman must cater to her husband’s needs, even if that means greeting him at the door in the evening in erotic costumes.
Surprisingly, Morgan’s works still get referenced today, some three decades later. Her book is discussed in popular magazines, such as the Atlantic Monthly, her views are defended on TV by the likes of Kathie Lee Gifford, and she still speaks at Christian conferences.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Mark Savage/Corbis
Caitlin Flanagan: Author
Feminist? Or anti-feminist? How you view the writings of Caitlin Flanagan depends on which side of that issue you start out on.
The author of the book To Hell With All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife is the master of sending mixed messages about modern motherhood and making those on both sides of the fence second-guess their choices. Flanagan, who also has written for the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, often evokes pity for women who “choose” to work full time and forsake the chance to create a warm home environment..
But Flanagan, who purports to be an advocate for stay-at-home moms, is no traditional SAHM herself—she has an extremely successful writing career, which she categorizes as a “hobby.” To allow herself the luxury of that hobby, she has in the past admitted to having a nanny and a housekeeper.
A woman with a high-profile writing career and who has employees to help with the kids and do the laundry? Doesn’t sound like the June Cleaver-existence Flanagan pushes on other women.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Carole Moschetti/Courtesy of Spinifex Press
Sheila Jeffreys: Author, professor of political science at the University of Melbourne, Australia
Are women harming their daughters if they let play dress up? Are women being controlled by men if they put on make-up before heading out on the town?
Yes, according Sheila Jeffreys.
Jeffreys has written a variety books that focus on ways in which she believes men control women through sex and fashion. Jeffreys believes that women allow themselves to be controlled by buying into the male-dominated beauty business.
In her 2005 book, Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices in the West, Jeffreys defends her theory that today’s western beauty practices are personally and culturally harmful to women. She posits that women allow themselves to be controlled when they shell out hundreds of dollars for a pair of Manolos or just pick up a tube of lipstick from the Clinique counter. Women may think they are making their own choices when going for that tummy tuck or a brow wax, but Jeffreys believes that it’s men’s manipulation of women that’s pushes them to alter their bodies.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© MICHAEL CRABTREE/Bloomberg News /Landov
Bratz Dollz
Many mothers worry when their daughters start to play with Barbie. The moms fear that their daughters could develop a skewed sense of body image thanks to Barbie’s unnatural proportions
But for parents worried about that, Barbie’s got nothing on the Bratz Dolls—a big head, skinny body with the lips of Angelina Jolie and overly made-up come-hither eyes. And these are dolls that girls as young as 5 years old want to play with.
For heaven’s sake, girls don’t need dolls that look like streetwalkers. The social and behavioral cues girls get from the sleazy Bratz dolls are far from empowering—at least Barbie has been a doctor and an astronaut.
Joanne Cronrath Bamberger is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Luke MacGregor/Reuters/Corbis
by Joanne Bamberger
During the 20th century, legions of women worked tirelessly to help women break free of the stereotype that they were meant to be either housewives and mothers or men’s playthings. We pay tribute to these barrier-busters—such as Alice Paul, Susan B. Anthony, Betty Friedan, Eleanor Roosevelt and many others—during Women’s History Month to thank them for their amazing accomplishments.
Yet, while we honor such women, there still are those who manage, through their actions or their words, to make us wonder, have we really come that far.
You know the type: The women who either perpetuate the stereotypes so many have fought against or who forget that women have won the right to chart their own course, even if it’s as a homemaker. There’s the spoiled young woman who seems to prize a good party over all else; the woman who harangues other women to get back to the home, even though the haranguer isn’t living by her own rules; and the woman who pressures her kind to forget about the pleasures of raising children to climb the corporate ladder.
Here’s a selection of 10 women, in no particular order, who make life a little harder for the rest of us.
Paris Hilton: Socialite and heiress
Many people blessed with money and social status use their good fortune to help others. Celebrities often use their fame to raise awareness and money for pet causes. But others leverage their notoriety into extending their time in the public spotlight. Enter Paris Hilton.
Paris Hilton, an heir to the Hilton Hotel fortune, has cultivated a persona that revolves solely around her jet-setter lifestyle. In her TV series The Simple Life, she, along with gal-pal Nicole Richie, did their best to perpetuate the stereotype of a rich, dumb blond girl who mercilessly mocks others. Hilton further cultivates this portrait of herself through comments like, “Wal-Mart—like, do they make walls there?"
Unfortunately, all the attention Hilton gets attracts tweens and teens like a bee to honey, giving parents pause about the influence she has as a role model to young girls.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Dan Farrell Davis
Linda Hirshman: Retired professor of philosophy and women’s studies at Brandeis University
Linda Hirshman is pretty critical of her “sisters.”
In her 2005 article “Homeward Bound,” which appeared in American Prospect, Hirshman argued that women who leave the work force to stay home with children basically are turning their backs on other women. Forget about making choices based on what works best for one’s family—Hirshman suggests that women will never wield true power unless they return to the office immediately after maternity leave.
More recently, Hirshman took another swipe at women in her article “You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe,” where she claims that women today don’t like to think—they can’t be bothered with politics or forming their own opinions. She contends that today’s women prefer reading People magazine and asking their husbands who they ought to vote for on Election Day rather than formulate their own opinions.
It’s disconcerting when a former professor of women’s studies seems to enjoy criticizing other women’s choices—when they presumably don’t match her own.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Stephane Cardinale/People Avenue/Corbis
Lindsay Lohan: Actress
How does a girl go from playing sweet, impish twins in The Parent Trap to a wan 20-year-old in need of rehab? After developing a devoted teen fan base with movies like Freaky Friday and Herbie Fully Loaded, Lindsay Lohan appears to have fallen victim to that Hollywood lifestyle: She’s more infamous for her ability to par-tay than for her acting and singing chops.
Case in point: In recent years, Lohan has found herself in the spotlight for car accidents, run-ins with the paparazzi and purported drug and alcohol problems, not her latest movie role. This likely gives parents of her fans reason to wonder whether Lohan’s good role model material.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Evan Agostini/Getty Images
Ann Coulter: Commentator and author
Yes, we’re all entitled to First Amendment protections of the Constitution, short of yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater. But ultra-conservative right-wing commentator and author Ann Coulter seems to think it’s her birthright to criticize and lambaste whoever she wants, regardless of the facts or the impact of her vitriol.
In her book Godless: The Church of Liberalism, she discusses some of the 9/11 widows who became politically active following their husbands’ deaths. She writes that she’s “never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths,” as much as the so-called “Jersey Girls.”
In that book, and in a nowinfamous appearance on the Today show. In a testy interview with Matt Lauer, Coulter said that she felt the widows, who she dubbed “The Jersey Girls” and who were instrumental in the creation of the 9/11 Commission, had unfairly exploited their husband’s deaths in a national tragedy for their own gain. As part of her mean-spirited critique, Coulter, who has refused to express any sympathy for the widows’, muses, “[H]ow do we know their husbands weren't planning to divorce these harpies?”
Nice, eh?
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Matthew Simmons/Getty Images for Rolling Stone
Britney Spears: Pop star
Britney Spears is another good girl turned bad. She started out as a girl other young girls wanted to emulate: She had a fresh-scrubbed, squeaky clean appearance and she was a Mouseketeer! But somewhere along the way, Spears has made some questionable choices—in husbands, about child-rearing and with her wardrobe (or lack thereof).
Now, with rumors swirling about rehab, Spears has turned up in the tabloids, tattooed and head shaven à la Jesse Ventura.
Millions of tweens and teens who follow Spears’ every move must be wondering what in the world happened to Britney? Or at least parents can hope.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Michael Mauney//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
Phyllis Schlafly: Conservative activist
Self-described leader of the “pro-family” movement since the early 1970s, Phyllis Schlafly heads the Eagle Forum, a conservative organization that advocates for the protection of what it calls “traditional values,” like the role of wife as homemaker rather than as a professional.
Schlafly famously led the fight against what she called “radical feminists” to defeat the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in the late 1970s. After 30 of the needed 38 states had ratified the amendment, Schlafly began a grass-roots effort to lobby the remaining legislatures, claiming that ratification of the ERA wouldn’t just provide equal pay for equal work, but that it would also lead to same-sex marriages, women in the military and erosion of “traditional” family roles for women.
Interestingly, Schlafly, who stridently urges women to be homemakers, and homemakers only, has not gravitated to that role herself. In addition to leading the Eagle Forum for over 30 years, she also holds three degrees, including a master’s in political science and a law degree.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Ray Fisher//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
Marabel Morgan, Author, The Total Woman
In the mid-‘70s, as women were gaining rights in American society, Marabel Morgan, an anti-feminist housewife, published a book called The Total Woman—a tome for wives about how to keep happy marriages by being submissive and focusing on the desires of their husbands.
Many viewed her book, as well as her subsequent books on the same topic, as a political setback for women. Morgan’s premise? The antithesis of the feminist movement—for a happy marriage, a woman must cater to her husband’s needs, even if that means greeting him at the door in the evening in erotic costumes.
Surprisingly, Morgan’s works still get referenced today, some three decades later. Her book is discussed in popular magazines, such as the Atlantic Monthly, her views are defended on TV by the likes of Kathie Lee Gifford, and she still speaks at Christian conferences.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Mark Savage/Corbis
Caitlin Flanagan: Author
Feminist? Or anti-feminist? How you view the writings of Caitlin Flanagan depends on which side of that issue you start out on.
The author of the book To Hell With All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife is the master of sending mixed messages about modern motherhood and making those on both sides of the fence second-guess their choices. Flanagan, who also has written for the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, often evokes pity for women who “choose” to work full time and forsake the chance to create a warm home environment..
But Flanagan, who purports to be an advocate for stay-at-home moms, is no traditional SAHM herself—she has an extremely successful writing career, which she categorizes as a “hobby.” To allow herself the luxury of that hobby, she has in the past admitted to having a nanny and a housekeeper.
A woman with a high-profile writing career and who has employees to help with the kids and do the laundry? Doesn’t sound like the June Cleaver-existence Flanagan pushes on other women.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© Carole Moschetti/Courtesy of Spinifex Press
Sheila Jeffreys: Author, professor of political science at the University of Melbourne, Australia
Are women harming their daughters if they let play dress up? Are women being controlled by men if they put on make-up before heading out on the town?
Yes, according Sheila Jeffreys.
Jeffreys has written a variety books that focus on ways in which she believes men control women through sex and fashion. Jeffreys believes that women allow themselves to be controlled by buying into the male-dominated beauty business.
In her 2005 book, Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices in the West, Jeffreys defends her theory that today’s western beauty practices are personally and culturally harmful to women. She posits that women allow themselves to be controlled when they shell out hundreds of dollars for a pair of Manolos or just pick up a tube of lipstick from the Clinique counter. Women may think they are making their own choices when going for that tummy tuck or a brow wax, but Jeffreys believes that it’s men’s manipulation of women that’s pushes them to alter their bodies.
10 Women Who Make Us Cringe
© MICHAEL CRABTREE/Bloomberg News /Landov
Bratz Dollz
Many mothers worry when their daughters start to play with Barbie. The moms fear that their daughters could develop a skewed sense of body image thanks to Barbie’s unnatural proportions
But for parents worried about that, Barbie’s got nothing on the Bratz Dolls—a big head, skinny body with the lips of Angelina Jolie and overly made-up come-hither eyes. And these are dolls that girls as young as 5 years old want to play with.
For heaven’s sake, girls don’t need dolls that look like streetwalkers. The social and behavioral cues girls get from the sleazy Bratz dolls are far from empowering—at least Barbie has been a doctor and an astronaut.
Joanne Cronrath Bamberger is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Ah... Quizilla...
What TRIGUN character are you??
You're Millie! You are absent minded, and out there in your own little world. You love pudding when someone wastes it, you go beserk! You fall in love with the one and only Wolfwood and *coughs* does something with him *coughs* (me: and if your a boy, which i highly doubt you are if you get this answer, sorry 'bout that!!) You also love to help people out because thats what your big sister told you to do!
Take this quiz!
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Important Lyrics from Ben Folds
All U Can Eat
Son, look at all the people in this restaurant
What do you think they weigh?
And out the window to the parking lot
At their SUV’s taking all the space
They give no fuck
They talk as loud as they want
They give no fuck
Just as long as there’s enough for them
Gonna get on the microphone down at Wal-Mart
Talk about some shit that’s been on my mind
Talk of the state of this great nation of ours
People look to your left
Yeah, look to your right
They give no fuck
They buy as much as they want
They give no fuck
Just as long as there’s enough for them
Son, look at the people lining up for plastic
Wouldn’t you like to see them in the National Geographic?
Squatting bare assed in the dirt eating rice from a bowl
With a towel on their head, and maybe a bone in their nose
See that asshole with the peace sign on his license plate?
Giving me the finger and running me out of his lane
God made us number one because he loves us the best
Well he should go bless someone else for a while
Give us a rest
(They give no)
Yeah, and everyone can see
(They give no)
We’ve eaten all that we can eat
Son, look at all the people in this restaurant
What do you think they weigh?
And out the window to the parking lot
At their SUV’s taking all the space
They give no fuck
They talk as loud as they want
They give no fuck
Just as long as there’s enough for them
Gonna get on the microphone down at Wal-Mart
Talk about some shit that’s been on my mind
Talk of the state of this great nation of ours
People look to your left
Yeah, look to your right
They give no fuck
They buy as much as they want
They give no fuck
Just as long as there’s enough for them
Son, look at the people lining up for plastic
Wouldn’t you like to see them in the National Geographic?
Squatting bare assed in the dirt eating rice from a bowl
With a towel on their head, and maybe a bone in their nose
See that asshole with the peace sign on his license plate?
Giving me the finger and running me out of his lane
God made us number one because he loves us the best
Well he should go bless someone else for a while
Give us a rest
(They give no)
Yeah, and everyone can see
(They give no)
We’ve eaten all that we can eat
Friday, January 19, 2007
Mona Lisa Revealed?
'Mona Lisa' died in 1542, was buried in convent
Fri Jan 19, 5:54 AM ET
An expert on the "Mona Lisa" says he has ascertained with certainty that the symbol of feminine mystique died on July 15, 1542, and was buried at the convent in central Florence where she spent her final days.
Giuseppe Pallanti found a death notice in the archives of a church in Florence that referred to "the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, deceased July 15, 1542, and buried at Sant'Orsola," the Italian press reported Friday.
Born Lisa Gherardini in May 1479, she is thought to have been the second wife of Del Giocondo, a wealthy silk merchant, with whom she had five children.
While intrigue has surrounded the identity of the woman in the famous unsigned, undated Leonardo da Vinci painting housed at the Louvre in Paris, Lisa Gherardini is widely accepted to have been the subject.
Sant'Orsola, where she died at age 63, now disused and in ruins, is near the San Lorenzo basilica.
"It was in this convent that Mona Lisa placed her youngest daughter Marietta, who later became a nun. And it was there that Lisa, as stipulated in the will of her husband who died four years before her, ended her life," Pallanti told the daily La Repubblica on Friday.
Pallanti, author of "Mona Lisa Revealed: The True Identity of Leonardo's Model," has spent nearly three decades combing Florence's archives.
Another researcher, Da Vinci expert Carlo Pedretti, praised Pallanti for the discovery and urged a search at the site for Lisa Gherardini's remains.
"Thanks to modern techniques, scientists can determine her physical aspect, maybe even her face and thereby make an important contribution" to establishing her identity, he told the ANSA news agency.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
and on and on and on...
| What type of person are you? Your Result: you are a best friend you put your friends first and they love you for that. you might not be popular, but who cares? friends come first. you would help anyone who needs it, and you love caring for people you love.. 4ever you will be a best friend!! | |
| you could care less | |
| You are a poupular JERK | |
| you are a goth/emo/ disaster | |
| you are a rocker | |
| What type of person are you? See All Our Quizzes | |
i'm loved...
You happen to be 70% capable of achieving anything you want.
You show real promise!
If you have enough ambition, you can accomplish anything! Then again, you will never float to the top, you have to work to get anywhere in this world.
Intelligence Quotient
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quizes like this remind me that i can be SO painfully average...
You are 84% Arizona!
Good job! you're almost all arizona! you understand most of arizona, but just need to figure out the rest. more time and more mexican food and you're there!
How Arizona Are You?
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I can't wait to leave this place...
You have a 50% chance at taking over the world.
Sad, but true. Maybe you still have time. Keep working on it, and maybe you'll be the ugly duckling of the world. Back for revenge!
Choose your destiny!
Create a Quiz
that's what my friends are for... *evil grin*
Oh no...Krista's myspace quizes follow wherever she goes!
Your Language Arts Grade: 100%
Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).
Are You Gooder at Grammar?
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It's been awhile since high school...
You paid attention during 74% of high school!
68-84% Pretty good, you know that there are libraries and newspapers, and you remember what you've read. You were a child that wasn't left behind!
Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz
Friday, January 12, 2007
Ah...I love the smell of napalm in the morning
Ok, just kidding... I don't even know what Napalm smells like, that was just what popped in my head... *smile*
This morning started out with confusion, in that I found something in my bed that I wasn't used to...
I guess I'm not used to having a cat yet, so even though he walks about like he owns the place, in the morning I'm not all there, and it's quite a shock... *laugh*
This morning started out with confusion, in that I found something in my bed that I wasn't used to...
I guess I'm not used to having a cat yet, so even though he walks about like he owns the place, in the morning I'm not all there, and it's quite a shock... *laugh*
In other news, on my way out the door this morning, I noticed the odd color of the sky, blue with orange/brown clouds... I hope that was a trick of the light, or our pollution is getting much worse.
and here's one with a pin-prick view of the moon:
Anyways, It's Friday today and the weekend holds promise of carpet cleaning, a possible FAA dinner, and hopefully church. :)
Have a fantastic weekend!
*correction*
The FAA dinner isn't until NEXT weekend...yay! So this weekend is still free...woohoo!
Friday, January 5, 2007
yay!
It's FRIDAY!
:)
I got my book from amazon yesterday...only got one sentance read while I was making dinner (poppyseed chicken...yummy!).
I'm going to try and read some at lunch today, so I can manage to finish the book before the post is due...god, it's like being enrolled in an internet college course...lol
Here's hoping today is bright green!
:)
I got my book from amazon yesterday...only got one sentance read while I was making dinner (poppyseed chicken...yummy!).
I'm going to try and read some at lunch today, so I can manage to finish the book before the post is due...god, it's like being enrolled in an internet college course...lol
Here's hoping today is bright green!
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Aviation is Weird
Not that I didn't know it already (after working in aviation for 1 year and a half now), but every once in awhile I have those days where the notion of Aviation being a weird business is confirmed...
Today I have been boxing up work orders from 2005, so I can move 2006's into the old cabinet and open up 2007's new cabinet. The problem is that our department can't seem to catch a break on storage. We had a spot, but then the owner moved in and built a cage for his documents...ok, no problem, he owns the place, his right, right? But then our files (which we legally have to keep backfiled for 5 years per FAA regulations) got thrown into this other room...and i don't mean they were placed in any order, or even with like boxes, they were tossed. Some of these boxes look so old, they could fall apart if you sneezed too hard, but they are only from as far back as 2001! The rate of deterioration is staggering...
So does upper management care that we have no room? NO! They rent out rooms to OTHER companies, so we have other people's crap to store! Oh gods, this place makes no sense.
Anyways, enough of my complaining...
Life goes on, albeit slowly...
Today I have been boxing up work orders from 2005, so I can move 2006's into the old cabinet and open up 2007's new cabinet. The problem is that our department can't seem to catch a break on storage. We had a spot, but then the owner moved in and built a cage for his documents...ok, no problem, he owns the place, his right, right? But then our files (which we legally have to keep backfiled for 5 years per FAA regulations) got thrown into this other room...and i don't mean they were placed in any order, or even with like boxes, they were tossed. Some of these boxes look so old, they could fall apart if you sneezed too hard, but they are only from as far back as 2001! The rate of deterioration is staggering...
So does upper management care that we have no room? NO! They rent out rooms to OTHER companies, so we have other people's crap to store! Oh gods, this place makes no sense.
Anyways, enough of my complaining...
Life goes on, albeit slowly...
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
History Explaining Present Day Events... *laugh*
Received this email from my mom, it's a forward, but it made me laugh...Mostly because Sar and I have been watching history/biography/national geographic channels for most of the winter holidays...and one of the specials was on Roswell... *grin*
"Many will recall that on July 8, 1947, witnesses claimed that an unidentified object with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and cattle ranch just outside Roswell, New Mexico. This is a well-known incident that many say has long been covered up by the US. Air Force and the federal government.
Now, what you did not know:
In the month of March 1948, exactly nine months after that historic day, Albert Arnold Gore, Jr., Hillary Rodham, John F. Kerry, William Jefferson Clinton, Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, Charles E. Schumer, and Barbara Boxer were born.See what happens when aliens breed with sheep? This piece of information may clear up a lot of things"
"Many will recall that on July 8, 1947, witnesses claimed that an unidentified object with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and cattle ranch just outside Roswell, New Mexico. This is a well-known incident that many say has long been covered up by the US. Air Force and the federal government.
Now, what you did not know:
In the month of March 1948, exactly nine months after that historic day, Albert Arnold Gore, Jr., Hillary Rodham, John F. Kerry, William Jefferson Clinton, Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, Charles E. Schumer, and Barbara Boxer were born.See what happens when aliens breed with sheep? This piece of information may clear up a lot of things"
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