TLC or The Learning Chanel, owned by Discovery, does shows about strange phenomenons, people born without half their bodies, people that gave birth to sextuplets, mysterious growths on people living in a third world country that comes over here and gets help.
All kind of odd hardships and weired curve balls that life give people and how they cope with it.
But one of the shows they show stick out from the rest.
This is about a family that because they are driven by twisted religious believes bring upon them self to give birth to child after child after child.
To support their continually growing family they sold them self to the network and now whoever is interested can go watch on TV the every day life of 18 children that never gets to watch TV at all. Whoever wants to can go on the network's website and play the game "name that Duggar" where you have to match the child's picture to the correct J starting name, children that them self never gets to be on a computer.
The mom of the 18 children says it's not that hard to raise that many children, shortly after she admits that her only responsibility is the infant, the rest of the young children are taken care of by their older siblings.
These children are home schooled, nothing wrong with that at all. But when you count in to the consideration that the children have NO access to TV or computers, and are just allowed to listen to one kind of music, they go to a church which consists of their own family and one other family with the same child productivity views, considering all that, one has to realize that the children are totally blocked from any other view of life than the one of their parents.
Where are the Child Protection Agency when you need them?
Isn't it bad enough that the children live in a bubble strictly guarded by the parents. Do they have to have their lives exploited for money by the parents so they can support their twisted lifestyle on a TV network?
The oldest son just got married to a girl from a similar family construction and on the website you can go and read and see everything about their wedding. With all likablility he continues in his father's footsteps because that's the only way of life he's ever been allowed to see.
What network will sign up to exploid his children?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Stimulus package anyone?
Out of my taxmoney, has the last 6 months been granted about $700,000,000,000.
I know, I had to google it to figure out how many zeros are in billion. It's 9! One thousand million equals one billion.
Now we're hearing about a new package that has to pass fast for the economy to get back on it's feet. This one about 850 billion.
In less than a year more than One Trillion Five Hundred Billion Dollars shall be printed and distributed to banks and CEOs so they can start lending us (the ones that gave them all the cash), money for high fees and interests.
Oh but I almost forgot, maybe even we the people get our share of the stimuli, in form of a taxcut, that for the average family earning less than 100k a year comes to about $50.00 per month...
hmmm what are we going to stimulate ourselves with with all that money at hand?
Hmm, maybe get a new car from a auto maker that just got money from me, with a loan from a bank that just got stimulated enough with money from me, to lend me some money?
Wouldn't it been better if every American got his or her share of that 1,5 trillion to stimulate whoever he or she like to stimulate?
Let's say there's 310 Million americans.
That would be $4838 per every man, woman and child.
Our family would get $24193 and some cents. We could stimulate the car industry if we wanted, the banks if we wanted and what ever we wanted. Some people would be stupid and gamble it away before you could say stimuli, and some people that are smart with their money would be sickly rich in no time... that's how capitalism works, and I'm for that!
Before I end I have to ask for readers discretion, because I suck when it comes to math. So if some of my numbers are off, feel free to correct me.
I know, I had to google it to figure out how many zeros are in billion. It's 9! One thousand million equals one billion.
Now we're hearing about a new package that has to pass fast for the economy to get back on it's feet. This one about 850 billion.
In less than a year more than One Trillion Five Hundred Billion Dollars shall be printed and distributed to banks and CEOs so they can start lending us (the ones that gave them all the cash), money for high fees and interests.
Oh but I almost forgot, maybe even we the people get our share of the stimuli, in form of a taxcut, that for the average family earning less than 100k a year comes to about $50.00 per month...
hmmm what are we going to stimulate ourselves with with all that money at hand?
Hmm, maybe get a new car from a auto maker that just got money from me, with a loan from a bank that just got stimulated enough with money from me, to lend me some money?
Wouldn't it been better if every American got his or her share of that 1,5 trillion to stimulate whoever he or she like to stimulate?
Let's say there's 310 Million americans.
That would be $4838 per every man, woman and child.
Our family would get $24193 and some cents. We could stimulate the car industry if we wanted, the banks if we wanted and what ever we wanted. Some people would be stupid and gamble it away before you could say stimuli, and some people that are smart with their money would be sickly rich in no time... that's how capitalism works, and I'm for that!
Before I end I have to ask for readers discretion, because I suck when it comes to math. So if some of my numbers are off, feel free to correct me.
Friday, January 23, 2009
No Child Left Behind
This is a post that has taken a big part of my mind for a very long time, and now finally I get it out of my head and put in print.
It’s about our beloved school.
I know I live in a state, Arkansas, that just ranked #50 in the country and used to live in Louisiana which when I lived there always scored #49 or #50. I realize that I don’t see the full perspective on schools that work and perform better, but this is all I have so I take it or leave it.
I have one child that is a junior in High School and one in 1st grade so I get to see the range.
Both my 7 year old and my 17 year old spend the same time in school every day.
One has the physical capacity to do it the other one doesn’t. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out who’s who, right?
But here’s the twist, the one (17 year old) that can and should be challenged to perform better and use her brain more, has a much lighter burden in school than the 7 year old does.
Let’s compare their schedule.
My 1st grader spend the first 4 hours of school every day, reading and doing reading exercises, and writing, with no breaks in between.
Then he has 1 hour combined of lunch, play time and bathroom break, which if you couldn’t resist jumping around a little bit during the 4 hour of pinned down reading earlier, is taken away from you.
After lunch it’s 1hour 15 minutes of math, followed by 40 minutes of activities (PE, Library, Computer, science and art). We’re on the home stretch now, just 55 minutes of science or social studies and then we’re on our way home!!! My 7 year old is fortunate to have a parent dropping him off and picking him up every day, a lot of kids have to spend at least one more hour on a bus to come home.
7 hours and 15 minutes of school. 20 minutes of recess that can be taken away if you could not sit down or be quiet. If the weather is bad, too cold, too warm, too wet, then you have to sit down and be quiet watching a movie instead of running around for recess.
Who’s in charge of this?
What child development skills do they have?
It’s insane, right?
OK here comes the schedule for my junior.
English, Elective, American History, Math, LUNCH, Elective, Elective, Chemistry.
55 minute of each every day the same. Broken up by occasional pep rallies or what have you.
Since she started Junior High (7th grade) she has had at least two electives per day. They can be a sport, some creative art, a language or what ever you choose. This year she has 3 electives, next year, her final year she has 5 electives. The only thing required is English and math the rest she can pick what ever she wants.
This is the 3rd time she’s had to take American history….
I know, our history is about 250 year long, how much is there to learn? And still most kids don’t have no or very little knowledge about our history…
Science, the students are required to take Biology and pick either Physics or Chemistry????
It’s like saying you have to learn the letter “P” but you can choose to learn the letter “Q” or “R”.
So, Math gets 55 minutes a day, the same as football, if you choose that sport as an elective. English gets 55 minutes a day, the same as Yearbook, if you choose that as one elective.
The difference?
Well, if you play a sport, sing in coir, play an instrument, waive the school flags at sport events, draw pictures or do any elective of that sort you are required to spend some extra time.
Take the band player for example.
Before school starts in the fall, you come in every day for two weeks for practice. Just for a few hours a day, but still. Then when school starts you have after school practice at least once a week plus that you go away for competitions, concerts, and marches on the weekends. That’s all fine and fun.
Imagine now that the same extra work was to be put in to what I thought school was about…. Academics.
The Algebra teacher calls the students in two weeks before school starts with math practice every day, just for a few hours. One day every week the teacher have after school practice and on some weekends the students go to different schools solving math problems. What an outcry that would cause.
I wonder why we put so much strain on the young kids; at an earlier and earlier age… they now want to have a universal pre-K programs. At the age of 4??? What happened to the voluntary Kindergarten?, to naptime?, to half day program?.
Instead of drilling 5-10 year olds with insane schedules, and leaving the teenagers to fart around, doing whatever, let’s switch it around.
Give the last 6 years of school’s schedule to the K-6th graders and the 7th-12th graders the schedule of the young ones. Maybe that would make our academic knowledge rise?
Let’s move our attention to college….
What do they pay attention to there? Football, basketball…. You name it.
I’m telling you, the schools down south here where the academics are not in the county’s top bracket, are still damned good in the college sports… yeah man, that’s our pride and joy!!
But we sure get a lot of medals during the Olympics, don’t we?
I’m not saying we should not do all the other fun things, like sports and clay pottery or what ever we like to do, but don’t do it in school.
No one should go to the post office because they don't just sell stamps but also a really good coffee. The post office is paid for with tax money to deliver letters, packages and goods. The school is paid with tax money to educate….
Or have I missed something?
It’s about our beloved school.
I know I live in a state, Arkansas, that just ranked #50 in the country and used to live in Louisiana which when I lived there always scored #49 or #50. I realize that I don’t see the full perspective on schools that work and perform better, but this is all I have so I take it or leave it.
I have one child that is a junior in High School and one in 1st grade so I get to see the range.
Both my 7 year old and my 17 year old spend the same time in school every day.
One has the physical capacity to do it the other one doesn’t. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out who’s who, right?
But here’s the twist, the one (17 year old) that can and should be challenged to perform better and use her brain more, has a much lighter burden in school than the 7 year old does.
Let’s compare their schedule.
My 1st grader spend the first 4 hours of school every day, reading and doing reading exercises, and writing, with no breaks in between.
Then he has 1 hour combined of lunch, play time and bathroom break, which if you couldn’t resist jumping around a little bit during the 4 hour of pinned down reading earlier, is taken away from you.
After lunch it’s 1hour 15 minutes of math, followed by 40 minutes of activities (PE, Library, Computer, science and art). We’re on the home stretch now, just 55 minutes of science or social studies and then we’re on our way home!!! My 7 year old is fortunate to have a parent dropping him off and picking him up every day, a lot of kids have to spend at least one more hour on a bus to come home.
7 hours and 15 minutes of school. 20 minutes of recess that can be taken away if you could not sit down or be quiet. If the weather is bad, too cold, too warm, too wet, then you have to sit down and be quiet watching a movie instead of running around for recess.
Who’s in charge of this?
What child development skills do they have?
It’s insane, right?
OK here comes the schedule for my junior.
English, Elective, American History, Math, LUNCH, Elective, Elective, Chemistry.
55 minute of each every day the same. Broken up by occasional pep rallies or what have you.
Since she started Junior High (7th grade) she has had at least two electives per day. They can be a sport, some creative art, a language or what ever you choose. This year she has 3 electives, next year, her final year she has 5 electives. The only thing required is English and math the rest she can pick what ever she wants.
This is the 3rd time she’s had to take American history….
I know, our history is about 250 year long, how much is there to learn? And still most kids don’t have no or very little knowledge about our history…
Science, the students are required to take Biology and pick either Physics or Chemistry????
It’s like saying you have to learn the letter “P” but you can choose to learn the letter “Q” or “R”.
So, Math gets 55 minutes a day, the same as football, if you choose that sport as an elective. English gets 55 minutes a day, the same as Yearbook, if you choose that as one elective.
The difference?
Well, if you play a sport, sing in coir, play an instrument, waive the school flags at sport events, draw pictures or do any elective of that sort you are required to spend some extra time.
Take the band player for example.
Before school starts in the fall, you come in every day for two weeks for practice. Just for a few hours a day, but still. Then when school starts you have after school practice at least once a week plus that you go away for competitions, concerts, and marches on the weekends. That’s all fine and fun.
Imagine now that the same extra work was to be put in to what I thought school was about…. Academics.
The Algebra teacher calls the students in two weeks before school starts with math practice every day, just for a few hours. One day every week the teacher have after school practice and on some weekends the students go to different schools solving math problems. What an outcry that would cause.
I wonder why we put so much strain on the young kids; at an earlier and earlier age… they now want to have a universal pre-K programs. At the age of 4??? What happened to the voluntary Kindergarten?, to naptime?, to half day program?.
Instead of drilling 5-10 year olds with insane schedules, and leaving the teenagers to fart around, doing whatever, let’s switch it around.
Give the last 6 years of school’s schedule to the K-6th graders and the 7th-12th graders the schedule of the young ones. Maybe that would make our academic knowledge rise?
Let’s move our attention to college….
What do they pay attention to there? Football, basketball…. You name it.
I’m telling you, the schools down south here where the academics are not in the county’s top bracket, are still damned good in the college sports… yeah man, that’s our pride and joy!!
But we sure get a lot of medals during the Olympics, don’t we?
I’m not saying we should not do all the other fun things, like sports and clay pottery or what ever we like to do, but don’t do it in school.
No one should go to the post office because they don't just sell stamps but also a really good coffee. The post office is paid for with tax money to deliver letters, packages and goods. The school is paid with tax money to educate….
Or have I missed something?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Cravings
Now for the whole month of January, my husband and I have been very good, following Jillian Michael's diet plan and her work out plan.
The first week I felt awesome, lost 10 pounds and the soreness in my muscles made me feel even better.
The second week I gained 2 pounds, but since I'm a religious follower of Biggest Looser, I was prepared for the bad "week 2". So I was, if not OK with the lack of results from the second week, at least not totally broken down.
Third week has passed and I lost the 2 pounds I gained last week but that's it...
I'm sooooo tired of squash and zucchini, rice crackers and jello, so you have no idea.
If someone three years ago when I weighed close to 320 pound would have told me that I was mad about 10 irritating pounds I wanted to loose just because, then I would have slapped myself, but it's true, now I really have set this goal to loose an other silly 10 pounds and it's killing me.
For dinner today I made spaghetti for the kids and I was about to cry, I crave spaghetti, the juicy meatballs, the pasta sauce filled with mushrooms, corn, and loads of Mozzarella cheese made my mouth water so bad I had to wear a bib.... almost.
But I was resistant and didn't even sample it, I waited for my hubby to come home and we made together some healthy chicken stir fry with no rice, but a lot of beansprouts..... Not to bad but it didn't really taste anything like spaghetti which was what I craved...
Tomorrow night my hubby's taking me out for dinner though....
Sushi bar baby...
yeah!!
The first week I felt awesome, lost 10 pounds and the soreness in my muscles made me feel even better.
The second week I gained 2 pounds, but since I'm a religious follower of Biggest Looser, I was prepared for the bad "week 2". So I was, if not OK with the lack of results from the second week, at least not totally broken down.
Third week has passed and I lost the 2 pounds I gained last week but that's it...
I'm sooooo tired of squash and zucchini, rice crackers and jello, so you have no idea.
If someone three years ago when I weighed close to 320 pound would have told me that I was mad about 10 irritating pounds I wanted to loose just because, then I would have slapped myself, but it's true, now I really have set this goal to loose an other silly 10 pounds and it's killing me.
For dinner today I made spaghetti for the kids and I was about to cry, I crave spaghetti, the juicy meatballs, the pasta sauce filled with mushrooms, corn, and loads of Mozzarella cheese made my mouth water so bad I had to wear a bib.... almost.
But I was resistant and didn't even sample it, I waited for my hubby to come home and we made together some healthy chicken stir fry with no rice, but a lot of beansprouts..... Not to bad but it didn't really taste anything like spaghetti which was what I craved...
Tomorrow night my hubby's taking me out for dinner though....
Sushi bar baby...
yeah!!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A New Era?
Someone asked me today if I think Obama will be able to fulfill everything he has said he will work for.
I answered; no then he would have to be God.
I tell you this much; if he's able to inspire people to do better and believe in the better, then we're on our way to get where we want to be.
No president, previous, or to come, can do miracles.
But if you have the gift to inspire other people to make a change, which I think our new President have, then I'm a firm believer in a better future.
Because the only one that can change the world is you... and me.
....cue in the gospel coir....
I answered; no then he would have to be God.
I tell you this much; if he's able to inspire people to do better and believe in the better, then we're on our way to get where we want to be.
No president, previous, or to come, can do miracles.
But if you have the gift to inspire other people to make a change, which I think our new President have, then I'm a firm believer in a better future.
Because the only one that can change the world is you... and me.
....cue in the gospel coir....
Friday, January 9, 2009
H&M fashion
When I lived in Sweden, single, in a small apartment, by budget was not very impressive, as a matter of fact, there were days in the end of the month, when I walked home from the bus stop after work, staring at the ground, looking for some money. I was never without food, never without clothing or any other every day necessity, but some months the money ran out waaaay before the days.
A clothing store that always fell under the category to shop at was H&M, not so much for their style, or lack there of, but because their prices was at a level where I could afford it.
So H&M, or "Hennes" as we called it was like the "poor man's store" and absolutely nothing special.
Imagine my surprise when I today watched one of the 24 hour news networks where they were discussing the inauguration ball in less than 10 days and what soon to be first-wife Michelle O is going to wear, they said that she wears a lot of very popular H&M clothes!
H&M says very proudly they quickly sell out when ever Michelle O is photographed in one of H&M's outfits.
Suddenly I wish I had saved some of my old H&M clothes. I could wear them again and feel almost First Lady like
A clothing store that always fell under the category to shop at was H&M, not so much for their style, or lack there of, but because their prices was at a level where I could afford it.
So H&M, or "Hennes" as we called it was like the "poor man's store" and absolutely nothing special.
Imagine my surprise when I today watched one of the 24 hour news networks where they were discussing the inauguration ball in less than 10 days and what soon to be first-wife Michelle O is going to wear, they said that she wears a lot of very popular H&M clothes!
H&M says very proudly they quickly sell out when ever Michelle O is photographed in one of H&M's outfits.
Suddenly I wish I had saved some of my old H&M clothes. I could wear them again and feel almost First Lady like
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