Speechless

Maybe she graduated from the same fine institution of learning as this girl.

File Under: What the?????

I dislike this on so many levels.



There really are no words.

File Under: Get Over It Already!

Alabama's NAACP's President Edward Vaughn doesn't want the Trail Maids (made up of 50 high schoolers) to march in the inaugural parade, even though they have a long-standing tradition of marching in inaugural parades.



Why????

Because the Southern belle costumes remind him of slavery.

"These are not just regular costumes. These are the costumes that remind someone of the plantation in Gone with the Wind," Edward Vaughn said in a phone interview.

I suppose he doesn't use cotton balls or drink whisky or watch movies with Clark Gable in them or sit on verandas.

Someone call Edward and tell him that with the election of Barack Obama racism ended in America. He must not have gotten the memo. (Said with more than a hint of sarcasm.)

Would you be happy or offended....

....if someone gave you this for Christmas?

Click on the image to purchase a plastic surgery gift card for that special friend or loved one. After all, nothing says, "I love you just the way you are were" like a little nip and tuck.

File Under: What Is The World Coming To?

1. I had to take Luc to the ER the other day because I thought he might have broken his arm. The only ER parking is a parking garage adjacent to the hospital. And they charge you by the hour. I'm not even kidding! Does that not seem just plain wrong to anyone else? Paying for parking at the ER! Some cold-hearted bureaucrat must have thought of that.

2. At the zoo today I saw a baby car seat/carrier decked out with skulls. I found a picture of the exact one online:

A closer look at the fabric:

Most people think of decorating their nurseries in gentle, soothing ways. Ducks, bears, stars, Winnie The Pooh. You know, things that portray new life, peace, and freshness.

Can't you just see Haley Joel Osmond saying, "I see dead people" and his mother saying, "Oh, Honey that's just the way we decorated your room. Go back to bed."

Seriously, skulls on the baby's things? Eek. Something is just not right with that.

Sweet Dreams.

I needed a good laugh....

....seriously. As sad as this video is, I did actually LOL and not just LQTM (laugh quietly to myself).

You can file it under "What Is The World Coming To?"




And they say Charismatic Christians are extreme!

Doing Business On The Internet

Remember this story of Internet business incompetence?

I'm really beginning to wonder about the common sense in this country. Seriously.

Gana bought some auto parts online. (I won't mention the name of the company but it starts with an autopartswarehouse and ends with a dot com.) Two parts arrived in a timely manner. One part, a wall guard for a garage, came over a week later. When it arrived it was not the right one.

So, I called them. The woman said we would receive an email with return instructions and an RMA (return merchandise authorization) within 24 hours. We did not. So, a few days later I called again. I was on hold for about 30 minutes. Then they disconnected me. I called again. I got transferred to parts, then disconnected. I called again. I got transferred to sales, then disconnected. Finally I opted to email customer service.

They replied with, "Here is your RMA. Return shipping charges are your responsibility." That did not seem fair at all, being that it was not the part we had ordered. So, I emailed them back. A completely different person emailed me who was unaware that I already had an RMA and that I just wanted a return shipping label. I explained it again. Someone completely different replied, who acted unaware that I already had an RMA and just wanted a return shipping label. I emailed back. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. This goes on for a week or two.

Finally, a completely new person emailed me and said I had to provide the VIN number of my car.

I refused to provide that.

Finally I called and the person on the phone said because I purchased this part off the Internet that I assumed the risk and that the company did not pay for returning parts.

Wait a second! I replied with something to the effect of, "Let me get this straight. If your company ships your customer the WRONG PART it is the customer's responsibility to PAY MORE MONEY to have it returned to you?! That is ludicrous!"

She replied with, "Please hold." Cue the muzak.

About 15 minutes later someone else gets on the phone, who seemed to have the exact same voice, but she insisted she was a new person.

She said, "I need your VIN number." I said, "No you don't. I do not have to provide any more personal information to return a wrong part! Even if I had a dodge and wanted to order Toyota parts, that is my business. I should get what I ordered! Besides this is a WALL GUARD! It is not going to go on my car!" She replied with, "But we need your VIN number to investigate this." I replied, "No you don't." She replied with, "Please hold."

More muzak.

Finally she gets back on the phone. She asked me to email her a picture of the part I have. I did so while still talking to her on the phone. She saw it and said, "OK, we will reimburse shipping charges." I asked for that in writing. She emailed me with that while I was still on the phone.

Done deal.

Until last night I get this email:

Hello,

Due to the fact that the return shipping charges will exceed the cost of the item itself, we will not require you to return the item at this time. However, in order for us to process your credit without returning the product, we will need a few simple things from you.

1. Take a digital photo of the product undamaged.

2. Damage the part. (We know this part sounds strange, but the warehouse will issue instant full credit for non-returnable damaged products)

3. Take a digital photo of the damaged product.

4. E-mail both photos to us (undamaged and damaged) and we will get your credit pushed through without the hassle of returning the product.

Once you get a “credit approved” e-mail, you may dispose of the product as you see fit. If you have any questions regarding this procedure, please don't hesitate to contact us.

I'm thinking I should sell this part on Amazon and save myself some trouble.

File Under: What is the world coming to?

I feel sorry for some kids.

http://www.babybungalow.com/keitupbopr.html
http://www.littlewonders.com/ http://www.bottlesling.com/

Do you ever wonder if starting children eating like this has anything to do with the obesity problem in our country? I do. Babies are looking for love and we don't interact with them, just prop up a bottle. Is it any wonder kids confuse food and love?

Babies need love to survive. Social attention is life itself
to the human baby. --Karen Pryor

File Under: "What were they thinking?!"

Everyone knows how to fight global warming. Recycle, reuse, buy organic, walk, ride a bike and hop on a jet for a 12-day conference in Bali.

Of course! Why didn't I think of that?!

According to this article, between 47,000 and 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide and other pollutants will be pumped into the air during this 12-day conference to address climate change. And it's not just the long-haul flights that are bad for the environment. No, sirree. It's all the extra electricity, water, and trash. It's running the air conditioning in these five-star hotels. The environmental impact of this ONE conference is the same as the country of Chad for the whole year. Yes, you read that right!

More than 10,000 people are attending this event. The United States sent 100 delegates. Indonesia's Environment Minister said, "Our aim is not just to make this a carbon neutral event, but a positive one. " How are 10,000 extra people going to get around for two weeks? Event planners have 200 bikes for use. Ten thousand people. Two hundred bikes. You do the math. What will the other 9,800 do? "SUVs, taxis and other cars..."

"I look at it from a very simple point of view," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environmental Program. "It may sound like a lot of people, but you have to look at the issues, the number of countries involved, the number of people affected. Global warming is literally everyone's business."

And big business it is. This conference is no doubt doing wonders for Indonesia's tourism and economy, even if it's destroying their air and water. "Side trips, from scuba diving to shopping, are being offered at hotels. Indonesia's tourism ministry hopes to showcase its remaining forests, island jewels and bustling metropolises by providing expense-paid junkets."

Does anyone else ever get the feeling that this whole global warming hysteria is driven more by commercialism than conservationism?

(All this from a cloth diapering, breastfeeding Mama who doesn't use paper towels, paper napkins or paper plates, uses her own reusable shopping bags, always recycles, has energy efficient appliances, and walks to the local farmer's market, grocery store and library. I'm greener than most people I know who actually believe in global warming.)

What Is the World Coming To? II

I picked up what looked like a handy little guide at the library called Kids and the Law. It has all the important California laws for children--like car seat laws, bike helmet laws, work permits and taxes etc.

Reading along I came across a section on Kids and Privacy. Can you read what I've highlighted below? If not, it says, "In California, however, there are a number of circumstances in which youngsters have the authority to make decisions without parental involvement. Some include:...medical treatment related to an infections, contagious or sexually transmitted disease." Continuing farther down it says, "...medical care related to the care and prevention of pregnancy (this includes birth control information and/or and abortion or any other care short of sterilization."

Next page a section on Sex and Kids. This one says, "It is against the law for minors in California to have sex..." Continuing on it says, "These laws make it legally impossible for a minor (someone under 18) to consent to sexual intercourse."

WHAT?! Am I the only one who reads these things through?

A child cannot legally consent to medical treatment (even to get something like allergy medicine or a lifesaving procedure like a blood transfusion). A child cannot get a tattoo or ears pierced without parental consent. But a child can consent to an abortion, birth control pills, IUD, treatment for STD....as long as the child doesn't have a vasectomy or tubal ligation. WHAT?!

A child cannot legally consent to sex, but CAN have an abortion?

What kind of logic is that?!

What is the world coming to?

By the Way, we can thank the California State PTA for the distribution of this enlightening information. You can request your own copy from the State Bar of California (Did they get that name because they were plastered?) just email kids@calbar.ca.gov. Ask for Kids and the Law: An A-to-Z Guide for Parents.

When Ritalin Fails, Try Prayer

In 1962 prayer was taken out of public schools. Well, that may not be entirely true. As long as there are school shootings there will surely be praying in schools! However, in 1962, State-mandated school prayer was prohibited by a Supreme Court ruling. That’s the truth. Which means that students may pray during non-teaching hours. They may do so alone or in groups that are voluntary and that are not during teaching sessions. Under the guise of the separation of church and state, teachers are not allowed to lead their students in the once traditional prayer:

"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country."

The problem as I see it is: without invoking a higher power or asking for divine help, how is a classroom full of students (who would rather be anywhere other than school and who do not have a stable family to provide a moral compass) to be persuaded to treat their neighbor kindly, to refrain from swearing, to sit still, to apply themselves to higher learning?

The public school is figuring this out. Their answer, however, is not to allow voluntary Christian prayer during classroom times, but to introduce Tibetan Buddhist Meditations.

This begs the question, why is Christian prayer illegal and Buddhism not?

In the June 12 edition of The New York Times, there is an article about how teaching “mindfulness” and meditations beginning and ending with the ringing of a Tibetan Singing Bowl has helped a number of classrooms and hyperactive children to find peace and conflict resolution.

“With the sound of their new school bell, the fifth graders at Piedmont Avenue Elementary School here closed their eyes and focused on their breathing, as they tried to imagine “loving
kindness” on the playground.

“I was losing at baseball and I was about to throw a bat,” Alex Menton, 11, reported to his classmates the next day. “The mindfulness really helped.”

As summer looms, students at dozens of schools across the country are trying hard to be in the present moment. This is what is known as mindfulness training, in which stress-reducing techniques drawn from Buddhist meditation are wedged between reading and spelling tests.”

There is nothing new under the sun, the Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes. These ideas are not new. There are principles in the Bible that can be seen even in these decidedly non-Christian practices. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that success is being seen in using meditation. Ritalin hasn’t worked, it’s about time some one tried actually connecting with these children!

“He doesn’t know what to do with his energy,” his mother, Towana Thomas, said at a session for parents. “But one day after school he told me, ‘I’m taking a moment.’ If it works in a child’s mind — with so much going on — there must be something to it.”

There is “something to it.” The Bible says in Isaiah, “In repentance and rest is your salvation. In quietness and trust is your strength.”

“Dr. Amy Saltzman, a physician in Palo Alto, Calif., who started the Association for Mindfulness in Education three years ago, thinks of mindfulness education as “talk yoga.” Practitioners tend to use sticky-mat buzzwords like “being present” and “cultivating compassion,” while avoiding anything spiritual.

Dr. Saltzman, co-director of the mindfulness study at Stanford, said the initial findings showed increased control of attention and “less negative internal chatter — what one girl described as ‘the gossip inside my head: I’m stupid, I’m fat or I’m going to fail math,’ ” Dr. Saltzman said. "


The Bible tell us in Philippians, “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Is it any wonder that the atmosphere in class improves when the children are told to think on compassion rather than Mortal Combat or Grand Theft Auto? Giving children something positive to meditate on is a good idea! There is far too much negativity and violence in their common thoughts and conversation.

“Glenn Heuser, who teaches a combined fourth-and fifth-grade class at Piedmont, said one student started crying about a dead grandparent and another over melted lip balm. “It tapped into a very emotional space for them,” Mr. Heuser said. “They struggled with, ‘Is it O.K. to go
there?’ ”

My heart breaks for the children who have no one to go to with their pain. It’s all bottled up. No wonder they fall apart over lip gloss! And scarier still is that those wounds of childhood follow one into adulthood. How many grown-ups are still dealing with the repercussions of a hurts from their childhood?

Proverbs 14:10, “The heart knows his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.”

The last line of the article is a good summation: “The premise is nice,” Ms. Steel concluded. “But mindfulness can’t do it all.”

Why can’t meditation and thinking good thoughts do it all? Christ said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” In teaching to think on loving kindness and to be “in the moment” the students need to be directed to the true Prince of Peace who gives peace that passes all understanding. Without Him, all this bowl ringing and deep breathing is a cheap imitation for true rest.

“Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

(Student holds a bell used in the mindfullness technique.)

What the....?

So, Chuck Swindoll is in trouble for using potty language. Click here.

There's an interesting take on it here. Here's an excerpt from that blog:

"Interesting conversation going on this week at Monday Morning Insight. Charles Swindoll has been dropped from VCY radio station for using 'vulgar" language [including buns, heck, crap, balls] I think it was the "crap" word that got him in trouble. ...BTW - Chuck Swindoll was my pastor in the eighties when i lived in Orange County. My wife was a missionary sent from EFC in Fullerton and we were married in that church. He is a good man and if he says "crap", then i would assume that the era of crap being a swear word has ended and people need to get used to it. ..."

Even John Piper was in trouble recently for saying that God kicks our a**.

Just last week I was watching a preacher on TV with my folks. The man said "screw," "crap," and "golly" in the same five minute period. We couldn't beleive it! I said, "All we need now is a few hells and darns and we can say we've been to church!"

What do you think about this new(ish) Christian swearing? Is it a part of our culture we just need to get used to? Is it just for effect and shock value?

Is it a violation of some Biblical command or is it merely contextualization?

Tell us what you think.

File under: "What is the world coming to?"

Two things:

1. At a local Presbyterian church I saw a big poster for a MEN'S BREAKFAST. The topic of discussion was to be, "Discovering ourselves as men." Then it said, believe it or not:

"Women and Men invited."

????????

WOMEN! Can we not leave men alone for a couple hours to have breakfast together? To discuss discovering themselves as men of all things! We've already taken our place in the workforce (Did I mention Gana has a female co-worker now? Gana is a construction worker!), the armed services, the "men's" lodges and the pulpit. Can men not escape us on a Saturday morning to have coffee together and just be dudes?! Is there any safe-zone?!

2. I heard a radio commercial: "Do you drink and drive? If so, you need us! We're Top Gun DUI Defense Attorneys!.....'Cause friends don't let friends plead guilty!"

If that's not a slap in the face to the over 16,000 people who died in alcohol related car accidents in 2005, I don't know what is! That has to be the most insensitive and ill-conceived marketing slogan I've ever heard!

What is the world coming to?!