Carrie Prejean Fiasco

I just finished watching and episode of The View. One of their hot topics concerned Carrie Prejean, the Miss California who made the comment about the gay community during the Miss Universe Pageant. Carrie Prejean had been in the pageant community long enough to understand that pageant answers should be diplomatic and un-offensive to any particular group. The person selected as Miss Universe is chosen as the symbolic representation of all people regardless of color, race, creed, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Carrie Prejean knew exactly what she was doing when she entered the pageant. She entered with the intention to win; it appears to win at all cost. Who can say she did not accomplish this? Carrie may not wear the crown or hold the title but she has won. She is constantly on TV or in the news. I bet very few people remember the name of the young lady who won the contest. Miss Prejean’s popularity in the news has overshadowed the reign of this young lady. Maybe it is time beauty pageants become a thing of the past. Whatever happened to winning or losing gracefully or natural beauty? When beauty comes down to who can buy the most cosmetic surgery or is willing to have the most, people can see that on the streets and on TV daily. We don’t need a beauty pageant for that type of production. Hasn’t the self esteem of young girls been shattered enough without this additional exploitation?

Play the Judge Judy Game

In order to play this game, you must watch Judge Judy. The object of the game is to decide who will win the case when the litigants enter the courtroom. You are judging from appearances only before the parties are introduced and the case is presented. Watch the proceedings for Judge Judy’s verdict. After playing this game a few times, would you agree that Judge Judy is a perfect example of why minorities do not trust the U.S. legal system?

Copying Security Words

I just finished posting an email on Facebook and I wondered if anyone else gets irritated with the security words you must copy. It’s not that I mind copying the words but I do mind feeling like a lunatic trying to figure out what some of the letters are. Why must the letters you’re copying be written as if some alien alphabets were created to blow your mind? I’m not a computer expert, so someone tell me, is this some cruel joke many sites use to give you a false sense of security when using the program?

Economic Status in the U.S.

This past weekend while talking with my sister in law, I told her of a comment made while my husband and I were out walking. The comment was that he wished we could find a money sack that fell off the back of an armor truck. Her response was that she had the same thought that week. The thought that went through my mind was, “Damn! Are things so bad off in the U.S. that we all have to share the same fantasy? “ Can we not at least afford our own fantasies?

Disrespect for the Commander-in-Chief

If FOX Network did not carry the Presidential speech on education directed to the children, and selected to show So You Think You Can Dance or some other extremely educational show as such, should FOX be allowed to dominate the Armed Forces Channels as they do? Given that the President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, this should not be acceptable and military personnel should be outraged at the level of disrespect FOX presented toward President Obama. If a soldier disrespected an officer, it would cause the soldier severe penalties or even their career. FOX should be treated accordingly. Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing but disrespect is never tolerated in the armed forces; why begin with FOX?

Helping Your Child to Succeed in School

Parents, you can jump start your child’s educational experience by simply assuring your child has successfully learned some simple lessons. At the preschool age, make sure your child learns to count and recognize the numbers to twenty, know their colors, recognize shapes and can cut and paste. By age four, teach your child to write their name. Go online to one of the following sights and begin teaching your child to read and spell the words on the list. The sights are www.english_zone.com/reading/dolch.html (Dolch 220 Basic Sight Words) and http://estabrook.ci.lexington.ma.us/Curriculum/Sitton/Wordbank.html (Sitton Spelling Word Bank).

The Dolch 220 basic sight word list consists of 220 most commonly used words at the basic level in the United States. The Sitton list consists of 1000 words children must know between kindergarten and fifth grades.

As for math, the best thing parents can do after teaching their children to count and recognize numbers is to teach them basic addition facts and basic subtraction facts using numbers one through ten during their first grade level. At second grade level, increase the numbers to twenty and begin teaching the timetables through the threes. At third grade, increase the timetables to ten. Afterwards, there are only a few remaining to learn since the timetables repeat themselves. Children knowledgeable with the basic facts are armed with the ammunition they need to do well in school. In closing, I leave you with a few websites I recommend. I am not associated with any of the sites and do not have any gain financially or otherwise for submitting the recommendations. The sites are: coolmath.com; magickeys.com/books; sheppardsoftware.com; storyplace.org; storylineonline.net; and kinderwebgames.com.

Considering Out of State Universities

This may be late for many to consider, but for those that are seniors or have seniors in high school who may be considering attending out of state colleges need to read the following; this should not be avoided. When researching out-of-state colleges, check the residency requirements if you hope to obtain residency. Some states are changing their residency policies to avoid students claiming residency before their senior year of college. The example I will use is that of Florida, even if you obtain state resident status that is not a consideration in residency for colleges and universities. The driving factor is the student’s employment status. A student must have full time employment of thirty (30) hours per week or more. On the surface, this may seem insignificant; but in a college town where there are more students and local residents seeking employment it can become a devastating factor to families. The difference in cost (example) is $125 per credit for in-state students and $525 per credit for out-of-state students. At fifteen (15) hours per semester (average five classes) an in-state student will pay $3750.00 per year plus room and board and additional fees while the out-of-state student pays $15,750.00 per year plus room and board and additional fees. If your child does not attend school on a scholarship and does not qualify for income based grants, the student loan amount is capped at $7,500.00 per year; the remaining $20,000.00 plus becomes the responsibility of the parents. For $80,000.00 plus, you can set your child up in his or her own business and let them pay to attend college at a later date after their income reaches a stage in which it can be afforded effortlessly. Or you can send your child to an in-state school and pay $20,000.00 to 50,000.00 for the four to five years it will take for your child to graduate. If you believe the prices I quote are for one of Florida’s private schools, it is not, the quote is for a Florida public institution.

Universal Health Care

Currently there are many debates taking place around the country concerning the Obama Health Care Plan. Instead of applauding his efforts to ensure all Americans have basic health care coverage, the media and those with financial and political agendas incite the public into refusing a necessity for our nation. Other countries have accomplished achieving a universal health program; why can’t we obtain the same? Currently, I am in Berlin, Germany where having basic health care is required. Who pays for it, working people and businesses, yet I haven’t met any Germans, Americans or British citizens who live in the country complain about paying into the health care system. I complained, not because I disagreed with the system; my complaint evolved from the fact that as a temporary foreigner in the country, covered by two U.S. plans, who could not utilize the local insurance, I was required to pay into the system. The German government insurance plans are not cheap and the basic plan only covers a ward room in the hospital (a room with three or more roommates), the doctor on call upon entrance, routine health care with doctors within the plan and basic dental coverage. This basic plan cost approximately $650 per month. You can upgrade your plan to other levels for an increase in cost or you can supplement this coverage with a private insurance policy. In Germany, health care policies and taxes are expensive but I must admit, I appreciate the government wealth being distributed to the common people through the services and low cost transportation afforded everyone.

Why would anyone be comfortable paying into such an expensive program? You can see the reasons as you walk around the city; the general health of the people far exceeds that of Americans. The elderly and people using walkers, canes and those in wheelchairs are not hidden away inside their houses. They are out and about enjoying life like everyone else. People move around freely taking for granted that those around them are healthy therefore minimizing their risk of catching an illness from someone else. In the year I have spent in this country, I must admit that I only remember hearing someone cough in public once. Even as a teacher in the classroom, you seldom hear the children coughing. If the children had a slight fever or headache, they were kept home. The parents are quick to take the children to the doctor if they believe the child suffers from more than not wishing to remain at school for the day.

What about people collecting unemployment, you may ask. Everyone capable of contributing to the general welfare of the community is utilized. While collecting unemployment, the individual must work at an assigned job for one euro an hour until employment is found. This program allows people to gain employable skills that are valuable in the workplace. It also brings dignity to receiving assistance until one can better their situation. In addition, it instills the desire to vacate the unemployment roster as soon as possible. Who among us wants to earn a little money for employment when we are capable of earning much more.

Am I in favor of the universal health care; yes, I am. Would it decrease the amount of private health care policies sold by insurance companies? Yes it would; but consider for many, you will not find out that your private insurance plan will not cover your cost until you need the care. Wouldn't it be a blessing to know in advance that your medical needs are insured? Knowledge is much better than playing a deadly guessing game with your life or the life of a love one. In addition, the Medicare, Medicaid programs will no longer be necessary. Both programs can be inclusive in the universal health care program. Thus providing needed funding for the health care program.

Shimmering Laughter

My nephew died of a heart attack at the young age of 32. I traveled from Berlin to attend his funeral; but how and why he died is not the topic of this blog. The topic comes from something my father inadvertently taught us, if you look for something positive, you will find it, no matter the occasion. It is this gift that creates the story surrounding the funeral.

Before leaving Germany, I carefully planned my wardrobe for the week. For the funeral, I had chosen to wear a black skirt, matching top and a black/white alternating color jacket. In my haste to pack, I left the jacket in Berlin; this realization occurred to me while hanging my garments in the hotel closet. Evaluating the clothing contents I packed for the trip, I determined none of the others were appropriate for a burial. My comfort zone for wearing the skirt and top without a jacket was well below average but I quickly came to terms with my wardrobe. When my sister told me family members were going to the mall for new outfits, I decided to go shopping with the group. While shopping, I stumbled across a very nice jacket on sale for a hundred dollars at Macy’s. The jacket was black and beige with silver threads throughout. I knew the jacket would complement my skirt and top; therefore, I purchased the jacket, took it back to the hotel room and hemmed the sleeves. As far as my outfit was concerned, I was ready for the day.

At the funeral, I sat with the ladies that carried the flowers from the church. This is where the story takes a turn in the bend. The young lady who sat next to me wore blue jeans with a matching jean vest. She sat close enough for her leg to brush against mine. After her leg brushed against me, we both realized that the silver threads in the jacket were not threads at all but actually glitter. As quickly as the girl brushed the glitter from her clothing, more would drop on. She was like a glitter magnet. I almost laughed watching the girl try putting space between us. The situation would have been embarrassing if it had not been so funny. During the service, my nieces began to cry. I made the mistake of going to comfort them; everyone within two feet of me received the pleasure of going home with a glitter souvenir.

After leaving the gravesite, two of my sisters and I returned to the hotel to change clothing. We stopped at the reception desk; while talking to the receptionist, I dropped my keys. When I bent over to pick the keys off the floor, one of my sisters began laughing. We looked at her wondering what was so funny. She said, look down. Being gullible, I made the mistake of looking down. When I did, both my sisters began to laugh. Every time I looked down or bent in any direction, a glitter shower rained down in front of the reception desk. The glitter would fall off the same way you would expect rain to fall during a downpour.

When finished changing, we went back to the house of my sister who had buried her son. Everyone was so sad, but when the three of us walked in the door and looked at them, we burst into laughter. Everyone was sitting around with glitter all over them, on their shoes and clothing, scattered across their faces and in their hair. I had worked magic, even in that sullen time everyone found a reason to laugh. Need I say, when I returned to Germany, I cleaned the jacket, hung it in the closet and haven’t worn it since?