Swarming across the landscape of my world
Little Black Dots obliterate beauty
Marching is their duty
“Show us your receipt!” they demand
And the Little Black Dots comply
without knowing why
But who are you?
Little Black Dots silently stare
Unable to think on a dare
The economic god lures them
Little Black Dots are its prophets
Stealing our thoughts and picking our pockets
Being laid off from work gives one a totally new perspective on boredom. It is going on three months now and despite diligently searching for a job, meeting with recruiters and revising my resume for the nth time I have managed to secure all of zero interviews. In spite of the message being sent to me, I know that I am neither unintelligent or unskilled. That, however, seems to have little to do with getting a job these days. Employers want degrees. No degree; no job. The end. No discussion, no interview, no nothing. (There will be a second post following discussing my thoughts on the benefit degrees have brought us in society.)
So, disheartened and running out of places to turn and things with which to amuse myself, I enrolled back in school. Turns out the enrollment was easier than I thought and by virtue of simply having the need for me in the work force phased out by the economy I qualified for all the financial aid I needed. Isn’t that wonderful?
Although easier than I thought, it was inevitable that I would at some point encounter the rampant bureaucracy that has plagued every learning institution since their inception. My personal glitch revolved around an old English Composition credit from a highly regarded university. Evidently English Composition I was not the name of the course hence it did not fit into the neat little box created by today’s standards. Ironic that my glitch involved a language barrier for an English course, no? After multiple phone calls and a little elbow grease on the part of the employees they were able to verify that I had, in fact, taken English Composition I at some point in my life. (The fact that my placement test score was 99% should have given them a clue but, alas, like every other industry common sense does not run rampant at universities.)
So school begins next week and unlike my children I cannot wait. I have my books and have already completed a full month’s worth of homework and am getting ready to practice some essays for Eng Comp II. My daughter keeps calling me a freak but I cannot help it! I want to make sure I get the most I can out of the courses and do not want to fall behind.
Perhaps if I had exhibited this level of interest and study habits the first go around I would not be re-enrolling, huh?
The past two decades that produced more and more laws prohibiting smoking, the sale of tobacco and tobacco related products and dramatically increased cost for purchasing tobacco products. For a while this seemed like a good thing but it has gotten completely out of control. Smokers are demonized in society and discriminated against at almost every angle simply because some jackass began proposing legislation and no one wants to step up to the plate and defend smokers. Now our new president (an occasionally smoker himself) is adding even more legislation.
Yes, it is a health issue. A lot of things are health issues. In fact, heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and world-wide by a huge margin. But I have yet to see an increased tax imposed on Twinkies and ice cream. Neither of these things is good for you. There really is no “safe” amount of either that can be consumed. Yet both products continue to be sold freely to anyone of any age and at minimal cost. Why?
Alcohol is another drug that although it is regulated it does not face the same taxation rate as tobacco. Why? To my knowledge no one has ever died from a tobacco related car accident. Alcohol on the other hand has led to the demise of millions.
This is blatantly unfair! As a smoker I make every effor to be considerate and conscientious of my environment and the people around me. I am not a heavy smoker and do not enjoy the smell of smoke in my home or at a restaurant any more than the next person. Why then am I portrayed as and evil person from whom others will contract cancer simply by talking to me? I suppose the tobacco industry simply lacked the funds to pay off politicians the way the alcohol industry has.
I have long been a fan of year round schooling but some charter schools are taking the need for increased learning to a new level.
About 70% of its 450 kindergarten through eighth-grade students stay until at least 5 p.m.
The public charter school operates 205 to 210 days a year, compared with the state-required 180.
Under the right circumstances and appropriate set up a long school day could be a good thing. It would allow children time to finish homework in an environment designed for learning, it would allow them increased socialization time and possible decrease the amount of in-classroom socialization that usually takes place. However, in the wrong environment the school could take on the pallor of a prison – trapping the students in the building for hours on end and depriving parents of valuable connection time during homework session at home.
Careful monitoring is needed of this idea but like most ideas it will undoubtedly be abused if it proves to be useful. All that is needed is for a politician to get wind of it.
What is it with negative news that makes it feel like it comes in waves? And why doesn’t good news do the same? (I suspect a bit of confirmation bias is at play but at the moment I do not care.)
After dealing with the blow of being laid-off from my job I tried to keep a positive view of things. I figured this would give me a chance to get a few things done around the house, make some long term financial plans, search for a job with increased salary and overall take stock of my life and pull things together. Sadly, the best laid plans often veer wildly off course.
My parents are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this weekend (good, right?) and my siblings and I are planning a party. Not a big deal except my mother keeps adding to the guest list and my sibilings and I are pushing to get everything done. I currently share a house with my ex who has taken it upon himself to become sick. He has resolved that he can no longer drive himself anywhere and apparently is on strike from housework. Nothing very new there and it constitutes the bulk of the reason we are divorced. (If you knew him you would not be sympathetic either.) So added to the stress of job hunting and party planning I now have the burden of running him to doctor appointments and 100% of the housework including yard work. Oh! The yard work! I am highly allergic (skin sensitivity) to things that grown and after battling a nasty rash for a week I finally had to take my swollen hands/arms to the doctor for a prescription.
Today I received even worse news that I could have expected at this point. One of my puppy dogs (Zoe) has had a small cyst growing on her hind leg. It reached the point that removal is necessary since draining it did nothing. I dropped her off for surgery this morning and then received a call from the vet. Zoe has a heart murmer. Boxers are prone to cardio myopathy and the doctor suspects she has it. Surgery must be postponed until chest x-rays, ultrasounds and a visit to an animal cardiologist are complete. I thanked the vet for letting me know, hung up the phone and cried.
Zoe is only 5 and I brought her home when she was a mere 5 weeks old. She slept with me for the first month and needless to say we bonded. She has an articulated tounge (small break) and when her tounge is hanging out of her mouth the indent catches in her fang and she has just about the goofiest look to her you have ever seen. She is usually somewhere under my feet or stopping in front of me so that I trip over her and seems to possess endless energy. She is amazingly sweet and very protective and asks for so little in return. I cannot imagine losing her right now or ever for that matter.
Someone please let me know when the rain stops.
Yesterday was beautiful here in Missouri and since I had the day off I thought it would be a wonderful idea to visit one of our gorgeous state parks for a hike. My intended destination was Washington State Park but we (me and my little hiking companion – my miniature Daschund, Lulu) had an unexpected turn of events.
As we neared the turn-off into the park there was a car pulled off to the side of the highway and an older woman crouched down beside a cat. This particular stretch of highway is narrow and very busy so my concern for both of them outweighed any common sense I have. I pulled over to see what was wrong and to try to get both of them away from the rushing traffic. The woman stated that someone had hit the cat and drove off leaving it to die. The cat was sitting up but obviously not able to move or I am certain it would have taken off at the sight of strangers approaching. As we were talking another woman, much younger, came running across the road crying. She was the owner of the cat. Evidently she was not supposed to have cats at the complex in which she lived and although she appeared upset she also did not appear williing to do anything about the situation. Meanwhile “Bella” was not going to miraculously heal himself.
With the owners permission (translation “Take him, you can keep him if you want.”) I collected the cat and placed him in my car. We drove to the nearest animal clinic where I told them my story. Since this is a rural area they were hardly surprised that a pet had been hit by a car, but they seemed a little shocked that a stranger would bring the animal in for medical attention. As I told them, my non-professional diagnosis was that Bella was most likely suffering from internal injuries, including but not limited to a spinal chord injury. The cat was in shock when I first picked him up but the careful hands and assurance by the vet and me seemed to calm him down and he stopped panting and was beginning to doze before I left.
Although I am unable to take in another pet at this time I did feel that Bella would make an excellent pet for a caring family and told the vet so. She said she would examine him and do what she could. In the end we both agreed it may be kinder to put him down, but only testing would give us that answer. The vet thanked me for my efforts and I took one of her cards back to the purported owner of the cat instructing her to call the vet to release him into the vet’s care. If the owner has no interest in caring for him she can at least assign him to someone who will. Ugh!
After all that excitement (not the good kind) we finally headed to the park only to discover all trails are closed due to flooding. What a day!
Health care, education and every other area of social concern, have been on a steady decline in the United States. For more years than I can count the bottom line of these areas has been paramount to the product produced. We have been fed the lie of capitalism for too long and have sacrificed our well-being for it. The United States is far from topping the list in life span, infant natality and education standards and the reason for this is greed.
The select powers in this country have ruled with an iron fist, controlling these areas and many others in their quest for power and money while the populace hid in fear of retribution. Many of us work for companies who make their political stance known and are not adverse to using threats of job loss to ensure that their political agendas are fulfilled.
For the past six months we have listened to fear mongering sound bites from the faux news organizations screaming ’socialism’ in the same tone they would use for ‘communism’. Their ignorance feeds the ugly beast of an even more ignorant society and we fall further into degradation. The United States has been a socialist country for a long time and will continue to be so because the general public depends on it. We have many services paid for by our tax dollars and adding health care and education to the list would only serve to enhance our country and improve the quality of life for everyone. Yes, the extremely wealthy would probably take a bit of a hit but we can no longer afford to cater to the puffed up ‘needs’ of the few for the genuine needs of the many.
Developing a national health care program and a improving primary and secondary education while incorporating post-secondary education under the umbrella of state provided services does nothing to the idea of capitalism. Capitalism can and will remain strong and possible better when a nation is healthy and well-educated.
Our antiquated business approach has turned the United States into a joke to the rest of the world. We have become a haven for criminals and those seeking to enforce their will on us by abusing the very document designed to prevent such things from happening – The Constitution. Our justice system has completely lost its sense of justice and now only concerns itself with political correctness. It is not an exaggeration to say that the incacerated have far more rights than the average citizen. They also have better health care and education advantages.
As the new administration struggles to achieve balance in the more crucial areas of our nation, we must monitor its progress while demanding release from the hostage program in which we have been placed by Corporate America.
Recently I read this article on the Huffington Post regarding questions to ask your mother now. As her child I rarely think of my mother as infallible or being young or even unmarried. To me she has always been Mom – sweet, sometimes stern but always an adult.
So the kids and I went out for a visit and I decided to give the questions a whirl. Not wanting her to feel as though she was being interviewed, I decided to stick to one main question and see where that led. So, in light of my parents pending 60th wedding anniversary I asked:
“How did you know Dad was ‘the one’?”
The room fell silent and I could see both of my children lean forward anticipating her answer. A range of emotions played across her features and for a moment I thought she was going to brush the question off with a sarcastic answer, but insead she gave me a twitching half-smile and said, “Well he just kept coming around!” I smiled back and asked if she was implying that he stalked her. She laughed and said no, but we had to understand that to get to her house from his was approximately 6 miles. Not a huge distance today, but my father had no car and there was little in the way of public transportation. So he walked. He walked 12 miles to see her and he did this a few times each week. Kind of impressive.
The story of how my parents met has become legend in the family and by all accounts it is true. My mother worked at the local public pool. She was the basket girl – people would put their clothes and such in a basket and she would give them a numbered pin and store the basket for them. My father showed up one day with a couple of his brothers and upon seeing her told my uncles that was the woman he was going to marry. They laughed and told him good luck with that. They were married 3 years later shortly before my mother’s 19th birthday.
I persisted a little with my questioning and asked her, if dad was so sure, what was it that made her so sure he was right. She said she honestly did not know but she knew he was a good person. She said she was impressed by the fact that if she needed him, he was there. If a family member needed help, he was there. All of my life if I have needed help, all I ever needed to do was call my dad and he would be there. He still would and sometimes get frustrated that he can no longer fix all of his children’s problems. This characteristic impressed my mother and still does. It impresses me too.
I completely enjoyed talking to Mom today and learning a little more about her life before children and look forward to asking her many more questions. It is a valuable legacy to pass on to my children.
In as much as I would love to pat myself on the back for being a skeptic I know that I owe much to my mother in this regard, and to the generations of women before them. This is not to disparage the men in my family – far from it. They taught me self sufficiency and the ability to figure things out for myself where possible. The women in my family, though, seemed to possess remarkable bullshit detectors along with a cutting sense of humor.
I’ve listened to enough podcasts and read enough material to know that in the skeptical community homeopathy is treated with the derision it deserves. That said, my mother will reach for a ‘natural’ cure long before she will accept a pill from a doctor…whenever possible. I want to stress the last part because she has no aversion to doctors and gets regular check-ups. However, she and I and millions of others know that there are just some things equally well treated with non-prescription, common sense cures.
Primarily what my mother does is eat right, exercise, get plenty of rest and drinks a sufficient amount of water every day. It is difficult to complain about aches and pains around her when I am having trouble keeping up with her almost 80 year old self. According to her getting up and moving around is the best cure for aches and pains that she knows. It is also the cure for headaches and fatigue. Upset stomaches, on the other hand, require rest and 7-Up…and a trip to the bathroom. (There were a lot of things cured with a trip to the bathroom.)
Mom taught me a lot and I am still learning. I know that I will never be as good of a mother as she is, but even if I can get within range it will make me a damn good mother.
Thanks Mom – for everything!
Pope Benedict expounded on the virtues of religion while visiting Jordan recently. True to his nature, he placed the burden of the worlds ill squarely on the shoulders of the secularists. Here is an excerpt from his speech:
For this reason we cannot fail to be concerned that today, with increasing insistency, some maintain that religion fails in its claim to be, by nature, a builder of unity and harmony, an expression of communion between persons and with God. Indeed some assert that religion is necessarily a cause of division in our world; and so they argue that the less attention given to religion in the public sphere the better. Certainly, the contradiction of tensions and divisions between the followers of different religious traditions, sadly, cannot be denied. However, is it not also the case that often it is the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends, that is the real catalyst for tension and division, and at times even violence in society? In the face of this situation, where the opponents of religion seek not simply to silence its voice but to replace it with their own, the need for believers to be true to their principles and beliefs is felt all the more keenly. Muslims and Christians, precisely because of the burden of our common history so often marked by misunderstanding, must today strive to be known and recognized as worshippers of God faithful to prayer, eager to uphold and live by the Almighty’s decrees, merciful and compassionate, consistent in bearing witness to all that is true and good, and ever mindful of the common origin and dignity of all human persons, who remain at the apex of God’s creative design for the world and for history.
Yes, Mr. Pope, the ideological manipulation of religion, sometimes for political ends is the real catalyst for tension and division and at times even violence in society. No, Mr. Pope, your imaginary opponent of religion is not an excuse for you to continue your reign of death.
There is a distinct difference between opposing religion and opposing the tenets of violence it promotes. One person choosing to worship a deity or deities has no effect on another. Problems arise when theological differences are manifested in action. We have seen this through the course of history and yet the theological leaders of the world refuse to accept that their way should not and cannot be imposed on everyone.
Secularism is not the opposition of religion; it is the default position every government should take for the preservation of religion and the sanctity of the people it governs. No two religious followers agree on every aspect of doctrine regardless of whether they profess to belong to the same sect or not. It is reckless at best and cataclysmic at worst to attempt to reconcile religion with government. We have already seen the results of attempts made to do so – millions of lives lost, progress stunted and intellectual regression to ignorance. Believers in a deity should be the first ones to see the failure of such actions in comparison to the ‘merciful and compassionate’ teachings of their doctrine.
It becomes more evident every time a religious leader opens their mouth that fear is the driving force behind their thinking. Fear that they will lose power, fear that they will have to face the realities of the world and get up off their knees and do something about it, fear that their personal comforts gained through the sacrifice of lives will be taken from them.
Fear…the very thing they desire to eradicate through clinging to mythology. Funny, isn’t it?
h/t Religion Clause
