Pro-decency

A couple of weeks ago I participated in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. As the Philanthropy Chair of my sorority's alumni association, I recruited a team and we raised as much money as we could. Our team raised a total of $825 - which was $140 more than we raised last year. I was extremely proud as it is very difficult to raise funds for a cause during tough economic times - everyone was very generous and that meant a lot to me.

So the day of the race came...our team didn't "race", we just participated in the "Family Fun Walk/5K" portion. As we worked our way up to the starting line, I was confronted by the following horrific images...

*Be advised the images below are disturbing and disgusting*

  

Those were just the ones that I was able to locate online. Believe me there were many more graphic depictions plastered on signs and they were BIG...like as big as a person.

I stopped dead in my tracks and looked over at the protesters and the awful signs they were holding with pride - I couldn't stop myself from blurting out "OH MY GOD! Are those people fucking serious?!". I couldn't believe they had the audacity to stand there and preach "family values" while simultaneously imposing these grotesque and horrific images on the thousands of children in attendance!

I don't care if you are pro-life or pro-choice - all I'm saying is that if anyone is going to exercise their right of free speech and assembly, they really should take more care in the manner in which they choose to do it.

Make no mistake - I am a FIRM believer in the freedom of speech, however, I feel it is important to stress the need for social responsibility. What if you were there with your kids and they saw these images -would you mind? How would you explain this complicated issue to a child? Even if you could explain it, do you think the graphic images are appropriate for a child's eyes?

I know how passionate people are about this heated debate and understandably so. Being a person who also likes to "rock the boat", I completely understand the desire people have to stir the pot to get people's attention. But in my opinion, the Family Fun Walk to benefit Breast Cancer was not an appropriate time or the place for that kind of demonstration. This is an issue ABOUT kids, not an issue FOR kids.

So where do I stand on the issue?
I'm personally Pro-Life: I don't think I could bring myself to terminate my pregnancy under any circumstances, even if my life was in danger. To me, a baby is one of the few miracles in life and I would never want to interfere with that. My opinion is purely my own and is never imposed on others.
I'm legislatively Pro-Choice/Anti-Government funding: Our government has no business telling ANYONE what they can and/or can't do with their bodies. Period. In addition, I believe that our government has no business funding either side of an issue of this kind.
I'm socially Pro-Education: I believe that educating people on BOTH sides of any given issue is the only way people can make an informed decision. The focus should be on providing resources to help facilitate that education and allowing the individual to make up their own mind.

And most importantly...

I'm Pro-Decency: No matter what your stance is on an issue, as a member of society it is in your best interest to take your audience into consideration before addressing an issue publicly. Do you have the right to speak your mind? Absolutely! But keep in mind that you are likely to do more harm than good for your cause by making your target audience uncomfortable.

Just a thought.

K8

Mid-life...psychosis.

One of my co-workers told me today that her husband of over 18 years packed up and walked out on her this past Friday. As I listened to her describe the turn of events over the past few days I found myself rolling my eyes at the realization that he must be at "that age" and suffering from a mid-life crisis. My heart breaks for her as she is powerlessly watching her life partner recklessly navigate through this ordeal, making irrational decisions and breaking hearts. Although their kids are over 18, that hardly means they won't be impacted by this. Speaking from experience, a girl watching her father pack up and move out leaves a lasting impression, regardless of the circumstances. Period.

I understand that getting older is difficult for many and is often full of uncertainty, but I think that the irony is that it is often the rash decisions that are made during "that time" that create the "crisis".

Think about it. The anxiety about being too young to be old and being too old to be young is simply an emotion - it's the decisions made by those who suffer from that age-related anxiety that is usually the culprit of crisis.

For example, (behold the classic stereotype) a 50 something married man buys hot rod. He does this to cling to his youth as he is now suddenly aware of his limited time on Earth. He faces the reality that his life is half over and he decides he is going to make changes to make himself happy in his remaining years. Result? He makes an outrageously expensive impulse buy for completely selfish reasons that sends him (and his spouse) into serious debt.

Perhaps it isn't fair to pick on middle-aged sports car enthusiasts, but the point is that this is clearly a powerful emotion that often results in serious (and sometimes irreversible) consequences. The thought that haunts me is that someday my husband of 20 years is going to come home with a bank-breaking purchase or worse yet, NOT come home because he's decided that he would rather be single and live his life to the fullest.

I can't imagine that going through a life transition of this magnitude would be easy for anyone, but I can't seem to bend my mind around how quickly people will through the baby out with the bath water. No stopping to think, no consideration for counseling, and no discussion with their spouse. They simply uproot their entire life (with little or no regard to the impact it will have on others) all in the name of "I'm just not happy with my life and it's half over now".



The quote above is definitely one of my favorites - I think we all forget how lucky we really are to wake up in the morning and have one more day. It's easy to forget that each breath is not guaranteed and that someone somewhere has it harder than we do. I think we should all strive to keep our lives in constant check to ensure that we are living the life we want - a life we are proud of. That way, when people reach this point in their life, they can embrace it as an opportunity for growth as opposed to an opportunity for change. This would better enable them to avert the fears of imminent death and unaccomplished goals and as a result, lessen the occurrence of panic and irrational decisions.

Is this an over-simplified and idealistic lifestyle? Of course - but I think it's worth aiming for.

K8

Cat got your conscience?

Philadelphia man faces charges after police discover video of kittens being tossed

I came across this appalling article today and as if the article wasn't bad enough, the video footage of this disturbed future offender is downright disgusting.

Anyone who knows me probably knows how much I despise people who neglect or abuse animals, but sometimes it surprises me how upset I really get. What people don't seem to get, is that catching and punishing animal abusers, is usually the first opportunity to identify a potential threat to society!

"Many known serial killers began their careers by hurting pet animals," warn the authors of a 2004 article in one veterinary journal. "It is well known in the criminology field that people who perpetrate acts of cruelty on animals, frequently escalate to torturing humans, usually the young and helpless."

I couldn't agree more - anyone who would maliciously or neglectfully harm a defenseless animal, is certainly capable (if not predisposed) to harming a defenseless human.

That being said, I find it utterly unbelievable that when these future bat-shit crazy abusers rarely see the inside of the courtroom, they are usually met with a meager fine and community service. In the most severe cases, jail time has been imposed...but it rarely exceeds 2 years. It makes no sense to me at all!

When this psycho kitty killer finishes with his slap on the wrist, I'm sure he will move on to bigger "prey" and then everyone will be like "we didn't see this coming - how tragic!"

What's tragic is our legal system and the inability of "Lady Justice" to shove that sword of hers up the asses of these future rapists, pedophiles, and serial killers...just to be on the safe side.

All I can say is I'd bet my bottom dollar that the stupid kid in the video will eventually end up in prison someday. And when that day comes - I hope he gets the shit kicked out of him so he knows what it feels like to be a defenseless victim with nowhere to run.

Happy incarceration - asshole.

K8

Just a little perspective...

So, think twice before bitching...if you can.

K8

Ketchup on hot dog = G+3x(bang #57)+45°angle

Okay so I lied. I know I promised to pick another controversial issue as my next topic, but I simply couldn't resist...

Do you know what MIT's latest accomplishment was?

"A team of engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has invented a bottle coating ("LiquiGlide") that makes ketchup pour as easily as milk. They say it could save 1 million tons of perfectly good but inaccessible ketchup and other food from being thrown out each year — not to mention saving untold hours spent in frustration."

For those of you that may be exclaiming "that's awesome!" or "wow- it's about time someone solved that!" -I feel compelled to remind you that MIT houses the most prestigious collection of intelligent individuals in the fields of advanced science and technology. And what are they spending their time with? The paradox of ketchup de-bottling.

Do they deserve applause? Absolutely! I just found it hilarious that of all the global problems to choose from, the best and the brightest would concern themselves with how to eliminate the frustration of being unable to remove a condiment from its container.

Nevertheless, I think we can all be thankful to the team of engineers who took on this troublesome task to make our lives easier. I'm sure that those of us who routinely accompany ketchup with our hot dogs, fries, and cheeseburgers are extremely eager to see this new bottle design hit the grocery store shelves.

Next time you find yourself fussing with a ketchup bottle, rest easy knowing that the days of incessantly banging the #57 on your ketchup bottle...as you shake gently...at a 45° angle...will soon be a thing of the past.

Happy Heinz-ing!

K8

Who's party line is it anyway?

I was recently part of a politically-charged discussion where a multitude of topics were covered, but I thought it might be fun to share what they learned about me...

I am registered as a Republican for 2 reasons:
1. I want to be able to vote in the primaries - the State of Maryland doesn't currently offer open primaries, but if that were to ever change, I would promptly become "Unaffiliated".
2. From my perspective, most political issues boil down to a matter of money. I firmly believe that our government shouldn't be spending money they don't have, so therefore I tend to fall on the conservative side of most fiscal matters - this was the only driving force behind my decision to register as a Republican over a Democrat.

However this does not mean:
1. The Republican Party can "count on my vote" - they do not have my allegiance or support. I vote on the person, not the party.
2. I support a two-party system. I am a huge advocate for open primaries and open elections. You should be able to vote for whoever you think is the best candidate for the position, regardless of political affiliation, lobbyist backing, etc.
3. You can make assumptions on my political views. To me, sticking to party lines is like stating your answer before you've heard the question - it's foolish and insulting to human intelligence. We have the ability to question and reason, yet people seem to forfeit those abilities in order to "belong" to a group mindset. They say "I'm a Republican" or "I'm a Democrat" as if to say "therefore you automatically know where I stand on the key issues".

In addition to my disdain for party politics, they also learned that:
1. I strongly support the implementation of term limits for all elected positions. Elected officials were never intended to be long-term. It was a considered a duty to serve- they would do the best they could on behalf of their constituents and then allow someone else the opportunity to serve while they went back to their life.
2. I even go a step further and urge that attendance also be a documented statistic that voters can use in deciding who to vote for. Here's a fun homework assignment: Turn on CNN and count the occupied seats and compare it to the number of unoccupied seats (I'll give you a hint - the number of the former is almost always smaller than the latter). Serving in Congress must be the only "occupation" where you can not show up for work and not worry about being fired.
3. With the implementation of term limits, the pension program would also become obsolete - no more career politicians. You get elected, you serve, you go home. That's it. Speaking of money, the salaries should be voted on by the public. It's our tax money that pays their salary - I think it's more than fair to allow us the ability to decide how much we're willing to spend on their "service".

And the number one point that I drove home? The government works for us, NOT the other way around. We allow them the honor to serve as our representatives - it is an honor that should be EARNED, not given freely. As voters we can revoke that honor just as easily as it was given and we shouldn't be afraid to do so at a moment's notice. The moment they get comfortable is the moment they stop listening.

My rant on governance will have to come to an end for now - although I'm inclined to believe that I'm a bottom-less pit of opinions on the subject. Never-the-less, I will be sure to pick a different hot-button issue for my next post.

Stay tuned...

K8

Mind your own marriage!

Well, this wouldn't be much of a "deb8" blog if I didn't touch on some touchy subjects. I can't seem to get through a day without hearing someone give their two cents about the gay marriage controversy...so I might as well toss in my $1.50...

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on the matter and some people express those opinions better than others, however it was the last sentence of this quote that really caught my attention: "Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want."

I am a firm believer in equality and liberty - I also happen to believe that you can't help who you fall in love with. Love is love and if two consenting adults want to spend the rest of their lives together, then who are we to tell them they can't (or shouldn't)? Two consenting adults are two consenting adults - period. If there's no harm, there's no foul. It's not acceptable to pass judgement on someone else's marriage - each marriage is unique to the persons involved. The opinions of a third party should never be weighted or debated...in other words, mind your own marriage!

If gay marriage is legalized, will it impact you? What do you think banning gay marriage will accomplish? Are you basing your stance on personal views or are you basing it on right and wrong? These are important questions to ask yourself, because that's how you tell if you are fighting for a cause or fighting for your cause.

A lot of people maintain that this will be a slippery-slope for society. Honestly, the only "slippery-slope" I am afraid of is our government's restriction of rights. If they've done it before (interracial marriage) and they can do it now (gay marriage), they can certainly do it later for something else. That's what scares me. What's to stop them from going a bit further? Instead of just requiring you to file a marriage certificate with them to validate your marriage, suppose they require you to file an application for marriage that needed to be approved by the State first? Would that seem right to you? Would you feel that the government is justified in judging your right to marry? I doubt it.

Putting my "big-government-wielding-unchecked-power" fears aside, it simply doesn't make any sense to me that being in a homosexual relationship is legal, but committing to one for life isn't. Logically, it would have to be one way or the other and I think people are starting to see that. Personally, I try to not concern myself with other people's life choices (my own are enough to deal with), but it is important to me that those other people have the freedom to make their choices, just as freely as I do.

So, what is my Jerry Springer-like final thought of the day? Equal rights for all. No exceptions. Just give everyone the chance to have the life they want.

K8

Mental Mothers

In honor of Mother's Day this Sunday, I decided I would highlight a few of the "Mommy-related" headlines that caught my attention...in a negative way:

Clowning Around: For a nominal fee, parents can hire a creepy clown to scare the daylights out of their child during his/her birthday week. After a week of threatening letters, texts, and phone calls, the week-long harassment ultimately results in the clown catching the child off guard in order to smash cake in their face. Happy Birthday!! No harm done, right? Coulrophobia (fear of clowns) is one of the most common phobias in the world. In fact, there was a recent study where it was discovered that most children universally dislike clowns...and those are the "nice" ones! What parent would think paying a menacing clown to taunt their child for a week would ever result in a happy birthday for their child? Can you say therapy?

  



Misfortune Teller: People go to fortune tellers for a variety of reasons, but most people do it purely for entertainment purposes. It was not revealed why Linda Clappison went to see a fortune teller, but we do know that after she returned home, her parenting technique drastically changed. Apparently she promptly locked her children in their rooms, removed their light bulbs, toys, and mattresses before volunteering them into indentured servitude for the local Roma population (Gypsies). This lasted for 6 years before one of her children broke down at school and begged them to not make her go home. The mother's response to the charges? "They're liars." Wow - what a compelling argument! The weird part is that her kids insisted that she was a great mother prior to her mysterious visit with the fortune teller. Things that make you go hmmm...



Diaper Drama: We've all heard stories of the controversial methods that parents have used for punishing poor performance in school, but I think this one tops them all. A mother was recently arrested for shaving her 12 year-old daughter's head, dressing her in a diaper, and making her pick up garbage in the front yard. Why? Poor grades and tardy homework completion. Several neighbors heard the girl crying hysterically and begging to go back inside. Police officers arrested the mother and CPS promptly removed the girl and her siblings from the home. It is a sick, sick mind that can come up with crazy punishments like this. Overreact much?

I don't know about you, but after reading these stories, I am going to give my mother a huge hug and thank her for my childhood that lacked humiliation and torment. It is fairly obvious that good mothers are a minority, so be sure to show your appreciation this weekend if you can! If not, at least say a prayer for the poor souls who are so unfortunate as to be born into nightmares like these...

K8

Pit Bullshit

This is probably the first time in my entire life that I found myself embarrassed calling myself a Marylander.

The highest court in Maryland just ruled that Pit Bulls are "inherently dangerous" and they have adjusted the state law concerning liability accordingly. It used to be that knowledge of the dog's violent tendencies needed to be proven in order for the owner to be held liable, but now it is no longer necessary to prove a particular Pit Bull is dangerous to win a lawsuit - it is only necessary to prove the dog is a Pit Bull.

This angers me for a multitude of reasons. First of all, I think both versions of the law are inappropriate. you shouldn't have to prove knowledge of potentially violent behavior in order to be held liable and it shouldn't matter what kind of dog it is. If you own a dog and that dog injures someone, then you should be held liable....period. It doesn't matter what kind of dog it is or what kind of temperament your dog usually has, you should be held responsible.

What also makes my blood boil is the wording "inherently dangerous". Domesticated dogs are NOT inherently dangerous. If that were true, then dog ownership would have died out hundreds of years ago.
They are animals and sometimes we "superior" human beings forget that. All dogs have the capability to cause bodily harm...ALL dogs. From Chihuahuas to Great Danes - they all have the ability to bite and inflict injuries, the only reason Pit Bulls have been catching a bad rap is because of US.

We are the ones who turn them from this:

To this:

To this:

We do this to them. We create dog fighting rings. We beat them and force them to fight for their lives. We glorify the underground "ballers" who make millions from their suffering. We idolize the "bad ass" image that seems to cause people to want to own these dogs, without raising them properly or even really loving them.

These dogs are banned in Prince George's County. Completely. If you own a Pit Bull, you can be arrested and slapped with a $1,000 fine. Are you kidding me?! That is absurd and completely prejudicial! If my dog (Pit Bull or not) exhibits aggressive behavior or injures someone - the State has the right and responsibility to prosecute me the the full extent of the law, but guilt by association based purely on breed (and not behavior) is an inappropriate approach to protecting the public.

That's what it all comes down to - protecting the public. The State sees a pattern and they're trying to stay ahead of the curve - I get that, but they're going about it the wrong way. Harsher penalties for ALL instances of dog aggression/injuries would cause owners to take a harder look at their pet and possibly seek out help in correcting the behavior. Harsher penalties on dog fighting rings and the abusive dog owners would also stem the flow of aggressive Pit Bulls. Punish the people responsible for the danger, don't just go around punishing people for simply owning a Pit Bull.

Coming from personal experience, it was extremely difficult to find a rental property in Central Maryland who would allow any dogs at all let alone my completely docile and complacent Labrador Retriever. Every apartment I looked at had a posted breed restriction (Pit Bulls were on every list) and a weight limit - which made no sense to me. My dog is a big dog, but he's quieter than all of those incessantly yappy dogs that are always permitted in apartment complexes. You have a large number of people, living in close proximity, with thin walls, and the only dogs you will allow are the little loud ones? If it's not on account of noise, then it must be on account of safety, right? Well in my experience, I've seen more protective, aggressive behavior exhibited in smaller dogs than I have in larger ones!

I'm not saying that the State is wrong in trying to address an issue that is causing injuries and fatalities within our community, but merely that they are focusing on the wrong cause of the issue. I don't own a Pit Bull, so you could say it's none of my business - but even though I'm not directly impacted by any of this, I know when something is wrong and I refuse to ignore it.

You know, it wasn't too long ago when Rottweilers were the most "dangerous" and hated dog breed and for the same reason...human error. It looks like society has found a new breed to crucify and generate baseless fear over and Maryland has found a new scapegoat to take the fall for irresponsible ownership, ignorance, and negligence. Good luck to those on this witch hunt - I don't know how you are able to sleep at night.

K8

Love is in the...pill?

I came across this article today that basically stated that researchers and scientists are currently working on the development of a "love pill" that would simulate the feeling of love for the user.

"Their proposed pill, a combination of five types of drugs, would biologically manipulate the brain into thinking you really, really, want your spouse—enough to put your differences aside."

While the concept is scientifically interesting, I truly find the idea of a "love pill" to be an awful idea overall. I'm sure that in defense, people will reference Viagra in some way, but the correlation would be faulty.

For example, a man with erectile dysfunction (a medical condition that is completely beyond his control) shouldn't be compared to a man who has lost his emotional connection with his partner and seeks chemical assistance in order to make his relationship last. It could be argued that an emotional connection can also be considered a condition beyond one's control, but in reality, the two scenarios have completely different consequences.

Consider this - how would you feel if your partner was taking a pill in order to be able to perform an expression of love for you? Now, what if your partner was taking a pill in order to have an expression of love for you. Totally different, right?

The idea that someone needs to fabricate feelings and emotions in order to be happy with you would inevitably generate a negative response. What if you both need the "love pill" in order to be happy together? People usually interpret that as a sign that perhaps you aren't meant for one another, but that rationale would become completely obsolete. Why on earth would anyone want to stay in a chemically-induced relationship?

I'm sure the intent behind this pill is to save relationships (as we all know the honeymoon ends at some point), but by saving what? Face? Are we too proud to admit when our feelings have changed past the point of no return? Can we not be honest, call a spade a spade, and move on? We only have a certain amount of life to live and I can't imagine someone choosing to waste their precious time trying to keep up appearances.

To top it all off, let's not forget to mention all of the other possible issues that would arise from this type of drug. Can you imagine the headlines? "It's not cheating! I was drugged with the love pill - I couldn't control myself!" "Student with crush at local high school drugs teacher with love pill" "Love pill parties - how they relate to the increase of STDs and teen pregnancy"...the list could easily go on.

Those maybe extreme assumptions, but they're plausible and that's enough icing on the cake for me. Whether you think this pill is a good idea or a bad idea - I'll will take my chances with true love.

K8

There's no place like a home.

Heart-wrenching isn't it? I often come across images like this one that remind me just how fortunate I really am and how much more I could be doing to help others that aren't so lucky.

It's hard for many people to lend a hand to those in need knowing that there are so many people out there that are deceptively milking the system. The harsh reality is that the people begging are just the ones you see, there are far more out there that you don't see. There are people too embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help. They hide from the world and pray for a second chance. Those are the people that need the most help.

I've had numerous debates concerning our welfare system and others like it. Everyone seems to have their own perspective of how well (or not well) they work. I consider myself to be of the mindset that the system is very necessary, but is unfortunately under-monitored and over-used. Anyone can fall on hard times and I firmly believe that there needs to be something there to catch us when we fall. However, it is extremely important that there are more regulations and more monitoring to prevent people from taking advantage of it. Something should be put in place to drive people to get back on their feet - welfare should be a short journey, not a destination.

I inevitably think of my friend (who I will call "B"), whenever I discuss issues of homelessness. My eyes tear up when I think about him wandering the streets with nothing but his delusions to keep him company. He's not on welfare and he's not staying in shelters. He isn't taking advantage of any of the state-sponsored resources, so he's not milking the system. He's just homeless - just lost. I've tried everything I can think of to help him. I have spoken to countless mental health professionals, lawyers, police officers, and shelter staff members about his circumstances. They've all agreed that there is nothing I can do for him - he has to be the one to ask for help. How can he ask for help that he doesn't even know he needs? He has cycled between various jails, hospitals, and mental health centers over the past 5 years and he always ends up back on the street where he started. I've been told that the only way he could get help without asking for it would be if he hurts himself or someone else. It's absolutely devastating to think about that and I worry about getting "that phone call" all the time. Wherever he is, I hope he is okay. I haven't heard from him in over 6 months and that's the longest I've ever gone without hearing from him. It's a daily battle to make peace with the fact that I can't do anything for him except be there for him and encourage him to get help. I really wish there was more I could do.

So today I decided that while I may be powerless to help "B", that doesn't make me powerless to help others like him. I contacted a local shelter and asked them if I can be of service. I'm anxiously awaiting their reply...

K8

Heart Attack Happy Meal?

Meet the Triple Bypass Burger of the infamous "Heart Attack Grill" in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For those of you that may be salivating, this colossal burger weighs in at over 8,000 calories, which is 4 times your daily caloric ceiling. The artery-clogging fare doesn't end there, in fact, this beast has a big brother - the Quadruple Bypass Burger. This restaurant prides itself on its unhealthy food and even offers it for free to anyone who weighs over 350 lbs! (There is a scale on site to determine who qualifies, so tough luck if you weigh-in at a mere 345 lbs...)

The waitresses are dressed as sexy nurses and the customers are referred to as "patients". There is a real, on-call ambulance permanently parked outside of the establishment and there have been a number of documented incidents where the ambulance has needed to come to the aid of a "patient". The danger is real and they don't deny it. There are signs all over the restaurant that reference severe risk to your health and the possibility of death - and this place turns a profit every year.              *Insert slow sarcastic clap here*

This is why people all over the world make fun of Americans. Not only do we have an obscene obesity epidemic, but we seem to glorify it. Starvation is a real global issue that many nations struggle to alleviate, and here we are with a restaurant that not only serves up enough food to bust your gut in one sitting, but the food is so unhealthy that it could kill you! I can honestly appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit of wanting to offer people something different in a restaurant and I'm sure the owner of this restaurant worked very hard to do just that. But at what cost? Businesses should want to add value to their communities, not pounds and hospital trips.

Unfortunately, the blame for the success of this unethical eatery is entirely placed on the consumers. This place wouldn't have seen the end of its first fiscal year had it not been for the brainless masses who choose to pay homage to this toxic establishment. So once again, here is prime example of us doing damage to ourselves at our own expense - when will we ever learn?

Check please!

K8

Fruit Cup Dilemma

It's true. You can literally look up anything on the internet and find information on what you're looking for.

Example? Expiration date rules on fruit cups.

I grabbed a fruit cup from my sister's pantry a while back, planning to bring it to work as a snack. Well, time passed and the fruit cup endured...4 months passed it's expiration date.

As I rushed to pack my lunch this morning, I grabbed the fruit cup out of desperation without bothering to look it over. Needless-to-say, I brought it for snack today and instantly gawked at the December 2011 date stamped on the lid.

What to do?

Without missing a beat I brought up a new window on my computer and promptly entered "do fruit cups expire?" and instantly got a plethora of hits.

Not only did I come across generalized "best by" vs. "expires" guidelines, but I came across postings between individuals discussing my very same predicament. The opinions on how long after the "best by" date that fruit cups were still edible were as varied as they were numerous. There was even a debate about the margin of error in terms of fruit cups with syrup, light syrup, and no syrup.

It was far more information than I ever expected and I was becoming increasingly irritated at the lack of consensus on the subject. After several minutes of reviewing a variety of opinions, I was still unsure of what to do. Some people seemed to think it would be okay and strongly believed that most expiration dates were grotesquely inaccurate anyway. Others seemed to stand by the dates used on fruit cups, citing horrific experiences of gastro-intestinal warfare that resulted from not minding the dates.

So, where is my fruit cup? In the trash.

Two lessons learned:

1) Check expiration dates before packing lunch.

and

2) Just because you can look up anything on the internet, doesn't mean you should. It can be an appalling waste of time.

K8

R.I.P. Facts

"Facts died Wednesday, April 18, after a long battle for relevancy with the 24-hour news cycle, blogs and the Internet," he wrote in a staggeringly brilliant "obituary." Huppke says Facts (360 B.C.-A.D. 2012) took a fatal blow when Rep. Allen West (R-FL) claimed that Congress is rife with communists. Facts is survived by its siblings, Rumor, Innuendo and Emphatic Assertion."

I really wish political satirists and writers like Huppke got more attention than talent-less celebrities. They have so much more to offer than your average Kardashian. While you may not agree with their point-of-view, you can at least find value in the fact that they draw attention to an important issue and you may even end up getting a laugh out of it. Much like a child could learn a life lesson from an episode of Sesame Street, an adult could become enlightened by reading a political cartoon. I don't know about anyone else, but I've never felt enlighted after reading about Lindsay Lohan or any other celebrity for that matter.

I've been a long-time critic of our political system and more specificly, of the polticians who operate within it. Though I lack the artistic talent to illustrate my criticisms, I find that my opinions are best expressed through the written word. Many people might say that being critical of our government makes me unpatriotic and some would probably suggest I shut up or even move to a different country. However, I think healthy criticism is very patriotic and quite necessary as a matter of fact. Gerald Ford once said that "a government big enough to give you everything you want, is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." The chilling reality is that if the power that governs us goes unchecked and unopposed, it will undoubtedly turn into the power that rules us.

That reality is what makes me believe so strongly in a small government. Is government necessary? Absolutely. However, the bigger the government gets, the smaller our liberties become. If you rewind about 200 years, we fought that same battle to win our independence from Britain. I'd venture to say that by comparison, it is much easier to fight a tyrant from across the Atantic, than to fight a tyrannical government that we created ourselves. 

It seems as though most people have been convinced that all of the power is centralized within our government. These people are terribly mistaken. Our government works for us, not the other way around. We have all the power we need to make the changes we want, we just have to assert ourselves and get involved. The people who are currently holding office are only there because our votes (or lack thereof) allow them to be there. So unfortunately, we are doing this damage to ourselves - we are simply handing them power that they have no business having.

The less people vote, the less power we have. The less power we have, the stronger the government gets. The stronger the government gets, the weaker our power gets. Rinse and repeat.

It's funny how one news article or political cartoon can stir your thoughts. This post is my proof and prime example of the influence that they have over me (and I hope others as well). Do yourself a favor - read.

K8

Parental Discretion is Ill-Advised

Kindergartner handcuffed, taken to police station after allegedly throwing tantrum -- and furniture

"The family of a 6-year-old Georgia girl is upset at police and school officials after the girl was handcuffed and taken to a police station for allegedly throwing furniture, tearing items off the walls and knocking over a shelf, which injured the principal." - Courtesy of MSNBC.com

Summary viewpoint of the girl's family: How dare you handcuff a 6 year old kindergartner! Did calling the police really have to be the first step? She was shaken up by the whole experience. She may have misbehaved, but not enough to warrant an arrest.

Summary viewpoint of the school/police: There were several attempts to calm the child down and there were several attempts to contact her parents. The 6 year old was fighting, throwing items, damaging school property, and biting. For the safety of the child and the protection of school employees/property, she was detained as anyone else exhibiting behavior like that would have been.

My viewpoint: Get that child some counseling and be thankful the school stepped in! Tragedies are born from schools that don't.

Being an Aunt 8 times over, I have seen my fair share of temper tantrums and yes, some of them had exorcism-like qualities. Children can certainly act crazy with a side of psychotic. However, I think it is completely unfair to throw stones at the school staff and local police for how they chose to handle this young soul who was temporarily possessed by a spawn of Satan. It would be interesting to see how the tables would have turned had those parents been the parents of another child in that school. What if instead of calling the police, the school officials had decided to write off her tantrum as "a kid being a kid" and let her go back to her class where she was free to go ballistic and injure her fellow classmates. I bet if her parents had been the parents of those other kids, they would be out to crucify the maladjusted child (and her parents) and would probably question the school staff as to why they weren't proactive enough.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. School officials always seem to be at the pointy-end of the sword and always seem to be at fault. They're the first to be hanged when a case of bullying goes to far without their intervention, and they're the first to be slapped on the wrist when parents claim they impeded parental rights after taking the initiative to prevent a situation.

This is classic conundrum seems to be rampant among American families. A toxic mixture of entitlement coupled with a "hands-off" mentality. Protect my child, but don't make an example of my child if they're the one that others need protection from. Crack down on bullying, but don't punish my child for "just being a kid". Are you serious? You can't have it both ways. At some point, you have to hold yourself (and especially your child) responsible and hold yourselves to the same standard as everyone else. If your kid goes bat-shit crazy in school, you should be the first to scold your child's erratic behavior. You should be the first to admit that your child was wrong and you should be the first to thank your local officials for trying to scare the reality back into your child. Children should not be given the impression that destroying school property and being disrespectful to adults is acceptable behavior, least of all by their parents.

So my advice? Two things:

1. Stop throwing proverbial tomatoes at the people who acted in the best interest of your child (and other people's children) - they had a difficult choice to make and I assure you the experience won't have any long-term negative effects on your child. In fact, the experience may open their eyes as to how actions like that are dealt with and may prevent furture tantrums.

2. Talk to your child about appropriate behavior and determine if there was a cause for the outburst - perhaps your child is having difficulty with something that you can help them with. You know, be a parent.

K8

Craigslist Calamity

"Did we hook up at the Megadeth/Motorhead concert? - w4m - 28 (Aragon Ballroom),

                 Me: Blue hair, silver tube top, fishnets, Knee high black biker boots.
                 You: Red mohawk, black pentagram gauges, viper piercings.

Anyway I'm pregnant. It's yours. contact me if you want to be part of your child's life."

I have chosen this Craigslist post (that recently made headlines) as my very first blog topic. This women's seemingly obtuse attempt to learn the identity of her unborn child's sperm donor is a perfect demonstration of just how far the character of human kind has fallen in terms of internet usage. I would normally not draw attention to other people's misfortunes, but since this nameless soul decided to share her experience with the entire Craigslist community, I feel completely justified in using her as an example.

There was a time when privacy seemed to be valued and respected. A time where people only shared information that was truly necessary and left out anything superfluous. The digital age has brought with it a drastic change in culture which was the driving force behind my decision to remove myself from MySpace and Facebook. While I enjoyed the ability to stay in touch with people with ease, I found myself frequently annoyed by the content that other people chose to share. It seems as though people want to know and share everything about anything.

Facebook status examples: "Julia is eating Cheerios and watching Judge Judy."

Really? What on earth made you think that post was noteworthy let alone necessary?

So it came down to this: Do I sacrifice my disdain for pointless posts in order to keep my networking capabilities, or do I remove myself from that circus and stay in touch with people "the old fashioned way"?

I emphatically chose the latter.

When I come across posts like the one of the "accidently impregnated heavy metal fan", it definitely affirms that I made the right choice. Although I will admit, they are definitely good for a laugh.

K8