When Your Tax Rebate Ship Comes In

         Many of you readers are a little richer this week.  Many more of you…haven’t yet received your tax incentive rebate check from your Uncle Sam.  So, when that $$$ ship comes in…are you going to take a cruise to your local spend a lot store; or are you like so many others; and, someone already has their hand in your pocket ready to help themselves before you have even had a chance to smell the money?

         I have been hearing all kinds of advertisements on the radio and television each one jockeying for the opportunity to relieve you of your burden of cash.  It would almost be funny; if you didn’t understand that even the businesses in our country are hurting, almost as much as us “little guys”.   So, all i am saying is think clearly before you get tempted to purchase something…or pay that overdue bill.   Make the decision that is right for you and your situation.

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

Was Paula’s Face Red?

        Ok people, she made a mistake…Geez!  Yeah, i know Paula Abdul isn’t known for her clear-headedness on American Idol…but, come on.  She explained that, at the last minute, the producers changed the order of things regarding how the judges were to give their reviews of the performances.

       This time the producers wanted them to write down their opinions and then give them their feedback after all 5 of the performers had performed a Neil Diamond number.  When it came to Paula’s feedback on Jason Castro; she inadvertantly, gave him feedback on two songs. 

       Oooops!  Was Paula’s face as red as her dress?  How embarassing…the other judges and even Ryan Seacrest tried to move things along to cover it a bit.  But hey, how many of us have never made a mistake?

       It probably wouldn’t have made as much of a splash but Paula was quite specific in her feedback saying, “The second song, I felt like it wasn’t your charm wasn’t-it was missing for me.  It kind of left me a little empty”. 

Read Full Post »

The Morning After

         It is the morning after; Shannon Elizabeth from Dancing With The Stars was let go from the competition.  It was sort of one of those shows where one minute it looked certain that one thing would happen and then something completely different changed the course.

          I was thinking that Shannon would be the one to go until Christian de la Fuente was injured; and then, i thought…well, maybe it was exactly what they said at first…a pulled/strained muscle.  Then when the show started up….the drama increased; and i second guessed myself. Ooops…they were building up the tension, insinuating that maybe the injury would put him out of the running.

      Finally, it was revealed that Christian had spoken to the doctors after an MRI and he needs to have surgery on his arm as he has a ruptured tendon in his bicep.  However, just when the audience thought…he was leaving…Christian announced that the doctor gave an ok to continue with the competition if he had been voted to stay. 

          Wow…i can’t imagine a doctor saying…it would be ok to continue to put that kind of strain on the arm if he was injured that badly.  Truthfully, why would someone want to risk permanent damage?  I mean, sure…Christian has worked hard to stay in the competition…but, please…this seems a bit serious.

       In any case, there it is…Christian was voted to stay and that meant that the bottom two competitiors were Shannon/Derek and my long shot Marissa/Tony.  I felt bad for Shannon she is mourning her loss.  She said that she made a lifelong friendship with Derek.   She seemed pretty sad…but, i also rejoiced that Marissa and Tony were given another week to display their wonderful teamwork.  Gotta love this show, dont ya think?

Read Full Post »

Dancing With The Stars Ta Ta’s Right Till The Last Minute

        Tonight’s episode of Dancing With The Stars was filled up to the last minute with drama; partly because of Christian’s arm injury.  He has to have surgery because of a bicep tendon rupture from last evening’s performance. 

         Christian talked to the doctor, right before tonight’s show; and, he said that it would be ok to delay the surgery if Christian was able to stay in the competition.  Now that is commitment.  The voters, along with the judges scores did in fact keep him in the competition.

       So, it was an smiling, beautiful Shannon Elizabeth, who was obviously a bit emotional, who will say Ta Ta to her fans this week…she is out of the competiton.  The bottom two positions were taken up by Shannon Elizabeth and her partner Derek, and the other couple was Marissa and Tony.  I am feeling badly for Shannon and Derek…but, i am thrilled that Marissa has another week in the competition.  I was very proud of her performances this week. 

         Everyone has been so loving with each other…meaning the competitors.  They are all very supportive of one another.  So…another week begins…here is ’til monday!

Read Full Post »

A Political Judas?

        I am not, by and large, a political person in the way of trying to convert anyone to my way of thinking when it comes to voting; that is not my intention here.  In fact…i have not made up my mind about who I am voting for, in the coming presidential election.  But, I am somewhat disturbed by the goings on with the media’s illumiation of the whole inflamatory words of Sen. Barack Obama’s recently retired pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

        Reverend Wright has been preaching sermons, until his recent retirement, that have allegedly been making statements that have an accusatory tone about AIDS being a racist plot, about concerns about his sermons and statements…calling those concerns an attack on the black church amongst other highly provacative statments.  This, as you can imagine, has caused multiple problems for Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign.

       Rev. Wright was Sen. Barack Obama’s pastor for almost 20 years..and he married Obama and his wife.  They have had a spirtual relationship for quite some time. 

       I don’t know about you…but…I have been in a church situation where i was in a spiritual disagreement with someone who was head of the church; and, was preaching what i thought was violent, ill informed, and inflammatory comments from the pulpit.  My husband and I made the painful decision to leave that church because of the influence it was having on our spiritual well being. 

           I think that was the proper thing to do.  We still cared deeply for the person making the statements…but…in all honesty, that person was wrong to be saying the things they said from a pulpit.  It is a sacred, powerful place to guide and direct people in their daily living.  It is no less so, for Barack Obama and his family…or, anyone else finding themselves in such a position.  This requires discernment about who you let influence your thoughts and decisions.

       I do have some questions personally…but, because I was not in that church to hear such things being said…i have to give Mr. Obama credit and say…i would hope that he would have better judgement than to sit under that sort of spiritual leadership if it was ongoing situation with Rev. Wright. 

        On the other hand, who is betraying who in this ongoing debate about what has been being preached in that church.  If Rev Wright was saying such explosive and devisive things from the pulpit and Mr. Obama continued under that tuteledge…then, maybe his judgement has been impaired. 

        It has been alleged by a politician recently, that perhaps, Rev. Wright was deliberately sabotaging Mr. Obama’s bid for delegates.  If so, why would he be acting as a political Judas? 

        Now that Barack Obama has distanced himself further from Rev. Wright on Monday evening by saying…that the person who made such a “spectacle” at the National Press Club “is not the person I met 20 years ago”; are there persons out there who will think that he is the political Judas for distancing himself from Rev. Wright, at this point in time?

Read Full Post »

Fulfilling Your Childhood Dreams…The Last Lecture Inspiration

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pgyuYHXqlO4 

         Randy Pausch is a gifted speaker/teacher. He made the Last Lecture, to teach his children his view on living. He inspires us all to choose to fulfill our childhood dreams…what are any of us waiting for?  He is dying physically; but, he is living fully in the here and now.  After listening to him…i really felt impressed to condense his message to me in three small words…  

 1).  Latitude….Be present where you are…in the here and now, make the most of your time. 

 2).  Attitude…Be aware of how you perceive things…be positive…work hard not to dwell on negativity

 3).  Gratitude…Be grateful for the loving people in your life-friends & family, for your physical and mental well being, for the gift of spirituality,  the ability & creativity to provide dreams for yourself; and, for the wisdom to know, not to waste any of it!  This is the Last Lecture, and the Only Lecture, we need to get Inspiration.

Read Full Post »

Derranged Daddy Destroys

       By now, most of you have probably heard about the derranged daddy who destroyed the lives of at least 8 people.  They lived in Austria.  He locked his 18 year old daughter in his specially designed, tiny basement for 24 years.  He abused her;  impregnating her 7 times.  One of the babies died soon after birth; and, the father allegedly put the baby into the furnace.  What a psychological nightmare…something out of an almost unbelievable book of fiction; that noone wants to read.

        Over the years, he had the daughter write a letter saying she could not care for her 3 of her children…after she “disappeared”.  The mother raised three of the children.  How could she do this and not push for some answers?  Did she push for answers?  Or was she just as abused in her own way by this man?   Three more of the children were locked in this basement along side of their mother.  This is the only world they have ever known.  The trauma,fear and pain they must all be in seems almost too much to bear.

       Many people are saying…did the mother know> how could she NOT know?>why would she not push to know more>   There is so much that we do not understand at this time; i am afraid there will be even more horrors to come out in time.  For instance, who helped him build this basement with secretive rooms?  Why didn’t authorities search his home when the daughter went missing?  How did food and water…and other basic necessities keep them alive without SOMEONE KNOWING?  And if someone did know…how could they not do something to end this world of pain and suffering?  There are more questions than answers at this point in time.

       The father admits this horror is true.  His daughter and her three children, that were confined, are getting help; but it may take a lifetime.  But truly, is any amount of help ever going to allow these poor people to live a normal life?   They certainly deserve to live in peace and safety. 

        What about the three children who lived “upstairs” with their grandmother and for lack of a better term GRANDFATHER?  Were they abused?  How will they process the fact that they lived right above their mother and siblings?  How will they deal with the knowledge that their mother and siblings lived like caged animals while they did not?  There is going to be long term mental health treatment for all of these people. 

        They have never had education, normal human interaction, health care, or freedom.  It must be a bit like flying into space and finding an alien environment and being forced to land there and function. 

         And let’s talk about the father…how does someone become such a detached person to cause such damage to those you are “wired” to love and protect in a normal way?  What a contemptible situation for human beings to be in. 

Read Full Post »

Stockpiling Food–Grandma Used To Do It Too

       We all know that the economy in the United States isn’t as healthy as it could be.  We know that gas prices are sky rocketing, we know that everything keeps going up except the average American’s paycheck.  Food prices in restaurants and grocery stores keep climbing because they have to pass on the cost of gasoline increases that it takes to produce and ship their products. 

         The media has been building up the idea of stockpiling food…it is not a new idea…Grandma used to do it too…it is called, preserving food.  Everyday family life has changed dramatically, but not all of it is for the good.

       Canning, drying,  and freezing food is in it’s own way, stockpiling food for when the prices and the availability cause food to be scarce in a home. It used to be a fact of life that to get through a winter you had to do this to survive.  I am a baby boomer so i remember when it was the way things were done.  Then, as i transitioned to adulthood and rasing my own family, i did the same thing for a time; when life was about stretching the money we had, to make it last long enough to feed the children.  

        As the children aged, we started to buy our food in bulk, in the fall can good sales, that the major grocery stores do every year.  Over the last 8 years or so, you started finding that the can good sales weren’t as cheap as they used to be.  You began to get less can goods, for the same amount of money…everything started to cost more.  Some people are never going to want to take care of canning, drying, or freezing their own food…they will just continue to pay whatever it costs in the stores.  But, i feel that in the last decade or so, we are starting to see many families looking to learn some of the old ways.  It is going to become more common as young families want to feel more in control of what they put into their family’s diet and save money at the same time.  

        Already, farm markets are making a huge come back.  The media is touting ways to save money and help green up our buying habits, by buying locally grown produce when we can.  This helps us cut down on how much pollution is put into our environment by cutting down on how far the produce is shipped across the country.  It is all about making some sacrifices and using our buying power to make a statement of dedication.

        I think you are going to see a resurgence of people growing and preserving their foods.  Especially with the last couple of years experiences with salmonella outbreaks, contaminated feeds, and the common usage of cancer causing pesticides.  The average person is wanting to eat food that is healthier and the more we learn about producing food that is organic and full of nutrients…the more that people are going to demand a higher standard of quality.

        So, my hat is off to Grandma & Grandpa and all of us who are brillant enough to understand that not all of the old ways are to be passed over for the quicker, easier, and more popular way of doing things.  We can accomplish much when we commit to using wisdom from the past, with wisdom from the present…to use wisdom for our future!

Read Full Post »

Tuesday Ta Ta’s on Dancing With The Stars

         Once again, it is anyone’s guess who is leaving Dancing With The Stars.  One week a couple will be praised up and down by the judges and then find themselves because of the audience voting down in the bottom of the competition.  This week who will wave TA TA on Tuesday on Dancing With The Stars?

        For the most part…the dancing is coming up a notch or two every week.  But, Monday evening…Christian de la Fuente injured his arm halfway through his and Cheryl’s dance.  This earned them a lower score because, as Carrie Ann Inaba said…we will only judge you on what we saw.  She did compliment him on being there for Cheryl when he was obviously in pain.

        Marissa and Tony outdid themselves and earned very nice scores by doing so.  Kristi was fabulous as usual…she and her partner Mark…really shine each time they perform.  Sometimes, i think they score her lower just because they feel that she is a bit skilled above the other competitors…the judges expect more out of her.

         Mario and Karina did a fine job.  The judges keep bringing the attention to Mario’s age…what does that have to do with anything.  I think he is doing a fine job keeping up with Miss Karina and her talents.

          Shannon Elizabeth and her partner Derek have graceful nice moments and then they seem to have some really awkward moments that cant be covered up.  I think Shannon’s time is coming to an end.  She probably would have already been gone except for Derek’s popularity.

        Jason and Edyta did a nice job…and for once…Edyta wore more clothing than normal for her usual performances on the show.  This was nice…you could concentrate on their dancing as opposed to her skin.  She is a wonderful dancer and the focus should be on her partner…not on her costume of the week.

          So…Tuesday evening we will all be glued to the television sets waiting to see who will be saying Ta Ta…ya’ll.

Read Full Post »

Vietnam Adoptions Stopped in Their Tracks

        This is a sad day.  It seems that Vietnam adoptions have been stopped.  Corruption seems to be at the basis of the concerns.  Vietnam is not going to accept adoption applications from American families after July 1st.

         Adoptions with other countries will not be affected from what i understand.  Adoptions applications that have already been in progress, where young children have been matched with families, will continue to proceed.  There is not time to get new applications processed before the time runs out.  That is sort of sad for those who have already adopted a Vietnamese child and wanted to add other children with the same ethnic background. 

       Around the world there are so many children who need homes.  Adoption is a wonderful thing…but, like anything else, it can be corrupted.  Poor families can be pressured to put children up for adoption because of financial pressures.  Because of that fact as well as people who operate out of greed; many families will not have the option of adopting a child from Vietnam, at the moment.  Still, if you have a heart to adopt and love a child giving it a happy, healthy home life…continue to pursue your dream of adoption.

Read Full Post »