It's possible an "I'm not ashamed" statement is just that, a statement. I don't understand how someone could explain that they actually don't feel shame about their situation if it's going to be labelled defensive. Are there other words to be used instead? As I stated above, I don't feel shame about money that comes to me, but I do feel shame if I don't spend it in a way that aligns with my moral values. :grouphug: As for the Piketty book, it's sitting on the table next to me. And it's big. :D Perhaps I should procrastinate my homeschool planning even more and crack it open. Sometimes the best way to get lots of things done is to assign myself a big task I'm avoiding (hs planning) and do everything but that. :leaving:

I don't see defensiveness. I see someone giving an example of how they found a way to make a difference. It doesn't mean it's the only way, but it's one way that worked within our current system. :grouphug:

Yeah, I'll call the farm Monday. The web site says the farmer's wife is a vet with the CA Dept of Ag so I'm sure they'll be interested.

OK, I cut into the yolk and there's nothing. It looks like a perfect poached egg. I guess it cooked in the shell. I have no idea how as the other 11 eggs in the carton were normal. I'm not sure what the watery liquid was.

I'm not going to eat it. I guess I feel funny grinding it in the disposal if there's a chick in there. Maybe I should bury it? But mostly I'm curious, yet squeamish. :unsure:

My mom has the same bowl! Same color and lid too.

It's from a farm.

So I cracked open an egg this morning and it was unlike any egg I've seen. Out plopped a solid-ish white, surrounded by thin watery liquid. The white holds it's ovoid shape but is softer than a hard-boiled egg. It's opaque, not clear like raw egg whites should be. I haven't poked into the white to see the yolk because I don't want to see a baby chick if that's what's going on. Any ideas?

If I had come by that money legitimately I would not feel I had done anything wrong to earn or even inherit it. Why should I? If I inherit a million dollars that's up to the person who left it to me, not me. If I earned it because I came up with a great idea and people threw money at me to buy my product, go me! But once it was mine, I would feel like there are more or less ethical ways to deal with that money, beyond what the law provides for.

She's a feminist lesbian author from the South. She's now known more for her writings on those topics, but earlier she was better known for her writings (fiction and non-fiction) on poverty, class, and the myth of the clean poor. ("They were poor but they were clean and noble" as a myth to help Americans deal with poor whites.) Here's a link: http://departments.knox.edu/catch/2002sp/docka.htm (halfway down)

OK, having calmed down about my neighbor's situation I'll try and answer some actual questions from the OP. Why do we make these judgments? It helps us understand how we are doing and where we fit into the hierarchy. This can make us feel good or bad. Where does shame/taboo come from? Family of origin, I suppose. There are certainly wealthy people who flaunt it, others who are embarrassed by it, and some who are not ashamed but think flaunting wealth would be unseemly. People can be embarrassed by lack of wealth because others associate it with being lazy or unskilled. Has anyone here read Dorothy Allison?

Me too. I'm not burned out, just overwhelmed with trying to figure out logic stage and how to make things more rigorous than they have been. DD I'm not worried about as she's using the same materials DS used and they work well for her. She's already completed most of our first grade materials so there's some wiggle room there. DS is a bit behind, is moving to logic stage so I need new materials (I wish SWB has logic stage history), and has recently taken up an instrument so that's going on too. I'm stressed about his plans. I thought I had a month to plan (school in the summer but start the new grade in September) but in-laws have announced a 10-day visit and a few other things have come up. DH is leaving town for 5 days right after in-laws leave. Panic time! :willy_nilly:

Let's see... --A pot of pasta my FIL dropped in the sink when he lost his grip on it and all the pasta went into the disposal. --I was secretly making divinity as a surprise for my mom. I was maybe 12 years old. She came home unexpectedly and I stuffed everything into the freezer. Divinity does not freeze well. --A teenage attempt at popcorn balls, which resulted in horribly burnt corn syrup and the ruination of my mother's favorite pan. --An oven accidentally turned off at Thanksgiving. --I was cutting vegetables with a sharp 8" chef's knife. DH walked in and asked me something. I put the knife on the counter, wiped my hands, and put the dishtowel down on top of the knife without thinking. A minute later, DH grabbed the kitchen towel without realizing the knife was under it, and the knife slid off the edge of the counter and fell straight down into his bare foot. We were too scared to pull the knife out so we wrapped the foot in a dark towel and went to the ER. Completely freaked out the people waiting. --My friend's family has a deal where you can ask for any menu, within reason, for your birthday. Someone decided they wanted Thanksgiving in July. Long story short, the turkey caught fire on the grill, the stuffing exploded when someone accidentally put the container on a hot burner, and the cheesecake wound up being dropped on the patio. Lesson: Thanksgiving is not meant to happen in July.

:lol: Maybe I shouldn't have, but I found this hilarious.

That's terrible. I saw the link and was thinking it would be regular negative customer service story but when I saw your name my heart sank. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Agree with the people saying to use social media.

I try not to judge people I don't know because I agree I don't know their circumstances. But I am judging some people I do know and I'm judging them hard. :angry: Rant ahead, but it feels good to get it off my chest. I just spent some time with the parents in the story below and they are so depressed and helpless I don't know what to do. The bad people in this story, a married couple in their 30s, have moved back in with the husband's parents after living on their own and draining the parents dry, mostly by defaulting on a co-signed college loan. They had the money to pay it, were living in a $2200 apartment and enjoying a $300/month cable package during this time. Now the mother has 3-4 years to live as she is being ravaged by cancer. The father is in constant pain from his knees and disc problems in his back. The parents allowed the son and daughter-in-law to move in as they have no where else to go and they thought the kids would help with housework, shopping, and medical appointments. Before moving the son worked retail at a national chain and the daughter-in-law waited tables, both easily transferable jobs. They have not applied for a single job. The kids have hardly done anything and instead of renting a storage unit as they said they would, have dumped all their belongings in the parents' living room and garage. The parents can no longer park their car in the garage. But no matter, the car is hardly ever there because the kids use it to go to Disneyland several times/week, as they used their credit cards to buy 2 annual passes at a minimum of $519 each. (There's also a $599 option with no blackout dates; I don't know which they bought.) Why wouldn't the kids use their own car? Oh right, because the registration expired last year and they "don't have the money to register it." Why should they when they can use the poor parents' car anytime they like? So yes, when they complain about their finances, which they do a lot, I judge them. When they buy Disney passes and fill the FB posts with photos of restaurant meals, I judge them. The parents are mostly eating frozen dinners or food my mom brings by. I consider them lucky it's only judging because I'm keeping a close eye for any reason to call the police re: elder abuse. :angry: And btw these are not my friends; I would never have friends like these. They are now neighbors because they moved in with the parents, who I do consider friends. Sorry for the rant; I just visited and am so upset. :blush:

If it's the 8-camera ~$400 system it's supposed to be pretty good. We had a few break-ins in our neighborhood and had a neighborhood meeting. One of the attendees was an electrician who said he had many requests to install new security systems, had researched them, and liked and recommended this one. I can't help you with the fish. :D

I'm sorry. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I agree it sounds like #2. Also agree with something food related such as a gift card or box of chocolates. Whatever you get them, keep in mind they don't eat pork or probably, non-Halal meat. So if you get a gift card, go for something with good fish or good vegetarian food. If you bring a gift, make sure it has no meat or gelatin in it. And no alcohol, so no certificates for a wine bar or boozy chocolates. :)

What is her cultural/ethnic background?

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I would be really ticked off.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I usually don't cross picket lines but I have made 2 exceptions: 1) Nurses at my managed health care facility. Insurance won't cover it if I go anywhere else and if I or my family need medical care, I'm crossing the line, no problem. 2) There's a picket line sometimes at a cinema I attend. The picketers don't actually work there but are protesting that the cinema workers are not union. Because they are not actual employees and because the theatre is ridiculously convenient for me (walk instead of try to find crazy parking) I go anyway. The alternative would be to drive miles and then circle for awhile looking for expensive parking, or spend 45 minutes on a bus, and I'm unwilling to do that for people who are not actually employed at the theatre. The people who are employed there seem really happy when I've asked them about management.

Absolutely. And it sounds like a great program with good people. :party: