lovemyboys
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Posts posted by lovemyboys
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Soph, This is the crux of the entire issue. As a former banker, I dealt with the Community Reinvestment Act. The banks always hated it. But they had to abide by it. However the Clinton Administration put new teeth into the Act
......
But to get back to your original question.... is home ownership a right or a privilege? It is a privilege, imo, that is reserved for those people who have the financial means to afford it.
Government should have stayed out of the banking business. They totally caused this mess. Now people are BEGGING governments to fix it. Good luck.
I saw Alan Keyes interviewed recently. One of the comments he made was that it's foolish to ask a bankrupt government to fix a bankrupt financial system.
Thanks, Jackie, for such a clear explanation of the process starting back with Jimmy Carter in the late 70s. It's infuriating to hear some of the same people who had a hand in this (in other words, power) in the last 10 or 20 years, now claim complete innocence and lack of involvement.
:glare:
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The success rates in IVF are something crazy-low, like 30%. At $20K a cycle, it is hard for many people to justify only retrieving 2 or 3 eggs, hoping not to have "extras."
.......
people going through IVF are generally doing it because they haven't been able to get pregnant any other way.
I don't have an answer, but I also don't think there is a simple solution.
Good points, QZ. The process is complicated and doesn't have a high success rate. It's unfortunate, as the other poster mentioned, that the cost of "adopting" left over frozen embryos is so high.
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I don't support *fetal* stem cell research. Adult scr has proven to be quite effective in various areas.
I certainly don't support government funded stem cell research. If there is a chance of scr curing anything, private companies would be all over it for the profit.
Yes to all your points here. The results with adult stem cells so far have been very promising, without all the tissue rejection complications (when a patient's own cells are used as in the case of the trachea/esoph. implant).
I'm very disappointed that this funding moratorium was reversed, as if all these other avenues didn't exist. Research is being done, embryonic research is being done, private research is being done. It's dishonest to represent it as otherwise.
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Oh Kelli,
That is sooo wonderful to hear! What excellent news for both of you, the whole family!
Way to go, teacher-mom!!! :D
:thumbup1:
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Little word of unasked advice: please don't try to diagnose mental illness on your own. Jumping to any conclusions about a loved one's mental state without qualified input can cause a lot of hard feeling, misunderstandings and difficulties.
Best thing to do: if you suspect the mental health of a loved one is in jeopardy, get them to a qualified professional for diagnosis, and prepare to assist them in seeking treatment where needed.
I know it can be very hard to love and support a loved one with mental illness, but it can be worth every moment of it. The stigma associated with mental illness is so harsh. If our loved one had cancer, we'd do what we could to support them, even when it got dark and dismal and downright unbearable. It is the same with mental health issues. Every one needs someone to love and support them through it.
This is so true. We have a dear older friend whose dh was diagnosed with this just over 2 years ago. She is having a tough time keeping it together since he lost his job, and she's working hard to keep focussed on hers, get him the medical help he needs, support and care for him. But if it were any other illness, there would be no stigma and probably a lot more sympathy and help. Or a different kind of sympathy at least.....
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His killer got off with a light sentence, his lawyer was the one who came up with the infamous "twinkie defense", saying that the killer, White, had eaten a lot of junk food which clouded his judgement and made him unable to control himself.
That's right, the twinkie defense, I'd forgotten that. It was crazy.
Til the OJ trial anyway.
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I know nothing about the movie, but do know who Mickey Rourke is.
I'm old enough to have seen Mickey Rourke when he was a sensation. It's sad to see him now, but I gather this is what's made it *real* for his movie.
I also remember when the real Harvey Milk was killed and the sensation of his politics, I don't remember when this happened but I might've lived in the Bay Area then?
Slumdog looks intriguing and sounds like it's well-done.
But otherwise, I gather OP is referring to the *People magazine/ Entertainment Tonight* aspects of our culture. It's been ages since I've seen any of the nominated movies in a theater, partly because I don't go, partly because of what they choose. But I also don't recognize many of the 100 most beautiful (in their opinions!) people or the starlets in the magazines.
It's just so much drivel. Not that these folks are any more or less relevant than they were when I was younger. There's just so much more coverage of every little thing and so many more outlets for the information. And I don't have enough time in my day to care about what rich, vacuous hollywood types are doing downtown at 2 am. Sorry.
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I sent one guest home before they even closed the front door. I did it very politely but very firmly. I told the mother, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know that "x" was sick today. Please call me when he is well and we'll reschedule." She was a bit taken back but we are still friends - and now she lets me know if someone is sick.
Wow. I am so impressed. Good for you. We all need to do this. And it would only have to happen once, I bet.
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I know it's far from classic novel reading but to finally have a child say to me several nights in a row "I wish I could stay up a little longer and keep reading" is just music to my ears! First he read all of the Wimpy Kid books 3 times over and now he's reading his 3rd Andrew Clements (sp?) book in a row. He's 10 and he and his 12 yr old brother have just never jumped into reading like I've hoped and dreamed.
.......
I'll take what I can get for now however. Yay!! :party:
Oh, Jessica, how fabulous for you!
I have a 10yo who finally has gotten to this place in the past year. It's just such a dance and a sigh all at once.
He has devoured the Wimpy Kid books too, but Bionicles was what really got him started. Way to go, Mom!
:D :grouphug: :D
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I have a friend who is thinking about homeschooling her K'ers next year. I have a list of books but want to give her some good websites (besides WTM of course) to browse. Thanks.
Just giving you a bump and a thought.
If you/she have any thoughts on curriculum choices, you might send her to those like Singapore or Five in a Row, etc., that would answer questions she runs into along the way.
You could also help her with some fun online resources like starfall.com and enchanted learning that might prove useful. PBS also has some great activities tied to their various shows (without the ads like Disney and others have).
I don't wander around hs boards much, so I'm no help with that.
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My favorite line, "Defacing your book is much more efficient."
Ok, I will do this. I will write in my books. Even if it does make me feel a bit naughty. :blushing:
I used to be the same way, but it's kind of liberating. When I was doing the WEM Don Quixote with a couple friends, I definitely kept a notebook, way too much info to be writing in margins or underlining with that. And I'm so glad I did.
For me, it depends on the book. I'm quick to underline in a paperback, less so in a hardback. But if it's something that I'm reading to thoroughly grasp the subject, I will underline so that I can find quotes and passages later. I was so bummed when a neighbor was totally careless with one particular volume that I had very particular notes in, it's gone for good, I'm sure. But it's made me think twice about loaning something like that.
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Not okay.:glare:
Yes, my children are exposed to germs. I go to grocery stores and other gatherings. But intentionally bringing a sick child to my house is not okay. I think it is rude. You do not know what type of events will be ruined because of this. I may have plans...I may have had a Make-A-Wish event to attend for my immune challenged neighbor and now I won't be able to go. And she doesn't have much time left. And just because one person goes out with their sick child it doesn't mean I feel comfortable taking a sick child out in public...therefore, you have quarantined me in my home.
There, I've said it. It is only my opinion. I clearly recognize from a recent post I made that not everyone feels this way. I have been mulling over the alternate positions since then. But at THIS moment, as I watch my two youngest starting to decline, and the certain sleep interruptions in my future are visualized, I am convinced it is NOT okay.
Jo
Ugh. That is just crummy. Hope you can confine it as much as possible, and hope it moves quickly away from you and yours.
It's just basic consideration to let others know of your contagious situation. With so many folks with fragile immune systems, etc., it seems like it would be a given. We've had friends over the years who have battled cancer and thus have periods of very low tolerance for illness, and friends who were very susceptible to *average* things like strep throat or pinkeye.
:grouphug::grouphug:
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How many years have you been homeschooling?
:lol:
jk -- but earlier in the week before ds *got* his math, it did seem like that. Rolling to the end of 5 years here.
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:lol:
:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:
:blink::blink:
no.
I was coming on to post the same message. But you did it so nicely, I'll just copy yours. Thereby using even fewer calories. ack.
:lol: :001_huh:
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I would imagine they see you, as homeschool mom, as someone interested in learning about math programs and other school materials.
I wouldn't take offense at their desire to share.
She loves the math program and wanted to show it to someone else who is interested in education. I wouldn't read anything sinister or insulting in it. Shoot, how many times have I shown Singapore math to other homeschoolers and public schoolers? Plenty! I just love the program.This has been our experience, for the most part, people are just eager to share what they're doing. Sometimes I get the impression they might be thinking to convert me or enlighten me, but I'm pretty well-versed in math programs, so we end up having an interesting discussion on math. :001_smile:
I agree that people don't know where hs-ers get their books.My mil and I had a confusing conversation one day where I mentioned that my math program would cost about $60. She sat up straight and said, "What?! They make you PAY for it!??" I was confused and said, "Yes..." "But you pay taxes! That's just not right!!!!"
Turns out she thought that hs-ers collected the kids' books from the local school and then sat home and taught it.
Dh had this mis-guided impression for awhile. He's raised it several times over the years, thinking I'd just run down to the local schoolhouse and get my books. :confused: (Probably around the times that taxes or bills are due!)
But when I relate the conversations I've had with neighbors over their math frustrations, he's been relieved to know we're not stuck with what they've got.
btw, Garga, with that avatar, I doubt that anyone fusses with you over much of anything!
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I don't know _anything_ about unions, but I started to read teh WSJ article and thought this was interesting, given what you said your dh's boss said:
"Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) today, an employer can insist upon a secret ballot after 30% of workers indicate by card checks their interest in a union. . . . .He cannot threaten to move or shut down if workers vote for the union."
oops
Maybe he was sharing with them the reality of the situation as he sees it.
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My mom read the side of the package. Apparently, if you drop one, you're supposed to call Hazmat. They'll bill you $7,000. (She had a friend who did.) So much for electric savings, eh? :lol:
And exactly how quickly do they respond when you've got shattered glass particles and little balls of mercury all over the kitchen floor with toddlers????
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Ditto both of my grandmothers. One went to Stanford at 16, and the other was a college professor of French (she came here from France at age 18). Latin: It does a body good. ;)
That's what I keep telling the dc! ;)
eta: what great role models you had!
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No, I think that business people (big business) are more concerned about the bottom line than our health.
And government doesn't have much of a track record for doing things well, efficiently or safely either. I have very real concerns about them taking more and more things under their "management."
Just this evening, I watched a report about how you can find your Personal Medical records on line with a simple search and a couple bits of someone's data (ss# and dob). So much for the comprehensive streamlined computerized new system making our lives better and easier. acckk.
The new high-efficiency lightbulbs? My mother dropped one a couple months ago on her tile floor. She was so annoyed -- the mercury goes everywhere and is absurd to try to clean up.
I'm glad you posted this, because when I saw the bulbs in the grocery store the other day, I couldn't help feeling like it was some insidious poisonous situation that no one's bothering to mention because someone decided it was a fair trade, a little of our health for a little of their energy-conversion and profits .......
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Why is it important to be well-educated/well-read? Well quite simply it is for your own personal satisfaction. Sure, it can be defended with lots of educational goals, job potential, future employment etc. But it is primarily because you (ideally speaking) enjoy the benefits in your own life.
One of those benefits is being part of the conversation. In my opinion this is being culturally literate. Being culturally literate is typically defined in the USA in Western Cultural terms. I'm sure in other parts of the world there are variations on how to define cultural literacy. Taking part in the "conversation" is not confined to literally speaking to another person or contributing to societal/cultural growth. It involves understanding our past and present so that you can understand the references to a body of work when they appear both within and without that work.
My elementary aged children participate in the "conversation" when they do the following: gain insight into Harry Potter via it's use/reference to Latin words, watch Bugs Bunny and understand the meaning of "Hug him and squeeze him and call him George" or the musical references to "Barber of Seville", when they visit an art museum and can discuss a painting that references mythological or religious stories they have heard, why a depiction of the Bayeux Tapestry was an inappropriate curtain for a production of Macbeth, why the Roman Playmobil ship has SPQR on the sail, etc. It goes on and on through the Simpsons, Monty Python, etc.
In my opinion the actual works that need to be understood to make one well-educated may be larger than one person could fully study in a life time, they are constantly shifting and reinterpreted. It grows as exposure to other cultures grows in the West and as time passes and new works are included. To use a reference from such a cultural lexicon--it is conceptually similar to the difference between a British notion of a constitution and an American notion.
Now for the "snobby" part...Being "well-educated" was never meant for everyone. Anyone can obtain such an education because it is certainly part of a lifelong process. However, not everyone would want to pursue such knowledge. I don't mean that in the sense that people who don't follow this path are any sort of lesser person just less educated by the above definition. They are a person with different interests, goals, and contributions to society. Of course your postal worker or plumber can be "well-educated" and your lawyer a mere technician of the law. That is perfectly possible in today's society.
This of course leads to the next proposition-national curriculum based on a common understanding of being well-educated. While this notion is appealing from an education standpoint I would, if given the option, vote no. Simply because I would like to not witness the ensuing red tape such a federal bureaucracy would create and the potential difficulties of federal control over homeschooling.
One final definition-being "culturally" literate and knowing pop culture are two very different things. A classic Venn diagram where there is some overlapping knowledge that will ultimately have pieces incorporated into the conversation and other will remain pop culture.
There is nothing wrong with being well educated. Nothing wrong with trying to give your children a greater understanding of the Western Canon so that they may take part more fully in the conversation. I have the ability to give them some of the pieces that will allow them to fully pursue their interests as adults. They may want to gain other bodies of knowledge as well but they will still be able to laugh with a deeper understanding when Bugs gives Elmer a shampoo.
I enjoyed reading your post, perhaps because I agree.
I think it's important for us to read these great authors, to hear their voices and ponder their thoughts. I also enjoy the fact that the more culturally "literate" one becomes, the more one sees the interplay that occurs in our culture with these great works. It's dynamic and fascinating.
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Why? Why should everyone read Jane Austen?
The dialogue alone is enough to bring me back again. Few writers turn a phrase as well as this author does. And she did it over 200 years ago. Amazing.
This is reason enough that I want to be in "the great conversation" and I want that for my dc as well. If this conversation didn't exist, I wouldn't push myself to become acquainted with these voices, these characters. It's what drew me to them over 30 years ago and continues to intrigue me.
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I get that. But that's not participating in the sense of conversing, contributing to a conversation, or society, or a body of knowledge.
But references do come up during conversations and discussions. I won't say "all the time" but often enough. Song lyrics draw from them.
To me, it would be like raising kids who have no idea who Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit or Horton are in favor of Dora, Teletubbies or Spongebob. The new characters have their good points, but will they be remembered 20 years from now? The same goes for the classics as they grow up. What's a siren, what happened to Dorian Grey, what is a truth universally accepted according to Austen? But, more, the plots, the lessons, the character development in the classics is so rich, you want to read them more than once.
Ah well, it's way too late. But I do think this is one of the best things about homeschooling -- the ability to spend lots of time with great books.
:001_smile:
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that people can gain that body of knowledge by reading.
But realisitcally, there are a lot of people less privileged than you and I. There are also a whole lot of people whose interests and talents differ from yours, or mine. Not everyone is going to self-educate their entire life via books, kwim?
I'm weighing in here, because dh and I have two members in our extended family who were voracious readers. They were not well-educated in school systems, had completed only 8 and 11 years of formal education. But they read their entire lives, were well-versed on many topics, current events, history, science.
You wouldn't have guessed it if you'd met either man on the street perhaps, but there you have it, reading can take a person from very humble circumstances to a well-rounded, informed, "educated" person. And I'd be willing to bet that both knew who EAP was.
My dc are just on the cusp of tackling the classics on their own, and yet they know some of the stories. Already they've have been exposed to much of what I would consider is important to be culturally "literate." In our house, that includes being exposed to the classics of children literature. I'll gladly jump over Captain Underpants or Junie B. Jones or the like, so that they'll have read Lobel, Sendak, Steig, Minarik, Shulevitz, White.
It just seems to me that if I'm going to take this much time out of my life to have them here homeschooling, I want to make the time as meaningful as possible. I want them to know the classic characters, hear the great vocabulary and well-turned phrases.
I want my children to know that beauty.
And I feel that I owe them that core of knowledge. A well-educated person will have that cultural literacy, will understand references made to characters, a famous line, a plot turn.
There exist several lists of such literature, and one could debate an author here and there, and add in his/her own, but in general, the "core" is time tested. It gives us a social commonality. Without a base or core like that, it seems to me that we do our dc a disservice, especially if we value a classically-based education, wouldn't you think?
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:grouphug:
:D:D:D
;) :001_smile: ;)
Book Rec. for serious Austen fans!
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I bought two right before a trip. Double ugh. They were by the same author and while interesting in short bits, for the most part they were just too dull for words. Something like "The Ladies of Pemberley" and ??