My son (who is 11) came home from school yesterday with some papers from a program at his school.  This program is entitled G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education and Training).  I thought "that's great alright... peachy."  I guess this is where we're at now.  Gangs are so prevalent that we need to teach kids how not to get involved with them.

I know the Latin Kings are big here.  I hear about them a lot.  I see their mark spray painted in certain areas and it scares me. 

I also know that gangs are nothing new.  They were around when I was in school, but it was nothing like this.  There were no school programs.  There were no posters in my school identifying different gangs by their colors and marks.  Gangs were there, but it was rare that anybody ran into them.  They were the hoodlums, the degenerates and you could recognize them a mile away.  That's not so any more.  Gang members could be anyone.  If you're not aware of their colors, you wouldn't know them from any other kid. 

I'm afraid for my children.  A parent can only do so much to protect them.  As much as I'd like to follow my kid around and drop kick anyone who tries to mess with him, I can't.  Putting him in a protective bubble isn't an option either.  All parents can do is educate them about the real dangers in the world, and pray that their children make the right decisions.  I try to do that, but it doesn't feel like it's enough.

I'm glad that the school has this program, because I certainly don't know how to identify a gang member or what to do if I ran into one.  But I can't help but be sad about the necessity for such a program.  I can't help but wonder if the human race is determined to destroy itself.

Tags: gangs, kids, education, G.R.E.A.T.

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So, my lil guy was running a high fever and we took him to the doctor assuming it was an ear infection.  He has been prone to them since birth... just like his mom.  Anyway, turns out his ears are fine, and he has the flu!  He is getting better each day, but I've been dealing with a very cranky, very demanding 3 year old.  Hopefully, he hasn't passed it on to the rest of us, but I guess time will tell.

I did get a piece of good news this week though.  My brother is a demolition expert for the Army and is currently stationed in Afghanistan.  He left December 17, 2010 and we haven't heard from him directly until just the other day.  We've been getting second hand information from his wife, and she has only spoken to him a couple of times for only 5 minutes (phone service and internet access is extremely limited and he has to share with 100 guys).

He assured us that all is well and they are finally settled in.  We know that his new rank allows him less time in the field, and although he lives for that kind of thing, it makes the rest of us feel better to know he will be dismantling less mines/bombs.  His tour is for a year and my mom has a countdown going, but we have a long way to go.

Please keep my brother and his men in your thoughts and prayers.  After 2 tours in Iraq (3 if you count Desert Storm), we are hoping this will be his last.  If not, he will go without complaint while the rest of us bitch and moan about it.  That's what the Army does to you, I guess.  Never once has he complained.

Anyway, just wanted to give you a quick update on what's going on in my world.  Peace to all of you and have a wonderful weekend!

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I've kinda been on a blogging hiatus, if you haven't noticed.  I've had a difficult time finding the right place since I left myspace.  I joined and have since left FriendBurst, which is where most of the MS bloggers have gone.  I couldn't take the drama that was brought there.  It was sucking me dry.  Not to mention that in the 2 months or so I was there, I read maybe a handful of good blogs... the rest were crap.  Everybody seemed to be trying too hard. 

Although I find this place to be very friendly and virtually drama free, I'm not crazy about the set up and most of the blogs are poetry.  Nothing wrong with that, but it's not really my thing.  I have recently opened up a WordPress account (.com not .org) and have posted a 2 old blogs there and linked them to my facebook account.  I think they got 3 views, which is a little disheartening considering I actually know those people in real life... and one of the views was my husband. *sigh*

I've also been doing a lot of soul searching.  I've been paying careful attention to what's going on in the world, and to be quite frank, it scares the crap out of me.  It's even prompted me to read the book of Revelations... eek.  I do believe we're in end times, my friends.  However, this could go on a long time.  I don't really believe that 2012 will be the "end of the world", but I do tend to believe Edgar Casey's prediction that that may be when the poles shift.  He predicted an increase in natural disasters in the years leading up to it, and hey... have you been paying attention?  We even shifted 10 degrees 2 weeks ago.  But his 2012 pole shifting prediction would basically turn the world upside down.  Scary stuff.  All I can say is it may be time to make peace with whatever God you believe in.  If you don't believe in any god, that's fine... I would just make sure that's your final answer.

I've also come to realize that all this is not healthy to dwell on.  I've been trying to find the balance of staying informed, but not letting it get to me.  I've been embracing my own spirituality.  Reflecting on what I believe and rejecting what does not sit right with me, despite what other Christians say.  I understand now that I am more spiritual than religious.  I am realizing that, in some cases, religion hinders rather than helps.  They are so caught up in their "rules" that they tend to either overlook things or look at them with closed minds.  They reject some things, not because of their own faith, not because they've prayed and meditated on it, but only because that's what they've been told.  Fundamentalist Christians (like my parents) think that I am dabbling in some kind of sorcery if I mention a persons energy or aura.  They say I'm not supposed to mess around with supernatural stuff.  My answer to this is "God IS supernatural".  I honestly believe that we're all given supernatural gifts in this life, to be used to help others.  (Actually, I believe it's not us, but God working through us).  I think most people either never find their gift, or are too afraid to use it.  I have no doubt that mine is empathy.  The more I learn about it, the more I am able to tune in to what other people are feeling.  In doing so, I am able to provide the right words or just be able to validate someone's feelings.  It's pretty amazing, actually, once I got passed the "I feel silly" part of it.

So that's been my life for the past few months.  Not a whole lot going on, but what IS there is heavy stuff.  I'm sure you can understand why I had to take a break.  Life is like that sometimes.  You have to pause and reflect, change what isn't working, then get back up again.  It's tiring.

Tags: Life Change Blogs Spirituality Religion 2012

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Every year at this time, my inbox becomes flooded with emails telling me not to use the abbreviation Xmas.  It’s blasphemous!  Keep Christ in Christmas they tell me.  These people claim that by using the abbreviation Xmas, I’m crossing out Christ from Christmas. 

The first few times I received this type of email, I just scratched my head.  It seems so insignificant.  I’ve used the abbreviation before, but never thought of it as taking Christ out of Christmas.  I was just too lazy to write out Christmas.  Plus, do you know how many times I’ve written out Christmas cards that said “Merry Christine! Love Christmas”?  When you’re writing it over and over, it happens… especially when you’re a little dyslexic, like me.  Merry Xmas solved that problem for me.

Common sense tells me that the expression “Keep Christ in Christmas” means to remember what we are celebrating on December 25.  It’s not about presents and decorations, but it’s a celebration of the birth of Christ.  People forget that.  But to tell me not to abbreviate Christmas as “Xmas”?  This is a horrible sin?  C’mon!  So I did a little digging.

Just as I suspected, Xmas has no negative connotations at all.  It’s not new either, as many people think.  People have been using Xmas since the 15^th century.  The ‘X’ in Xmas stands for ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Christos) which is Greek for Christ.  The X represents the Greek letter ‘chi’ and is the first letter in the word ‘Christ’ (which is a title and not a name, by the way).  Being that the New Testament was written in Greek, this makes perfect sense.  It’s a harmless abbreviation… nothing more.  Somewhere along the lines, its meaning was skewed and apparently it gave a bunch of people something to complain about. 

So, abbreviate away!  XMAS, XMAS, XMAS!  I promise you won’t go to Hell (not for that anyway — haha).  I promise you’re not really offending anybody, even though they may think they’re being offended.  But then you can use it as an opportunity to educate these people, and maybe they’ll stop sending me these emails!

Tags: Xmas Christmas

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I was deeply concerned when I heard that our government wants to take over our food supply.  First of all, I’m not sure what Homeland Security has to do with our food or why this is their job.  But I think I understand why and it’s pretty disturbing.

I don’t know how familiar the people of this country are with Plum Island Animal Disease Center.  It’s located in the Long Island Sound, 2 miles off the northeast coast of Long Island, NY, and 6 miles from Connecticut. 

Having spent my entire life on Long Island, I grew up hearing stories about what goes on there.  As children, we used to joke about it “Oh, you better be good or your parents will send you to Plum Island and you’ll never be heard from again.”  But as I said, I don’t know how familiar the rest of the country is with it, so I’m going to give a quick explanation of what they do (or claim they do).  Please forgive me if this is common knowledge.

 The Animal Disease Center was opened in 1954 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the specific purpose of studying Foot and Mouth Disease.  Since opening, they have gone on to research other foreign and domestic animal diseases.

Here is what the U.S. Department of Agriculture says on it’s website:

“At the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has an important job.

We work to protect farm animals, farmers and ranchers, the nation’s farm economy and export markets… and your food supply.

Plum Island is located off the northeastern tip of New York’s Long Island. USDA activities at Plum Island are carried out by scientists and veterinarians with the department’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

We’re proud of our role as America’s first line of defense against foreign animal diseases.

We’re equally proud of our safety record. Not once in our nearly 50 years of operation has an animal pathogen escaped from the island.

In 2003 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) joined us on the island, taking responsibility for the safety and security of the facility. “

The island is a  Biosafety Level 3 facility (for the explanation on biosafety levels see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level).  In 2000 the center wished to upgrade to a Biosafety Level 4 facility (the highest there is) in order to study diseases affecting humans.  Thanks to local activists, that has not come to pass.

 There is much debate about what actually goes on at Plum Island.  There are claims that there is human experimentation going on, as well as biological weapons research.  Not to mention the “Montauk Monster” which washed up on the shore of Montauk, NY in 2008.

We’ve heard everything from it’s a dog to it’s a movie prop.  The final concensus for this… thing… is it’s a raccoon.  They say it’s distorted from being in the water so long and of course the hair has fallen off.  Even then, it doesn’t look like any raccoon I’ve ever seen.  Many claim this was some kind of hybrid experiment from Plum Island.  Also noteworthy, a second, identical “monster” washed up on the shores of Southold, NY (located on the North fork of Long Island) in 2009.  Raccoon, my ass.

It has also been suggested that Lyme’s disease, which is named after the town of Lyme, Connecticut was  actually a Plum Island experiment.  Guess where Lyme, CT is located.  Directly across the sound from Plum Island.  Even better, Lyme’s Disease shows up on the CDC’s list of biological warfare agents.

Now that I’ve given you a bit of an explanation on what Plum Island is, I’ll get to the point.

As previously stated, Plum Island is a Biosafety Level 3 wanting to be a Level 4, which activists prevented.  So what does the government do when us pesky people won’t let them have their way?  They move it elsewhere… quietly.

Plans are underway to move the facility to Manhattan, Kansas where they will get there Biosafety Level 4.  This is not their reasoning, of course. 

“It’s pretty much beginning to reach the end of its life cycle,” John S. Verrico, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, said of the Plum Island lab.

Mr. Verrico said that as new livestock diseases emerge, a larger and more secure place for research is needed. “Those cannot be studied in a laboratory like Plum Island,” he said. “Plum Island really allows us to only study one disease at a time.”

Yeah, ok Mr. Verrico.  The 840 acre island can’t study more than one disease at a time?  And it would be safer to move it to a “more secure place” like the middle of Kansas… where much of the countries food supply comes from.  You’re studying livestock diseases and you want to put the facility in the middle of cow country?  You’re taking a disease research facility off of an island, which makes diseases at least slightly contained, and placing it where these diseases can easily reach our food?

HELLO MCFLY!

I had not heard of this plan until I heard it on ‘Conspiracy Theory’ hosted by Jesse Ventura.  And I live here!  Shouldn’t this be big news to us Long Islanders?  Shouldn’t the aforesaid activists be shouting from the rooftops that Plum Island will be shut down by 2017?  But no… not a peep.  A few small, buried articles here and there is all I could find.

So Homeland Security, the same people now responsible for the safety of this lab, wants to control our food supply.  Is this coincidence, do you think?  No, me either.  Seems pretty convenient.  If there ever was some kind of leak, there would be no one else to report it to.  If word gets out, they’ll tell us they’ve done all kinds of testing and our food is perfectly safe.  Just like they tell us the fish in the Gulf of Mexico are perfectly safe to eat, after the biggest oil spill in history.

Be wary folks.  I knew our government was up to something, I just never thought they’d be so willing to taint our food supply.  Apparently, there is nothing they won’t stoop to.

Sources:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=19-40-00-00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Island_Animal_Disease_Center

http://blogs.courant.com/roger_catlin_tv_eye/2010/10/jesse-venturas-trip-to-plum-is.html

http://theintelhub.com/2010/08/30/control-of-food-supply-to-be-handed-over-to-department-of-homeland-security/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montauk_Monster

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525145,00.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/nyregion/long-island/25plumli.html?_r=1&ref=plum_island_animal_disease_center

Tags: Plum Island Montauk Monster Government Food Supply

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First, I’ll tell you a short story:

I stopped at the supermarket the other day to pick up a few things.  As I was putting my packages into my car, I suddenly heard someone yelling “HELP! HELP!”  I looked up and saw a woman running through the parking lot, four rows over.  I had no idea what had just happened, but I was extremely annoyed at all the people traipsing through the parking lot, just staring at her.

I got in my car and drove over to make sure the woman was ok.  She was on her cell phone with the police.  When she got off the phone, she explained to me that her purse was just stolen.  She had put it in the child seat of the shopping cart while she was putting her groceries in the trunk.  Someone in a black SUV stopped behind her, got out, grabbed her purse, got back in their car and took off.  She ran after the car, banging on the windows as it drove away.  She never thought to look at the license plate.  Sadly, I don’t think there’s much hope for her getting it back.  “My whole life was in there.” She told me.  I know exactly what she means.

I remember a time, not too long ago when the holiday season was about peace and goodwill toward man.  Everyone was a little more friendly, a little more patient.  Those times are over, I guess.  Rather, it seems the holidays bring out the worst in people, these days.  Over budget or over stressed, at this time of year, people are grouchy, irritable and just plain rude.  What happened?

The way I see it, the media has completely commercialized Christmas.  They have successfully taken the focus off of the birth of Christ and put it on… stuff.  Christmas has become nothing more than a very lucrative time of year for corporate schmucks.  They try to convince us that our loved ones deserve nothing less than a Mercedes or diamonds. 

Now, I’ll be the first to say my loved ones DO deserve these things.  If I had the means, I would love nothing better than to spoil them with lavish gifts.  However, I don’t have the means, so it ain’t happenin’.  And ya know what?  Despite what said corporate schmucks try to convince me of, that’s ok. 

Because my loved ones aren’t my loved ones because of the stuff they’ve given me, or the stuff I’ve given them.  They’re my loved ones because of the people they are and the relationship I have with them.  Their loyalty and absolute refusal to give up on me means more than all the diamonds in the world.  That kind of relationship is priceless.  When they say “money can’t buy happiness”, this is what they mean.  Money and stuff can never compare to the love of family and friends.

So sit back, relax and as my dad always says “K.I.S.S.” Keep It Simple, Stupid.  Try to enjoy this holiday season and don’t let the corporate schmucks get you down.  And ladies, please… don’t put your purse in the shopping cart!

Tags: holidays

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At this time of year, it's nice to put aside our petty grievances and focus on what we're thankful for.  It's so easy to get caught up in every day life and take for granted all the things we have.

This year I am particularly thankful that my brother was able to visit.

He is a First Sergeant in the Army.  He is a demolition expert and responsible for 190 soliders.  He loves what he does.  He is being sent to Afghanistan 17 December for one year.  He's done 2 tour in Iraq already... 3 if you count 'Desert Storm'. 

I'm thankful that our family came together to give him a proper farewell.

Not only am I thankful for being able to see him before he is deployed, I'm thankful for all of our soldiers who fight every day for our freedom.  They give up the comforts of home, including holidays with their families, so the rest of us can sit home and stuff our faces.

I'm thankful for my family... every single one of them.  They have proven that blood is truly thicker than water.

I'm thankful for my job, when so many people in this country don't have one.  It's not perfect and we're only barely hanging on, but for the time being I'm able to make money to support my family.

I'm thankful for my house, a stable roof over my families head.

I'm thankful for the friends that have stood by me, even when things were less than perfect.

I'm thankful that my husband has been cancer free for almost 2 years.  The month he spent in the hospital seems like a distant memory now, but some of you remember how difficult it was for me.  To you guys... see above paragraph.

I'm thankful for the heart transplant my cousin got 3 years ago.  He's looking better than he has in 15 years!  I'm thankful to the donor and his family who were so generous and have allowed him to enjoy life again.

I'm thankful for the gifts and abilities the good Lord has given me.  I may not have it all figured out yet, I may stray from my path often, but I'm thankful for who I am.

And I'm thankful for my health.  I can walk, talk, and have full use of every extremity.  Not everybody does.

I could probably go on, but I'll stop here.  What are you thakful for?

Tags: Thanksgiving

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This will be my last Thanksgiving with my oldest son and I'm pretty bummed about that.  See, my husband goes hunting in upstate New York every Thanksgiving weekend.  He leaves Wednesday night and comes home Sunday.  His father and brother go every year also, and sometimes an uncle or cousin.  My son will be 12 next May, and will be able to get a Jr. Hunting License (for small game), so he'll be going on his first hunt next year.

This is a family tradition they've had going back generations, and is not something I can change.  Nor do I really want to.  It's a macho guy weekend, with lots of burping, scratching, and a little bit of shooting thrown in.  I don't really want to take that away from my husband or his family.

However, for the past 10 years my son and I have made that a mother-son weekend and have made our own traditions.  Thanksgiving with family on Thursday, of course.  Then we spend Friday decorating the house for Christmas (anything to avoid Black Friday).  We don't get out of our pj's all day!  We hang around, listening to Christmas music, laughing, joking and just spending time together.  Saturday we usually go out to lunch or dinner and if we feel like it, we make some cookies, maybe we play video games together.  Sunday we get bagels and it's more of the same.  My only goal that weekend, is to bond with my son.

We had that tradition together for 8 years, and then my second son was born and he's added to the mix now.  He's 2 now and quite a handful.  Understand... son #1 is mellow, go with the flow; son #2 is demanding and stubborn.  Son #1 is very easy to be around.  Son #2... well, sometimes you have to walk away from him to keep your sanity.  Though I love son #2 just as much, I don't see us doing the same things that son #1 and I do.  I suppose we'll develop our own tradition together.  And when he turns 12 I'll have to let that go too.

My boys just keep growing, even when I tell them to STOP IT!  They don't listen.  Though I'm a little sad about my last Thanksgiving with my son, I knew this day was coming and I knew I'd have to let go.  And he's so excited about it, that I can't help but smile. 

When one tradition dies, I'll start a new one.  When that tradition dies... Hell!  I'll have the entire weekend to myself!!!  Only about 10 more years to go!

Tags: Thanksgiving Traditions

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I’ve been in the title insurance industry for 14 years.  If you’ve ever bought a house or refinanced and had “title issues”, I am the one who determines that.  I review the county records going back 40 years and determine what, if anything, would make title unmarketable.  I’ve been at my current job for 5 years and counting.  The company I worked for prior to this one, I was with for 5 years also. 

We are an agent of a larger underwriter.  Just like your car insurance was probably bought through an agent of State Farm or Allstate or whoever.  We just got through with out annual audit.  We passed with flying colors, but they’re asking for something they’ve never asked for before in my 14 years.  They’re asking for permission to pull the credit report of each owner, as well as the bookkeeper.

The bookkeeper here was very upset about this, and questioned the auditor about why she has to provide her personal credit report.  The auditor got very defensive.  Apparently, it’s annoying when someone with a brain questions their authority.  What I find even more disconcerting is, evidently we were the only ones to question it.  But here is the gist of her answer:  if you have a poor credit score, you are more likely to steal from the company. 

Wow!  That’s quite an assumption, dontcha think?

Now… it’s been a while since I’ve had to look for a job, but I’m hearing many companies are also asking to pull an applicants credit report.  I’m assuming the reasoning is the same because, what in the world does my credit report tell a potential employer about my ability to do a job?  This makes no sense on so many different levels.

For one thing, are these nut jobs aware of the current economic crisis going on in this country?  I don’t care how many times we’re told “the recession is over”, the proof is in the pudding.  The recession is NOT over.  I’m not even sure if we’ve seen the worst of it yet.  In this day and age, has anyone’s credit NOT been affected?

For another thing, did it ever occur to these brain surgeons that maybe a person has bad credit because… oh, I don’t know… they don’t have a job?  DUH!  We’re at what?  10% unemployment rate in this country?  That’s a lot of people trying to live off the ridiculously low amount given by unemployment.

But the reasons this is total and complete B.S. just keep going…

Here’s something else these asshats haven’t thought of; maybe a person with GOOD credit has such a good standing BECAUSE they are embezzling from their current or previous employer.  In these times, doesn’t that make MORE sense?

These are educated people who make up these silly rules, aren’t they?

And finally, how ‘bout this; if a potential employer has the right to ask ME for a copy of my credit report for this bogus reason of “being more likely to steal” than I think it’s only fair that the potential employee has the right to ask for the company’s credit report.  After all, you want to make sure this company that you may work for is stable, right?  You don’t want to start a new job only to have it fold in 6 months, do ya?  And while we’re at it, why not get the credit report of each and every owner.  You want to make sure they pay their bills on time, because you want to make sure YOU get paid on time every week.

I’m tempted to go on a job interview just so I can bring up these points when they ask for my credit report.  I’d politely ask them if they realized that this is a form of discrimination.  What difference does it make what I do with my money AFTER I’ve earned it?  If I’m hired, do they also need to approve each purchase I make?

They’re doing it because, quite simply, they can.  People are so desperate for work that they’re willing to do almost anything to get a job.  They know this and they think they have us.  Their arrogance is sickening!

If I find myself in a position to bring up the hypocrisy of this new trend, I will.  I’d purposely blow an interview just to bring up the above points, all the way down to asking for a copy of the company’s credit report… just to see the reaction I get.  Just to see some corporate schmuck sit behind his desk and fumble for words to explain himself.  But my guess is, this trend will continue until someone sues over it.  In order to get through to these nitwits, you have to hit them where it hurts… their wallet.  Make them spend money on a defense attorney, and regardless of the outcome, I bet they’ll think twice about it next time.

Tags: jobs, FICO, credit report, discrimination

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