Back in the Saddle

I had forgotten that I had this little corner of the internet which I could vent, and share my feelings and views.  It has been nearly 6 years since I posted anything and a lot has changed, both personally and professionally.  Most of it has been good, some bad, some as my youngest would say was "meh".  I hope to get back in here and start talking about things as I need an outlet for both my creative and entertainment mindset.

Black Belt Expectations

It has been a crazy month, let alone the past couple of weeks, what with all of the personal excitement and nerves about my latest Tae Kwon Do belt testing. Now you may be wondering why this event is any more important than any other belt testing, and that is understandable, so let me provide some background.

Two years ago this August I signed up for a 3 class trial of Tae Kwon Do at the academy that my daughters had spent the summer at. I was 39 years old weighed about 225 to 230 lbs and my cholesterol was at around 235. Add on top of that my diet consisted of fast foods, soft drinks, and candy. Yes I was a walking advertisement for medicine companies and the US heart association. I could not walk up one flight of stairs with out getting out of breath, and could barely do anything physical with my children with out needing an oxygen tank. I realized at that time that if I did not do something I would, despite not drinking or smoking, be in the hospital with a heart attack, or worse dead in the next 5 to 10 years.

So I did something that up until last month, my mother though I was crazy for doing, I tried out martial arts, Tae Kwon Do to be specific, I saw several older adult males in the class and figured if they were able to do it I should be able to as well, especially since I was at one time a respectable college level swimmer as well as could hold my own in other sports. So with a summer of watching my daughters and a little courage I signed up for the trial class package, which is actually a really good value, $19.95 for 3 lessons and you are provided a uniform as well. So it actually is a great deal and the opportunity to try something at a very reasonable price.

Well needless to say even before my first class I was interested, I walked on the training mat, a 39 yr old overweight, former college athlete, and was immediately greeted by two Black belts and a Green Belt who came over and welcomed me and offered words of encouragement ranging from glad to have you, to just do what you can and do not be afraid to ask questions. Needless to say that first lesson was if not completely forgettable, it was an experience, I had considered myself a reasonably agile and limber person from my swimming days. Suffice it to say I was neither agile nor limber, and I walked off of the mat soaked in sweat, tired and wondering if I had done the right thing. The next morning my body reminded me of just exactly how out of shape I was, I ached all over, and also in places that I did not know I could ache, but for the first time in nearly 15 years it was a good ache, my body was telling me that I was doing something good and I was reminded of all of the time I spent in the pool and in the gym, and all of the blood, sweat and pain I went through to accomplish what I did, and you know what it was something that I realized that I had missed these past 15 years.

Fast forward through twenty months of classes, aches, sore joints, failures, successes, significant diet changes, as well as the multiple belt tests and tournaments, and we come to the last weekend in March of this year. I am now a senior Red Belt and am testing for my level 1 First degree Black Belt, also called probationary rank, however instead of doing things the easy way, I attempted to test for my level 1 instructor certification. Double dipping at a testing is not always the best thing to do, especially when you are making a major jump in rank like I was. I knew I was taking a calculated risk doing this however I felt that if I was not prepared for both I was not prepared for one. So everyone who was testing lines up and warms up, and I am getting focused upon my belt testing, and things are going well. I feel good, stretch out well and go and sit down waiting to be called up to test when I am thrown the ultimate curve ball, the head of the academy that I attend starts to talk about the instructor certification program, and at that time I realize that my belt testing is going to come second and that I need to switch mindsets. As the description of the program is finished and my name is called, I take a deep breath, answered up sharply and moved to my position on the floor. I can only guess why they chose to run things in this order, maybe it was because he wanted to see me at my freshest when testing for the instructor certification, maybe it was because he wanted to see how those being tested would react to an unpredicted change of plans, who knows? Needless to say I blew through that testing and did well, and I completed my belt testing with out so much as a single mistake.

So I walk out of testing knowing I have done as well as I possibly can, and then the waiting starts. See we are not informed of our test results till the following Monday, at which time you will get a call from the academy if you failed or No Changed at the test. Needless to say the waiting was the worst part, but nobody who tested from our family received that phone call. which meant not only did I pass my instructor test but also my belt test and was now a black belt. Now I have come to realize that being a black belt means being held to a higher standard both in the class room as well as outside of it, what I did not realize was that the standards for someone like me, an (supposedly mature) adult who is both a black belt and an instructor were even higher, not only am I expected to assist in lower classes but I also need to expect to be called upon in my own class to assist, demonstrate, or even teach some of the lower ranks if necessary. The ironic thing is some family members have asked me if I now regret taking on these responsibilities and I tell them emphatically, "not in the least, if anything I am enjoying the challenge of living up to what is expected of me."

Now I expect some of you are asking, well now that you have your black belt, what else do you plan on doing? Well to be honest, this rank is simply the beginning of the journey, my ultimate goal is to achieve both an advanced Black Belt rank (4th degree or higher) as well as becoming a level 4 or 5 instructor. Beyond that I do not know but as of now getting to, testing and passing my test for 4th degree Black belt is a journey that will take around 5 years of work, possibly more if for some reason I no-change, however that is one thing that I do have some control over, and to be honest with everyone, I will do everything that I possibly can to avoid that.

So back to my personal health, if you look back to when I started I was 39 yrs old, around 230 lbs, with a cholesterol of around 235, in less than 2 years I am down to between 200 and 205 lbs, and at last check my cholesterol was at 188. So it comes back to this, Tae Kwon Do has provided me with not only wonderful new challenges, but also probably has added maybe 10 or 20 years onto my life. Will I stop? not if I can avoid it, both for my physical as well as my mental health.

God bless and enjoy.

Headlines

Worst employees of the year - CNN.com

Houston leaders target more billboards Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Johnny Depp: 'I don't want to be a product' - CNN.com

Commentary: Black men must reclaim our children - CNN.com

CNN Poll: Obama catches Clinton in New Hampshire - CNN.com

FOXNews.com - Want to Get to Heaven? Gag-Gift Web Site Sells 'Reservations,' but Not Without Offending Some

ESPN - Petrino couldn't help but hit the road yet again - NFL

ESPN - Petrino's been down this road before … and likely will again - Columnist

Petrino leaves Falcons to coach at Arkansas | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

FOXNews.com - 50 Fleeing Taliban Fighters Killed After Afghan Fight - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

FOXNews.com - Boys, 11 and 14, Charged With Sex Assault on Woman, 60

Board Break a thon announcement

I have been studying Tae Kwon Do for a little over 1 year now and our academy's booster club has an annual community event. It is a board break-a-thon, and all of the proceeds go to the Katy ISD D.A.R.E program. Last year we raised over $4500 as a group for the program and we want to do even better this year. It is a good program and a lot of fun for all of those that participate. As an added bonus I'll provide photos of myself or my kids breaking the boards that are purchased by readers here. I'll even make sure your name is on the board. Please help support D.A.R.E. You can contact me through here or the e-mail on the flyer.

I hope to raise at least $300 for this cause.

Second Annual Board Break-A-Thon

· Saturday October 27th 3:00-5:00

· Hosted by the C3 Booster Club

· Help the Community by raising money for Katy Area D.A.R.E Programs

· Location: Allen Samuels Dodge on Katy Freeway

See the flyer for more details
Board break a thon flyer

FOXNews.com - Woman Dies Doing Handstand on Balcony - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

Woman Dies Doing Handstand on Balcony

Here is the whole story:

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Alabama woman died after she fell 15 feet from an apartment balcony, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Jessica Ashley Hawkins, 20, asked two friends to take her to the hospital after she struck the ground headfirst Thursday evening. Hawkins was attempting a handstand from the balcony when she fell.
Hawkins lost consciousness in the car on the way to the hospital, according to a sheriff's
incident report. She was taken to Winter Park Hospital, transferred to the Orlando Regional Medical Center and died at 11:35 p.m., according to the report.
"This really is a tragedy," sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said. "Both of the young lady's friends were very, very distraught."
Hawkins -- a former University of Central Florida student -- was visiting her boyfriend when she fell, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
"What this was was a gathering of friends. The investigation revealed nothing had gotten out of hand," Solomons said. "By all appearances, this is just a very, very tragic accident."

Ok now time for the crass and heartless commets, what in the hell was she thinking when she started to do this hand stand on the balcony? I am sorry that her friends have to go through this but this is a perfect Darwin Award if I have ever seen one. On top of doing something that was extremely stupid, her friends then moved her and attempted to transport her to the hospital and that is probably what helped lead to her death. You never move someone who has fallen that sort of distance and you 100% of the time NEVER EVER move someone who has fallen on her head.

Children in the news today...

I am shocked by the number of headlines where children are involved in something, eitehr criminal acts done by them, or to them, or simply the tragic ending of a young life before it's time... These are all on the front page of Foxnews.com as I post this.

Teen Dies in Dentist Chair

Illegal Immigrant Sex Offender Held in Murder of Kidnapped Tacoma, Wash., Girl

4-Year-Old Boy Drowns in Wave Pool at California Water Park

Report: Teens Having Less Sex

Teen Dies in Dentist Chair as Wisdom Teeth Removed

Baby Born Drunk: Blood Alcohol Six Times Legal Limit

Mom Arrested for Allegedly Treating Son's Fatal Head Injury With Popsicle

Mom Busted for Using Craigslist to Lure Teen Hookers

Baby Kicked Off Plane for Saying 'Bye Bye, Plane'

Lifeguards Save Teen Drowning in Kansas City Wave Pool

Katy reconsiders 12-year-old's graffiti suspension

This is another of KISD's attempts at "zero tolerance" enforcement that has gone wrong.

Katy reconsiders 12-year-old's graffiti suspension

Katy Independent School District is reconsidering a decision to send a sixth-grader to alternative school for four months after she confessed to writing "I love Alex" on a school gymnasium wall with a baby blue sharpie.
Under a firestorm of widespread criticism, the district is researching discipline options for Shelby Sendelbach, a 12-year-old Mayde Creek Junior High School pupil who was punished by the district with a Level 4 infraction after writing the message in permanent ink.
The grafitti offense — on par with making terroristic threats, drug possession and assault — is punishable as a felony under the district's discipline plan. Only a Level 5 is more severe -- for murder, possessing firearms, aggravated or sexual assault and arson.

Ok, first off when has writing on the walls or anything for that matter on the same level as any of these three actions,(terroristic threats, drug possession and assault). If you can give me an answer to that which makes sense then you are smarter than I am by a long shot.


Here is my personal feelings, there has been a significant overreaction on the part of teachers, administrators, school boards, and even parents with regards to school discipline. Busting someone for graffiti, for writing on a gym wall, is insane. It seems as if every time someone breaks a rule in Katy ISD the school and district jump in and throw the book at them, with out even taking the time to determine how serious the offense is. Why is that? Well for one thing most people in education for the past 20 years have been more about feel good environments, but kids who are not stupid, realized that they could get away with almost anything, started to do just that. Now districts are having to crack down and these same people who for the longest time could never bring themselves to calling a student down for something as simple as talking out of turn in class are having to discipline students and do not know how to. For that reason and that reason alone, they go to the extreme case and then fall back on the argument that they were only following the zero tolerance policy of the district. Buffalo Bagles, these educrats are the reason we have these problems and until they learn to better evaluate the level of a student's misbehavior, and start to apply some simple logic and common sense to assigning punishment we will continue to have these sorts of events.



This is not the first time KISD has been busted for going overboard with regards to their discipline and zero tolerance, and it will probably not be the last. These people need to stop reacting and start using the brains that they supposedly have.

Another link about Zero Tolerance
State lawmakers look at revamping school discipline

Headlines I have collected

Ex-Marine, 72, Teaches Pickpocket a Lesson
New Jersey mutt wins ugliest dog crown in California
Judge rejects $54 million lawsuit over lost pair of pants
Millionaire, 84, died fleeing Harris probate court
Disney to scrap lucrative direct-to-DVD animated sequels
Is Earmark Disclosure a True Measure of Transparency? Actually the question is do we actually have a conservative or at least honest democrat?
Embattled Duke Rape Case Prosecutor Mike Nifong Could Get Jail Time
Senate Votes to Increase Fuel Economy Standards in Cars, SUVs
Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer Dispute Conversation About Reining in Conservative Talk Radio So who do you believe, a moderate/conservative republican or two flaming liberals
Prince William Turns 25, Gains Part of Diana's Inheritance Now the question is will he be king instead of his father, and who will he marry....
Bush Administration Opposes Making Immigration Bill Easier on Employers
Vatican Reverses Annulment of Ex-Rep. Joseph Kennedy's First Marriage
Computer Hacking Plagues Department of Homeland Security
County rescinds Westpark Tollway fee hike
Plan for new taxes on oil companies stalls
N.H. Town Hopes to End Standoff Between Police and Couple Barricaded in Home Since January
FOHacker Claims to Have Posted 'Harry Potter' Plot on Internet
Police Say Washington Baby Died After Mom Taped Pacifier in Infant's Mouth
The perils of carving a path to the Taliban's front door
Fireworks sales likely to blast off
Duke prosecutor testifies; ex-lacrosse player weeps

Immigration Reform for Dummies (or Congress) your choice

Well over the past few months we have seen just about every idea regarding immigration reform discussed and argued about and still Congress sits on their collective asses and does nothing. Why well for one the liberals cannot make up their minds, and the conservatives are afraid to take a position and fight for it. So I have taken it upon myself to sit down and look at the issue and see if we the people cannot come up with a solution that we can send to Congress for examination.

In order to do that we need to look at the what are the things that have people trying to enter this country illegally in the first place. Next we need to find a way to either eliminate that incentive or make it easier for the goal to be achieved. Finally we need to set things out in a way that allows for easy and consistent enforcement of these guidelines.

That being said I know of at least 5 reasons that people are crossing the borders illegally:

• better paying Jobs than at home
• Free Health care
• US Citizenship by birth
• little or no taxes
• Family already here

I know there are others however for discussion I think that these five cover the largest portion of the pie. So how do we fix things and eliminate the incentive or if necessary make it easier to enter legally?

Well for starters we can eliminate two of the issues really fast, US Citizenship and Health care. Citizenship requirements need to be cleaned up, and eliminating the Citizenship by birth for all, and change it to Citizenship by birth for those here legally. If you are in the country illegally your children born here are not citizens of the US plain and simple. Refuse to recognize these births and you reduce and probably eliminate the pregnant woman coming across the border and having her kid in a border town hospital. This also will reduce if not eliminate the problem of splitting up families because mommy and daddy are illegal.

Along those same lines you eliminate free health care and other government programs for non citizens and several things will happen. First the local support programs, hospitals and police, will not be stretched as thin because of all the expenses that they have to write off due to non payment or indigent care, and at the same time the quality of care should improve for those that need it. This means that every facility should be allowed to refuse service if they feel that the person who is requesting care is not a citizen, that and the emergency clinics should be able to refuse care for those that are truly not in need of emergency care. Cut out food stamps, welfare, and any other program that enables illegal to be attached to the teat of the government.

Now as far as dealing with the employment issue, it should be cut and dried. Every person who wants to enter the country strictly as a worker should be allowed to provided they follow these steps.

• They enter the country from a legal point of entry
• They submit to fingerprinting
• If they want citizenship they have to return to their country and start the process.
• They will be given a work visa that expires 365 days from date of issue and needs to be renewed annually for a small fee. This renewal could be done at any consul or point of entry or INS office .
• If for any reason they are convicted of a felony, all rights and access would be revoked permanently. Misdemeanors would be different, however habitual offenders could have their rights and access revoked as well.
• Eliminate sanctuary cities and find a way to withhold federal assistance funds for local projects if for any reason immigration laws are not enforced within any part of the country, be that city, county, or state.
• Accept the issuance of a federal foreign worker ID card that is tied to a unique tax id number, and that is accepted as a form of ID that way employers can take care of the payroll taxes and such. Also they would during the process forfeit the right to claim any of their income taxes that are withheld. They would have the option if they obtain citizenship get a partial refund of these taxes provided they have been legal the whole time.
• They pay an administrative fee of no more than $200 that would cover the above expenses

Now you all may be saying that is all well and good, but how do we deal with the twelve million plus that are here illegally right now. To that I say, we give them ONE chance to come clean, after that we go after them with no mercy or quarter, and here is how that is done. On the first day of the month after this legislation is signed, the following rules would be put in place.

Anyone who is in the country right now illegally has 6 months to come clean, return to a legal point of entry, and begin the process as described above or face forfeiture of any and all future access to the program. Then at the end of the 6 month period you start hitting cities one by one and holding massive immigration sweeps, unannounced, and hit all of the day labor sites, as well as spot checks at employment sites where immigrants are known to be employed, as well as social spots. No other choice, and from then on if you are caught in this country illegally you will be fingerprinted, and shipped back to your country of origin. If for some reason someone is caught a second or even a third time they will face prison for at least 15 years.

I realize this is not a perfect plan and some would call it amnesty, however we need to do something, and the sad thing is if we leave it up to Congress it will be nothing more than a hollow convoluted mess that cannot be enforced let alone understood. Just look at the Medicare Prescription plan that was enacted.

Another Event we should never forget but probably will

Monday, April 16th 2007…. A day that in any other normal year, would be the day that citizens of the United States would be sending their Income Tax Returns to Uncle Sam. However instead we were again shocked horrified and sadden by a brutal shooting spree at a school. This time instead of some irate parent or student at some high school in some small town USA, we are confronted with over thirty people shot to death at a university. And this was not just some small country college; no this was at one of the major state universities, Virginia Tech.

Now as I sit here and compose this article, I have come to one very unfortunate realization about the world that we live in, and that is the fact that people today are so addicted to instant access news and information that, they cannot stand to wait and allow police the time needed to do their jobs and get the answers to this crime. This is not the first time, nor will it probably be the last time that some crime or news event is broadcast and before the ink is even dry on the paper that the story is written on, there will be rampant speculation about everything about the event, and that the event will have been tried in the court of public opinion to the point that it will be considered a dead horse in less than week. This is what happened with the Duke Lacrosse Rape case, the three young men were found guilty before a single shred of evidence was collected, and in the process the District Attorney, committed the biggest mistake a public official could make. He tried to use a hot button issue from his election campaign to cloud his judgement with how to run the investigation.

But back to Blacksburg, and the horror and pain that those people have gone through as well as what they will be going through in the near future. There will be many stories about the person who did this, his whole life will be examined with a microscope, his friends and family will be harassed and bothered till they have no private life anymore, yet at the same time the stories about the true heroes will be told and forgotten faster than a four year old forgets where his shoes are. We will also forget about the 32 people that this gunman apparently shot down in cold blood before turning the weapon on himself. The saddest thing about this latest rampage through a learning institution is the fact that, someone somewhere will take this moment, one of mourning and sadness, and try to turn it into a political talking point. That and it will probably be someone who will stand up and demand tougher gun laws, or some other insane idea. This article right here is proof that people simply do not think before they open their mouths. The saddest thing about this event is that just like the WTC bombings of 1983, 9/11, the US Embassy Bombing in Lebanon, and many other events this one will eventually be forgotten by all but those that lost a loved one in the event, simply because society as a whole, and people in general, prefer to walk around and live life like a horse with blinkers on, seeing only what they need to, ignoring the fact that we live in a violent and confusing world, that has many problems that will not go away unless we are willing to put in the time and effort to make a difference.

Until that happens things will remain the same and the VTech massacre, will eventually fade into the pages of our history, forgotten by all but those that were directly touched by it.

My prayers are with the friends and families of those killed in Blacksburg yesterday, may they rest in peace, and may their families find the healing process is quick.

Political hot Potato or the Third Rail of Politics

After writing my last article I started to think about what issues do the American Public see as critical to the future of the country that most politicians would not touch with a ten foot pole. You see there are issues that can be described as hot potato or third rail issues. These are issues that if you are a senator, congressman or a member of a state legislature, and you take them up and seriously try to push through changes, you are taking your political career into your own hands. Plain and simple these are things that if you make a wrong step you will be out on your backside maybe even before the next election. So here are what I see as the issues that can and sometimes kill the career of most conservatives.

1) Social Security Reform
2) Welfare Reforme - All types
3) Income Tax Reform
4) Immigration
5) Abortion

I know there are others but for the most part when ever a true conservative tries to make significant changes to any of these programs they are always walking on thin ice. And it is for that reason that I have always said that the best way to change these programs short of complete elimination is to make very small changes, that is how 90% of these programs were built and that is how they need to be dismantled as well.

But again this is a common sense approach to things and I beleive that those in Austin and DC lose that skill after being there for to long.

Questions about immigration

Ever since 9/11 there has been an increase outcry from certain sectors of society demanding tougher immigration law enforcement. Stronger security on the borders, more inspections at the sea ports, as well as tighter security in airports have also been looked at and discussed. The biggest noise maker on both sides of the fence has been illegal immigration and the southern border of our country. There have been rallies both for and against changes in border security as well as immigration enforcement as well as the obvious irrational emotional outbursts on both sides. Well I am here today to look at why it is that the target of most of the immigration complaints revolve around people who are of Hispanic, or South and Central American heritage.

We could look at simply the assumed counts of illegal immigrants and say that since the majority of this groups comes from Mexico, Central and South America that this is why they are the poster children for this issue on both sides, however I do not think that strictly looking at the numbers does it justice. If we look back on history, it is quite obvious that whenever there is a major influx of immigrants from one country or region of the world the citizens of the region that is most heavily impacted by the additional people are the ones that are screaming the loudest for change. It happened when the Irish came over , the Italians, even the Vietnamese. I remember well all the yelling and screaming about the Vietnamese Shrimpers and Fishermen and how they were taking jobs of hard working citizens.

Well why is it that we currently have had such a negative perspective of Hispanic immigrants, both legal and illegal? Well I thing I can point to several things that are happening which help feed the fire as we say.

• First and probably the easiest issue is the fact that there is an enormous number of Hispanics who are here in direct violation to one or more of the United State's immigration laws. This alone seems to generate the largest amount of animosity towards this group of people in general.
• Second, the numbers seem to show that a large majority of those here illegally also are taking advantage of social benefits that most people think that they should not be allowed to use. Things such as food stamps, medicare, welfare, emergency room services, indigent care services, and others.
• Third, these people who are here illegally are taking jobs from others as well as in many cases working for below the standard wage levels for citizens. This can be done because most of them work for cash, and do not report their earnings, nor do their employers pay any taxes on their salaries. I remember when my mother worked as a teller at our local bank every Friday I would see 20 or 30 people walk in to the bank cash their paycheck completely, and walk out, most of these people spoke little or no English, and a few simply made an X on their check to endorse it. It got so bad that the bank finally had institute a policy that if the person cashing the check did not have an account with the bank the only way the check would be cashed was if it was drawn from an account at that bank.
• Fourth along with the cash labor market, there are also other monetary reasons that fuel the fire. For example there is an increase in road side markets that deal only in cash, as well as the other vendors that are focused on that social group (road side and traveling taco stands for example). These are also drains on the government services because they do not contribute to the city, or county or state coffers but need water and sewer service, fire and police protection.
• Fifth there is the issue of both sanctuary and the fact that a large portion of those here illegally are also criminals in their own country, and are here committing multiple felonies which damages the reputation for even those that are here legally.
• And Finally there is the fact that the majority of these people DO NOT WANT TO BE US CITIZENS. Nor do they have any desire to integrate themselves within the culture of the US. If you look at every other major immigration group, the vast majority did two things: First they worked to be come citizens of the US, and second they worked hard at learning English, as well as learning and becoming part of the US culture. That does not mean that they abandoned their heritage, no just the opposite. They took the things that were the best of their society and merged them in with that of the city or town where they were living. That is the reason why you see in Houston such strong and vibrant communities like China Town and the Vietnamese area in West Houston along Bellaire.

So I guess the it comes down to this, if more of those immigrants from south of the border had in the past made a more concerted effort to become part of the US, both socially as well as economically we would not be having these discussions. As it is we still need to do three things: First close the southern border, second work on removing the nearly TWENTY MILLION illegal immigrants here, and at the same time make significant changes to the immigration laws and take into account that there is a need for seasonal migrant workers, and make it easier for them to get into the country legally and at the same time providing a low cost employee market for those companies that want to use it.

But then again that solution is the common sense solution and there is no way in hell that anyone in Austin let alone Washington DC will follow through with it. So we will continue to be plagued with all of these problems.

Things I have found on Zipperfish.com

I have found a really outrageous site called Zipperfish. Now it is geared more towards a male audience but anyone can check it out. Here are a couple of links to games they have there which I know some of my friends over at Headshaker.com and LST.com would like. But they will also show what a sick sense of humor I have...

BTW the third one is for David and Matt.
Enjoy

Headlines for Today

7 Large Tunnels Beneath U.S.-Mexican Border Raising Security Concerns

London Prison Changes Direction of Toilets in Respect to Islamic Law
The Wealthy Far More Likely to Be Audited on Their Taxes

Cops Taser Student Running Naked Through High School Cafeteria

Microsoft Releases Windows Vista to Masses

12-Year-Old Boy Becomes 14-Year-Old Girl, World's Youngest Sex Change Patient

Gaza Cease-Fire Between Hamas, Fatah Holding

Official: Siberian Girl Paid Teens $570 to Kill Parents

Saudi Official: We're Working With Lebanon to Calm Crisis in Iraq, Lebanon

WWII Vet, 84, Wins $254 Million Lottery Jackpot

Bonds passes physical, gets one-year deal from Giants

Super Bowl comes home

Hall of Famer Singletary to interview for Dallas job

If he returns, Clemens says it won't be full season

Greatest hits, in the palm of your hand

Headlines for Today

Wisconsin School Bans 'USA' Chant at Athletic Events

Texas Mother Attacks Two Sons With Knife; Passer-By Steps In, Rescues Boys

China to Get 'Millionaire' TV Show

Garner Tells How Ring Fell Into a Drain

New Paris Hilton Web Site Exposes Her Personal Items

Wii Helps Nintendo Year-End Profits Soar

Dvorak: Windows Vista's 'Mac'-Ness Might Open Door for Linux Takeover

Oil Prices Rise on Sign of OPEC Cuts

Lockheed Martin 4Q Profit Up 28 Percent

AT&T Posts 17 Pct. Rise in Q4 Profit

Anheuser-Busch Unveils Super Bowl Ads

Ford Posts Record Loss of $12.7 Billion in 2006

Missouri Teen Who Gave Tip Leading To Missing Boys Gets New Truck

Georgian, U.S. Officials: We Nabbed Man Selling Uranium

N.J. Warns: Don't Eat Squirrel Near Dump

Man pleads no contest to stalking Carr

Report: Tapes could confirm Bush received gifts

Lovie, GM won't get new deals before Super Bowl

Cowboys bring in Dolphins QB coach

Ben Maller

Toddler's temper ousts family from plane

Toddler's temper ousts family from plane

ORLANDO, Fla. - AirTran Airways on Tuesday defended its decision to remove a Massachusetts couple from a flight after their crying 3-year-old daughter refused to take her seat before takeoff.
Federal Aviation Administration rules that children age 2 and above must have their own seat and be wearing a seat belt upon takeoff.
"The flight was already delayed 15 minutes and in fairness to the other 112 passengers on the plane, the crew made an operational decision to remove the family," AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said.
Julie and Gerry Kulesza, who were headed home to Boston on Jan. 14 from Fort Myers, said they just needed a little more time to calm their daughter, Elly.
"We weren't given an opportunity to hold her, console her or anything," Julie Kulesza said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
The Kuleszas said they told a flight attendant they had paid for their daughter's seat, but asked whether she could sit in her mother's lap. The request was denied.
She was removed because "she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn't get in her seat" during boarding, Graham-Weaver said.
The Orlando-based carrier reimbursed the family $595.80, the cost of the three tickets, and the Kuleszas flew home the next day.
They also were offered three roundtrip tickets anywhere the airline flies, Graham-Weaver said.
The father said his family would never fly AirTran again.

Here is my 2cents...The parents are well within their rights to never fly Air Tran again, however anyone who has flown on a flight with a screaming child on board, knows how difficult it makes the flight in the first place. I have 2 children and have flown with them since the youngest was 3 months old. I made sure that I did everything that I could possibly do to make sure my children were at least calm and well behaved. Granted a 3 yr old child can be hard to control when they go flying of on a temper tantrum. However I do hold the parents responsible for the fact that they could not control child in a reasonable amount of time. That and Air Tran did refund the parents the ticket prices, and offered them flight vouchers for their troubles. AirTran did all they needed to do and they do have a business to run.

Your thoughts..

Headlines and comments

Web Site Kicks Sand in Faces of GIs in Iraq Asking for Mats to Ease Hardship of Sleeping on Ground You will just have to read this to believe it

Storm Hits Weather Community Over Climate Expert's Global Warming Claims More liberal faux science trying to be come mainstream, by shutting down the opposition

Thwarted Al Qaeda in Iraq Plot Would Have Smuggled Terrorists Into United States on Student Visas Any more reasons needed to close the borders

Mexico Holding 11 Iraqis With Fake Papers See previous article

Passports Now Required on All U.S.-International Flights Just an FYI for all of you world travelers.

Is Bush already a lame duck? Yes and that means more liberal legislation over the next 2 years.

Lawmakers Want Polygraph of Berger Over Stolen 9/11 Documents What do they want to know what type of underwear he was stuffing the documents into ..

Women in Business: Some Tips on Becoming a B-Word have an itch to scratch.

MySpace.com to Send Out Amber Alerts maybe some good will come from this site now

Oil Company Offers $50M in College Scholarships for Arkansas Town and who says oil companies are cruel and greedy

Tijuana Police Have Guns Confiscated, Issued Slingshots Just have to laugh at this one..

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?”
He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher,Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You Want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)
"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental...
You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
I make my students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, Because we live in the United States of America.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life. (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make?"

My first news and Headlines of the new year

Sorry it has taken so long to drop another of these out there, but I have been really busy at work and home. Hope to get back on to a more regular schedule here this week.


Air Force Staff Sergeant Relieved of Duties After Posing Nude in Playboy Had to start with this news article

Michelle Manhart's my space page

U.S. Embassy in Athens hit by terror attack it was only a matter of time

North Korea Seeks Giant Rabbits for Meat Production to Alleviate Food Shortage Kill the wabbit.....

Five Iranians Seized by U.S. Troops in Iraq Remain in Custody do you see any reason to be nice to Iran with things like this happening?

Where Parents Favor Baby Boys to Girls, China to Have 15M More Men Than Women in 20 Years

Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul Files Paperwork for 2008 Presidential Bid Maybe we can get some honest debate in the next election cycle

Democrats Choose Denver for 2008 Presidential Convention Most liberal town East of the Rockies and West of the Appalachains

Investors Sue to Block Former Home Depot CEO's $210 Million Severance Package If only we could sue professional sports teams for outrageous contracts.

Casino Mogul Wynn Sues Insurance Company After He Pokes $54M Hole in Picasso Painting Why should his clumsy act come out of our pockets

Will David Beckham Spark a Star Ad War in the U.S.? Who cares...

14 Carter Center Advisers Resign Over Former President Jimmy Carter's Book and this is important because...

Rare Turtle Turns Up in Thailand After Two Decades Where are the enviromentalist and their party

California State Panel Votes to Restrict Navy Use of Sonar This makes no sense

Texas High School Teacher Charged Under 'Peeping-Tom' Law for Videotaping Girls Wrestling look it is a Drama Perv... Sad...

Amendment to Pakistan's Rape Statute Becomes Law

Just read the article and make your own conclusion about Islamic law and what these people really want as well as what they think about women.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Despite nationwide protests by
hard-liners, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Friday signed into law an amendment to the country's controversial rape statute to make it easier to prosecute sexual assault cases.
Human rights activists have long condemned Pakistan's old law for punishing — instead of protecting — rape victims while providing legal safeguards for their attackers.
The new legislation, known as the Protection of Women Bill, was supported by Musharraf's government as part of efforts by Islamabad to soften the country's hard-line Islamic image and appease moderates and human rights groups who opposed the old law.
The changes take effect immediately, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sher Afghan said during a nationally televised broadcast.
"It has been done to safeguard the rights of women," Afghan said.
The law was enacted even as thousands of religious conservatives rallied against the changes at several protests around the country.
Islamists gathered by the hundreds at separate events in the southwestern city of Quetta, the eastern city of Lahore and the city of Rawalpindi, just south the capital Islamabad.
Under the new law, which was approved last week by Parliament, judges can choose whether a rape case should be tried in a criminal court — where the four-witness rule would not apply — or under the old Islamic law, known as the Hudood Ordinance.
It also drops the death penalty for sex outside of marriage. The offense would now be punishable with five years in prison or a fine of $165.
International and local calls for change intensified after the 2002 gang-rape of a woman who was assaulted after a tribal council in her eastern Punjab village ordered the rape as punishment for her 13-year-old brother's alleged affair with a woman of a higher caste.
Hundreds of opposition supporters have rallied against amending the old laws, which were introduced by late President Gen. Zia ul-Haq to make Pakistani legislation more Islamic.
Opposition leader Senator Khurshid Ahmed, from a six-party coalition of Islamic groups known as the Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, or United Action Forum, has condemned the changes as "an attempt to promote an alien culture and secularism in Pakistan."