6/30/2003
The Rise of the Stay-at-Home Mom
I'm not sure I buy all of the points (about the increase in the numbers of SAHM's) made here, but I do hope she's right about one thing:
I'm not sure I buy all of the points (about the increase in the numbers of SAHM's) made here, but I do hope she's right about one thing:
that this new trend is part of a larger, modest but encouraging shift toward greater commitment to marriage and family generally
Examining Howard Dean's gubernatorial record
With lower-than-average incomes, a heavier-than-average tax burden, and some of the highest health insurance premiums in the country, Vermont is hardly paradise for working people. Howard Dean has some explaining to do -- if someone will just ask a few questions.
Spinning Dog Fur?
That this woman is even considering making a dog-fur sweater is evidence that she has far too much time on her hands. Get a hobby! Volunteer somewhere! Help the homeless!
That this woman is even considering making a dog-fur sweater is evidence that she has far too much time on her hands. Get a hobby! Volunteer somewhere! Help the homeless!
Howard Dean, the Angry American
Toby Keith would probably be outraged that I was applying that moniker to a far-left presidential candidate-hopeful, but this article makes the case that anger is why Howard Dean has had such a showing up to now. I found it to be fairly balanced writing, and an accurate reflection of what I've observed from my armchair.
via C-Log
Toby Keith would probably be outraged that I was applying that moniker to a far-left presidential candidate-hopeful, but this article makes the case that anger is why Howard Dean has had such a showing up to now. I found it to be fairly balanced writing, and an accurate reflection of what I've observed from my armchair.
via C-Log
Sesame Street characters help kids deal with terrorism
I'm supportive - at least in theory - of videos that encourage kids to ask their parents for explanations about things that frighten or confuse them. Now I just wish they offered videos to parents about how to answer those questions!
I'm supportive - at least in theory - of videos that encourage kids to ask their parents for explanations about things that frighten or confuse them. Now I just wish they offered videos to parents about how to answer those questions!
Then... why invite a rapper?
"There was a contract signed in which it was made very clear long before the arrival of the artists that there are laws in St. Kitts that do not take kindly to the use of indecent language on stage," Information Minister Jacinth Henry Martin said Saturday.
6/29/2003
Gay, but not THAT gay
Ellen Degeneres wants to be known as an entertainer who happens to be gay, not as a gay entertainer.
I've always thought Ellen Degeneres was funny, and I was somewhat put off by her coming-out. Not because she was gay (I didn't care, one way or the other), but because it was so overhyped and dramatic. Now it seems like she might regret the splashiness somewhat, but only because it didn't have the effect on her career she had hoped. She's still a very funny person, and her work in Finding Nemo was really extraordinary. She doesn't have to worry about losing me as a fan, but I'd just as soon she stopped using her sexuality for hype. Granted, that seems to be the point of the whole article, but it's one of those "Don't think about pink elephants!" things, isn't it?
Ellen Degeneres wants to be known as an entertainer who happens to be gay, not as a gay entertainer.
"I have to say something gay, otherwise people might leave here tonight and say, 'She didn't do anything gay. She's not our leader. What happened to our leader?' "
I've always thought Ellen Degeneres was funny, and I was somewhat put off by her coming-out. Not because she was gay (I didn't care, one way or the other), but because it was so overhyped and dramatic. Now it seems like she might regret the splashiness somewhat, but only because it didn't have the effect on her career she had hoped. She's still a very funny person, and her work in Finding Nemo was really extraordinary. She doesn't have to worry about losing me as a fan, but I'd just as soon she stopped using her sexuality for hype. Granted, that seems to be the point of the whole article, but it's one of those "Don't think about pink elephants!" things, isn't it?
Political Correctness Gone Badly Amiss
So it seems some states have a problem with some topics being covered in textbooks. John Leo's review of Diane Ravitch's book The Language Police covers many of these, including "peanuts as a good snack (some children are allergic), owls (taboo in Navajo culture), and the palaces of ancient Egypt (elitist)." I'm sorry; owls? Peanuts? This is just plain ludicrous. As if we didn't already have a thousand, here's yet another reason for us to homeschool our children.
So it seems some states have a problem with some topics being covered in textbooks. John Leo's review of Diane Ravitch's book The Language Police covers many of these, including "peanuts as a good snack (some children are allergic), owls (taboo in Navajo culture), and the palaces of ancient Egypt (elitist)." I'm sorry; owls? Peanuts? This is just plain ludicrous. As if we didn't already have a thousand, here's yet another reason for us to homeschool our children.
What started out as a sensible suggestion -- don't always show women as homemakers or minorities in low-level jobs -- developed into hard reverse stereotypes (women must not be shown in the home, maids can't be black).
Patriot Act and freedom of the press
Lest anyone get the wrong idea, I do not think the Republicans are infallible. I know very little about the Patriot Act, having not had the time to sit down and read the monster. If Kathleen Parker's assessment is correct, it's a very scary thing.
Lest anyone get the wrong idea, I do not think the Republicans are infallible. I know very little about the Patriot Act, having not had the time to sit down and read the monster. If Kathleen Parker's assessment is correct, it's a very scary thing.
Here's how things could go bump on deadline. Under the act, a reporter can't be wiretapped as long as he isn't an "agent of a foreign power." But if in covering a story, a reporter calls someone who fits the definition -a foreign student or a foreign political organization -then the reporter's e-mail addresses and phone numbers can be monitored, unbeknownst to him.
Rush Limbaugh's take on Howard Dean
I guess the entitlement mentality has reached into the Dean family, so much so that his kid feels he has the right to steal beer from the rich.
12 Partygoers Killed in Patio Collapse
I saw this report on CNN, including similar porches in the area that were still standing. How anyone could have reasonably expected "dozens" of people to safely fit on that patio is beyond me, but maybe those plastic cups were filled with more than punch. Hints have already been made at suing the apartment owners (isn't that always the first response?), but I think the survivors should face some kind of endangerment charges.
I saw this report on CNN, including similar porches in the area that were still standing. How anyone could have reasonably expected "dozens" of people to safely fit on that patio is beyond me, but maybe those plastic cups were filled with more than punch. Hints have already been made at suing the apartment owners (isn't that always the first response?), but I think the survivors should face some kind of endangerment charges.
