Poem: Wings

Wings

If only I had wings, I would fly away
So much pain and suffering to endure
Twelve long years of abuse, verbal and otherwise
I raise my head towards the heavens,
hands open wide
ready to accept assistance that has not yet reached me
Who can hear my silent pleas?
Who will rescue me?
My childhood has been like living in an eternal winter
Barren, cold darkness
Frigid air numb my nerve endings
Permafrost stunt my growth and transformation
Unable to move as my heartbeat slows
It yearns to escape by any means
I will pray in anticipation for my wings
My deliverance is sure to come


Poem inspired by mixed media artwork entitled "Flight" by Tyrone Geter (Elgin, SC)

You are not the father- the aftermath

This is sad

 

http://justkhaotic.com/2012/01/crime/man-shoots-girlfriend-in-front-of-jail-after-learning-that-he-is-not-the-father-of-her-children/

 

I think about the Maury talk show where  he does paternity tests. When he says, “You are NOT the father,” the crowd goes wild. The man usually jumps up and down in relief. He might even yell at the woman some sort of exclamation how he knew it and she was trying to trick him. Meanwhile, the woman has to deal with the shame of not knowing who the father of her child really is. It is at this point, that she should have a meeker attitude and come to terms with the fact that she was way too promiscuous and having too much unprotected sex at the time of her child’s conception. It all makes for some sort of entertainment.

 

The reality is that not every man is going to be happy at the prospect of finding out he has been cuckolded. With the stresses of life, some people have a very tenuous connection to reality. No one knows what will be the circumstances that lead them to snap. In this case, this man snapped after finding out that the he was not the father. I do not know if he wanted to be a real father that supported and took care of his children or not. But the fact of the matter is that she lied to him and he had to find out the truth from a paternity test. I feel sorry for this girl, her child, and her family. At the same time, I feel sorry for the man who was deceived for whatever length of time into believing that the child was his.

I think that if a woman has not been all together faithful to her boyfriend/husband, there is room for doubt whether or not that child is his. She needs to get the DNA paternity test. Deceit is not fair to possible father or the child.

Thinking in 4s

4 songs that I am addicted to

1.       Rolling in the deep - Adele

2.       Nessum Dorma – Three Mo Tenors

3.       Home – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

4.       Nine Million Bicycles – Katie Melua

4 things I cannot live without

1.       Sleep

2.       Food

3.       Cell phone

4.       Creative writing

4 memories I won’t forget

1.       June 1989 – baptism

2.       October 1998 – mom died

3.       December 2009 – international convention

4.       April 2011 – wedding day

4 words I cannot go a day without

1.       Really ?!?!?

2.       Love

3.       Eat

4.       No

 

Georgia anti-obesity ads

Wake up! Obesity is real. A child healthcare organization is trying to bring attention to the issue. The campaign has its supporters and of course there are those who criticize as too harsh.

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/01/04/are-georgia-anti-obesity-ads-too-harsh?hpt=hp_c2

Some people feel that this is going to further depress fat children so that they remain in a cycle dependence on food. I think that the ad campaign is a good thing.

The same people that criticize the campaign also say that the campaign should be targeted towards fast food restaurants that present unhealthy options instead of calling young people fat. I think that the campaign cannot go after the fast food industry because this is a capitalist market. Economic principles show that market changes happen because of change in supply or demand. As long as there is a demand for what they are offering, the fast food restaurants will present a supply of cheap, unhealthy foods to be sold. This campaign tries something different. It is focused to the parents and the children (the demand in the market equation). Currently, it is probably a correct assumption that children do not correlate their unhealthy eating habits with their obesity and health problems. If the parents and children demanded more healthier foods, then the fast food restaurants would change their supply to meet the change in market needs.

I do not think that this campaign is saying anything that is mean or unkind. If a child is overweight, that is a fact. Someone needs to tell that child that he/she is overweight and give the child the education and proper diet in order to reach a healthier weight. If the parents are going to be subject to the whims of their children, then it is the children who need to tell the parents what they want so that they can lose weight and be more healthy. It is true that some bullies might use this campaign as additional fodder when making fun of a fat kid, but, even without this campaign, children are bullied for being overweight.

When parents allow their children to eat a diet of French fries and chicken nuggets, there is no wonder that the child is so fat. Instead of teaching the child to be healthy, the parent tries to teach the child to be happy while obese. Keeping in mind that everyone should have some modicum of self-esteem despite their size, they also need to be a healthy weight for their body frame. Some may say this is a vain attempt to demonize those who are not skinny, but the campaign is talking about being healthy. Healthy people usually live longer and have a better quality of life because they are not as sick.

I am sure that it can be difficult for a parent to tell their child “No” to all that cheap processed food since it is a chore to go to the grocery store, buy and cook wholesome food on a daily basis. Parents need to be concerned with the diet of their children because it is their lives that is at stake. Parents that refuse to acknowledge the issue might end up with bigger problems for their children: hypertension, diabetes, and joint replacements. The sad part is that a lot of these conditions are avoidable because they are based on the nutrients or lack thereof that are put into our bodies.

Twilight stars career advice

I have heard that the celebs from Twilight are so popular because of this series that they run the risk of not being able to have a career after Twilight.

 

http://thestir.cafemom.com/entertainment/131074/robert_pattinson_kristen_stewart_arent

 

I read the article in the link above and the comments and it surprised me how many people seem to believe that Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart are really good actors. I was like “REALLY?”

Watching the somber, overly morose characters annoyed me. The story is supposed to prove how true love can conquer all. I have to agree in this case true loves seems to succeed even in spite of vapid behavior.

But I digress since this is not a critique of the Twlight movies.

 

Back to the characters. I think they risk not being able to have a career because they cannot really act. The few movies that I have seen that have had Robert Pattinson with a leading role, he seems to replaying his miserable, self-deprecating, self-destructive character without the benefit of being a vampire. Maybe if he plays a different type of character, I will change my opinion.

Kristen Stewart also seems to gravitate towards the roles of dark, somber females that remain of the fringes of society. None of her movie characters have impressed me yet. I am curious to see how she performs in the movie Snow White since that looks like she is playing a lead action actress role. I like that better than the weak-I-cannot-live-without-you type of female.

 

If they can expand their range, I am sure that they could become decent actors. If they keep taking roles that are similar to what Twilight, they will continue to be mediocre actors.

When I say “expand their range”, I mean that they should do something that is completely different from what they are used to doing.

Some examples of actors/actresses that I can think of right off the top of my head that I see as having a wide range: Glenn Close, Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Jack Nicholson, Samuel L Jackson

 

OK woman shoots intruder

I file this story under HILARIOUS

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/04/justice/oklahoma-intruder-shooting/index.html

 

I feel bad for the woman because she has a baby and her husband died of cancer a week before this happened. Two enterprising low-life guys had the genius idea to rob her on the chance that her husband might have left some potent painkillers feeding their prescription drug addiction. Good thing that she had a shot gun and knew how to use it.

Many would just shoot first and ask questions later, but she was on the phone with 9-1-1 speaking to the operator during the entire ordeal and asked if it was okay to shoot the intruder. Since she barricaded herself, the intruder had no idea what was about to happen. And it is at this part of the story that I begin to chuckle to myself. Tee hee hee.

 He was planning on terrorizing this poor girl and who knows what else? Thankfully he did not get the chance. He got through the door, she saw something shiny and let the shots fly.

Bravo for her!

But this story raises one important question: Where  were the police???

Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining that she shot him, but that must have been some harrowing experience for her. She was on the phone with the 9-1-1 operator for 20 minutes.

Was the operator so enthralled in the drama that they forgot to dispatch the police?

Did the police know she had a gun and hoped she would save them some paperwork and the county tax money of processing him after an arrest?

 

In any case, the police said that they would not press charges because she shot him in self-defense. I hope this woman, for her baby’s sake, is able to find some security and peace of mind while she continues to grieve for her husband and move on with her life.

 

 

Lying can get you deported

There is a hilarious story on all the national media outlets about a girl who ran away from home, lied about her citizenship and ended up being deported to Colombia.

http://www.newser.com/story/136942/deported-american-teen-jakadrien-turner-to-be-returned-today.html

 

At first I had mixed reactions because I did not have any information that would give insight to the type of child she was (even though 14 years old is not exactly a child). As more information about this story has come out, my official reaction: HILARIOUS!!!
She is a misbehaving teenager that was trying to beat a theft charge. I guess she thought that the authorities would call her mother who would most likely give her hell for running away and getting arrested. So she got the bright idea to lie about who she was. If she had been more informed, she would have realized that claiming to be a person without legal status in the US only gets you a free one-way trip back to your home country and motherland.

 

The stories make a big deal about the fact that she did not know Spanish and she was interviewed by several officials. I take issue with the allegation that this is the fault of the various officials involved.

1.    Her mother said in an interview that Jakadrien claimed she was this person who is undocumented but the officials should have made sure – Why would the officials believe that she was lying? If a person goes to the police station and says they committed a crime, should the police then investigate to make sure they were telling the truth? Uhhh no. They are going to book then on charges. Don’t admit to crimes you don’t commit. In this case, she was admitting that she came to this country illegally and that was not the case.

2.    Her mother said Jakadrien was a 14 year old claiming to be 21 but the officials should have doubted that she was who she said she was – Children are just bigger and more mature looking these days. I have been to the high school and wondered how old they are because they look like adults. She looks to me like she is older than she is. I know if I am fooled from her picture, it is understandable that they were fooled by her in person.

3.    Media outlets say she did not know Spanish which should have been a red flag that she might have been lying – Her reticence to speak was probably misinterpreted. While she was busy trying to pretend not to speak English, she should have been paying attention to what they were saying they were going to do to her. Maybe she did not know what “deportation” meant. It is at this point that she should have realized how deep she was and started asking for her phone call to contact her family. But knowing how teenagers operate, she was probably still trying to figure how she was going to get out of it on her own. Since she did not have sense to fess up, she was shipped to Colombia.

Jakadrien is not the first person to get deported because of lying about not having papers. A few months ago, a guy ended up in Mexico when he claimed to be undocumented, trying to beat a drug charge.

Oh well. On a positive note, she is definitely a survivor since she was able to get a job and support herself in a country where initially she did not even know the language. I wonder if she learned to speak Spanish. That would be one way to make the best of her bad situation. In any case, she is on her way back and MAYBE she will now appreciate US life.

 

In an interview on CNN, her momma has dollar signs in her eyes, trying to make her daughter to be a innocent victim in this whole situation. It is not like her daughter was six years old and clueless. I hope none of them get paid. She paid a high price for lying, but do not blame the officials for treating her based on her own admission.

Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj = Good Teachers...does not compute

Really??? Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj praised as teachers of the year?

http://newsone.com/nation/afisher/lil-wayne-nicki-minaj-teachers-of-the-year/?fb_ref=post

I know that I cannot speak too much to the quality of the lyrics of Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj because I do not really listen to their music. I have seen a few videos of each artist. Lyrically they are able to put words together in such a way that makes for an interesting rhyme. However, I do think that they have anything uplifting and up building to say that should qualify them to be voted as teachers of the year. The designation of “teacher of the year” should be given to someone who is trying to improve the lives of the young people they teach. This should go to someone who is trying to expand the horizons of young people. What difference are they trying to make besides increasing their own personal fame and fortune? In my opinion, both are promoting lifestyles that encourage unrealistic ideas by their alter egos.

Young men that want to emulate Lil Wayne might get the impression that getting respect on the streets means taking whatever means necessary to make that happen. Trying to get respect on the streets most often leads to prison time with potential for a life sentence when someone is killed over something trivial (see link about rapper Slim Dunkin below).
Young women who want to emulate Nicki Minaj might decide that the most important thing in life is their appearance to be able to attract the man with the money to pay for the lifestyle they want. But with the young men listening to Lil Wayne misogynistic lyrics that demean females, I wonder where they will find all these “good men”.

Teacher of the Year should be based on the quality of the instruction given. Teaching young people how to perpetuate negative stereotypes should not be praised or encouraged. That only leads to the further degradation of society.

Kobe + 105 = Ex wife

This is why I don’t care if celebs get married. More failures than success stories these days.

http://newsone.com/entertainment/sports-entertainment/casey-gane-mccalla/kobe-bryants-wife-accuses-him-of-cheating-with-105-women/

What is the appeal of getting married if they are going to disrespect the institution and the vows by cheating every chance they get? In a perfect world, I think that everyone would have high moral standards, people would practice abstinence until marriage, and no one would cheat on their spouse. I realize that people do not value morality the way that I think they should. In any case, it seems that marriage is just something to do to spend money and not really about a lasting commitment and promise between two people.

I do have to give proper commendation to Kobe’s levelheaded mother-in-law that talked her daughter to staying married long enough to receive half of everything thing he owned. Kobe might have thought he was off the hook after he gave that very expensive “I’m sorry” gift a few years ago when his other indiscretions came to light.

I am sure there are people that say that Kobe’s wife could have been as much at fault to the point that she might have “caused him to cheat”. This is a possibility. But if that was the case, he could have divorced her by filing for irreconcilable differences. Why continue in a union when there is obviously something wrong? The time he wasted sleeping with other women while he was married now means that she has relieved him of half his income. Bravo Bravo!

My suggestion to other celebs: DON’T GET MARRIED unless you are absolutely certain that you are going to dedicate your life to making it work with this person (barring mental and physical abuse or other serious issues that might prevent a successful married life).