"We are only promised the 'pursuit of happiness.' We are only promised that we get to try. If you don't try. If you let your community, your country, your society, or yourself tell you that you don't deserve happiness, that you aren't worthy, then you're [screwed] -Fire Lyte
(I hope Fire Lyte from http://www.incitingariot.com doesn't mind me altering his quote for language.)
I think this is an important concept missed by many. The PURSUIT of happiness. You have to pursue that. No one can hand you happiness. It can't always be someone else's fault you aren't happy.
When my grandmother was in the army, before my father was born, she was taking out the trash and singing (off key, I'm sure) as she worked. The way the story has always been told to me a superior officer came up to her and said, "Private Ray, what is it you are doing?" She said, "taking out the trash, sir." The officer responded with, "While singing? Well aren't you just a Ray of Sunshine."
My grandmother has always been my greatest influence and my strongest role model, and in this there is no exception. No matter what was going on around her she had fun. She buried two husbands, survived wars and poverty, and she always had fun. Just months before she died she was dancing at a benefit thrown in her honor, while my uncle tried to convince her she should be resting instead. She ended every voicemail and answering machine message with, "You have a fun day now!" She was always a Ray of Sunshine.
So, as you go about your day today remember to pursue happiness.
Have a fun day now!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Education
I've been trying to write a post about the current education debates going on around the country for awhile now. I'm really struggling to organize my thoughts so I apologize if this comes out very disjointed.
With all the money we hand out to corporations on a daily basis, is education REALLY the area we need to be cutting in the budget? I want to see accurate statistics on this, please. The highest test scores in the world are not coming from the wealthiest countries, how are they making their budgets work?
Maine is talking about four day school weeks and nationwide we are debating how much to pay teachers and what benefits to give them. How many different ways can we find to tell our children education isn't important?
On the other hand, how many families actually feel education IS important? How many children leave school for the day and their education stops there? How do we encourage parents to continue to educate their children instead of leaving it all up to teachers?
Education is incredibly important to me. I am the daughter of a teacher, the niece of many teachers, and the granddaughter of a librarian. I wrote my first essay on why teacher's should be paid more than they are when I was in middle school, and I still stand by that view. And yet, it appears we are headed the opposite direction.
How can we justify cutting welfare costs AND education costs? Education is essential in today's world. The jobs that the uneducated used to do are being taken over by machines. The majority of welfare participants are not educated people. So we cut education, create more need for welfare and then ALSO cut welfare?
And then we have these "professional athletes" making more in a year than a teacher will make in their whole lives. Nevermind... I can't even go on with that topic...
The whole thing infuriates me. I recieved applications and resumes when I was managing the pet store that made me cringe. Incorrect spellings, red pen and in one case PURPLE CRAYON. Out of 130 resumes we went through when we were hiring we found four that looked like they were qualified.
How can we say the problem is the economy? The problem is education. The problem is a society drowning in reality tv shows and not even caring. The problem is that we can spout off all we want about how important education is to us, but actions speak louder than words. And when our children sit down to learn from a ten year old history book with "eat shit" written on the binding they don't feel like education is important.
With all the money we hand out to corporations on a daily basis, is education REALLY the area we need to be cutting in the budget? I want to see accurate statistics on this, please. The highest test scores in the world are not coming from the wealthiest countries, how are they making their budgets work?
Maine is talking about four day school weeks and nationwide we are debating how much to pay teachers and what benefits to give them. How many different ways can we find to tell our children education isn't important?
On the other hand, how many families actually feel education IS important? How many children leave school for the day and their education stops there? How do we encourage parents to continue to educate their children instead of leaving it all up to teachers?
Education is incredibly important to me. I am the daughter of a teacher, the niece of many teachers, and the granddaughter of a librarian. I wrote my first essay on why teacher's should be paid more than they are when I was in middle school, and I still stand by that view. And yet, it appears we are headed the opposite direction.
How can we justify cutting welfare costs AND education costs? Education is essential in today's world. The jobs that the uneducated used to do are being taken over by machines. The majority of welfare participants are not educated people. So we cut education, create more need for welfare and then ALSO cut welfare?
And then we have these "professional athletes" making more in a year than a teacher will make in their whole lives. Nevermind... I can't even go on with that topic...
The whole thing infuriates me. I recieved applications and resumes when I was managing the pet store that made me cringe. Incorrect spellings, red pen and in one case PURPLE CRAYON. Out of 130 resumes we went through when we were hiring we found four that looked like they were qualified.
How can we say the problem is the economy? The problem is education. The problem is a society drowning in reality tv shows and not even caring. The problem is that we can spout off all we want about how important education is to us, but actions speak louder than words. And when our children sit down to learn from a ten year old history book with "eat shit" written on the binding they don't feel like education is important.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Repost from May 2008
This story is from 2008 but I am reposting it because as the seasons change and wildlife becomes more active in the springtime tragedies such as these occur. My goal is to educate. Please, if you come across wild animals that you feel may need assistance contact a licensed wildlife rehabber in your area. And do NOT touch them with your bare hands.
An average day in the life of an adult raccoon is busy. Running around, scavenging, maybe even knocking over your trash can. They can be frustrating little trouble-makers, but they are a special species. They are silly, playful, tenacious beings. They feel, cry, and enjoy life. For three little raccoons, freedom and living in the wild will never come. For Abbot, Costello and Napoleon life has been cut short.
As young kits a man found the three babies in his barn. His daughter-in-law decided she wanted to try to raise them because they were cute. We’ll never know if mom was nearby or not. She could have just stepped out to forage and come back, frantic to discover her babies were missing. This woman illegally kept the three babies for three or four days before finding out who to send them to in order to have them cared for properly. It is illegal in the state of Maine to attempt to raise any wild animal without proper licensing. These laws are in place to protect the people as well as the animals, and the fines can be up to and above $1,000 per animal.
On May 13th Misfits Rehab, a non-profit rescue organization out of Turner, Maine, took over the care of Abbot, Costello and Napoleon. When the babies were brought into Misfits Rehab the woman who had “rescued” them assured the rehabbers that she had worn gloves and washed her hands after handling them. She insisted she was well aware of the risks of rabies but her first thought was to get them fed to save their lives.
For a human to contract rabies they usually have to be bit by an animal with the virus, however it can be passed through saliva getting into a human’s eyes, mouth or a wound. Raccoons, bats, fox and skunks are the most common carriers of rabies and are considered rabies vector species, but are not the only animals that can contract rabies.
The rehabber assured her that for a few weeks they would be in quarantine, which is required for any rabies vector species that comes into the rescue, and if they showed signs of the virus she would be informed immediately. A rehabber was assigned to raise these babies. She began waking up every few hours throughout the night to feed them, burp them and care for them. Time, energy and money were spent with the hopes of releasing these babies back into the wild where they belong.
Two weeks after handing the babies over to Misfits Rehab a relative of the woman who “rescued” the little ones found a dead female lactating raccoon on the property. He called a game warden to come pick it up and admitted that the woman had not told the truth before. He told the game warden that at least ten people had petted, kissed and held the baby raccoons in the few days the family had had them in their possession, and if the raccoons had rabies it could have been passed to a human in that time. Because this female was dead they were worried that she may have been the mother of Abbott, Napoleon and Costello, and may have died of rabies.
The Center for Disease Control requires rabies vector species to be tested for rabies if there is any chance of an exposure and if it could have passed it to a human. Rabies is a virus that is received from an infected animal through its saliva entering a healthy animal through a bite or saliva contact. The virus then incubates in the body and then makes its way through the nervous system and ends in the brain. After it reaches the brain it multiplies rapidly and moves into the salivary glands where it is then able to infect another animal through its saliva. Rabies can be passed through saliva up to 14 days prior to any signs of illness, and the only way for scientists to test animals for it is to have access to the brain.
So at just four weeks old, these three little infants had to be euthanized and decapitated. Just a few days after the last of the babies opened his eyes for the first time, they have been closed again. Forever.
We have a phrase, in the wildlife rescue world; “If you care, leave them there”. These three little ones had never done anything wrong. They were the unlucky victims of human involvement. The tests came back negative. They were healthy raccoons, killed because one woman didn’t think before letting friends and family handle them. If she had used gloves, if she hadn’t lied, if no one else had touched the babies, then their lives could have been long and wonderful. In the wild a raccoon usually lives up to six years. My goal is to make it so they didn’t die in vain. If you care about wildlife, please don’t touch it. You put yourself at risk, as well as the animal. And in the case of Abbott, Costello and Napoleon the consequence of someone taking this risk, was death.
An average day in the life of an adult raccoon is busy. Running around, scavenging, maybe even knocking over your trash can. They can be frustrating little trouble-makers, but they are a special species. They are silly, playful, tenacious beings. They feel, cry, and enjoy life. For three little raccoons, freedom and living in the wild will never come. For Abbot, Costello and Napoleon life has been cut short.
As young kits a man found the three babies in his barn. His daughter-in-law decided she wanted to try to raise them because they were cute. We’ll never know if mom was nearby or not. She could have just stepped out to forage and come back, frantic to discover her babies were missing. This woman illegally kept the three babies for three or four days before finding out who to send them to in order to have them cared for properly. It is illegal in the state of Maine to attempt to raise any wild animal without proper licensing. These laws are in place to protect the people as well as the animals, and the fines can be up to and above $1,000 per animal.
On May 13th Misfits Rehab, a non-profit rescue organization out of Turner, Maine, took over the care of Abbot, Costello and Napoleon. When the babies were brought into Misfits Rehab the woman who had “rescued” them assured the rehabbers that she had worn gloves and washed her hands after handling them. She insisted she was well aware of the risks of rabies but her first thought was to get them fed to save their lives.
For a human to contract rabies they usually have to be bit by an animal with the virus, however it can be passed through saliva getting into a human’s eyes, mouth or a wound. Raccoons, bats, fox and skunks are the most common carriers of rabies and are considered rabies vector species, but are not the only animals that can contract rabies.
The rehabber assured her that for a few weeks they would be in quarantine, which is required for any rabies vector species that comes into the rescue, and if they showed signs of the virus she would be informed immediately. A rehabber was assigned to raise these babies. She began waking up every few hours throughout the night to feed them, burp them and care for them. Time, energy and money were spent with the hopes of releasing these babies back into the wild where they belong.
Two weeks after handing the babies over to Misfits Rehab a relative of the woman who “rescued” the little ones found a dead female lactating raccoon on the property. He called a game warden to come pick it up and admitted that the woman had not told the truth before. He told the game warden that at least ten people had petted, kissed and held the baby raccoons in the few days the family had had them in their possession, and if the raccoons had rabies it could have been passed to a human in that time. Because this female was dead they were worried that she may have been the mother of Abbott, Napoleon and Costello, and may have died of rabies.
The Center for Disease Control requires rabies vector species to be tested for rabies if there is any chance of an exposure and if it could have passed it to a human. Rabies is a virus that is received from an infected animal through its saliva entering a healthy animal through a bite or saliva contact. The virus then incubates in the body and then makes its way through the nervous system and ends in the brain. After it reaches the brain it multiplies rapidly and moves into the salivary glands where it is then able to infect another animal through its saliva. Rabies can be passed through saliva up to 14 days prior to any signs of illness, and the only way for scientists to test animals for it is to have access to the brain.
So at just four weeks old, these three little infants had to be euthanized and decapitated. Just a few days after the last of the babies opened his eyes for the first time, they have been closed again. Forever.
We have a phrase, in the wildlife rescue world; “If you care, leave them there”. These three little ones had never done anything wrong. They were the unlucky victims of human involvement. The tests came back negative. They were healthy raccoons, killed because one woman didn’t think before letting friends and family handle them. If she had used gloves, if she hadn’t lied, if no one else had touched the babies, then their lives could have been long and wonderful. In the wild a raccoon usually lives up to six years. My goal is to make it so they didn’t die in vain. If you care about wildlife, please don’t touch it. You put yourself at risk, as well as the animal. And in the case of Abbott, Costello and Napoleon the consequence of someone taking this risk, was death.
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Cost of Sheen
All the headlines say Sheen
He’s gone crazy, lost his mind.
Everyone Stop. Freeze. Forget the children.
Forget unions and teachers, the cause of rising costs.
Ignore protests and tragedy. Everyone look
at this junkie reaching
for the media. He stopped reaching
for laughs and girl’s asses, now Sheen
wants more. He wants everyone
to look at him. Lose our own minds.
Why not? What’s the real cost
of media frenzy? Raise our children
in a country where children
are starving, dying. Don’t reach
for your checkbook, the cost
of helping is too high. Let Sheen’s
drama lull us to sleep. Quiet our minds.
It’s okay everyone.
Don’t worry everyone.
Don’t bother worrying about your child.
We needn’t concern ourselves with their minds.
Don’t bother with education, don’t reach
out and turn off that screen. God knows the sheen
of that screen has no cost.
What’s the cost of this culture? The cost
of capitalism and greed? When everyone
believes faux news and lies. When Charlie Sheen
acting stupid trumps our children’s
education. Let the truth in. Reach
for the truth. Use your mind.
Because at the end of the day our minds
are our greatest asset. There is no cost
for your mind. TV off, just reach
for a book, curl up. And learn. Everyone
will benefit. Don’t let our children
grow up in a world where Charlie Sheen
is big news. The cost of losing our children’s minds
is too high. Reach for reality. Everyone turn off the obsession
with Hollywood shimmer and sheen.
He’s gone crazy, lost his mind.
Everyone Stop. Freeze. Forget the children.
Forget unions and teachers, the cause of rising costs.
Ignore protests and tragedy. Everyone look
at this junkie reaching
for the media. He stopped reaching
for laughs and girl’s asses, now Sheen
wants more. He wants everyone
to look at him. Lose our own minds.
Why not? What’s the real cost
of media frenzy? Raise our children
in a country where children
are starving, dying. Don’t reach
for your checkbook, the cost
of helping is too high. Let Sheen’s
drama lull us to sleep. Quiet our minds.
It’s okay everyone.
Don’t worry everyone.
Don’t bother worrying about your child.
We needn’t concern ourselves with their minds.
Don’t bother with education, don’t reach
out and turn off that screen. God knows the sheen
of that screen has no cost.
What’s the cost of this culture? The cost
of capitalism and greed? When everyone
believes faux news and lies. When Charlie Sheen
acting stupid trumps our children’s
education. Let the truth in. Reach
for the truth. Use your mind.
Because at the end of the day our minds
are our greatest asset. There is no cost
for your mind. TV off, just reach
for a book, curl up. And learn. Everyone
will benefit. Don’t let our children
grow up in a world where Charlie Sheen
is big news. The cost of losing our children’s minds
is too high. Reach for reality. Everyone turn off the obsession
with Hollywood shimmer and sheen.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Sarah Palin and Birth Certificates
As much as I hate to give any time to Sarah Palin, I need to get this out. She recently complained that Barack Obama "changed his stance" on the Defense of Marriage Act. Just so we're all clear, Lincoln's views on slavery changed during his presidency as well. Not a bad thing! And a president should be allowed to have evolving emotions. If his opinions changed in a bad way, or a way that the rest of the country doesn't support, the system is set up to work with that. That's the whole point of the checks and balances system.
Members of the gay community are complaining that Obama just did this to get our votes in the upcoming election. First of all, I am so sick of hearing that Obama has screwed the gay community. Obama has not fulfilled every campaign promise, no. What president in history ever has? But he did fight to get rid of DADT and is now working on DOMA. Anyone who expected him to take the oath and come in with a magic wand and solve every problem facing this country is a fool and obviously doesn't understand what powers the president actually has. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if the president could be blamed for every problem in the country this would be a dictatorship, not a democracy.
And the birth certificate debate has made headlines AGAIN today? PLEASE! There are thousands of people who the Democratic party could have chosen for their presidential candidate. Why would they choose someone who wasn't American? Why waste their time in a world where information is so easily googled? They have produced his birth certificate, letters from the nurses who remember delivering him and newspaper articles announcing his birth. What more do you want? Have an issue with Obama all you want, I have a few of my own issues with him, but make it a political issue, not a ridiculous dead end personal attack.
Members of the gay community are complaining that Obama just did this to get our votes in the upcoming election. First of all, I am so sick of hearing that Obama has screwed the gay community. Obama has not fulfilled every campaign promise, no. What president in history ever has? But he did fight to get rid of DADT and is now working on DOMA. Anyone who expected him to take the oath and come in with a magic wand and solve every problem facing this country is a fool and obviously doesn't understand what powers the president actually has. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if the president could be blamed for every problem in the country this would be a dictatorship, not a democracy.
And the birth certificate debate has made headlines AGAIN today? PLEASE! There are thousands of people who the Democratic party could have chosen for their presidential candidate. Why would they choose someone who wasn't American? Why waste their time in a world where information is so easily googled? They have produced his birth certificate, letters from the nurses who remember delivering him and newspaper articles announcing his birth. What more do you want? Have an issue with Obama all you want, I have a few of my own issues with him, but make it a political issue, not a ridiculous dead end personal attack.
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