Simply Exasperating! (Jan '07)

Falling in the "odd news" section of today's news of the North County Times ... headline: "Rhode Island school bans talking at lunch after choking incidents". The article goes on to state that the students cannot talk in the cafeteria (while they are eating) - presumably so that teachers can hear when a student starts to choke. In fact, they are only allowed one trip to the trash can.

So, answer me this... will one of the students sitting near a choking student not take on the responsibility of alerting a teacher that someone is choking? Or maybe address this question... when the kids sit quietly all day long and now they are expected to quietly sit through lunch - when CAN they have social interaction?

Yes - I'm on a soap box. Society uses the "children's safety" excuse as a reason to prohibit them from talking, as a reason to not punish them (no spanking - no using the word "NO" - no squashing their creative license), etc.

However, as I'm seeing it, society is using this excuse to remove independence and responsibility from their worlds... taking away learning opportunities, taking away discipline, taking away responsibility.... oh, I could go on and on.

And, oh - it gets better. Now we get into the realm of double-standards. An excerpt from the school’s website… (St. Rose School: http://www.saintroseschool.com/)

“Peanut Free School – Please remember we are a peanut free school. This means NUTS OF ANY KIND are not allowed in school. There are several students in our school that are allergic to nuts (this includes all kinds) for their safety please refrain from sending in any kind of tree nuts or peanuts.”

OK - so peanut allergies have proven to be life threatening. Understood.... and then in the very next paragraph…

“Asbestos – It is the Diocesan policy to make all parents aware of the fact the school building has asbestos. It is a policy to let you know that the asbestos is inspected each year to assure the safety of the students. It is also a school policy to let you know the yard around the rectory is maintained by a lawn service. The company uses lime and fertilizers. Father has asked that all students and parents refrain from walking on the lawn.”

simply exasperated....

A Step in the Right Direction (Jan '07)

Today the laws will change - which we've been asking for since 911. As of today, anyone flying in from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean (yes, even U.S. citizens) must present their passport before being allowed to board a flight into the United States. This is most definitely a step in the right direction when it comes to protecting our borders!

Next step? Anyone travelling by land or sea.... you're next!

We're well on our way to protecting this freedom we fight so hard for!!!

Confession (Jan '07)

I didn't watch 'American Idol' last season or the season before or the season before... did you?!

I don't do resolutions (Jan '07)

But I do like to try to improve myself. So, at this time of year I think about how I can improve my person. This doesn’t have anything to do with losing weight or exercising more, spending less or getting rid of debt – it’s more like “Self-Help by Lori”. Things like: I promise to respond to email faster, I’ll try to actually put my laundry away after washing it, I’ll try to dust more often, etc.

But as I look back at last year’s self-help attempts it dawns on me that I don’t even remember what they were. So, either I accomplished them or I miserably failed and gave up somewhere along the way. All of that to say – I’m not going to kick myself or let myself get depressed over the fact that I can’t manage to keep my yard looking decent.

This all goes back to one of Lori’s crazy rules – you’ll accomplish something in life when you’re darn ready to accomplish it. Meaning - when it becomes the priority it’ll get done. Until then don’t beat yourself up over it. There must be some more important things in life to take care of or worry about. So go work on those instead of spending time fretting over something you won’t be able to keep up with.

And oh by the way – HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!