Arrested for Sagging Pants

Sagging pants?  Can't stand them. Think it is the dumbest looking fashion statement anyone ever came up with. But criminal? That's pushing it a little too far.  Obviously if there is no underwear, the sagging pants will reveal bare bottoms, and that might not be legal. But as much as we may not like it, seeing someone's boxer shorts will not hurt any of us. 

Corporations should be allowed to decide for themselves what they find to be an appropriate dress code. But without having this in writing, how should they enforce it without falling in to the traps of discrimination and racism?

Deshon Marman, a defensive player for University of New Mexico, was recently asked by a US Airways ticket agent to pull up his pants. He stated he would comply once he reached his seat. Instead of that being the end of the story, the captain had him kicked off the flight, arrested, shackled and jailed - after he was in his seat, and his pants were pulled up. 

US Airways admittedly has no written dress code for their passengers, and only six days prior to the episode involving Mr. Marman, they allowed a white male to fly wearing women's underwear and nothing else....and that is not offensive?  Can you say double standard?

The local District Attorney's office did not pursue the charges, determining that criminal charges were not warranted.  However, the airline stands by its staff's behavior calling it "professional", and has so far refused to issue an apology (and the refund they promised him). Nor have they answered the charges of discrimination made by Mr. Marman's family and the San Francisco NAACP.

ColorOfChange.org is calling attention to this matter stating "The double standard faced by Deshon is connected to a larger problem Black youth face with a legal system that punishes and criminalizes them at higher rates, even when there is no difference in behavior. We cannot allow businesses like US Airways to follow the trend. We must hold them to a standard of conduct that does not discriminate, condone double standards or violate anyone's civil rights."  You can read more about their movement here

Outside of telling us where and when we need to cover up - at least certain body parts, I truly think we are all capable of deciding for ourselves how we want to and should dress.  If however, the cities with ordinances against sagging pants win in the court system, I strongly urge them to also consider adding speedos on the beach, wrongly fitted bras, wrong style T-Shirts for body type, and squeeze tight jeans so low the underwear shows, to the list of "illegal" clothing.

When Everything Goes Wrong

The day is almost over, thank goodness!! 

It has been one of those days, where absolutely nothing went the way it was supposed to.  But I'm just a nice long shower away from hitting the pillow,  and tomorrow will be another wonderful day (it'll be Friday...seriously, how bad could that day ever get?!?).

In the mean time, this video describes pretty well how Thursday went.  Enjoy.

Why Standardized Testing Doesn't Work

For years I've made the claim that the only ones the standardized testing in schools benefit, is the companies who administer  the  tests.   Following the scandal that is unveiling in Atlanta schools, I think more people will agree.

Photo by Carlos Porto/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With schools who already struggle with tight budgets, having to deal with funding being tied to test scores, I am not surprised to see that they are forging the numbers and cheating to obtain the required scores.  Do I condone it? Of course not, but the testing has in my mind been proven quite useless, and the money and time spent on the testing could have been used much more productively to give our children a better, and more well rounded education.

In 2008, Washington Post published an article regarding the 5 widespread  Myths About No Child Left Behind.  They discount my argument about the cost of the program without giving specifics about the cost, so until proven different, I will stand behind that argument. But I find the time spent on these tests and the emphasis placed on the results more important.

According to Wikipedia, American 9 year olds, had better test results in 2005 than we had seen in the past three decades.  However, the increase in test results were about the same between 2000 and 2003 (when the No Child Left Behind took effect) as they were from 2003 to 2005. So when the results were already on the rise, how realistic is it to argue the legislation had anything to do with the increase?

New York Times reports that the overall test scores for 17 year old students were the same in 2009 as they were in 1971, and the gaps between white students and minority children remained the same as they were 20-30 years ago. So where exactly are the benefits of theses tests?  I know the Obama Administration has proposed changes to No Child Left Behind, but none, that I have seen, that would provide any major change in how schools are rated and/or funded through the program. 

I understand the argument of holding schools accountable for teaching their students what they are supposed to learn.  But as a parent, I find it strange that any parent would not know whether or not their child is keeping up with their class work.  If you read with your young child for 20-30 minutes every day, would it not be evident whether or not she knows how to read?  If you check their homework on a regular basis, is it not evident whether or not they understand it or not?  It is beyond me that any parent of 4th and 5th grade students can be surprised that their child somehow passed through the system without knowing what they were supposed to.  Where is the parent accountability?

Photo by Koratmember/FreeDigitialPhotos.net

 Most of the "problem schools" or "at risk schools" are in poor areas, but I have trouble understanding how poor equals not involved. I am far from rich, a single parent with very active children. Working two and three jobs, I manage to be one of the most involved parents in our school, because my children's education is a priority.  Forcing parents to make their children a priority, is how I believe we can fix the system.

If parent involvement was mandatory, I strongly believe we would see a vast increase not only in test scores, but in graduation percentages and college applicants. Besides having to sign off on the children's school work, it can be as simple as having to show up for open house when school starts, and attending two teacher-parent conferences through the school year.  That may seem very basic to you, but I know in our school (which by the way, is not an at risk school), very few parents schedule conferences if not forced to do so because of their child's behavior or low scores.  Why is it so hard to understand that getting to know your child's teacher, is the key to keeping the line of communication flowing throughout the year?

Photo by Nuttakit/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As a new school year is starting, and 30+ teachers have retired or resigned in the Atlanta Schools, I hope we see more parents taking an active interest in their children's education, so that good teachers like Julie Rogers-Martin, can continue teaching children without being surprised by their lack of knowledge from prior years. 

First Website Ever Celebrates 20th Birthday

Do you remember life without Internet?  I do, but hope I never have to go back.  Thanks to Tim Berners-Lee, we have now had the world wide web system available for 20 years, luckily with steady improvements along the way.

Photo by Renjith Krishnan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

From a plane text web page, with instructions on how to create your own, you can now find information on just about everything on the Internet, luckily with pretty layouts, pictures etc. even making it easy for non-tech people like me to create a decent looking blog.  Not bad.

So happy 20th birthday www.

Happier and wiser at 50?

Happy Birthday Mr. President!

As he now is rounding the 50, President Obama should have reached a turning point for reduced stress, anger and worry, and increased happiness.  OK, maybe his job adds a little stress, worry and anger for a while longer, but at least that is the norm for "ordinary" Americans.

Photo by Maggie Smith/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

According to an article in Slate, a recent study found that we reach an emotional turning point at 50, but without being able to pinpoint exactly why that is.  It seems however, that as we get older, we choose more wisely what we spend our time on, so not to waste any just to gain experience.  It also seem that we may loose some of the idealism we had as young, and get better at seeing others' point of view, and resolve issues rather than stick to our guns to get our own way.  Apparently we also adjust our expectations - I guess learning to appreciate what we have rather than always trying to gain more.

Whatever the reasons may be, turning 50 may not be so bad after all, but I won't rush to get there!  I have lots to experience and stress over before then!

They Live Longer In Europe

According to CIA, Americans no longer live longer than Europeans.  Our life expectancy has reached 78.37, but we are still surpassed by 49 countries around the globe, not all of which are wealthy. 

There seem to be correlation between the riches of the country and it's residents' life expectancy,  but it may not be the deciding factor among developed countries.  Monaco tops the list with an expected 89.73 years followed by Macau with 84.41.  Their GDP per capita is $30,000 and 33,000 respectively, compared to $47,200 in the US.

Photo by Michelle Meiklejohn/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

US Researchers said smoking and obesity are the two big reasons Americans' life span is shortened, along with high blood pressure and related illnesses, according to Yahoo News, However, measures to curb unhealthy behaviors could improve life expectancy in coming years and help to reduce health care costs, the researchers said.

Where mortality rates were improved by saving babies a century ago, it is now reduction in mortality rates among the elderly that propels increases in life expectancy according to author Dana Goldman, Director

of the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California.

However, another article published in January this year on ConsumerAffairs.com shows the levels of childhood obesity are raising, and that the next generation is not expected to live longer, or even as long as their parents.

“What is particularly tragic is that studies have suggested that obesity in children today may contribute to a 2-5 year decline in their life expectancy, shorter than that of their parents, due to obesity related diseases that are largely preventable,” said Bartfield.

The causes for childhood obesity, she said, are “multifactorial, including environment and culture.”  Genetics and parental weight status also plays a role.

“If one parent is obese, a child has a 50 percent likelihood of being obese, and if both parents are obese, that skyrockets to 80 percent likelihood,” said Bartfield."

Photo by Photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now that is scary!  My suggestion?  Besides making eating healthy the rule rather than the exception, let the kids run off their energy outside every day, rain or shine. Better yet, run around with them.  Stop driving the kids everywhere, or yourself for that matter.  If you are close enough to walk or ride your bike, then do so.  The kids will copy our behavior, and we apparently need to improve the "midlife mid-line", so why not pass on some good choices to our children in the process. Not all activity needs to be in organized sports.  And every little bit helps!

Have a happy and healthy Wednesday!! 

Girls Night Out

I was long overdue for a night out with the girls, and finally got the chance this weekend.  It was a great time once I made it there, but getting out of the house was a bit more challenging than it used to  be.

Photo by Photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I had forgotten how much work it takes to get this 40 year old body and face ready (please refer to prior posts for description..), and in my life there is just not room for careful planning of anything, but I gave it my best.

While the kids entertained themselves with a workout DVD (yeah, I know, I should have joined them...) I at least got the shower and shave done.  Then off to the baby sitter with the kids.

While driving, I looked at my nails and desperately wished there would have been time for a manicure...a quick look on the floor, and a pedicure would have been nice too.  Too late. A quick fix with an emery board was all I had time for.  But first make up and hair.

Surprisingly quite pleased with the outcome, I went to the closet trying to find anything that was not completely outdated.With 95 degrees and 200% humidity outside, I figured a dress would be nice.  Found one I liked and pulled it on (elastic is a beautiful thing!!), put on sandals to match (did I mention the 5" heals to put the butt back in place?), and stood in front of the mirror. Actually not bad! At least not until I looked at my legs and noticed the big cut on my leg revealed.  I should probably come up with a good cover story for that one, but truth is, I misjudged the size of my bed, and instead of plopping down on my pillow, I flew off the bed, crashed into my bookshelf and kicked a chair causing everything to fall off the chair and burying myself on the floor.  And I wasn't even drinking...


Anyway, the cut was not very attractive, so I searched the house for a discreet looking band aid.  Lucky me, the only ones I could find were covered with cartoon characters - not exactly the look I was going for. Back in the closet I went looking for jeans this time.  Running out of time, I took the first ones that fit and grabbed some tops.  Now, I'm not fat.  Frankly I'm not too far from underweight. Then how is it possible to have anything form a roll?  Apparently as I got older, the bones shrunk and everything else turned mushy. It's like I'm made up of chicken bones covered in fat. It's truly a challenge to make that look like a fit body.

Finally dressed and almost done, I poured a glass of wine, turned on music and sat down to fix the nails, just to discover some hairs on my hands.  Is it really necessary for hair to grow everywhere before we start losing it all?  Well, they were not staying, so I dug in the bathroom and found a hair removal cream and poured half the tube on to my hands. After setting the kitchen timer, I went back to my wine.

Photo by FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ten minutes to enjoy my wine, then wash off the hands and I would  be done. Or so I thought.  While sitting there singing along with the music and enjoying my wine, my head felt itchy (half a bottle of hair spray will do that...), and without thinking, I scratched. Realizing that my head was now covered in hair removal cream, I ran screaming back to the bathroom.  Envisioning bald spots on my head, I jumped in the shower and scrubbed.  It was an emergency. Who had time to take the clothes off?  Saved the hair, that was the good thing.  But with 10 minutes to go, I was yet again freshly showered,  now with a wet outfit, and no makeup.  I wonder if these kind of episodes is what created "fashionably late"?

Drinking from the bottle at this time, I started the process all over, thankful that all the others were also 40+ and probably ran in to some problems of their own while getting ready....maybe not hair removal cream, but normal problems.  They did. We were all fashionably late.  Wonder what their excuse was?