Like This Content? Bookmark and Share it!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Patriotism vs Humanitarianism

 

Bill O'Reilly has a segment he calls Patriot or Pinhead. In it he discusses someone and something they did - then rates it/them as a patriot or a pinhead.

Today I want to do something similar - a short discourse on patriotism vs humanitarianism.

I love it when I see, hear, or read about tremendous acts of service, sacrifice, and kindness coming from Americans and given to those in other countries. We have been so abundantly blessed in this country and it seems only right to share with lose who are less fortunate.

What troubles me is when I see these acts and then realize how many in the USA need those very same supplies, services, and acts of kindness. Here in this very country there are children who are waiting to be adopted, people in desperate need of medical help, poor, homeless, and hungry.

Where is that line between helping others, and helping ourselves first? Should we not take care of those in need in our own country FIRST? Or has it become too much of a hassle to do so?

I know when you look at adoptions in the USA versus adopting outside of the USA, it can be a much easier process to adopt a child outside of the USA. How sad is that? Have we 'government beauracracied' ourselves into harming the children who need us most? While there SHOULD be laws to protect these children, there should also be an easier process for good parents to be able to adopt them. If natural parents had to go through the rigmarole adoptive parents have to go through, birthrates would drop dramatically. People who are not perfect can be and are great parents.

What do you think? When it comes to help in any form, should we help those in the USA first, or help those in other countries regardless?

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Ralph Nader Enters Presidential Race - Again

Immediately, the Obama and Clinton camps were all over this news, bashing the man for entering the race. Do I detect fear in the water of the Democratic pool? Last I heard, this was a country that embraced the right of its citizens to run for leadership positions - including that of president. Now they are going to verbally bash him for using a right given to him by the laws of this country they claim to love and break the vows they make to protect the rights of its citizens therein?

Hillary Clinton's comment about Nader preventing Gore from being our 'greenest' president ever made me laugh out loud. Haven't we already established the man (Al Gore) has no clue? He wrongly won a Nobel Peace Prize - the material the prize was won for has already been proven to be scientifically flawed and false.

Over in the Republican pool, ever-delusional Huckabee is doing the happy dance, sure that this is somehow going to help him. Huckabee said he would not overstay his welcome, but managed to do so on SNL .

There were problems with Nader's previous runs that I hope he has learned from. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming months and if this move will be what the race needs.

What do YOU think about Ralph Nader entering the race?

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Boxing Legend Joe Louis' Sister Found Frozen to Death

An article on CNN caught my attention this morning, but not for the reasons you might think. Famed boxing legend Joe Louis's 92-year-old sister, Vunies High, was found frozen to death outside an assisted living facility. On the surface, this is a sad story. But, there is something very disturbing about it when you look a little more closely.

This woman had Alzheimer's (commonly mis-spoken as 'Old Timers'). She was 92. She was in an assisted living facility which means there was supposed to be care and monitoring. She was 'last seen' on Sunday, but 'found' on Monday.

My grandfather had Alzheimer's before he died, and because of that I learned a few things about how they behave and how to help keep them safe. One of the biggest concerns with Alzheimer's patients is that they wander. To combat that, you do simple things like putting door locks, etc out of their direct line of sight (like just above their eye level). You put alarms on doors so every time they are opened, a sound chimes - thereby alerting the caregiver.

Why was this woman outside, and why was she not being monitored more closely? Why were simple precautions commonly used with Alzheimer's patients not in place for her? An assisted living facility commonly charges an outrageous amount of money for the 'promise' of  it being 'assisted' living. They are supposed to be doing regular medical checks, monitoring the patients; and are supposed to have top-notch safety and security features in place to keep their 'residents' (paid clients) safe.

This facility failed miserably. Before you or your loved one moves into an assisted living facility, please be sure to check out their record, and check for all the little details about how they care for someone in you or your loved one's condition. It may well be a matter of life or death as evidenced by the tragic death of Ms. Vunies High.

What have YOUR experiences with assisted living facilities been?

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Cheating Taken to a New Low

One of my favorite blogs, Craigslist Curmudgeon, highlights some of the really horrible writing job listings on Craigslist. He has branched out and also includes other types of ad now, as well.

Something I have repeatedly seen highlighted in his blog, as well as listed as legit jobs - *gag* on job sites are ads seeking writers to write term papers and college entrance essays. Some have even requested writers to do all of their homework.

The worst part of it is that there really are people who will take these 'jobs'. They justify it by saying they are just trying to make a buck or they are just 'helping' someone out.

Let's hope, when in an emergency, they get help from someone who earned their way there rather than got 'helped' there.

What do YOU think of this new trend?

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Human Tetris Coming to America!

If you have followed this blog, you are aware of my love of the Japanese television show nicknamed 'Human Tetris'. While part of me hoped something like it would show up here in the states, I was concerned American TV execs and producers would totally slaughter the version produced here.

On a Fox and Friends segment of Fox News, it was announced that FOX will be airing an American version of the Japanese show. Stay tuned for more news and updates. It will be interesting to see how the American version stacks up to the Japanese one.

If you were the decision-maker for the American version of Human Tetris, what would you do with the show in order to appeal to American audiences? Who would you choose to make up the teams, and what type of cutouts would you use? Would it be water (cold, hot, or comfortable) or something else in the pool?

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Huckabee's Delusion

This article on CNN had me laughing out loud. Through his entire campaign, this man has taken multiple potshots at Mitt Romney. He has railed on Mormons and used his own religion as a card in the race - though clearly the word "Christian" has not translated well into his behavior towards Mitt Romney and Mormons.

Many claim that Romney's only or strongest support is coming from Mormons.

Now, Huckabee is refusing to see the writing on the wall, and claiming that Romney supporters may well come his way.

Let's see - you continually took pot shots at their candidate. If they are LDS (Mormon) you were taking potshots at them and their religious beliefs. You have used your own religion as a tool to criticize and condemn those of other religious affiliations (isn't that what the terrorists have done?).

Yeah, I can see Romney supporters coming to you in droves! *please note the sarcasm*

For those who are considering this man as the next president; does none of this bother you? Is this the kind of leader YOU want running our country and dealing with various world cultures and religions?

Any chance this man had of getting my vote has been lost by his repeated poor sportsmanship, clear bigotry, and refusal to deal with reality. This country needs a strong leader who stands up for his beliefs, but not by antagonizing and alienating a large chunk of the country he is sworn to lead. Our leader needs to be one who unites us, not divides us. We already have the ACLU doing that job.

Copyright © 2008 - 2011 Daniella Nicole. All rights reserved.