Category Archives: children

Terry Kath, another talented musician

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I remember hearing of Terry Kath’s death on the radio.  He was a soulful vocalist and guitar player for the band Chicago, born January 31, 1946.  The news announcer said he was playing “russian roullette” with a gun when it went off.  That was not true–he didn’t realize the gun was loaded.  What a terrible loss.

Someone put together a pretty decent video of Terry:

He touched so many lives and he lives on…

Want to know a surprising thing?  Terry couldn’t read music.

If today’s education gurus were to judge little Terry Kath by his inability to read music, he would be forever labeled “stupid” and put into a black hole, never to realize his potential because some hedge fund manager/education profiteer decided he had no potential because he couldn’t identify musical notes on paper.  And we all know how powerful his musical ability was—what a waste that would have been to deny him that by labeling him.

Terry’s daughter, Michelle, is putting together a documentary on her father.

She was on a radio show last night to talk about her dad.

And the adult school bullies continue…

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…to foster the culture of cold, unethical treatment of children.  Salt Lake Tribune story on it here.

And Olsen seems to not understand how callous his actions were!

If a child’s account is past due, the school I work at will give the child a peanut butter sandwich Or if allergic, something else.  But they would not throw the child’s lunch in the trash.  Good God.

No doubt the school administration will go to church this Sunday with their noses stuck up in the air proclaiming what good Christians they are…while doing exactly the opposite of what Jesus would do…

…and the war on the poor continues…

Mi’kmaq Warrior Suzanne Patles speaks

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She addresses the situation in Canada and how the indigenous’ rights outlined in the law have not been honorably enforced.  She speaks with heartfelt passion towards the land.  She sees this as a fight for her children.

We are all borrowing this land while we are here–no one owns the land, truly.  One cannot own what one did not create…and one cannot take without giving equally in return…

More bullying by public officials

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Fred Klonsky has this up on Barbara Byrd-Bennett’s threatening letter to parents who wish to opt-out of the testing, testing, testing of their children.

Again, it seeks to usurp parents’ ultimate responsibility towards the welfare of their children.

I would put it back in her lap– show us that these tests are provable measures of one’s intelligence.  They can’t.  Because they’re not.  There is no test that can measure potential.  And the kinds of questions being asked–whether a first grader knows the Code of Hammurabi shows a complete lack of understanding of child development.

#RacistOil

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(Side note~ I updated the “Eat Cake” blog–)

Warrior Publications has this up on the racist rant of *cough* Ethical Oil, a pro-oil group.

Al Gore said in this article “there’s no such thing as ethical oil”….

 

 

Neil Young sings Mother Earth

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What a stirring, beautiful song.  (Now THIS is what I’m talking about when I talk about music stirring the soul!) (hat tip to Global News Canada)

Thank you to Neil Young for making this available.  The video is just stunning…how beautiful the untouched Earth is when left alone…and how quickly it is destroyed by thoughtlessness and lack of vision of the future…

Young isn’t asking for any contributions, but I’m sure this song will be available for download.  If you’re able, please support him and this effort.  We are all connected.

Newark parents fighting back

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This just makes my morning!  Bob Braun’s article here.

The explosion of personal anger occurred at 8:30 pm, two hours after the meeting at First Avenue School got off to a delayed and troubled start.  Scores of residents who wanted to attend the meeting were kept outside in single-digit temperatures. Then some were allowed to enter an unheated cafeteria. Police officers, citing fire regulations, said the auditorium in the school was too crowded.

The venue clearly was chosen to keep the size of the crowd down.

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See…you can control the negative speech against you by making it harder for the mounting opposition to even get a space to stand.

Remember what I said in the previous blog about education and how it seemed like they were trying to separate kids from their parents by reducing the amount of time at home?

Well, this statement kind of supports that:

a letter to families that suggested if Newark children were home from school they would get into trouble, make the city “less safe” and cause crime to go up

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Where do I start?  The insinuation is that parents don’t know how to raise their kids.  That kids are little criminals just waiting for the opportunity to commit a criminal act.

Perhaps art and music instruction would be helpful here in creating and encouraging imaginations so that kids could entertain themselves while out of school, eh?

They could be painting, drawing, learning a new game, playing/practicing an instrument,  playing tag outside, making snow sharks 🙂  , or doing something to give back, like shoveling an elderly/disabled person’s sidewalks, or running errands…the list is endless….

The State of the Union

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Briefly, I shut off the TV after the President stated that natural gas extraction (fracking) should be pursued…if done cleanly…….(echos of “clean coal” and his push for nuclear renaissance before Fukushima)

I am not willing to sacrifice clean water and good health for the $$ gains for energy companies.  My children deserve to have clean water, clean air, and soil suitable for growing healthy, organic food.

Even IF one could extract the gas without using horrible chemicals that poison water supplies…what about the earthquakes associated with fracking?  What about the numerous sink holes appearing….are they, too, associated with fracking?  I suspect so.

And Fred Klonsky captured my thoughts on his opening remarks on education.  Three words:  Don’t Patronize Me.

It appeared at one point that President Obama was going to listen to us…but I no longer have that opinion.

(As a side note~  someone just called into the radio station and said they spotted the first robins of Spring. Woot!!  We’re all a little weather weary here.  Yes, I’m whining…so sue me…even those of us who love winter have our limit…)

 

Helping Afghan women

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I sometimes forget about my “past life”…

I had purchased a crafted zippered “wallet”,  for want of a better word, crafted by the women of Afghanistan **, featured on the Feminist Majority’s website many moons ago when I had a job…I wondered if they still had this program going.  They do. 

So…I hope that some of you can support the women of Afghanistan to gain some independence with a purchase of their handicrafts.

**keep the kleenex handy…for those in pain and those that never made it home, on both sides of the ocean…

NSA using phone apps like Angry Birds to gather personal info

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Well, I wish I could say I’m surprised, but no…nobody is going to design a game and give it away for free…ain’t gonna happen without some benefit for themselves.  No free lunches, folks.

Here we have another case of taxation without representation…since a majority of people want this invasion of privacy to stop.