Once again, I’ve made my blog these pink-based for October to bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
As you probably know, this is still a personal thing for me, and I want to show our support for all those struggling with this impediment in their lives.
Please support the efforts of the Komen Foundation to help make a brighter future for all those who have to deal with breast cancer in their lives.
Thank you.
Once again, I have chosen to participate in Pink For October, to honor my mother who fought breast cancer bravely, but ultimately succumbed to it when it metastasized into her brain a year and a half ago. I encourage you to do your part in honoring and helping those many who have been affected by this ailment.
It's bad enough that Pittsburgh Public Schools are some of the worse in the state, but now they've gone to a new level of idiocy by mandating that no child can be given a grade lower than 50% on any assignment or test. Seriously, you could just sleep through the test and still get a 50% (though no official response has been made confirming if you still get a 50% even if you don't show up and write your name on the test).
What kind of message is this sending our kids? While the intent is to not harshly penalize students who show marked improvement throughout the semester for their slow start, this is telling kids that even if they don't do any of the work, they can still get half credit. Great! Now when they get a job, they'll think they can still get half their pay if they do nothing at all! Unfortunately, that will only get them a pink slip in the end.
It really begs the question of how the schools in our country are being run. In my opinion, way too much time is spent trying to get students to pass and make the “numbers look good”, and not enough time encouraging and nourishing learning habits in children. Once the school systems and government realize that, maybe we'll get a change in the system!
You may have seen the recent news of over 100 major college representatives calling upon Congress to have the nation's minimum drinking age reduced to less than 21. They're arguing research that shows that the previous increase of of the drinking age has done little to prevent alcohol-related deaths in that age group.
Of course, on the other side is MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, is arguing that these college officials are twisting the data to make it say what they want it to. After all, there would be a signifigant shift in security needs and liabilities for these colleges were the drinking age to be lowered to 18. Then again, would putting alcohol in the hands of younger individuals make things better?
It's a debate that comes about as regularly as the legalization of marijuana, and very similarly fails to see the forest for the trees.
The factor that is left out of all these studies is history and exposure to alcohol, as age is not the sole indicator of responsible alcohol consumption. For someone who grew up in a household where one or more parents abused alcohol, it's likely that they will either grow up to abuse it themselves (and follow the examples set before them), or avoid it completely (attempting to avoid the same fate). In these cases, their experience has a polar effect.
Similarly, those who grew up in a household preaching the downfall of alcohol are likely to see this same polar effect. Either they stay the course that they have been taught, or they rebel and take alcohol consumption to it's limits.
However, those who have been exposed to responsible alcohol consumption are more likely to be able to accomplish that feat themselves. Sure, there are exceptions to this, but more often then not they are influenced by the good examples that have been set before them. In my opinion, lowering the drinking age only limits the time parents have to set a good example for their children.
In the end, I believe the only way to positively influence the current trend of irresponsible alcohol consumption in young adults is to teach parents how much they doo have an influence in their kid's lives, no matter what age. It's time for fewer parents to stop going out and getting sloshed with their friends and more to show that they can responsibly have a single glass of wine with dinner. For some, it may be quite the sacrafice. But that's what good parents do to help make their children better people.
After all, if you can't make a sacrafice for the well-being of your own offspring, it may be time to re-think your priorities…
These are our elected officials at work. With 
gas prices getting so high, let's not look into ways of lowering gas prices or investing in alternative fuel sources, the US Senate has decided that the best solution is to give every US taxpayer a $100 coupon for gas (which will then go directly to the oil companies).
Does anyone else see a flaw in logic here? There's nothing better we could do with approximately $13 billion*? Besides, with a $100 coupon, I'm not sure I could even fill up my tank more than twice at current prices.
* based on 130 million individual tax returns filed in 2003
In what may play out as one of the most important religious stories of the year, if not socially relevant in
general, is the story of Abdul Rahman. Rahman, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, was arrested and faced the death penalty for posession of a Bible. Afghanistan, whose laws are tightly wound with those Islamic Law, views conversion away from Islam as an act of apostasy and treason. Ironically, Rahman's conversion occurred 16 years ago when he was working with a Christian aid organization to help Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Western response to the arrest and probable punishment was overwhelmingly negative. As we in the United States have spent much of the past four and a half years mending bridges with followers of Islam after the negative backlash from the 9/11 attacks, one of our strongest allies against the Taliban was going to put a man to death for his beliefs.
Now, I say "was" because the Afghan government has been heavily pressured in the past few days to let this man go. However, this would also be a sign of weakness to all Muslims. That has lead them to bring in a doctor to determine if Rahman is "mentally competent to stand trial". His relatives are claiming that he is mentally unstable, which probably means that they just don't understand his beliefs. This would save face for the Afghan government if they release him based on his determined competency.
However, this still leaves the problem that Muslim Clerics have threatened to have Rahman killed in accordance to their beliefs in Islamic Law. So that leaves Afghanistan with three choices:
It will be very interesting to see how this scenario plays out. If Rahman does die for his faith, he will be recognized as a Christian martyr. Heck, even if he walks away, what he has done already has shown more commitment to his faith than most people could ever claim to have.
It's so amazing to watch God move and plant a seed in ground so infertile. I know that what He has planned is what will play out, but it is very captivating watching it develop.