let me gush

He lightly brushes my skin with the tips of his fingers. I look up and he smiles. His blue eyes have me lost in a moment.

I love this man. Without a doubt, he would protect me from everything, charge into anything with me, and love me no matter what.

Some times i feel for him. Being married to a strong minded girl who is the first to make a big deal out of the smallest situations, can't be easy for him. He does it anyway. He works with me and encourages every dream i have. Where did he get all this inner strength from?

He laughs like a child at times and makes decisions like a man. He loves passionately and without thought to himself.

When the inevitable challenge comes up, we hold hands and face it together. Some times the challenge is harder for me, sometimes its worse for him. We don't let go. With every challenge his heroic nature shines through. I am so honoured to be his wife. I am thrilled to stand side by side with this man who never gives up on people.

Don't be evil

The motto of Google is so simple. It covers a great range of issue and concepts. Probably when put into practice,however, they may find that "don't be evil" can easily be turned into a matter of perspective. Yet i applaud their attempt at being inventive, creative, and not an Evil Over Lord.

Its too bad the same can not be said of Walmart.

Walmart has a long history of mistreatment of their workers. From workplace discrimination to bad health cover and purposely shifting full time workers to part time by increasing the number of hours worked to qualify for full time benefits.

Their latest case of evilness has involved their health care benefits. A Walmart employee was in a car accident that left her mentally handicapped. She won a settlement that put $417, 000 into a trust fund to help pay for her healthcare for the rest of her life. Walmart then claimed $470,000 from her. As part of her healthcare benefits the fine print says that if she is awarded damages in a case that involves payment for healthcare, they can claim the money that they have spent in paying her benefits.

It is unfortunate that this company is able to continue to do business in this way. Workers need healthcare (because their government doesn't supply it) and if they get a job at Walmart, health cover comes through the company. But the company does all it can to avoid actually having to pay the costs of awarding healthcare to its employees. In the previously mentioned case, the woman probably would have come out slightly better not having been covered by health insurance. (the interest on the trust fund possibly would have out weighed the amount being asked for)

The current consumer society is changing. While the consumers still want to consume as much as possible, they are finding more respect for companies that encourage positive attributes in their business practices. This in turn is meaning more profits for these businesses. Others, like Apple and Walmart, have taken a different route. The profit that can be earned is the most important aspect of the business. As the consumers it is our money that will decide what sort of business model makes it to the future.

Will the next generation be slaves to the companies? Or will the companies be slaves to their consumers? The question is ours for the answering.

Late in the night

When your brain is tired, convincing it to connect with your fingers is almost impossible. I am doing the impossible. Either that or my fingers have developed little brains of their own and have taken over my usual body movements when faced with a laptop and an 'on' switch.

You would think that this could translate into getting another scene finished in the webavision series (if i haven't inflicted the details of that on you yet, you should ask me). Sadly it doesn't. The only thing it really means is that my spell checker is forced to work over time.

If my fingers have developed little brains of their own, do you suppose they will stage a coup in the night and take over the rest of the body? God, i hope not. If they did, i'm pretty certain that i wouldn't know what to do with myself. I hate being in two minds about any subject. I don't think i could handle ten little ones.

Being that this blog entry is digressing into the absurd, i will leave you with only one more thought. If relgion is the opiate of the masses and religion was some how outlawed. Do you think that the government would supply a new opiate?

Time and a half

If today is the first day of the rest of my life, it isn't looking good. Fear not, i have no intention of unraveling the day to you, but suffice it to say, the stress is mounting.

Wondering at the time, i am reminded that time really does not wait for me to catch up. It speed by, completely ignoring the the speed zones i have set up around my desk. Time does not slow down.

The quick cup of water (or coffee) only serves to remind me that i don't have time to drink (or pee) and that blogging should be out of the question. I steal time.

I suppose that one day i will look back on life and smile at all those times that life wizzed by. With my vantage point, i'll probably notice that even the slow times moved quite quickly. If i'm honest, i can see that the world will not grind to a halt if the paper does not get finished by exactly 9:05. The world continues to spin, time continues to move, I continue to procrastinate and complain i have no time. I am a hypocrite.

I see life through whatever lens suits me. I ignore all others no matter what the evidence suggests. I convince myself that i am no different than all others who have gone on before me. I let time take the blame and keep myself distant from the truth.

Time waits for no man (or woman). I know that if i really wanted i could cherish time. I could make time a pleasant thing, something to greet in ever moment, knowing that the moment will never come again. I could, but it would cut down on my stress and what is life without stress?

Silly stuff

Today i made an achievement. I made first place in a silly myspace game. While you may think this insignificant (and you'd be right) i can't help but feel a twinge of pride that i have beaten out the former first place holder. If you want to see the scoreboard (and thus the reason that i brag), the link is here.

If you'd like to beat my score and put me in my place, the game is embedded below.

If you go out in the woods today

Becky's article on slavery in the world shook me up a little. Growing up I heard stories about people who were sold into slavery. Women were abused in deplorable ways, while men were exploited and beaten down emotionally and physically.

As a college student I heard stories of people being tricked into prostitution and some times even of servants who lived the lives of virtual slaves who escaped their slavery by jumping out of windows to their death.

Somehow the idea that people were being bought and sold never came up. I believe its the price of a life that has me so shaken. When the price of a 9 year old girl is a mere $50 USD, it makes me want to suddenly rush out a buy the freedom of as many as I can.

Freedom is a great ideal. Thousands of people flood the borders of the USA in hope of freedom. Countries riot and governments topple as people demand freedoms. Yet the plight of a little girl goes almost unnoticed. Does she dream of freedom? Does she even know what that concept means? Or has life's unfairness stripped that from her?

This is the world I live in. And I refuse to be blinded by products, new and flashy toys, or scare tactics. We must demand a better world. I do.

Human rights

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In an era of fear and patriotism some believe that human rights are merely a myth. Some believe that human rights can not go hand in hand with national security or defence against terrorism.

Others reply that without human rights upheld on every level, national security is already lost and terrorism has already won. But touting key words and phrases should not turn your support to whatever cause i'm pushing.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights was set out in order to keep the world from having to suffer through another World War but if war did happen, there would not be horrors like Auschwitz. As time passed, goals were set to help make the world a better place. Sadly these goals which were intended to be met by 2015, are not likely to be met at all. With the exception of Europe and North America, no one will even reach these goals by 2020.

Human rights are not something to be ignored. These rights protect your right to an education. They protect women's rights to medical help and encourage equal pay for equal work. These rights keep governments from kidnapping citizens and torturing civilians. Sadly, these rights are not being recognised around the world.

At last count in 2006,
- torture was used by governing authorities in 102 countries.
- 91% of all known executions took place in 6 countries: China, Iran, Iraq,

Sudan, Pakistan and the US

-At least 1 in 3 of the world’s women had been beaten, coerced into sex or

otherwise abused

-85% of killings worldwide involved the use of small arms and light weapons
-60% of the world’s firearms were in the hands of private individuals

I wish i could call people to actions with these words, but i can not. These statistics are here to make you wonder and think. The links are there for further research. What you do, if you do, is up to you.

The homeschooled child

California has set an interesting precedent when it comes to the education of children. The appeals court has declared that all children must be taught by an accredited teacher. For a nation that has a surprising number of home-schooled students, it will be interesting to see how or if this ruling will change the number of children taught at home.

While many parents will no doubt be disadvantaged by the ruling, i must wonder how successfully children are being taught in the home, as there seems to be no set standard for homeschooled children to be measured against. Each system by which they are enrolled is set slightly different standards. In some cases, those standards are not met, nor are they reprimanded because of it.

On the other hand, Justice H. Walter Croskey, did not instil me with warm fuzzies when he was quoted as saying "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare". If this is truly the primary purpose of the education system, than school really only is brainwashing facilities. Education is supposed to help give students a better chance at full life, it's supposed to teach them ways to think, it is not there to tell them who they should be loyal to.

Now before you say that school helps children learn how to behave socially, and this is a form of public protection, i'll agree with you. (please don't write horrible comments about how i've ignored this issue)

So i guess i'm left feeling a bit torn. I do believe that children need to be taught by a qualified person. I also think that they need to be observed by someone outside the home to check on their progress both academically as well as socially. I do not think that a uniformed removal of home school is the solution.

Developments continue to unfold and i am paying close attention.

We stand in silence

Geeks and Nerds of the world stand silently shaking their twelve sided dice today at the passing of a legend. Gary Gygax, co-founder of Dungeons and Dragons died today at the age of 69.

Gary is credited with many online and face to face games that are now popular. He encouraged the storyline game. If it weren't for him we would have the choice of mine sweeper or solitar instead of Elf Mage or Dwarf warrior.

If his games are anything to go by, he'll respawn near the city and get to play again very soon.

Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium

Today i watched a children's film that was really quite fun. I enjoyed it for its ability to keep my brain working. My brain worked to figure out what they'd say next. While the story is a little sad...its also a lot fun. I give it a full 3.5 stars out of 5.

(warning: the film deals with death without being remorseful about it)