Abandoned Baby in China

While it may be easy to pass judgement on this woman, I don't feel that I'm qualified to judge her. That being said, I find it really hard to believe that anyone could do that. It's unfortunate that anyone would do physical harm to a child that way. Another point to consider is that because China has such strict, totalitarian laws regarding child bearing and adoption, her situation was likely not an easy one to bear. We can only hope that in a free, democratic society, she would've made a different decision.

Brittney Spears

I didn't watch the VMA's, and I don't care for Brittney Spears. I don't like her music and I haven't listened to anything of hers since the 90's. I think her questionable actions are due to her being another example of a child star gone awry. Whenever we hear about another scandal, I just roll my eyes. You know its bad when Kevin Federline is viewed as a better role model for kids.

Substitutes

I think cutting subs is a fair way to save money - for the high school, where there is always a teacher on planning. At the middle and elementary schools, it isn't. It'll work out more than fine for us - Mr. Evans and others can watch a class instead of smoking behind the ag building during their planning.

Opinion of Blogging

So far, I enjoy blogging. It's a different outlet to express your opinions. You can say pretty much whatever you want, and if you don't want anyone to read them, you can set it to private. I may start blogging on the side.

Pet Peeves

While I could write about this topic for days...

• Whenever anybody uses up a roll of toilet paper and doesn't throw the empty roll away. Also when they put the new roll on the counter or the top of the toilet.
• When people slurp, burp, or make any unpleasant noises while eating or drinking.
• Any hair found in anything involved in the processes of preparing or eating food.

Sarah Palin

I am best described as an independent, a moderate, and well informed. As far as this election goes, I'm sorta divided. Economic conditions and the utter failures of the Bush Administration make Obama look more attractive. On the other hand, John McCain is an experienced hero and has shown great qualities such as leadership, good judgement, and compromise. He's also closer to the middle than Obama. This all adds up to me leaning McCain. When Obama picked Senator Biden to be his V.P., I thought it was safe, yet good choice. McCain's selection of Palin definitely adds spice to the race, but it also raises doubts. A vice president who less than 2 years ago was the mayor of a town smaller than Douglas? Especially given McCain's age. As far as her politics goes, she seems to be a common sense Conservative with the gall to go against the establishment. That's definitely a positive. The worst part of the story though is the recent disclosures made about her dealings and her family. Between the family fued involving her firing the official for not firing her ex-brother-in-law and her knocked up daughter, I wonder if McCain should've announced his pick on Jerry Springer. More troublesome, it was disclosed that her Alaska town received a lot of federal pork barrel money for various purposes. As the historical aspect goes, I think it's a true landmark we will either have the first black president, or the first female VP.

Teen Pregnancy

I feel the rise in teen pregnancy is due to the erosion of proper Sex Education in schools. I realize that the reason Sex Ed. has eroded is the policy of pushing abstinence first, but I really think at this point it's proven itself unsuccessful. Teens are going to mess around, and the day we start regulating it through figures other than parents is the day we will all wear a khaki one-piece and march in lines to vote for the one candidate on the ballot. A proper Sex. Ed. would teach the consequences of unprotected sex (such as teen pregnancy), and, yes, birth control methods to appropriate aged students. Many teens don't know they can get a prescription for birth control pills, that condoms are more than 90% effective in preventing STD's and pregnancy, and that babies born to teenage mothers are at much higher risks of birth defects. They also don't realize the detrimental effects of being saddled down with a baby at such a young age. The proper message from authority figures shouldn't be, "We don't think you should do it all so we're not even going to mention it." It should be, "We'd prefer you didn't, but we'd rather you be safe about it."