Our Budget Has Changed

by Pen Waggener

I received an e-mail from one of my employers stating their budget has changed and they will no longer need me for the foreseeable future.

I don't really have any qualms about this, seven hour work days suck anyway, but what really bothered me was the jabbing text about how they haven't heard from me in two days.  Incorrect, according to my e-mail record I responded to their previous message in about twenty-four hours.  Reasonable and professional timing in my opinion, but there is more.

Last week I worked six hours, a total of $84,  she said she would mail me my check, she lost it in her diaper bag, after a week of me contacting her, she sent one e-mail and still didn't tell me where she sent it.

Honestly, I'm kind of glad I will not be called on again for a while, her home was chaos, she was unclear about what she needed from me half the time, I was scared to throw anything away, she was very over protective, I loved her kids, but she was too dysfunctional to work for.

It was good timing anyway because I want to go back to school and I'm not going to be able to work two jobs because of how much time it costs me.  Thankfully the school I'm going too offers online classes, so it will be a little easier.  Now can I just get my tax forms from the government?  Please?

Educating for the Future

by Southbanksteve

I am a product of the education system here in the United States and I listen to program after program on NPR only to realize the system does not benefit the children anymore.


Billions of dollars go into the US school system and unless a student is from a wealthy family or apart of a wealthy school, chances are he/she will have a severe lack in basic education.


California spends, on average, about $8,887 per student, this is about $260,000 going into the class room, $68,000, on average, goes to the teacher where is the rest of the money going?


When teachers buy their own supplies, work 70+ work weeks, have to pay off a master's degree where is the money to help they be paid for their time and energy in the classroom?  


Even though California is one of the lowest in paying per student in the public schools, a quarter of a million is still a huge chunk of change and if the teachers aren't getting it who is?


Obviously it's the infrastructure filled with janitors, secretaries, administrators, who take up most of the funding.  I'm not saying schools do not need infrastructure, however, it is far from streamlined considering how teachers have to buy simple school supplies like paper.


This is a monstrous problem in the system and I truly believe no one wants to deal with it.  charter schools can be better, but not always, however the greatest difference between a charter school and a public one is if the charter fails it's shut down, but if the public school is failing it receives more money.


How does that make any sense?  It sounds like an absent father who throws money at problems rather than go to the root of the issue.  I'm not saying looking into the school system will be easy, but it looks like the whole body needs a therapist.

by Stroble, David

Root causes for the issues pop up everywhere; teachers, money, parents, students the government, but I think we need to dig deeper to an older issue.  Placing similar age groups together, learning the same subject at the same time, different classrooms or no, has not  proven to be an effective teaching practice, honestly it is an experiment.  


To go to a more recent time, the 1950s, schools trained college bound students and blue collar workers on different tracks, but with the manufacturing leaving the US to countries like China this system is no longer valid.


The roots of the educational system are flawed and unless we rip out the old dying roots the system will just try to grow again leaving the education of the future no better than before.

Nuns vs Vatican

uploaded by Sporti

I was listening to NPR and I heard this story on Fresh Air about an American Nun, Pat Farrell, the president of the Leadership Conference of Woman Religious, and the assessment of the group by the Vatican. 


The whole story was about how the group represents itself "on homosexuality and birth control and promoting 'radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith'".  

The most poignant question pertaining to this religious raking of nun was about the sex scandals surrounding the priests in the Catholic church.  Time and time again these sex offenders were left to teach under the ambiguous protection of the church, but these nuns are confronted with the fears as to how "'the church's interpretation of how we talk about God, interpret Scripture, organize life in the church — how have they been tainted by a culture that minimizes the value and the place of women'".

by José Cruz/Abr

Why I left Christianity in the first place was because of the suppression of women.  I never felt like I could be myself and follow the Christian faith, I think these nuns are hitting the same wall, but on a larger scale.

They wanted to provide services to the communities they but the Catholic church wants to control these nuns and black out their agenda of making women equal under the eyes of the church.

Again, the Catholic church was putting their image before the needs of the people.  Even in the assessment of the nuns their concern was not about how they were helping the poor;  "For example, the LCWR publicly expressed in 1977 its refusal to assent to the teaching of Inter insigniores on the reservation of priestly ordination to men" and that was the Catholic church finds important, the absolute power of the male priesthood.

by Gerbilo

Change comes slow, especially in the Catholic church, it took centuries for the Holy Bible to be interpreted into common English why should the equalization of women in the church be any different?  I hope Christianity grows from this, rather than shutting people who have a different perspective out.

Luck Spells and Money

I preformed a luck spell today as I entered some survey contests and as the smoke rose I could feel the energy flowing though my body. Small slivers of light danced as the incense drifted through. The smell is robust and strong and I chanted for the spirits of luck to hear me and drink in the aroma.

The energy shook through me as I sent out my visual plea to win some extra cash. I don’t think this is selfish in the least because in the long run financial stability promotes good for everyone. And I wasn’t asking for the money, but luck in winning the money, which I think is even less biased.

There seems to be some controversy in the ethics on money spells mainly because it’s free. This is untrue however, because it takes time, often money and effort for a spell to work. The only reason why I would say no to casting a money spell is when the caster is expecting it for nothing or no effort. But if they are currently working or looking for a job, there is no harm to spell some extra cash your way.

Money is an object given value by a society, it’s bartering with government paper. But it is what the landlord wants for rent, so I suggest you pay with bills and not cookies. Personally, I rather do an exchange system, I could write a poem, wash your dishes, baby-sit kids, my skills maybe small, but I do not fear work.

I think money promotes greed, unhappiness, unhealthy desires, especially when it looses its toll status and becomes a die hard necessity. Today it is necessary to have money, but it’s tool to buy food and other needs and wants. However, it does not bring joy, happiness, self-satisfaction, it is merely an aid to the means.

I see no problem with money spells as long as you use them responsibly and do not rely on them for success. But be careful, everything come back, good and bad.