Idaho Teacher Sells Advertising Space On Tests : NPR.

I am bothered by this on many levels. First, I go out of my way not to subject my child to the consumerism that is so rampant in our society. He watches TV and as much as possible it is TV with no commercials; I want him to understand American culture and not be picked on in school, but I also don’t want him being indoctrinated into the gimme culture that exists all around us.

» Continue reading “Idaho Teacher Sells Advertising Space On Tests : NPR”

Supercook: recipe search by ingredients you have at home.

Supercook is a recipe search engine that allows you to search for recipes that use only the ingredients you have on hand. It can make suggestions for additional recipes by asking if you have a few additional ingredients. It also “learns” what foods go together so it can offer substitutions for ingredients.

» Continue reading “Link of the Day/Food Find of the Day”

Are you defined by what you lack or by what you have?

In an economy that continues it’s journey up Shit’s Creek with no paddle in sight; in a country that values consumerism and capitalism as fundamental pillars of society; among people who define success according to wealth and status, it’s no wonder a lot of people are depressed. We often define ourselves, or allow others to define us, by the things we lack. We often take what we have for granted.

» Continue reading “Question of the Day”

An Angel in Queens |Chicken and Rice Man|Jorge Munoz| New York.

“JACKSON HEIGHTS, New York (CNN) — Every day, unemployed men gather under the elevated 7 train in Jackson Heights, Queens. Many of them are homeless. All of them are hungry.

» Continue reading “Link of the Day”

There is a button in the right column that will allow you to subscribe to my blog and have content delivered to you. I love RSS feeds, I don’t know how anyone else handles keeping up with blog reading without them.

Spindles and Spices: Ginger Milk Pudding.

It’s like a ginger flan. I can’t wait to make this. Bonus: You can use any sweetener you want—it need not be refined sugar!

Compare…

A.I.G. Planning Huge Bonuses After $170 Billion Bailout

and contrast…

More than a year ago, a handful of homeless people staked out the site on the northern edge of downtown Sacramento. Now there are more than 100 tents and anywhere between 300 to 400 people living without running water or sanitation. Their only protection from the elements is nylon tents and plastic tarps.

» Continue reading “Compare and Contrast”

My husband has a really bad habit of buying something because it’s a good deal, even if it’s not exactly what he wants. He then spends an exorbitant amount of time and money trying to make it into whatever it was he really, truly wanted. The problem with this scenario is that it always ends up costing more than if he’d just bought what he wanted, and leaves him disillusioned and resentful.

» Continue reading “Get What You Want!”

I have never been a fan of perpetuating childhood mythology. I think it comes from being a perceptive child and not prone to believing the unbelievable. My brother and I spent an inordinate amount of time attempting to debunk these myths, wheedling my father in attempts to coerce him into confessing. We caught “Santa Claus,” after staking out our Christmas tree and discovering our parents in the act of trying to sneak a rocking chair under it. We never did manage to empirically disprove the existence of the Tooth Fairy, however.

» Continue reading “I Hate the Tooth Fairy”

“Optimists live longer, healthier lives than pessimists, U.S. researchers said on Thursday in a study that may give pessimists one more reason to grumble.” I told you so!

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5247NO20090305?rpc=59

» Continue reading “Pollyanna and the Road to Immortality”