[PPP] Verizon Phones

I have been a Verizon Wireless customer for years. I love their services, their calling plans, and their coverage. In my opinion Verizon has one of the best wireless networks in the country, yet they haven't always been known to have the coolest phones or great prices.

I just got a Motorola RAZR phone, and I am enjoying that immensely as well. It plays MP3’s on stereo head phones (head phones were an extra purchase, but worth it), and has all the other bells and whistles that the newest phones have. It takes videos and pictures, has a calendar, alarm, calculator, and both displays are color. You can program pictures to appear according to the phone number of the person calling in, as well as a personal ring tone for that person. I know I am forgetting some of the features now, but the phone is fully loaded.

The reason I am telling you all of this, is that right now there are some really good deals available at Wirefly on Verizon Wireless phones. A few examples are that you can get a really trendy new phone like the LG Mint Chocolate with Verizon service for free, or a Verizon RAZR (no Verizon or Wirefly rebates required) when you open a new account through Wirefly.

If this isn’t the type of phone or service you are looking for, I would urge you to keep an eye on Wirefly anyway, as the deals change daily.



This is a sponsored post.

Yesterday...

Yesterday was a day that really caused me to look back on my life of the last few years. The history that leads up to yesterday's story, is this. My husband of five years walked out on my almost five year old son and I ten days after our five year wedding anniversary. It had not been a good marriage during the last two years of those five years. That is a very long story, it involved his cheating on me with my so called friend, who was the only friend he allowed me to keep the company of at the time, but I am not going to get into all of that, as it doesn't really pertain to the story I am about to tell other than to state, that there is some bad blood.

We got divorced rather bitterly, but through it all I always tried to keep my wits about me a remember that I had to make the best of this situation, and try to make it as easy on my son as I could, despite the fact that at the time I thought the world was crashing down around me. After all, he was never a bad father, only a bad husband, and we were divorced, so the husband factor was now removed. The divorce was official three years ago in September. (We split four years ago in October.)

The first two years of our separation/divorce were far from a walk in the park. (The first year being the year we spent trying to finalize a divorce.) He was still trying to control my life any way he could, and it led to constant fights as I refused to allow that control any longer. The only problem was that his only leverage over me was our son, who against my wishes, was constantly being drug into the middle of it. I made a promise that I wasn't going to bad mouth my son's father in front of my son. I will not lie, I did plenty of that to my mother and sister and friends when my son wasn't around. I did have rules. No one in my family was allowed to talk crap about my ex in front of my son either. My father hated this rule, but has obeyed it.

My ex did not have the same rule in his life. My son was always telling what his father said when he would return from visitation. I answered his questions, and explained that he knows who I am and should follow his heart not his dad's anger. He was a smart child and this sunk in. My son would often ask why his father was mad at me, when his father was the one who left. (A day my son remembers quite well, having been almost five.) I could never answer this question although I guessed it was probably guilt, and the fact that he was even more unhappy with the new woman who constantly complained about the same things I had. (Needless to say, he didn't keep her around over long either which surprised no one.)

I have gotten off the point a bit again, you will have to forgive me. Yesterday was not the turning point in our tenuous, but necessary relationship. Only the point at which I was able to reflect on how much things have truly changed. I am remarried to a wonderful man, and my ex is seeing a wonderful gal who I like a great deal. All four of us can now get along it seems. I am not saying that we don't still have issues and difficulties. My ex still does things I don't approve of at all, but not in regard to our son, so I brush those things off, or complain to my current husband or mother to make sure I am not the one who is completely stupid on those particular matters. Just to give a quick example, he still has a massive spending problem and buys dirt bikes, quads and cars almost as often as he changes his underwear, yet he still owes me thousands of dollars in money I have had to spend to pay of marital bills. This could be a big deal, but I am better with my money, and no one goes hungry in my house because of his poor spending habits. This is the type of thing that I complain to my mother and husband about simply because I don't understand it, and I don't like seeing him with new toys while I am paycheck to paycheck while paying off the bills.

Despite all of this, and this stuff is very menial considering the stage we were at before, things have improved greatly. No longer do I have to throw a fit to have some extra time with our son when he has a Cub Scout Event or a Tae Kwon Do test or a soccer game. The first year we were separated I would have to really drive home the fact that this wasn't about my ex and his visitation, but about our son, and his not having to miss the things normal kids did because his parents were divorced. This wasn't about me trying to inch him out of his son's life as he was always more than welcome to come and watch as well, and I told him on numerous occasions that his son wanted him there. I always urged him to attend no matter how uncomfortable it was for me at the time as I also had to remember that it wasn't about me and my comfort level, but about our son.

Half way through the second year of our separation things were marginally better. He attended more of our son's events, and would call me on weekends when he had to work and let me spend those hours with our son instead of leaving him with someone else. He even started letting our son attend things when he couldn't bring him, by picking him up after the event or having me drop him off. Things weren't perfect as he wasn't attending as many events as our son wanted him too, but at least our son was getting to do the things normal children get to do without his mother having to fight with his father. He wasn't getting left with other people on weekends his father had to work either. Instead his mom could take him to a movie and to lunch.

This brings us to a much more current time. My husband and I treated my ex to lunch, even though he owes us money, and were glad to do so. We all sat down and enjoyed a meal and conversation without any hurt feelings or wounded egos. No arguments. It was actually a very good day. I was driving our son in to his father's house after spending the morning with him launching rockets with the Cub Scouts. It was around lunch time, so I called his father and asked if he wanted me to feed our son before dropping him off, as I didn't know if my ex had already eaten. (This is something I always do to try and avoid arguments or sore feelings about stupid stuff. His father can feed him, but it makes it easier if he doesn't have to worry about it. Especially since I have already had Cris for part of the day on his weekend.) He said that was fine as he didn't have a whole lot planned for the rest of the day, as none of us had known how long it would take to launch rockets. I said thanks and hung up to hear our son ask if his dad could eat with us too. I looked at my husband and asked him if it would bother him, and being the wonderful man he is, he said it wouldn't and that it would be a good idea to extend the goodwill as his father had been very accommodating with the Cub Scout schedule recently. I called my ex back and invited him. To my surprise he accepted, and we met and had a pleasant time.

Our son got out of line as kids do, and our son got the reprimand in unison from a chorus of three adults who all want what's best for him. After the initial reprimand his father went on to say that "You don't get away with that at my house, and I know you don't get away with that at your mother's, what makes you think you can be sitting here in front of both of us and get away with in now?" I have to admit I had a hard time controlling the giggles.

On the way home I was almost giddy. Not because I had been able to have lunch with my ex, but that we were all able to set aside our differences, and accept the fact that we were going to always have to be together to raise this now eight year old boy. This eight year old boy has taught us all more than I think any of us would have ever guessed he would be able to. He has been able to convince us that team work, even when there are issues of particular dissent is always the best way to go. Among other things of course.

The Other Side of the Story

A must see for anyone who follows the global warming debate. This is the other side of the story. It is lengthy so get comfortable.

Michael Yon

I have been reading a fantastic blog written by a man named Michael Yon. He is a citizen journalist that has taken it upon himself to embed himself with our troops in Iraq. His only goal is to learn the truth and pass it on to the rest of us. He is an amazing writer, and I am truly grateful that he is doing this selfless job. I would urge all of you to check out his blog. You can get there by clicking here. As a citizen journalist he is funding his own travels and his stay in Iraq, so I ask that you send what you can, his way by going here.

Will Iraqis Ever Live in Peace?

Many, many years ago (I was in high school) I was watching one of those silly awards shows on TV, and Whoopi Goldberg was hosting. This in and of itself is not an amazing thing, but I still remember clearly something she said. It has always stuck with me. During one of her many monologues that night, she said something to the effect that she was tired of black American's running around wearing silly hats and calling themselves African-Americans. She said, "I have been to Africa, and I am American".

The reason I brought this up is because people are now focused so much on multi-culturalism, that they have forgotten the bigger picture. At the end of the day, we are all American. When America first began we strived to be able to make our differences become something that bound us together, by being able to recognize that being different isn't a bad thing. It offers us a chance to learn about other ways of life, and other traditions, other foods, other languages. For the most part, this still holds true. Most of us have become able to accept that we are all different and the fact that we can all live together is the glue that makes this nation and it's people special. In a lot of instances I feel that tolerance and acceptance is what makes an American.

If you stop and think about it, tolerance and acceptance doesn't come naturally in the human make up. If you have ever raised children you know this. Children must be taught that someone who looks different or speaks different isn't necessarily a bad person or someone you should fear or pick on. School age children are often cruel to those who are different, and isn't until adults teach them that this isn't wrong that the cruelty stops. On occasion it doesn't stop, but most children are open to being taught this important lesson.

Many of you know that being American doesn't mean that you can't hang on to tradition and heritage, and pass that on to our children. In fact, it would be very bad thing to loose these things, and a lot of American's know this. Hanging on to tradition and culture only becomes a problem when those traditions and cultures are being impressed upon those who already have their own against their will or if it causes harm to those in your family (things like Sharia law would be a problem here as some aspects of it are very abusive).

Americans have started to develop some traditions that are distinctly ours. Those traditions, ideas, and schools of thought, are what have separated us from the rest of the world. As Americans we need to be just as proud of that as we are of being of German, Jewish, or Native American descent (those of course are just a few examples).

I have some English in my heritage (among other things), and I have been to England. I came home from England knowing that I am most certainly not English even though the two cultures are so very similar. I couldn't even begin to try and explain why I felt that way. It wasn't because I didn't have a good time or the people weren't nice. Something made me realize who I had become, and that it wasn't a bad thing to be. Just different from the rest of the world, and even from societies very similar to my own.

I hope that in time that the Iraqis will grasp this concept as well. That may be a bit much to hope for right now, but when they do they will be able to share, and learn, and most importantly live in peace. Until then....

[PPP] Want Coupons To Use At Your Favorite On-Line Stores?

You know? I am really liking Pay Per Post. Now they are not only paying me to talk about the things I have tried and liked, but they are pointing me towards sites that save me money. With their help, I recently found a site called Coupon Chief. I went to their URL, and searched for some of my favorite places to shop on-line, and immediately found a number of them. One of them was The Body Shop. The type of coupons vary by store, and some even by the type of merchandise in said store, but the assortment is large. You are bound to find one that will suit your purpose. My favorite store, The Body Shop, is offering free shipping on orders over $55.00, and that is not a hard amount to spend at the Body Shop. At least not for me. Especially when I am shopping on-line from the comfort of my home and don't have to waste the gas, deal with parking and crowds, or contend with teenagers.

Coupon Chief offers many other coupons for various other stores such as the Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, The Gap, Eddie Bauer, Macy's, Staples, Best Buy, Dell, and the list could go on as thee are over 1,000. You can even find special Travelocity Deals.

Now, I am sure that there are many on-line coupon providers out there, and I have even dealt with a few in the past. They make you fulfill all kinds of different tasks before you get to the coupon, or make you purchase a bunch of junk you don't need in the process (I bought an entertainment guide once that I never even opened), but of the few stores that I checked out I didn't see anything of this nature on Coupon Chief. Now, Coupon Chief may have had some like this, but I have yet to find them. Instead I found a bunch that didn't require anything of the sort. You click on the Coupon Chief link, it takes you to your favorite on-line store and in the background pops up a window to help you claim your coupon during check out.

I am going to have fun with this one. Happy On-line shopping!

This is a sponsored post.

Wednesday's Hero

Almost a month ago, the Wednesday Hero Blogroll received an email from a reader named Mike Gardner that contained something he had written in honor of this country's heroes. He asked that it be considered for a future post. It took almost a month, but here is his tribute.

At The Right Time, We Remember

The honor roll goes back farther than we can remember, it contains names we will never know...

I wasn't there when the American Colonial Army stood winter guard in the snows of Valley Forge wearing bloody rags for boots as they fought for my freedom.

I wasn't there in the war of 1812.

I wasn't in the trenches when the German's seared the lungs of young American men with mustard gas as they fought for my freedom in World War One.

I wasn't at Pearl Harbor when a single Japanese bomb detonated a million pounds of black powder on the Arizona and instantaneously killed over one thousand American sailors preparing to defend my freedom against the Japanese and the Nazis.

I didn't see the bullet riddled bodies of the Americans who died defending my freedom in Korea.

I only vaguely remember the nightly news clips of American soldiers as they carried out our government's orders in the jungles and swamps and tunnels of Vietnam.

I have never been with a family who lost a son or a daughter defending Kuwait, Afghanistan, or Iraq.

I wasn't there with any of them when they suffered as prisoners of war in any of these wars.

I have never been with a family whose child died in a peace time military training exercise.

Not every one of our veterans saw combat. Some were clerks, cooks, mechanics, machinists. Some served during war time, some served during peace time, some serve in peace today, ready for battle tomorrow. Today they prepare for the ongoing war against terrorists. Some gave their lives, some suffered wounds, some saw things that no human should ever have to see, and many did things that no human should ever have to do. And all gave their daily life, for a period of time, while many more gave their time to work in the industries that sustained our veterans.

Not all of those who have protected my freedom were even in the military. Some of them were the firemen, policemen, and paramedics who risked their lives each day, rushing in where most of us would never tread. Some are the doctors and nurses who treat the wounded, and go home and cry for them. Some of them were "just" passengers on commercial airline flights who, with faith in Christ, calmly chose to fight, and die if necessary, rather than let Flight 93 be used as a weapon against their country and their fellow citizens.

When I tried to join the US Air Force, my application was turned down for medical reasons.

Because others were, and will be there, I am privileged to continue to live in the greatest nation the world has ever known and to enjoy the greatest freedoms that any people have ever known.

The honor roll stretches forward to times, and places, and names we will never know...

And so I thank you, veteran, whoever you are, and wherever you are, whenever your service.

Thank you Vet. Thanks Dad. Today, I remember WHY I am free, and I thank you.

I know that when you were asked, at the right time, like Christ, you gave your life for me.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here.

[PPP] Say What You Really Want To Say!

I had to tell you about this. It sounds like a lot of fun! While perusing open opportunities today at Pay Per Post I found one that I had to check out for myself. It is called Anonymous Email.

It allows you the ability to send jokes and gossip with friends, send compliments or complaints to co-workers, share secrets, flirt, tease, rant, or express whatever you've been longing to say, without being found out. You remain completely anonymous. Better still is that the service it is free.

Now, most of you know me well enough to know that I am not quiet about anything, and I always speak my mine, so I am signing up just to have a little fun, but many of us know people who don't or can't come right out and say what is in their minds. Maybe this will help them? It is worth a try. Keeping everything locked inside is far from healthy.

Have fun!




This is a sponsored post.

Did You Know That Jerry Is Jewish And That Tom Is An Anti-Semite? Me Either...

Ok, so this has subtitles, so you are going to have to read, but as you read along with this video. Please try not to fall out of your chair.



This is a video taken of an Iranian University Professor. He is teaching Iranians, and they are taking notes!! He doesn't even get the basic facts correct, and I am not referring to his opinion of Tom and Jerry and their possible religious and racial views. I am referring to the fact that he stated that Tom and Jerry were created by the Jewish Walt Disney Company. First of all, Tom and Jerry was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbara (yes, Hanna and Barbara of the Hanna-Barbara fame, you know, Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Flintstones, etc.) out of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios. Not by Walt Disney or Walt Disney Studios, and I think we are all aware that Walt Disney is an American Company.

As you saw, it didn't stop there.

He kicks the poor cat's ass, yet this cruelty does not make you despise the mouse.

Of course not, it is a cartoon! That is all it is. It was a couple of guys drawing pictures to make a little money while keeping kids out of their parent's hair for a few hours on a Saturday morning. Next he will be saying that the Flintstones are an American attack against Sharia Law because Wilma an Betty don't wear Hijab's and don't walk six paces behind their husbands at all times. That and we all know who actually makes the rules in the Flinstone's household.

Now that I know what kind of crap is being taught in Iran, it is no wonder world peace can not be attained.

The Best Opening Paragraph I Have Read in a Long Time.

I came across an article today that I strongly suggest everyone read. It was written by Robert Kagan at the Washington Post. You can read the whole article here. On a side note, it contained the best opening paragraph I have read in an extremely long time.

A front-page story in The Post last week suggested that the Bush administration has no backup plan in case the surge in Iraq doesn't work. I wonder if The Post and other newspapers have a backup plan in case it does.

And here I thought I was the only one who had that thought cross my mind more than once.

Read the whole article.

D.C. Outlawing Guns In Homes?

My husband pointed me to an article he found today in the Washington Post from Saturday, March 10, 2007; Page A01. Here are a few snip its, along with my thoughts and comments. You can read the article in it's entirety by clicking here, and I would urge you to do so.

...A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that the District's longtime ban on keeping handguns in homes is unconstitutional.

The 2 to 1 decision by an appellate panel outraged D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and other city leaders, who said that they will appeal and that gun-related crimes could rise if the ruling takes effect...

...The panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit became the nation's first federal appeals court to overturn a gun-control law by declaring that the Second Amendment grants a person the right to possess firearms...

...Fenty (D) said the city is committed to pursuing additional appeals, adding: "I am personally deeply disappointed and frankly outraged by this decision. It flies in the face of laws that have helped decrease gun violence in the District of Columbia."...

...Fenty said city officials will "do everything in our power to work to get the decision overturned, and we will vigorously enforce our handgun laws during that time."...

...Yesterday's majority opinion said that the District has a right to regulate and require the registration of firearms but not to ban them in homes. The ruling also struck down a section of the D.C. law that required owners of registered guns, including shotguns, to disassemble them or use trigger locks, saying that would render the weapons useless.

In her dissent, Henderson wrote that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms relates to those Militia whose continued vitality is required to safeguard the individual States." She also said that because the District is not a state, the Second Amendment does not apply...

...Critics have long said that the D.C. law is ineffective, noting that the city has had hundreds of homicides in recent years, most of which were committed with handguns. Of last year's 169 homicides, 137 were committed with firearms, D.C. police said. Enforcing the strict handgun ban is difficult with so many guns on the streets, but police recovered more than 2,600 guns last year.

This was not lost on the Court of Appeals. In a footnote, Silberman noted that "the black market for handguns in the District is so strong that handguns are readily available (probably at little premium) to criminals. It is asserted, therefore, that the D.C. gun control laws irrationally prevent only law abiding citizens from owning handguns."...

..."Let's be honest: Although there are many fine officers in the police department, there's a simple test. Call Domino's Pizza or the police, and time which one gets there first," Palmer said...

...NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said, "The only people who have anything to fear from a decision like this are the people who intend to break into someone's home in the middle of the night."

But former U.S. deputy attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. said that weakening the gun law "opens the door to more people having more access to guns and putting guns on the streets."...

...D.C. resident Kenny Barnes, who became a gun control advocate after his 37-year-old son was shot to death on U Street NW, called the ruling "crazy."
"What kind of message are you sending?" Barnes asked. "This is not Dodge City in the 1800s."...

My biggest bone of contention regarding what is happening in Washington D.C. is that out lawing anything, only guarantees that those who are going to follow the laws won't have what you just out lawed. Those that are going to break the law won't care what law you just passed. They will go about their business anyway. This fact has been proven ever since this law was passed in Washington D.C. The crime rate has not gone down, and guns are still being used in increasing numbers to commit them. Another perfect example of how badly this approach works is found in the United Kingdom. Handguns are illegal there, and not even the regular police force carries them. Guess who still does? That's right! The criminals! So the handgun ban accomplished what exactly? NRA Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre, who was quoted in one of my snip its above, hit the nail right on the head. I completely agree with him that the only ones who have anything to fear when regular citizens own guns, and have them in their homes, are the people who intend to break into a home where a gun lives. I mean, after all (and this was my favorite line in the whole article by the way),

..."Let's be honest: Although there are many fine officers in the police department, there's a simple test. Call Domino's Pizza or the police, and time which one gets there first," Palmer said...

Secondly, this Henderson gal states that because Washington D.C. isn't a state the Second Amendment doesn't apply. What a scary, and utterly unintelligent thing to say. It is still a part of the United States of America, and The Constitution and all of it's amendments apply to the entire country. With her reasoning slavery could still be legal, and women wouldn't be allowed to vote in Washington D.C. Not only that, but she does not have the right to her freedom of speech, or the right to pursue happiness if she lives in Washington D.C. She of course would point to the fact that the Second Amendment states:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

What she fails to realize is that the word "State", when capitalized and in this context, refers to the nation as a whole. I learned that in American Government in high school, and it was reiterated again in college.

Is anyone else out there praying that D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty doesn't move to their state? I know that I will be tonight before I go to bed. He poses a much bigger threat to me and my freedom than my neighbor owning a gun.

My Second Grader's Report Card

I have a very bright eight year old boy. I am not a biased mom, as I am the first to admit his flaws as well. He has many, but lacking intelligence is not one of his flaws. This is the reason I was very perplexed when he brought home "achieving at expected level" grades on his last progress report. In the past, he has always have "above expected level" for the most part, and "exceeding expected level" on a few subjects. This was much lower than I expected to see. I asked my son about it. He didn't seem the least bit concerned, and said that his teacher told him that meant he was doing well. I asked my son "why then are your grades worse than last report card if you are doing so well?" He said, "well maybe he (the teacher) gave me the wrong report card." I seriously doubted this, but I decided that a short talk with his teacher would clear things up. It did.

After speaking with my son's teacher I learned that my son is the second smartest kid in the class. Inside I was saying to myself, "Damn Straight! Now explain these grades! Did the majority of the class get below expected level marks?", but I didn't say that. It is never good to start a conversation off like that. Instead I said "that is really good to hear, and I am very proud of him, but are his grades falling?" (See I am diplomatic.) That is when I learned something very new and very different about elementary school and what has changed since I attended. At first I was flabbergasted and maybe even a little upset, but by the end I wasn't. I actually thought it was a wonderful idea, as long as you child had a teacher who knew what the hell he or she was doing. In my son's case, his teacher does. This is a very good thing or the school would have had a fight on their hands. I will explain.

First, the new way of grading a student is based more on that child's ability level. They still have a district and state curriculum that outlines what the bare basics are that a child must learn in order to be passed to the next grade. There is no learning "cap" so to speak any longer either. Schools in this state do not like children skipping grades because mental intelligence does not necessarily lead to the maturity that only age can bring to the child. Also, unless they are severely mentally handicapped they don't like to segregate them, which would in turn make then outcasts, so children with slight learning disabilities are in the same class room as children who easily exceed the norm. There is also the whole "English as a Second Language" factor that comes into play here as well. All of us will admit that children who have English as a second language are not dumb, but the second language factor does delay things like reading and writing in the early grades. The do this to minimize "outcasting" and to help those with slight learning challenges learn with the help of other students.

With all of this now being a known factor they had to better accommodate the child on a personal learning level within the same grade and the same classroom. In theory this sounds great. In practice? Well, you just better hope you have good teachers. My son is lucky. He has a great teacher who was more than willing to show me how he makes this system work. How he can challenge those who need it with higher level work while not taking the class work over the heads of the children who are "English as a Second Language" learners, for example. It is a great and amazing juggling act if you ask me, but that is why it takes a good teacher.

Anyway, back to how this plays into my son's recent report card, but first, think back to when you were in school. I don't know about how you were raised, but in my house, anything lower than a "B" was not acceptable. Especially once I made it to middle school. Under no circumstances, could you bring a grade lower than a "B" home on a report card. If you did, you better plan your funeral before your parents got home from work. It was that simple. I have the same high standards in my house. Especially since I know what my son is capable of, and I am sure that was how my parents felt as well.

My son's grades were lower on his recent progress report because he is bored with the homework and the in class assignments. He is learning the material so fast that once he knows it, he stops applying himself in his work. He gets lazy and decides that it is a waste of his time, and that there are better things to do. He knows it, so he blows it off entirely, or writes as fast as he can, and in as short a sentence as possible just to get it done. Especially in his homework. This shows the teacher, and me, that he is not putting any effort into his work anymore. When you don't put in the effort to show you know the material your grades will fall. I never had a teacher who graded on tests alone. The home work had to be done, as did the in class work. If you skipped all of that, but aced your tests, you still only pull a "C". That is where my son is at. He may be the second smartest kid in the class, but he isn't putting in the effort like most of the other students are. Therefore, the lower grades.

Now, some parents still don't like this method. Their explanations for their dislike boils down to the bare fact that if their child is the smartest, that child should have the highest grade. I like this method myself. I don't need anyone to tell me how smart my son is. I know him. I know what he is capable of. If he wasn't a smart child he wouldn't always present wild arguments that actually bordered on making sense. (I have a future lawyer on my hands by the way.) Schools need to be teaching more than the bare basics in academics, and my son's school is trying to do this. They are not only teaching him that he needs to learn to read, write, and do arithmetic, but that he also has to learn to put some effort into what he is doing, whether he likes it or not. They are teaching him that if he doesn't do this, than he doesn't get the best grades. This applies to real life. You do YOUR best, and you will excel. You do the job half-ass, and you will end up falling short in life (or as my father always told us, "you will have a job with your name on your shirt just like me"). My son is learning (the hard way more than likely), that half-ass doesn't fly around here, and that always giving 100% in life is the only way things can be done. There is no substitution for hard work, or diligence, and there is certainly no excuse for achieving lower than you can achieve.

[PPP] My Recent Decision Regarding Pay Per Post

I recently decided to sign up with Pay Per Post. It was a decision that I had thought for quite some time about. I didn't know if advertising in my blog was something I truly wanted to do. I didn't know if the advertising would detract from my other writings which are topics I take very seriously. Despite this, I started doing some research on the numerous types of blog advertising services, and so far Pay Per Post is the one that made the most sense for me, and my blog. There are many different services to choose from after all, but this was the best fit.

Pay Per Post is a great deal more generous than some of the others. You get to choose what products and services you want to blog about, for one. Being as picky as I am about the products and services I will endorse, this was a big selling factor in my decision.

Secondly, they pass on more of the earnings from the advertiser to the blogger. Pay Per Post only keeps 35% of the revenue, and passes the rest on to those that are blogging about the product or service. Other blog advertising services keep a much greater portion of that revenue. ReviewMe for example keeps 50% for themselves.

I also liked that there are a multitude of different products and services to choose from. This of course goes back to my pickiness factor that I previously mentioned. I won't put my name on something I don't like, or haven't used. I was also amazed that a person could make anywhere from $5.00 per post to $1,000.00 per post. All for writing about a product or service they have tried and liked. People do that everyday and make nothing for it!

The final deciding factor for me was that I didn't have to have a high traffic attracting blog to be able to participate. If you have a high traffic blog however, the new segmentation system has the potential to generously reward you. Very generously.

All of that being said, I hope you enjoy reading my humble blog, and will keep in mind, that if I have endorsed it, that I have tried it, and found it worthy of mention. All of my Pay Per Post blogs will have a disclosure statement of course, as is only right, but also required. Everyone deserves to know that what they are reading is a sponsored ad right?

If you are interested in blogging about the items you enjoy you can learn more by clicking blogging.

A Brutal Truth.

This photo says it all. It is extremely sad, but true nonetheless. I found this photo on SWAC GIRL's Page.



And why is it that American's can be at the Mall when their soldiers are at war? Hmmmmm....

One Question...ok, so a few Questions.

Didn't Bill Clinton lie under oath during the whole Monica Lewinsky scandal? Am I remembering the story wrong? If he did lie under oath, why isn't he still in prison? If he did lie under oath, and didn't get sent to prison why is it that Scooter Libby stands to serve thirty years? Am I the only one confused?