news roundup for friday
hey folks. some more stories from the newsworld:
and hey -- i'm aware that many of these news sites require registration to see their articles. i know it's annoying, but it's fast and easy and free. and you don't have to get any of their newsletters and stuff if you don't want to. :)
now onto the news:
a new york times magazinearticle that gives some creepy insight into the workings within the bush white house. it's long, but it's worth it.
the column by bob herbert that directed me to the previous article, that talks about how out of touch bush is with real reality.
another column, this time by the lovely maureen o'dowd, which talks about how bush seriously sometimes thinks he's a mouthpiece for god.
do you see a pattern here? i realize that of the people who read this blog, i'm probably preaching to the choir, but given that election day is almost a week away, i'm getting more and more anxious. i must admit i've had a glimmer of hope that it all may not end up a disaster (after seeing that the kids voted for kerry), but it's nice sometimes to see well written, solidly backed-up evidence that the man that's sitting in the oval office (i will not say he's my president, because he's not) is not the best choice and is not doing good for this country.
::steps down from my soapbox::
onto other stuff:
i ran into this article about how young folks aren't the only ones detailing their cars -- some suburban folks are doing it to their minivans too.
the best quote in the article:
dude, that's alternately funny and scary. how's some 9-year-old gonna walk up to your car and lecture you on resale value?
again, fuuuuny yet scarrry as hell.
a washington post article about some parents making a whole lotta mess about nothing. the principal at this high school in northern virginia has made the students sign a pledge. on the pledge's list: no drugs, no alcohol and no "freak dancing"
dude, apart from the hilarity of reading a post article that breaks down exactly what "freak dancing" is, i was disturbed by how the principal and parents were focusing on such a ridiculous aspect.
of course the students were upset and were circulating petitions about an affront to their "freedom of expression" (reminds me of my high school days -- we were always ready to circulate a petition about school policies we didn't like), but on a broader note, shouldn't parents be worried about more important things than "freak dancing"? i mean, i'm not a big fan of it myself, and kids can go crazy, but at the end of the day, it's just a dance.
instead of worrying about whether suzie's freaking johnny on the dance floor, perhaps they should be worried about what's going on behind the bleachers or wherever kids makeout, etc. these days. they need to worry about whether these kids quantify oral sex as sex or are using protection or a myriad of other issues.
"freak dancing" does not equal sex and not "freak dancing" doesn't mean that sex isn't going on. stupid parents barking up the wrong tree.
and you know it had to be a predominately white school district.
lastly, a story that mixes the issues of the previous article (teens and sex and the focus of the first three links: a newsday story about how abstinence-only sex ed groups have recieved a boost of support since bush took office, thanks to his support of such policies.
reading stuff like this pissed me off too, as anyone who accepts abstinence-only sex ed as a viable too is either (a)smoking that good shit or, more likely, (b)living in denial. one of the certainties of life is that many teenagers are going to be curious about sex/sexuality as they go through puberty, and many are gonna end up having sex in some shape or form. so to teach them that abstinence is the only way is not only stupid, it's dangerous.
and hey -- i'm aware that many of these news sites require registration to see their articles. i know it's annoying, but it's fast and easy and free. and you don't have to get any of their newsletters and stuff if you don't want to. :)
now onto the news:
a new york times magazinearticle that gives some creepy insight into the workings within the bush white house. it's long, but it's worth it.
the column by bob herbert that directed me to the previous article, that talks about how out of touch bush is with real reality.
another column, this time by the lovely maureen o'dowd, which talks about how bush seriously sometimes thinks he's a mouthpiece for god.
do you see a pattern here? i realize that of the people who read this blog, i'm probably preaching to the choir, but given that election day is almost a week away, i'm getting more and more anxious. i must admit i've had a glimmer of hope that it all may not end up a disaster (after seeing that the kids voted for kerry), but it's nice sometimes to see well written, solidly backed-up evidence that the man that's sitting in the oval office (i will not say he's my president, because he's not) is not the best choice and is not doing good for this country.
::steps down from my soapbox::
onto other stuff:
i ran into this article about how young folks aren't the only ones detailing their cars -- some suburban folks are doing it to their minivans too.
the best quote in the article:
IN Atlanta, Pam Gould's 1996 Honda Odyssey also sports a hippie-chic look, with butterflies and a daisy chain down the sides, and the words "Feelin' Groovy" on the back. Reaction to the car has varied widely, she said. "The scariest was a 9-year-old child, who said, `Why did you do that? It's going to hurt the resale value.' "
dude, that's alternately funny and scary. how's some 9-year-old gonna walk up to your car and lecture you on resale value?
again, fuuuuny yet scarrry as hell.
a washington post article about some parents making a whole lotta mess about nothing. the principal at this high school in northern virginia has made the students sign a pledge. on the pledge's list: no drugs, no alcohol and no "freak dancing"
dude, apart from the hilarity of reading a post article that breaks down exactly what "freak dancing" is, i was disturbed by how the principal and parents were focusing on such a ridiculous aspect.
of course the students were upset and were circulating petitions about an affront to their "freedom of expression" (reminds me of my high school days -- we were always ready to circulate a petition about school policies we didn't like), but on a broader note, shouldn't parents be worried about more important things than "freak dancing"? i mean, i'm not a big fan of it myself, and kids can go crazy, but at the end of the day, it's just a dance.
instead of worrying about whether suzie's freaking johnny on the dance floor, perhaps they should be worried about what's going on behind the bleachers or wherever kids makeout, etc. these days. they need to worry about whether these kids quantify oral sex as sex or are using protection or a myriad of other issues.
"freak dancing" does not equal sex and not "freak dancing" doesn't mean that sex isn't going on. stupid parents barking up the wrong tree.
and you know it had to be a predominately white school district.
lastly, a story that mixes the issues of the previous article (teens and sex and the focus of the first three links: a newsday story about how abstinence-only sex ed groups have recieved a boost of support since bush took office, thanks to his support of such policies.
reading stuff like this pissed me off too, as anyone who accepts abstinence-only sex ed as a viable too is either (a)smoking that good shit or, more likely, (b)living in denial. one of the certainties of life is that many teenagers are going to be curious about sex/sexuality as they go through puberty, and many are gonna end up having sex in some shape or form. so to teach them that abstinence is the only way is not only stupid, it's dangerous.
posted by maryann at 10/22/2004 11:22:00 AM
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