femmefatale

A Chicago, Illinois teen who isn’t even old enough to drive, has been charged with impersonating an officer. He pled not guilty to the act, which can be considered as either a misdemeanor or a felony. The crime of impersonating an officer can hold stiff penalties of heavy fines and jail time, depending on whether the act is considered as having been done to willfully cause harm. The young man was charged as a juvenile, and held at a center due to the judge’s decision that he may be a threat to himself. Police spokesman have said that the lad showed up at Chicago’s Grand Crossing District station, 7040 S. Cottage Grove  Ave. in a police uniform. It is reported that he showed up for duty at about 1:30 pm and went on traffic patrol with a Senior Officer for close to five hours before being found out. This boy was sly enough to tell them he was sent on detail for the day from another district. He then signed out a police radio and ticket book, before going on traffic stops with the other officer, who became suspicious. The teen was wearing police-issued pants, shirt, vest, sweater and skull cap, but lacked a star. The department found no signs that he drove a vehicle, and he was not issued a gun. The youth was able to pull off this great charade due to his participation in a community program done through the Police Department’s Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy, also called CAPS, which involves young people interacting with the Chicago police officers. Apparently, the boy has become immersed in wanting to become a police officer, thus identifying security breaches within the department and landing himself into big trouble.

I do believe that he should be punished, however, it doesn’t seem to be done with ill intent. The kid does need to be taught that you can’t just go around doing things such as this that will get someone hurt, but he should also be encouraged to pursue a career in law enforcement. I guess the biggest question might be whether or not anyone would hire him after such a stunt. I think that any kid that age, who is intelligent and determined enough to pull something like that off should be taught the right way about doing it. You never know, he may end up being great officer material and end up saving some lives one day, instead of getting into trouble and embarrassing real police.

Tuesday January 20, 2009 will forever be etched in the history of the United States as the first time ever that a person of any type of African descent was elected to the Presidency. Obama’s inauguration was witnessed by millions in person, as billions all over the entire world watched in amazement. Not only was the 44th President of African heritage, but he was also of Caucasian blood, educated in different countries of the world. Barack Obama was deemed “the first global President.” People from Asia, Europe, and Africa alike celebrated the 2009 Presidency, a feet that has never been seen with such positivity before. This worldly educated, yet somehow spiritual person will represent people of all colors and stations in the mind of the entire earth. It’s almost mind-blowing to think that someone whose ancestors were denied the basic freedoms set forth in the constitution is now the defender of that same constitution. Is that what those who still monger hate are afraid of? Are they paranoid that someone who was discriminated against and trodden down would do what they would do given that much power over such a still strong nation, by punishing those who have trespassed against them over a difference in skin color? Many people of all cultures believe this to be one of the biggest problems with America, that they are in fear of a backlash from historical wrong doings. However, Obama can only be judged on his actions now that he is in office, just like any other President elected before him. Hopefully, he is a sign that a new era of unity is underway for all people.

Johnny Knoxville of “Jackass” fame was detained by authorities on Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport. The grenade was caught by the airport’s security screeners inside of one of his carry on bags. The bomb squad was called in, and found that it didn’t have explosive or a firing pin. Knoxville was allowed for release later that day, and boarded an American Airlines flight headed to Miami. He is reported to have told the authorities that the grenade was a stage prop which he had forgotten to take out of his bag before packing and attempting to board the flight. Knoxville can still face charges for the supposed mistake, which is a misdeamenor. If prosecution seeks charges, it will be the crime of bringing a prohibited item into a secure area within the airport.

Some people who are caught by security with various prohibited items are put on a list and or fined, not to mention arrested. You can find a list of the Transportation Security Administration’s prohibited items, as well as information for carry on liquids, passengers with disabilities, and accessory guidelines at http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

With so many sellers and buyers leaving Ebay, there needs to be a new kid on the block. And there is! Bidtunnel is an auction website in the tradition of Ebay, but the fees aren’t near as hefty for members. I can understand many of the problems, sellers especially, have had with the big boy of auction websites. However, as a former regular buyer, the mistreatment of the sellers was also affecting the bottom line for buyers. Many of the people who sell on Ebay were just like me, they had families and were just trying to make a little bit of money to get by. In meantime, postal rates keep going up and Ebay’s fees keept getting higher. I really don’t understand their reasoning behind it, other than good ole’ greed. If they don’t have anyone to sell or buy, they might just learn their lesson though. I highly doubt most people are going to leave Ebay due to the familiarity and the impact of having to start all over building a customer base etc. I do understand that, but it got too bad for me to deal with Ebay anymore. I didn’t like them forcing people to basically have to use Paypal on every transaction, that buyers held all of the cards on feedback, sellers not being able to give bad feedback, the hefty fees to even use the auction site, it’s just all around lacking in productivity for anyone trying to make a dime. You can see the affect from the pricing you see on listings now. It is much harder to sell on Ebay these days for smaller sellers.

Bidtunnel seems to be a much better auction site, in that it’s easy to use and low cost for buyers and sellers. It’s a really cool website because it’s not just about buying and selling, they have classifieds, trading, wanted items posts, webstores, reverse auctions, and message boards. It’s free to register at Bidtunnel, as well as sell and buy. The only rules are really about treating others properly, you must be 18 years old and over, and set up an account. Sellers can accept whatever payment forms they wish: Paypal, money orders, checks, and cash are listed for common forms of payment. No word on whether or not Bidtunnel will be accepting RME payments or not. They do state that a 1%-4% final value fee will be asserted for sales on the website. When I was selling on Ebay, it seemed like well over half of my so-called profit was going back to them in fees. You have all of the selling and buying options that Ebay does, with even longer auction lengths, if the seller desires. Another really good point about BidTunnel, is that both sellers and buyers can leave appropriate feedback for one another. Hopefully, people will try BidTunnel out and see just how it compares to Ebay’s pricing and system. You can find them here: http://bidtunnel.com/

A recent news story has cited that Mississippi has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the country. It’s at a staggering 68.4 % currently for this state. New Mexico follows second place, with 64.1 %, and Texas with 63.1 %. Now, as much as the fact that any teens are getting pregnant let alone at those rates bothers me, there’s something else that is amiss. Why does it seem that any time there are some negative statistics, these researchers always label it a “minority” problem? For example, the article about teen pregnancy rates on Yahoo says that these states have a larger amount of Black and Hispanic teenagers which are noted by experts to have higher birth rates. Well for one, you need to know how statistics are done in the United States. Especially, when it comes to those characterized by race. What I’ve learned is that multi-racial or mixed race relationships and children aren’t categorized as just that. These “experts” label them one race or the other, instead of what they are, a mixture of the races of their parents. I can give you a good example, but first let me give you a little background on my family. My family is very racially mixed, as far back as anyone can remember. Unlike what many people would like to think that racial mixing in the USA only coming from slave ownership etc, our family is built on racially mixed marriages. Those relationships and marriages lasted and were faithful ones. Thankfully, my ancestors didn’t let ignorant stigma and prejudice stop them from having fulfilling relationships. It’s not a big deal to see these kinds of partnerships from my point of view. Actually, people just need to get over it, because I highly doubt you will see anyone in this world who isn’t multi-racial somewhere down the line.

 I don’t particularly buy into the statements that the government is doing racial statistics to help mankind either. So far, looking into the history of these kinds of statistics is why I don’t believe in any genuine human interest strategy. In the history of the United States government, racial statistics have been used mostly in an effort to cause separation between the races and spread racist propaganda. This is why I like the idea of DNA tribes, and other DNA related tests that people can take to identify all of the different races and regions in a person’s blood. People are more than what they appear to be on the surface, and all of us need to understand that about each other. We’re all human and need to respect each other. Now, getting back to how the statistics are done. I was helping my brother to get his daughter (my brother is African/Native American/Caucasian(Irish, Scottish)/Asian decent and his daughter’s mother is Caucasian consisting of Irish/Native American decent) and who knows what else may be in there somewhere. A worker at the hospital and health office where you take children for check ups, told me when I inquired about why they had my niece’s race down as white only that,”Well, for government statistical purposes they tell us to put the race of the mother regardless.” I have a bunch of problems with this, for one how do you even know what races someone is just by the look of their features or skin color? You can not tell, and therefor anything you put down would be wrong. Secondly, if you choose one race either way for a multi-racial child it is still wrong. Then, another office told me that they usually categorize mixed children (when one parent is of a darker skin tone or color) as African American or Black no matter that they are mixed. So, how can any of these statistics be correct? They aren’t, these experts are going on a generalization that is wrong. Multi-racial children should be labeled as such. Statistics shouldn’t be based on such ignorant old-fashioned methods either. I believe it is just something to further the amount of misinformation about other races, and to attempt to solidify the falsifications that “minorities have higher birth rates.”

How are the birth rates higher among people of color, if many of these children are being born to Caucasian mothers, but being listed as being simply African American, Black, or Hispanic births? What’s more is that “minorities” are called this because there are not near as many people of color in the United States as there are Caucasians. If these experts want to go so in depth for the good of mankind as they say, then they need to count both parents in multi-racial births and not just the race which they desire to count. Medical institutions should also follow suit with this, because the data is incorrect. The world needs to learn to accept that multi-culturalism of humankind will not go away, they can not make these children go away, and they can not solidify a stigma forever. The newer society, Presidential election, and attitudes of our current generations indicate this. One day, there will be no more of this nonsense. Concern should not be with race, but with what is happening in society that is promoting teen pregnancy in the minds of these youngsters. More education and prevention needs to be taught, rather than just abstinence. Waiting for marriage should be the ideal, but adults should face the fact that teenagers are not always going to wait. Once everyone decides to get real on the issue of teen pregnancy, maybe the numbers of young parents will decrease.

Now, Miley Cyrus becoming the next Disney created, parent pimped train wreck may not be very important when you think of everything going on in the radar of the world today, but it does present a sad commentary on today’s society and youth. As stated before, I’m all about female sexuality not being denied and understanding that teenagers can’t have their feelings snuffed out about sexuality either. However, there’s a difference between realizing that sexual feelings are normal for teens, and totally making yourself an overtly sexual idol. Since when is it okay to show off your goodies in the preteen and teen stages to anyone, let alone a worldwide audience? On the other front, some people say all of these risque picture’s Miley Cyrus is taking are “normal” for teen girls these days. Not in mine, nor many other people’s opinions. I’m not one of those really old-fashioned people from the far out lands of old school, but I never did anything like what she or any of these girls are doing these days. I’ve not made it to 30 years old, and won’t make it there posing for any nudie/half nudie pics. It wasn’t just due to a strict parent either, I didn’t have any desire to show my stuff to anyone for any reason. I was always in shape and took care of myself, but I didn’t see any pride in allowing people to see my private self. That’s supposed to be only for the eyes of someone special, not people on youtube and who knows where else. It’s like nothing is sacred anymore with anyone. I don’t understand this girl, nor do I get Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, etc. etc. I guess I’m not meant to, but it’s sad that parents are allowing young girls to set themselves up to become pleasure material for perverts anytime of the day or night by providing these photos. How many times is Miley Cyrus going to have racey pictures show up before she ever hits legal age? Evidently, it’s cute somehow to her and those parents who keep buying her merchandise and allowing their children to watch her show. I have a daughter, and I’d better not find out she’s taking photographs like these or doing such things as many of these girls do. So many people were angry about the magazine cover, but that is nothing compared to the pictures that she has taken and obviously posed for herself. How can she and her family claim that she was mislead when she has taken pictures of herself pulling down her own shirt to expose her breast, and showing herself off in her underwear? There’s no way anyone tricked her into taking any kind of pictures, she does it because she wants to. Just like the pictures she’s taken kissing one of her female “friends.” Many parents are still angry about that, and I have seen first hand that girls follow what she does. I don’t think anyone should expect the girl to be a Saint, but she is representative of a supposed kids show and brand for very young children. If she feels that she is past that stage, and ready to go into a more adult arena then she needs to give up the kiddie show and stop influencing other young girls to act in the behavior she does. With that said, it is up to parents (such as hers also) to monitor their kids and know what they are watching and doing. Sad and pityful indeed what the world is coming to. You can see a video with just some Miley Cyrus’ risque pictures here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39nVvqA1MOM

I signed up with Kandzoo, which is supposed to be a new social networking site that pays its members to complete various assignments. I also referred some people to sign up for the website. I don’t know if you are supposed to get a referral bonus for that, but I have done a few of the assignments and so has my husband. We have yet to get any type of compensation from anything on that website. I was just wondering if anyone out there had used Kandzoo and made any money from there? It seems like you can’t really make any cash on this networking site, and you don’t really get answers to questions when you ask them. Maybe I’ve just had bad luck with the little bit I’ve used it, but it seems like a dead end. I’ve decided to just use my profile to promote my referral links on my writing programs etc. I’m also thinking about starting a group on there in which people can promote their referral links. So far, that’s the only value I can find in the website at all. It’s just another social website to set up a profile and promote as much as you can. I see lots of the same questions I have been asking them about actual real pay for these assignments, with no answers to any of them. I guess we’ll all see whether Kandzoo is legit or not, but I don’t believe in it anymore. I’m mostly trying to stick to the “paid to write” opportunities I find. I only sign up for ones that have quite a bit of good reviews from people who have tried it for a while. Those are usually the people who can tell you the pros and cons of using that service. They can also give you advice on making more money on a particular website. Writing for pay is pretty new to me, and I really don’t make a lot. It does help my family get by many times, but I’m looking to do better than get by.

I think everyone reads celebrity news, at least every now and then. You basically can’t get away from it anyway. There are posts and bulletins on front pages all over the internet, and all types of tv news editions who report the same old dribble about the same celebrities one after the other. Heck, even the regular news reports on them constantly. By the time you get to your evening news, you’ve heard that same story over a dozen times about a particular celeb. I don’t know about most people, but I really could care less that Paris Hilton bought a pink car to do any assortment of drugs in, that Brangelina adopted or popped out yet another child/ren, or that either of the two units made yet another horrid movie. It’s the same thing anytime you hear something about most of them, just a different day. What’s more is that who cares unless they are ever genuinely doing something to help someone who actually deserves it. I don’t think anything that they do is very important. Not enough for me to spend my time hearing or reading about it when I could be daydreaming…or blogging! Now blogging about how I can’t stand them is the only time I would waste on them lol. Now, for the list of the top five reasons that celebrities are so annoying:

1. People actually pay them to do absolutely nothing, and they believe they deserve it.

2. They become famous while doing absolutely nothing, and expect to stay famous for nothing.

3. They really do think that they are the most important people in the world.

4. No matter how overly exposed they are, they always want more attention.

5. Most of them not only have attitudes worse than 2 year-olds, they think it’s cute to show them.

There are tons of things to hate, but some things just really make me angry. Yes, I know that I’m starting out the year being grumpy. I have good reason to as far as I’m concerned. If people didn’t annoy you so badly, then it wouldn’t be so easy to gripe so much. Most of the time, even if something is really bothering me, I let it slide. Unless, however, it keeps on coming up over and over. Well, here it is a few hours since my husband left again. He goes out of the door and says, “I’m stopping by _____(whatever place to do whatever it is that day) and I will be right back.” Yeah, right. I’d like to know what his definition of that even is. When I tell someone I’ll be right back, that means a few minutes. When a male says it, that usually means whatever plans or errands you have been telling him about for weeks will be ignored. My husband likes to poke around all day, and do whatever it is that he wants to waste time on. It doesn’t matter what has to be done, how long it’s been sitting, how many times he’s said it would get done, or anything else. He will go off to do things that really aren’t important at all. For example, today he went to take speakers supposedly to my brother’s house in order to make a super gigantic loud amp out of all of them. Now, I had mortgage business to take care of, errands to run, and then over to my mother’s house to take care of some business. Now, none of it will get done because he had to go jerk off again as usual. All the while, I’m left to take care of our daughter so that he can bs about whatever. He also put a note on the refrigerator stating that he promises to clean the house today, he’s been saying that for weeks now. Most things around our house don’t get done, unless I do them or throw a fit for him to help here lately. Being a wife is never an easy job, but someone has to throw things at them or pour ice water on them in the middle of the night to teach them a lesson! It may just be because I’m sick with that nasty stomach virus going around. I am pretty tired, but I still get things done regardless. I wish I knew what gene it is that males lack when it comes to getting things done. It’s not like I’m asking him to go clothing shopping for hours, or pick out all kinds of girlie frilly stuff. I’m not into that kind of junk, nor do I really like anything too girlie. I just like to get things done and out of the way, so that I can concentrate on other things. My husband helps me a lot, but he needs to learn that things need to be done on the scheduled time. Sometimes I wonder what it’s going to be like when our daughter starts school, and he’s going to just ignore meetings with her teacher and leave everything on me to take care of the same way he does most other things. I hope for his sake, he doesn’t plan on it.

Well, I had a deadline for a $10 bonus from Associated Content. The catch? Well, I was supposed to write at least 20 articles for the month of December, which wouldn’t have been too hard for me considering how I normally want to write. The thing is, that I can’t always write when I have the inspiration to. I have a husband, baby, other children I help with, family obligations, errands, etc. Of course, when I told my husband about it, he was all ears and said that he’d watch our daughter whenever I wanted to write. Well, most women with kids know how that goes. When you feel like doing something, they don’t feel like watching the kids. In addition to that, I gave everyone homemade gifts, and took quite a bit of time making those. I had planned when I first got the notification to turn in the 20 articles, to write one or two each day. That was no dice, since it seems like I have way too much to do everyday and a baby on my hip. I also had gotten an offer from a freelance company to work between 20 and 30 hours a week writing articles of their choosing for compensation of $10,000 or more at the end of the project. I was not even going to try doing that. I mentioned it to my husband and his immediate repsonse was, “Baby, for money like that I would make sure and watch the baby so you could write.” I already know better on that one when it comes to him watching her so that I can do things. I can’t even have enough time to write two articles a day, so I know that there’s no way he’d watch her enough for me to put that much work in. The house would be an even bigger mess than it is, and there would be piles of laundry awaiting me, with hell knows what else. I love my husband, and he is more helpful than most guys. He doesn’t think he’s too good to change diapers, cook, or clean. He’s great with our daughter, he’ll do the grocery shopping, and run errands. It’s just that, and most mom’s will testify to this, males just don’t do things the way we do them. So, we would rather take on a huge load to have it done “the right way.” It’s not that they can’t do those things, it’s just that I like the way I do laundry etc, and I don’t want anyone else touching it.

Basically, I guess I’m just going to have to be happy with writing and publishing whenever it is that I get time to do so. I write to buy little stuff around the house, help put gas in the suv, and buy diapers. It would be nice to be one of the $700+ per month bloggers, or writers but it’s not going to happen anytime soon. I think that our daughter’s too young at this point, and I like to spend lots of time with her. I feel guilty even writing at all to tell the truth. There’s also the fact that when you’re in a relationship with a child, little quiet moments are rare. I like spending those times with my wonderful husband when I can. It might be days or weeks until we can have a few moments to just talk, and not fall asleep for lack thereof.

New Year’s Day started out sucking, but I had to remember that not being able to reach a goal for $10 measly bucks isn’t anything to be sour about. There are people in really bad situations who don’t have what I do all over the world. There are people who don’t have a family to interrupt them while they are trying to do things. So, in those respects, I’m pretty lucky. I think about not having the people that I love all of the time. I’d rather have total chaos than not have my husband, child, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and other family members. All I can hope for is that I’m making a difference for someone close to me, who will in turn do the same for someone else.