Friday Focaccia
Isn’t “Thou Shalt not Lie” a commandment? - Why is it then that in the name of G-D that religious groups like the National Council on Bible Curriculum find no problem in lying and using debunked myths to push their agenda?
Preacher Teacher the Prequel - I thought our problems in my town of Kearny were embarrassing with a School Administration trying to sweep a preaching teacher scandal under the rug, and a School Board too meek to do the job of oversight it should. However, I guess I should feel at least some modicum of relief that we still aren’t as embarrassing as the people in Longmont, Colorado that not only have a teach preaching religion in the class and writing a book based on his twisted teachings, and bragging how he corrupted kid’s sciece education (pdf)… and he is still teaching.
The B.K. Shuffle - According to the New York Times, “In what animal welfare advocates are describing as a ‘historic advance,’ Burger King, the world’s second-largest hamburger chain, said yesterday that it would begin buying eggs and pork from suppliers that did not confine their animals in cages and crates.” The Full Article is Here. Now it is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it is yet another piece showing that consumers can force even the big corporations to fix bad business practices.
Someone’s gonna get fired - Bad - It seems somebody on John McCain’s staff decided to pilfer a MySpace layout and not give credit as was required. Worse- He stole it from Newsvine co-founder Mike D. Even worse - The staffer hotlinked images from their server rather than download them as requested. Worst - Mike D, decided to have a little fun at McCain’s expense. Not that it matters much since McFlipFlop’s straight talk express has gone so far off track, people seem to be staying away from him in droves.
Things are a changin’ - Redux - (For those on Readers…sorry about the change). I am contemplating some changes around here and looking for some feeback from those few of you that do visit my little home here. Really what I am trying to figure out is what people do and don’t like. I have been hedging a bit with things such as politics and causes such as Sustainable food and Hormone free milk for fear of turning off some people, even though I do find them quite important. I have through e-mail gotten remarks about how this make me not enough of a… family blog and too political for some… and from others I have been told I put too much personal stuff in to be read by the politically active crowd. So I am wondering, what those of you who actually read this think, since my blogroll, both of the people I read, and those that read here, whether frequently or infrequently are the people that I connect with the best, and the opinions that of course matter the most to me. So, I will ask you what you would like to see. Should I section this blog out? Should I continue as is? Should I continue as is, but stop “holding back”? Inquiring minds want to know. Don’t want to leave remarks in comments, feel free to email me directly at jaymonster - at - gmail - dot - com.
Have a good weekend.
Daycare Dilemma? Not!
I wasn’t planning on writing about the stupidity that is the recent study conducted on children in daycare. Actually, the study wasn’t all that stupid, but more the hype and articles written about it were stupid. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed how this was being covered by the mainstream media.
Initially, I assumed that as nonsensical as the articles were that it would just blow over without much ballyhoo. Then I started reading some articles like at Career and Kids, where the frustration of yet another study on the subject shows. And I guess I can understand that since the way these articles tend to slant things, it always seems to be targeting the working mother. However there was something in the study she was missing, so I reviewed the source, and again it was missing some important pieces of the big picture. (which I will get to in a moment… just stick with me here.)
Worse, I saw this piece discount the frustration, because of what this study “proved” as “facts.” And now I had had enough.
All of these writings are based either on the Wall Street Journal version (you’ll need to be a subscriber to view the whole article) , or the New York Times version. But while the Newsweek version certainly offers up a similar shock value headline, and highlights the “problem” it also (briefly) includes some of the important aspects that I alluded to earlier that both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times didn’t bother with, like the study wasn’t designed to answer the question of “Why?” and the writers took it upon themselves to fill in the blanks, to help fuel the fire of the Stay at Home Mom vs Working Mom.
In the interview with Newsweek, one of the authors of the study admits as much, and goes on to say,
We did not look at why in this study, but other people have looked at this question and have some ideas. [One suggested reason is that] there’s been a move to make child-care programs more academic. Kids are supposed to start school knowing numbers and letters before kindergarten, and this process gives them less free time and forces them to do a lot more large-group activities and worksheets. It’s really hard for a 3- or 4-year old to sit and listen to the teacher talk for extended lengths of time.
So, perhaps then it is not the being away from the parent (as some would have you believe), but the fact that these “advanced” daycares, which are more and more being treated like “Pre-Schools” are not giving enough time for kids to just be kids? Perhaps there is too much pressure to make kids “excel” too early. But since the study was not designed for a “Why” we can not actually answer whether or not that is true.
It was also interesting to discover the following,
We saw no relationship between the amount of child care–whether by a nanny, a family member, or a babysitter–to how the child behaved in kindergarten through 6th grade. Interestingly, we also found that staying home with mom was statistically neither an asset nor a detriment in terms of academic outcomes and behaviors.
So it is NOT a question of having a “stay at home Mom.” A Nanny or another family member or babysitter was equal to Mom. Interestingly, both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times appeared to miss that “fact” hence I cannot blame Inside Fatherhood when he draws conclusions like,
But like one commenter on my previous post had said, “I don’t know that day-care in itself causes these problems, but it does remove the consistent, parental influence that’s needed to reinforce good behavior.”
This brings up a good point and I think Jared nailed it. So what is it they are NOT doing? I raise 5 kids on my own and I know there are certain laws that prohibit more than 5 kids per Day Care Staff member. So what is it they are not doing that I personally do with my own kids? For one I know I kiss and hug my kids. This is something that staff members can not do and get away with without lawsuits. And who wants some stranger hugging and kissing your kids? We have lost a lot of trust these days from all the pedophiles out there.
Although, I could fault him for not reading further (as I did), and it seems that he was already predisposed to agreeing to the article to begin with. However, he did not have the benefit of seeing the fact that a Nanny, or other individual caregiver, who may not (or would not) provide the “kissing and hugging” that he suggests is the reason why children would be be better behaved.
This study while beneficial, is nothing more than a stepping stone suggesting further study be done. It is not a conclusion. It can’t be without a “Why.” It is simply proof that additional research is warranted. But you wouldn’t know that by the way some are reporting this.
Doling out some congrats and Linky Love
Liz from This Full House and Shannon from PHAT Mommy both have new blogging gigs over at the recently redone Disney powered Family.com. Stop by here and here to wish them well.
Although I have been meaning to do this for some time, and apparently just forgot about it, the ever entertaining Mir of Woulda Coulda Shoulda fame, has a new blog for saving money, coupons and purchasing advise. Definitely far better than the cold bot versions you usually find, and the information is actually helpful, so stop at Want Not and your wallet will probably thank you.
Family Circus author Erin managed to keep her sanity long enough to pass her exam and become a licensed massage therapist while tending to 3 kids and hubby. She certainly deserves some congratulations I figure since I have trouble remembering my own name some days, and I only have to deal with one rugrat 
Mitch McDad and Flagrantdisregard have become “made men”, and have been added to the family at The Blogfathers. Stop by before they make you an offer you can’t refuse.
What (or who) have I missed?
The pitter patter of little feet
No! Not a baby, (fortunately LatteGirl’s obsession with a sibling has waned) … after nearly three months of waiting lists, and interviews, and follow ups to make sure we are suitable, we finally have… a new dog, “Jason” a 5 year old Basset Hound we adopted from the Mid-Atlantic Basset Hound Rescue.
It may not be a sibling, but LatteGirl is certainly happy with the new addition to the family. And me, being the bleeding heart liberal that I am, I am more than thrilled that we could rescue a dog, and not help support a puppy mill. Since Jack has taken to following close on TheWife’s heels at all times, she has the most adjusting to do (but she loves him anyway). Sweetie, our other dog, has not seemed to make her her mind yet. They are not fighting, but she seems (probably a bit natuarally) a bit jealous. She has however, also picked up her activity level since Jack has arrived.
Friday Focaccia
From the department of I ate What? - We all know we want our kids to eat healthy, but will on occassion cave in to the desires for fast food, typically something like a kids meal. Want to be able to never cave to the pressure again? Do you want to be able to never allow your child (or yourself for that matter) to ever consider consuming another McNugget? Then just go ask yourself, what really is in a Chicken McNugget? Directly off the desk of “Duh” - Researchers concluded after a study, that hormones may explain teen moodiness. Perhaps if we throw a few million in grant money at them, they can determine that the sun may explain why some people get sunburn in the summertime.
Back to school - So Tony Snow seems to think that Congress has no oversight responsibility over the White House. Seems to me they need a copy of Schoolhouse Rock!
This was no accident - Some in the government, are trying to push through laws that helped the richest of the rich avoid Estate Taxes or so called “Death Taxes,” and at the same time, under the guise of reining in the budget, last year made it so that pharmaceutical companies could no longer offer deep discounts to college students, and so as of this year (when the law took effect), the cost of Birth Control on campuses have doubled and in some cases tripled. I fail to understand at times how these clowns can sleep at night.
Give us your poor, your… no not those, I want them - Bill Gates is seems is a big supporter of Immigration Reform. Well at least as long as it will get him some more cheap programmers for his company. I guess he has enough low skill labor to manicure his palatial estate, because he was quote by Bloomberg saying,
“Any country should make it easy for people with high skills to come in,” Gates said in answer to a question during a news conference in Mexico City. “I’m hopeful there can be some immigration reform. Hopefully, it would be something that provides predictability and as much freedom of migration as possible”
Of course this is not anything new for the Microsoft Chairman. When he recently spoke in Washington, according to IT Business Edge:
To hear Gates tell it, even 115,000 won’t be enough. The U.S. should have access to an “infinite” number of skilled foreign workers to fill IT posts, he told the committee. During the dot-com days, the annual H-1B visa cap was as high as 195,000.
Yes, I remember those “Dot Com days” I distinctly remeber towards the end, as the salaries were leveling off, and then the ensuing bust of not being able to find any jobs at a reasonable wage. And that was before they really started shipping so much work outside the country. So, I can only imagine what happens to this market if they give Mr. Gates what he wants. But of course, with all the money he saves, I’m sure he will be able to live comfortably again, as I am sure the slow moving Microsoft stock price has really made him have to tighten his belt. (But I’m not bitter).
What part of personal privacy don’t they get? - It is always with the “best” intentions that lawmakers seem to come up with the most awful ideas, particularly (or at least so it seems) towards women. Here in New Jersey, an influential lawmaker is proposing a law that would create mandatory HIV testing for all pregnant women. Of course, it is a wise move to test if you are pregnant, and current State law already requires the availablity of the test to those that wish to take it, but apparently Mr. Cody has decided that he is going to make the decision for women now. This really should go down in a ball of flames, but Cody has the political muscle to push through stupid laws, and has done so before, so I will be keeping an eye on this as it progresses.
I just wanted to end on a fluff piece - The evening news always (or almost always) ends with a “fluff piece” and since I started doing these bits on Friday, I have started to understand why, as you look at what you are posting and ask, “Do I really want to end it on that note?” So I vamp along waiting to find one. Today I did not, but while the article is quite serious, I can’t help but be amused at the title of this article from the LA Times, If only gay sex caused global warming. If only we could generate that same sort of homophobic rage into global warming, we could probably solve this problem in a week.
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