I Ain't Afraid of No Daleks

I spoke with a nice gent on the phone the other day--cannot recall if he was from Illinois or Misouri...anyhow, he was telling me about his daughter's school--the equivilent of a state primary school over there in the UK.

Seems his daughter was a straight-A student, who got a zero on one of her papers, which it seems she had worked hard on...and, handed in on time.

So, why did a straight A American student, get a zero on a paper that was completed and handed in on time? Because it wasn't handed in on a computer disk. WHY wasn't it handed on a computer disk? Because her dad wasn't getting enough work coming in on his job, and simply couldn't afford a computer...he deciding that paying the mortgage on their home, and buying food and clothing for his kids, was more important. Parents do have funny priorities sometimes, don't they?

When asked at a parent-teacher conference night, why this gentleman's daughter got a zero. The teacher said that no hard copies of papers were allowed in her class.

What??? No hand written, typed or word processed papers? How will children today, ever learn proper PENMANSHIP???

And, when the parent told the teacher he didn't have a computer, the teacher blew him off, by saying nonchallantly, "Well, you'll just have to get her one." Mind you, the cheapest computer in the USA, is still around 400 or 500 dollars, and to a parent who needs those funds to pay the mortgage or car payment or medical bills, etc., that's like telling a parent to send his or her kid off on a rocket ship to the moon!

That's right, if you're thinking this is a dumbed down approach to teaching--yet it was the head of the school and the school board--made up of community memebers--who approved this compuer crap.

Seems the school has a computer that automatically reads and grades papers, and the teachers NEVER SEE THEM. In fact, the teacher couldn't even remember WHAT the assignment was!!! How can they read each other's papers? How can a teacher give back their papers with corrections AND suggestions---which is the number one thing that has helped me personally, as a writer, over the years---how can they ot do that, and produce intelligent readers and writers?

Bottom line: They can't. America is leading the world in mental laziness! Gee, there's really something to be proud of...not.

So, I've most of my month's meals planned out--a big help when budgeting my shopping, and also if I'm not well, I can better plan my meals to make things simple. I have a couple of gaps in my menu next week though, and tried to come up with some stuff...found a couple of casseroles that will be reasonably cheap and tasty.

CREAMY TUNA CASSEROLE

8 ounces of soft cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whole or semi-skimmed milk
1 7 oz can solid white tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
1 tablespoon onion powder, or 2 tablespoons yellow onion, very finely chopped
1 cup tinned peas, drained, or, frozen peas, thawed
1/4 tsp salt
8 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked, briefly rinsed in cold water, and drained
1 cup regular (not thick "dip" chips or Pringles) potato chips, finely crushed (optional)

Pre-heat oven to just under 375 degrees F (about 370)

In a large bowl, mix sour cream with cream cheese, until well blended. Stir in milk, tuna fish, onion powder or onions, peas and salt. Stir in noodles, blending well. Turn noodle mixture into a 1 1/2 quart greased casserole dish. If desired, sprinkle crushed potato chips over top of casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

TAGLIARINI

1 pound ground beef (mince)
1 half small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can tomato soup, undiluted
3 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup sliced black olives or mushrooms (strictly optional)
1 cup whole kernel corn (tinned or thawed frozen)
8 oz egg noodles, cooked, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound cheddar or American cheese, cubed

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large, deep skillet, brown meat with onions, cooking until meat is brown and crumbly and onions are soft. During last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking. Drain off any excess fat from skillet. Turn down heat. Stir in soup, worcestershire and corn-also either olives or mushrooms, if using. Simmer, covered, for about 10 min., over very low heat. Stir in noodles until thoroughly blended, and turn into a greased casserole dish. Add cheese on top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Oh Christ, this is all I need.

The state disability office is, out of the clear blue sky, after not hearing a peep out of them for 15 years...cracking down on me...for what?

It's the recession, I belive. The state is probably desperate to weed out people from the dole, and I'm on the hit list. Mind you, I am better in many respects, but worse in others...but they are turning every rock and crevice over, to make sure I'm truly entitled..and I've a feeling if so much as one i or t isn't dotted or crossed properly, I'm screwed.

They've sent letters to my sister--who sent them back, telling them truthfully that she didn't know anything, 'cos she has virtually no contact with me--letters to every doctor I've seen in the past five or six years...want me to go to some specialist...that may be miles away..an expense I really don't need...tho' I (eventually) will supposedly be reimbursed.

Truthfully, if I lose disability, I might as well just...oh, never mind. Who cares?

Well, I will try not to think the worst, but be positive and hope that all comes out as it should. but...this anxiety that my government has suddenly decided to put me through--why does all this crap have to happen during the "holiday season?"

Every stinking year! In Nov.-Dec. 2005, mum died, the furnace and boiler went in my caravan, I had to drop out of school, and I couldn't find a job to save my life, I had to spend my very first holidays (Thanksgiving/Christmas) alone, and I lost nearly half my income for a couple of months, leaving me virtually destitute. That same time of year again--late October to December of 2006 I was facing eviction, homelessness and the lost of my best friend of 18 years, my cat Red. In 2007, around this time, I had the pay cut, followed by having my wages garnished, followed by that horribly excruciating facial abcess that eventually put me in hospital shortly after the New Year...now this year, the rent's going up, the internet bill is going up, David Tennant's leaving, and NOW I have to deal with the fact that I might lose my rent funds, my food stamps and ALL my medical insurance. Sometimes I just get so tired, you know what I mean?

Just for a lark, I put a petition up online, for fans to sign asking David Tennant to stay on as Dr Who.

It's really just because I have no life and needed something to make the day go by faster...and I am still about down about his leaving--probably more so than a lot of people, because his Doctor was the one that saw me through some really tough times--often literally my only entertainment (thanks to some DVD's and books). Hearing the announcment on my birthday week, really was a bummer, as well. So, I made this petition, merely to make myself feel better, really. Don't expect the actor will ever hear about it, but one never knows in this day and age of the world-wide web.

And, if you think it will help make YOU feel better, please feel free to sign the petition.

You can find it here:

http://www.petitiononline.com/837860/petition.html

Bush and his fellow republicans are not in favor of assisting failing US automakers, like GM and Ford...both of whom may be on the brink of total collapse, within the next year-- or, at most, two years.

While the automakers are largely to blame for this failure--partially by refusing to manufacture economy vehicles which were far less profitable, and centering on making SUV's and pick-up trucks, which abruptly became hugely popular in the USA, from the late 1980's, up until a couple of years ago, when gas (petrol) prices began to rise again.

Also, auto makers bowed down to many union (United Auto Workers) demands for huge pay increases--some as high as 50 to 65 dollars an hour--for jobs that in other areas of the world, would only pay 8 to 10 dollars an hour. Also, unions demanded huge compensation packages--which auto makers conceeded to, which drove down profits for the car makers later, when sales began to shrink.

(Makes my 9 dollars an hour and no compensation/benefits, seem pretty piddling, doesn' it?)

Now, despite concessions by unions, for a more reasonable wage (well, still not reasonable by my low wage labour standards, so much as a little less than what these people were getting before) and cutting some benefits back, car makers are still standing in some serious poo, because people are not buying cars...more to the point, they are not buying big gas-guzzling cars.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House (US Congress), is pushing for immediate aid to automakers, to avoid the collapse of the US's automaking industry...which employs close to a million workers across the USA--and supports related auto jobs, such as steel mills, parts manufacturers, etc., to avoid massive lay-off's and an economic crash in some parts of the nation.

Republican's and Bush contend that America's auto industry is "too big to fail." Of course, these are the SAME people, whom, as late as spring of 2008, said we WEREN'T HEADED FOR A RECESSION.

So, while the president and republicans in the senate and congress drags their feet, US automakers teter on the brink of--if not extinction, certainly massive lay offs and a partial alide into an actual depression, in some states like Michigan.

Bush is Nero, fiddling while Rome burns.

A list has come out, of the ten jobs in the USA, which expose workers to the highest number of germs and bacteria.

Not on the list: septic tank cleaners (otherwise known as "honey wagon" drivers), farmers, stable grooms, kennel workers and airline attendants, (restaurant) bus persons, dishwashers (working with big steamy machines).

1. Teacher/day-care worker
2. Cashier, bank employee
3. Tech support/computer repair
4. Doctor or nurse
5. Lab scientist
6. Police officer
7. Animal control officer
8. Janitor or plumber
9. Sanitation worker (AKA garbage man, bin men)
10. Meat packer

"Alright! Who's playing 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer?' If I have to hear that stupid song, one more time, I'm gonna' shove my sonic screwdriver up yer hole!"

This is hardly an intimate or in-depth post. Qute frankly, I'm here not to talk about some traumatic childhood experience, or my sex vacuum. No blog post about my anguish or angsts, sorry.

Nope. I am here to talk about...my feet. This was inspired by another friend's blog post.

You see my friends, I've a confession to make: I'm syndactyly. Yes, like ducks and and frogs and kangaroos...I have webbed toes. Apparently, like my rare blood type, syndactyly runs in my family. I have it, as did my mum...and other female members of her family had it as well, from what mum had once told me.

Every year, only 2,000 to 2,500 babies are born this way. We're one of the more common forms though--just the second and thrid toes are joined together. While this makes it uncomfortable for me to wear sandals, the upside is, that people with syndactyly never get athlete's foot in those toes affected, for some reason.

Some people may be self-conconcious about it, but truthfully, other than it annoying me when I wear flip-flops, I've never given much thought to it, and certainly would never bother with surgery, just to wear some cheezy shoes in summer time.

While webbed toes can be caused by a vareity of illnesses--at one time, back in the 1980's, a doctor I was seeing was asking me about something called Bardet-something syndrome..but apparently I'm fine. Most commonly though, it's purely a genetic anomoly. That's me. An anomoly...well, who wants to be "normal," anyway...dullsville.

Famous people with syndactyly: Dan Ackroyd and Joseph Stalin.

The bailouts--both for the financial industry and homeowners, are proving to be ill-thought out and already are being mis-used in some cases, by the banking industry.

For instance, banks--who have gotten BILLIONS in emergency loans, are mis-using millions of those dollars earmarked to ease their financial situation--on huge pay bonuses for top executives.

The excuse for this mis-appropration of funds, is that the banks want to retain top people--well, sorry. I should think wanting to blinking keep your nice, cushy job during a financial meltdown and recession, would be incentive enough, wouldn't you? I mean, what kind of dense schmuck would up and say, "hey, I don't like getting my millions of dollars in salary, I think I'll quit and risk losing my cars, home and possessions." Anyone really think these exec's are going to bail during a recession? Anyone at all? Apparently, the morons that run our banking systems, do. Scary thought, ey?

Also, as I predicted I might add, the head of the Federal Reserve--who was given carte blanche to do as he wished with TWO TRILLION DOLLARS in public funds, without ANY oversight by anyone at all---has absolutely REFUSED to reveal which banks received public bailout loans.

And, the governemt SECRETLY changed the tax code--without consulting any of us or telling congress or the public about it---to provide a tax break for banks....this while congress was still in debate over whether to approve the bailout package.

As for the mortgage bailouts--these will help only, at best, 400,000 homeowners, leaving millions more out of luck. Why? Because the mortgage bailout mostly will only assist borrowers who have a 1 owner loan...leaving other homeowners, whose loans were re-packaged into pieces and sold to maily overseas buyers, out in the cold. This is because any one investor...and some loans have many owners (investors) tied into them, can block the incentive package. In other words, if a homeowners loan is owned by multiple investors, every single last one of those investors would have to okay the the rate reduction or payment extension....and tracking down foreign investors can be virtually impossible.

Democrats are calling for a fix, but it still remains in President Bush's hands, whether this extra help will be forthcoming.