Swine flu

I keep waiting to hear that it's not a big deal, but apparently it is:

CDC - Influenza (Flu) | Swine Influenza (Flu)

Besides being a money maker on Ebay, what is this all about?

Pray...and wash your hands!

Work....

I don't say much about work here. Eric says I have the most boring job in the world. That's part of it. Confidentiality is another part.

Title IV-E is a federal funding stream that reimburses states for the costs of kids being in foster care.

Sounds simple enough, I know.

Throw in court orders without the right best interest or reasonable efforts wording, financial verification, deprivation in the home, legal removal.

Throw in SSI, Adoption Assistance, Guardianship Assistance, COBRA...

At the end of the day my brain is dead!

I am one of about 30 people who do this statewide. I help some of the newer IV-E specialists around the state by answering their questions. Rarely is there a simple answer.

One less worry...

;)

Astronomers take virtual plunge into black hole - CNN.com: "Anyone worried about Earth being swallowed by a black hole should also be relieved to know the closest one astronomers know about is 3,000 light years away, which McClintock called a 'super, super, super safe' distance. He added that we wouldn't be sucked in even if the sun, which is only 8 light minutes away from Earth, were suddenly replaced by a black hole of the same mass."

This was not funny...

As one who has taken notes on staffings and seen pics of real shaken babies...this was not funny:

Apple Pulls 'Baby Shaker' iPhone Program

Optimism will carry us through...

We are in a slump, yes, but I think perception of that slump can make it worse:

Obama Fuels Optimism - The Daily Beast

But then again, I'm not looking for a job...

Sticks and stones...

Of all the names I've been called, "retard" has always stung the most. This is a good move:

Disability News | PatriciaEBauer.com » News Archive » Texas takes on ‘R-word’: "The Texas legislature is considering a bill that would ban variations of the word “retarded” in official state business. The bill, promoted by state Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) would ban terms including “mental retardation” in all state statutes and resolutions, replacing them with variations of the phrase “intellectual disabilities.”"

Mama Obama

BBC World Service - Outlook - Mama Sarah: Barack Obama's grandmother: "'When there is a football match, you look at the foot of those who are playing,' she said, 'In this case Barack is determined and the rest is God who can determine."

Economy: How bad is it around the world?

Click on a country to see what's happening there:

Global News | World | International: "Special Report
20 correspondents, 20 countries and a world of pain. Meet the ground truth of the global economic crisis."

Sad, happy story...

Siberian husky found after crash, death of owner - OregonLive.com: "Lynn, who declined to give her full name, said in a telephone interview she's spent more than 60 hours over the last week 'networking for Neo.' She's been in daily contact with Moore, whom she never knew before the story of the lost dog touched her heart.

'It's my joy and my pleasure to do this,' she said. 'It's a very happy ending to a very rough couple of weeks for everybody.'"

Laugh or cry?

"human wet blanket"...made me laugh...but this is a smart dude:

Krugman: Economy Still Bad - The Daily Beast: "Krugman: Economy Still Bad

The human wet blanket, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman warns that recent optimism over the economy may be overblown in a piece today. 'The most you can say is that there are scattered signs that things are getting worse more slowly,' Krugman wrote."

A mother's journey

This brave mother did not take her son's 9/11 death sitting down. It drove her to service.

Sad ending to article...should drive us to prayer folks.

Global News | World | International: "BOSTON — Ever since that crystal clear fall morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Sally Goodrich has been on a journey.

It led her to Afghanistan, where she has spent the last several years reaching out to the very country where the hijackers who took the life of her son, Peter, were trained, funded and inspired. Hers was a long journey toward healing and then hope."

That smell...

A sweet story...Institute of Perfumery:

Grasse Institute of Perfumery: "“A perfume hides a story,” said Laurence Fauvel, a perfumer and one of the teachers at the school, which opened in February 2002. “To create something really new is very difficult.”

In class, the students flared their nostrils against white tester strips dipped in scented, mostly clear liquid. The exercise tested their olfactory memories as they built on the more than 300 natural and synthetic odors they had memorized since the course began in late January. The task included identifying the scents’ compounds and family."

Through my eyes

My first published article was "Life through my eyes" when I was in eight grade...same idea as this:

'Self-portraits' of life with disabilities: "Those messages come through loud and clear in the photos he took as part of the art show titled 'Through Our Eyes: Life as Seen By Young People With Special Needs.'"

Big DUH!

Small Cars: Collision Test Losers

I get nervous whenever I pull up behind one of these micro cars. Our Sprinter would decimate these little things if something unfortunate were to happen.

I don't buy the argument that they should be driven only in safe, low traffic areas...Where is that?

Or that we'd all be be driving 18 wheelers if safety were paramount.

Crazy!

A Brief History of the White House Easter Egg Roll - TIME

Interesting stuff...from the Turf Protection Act...to the gay crashing...to the environmentally friendly Easter egg:

A Brief History of the White House Easter Egg Roll - TIME

Thank you!

Mike, Vance, and Eric - thank you for mowing, edging, and fertilizing our yard.

Front and back...it looks wonderful!

Thank you!

He is risen!

He has risen indeed!

Happy Easter all.

It was an emotional Easter service for Jodie. It was the first one she has attended without her mom. Ma2 is still recovering at home from her recent stroke.

Jodie's sisters, the grandkids, family friend Joyce and her boys, we all gathered with Ma2 for Easter. We feasted on Chinese food.

Before the stroke, Ma2 had been working on scrapbooks for each of the basketball players on Vance's team. Today the ladies helped her finish them. Happy comradery. A smile on her face. Great therapy I'd say.

He is risen!

Honda going to the dogs...

New York Auto Show - Dog Friendly Honda Element Concept - It Brakes for Fire Hydrants - List - NYTimes.com

Bolivian President is serious about equal rights

Bolivian President On Hunger Strike - The Daily Beast

BYU NewsNet - Miss Iowa goes national about living with cerebral palsy

Abby is still getting the message out there. A beauty from the inside out.

BYU NewsNet - Miss Iowa goes national about living with cerebral palsy: "Tell Abby Curran she can’t do something and her reply will be, “watch me.” This was her attitude when she wanted to run for the Miss Iowa State beauty pageant."

“When I was told I could never enter a beauty pageant because of my condition, I not only entered, but competed and placed,” she said. “I’m living proof that believing in yourself and reaching for the stars can make all the difference in the world.”

Curran, 21, became the first person with a disability to compete for the Miss Iowa State pageant.

Iraq stalemate

I heard Tom Ricks on Mark and Dave last night. Iraq is the biggest foreign policy mistake US has ever made. No good way to proceed.

Chris Snethen at the Vig went to the book signing last night:

Eat, drink, and be merry

Love you Ma2!

I began twittering about Ma2 two weeks ago. Ma2 is my mother-in-law...my beloved Ma2.

She has not been herself for months. Severe back pain has kept her down. A couple times we all (Jodie, her two sisters, and grandkids) went to ER with her. Each time was a different diagnosis.

Two weeks ago, Ma2's head was hurting. Probably a migraine...we all thought. She was confused after a church service, but she was ok when she got home.

On Thursday we went to nephew Vance's tournament baseball game. Ma2 loves watching his games. She was there, but she felt rough.

The next day, day 2 of the tournament, Ma2 was too sick to go. Jodie, Eric and I went and sat with her. Jodie's sister, her boyfriend, and Vance live with her.

Ma2 got sicker and sicker. She got really confused. We took her to the ER.

Turns out Ma2 had a series of two or three strokes. After a week in the hospital she is at home resting.

Physically she is fine. Her vision on the right side is limited. She is using a walker for now for a little more stability.

She is having trouble processing. Reading is hard for now. But therapists are coming to her house help Ma2 recover.

Jodie and her sisters are teaming up to make sure Ma2 is not alone for awhile.

Prayers for Ma2...prayers for all of us as we support her too...thanks!

Smelly offense....

Sorry, I couldn't resist:

Referee warns soccer player for farting - Boing Boing

What do you get when you cross a netbook with a desktop?

But of course:

Acer, Nvidia Team Up for Ion-Powered Nettop PC

Clubbing for all teens...

Bringing disabled teens and non-disabled teens together:

Club nights for disabled teens - Hemelhempstead Today

Accesibility...good business sense

Facebook Commits To Making Social Networking More Accessible For Visually Challenged Users: "Facebook is working together with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to make its social networking service more accessible to users who are blind or visually impaired. In a company blog post, the non-profit organization’s President, Carl Augusto, explains which problems visually challenged users encounter when surfing the web and how they’re able to overcome these issues with the help of website publishers, developers and designers.

This makes sense from Facebook’s perspective too, of course. There are a lot of visually impaired people on the planet, and they want to connect to their friends, relatives and peers just as much as you and me."

"PUMA" ...pretty cool...

Segway, GM "PUMA" Vehicle Unveiled: "The Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility, or PUMA, project also would involve a vast communications network that would allow vehicles to interact with each other, regulate the flow of traffic and prevent crashes from happening.

'We're excited about doing more with less,' said Jim Norrod, chief executive of Segway, the Bedford, N.H.-based maker of electric scooters. 'Less emissions, less dependability on foreign oil and less space.'"

China Takes a Small Step Away from the Dollar - TIME

Dollar's fall from grace?? I wonder why...

China Takes a Small Step Away from the Dollar - TIME

Barbie goes to China...

Barbie Targets Shanghai Women - The Daily Beast

Nail lodged in nose?

Man coughs up 30-year-old nail - Boing Boing

Might as well have fun with it...

Postcard: New York's Unemployed Olympians - TIME: "Unemployment Olympians must show proof of their unemployment in the form of a New York State unemployment card, a termination letter or other evidence of job loss. They register for events at a lopsided cardboard stand with the words 'Unemployment Office,' painted above it, which looks like a recession-weary version of Lucy's 'Doctor is in' lemonade stand from Peanuts."