News of note. Or not.
I've not updated as there've been no doctor appointments worth mentioning for the girls.
Aria's speech continues to improve, and she gets better every day at interacting with others. However, this is only what we see at home. At school, she acts tortured all day long, crying herself into a 10-minute nap only to awake upset again. This is only week 1 for her, so we'll let things stand for another week, monitoring closely of course.
Caoimhe plays peek-a-boo a lot now, and has very decided opinions about things.
I've been following the election story in Iran. Moussavi is no saint; he's very conservative and his credentials, such as they are, indicate no sweeping changes or reforms for Iran's political system should he gain power. It says much about the current state of affairs that he's the popular choice over the arch-conservative Ahmadinejad.
What's moved me most are the images of people my own age and younger, proudly and quietly walking in public, going to jail for it, and upon release, immediately resuming their silent protests against the current system. Women who reject the politicization of the veil, so take it off in public. Men who desire greater freedoms...it brings home like nothing else can that old truth about not understanding the value of freedom unless you don't have any.
Despite the initial excitement at the possibility of greater personal freedoms under Moussavi, Khameini's recent announcement is indicative that things haven't changed: blame the oppressed for the actions of the oppressors.
I guess I was hoping that if it were possible to get out of such a rut in Iran, perhaps the U.S. could take note and follow suit.
I get SO tired of hearing the opening, "I'm not racist/prejudiced/bigoted or anything, but..." News flash: if this is how you start a sentence, then yes--yes, you are small-minded and mean, and I really don't want to hear the rest of your thought about how someone should "go back home/quit taking jobs from us/quit wasting taxpayer dollars/not seek medical care on my dime" or whatever other inhumane, arcane, ignorant or cruel sentiment you're about to utter.
A current fave is the sight of a t-shirt bearing a rebel flag and the words, "If this offends you, you need a history lesson." No, little Dick, I fear you and Jane are in need of the history lesson. Put away your swastika-covered literature and try cracking open an impartial history book--perhaps one purchased at a nearby college book store. While you're at it, take a good long look in the mirror. If your face is anything other than Native American, then chances that you come from a very mixed background are high; your forbears fought against prejudice just like yours so that they could give you a better life. Now here you are. Aren't you proud? Instead of helping fellow humans, you're demonizing them, behaving exactly like the oppressors of your ancestors.
Enough of my little rant. I'm going to be haunting news sites today, hoping that the people are heard, that something better than a pitiful token gesture like the random recount of 10% of the vote is offered, that there are no casualties--
hoping that the country survives its current leaders.
Aria's speech continues to improve, and she gets better every day at interacting with others. However, this is only what we see at home. At school, she acts tortured all day long, crying herself into a 10-minute nap only to awake upset again. This is only week 1 for her, so we'll let things stand for another week, monitoring closely of course.
Caoimhe plays peek-a-boo a lot now, and has very decided opinions about things.
I've been following the election story in Iran. Moussavi is no saint; he's very conservative and his credentials, such as they are, indicate no sweeping changes or reforms for Iran's political system should he gain power. It says much about the current state of affairs that he's the popular choice over the arch-conservative Ahmadinejad.
What's moved me most are the images of people my own age and younger, proudly and quietly walking in public, going to jail for it, and upon release, immediately resuming their silent protests against the current system. Women who reject the politicization of the veil, so take it off in public. Men who desire greater freedoms...it brings home like nothing else can that old truth about not understanding the value of freedom unless you don't have any.
Despite the initial excitement at the possibility of greater personal freedoms under Moussavi, Khameini's recent announcement is indicative that things haven't changed: blame the oppressed for the actions of the oppressors.
I guess I was hoping that if it were possible to get out of such a rut in Iran, perhaps the U.S. could take note and follow suit.
I get SO tired of hearing the opening, "I'm not racist/prejudiced/bigoted or anything, but..." News flash: if this is how you start a sentence, then yes--yes, you are small-minded and mean, and I really don't want to hear the rest of your thought about how someone should "go back home/quit taking jobs from us/quit wasting taxpayer dollars/not seek medical care on my dime" or whatever other inhumane, arcane, ignorant or cruel sentiment you're about to utter.
A current fave is the sight of a t-shirt bearing a rebel flag and the words, "If this offends you, you need a history lesson." No, little Dick, I fear you and Jane are in need of the history lesson. Put away your swastika-covered literature and try cracking open an impartial history book--perhaps one purchased at a nearby college book store. While you're at it, take a good long look in the mirror. If your face is anything other than Native American, then chances that you come from a very mixed background are high; your forbears fought against prejudice just like yours so that they could give you a better life. Now here you are. Aren't you proud? Instead of helping fellow humans, you're demonizing them, behaving exactly like the oppressors of your ancestors.
Enough of my little rant. I'm going to be haunting news sites today, hoping that the people are heard, that something better than a pitiful token gesture like the random recount of 10% of the vote is offered, that there are no casualties--
hoping that the country survives its current leaders.
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