Crying Kids at the Mosque

Rejoice!!! The Holy Month of Ramadan is upon us - give thanks and praise to God!!

The Islamic holy month of fasting has begun again - first week in and I'm doing ok, though I tend to be very sleepy throughout the day, its that whole waking up at 4:30am that is killing me.

As a refresher, Ramadan is the month when we Muslims fast for 30 days, each day from sunrise to sunset we absolve from food, drink, water, medicine, gum, basically anything nurishing. The fast is a way for us to gain self-improvement, enlightment, empathy for fellow man and closeness to God.

Its this last one I'm trying really hard to work on, or to build on and yet it seems my best efforts are being defeated by my fellow Muslims, in particular ladies with crying kids.

During this holy month, every night the Mosque has prayers, its part of the spiritualism of Ramadan, we are to read the entire Quran (our holy book) in the 30 days. As you might be aware, an Islamic congregation is split, with a men's section and a women's section. And mind you it is not obligatory for ladies to even go to the mosque. So guess who comes to the mosque anyway - women with crying kids. This bothers me to no end!! I am there trying to listen to the reading of our holy book and instead having little Ali wailing his lungs out the entire time, sitting right in front or beside or behind me. Is this fair to me??

I find these women especially obtuse and selfish. You come to get your prayers in but have no regards for others prayers. If you can't afford a babysitter, don't come! If your kid can't be quiet, don't come! If you are there to socialize, don't come! I am just very tired of it, to the point where I"m thinking of putting up signs in the mosque, anonymously of course (smile).

Am I in the wrong here? I just think its really rude when you know you don't even have to come and yet you do and bring your crying infant, who you know is going to cry and disturb the rest of us, go outside, pray on the front porch or something - sheesh!

Bam Said the Lady

Just another lesson that you don't mess with Jon Stewart!!

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/246932/thu-august-20-2009-betsy-mccaughey

I love it!! Take that anti-health care reformers!

Also, I do have a question...why are people opposed to health care reform? Do you just think that it is fair for 47 million Americans to not have health care? Do you think that people who get sick and their insurance doesn't cover the illness, should go bankrupt, because it is that person's fault they got sick?

I guess I'm just really unclear how any compassionate human being can be opposed to reforming the American Health Care system. Mind you, you can just admit your a selfish bastard who has health insurance and is rich and think "I got mine, who cares about the rest of you?" If that is the case, just admit it, I know I'd respect you more than clocking opposition to the reform in death panel malarky.

Management vs. Admin

Lately I've really wanted to beat myself at work, just because I hate it so much. Its not the job I hate, as much as I can't stand management. They are micro-managers of the highest order, plus they provide no support but are quick to blame. How can one thrive in that environment?!

This has made me think....I get along so much better with Administrative staff than Management - why is that? Its no secret in my office that I'm the black sheep among the Management staff.

I think it has to do with the level of honesty, with the Admin staff there are no games, no one is trying to claw each other to be top dog, plus we have a common enemy - the management!

Why can't I relate to Management? Perhaps because I sense the insincerity and the need to throw me under the bus. They are always ready to find the one tiny mistake I made and magnify it, never is anything I do good enough.

I didn't have these problems at non-descript airlines and I think its because my boss there, Management, for lack of a better word, was supportive, was kind, had a sense of humor! My God the place I work at now, its like someone took out their funny bone! I have to watch everything I say - which I hate! Another reason Admin staff is cooler, they speak honestly and can laugh!

All I know is that I'm desperately looking for another job, I definitely don't want to be here for a year, I'd hate to see my performance evaluation, God what a train wreck that would be! Plus I don't trust this place, I feel like they watch my every move to keep a running list of everything I do wrong, including monitoring my emails! I feel like I'm in J. Edgar Hoover's office : )

Does anyone else see what I mean?? Is this just me?

Missing Monday

Age: 48
Sex: Female
Race: Black
Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 155 lbs
Missing From: Halifax, Virginia
Missing Since: 05/16/2009

Details: Ms. Brown was last seen on May 16, 2009 at a Sheetz gas station outside South Boston, VA. Abandoned and burned, her silver 2003 VW Jetta was found on a farm in Halifax County July 7, 2009. Ms. Brown was last seen wearing a sleeveless top and pants with side stripes.

Contact: VSP Special Agent Troy LaRue at 434-352-7128 or South Boston Police/Halifax County Sheriff’s Office at 434-476-3334.

I apologize this is two weeks late, but I still firmly believe in Missing Monday's. I pray to God that this poor woman is safe and shall be quickly found.

Republican Health Care Plan

Alright Republicans, We Give Up.

by Stroszek

Dear Republicans,

Over the past week, we have seen your passionate protests and heard your concerns about Democratic proposals for health care reform. We have considered your insightful and well reasoned arguments, and on behalf of progressives everywhere, I am here to say: OK! We give up! We are willing to compromise on the proposals that concern you. You've won! Yay!

In accordance with your cogent and potent criticisms, these are the terms of our concession:

1. We will not euthanize your grandmother. This is the big one, and I really hope you guys appreciate how much of a concession this is on behalf of the progressive movement. Since the days of the Bull Moose Party, progressives have wanted nothing more than to slaughter old people by the millions. That much is obvious. After all, if we wanted senior citizens to have long and healthy lives, why would we have created Social Security and Medicare? Think about it. Death to grannies has long been the core of progressive policy, so it's not without some consternation that we give it up. So there: no euthanizing old people. You've got it.
2. Rahm Emanuel's brother will not kill Sarah Palin's baby. While this will require us to gut HR 3200 "America's Health Choices and Murder Sarah Palin's Baby Act of 2009," we're currently working with Henry Waxman to remove the extensive Sarah Palin's baby-killing provisions from the final bill. While this will probably cost us Andrew Sullivan's support, we recognize that this is a necessary sacrifice for securing broad bipartisan support of health care reform.
3. The government will not nationalize hospitals and other health service providers. This is another big one. Though the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has correctly pointed out that current Democratic proposals involve adopting the British health care system, we now recognize that this is not politically viable. The final bill, accordingly, will not involve the nationalization of hospitals and other health service providers. This will be a major setback to Obama's well known communist agenda, but again, we progressives agree with the Blue Dogs that we need to reach a broad national consensus by responding to Republican concerns.
4. We will make the health care reform bill available for all Americans to read as soon as possible. I know that conservatives and pundits have been eagerly anticipating an opportunity to read the final health care reform bill, and after extensive discussion, we have decided to comply with your request. While we would like to have unseen drafts languishing in committee forever, we have asked Senate Democrats like Max Baucus and Kent Conrad to deliver a bill as soon as possible in order to allow the public to read it. As you know, progressives wanted nothing more than to keep these drafts hidden for as long as possible, but in the interests of transparency and bipartisan consensus, we recognize that it's vital to move the legislative process forward. In fact, it is our hope that Baucus and Conrad will return from the August recess early in order to ensure that the public has as much time as possible to inspect their work.
5. We will not subsidize abortions with your hard-earned tax dollars. Despite the fact that both FactCheck.org and Politifact insist that we already made this concession months ago, we're going to make extra-special-super sure that we did. Just give me a second.... ... yep, we did.
6. We will not allow the government to have direct access to your bank account. I know several conservatives I've spoken to are deeply concerned about this measure, and while we progressives are always looking for new ways for the government to unlawfully violate your privacy and steal your money, we have decided to remove this provision from the final bill. While we may include a way for individuals to voluntarily set up an electronic funds transfer with their insurance provider, we will no longer push for government access to all individual bank accounts. You've won this one.
7. We will not provide illegal immigrants with unlimited free health care. Though progressives want nothing more than to provide unlimited social services to illegal immigrants while denying them to everyone else, we now recognize that this plan was, perhaps, a bit inequitable. However, while they will not be receiving unlimited free health care, each illegal immigrant will still receive a pretty pony. I'm sorry, but we have to draw the line somewhere.
8. Private health insurance will not be eliminated. Though, as Drudge recently pointed out with a damning YouTube video, the long-stated Republican goal of moving away from employer-based coverage somehow means "eliminating private insurance" when Obama talks about the same thing, we've decided to preserve private insurance plans for those who want them. However, we have yet to convince ultra-socialist Charles Krauthammer to drop his communist crusade against employer-based (i.e., according to Drudge, "all private") coverage.
9. You will not be issued a "National Health Insurance ID." While we thought this was a fun idea, the final version of the health care reform bill will not require you to have any kind of ID when you're pulled over for drunk driving or found loitering outside of a military base. In fact, you are hereby encouraged not to carry any proof of insurance whatsoever. Trust me, it's a terrible idea!
10. There will be no super-secret-awesome health care program for ACORN employees. Though we love our election-stealing squirrels, we have decided that they'll have to settle for the same options as everyone else.

With these concessions having been made, I trust that we can now move forward on health care reform with a broad, bipartisan consensus. Blue Dogs and Republicans, you can now rest easy knowing that the concerns of the town hall protesters have been met. While the progressive dream of a nation in which old people are slaughtered to pay for the abortions of ACORN-employed illegal immigrants will again have to be deferred, we are willing to settle for a bill without these measures in the name of bipartisanship.

Congratulations, Republicans. You've won this round.

R.I.P John Hughes

Wow, so I woke up this morning and heard that the director John Hughes died. What sad news. He was behind such films as Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. I loved those movies (even to this day I quote Sixteen Candles!). While I was really still a kid when these movies came out and I certainly can't claim that they were MY coming of age films (I was between a pre-teen when these films came out) they still feel very much a part of my childhood. I started to grow up in the 1980's (I began kindergarten in 1981), what these movies represent, I remember living through, the cloths, the expressions, even the ackward 1980's behavior : ) John Hughes and his genius will be missed.

On a different note, please bad drivers of the Washington DC area, get off the road!! You do not need to break every five minutes. If the light is green, you can turn right, you don't need to stop! If you like to drive slow, be in the slow lane!! If you have to pararrel park, don't expect me to stop my car and wait for you to do that! And for God's sake, pay attention when driving, don't try to merge when I'm right there in that lane, don't pull out into moving traffic and go 2 miles per hour, dumba%#! Note, I'm heading to Richmond tomorrow morning for a friend's birthday, stupid drivers use alternate trasportation than driving on 95 southbound.

Bag O' Stuff

Some lighthearted fare:

Casper the bus-riding cat - I saw this story on the BBC News and thought it was too cute! Apparently this cat rides the bus, he chills somewhere and takes a return ride home. My only question is, what is the fare rate for a cat??
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/8174850.stm

Danish Royal Family has a new addition! Prince Joachim (the younger brother to Crown Prince Frederick) and Princess Marie, had a baby boy, Henrik Carl Joachim Alain. The Christening was July 26, alas I was not in Denmark for the big event (and somehow my invitation to said event was lost in the mail, a-gain!).
http://kongehuset.dk/publish.php?id=21976

Too close - who doesn't love a great big Indian Bollywood dance number, I know I'm a big fan!!