Tag Archives: current events

Marie Osmond’s Son Commits Suicide and Stars Support Chile

When I think of the Osmond family, I always think of smiles. In fact, in the ’70s during the height of their popularity, people often made fun of them for their wholesome smiles. We learned a while back that those smiles were often used to hide sorrow. In fact, Marie Osmond named her 2001 book about postpartum depression “Behind the Smile.” Unfortunately, those smiles dimmed again this week as Marie’s 18 year old son, Michael Blosil, committed suicide Friday when he jumped from his eighth floor apartment. TMZ is reporting that Michael, a student at the The Fashion Institute of … Continue reading →

Don’t Lose Track of What is Going On Out in the World

One of the realities of running a home business is that we can become somewhat isolated. By being tucked away in our homes for both family life and obligations and our work, we might not be getting out there for business lunches or even the ordinary interaction with coworkers and colleagues. If we don’t make an effort to read trade publications or even the local or regional newspaper, we can lose track of what is going on out there in the “real” world… Some home business owners find that belonging to web communities or list serves helps to keep them … Continue reading →

Who’s Expanding and Who’s Closing Up Shop? Keep Up With Change

Do you ever feel like you have your head buried down into your daily life—running your business, taking care of your family, and tending to other responsibilities—that you have no idea what is going on in the “real” world. Well, that might not be what’s best for your business—it actually pays to know what is going on in your market, the community, and the world at large. It really does behoove you to know what is going on around you—not just in terms of market trends and technology—but in terms of what businesses are opening up, who is going out … Continue reading →

Teaching “Today in History” Lessons

I have said several times that I prefer teaching history in the order that it happened (as in the classical homeschooling model). In addition, I think that it would help children to remember important dates better if they took a Today in History approach. The two approaches however are not easy to integrate and teaching them concurrently could cause confusion, so I opt for the first choice while making children aware of very important historic events on the date that it happened. To keep yourself up to date with events that happened today in years past, you can visit any … Continue reading →

Family Issues: Current Events and News

Do you watch the news on television, listen to it on the radio, check it out online, or read the paper? Do you seek out more than one source for news before forming an opinion? Today, many people get their news and form opinions based on sensational headlines, photo ops, and quickie sound bytes. There is much more going on in the world than what one can glean from these teasers. If you’ve ever watched a “Man on the Street” segment of Fox News’ “Hannity and Colmes” show, you might be surprised by how many people have no clue what’s … Continue reading →

All About Me: Where Were You When….?

Following in the footsteps of an article I wrote earlier last week, titled Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning, I thought a different sort of page was interesting for your all about me album. It’s important to include world events in an album, simply for prosperity down the road. It’s a fascinating thing when you can read journaling from someone who has been through what you read about in your history books. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to show your grandchildren and future generations what you remember about events that have changed history? It’s time to … Continue reading →

My Very Excited Mother Just Ate Nine. . .: Living History and Homeschooling

Or More Vanilla Enchiladas Made Just After Noon. . . Or My Very Educated Monkey Just Ate Ninety. . . Whatever mnemonic device you have used to teach your kids the order of the 9 planets, as of today, it’s wrong! That’s because a convention of astronomers has decided that Pluto is not a planet. Apparently this sparked heated debate. . .perhaps because they knew they’d have to change their mnemonic devices? In any case, if you’re a homeschooler, you should take advantage of this opportunity for learning. In case you are not familiar with the term, living history is … Continue reading →

SUPER-Mail

It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s Superman… on a stamp. That’s right; superheroes are coming to a post office near you. Starting Friday, July 21 you will be able to adorn your letters, bills, and postcards with Batman, Wonder Woman, Plastic Man and a half dozen other superheroes. The popular comic book characters are the latest stars to be featured on postage stamps. The stamps will be sold in sheets of 20, half featuring the individual superheroes and half showing covers of comic books they star in. Postal Service representatives say that this first set of super hero stamps … Continue reading →

Young Love = Rockin’ Wedding

To most people she’s best known for her Grammy-nominated album, but around our home she’s better known as the voice of the possum in the animated film “Over the Hedge.” Now, Avril Lavinge can add new bride to her list of accomplishments. PEOPLE magazine reports that Lavinge and her boyfriend of two years, Deryck Whibley wed Saturday afternoon in California surrounded by dozens of family and friends from their native Canada. The magazine reports that Lavinge wore a Vera Wang wedding gown and carried a bouquet of white roses. The couple took advantage of the beautiful summer weather during their … Continue reading →

Does Islam Say Ex-Muslims Must Die?

I was trying to avoid writing this article because it is unpleasant. Then I realized that it is exactly the type of subject that I must write. You could even say it’s my duty. I’m sure we’ve all heard of the Afghan man who has been on trial because he left Islam and became a Christian. The sentence if convicted? Death. Although the man has been released, “scholars” and extremists alike are calling for his head. In fact, he is currently in hiding for fear of execution. Do Muslims believe that ex-Muslims must die? Is leaving Islam grounds for execution? … Continue reading →