and by guys i of course refer to pellier (who doesnt care about dizzy's hate for frenchies) and aces (who wont talk to nabo on aim because he is sleeping when the sun is away).  Either way, we were going to suprize you all with episode 11 this week, but my mom ended up not working so we will give er a go next week.  Now, that doesnt mean there will be a show next week because i post the following question:

do you want us to do a pre/post lbp and socom launch and get our thoughts on the 2 games and the headset or would you rather just have a post episode?

also, dizzy, can you work on a website header?  i believe i gave you the size but we just needed to change from "Atlantic to Pacific" to "Across The Pond: Connecting Right to Left"

get back to me you three, and for god sakes is there anyone out there to send us something besides spam?  i feel like nerdblurbs forums, closed off, bloated with spam, and the new link just doesnt do shit.

-nabokovfan87

p.s. steve and edgar recorded last night, hooray!

p.s.s. isnt tgs this week, hmm... where can i watch the cons?

Familjen har under helgen varit uppe i Michigan. Åkte redan vid lunchtid i fredags. Am hämtade barnen från skolan och sen bar det av. Efter torsdagskvällens fejd med Jake var jag i stort behov av lite andrum. När barnen + Am dessutom varit hemma två hela dagar från skolan (under veckan), var jag i ännu större behov av ett litet break..

Ad berättade att Obama skulle hålla tal på Abington High School under förmiddagen, så jag körde dit och letade parkering ett tag innan jag blev slussad till ett stort fält som de gjort om till parkeringsplats inför eventet. Satt och väntade i två timmar på att Obama skulle dyka upp, tillsammans med tusentals andra människor. Men shit vilken mäktig känsla när man äntligen fick se honom!

Träffade Liam en stund på fredagseftermiddagen för att sen åka å hämta upp Emma för vår Girls-night. Från början va det tänkt (eller vi hade trott) att det som vanligt skulle dyka upp en fest i området som man kunde ha craschat.. Men tydligen inte denna kväll. Vi hade trevligt iaf. Väntade i evigheter på att vår pizza skulle bli färdig, men guuud så god den va när vi äntligen fick sätta tänderna i den!! Tittade på film och skvallrade en massa. På hela taget va det en lugn kväll.

Lördagen bestod av lite pyssel med Emma (gjorde klart våra tröjor), Halloween-costume letning med L, vinpimpling i kvällningen och chinese take-out..

Idag har jag och L äntligen varit ute och klättrat. Krävande men kul!! :) Va i Fairmount Park med alla andra dårar som också ville utnyttja det fina Oktober-vädret. Många timmar, svordomar och skratt senare var vi på väg hemåt igen.

Ringde till Jessie imorse, för att gratulera henne på hennes 8e födelsedag. Lilltjejen va överenergisk som vanligt. God I love that girl! Noll koncentrationsförmåga också. Vill vara med i allas samtal runt omkring. Haha. Låter som jag kanske?

Anyways. Sitter och strechar nu. Ska titta på något avsnitt av Heroes innan jag kryper till sängs. Familjens plan är försenat, så de kommer inte förrän runt 9.. Får se om jag ger mig ut igen ikväll, eller om det får bli en tidig kväll för engångsskull.. I guess only time will tell.. Ciao people :)

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This report is a really interesting piece of work, although much of what it says is no surprise: Everyone in the system works really hard to get parents to agree things.... Delay is a big problem.... CAFCASS are overwhelmed.... The majority of cases end up with some contact, a large proportion with staying contact....There are a difficult few that the courts cannot budge.....

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I'm interested in the take that The Times have on this though, namely that the report's conclusions"conceal key failings with the present system that give credence to the pain and anger felt by parents who cannot amicably agree contact arrangements over their child or children".  As John Bolch says The Times journalist gives three reasons: 'firstly that fathers resent having to go to court in the first place to obtain what they feel should be their right; secondly contact orders may be made, but that contact may be "derisory", and thirdly courts still remain effectively powerless to ensure contact orders are complied with'.

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But I'm not sure really what the criticism is here - this is a 200 odd page report. It is extremely detailed and deals (as far as is possible from the available data) with the three points raised. And one theme which becomes clear from reading the report in full (rather than just skipping through to the summary and conclusions) is this: that the resident parent (usually mother) is in an inherently strong position simply by being the one with day to day custody of the child. The courts work to counter that starting advantage with some but not complete success. In itself this inherent advantage is not the fault of the system although the problems within the system can compound that inequality. Enforcement is one of several problems which limit the court's effectiveness. No legal presumption (which is what is being argued for) is going to change that. It isn't going to affect the number of fathers who do have to rely upon the court to help them get the contact they and their children deserve (so you've got a legal right - so I'll see you in court - same as before). And at my guess it probably wouldn't radically alter the effectiveness of the courts in performing their role - most litigants either already know or are told by their lawyers or the judge at the outset of proceedings that this is effectively the way things work in any event (he's going to get contact sooner or later, get over it). A legal presumption would just give fathers something to shout about without necessarily effecting any change in how effective the courts were (CAFCASS reports still take six months, Judges still have limited enforcement options, Mums who are prepared to ignore court orders will still do so).

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And yes, in some cases the quantity or frequency of contact is low, but the statistics contained within the report demonstrate that a large portion of non-resident parents are walking away from the courts with good solid weekend contact. Its not 50:50 or shared care for most parents, but given the geographical distance that is often between parents homes and the realities of a school week where most waking hours are spent away from the resident parent - its very often the most that can be practically manageable both for the parents and the kids. Often its all that is asked for because its what fits with people's lives.

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Two other things I noticed about this report: 

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Judges, Solicitors, Magistrates and CAFCASS officers were interviewed but no counsel. I don't know why this was but I think its a shame. I'm sure that the bar would have brought a different perspective (one of the things we do well) to the interviews and that's an opportunity missed.

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The other point of note is this. There is often a lot of slippage between 'non-resident parent' and 'father' (Frances Gibb says 'Fathers - take as shorthand for the non-residential parent'). Whilst the vast majority of the sample cases in the study involved male non-resident parents this was not the case across the board and nor is it the case in day to day practice. Oddly, given the fact that the background of the report was the claim of fathers rights groups that dads are subject to discrimination by the family courts, there is no analysis of the treatment of male NRPs as compared with female NRPs. This may have been because there were insufficient numbers of female NRPs to make the results viable but given that the oft repeated criticism of the family justice system is that it is biased in favour of Mothers and against Fathers it would have been interesting to analyse this (and conversely the treatment of Mothers with residence versus Fathers with residence). It is sloppy to suggest that NRP=DAD. Because it doesn't. And it is sloppy to suggest that a disadvantage experienced by non-resident parents as a group is equivalent to or proof of discrimination on grounds of sex when in fact the correct comparison has not been carried out. Comparison of the situation of non-resident Dads versus Mums with Residence is bound to suggest a disparity because you are not comparing like for like. The report demonstrates that there is very probably an imbalance of power as between non-resident parents seeking contact and their exes, and that the courts can often only partially redress that imbalance. No doubt it affects men disproportionately (which one might I suppose describe as systemic sexism) but that's not the same thing as the courts favouring mums over dads.

Rather than concealing failings in the system, I'd have thought that this report provides a wealth of material for fathers rights groups (and anyone else wishing to improve the system) with which to argue for change, increased resources. Perhaps not a document which will much help in campaigning for a presumption of contact but certainly one which could be usefully waved about by those wishing to improve things for children, for dads, for families....Why so furious?

Sorry to say but Wretchrospective has been delayed for week and now out October 13th. Im mad about it and delayed because of a problem between the distribution company and the pressing plant but no one is more vex about me than me.

Please still pre order it from HMV, Zavvi and all the other stores though.

Sorry again

NEW DELHI, October 3 (Compass Direct News) – At least two more Christians were killed today in Orissa state’s Kandhamal district after Hindu extremists this week set fire to nearly 400 homes there and in Boudh district. A third man succumbed to axe injuries on Wednesday (Oct. 1).

Weeks after Hindu extremist violence erupted against Christians, this morning tribal peoples in Sindhipankha village killed Dushashan Majhi, a local influential Christian, first shooting him and them cutting him to pieces. Local Christian leaders reported that Majhi was a government servant working in the treasury.

The mob then turned on Sanyasi Majhi, also said to be Christian, who was with Dushashan Majhi. There were unconfirmed reports that a third victim was killed along with the other two.

A local Christian who wished to remain unnamed told Compass that after killing the two men, the assailants massacred cattle belonging to village Christians and burned Christian-owned houses. Sindhipankha is about seven kilometers (four miles) from Tumudiband.

Local news reporter Lalit Jena told Compass from Kandhamal that the attacks – which have continued unabated since Hindu extremists blamed Christians for the death of Hindu leader Laxmanananda Saraswati on Aug. 23 even though Maoist militants admitted murdering him – involve women first ransacking the Christian homes.

“The modus operandi of the tribal mob is such that women go first and attack the Christian houses,” he said. “They ransack and rob the household’s gold and other jewelry, TVs and all that is precious. The men then follow and burn the houses. Lately it has been reported that now they are fighting among themselves for the booty.”

Jena added that tribal peoples who lived in poverty before the violence now have obtained many heads of cattle, including goats and cows, within a short span, as well as household goods.

“They may have no electricity in their villages, but one can see lots of television sets, nearly all of it looted from the Christians,” he said.

Axe Murder

On Wednesday (Oct. 1), Lalji Nayak, believed to be about 80 years old, died from axe wounds after a Hindu extremist mob attacked his village of Hrudangia the previous day. Nayak and 14 others were wounded, with Nayak struck between his neck and chest.

While three of the wounded received first-aid at a health center in Kandhamal, eight others, including Nayak and his wife Mandaki, were admitted to MKCG Medical College in Berhampur. At press time Nayak’s widow, who received an axe blow just below the ear, remained in the medical center with a serious head injury.

Local Christians in Berhampur wanted to give Lalji Nayak a Christian burial, but police did not allow it. Utkal Christian Council members B.D. Das and J.R. Patro expressed strong objections to the police action.

Nayak’s brother, Junas Nayak, was taken to Cuttack Medical College for gunshot wounds. He remained in critical condition at press time with multiple gunshot wounds, and according to Jena has a total of 13 bullets in him.

“Seven are on his left thigh, and six in his right hand, but the doctors have so far done nothing to remove them from his body, even though he has been admitted in the hospital since September 30,” Jena told Compass. “We are concerned that he may develop septic [shock or infection] because of the delay.”

In the attacks, an 8-year-old boy miraculously survived after being hit by an axe in the middle of his skull.

Two pregnant Christian women, Archana and Geeta Sahu, this week were brought from Kandhamal to Berhampur hospital, where they gave birth and were said to be out of danger.

Houses Burned

Nearly 400 houses were burned or destroyed in Orissa state’s Boudh and Kandhamal districts this week.

On Wednesday (Oct. 1), mobs set fire to dozens of houses in the Raikia area of the Kandhamal district. Yesterday the violence crossed over to neighboring Boudh district as about 100 houses were torched by mobs in at least nine villages. Worst affected was the village of Kantamal.

The burning of houses continued this morning, with more than 400 houses reported to have been either burnt or destroyed in Boudh and Kandhamal districts.

Police have reportedly arrested five people so far in connection with the burning of the houses in Boudh district.

Additional District Magistrate Mihir Chandra Mallik told reporters, that unidentified people set fire to over a hundred houses of Dalit Hindus in at least nine villages in Boudh district.

“We have set up a relief camp at Kantamal town to provide food and shelter to the people who have lost their homes,” he added.

The administration said that the motive for burning these houses was ethnic, as Kandh tribal peoples attacked Dalit Pana homes.

Area church leaders confirmed this, but one said on condition of anonymity, “First they were targeting Christian Panas only, but now even Hindu Panas are not being spared. All Hindus who have not joined the mobs in attacking Christians are also being treated in the same way as Christians.”

Both Dalit Pana houses as well as homes belonging to the Christian Pana community have been targeted in Boudh district, he said.

In Barakhama village near Kandhamal, Christians may move to the safer Daringbadi. A local pastor told Compass that Barakhama was also targeted last December, when around 400 homes belonging to Christians were burned and demolished.

“The same continues now,” he said on condition of anonymity. “The Christians love their homes, but it is just not safe to live here anymore, for the government has failed to protect us. The Christians in Barakhama have almost decided to move collectively to Daringbadi, which is at least a bit safer.”

It is estimated that around 500 Christian families will leave the village.

Nun Raped

Police have finally confirmed the rape of a nun in Kandhamal two days after the death of Hindu leader Saraswati.

A mob of around 40 men attacked the nun at K. Nuagaon village, where she and a priest, Father Thomas Chellantharayil, had taken shelter after their center was attacked. The mob allegedly dragged her and the priest to a deserted office of a Non-Governmental Organization, where she was stripped and raped. The priest was reportedly doused with gas and beaten as he tried to stop the attack on her.

Police have arrested four suspects in the rape. Juria Pradhan, 52, his 22-year-old son Kartik Pradhan, Biren Sahu, 35, and 26-year-old Tapas Patnaik were arrested in connection with the assault and rape of the 29-year-old Catholic nun on Aug. 25.

The inspector-in-charge of Baliguda police station has since been suspended in connection with the incident. The Orissa government has also ordered a probe, 39 days after the initial complaint.

District Superintendent of Police S. Praveen Kumar this week told reporters that a medical examination report confirmed that the nun was raped.

The Hindustan Times reported today that although the report was filed weeks ago, police obtained the medical examination report only two days ago following media reports and the efforts of Sister Nirmala, Superior-General of the Missionaries of Charity, who wrote to the state seeking justice.

“A police official said they were busy in maintaining law and order and could not find time to look into the case,” the national daily reported.

Attempts at Law and Order

Since Wednesday (Oct. 1), 46 people have been arrested on charges of rioting in Kandhamal district. A police official said that they had arrested more than 300 people in the past month.

Christian leaders attributed the sudden arrest of 46 people in the last two days to new state Director General of Police (DGP) Manmohan Praharaj, who took over from Gopal Chandra Nanda, who retired on Tuesday (Sept. 30).

Hindu extremist Vishwa Hindu Parishad International President Ashok Singhal did not take kindly to the latest arrests.

“The new DGP is indiscriminately arresting leaders of Hindu organizations that are not related to any case,” he told reporters this week.

Nearly 53 companies of paramilitary forces have been appointed in Kandhamal district, and curfew was still imposed. The central government sent 1,000 paramilitary personnel in the form of 10 Central Reserve Police Force companies on Wednesday (Oct. 1) to Kandhamal district. Local sources said 10 more companies were expected by Sunday (Oct. 5).

The central government has come down heavily on the Orissa state government. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil wrote a strongly worded letter to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday (Oct. 3) asking him to take effective measures and provide security for the Christian community in the state.

“Merely continuing to ask for additional forces after every few days cannot be the solution,” Patil wrote. “The state government has to implement overall strategy for creating an environment of security.”

The letter came hours after the Union Cabinet expressed grave concern over the situation in the state, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh directing Patil to present a report on the situation at the next cabinet meeting.

Peace Rally in New Delhi

In New Delhi, nearly 15,000 Christians joined in a peace march in solidarity with the victims of the Orissa and Karnataka violence yesterday.

The peace march was the culmination of the week-long sit-in organized by the Christians of Delhi and NCR (National Capital Region) beginning Sept. 26 to protest atrocities on Christians in Orissa and Karnataka. The peace march took place on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, father of the nation.

Many national leaders, including central ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Oscar Fernandes, addressed the gathering at the Dharna (sit-in). Yadav, the union minister for Indian Railways, promised to personally meet with the prime minister and urgently discuss the matter. He said that he would “take up the anti-Christian violence in Parliament and debate the hatred of Hindutva [Hindu nationalist] forces.”

Hindu leaders such as Swami Agnivesh addressed the peace march at Rajghat (Gandhi’s final resting place), saying that the “very killers of Mahatma Gandhi, are the same killers of Christians in Orissa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country . . . The Hindutva fascists do not represent the peace-loving Hindu societies, rather they are damaging the Sanatam Dharma [eternal law] of Hinduism,” he said.

Report from Compass Direct News

Windows. Mobile.

7.

Delayed. Til the second half of 2009. I really don't get it. How are they supposed to try and increase their market share with the Android platform, Blackberries and iPhones ever increasing their own percentage of users? The last Windows Mobile update was 6.1, and what did that bring? Finger-friendly interface? No. Numbers you can actually put your whole finger on in the dialpad or calculator? No. A today screen that has bars big enough for your finger to tap on? No. Uncluttered menus? No. Being able to close a program instead of minimizing without going to start, settings, system, task manager? No.

Woah, that's a lot of stuff done there. I can't believe I didn't get it the first day it was out! Oh... right... HTC didn't release an update for my phone until a week before today. Even though it didn't cost them a thing to get 6.1 into their hot little hands.

The reliance on third-party software to do something the OS should be able to do is massive. WinMo doesn't even come with a registry editor.

And yet the third-party software has their own massive range and no quality control. There's the good (SPB software) and the bad (too many to list). Without a standard system of distributing applications from one place, where ratings can be compared from program to program, the platform is set up for failure.

And now the next update won't come until 1 year after Android gets a foothold or handhold into the market. How good can it get?

If Microsoft doesn't do something drastic, soon, my next phone's definitely not going to be a Windows Mobile, no matter how many Microsoft Word documents it can read.

V Australia, Virgin Blue's long-haul offshoot, was supposed to launch its service from Sydney to Los Angeles on December 15th, but due to the strike at Boeing headquarters has forced the launch until February of next year!

The airline has suspended advanced sale of tickets for travel December 15 2008 to February 28th 2009.

The strike is very unfortunate! The way the airlines work is that they use the delivery date for new airplanes to add new flights and sell tickets in advance. Any delay in delivery date means loss of revenue for the airlines. The aircraft manufacturer might have to pay delay costs to the airlines (depends on the contract). This seems to be a big opportunity for Airbus (Airbus had problems with A380 and A350 deliveries which now seem to be on track).  

From Herald Sun -

Virgin Blue
said Boeing had advised it of the delay and said it cannot predict the
duration of the dispute at its Seattle plant and therefore could not
guarantee the delivery date of V Australia's launch aircraft.
V Australia has three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in the advanced stage production at the plant.
Virgin
Blue said it had a revised the V Australia launch date and expects its
offshoot to commence services on February 28, 2009.

V Australia's Executive GM Scott Swift said - (from here)

In a letter to passengers with tickets booked, V Australia executive GM Scott Swift said the carrier was "very sorry to have to tell you" of the deferred launch.

"Boeing has advised us that it cannot predict the duration of the strike. It is in these circumstances that we feel we have no choice but to delay our V Australia launch and have nominated a revised V Australia launch date of 28 February 2009 to protect the interests of our Guests," said Swift.

"We are one of a number of airlines impacted by the strike. V Australia has three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in advanced production at the factory. The strike has no bearing on services operated by Virgin Blue, Pacific Blue or Polynesian Blue," he said.

You can download it at : http://www.phoenxsoftware.com/LD/LD2_Setup.exe

It will also be available on download.com within the next few weeks. Enjoy!

I wonder what he got out of vandalising the sticker. Well he got featured on my blog if that's anything! I'm not promoting it though.

Until then, here are a few links relevant to literature to keep you entertained:

• Lit 101 Class in Three Lines or Less - There aren't many, but the few featured are eerily accurate.
• Anthology of Spam Poetry - Makes the postmodernist in me too gleeful for her own good.
• NewPages.com - Literary magazine reviews as well as information on getting works published in the ones featured.
• LibraryThing - Create your own online library. Your first 200 books are free.
• Inprint! - A local (to me) nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of reading and writing.
• News regarding Stan's Soapbox - At the risk of revealing what a massive geek I truely am, this is a book I am very much looking forward to snagging once it's released.

Hope you derive some enjoyment from these! Until then, I am still plugging away on getting more books read and reviews written.

~Riot

I apologize to all of my faithful listeners, the ten of you that are out there, and I issue an apology to all of the folks on the rising boards that have been waiting for this episode after all the talking I did about it last week. It will be up as soon as I finish my papers.

Jakarta - Anda jadi korban delay pesawat. Jangan takut minta saja kompensasi. Ini seusai Keputusan Menteri Perhubungan No 5 tahun 2008.

"Untuk penumpang yang delay lebih dari 30 menit kompensasi makan atau berupa uang," kata Dirjen Perhubungan Udara Budi M Suyitno di Bandara Soekarno-Hatta, Cengkareng, Senin (29/9/2008).

Bagaimana bila delay lebih dari waktu tersebut? "Lebih dari 3 jam, harus memberikan fasilitas akomodasi makan malam dan tiket terbang untuk keesokan harinya," tambah Budi.

Ini semua memang tergantung kebijakan maskapai masing-masing, tapi Budi menegaskan. "Maskapai yang tidak memberikan kompensasi melanggar keputusan menteri dengan mendapatkan teguran dan kita tunggu laporannya sejauh mana pelanggarannya. Akan kita evaluasi," tandasnya.(ndr/ken)

Sumber : detiknews.com

Jakarta - Inspeksi mendadak (sidak) yang dilakukan Dirjen Perhubungan Udara Budi M Suyitno mendapatkan hasil cukup mengejutkan. Ternyata ditemukan pesawat yang mengalami delay (penundaan) keberangkatan karena sekrupnya hilang.

"Kalau pesawat delay memang ada dan penyebabnya ada beberapa, seperti sekrup ada yang hilang di beberapa pesawat. Contohnya di pesawat Garuda, kemudian ada pesawat Sriwijaya air," kata Budi di Bandara Soekarno-Hatta, Cengkareng, Banten, Senin (29/9/2008).

Namun menurutnya, itu pun segera dilakukan perbaikan. "Tapi begitu selesai dipasang sekrupnya, mereka langsung diberangkatkan," tambah Budi.

Lebih lanjut menurutnya hasil sidak kali ini cukup memuaskan karena dari temuan di lapangan belum ada pesawat yang di grounded.

"Dari faktor keselamatannya, artinya semua maskapai cukup siap untuk menerbangkan para pemudik," tandasnya.(ndr/ken)

Sumber : detiknews.com

Hey guys,

Due to a technical issue or two I'm not going to be able to post my day two post until I get home from Baltimore.

Yup, Day two of the con report is delayed.

I'll post the actual report tomorrow after I get home.

in the meantime?? HOW ABOUT THEM REDKSINS!?

More to post next friday,

Terry

To be honest, there's nothing going on right now. So don't worry about it. The game world is incredibly dull, except for Warhammer.

And the Fracture and Mercenaries 2 demos are lackluster, if not terrible.

I'm working on a game right now, so I don't have much time to talk. Yes, a game. I'll be uploading my portfolio with my work (finally) at some point soon and then I'll keep posting about progress with this thing. It's actually rather exciting. I'm just nervous.

Work is slowly taking over my life. And then there's World of Warcraft and Monster Hunter, which are viruses. Not to mention I'm giving Beyond Good and Evil a full playthrough, and I still need to get Eye of Judgment to work (why is it so hard to make the cards readable?). My time is nonexistent. In theory. So give me a few more days, maybe a week, and I'll give you guys the scoop.

God I need sleep.

Rubik's Confusion

Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek

Finished the language and speech part of kiddo's evaluation with the county folks...

Turns out he's on the upper end of the average range or above it on all things.

Except one.

In receptive language he is severely impaired.

While we had a bunch of work to do before this, now we can focus a little, but I feel like we are snowed in and a little panicked...

Even though this isn't really news to us. I mean, the term "receptive language" and all of the other language stuff is, well, like a foreign language to me. We knew something was going on, we still don't know what, but at least we have some validation to our observations which is little comfort, but at the same time, I am forever second guessing myself in a way that I'm going backwards from acceptance and I'm trying to reach for denial with all of my might so maybe I can just curl up with kiddo there and pretend everything is 80's sitcom normal. But I never get there. And I'm really tired. We could all use the break. But there are no breaks in sight...

So the eval (we haven't had our formal review yet) was on Thursday and on Friday I came home from a pharmacy run and boy told me a story. Then he told me another one. My little boy stood there and very slowly and meticulously told me something that happened in his day. There was a beginning, a middle, and an end.

He is five.

He told me that he came home and there was a box from amazon.com on the chair. He told me that he looked inside and it was empty. He told me the box didn't belong on the chair. He told me that he brought the box to the recycling bin. He told me that with Daddy's help they smashed up the box and put it in the recycling bin.

It was the most gripping account of anything I have ever heard in my entire life.

My little guy doesn't tell stories. He doesn't have conversations where he is an active participant in the dance that is a conversation. He blurts stuff. He collects facts. He runs into the room and announces that "The big radio at Target looks like a face" and runs out... He is random yet structured in every part of his life. He does not tell stories. He does not answer questions.

Later that evening I was snuggling with him in the big bed before story time. I asked him about school and the other kids. He has been having a hard time. I asked him why he couldn't finish his lessons in class today (according to his teacher via my husband).

I expected nothing, except perhaps a change of subject. Lately, his obsession is smoke alarms and fire sprinkler systems, so I was expecting the step by step run down of the sprinkler trigger mechanism.

Instead, he told me- slowly and step by step - that one of the younger kids came over and took his blue colored pencil and broke it so he could not do his lesson.

I was floored.
I asked him if he told the teacher and he said no. So we talked about what to do next time something like that happens. Of course, from what I know of the way his brain works, the solution we discussed can and will only apply to the very same situation, with the very same child, and the very same lesson, and the very same blue pencil. He is very literal and rigid about these things.

But he told me, and we talked about it.

Today everything was back to the usual. The three of us are just so shell shocked with everything in our lives that we were all pinging off the walls and irritating each other.

But that one glimpse of his problem solving with the box, and what happened at school, were the greatest gifts.

Hopefully, when the rhythm of school begins again in the new week, we'll be able to have more of these talks. I don't think he is understanding it yet, but I think he is working on memorizing conversational and story patterns...But if that is the case, at least I can get that glimpse into his school day, that may help him more than anything else...

And, faithful reader, if you have read this far, you are probably wondering about the picture...

Hubby was taking a picture of kiddo with his new Rubik's Cube (he can't mix up the colors, it will put him over the edge and if he finds out the stickers come off none of us will ever sleep again....) and told him to hold the cube in his hand...

So he is holding the cube in his hand....

God is infinitely patient, but that doesn't mean He's not also infinitely intentional. His infinite patience simply means He doesn't do anything rashly or without complete premeditation, certainty, and intentionality. The fact that He banished use from eating from the tree of life after our sin wasn't an impatience for our sin, but rather compassion for it -- He didn't want us to live forever in sin, but instead would have us die so that He might resurrect us again in a new creation.

I've been reading about God's patience all throughout Genesis: the way He spoke to Adam after Adam's sin, the way He watched Noah get drunk after getting off the ark, the way He allowed Abraham to lie about his wife twice, the way He watched all the Patriarchs take more than one wife, the way He let Isaac have a favorite, the way He allowed Jacob deceive... The list is perpetual, which makes sense.

Every time God pursues a sinner, He exercises His infinite patience. I'm dumbfounded by this right now, considering a perfect, infinite God going after billions of imperfect, selfish, sinful people. The fact that He didn't wipe all of creation out from the start is exhibit A in the case for His divine patience. I understand more (thanks to the teaching of the Holy Spirit to my heart) what Peter meant when he wrote in 2 Peter 3:9 about how our present waiting for the second coming of Christ isn't due to God's delay of His promise as we understand it, but rather is due to His desire for none to perish and all to come to repentance.

You know one thing I appreciate as I read through the start of Exodus? God's patience with Moses. When God calls Moses to a difficult task, Moses shows the same anxiety I often appeal to Christ for redemption from. And yet, God doesn't say, "Well, I guess you're not the guy for the job after all -- peace." God is so patient.

And yet, God is not a pushover. After Moses pushes it just a little too far, God's anger burns against him (Exodus 4:14).

Lord, I praise You for Your patience with me, a sinner saved by grace on the cross. I confess that I've been impatient with others, and, on the other end of the continuum, complacent with contacting Johnathan. Father, help me to change some things today.

Lord, today help me to contact Johnathan in a way that glorifies You.

I ask this in Your Son's precious name -- may His will be done.

Amen.

I'd expected to be writing such a post about Captain Oblivious as he navigated the first six weeks of junior high, but we've actually been pleased with his school situation. The itinerant teacher that manages the mainstreamed autistics met with the Cabana Boy at open house and explained that the jr. high theory is very much like ours at home-- they let him roll. If the other kids tell him to shut up, or to knock off his unacceptable behavior, they let him experience the effects of peer criticism (and praise), and only interfere when someone's about to be hurt. We really haven't heard much from them, and he seems to be getting along.  So, keeping our fingers crossed while we're ahead.

No, the black spot on our outlook at this point is Little Miss, who was doing so well. She hasn't changed-- in fact, socially and at home, she's continuing to improve all the time. Her intuition is coming into play, she's displaying more empathy and genuine correct emotion. But academically, her language delays and dysfunction are shooting her in the hind end over and over.

Everyone says fourth grade is different, and boy, are they right. The whole style of teaching changes. Everything moves fast, there's more lecture, less hands on, and the material heads into the area of the abstract, which is not a place where our kids exist happily.

Little Miss is particularly fond of the concrete--her math is still solid.  But so far 2 x 2 still equals 4, you know? The concept of government by the people and for the people?  Lost on her. How about the process of scientific experimentation?  Proposing a theory and designing a test to prove it? No way. It's heartbreaking.

So, I've bitten the bullet and requested the formal evaluation that they've put off for several years. The school psychologist, who has been a great help and support, has been reluctant to do the test because-- you guessed it--the child has some significant delays that make communication difficult. Well, painful as that is for all of us, we need to document just how bad it is. Then we'll need to devise a treatment plan during school hours, including putting her back in autistic support the majority of the day instead of just for two subjects. The teachers have made it clear she doesn't need a TSS in school, she needs speech.  So we'll have to fight for that. And make them do it.

We're accessing outside programs as well, not dropping the whole bomb on the school.  We had the managed care re-eval and they want to send us a BSC and TSS for six after-school hours a week.  Along with C.O.'s mobile therapist, we'll have eight hours of strangers being in our home again, taking our time away from the children. I've been searching for a speech therapist within a 60 mile radius, to help push those issues of pragmatic, expressive and receptive language.  So far, nothing.

But we're on that road again. All we can do is hope it's for the best.

Note:  Background info on ACORN as a follow up has been posted HERE

Back to  our original programming...

HOLY CRAP!

No wonder the Republicans are freaking out over this bill and the whole thing is about to fall through...

The friggin Democrats put EARMARKS in the bill!!!!

And not only are they trying to earmark the bill, they are earmarking the bill for ACORN, an activist group that is under investigation for voter registration fraud in several states.

Leave it to the Democrats....

Will it never end?  Seriously?

For more info MM is keeping updates.

UPDATE:  An explanation from Papau2 (An Author Here On Texas Hill Country)

Sen. Lindsay Graham has jumped a few logic hurdles to get from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund — part of the legislation that passed the Senate Banking Committee in May and is poised to come to the Senate floor as early as this week — to a 20% of bailout bill will go to groups like the ACORN and the National Council of La Raza.

The “trust fund” does get its revenues from a legislatively fixed share of the surpluses of the government’s Federal Housing Administration or the profits from the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The latest version — in the housing and GSE oversight bill that cleared the Senate Banking Committee in May — would establish the fund by taking 1.2 basis points of interest from Fannie and Freddie’s loan portfolio — about $500 million a year. - over the 2 year life of the bailout that is 1 billion out of $700 billion in the rescue bill with $625 million going to Acorn and such groups for "housing aid"- after two years, all of the money to Acorn would go to the housing grant for bailing out troubled homeowners through FHA guarantees of modified loans (Richard Shelby in May stated he had reached a “compromise” with committee chairman Chris Dodd on the housing fund such that money from the “trust fund” would be used to fund the bill’s main action of bailing out troubled homeowners through FHA guarantees of modified loans. After two years, all of the money would go to the housing grant. The version of the bill that passed the Senate committee in May "diverted" half of the money intended for the housing trust fund in its first year and 25% in its second year, but after that 100% of the funds go into the housing trust fund).

The trust fund would allow recipients (Acorn and such) to use the money for lobbying and possibly political campaigning only because the prohibitions on using the funds for lobbying and political activity contain virtually no teeth in enforcing these bans. There are no explicit requirements for recipients of the grants to fill out timesheets for housing activity, or restrictions on groups using grant money to pay employees who also happen to do other things — such as lobbying and political campaigning. And there are really no penalties other than being forced to give the money back and being disqualified for a new grant.

It is true that ACORN histrory includes election fraud and misuse of federal funds with several ACORN workers indicted and/or convicted of voter registration fraud with phony signatures, and with Acorn sanctioned specifically for misuse of federal housing funds. In 1994, the ACORN Housing Corporation (AHC) received a grant from the newly created Americorps to assist low-income families at finding housing. In applying for the grant, the AHC claimed its activities were completley separate from ACORN - only to find out one year later via the Americorps Inspector General that “AHC used Americorps grant funds to benefit ACORN either directly or indirectly” with several instances of cost-shifting from ACORN’s lobbying group to the housing entity, and also found several instances of steering recipients of housing counseling into ACORN memberships.

Unfortunately, just half an hour before a mad gunmen decided to start taking pot-shots at police, I boarded the 7.00pm train from Birmingham New Street to London Euston, with the following itinerary:

7.00pm - Leave Birmingham New Street
8.40pm - Arrive London Euston
Travel by tube to London Victoria
9.40pm - Depart London Victoria
11.15pm Arrive Bognor Regis

This was the actual progress of my journey:

7.00pm - Leave Birmingham New Street
7.30pm - Stop on tracks just outside Coventry.
8.30pm - Still stopped on tracks just outside Coventry.
9.30pm - Really getting quite bored now stuck on tracks just outside Coventry.
10.30pm - Wondering where I'll be spending the night stuck on the tracks etc etc
11.00pmish - Trains starts to move - still an hour from London Euston though
12.00 midnight - Arrive London Euston really just needing to go to sleep.
12.10am - told that no hotels were being authorised, and if I could find a room they (Virgin trains) wouldn't guarantee to refund it.
12.15am - tried phoning local hotels and realised it was futile as a whole train network full of people were clamouring to get rooms too.
12.20am - grumpily asked for taxi authorisation form to Bognor Regis, resigning myself to another 2 hrs journey after 5 hrs stuck on a train. Really quite knackered now.
12.30am - sitting facing backwards in a cramped cab with 3 other people and their luggage going through London and wishing I was at home.
1.00am - cab empties out (passengers dropped off at Fulham and Twickenham) and my chirpy cabbie stops for diesel and offers me a drink for the long ride down to the South coast
2.00am - chatting to cabby all kinds of subjects, including diving (his passion) and comedy/podcasting (mine).
3.00am - Arrive at my dad's in Bognor Regis, let myself in with the hidden key. Go to bed and wonder why the hell I can't get to sleep!

As a footnote, here are some numbers for you. See if you can work out the logic:

Cost of my advance (cheapo) train ticket from Birmingham to Bognor: £17.80
Approx cost of a hotel and return cab fare if they could be bothered to sort them out for stranded passengers, so I could be on my way next morning: £100.00
Actual fare of the cab that got me home: £280.00

The supreme irony of all of this is that my journey down to Bognor was to pick up my new car which is going to save me from the hell that is public transport.

Anyway, that's all water under the bridge now.

However, I would like to say a few words to the gunman who was on Rugby station last night:

May your testicles be caught in a freak sledgehammer accident, and may you be plagued by inane sales calls, watermelon-sized haemmoroids and vomit-inducing BO for the rest of your life.

I don't think that's being too harsh, do you?

When asked if McCain uses the internet we're told that he "can email" and that is supposed to make us confident that the old man is not out of touch with technology.  Can he use a cell phone?  If so, what makes him think that he needs to be in Washington on Friday to personally solve the financial crisis?  According to his peers, he has had NO influence whatsoever on the action plan and they would rather he not drag his election dog-and-pony show to Washington to confound the process. 

There is talk now from the GOP about using the VP debate date (next Thursday) for the McCain/Obama showdown and postponing the Biden/Palin debate into the future.  What are the Republicans afraid of?  It is so very apparent that they really don't want Palin to speak without a script and want to give her all the time she needs to study for her "exam with Professor Biden".

If McCain is so busy, how about letting Palin and Biden go at it this Friday?  What are they doing about the bailout?  Or will he need Sarah in Washington too?

"It's the longest Hail Mary pass in the history of either football or Marys."   - Rep. Barney Frank

Two days to go, and McCain seems a little shaky in his boots.  Requesting to cancel the debate in order to resolve the financial crisis? It would be one thing if he were actively participating in all phases of the negotiations, but as stated by chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York:

“We haven’t heard hide nor hair of Sen. McCain in these negotiations. He has not been involved except for an occasional, unhelpful statement, sort of thrown from far away, and the last thing we need in these delicate negotiations is an injection of presidential politics.”

Why, then, when both parties urgently need to know where he stands on the issue of the bailout, is he- well, bailing out?  Obviously the McCain campaign focus groups are still trying to figure out what he should say, as opposed to having an actual opinion or platform.  Or, this is a total attempt to "psyche-out" Obama, whose rejection to the request was spot on:

"It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess. It's going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once."

Couldn't have said it better myself.  But, I'll try:

Senator McCain needs to learn to McMultitask, or forget his presidential bid entirely.

-Matt