Tebow, Tebow,Tebow - - is anyone else sick of hearing about him?

There is an article in the last "Time" magazine about the "Tebow" law. Some states have it whereby home schooled kids can be taught at home but take part in their public school athletics - mainly football or basketball I imagine. I think some schools are even making it possible for home schoolers to take chemistry, band, and other classes that aren't conducive to home schooling. So these home schoolers have the best of two worlds - they have some time at public school and the rest at home. The main reason for home schooling is to teach kids about the Christian way. It's all about religion.

Tim was home schooled, but when it came time for football, his mother and he moved to a county where the mom liked the coach. Tim apparently did quite well there as he's not doing too badly now.  Apparently his mother wasn't qualified to teach him the ins and outs of football.

The whole thing makes me very upset . . . or I really should say pissed off. Who qualifies people to be teachers in their homes? And why are those kids allowed to take part in anything in a public school since their parents have made it quite clear public schools aren't good enough for them. With the Tebow law in effect, will there be more people kneeling and praying on the streets, sidewalks and lawns that we'll be confronted with whenever we go out? And why was Tim allowed to  kneel and pray on the football field when other players aren't allowed to do their dances or whatever. He was bringing his religion to millions of people which I think was against some law or should be.

I'll bet Tim is a little embarrassed at all the publicity, but then again, maybe that's the way he is. I think public schools need a lot of help, but there isn't the money available now. I don't agree with the Tebow law and think more time and money should be spent on public schools, not some kids from "religious" homes who think they are better than others and just want a way into a scholarship to some big-time schools. That's what I think!

What the hell is "Sweet Sixteen?"

Well . . . I found out the other day when I got on my exercise bike for some exercise. I turned on the little tv in my bedroom and it sure wasn't "The Young and the Restless." What I saw was a bunch of guys playing basketball! I was shocked and jumped off the bike and ran out to the living room where my newspaper was with the tv schedule. There seemed to be basketball night and day listed! I read a little and it told about the "Sweet Sixteen." I still didn't understand it but I sure didn't like it. So I went back to my bike and changed the channel to "Animal Planet" which is always good, and I was pretty sure there would be no basketball there. They were showing an episode on the Houston ASPCA that rescues animals from bad people. That day they were rescuing pit bills that were in bad shape and were tied to trees behind a dilapidated house in what looked "Deliverance"  country. That was pretty interesting so I calmed down.

I have never been a basketball fan. I've gone to high school games when my daughters were cheerleaders at their high school. But all I got out of it was a bunch of terribly sweaty guys running from one end of the gym to the other! I was glad when my girls weren't doing that anymore. I like football. I spent about 20 years going to games every Friday night when my husband was a football coach. Even now I'll watch it on tv. But when I couldn't watch "The Good Wife" which is one of my favorite shows because of basketball, I was really pissed. So last Sunday I was elated when I saw that the "Sweet Sixteen" wasn't on that night. But then Diane told me it would still be on this week as it was just winding down. I was furious! So I got to watch "The Good Wife" but I had planned on watching "Harry's Law" before it on NBC. But guess what? There was basketball on that channel too! I was not a happy camper Sunday night. I don't even like to camp because the bathroom accommodations aren't the best - they're nil.

I really do like sports. I even read the sports page. I get much of my sports news from John Canzano's column. He does an excellent job with his writing and is especially good with his human interest stories about ordinary people. My only problem is basketball. Why couldn't there be one channel that would show basketball night and day and leave the other channels free of it. Like that's ever going to happen!

Was I dreaming or is Rush Limbaugh really a prick?

In this picture, Teri and Cindy are watching the news and listening to all the nasty things Rush Limbaugh said recently. Teri looks upset as she wonders if she'll be able to get birth control when she needs it on her insurance. Cindy looks bored with the whole thing and probably doesn't understand it all. She knows I'll take care of everything.

Did I dream all this? Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown University law student, had been invited to testify to a House committee about her school's health care plan that does not include contraception. Republican lawmakers barred her from testifying. I caught a glimpse of the men all lined up in their chairs who were conducting the testimony. Not one woman on the panel - just a group of men who probably use viagra or cialis on a daily basis, paid for by their insurance. She was then invited to speak to

 Democratic lawmakers. Rush Limbaugh couldn't keep his mouth shut and said this girl essentially told the committee she must be paid to have sex which, he says, makes her a slut and a prostitute. He said she ought to be made to send a video of the sex when it took place.

I don't think I was sleeping and dreaming - I think Rush sunk to the gutter and uttered those words. When I hear men talking about birth control and abortion it infuriates me. Men should have no say in that. That is for women to decide what they want to do. But the Republicans keep chipping away at Roe v. Wade, ignoring other pressing problems in this country like the economy. I have never liked Rush and now I could very easily say I hate him. But that wouldn't help anything so I guess I'll just realize he's a prick that will never change.

Friends with Benefits

This picture is of Brownie and Sammy, two of the wonderful dogs we had when the girls were little. This brings to mind a recent "Time" magazine that had an extremely interesting article on animal friendships. On the cover were two dogs - a gigantic bloodhound (I'm not sure about that) and a tiny chihuahua). I'm not sure about that either. The little one was sitting between the two front feet of the sitting bigger dog. I loved the cover but that didn't stop me from reading the inside articles, especially the one about Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti. Jon Stewart of the "Daily Show" made fun of the cover and other "Time" covers for not being tough enough. But Jon makes fun of everyone. There is enough hard news inside "Time" that it's nice to see something else on the cover. I certainly wouldn't have been drawn to it with Mario's picture on it!

I found the article fascinating. We have always thought we were the only ones who could feel love, loyalty, compassion and have the ability to make long-term relationships with friends. Animal friendship is about long-time bonds of sharing, sacrificing and grieving. Baboons, who are closely related to us, showed the strongest bonds were between unrelated females which lasted for years. Biologists always explained the social behavior between unrelated animals  as reciprocal altruism - a favor-for-favor arrangement which usually happened between males.

During this study, they found many cases of cross-species friends. The article mentions one specifically about Mzee the tortoise and Owen the hippo. Owen was found when he was 1 year old and dehydrated. He was placed in a wildlife sanctuary with the 130 year old Mzee. They became inseparable and went everyplace together. They went for walks together, each one telling the other where to go by nudging him in a certain way. I love that!

The study doesn't rank dogs very high for friendships. They are friends with other dogs in the same household, and thanks to domestication, they are capable of being sweet and loyal to humans. They say that dogs evolved from wolves and sweet doesn't go well with wolves. Dogs treat us more as guardians than friends. But they're still warm and wonderful company for us. I wonder if the author of this ever had a dog . . . probably not.

Studies were done on other animals and it was found that friendships made for healthier animals . . . and people. When domesticated horses groomed one another, their heart rate slowed. This just shows what has been found that people with close social networks have lower blood pressure, lower levels of stress hormones and better immune systems than those without. I don't know about grooming one another. . . although I love having my hair brushed. I guess animals and people aren't that much different. Friends are extremely important for our happiness and health. Friends with benefits is alive and well among all humans and animals, and the benefits are enormous.