Young children working on blueberry farm, is this the U.S.?

The Adkin Blue Ribbon Blueberry Farm located near South Haven, MI were fined for violating federal migrant-housing & child labor laws. What a shame! The Adkin co. claim they are unsure why there were children working on their blueberry farm and are investigating the issue. They claim it may be because the workers did not have adequate child care. Is that really an excuse? Funny, they didn't see the children as young as 6 years old carrying around the 5-gallon buckets and picking blueberries? What has this country come to? We have adults out here who can't find jobs and they are working young children. I swear, some people have no morals and will do anything to make a buck, no matter how wrong it may be. That sounds like a story you would hear about in another country. But, not in the United States. The Adkin farm is one of largest blueberry companies in Michigan selling their blueberries to grocery food chains, such as; Kroger, Meijers & Walmart. The Adkin Farm paid only $5,500 in fines. In my opinion, that isn't enough. They should have been fined a lot more. The workers were also found to be living in unlicensed migrant camps with no hot water, a faulty septic system leaking near the living quarters, the living units were infested with bugs and rodents, and untreated water waste spilling out of broken pipes. I would hate to say it, but this is one of the problems with hiring seasonal migrant workers.

Evaluate your marriage, you will be surprised.

The divorce rate is at an all time high. People just don't seem to have the same level of commitment that they used to have in marriages. It seems the attitude is, it's easier to get a divorce than to try and work it out. When you married that person, you must have thought "this is someone, I could spend the rest of my life with." There had to have been something about that person that you loved at one point. That quality does not disappear. You just have to get past all the bitterness to see the good again. You married them because you loved them more than you ever loved anyone else. I think sometimes people forget why they got married in the first place. Before you run to a divorce lawyer, sit down and evaluate yourself. Think "what could I have done differently or what can I do to make this marriage work?" You can not change someone else, but you change how you react to that person or change the things you do. If react calmly to situations and drop the yelling and accusations, your partner may react differently to you. Change has to start with you. It can be done, you just have to work at it. The next time you and your partner have confrontation, react calmly to the situation, evaluate if it is really worth arguing over, stop the accusations and see if they react differently. Remember, there are three sides of a story; your version, their version and the truth. One of the problems with a lot of people, they seem to think the grass is greener on the other side. In most situations, it is easier to fix your own marriage than to start over with a new set of problems or the same set of problems just with a different person. One of the things you can do, is sit down make a list of the good things your partner has done, and what is it about your partner that you love then sit down and make a list of the negative things. I can almost bet you, the good will out weigh the bad. The first step is to forgive. Can you forgive them? If you can, then do it. Sometimes, we let our pride get in the way. Don't let your pride destroy your marriage. I love my husband, he is a good man with a good heart and I couldn't imagine living my life without him and I don't want to. I bet you love your spouse the same. Maybe, you just need to remember the good times and leave the bad behind you. Remember, we are all humans and make mistakes. I'm sure if you look at yourself, you will find mistakes that you have made too.

There is help out there, you just have to look for it. A list of community resources.

In today's economy, many families are faced financial troubles with unemployment on the rise and their unemployment running out. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment has increased 4.7% in the last 6 months. In April of 2008, the unemployment rate has increased from 5.1% to 9.8% in 2009. Many people have not been faced with financial difficulty in their past and do not know how to begin looking for community resources in their area. I have been working on compiling a list of community resources. The list below will help you find available resources in your area, from energy assistance, shelter or food assistance to domestic issues. If you need help, please check them out. If there is something that is not on the list, leave a comment and I will do my best to help you find community resources in your area to help you. Don't be afraid to ask for help, there is no shame in asking for help. (Copy & paste the link in your browser)

Dial 211 from your phone and it will connect you to the United way in your area or you do a search on the net for 211 plus your state to help connect you with the local 211 in your area.

http://julieslist.homestead.com
(Community Resources)

http://womenslaw.org
WomensLaw.org is an excellent resource and informational page for both families and professionals. WomensLaw.org provides women and professionals with information on laws from all the states and where to find help.

http://family.findlaw.com
The website has a link to find a lawyer in your area for just about any legal issue a family may be faced with, information about the laws, the actions you can take as an individual, legal forms, information about the court systems and an online library.

http://www.divorcelawinfo.com/familylaw.htm
The site is designed so that it provides an individual or a professional with information on the current family laws, family law organizations for lawyers and non-lawyers, government resources, state laws, publications, and a contact list of organizations that can be contacted on specific rights or for an individual to receive help. Family Law Resources provides individuals and professionals links to other websites that may be able to help them and information on any law that may pertain to them.

This is just a tip of the iceberg, if these websites do not provide you with the help you need, you can email me at terrysprinkle@yahoo.com and I will do my best to assist you.

The new trend, girls fighting.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of reports of teen girls being arrested for violent offences. What are these teens girls fighting over? The most common reason for teen violence among girls seem to be over boys. Come on, girls! What are you thinking? Some of the other reasons are popularity, control over other girls and once again because the boys seem to like to watch the girl on girl fights. Some of these girls are getting seriously injured, permanently scarred and even killed. Teens are taking pictures and video-taping these fights and posting them on YouTube, social networking and fight sights. The teens out there who are doing the fighting do not take it seriously; until they are arrested or someone gets seriously hurt or killed. Some young girls feel they enter high school at the bottom of the food chain and fighting is a way of gaining respect among their peers and make an identity for themselves. Girls as young as age 9 are engaging in these fights. Teens push their peers into fighting and even some parents encourage their child to engage in fighting. It is sad that it has come to a time where our schools need to be policed as an attempt to discourage fights and to protect innocent bystanders.

A tribute to breast cancer survivors & those who have lost the battle with breast cancer.

I can't let October pass without a tribute to breast cancer survivors and those who have lost their lives due to breast cancer. In the year 2008, there were 2.5 million women who survived breast cancer. There is hope out there for women who are faced with breast cancer. Ninety percent of the cases of breast cancer are not linked to heredity. Researchers are not sure of why some women get breast cancer and some do not. But, they do know there are some factors that may increase your risk of getting breast cancer. Research indicates there is a link between external factors in the environment along with internal factors. There are a few things you can do to reduce your chances of getting breast cancer; such as:
If you are overweight, lose the excess pounds.
Make informed choices about the medicine you take.
Be conscience of the food you eat & what you drink
Do self exams
Get mammograms
I would like to share with you this story of a breast cancer survivor. She is strong woman and may God always bless her with the strength to fight.

I can give hope to cancer patients. I have survived breast cancer 6 times. I am going through my 7th diagnosis right now. My cancer is stable at present. I have been on Gemzar for 6 treatments. I have one left in two weeks. My cancer is a stage IV. But I have survived it so many times before I can do it again. I could not have made it without God, my family and friends. Also lots of prayer and a positive attitude. I have had 7 kinds of chemo. They are: 5-FU, Cytoxan, Adriamycin, Taxol, Navelbine, Xeloda, and Gemzar. I have had radiation 5 times. I have taken tamoxifen, Femara, Megase, and Aromasin. It all started in 1982 when I was 37. After that time I was cancer-free for 13 years. Then I had it 5 times in 5 years. Then I was cancer free for almost 7 years. The Lord has blessed me with a good outlook on life. I accept whatever this cancer outcome might be. I do get fearful at times. But I know the Lord has a plan for me. Whether here to tell my story and encourage others or in heaven so other people can tell my story for me. Thank you for this opportunity to tell my story.

Susan, 62

Graham, WA

October 31, 2007

Below is a link to how you can help. (If your have trouble with the link, just copy & paste the link in your browser)

http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/How-To-Help/

You don't have to be thin to be beautiful. We love you just the way you are!

Pro-ana and pro-mia sites hit the web in 2001 becoming the new inspiration for young girls and women to provide what is referred to as thinspiration. Thinspiration sites hit the web claiming to offer a loving and caring environment for anorexics and bulimics. However, pro-ana and pro-mia websites provide their users with tips and tricks on how to lose weight, provide inspiration with music and poetry. These sites provide thinspiration links for the users so they can view photos of thin models and view photos of overweight individuals with captions that say "It starts slow.... you think it would be ok to eat one sandwich... But you know it builds. Now, though, it will overpass all your barriers, and keep building, more than its ever been before..." telling them this is what they will look like if they give into their cravings. Some of the websites promise there will be long lean days ahead. Some of these sites provide their users with a list of legal and illegal drugs that will help them stop the cravings and help them lose the weight. France is banning pro-ana and pro-mia websites. These websites are predominately in the United States and France. Below I have provided a link to sign a petition to ban pro-ana and pro-mia sites. If your interested, click on the link below and it will take you directly to the link.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ban-pro-ana-pro-mia-websites.html



The video below is meant to bring awareness not encourage thinspiration.

Seriously Richard and Mayumi Heene, a balloon hoax. What were you thinking?

Richard and Mayumi Heene thought they were going to make it big when they played the hoax on the Fort Collins, Colorado police department. Now, they are looking at landing them selves in jail instead of landing a reality t.v. show contract. You have to get a license to drive car or even a boat and a license to get married. Sometimes I think, you should have to get a license to have children. Seriously, the Heenes didn't know that it was illegal to send the police out on a wild goose chase looking for a missing child that isn't missing. They didn't stop and think that charges would be filed if their hoax came out or the possibility of children protective services coming in and taking their children. That really saddens me when you see parents so desperate for fame and money, they will go out and use their children as pawns. The Heenes should put as much effort in raising their children and being good parents as they did in concocting and executing this scam to land themselves a reality t.v. show.

Children of the U.S.- The forgotten children.

According to the 2009 report put out by the CWLA 510,885 children were living in the foster care system. There is a lot of media attention on the stars going out and adopting children from third world countries. What about the children in the United States? Are their needs not relevant? On television their are infomercials on children living in third world countries who need to be fed. In the year 2007, 18% of the children living in the United States were living below poverty level. I am not denying the needs of children in the third world countries. However, it seems that the children of the United States are the forgotten children of the world.
In the year 2006 there were 139,064 children in the foster care system waiting to be adopted. All the stars and the high profile individuals out there should be adopting our children and donating to take care of our children first before they head over to a third world country to take care of children of another country. Oh excuse me, would that not bring them enough media attention? I used to be a fan of Angelina Jolie until, she started adopting children from other countries. If she would like to adopt children of another race, I am all for it but, there are plenty of beautiful children right here in the U.S. who are in need of a good home. I believe everyone should love everyone the same regardless of race. We are all beautiful. Does Angelina Jolie & other high profile individuals know that 34% of children in the foster care system are African American, 40% are white, 18% Hispanic, 2% American Indian/Native American & 7% of other races & ethnicities. So, the next time all the Angelina Jolie's of the United States decides they want to help children in the third world countries they need look into their own back yard first and help a child living in the United States, they need you.

Here is a snapshot of the children living in the United States.

America’s Most Vulnerable Children:A Snapshot
Estimate of referrals of possible child abuse and
neglect (2006) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,300,000
Children substantiated/indicated as abused or
neglected (2006) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 905,000
Children who died as a result of abuse or
neglect (2006) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,530
Children living in out-of-home care (2006) . . . . . . . 510,885
Children adopted from the public foster care
system (2006) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,705
Children waiting to be adopted (2006) . . . . . . . . . . 139,064
Children living in poverty (2007) . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,247,238
Children living in low-income families (2007) . . 28,803,055
National Poverty Rate (2007) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.5%
National Poverty Rate, children under age 18, (2007) . . 18.0%
National Poverty Rate, children ages 5–17 (2007) . . . 16.8%
National Poverty Rate, children under age 5 (2007). . 21.2%

Bardwell; Is he concerned about the future interracial children of America or is he a racist?

Keith Bardwell, a white justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish in the southeastern part of Louisiana, should be fired. Bardwell earlier this month refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. Bardwell claims he refuses to marry interracial couples because he is concerned about their children. Bardwell should concern himself with other important issues; such has poverty, the homeless, educating today's youth and so on. There are so many other causes out there in need of attention, if he would like to pick one. Claiming he is only concerned about their children's future is a smoke screen to cover that he is racist. Now, if a Afro-American judge refused to marry an interracial couple he would be a racist and would be asked to resign and it would probably make the national news. Bardwell has served as the justice of the peace for 34 years. How can a justice of the peace step on the civil rights of the Louisiana residents for 34 years and this is the first time Bardwell's racial discrimination has come out? Bardwell should be required to give the couple a televised apology with his resignation. Apparently, Bardwell needs to step out of the year 1950 and into the year 2009.

The Sexualization of Teens & Women

This year I returned back to college to get my degree in Family Life Education. In doing so, I was I was required to write a thesis and design a program. I did research on the sexualization of teens and women related to the negative affects they have on an individuals self-esteem and mental health. I would like to share some of that with you. If I can change one individuals life, then all this time spent on blogging was well worth the time spent.

One of the common problems with teens and women today is referred to as the sexualization of teens and women. Sexualization is when a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics, and when a person is sexually objectified or made into a sexual thing for another’s use (APA Task Force). Falling into this trap of being sexualized by the media and Internet has a lot of unhealthy consequences on one’s own mental and physical health and sexual development. Sexualization leads to eating disorders, poor self image, depression, and unhealthy sexual development.

The media and Internet make it appear to be more socially acceptable to be a sexual object. The Internet glorifies pornography, prostitution and stripping so that it looks appealing to young girls. “Research has found that adolescents make use of mass media, notably TV and magazines, to learn about how important aspects of identity development-sex and gender (Connecting developmental Constructions to the Internet: Identity Presentation and Sexual Exploration in Online Teen Chat Rooms, Developmental Psychology 2006, Vol. 42, No. 3, 395-406, apa.org). But, the reality is these people are preying on teens. The sex industry is a billion dollar industry in the United States. A lot of these girls or boys, who get involved in this kind of lifestyle end up prostituting, being raped, or sold off to the highest bidder as a sex slave and when they are done with you, they throw you away like trash on the street. “It’s a thriving international business in our increasingly interconnected global economy, generating some $9 billion in profits every year” (Human Trafficking: An IntelligenceReport,http://www.fbi.gov/page2june06/human_trafficking061206.htm). These kinds of people prey on teens in chat rooms, on myspace, facebook and various social networking sources on the Internet. They lure them in by glamorizing the industry. Telling them they can make a lot of money, buy the nice clothes or material things they want. Also, there are the sexual predators that prey on girls and boys on the Internet. One of the problems with meeting people online is you don’t really know who is sitting on the other end of that computer.

Another problem that the Internet is creating is a rise in sexual addictions. Pornography is more addicting than cocaine and does not discriminate. The Internet provides easy access to pornography. All these images give boys and men an unrealistic view of women. Women are being viewed as sexual objects rather than an actual intelligent human being with emotions and vice verse. The choice that we have to make is “are we going to allow it to take over our lives?”

Not only is the Internet and the media contributing to the sexualization of teens in women, it has made it made it as though casual sex partners is socially acceptable. There is a rise in the number of sex partners one has throughout there lifetime and a rise in the number of STDs'. Oral sex has become the new kissing in today's society. Some people are not aware of the negative effects this can have on one's health. Contracting STDs' can have a negative impact on one's health throughout their lifetime. There are some STDs' that require lifetime treatments and some STDs' that can cause a woman to be infertile.
Seriously think about the consequence before you jump in the sack with the next available person. Sit down and think about, what you want from your life and is this lifestyle going to help me achieve it. Posting nude photos and videos of yourself on the Internet will follow you the rest of your life. Do you really want your children or grandchildren to someday find those photos? If you are doing it now and you have children or grandchildren, do you want them to find out what you are doing? If your having multiple sex partners do you want to share an std with your loved one or your future loved one?

Morals, Do They Still Exist?

Lets start with a clear definition of what morality is. According to the dictionary, morals is defined as; of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical: moral attitudes. To have or possess morals or values is becoming socially unacceptable. Those who walk around half dressed, posting nude or nearly nude photos of themselves on the Internet call it freedom of expression. I call it a lack of morality, a lack of real talent and low self-esteem. Those who post nude photos of themselves on the net are so desperate for attention and desperate for someone to love them, they will strip down and bare it all just for a little attention. These women who are doing it are a disgrace to all women. Women having been struggling for years to get respect for their intelligence and their ability to succeed, then you have those women out there who spend endless hours on the net posting pictures and videos of themselves tearing down all the accomplishments real women who have been working so hard to be recognized as equals. The problem is they aren't intelligent enough to know the harm they are doing to young girls and women. Because of women like this, there is a new generation of problems. Women and young girls are being viewed as sexual objects. The Internet can be a wonderful world of information right at your finger tips. But, there is also a dark side. The dark side of the Internet that is destroying our youth, our men and women and our marriages. The Internet has brought pornography in our homes, in the hands of our children and our families. The Internet has now made it possible to bring prostitution to a new level, made it easier to sell humans in the sex trade, gave pedophiles access to our children,
and the list goes on. But, we can't blame the Internet. What it all comes down to, is a break down of morals and values in society. I think everyone needs to sit down and evaluate "what is really important in their lives and "Is it really worth destroying your life over?"