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Greetings, Quotaholics:
Many years ago, my son was 16 and learning to drive. It was a highly
stressful period in both of our lives. He was very concerned about going
left of center and so kept the car a mere millimeter or two from the
mailboxes lining the road. That was, of course, MY side of the car.
I was clenching
my hands so tightly my nails were embedded in my palms. I was trying
to remain calm and reassuring. I gently reached over and nudged him
just a bit back towards the real road and away from the mailboxes. He
yelled at me, "Mom, stop that. You’re making me nervous."
I was 22 when he
was born and so I was a child of 38 when he was learning to drive. Four
years later, when his baby brother was learning, I went through the
same heart stopping fears. I’m lucky I didn’t have a heart attack.
Elizabeth
Adeney is going to become a new mother next month and is said to
be carrying a son. (My son, the driver, is going to become a new father
next month, too. But he is not related in any way to Ms Adeney). Elizabeth
is a businesswoman in the United Kingdom. She is going to be the oldest
new mother in Britain come next month. She is 66 and will turn 67 in
July.
She was ineligible
for National Health Service coverage for her in vitro fertilization
conception because she was over the age of 40, their cut off point for
funded fertility treatments. She was even too old to have anyone in
England help her at all, regardless of who paid for this. So she became
a "fertility
tourist" and went to the Ukraine where there are no limits.
There is also no mandatory health testing.
It is believed she
used donor eggs for the IVF process. The oldest woman to give birth
comes from India. She had a baby at 70 because she was desperate for
a male heir. She had twins and one of them was a boy.
Dr. Jamie Grifo
at the New York University Fertility Center called Adeney’s pregnancy
high risk because of her age. Comments on the internet range from supportive
to "breathtaking selfishness."
Aleta
St. James became the oldest woman in the US to give birth when she
was almost 57. She had twins and she and the children, now four, are
doing fine. She was recently on ABC News and said how much she loves
having the children and how much this has fulfilled her and how this
is so great – for her.
There is a reason
for the medical community to halt fertility treatments after a woman
passes a certain age. Ms St. James claims it is because they want a
higher success ratio. But perhaps, it is something else. First of all,
it is a high risk pregnancy right from the start because of the age
of the mother.
What no one is asking
is this: What are the consequences for the children born to these old
women?
If she lives long
enough, Ms Adeney is going to be 83 when her child wants to learn to
drive. Unless they raise the driving age. I almost had a heart attack
at 38 when I was young, healthy, a jock, and … mostly young. What
happens to a kid who kills his or her mother who is teaching how to
drive?
Ms Adeney says age
doesn’t matter for new mothers; its how old you feel on the inside that
really counts. But having a child isn’t a year long commitment. It is
decades before that infant is out on his or her own. They need a lot
of guidance from a parent with all their faculties.
There was a commenter
on the video linked above who said we don’t stop 14-year-olds from having
babies so we shouldn’t have any say for those past menopause. I haven’t
yet heard of any 14-year-olds undergoing IVF treatments. If these women
were getting pregnant without medical intervention, no one would be
saying anything.
Is this an issue
of public concern? Should there be protocols in place as well as age
restrictions? Does it matter who is paying for this? Does it matter
that she is a single woman without siblings? Is she just being selfish?
Should she have thought of this a little bit sooner? Should it matter
to anyone else or is this her decision alone?
Is it fair to a
child to have a mother who is this old? What happens if Ms Adeney only
has a normal life span and doesn’t quite live long enough to raise this
child to adulthood? (Yes, I know, none of us is assured of living past
this moment, but most women having babies aren’t near to dying of old
age.) Is there a greater chance of the child being bullied or teased
when his mother is 70+ as he starts kindergarten?
Maternally,
Comment
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it worth $1 a month to you to keep RGQ going? Please click the
link and direct your contribution to reallygoodquotes@gmail.com.
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We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom. - Stephen Vincent Benet
I’ve always found paranoia to be a perfectly defensible position. -
Pat Conroy
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The Rules
1. The Female always
makes The Rules.
2. The Rules are
subject to change at any time without prior notification.
3. No Male can possibly
know all The Rules.
4. If the Female
suspects the Male knows all The Rules, she must immediately change
some or all of The Rules.
5. The Female is
never wrong.
6. (If the Female
is wrong, it is because of a flagrant misunderstanding which was a
direct result of something the Male did or said wrong.)
7. (If Rule 6 applies,
the Male must apologize immediately for causing the misunderstanding.)
8. The Female can
change her mind at any given point in time.
9. The Male must
never change his mind without express written consent from the Female.
10. The Female has
every right to be angry or upset at any time.
11. The Male must
remain calm at all times, unless the Female Wants him to be angry
or upset.
12. The Female must
under no circumstances let the Male know whether or not she wants
him to be angry or upset.
13. The Male is
expected to mind read at all times.
14. The Male who
doesn’t abide by The Rules, can’t take the heat, lacks a backbone,
and is a wimp.
15. Any attempt
to document The Rules could result in bodily harm.
16. At no time can
the Male make such comments as "Insignificant" and "Is
that all?" when the Female is complaining.
17. If the Female
has PMS, all The Rules are null and void!
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But in truth, should I meet with gold or spices in great quantity, I shall
remain till I collect as much as possible, and for this purpose I am proceeding
solely in quest of them.
By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly
arrive at his chosen goal or destination.
Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World. – all from Christopher
Columbus, died on this day in 1506
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Cute
Little Ass
[Thanks Michelle]
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E-Mail
the Imp
I’ve
written many times about the Third Worlds problems particularly for
those that live in arid or semiarid areas. One of these is potable water,
the other is energy. Dubai and Kuwait are oil rich, so they can afford
to build electrical plants to desalinate the surrounding oceans and
seas to get what they need. Countries like Somalia and Ethiopia aren’t
rich and can’t afford the same process.
There have
been many proposals for creating the energy needed from the tides and
currents in the surrounding seas, and although there are several systems
developed that function well, a few problems still remain. None of them
can produce enough electricity, even in large groups to rival What Kuwait
has done. That also leads to the initial cost for the systems, and their
maintenance and repair.
But there
is another fuel/energy problem I only once touched, and that is the
need for fuel for cooking and heating. In many third world countries,
wood, or charcoal stoves provide all the energy for cooking and heating,
and also includes using dung for a fuel source. So the latest scheme
has promise to serve an immediate need to provide reliable cooking fuel
and help get rid of garbage.
Scientists
at the University of Nottingham are looking at turning banana waste
into fuel briquettes into a cheap energy source. In Rwanda, bananas
are a staple food, some two million tons being consumed. But there’s
considerably more waste left to rot in the form of leaves, stems, and
skins. They’ve developed a very low tech method of combining the
banana waste and saw dust that can be pressed into a briquette and dried.
(Video)
Of course
I have problems about the project. Rwanda doesn’t have a large
lumbering industry so where will they come up with the saw dust they
need? Since this will have to be a multi-national effort, where will
the briquettes be constructed? Some can be made locally for immediate
use but to make a big impact, and to create jobs, plants will have to
be set up and the logistics of moving both the sawdust and banana waste
to a central location resolved.
What will
probably happen is that an enterprising business man will begin making
designer briquettes for backyard BBQ cooks. He will make millions, a
few Rwandans will get jobs, and everyone left will still be cooking
breakfast on camel shit.
Banana Logs (Video)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8047155.stm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090406132819.htm
The Bad Sied 
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Speak
right up!
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Flatulence
Here is a word that is singular in meaning. Many words can be used in
a variety of ways and each way takes on a different connotation. Not
so with "flatulence".
It is a natural function resulting from ingesting food. Since our stomachs
contain acid used to break down the food we eat for digestion, the chemical
reaction often creates a gassy byproduct, methane. Once methane is created,
it is only natural that it is expelled in one way or another. Some react
quickly, and the result is a belch. Others’ metabolisms are slower,
allowing the fermentation to continue further along the digestive tract.
The result is a fart, the vernacular term for flatulence, but I bet
you already knew that.
Women claim to be able to wait to include this with other toileting,
thus no embarrassment occurs to themselves, or others. Men, it seems,
make it a contest. Louder, longer duration, pitch, and odor are all
factors in this competition. Truthfully, I think both these stereotypes
are false. There may be some truth to some differences between men &
women, but, as a person who has lived with the same woman for almost
4 decades, we both have caused the covers to hover just slightly below
the ceiling on numerous occasions.
What is most distressing are the "land mines" and "shafters".
"Land mines" are when someone releases the gastric pressure
then walks away, whether in a walkway between cubicles, a hallway, or
an aisle at the local store. Someone following will walk into an invisible
cloud. A "shafter" is someone who gives others ‘the shaft’
by letting loose in an elevator, exiting and leaving unsuspecting riders
to get a healthy whiff as the doors close behind them.
It is blamed for a contributing factor to global warming. It is considered
an insult to a host in many cultures. It can be inarguably claimed that
nobody thinks someone else’s fart is pleasant. However, there are many
claims that a person’s own poot isn’t as noxious to them as it is to
others. And there’s nothing that will start a knockdown, drag-out fight
than letting a green cloud loose then covering your compatriot with
the sheet, trapping them and the gas within.
Here’s your quiz:
What gives you "the vapors"?
How long was it in your relationship until you "let one go"?
Have you ever tried to light one? Were you successful?
Do you just consider it natural and just ignore them?
Does
your culture consider them offensive? Besides the smell, of course.
Flatulence - Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit. The More You Eat, The
More You Toot
Cliff
(the High-Tech Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’) 
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Email
Kirsten
“Jogging
is very beneficial. It’s good for your legs and your feet. It’s also
very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed.”
~ Charles Schulz, Peanuts ~
I love writing for RGQ. You are such a forgiving bunch of readers.
In the eighteen months or so since I started writing, you have put
up with all kinds of excuses on those occasions when I have been unable
to write. In my defence, though, every single excuse - lame or otherwise
- has been one hundred percent truthful. And you have to admit that
“I can’t write because my calves hurt” is far more original than “The
dog ate my homework”.
For the last issue, I wasn’t even able to write my own excuse because
I was barely well enough to sit at my computer. In response to Mike’s
explanation, I got a couple of very kind emails from readers wishing
me well. I’ll bet newspaper columnists aren’t on the receiving end
of such kindness. I’m glad to say that I am feeling a lot better -
right back to my own twisted definition of “normal”, in fact. For
most of the long weekend, I was afflicted by a bug that both of my
kids also suffered from. I’ll spare you the details, and say only
that the three of us were sick in an exhausting, gross, worship-the-porcelain-god
kind of way.
My first concern through all of this was the wellbeing of my kids.
My second concern was that I was too sick to go for my Sunday run.
Now, runners are a bit weird. They will run under almost any conditions.
If there is a blizzard out, they will put on their winter running
gear, complete with special traction thingies for the running shoes,
and out they’ll go. If they have a sprained ankle or a muscle that’s
been pulled to all hell, they’ll grit their teeth and hit the road,
rationalizing that it’s good to “run through the pain”. If they have
a sore throat or a stuffy nose, they’ll chug down some Vitamin C and
go for an easy run to “clear the airways”.
Even the most dedicated of runners, however, occasionally has to admit
defeat and bow to impossible circumstances. And one of those circumstances
is the need to rush into the bathroom every thirty seconds due to
a complete inability to keep even a sip of water down. So, reluctantly,
I had to forego my Sunday run. I cheered myself up with the thought
that I could just go on Monday instead. The good news is that Monday
was a holiday in Canada so I got to spend the day at home. The bad
news is that although I was no longer throwing up, being sick on Sunday
had rendered me very weak and fragile. A short walk around the block
with the kids was enough to make me almost keel over. There is no
way I would have managed the five mile run I was planning. Oh well.
This morning when I woke up, I was filled with resolve. I was going
to go running today, as God was my witness (actually, He probably
isn’t, judging from the number of times in my life I’ve been told
to go to Hell). I threw some stuff into my gym bag and went off to
work. Throughout the morning, I still wasn’t feeling too well. I didn’t
have too much faith that I’d be able run very far, but I was determined
to try. It was one of those times when a runner decides to “run through
the pain”. As it happened, I went to the gym, ran four miles, and
felt fantastic. All that stuff about running through the pain and
clearing the airways actually worked. I honestly feel as if that jaunt
on the treadmill chased away any remaining bugs.
This story was actually meant to be a lead-in to what I actually wanted
to talk about today, but my lead-in seems to have become an actual
lead. I will save the “real” topic for next time. Now that my calves
don’t hurt anymore, I can write again!
Kaleidoscopically yours,
Kirsten
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I think I’m getting soft in my old age. You see, grades were due today
(Tuesday) at noon. As usual, there was a mad rush by the faculty to
enter their grades, which means they have to remember their password
to my web site. Some of the part time faculty only log on a couple
of times a year. At the beginning of the semester, they check their
class rosters. At the end of the semester they enter grades. Sometimes
they only teach in either the Fall or Spring semester, not both.
Now, this creates a problem for me. We usually use the last 6 digits
of your Social Security Number for a temporary password. When I have
to reset a password, I can just tell students to use that. But we
don’t have the faculty SSNs on this system. The system makes up a
6 digit temporary password. That’s all fine and dandy if they have
a College e-mail address, but a lot of these part time faculty only
have personal e-mail addresses. I can’t tell if jimmys@aol.com is
really James Smith or if it is a student trying to trick me into revealing
James Smith’s password so they can enter or change their grade. I
can only e-mail passwords to College e-mail accounts.
This one faculty member I’ll call James (not James’ real name) had
a problem logging in, so he called our Academic Computing department.
Normally they just tell people that call to e-mail my special account,
but this time they transferred the call to me. Unfortunately, I was
on the phone so it got sent to voicemail. James then e-mailed me from
his personal account, but I go to lunch at 11:00, so I figured I would
take care of it when I got back. His grades were going to be late.
I figured that would teach him to wait until the last minute.
So I got back from lunch and wend to look into his problem. Understand
that on January 30th, a system “glitch” deleted all the student accounts.
I had to recreate them, and put a message on the page explaining that
for students, their temporary password had been reset back to the
last 6 digits of their SSN. They could log in using that, then change
their password back to what they had been using. Well, James thought
his password had been reset, so he tried logging in using his SSN.
I e-mailed him explaining that his password hadn’t been reset and
that he should try logging in using whatever password he normally
used. When he e-mailed back saying that wasn’t it and he needed it
reset, I couldn’t just e-mail his made-up password to his personal
address. I looked in the payroll system for his SSN, and changed his
temporary password to that and e-mailed him saying to try that. I
also noticed he is almost 70 years old.
When I didn’t hear from him for a while, I decided to call him on
his cell phone. There was no answer, so I left a message with my number.
I never call people, I use e-mail. A while later, I got an e-mail
saying that he had disabled his account. I checked and he had to typo
or something, so I tried calling *again*. This time he answered, and
I explained that the lock was only temporary and he should try again.
He did, and was able to sign in and change his password. He also asked
me for my phone number, and I told him it is best to e-mail me.
A few moments later, my phone rang. It was James. Apparently he got
the message I left on his cell, so called instead of e-mailing. The
old fart couldn’t figure out where to click next. But instead of going
off on him for calling, I was nice and figured the blind old bat had
simply had his screen resolution set so low it didn’t display like
it does for 99.9% of the rest of the population, then explained he
just had to scroll down a bit. He thanked me again, and apologized
for being such a pain.
I just couldn’t yell at him for not e-mailing me. I think I’m getting
soft.
Tim a’Musing
Having a Ball getting Old
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Low Fat Cooking
Stock up on spices. One of the keys to cooking low-fat and not getting
bored is to spice your food well.
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Don’t make me send Cliff out to collect limericks! He’s the enforcer
around here. Send them in while you still have a chance.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
I told you I would use the lines you submitted. Here’s Julian’s
line from Monday.
Next opening line…
There was a young lady called Tess…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
Last
night I watched the worst show
What it was called I don’t know
It was one of those soaps
Where a whole lot of dopes
Act low and cause nothing but woe -
Julian, England
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Last
night I watched the worst show
They are all pretty bad you know
This was badder than bad
For no plot line was had
And all the acting did blow. -Bonnie |
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Re: Donated Wedding
my problem with the donation is they no longer want a donation they
want monthly support. - dEE
Well, being someone who works
with community services on a daily bases, I’ve just this to say. While
I think it was a beautiful dream come true wish for this couple to have
had, what will this do for them in the long run? It will only serve
to show them what a truthfully rough road to travel they truly have.
Sense they already knew this, this is a lesson lost on them. What should’ve
happened is this. The church goers would’ve been better off to have,
helped the couple with housing and decent food and clothing. Then if
the couple wanted to be married, enough money could’ve been spent to
have allowed them to go to the Justice of the Peace to be married, and
then if the couple survived their first year together then by all means
throw a wedding to allow them to renew their vows, because that is an
occasion to truthfully celebrate, successful living.
Thing is, people like that feel good feeling and that’s what this wondrous
event gave to this church filled with well meaning people. That in love
feeling that we have with the feel good feeling, is more damaging than
to do nothing some of the time. What if this couple gets pregnant? What
if another life is brought in to this world? Is the church ready to
help raise a family? Are they just going to allow this couple to go
back to the streets, and take an out of sight out of mind attitude?
If that’s what happens, then no one has been helped. Only the news media
and the people of the church have truly been served. - Tazz
So, why didn’t they go the extra bit and really adopt the couple in
a more useful fashion? Like, helping them find jobs, a place to live,
etc.? Doing the touchy feely kind of charity is lovely and makes for
good news, but doing something really generous is harder. People need
to really give more serious thought to how they help someone. I’ve been
homeless, with children, and the people who did the most were those
who helped us find work and a place to live. Something I’ve tried to
pass on as much as possible. Don’t just preach about good–really do
some! - Ruth
in WA
Re: Mixed at Birth
I hope I can get this in in
time: Adopted children, like myself, think this same thought all their
lives. What if. . . ? Would I be better, worse? Would I have connected
with my biological family better. Don’t get me wrong, my Mom & Dad
(adopted) were great, but I never felt that connection to them. 2 out
of 3 children in our family were adopted. The ‘natural’ child had a
connection the other 2 of us did not. Not that anyone ‘tried’ to make
it different, it just was. I was adopted at a year old, so maybe that
was part of it, but the other adoptee was adopted at birth. The connection
was still missing. Just chiming in. . . . Faithy
Re: New Rating System
OK, one more and off to bed. Tim gets a 666 rating. . . Is Anyone Surprised??????
- Faithy
[I
got a 667. Satan’s next door neighbor!]
Reader
Submission
"To be able
to greet the sun with the sounds from all of Nature is a great blessing,
and it helps us to remember Who is the real provider of all of our
benefits."–Thomas
Yellowtail, CROW
Do Everything You Do, With Love and Light! - Patty/Tazz!
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Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be
accurately attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly
attributed, or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time
to time. I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect
quotes, and will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors.
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Click here to see the archives of past issues, or go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/reallygoodquotes/messages.
If you run across something really outstanding when perusing the archives,
I’d appreciate it if you’d mail me at TheBestOfRGQ@yahoo.com
and point it out to me. I’m in the process of compiling an e-book
called, not surprisingly, The Best of RGQ, and I’d like to hear from you
which pieces impacted you the most. |
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the
Freeloader