LOOKING FORWARD TO SUMMER

It has been very hectic around my house for the past couple of weeks with trying to study for finals and finish my classes. My family also has a lot of birthdays in the month of May. There are 5 family members in my immediate family that had birthdays over the past week. We also had Mother's Day, one of my personal favorites even though I don't like these kind of holidays. What is there not to like about making your mother feel special, or just let her know how much you appreciate her. On top of all this I also have 2 brothers graduating this year, one from High School and one from MSSU. I'm sure everyone is busy, but I am so busy I actually get a little stressed out this time of year even when I am not taking classes. I am really looking forward to this month being over and having time to spend with my children. I am planning to spend as many weekends at the lake as possible this summer. My son has been asking to take him fishing at the lake for about the last month (he has a new fishing pole he wants to try out). We are also planning a weekend in St. Louis watching baseball and going to the zoo. I hope everyone also has some good plans for their summers. Good luck with finals everyone.

Hair Booms

I read an article in the Joplin Globe about using human hair stuffed into pantyhose to help soak up the spilled oil in the Gulf Coast. I think it is a great idea. Something has to be done with all the spilled oil anyway. People also have to get a haircut, so why not send your hair to help clean up the mess. There was also a link in the Joplin Globe for Matter of Trust, the nonprofit charity group who is collecting the hair and nylons to make the booms. They are accepting hair, fur, and nylons from anyone who would like to donate. That means if you do not want to go somewhere to get your hair cut you could cut it yourself and still send in the clippings.

A hair dresser from Madison, Alabama named Phillip McCrory is the person who came up with using hair to soak up oil spills. He got the idea from watching how hard it was to clean oil from the fur of animals after a spill. After testing the idea for a while he was able to get a patent for it. Now his idea is used to make what is called an OttiMat, a brick made up almost completely of hair. Isn't it amazing what we normally throw in the trash could be used for. Maybe more people should donate to this cause so that the oil Companies will be ready for the next time there is a spill.

The other day I was at an event where they played the Star Spangled Banner, our National Anthem. While the National Anthem was being played I saw some people playing around. I went and talked to them after the incident and they wanted to know why it was such a big deal and why did they need to stand and take their hats off. So, I had to explain to them that it is out of respect and pride for their flag and Country and for those who have served, will serve, and are serving our Country. I had to explain to them that it is all about the freedoms that we have. If they like the options that their Country offers to them they should stand and show the proper respect back to their Nation.

If you can not show the proper respect, I think you should find somewhere else to live your life. This brings me back to immigration and speaking English. If you can not learn to speak English and show the proper respect to our Nation I don't think you should be aloud to live in the United States. My question is do non-English speaking immigrants (legal or illegal) like the options that our Country offers them? Of course they do. If they didn't they would not be here. Are these options enough for them to want to learn the English language instead of expecting us to understand what they are saying? I would think so!