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  • Donna
  • Member Since Aug 7th, 2006

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Woman Claims She Was Fired by TSA for Being a Wiccan {AOL Travel News}

Mar 29th 2011 8:07AM If the facts of the case are as presented in the article, then yes, she was definitely harrassed, bullied and her job termination was discrimination. And she wouldn't be the first; I also lost my state job because of I'm Wiccan (I'll never be able to prove it, though, they did a very good job of whitewashing their paperwork.) I'd been on the job for eight years, all my annual reviews were documented as "outstanding", but when they found out about my beliefs, well, that was that. Too bad for them, I found another job that pays better and the boss doesn't care if I worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Pesto sect, of course) as long as I keep doing my job!

NOW Sues Hooters {Lemondrop}

Dec 22nd 2010 8:01AM I consider myself a feminist, but I dropped my NOW membership 20 years ago, because they no longer represent the feminist woman, only the perpetual victim (but notice you don't hear a *word* out of them about how women in the Middle East are treated). I also don't think that many women who work at Hooter's are the victims of sexual abuse; most seem to be young women who are confidently proud of who they are. I used to take my daughter to the local Hooter's down the street (years ago) because at the time, they had the best wings. She was barely more than a toddler, and the Hooter's waitresses used to make a huge fuss over her, even putting the "Future Hooter's Girl" bib on her and making sure she and her ever present teddy bear were well stocked with honey glazed wings! The bartender would make it a point to serve her a "mixed drink" (chocolate milk with a cherry umbrella). She didn't become a Hooter's waitress, but I think I can be proud of the fact that she's an MP in the Army and an Iraqi vet - her early Hooter's experience apparently didn't warp her too badly.

How much does an American Girl doll really cost? {WalletPop}

Oct 13th 2010 8:14AM My daughter ended up with four American Girl dolls (back before Mattel bought Pleasant Co out) - I was a single mom and saving up for the darn things cost me a lot of lunches, but fifteen years later, the dolls still look brand new. I never bought the outfits unless they were on clearance, but at that time, you could still buy the patterns for the historical dolls' clothing (and Simplicity, McCalls and Vogue all carry patterns for 18 inch dolls), and since sewing is a hobby of mine, I made 90% of the outfits they wore. It was great to walk into the American Girl store in Chicago, have the staff walk up to my daughter and ask, "Where did your dolls get those gorgeous clothes?" and hear her say proudly, "My mom made them!" She's too old for them now, but every Christmas they sit under the tree in all their finery, just like they did when "Santa" brought them!

Bullied Girl With Cerebral Palsy Speaks Out {ParentDish}

Oct 4th 2010 3:40PM I was bullied all the way through grade school - to this day, almost forty years later, I have trouble recalling the names of my few friends, but none at all remembering the bullies. It ended when I finally lost my temper and used one of those big three-ring binder style notebooks to beat the crap out of a boy two grades older and forty pounds heavier. I say KUDOS to this man! He shouldn't be charged and he owed no one an apology. If it had been my kid, those little b*st*rds would have been *under* the jail. (I also told my kid that if she ever bullied another child, I'd beat her to death.) Much of the school violence - outside of gangs - and suicides can be linked back to bullying. If anything needs zero tolerance, it should be bullying, and not just from the school administration and teachers: the PARENTS need to make it a "zero tolerance" offense, whether their child is the victim OR the perpetrator.

Interview With a Witch Mom {ParentDish}

Sep 20th 2010 4:35PM Steve - have you ever heard of this little thing called the First Amendment? Unless you plan on this country being a theocracy (in which case we will no longer be the USA), she has the right to raise her child as she sees it. I've been a Wiccan for most of my life; I raised my child on the Goddess's path and today she is a law-abiding, prodcuctive member of out society - and a US soldier to boot! There is no one path to Diety. As some Native Americans say, "There are many paths up the mountain. Some day we shall all reach the summit, but some paths are steeper than others."

Opinion: Banning 'D' Grades Puts Undue Pressure on Students {ParentDish}

Aug 12th 2010 8:31AM Even though my high school back in the 70s had "D" grades, it was considered a failing grade. I aced my way through English, history, Spanish class, lit - I was (and still am) a voracious reader. But math and science were killers. Once I hit algegra and the higher maths and of course, any science class, I was doomed. I spent my senior year studying physics, trig and analytical geometry, usually for as many hours in the evenings as I spent all day in school and still barely squeaked that precious "C" grade. My physics teacher and I had our "watershed" moment when in an afternoon tutoring session, he said he was worried that as bright as I obviously was, I understood less than 80% of the material. I responded by quoting Shakespeare's 29th sonnet. He gave me a puzzled look and said, "What the h3ll was that?" and still looked blank when I told him. "I hated English," he confessed. "Never understood that crap." Then he looked at me, realized I understood the sonnet perfectly and roared laughter. After that, he knew I was never going to be one of his "brilliant" science students, but he still went out of his way to make sure I understood enough to pass. Thanks to him, I was able to go to college; I graduated summa cum laude, but I took only the dead minimum of math/science classes to meet the undergrad requirements. I've never used math past what I learned in the fourth grade (all that's required to balance a checkbook and figure interest) and I don't know enough science to even be a decent baker (cooking is art, baking is chemistry), but at nearly fifty, I've gotten along quite well without either subject. We need to start *adequate* testing of kids by the time they're in middle school to see where their strengths are and teach them accordingly!

Top 10 Wedding Love Songs {AOL Radio Blog}

Apr 30th 2010 8:09AM Best wedding song I ever heard was at my daughter's wedding; she and her husband had met while they were in Iraq (both are MPs, and saw a lot of pretty scary stuff). They chose "the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts - even some of the soldiers (all combat vets as well) in attendance got a little teary eyed

"...that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you."

Easy Ways to Healthy Living {That's Fit}

Mar 3rd 2010 3:38PM My biggest problem (besides healthy food being so much more expensive) is that I absolutely hate to cook. Yes, it's infinitely cheaper, but I am so awful at it it's like eating cardboard. Everyone keeps telling me I have to "put the love in it", but that's kinda hard to do when you just despise what you're doing! The running joke at work is whether my lunch is left over beans and rice or a peanut butter on whole wheat sandwich. I can't remember the last time I ate something that actually had taste - the other bad side effect of eating healthy when you hate to cook (once you give up the salt, food is just blah.) I may be the only person on the planet who doesn't look forward to meals.

Oh, and yes I exercise, but I hate it, too. Just another damn chore - do the dishes, make the bed, wash the laundry and do the exercise. I'd much rather read a good book. Far, far more enjoyable!

Michelle Duggar Delivers Baby 19 Via Emergency C-Section {ParentDish}

Dec 11th 2009 1:30PM Hey aimeelynn1216, some of us *do* take pregnancy complications as a sign it's time to quit. My first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, the second ended in an emergency c-section when my up-to-the-very-end "normal" pregnancy went to hell in a handbasket and nearly killed me. I woke up from the operation and said we ain't doin' this sh*t again. Told my (then) husband, you want a boy, adopt, I'm not taking that risk again - and I didn't. To each his own. Now, I'm Pagan, not Christian, so I think this whole "quiverful" thing is a bunch of misogynist BS, but y'know, it's her life and her choice (wow, what a thought, pro-choice means you can have kids as well as not have them). Personally, I think they have more kids than they should, but again, their choice and they seem happy with it. I will light a candle to the Goddess that she and her baby pull through.

Why One Veterinarian Quit, Disgusted With a Profession He Once Revered {Pawnation OLD}

Dec 10th 2009 10:05AM I must have hit the vet lottery - my vet is great, but he's also an older guy who got into the field back when it was all about the animals. When I brought my 18 yo cat in to be euthanized, knowing he was at the end, Doc didn't even try to talk me out of it. He just did a quick exam, said, yes, it's time, he's not suffering yet, but in about 24-36 hours he'll be in real pain. He gave me a few minutes to say good bye, then gave the old boy a shot that had it over with in under a minute and then let me stay in the exam room (for the next 45 minutes) sobbing my heart out. My hands were shaking so bad when I went to pay the fee that his receptionist had me sign the check and she filled out the rest - making sure I read the whole thing over before I signed it. A few days later I received a very nice sympathy card from his office, signed by him, his assistant and the receptionist, basically telling me I did the right thing. There are some great vets out there - you just have to look for them. Another cat owner has told me her vet is afraid of getting sued if he doesn't attempt every test and procedure known because a lot of owners have the attitude that you can't just let my pet die, regardless of how much the animal is suffering. So it's not just the vets, it's a lot of pet owners, too.