The IRON LADY!

 

R.I.P. Margaret Thatcher

Rest In Peace to the one and only "Iron Lady", without you there would not be many of us! Well done.

Tuesday Humor Courtesy of Ellen!

Ellen is too funny in this pic with the President Obama's daughters...lol!

Inauguration 2013 Fashion

One Word = Classy!  

FLOTUS Open Letter To Newtown

Over the past week, we as Americans have been united in our grief as Newtown has laid to rest so many beautiful, innocent children, along with the heroic educators who worked every day to help them achieve their dreams.

As a mother of two young daughters, my heart aches for you and your families. Like so many Americans, I wish there were something — anything — I could do or say to ease your anguish.

But I know that I cannot begin to imagine the depths of your grief. I know that for many of you, the pain you are enduring right now seems unbearable; and many of you may be asking yourselves, how can we go on — as families and as a community?

But I also know that we have already begun to see the answer to that question in the countless acts of courage, kindness and love here in Newtown and across America.

Over the past week, I have been awed and inspired by Newtown's heroes: the first responders who risked their lives at a moment's notice; the educators whose devotion to their students shone brightest in one of our nation's darkest hours; the children who comforted each other despite their fear; the families coming together to support each other as they grieve.

(Read Full Article Here: http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/newtown-sandy-hook-school-shooting/hc-le-michelle-obama-letter-newtown-shootings-20121220,0,2151751.story)

Control: Guns? Media? Ourselves?

In light of the tragedy Sandy Hook Elementary School, it has brought the gun control debate back to the forefront of everyone including the ladies of Real. Life.Women. Talk. One common theme in our discussions is how the society here in the United States has changed so dramatically in our lifetime. As soon as this tragic event happened the knee jerk reaction was "gun control"! Now please do not get me wrong, I'm all for gun control but I'm a country girl born and raised in the South so, I'm not for banning guns. The fact of the matter is that guns have been around in this country since the freaking musket in the 1700's. These mass shootings have become a problem over the past 20 years. Therefore, in my opinion the question should be, "Why in the last 20 years?" "What has changed in the last 20 years?" The answer is easy: CULTURE AND SOCIETY!!!!

The United States is a country that has created a culture that glorifies violence. I'm not saying we look for it but we have become somewhat desensitized to it. At anytime of the day or night you can find a television program or movie with violence. The video game industry is booming with people going nuts over games like Call of Duty. In addition to glorifying violence, we also have a culture that loves to point the finger at other people for everything that goes wrong in their lives. Yes, that is correct, we have lost "personal accountability" in this great country we live in. When I grew up you were rewarded for what you did and not rewarded if you chose to do nothing. These days you have youth athletics that give everyone a trophy for just showing up regardless of how well they play. Some of these leagues do not even keep score. What exactly is this teaching a whole generation? It is teaching them that just showing up is enough. As adults, we know for a fact that is not true. So why is it alright to teach it to the children? When do we as adults break the bad news to them that you actually have to do more than show up in life to be successful?

My last point may not go over well with many of you but at this point I really don't care. This country has made a point to take God out of schools. There has been more work done to take God out of the schools in this country than there has been to make sure the students are well educated. Yet as soon as a tragedy like this one happens one of the first things people want to know is "How could God let this happen?" Well, I have the answer to that question so please pass it on if you don't mind. First of all, those of us that believe in God know that there is a God (GOOD) and that there is a devil (EVIL). With all the effort that has been put in to taking God out of the school system: no prayers, no pledge of allegiance and no mention of God at all. Why would there be any surprise when the devil shows up using a mentally ill person as his vessel? So to answer the question, how could God do this? I'm sorry but God didn't have anything to do with this.

Drop and Give Me 20 POTUS!

I don't think it matters who you voted for last month. This is one cool POTUS! Now if the rest of the folks on capital hill didn't mind getting on the ground and doing some grunt work we may get this fiscal cliff thing taken care of before we all feel it!

4 More Years...

Congratulations President Obama! We had to post this picture along with the rest of the world because it really does speak a thousand words.

(The most tweeted photo in history:

http://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/266031293945503744/photo/1)

The Most Powerful Person...

Vote!!!!!

Perception ---> Half Full

Via Instagram: I'm a cup is half full kind of guy. Thanks for the snap @jenrosenstein http://instagr.am/p/RLd76aBp3L/ 

Do You Want To Live?

Yes We Can!

Flashback! Listen. Listen. Listen. Enjoy.

Miss Me Yet?

Photo Of The Day: Morality vs. Obedience

Photo Of The Day: My Vagina...

Why Are Women Still Fighting For Equal Pay In 2012?

I recently read this article an purposely saved it to post during Women's History Month. Why do women still have to fight for equal pay for equal work in the United States of America? It is amazing to me that we call　ourselves to be the greatest country in the world, literally. Even with all of the bullshit going on in Washington, the economic woes and such we still have this idea that this country is exceptional. If that is the case, may I ask how can we say that when women are still treated less than equal when it comes to work and pay?

NJ legislators target women's pay inequality

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012
BY HUGH R. MORLEY
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

* Bill to address male-female inequality failed to get Senate support in 2010.

New Jersey legislators are prodding Congress into addressing what they see as the stubborn inequality, and unfairness, between men's and women's pay. The Assembly last week overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act., which is stalled. The federal bill would make it tougher for employers to pay women less than men, and easier for female workers to seek legal remedies if it happens. Assemblywoman Pam Lampitt, D-Camden, who sponsored the bill, said U.S. census data show that women in New Jersey earn about 79 cents for every dollar earned by men. "Even though we have women being educated at a much higher rate than men, the minute they walk out the [college] door, the minute they go for their first job, they are instantly paid less than men," Lampitt said. A state Senate version of the bill is before the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.

The federal Paycheck Fairness Act was introduced in 2009 and 2010, and failed to get the support of the Senate in November 2010, with most Democrats backing it and Republicans opposing it. Supporters reintroduced the bill last April, when President Obama said he would back it. Opponents, including business groups, said the bill would hamstring employers in setting pay levels and make companies vulnerable to expensive and disruptive litigation over the issue. The bill addresses the male-female pay inequality in several ways, including strengthening the ability of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pursue discrimination cases, said Terri Boyer, executive director of the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University. "One of the big things that it does is prohibit employers from retaliating against workers who discuss" their salaries, she said. The bill also requires employers to prove that a pay inequality exists for legitimate business, or job-related reasons, Boyer said.
She said studies have shown several reasons why women earn less than men, including the fact that women are "clustered" in low-paying jobs, such as child care, she said. Women are also less likely to negotiate for a higher salary when they take a job, which depresses their salary for the future, too, Boyer said. And salaries are further depressed if women take time off to care for their children, Boyer said. When they return to the workforce, women also may find they can't climb the corporate ladder as fast as men because employers consider them less committed to work and unable or unwilling to work long hours, Boyer said.
Email: morley@northjersey.com
Source: http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/139673713_N_J__lawmakers_urge_Congress_to_back_fair_pay.html

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords A Modern Day Heroine

Thank You Rep. Gabrielle Giffords...We Love You!

Let The Games Begin...

At this time of the year when you hear, "let the games begin" many of us would automatically think of basketball, football or hockey, right? Here we are a mere three days into the year 2012 and the road to the White House is on fire with both political parties playing their reindeer games. A loose definition of "reindeer games" is some sort game or activity enjoyed by members of a clique that are obvious to outsiders, is done in order to make another group of people feel inadequate or left out. If this does not sound like politics then I do not know what does. If you live in the United States then you will need to brace yourself for the amount of shit you are getting ready to read, hear and see in the media between now and November 2012, when the presidential election is held.

During this time, both political parties are going to try and convince you that the other side is the devil. Please do not laugh, this is serious, at least from their perspective it is. In order to assist our blog readers on how to handle the next 10 months of gaming from Washington, let me start by saying the best way to disarm the effects of all the propaganda is by educating yourself on the political process. I know, I know that sounds like it's too simple. Unfortunately we live in a world of the 24 hour news cycle and that means checking facts and data before reporting a story is sometimes overlooked. The funny thing is that when the retraction is printed days later, the damage has been done already. The second thing is to not believe everything you hear off the top. Think of it this way, right now if you listened to what the Republicans are saying, Barack Obama is a failure. He has failed at everything and if he wins a second term then the United States will perish. The fact of the matter is that Congress has a lower approval rating than President Obama, so if the theory the Republicans holds true then that means the Republican majority in Congress needs to be voted out of office as well.  We all know that is not what they want.

At the end of the day, there is enough blame to go around and just as in real life, anyone that attempts to paint their political opponent  in such a bad light makes me a little leery. You know, they try to keep the focus on the other guy so you don't have time to focus on them and their mistakes. It reminds me of the "gossip girls" from high school that talked bad about people they didn't like for no other reason but to make themselves feel better. If you understand that, then you understand the type of fun political year we are in store for this year.