Tuesday, November 29, 2005

The Surgeon Shortage

There is a shortage of orthopedic surgeons in Canada, according to an article that appeared in the Toronto Star. There is a year wait, just to see the surgeon. This isn’t good, especially when you can’t sleep at night because of the pain. I have already been on the waiting list six months to see an orthopedic surgeon. The medication helps the pain for now, but there may be long-term consequences and side-effects from the drug. With a Critical shortage of orthopedic services in Ontario, I guess there isn’t much I can do but play the waiting game, and a painful game it is.

Rose DesRochers

You Have To Start Somewhere!







Well, you must admit it; it's always nice to see your name in print, even if it is with your local paper.

Rose

Monday, November 28, 2005

Hello! Typo Queen Here

Talk about typos! I just sent out my Today's Woman Writing Community newsletter and I wrote, "We hope you'll find the information provided within Today's Woman useful and we home that you will benefit from what we have shared with you." Home, that should of been hope. That is what I get for not proofreading before send. Well at least I caught it before someone told me about it and I can laugh at my self.

Rose DesRochers

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Anonymous Coward

"Anonymous Coward,” if you own a blog, you most likely know the definition of this term. Everyone deals with anonymous comments left in their blog. However anonymous comments left in the form of an attack, are seen as nothing more than a cowardly act. I use my real name in all correspondence, and make no attempt to hide behind anonymity. If you have an opinion to leave in my blog, I ask you to leave your name and web url. If you don't leave your name and address, I’m going to assume that you have nothing of intelligence to add to any of my posts. Therefore, I’m only going to trash your comment. I have no time for the anonymous coward. We all have freedom of speech, but with that freedom comes responsibility. Freedom of speech was intended for far nobler purposes than defending some anonymous posters disruptive behavior. The fact that they must hide their opinion behind anonymity doesn’t say much for their character. That is just my opinion.

Rose DesRochers

Friday, November 25, 2005

I’m a Responsible Adult

Responsibility is suppose to come with age. However what we have is a society of irresponsible adults who blame others for all the unwanted results is their life. There is nothing like watching a good old adult tantrum. Age is an irrelevant factor in the ability to be responsible.

Sadly today’s child is the victim of these irresponsible adults. It is true that children watch their parents, and other adults, for clues on how to behave. You start being an adult when you decide to take responsibility for your life and if you can't take responsibilty for your life as an adult, what kind of message are you sending to the eyes watching you.


Think of children as young adults in training. As parents we mold them into responsible adults. We begin to teach our children to become responsible at an early age.

It just really saddens me to see some parent's so blind. Unfortunately, many parents nolonger take responsibility for their children. Parents have lost full control over their children and part of that falls on the fact they are not responsible adults themselves.

We all have a responsibility. We as adults choose our behavior, we choose our consequences.

The best way to encourage our children to become responsible is be responsible adults ourselves.



Stepping off my soap box now. LOL

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Wee Willie Warmer


Our strange and wacky bra news has taken a turn for the stranger. Over in the forums of the Today’s Woman Writing
Community
we are discussing what to get your significant other this Christmas.

So here we have it. The perfect gift to help your hunny stay warm this Winter season. Wee Willie Warmers. Available in three sizes for proper fit. Should you not be able to knit, you can always ask your mother or grandmother to help you out. Get your patterns via Danglie Bits

Rose DesRochers

Monday, November 14, 2005

Brace Yourself Folks, We’re Going to Talk Bra

Talk about strange bra news.

November 10th Yahoo news read “A Florida woman has been arrested for padding her bra — with a stolen parrot.”

We have the new microwavable bra - Nov 9,2005 Yahoo news read “For the woman who wants to stay both warm and environmentally conscious this winter -- and isn't bothered by extra bulk under her shirt -- a lingerie maker unveiled a thick bra that can be heated in a microwave.”

Oct 8th 2005, a British woman was saved by her own "bra’. The woman was caught in the crossfire of a gang war. Her life got saved as the bullet hit the underwire of her bra, snapping it, and deflecting away from her chest and I last but not least, I read in the Associated Press that the Chinese are serious about building a better bra .One Chinese university offers a degree in bra studies.

That's your bizarre and wacky bra news for today.


Rose DesRochers

Friday, November 11, 2005

Arrogant Writers

Arrogance seems to have creped into the writing world and instead of helping people improve their writing, some writers only critique people based on grammar and spelling. In my opinion these are writers, who are nothing more than wannabe editors. They are only trying to belittle other writers to make their own writing better. Obviously it’s a power thing that makes them think that they are a professional. So I'll let them continue with the English lesson, while I laugh my way to the bank,with the cheque that I receive from my writing.

Be sure to read my latest article entitled,To Err is Human—to Rewrite is Divine.



Rose

Thursday, November 10, 2005

It’s time to weed the garden.

I'm starting to dislike people. If I like you then count yourself lucky . You must be one of the very few good people out there. You know what they say, “Ignorant people are like weeds. No matter how hard you try to get rid of them, there are always more.” Oh Well, I guess it’s time to weed my garden.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

International Library of Poetry, aka poetry.com Consumer Report

The October issue of the AARP Bulletin is now online. You can read the consume report about poetry dot com written by Sid Kirchheimer at Scam
Alert...Write and Wronged

.

It is somewhat funny that I was misquoted in that article or quoted out of context. I accept responsibility where I may not have made my voice clear enough on the phone to Sid Kirchheimer.I guess there are worse things to rant about than being (mis)quoted by the press, I could be ranting that I wasn't quoted at all. Anyway it was an honor to have been mentioned. A very informative article, be sure to check it out.

Rose DesRochers

WAYN (Where Are You Now)

I recently received an e-mail from someone who has me in their address book, inviting me to join WAYN (Where Are You Now). WAYN is one of the many networking sites like hi5, friendster, Orkut and ringo and I swear if I get another email asking me to join any of them, I’m going to scream. But seriously, these referral networking services are becoming nothing more than inbox nuisances.

Rose DesRochers

Don't Quit- To Whom Does This Poem Belong?

Recently I wrote an article “To Whom Does This Poem Belong,” if you haven’t read it yet it can be read at < Today's Woman Writing Community >. The article is about the beautiful inspiration poem “Don’t Quit,” that a number of poets wish to take credit for writing.

Eric, one of the sources that I credit in my article sent me an email. I just thought that I would quote him. “Thanks, I read your article and liked it. No one alive today could have written that poem as it is way too
old - anyone below nintey to a hundred years old (at least) would have to be a liar. I hate people that try to take credit for what I feel is one of the most inspirational poems written. I have a copy of the poem in my house that my grandparents had long before I was born and I am fifty years old - and the copy I have also has no author on it. My guess would be that it was written at the turn of the century.”

The real author of the poem is still a mystery but as more facts are revealed about the poem, we are learning how quick poets are to take credit for something they didn't write.


Example when I removed a member for plagiarism from the Today’s Woman website she wrote , “I have never ever read this poem you speak of in my lifetime. I sat right here at my computer desk at work and composed it. Whether you choose to believe that or not, I cannot help. But, to accuse me of plagiarism without any proof whatsoever is disgusting. I would never do such a thing. But, now that you have been judge, jury and executioner of me without any due process, I would never want to be a part of TW. How completely absurd of you, Rose, how utterly absurd. This was very low.”

Low is taking a well known poem and pretending that you wrote it. Just because the author is unknown doesn’t mean that you can take credit for writing it.

Just where do some people get off?

I'll get off my soap box now.

Friday, November 04, 2005

Gender Stereotypes

Stereotypes - It is because of these that most people expect certain behaviors from boys, than from girls. Remember the saying “boys don’t cry,” or how about boys shouldn’t play with dolls.

I never realized as a parent that I was putting my daughter in a gender role when I told her that she shouldn’t get her pretty dress dirty. I failed my daughter in the fact that I influenced her into the role that women must look good.

I avoided it with my son, as It's a very strong pet peeve of mine when people make certain arguments to defend the behavior of boys because "boys will be boys."

I didn’t want my son to be in that gender role. I allowed him to play with dolls and hang with the girls and told him it was ok to cry. I encouraged him to sign up for drama and told him their was nothing wrong with reading 24/7 instead of playing sports.

It was just over the last year that I have encouraged my daughter to take part in sports and tried to gear her away from the gender role, now that I have seen the effect that it has had. But now that I look back, I realize as a parent, I’m partly to blame.


We're all individuals and should not all be judged simply because of skin color, religious affiliation, gender, or age.

Rose DesRochers

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Say no to hi5

I've received several invitations from hi5, but I never signed up until today. I should have read the privacy policy before I registered.

It reads

hi5 collects personal information when you register, when you use hi5, when you visit hi5 pages or the pages of certain hi5 partners. hi5 may combine information about you that we have with information we obtain from business partners or other companies. Once you register with hi5 and sign in to our services, you are not anonymous to us. hi5 collects information about your transactions with us and with some of our business partners. hi5 automatically receives and records information on our server logs from your browser.


Basically they have spyware.

hi5 collects your Hotmail or yahoo address lists and contacts. Once you register there is an e-mail that is sent to everyone in your address book. This e-mail is sent without your permission.

The website also requests, your hotmail and yahoo password. I never gave my password, I was not that gullible. However hi5 was still able to gather my information and contact those listed in my address back.

I finally was able to delete my account, through the instructions in their help file.

Hi5 is even worse than xanga and myspace.

I encourage all parents whose children have an account on hi5 to log into hi5 and delete their children’s account.

Too much personal information is being revealed on these websites, making it a haven for sexual predators. Parents need to wake up.

I for one, am very concerned with websites like hi5 that encourage children to post their photos and personal information.

I strongly suggest that if your child uses the computer and you have not been monitoring their activity, it is time that you found out just what they are doing.

School orders students to remove blogs

I recently read in the news that a Roman Catholic high school in Sparta have ordered its students to remove personal blogs from the Internet in the name of protecting them from cyberpredators. This makes perfect sense to me and I applaud the principle for the action that he is taking. The Internet is a "Gateway" which leads the adult predator to the child.
Parents need to recognize the better need to monitor their children’s online activity,

Websites like xanga, myspace, and livejournal, make it all too easy for sexual predators of children to prey on our children.

Children are vulnerable and they don’t realize that anyone can and most likely is reading their blog entries. It is up to us as parents to educate them and monitor them.