The Family (Or most of them)

The Family (Or most of them)
The Family

January 28, 2010

Loridge Porridge

Anyway, THIS is, believe or not, a happy birthday to my sister, Lori, and not a salute to my youngest brother, Gerry, stinky feet and all.
This is Lori above, with one of our kids' cousins, Andrew.
This, again is my stupid youngest brother. He looks slightly like me.
Here's Lori.
Lori and her daughter, Rachael.
Lori & her tatoo...
And again...
Lori & MY daughter, Monica
Here's just a goofy picture of me...how did that get in here?

Many years ago, my brothers & I would call Their eldest sister "Porridge" for some reason -- and then she screwed it all up by getting married to Budley and faving Ben and Rachel.

So today, that is on Jan .28, on her birthday, I officially take back everything negative I ever said.

January 27, 2010

A British study says the wage gap in Britain is widening. Alert the (yawn) media.
Above I'm assuming is part of the damage in Haiti. Although it wasn't identified.
All the rich have to do is wait. The people of Haiti will clean up as they always have.

Rich-poor divide 'wider than 40 years ago'

Council flats near Whitechapel in London
Neighbourhood renewal policy action is needed, according to the report

The gap between rich and poor in the UK is wider now than 40 years ago, a government-commissioned report says.

"Deep-seated and systemic differences" remain between men and women and minority groups in pay and employment, the National Equality Panel found.

It said in areas such as neighbourhood renewal, taxes and education, policy action was needed to limit inequality.

The issues raised would need "sustained and focused action", Equalities Minister Harriet Harman said.

"But for the sake of the right of every individual to reach their full potential, for the sake of a strong and meritocratic economy and to achieve a peaceful and cohesive society, that is the challenge that must be met," she added.

Earning power

Apparent discrimination against people from ethnic minorities was revealed in the report, with those from nearly every minority group less likely to be in paid work than white British men and women.



The panel - set up by the government in 2008 - found that despite women up to the age of 44 having better qualifications than men, men were still paid up to 21% more per hour.

But the authors pointed out that some of the greatest differences come within social groups.

Among women, many work part-time, earning less than £7.20 an hour, much less than the median pay of £9.90 across the country.

KEY POINTS FROM INEQUALITY REPORT
Graphic showing gender pay gap and net income
Top 10% of population are worth more than £853,000
Bottom 1% have negative wealth (liabilities exceed assets) of £3,840 plus
Every extra £100 a month in family income, put a child a month ahead of typical development aged five
Bangladeshi and Pakistani children four months behind white children's development aged five

"Most political parties and people subscribe to the ideal of 'equality of opportunity'," panel chair Professor John Hills, of the London School of Economics, told the BBC.

"The challenge that our report puts down to all political parties is how do you create a level playing field when there are such large differences between the resources that different people have available to them.

Home Office minister Phil Woolas discusses the report on the BBC's Daily Politics

"Things that allow you to buy a house in the catchment area of a good school or allow you to help your children get on the housing ladder. These are very big differences."

The study said that the type of job and pay a parent had could have a cumulative effect throughout a person's life, setting them on "tracks that make all sorts of differences".

By retirement, the difference between rich and poor can be "colossal", the report added.

The panel pointed out that half of those who have worked in the top professions have net assets worth more than £900,000, while a 10th of those who have had unskilled jobs have property, savings and possessions worth less than £8,000.

BBC social policy correspondent Gillian Hargreaves said the report would make "awkward reading for the government" as Labour had made tackling inequality a priority.

Gender pay gap graph

Theresa May, shadow minister for women and equalities, told the BBC that Labour's policies had failed.

"It is shocking that after 13 years of a government that wanted to focus on child inequality, we're still in this situation," she said.

"Labour has had a one-dimensional approach, looking at the symptoms, not the causes. For example, one in six children are growing up in a workless household. We need policies that can make equality a reality."

The Liberal Democrats' children, schools and families spokesman, David Laws, said Gordon Brown's government had "run out of ideas for tackling the lack of opportunity for so many children and the chasm that separates the rich from the poor".

I LOVE politics. Don't you?

January 21, 2010

The Hate in Haiti

These ladies are from afghanistan. I hate to keep writing about Haiti, but I must. They are also oppressed, but by belief. It is not that our beliefs are better, they're just different.
Notice the Canadian or American soldier in Kabul, which I have been to.
Now it's on to the quake and the NBA. Above is where in the world earthquakes have struck. Below is A TALL GUY scoring a basket in the NBA. Dare I say it's a Canadian game? Why wouldn't a bunch of seven-footers be able to dunk a basketballs?


Hello, Haiti should becalled Hate-ee.
















January 15, 2010

Horrible Stuff in Haiti

Oh, first I have to show you who I am.
Then I have to have a rest.

Sometimes I shits, sometimes I thinks and shits.
There are some realities...

like our prime minister, for example -- Steven Harper.
Then there's Elvis, who didn't so much celebrate his 80th birthday last week, but the media did.
And Tiger Woods & his wife...

Then there was the Haiti Earthquake. Our condolences, of course.
Finally, our Parliament was prorogued. For those non-Canadians, this means our Progressive Conservative government has nothing better to do.

SO this is where the earthquake struck.
Good question.