Kid Zone! Stop! Rated Decent!

"Teach not thy lip such Scorn, for it is made for Kissing, lady, not for such Contempt."

-William Shakespeare

I love mothers and I have had the best in my life. From my grandma, to my mum, to my aunts, and their friends. Even at my age, the ones left here on this earth are still setting the best examples for me, my sibblings, and my countless relations. Between all of them, I have had the greatest experience of being mothered and know that there are many out there like them. It is true that no one has the go-to guide book for this precious and holy role on earth, and that every mother is doing the best they can to raise kids in these uncertain times but, there are certain things that are  "No-Nos" when it comes to mothering.

This is what I mean; a mum on the CTA redline mouthing off to her daughter with words such as "f$%#ing hit you on the head." Really?! Lady?! Are you "effing" kidding me?! The most notable fact of this encounter for me was the child's demeanor. Calm, albeit embarrassed. Cool tone, respectful of the fact that you are, dare I say it? "Mum." This kid scores A+ for the way she handled your tirade, though you tried to lower your voice. Stop! "Mum!" This is no way to treat your child in public!

I am aware that kids can be exasperating to the point where mothers are pushed to kill their kids, literally, and statistics show that these things happen. I also acknowledge the fact that I do not know the whole story of what brings this about but, I do know that in this particular moment, your language was uncalled for. So you paid over $100.00 for the "stupid" head-phones for your daughter's iPod and now it's broken. Nothing she said indicated that she took it for granted you had to buy her another one. All she said was, "I don't know what's wrong with my head-set, I can't hear anything." Then off you went on her as if she made a demand on you for a new one.

Sure you took a look at it and couldn't figure it out. You are not supposed to, you know why? If your daughter who is a teenager and knows more about these devices than you would ever know in the next 10 years doesn't know what happened to her head-set? Then you, dearest "mum," have no chance of having the slightest clue about the problem. Why go off on her the way you did, and in a public place? I am not writing this to judge you, or to tell you how to talk to your kid. I am writing this to let you know that the language you used to express your frustration in knowing the defective device means buying another one is socially unacceptable, even in your home.

I could go on and on but, here's a well known fact relayed last night on ABC's Desperate Housewives, "it takes a monster to raise a monster." You may say that this line has to do with extreme circumstances and has no correlation with your actions towards your kid but, think about this for a minute. Do you want your child to grow up to be that person that uses such foul language when interacting with her friends, her own kids, and everyone else she comes in contact with in her life? No, I don't think so because I believe you want the "best" for your child and that the "best," also includes her relationships with others.

So, "mum," do me a favor will you? Change your language and make it decent not just for your kid but , for other relationships you have going on because kids learn from everything you do. Kids observe with such keen interest and everything you do sets examples for how they conduct themselves in the future; only the lucky few are able to step away from the bad and the ugly, and stay with the good. I repeat, you want the very "best" for your kid.

In honor of the upcoming Mothers' Day, Happy Mothers' Day to you, and all the great "mums" out there! God Bless you and may He continue to guide you, strenghten you, and hold you as you continue to do your very "best" in this "self-assigned" role as Mothers!

E-Readers: And The Winner Is...

First it was the Kindle, then the Nook, and the Sony, all competing for my attention. Decisions, decisions, decisions! It was a tie between the Kindle and the Nook. Due to size and functionality, the Sony was almost never in the competition. So, bearing in mind what my purpose is for wanting one of these devices, I decided to wait awhile before deciding which one to purchase. After all, technology keeps getting updated right?

Here I am, patiently waiting for the moment when I'd finally make up my mind (remember that the decision to buy one has been made, the question was which one to buy), then rumors of an Apple iPad begin to swirl and on it went until it was no longer a rumor. The competition began anew and I found myself carefully reviewing each device all over again. I narrowed it down to the Kindle and the iPad (my preference - nothing to do with product performance or any such thing.)

Now that I've got two left to pick from, I was happy to wait and see what upgrades will be made between them and what do you know? Kindle decides to build an app for iPad which already has a book-shelf app in it. I didn't know that until this morning when I watched @TheOprahShow and saw her talking about it with her guest.

For someone that doesn't have the kindle yet, I asked myself, isn't it better to just get the iPad? The answer is YES and that brings this competition to a head. We now have a winner - Apple iPad!!!

Thank you to all the other devices for participating in this mundane competition. Good game all!

"Life" On Discovery - Plants and Primates

The Life series ended last night with a three hour finale. I think it is fitting that it ended with Plants and Primates, laying emphasis on the relationship between plants and animals.

Plants were the first of Sunday's episodes. As it turns out, plants can survive and thrive in various temperatures and conditions. Like mammals, plants have deviced skills and abilities that allow them to feed,reproduce, and minimize total destruction. There were creepy plants (Passion Flower and Alsomitra Vine), plants that survive in very dry surfaces (Dragon's Blood Tree and Candelabra Flowers), and some predator plants (Sundew and Venus Flytrap.)

It was quite interesting to see the growth process of these plants but, the most striking to me was the predatory habits of the Sundew and the Venus Flytrap. These two plants embody that saying, "if Mohammed cannot go to the mountain, then mountain will go to Mohammed." These plants have tentacles filled with nectar that attract flies which become entrapped in their leaves and provide nitrogen nourishment for the plants.

I would also say that it was fascinating to see that the birds and insects that fed from the plants were put to work, and made to carry pollen from plant to plant.

The second episode was about Primates. There were small primates (Hamadryas Baboon and The Snow Monkey) and large ones (Gorilla and Chimpanzee.) There were even smaller primates that only came out at night to hunt for food (The Spectral Tarsier and Lemurs.) The remarkable thing about primates is their social and cultural behaviors that are akin to man.

The third and final episode was a behind the scenes of how "Life" was documented. It was a well documented and beautifully narrated series. I found it to be very fascinating and for someone that wouldn't touch even a dead animal, I trully enjoyed "Life" and would miss it.

If you missed the series, don't worry. You can pre-order the Blu-ray disc and dvd set at the Discovery Store. There is also a re-run on Thursday April 22, from 6:00p.m to 2:00a.m CST on Discovery Channel.

Mum Zone! Stop! Speech Limit: 25 words per minute!

It was a beautiful day today in Chicago. The sun was shinning, the wind was high, and in typical Chicago fashion, the Magnificent Mile was packed with pedestrians and motorists. It is also the time of year when the boats slowly make their way to the docks. Therefore, the bridges went up today for the first time this year to let the boats through. We don't mind the delays this creates, whether one is on the way to church or like today, just hanging out. It is always something interesting for which people stand and watch with glee.

I put my phone down to really look around me and this infrequent act opened my eyes to a couple of things about human interactions in present times. Do you remember the days when we had no cell phones or ipods? Well, for me it's a distant memory as I think it is for you. Do you remember when listening to your friend's conversation meant looking him/her straight in the eyes and making occasional mindful interjections? I do, and this principle still holds true today because it tells the person speaking that you are actually paying attention.

Looking around and observing other people's communication with one another, I found that a majority of us have completely tuned out. We are listening to conversations absent-mindedly while reading and responding to messages on our phones, making the odd grunt here and there so the other person doesn't stop talking. How sad! Our friends may not mind because let's face it, they do it too and we're mostly used to it. But, how about the adults and parents who are not used to this speedy mode of communication and multi-tasking, wondering what the heck their kids are talking about?

So, in honor of the upcoming mothers' day, I have this to say. First, I'd like to express that this part is borne out of a phone conversation by a female on the bus with someone at the other end of the line whom she called "mum." Here's the deal, young lady! She is "mum," not your college room mate or buddy or best female friend (though she would like to hold the bff title.) Firing away at her at 100wpm is a bit much. Slow down, for her sake.

Remember those days when she was the only one you talked to in a voice and language that only she, and God understood? Yes, even your big brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and older cousins didn't know what the heck you were yapping about? Mhm, "mum" listened for every alien syllable that came out of your mouth, and she understood it all. Then you, angelic creature went off to school and started making friends. Your language went from alien to human and everyone was happy. "Mum" didn't have to work so hard or listen so intently to hear and understand you. It became easier.

So, what happened along the way? You, dearest child went to high school in an age of numerous technological devices and at a time when written words no longer require vowels to make sense to anyone in your generation. As "mum" is trying to wrap her head around that and learn your new ways of communication, you go off to college and your language and mode of delivery becomes even more alien to her.

Do me a favor, bearing in mind that "mum" is not bff though you make her believe she is, fine tune your language and enunciate properly so she can understand you the first time you speak. Letting the words roll off your tongue that even I, standing next to you did not immediately understand, brings frustration and exasperation. I can imagine she felt the same way you did when she had to make you repeat where you were and where your stop was going to be. Try to make it easier on her ok, after all she took the time to hang out with you today in spite of the traffic.

And "mum", this one's for you: "bff" you are not no matter what she says because part of being the owner of that title is being up to speed with language and delivery. Doubt me? Watch old episodes of Gilmore Girls. It didn't work out for Lorelai either. I would say be patient and listen, pick out the keywords from the never-ending clutter of words and you'll have it. For instance, "...across the bridge from tribune tower...stopping at chicago--which way to walk..." This was in answer to the question asked and I agree with you that the delivery made it sound almost extra-terrestrial. When you've selected the keywords, run them by her to clarify and everyone will be happy.

To all you "MUMS" out there, diligently doing a great job with patience and love, God bless you all and early Happy Mothers' Day to you!

The Voice Of Silence

The first four lines of William Wordsworth's poem titled, “The World Is Too Much With Us," holds true even more today as we speed through our daily activities without a moment’s pause to see, listen, and appreciate the beauty of our environment. In the poem Wordsworth writes,

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in the nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
- W. Wordsworth (1770 - 1850)

Never has a truer word been spoken. It's about 12:30pm and I am sitting here in my living room, television volume turned down so low that I can barely hear it. I close my eyes for a brief moment and take a deep breath. As I exhale, I am amazed at the sound of my own breath; soft, whispery, whoosh that seems to go on forever.

As I open my eyes, I begin to notice and feel the silence. It is almost as if I am hearing it for the first time. I begin to realize that silence has its own unique sound, and that it actually speaks which makes me wonder why we do not pay attention to it. For a few minutes I hear nothing but my own breath, and then individually, other sounds begin to emerge from the silence. The beauty of these sounds is their unobtrusive nature, emerging as if in unity with the silence, here to tell me that they are one and are here, always have been.

Listening to all these sounds I realize its harmonious nature in my environment; the soft April wind, the flutter of my window blinds, the soft buzz from my refrigerator, the sound of the train stopping and departing the station, the thud-thud footsteps outside my door as my neighbors retire to their different apartments, the burst of laughter, the car horns, and the wheezy sound of cars driving by, each sound unique and distinct, not to be missed.

So why do we miss these beautiful sounds? Why do we ignore them? The sudden burst of the siren from an emergency vehicle as it rushes past either on its way to an incident or transporting someone to a hospital, gives me the clue.

We are too “busy!” Too "busy"to notice, too “busy” to see the beauty in our environment, too “busy” to hear the voices of our environment beckoning on us to stop, even for a moment, to listen and hear the melody that only nature can make.

"Life" on Discovery Channel - Hunters and Hunted

Another intriguing episode of "Life" aired tonight. As the title of the first episode goes, I am grateful I do not have to exist in the world of the animals featured tonight, especially the ones that serve as food for other animals.

There were large hunters (Grizzly Brown Bears, Gray Wolf, and Bengal Tigers), and small hunters (Stoats - weasels, Great Bulldog Bats, and Star-nosed Mole.) Each hunter possesses a unique ability and strategy for successfully catching its prey, no matter what the odds may turn out to be. Some even go as far as banding together to bring down preys larger than they are (The cheetahs.)

Of all the hunters, I was quite taken with the Stoats. Small in size and weighing only ten ounces, this tiny weasel is able to take down a rabbit much larger than it is. Stoats have the ability to run for a long time without getting tired, and with this skill, a tiny stoat can wear out a rabbit by chasing it around until the rabbit slows down and becomes food. Quite impressive! I wonder why the kindred rabbits just sat there and watched as a lone weasel preyed on their kind. Permit me to say, "big for nothing" rabbits!

The second episode featured insects and according to the documentary, they make up 90% of all animal species. There were large insects (male Darwin's Stag Beetle), and small insects (Dawson's Bees.)These two insects made the most impression on me due to their unique and somewhat deadly mating rituals among males to get the females of their respective species.

That, at least, is familiar to man. The strongest male beetle tosses off other males en route to the female at the top of a tree and after mating with the female, tosses her off the tree top too. This may be because the female plays hard to get before mating with him (some human female species will tell this as their stories too.) In the case of the male Dawson's bees, they fight and kill their male opponents until most of them die, lending credence to the phrase, "dog eat dog" world. I almost felt sorry for them until I remembered how badly their sting hurts.

However, for the many animals who are hunted, the different species still find a way to reproduce and hang on to their dangerous environment for many years. I would confess that it wasn't fun watching some of them get eaten. My human instinct wanted to reach out and save them from their enemies.

May be this is why we have “The Humane Society” in the United States but, as I watched and my heart ached for some of the helpless prey, I realized that all of this fall within the divine order of events which the animals go through daily.


The final episode of "Life" will air same time on Sunday. For more information, go here.

"LIFE" on Discovery Channel - Birds

Do you love birds? I do, very much. I love birds, not only because they soar above us as if they're watching over us, but also because they sing, and exhibit such beauty and grace as they flap their wings in the sky or even when they glide. I also love to hear birds chirp in the morning (one of the things I miss about home), waking me up with their sonnets. If I were to become an animal, I'd chose to be a bird.

The first of tonight's episodes of "Life" featured birds. I learned that birds are creative and inventive creatures, doing whatever is necessary to feed and reproduce. There were large birds (vultures and pelicans), small and colorful birds (humming birds and birds of paradise), birds that don't fly ( penguins), and there were some that were not so good looking (vogelkop bowerbird). Don't count the later out yet because they turned out to be the birds with the most exciting and intriguing characteristics of all.

What the male vogelkorp bowerbird lacks in beauty and size, it makes up for in talent and skills. It is the most inventive of all birds with superior interior design techniques that would put some men, and some women, to shame.

By carefully crafting its nest or according to the documentary, its love nest with colorful flower petals which are strategically placed, and shiny bugs, the male vogelkorp bowerbird creates a nest no female of its specie can ignore. Different strokes for different folks they say. As skilled and talented as all the male vogelkorp bowerbirds are, some need a little more education in what pleases the females and that deer dung and fungi doesn't cut it.

Worth mentioning is the fact that it takes minutes to complete the mating process after weeks of hardwork to create the magnificent love nest. I guess it's all worth it in the end for the male and from what I've seen from past episodes of "Life", I can safely say that most females of different mammalian species are really difficult to impress.

In addition, the second episode of tonight's installment featured creatures deep under the ocean (marine invertebrates like red star fish, sea urchins, & nemertine worms). What is remarkable about these invertebrates is their ability to adapt in places within the vast ocean where other oceanic creatures cannot. I especially loved the formation of coral reefs. Guess I'm a true aquatic after all!

Until next Sunday when new episodes of "Life" will air on the discovery channel, you can check out the documentary on http://dsc.discovery.com/

Have a great week!