Blogging Shacked|All About Everything

So in my semi-recent renewed love for the news and politics - a large part due to all the drama that gets generated (oh the fun!), I have heard the word uttered in many ways, in many contexts seemingly to mean one thing but when you look closer really refers to many different things, somethings in contradictory ways and that is the word ‘American’. I don’t mean the word that means a citizen to the country the United States of America, or even the more loosely sometimes referral to the more general and broad sense of a citizen of the countries residing in the continents of North and South America. (Which I don’t think is technically correct - unless Russians are Asians…are they? Hmm..)

What does this word mean? What does it mean to be American? What is with all of this patriotism? Am I just missing something? Does it mean to be middle class, white, male, christian, and conservative? Well that’s hardly half the country right now (which might account for all that accusation of the country being sullied and many of the truer bluer Americans wanting to leave the states and become a nation of their own) - and even so, is that really what it is to be American, when the first rights of the constitutions were written as to clearly want a separation of church and state? Shouldn’t a mind that is able to make decisions for the people independent of religion be the true American way? Not all this talk about America being a Christian nation, and really if there is a need to separate faith and the laws, then we could even have an atheist president! …one day…one day.

Summer’s coming, and that means it’s almost time for some summer fun. This usually includes but not exclusive to: Fun, relaxation, time spent with family and memorable times. I know times are tough, and with the economy, people are watching their pockets more carefully, but a vacation doesn’t have to mean an overseas trip, expensive hotels and fancy restaurants.

In fact, if you are looking for a family friendly trip, and happen to be in the area of Wildwood, New Jersey, there are free concerts going on from June to August at the Morey’s Piers which includes a variety of top Disney radio artists for your whole family to enjoy. And a key emphasis on free! Why not take a trip to experience something new with your family!

And if you are seriously considering having your vacationing spot, or at least one of your spots at Wildwood, New Jersey, do not fear, there are plenty of things to do there as well. This includes New Jersey amusement parks and New Jersey water parks for your family to enjoy. And be sure to check out other New Jersey attractions as well. You won’t regret it.

In a tragic incident, a stampede killed a man in Long Island, New York last year, costing Wal-Mart $2million dollars in in compensation for damages. Why was Wal-Mart accounted for this incident? Because it happened in their store. That’s right - it was a stampede of customers. And it killed a man. Imagine that.

It happened on the day after thanksgiving, where I suppose Wal-Mart was having some sort of mega-blowout sale. A large crowd grew outside the store before opening, only to barge in and break the doors before opening. Were they planning on stealing or just shopping? I’m sure entering a store unauthorized while it was closed is illegal. And what if there were no cashiers, how could they buy anything? What was the rush?

Unfortunately, what came later was something that you’d only see in cartoons - a big crowd runs through and tramples a person, except this time that person died. It is no laughing matter, and I find it kind of disturbing. Were these customers that desperate to get a sale as to step all over a person and not even care? At least try to move around them, or if it was too crowded, wait for space to move around or hop over this person. Perhaps because this person was a worker there, they thought they had the right as customers to abuse him? Just sick.

With the economy plunging, and expected to get worse, it is not suprising that your debt will only accumulate. If you are having trouble with repaying debt, join millions of others that are in the same situation. It is common for those with accumulating debt to feel helpless and lost, only to avoid the issue all together and have the problem worsen.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for loads of cash, but you can be smart about your money. If you are at a lost of what to do, don’t hesitate to seek advice. There are loads of credit counseling services designed to help you manage your debt and solve your money problems.

What appeared to be an innocent glass of milk resulted in days of a time out. Within hours of the faithful glass of milk, I found myself over the toilet, expelling last night’s dinner. It was not pretty.

After all of my dinner was gone, and my stomach was empty, it continued - this time it was just water. Desperate, I visited the hospital. After hours of waiting, I was diagnosed with Gastroenteritis (ie stomach flu - although it is not a strand of influenza making it not really a ‘flu’).

Unfortunately, there was no quick solution, no drugs I could take to relieve the pain. Only patience, and 10mL of fluids every ten minutes.