Can We Forgive Ben?

With the Super Bowl being played between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers there is something that women have to wonder after all this time? Is it ok to forgive the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. This Steelers quarterback is a lot of things, but popular with women is not one of them.

Over the course of the last two seasons he has been accused of sexual assault on not one but rather two occasions. This last time, the incident occurring at a bar in Georgia, was enough to almost have him brought up on charges. It was clear that his judgement was not good, but it is also clear that Ben has seemed to be on the straight and narrow and will certainly take a step up in the likable department, but is it enough for the ladies to forgive him.

The truth is that Ben is a person who is symptomatic of the professional athlete in today’s society. With the exlusive coverage of athletes on ESPN, Facebook and Twitter there are a lot of people out there who put the athletes on a throne and therefore it’s easy for these athletes to believe they are one of a kind and that they should never hear the words “no.” It might not be the right way to behave but it is the way that they do decide to conduct themselves.

The key may be whether or not Ben was guilty in the first place. It’s not necessarily that he was guilty. As a matter of fact it appears that he may not have been guilty at all.


The Role of Women Is Changing

Women are dealing with more than ever before there are plenty of women out there that are finding out that they have to wear two hats at the same time. These days it’s not just about the ladies taking care of the kids, but it’s also about them joining the work force. Women have to work through an enormous about of responisibility. So the question is how is that responsibility getting divided up between the ladies. There are a few things that are happening to make it possible for the woman to be important both in and out of the home.

The first thing that has factored in is that there is an increased role of the father in the home and a reduced role in the workplace. This is largely in part because the earning potential of a man is no longer exceeding that of a woman. In this day and age a woman can make just as much or more if they have the appropriate education or experience. So many men are staying home with the children. It’s a very common practice and giving the mother a chance to matter right outside of the home.

Of course the earning potential is the other factor. Women have advanced within the workplace so they understand that they are no longer afterthoughts but rather viable members of their company. Woman also have the luxury of being seen as the caregiver of the family so they are often afforded more flexibility at their jobs.

This changing of the work place is having a profound effect on the world and the way that children are raised. There are plenty of women who have embraced the fact that they get to have a dual responsibility in the family. It’s important that it be noted that not every woman would like to work. There are plenty of women our there who are happy to be at home with the children as well.

A Modern-Day Rosie the Riveter: The Single Mom to the Rescue

There is a segment of society that often goes unrecognized and unthanked.  There are women, who manage to balance not only work and children, and deal with absent fathers, to boot.  The single mother is a force, a whirlwind, who makes her way in a world that frowns upon her.

She is an amazing woman, for being able to balance everything without losing her sanity, for being able to give of herself, without losing herself in the mix.  She is a powerhouse, the driving force of her family.

And so frequently, she goes unnoticed.

It’s a shame, really, that society does not recognize the powerful woman she is.  She is tireless, often working horrific hours at a thankless job, desperately trying to make ends meet.  She rushes from hither to yon, to try and make it to both her PTA meeting and her office party, worrying about where her children are and whether or not they’re safe, fed, and not in trouble.

Her job as mother and father is not an easy one.  She must bear the disciplinary brunt of raising her children on her own, without backing down, and without back-up.  She must be the one who paddles a bottom when it’s needed, and bandaid a bruised knee, who must teach her son to play football and her daughter to play flute, and she must do so without losing her cool.

She hits the playing field running, not hesitating to say “I can do this!” She is the modern-day super-hero, wearing humble clothes by day, and cape and spandex by night.

The single mother deserves not only respect, but humble admiration, as well.  She deserves a round of applause, for being able to conquer six impossible tasks before breakfast, and all with aplomb.  She needs to be thanked for providing a role model for her children, for showing them that they can do the impossible, and that they can achieve their dreams even in the most dire of circumstances.

21st Century Feminism

In this era of equality in the workplace and on the homefront, many ask if feminism is irrelevant, if the women’s movement is a thing of the past, and as such, should be laid at the wayside.

It’s a valid argument, and one that needs to be taken seriously.  But feminism should not be allowed to just fade into the darkness, because it needs to provide structure, encouragement, and support for up and coming young women, and to encourage young men to continue with equality.

Young women need to be shown that it is OK to be a strong, powerful, brilliant woman, and that there is satisfaction in being all of those things and yet being feminine as well.  Feminism in the 21st century needs to provide support for girls, role models for both genders, and open itself up to the support and encouragement to youth no matter their gender.  They need to know that they can achieve anything they put their minds to, irrespective of gender, because they are smart, capable people.  They need to be shown that nothing is off limits, that nothing is impossible.

Perhaps feminism need not be gender-defined any longer.  Perhaps it should move into a wave of gender non-specific unity and encouragement, particularly in light of recent political machinations toward same-sex equality.  The force of the feminist movement, should it collectively stand up for the rights of all people, gender and sexual orientation irrelevant, would continue to bring about changes in society as it has in the past.

Feminism, as a whole, is a movement that needs to be continued, strengthened, and fortified.  It needs to be expanded into new fronts, but maintain it’s devotion to equal rights for ALL, not just women.  Feminism needs to remain in the forefront of the political scene, to continue to encourage the discussion of womens rights.

Feeling Pretty in Pajamas: The Art of Making Slovenly Sexy

Let’s face it. There are some days when we don’t want to get out of our pajamas. We spend the day padding around the house, doing the house-type things that need to be done. We cook, we clean, we wipe noseprints off mirrors without asking why they’re there. We lose our sexy somewhere along the line, in favor of a t-shirt that has holes the size of developing countries.

So, what can we do to keep our slovenly attitudes and appearances from wreaking havoc on our marriages? What can we do to keep our sex appeal even when we’re covered in flour from making muffins?

Some things to consider:

1. Change it up. Even if you do nothing more than change the pajamas you are wearing, make the effort to change your clothing. Seeing the same, stained pajamas day in and day out is not attractive for our spouses.

2. Color the hair. Cover up the grays that are sprouting from your scalp like little demons. Cover them with something close to your natural color, and watch yourself shed years. And condition the hair, because having luscious, soft hair, even if it’s up in a pony-tail, makes us *feel* pretty.

3. Turn on the music! Crank up the radio, and dance. Dance as you bake, dance with your children, dance with the dog. Who cares if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket?! Good music, music you love, makes you move, and in moving, you find your smile again. And when the honey walks in the door, after a long day, and finds you and the kids dancing like lunatics in the living room, giggling like school girls, he’ll find you much more sexy than if you were stomping your foot in the kitchen.

Stay-at-Home does not Equal Bonbons

There’s a common assumption, by those who don’t know better, that stay-at-home moms do nothing but eat bonbons and watch soap operas every day. These assumptions could not be more wrong. A stay-at-home mom works 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for wages that are, more often than not, doled out in stale cheerios and boogers. She is both mother and wife, and also equal parts nurse, chauffeur, chef, vacuum cleaner, dog-walker, and washing machine. She may not have seen a tube of lipstick in three years, or worn high heels since her eldest was born. Her house isn’t spotless, despite her best efforts, ad sometimes dinner consists of a half-eaten pop-tart.

It is vitally important for society to value the stay-at-home mom, and not denigrate her position solely because she receives no paycheck.  Her role is very important, but often she sttruggles to feel fulfilled.  Some days she wants to scream from the rooftop, just to know that, in fact, someone hears her.
Some days she doesn’t like her job, and she’s often times afraid to admit it. Those days are the ones she needs support the most, when she needs to be reassured that what she does matters, and that her job, though without paycheck, is not without satisfaction and value.

The cliche says that children are the future, and indeed it is true.  Stay-at-home moms battle down in the trenches, fighting nightmares, homework struggles, bullies.  They often forego showers in favor of rocking screaming babies.  They are those women who need the most love and support, and society must understand that stay-at-home and do-nothing are not the same.

Getting The Facts About Presidential Nominees

The next presidential campaign is coming very quickly and there will be both parties looking to make their case to the American people about just why it is that they deserve to be running the country. As always the decision will not be easy, but for many the reason for the difficulty will have to do more with lack of information, rather than anythings. It’s a shame that the world is only big enough for two serious political parties, but it’s a bigger shame when the information about these two parties is not plentiful to the people.

So how do people make sure they are getting the information they need? It’s not an easy question and one that will certainly keep good minds busy. The problem is that the presidential nominee often like to play a game of illusion with their records and their stance. Getting to the presidency is about what you don’t say. It’s not about what you do say. There is nothing revealed and most candidates won’t take a hard stance on much and for that reason the American people are left to judge based on how much they like a person based on interviews.

If someone is looking into getting information about the candidates they can go on to a site like factcheck.org where there will be unbaised information about the track record of these candidates. It’s important for these people to see. What people should be looking for is a voting history. There is no better way for a person to see what another candidate believes in than by checking their voting record. It’s important to try and get the voting records from different levels of political office as well. There might have been votes on the lower level of government that will impact a person’s decision to vote for someone or not. Getting the facts could mean making a better decision on an important matter like the presidential election.

A Look at State’s Laws from Casinos to Online Casino Games

Outlet "Admiral Casino Prater" of Ad...
Image via Wikipedia

Every state under the United States Constitution has the right to create their own state laws. As long as these rules comply with federal laws, each state is allowed to dictate where and what can be done inside the state. This is most evident when it comes to gambling laws and differences between states.

Every state in the United States is allowed to set up their own laws in regards to gambling and casinos. Some states outlaw casinos and gambling all together and do not allow any type of casinos to be built anywhere. Other states will allow casinos to be built as long as they are on specific plots of land. These plots of land can be government specified plots of land or Indian reservations. At the moment the only state that allows statewide gambling and does not require it to be on specified pieces of land is the state of Nevada.

While every state has the right to make their own laws and regulations there is nothing that is as hotly debated as that of online casino games. Some states believe that online casino games are the equivalent to regular casinos and should be held to the same rules and regulations, while other states believe that casino games could be beneficial to their state and are making separate rules and laws just for online casinos. The biggest issue regarding laws and online casino games is whether the laws apply to where the person is playing the game at or where the casino servers are located. Whether or not you believe you know every state law in regards to gambling and casinos, it is a good idea to make sure that you play safe and abide by all state laws. To do this you should make sure that you research your state’s laws regarding gambling and casinos before playing. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Bush Tour Setting The Record Straight

The Bush administration received a ton of criticism during their time. It was one of the more unpopular presidency’s in recent memory and so when George Bush decided to set the record straight, the whole world was willing to listen. It’s wasn’t as if they weren’t listening before but Bush was smart enough to know that telling people what he did wrong as he was still in office, or explaining what they didn’t want to see wouldn’t set anything straight. It would have only fueled the fire.

So as he’s has made the press circuit, he is setting the record straight once and for all. The first thing that he cleared up was probably the incident that got the most attention early and haunted him for the rest of his time in office. The day tragedy struck on 9/11 Bush was at a local kindergarten reading them a story. He got word during the story, but then proceeded to wait for 10 minutes before he ended up leaving the school.

This was heavily criticized to make it look like either Bush was compliant with the events of 9/11 or that he wasn’t smart enough to understand that there needed to be an immediate call to action. It was Bush who has been looking to set the events of that morning straight. Bush revealed that it wasn’t about being ok with the events or certainly not a sense of apathy that caused him to wait. It was about being presidential. It was about not panicking in a very difficult situation. It was about showing a sense of calm to a nation that was certainly anything but calm.

It’s true that Bush is going to be criticized for that and many other events that occurred during his time in office, but what Bush is trying to do is set the record straight once and for all. This book is a very good start in that direction.

Bush Talks FEMA and Katrina

When a President leaves office they often find a way to tell their story. While it’s one of the hardest jobs that anyone can have, they aren’t often met with a ton of interest for their story. After all, so much is reported on before they ever leave office that the idea of telling their story seems almost redundant. Still, when George Bush left office there was quite the buzz about his own memoirs. It might have something to do with the fact that there has been no president that has been quite as polarizing as Bush.

His time in office saw so much change and an office in complete chaos and turmoil. It was an event when he left office and the country will always have strong opinions about the way he handled his business. One of the things his time in office will be remembered for is the events that happened during Hurricane Katrina. In 2005, Tragedy struck the brave men and women of New Orleans. When the levee broke it left the city under water. Bush, then President, highly criticized for waiting far too long to act on getting people the supplies that they needed. It was one of the things he was hammered the most for publicly.

Bush had an interesting explanation for the events and it seemed to make sense if you were on the outside looking in. As the President he has some form of control or authority over what happens in each state, but unless it is a situation of being under attack he can’t go over the governors head. So when the floods happened he waiting for then New Orleans governor to make something happen, but she waited and waited. Once it as time he stepped in, but after that it was far too late and there were so many who had needlessly suffered. It was a tough part of the job and one that damaged his already sketchy reputation.