Ireland has always appealed to me. The beautiful, open country and people with amazing accents is what I think of when I hear the word Ireland. Watching this video was eye opening to me in that it showed what Ireland is about and how they practically revolve around the Catholic church and have for quite some time.
However, things are tough right now over there and the church went up for sale. To the Irish people, this was devastating to hear because that is where they worship and have done so their entire lives. It was priced around $5 million. Later on, a business man purchased the church for more than the asking price. This man was thinking about just leaving it a church for the Jesuits (members?) to worship. The people were hoping that he would do so.
The video also covered families and how women work outside of the home, when 15 years ago they did not. The women now need to work as well in order to support their family. Also, Irish women were known to have 4 to 6 children but now only have 2 to 3. Twenty years ago you would have never heard of an Irish couple getting a divorce, but today it happens frequently.
Another topic that caught my attention was that marriages were arranged. The parents of the son or daughter would arrange a partner for them to marry. I don't know if I could handle my parents choosing someone for me to spend the rest of my life with. I would take their opinion into consideration but for them to actually choose my future husband, I don't think I would be able to allow.
In the future I would love to visit the beautiful country and maybe even pick up their accent :)
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Third Time Around
This video about the American troops in Iraq was an emotional one. Sometimes I lose sight of the fact that we are in a war and there are men and women overseas fighting for us and their families as well as other things. This war has been a part of my life for eight years now and I hope and pray that it will be over soon. I really don't understand totally why we are there or what we are doing but I pray that all of the troops come home alive to see their families. The part of the video that showed a troop die due to a roadside bomb and then for another soldier to tell his family about it was hard for me to see. I know that God has a plan for each and every one of us and that the troops who died did so in honor.
I don't know how the family who are at home wandering every day if their son or husband will come home alive do it. It has to be so difficult to raise your child alone and to think that your spouse is missing a lot of the child's life. There were some soldiers interviewed that actually want to stay overseas until the Iraqi people have a stable government and when there are no more suicide bombers etc... They feel like they owe it to the people and to the fallen soldiers. Words cannot express how thankful I am for U.S. troops.
I know a person who has deployed overseas and I think about him often, wandering if he's ok and what he's doing. God is in ultimate control and all I can do is support the troops and pray that they are safe.
I don't know how the family who are at home wandering every day if their son or husband will come home alive do it. It has to be so difficult to raise your child alone and to think that your spouse is missing a lot of the child's life. There were some soldiers interviewed that actually want to stay overseas until the Iraqi people have a stable government and when there are no more suicide bombers etc... They feel like they owe it to the people and to the fallen soldiers. Words cannot express how thankful I am for U.S. troops.
I know a person who has deployed overseas and I think about him often, wandering if he's ok and what he's doing. God is in ultimate control and all I can do is support the troops and pray that they are safe.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Toxic Toys
Why is America importing toys from China? I really don't think that it is a good thing especially when some of the toys can be toxic. I don't understand why America can't make their own toys and export them to other countries which in turn would benefit our economy. I think that our country is known for importing material from other countries but there should be a limit when we are importing more than we are exporting.
As for toys, I think that we should inspect every toy the U.S. imports and make sure that they have no phalates in them. I know that it will be expensive but if I were a parent, I would want to make sure that none of my kid's toys were toxic. As a parent I would thoroughly check all the toys bought for my children and make sure they were safe.
I also think that if America would start making more of their own toys or anything for that matter, our economy might be better off than it is right now. China seems to be booming and I would like to know why that is. I think part of it has to do with the U.S. importing more things than importing which helps other countries more than us. If we didn't ship so much stuff overseas to China, the U.S. might be "ok" and China would be hurting. I know the United States is a country of freedom and wants to help everyone but when it comes to our own "income" so to put it, we need to satisfy our needs first. You might think this is a harsh statement but sometimes it's the only way to survive economically.
We need to double check everything that is imported and make sure that there is nothing toxic in the products. This might take a lot of money and effort but in the end I think it would better benefit America.
As for toys, I think that we should inspect every toy the U.S. imports and make sure that they have no phalates in them. I know that it will be expensive but if I were a parent, I would want to make sure that none of my kid's toys were toxic. As a parent I would thoroughly check all the toys bought for my children and make sure they were safe.
I also think that if America would start making more of their own toys or anything for that matter, our economy might be better off than it is right now. China seems to be booming and I would like to know why that is. I think part of it has to do with the U.S. importing more things than importing which helps other countries more than us. If we didn't ship so much stuff overseas to China, the U.S. might be "ok" and China would be hurting. I know the United States is a country of freedom and wants to help everyone but when it comes to our own "income" so to put it, we need to satisfy our needs first. You might think this is a harsh statement but sometimes it's the only way to survive economically.
We need to double check everything that is imported and make sure that there is nothing toxic in the products. This might take a lot of money and effort but in the end I think it would better benefit America.