On my honor...

...I will try:

To play Wii and watch TV,

To beat my best score at all times,

and live by Kardashian law.

OK, so that's not how the Girl Scout Promise goes, or the Boy Scouts' for that matter, but it seems like it's heading in that direction.

I read in today's paper about a new badge offered to younger Cub Scouts where they can earn a merit badge by playing video games. Excuse me? In the same article, they also mentioned a new badge for Girl Scouts meant to improve TV viewing habits. The project name? [Wait for it...] The Couch Potato Interest Project.

Wow, scouting sure has changed since I was a kid.

Had we these kind of badges back then, I would have said sayonara to all the camp-outs and jungle breakfasts with bug juice; visiting the elderly at nursing homes; reading all those books; hiking; participating in those darn cookie sales; writing to pen pals and whatever other activity we were doing. Nah - I would have just stayed home and watched all the TV I could and said I did my project. Badge, please.

From what I gather, the BSA added the video game badge to attract more members in a world gone mad with gamers and, well, couch potatoes. The GSA added their badge to allow all girls to earn a badge, and to also (in a clouded kind of way) educate young girls about quality TV viewing and analysis. I'm thinking the girls will end up exclaiming WWHMD ("What would Heidi Montag Do?") And the video gaming boys? Will it be a coincidence in a few years' time if we find ourselves with unruly, overweight teens with violent tendencies?

I would like to think the Scouts, boy or girl, created these badges with good intentions and will still maintain the integrity of the whole purpose of scouting - to enjoy the outdoors, to contribute to society and to develop into a decent human being. Or maybe that's just too 20th century.

Laugh Out Loud

Wow. These last few weeks - nay, all of April has really been a doozy for me, both professionally and personally. I'm used to stress. It's just a natural part of life, and I think I've adopted some good stress busters to deal with it. But sometimes, like in April, the usual methods just don't cut it. I know - April isn't over, but if today is any indication, I'm in for another wild ride.

So, what to do?

Go for a run? Nope. Yoga? Negative. Scream therapy? Getting closer, but no.

For me, it's time to pull out the big guns and...LAUGH!

I love humor to deal with stressful situations, but sometimes, it's hard to be funny and not snarky. True. But what about forcing myself to laugh? And Laugh. And LAUGH!

You may have heard of Laughter Yoga. I've heard of it, never practiced, but I'm starting to, and maybe people around me will think I'm crazy. CRAZY RELAXED! or not. It's an interesting idea, though.

So, here's a clip to give you an idea, narrated by the humor master himself, John Cleese:

You Have the Right...to Remain Silent

America is not immune to flaws and faults, but some of the things that makes this country great - a true democracy - are the freedoms we celebrate every day, especially the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

It is the freedom of speech that allows me to post on this blog, to say whatever is on my mind, and for you to respond. It is the freedom of speech that allows us to protest things we see as unjust, incorrect, hurtful or just against what we believe to be good. Because of this, unlike many other countries, we have the liberty to criticize our government and our own leader, the President of the United States. It is not just a right, but sometimes, it's our duty.

Except if you happen to be in the United States military, apparently.

A Marine, Sgt. Gary Stein, created the Facebook group "Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots" to voice opposition to the Obama Administration's new healthcare bill (if you're not familiar with the tea party movement, let's just say, it has nothing to do with cups and saucers.) Stein was asked to take down the site because he is on active duty and his actions contradicts the Department of Defense directives. I quote from the article "According to Department of Defense directives, military personnel are prohibited from sponsoring a political club, writing anything that solicits votes for a political cause or speaking at any event that promotes a political movement."

There had been talks last year by the Department of Defense to ban these social networking sites altogether, but I guess they haven't yet because their own site has links to such sites.

So, the debate: can active duty troops criticize the President?

It's tricky. My immediate response is that if these brave men and women are risking their lives to defend such freedoms, they should be able to enjoy those freedoms as well. They are citizens of this country, and for what they sacrifice - my goodness, they should have whatever they want! They've earned it. But...they are not ordinary civilian citizens. They are military personnel. Criticism of the President or government puts our troops and country at risk of actions by other people/countries ready to attack America, its infrastructure, its government. Troops cannot take sides politically; their mission is defending the principles and policies of the entire United States of America. So, they have to keep their thoughts to themselves...or at least, not posted on public sites.

But is that fair? What do you think?

Spring, spring - a marvelous thing

Mother Nature put on her finest wardrobe this week in the Northeast with blossoming trees and flowers that soften the landscape...and some lovely warm weather. Sure, as an allergy sufferer, it would be much more ideal to enjoy this beauty around me without watery eyes and running nose, but it's oh-so-worth-it.

So. Just as I get the urge to do some spring cleaning around the old homestead, I also want to do some sprucing up of my iPod. I'm looking for songs of spring.

With the exception of a few - "April in Paris", "Avril 14" and "June is Busting Out All O'er" (look it up, kids) - there aren't too many songs exclusively written about spring. At least, I haven't come across too many.

That's where you come in. What are some songs that remind you of Spring? (and it doesn't have to be specifically about spring itself).

I'll start:
- "Strawberry Swing" - Coldplay
- "Groovin' " - The Young Rascals
- "Elephant Stone (Mint Royale mix)" - Stone Roses

Your turn!