GorillaOffTopic, Everything But Gorilla Trades

Here’s a good question: If your underage child wants to attend a high school school that you are strongly opposed to, should you force the child to do what you say? Many people would contend that the parent has authority over the underage child, of course. But what if the school your child wants to attend was a Christian school, and you are a devout Atheist? Then what? That would seem to change the circumstances a bit now, wouldn’t it?

That was exactly what happened when a father and son were divided over whether or not the boy should be allowed to attend a Catholic high school, despite the staunch opposition of his Atheist father. The 14-year-old Louisville, Kentucky boy, Michael Ryan, really wanted to attend St. Xavier High School- a Catholic school- but his father would not hear of it. His divorced parents strongly disagreed about their son attending the school. His mother, Susan Bisig, wants him to go there. The disagreement lead to a lawsuit filed by the father, David Ryan, which argued that the State’s constitution says no one can be “compelled to send his child to any school to which he may be conscientiously opposed.” Despite the father’s argument, the judge ruled for the boy, stating that it was “in the boy’s best interest to attend the St. Xavier School.”

The father is of course, appealing the decision. This situation raises a good point. In the Gorilla’s eyes, it can be looked at two ways: In one way, it begs the question, “What about the parent’s position of authority over the child? How can a judge override the authority of a parent over his or her own child?” But he did, and it wasn’t the first case either. There have been many lawsuits between underage children and their parents in which the judge ruled in favor of the child.

In another way, when it concerns religion, the circumstances are certainly affected to be sure. Should the parents be allowed to exert their authority over their children when it comes to religion? When the Gorilla was a young chimp, he questioned his religious beliefs as well. It is a tough position to be in when your parents are quite religious and you are not, or vice-versa. Should a child be forced to agree with his/her parents’ religious convictions or lack thereof? Religion is a very personal choice for an individual, child or adult, and many believe it should be up to the child- not the parent- to choose their own faith. What do you think?

Are you one of those crazy fun-loving guys or gals like the Gorilla, who just loves his iPod or MP3 player? Or how about your cellular phone? Many people feel lost without it. Sure many of us are and these days, you’d be crazy not to be! The technology has literally changed the scope of society’s capabilities when it comes to listening and storing music and information. Currently, the very best storage device is the iPod 160 GB Classic, which can store over 40,000 songs in it’s memory; that’s 32 times as much as the iPods that first debuted more than 6 years ago in 2001. So, if that much progress has been made in only six year’s time in memory capabilities, just think of what the near-future can give us.

Well, it looks like it’s already in the works as we speak. Mobile phones, iPods, and MP3 players may soon be able to store more than 100 times the information thanks to the new so-called “racetrack” memory that uses the “spin” of an electron to store data and can operate far more quickly than regular hard drives. Scientists at IBM say they have demonstrated a new type of digital storage that will actually allow a device such as an MP3 player to store nearly 500,000 songs! Yes, folks a half-million songs! (Cool, but quite honestly, the Gorilla can hardly listen to 500 or 1000 songs!) It may also be able to store about 3500 movies as well, and believe it or not, it costs far less to produce!

The team of researchers also claim that the new technology will require much less power and will be capable of running on a single battery charge for “weeks at a time” and will last for decades. The new “racetrack” memory is similar to flash technology (currently the most advanced type of memory for small devices) in that it has no moving parts, thus reducing the problems associated with mechanical reliability. However unlike flash, it can write data very quickly and doesn’t wear out like some flash memory drives. ”The promise of racetrack memory — for example, the ability to carry massive amounts of information in your pocket — could unleash creativity leading to devices and applications that nobody has imagined yet,” Stuart Parkin, the IBM researcher who led the research, said.  Although the research is still in the exploratory stages, IBM says that it expects the devices to be on the market in a mere 10 years. Fascinating technology!

In the 1970s, when the Gorilla was just a young chimp, there were strict rules in school and whether you were attending private or public school, you knew the rules. You knew you couldn’t get away with swearing, chewing gum, or talking back. You knew you couldn’t smoke, talk back to the teachers, or horse around (an old school term). And, you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if you broke those rules, your mom and dad would break your neck! (At least that was the threat), and for all intensive purposes- it worked! This strict code of conduct that basically scared everyone straight, worked back then. It made kids want to behave; after all, the stern face of that hard-nosed principal sitting in front of you when you had been remanded to his office was too much to bear. For that reason alone, following the rules seemed like a good alternative.  Unfortunately those golden days of kids fearing the wrath of their teachers is a thing of the past. Teachers no longer have the upper hand in schools, and for the most part, many of the teachers the Gorilla spoke to said they actually “fear” many of their students. This limits them as to what they will and will not say and do to the students when they act up, putting them in the precarious position of vulnerability, rather than authority.  The president of the Baltimore Maryland Teacher’s Union, Marietta English, say’s that she normally receives two to three complaints a day about assaults on teachers. An art teacher was recently assaulted and beaten by a student at her school after she told the girl to sit down and behave. The assault was recorded on one student’s cell phone and posted on the Internet, further proving that some kids actually seemed to enjoy watching the attack. Now the teacher says she is just “too afraid” to return to the classroom. The student was suspended, but what happens to the next teacher who might make this girl angry? And what about the group of third graders at a Georgia Elementary school, who actually plotted to attack their teacher for about a month, but were luckily tipped off by a student and arrested before they could do any harm.  Baltimore mayor, Sheila Dixon, says the problem is getting out of hand and stern discipline is needed, but how? State School Superintendent, Nancy S. Grasmick, called for increased character education, community partnerships, and parental responsibility. Local schools in the Gorilla’s town have implemented zero tolerance programs, which teach kids to adhere to a strict policy of telling teachers about anyone they suspect is causing problems, bullying, or breaking rules. And the great part is they can do it anonymously. Many schools throughout the U.S. are adopting this zero tolerance program in hopes that it will cut in half the number of threatening incidents and violence in the schools.  

But, what about the parents of these kids? What is their role in preventing their kids from doing this? Do they even care? Dr. Fabian Redler, a child Psychologist, says that “parents need to pay attention to their kids behavior at home.” He says that how a child acts at home towards other siblings, friends, and their parents is a crucial indicator in pinpointing and preventing acts of anger and rage in school. But sadly, many parents are too embarrassed by their kid’s behavior at home to tell anyone, including the schools, fearing that it will be a reflection of poor parenting on their part. What a shame!

What’s with all the anti-America propaganda these days anyway? It seems as if every time the Gorilla turns around, there seems to be yet another celebrity or public figure trying to talk us into believing that our President is evil, our current political policies are mostly a heap of hogwash, and that our leaders are a bunch of senile idiots! Granted- some of them are, but be that as it may, you still cannot sway the American public to be anti-American no matter how hard you try.  As a whole, when it comes to our beloved country, we will defend it and support it. Take for example, the Iraq war: there are many people opposed to our presence in Iraq and it’s certainly understood, but in general, try to bash the U.S. and its policies in a movie, and you won’t get a very good turnout. The proof? Well, the proof is in the American moviegoers’ refusal to support almost every Iraq war movie or America-bashing film shown recently in theaters. These include “Stop-Loss,” “Lions for Lambs,” “Rendition,” and ”In the Valley Of Elah.” “Stop-Loss” only grossed $5 million in it’s opening weekend and the others aren’t exactly bragging about their big paydays either!  Probably the biggest joke was Mark Cuban’s new melee, ”Redacted” (A Da Palma film), which only grossed a shameful $65,000! Meanwhile, the film cost millions to make. The point is, this film, like many of the others, may have set out to relay one message, but ended up relaying an entirely different one to the American public. Many of these films cast a negative image on our soldiers, our leaders, and yes, our country. Apparently, Hollywood thought we were all a bunch of pushovers or an “easy sell” if you will, but they were wrong. They took the stance that since the American people are so opposed to the war, we must also love anti-war, anti-American type films.  

But they are wrong. Yes, the American people hate the handling of the Iraq war, all of the money spent on it, and mostly all of the lives lost due to it. These are all true statements. But to say we all hate the war effort in general, may be a stretch. Most American’s would agree that there are no regrets in taking down famed evil dictator Saddam Hussein, and trying to establish democracy in very disturbed Iraq. But to open an artillery of anti-war movies on the American public was just not wise. Note to Hollywood: we love our U.S. OF A! Nice try! (The Gorilla should add that he himself saw the movie “Stop-Loss” and enjoyed it thoroughly.) It brought to mind the fact that our American soldiers deserve our respect and admiration. This movie will certainly enlighten you to their trials and tribulations. Yes, some things in this country certainly need some fine tuning, and that will most likely always be the case, but America bash we will not! Take that Hollywood!

In Africa, nearly 2 million children are orphans due to the AIDS epidemic there. These childrens’ lives could have been drastically different had these parents had the proper health care and medicines to save their lives. In addition, alarmingly,  an African child dies of Malaria every thirty seconds.

It takes so little to do so much for these children in need. Believe it or not, it takes just ten dollars to buy a mosquito net, which saves lives and can change those statistics dramatically. It is not just African who suffers, there are also many American children and families in great need as well. Take a look at Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, where thousands of families were left homeless, when their homes were left in total disrepair, after to succumbing to severe water damage. And how about the hundreds of thousands of families in this country that have no health care coverage and are in urgent need of medical attention? Or the families right here in our homeland, who live in alarming conditions in the Appalachian mountains? Many of these families are so impoverished, that to see their living conditions, you would think you were in a junkyard in a foreign country- not right here in our very own United States of America.

It is simply shocking that any human should have to live this way. The creator of the hit show American Idol agreed, and that is why he decided to take advantage of his 40 million plus viewers-i n a good way! Nigel Lythgoe felt that he owed a society, who has given him so much, so he decided that he was in a great position to give back; thus the name of his organization, “Idol Gives Back.” Whether you are a fan of American Idol or not, the efforts of the many people and dozens of celebrities who participated in the “Idol Gives Back” show last night, are simply inspiring. The goal is to raise $100 million to help those families in need in Africa, and in our very own United States. It is an amazing effort that harnesses the ability of the show to capture America’s hearts, and the power of entertainment to benefit some of the poorest most vulnerable people in the world.

Last year the organization raised nearly $76 million. This year’s event was much more ambitious. The star-studded show included such names as Robin Williams, Carrie Underwood, Brad Pitt, Bono, and Celine Dion. Donations were taken during the show, with many of the idols taking phone calls themselves, and many donations being taken online. The Gorilla was so inspired, he even made the call and donated himself. It is a great feeling to know how much help even a small amount of money can give to those who so desperately need it. As we celebrate the onset of the glorious spring season, let’s not forget about all of those who don’t have very much to celebrate in their own lives, and be grateful for what we have. If you would like to give to this wonderful foundation, you may do so at:  www.americanidol.com/idolgivesback.

Well, folks, it’s that time of year again. The time when we all long to put on our shorts and flip flops; the time when we open the windows to our home, and let the delicious spring breezes float in, permeating our lungs with freshness. It is a time when the Marigolds and Daisies are in full bloom, and seem even themselves to enjoy the grandeur of their newfound beauty.

It’s time, at last to throw away those winter blues, and smile at the sun for the first time in what seemed like and endless season of gray. Many people celebrate the kickoff of springtime with different traditional festivities, the most popular of these being Easter for people of all Christian faiths. In the U.S., that tradition commences with a grand Easter Egg hunt on the lawn of the White House. For the Jewish faith it is Purim- a celebration which commemorates the sparing of the Jews in Persia from extermination. In Ottawa, they celebrate on a much larger scale, planting 3 million tulips for their annual Canadian tulip festival which begins on May 3rd. The Tulip Festival, launched in 1953, resulted from a gift of 100,000 bulbs, given to Canada from the people of the Netherlands in 1945 as a “thank you.”

It is also the time of year when runners everywhere prepare for the opportunity of a lifetime by participating in the famous Boston Marathon on April 21. From springtime weddings in Alabama, to a carriage ride in New York’s Central Park; whether it be a picnic in the park, or a barbecue with loved ones in your backyard, everyone everywhere is celebrating this glorious season- and why not? Now is a great time to make that annual Spring trip to Home Depot’s garden center and get out there in the yard and plant something.  

The Gorilla took his family to San Diego California this year for Spring Break and ah… how refreshing the cool Pacific air felt on his big hairy head! It was just what this primate needed for a refreshing vacation. Whatever you choose do this Spring, remember; Spring is about new beginnings and a new chance to start fresh! Life is worth celebrating- every moment, every season, every day. Enjoy Springtime everyone!

Remember the glorious days of our youth, when we played kickball and dodge ball during our phys-ed class? It was so much fun getting out there on the playground in the middle of the school day to kick the crud out of that ball, and hopefully impress the cute girl in the class. Back then, physical education class was not optional like it is in many schools today. Many schools across the nation have waning physical fitness programs, with some being in danger of losing these programs altogether! This at a time when nearly two-thirds of all Americans are obese or overweight- that is more than ever before in history!

Call the Gorilla crazy, but it doesn’t seem as if now is the worst time to do away with physical fitness programs in our schools! The CDC, as well as the American Pediatric Society, are urging schools to “get with the program” so to speak, to help prevent childhood obesity and to prevent future health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle during adolescence. Texas is on board with the program and is adding new testing- a physical fitness assessment test- and it might actually save lives and help to put morbidly obese children back on track to a healthier lifestyle.

Under a new state law in that state, nearly 4 million 3rd-12th graders will have their stamina, strength and flexibility, and body composition measured for the first time this school year. Some of what the test includes are timed tests such as running, doing curl-ups, trunk lifts, and push ups- just to name a few. Based on time and amount of reps the kids will be put in either a “healthy zone” or an “unhealthy” zone. Based on test results, the government of Texas will be able to determine areas of weakness so that they may “tweak” the physical fitness programs in schools to properly ensure that all areas of exercise are covered.

Some parents were not happy about the new program, saying that it is simply “way too intrusive,” and expressed fears that their kids could possibly be rejected by insurance companies if they were deemed “unfit” by the evaluation. But the tests are anonymous so there really is no basis for their concerns. Texas is spending about $2 million to implement the new program, and the Gorilla thinks it’s simply outstanding! Studies now show that almost one-third of kids in our schools are obese or at risk of becoming obese, which has caused a huge spike in the number of kids with Diabetes and other illnesses. “It puts Texas ahead of a lot of states in the nation,” said Jeff Kloster, associate commissioner for health and safety for the Texas Education Agency. “I’m proud to be in Texas because the state went forth and said, ‘We’re actually going to do something about this.’ ” Good for you Texas! Hopefully other states will begin to follow suit.

“Where are your manners? Say please.” This is what the Gorilla heard a mother saying to her young son as he was coming out of the gym this morning, and it was refreshing to hear. The Gorilla was asking that very same question a few minutes earlier, when he offered to help a fellow gym member and didn’t get so much as a “thank you’” in return. The manner “misdemeanor” happened when the Gorilla witnessed a man struggling to open a jammed locker. He felt bad for him, so without thinking, he simply lent a hand and was able to get the locker open. Instead of any gesture of gratitude, the man snarled at the Gorilla as if he resented the help, and said nothing, leaving the Gorilla to wonder….”where are people’s manners these days?”  Gone seem to be the days when men held the doors for the ladies; more often than not, the Gorilla sees men rushing out a doorway letting the door slam the woman behind him, smack in her face. (The Gorilla always holds a door for those behind him). In fact, many times, the Gorilla has witnessed men cutting in front of women to get a cab, even though they were clearly there first. Now granted, this is more along the lines of “chivalry,” but this rude behavior is not exclusive to just being gentlemanly. Many people are just plain rude in general; males and females.  Traffic is always a good example. There used to be such a thing as traffic etiquette- you know, letting people out in front of you in a traffic jam, or giving the person in front of you ample room, instead of riding their bumper to make your point that you want them to move out of your way. But, let’s not even get started on the traffic discussion though, because we can spend all day on that topic.  

In general, rudeness seems to abound everywhere we go, every single day, and the Gorilla has come to the conclusion that you just can’t take it personally. It is a different world we live in now. Different from the innocent times of our childhood, when people moved at a slower pace, traffic moved at a slower pace, and yes, life was slower paced. We live in the age of excess, an age in which everyone hurries up to go nowhere, and an age where the concept of instant gratification is the norm. This fast-paced lifestyle, lends itself to rudeness, whether we like it or not.  Whether it be an impolite child, who refuses to say “thank you” or “please,” whether it’s a guy in the gym who didn’t show gratitude for help, or someone who doesn’t bother to hold the door or let you get the cab first, the Gorilla has learned something valuable; Manners are becoming extinct, so do everyone a favor- mind yours, will you?

Have you ever wondered exactly how safe your kids are on the Internet? Many parents worry about this and quite frankly, they should. There are predators out there ready to take advantage of your children, and it’s not very difficult for them to do it either! With online networking pages like MySpace and FaceBook, your kids are at risk of being seen by online predators, bullies, and cyber thieves.  It is a very different and scary world these days, and it’s a far stretch from the innocence of childhood’s past.

For many baby boomers, our parent’s feared for our safety like any other parents. They feared that their kids would be kidnapped or fall victim to some random crime, of course. But nowadays parents have much more to fear since their kids are exposed sometimes daily via the Internet, to potential stalkers, kidnappers, rapists, thieves, and bullies of every kind. And the danger is widespread since the Internet takes us all over the world. It is scary to think that a predator in say, Scotland, can potentially prey on your kid in small town, USA, from the comfort of his very own home if he so chooses. We can do a lot as parents to safeguard our kids, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a guardian “angel” of sorts, who is looking out for our kids when we can’t?

Well, luckily, there is a network of angels out there and they are called “Teenangels” (www.teenangels.com). This is a group of highly trained volunteers between the ages of 13 and 18, who are trained by law enforcement and who specialize in all aspects of online safety, privacy, and security. After they are trained, the kids run programs in schools to educate kids, parents, and teachers about the safety of online surfing and how to protect themselves and be responsible. It is an excellent and effective way to get the word out about staying safe on the Internet, and what better way to relay that message than through teens teaching teens? This unique program was started in 1999 by leading cyberlawyer Parry Aftab, Executive Director of WiredSafety.org (the world’s largest online safety and help organization and 501c-3 (corporation). Parry is personally involved in the training herself and through a series of videos she has made. Here are a few of the handy tips the program teaches: 

* Make everything password protected

* Don’t give personal information to anyone online

* Don’t use your real name (especially on Facebook or MySpace)

* Don’t post pictures you wouldn’t want your mom or dad to see

* Be careful who you talk to (they may not be who you think)

These are only a few of the great suggestions the site and the program offers to teens and now tweens (ages 9-12) as well who are using the internet. The Gorilla thinks this is an outstanding program that even offers training to kids so that they may open a chapter of the Teenangels in their own area. Any program that assists in helping our kids stay safe is fantastic and gets a big hairy thumbs up from this primate; after all, these kids truly are the future!

Imagine you have a sick child in obvious need of medical attention. The average person would not hesitate to get that child proper medical attention. But what if the church you belonged to strongly urges against getting medical attention, but instead encourages prayer as a means of healing? It may seem crazy to most, but to one couple, whose daughter was gravely ill, that is exactly what they did- and it cost the little girl her life!

Carl and Raylene Worthington were indicted Friday on charges of manslaughter and criminal mistreatment of their 15-month-old daughter, Ava. The couple belongs to the Followers of Christ Church. The church has a history of treating seriously ill children with only prayer, so naturally no one was urging the couple to take the necessary and proper action. Instead, the couple started a prayer vigil for the little girl and believed that “God would heal her.” But God did not heal her, and Ava died on March 2 of bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection. 

The State Medical Examiner said the infection could have easily been prevented and this tragedy did not need to occur. The medical examiner said that the little girl also had a cyst on her neck that was infected at the time of her death, which had obviously never been treated. In the 1990’s, laws were passed which prevented people from being protected from criminal action for relying on faith healing, when several children were reported to have died from apparent neglect. Those parents were also members of a Fundamentalist Church. Since those laws took effect in 1999, “We haven’t seen any cases of significant medical neglect … until now,” said child abuse Detective Jeff Green of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

Of course, the Gorilla was outraged when he heard this story and many people all over the world feel the same way. When it comes to children and faith healing, the Gorilla is not on board with this one. It is one thing to have faith, and another thing entirely to be just plain ignorant. If you want to neglect yourself, an able bodied adult, well that is your choice, but very young child such as little Ava, rely on their adult counterparts to speak and act on their behalf. This should not have happened. This poor little girl never had a choice or a voice in her very young life. If convicted the Worthington’s will face 6 years in prison.