No Patrica Briggs signing for me this Sunday :-(

Partly because I'm going to be busier than I thought this weekend, and I'm not up to the long drive down to the bookstore where she'll be signing her newest book.

But if anyone does go, tell me all about it!

Would that all lazy children could have THAT fire lit under their butts!

Parental Responsibility: A father took his 20-year-old son to an Islamic court in Bauchi, Nigeria, in October, demanding that he be jailed for idleness, which he said has shamed the family. (The court immediately sentenced the son to 30 lashes and six months in prison.) [Reuters, 10-17-08]

Okay, the lashes are drastic. And a six month prison sentence? I suppose that young adult isn't going to hang out on the corner wasting his time after he gets out. And here's a related type of story, from Korea:

In December, a court in Seoul, South Korea, fined the parents of a teenage rapist the equivalent of about $60,000 for their negligence in raising the boy badly. (The 18-year-old himself is serving a 10-year sentence for the crime.) [BBC News, 12-14-08]

Now, Korea is incredibly Confucist. Even more than parts of China at this point of time. It permeates the culture in every way. So I can see how a court in Korea would do this. I wonder if he was an eldest or only son?

Thanks to uExpress News of the Weird

7 Day Meal Planner

This is kinda cool. I just found this on the uExpress site. It's a 7-Day Meal Planner page with what looks like simple home-style hearty fare for those with simple requirements (frex, those of us with children with a limited palate. No pun intended) and limited cooking time.

The recipes even come with a shopping list! How cool is that? And it's free!

I may just try this out!

AmyMcCabe!

Moo.