Joining China's 3 Days of Mourning ...

BEICHUAN, China - China will spend three days marking the moment when tens of thousands died in a devastating earthquake, while hope of finding more trapped survivors dwindled Sunday and preventing hunger and disease became more pressing.

The government announced an official mourning period starting Monday and asked China's 1.3 billion people to observe three minutes of silence starting at 2:28 p.m. — exactly one week after the quake killed an estimated 50,000.

* Photo and news excerpt from Yahoo.com

"Fight" over Beckham's Jersey - What Are These Parents Thinking?

In case you have not heard or read of the story, the link to Honolulu Adverstiser is here. I suggest you read it first so you'd know what I am talking about. Then you'll understand why I am so disappointed (bordering disgusted) with the parents of these who boys who both wanted to own the jersey that David Beckham gave away. I can understand that these kids are kids and it's very important for them to have that jersey of the sports idol they have. I will give them a break. Even though I don't agree that it's that important - for them it is. But you see, the parents need to take this opportunity to teach them the value of sharing, or of friendship, and that there's more to life than Beckham's jersey.

What I can't understand is how the parents are handling this. They are now talking lawyers! What? Over a jersey? Puh-leez.... This has gone too far!

My main concern is "what are these parents teaching their kids in all these?". Whatever happened to the word "sharing" or "conflict resolution" - nada! What these kids are learning is that when things don't go the way you want to and you think you are right, you need to hire a lawyer!

Another thing that bothers me about this is the fact that this happened in Hawaii. Isn't Hawaii supposed to be full of ALOHA? What ever happened to to the aloha spirit? Oh, shame... what a shame.... I almost didn't blog about this, except that as I parent my blood is boiling as to how these parents are handling this situation. And so I must voice out my opinion.

Granting these parents want to teach their kids "to stand up for what they believe is right". Or to stand up for their right. But that kind of teaching is for certain moral values (something that involves the 10 commendments or the likes of it), like when someone asked them to lie and their conviction is not to lie, then they stand up for what they believe in. But these people need to put this situation in perspective - it's a jersey they are fighting about! Granting it is David Beckham's jersey - it's still just a jersey and not worth ruining friendships or any type of civil relationship. Maybe they could have approached this in a different way, like maybe encouraged the two kids to both write a letter to Beckham, explain the situation, and maybe see if he'll send another jersey so each of them can have one. It was a great opportunity to teach a "win-win" goal to a conflict resolution, instead of litigation.

But since it has already gone this far, I like what Lalas, president and general manager of the Galaxy, suggested - "My suggestion is that the judge get a pair of scissors, cut the thing in half, and give half to each. " I say that sounds like what the wise King Solomon would say.

3rd Graders Planned To Kill Their Teacher?

This is probably one of the most disturbing news I've heard recently: Eleven Third Grade Students Planned to Attack and Kill Their Teacher!

Where is our society heading? Wasn't there a saying before that goes like "Youth is the Hope of Our Nation"? Gosh, these kids aren't even "youth" yet, I mean, they are kids! And they are already doing this? (plot to kill a teacher? planned it's details?)

I guess this news really disturb me because I have a son who is in 4th grade and a daughter who is in 3rd grade right now. And I cannot fathom the fact that some kids their age actually planned in detail an attack kill the teacher! Did these kids watched too much TV, played too much violent video games, or what?

Maybe others will say that this is an isolated case and that it does not represent the youth of today. But has this kind of news been heard 20 or 10 years ago? I don't think anything like this has happened before. And it's not a good thing that it is happening now. It's not just the "act" itself that concerns me. It's the thought process of these kids. It's the idea that they planned revenge instead of learning from a consequence given to them by the teacher for not obeying school rules. Assuming that the teacher is "unreasonable" (let's just assume she's a difficult teacher), it still does not warrant for this kind of plot. In the old days, kids just accept the fact that some teachers are "bad" and they just wait for the school year to end. This issue is really a "moral and thought process issue". It's not a one time deal.

I don't know why I am even posting about this. There are tons of articles and discussions going on in the internet about this already. I guess I am posting this because this news is a concern. As a parent, I do my best to make sure I raise my kids in the way of the Lord, and I truly hope and trust that they will not get involved in any situation similar to this (as the Ten Commandments said "Thou Shall Not Kill", and Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself).

I think of the parents of those kids at this time. I wonder what they are going through, what are they thinking and feeling? I do not point a finger at them, but I hope that we all learn from these. Do we know what our kids are up to? Who are the kids they hang out with? Have we thought them forgiveness, responsibility, resiliency?

Ahhh, this news breaks my heart.... I cry for these kids. I do.