Florida DCF doesnt seem to monitor anything

Two news stories (and personal experience) have brought me to this conclusion. First, an investigation I am re posting by the Tampa Bay Times regarding the complete lack of licensing requirements or monitoring of Children's homes in Florida by DCF. Basically if your group home doesnt want to follow the rules set out to protect the kids in your care, you can claim religious exemption and make up your own rules(including corporal punishment) and DCF will still send you kids and $$. The second is a recent story in the Palm Beach Post where DCF admits its doesn't monitor nor does it have any idea the amount of anti-psych drugs jails and similar institutions use on kids in care. (Though the paper estimated the jails bough enough for nearly 500 pills a day per kid) The concern being that institutions are using pills not for psychological needs but as a chemical restraint/shackles. Much easier to control kids if they are all doped up regardless of whether they are actually in need of the medication. And any doctor who claims he knows what these drugs do to growing brain is flat out lying. But acoording to the story the Drug Companies give these therapists 5 figure bonuses to promote the medications regardless of the lack of science.

So basically, if your a foster kid placed in a group home you can be physically abused for the first half of the day and forced into a drugged up coma for the second half, and there would be nothing "practice wise" wrong with that because DCF isnt paying any attention and has no authority beyond placement. And no one from the public would be any wise because of privacy/hipaa shelter the company from public/family scrutiny and accountability.  

Joe's Music Pick the Week: Kid Rock's Born Free

Kid Rock is a really flexible musician..Rock Rap, County whats next? Its also kool he plays with a little person (who sadly passed)

Book review:Orson Scott Card is a closeted hypocrite

I've been reading the fantasy series "The Tales of Alvin Maker" by Orson Scott Card. Card is better known for his sci fi series Ender's Game, which has been made into a movie to be released in November. He is also known for membership on the National Organization for Marriage and his outspoken political efforts to ban gay marriage in his home state of North Carolina.

I didnt like Ender's game. I couldnt really connect with the main character, a child who takes over earth space military and saves the universe. I've only read the first 3 books of the Alvin series so far but that farther than I got with the Ender's series. In The Tales of Alvin Maker, each chapter is from a different characters point of view, much like George Martin has recently done with his now famous Game of Thrones. Its good writting, set in the colonial period in an alternate history US where the war for independence never happened and George Washington's was beheaded for treason. Colonial American History is a great setting for fantasy, full of unsettled wilds and superstition. And its relatively untapped. So I like them thus far..but...

Cats will save your sock drawer from ninjas in Lamborghinis

Body found in hotel water source; Hotel not closing.

ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew. Ok everyone is taking this waaaaay to lightly! The hotel isnt closing the people staying there were like "The water did have a funny taste..The shower was awful, when you turned the tap on, the water was coming black.".  Just a funny taste? You just drank two week old DEAD PERSON!! EW. Even if they completely disconnect the water tower with the body in it, the dead person flakes still went all through the hotel pipes. You'd need to completely flush the whole system...several 100 times. And maybe bring in a priest to cleanse it spiritually. EW How can they not close the hotel?

Pirate Bay to host 3D templates (like for printing organs)

Everyone's favorite Swedish political party/mp3-movie database its its taking an interesting step into the future by offering to host public 3D templates. These are schematics 3D printers uses to "print" objects, such as human organs. I'm guessing this will be useful to non profit burn units ? since I'm not anyone else actually uses this tech yet. But it sound kool

Joe's Music Pick of the Week: Broken Road

Rascal Flatts : "God Bless the broken road". Great song - shocked! seriously that its sung by a dude. Esp at the beginning that sounds like a chick.The guy must sit on a bag of ice before each performance.

Idaho bill requires Atlas Shrugged to graduate highschool

The bill sponsor claims its just a symbolic statement, but this strikes me as public officials promoting their own ideology. This book might promote his political views but what about the views of the other people he represents? And what happens when one of these symbolic statements "accidentally" passes? I'm the first guy to say people should have fun at their job. But our country isnt mature enough for symbols and statements yet.
 
When asked by state Sen. Bob Nonini why he chose that particular book, Goedde reportedly replied to laughter before the state’s Senate Education Committee: “That book made my son a Republican.”

7yo suspend for imagination

Dumb school..funny kid. "dispended" hah. One of my foster kids had to sit out a few recess' for playing soldiers after their teacher told them about her son who was a solider..so it does happen a lot more than you 'd think. Why this is news from an Alabama news station about a kid who lives in denver is anyone's guess

Age of Wonders 3 announced!

Its good times for fantasy strategy gamers! Age of Wonders was the game I didnt play..but this new one with steampunk and theocracy options looks great!

Bird Clouds

I use to see this sort of thing all the time in Tulsa..

Movie review : The Social Network

I finally downloaded and watched The Social Network. Thumbs down! Entertaining with good acting but the story is total fiction. You can make a good fictional movie about a similar situation or you can make a documentary about the facts but telling a real story about real people and making everything else up is just spreading false information and confusing people.

I think the Facebook story is a good reality check though. Plenty of smart capable people out there with good ideas. Our society doesn't reward the best, the brightest or the ones trying the hardest. The ones who make it big are the people in the right place at the right time, not necessarily the ones with the best or most original idea. Zuckerberg didnt invent the social network and (eerily like Bill Gates) he stole the idea to use colleges to make it popular. What he did do is spot an opportunity and exploited it before anyone else.  He was able to do that because he was living. breathing and involved with the issues he capitalized on. The popular upperclassmen that had the idea first didnt jump on it like Zuckerberg because they didnt "need" it, weren't "suffering" and thus it wasnt a priority like it was for Zuckerberg. Life is suffering and through suffering one finds the proper motivation to be in the place where one gets their chance. If you arnt suffering, then you arnt properly motivated and you are going to miss inspiration and the opportunity it brings your way

Febby News Links

Jacksonville starts off February with typical stupidity, by removing the spokesman of public schools for calling her own husband a "redneck". More accurately - because a black employee complained about calling someone a redneck being insensitive towards minorities.

Also Chunk Hagel apparently is still a good choice for leading our military even though refused to give "yes or no" answers to question, such as his policy on Iraq. How is this change from the people Bush appointed>? Why do we let people off not answering the question? Seriously if the answer is so bad we really ought to know about it. Do we want someone who cant openly speak of his own actions as a leader?

Also in the news Washington state is looking to require schools to actually fail kids who fail. Read that again. Why are we letting kids graduate who dont know the material? I say schools who let kids progress who dont know the material are robbing those kids of their right to an education.

Here is some other news"

15yo wins $75000 from Intel's young invetors contest
Star Wars failed billion dollar MMO is adding planet for gay people
Louisiana Sheriff's department is now offering gun training geared at kids
Wa considering letting people off the hook for tickets "they cant afford"
Flashing your headlights is illegal? 
Florida offers 100$ bounty to those who report drunks
Taxpayers paying to outfit visitors to Everglades with "anti Vulture kits"