DECK THE HALL

Yes Beauty is awake and I know this because she is quietly reciting the WHOLE of the El Nombre video and yes she KNOWS SOMEONE WHO CAN and she has just told Don Fandango OFF TO JAIL WITH YOU, all from the warmth of her bed.When Beauty was first diagnosed with autism she used to sit in her cot and rock and not make eye contact,for hours.Now she can say lots of words,give commands(oh YES), count, say her alphabet and I am sure she can read a little bit and she just loves her books.She gives hugs and kisses and punches her sisters when they mess with her and is capable of imaginary play.There is much to look forward to in Beauty's future.

US plans permanent base on Moon
So the US government plans on spending billions(probably just a drop in the Sea of Tranquility) on building a base on the moon!I personally think that the money could be better spent.

I think the money could be spent on affordable housing, education, crime, natural disasters, mental illness and disability ..................the list is endless.

Hunger Facts: Domestic
Hunger persists in the U.S.
* 38.2 million people—including 13.9 million children—live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents more than one in ten households in the United States (11.9 percent). This is an increase of 1.9 million, from 36.3, million in 2003. 1
* 3.9 percent of U.S. households experience hunger. Some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day. 10.7 million people, including 545 thousand children, live in these homes.1
* 8.0 percent of U.S. households are at risk of hunger. Members of these households have lower quality diets or must resort to seeking emergency food because they cannot always afford the food they need. 27.5 million people, including 10.6 million children, live in these homes.1
* Research shows that preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems than children with no hunger. 2
People facing hunger are increasingly turning to the Food Stamp Program for assistance in feeding their families.
* Following years of decline, participation in the Food Stamp Program has been on the rise over the past two years. In August 2005, over 25.7 million people participated in the food stamp program.6
* While it is not possible to determine what caused the increase in participation from the data available, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities argues it is likely that the majority of the increase can be attributed to the economic downturn. Due to loss of employment and income, more families probably became eligible for the Food Stamp Program. 3
Churches and charities are straining to serve rising requests for food from their pantries and soup kitchens, especially from working people.
* The U.S. Conference of Mayors reports that in 2005 requests for emergency food assistance increased an average of 12 percent. The study also found that 54 percent of those requesting emergency food assistance were members of families with children and that 40 percent of adults requesting such assistance were employed. High housing costs, low-paying jobs, unemployment, and the economic downturn led the list of reasons contributing to the rise.4
* Over half the cities surveyed in the Mayors' report (52 percent) said they are not able to provide an adequate quantity of food to those in need. And 83 percent of surveyed cities reported they had to decrease the quantity of food provided and/or the number of times people can come to get food assistance, up from 67 percent last year. An average of 18 percent of the demand for emergency food assistance is estimated to have gone unmet in the survey cities, down from 20 percent last year.4
* America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest network of food banks, reports an estimated 24 to 27 million people turned to the agencies they serve, as accounted for in their 2006 findings. 5
Cites and links to source material:
1 “Household Food Security in the United States, 2004.” ERS Research Briefs.
2 Pediatrics, Vol. 110 No. 4, October 2002
The above is a report on the Bread For The World website.
Does humanity have it's priorities wrong? Have we gone so far astray?
I so know I wouldn't make a good politician, I would get too emotional(not as emotional as SnoWhite of course!)

I really need to get a good nights sleep. I have to nap in the day to cope with the late nights, interrupted sleep and early mornings. Naps are good and give me some rest but I always wake up having dreamt the strangest dreams. I feel like Iolo Morgannwg after one of his laudanum
induced 'episodes'(though I have never taken laudanum or any other drug to know for sure!).
Today I dreamt that my mother was still alive and living happily in a little house that she had bought opposite the castle in town by the Duke Street arcade(not that there are any houses there of course) and she loved to do scrap booking! My mothers favourite pastime was reading books. I also dreamt that , as revealed by a prophecy(not real, just in my dream) that the end of the world was coming and in the sky above St Mary Street myself and everyone else who was there saw a vision which showed the symbols of the 4 main religions of the world. See what lack of rem sleep can do for you! It was a pretty realistic dream.