American poverty (and idiot?)

What the heck I am doing in early Sunday morning, even when I have no essay due next week? Well, my friend asked me to pick up one of his belongings that he left yesterday after the choir, and though I planned to wake up at 7am, still I woke up by 6am. Don't know why....I guess after getting used with 6-7 hrs sleep, I can't really sleep more than that.

Anyway...yes, this weekend I don't really have any emergency situation, meanings that I have no essay due next week. But as always, I still have lotz of reading from thousand of handouts and of course from my favorite handbooks: "If Kids Just Came With Instruction Sheets!" After writing bout divorce last week, the next one is about children and poverty. And something ticklish about it: the number of homeless children in US, is not just a few numbers, and the number just keep adding more. I used to think that only those with drug-addiction are the homeless people, never realized before that many of them have kids and those kids are growing up on the street.
It seems that when you compare US with the other "good" countries (read: England, France, or Germany), children get better treatment over there. But hey, not only that, but also, seniors get much better guarantee after they retired. My cousin' wife' dad, who is German, decided to keep his German citizenship though he resides in US now, his answer were simply: Germany has better retirement program.

So, what will happen to those homeless children in US? And the bigger question, what is poverty? I came from the poor country (well, used to be a developing country until the economic crisis hit them), and I have seen many many poor children. And I know that many poor people in China who sells their own blood to get money, non-sterille of course (don't even start imagine what the effect of AIDS, hepatitis...etc...etc...), and I heard that many Indian children cut their own arms so they can have more "descent" look for begging on the steet (which I dunno the truth, but I knew this from someone who comes regularly to India). Maybe, in some level, poverty in US is not as worse as those countries, but, I guess US can join the club now.

Or maybe if only our beloved Mr President can start to be more serious about US children, put more money to support poor family and children, and stop sending the youngsters (and the money) to war? When I met one of the lady in my choir group yesterday, she's about to cry: her son was sent to Iraq.....and I was speechless when I heard that, I didn't even know what should I say to comfort her.....


Have you seen this music video from Greenday?

"Wake Me Up When September Ends"

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when september ends

like my fathers come to pass
seven years has gone so fast
wake me up when september ends

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when september ends

summer has come and passed
the innocent can never last
wake me up when september ends

ring out the bells again
like we did when spring began
wake me up when september ends

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when september ends

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when september ends

like my father's come to pass
twenty years has gone so fast
wake me up when september ends
wake me up when september ends
wake me up when september ends