Learning Financial Literacy

I still remember my first allowance my mother gave me for doing chores at home when I was just five years old. I saved them in a piggy bank for toys and books, and from this I learned about the value of the dollar and very quickly how to budget. Sadly, money management usually isn't something we're taught in school. If we're lucky, our parents have strong money skills and pass them on to us. If we're unlucky, we pick up our parents' bad habits and may spend a lifetime trying to correct them.

The parents can, however, be proactive with their children and one of the greatest teaching tools is the allowance. What exactly an allowance means? Is it an entitlement – since every kid gets it, or a salary that kids get paid for work done? It can be either of these things, but consider the lessons learned from either approach: what do kids learn when they're given money as an entitlement? Treating an allowance as a salary for work has its drawbacks as well. Kids should be contributing to chores around the house as part of belonging to a family. If children need money to help around the house, it may end up as the only motivating factor toward chores.


Parents should use the allowance as a teaching tool for saving, spending, and budgeting and as a discussion point with the kids regarding the uses of money. How big should the allowance be? If all the child's desires are met, there's no need to budget and no lessons are learned. Children should have to make choices and learn to save for what they want. There is no hard dollar value here, but if the kids are able to easily buy all the toys and treats they desire, then it might be useful to shrink the allowance.


How much control should parents have over their children’s spending? Children should be allowed some degree of freedom, but there also needs to be ground rules. Parents should encourage savings and charitable habits. For example, smaller children can be given different piggy banks for saving, for spending, and for charity, or even a savings account at the bank. Older kids can learn the lesson of compound interest with interest earning savings accounts. I still remember as a child being taken to the bank by my father after birthdays and Christmas to deposit my cash gifts. He showed me my account balance and the interest I have earned.


What about paying when kids go above and beyond the call of duty? Though basing an allowance solely upon work done has its drawbacks, "extra credit" for more difficult tasks can be a good idea. In this case, pay should be based on the difficulty of the task and the time it takes to complete. Parents should use allowances as a teaching tools and talk to the kids about their spending and savings habits, set some ground rules, and lead by example. Financial literacy and strong savings habits are the foundation of a successful financial future and one of the precious gifts that the parent can give to their kids.

Friendship Rules for Girls

Friendship is an important part of a girl’s lift. In some cases, the influence from friends can be more than from the parents. It’s really a blessing to have a circle of best friends who can always be there for you. In order to make the friendship work, there are some basic rules to follow.


1. Listen to your friends when they talk.

2. Provide tissues and a shoulder to lean on as needed.

3. Keep secrets secret.

4. Know your friend’s personality.

5. Share similar values and honor codes.

6. Be dependable – rain or shine.

7. Remember things important to your friends.

8. Be honest.

9. Complement and rally for each other.

10. Be your friend’s friend too.

11. Know your friend’s family and make sure they like you too.

12. Don’t let your friends do silly things – like drunk driving.

13. Don’t do things to get your friends in trouble.

14. It’s OK to disagree sometimes – just don’t be personal.

Your true friends should extend you the same courtesy.

Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be


Honest and fair,

Friendly and helpful,

Considerate and caring,

Courageous and strong, and

Responsible for what I say and do,

And to

    - respect myself and others,
     - respect authority,
     - use resources wisely,
     - make the world a better place, and
     - be a sister to every Girl Scout.

The Middle School Daughter and Parents

The middle school years are a pivotal period for the daughter-parent relationship. Nagging about homework and chores is only one way to build up the conflicts. The inner grief at losing the closeness with their once sweet “little girl” was expressed through frustration, anger, and attempt for control by the parents. Admit it or not, the parents realize they are on the downward slope of losing positive influence with their daughter.
Before things go out of hand, the parents have to step back, reflect, and take responsibility to change their attitudes and actions to save the relationship. What the daughter needed from the parents is unconditional love. She is experiencing the inner turmoil of developmental confusion, fears, and relationship struggles. What she need is the parents who would remain calm, listen, and respectfully set limits and expectations. The parents should develop a mantra to think before acting to keep them on track, and put the relationship at the center. "Will what I am about to say or do build or break my relationship with my daughter?" If it is about to damage the connection and relationship, the parents should stop themselves before the damage is done. The parents should learn to consider both of their feelings and perspectives and work on having open dialogue. On the other hand, the relationship should be built upon mutual respect. The parents should not be the doormat trying to please, or the dictator trying to control.

Learning self-control takes time. When the parents blow it, they should apologize and make amends. The best way to teach her how to take responsibility for herself is by example of taking responsibility by the parents. Occasionally, there may be undesirable actions involving lying, alcohol, and boys. The bottom line is to stay connected and continue to be the most important influence and source of strength in her life. It is important to know that her brain is growing and maturing: She will not always be stuck in this confused state. Before long, she will realize and appreciate the efforts of the loving parents.

The Poor "Jarhead" Black Bear Cub

In the middle of August in central Florida, a 6-month-old black bear cub stuck its head into a big plastic jar when digging through trash in a neighborhood. Biologists say the cub was days away from death because the jar made it impossible to eat or drink for at least 10 days. The team had to tranquilize the mother bear and use her as a trap and then grab the cub to remove the jar from the bear's head. After she awoke and nursed the cubs, the bears were moved to a less populated area nearby.

It's not laughing matter. I think most sensitive people would agree that “at least 10 days’ is a long time. Not only without food and drink in the hot Florida summer, the cub may not be able to get enough oxygen since the jar might be too tight. Who knows what the long-term damage to its brain is. That’s why all the plastic bags sold in the US have some warning like this:

“This thin film may cling to nose and mouth, please keep it away from babies and children.”

Imaging your own 6-month-old baby covered with a plastic bag over his/her head, you will agree even 1 hour is too long. Any person who watches that without taking immediate action is a criminal.

Swim for Life

August 2nd was a typical blistering hot summer day in northwest Louisiana. It supposed to be a happy family gathering for a large group of relatives and friends, including approximately 20 children, when they arrived at Charles and Marie Hamel Memorial Park in far south Shreveport, a popular area for picnics, swimming, boating and wading. While the adults were preparing the barbecue, most of the kids went to play in the Red River. They had been there about 10 minutes when the tragedy happened. The teens had started wading in a familiar area where the water was shallow, but they wound up at a spot where the river bottom dropped off although just several feet into the river. Apparently one of the teens stepped off of a ledge and into an 18-foot sinkhole. The others went in to try to rescue the teen, but none of them could swim. They started to slip, one grabbing the other one, one trying to save the other one -- and then seven teenagers were struggling and fighting for their lifes. Unfortunately, none of the teenagers could swim, nor the adults who were watching them from the bank. As the teenagers yelled for help, parents and relatives could do nothing but watching them drown one by one. The lone life jacket nearby was thrown to the victims, but none could reach it. At the end, only one, a 14-year-old, was rescued by a nearby swimmer. Six teenagers from two families, age 13 to 18, drowned.

The tragic drownings highlight an unsettling statistic in this country. 41.8 percent of white children have little or no swimming ability, while the number is stunning 69 percent for black children, according to a study released last spring by the sports governing body USA Swimming.

Parental fear and lack of parental encouragement were the top two reasons children and parents gave for not swimming. The continuing cycle of people not knowing how to swim and their children not knowing how to swim should end. Adults should not pass their fear of water onto their children. The parents should lead by example and learn to swim with their children. You don’t need to swim like Michael Phelps. At least you should be able to keep yourself float long enough to wait for rescue. This is one of the most precious gifts that the parent can give to their children – because it may save their lives someday.

In the Military We Trust?

Since 1975, Gallup has been conducting polls on US public Confidence in Institutions annually. This year, the poll was based on telephone interviews conducted July 8-11 with a random sample of 1,020 adults, aged 18 and older, living in the continental U.S. For those who first see this kind of poll, the results are pretty depressing. Among the 16 categories of institutions, only three institutions (the military, small business, and the police) got more than 50% “quite a lot” of confidence score. Astonishingly, Congress ranks dead last this year with only 11% showed more than “quite a lot” of confidence, while 50% showed “very little” or none confidence. Remember they are the people we elected – talking about betrayal!

Interestingly, the military continues its long-standing run as the highest-rated U.S. institution. In fact, the military has been No. 1 in this list continuously since 1998, and has ranked No.1 or No. 2 almost every year since 1975. While Americans have decreasing confidence in the Administration and Congress, they forget who the real boss of the military is. Perhaps the real reason is that we are as naive as the military, or vice versa.

Kerry Anderson – A Cinderella Story

Kerry Anderson, now 26-year-old, graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in government a few weeks ago. It’s an honor to graduate from one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Kerry’s background makes her even more special.
When Kerry was 12 years old, she and her young brother began to travel with their mom, Linda, a cross-country truck driver. They were home-schooled for many years while riding in the cab of a big rig crossing America. They learnt the basics of reading and writing not only from books, but also from the trips. They helped their mother plan travel routes and calculate how long it would take to reach a new destination - a practical education in geography and math.

By the time she was ready for college; Kerry took a break from the road and converted into conventional classroom studies at Valencia Community College in Central Florida. It was a different experience. She had to learn how to study in a new atmosphere. With her steely confidence and can-do character, she got very involved in extracurricular activities, student government, and community service projects. She earned a place on the dean's list and was also named 2007's distinguished graduate by Valencia's Alumni Association, giving her the honor to address more than 4,500 classmates at graduation.

After graduating from Valencia, Kerry wasn't sure where she was going to do next. Then she received an e-mail from someone claiming to be a Harvard University recruiter and wanted her to transfer with a full scholarship. At first, she and her mom thought the invitation might be a scam. After spending considerable time researching the unbelievable offer, they concluded it was genuine. Although Harvard turns away thousands of applicants every year and seldom takes transfer students – let along from an unknown community college, her story touched the recruiter who liked her experience. Now her experience and story become part of the university's.

After graduation, she is preparing to go to law school and eventually has a career in foreign policy and international relations. Her unique experience provides her with the perspective to deal with different people and things. As she said, "You need to understand how things started in order to learn how to fix things."

We wish her success in her future endeavor.

Teenagers’ Bill of Right and Responsibility

The 12 items listed below address many of the legal right and moral obligations teenagers have to their family and the society.

1. We, as teenagers, have a right to be treated with respect.

2. We have the right to say no and not feel guilty.

3. We have the right to make mistakes or change our minds.

4. We have the right to know what is happening within our own home.

5. We have the right to ask questions and expect answers about all things which may affect us and the family.

6. We have the obligation to respect and love our parents and siblings.

7. We have the obligation to let our parents know where we are, who our friends are, and who we are with at any time.

8. We have the obligation to communicate with parents about our school-related academic and social activities.

9. We have the obligation to fulfill the assigned chores and other family responsibilities appropriate to our ages.

10. We are obligated to follow house rules and understand the appropriate consequences.

11. We are obligated to participate in family activities, which may include meals, outings, study time, vacations, and other family together.

12. We are obligated not to attend at activities where alcohol or drug usage may occur.

Inception - Ellen Page

This week’s thriller Inception gave us another chance to see the lovely young Canadian actress Ellen Page. She was well known for her role as the title character in the film Juno which got her both Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in 2007.


Although being described as Hollywood’s next rising star and nominated for Time's 100 Most Influential People list in 2008, Ellen Page isn’t interested in being a celebrity. She reckons it’s best to stay out of the paparazzi spotlight of Los Angeles and keep things low key. “I think if you want it and you want to live that way, you can.”, she admitted during an interview, “and you can also choose to totally not live that way. I’m from Nova Scotia. I don’t know, it’s just not me. And I think you can avoid it.” He lives in a small apartment in her home town in Canada, drives a used car. “I think you can lose your equilibrium,” she once said. “But I think that has a lot to do with how your personality chooses to handle it. I mean I have my own place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and that’s where I like to spend my free time. I think being here where I’m from – which is a small city on the east coast of Canada – there’s just a different mentality here.” She adds: “I’m doing it (movie) because I feel really passionate. If I wanted to be in LA and do that thing, I could do that. But Halifax is my homebase.”

“Acquiring things fills me with anxiety,” says Page, now 23. “I’m constantly trying to give away things.” Her un-Hollywood-like lifestyle does not seem to hurt the easygoing young actress’s career. This week, she co-stars with leonardo DiCaprio in the highly anticipated sci-fi thriller Inception. With regarding to her future project, she said “I don’t think I have any rules. I just love to go with the flow and be happy and creative and still feel that passion. I definitely don’t want to lose that.”

Ellen Page was born on February 21, 1987, the daughter of a teacher mother and a graphic designer father. She began acting at age 4 and first acted in front of the camera in 1997 at age 10 in a television movie. When she was 13, she was offered a role in a high profile sitcom but her parents made her turn it down, telling her she was too young to handle the pressures of fame. She’s glad her parents refused to let her become a child star. While she admits to being angry at that time, she now sees their decision was “a good thing”: “I would have had to move to LA and I can’t even imagine what I would be like now. [My parents] said keep up your grades and then you can act.

This reminds me Lindsay Lohan, another Hollywood young actress of almost the same age. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in 1998 at the age of 11. She certainly has her talent as an actress, model and pop singer-songwriter. Unfortunately, what we know most is the significant publicity surrounding her personal life, including rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction, and DUI convictions

You can choose your life, right? Sometimes, maybe not.

Some Saving Tips

As you have seen, in the past two years, many families are battling the wide spread economy recession. Millions are looking for ways to shave dollars and dimes from their daily expenses. You may be able to help too. Here are some tips.

1. Avoid long shower. A 15-minute daily shower costs about $300 a year. Cutting the time to 10 minutes will save about $100 annually. Use a low-flow shower head and also turn off the water when applying bath soap.

2. Sell your used books. At www.cash4books.net or www.sellbackyourbook.com, you type in the book's ISBN number to get an offer. After filling out a prepaid mailing label, box the books and send them off.

3. Get free stuff. Join the local bulletin board at www.freecycle.org or use website such as www.swaptree.com and post what you want to give away or something you're looking for. You also help to save the environment.

4. Free knowledge. There are many free online college courses, including those from well-known universities like Yale. MIT and Stanford. Visit http://www.educatlonportal.com/.

5. Buy giftcards for up to 30% off their face value at

www.plastlcjungle.com
http://www.giftcardrescue.com/

6. Promotional codes can get you discounts of up to 50 percent from online shopping sites. Try these websites to grab for yourself.

www.retailmenot.com
http://www.couponchief.com/
http://www.currentcodes.com/
http://www.freeshipping.org/

7. Avoid high ticket prices for plays, concerts, sports, exhibits and other events in major U.S. cities by getting a free membership at www.goldstar.com. Get free general admission to more than 100 museums, Zoos and science centers, botanical gardens on the first full weekend of each month if you have a Bank of America ATM, credit or check card. Get details at museums.bankofamerica.com.

8. Buy the huge popcorn at the movies for about $6. A small bag is about $4, so Instead of buying four small ones, buy one huge bag and split it.

9. Most mobile carriers charge a lot for directory assistance calls placed to 411. You can avoid it by calling 1-800-GOOG-411 or 1-800-FREE-411.

10. Keep the sticker and the receipt when you buy a new cloth. You may change your mind and want to return it after a few days. Only buy cloth that you are actually going to wear. Former secretary of state Madeleine Albright once said "Only wear pantyhose when absolutely necessary. it's one less thing to spend money on."

11. At least $33 billion "unclaimed property" sits in state treasuries and waiting to be returned to its rightful owners. This is from near 120 million accounts that are inactive or whose owners or their heirs cannot be located - including money from forgotten bank accounts, stocks, insurance policies as well as uncashed paychecks and dividends. By law, if financial institutions and companies can’t locate the owners, the money is turned over to the government of the state in which the account owner last resided. The best way is to use the following two websites and search every state where your parents and grandparents have lived, including those of deceased family members.

www.missingmoney.com
http://www.unclaimed.org/

Speedy Math 2 – Transformation in Addition and Subtraction

Addition of two single digit numbers is easy. It becomes more difficult when the numbers contain more digits. In these cases, changing the number(s) first to an equal form can make the calculation much easier.

For example, 198 + 277
Step 1: 198 = 200 – 2
Step 2: 200 + 277 = 477 (or 277 – 2 = 275)
Step 3: 477 - 2 = 475 (or 200 + 275 = 475)

Another example, 673 – 395
Step 1: 395 = 400 – 5
Step 2: 673 – 5 = 668
Step 3: 400 + 668 = 1068

Speedy Math 1 – Addition of Series of Numbers

A lot of girls find math difficult. The more they think so, the less they want to work on it. Fortunately, there are many regulations and “tricks” in math. As soon as they learn the tricks, the math becomes much easier and more enjoyable. For some problems, it’s almost impossible to solve in a short time period without knowing the tricks. Addition of a regular series of numbers is a classic example.

For example, what is the sum of all the numbers from 1 to 20?
It may take a while to add the numbers from 1 to 20 one by one. But it is much easier if the following steps are followed:
Step 1: Find the number of numbers in the series = (last number – first number + 1) =(20 - 1 + 1)= 20
Step 2: Calculate the average of the first and the last number of the series = (20 + 1)/2 = 21/2 = 10.5
Step 4: Calculate the final result = average x number = 10.5 x 20 = 210

This trick can be extrapolated to much more complicated problems. In the exam situations, it’s is practically impossible to solve the problem without knowing the above trick.

For example, what is the sum of all the numbers from 131 to 1997?
Knowing above trick, the problem can be quickly solved as:
(1997 - 131 + 1) = 1867
(131 + 1991)/2 = 1064
Final answer = 1064 x 1867 = 1986488

After some time, you may forget the exact steps described above. In that case, just try the simplest series: 1 + 2 + 3
(3 - 1 + 1) = 3
(3 + 1)/2 = 2
2 x 3 = 6

Why It’s Great To Be A Girl?

Jacqueline Shannon, a San Diego–based journalist and author, wrote a book a few years ago titled Why It’s Great To Be A Girl – 50 Awesome Reasons why We Rule!

I list 18 of them here with some “elaborations”. What do you think?

1. Girls sing better than guys do (happier?)
2. Girls are better with language and nonverbal communication (that’s why we are not good at keeping secrets?)
3. Girls hear better than boys (don’t badmouth behind us)
4. Women smell better than men (is this why mosquitoes like us too?)
5. Females have a better sense of taste (that doesn’t mean we have to cook most of the time at home)
6. Women don’t have to shave their faces (so we can spend the time to put on makeup)
7. Women rarely go bald (it does pay to keep longer hire)
8. Girls have superior fine motor skills and manual dexterity (as long as we are not pregnant)
9. Only women can give birth (that’s why you are here)
10. Females aren’t as sensitive to cold weather and stay cooler in the summer (Energy Star certified)
11. Except for muscles, the female body is stronger than the male body in every way (that’s why we do most of the house work?)
12. Girls get fewer viral and bacterial illnesses than boys do (guys, clean is the key!)
13. Doctors agree that females bear physical pain far better than males do (that does not mean that we enjoy it – so no waterboarding, please)
14. Women are especially well suited to be doctors (that’s why people cry for mommy whey they are very sick?)
15. Overall, women are safer drive than men (if we don’t share the same road with men, our insurance premium should be much lower)
16. Girls and women commit far fewer crimes than boys and men (we don’t want to be victims either)
17. The friendships between girls and women are richer, deeper, stronger, more intimate, and more affectionate than those between guys (don’t be jealous, because friend starts with a F not a M)
18. Women actually behave much better than men when it comes to truly frightening situations (surprise, tough guy)

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton, born in a "dirt poor" family with twelve children, as she described it, is certainly one of the most-honored female country performers of all time. She is a singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist. She is an American icon and the 'The Queen of Country Music’ with the great ability to tell stories through song.

In the past four-and-a-half decades, she remains one of the most-successful female artists in the history of the country music with 25 number-one singles, and a record 41 top-10 country albums. She has received

- 7 Grammy Awards and a total of 45 nominations
- 3 American Music awards with18 nominations
- 10 Country Music Association awards and 42 nominations
- 7 Academy of Country Music awards and 39 nominations.


Dolly was awarded the Living Legend Medal by the U.S. Library of Congress in 2004 for her contributions to the cultural heritage of the United States. In 2005, she was awarded with the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor given by the U.S. government for excellence in the arts and is presented by the U.S. President.

Ranked as one of the wealthiest country-music stars, Dolly is also a successful business woman as co-owners of a theme park and a film-and television-production company. She has supported many charitable efforts, including Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library which distributes more than 2.5 million free books to children annually.

Behind her flamboyant dress and voluptuous appearance is her natural talent, perseverance and hardworking. She is well known for her candid comments, including joking about her own physical image, which are always full of wit and wisdom.

“I hope people realize that there is a brain underneath the hair and a heart underneath the boobs.”

“What people do behind closed doors is certainly not my concern unless I’m behind these with them.”

“After Mama gave birth to 12 of us kids, we put her up on a pedestal. It was mostly to keep Daddy away from her.”

“I am more apt to count my blessings than my money.”

In May 2009, Dolly received an honorary doctorate degree in Humane and Musical Letters from the University of Tennessee for "her career not just as a musician and entertainer, but for her role as a cultural ambassador, philanthropist and lifelong advocate for education.” She also gave the Graduating Commencement Address which was about her life lessons, and she encouraged the graduates to dream and care more.

“Do not confuse dreams with wishes. There is a difference. Dreams are where you visualize yourself being successful at what's important to you to accomplish. Now dreams build convictions. Because you work hard to pay the price to make sure that they come true. Wishes are hoping good things will happen to you. But there is no fire in your gut to put everything forth to over come all the obstacles. So you have to dream more. And never ever ever blame somebody else if it doesn't happen. That is in your department.”

“Did you ever notice that there are a whole lot of people that do things just well enough to get by? But, caring is about striving for perfection. It's about how you look. It's about how you prepare. And how you keep your commitments.” “And in my business I truly love and respect everybody in my audience. I've always been so proud of my relationship with my fans. And of course it would just kill me to disappoint them for any reason, because they pay my bills. I always think, these fans are spending their hard earned money on me. So it would just embarrass me, and hurt my feelings as well as theirs, for me to do a mediocre job. So I do my best at all times.”

It may be more proper to end with another quote from Dolly’s speech:

“If you truly care for people, you won't judge them. And then you will learn to appreciate the uniqueness in every single soul.”

Thank you, Dolly!

From FEAR to Reese Witherspoon

In the past weekend, I came across the 1996 thriller film, Fear when watching the TV. It was directed by James Foley, starring Reese Witherspoon (Nicole Walker), Mark Wahlberg (David McCall, boy friend), and William Petersen (Steven, father).

Nicole Walker, a fairly innocent, and to some extent rebellious, teenager, lives with her father, stepmother, and stepbrother. Her life totally changed after she met and fell in love with David. What happened next becomes every parent’s nightmare. Her seemingly polite and handsome boyfriend turns out to be a violent psychopath. At the end, her family has to fight for their lives.

The movie raised an interesting question. At some point of a girl’s life, she may be in a dilemma to choose between her “sweet” boyfriend and seemingly “overprotective” parent. In all these situations, the girl is in the driver seat and should have a clear mind. This is not always easy as saying goes that people in love are blind. There have been many real life tragedies due to angry and obsessed suitors. Before making any emotional decisions, a girl should always remember that her parent always love her with ultimate intention to protect her. She should never expose herself and her family to a dangerous situation like in this movie.


This was one of the early movies by Reese Witherspoon. Later on, she was well known for her leading roles in Legally Blonde (2001) and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003). She received worldwide attention and praise for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line (2005), which earned her an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

As one of the most beautiful, the most likable, and also the highest-paid actresses, Witherspoon is also actively involved in children's and women's charitable organizations. She is a long-time supporter of Save the Children, an organization that helps children around the world through education, health care, and emergency aid. She also serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund, a child advocacy and research group. She once said, "As a woman and a mother I care deeply about the well being of other women and children throughout the world and through the years, I have always looked for opportunities to make a difference."

Witherspoon certainly inherited a lot of intelligence from her parent. Her father is an otolaryngologist (physician specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders) who previously served as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army reserves. Her mother has a Ph.D. in pediatric nursing and works as a professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University.

Father's Day

Today is the Father's Day Centennial Celebration. Father's Day was originated through the efforts of Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. When Sonora was 16 years old, her mother died in childbirth with her sixth child.  Her father was a Civil War veteran and was left alone to raise the family of six children. Sonora was the only daughter and shared with her father in the raising of her five younger brothers. After listening to a church sermon in 1909 about the newly recognized Mother's Day, Dodd felt strongly that fatherhood needed recognition as well. She wanted a celebration that honored fathers like her own father. The first observance of Father's Day is believed to have been held on June 19, 1910.

Officially reorganization of Father’s day went through a difficult route for decades. Until 1966, President Lyndon Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, it was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972. It is also celebrated in more than 55 countries.

Sonora Smart Dodd died in 1978 at the age of 96. She was buried in Greenwood Memorial Terrace, Spokane Washington, USA.

A father has a special relationship with his daughter as he wants to protect her by instinct as soon as she comes to this world, while she will judge all men by his standard.

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, step-fathers, fathers-in-laws, godfathers and everyone who plays the role of a father.

Netherlands, Holland, and Dutch. What Are They?

Americans are well known for lack of world geographic knowledge. Besides our Canada and Mexico neighbors, the only other countries we are more familiar with are probably through war, from Korea and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. The other opportunities that we get exposure to a unfamilar foreign country name are through international events, especially sports. Recent FIFA World Cup caught my interest in Netherlands, as Holland and Dutch are also used almost interchangeably on the TV. So I have to do some research to find out what's really behind the names.

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in North-West Europe. In the 15th century, the name Nederlanden came in use which literally means 'Low countries' or 'Lowlands'.

The Netherlands is often referred to as Holland, although it is only the central-western region of the country comprising two of its twelve provinces, North and South Holland. Historically Holland was the most powerful region in the current Netherlands. Today it remains politically, economically and demographically dominant, including the cities of Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam – and 37% of the Dutch population. The name 'Holland' for the Netherlands is used colloquially by the Dutch themselves, especially in relation to football, where the national team is sometimes cheered on with the cry 'Holland!' The name is used in international promotion, too, because 'Holland' is the best known worldwide.

Finally, 'Dutch' refers to the people of the Netherlands and their language, and is used as an adjective meaning 'coming from or belonging to the Netherlands'.

Good luck with the World Cup, Holland.

Or should we say "Go Dutch!"?

Beautiful Math

Math can be difficult, but it can be fun and beautiful too. Here are some examples:

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321


3 x 37 = 111
6 x 37 = 222
9 x 37 = 333
12 x 37 = 444
15 x 37 = 555
18 x 37 = 666
21 x 37 = 777
24 x 37 = 888
27 x 37 = 999


0x 9 + 1 = 1
1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9+10 = 1111111111


1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321


0x 9 + 8 = 8
9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888
987654321 x 9 - 1 = 8888888888
9876543210 x 9 - 2 = 88888888888

Top Ten List A Girl Needs to Know About 2010 FIFA World Cup

As a girl, you may hear the talkings about the World Cup recently by your male classmates, your brothers, or your father. In order not to hurt their feelings by your ignorance, here are the Top Ten List that you may want to know:

1. It's a soccer game - and some country called "football"

2. It happens every four years - like summer olympic games

3. It lasts a month - 11 June to 11 July

4. This year's host country is South Africa - of cause it's in Africa

5. There are 32 teams for the tornament - from 6 confederations

6. This is the 19th FIFA World Cup - in fact FIFA is French "Federation Internationale de Football Association"

7. FIFA has 208 men's national teams and 129 women's national teams - more member states than the United Nations

8. A match is played by two teams, each consisting eleven players, one of them is the goalkeeper

9. A match lasts two equal periods of 45 minutes each

10. You should forget all above after July 11