BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

Then we ALLOW these bastards to come here and wonder why they abuse women and kill innocent Americans? Drachonian doesn't even cover it! ~~~~~ A 13-year-old Saudi schoolgirl is to be given 90 lashes in front of her classmates after she was caught with a mobile camera phone. The girl, who has not been named, was also sentenced to two months in jail by a court in the eastern city of Jubail. She had assaulted her headmistress after being caught with the gadget which is banned in girl schools, said Al-Watan, a Saudi newspaper. The kingdom's use of such punishments has been widely condemned by human rights organisations. A criminal gets a public flogging by two officials in Saudi Arabia Brutal: public floggings, such as in this archive picture, are a common punishment handed down by religious courts in Saudi Arabia Three years ago 16 schoolchildren, aged between 12 and 18, were each sentenced to between 300 and 500 lashes for being aggressive to a teacher. Under Saudi's Sharia o...

TOO CONNECTED? TRY CELLIBACY! To me, this is a great idea!! No cell phone for 2 months. Connect with people face to face. I like it. I am not a huge fan of cell phones or texting. Yes, I have one and yes, I do use it every day. But I turn it off a lot. Frankly, I don't like the whole idea of being that connected. Maybe it's because I hide out in bed a lot lately since my health got worse. In fact, I usually only have my cell phone on when my kids are not with me. When they are with me, who cares really. In early 2001 I was with my parents (who were still alive then) in Scottsdale. They babysat my girls one evening and gave me their car keys and asked me to go pick up groceries at the local Fry's. When I finished my shopping I got in the cash only line. The woman in front of me was a well-dressed lady with a loaded shopping cart... and a cell phone glued firmly to her ear as she blathered away to her cell-friend. LOUDLY. In the space of a few short minutes, I hear...

MY CELLPHONE RANT Cells phones are wonderful inventions. They make sure my children's schools or sitters can reach me almost anywhere if I am needed. If I have an emergency I can reach their father. I can do business just about anywhere now too. Every one of my doctors is programmed in along with family and my kids' school nurses. But as with all conveniences, there are those who abuse them. If you live or work in NYC you will know this scene well. You are on the subway, LIRR or PATH going through the tunnels to Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island or New Jersey. All's quiet while you are under the great city of Manhattan, or the East or Hudson Rivers. You hear the clacking of the wheels and squealing of metal to metal and then there's light. You are out of the tunnel. And not a full second goes past when either multiple cell phones start ringing or people pull out their cellphone and start dialing or texting. Do we really need to be THAT in touch? Is it that importan...