Ha! 100%

...this may not actually be something to be proud about. I think I might watch too much Simpsons.

Is that really a good idea? If the arm and shoulder was removed due to cancer, couldn't the elbow and discarded bits still have some of those rouge cells about?

Planes don't land in water anyways .... they really crash. Which makes the idea of walking, er - swimming away from one with the help of a life vest a bit silly.

Why don't they save more fuel by simply cutting the passengers? You know, take the money and give them a ticket, just don't let them board at take-off. Because I swear the airlines want just that. We give them money to not provide a service.

It might be interesting to note, the president of this league is also the coach of the long standing league champions, who were losing to this boys team. This issue is more about the other teams being pissed off this boys team was on an undefeated streak. We can't have all those precious and unique children learning that they can't win everything they do. It would be unfair to expect children to learn how to deal with defeat and being gracious losers.

While I do see this as disturbing, I also recall a woman I worked with some years ago whose daughter started shaving at the age of eight. The poor kid had legs hairier then most men. Imagine being eight and having that much body hair, you can just guess the names the kids called her.

In extreme cases, I couldn't blame parents for seeking this kind of treatment. But I also strongly doubt that more than 2% of these kids are like the girl above.

But, Mel have you spoken with anyone who does perform waxing for a living? A lot of men get Brazilian waxes, and it's not exactly a medieval deal. After the first time it's not painful. And women don't always do it to please their lovers. Personally, I prefer a Brazilian to anything else, and I really don't care what my husband thinks.

I don't think it really matters what term you use when referring to a cultural group, at least in regards to this article. What this article does is point out parent involvement is crucial to a child's success as a student.

I live in a neighborhood predominately Latino and I'm also ten minutes from the Mexican border. Of the kids I see in my neighborhood, there seems to be very little parent involvement in their lives at all. Not just parental concern and supervision of education, but of their lives. A lot of them are on track to joining gangs, and already developing criminal records. Just a few months ago I caught a man beating a dog, he was the guest of a thirteen year old Latino boy whose mother rented an apartment across the street from my home. I confronted the man, and when he ran off the boy tried to get in my face about the issue. When I later cornered the mother she confessed to having no idea who her son was spending time with, and even having no clue as to where he was most of the time. Whatever future could this boy have with a mother who doesn't involve herself in his life? From whom is he supposed to learn life lessons if she remains detached from him? Certainly, the local thugs around here will gladly teach him how to graffiti, pimp, deal and "be a man". I feel bad for this boy, and others like him - regardless of their cultural heritage - whose parents take a hands-off approach to child rearing.

I've heard success starts at home, and I think this article provided the proof of that.

So.... was Elvis a Highlander?

@ gryt

As a women who is offended by these "equal rights" arguments from the feminist camp, I can answer your inquiry. A sign that reads "men at work" in no way offends me, OR limits my right as a woman. What am I no longer allowed to do because of the words on that sign? Am I forbidden from driving? Can I not vote anymore? Must I give up my job? Should I instantly become pregnant and slave away for my husband after reading that?

Women who do choose to be offended by verbiage on a sign they'll MAYBE see for a total of thirty minutes in an entire year, are wasting time and money. There are so many other real trespasses against women that such petty complaints from a group of women who have never known true discrimination is an embarrassment to our gender.

In a world where women are still subjected horrors like female circumcision, anyone who bitches the words printed on a sign is a crime against their rights - should be ashamed.

Wow.... what a waste of time. Women likes those make me want to crawl into the kitchen. If this is all they have to complain about, what's wrong? Aren't there people starving in the world? What about homelessness? How about inequality of education? War? Why not focus on real issues in which people are really suffering?

I'm embarrassed to be a woman with women like those defining our issues.

Maybe he should see if the writer of this book is single"

http://www.julesjones.com/fiction/details/dolphindreams.html

Cooked or raw spaghetti? Because, raw I can see. But I can't imagine how kids would get cooked spaghetti up their nose?

@ Greg

Why was it that the staff of the flight had to be the one to attempt to get the boy in a SAFE position so the plane could take off? From that article the mother was not interested in doing anything to protect her child's safety. Yes, it's sad the boy has autism. But there is a reason that the FAA requires all passengers to be belted into their seats at the time of take-off, and it is even sadder the mother thought her child should be exempt from safety regulations just because he has autism. Not only that, the mother thought thousands of people should be held up, or their plans hurt, because her boy was, at the time, unable to sit with his seat belt on.

What if there was a doctor carrying an organ for transplant and he was depending on that flight making it's connection to save someone else's life? What if there a man who had learned his father was dying within the day and he was desperate to see him before that happened but by the flight arriving late would have missed that opportunity? How about a family who had saved and pinched pennies just for a chance to see their family? What about a service member who was returning from Iraq and had not yet seen his newborn child?

So, because one child is at the moment unable to follow FAA regulations regarding safety, all these other people should suffer?

All I'm hearing is, "but he has autism, so no one else is as important or special as he is and he most certainly is exempt from safety regulations."

Wow, is underage alcoholism such a huge problem there among the croc population? Must be all those annoying tourists who tease them.

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/03/05/why-its-a-bad-idea-to-tease-a-croc/

@ GoShogun

Okay, so why did the stewardess and the pilot had to be the one to point out the boy was incorrectly seated? The problem here isn't that the boy was having a meltdown due to autism - it's that the mother wasn't taking the necessary steps to correct the situation of her son putting himself a potentially dangerous situation.

@ Greg

Talk about being over dramatic....

No one has seriously suggested the mother never take her child outside. Nor has anyone blamed the boy for having an uncontrollable reaction. People here have expressed anger and disgust that the mother refused to follow safety protocol for her son.

No, a plane cannot wait indefinitely for someone before it takes off. I would suggest finding someone who flies a lot, or works in the industry to discover why that is not a possibility.

You assumed the mother drugged her child, but read the article and watch the video - as over dramatic as she is being, and the fact that she completely refuses to acknowledge she was allowing her son to be in a dangerous position, don't you think she would have mentioned that fact in an interview? It would have been another pity point for her.

I think you need to carefully reread the reactions of the people on here before throwing a hysterical fit. No one suggested the kid is locked away for life, no one suggested he less of a person than a "normal" person - but people are demanding that he follow the rules designed to protect him and safeguard him against accident.

@ GoShogun

This is not an issue about equality for all. Perhaps you understand what autistic children are and are not capable of on an individual basis because you have worked with them. But do you understand that the FAA has set down mandatory regulations regarding flight safety? A plane may not take off with passengers unbuckled and out of their seat.

IT IS A SAFETY RISK TO THE PERSON NOT WEARING A SEAT BELT DURING TAKE-OFF!

I've flown a lot, and my husband flies even more than I do (two to three times a week sometimes) and there are reasons for these requirements. How was that mother going to handle a frantic son during take-off? What if he had gotten out of his belt again in the middle of take-off and went tumbling down the aisle where he broke a bone or two or ended up concussed? This wasn't about inconvenience to other passengers with his tantrum, it was about his safety.

Equality means nothing if the person being made "equal" is thrust into a position that is potentially dangerous. The stewardess and the pilot did not tell the mother of the child to put her son into a cage in the basement and never let him see light of day again. They informed her he needed to stay in his seat with the belt on because compromising his safety was preventing the take off of the plane.