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misscamThe single mother of octuplets born in California last week is seeking $2m (£1.37m) from media interviews and commercial sponsorship to help pay the cost of raising the children. Nadya Suleman, 33, plans a career as a television childcare expert after it emerged last week that she already had six children before giving birth on Monday. She now has 14 below the age of eight.
14? Fourteen?! She already had six kids and some fertility doctor implanted multiple embryos anyway? Of course, it must and should be a woman's own choice if she wants to have a baby or not, and I will stand on the barricades for that until I'm senile and with chronic leg pain. But in vitro fertilization is meant to be a last chance of people who have troubles conceiving, it's not babies-to-order. If you're 33 and already have six children, then in vitro has done its job for you and done it well. I just... I hope she gets some help with those kids.
In other news:
- Synagogue desecrated in Venezuela Oh FFS, not shit like this again. Look, I got serious issues with Israel and their conduct in Palestine too, but that some anti-Semetic (at times neo-Nazi) utter bull is trying to hijack that for their own fucked-up agenda? GET STUFFED.
- Norway's state investment fund continues to play it ethical and sold shares as well as blacklisted a top US and Canadian firm. I know not everyone always agrees with the choices for blacklisting, but as a part-owner of this fund, I am very happy it is not out just to make money, no concerns how. I like that we at least try to have some standards. Last year we blacklisted a mining firm over environmental concerns. And hey, we're apparently the biggest investor in Europe these days.
- A botched escape in New Zealand gets international fame. Why, you wonder? ...[A]pparently oblivious to the fact they are bound together by handcuffs, the fugitives run either side of the street lamp. I think you can see where that one is going.
- An airport customs officer in Liberia has been honoured by the West African country's president for refusing a bribe from a drug trafficker. Now, while it's sad that refusing a bribe is so uncommon you get an award for it, the fact that some do even when it's astronomical compared to what they earn is somewhat comforting.
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jvgymnast tagged me. Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. (I think 25 is excessive, so I'll just tag 10.)
1. I share my birthday with the King of Norway, February 21st. Which is in three weeks abouts, go me.
2. I tend to go barefoot almost all year around, as I hate all socks but really fluffy ones. Only really cold weather will drive me to wear socks.
3. I have three tattoos.
4. I read about a book a day, usually on public transport to and from work. I have a much higher than average reading speed, so I go through quite a few.
5. I'm allergic to nickel and get mild rashes if prolonged contact with skin. (Like wearing jewelry containing a lot of nickel for a few hours.)
6. My father is a known figure in Norway and people here have a tendency to go 'oh that's your father, I see' at me when finding out.
7. I prefer the look of silver over gold.
8. I was born blonde and remained so until I was about 5.
9. I have a three year younger brother who currently lives in Holland with his Dutch girlfriend. They met through World of Warcraft.
10. I play WoW also, and I'm a raid leader in a semi-hardcore guild. We've done pretty well.
11. I'm not a morning person and not a breakfast person. I don't get any urge for food until an hour after I got up at least.
12. I don't like nailpolish on my fingernails. But I will put it on my toenails in summer quite happily.
13. I once fell out of a window on the second floor because I wanted to show my brother I could balance on the ledge. Luckily, it was winter and snow broke my fall.
14. I went to university in Australia and still carry a torch for the country.
15. I'm an atheist, but I went to Sunday school when I was young and Bible study when I was teenager. What can I say, I have a curious mind even when I don't share a belief.
16. I kill plants. About the only thing I manage to keep alive are cactuses.
17. When I was about 11, my parents let me watch some horror movie about a woman in black who would show herself before people died. I don't remember the rest of the plot, but I was terrified of seeing that woman for weeks.
18. I drink too much coke.
19. My family is a bit weird - my father and brother don't care that much for the football, and mum and I are all over it. We go to matches together, though we cheer different teams. We discuss league standings. We endlessly go over my-team-is-better-than-yours-haha. When European Championship or World Cup rolls up, you can't talk to us about anything else.
20. I really like scenic photographs and have a lot on my walls.
21. My favourite dinosaur is Triceratops.
22. Sometimes, I wish international courts had Judgy Judy in charge. It would be totally awesome.
23. Once I like something, I find it hard to stop even if my reason for liking it is lost or faded. I suspect I'm way too nostalgic.
24. Being born in Northern Norway, I tend to curse a good deal. I consider this part of my cultural heritage.
25. I don't like coffee and never drink it.
I tag: (at random)lotus79, elvea_aure, maramyanet, rhille, rivrea, falena84, velvet_midnight, nekare, kasuchi & zinke
14? Fourteen?! She already had six kids and some fertility doctor implanted multiple embryos anyway? Of course, it must and should be a woman's own choice if she wants to have a baby or not, and I will stand on the barricades for that until I'm senile and with chronic leg pain. But in vitro fertilization is meant to be a last chance of people who have troubles conceiving, it's not babies-to-order. If you're 33 and already have six children, then in vitro has done its job for you and done it well. I just... I hope she gets some help with those kids.
In other news:
- Synagogue desecrated in Venezuela Oh FFS, not shit like this again. Look, I got serious issues with Israel and their conduct in Palestine too, but that some anti-Semetic (at times neo-Nazi) utter bull is trying to hijack that for their own fucked-up agenda? GET STUFFED.
- Norway's state investment fund continues to play it ethical and sold shares as well as blacklisted a top US and Canadian firm. I know not everyone always agrees with the choices for blacklisting, but as a part-owner of this fund, I am very happy it is not out just to make money, no concerns how. I like that we at least try to have some standards. Last year we blacklisted a mining firm over environmental concerns. And hey, we're apparently the biggest investor in Europe these days.
- A botched escape in New Zealand gets international fame. Why, you wonder? ...[A]pparently oblivious to the fact they are bound together by handcuffs, the fugitives run either side of the street lamp. I think you can see where that one is going.
- An airport customs officer in Liberia has been honoured by the West African country's president for refusing a bribe from a drug trafficker. Now, while it's sad that refusing a bribe is so uncommon you get an award for it, the fact that some do even when it's astronomical compared to what they earn is somewhat comforting.
jvgymnast tagged me. Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. (I think 25 is excessive, so I'll just tag 10.)1. I share my birthday with the King of Norway, February 21st. Which is in three weeks abouts, go me.
2. I tend to go barefoot almost all year around, as I hate all socks but really fluffy ones. Only really cold weather will drive me to wear socks.
3. I have three tattoos.
4. I read about a book a day, usually on public transport to and from work. I have a much higher than average reading speed, so I go through quite a few.
5. I'm allergic to nickel and get mild rashes if prolonged contact with skin. (Like wearing jewelry containing a lot of nickel for a few hours.)
6. My father is a known figure in Norway and people here have a tendency to go 'oh that's your father, I see' at me when finding out.
7. I prefer the look of silver over gold.
8. I was born blonde and remained so until I was about 5.
9. I have a three year younger brother who currently lives in Holland with his Dutch girlfriend. They met through World of Warcraft.
10. I play WoW also, and I'm a raid leader in a semi-hardcore guild. We've done pretty well.
11. I'm not a morning person and not a breakfast person. I don't get any urge for food until an hour after I got up at least.
12. I don't like nailpolish on my fingernails. But I will put it on my toenails in summer quite happily.
13. I once fell out of a window on the second floor because I wanted to show my brother I could balance on the ledge. Luckily, it was winter and snow broke my fall.
14. I went to university in Australia and still carry a torch for the country.
15. I'm an atheist, but I went to Sunday school when I was young and Bible study when I was teenager. What can I say, I have a curious mind even when I don't share a belief.
16. I kill plants. About the only thing I manage to keep alive are cactuses.
17. When I was about 11, my parents let me watch some horror movie about a woman in black who would show herself before people died. I don't remember the rest of the plot, but I was terrified of seeing that woman for weeks.
18. I drink too much coke.
19. My family is a bit weird - my father and brother don't care that much for the football, and mum and I are all over it. We go to matches together, though we cheer different teams. We discuss league standings. We endlessly go over my-team-is-better-than-yours-haha. When European Championship or World Cup rolls up, you can't talk to us about anything else.
20. I really like scenic photographs and have a lot on my walls.
21. My favourite dinosaur is Triceratops.
22. Sometimes, I wish international courts had Judgy Judy in charge. It would be totally awesome.
23. Once I like something, I find it hard to stop even if my reason for liking it is lost or faded. I suspect I'm way too nostalgic.
24. Being born in Northern Norway, I tend to curse a good deal. I consider this part of my cultural heritage.
25. I don't like coffee and never drink it.
I tag: (at random)
lotus79, elvea_aure, maramyanet, rhille, rivrea, falena84, velvet_midnight, nekare, kasuchi & zinke
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no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 08:48 pm (UTC)Not to mention the poor kids.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 09:02 pm (UTC)As are the Duggars, but... (and I can't believe I am bleeding defending them omg) at least they have the children spaced out enough so that the older ones can help care for the younger ones. These are all little kids. It's wicked twisted.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 09:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 08:59 pm (UTC)I worry about those kids, because a single mum will just not be able to be there for all 14 when they're all so young. No way.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 09:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 08:56 pm (UTC)my mom said the same thing. then launched into this lecture about ethics. if that woman wanted that many kids, more power to her, i suppose, but i just...well, i just hope that she knows what she's doing. for the sake of those kids.
I don't like coffee and never drink it.
me neither. there are better ways to get a caffeine fix (hi, diet coke).
I'm allergic to nickel and get mild rashes if prolonged contact with skin
ditto. in fact, the back side of the button on my jeans sometimes starts bothering me; i have to put duct tape over it.
have a good one :o)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 09:06 pm (UTC)Heh, I've had that button issue myself, but only rarely. Luckily.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 09:22 pm (UTC)Grrrr....
no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 10:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 09:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 10:44 pm (UTC)I've worked in a kindergarten and have watched a lot of kids and fourteen of them is a fucking lot, let me tell you.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 09:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 10:49 pm (UTC)It's not the number of kids per se which bugs me. It's that she deliberately went and had them when she couldn't afford them. On the plus side, she's not immediately expecting to be funded by the local taxpayers. On the minus side, she had the kids *before* securing anything even remotely resembling funding. If the media tires of her, she may be back to asking for public handouts and the kids are unlikely to benefit terribly much in the long run either way.
And she wants a career as a childcare expert after that stunt?
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 12:24 am (UTC):]
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 02:16 am (UTC)And you always find the most interesting news articles of note.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 03:56 am (UTC)I see only one good thing amid all this; it looks like the media, at least on the Net, is no longer pimping how gosh-all wonderful it is that these women are pumping out baby after baby. Instead, they're starting to question if it's such a great idea for a woman to be a baby factory.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 04:09 am (UTC)