Lately, it's a rare week when I hardly come across some news through one mass media or another about the "evils" of spanking a child. So-called "experts" upon "experts" laud the benefits of alternative discipline approaches such as time-outs, reasoning, etc. This is well and good except that this campaign for alternative approaches is also coupled with a barrage of images and reports of children being maimed and even killed by their own parents in the name of disciplining them, trying to appeal to the emotional side of the issue. And from where I am standing (or sitting), I feel like more and more people are embracing the view that spanking is really the evil that it is being portrayed, to the point of excluding it from the arsenal of disciplinary tools that a parent can utilize to rear up their child.
As a parent myself and a Christian, and one that tries to follow "expert" advice, I am amazed and alarmed (at times, irked) at how people are hardly consulting what the Bible has to say about child discipline and relationship, and how it contrasts with what modern-day "experts" are saying. Here are a few insights that I would like to share. These are my personal opinions, and I am no "expert". But hopefully this may even help you save a few bucks before you consider hearing that next big "expert" pitch his/her ideas in a big conference:
1. Alternative discipline approaches are not new at all. As recently as my own generation, it is called by other names, such as being grounded, curfew, limited allowance, extra household chores, etc. The idea is that certain actions lead to curtailment of certain benefits. That's it. It was clear to me then, it is still clear to me now. In addition, the idea of discipline as a continuous process day in and day out is as old as Deuteronomy 6:6-7: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."(TNIV)
2. You are a parent. Isn't that obvious enough? Apparently no, with all the current emphasis on being a friend to your child, etc. etc. I am not saying it's a bad thing, but you can definitely stretch it to unintended lengths. The fact is, children need and look up to authority. It gives them a sense of order. And part of that authority is being able to mete out punishment when necessary, as much as you can give rewards for desirable behavior. The proper emphasis on the parent-child relationship is a prerequisite to the proper orientation a child will have over a spiritual authority.
3. Lastly, there is HELL. Huh, what does it have to do with the topic? Simple: reasoning can only get you so far. If you fail to heed advice, you are bound to get hurt. So, drumroll for the battlecry of pro-spankers.....
"Those who spare the ROD HATE their children" (Proverbs 13:24, TNIV). Notice the emphasis? It means that as a parent, withholding physical punishment to a child when necessary and at the proper amount is tantamount to hating that child. Why? Simply because children aren't all the angels we envision them to be: "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the ROD of DISCIPLINE (insert: not RAGE) will drive it far away" (Proverbs 22:15, TNIV). Physical punishment properly used is ultimately your child's life-saver: "Do not withhold punishment from children; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod, and save them from death." (Proverbs 23:13, TNIV).
Granted, some parents do not mete out punishment for the sake of correction, but as a sign of their own immaturity. But as the saying goes, you shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Physical punishment has its place in the proper rearing of children. And so much "research" of so much "experts" has led to no real conclusions, only interjections that they try to pass as scholarly work. Click on the pic above to get you to an example of such an article. Since their theory seems only as good as mine, let me end with my own theory: the best-reared children are those in homes where a proper mix of rewards, punishment (including physical), and close relationships operate.
Once in a while you come across a book that explains a topic so well, it gives you that boost of enthusiasm to pursue something that you've started but has been laying on the wayside for quite some time already. Jeff Wignall explained the topic of exposure so well and in a way where I can pick up my camera and start shooting with purpose. The topics are discussed with an eye for practicality, neither too technical nor too general. The interplay of the three key ingredients of exposure - aperture, shutter speed, and ISO - are described in an engaging manner, punctuated with pictures that drive home the point he is trying to make. Plus the occasional joke and pun to liven up the atmosphere. I have been about a quarter into his book, and already I feel that I have managed to move past my current situation of fixation (and confusion) with the technicals to how those technicals can be used to bring about the purpose of exposure: to capture in a picture a moment where you have been.
I borrowed the book from my brother-in-law who got it on sale at National Bookstore. For a book that's been issued only in 2008, it's a real bargain especially if you consider how well it was written. Which gives me the idea to be on a better lookout at National's bargain tables.
Click on the pic to get to Jeff Wignall's site. Enjoy!
The following is a list of sites that offer some ways for you to make money through your blog. Some of these do not require that you do anything more other than setting it up in your blog. Others require some daily activity to be performed from your end to make it work. There are those that pay directly in cash, while others are a way for you to earn in an indirect manner, usually through an increase in traffic.
In general, these opportunities can be categorized as follows:
I. Simple Ad Placement
II. Referral/Affiliate Systems
III Contracting Services
IV Traffic Builders
A company offering these services may be found in one or more categories above, since most of them offer a combination of ways to make money.
I will build on this list in the coming days. Soon, this will have clickable links to posts where I will describe my experience (or understanding) of these sites, and maybe offer some tips. Maybe I could even have some guest bloggers write about a certain service that they had been into for quite some time already. Just let me know if you want to participate.
I know that this may seem like an addition to thousands of similar lists out there, but I am making this to really help me sit down and understand some of these services. In addition, I just might be able to add some unique insights to benefit the rest of my readers.
Stay tuned!
Are you one of those people that has savings in a bank or some investments, and yet you have a "revolving credit" in a credit card, meaning you have a credit card balance that incurs interest because you don't get to pay it in full at the end of the billing cycle? I won't venture into whatever reason you incurred that credit card debt. And it's also advisable to have some "liquidity" available to keep you ready for emergencies. But it remains that the credit card balance is a hole in your finances, draining some (or most, if you have a small savings) of the rewards of compounding on your savings. At the rate of around 3% interest per month, that roughly translates to a straight 36% income on the credit card company per year. They will get their money back in 3 years. And if you happen to pay only the minimum amount due, you will be giving them so much more money for so many more years to come. For a savings account or other relatively-free investments, I don't think you would get to earn more in interest than what the credit card companies are charging you.
So, to really maximize the benefits of compounding for you, those leaks should be patched as soon as possible. It could mean channeling some of the money you intend to save to become additional payments for the monthly dues. Maybe even taking out from your savings to pay off the balance even faster. It may mean curtailing purchases using credit cards, if it has become a sort of an impulsive habit (or worse, an addiction). so it won't be increased by current purchases even while you are trying to pay off the old ones. And of course, that means paying off current purchases for this billing cycle in FULL plus some more to pay off the rest. On a larger scale, it could mean sacrificing for a while some of the "usual" things in life that you have come to enjoy.
In closing, let me share my story. There was a time I incurred a credit card balance of three times my monthly gross salary. Luckily for me, I considered that a problem early on (I should have considered it a problem much, much earlier). I went through some drastic measures: I would leave all my cards at home. I think I gave the cards to my folks so they could check on me if I should decide to use them (accountability is truly powerful). I paid every expense I have in cash. It took me about two years to pay off everything, but something happened along the way. I got used to my new level of expenditures, which is definitely much lower than before. It got to a point I was able to start saving. After a while, I got back to using credit cards again more responsibly: I pay off balances every month, and since I do it at month's end, compounding works for my savings no matter how small it may be (it's the discipline that counts here). I try to avail of freebies they offer for using the cards, like discounts in gas pumps, free tickets and items etc. The credit card companies still earn from their business, I think (more on this idea in later posts). But by using this financial service more responsibly, it allowed me to maximize the benefits it provides minus the problems that its abuse could entail.
Had the chance to watch the drama unfold in the Clijsters-Williams Semifinals match in the 2009 US Open, which resulted in a point penalty for Serena Williams at match point, costing her the match. A match which many believe would have been won by Clijsters anyway, given the way she's playing the whole night. The incident once more highlighted the need to implement a more "professional" attitude in professional tennis. Time and again, umpires and line judges are berated by so-called tennis professionals in a manner that would have ended in a fistfight elsewhere. Does it really have to go to the level of name-calling and unveiled threats before such a penalty can be given to a player? I think the chair umpire should be given more leeway in defending the dignity of these line judges, who are professionals themselves. Of course, it can be said that it can cause undue disruptions in games, but in my opinion, players will toe the line more if such powers are given to chair umpires, resulting in "cleaner" matches. A case of a potential power that accomplish its intent without having to use it.
The other matter has to do with some of the comments regarding the foot fault. No less than Yahoo! Sports commented that a foot fault call is hardly ever made at match point, let alone in the semifinals stage of a Grand Slam. Whoa! Is that to say that players have been getting away with it all this time? Also, it must be pointed out that the foot fault call MADE the match point, it wasn't match point yet before it was called. Serena could still dig her way out of it yet. But that is not the real issue. A rule is a rule, and if Clijsters can win the match because of it, so be it. Or else just do away with the rule. Or put in stricter measures, like the way they have revolutionized ball tracking technology to provide a non-biased review of important points in the match.
Just my take on the biggest news of the day for tennis fans everywhere.
I've always gotten quite confused with the term "time value of money". The true essence of the term is sort of hidden in the way it was named. I mean, do you have more time if you have more money? Or rather, would you have more money if you have more time? I know these are semantics, but it helps to introduce a topic that is basic to understanding how to make the most of your time in making more money.
So, what is essentially the money value of time concept? At the heart of it is this: if you can choose when to get your money, you should choose to get it now than tomorrow. Makes sense, right? But why does it makes sense? Primarily because of two things: what that money can buy now will be more than what that same money can buy tomorrow (in short, purchasing power influenced by inflation), and secondly, we can make that money grow by putting it somewhere where the folks will pay us for letting them use it (also known as interest). The first one holds true in most circumstances. The second one deserves a bit more attention.
Note: Not all cultures accept the concept of interest. But even though it's not the way you would choose to earn money, it can still pay to know how it works.
The traditional place to put your money to work is in a bank. The bank takes your money, lends it out, earns an income and splits a portion of it with you in the form of interest. What makes this process very very powerful is the concept of compounding. It simply means that the interest you earned can earn interest too.
How powerful is compounding? An example can make it clear. Suppose two persons have 20 years to save. The first one decided to save 100 per year, for the next ten years at say, ten percent interest. Then he just let the money earn interest from years 11-20. If the other person decides to save at a later date, say from years 11-20 at the same interest rate, how much do you think he would need to put in every year to equal the amount that the other person has at the end of the 20 years? Fifty percent more? Double?
The answer is 1.6 more, or 260 per year. So, the other person saved 1,000 and end up having as much as one who saved 2,600 for the same ten-year period, all because the other person started earlier.
Of course, this is a very simplistic illustration. But it's simplicity makes the concept clearer. We'll build on this topic in future posts. Your comments and questions can help all of us clarify this topic more.
