'Sesame Street' to Air First on HBO (Yikes!)

This is news. BIG news. After 45 years with PBS, HBO will now air Sesame Street's first episodes. Something about a nine month run of new shows on HBO, then the 'newer' shows will run on PBS. We'll still be able to watch revamped reruns on PBS this fall. yay

This will last five seasons. 

I'll have to decide if it's worth the money to see the first-runs, or if we can wait for the PBS aired episodes on a nine-month delay. I know they need money to make the show, but it seems wrong on so many levels to make parents pay for what was free educational programming for decades. Let's hope the folks at HBO don't try to make it edgier by making Oscar's trash-can lifestyle a result of hardcore addiction, and renaming it 'Sesame: Life on the Street' or just 'The Street'.

You can read more of the The New York Times article here. 

How the Government Shutdown Could Affect Your Family...and Why it May Take Superheroes to Fix It

Back in March I posted information about sequestration here. Since the government shutdown this week, it seemed important to talk about how this may affect your family, government job or not. Babble outlines some details here.  

Yesterday, reports stated visitors to Yellowstone National Park were given 48-hours notice to find alternate lodging. CNN explains National Parks and landmark sites, like the Statue of Liberty and the Smithsonian, will close.

After discussing it with my mom for an hour, I felt it necessary to say what many in the country feel. It's a mess and all parties should be blamed. Many have taken to Twitter for a little snark (#govtshutdownpickuplines) and comic relief. But, now is not the time for blame, it's time to get this mess cleaned up. I could write volumes on how I feel about the way this went down, but now it's time to figure out what happens next. 

CNN explains how it got to this and a bit about what could happen here. CS Monitor gives some details with video highlights here. I encourage you to read and figure out what it may mean for you and your family. It would be good if we all learned more about this. Maybe we can put the answer together, like pieces of a puzzle (Marvel, anyone?) 

Maybe it won't take a bunch of genius superhumans to fix this, or maybe it will since neither side wants to flinch. Our elected officials need to remember they are there to serve the best interests of the entire U.S. population, not just their respective political party. It's time to roll up your sleeves and get it done. For the sake of our nation, please, get it done!

What to know about the tornado that devastated Moore Oklahoma yesterday

Yahoo! News has a recap of yesterday's tragic tornado. If you're looking for answers, this helps explain some of what happened. You can also text or contact the Red Cross and Salvation Army if you wish to do more. 

Be good, be brave, and hug your family tight!