Vincent A

My sister in law is not the smartest cookie. She married a drug addicted, verbally abusive creep and had three kids with him before she finally had the guts to kick him out for good. Due to a car accident, she was left with a sizable settlement (which they both blew through in about 5 years) and a disability (rods in her back but probably able to do a desk job if she went back to school - she is mobile, but probably won't be in 20 years or so, when she is 60) He left her for rehab shortly after foreclosure, which was well after bankruptcy. This is NOT a recession situation...he never had a steady job (plumber) and if not working for his brother, he couldn't keep any job at all (he tried and failed epicly)

Now, with a dad in a half way house by way of rehab, these three kids (11,8,6) have poor self esteem, no discipline (the boy idolizes his drug addled dad and punches holes in the wall when mom tries her half-hearted disciplining attempts), and a future in doubt. My wife's parents can't help, no other siblings available.

Now, for half of her disability check over the next ten years or so, I could finish the basement into bedrooms/playroom for her kids, give her the 1st floor office as a bedroom/living room, and set up pretty nicely financially with all 7 of us (I have a 7 year old daughter) living in 5 bedrooms in about 2200 square feet. Close quarters for a middle class family, but I really don't want to see those kids falling into drug use, teen pregnancy, or crime because mom is GOING to end up in the slums somewhere the way she totally refuses to accept the fact that she can't handle a household. Not that a family can't do OK in the slums, but SHE can't.

Cons...3 more kids with no discipline, talkative sister in law with no self esteem, a hole father who will get worse before (if) he gets better.

Pros...save these kids from their totally overwhelmed mom and a dad whose sole purpose now is to be good time weekend dad and talk bad about everyone else to build himself up. (He now has a girlfriend that he met in rehab.) They would still have about 2K in disability and child support (if he gives it) per month to save and live on.

Finally, the question...do I get myself into this mess? or let them sink? I am not rich, but I CAN handle it without totally killing my finances...it's the mental and day to day stuff that is the question.

When I show my daughter out home on Google Maps, I get a satellite picture that is 5 years old (I know by the car we were driving, a tree that we took down is still in the pic, and various other clues.) Do you have to pay or have governtment top secret clearance to get an updated view?

The plot centered around thought control, reading people's thoughts and placing thoughts and images in their heads...

Two scenes I remember:

A test group wearing devices (helmets?) and as they were 'shown' images of a roller coaster ride, they were all leaning with the ride...

Ending: As one of the main characters died at the end, two others are able to read her thoughts as she actually goes to heaven, and one character has to convince the other not to follow her into death...

Answers greatly appreciated, it's been bugging me for months...it is NOT Dreamscape.

I'm always hearing about police brutality caught on tape and the fact that they got secret video of so and so's wedding.

How come all these 'citizens' don't use their obvious investigative capabilities in catching actual crooks?

How come our civic duty is to catch Britney buying gum but not in catching Joe Bad Guy breaking and entering?

I normally don't have a problem with shows like Greek and Slacker Cats.

But I am concerned that ABC Family chooses to show these shows at all and they advertise for them all day long. I define a family show as aimed so that multiple generations can watch together.

These shows are aimed at teens and college kids to watch WITHOUT their parents, glorifying sex, alcoholism, a party life style and vulgarity. Great ratings, I am sure, but not the demographic that a channel with that name should be aiming for.

Again, I have nothing wrong with the shows as shows, but they should NOT be on a family channel. Move them to FX or Spike or Comedy Central (Slacker Cats). Change the channel name. Don't advertise for these types of shows before 9:00

Thoughts?