I do not intend to dispute in any way the need for defence cuts and the need for government spending cuts in general. I do not share a not in my backyard approach to government spending reductions.

I grew up playing music and enjoying good food friends and family in my own backyard.

There is no city or country in the world where women and girls live free of the fear of violence. No leader can claim: 'this is not happening in my backyard.'

I had to learn how to chop wood actually - I don't think my dad would have let me go chop wood in the backyard growing up.

My parents moved to American Samoa when I was three or four years old. My dad was principal of a high school there. It was idyllic for a kid. I had a whole island for a backyard. I lived there until I was eight years old and we moved to Santa Barbara.

It was you know probably 80 degrees out in L.A. and my dad took me outside and there was snow. At the time I thought 'Every kid doesn't have snow in their backyard on Christmas?'

My parents were kind of over protective people. Me and my sister had to play in the backyard all the time. They bought us bikes for Christmas but wouldn't let us ride in the street we had to ride in the backyard. Another Christmas my dad got me a basketball hoop and put it in the middle of the lawn! You can't dribble on grass.

During the Depression my dad made radios to sell to make extra money. Nobody had any money to buy the radios so he would trade them for dogs. He built kennels in the backyard and he cared for the dogs.

Learning can take place in the backyard if there is a human being there who cares about the child. Before learning computers children should learn to read first. They should sit around the dinner table and hear what their parents have to say and think.

After a decade this glum we deserved a shot of 'Glee ' a show that restored our faith in the power of song the beauty of dance and the magic of 'spirit fingers' to chase our cares and woes into somebody else's backyard.