some light humor :) and true!

NOTES FROM THE EDGE OF LIFE

 

Dear Noah,

We could have sworn you said the ark wasn't leaving till 5.

Sincerely,

Unicorns

 

Dear Twilight fans,

Please realize that because vampires are dead and have no blood pumping through them, they can never get an erection. Enjoy fantasizing about that.

Sincerely,

Logic

 

Dear Icebergs,

Sorry to hear about the global warming. Karma's a bitch.

Sincerely,

The Titanic

 

Dear America ,

You produced Miley Cyrus. Bieber is your punishment.

Sincerely,

Canada

 

Dear Yahoo,

I've never heard anyone say, "I don't know, let's Yahoo! it..." Just saying...

Sincerely,

Google

 

Dear 2010,

So I hear the best rapper is white and the president is black? WTF happened?!

Sincerely,

1985

 

Dear girls who have been dumped,

There are plenty of fish in the sea... Just kidding! They're all dead.

Sincerely,

BP

 

Dear Skin-Colored Band Aids,

Please make one for every skin color.

Sincerely,

Black people

 

Dear Scissors,

I feel your pain.....no one wants to run with me either.

Sincerely,

Sarah Palin

 

Dear Customers,

Yes, we ARE making fun of you in Vietnamese.

Sincerely,

Nail Salon Ladies

 

Dear Ugly People,

You're welcome.

Sincerely,

Alcohol

 

Dear World,

Please stop freaking out about 2012. Our calendars end there because some Spanish d-bags invaded our country and we got a little busy ok?

Sincerely,

The Mayans

 

Dear White People,

Don't you just hate immigrants?

Sincerely,

Native Americans

 

Dear iPhone,

Please stop spell checking all of my rude words into nice words. You piece of shut.

Sincerely,

Every iPhone User

 

Dear Trash,

At least you get picked up...

Sincerely,

The Girls of Jersey Shore

 

Dear Man,

It's cute, but can you pick up peanuts with it?

Sincerely,

Elephant

Poetry i like

from Ted Berrigan:
In my house, every cloud has a silver lining.
There is only one cloud in my house.
Inside that cloud is a joke.
It is an inside joke.

Joy is what I like, that, and love.

from St Gerand:
The only response to a child's grave is to lie down before it and play dead.

Randall Jarrell:  "I think that one possible definition of our modern culture is this:  it is one in which 9/10ths or our "intellectuals" cannot read poetry."

Robert Frost:  " A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom."

Graham Nash:
Thinking to myself today, I'm sorry that you went away, I'm feeling down, what can i say?  I miss you.
I'm holding back and it's not fair, I think I'm trying not to care, Of broken hearts I've had my share.
But I miss you.

Rags for Riches

Today i am thinking about clothing choices for pre adolescents.  It forces me to think back to when i was thirteen and try to remember what my feelings about clothing were then and how that relates to today.

I remember Sister Margaret Mary making me and the rest of the girls kneel in front of her to be sure that our uniform skirts touched the floor.  I also remember rolling the waist band back up again when she walked away, so as to return the skirt to its former mini status.  Mini being the operative word.  There was probably a good foot of bare leg between our knee socks and our hems!

I remember walking downtown to shop wearing a winter coat this was half off and half on my shoulders and my mother yelling at me to zip it up.   What??? And risk warmth to be cool??  I don't think so.

I remember my first two piece bathing suit which felt scandalous to wear because a 2" strip of my belly skin showed between the top and bottom!

Later, I remember wearing holey and  raggedly patched dungarees. Looking back at  the whole Woodstock era pics appalls me now.  We looked like nothing more than dirty and displaced orphans!   < BTW  i still have a pair of those threadbare jeans somewhere in the basement with those old clothes that I just can't seem to throw away, i believe they were a size 3   ha ha ha  dream on>

What I am trying to say is that girls have always been aware of and  very influenced by society and what's in when we decide what we are going to wear. Though i never did the Madonna fashionista scene i do remember some of my daughters' generation dressing like her.

So i guess it should come as no surprise to anyone that the "in" wear at the moment is somewhere between Lady Gaga and Megan Fox.  No, the girls are not yet wearing meat but the skirts are scandalously short again and some of the getups are remarkably creative!

And just like my parents, my generation tsks tsks over the amount of skin shown and the tarty look of many of the fashions that preteens and teens choose to wear.

But i am not saying that I condemn this trend.  On the contrary, I just want to remind people my age that they themselves went through some pretty awful fashion periods, and survived to become relatively well dressed and stable adults!

The look that teens choose is one of their own peer group and time period.  And also will change as they mature.  I guarantee that these young people will not go on their first job interview dressed like Beyonce!

My only suggestion to today's teens is to be sure that the style you choose fits you and your body shape.  Nothing worse than looking like a stuffed sausage in a mini skirt!
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Teachers's Day

Join Secretary Duncan in Thanking a Teacher on National Teacher Appreciation Day: thank a teacher today!

Jesus Christ Superstar

I just read an article by the Jesuit writer James Martin on the historical evidence of who is actually responsible for the death of Jesus.  He is advisor on a new play coming to Broadway and tries to be historically accurate in his take on the whole crucifiction story.  Unlike that dweebo Mel Gibson, who claimed to be accurate and then took poetic liscense and made it seem like the Jews were the conspirators and executioners of the Christ man. What a great example of Christianity Mel has turned out to be huh?

First of all, I  have a hard time with the fact that some people really hold that the gospels were written by charlatans and cultists. I find it difficult to believe that anyone writing in the first century A.D. could be anything but brilliant. Not too many folks went to school way back then btw, in case you didn't realize that  And to have their writings exist two thousand years later???!!!!  wooooooo hah, that puts them in a very rarefied category  indded.  Kinda like the king of the world!

Of course,  I agree that the church did pick and choose who and what to include in the new testament, kinda like I tend to post things that agree with my liberal take on the world, and I would love to read an entirely gnostic bible, but the fact remains historically that Jesus did live and he did die as a martyr to the cause..  Whether he was resurrected physically is a point of faith, not science. People today believe in everything from alien abduction to Sarah Palin..   Why not a miracle?
The blessed trinity that Catholics believe in,  states that God, Jesus and the "Holy Ghost" or "Holy Spirit"  are one in the same being. This is indicative to me that Jesus owns a spritual non corporeal part of his being, as I believe we all do..  I still talk things over with my dad who died over 20 years ago,  and i believe he is still with me.  I can't prove it, but i do know it.

Secondly, traditionally executions are the provenance of government...hence Rome at the time.  Just like today, the fat cats   <read: Sanhedrin>  were lobbyists to the Roman government, and just like today,  someone speaking out for the poor and downtrodden is considered a "rabblerouser" by the powers that be.....rabble being anyone who threatens their wealth and greedy ways. This leads me to believe that Jesus was put to death by the same type of people as we have today who are most interested in keeping the "status quo"  read: the poor poorer and rich richer:   Kinda like the Koch brothers or Glenn Beck, using their money and influence to make sure that anyone who speaks about the common good is untrustworthy.and is someone to be feared.

I don't go to church very often, because i know how Jesus felt when he saw the moneychangers in the temple.  The church covers up her sins instead of doing penance for them.  The church dresses her leaders in gold, and allows persecutions of non believers.  The church will not accept science fact unless it absolutely has to.  The church remains silent when human rights and the dignity of others are blasted to all hell.
The church is still run by the fat cats and lobbyists that cater to Rome. BUT there are still rabblerousers  like me who believe that working for the common good is the highest calling on earth.
Happy Easter to all.

Drugs and all that stuff, or those Greedy Pigs part 3

Are you a drug addict?  I bet you are.  And I bet you don't even know it.  Do you drink milk?  Eat beef? Drink out of water bottles?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be being drugged more than you know.
Canada has banned BPA, a toxic plastic that has been proven as a "endocrine disrupter". Your son showing lack of motivation?  Could be from the plastic he is metabolizing.  Studies have shown that this plastic also affects salmon and alligators when it gets into the water systems. USA can't ban it because the Greedy Pigs have taken over our legislation.

Drinking milk has become associated with childhood obesity, diabetes and early sexual development.  Milk it does a body good but the hormones in it do a body bad.  Is your young son or daughter hefty sized?  Maybe a change to organic milk would help. Hormones make them hold water and weight.   The same occurs with beef products of cows that are still being feed artificially enriched feed.  Steroids make for BIG cows, more beef, and also more beef on you . Not good for the common good.   How come the USDA doesn't change this?  Those greedy pigs who produce this stuff are paying them not to.

Now that summer is approaching, look out for using too much suntan lotion.  The UV chemical blockers also diminish the process that allows Vitamin D absorbtion in your body.  Many people now have to take Vitamin D supplements! Wow, how cool is that? Develop something that blocks Vitamin D production and then something else to put it back! Those greedy bastids are nothing if not wiley.

Being a child of the 70s, i remember things about drugs.  I know that way back then, many people smoked marijuana at rock concerts, some took  LSD on a regular basis, housewives were addicted  to Valium, or uppers or downers. The boys who went to Viet Nam used drugs.  The side effects of drug addiction are well documented and well known...many people dropped dead because of drug use.  Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin come to mind.

But what about the side effects of today's drug addiction? What kind problems occur because of that addicition?

Today the average American over 45  takes 3-5 prescription drugs a day, and many more over the counter ones. For what? Well let's see:: cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels, blood sugar levels, arthritis pains,  allergies to everything, water retention, depression, adult hyperactivity, thyroid problems, infertility, contraception, headaches, overeating, asthma, constipation, diarreha, dry eyes, wrinkles and on and on and on!  Others take more specific drugs for more specific problems. 

There are drugs in our preserved foods, our cereals,our bread and cake products;  in our toiletries, our toothpaste and mouthwashes, and in our cosmetics and hair care products; in our colored food products, our power drinks, and candies.

There are people going to jail for drug pushing > those who are selling hard drugs on the streets. Gangstas and drug lords. Drugs that people are choosing to take.

But there are other people who should be going to jail for the pollution of our bodies and minds and they are the greedy bastids who have forced us all into addiction.  And the side effects are devastating. Pharmaceuticals are the real problem of today's health care industry. Drugs are rushed to market with inadequate testing. And cause serious damage.
 We now have unheard of levels of autism, adhd, obesity and diabetes in children.  We have young women who have major fertility problems. We have young men who cannot concentrate in school, or have regression problems when they become adults. We have unsolved allergic reactions to unknown chemicals in the air.

I truly believe that many of these common ills are not fixed by drugs, but rather caused by drugs.  We cause problems by an overdose of chemicals then we try to soothe the symptoms with another overdose of chemicals!!!!  HUUH?.  Some of these nostrums, say the TV ads, may actually be fatal!  WOW how is it that we don't see this and rebel against it? 
Part of it, I think,  is the idea that we should look, feel and be perfect everyday of out lives. If you have arthritis, a natural component of getting older, instead of stepping up your activity levels and eating honest  whole foods or losing that excess weight, , you should instead down a bunch of non tested drugs to ease your pain away. We literally SWALLOW this hogwash.  And enrich the pockets of the richest industry in the USA!

God bless the people who feed us and our animals this swill.  May they be the first to be consumed by it.
Instead of cures, think of how much of that research and development money goes to develop more and more drugs for consumption. They cured tb, small pox, and polio in the early 1900s.  What modern day diseases have been cured? How many millions of dollars are manipulated? Isn't it more profitable for the drug companies to keep you sick and let you take their pills for life, than actually cure the disease???!!!

Don't get me wrong.  I realize there are legitamate prescription drugs. But i do question why the levlels for cholestorel medicine or blood pressure keep changing.  It is truly to safeguard us or is it to make the fat cats richer?  You decide what's the best for the common good!

Now the only thing left is to make a pill that actually stops us from dying and we can all go on like Meryl and Goldie in "Death Becomes Her"

Be aware and educated about the products you are using.  beware of the greedy bastids who sell you them to make beau coup $$$$ and are not concerned with the common good.

and i should use flouresecent lighbulbs to save energy???

AC at night

Headbands

Yeah, just what is it about headbands?????  Katie D and I were discussing this today.  They look so good.  They look so cute. They come in all sorts of colors, and materials and sizes!!! You always want them, you always buy them, and then and then and then >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>they NEVER STAY ON YOUR HEAD!!! The slide up behind your ears!  They fall forward towards your bangs!  They squeeze your cerebellum head bumps until you want to scream!  They leave marks on your hairline! Is it just me?  Do i have an oddly shaped noggin?  I think NOT  I think that Headbands= evil devices...........almost as evil as mascara :) Definitely NOT for the common good!

Job Switch: not mine thanks Sharon M!

Next Season on Survivor

Have you heard about the next planned "Survivor" show?

Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped in an elementary school classroom for 1 school year.  Each business person will be provided with a copy of his/her school district's curriculum, and a class of 20-25 students.

Each class will have a minimum of five learning-disabled children, three with A.D.H.D., one gifted child, and two who speak limited English. Three students will be labeled with severe behavior problems.

Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 3 days in advance, with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize, or create their materials accordingly. They will be required to teach students, handle misconduct, implement technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also stand in their doorway between class changes to monitor the hallways.

In addition, they will complete fire drills, tornado drills, and [Code Red] drills for shooting attacks each month.

They must attend workshops, faculty meetings, and attend curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the ASK tests.  If they are sick or having a bad day they must not let it show.

Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into the program. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment to motivate all students at all times.  If all students do not wish to cooperate, work, or learn, the teacher will be held responsible.

The business people will only have access to the public golf course on the weekends, but with their new salary, they will not be able to afford it.  There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and lunch will be limited to thirty minutes, which is not counted as part of their work day.  The business people will be permitted to use a student restroom, as long as another survival candidate can supervise their class.

If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials before, or after, school. However, they cannot surpass their monthly limit of copies.  The business people must continually advance their education, at their expense, and on their own time.

The winner of this Season of Survivor will be allowed to return to their job.

welfare for the common good?

Well, my cousin was visiting me today, and shockingly, though we both are on different ends of the political spectrum, we agreed about many things!!!!!   The fact that greed, for example, is killing the country.  The idea that even taxes could be fair if people wanted them to be.   We spoke of the difference between the doers and the nondoers. We agreed that some people who are on unemployment take a break until their money runs out and then look for a job. But some people hate being unemployed and take any job to get going again.  We remembered that my grandmother refused to take handouts during the depression, because she felt there were people who needed the money more than she did.  She grew vegetables and sold them, she took in boarders, she made ends meet because she had the intention of doing so.
After we discussed the "old days" we decided that if we were king of the world we would change a few things. Or at least I did :)

My first change would be a flat tax rate for everyone.  No deductions, no loopholes, no nothing.  Let's say 10% for all, which is more than fair.  So people making 10,000 dollars a year would pay  $1000 a year in taxes  and people making 1,000,000,000 dollars would pay 10,000,000 a year.   Seems fair.  NO deductions for kids, NO deduction for health care, NO deductions for losses, NO deductions for education. NO deductions period. Sound harsh?  Not when you consider that if everyone pays their fair share, then the social "entitlements" like health care, education, social security, head-start programs, school lunches, etc, would be fully funded!  There would plenty of money to pay for everything we need from the government, and we wouldn't have to fight over which state would get the pork.   And for the common good maybe people could afford to take a vacation for longer than a week once in a while! Who loses here?  Oh yeah, the fat cats would have to pay their fair share and maybe the gestapo-like IRS would be put out of business. Because if people couldn't lie on tax forms, what would we need them for???

In one of my former posts I spoke about "intent".  I likened making education better by putting as much energy into it as we put into little league.  I think the idea of intent works for solving social problems as well. If we intend to do right for the people, then we will.  If politicians started caring more for their constituents than lining their pockets, things would be grand for all. If they intended to clean up the mess the country is in, they would.  I intend to cut my grass when it starts growing, and then i actually do it, or else the grass just continues to grow unabated.

This brings me to the crux of this message. What started me thinking about welfare was an argument I had with my dad at the dinner table some 40 odd years ago. We were at Uncle Al's house and during the antiposte, I mentioned  that I thought we weren't doing enough to help the poor in the inner cities.  I spoke with a young person's conviction and righteousness and stated flat out that we should all be adding to the $$$$ needed by these poor people,  My father argued that just giving people money ie: welfare, was the rich man's way of keeping the poor down and "in line".  I, of course, vehemently argued this, and felt my father was being blind to social justice.

Now, many years later, I understand his point.  It seem that no one intends to solve the problems of the inner cities. I think my dad was right, we do keep people down by giving them money for nothing. I recall that maybe 15-20 years or so ago, the mayor of Bordentown tried to change this money for nothing idea  by instituting a "work for pay" program for the people who were on the town's welfare lists. Somehow it turned into a court battle and the city subsequently lost and the idea was dropped. I never understood why? Who was being hurt by giving poor people jobs?

I have spent much time here blogging my complaints about the  greediness of the rich, but maybe by making all people repsonsible, the poor as well as the rich, we can improve the common good. Right now, it seems to only be the middle class that bears the full burden.

Why can't we find jobs for people in the ciities who cannot find one on their own?  I could name plenty of ways people could help out in my town . Along with supplying  jobs might we also be giving these people a feeling of self worth and accomplishment?  Might we also be teaching them a marketable skill? Might we be showing them a way to rise above their circumstances and take back their streets from drug kings?  Might they then start to acquire the ability to improve their own situations and produce a better life for themselves and their children? Obviously I think we might.  And if we care enough about people in the poor areas of our cities, might we also be improving our own lives and those of the common good?
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High Paid Teachers

I am sure you have seen this but i just have to repost:

Are you sick of high paid teachers? Teachers’ hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work  10 months a year! It’s time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - baby sit! We can get that for less than minimum wage.

That’s right. Let’s give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan — that equals 6 1/2 hours).

Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children.

Now how many do they teach in day…maybe 30? So that’s $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! We're  am not going to pay them for any vacations.

LET’S SEE…. That’s $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. HUH?

What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master’s degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year.

Wait a minute — there’s something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher’s salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student–a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!)

Imagine if you had to pay someone to watch your kid all day!  Think 1.42 and hour would do it???

I THINK NOT> teachers work for the common good folks!

 

Lives in the Balance by Jackson Browne

 This song is so prophetic that i have to post it.  Jackson is my favorite singer and what he poetically states is much of what i have alwaysalso believed:
Lives in the Balance:

I've been waiting for something to happen
For a week or a month or a year
With the blood in the ink of the headline
and the sound of the crowd in my ear
You might ask what it takes to remember
When you know that you've seen it before
Where a government lies to her people
And a country is drifting to war

And there's a shadow on the faces
Of the men who send the guns
To the wars that are fought in places
Where their business interests run

On the radio talk shows and the T.V.
You hear one thing again and again
How the U.S.A. stands for freedom
And we come to the aid of a friend
But who are the ones that we call our friends--
These governments killing their own?
Or the people who finally can't take any more
And they pick up a gun or a brick or a stone
And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire

There's a shadow on the faces
Of the men who fan the flames
Of the wars that are fought in places
Where we can't even say their names

They sell us the President the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us everything from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars
I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But they're never the ones to fight or to die
And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire

About Dogs: tongue in cheek

Above is a picture of my Abby dog. Notice she is watching us out of the corner of her eye.  A yellow lab, the best kind of dog in the world.  They really are dogs for the common good.   As king of the world, I would give out free lab puppies to all who want them!
But what I am wondering today is just what it is about dogs?  Here is what they do that we see:  they eat, they sleep, they poop, they sleep,  they lick,  they sleep, they watch a little t.v.,  they sleep, they beg for treats, they sleep,  they bark and whine, they sleep, they chew on some cow hide,  they sleep, they take up the whole bed at night while they sleep.  The best dogs are protective but friendly, love to be petted, follow you wherever you go, and help you with your work if they can. And sleep a lot. So, yeah, you say.  So what, you say.  They are dogs that's it.
OR IS IT?
hmmmm   Lately I have started to suspect that dogs are actually  leading  a double life.  When they are asleep, I think they are engaged in what Carlos Casteneda termed in his amazing books, " active dreaming."  And that dreaming takes place in another place called ":the dog dimension."
Have you noticed when they are asleep they are constantly doing something active?  Breathing hard, limbs pumping, eyes fluttering.  I think the reason they only live 15 odd years here in our time, and sleep most of it away,  is because they lead a double life.  With us, they are subject to our whims, and live in boring houses and do boring things.  But when they are asleep they live  in the dog dimension where they run free with their pals and do whatever they want!  They probably can even talk there!  And that place must be filled with all good things for dogs....steak bones, fluffy balls to tear apart, rubber balls to play catch with, milkbone mountains and watering holes that magically refill, tons of other dogs to play with, no t.v. And no naps.
If you think about it, it makes sense!  They have to rest up in our dimension to be running free in theirs!
The term "a dog's life" may mean much more than we think!

Kids is Kids: and they all can learn

Education Problems?  Easily Fixed:  Resources used with intent for the common good

It truly does take a village to raise a child.  The modern village is no longer centered around the campfires of old. Even though many parents work and we all live in our own little bubbles these days, we are still part of our community.  I totally believe that we should make the new center of the village the place where our kids spend most of their time: their school. 

My experience has shown me that the child who suceeds is the child who has his parents or others as  partners in learning. It is the child who is lucky enough to go to a school where scientific knowledge is as important to and supported by the community as fully as the little league team. Funny how we can find the time to volunteer to coach teams, man the refreshment stands, fundraise for new uniforms, and attend the sports events themselves, but have no idea how and where to help out in our child's school.  We have gotten annoyed and let our feelings be known when we feel our kid has a crummy coach, or the umpire makes a bad call, or a foul is not noticed. But do we get as involved with a poor grade on a test, or missed homework assignments?  When our kids say, "I don't get this", what do we do to help out?  IF we value education, then we must find equal time to support it.  I am not sure this happens.  There certainly is a small but dedicated group of people at school, a handful of parents who provide back up to the teachers and students.  But compared to those at a school football game, which is seen as more important?

I am fortunate to teach in an area where the teachers, students and parents all care about education.  The students in my school consistently win in math competitions, science competitions, writing contests, music competitions, as well as sports competitions.
How does this happen here and not everywhere?  Many reasons:
1. Students are closely monitored by their parents: many kids are not allowed to watch tv until school work is completed. Many students must practice their music every day.  Many others must work on subjects even if "there is no homework".  Many must read daily. Many are not allowed on social websites during the week. Some don't even watch tv during the week! This leads the kids to understand that school work is most important, and comes ahead of other considerations.
2. Teachers give extra time to academics. They give up lunch time to help floundering students. They allow retests when students haven't "gotten" the material. They stay current with the latest educational pedagogy and read about developmental stages of their clients. They LIKE to teach.
3. Common values are used by all teachers from kindergarten to twelvth grade .Through each content area all teachers focus on: communication skills, critical thinking skills, collaboration skills, self directed learning, literacy and research skills, global and local responsible citizenship. Even a kindergartener is taught the meaning of respect and collaboration. Differentiated instruction is prized.
4. The school news system:  Student-produced videos that focus on topics relevent to both themselves and the general world, are presented to the whole school.  Announcements from the administration always portray positiveness and the message that at our school it is "cool" to be smart. Awards in academic areas, respectful citizens and sports heroes are all mentioned equally.

Does this mean that 100% of our students succeed?  Nope, some still do not.  It is in this case, that the whole village is needed to help out.
Most of the reasons students do not succeed have to do with their situations in life.  It is impossible to learn to read if you are hungry.  Its hard to concentrate on math skills when your parents are going through a divorce.  Its difficult to practice your violin when you are the one responsible to make dinner when your patents are working.  It is hard to work on writing a poem if your are concerned for your own safety due to your local neighborhood bully.
Despite what certain government officials would have you think, there isn't enough time in the school day to cure the societal problems that they cannot.
The community can come to the rescue of these students by offering free programs to help.  If we can support basketball tournaments, why not a free counseling program? If we can fly band members to Florida to perform, why not fund a large scale "safe place" program? Why do we take money away from headstart or food programs, when we know they are necessary?  How can we pay one professional sports person 26 billion dollars a YEAR but not want to give it to improve these problems?
All of this goes back to my original point.  If it is our INTENT to have a great educational experience for all children, we all need to pitch in to make it so. ALL does not mean just the parents and teachers.  ALL means the entire village, working for the common good.

Part 2 of Those Greedy Pigs

Yayyyyyyyyy Wisconsin teachers!  I am sure you all are the first of many teachers and public workers to revolt against being blamed for the mess state budgets are in. Once again the middle class is being held responsible for the lack of fiscal responsibility the state governments have engaged in!  Is there no one to tell the general public that the money in these pension funds comes from the workers?  My pension fund is deducted from my salary every month.  The state is not entitled to this money.... it's mine.....and the other people who have been putting money into it for the last 20/30 years, duh.  It certainly is  NOT Governor Christie's to do what he pleases with>>> who I might add has his own lucrative racket going on which entitles him to full pension  and health benefits FREE forever.
Where did my pension money go, you ask?  The state government  has "borrowed it"  one too many times to make ends meet...starting with Christine Whitman......and now not only wants to blame me for that, but also wants to make me repay it!!!!!! What a bunch of horse crap!  A good analogy would be this:  you put some money into your bank  savings account, and then the bank uses it without your permission,  and then tells you that you must pay it back. HUH???  This sounds suspiciously like STEALING to me.
And the Wall Street Firms that <mis> manage the pension fund lets the state do this and then takes a whooping 15% interest rate fee on top of that!!  HUH? WHAT? WHO?
When was the last time you saw 15% on your money?  I believe that C.D.s are paying  around .05 right now.  How is this legal? or moral? or even a little bit right? 
Once again the greedy bastids are screwing us over..  Where is concern for the common good here?  Do these governors really think they can run an effective state government, a caring police system, and a  top notch public school system by denigrating their own workers??? I don't think so.  SO: Go Wisconsin! Lead the way...just as you led the way to the first collective bargaining law in 1937!!!! Many of us are behind you!

Mental Health Break - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Mental Health Break - The Daily Dish By Andrew Sullivan

Moomys

Have you seen Mike and Molly?  Cute show........insecurities we all feel, no matter what size we are........but how about Swoozie as the mom??? Good lord, she looks like an anorexic meth addict gone to seed.  And all she talks about is "sausages" and "tunnels of love" and other ridiculous euphemisms for sex parts and sex acts. This show got me thinking about  how the common mother is viewed by the media these days?.
What I want to know is when did moms turn in mooms?  Mooms being a derogatory term I have just made up meaning brainless morons? When did moms hand over the reins to the kids?   Are these shows subconsciously or consciously depicting mothers as less bright than their children?
In the olden days, meaning when i was growing up, the tv moms, though patronizing for sure to their madmen- like husbands, were fountains of wisdom, grace, and beauty.  They were perfect!  They were plastic for sure, but at least they embodied some kind of values.  The took care of themselves, their home and their kids.
I, for one, would really prefer June Lockhart to whoever plays the moom in Modern Family!  The moom on this show appears to be in competition with her daughters for both looks and brains!!!!  How does that happen?  I have two beautiful daughters of my own and have never felt the need to compete with them.  My job was to raise them to be strong, intelligent and caring individuals. Not flirt with their boyfriends!
Even Marge Simpson is a better mom!
People may say that this is just entertainment, and not meant to be taken seriously.  But tv is also social commentary.  And it is a sad day for the common good when moms are acting like mooms.
Is this why they are trying to enact laws which take away woman's rights and protections?  Because they want to portray us as addled and ridiculous? Meaning we can't be in charge of our own minds and bodies??? Hmmmmmmmmmmm is there a conspiracy going on here????
To all the good moms I know who are both working and caring for their family I say "hallelujah!"  And to all the people who think that these mooms on tv represent anyone real, or want our women to be like them i say "fartheads!"

Gossip Girls Rant

I'd like to say a few words on gossip today.  I recently read two articles about it and both of them point out the effectiveness of it for establishing the "social norm" and for "bolstering self confidence and self esteem"  And so on and so on and  blah blah and blah.....Now,  I don't know if all that's true <but you've got me and baby I've got youuuuuu.....>  oops I digress>>>But it is an interesting topic.
I, for one, certainly believe that gossip is absolutely  necessary to the common good!!
I think that gossip occurs because someone has forgotten kindergarten rules. Or playground rules.  Or  moral rules. And people notice and get pissed and comment on it.  She is a bitch because she isn't polite; he is an idiot because he is so self absorbed. They are so sickening because their pdas have become sooo excessive.
All the lessons we learned in school should somehow be part of us by time we're grown ups. 
For example, just the other day, during a faculty meeting, one woman talked all through and over the speaker during  the whole first half of the meeting. so much so that those of us around her couldn't hear much.  However, when it came to something she wanted to hear, she actually had the nerve to raise her hand  to complain that it was too loud for her to hear it!!!!!  What???  Nonsense!!! Kindergarten rule broken. Be quiet when other people are talking.
Do you think people gossiped about this person the next day?  AAAAAAA yup.
Gossip actually makes people personally responsible for their words and deeds!  HUH?  Let me repeat that.  YOU NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOU SAY AND DO!!!! or the rest of us are going to talk about you. hehehehe
Some people i know refuse to gossip because they are "positive people" and "understanding individuals".  PUKE >>>>Bull hockeys.   Gossip isn't a "negative" force.  Its a force for a positive change.  Accepting inane behavior got this country into the fix we are in now.  And I blame our generation, the flower power people, because we invented  being so acceptable of intolerable behavior; after Nixon resigned of course..
We should and can forgive kids anything, they are still learning,  but stupid adults???  Come on.  Forgiving them does nothing to help society along.  And let's face it, their nonsensical behavior makes us NUTS and if we didn't gossip about it and vent about it and talk about it we might EXPLODE over it..  <sweet smile> And then we might break some of the playground rules ourselves!
So therefore, in my opinion, gossip is a way for people to reinforce what they believe are common values.. Plus it's a lot of fun!!!

Random Thoughts

One of my kids who is from Singapore told me that it is always warm there...like Florida..... and that chewing gum in Singapore is against the law!  He amended that to say that it just wasn't sold there but his dad smuggled it in for him. Geesh if they smuggle gum to Singapore, what hope do we have of keeping it out of school in the USA? Huh?

My students tickled me today.  It's nice when they are working on a project together.  One of them kept calling nebulae the nubula...just hard for him to wrap his lips around the proper pronunciation i guess.  But it made me smile.  It's great when you see them all talking and collaborating about a science topic. Arguing over the difference between a red giant and a red super giant star!  Where's Bill O'Reilly when you need him?

Space Story

I was watching Bill Maher the other night.  I think he is funny.  I think he is a misogynist,  and I think he is as dense on the left as others are on the right, but he always presents some good thoughts  and conversations.  I particularly liked his rant on the NFL being a socialist organization, taking the money made by all and sharing it evenly.  Hence: a different team may wind up in the Superbowl every year. 
But anyway, this week  the noted astrophysicist Dr. Neil Tyson was a guest on his show.  It was cool to see someone with a science background on t.v. It got me thinking about how the country has really missed Carl Sagan, the Star Trek shows, and Sully and Maulder. Fringe is still a little too far out there for the common man, though I love it, and Steven Hawking parodies still show up on South Park from time to time, though the new generation of kids have  no idea who that guy in the wheelchair is.
 OK, sooooooooooo, the idea that anyone would be interested in space travel completely baffled Bill Maher. When asked,  Dr. Tyson explained the fact that even though the NASA and space exploration budget are only a 1/2 penny of the US budget, people always want to cut it. But that wasn't Bill's main concern.  "Why go to Mars" sayeth Bill, "what's there that we need?"
Now I may not an astrophysicist, but I do teach space science and my 8th graders and I love thinking and talking about the universe.  I do wish I were there to answer Bill's question.   The first thing I would ask him is how the heck he thinks his show gets to me?  "On my FIOS fiber optic cable!"  I would reply, "And just how do you think that technology came about being developed, huh Bill?  huh?  huh?" 
I guess the common folk, like Bill Maher, don't realize that the reason we have computers, hd tvs,cell phones, remote control garage door openers, microwave ovens,  and all the other technological gewgaws we use everyday is because JFK, (in the early 60s!), had the wisdom to throw money and resources into math and science that was necessary at the time to get us to the moon. Now I know that the impetus for this idea was to beat the Russians there. But the payoff of having a "Sputnik" moment, as Barack recently called it, was all the cool stuff we now own and use today, stuff that was invented for and is used by the common good.
I, for one, absolutely adore my Smart board, and am not sure I would love teaching as much anymore if someone took it away from  me. The internet, for about a dollar a day, allows me to gather and use resources from all over the world.  I have a digital camera that i can plug into my laptop and show my relatives all over the country the pics of my new grandson.  NONE of this would have occurred without the Space program.
The importance of research and development in this country is not what it used to be. You can tell what the country is interested in by watching what's on mainstream t.v.  The only science that is discussed nowadays is forensic.
How is it that in the early part of the 20th century we cured tuberculosis, eradicated small pox, and developed inoculations for childhood diseases, and nowadays, with billions of dollars sunk into research every year, we can't cure a thing; can only can come up with expensive pharmaceuticals that have horrible side effects?
It's sad in my mind that there aren't enough television shows that stimulate curiosity and the desire to find out new stuff. . 40 habitable planets have just been discovered.  40 places we now know of where life can exist besides earth  Isn't that awesome?  Who knows what inventions lie in trying to discover more about these worlds?
A famous FOX pundit recently stated that he didn't "believe" that the moon caused the tides. <eyeroll>  Belief has nothing to do with science.  Belief is for things taken on faith. I believe my dad is in heaven looking down on me. I can't prove it.  But I can believe it.
For scientists to state something, however, it must be proved. As I tell my students every day "evidence is the enemy of dogma".  Or as Dr.Tyson put it:  "The good thing about science is it's true whether or not you believe in it."