Monday, November 24, 2003

WHY YOU NEED TO QUIT


I found this grim warning about why even young people should not be smoking. WARNING - not for the weak of stomach!
Weapon of Mass Destruction, It's Not, But...


I was avoiding work industriously updating my knowledge base when I happened upon these pictures. Go there to see the effort Saddam exerted to hide a mere Russian MIG. Is it any wonder that the WMD haven't been found yet?

Saturday, November 22, 2003

THE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE CONTROVERSY


Go to this site for a refreshingly clear argument for restricting marriage to a single man and a single woman.

Power Line also has an interesting take on the subject.

Here's the musical theme for this subject.
THE CURE THAT KILLS


I've long said that excessive attention to sexual harassment is responsible for limiting women's progress on the job. Like it or not, one of the ways that men indicate that they consider you "one of the boys" is to include you in their off-color humor. If you can respond without going ballastic about the sexual kidding, you're OK in their eyes. Critical Mass has a post that addresses that issue rather well.

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

TRIAL VERDICT


Like most of the country, I followed the Washington Sniper Case with some degree of detachment. I could understand the panic, but was personally unaffected by it. Nonetheless, I was happy when the snipers were found, and looked forward to their trial. I don't know that I expected a guilty verdict; a good attorney can often do wonders.

I know that I didn't expect a jury to use their common sense. Imagine my surprise when I found this link on the Viking Pundit
Daily Motivation


I have received daily motivational emails for somewhere around a decade. I cannot overestimate how uplifting is has been to have at least some quality email each working day. A sample is reproduced below:

YOUR DAILY MOTIVATION

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

BEING SUCCESSFUL IS A CHOICE YOU MAKE.
-----------------------------------------------
You alone have the responsibility to shape your life.
Once you understand this,
nothing and no one can deny you success.
There's no one to stop you but yourself.

More powerful than all the success slogans ever written
is the realization that everyone has but one boss.
That boss is you.

Your life will always be to a large extent what you make of it.
No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but you.

Success or failure?
It's always your choice.
----------------------------------------------
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Reproduce freely but maintain © notice

©2003 by Max Steingart


You can sign up by mailing: Max Steingart
HOME SCHOOLING SUCCESS


One of the continuing puzzles of the education world is how, without academic credentials, parents can possibly help their children learn.

News Flash! Parents teach their children many of life's important lessons in the years before they attend school. They obviously know SOMETHING about teaching.

DUH!

Now, this is obviously not true of ALL parents. Some perfect chuckleheads bollox up that job so massively that their offspring arrive at the door of their first class as veritable savages, devoid of manners, morality, and common sense. Like father, like son.

But the overwhelming mass of parents have done at least a reasonable job. So why would they suddenly screw up when they continue that work beyond school age. Answer: they generally don't.

Furthermore, parents are focused. They don't have to teach with the assumption that children were raised by wolves; they can skip the "Now, Johny, how would you feel about someone hitting you?" crap, and skip to whatever has worked in the past, whether it's a simple reminder "No hitting," if necessary, followed by appropriate punishment. No useless lessons designed to help students "appreciate" art. Take them to the museum. And no constant monitoring to make the goof-offs get in line; these kids know how to behave in public. No "music appreciation" - these kids take instrumental music lessons. They listen to good music.

Face it - a lot of teaching is dedicated to corraling the stragglers. Unfortunately, unlike cattle ranching, we don't cull the herd. (Culls are the ones destined to hit someone's plate. No remediation needed).
QUESTIONING THE UNQUESTIONABLE


I was talking last Monday to some fellow educators, and we were pondering the questioning of why "ethnic racial minority students" failed in school. (That phrase, BTW, is not mine - it was part of the written question set). The first answer, as you have probably already figured out, was, according to my fellow grad students, was poverty.

I questioned that assumption, and found myself on the receiving end of an intense re-education session. I think, from their arguments, they thought of me as the sort who's had no brush with poverty, and has risen from comfortable surroundings, unable to understand the truly heartbreaking plight of the poor. Nothing could be further from the truth.

True, I was privileged to have both my parents present (and married) at my birth. I was privileged by seeing the example of two people working together to raise their children, instilling morality by insisting on a religious education, as well as setting an example of decent behavior, in public and in private. My father worked for a living. When money ran tight, both parents said, "We can't afford it," without shame or apology. Although money was often tight, my parents managed to provide books for themselves and the children.

For my first 7 years, I lived in public housing. After the war, the government converted some no-longer needed Army barracks into housing for the many people who were locked out of affordable options. They were small, but otherwise OK.

Many of he other children came from much more exciting families. They partied at night. They used bad language. The mothers slept most of the day, leaving children to roam the projects. Fortunately, there were sufficient numbers of families who provided those children with structure and guidance to offset those wayward parents. My mother told me of children left alone during the famous Ohio tornado of the early 50s, while their parents partied.

My mother was a housewife. In addition to cleaning and cooking, she also raised four children. I remember sitting on the couch (a hand-me-down from a more affluent brother) while she ironed, reading aloud to her. When I struggled with a word, she said, "Sound it out." (Although I don't remember it, I apparently had sufficient phonics instruction to manage it). I was probably in Kindergarten at the time, as I seem to recall it being afternoon, just before my brother would return from school.

We finally left public housing when the units were scheduled for demolition. The neighborhood we moved to was similiar, many families with little money and many children. I saw some of the children later in life - few had moved beyond their upbringing. Few had excelled academically. Why did we?

I have come to believe that the difference was complex, involving moral guidance, marriage, expectations that we would all eventually work for a living, and parents who were literate. Many of the other children were missing one or more of those factors.

But an even bigger factor was the belief that when we didn't succeed, it was our fault. We didn't work hard enough. When my father, an 8th grade graduate, wanted to move ahead on the job, he worked to be in the group to be trained on new equipment. He went to class during the day, and studied at night and on weekends. Some of the men he worked with laughed at him, since the company didn't pay him more to learn than he could get by just doing the same thing. He had the last laugh. His classification and pay grade rose as he added more training. He eventually retired from Ohio Bell, a few years before the Bell monopoly broke up into the Baby Bells.

My father didn't just say that education was important, he proved it, by his example. As a teacher, I often ran into parents who would say, "I don't have much education, but my kid will." My answer was, "Probably not. Your kids will do what you do, not what you say." Some of those parents listened, and went back to school. Their kids generally did well.

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

GW's Hesitant Speech


We admire a smooth glibness in our politicians and celebrities. Bill Clinton epitomized that characteristic, with his easy manner, his ability to make sentences flow smoothly, and his on-camera poise.

But are those the characteristics we want in a leader? I found this link via Right Thinking from the Left Coast.

Thursday, November 13, 2003

NOBODY SAYS IT BETTER...


Nobody says it better
NEW NAME, NEW PLACE


I've been blerking for some time, and I decided that it was time to get serious about my addictionhobby.

I'm in the early stages of setting this up (just started an hour ago), so don't get bent out of shape by the sparse nature of the Blogroll. I'll be adding links in my spare time.




SHE DOESN'T GET IT




I was on the phone yesterday, and clicked a link that took me to a site trashing Britney Spears. I'm no fan; sure, she's the living epitome of the white trash that my West Virginia father always warned me about associating with. But, what I don't quite understand is the intensity of the venom spewed at her.

To tell the truth, I feel kinda sorry for her. She started out just another teen singer. As time went on, she went further and further over the edge, pantomiming sex for her videos. She finally admits that she had sex with her first serious boyfriend. So, does she get the adulation that Madonna got for her sexual antics?

No.

She's trashed by the very people that goaded her onto more outrageous acts. Her fans.

NOTE TO BRITNEY


Just because those that surround you talk about sexual freedom, doesn't mean that they won't treat you like a hoochy-mama if you indulge. I know, nobody is calling Justin Timberlake a slut for engaging in the same activity. What can I say? It's an unfair world.

Lies of the Left

This COULD be a lengthy post. But, I'll try to winnow it down to a reasonable length. The CA Parent Bribery 'Scandal' - the 1...