Halloween is here and a happy day to you!!! Today I was a poached gorilla (thanks Travis!), but after getting all sweaty wearing it for only 15 or 20 minutes, I had to disrobe. Alas, I gave it a shot. Perhaps tonight I'll be a biker... a great excuse to wear spandex in public. Have a great day!
UPDATE: Eric just corrected my grammar. Fuck.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Soccer Playoffs
We just found out last night that our first round playoff match is against Sisters High School in Sisters, Oregon. We lost to them in the 2nd round two years ago in what was probably the worst weather in which I've ever seen a soccer game played. There's a bit more history: Last year Sisters beat our volleyball team in the state finals. We have quite the burden of stopping Sisters in their tracks and it starts this weekend!
For those of you around town we play at noon on Saturday. Come watch!
For those of you around town we play at noon on Saturday. Come watch!
Monday, October 27, 2008
International Financial Ruin
It's been a week since my last post, eek! But I'm back now even if a bit sick (I've been told that first year teachers have the worst time staying healthy.).
It's worth reading the entire post about how emerging markets (the term "emerging markets" refers to developing countries who are quickly becoming 1st world economies) are getting the shat kicked out of them as a result of the current financial crisis. Sure, things are bad here, but things are BAD there. Here's an excerpt of the post that highlights the free fall some countries are experiencing:
"Markets down more than 70%: Vietnam (-70.5%), Peru (-73.2%), Ireland (-73.4%), Russia (-73.9%), Iceland (-88.7%).
Markets down between 60% and 70%: Hong Kong (-60.1%), Poland (-62.6%), China (-69.8%).
Markets down between 50% and 60%: South Korea (-54.5%), Italy (-55.2%), Egypt (-56.9%), Brazil (-57.2%), Japan (-58.1%), Singapore (-58.2%), Turkey (-58.5%), India (-58.3%)."
Egads those are devastating numbers. It's similar to global warming in that the countries causing the problem are adversely affected, but countries that are merely bystanders bear significantly more pain.
It's worth reading the entire post about how emerging markets (the term "emerging markets" refers to developing countries who are quickly becoming 1st world economies) are getting the shat kicked out of them as a result of the current financial crisis. Sure, things are bad here, but things are BAD there. Here's an excerpt of the post that highlights the free fall some countries are experiencing:
"Markets down more than 70%: Vietnam (-70.5%), Peru (-73.2%), Ireland (-73.4%), Russia (-73.9%), Iceland (-88.7%).
Markets down between 60% and 70%: Hong Kong (-60.1%), Poland (-62.6%), China (-69.8%).
Markets down between 50% and 60%: South Korea (-54.5%), Italy (-55.2%), Egypt (-56.9%), Brazil (-57.2%), Japan (-58.1%), Singapore (-58.2%), Turkey (-58.5%), India (-58.3%)."
Egads those are devastating numbers. It's similar to global warming in that the countries causing the problem are adversely affected, but countries that are merely bystanders bear significantly more pain.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Colin Powell
This morning on "Meet the Press" Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama.
Some of the key excerpts from his interview:
*He is "troubled" by the direction of the modern Republican Party.
*He began to doubt McCain's judgment he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate because he believe she is ready to be President of the United States, which "is the job of the Vice President."
*He said McCain was "a little unsure of as to how to deal with the economic problems that we were having, and almost every day, there was a different approach to the problem, and that concerned me, sensing that he didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had."
Rush Limbaugh said it was because of race (but he's a bigot, so what should we expect?). Many Republicans said it was politically calculated. But I say screw them. Here is a guy, Colin Powell, who is the foremost expert on military matters in the entire Republican Party. He was viewed as the Republican Party's next Presidential nominee in the late 80's. He gave McCain the maximum donation of $2,300 only one year ago. He was the Secretary of State in a Republican administration and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff... and, today, he endorsed Barack Obama.
Some of the key excerpts from his interview:
*He is "troubled" by the direction of the modern Republican Party.
*He began to doubt McCain's judgment he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate because he believe she is ready to be President of the United States, which "is the job of the Vice President."
*He said McCain was "a little unsure of as to how to deal with the economic problems that we were having, and almost every day, there was a different approach to the problem, and that concerned me, sensing that he didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had."
Rush Limbaugh said it was because of race (but he's a bigot, so what should we expect?). Many Republicans said it was politically calculated. But I say screw them. Here is a guy, Colin Powell, who is the foremost expert on military matters in the entire Republican Party. He was viewed as the Republican Party's next Presidential nominee in the late 80's. He gave McCain the maximum donation of $2,300 only one year ago. He was the Secretary of State in a Republican administration and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff... and, today, he endorsed Barack Obama.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Wind In My Roots
My mom sent me this story from the New York Times this summer about the first full size wind farm in Nebraska. It is located in the Middle of Nowhere, aka Ainsworth, where much of my extended family lives. Below is a photo from summer 2007 of Serena and members of my family in front of the wind turbines.
This type of development is significant. Much of rural America is dissolving away as the agricultural industry becomes ever-more mechanized and the economy in general specializes in urban-based service jobs. Renewable energy development infuses money into these communities through land leases, property taxes, and workers who spend their paychecks in local shops and markets. Rather than the status quo of nuclear and dirty coal, renewable energy projects are environmentally friendly and an economic boon for some of America's most vulnerable communities.
The wind in Nebraska keeps blowing, let's harvest it.
This type of development is significant. Much of rural America is dissolving away as the agricultural industry becomes ever-more mechanized and the economy in general specializes in urban-based service jobs. Renewable energy development infuses money into these communities through land leases, property taxes, and workers who spend their paychecks in local shops and markets. Rather than the status quo of nuclear and dirty coal, renewable energy projects are environmentally friendly and an economic boon for some of America's most vulnerable communities.
The wind in Nebraska keeps blowing, let's harvest it.
Big Soccer Day
Today's a big day for my team. We play Ontario with the winner all but securing second place in league and with that a much better playoff position. We lost the first game to Ontario (at their place) 3-0 and won the second game (at home) 3-1, so it's a great match-up. We started the day right with a big pancake breakfast at my place, so we're ready to go!
An extra treat: Nebraska football is on tv this morning. Hooray!
UPDATE: We won 2-0! We're locked into second place with a loooooong shot at the conference title if everything falls into place right. Tonight we celebrate!
An extra treat: Nebraska football is on tv this morning. Hooray!
UPDATE: We won 2-0! We're locked into second place with a loooooong shot at the conference title if everything falls into place right. Tonight we celebrate!
Friday, October 17, 2008
We're Smart Kids
All the other masters of education students are in town this week for classes and it's fantastic. Lots of laughing, lots of stories, lots of this and lots of that. Eric and I rocked "Paradise City" at the bar tonight and tomorrow we'll be figuring out how to best educate the youth of our nation. Gravy.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Teaching
Today I was put in charge of (nearly) the entire day: 7th graders learning about Cuneiform and 8th graders about early exploration of America and an alternate view of Columbus (that where he is not a hero). The two classes of 8th graders were slated for a one hour lecture and, for the most part, they took it like champs. Put your hands together for them. Anyhow, thought I'd share this day because it was one of the first of its kind.
Calamity
Sitting in the classroom today this popped into my head: For all the financial troubles in the past month, has anything changed for the average Joe? Try as I might, I couldn't think of any concrete, day to day effects as a result of all this trouble. The argument is this: The masses don't feel the pain for another few months when the job market slows down, no one can find a job, prices continue to go up, and investments stagnate (or, worse, go down). But, for now, is anyone out there feeling this?
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Pickin' Up
The last week has been great for my soccer team. On Thursday we played Ontario, a team that beat us 3-0 in the first match-up. This time we won 3-1. Ontario was missing a couple key players, but I'm proud of my guys for taking advantage of the situation and putting forth a solid performance.
Yesterday was even bigger. We played Milton-Freewater (known as Mac-Hi) at their place. History lesson: Mac-Hi has won the past three state titles, haven't lost a league game for at least four years (since I've been around), and and is currently ranked #1 in the state. Two weeks ago we lost 8-0. Yikes. This weekend was different. We went down 2-0 early and then scratched and clawed our way back into the game for a 2-2 tie. We won the last 60 minutes of the game 2-0 so it gives me hope for the final game with them in a couple weeks.
Hooray!
Yesterday was even bigger. We played Milton-Freewater (known as Mac-Hi) at their place. History lesson: Mac-Hi has won the past three state titles, haven't lost a league game for at least four years (since I've been around), and and is currently ranked #1 in the state. Two weeks ago we lost 8-0. Yikes. This weekend was different. We went down 2-0 early and then scratched and clawed our way back into the game for a 2-2 tie. We won the last 60 minutes of the game 2-0 so it gives me hope for the final game with them in a couple weeks.
Hooray!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
One Way to Look at It
Below is a forward I received from Serena today. Some snark, but all too true. Enjoy.
If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different." Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you are a quintessential American story.
If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim. Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable. Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.
If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian. If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.
If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
OK, much clearer now.
If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different." Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you are a quintessential American story.
If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim. Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable. Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.
If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian. If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.
If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
OK, much clearer now.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Some People Suck
Venting:
A couple days ago I went down to my plot at the community garden to see that corn and tomatoes had been taken. Someone decided after they put zero work into the garden that it was okay to take. Take. Take. Take. I rationalized it this way: It's okay, as long as the food is consumed.
Today I hear cheering from the middle school field where my soccer team plays games. It's been raining continuously for two days so the field is mush and very susceptible to being ruined. A big group of adults decided this afternoon would be a great day to play a game and, thus, destroy our field. My team spent all summer off our field to preserve it for games. We practice off to the side to preserve it for games. Now these guys ruined our efforts in one afternoon. Take. Take. Take. No rationalizing: Those guys are assholes.
What the hell is wrong with people like this? Where are their brains when making decisions that directly destroy the positive actions of others?
A couple days ago I went down to my plot at the community garden to see that corn and tomatoes had been taken. Someone decided after they put zero work into the garden that it was okay to take. Take. Take. Take. I rationalized it this way: It's okay, as long as the food is consumed.
Today I hear cheering from the middle school field where my soccer team plays games. It's been raining continuously for two days so the field is mush and very susceptible to being ruined. A big group of adults decided this afternoon would be a great day to play a game and, thus, destroy our field. My team spent all summer off our field to preserve it for games. We practice off to the side to preserve it for games. Now these guys ruined our efforts in one afternoon. Take. Take. Take. No rationalizing: Those guys are assholes.
What the hell is wrong with people like this? Where are their brains when making decisions that directly destroy the positive actions of others?
VP Debate
Is SNL making a comeback? My understanding is that 10-20 years ago Saturday Night Live played a small, but significant role in shaping the political discourse. Have Tina Fey's spot-on impressions of Sarah Palin brought SNL back to the forefront? You decide. This clip made me lol over and over:
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Debates
Thus far I've maintained radio silence on the presidential and vice presidential debates. However, after watching tonight's VP debate I wanted to share one observation that held true about both debates: How many times did Barack Obama and Joe Biden have to correct McCain and Palin's facts? Two dozen? Three dozen? More? The debates were prime time examples of what has become a fundamentally dishonest campaign being run by John McCain. It struck me that after nearly half (maybe more?!?!) of McCain and Palin's statements either Obama or Biden had to say, "Actually, what he/she just said is false and here is why."
After being lied into war in Iraq, lied to about Valerie Plame, lied to about the attorney purge, and lied to about domestic spying, I am ready for truth. Enough is enough.
After being lied into war in Iraq, lied to about Valerie Plame, lied to about the attorney purge, and lied to about domestic spying, I am ready for truth. Enough is enough.
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