These folks are right, why change things now!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Every Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act became the law of the land on January 8, 2002 amid high hopes on the part of some people (all republican "W supporters) that it would stop the downward educational spiral in the United States.
Not only has it failed to discontinue that trend, in some eyes it has increased the poor performance of our nations school system.
"Half of Americans say U.S. schools are doing only a fair to poor job preparing kids for college and the work force. Even more feel that way about the skills kids need to survive as adults, an Associated Press poll released Friday finds."
The only way to right the ship is to focus on the fundamentals and eliminate the standard tests. If everyone was the same, standardized testing would work but since everyone learns at a different rate and since what is important to one may not be to the next person, the standardized testing forced by NCLFB only forces our educators to teach to the test to ensure continued Federal funding.
Not only has it failed to discontinue that trend, in some eyes it has increased the poor performance of our nations school system.
"Half of Americans say U.S. schools are doing only a fair to poor job preparing kids for college and the work force. Even more feel that way about the skills kids need to survive as adults, an Associated Press poll released Friday finds."
The only way to right the ship is to focus on the fundamentals and eliminate the standard tests. If everyone was the same, standardized testing would work but since everyone learns at a different rate and since what is important to one may not be to the next person, the standardized testing forced by NCLFB only forces our educators to teach to the test to ensure continued Federal funding.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
2-0
Last night (actually I'm writing this right after the game) unranked Fresno State won it's 2nd game against a ranked team, beating North Carolina 5 - 3. Not a slug fest like their win over Rice on Sunday (17 -5) but a thrilling victory none the less and the 350 to 400 Bulldog fans that traveled from Fresno were loving it.
But that's not the main story today, actually it starts with a question, and the question is, if you pay good money to go to the CWS shouldn't you watch the game and let those of us that want to do just that enjoy it? Well, you would think so but some people can't keep their ass in a chair or their mouth shut.
My assigned seat was next to a 300 plus pound gentlemen on my left and a woman from Ohio (not Sybil) on my right who kept an ongoing conversation with a woman and her two daughters in front of us about where all the good shopping was and where could she get some good nachos (hint, you really can't in Omaha). The recommendation from the native was to go to a place that serves a combination of Mexican food and pizza whose slogan in nacho typical restaurant. Again, no, no, NO!
After the 4th inning I had all I could stand of that so I found an empty seat right behind one of the main walkways. Unfortunately, it turned out to be another gabfest location in addition to what seemed like the only way to get to the food vendors and the restrooms. I had to bob and weave more than Ali ever did in the ring, just to see the game.
The worst of it were the 3 young men, North Carolina fans, that had obviously overused the beer gardens prior to the game and apparently violated stadium rules that prohibited bringing in any liquid, intoxicating or otherwise. When they decided to leave the seats they had purchased and moved into a section dominated by Fresno State fans, things got a little testy. A member of the security staff, followed by a couple of ushers confronted the unruly fans first. They left the section but returned with 5 members of the local sheriffs department and the 3 were escorted from the premises to the applause of everyone nearby. Unfortunately, the unruly bastards thought they were being taken to the beer garden and continued to celebrate all the way out. I don't think they have a beer garden and the county jail!
So people, if you go the the ballgame and take your kids, glue their ass to the seat and put tape over their mouths. It's not a who's who society gathering and it is not the place to show your intoxicated ass. Just let us watch the game.
Oh, and, go Bulldogs!
But that's not the main story today, actually it starts with a question, and the question is, if you pay good money to go to the CWS shouldn't you watch the game and let those of us that want to do just that enjoy it? Well, you would think so but some people can't keep their ass in a chair or their mouth shut.
My assigned seat was next to a 300 plus pound gentlemen on my left and a woman from Ohio (not Sybil) on my right who kept an ongoing conversation with a woman and her two daughters in front of us about where all the good shopping was and where could she get some good nachos (hint, you really can't in Omaha). The recommendation from the native was to go to a place that serves a combination of Mexican food and pizza whose slogan in nacho typical restaurant. Again, no, no, NO!
After the 4th inning I had all I could stand of that so I found an empty seat right behind one of the main walkways. Unfortunately, it turned out to be another gabfest location in addition to what seemed like the only way to get to the food vendors and the restrooms. I had to bob and weave more than Ali ever did in the ring, just to see the game.
The worst of it were the 3 young men, North Carolina fans, that had obviously overused the beer gardens prior to the game and apparently violated stadium rules that prohibited bringing in any liquid, intoxicating or otherwise. When they decided to leave the seats they had purchased and moved into a section dominated by Fresno State fans, things got a little testy. A member of the security staff, followed by a couple of ushers confronted the unruly fans first. They left the section but returned with 5 members of the local sheriffs department and the 3 were escorted from the premises to the applause of everyone nearby. Unfortunately, the unruly bastards thought they were being taken to the beer garden and continued to celebrate all the way out. I don't think they have a beer garden and the county jail!
So people, if you go the the ballgame and take your kids, glue their ass to the seat and put tape over their mouths. It's not a who's who society gathering and it is not the place to show your intoxicated ass. Just let us watch the game.
Oh, and, go Bulldogs!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Odds & Ends
First of all, to answer the question from CK, yes the hat is a new addition. The top of my head has been getting a little too much sun.
Second, after they build the hotel on Alcatraz island, will the guests show up? Will the trip there and back be free and where will they park? Will some try to swim back to the mainland?
Finally, Friday the 13th was another uneventful day in the life of Daddy and Nana Kaos. A decent round of golf after breakfast with friends was the highlight of the day. Then came Sunday with mixed results.
I got in line for CWS tickets around 7:30AM, waiting for the box office to open at 10:00 AM. I met a fan from LSU, a couple of guys from Pennsylvania (father and son together on Fathers Day) and a woman who kept telling anyone that would listen that if her car was towed, her father was going to have to pay the fee since he is the one that told her to park where ever it was she left her car. Then we waited for the storm to start.
A little after 8 there were a few drops, then some brilliant flashes of light followed by some rather loud and rude rumbles. About 8:15 the little drops got a bit larger and the wind picked up.
Just before this the LSU fan went over to the paper vendor and got some plastic bags and we all put our electronics in our bags just before we started thinking that maybe it was not a real good idea to be standing under this tree (but it was a worse idea to be leaning against the chain link fence or to hold a chair with metal legs upside down to keep the rain off (yes, there were people doing that).
With the combination of the rain, wind and lightening strikes, I decided to vacate my position in line and went to shelter in a nearby portable toilet. Thank the good lord that they had just been refreshed and since I did not turn the "vacant" sign to "occupied" only one lady tried to take shelter as I had.
After about 30 minutes in the shelter the rain subsided and back in line we went (the two from Pa. were in the toilet next to mine, the LSU fan held steady with a small umbrella supplied by his wife that he called a hat cover). Then I was saved.
There are usually people walking the line with reserve tickets for sale. I had already turned down a few because they did not have the seats I was looking for. Then the right guy came along with a ticket just past the dugout on the first base side of the field about 15 rows up. After forking out the normal ticket price (scalpers are shot on site at the CWS), I left for the safety of home before the next wave of storms (actually they never came).
So back to the ballpark and with ticket in hand I enter to watch the Fresno State - Rice first round game.....and as usual, the Fresno crowd is out in full force and loud. The team must have fed off of the fans, they score four runs in the 2nd inning. After four home runs and some great pitching they wind up with a 17 to 5 win so it's back to the series tomorrow against North Carolina (the team that Oregon State beat last year for the title0 and that means I'm back in line tomorrow (hopefully I can stay away from portable shelters).
Now to the Friday the 13th part. We had to have a fan motor for our air conditioner last Monday (it started making a funny sound and the fan did not seem to be working). After I got home from the game, the unit was on and making a funny noise again, then it shut down. I cranked the temp down to get it to come back on, nothing.
Downstairs I go and and it hits me, that electrical burning smell that tells me to shut it off, now! Outside to check to see if the fan is running before I shut it down and I see this:
That is copper tubing not white plastic PVC pipe and it is 90 degrees outside. The tubing is frozen, a result of the fan blower motor not functioning. We had the condenser motor replaced last Monday because the repairman said that was the problem. Today we replaced the blower motor.
Lucky for us that it was another top 10 day and we did not need the air and the AC repair company gave us a credit for not finding the problem the first go round.
Second, after they build the hotel on Alcatraz island, will the guests show up? Will the trip there and back be free and where will they park? Will some try to swim back to the mainland?
Finally, Friday the 13th was another uneventful day in the life of Daddy and Nana Kaos. A decent round of golf after breakfast with friends was the highlight of the day. Then came Sunday with mixed results.
I got in line for CWS tickets around 7:30AM, waiting for the box office to open at 10:00 AM. I met a fan from LSU, a couple of guys from Pennsylvania (father and son together on Fathers Day) and a woman who kept telling anyone that would listen that if her car was towed, her father was going to have to pay the fee since he is the one that told her to park where ever it was she left her car. Then we waited for the storm to start.
A little after 8 there were a few drops, then some brilliant flashes of light followed by some rather loud and rude rumbles. About 8:15 the little drops got a bit larger and the wind picked up.
Just before this the LSU fan went over to the paper vendor and got some plastic bags and we all put our electronics in our bags just before we started thinking that maybe it was not a real good idea to be standing under this tree (but it was a worse idea to be leaning against the chain link fence or to hold a chair with metal legs upside down to keep the rain off (yes, there were people doing that).
With the combination of the rain, wind and lightening strikes, I decided to vacate my position in line and went to shelter in a nearby portable toilet. Thank the good lord that they had just been refreshed and since I did not turn the "vacant" sign to "occupied" only one lady tried to take shelter as I had.
After about 30 minutes in the shelter the rain subsided and back in line we went (the two from Pa. were in the toilet next to mine, the LSU fan held steady with a small umbrella supplied by his wife that he called a hat cover). Then I was saved.
There are usually people walking the line with reserve tickets for sale. I had already turned down a few because they did not have the seats I was looking for. Then the right guy came along with a ticket just past the dugout on the first base side of the field about 15 rows up. After forking out the normal ticket price (scalpers are shot on site at the CWS), I left for the safety of home before the next wave of storms (actually they never came).
So back to the ballpark and with ticket in hand I enter to watch the Fresno State - Rice first round game.....and as usual, the Fresno crowd is out in full force and loud. The team must have fed off of the fans, they score four runs in the 2nd inning. After four home runs and some great pitching they wind up with a 17 to 5 win so it's back to the series tomorrow against North Carolina (the team that Oregon State beat last year for the title0 and that means I'm back in line tomorrow (hopefully I can stay away from portable shelters).
Now to the Friday the 13th part. We had to have a fan motor for our air conditioner last Monday (it started making a funny sound and the fan did not seem to be working). After I got home from the game, the unit was on and making a funny noise again, then it shut down. I cranked the temp down to get it to come back on, nothing.
Downstairs I go and and it hits me, that electrical burning smell that tells me to shut it off, now! Outside to check to see if the fan is running before I shut it down and I see this:
That is copper tubing not white plastic PVC pipe and it is 90 degrees outside. The tubing is frozen, a result of the fan blower motor not functioning. We had the condenser motor replaced last Monday because the repairman said that was the problem. Today we replaced the blower motor.
Lucky for us that it was another top 10 day and we did not need the air and the AC repair company gave us a credit for not finding the problem the first go round.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
It's Just Not Right
Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press and Washington Bureau Chief for NBC died on Friday at the age of 58. He had just returned from a trip to Italy with his wife and son. The trip was a celebration of the graduation of his son, Luke, from college.
With his wife and son still in Italy, Russert returned to Washington D.C. to work on Sunday's Meet the Press. He collapsed shorting after completing the opening for the show.
Tim Russert epitomized what every journalist should be, he was fair, he was tough, he was well loved and he died much too soon. Rest will Tim, we well miss you.
With his wife and son still in Italy, Russert returned to Washington D.C. to work on Sunday's Meet the Press. He collapsed shorting after completing the opening for the show.
Tim Russert epitomized what every journalist should be, he was fair, he was tough, he was well loved and he died much too soon. Rest will Tim, we well miss you.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Shame on Them
On Wednesday evening four young men died as the result of a tornado that wiped out a Boy Scout camp near Little Sioux, Iowa while they were attending a leadership camp out. Forty-eight others at the camp were injured, some seriously.
There were approximately 125 people at the campsite when the tornado hit so I guess we should be thankful that only four lost their life.
While the loss of any life is a true tragedy, the real tragedy here is that on Thursday the scout leadership was out soliciting funds. I know of this because a fellow golfer told me a representative of the scouts stopped by his office today asking for donations.
This to me is an obvious attempt to take advantage of a very tragic event. Shame on the Midwest Council of the Boy Scouts of America, you do not represent the true meaning of scouting, instead you only show callous greed in your effort to capitalize on this sad event.
There were approximately 125 people at the campsite when the tornado hit so I guess we should be thankful that only four lost their life.
While the loss of any life is a true tragedy, the real tragedy here is that on Thursday the scout leadership was out soliciting funds. I know of this because a fellow golfer told me a representative of the scouts stopped by his office today asking for donations.
This to me is an obvious attempt to take advantage of a very tragic event. Shame on the Midwest Council of the Boy Scouts of America, you do not represent the true meaning of scouting, instead you only show callous greed in your effort to capitalize on this sad event.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Movie Day
Yesterday I did something that I have not done in a long time. In fact I can't really remember the last time it happened (but the memory does seem to fail with age).
What was it you ask. Well, I sat in my recliner and cried like a baby, all because of a movie. I've always known I'm a soft touch, Sleepless in Seattle will still bring a tear to my eye.
However, I did not expect yesterday's reaction at all.
It was movie day at home. We started with I Am Legend. About 1/2 way through, NK said she did not want that movie in her house again. Then she started to waiver. By the end it was something we should probably get.
Then we watched the one that emptied my tear ducts. The critics panned it, did not hear anything good about it. I don't pay much attention to them and I like the two stars so as soon as it came out I moved it up to the top of the list on Netflix. It came in the mail on Tuesday and since I did not think I would be playing in league yesterday, we decided to watch movies all day.
After it was obvious that we would at least attempt to get some golf time in we stopped after the 2nd movie, you know the one that made me blubber.
Oh, I forgot to mention the title didn't I.
Well.
It was.....
The Bucket List. I laughed and I cried and I loved it.
What was it you ask. Well, I sat in my recliner and cried like a baby, all because of a movie. I've always known I'm a soft touch, Sleepless in Seattle will still bring a tear to my eye.
However, I did not expect yesterday's reaction at all.
It was movie day at home. We started with I Am Legend. About 1/2 way through, NK said she did not want that movie in her house again. Then she started to waiver. By the end it was something we should probably get.
Then we watched the one that emptied my tear ducts. The critics panned it, did not hear anything good about it. I don't pay much attention to them and I like the two stars so as soon as it came out I moved it up to the top of the list on Netflix. It came in the mail on Tuesday and since I did not think I would be playing in league yesterday, we decided to watch movies all day.
After it was obvious that we would at least attempt to get some golf time in we stopped after the 2nd movie, you know the one that made me blubber.
Oh, I forgot to mention the title didn't I.
Well.
It was.....
The Bucket List. I laughed and I cried and I loved it.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The Greatest Show on Dirt
I now think I know why we have been unable to sell our house. It's Karma, fate, good fortune or whatever it is you want to call it. I know that someone reading this already has a pretty good idea what I'm talking about but for those in the dark I'll tell you why I am glad we are still here.
You see, the Greatest Show on Dirt is all about the College World Series.
They play their first game against Rice on Sunday so I'll be in line early Sunday morning and for every game after that to get a ticket.
You see, the Greatest Show on Dirt is all about the College World Series.
They play their first game against Rice on Sunday so I'll be in line early Sunday morning and for every game after that to get a ticket.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
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