a little bit of everything

Hail to the Chief

2008-11-04T22:54:00.003-06:00

President Barack Obama

Maverick

2008-10-07T01:51:00.003-05:00

Maverick and Goose

2008-10-07T01:42:00.004-05:00

Maverick (māv'ər-ĭk, māv'rĭk) noun.

An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it.
One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter.

Which definition fits best?

"No Way, No How, No McCain!"

2008-08-26T22:10:00.003-05:00

Senator Hillary Clinton delivered a one-two knock out punch at the Democratic National Convention. She was equal parts inspirational, motivational, and critical. If this speech didn't inspire and motivate her supporters and any other undecided Democrats then I don't know what will. The warm and witty Hillary that was lost towards the end of the primary season was back with a vengeance. She was appropriately, and hilariously critical of McCain, Bush, and the Republicans. She also provided several headline making sound bites. If you missed her speech I urge you watch it!

"If you are tired, keep going; if you are scared, keep going; if you are hungry, keep going; if you want to taste freedom, keep going."
-Harriet Tubman

Texas High School + SECOND Highest GPA = Valedictorian ?

2008-05-29T21:54:00.002-05:00

Just when I think the education system can't dishearten me any further this happens. On June 7, 16 year old Anjali Datta will graduate from Grapevine High School with a GPA of 5.898. Not only is this the highest of all 471 Grapevine seniors, it is believed to be the highest GPA in the school's history. However Anjali will not be the Valedictorian, that honor, along with a one year college scholarship, will go to 18 year old Tyler Franklin. Tyler is no slouch with a GPA of 5.64, but still he is ranked second behind Anjali. So why the Valedictorian mix-up?

Apparently the school board policy states, "The Valedictorian shall be the eligible student with the highest weighted grade-point average for four years of high school." Anjali is graduating after only three years. So we're going to punish kids who graduate high school early? Sorry, Anjali you're just too smart to be the Valedictorian. How does this make any sense? Oh right, it's the education system, it's not supposed to make sense.

I hope the members of the school board can live with their decision to cheat this intelligent young woman of both her Valedictorian status and her scholarship.

Tease

2008-04-14T18:10:00.001-05:00

I'm going to go down on you.
Make you extremely happy.
Then I'm going to come back up slowly,
and screw you real good!

Yours Truly,

Gas Prices

Enough Said

2008-04-14T18:03:00.003-05:00

Purchase this button and other fun items at democraticstuff.com

Here's the story of a man named Bushy....

2008-04-13T18:07:00.002-05:00

Happy Ferris Wheel Day

2008-02-14T10:36:00.001-06:00

Have a splendid Ferris Wheel Day!

Can't We All Just Get Along?

2008-02-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

Maybe with Coke anything is possible!

Happy Super Tuesday!

Bottle of Justus

2008-01-11T16:05:00.000-06:00

www.myspace.com/bottleofjustus

check 'em out!

How Many Children Left Behind?

2008-01-07T23:38:00.000-06:00

President Bush came to Chicago to boast about the wonder that is No Child Left Behind. Ironic seeing as NCLB has not been kind or helpful to the Chicago Public School System. This ridiculous policy has left countless children, teachers, and schools behind. A Chicago Sun-Times article features three students who've been negatively effected by this law.

NCLB states that by 2014 every child, regardless of race, income, or disability, should perform (i.e. test) at grade level. Which begs the question....what grade level would our Commander in Chief test at?

But don't get crazy!

2007-12-12T20:57:00.000-06:00

Gee, I wonder why food service people get such a bum rap?

The hilarious Anjelah Johnson is now a featured player on MADtv.

Hand not Included

2007-11-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

I was perusing the vast world wide web for a new strap for my camera, when I came across a website for Wolfe's Cameras, Camcorders, and Computers; not to be confused with Wolf Camera. This picture was featured alongside the listing for the Promaster Leather Grip Strap ($31.99). Thankfully they clarified what was included in the order, I would have been really disappointed if I ordered this and didn't receive a free camera and right hand with the purchase of my strap.

It's A Right Alright

2007-10-04T00:10:00.000-05:00

And one our president holds very near and dear to his heart.

Have a look at a classic Saturday Night Live sketch featuring two of my favorites, Gilda Radner and Candice Bergen.

Muddy Buddy

2007-08-10T17:07:00.000-05:00

The Muddy Buddy Ride and Run: a fun, challenging, and muddy race. Can't wait till next year!

Windex Works

2007-08-10T17:05:00.000-05:00

For Wayne.

Beyonce rhymes with Beyonce?

2007-02-07T00:40:00.000-06:00

Let's play a rhyming game!

book...cook...look...took

call...hall...ball...wall

easy...breezy...sneezy

Beyonce....fiance

minute....minute?

Hold up, you can't rhyme a word with itself can you? According to Beyonce you can, here's a verse from her latest single Irreplaceable.

You must not know 'bout me
You must not know 'bout me
I could have another you in a minute
Matter fact, he'll be here in a minute (baby)

Beyonce must not know 'bout rhyming. Which is strange seeing as her boyfriend, Jay-Z, is arguably one of the best rappers in the industry. Don't you think he could have stepped in and said, "hey sweetie, you can't really rhyme a word with itself so let's come up with another word besides minute." If she were having trouble finding a suitable word she could just make up a word that rhymes, like Dr. Suess would. Or she could copy the technique of most rappers and slightly distort the pronunciation of a word to make it fit, for example:

I could have another you in a minute
Matter fact, he'll be here in a instant (baby)

I'm not sure why this bothers me so much. Maybe it's because I'm an English teacher. Maybe it's because I'm a bit of a dork. Perhaps a little of both. But virtually every time I'm in the car this song comes on the radio, it's been annoying me for quite sometime and it's beginning to drive me a little bonkers. I can't be the only one that finds this annoying. Can I?

Da Bears!

2007-01-22T00:28:00.000-06:00

The city Chicago is once again doing the Super Bowl Shuffle. The Bears easily defeated the New Orleans Saints to capture the NFC crown and win a trip to their first Super Bowl since 1985.

Let's revisit that historic and multi-talented '85 team.

The music, the lyrics, the choreography, the effects...it's a music video masterpiece!

one of a kind art show

2006-12-02T22:14:00.000-06:00

As some of you may know a couple weeks ago I participated in the Starbucks Partner Art Show aptly titled Avant Grande. This is the second year that I have shown some of my photographs and like last year it was a fun time, complete with free booze. I was quite content with the evening and the feedback I'd received from others but surprisingly enough the ride wasn't over. A few days after the show I found out that one of my pictures had been selected to be displayed in the Starbucks booth at the One of a Kind Art Show and Sale. To say that I'm shocked is a huge understatement. I don't really consider myself to be an "artist" but it's a great opportunity and what have I got to lose?

one of a kind art show and sale
The Merchandise Mart (8^th floor)
Chicago, IL

First Look Evening (Open to Public)
Thursday, December 7, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m.

Friday, December 8, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Saturday, December 9, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday, December 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

www.zhibit.org/noelt

http://www.merchandisemart.com/oneofakindshow/index.html

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T11:50:00.000-06:00

Avant Grande

2006-11-16T19:34:00.000-06:00

Avant Grande Partner Art Show
November 17, 2006
7pm - 12am
Merchandise Mart
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza
Chicago, IL 60654

Starbucks partners (employees) have been creating visually stimulating art in Starbucks Coffeehouses for years. It began with their chalkboard creative. And then - one day a partner had a vision... Create an event where fellow partners could showcase their art for everyone to enjoy!

Avant Grande began in 2003 and features the works of Starbucks Partners in photography, paintings, sculpture and more.

Tickets on sale at the door for $20
100% of the proceeds will benefit our non-profit partners Redmoon Theater and Gallery 37 in support of the arts.

I'm showing a couple photographs as are a couple of my fellow Baristas from the Grand Ave store. So if you're free tomorrow night come on down...the booze is free!

Brush with Barack

2006-11-06T16:49:00.000-06:00

Mid-Term Madness has been sweeping the nation. This time tomorrow the Democratic Party may have regained control of the House and/or Senate. Today candidates across the country were pulling out all the stops to secure votes. For Democratic candidates here in Illinois that meant having political superstar Barack Obama stump for you. Being the good Democrat that I am I made my way to the College of Lake County campus late this morning to attend a rally in support of our Congresswoman. Okay, who am I kidding; I went to see Barack Obama. And I wasn't disappointed.

Barack Obama is larger than life! Everything you see on television, the charisma, the intelligence, the genuineness, all of it, magnify it by 100 and just maybe you can imagine what the man is like in real life.

I was able to meet him, shake his hand, and briefly talk to him. Although he was being bombarded in every direction like a rock star our minute long conversation was just that a conversation. We spoke about education and the need to reform No Child Left Behind. When I told him that I had been laid off by two different school districts as a result of NCLB he looked me in the eye, shook my hand and apologized. "Noel I am so sorry, that's not right, we need to keep our teachers in our schools" were his exact words. I didn't know what to say, I was momentarily speechless. I hadn't received this much empathy from my principals when they delivered the bad news. But here I was face to face with a man who could one day be our President. Right then and there he gave me the audacity of hope.

Mid-Term Madness

2006-11-06T16:26:00.000-06:00

If you are unaware of the mid-term Congressional elections taking place tomorrow you must be living under a rock. Republicans are in grave danger of loosing control of both the House and Senate. While I'm excited for the Democrats to regain control of Congress I'm also excited for this election to be over. This election season has been dirtier than ever. A majority of the commercials on the air the last few weeks are negative campaign ads. My phone has been ringing off the hook with pre-recorded messages from candidates and those stumping for them. We've even been getting campaign calls at the Starbucks I work at. When is enough enough?

The bottom line is you need to vote. Don't let the negativity of the candidates and parties turn you off. The only way to have your voice heard is to vote!

Detroit Tigers World Series Bound

2006-10-15T23:12:00.000-05:00

Exactly 22 years after winning the World Series in 1984 the Detroit Tigers sweep the Oakland A's and win the American League Pennant. The Tigers have not been to the World Series since winning it in 1984 and just three years ago set an American League record for most losses in a season (119). Talk about a turn around. This is a great baseball team with a lot of great players and a wonderful manager in Jim Leyland. But they also have a little something extra working for them, my Grandma Sally. My Grandmother was a die-hard Tiger fan, she could rattle off rosters and stats like a sportscaster, she even worked at Tiger Stadium when she was younger. My Grandmother passed away earlier this year after a long and heartbreaking battle with Alzheimer's. I am not the most religious person, but I can't help but wonder if she is up in heaven leading this team to victory. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but whatever it is it's bringing a whole lot of joy and solace to me and my family. Keep up the good work Tigers. Win it; for yourselves, for the city of Detroit, and for my Grandma Sally!

One Man's Opinion

2006-07-20T00:24:00.000-05:00

I don't know why things like this continue to surprise me but they still do. As I was reading an article in the Chicago Tribune about Washington's State Supreme Court long delayed ruling on gay marriage I came across a somewhat idiotic quote.

In 2004, a judge in Seattle's King County, William Downing, struck down the marriage act, saying there was no legitimate reason to deny gays and lesbians the right to marry each other.

Joseph Fuiten, the president of Washington Evangelicals for Responsible Government, said at the time he was "flabbergasted" by the ruling.

"It's astounding that one man's opinion can turn human history on its head," said Fuiten, who also heads the Faith and Freedom Network, a Christian political lobbying group based in suburban Seattle.

Mr. Fuiten, I'm pretty sure that judges make their rulings based on laws and fact, not just their opinions. Judge Downing even states in his ruling that there is no legitimate reason to deny gays and lesbians the right to marry. He doesn't say it's his opinion that they should be allowed to marry.

But you know what, Mr. Fuiten is partially right, it is astounding how one man's opinion can turn history on its head. Let's review....

In George Bush's opinion Iraq was hiding WMDs, so, let's go to war with them and ignore the guy who flew planes into the World Trade Center.

In George Bush's opinion gay marriage is immoral and imposes on the religious sanctity of marriage, so, let's ignore the Constitution's clear stance on separation of church and state and create and support a law banning gay marriage.

In Osama Bin Laden's opinion American's are evil and should be punished, so, let's fly airplanes into several important and highly populated buildings.

Indeed it is amazing how one man's opinion can change the course of history.

World Cup: New Marketing Strategy

2006-07-16T13:01:00.000-05:00

Things have been a bit hectic for me lately and I wasn't able to write about the World Cup at all while it was going on. But I have to say that the officiating and playing done at this year's Cup has given FIFA a better way to market soccer to Americans. As anyone who has played or watched competitive soccer will tell you it is a rough and tumble sport. A full fledged contact sport without the benefit of large amounts of padding. As much as I would hate for that aspect of the game to be exploited if you want most American men to embrace the game that's what you've got to do. Going into the championship match this World Cup had seen more red and yellow penalty cards than any other previous Cup, but then came "the head-butt seen around the world." French captain Zinadine Zidane allowed 90+ minutes of frustration and trash talk get to him and proceeded to head-butt Italian defender Materazzi. For days following this incident I heard more men talking about soccer than I ever have before. While there is more to soccer than violence, if FIFA wants to increase it's American male audience they should use the footage of Zinadine Zidane to market the next World Cup.

Click here for some humorous versions of the head-butt, courtesy of The Register.

Bottle of Justus

2006-06-05T18:00:00.000-05:00

Everybody remembers those college bands that played the various bars and parties during the glory days of college. While Bottle of Justus may have formed in college they are more than a college band. They're a talented, geniune rock band that is poised for a long, successful career.

I first discovered BOJ during my days at Illinois State University and quickly became a fan, as did much of the student body. Since those college days they've expanded beyond the Central Illinois circuit and have played in some big venues. This past Saturday they played an incredible show at the House of Blues in Chicago. This wasn't their first time at the House of Blues and it's far from their last.

Check out the music of Bottle of Justus on their homepage, myspace, or iTunes. And if you're in the Chicagoland area you can see BOJ live in Milwaukee this Friday, June 9, or at the Lakeside Festival in Crystal Lake on June 24.

All in the name of who?!

2006-04-09T21:33:00.000-05:00

I'm speechless!

I just read this on South Coast Journal.

Via Crooks and Liars: After admitting that he and a co-worker punished eighteen pre-teen boys by making them lay down on their beds and shoving a broom stick into their backsides, 19-year old camp counselor Clifton Bennett will avoid doing any prison time.

It seems his father, Arizona State Senator Ken Bennett (Republican of Prescott), wrote a letter to the Yavapai County District Attorney handling the case informing her that his son could not rightfully serve time in jail, as he is preparing to leave the country to teach the word of Christ to youth around the world.

And the D.A. went for it. "This is hardly the work of sexual predators. Rather, it is the work of two young men repeatedly making poor decisions." She said in a written statement.

Wow. The party of family values, indeed.

Outraged? Call the Senator's district office (602-542-5584) and/or the Yavapai County Attorney's office(928-771-3344).*

I am not a religious person, but I'm pretty sure Christ, or any other higher power, would frown upon people using his name to get out of such heinous acts. Senator Bennett and the District attorney should be ashamed of themselves for using both religion and their power as a shield from the law!

*If you choose to contact either office try to be as civil as possible. While it may be difficult it will make your statement much stronger.

Adorkable

2006-04-06T22:44:00.000-05:00

Adorkable adj. extremely charming, cute, nerdy, intelligent, worthy of being adored.

Why lust after a hot guy when you're much better off with an adorkable one? Anyone can be born with great looks and athleticism. It is much more impressive to be cute, charming, intelligent, and a little nerdy.

For the past couple years the entertainment industry has had an insurgence of adorkable actors and musicians, and many of us our falling in love.

If you're still at a loss for who exactly could be considered adorkable I'll give you some examples, however ultimately it's all in the eye of the beholder. Here is just a small sampling of the adorkable ones:

Adorkable musicians: John Mayer, Josh Kelley, Jack Johnson

Adorkable actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Zach Braff, Adam Brody, Andy Samburg, T.R. Knight

Like I said this is just a small sampling, if I've left one of your favorites off I apologize, but feel free to share. Who is the most adorkable guy in the entertainment industry? People magazine can keep their sexiest man alive, I want to know who the most adorkable guy alive is.

Air Candace

2006-03-19T23:26:00.000-06:00

Tennessee freshman, Candace Parker did what no other woman has done in the game of basketball, she dunked the ball...TWICE! This was the first time a woman dunked in the NCAA tournament, and the first time a woman dunked twice in one game. These dunks were so significant to the game of basketball that ABC broke into an NBA game to show the clips.
Parker, and Illinois native, was making a few statements with her dunks today. She was forewarning basketball fans everywhere that the woman's game is about to launch into a new arena. She was reminding the pundits that Courtney Paris may not be the hands-down winner of the freshman of the year award. But mostly she was thumbing her nose to the NCAA selection committee for slapping her team in the face. With their dominating win today the Lady Vols made it loud and clear that they are not only a force to be reckoned with, but they are hardly a 2 seed.
Will there be more dunks to come in this tournament? Who knows, but I'm sure Candace Parker will keep basketball fans on the edges of their seats for years to come.

More on her dunks including clips can be seen here.

March Madness

2006-03-19T23:01:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again. NCAA college basketball fever has struck the nation. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry, will formulate their brackets and try to predict the outcome of the NCAA tournament. For those of you who aren't followers of the tournament you may not be aware of the double meaning of March Madness. Madness not only refers to excitement of the whole tournament, but also to the sheer insanity of some of the decisions made by the NCAA selection committee. The errors made in the men's tournament are analyzed before, during, and after the tournament. However, many people may not realize that just as many, if not more, errors are made in the women's tournament. Just as with the men's side you have your share of teams left out, mis-seeded, or placed in odd brackets. An example of two of these mistakes was the ludicrous decision to give Tennessee a 2 seed, and place them in the same bracket as the overall #1 seed, North Carolina. Tennessee's coach, Pat Summitt, will tell you that this is a slap in the face. And she has a point. How can a team that won their conference tournament (over LSU who happened to get a 1 seed), played the toughest schedule in the nation, and was ranked second in the RPI, possibly get a 2 seed? Hell if I know! What I do know is that it is not wise to upset Pat Summitt, the Lady Vols, or their fans.

Academy Awards

2006-03-05T00:31:00.000-06:00

My award show has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R... Sorry about that I couldn't resist.

This blog isn't the only thing being neglected, so are the movies. I'm embarrassed by how few Oscar movies I've seen this year. Last year, amazingly enough, my sister and I managed to see every movie nominated in the 8 major categories; this year I think I can count on one hand how many Oscar flicks I've seen. I figured it'd be pretty difficult to duplicate last year's movie-going feat but I didn't expect to fall so short. I guess if you're going to fall short might as well fall really short.

Despite the fact that I haven't seen many of the nominated films I'm going to make some semi-educated predictions about the awards.

Best Picture:
Brokeback Mountain seems to have this award locked up, it's been winning awards like crazy and I don't see it stopping tonight. Crash is a wonderful movie that could possibly slip through but I doubt it. I'm betting on Brokeback.

Best Director:
Who is greatly responsible for making a best picture? That would be the director so count on Ang Lee, director of Brokeback Mountain, snagging this prize.

Best Actor:
As a movie fan I love seeing great movies with outstanding performances, but come awards season it gets a little bittersweet. Why? Because you have more than one actor who gave the performance of a lifetime and only one will win. Both Heath Ledger and Philip Seymour Hoffman gave "really really ridiculously good" (can anyone name the movie this quote comes from?) performances in Brokeback Mountain and Capote respectively. It's not fair but only one of them can win, and it will probably be Hoffman. He's been racking up the awards and this should be no different.

Best Actress:
Here we go again. Reese Witherspoon from Walk the Line and Felicity Huffman of Transamerica are the two front runners, deservedly so. Both incredible performances by great actors whose abilities have been overlooked for too long. So who will win? Hell if I know! My heart goes with Felicity who I've loved since the Sports Night days. But will they award a TV actor an Oscar? There are still many snobby Academy members out there who may think she's not worthy of the award. I think Reese has a slight edge here and I wouldn't be disappointed if she won.

Best Supporting Actor:
Paul Giamatti has a couple things going for him, he was completely snubbed last year for his amazing work in Sideways, and he really was good in Cinderella Man. He's taken home a majority of the previous awards and has a pretty big edge going into the Oscars. But...The Academy nominated George Clooney, the handsomest man in the world, in 3 different categories this year. It's highly unlikely that he'll win either the directing or screenplay awards and if the voters don't want him to go home empty handed they may award him here. Let's just hope they haven't seen Batman and Robin lately. Also...Jake Gyllenhaal, future father of my children, or Matt Dillon, let's do it for Johnny, could sneak in if Giamatti and Clooney split most of the votes. I love all these guys and would be happy if any of them wins but I think Giamatti has a slight edge.

Best Supporting Actress:
If I were to rank the five nominees Rachel Weisz would be at the bottom of my list, but that doesn't really matter much seeing as she's probably going to take home this award. I'm guessing if she wins the Oscar she's not really going to care that I like the other 4 actors better than her. It'd be great if Brokeback could win at least one acting award and Michelle Williams has erased all memories of Dawson's Creek with her role in this film. Not only was Catherine Keener great in Capote but she scored big laughs this past summer in 40-Year Old Virgin. And let's not forget Amy Adams who stole the spotlight in Junebug. If the Academy resorts back to their old ways of awarding young up-and-coming actors in this category Adams will runaway with it.

There you have it my semi-educated Oscar predictions. Who knows how it will all turn out? The one thing we can count on is a damn funny show with John Stewart hosting.

Many Apologies

2006-03-05T00:24:00.000-06:00

I'm very sorry for my lack of postings the past few months. Working 2 jobs while searching for a permanent teaching position hasn't left me with as much free time as I would like so a lot of things have been neglected, this blog being one of them. I promise to make a bigger effort to get more posts done.

Coffee

2006-01-08T22:47:00.000-06:00

Who could've ever imagined that we'd be paying as much as $6.00 (depending on size, flavors, strength) for a cup of caffeine? As ridiculous as this sounds I'm sure most of us are guilty of paying a bit more than the $1.50 the gas station charges for a cup of coffee. I'm not ashamed to admit that I probably pay too much for this legal drug. Not only am I a user I'm a part-time dealer, or barista if you want to get technical. I know that everybody has their own personal favorite drink that you just can't live without, but have you ever stopped to think about how absurd it all is? The silly drink names (fa la la la latte), the wacky sizes (small=tall), the endless modifications (half-caf, skinny, bone dry). Does anybody really understand what they're ordering? But you know what, I don't care, absurd or not give me my double-tall, nonfat, extra caramel, extra foamy, Caramel Macchiato. And go ahead and charge me $3.46 for it!

For those of you who don't take yourselves or your coffee too seriously here's a couple entertaining animated videos:

Small, Medium, Large

Coffee-House Propaganda

You can't have it both ways.

2005-11-17T09:49:00.000-06:00

In a small school district in a far Northwestern suburb of Chicago a great debate has been brewing for the past few years. Actually debate is the wrong word, see debate implies that it's an intellectual argument when it really is a bunch of middle class and upper middle class parents whining about schools and money. According to many parents in the towns of Richmond and Spring Grove Illinois, Nippersink District 2 has not done an adequate job of teaching their children. But a year and a half ago these same parents voted down an education referendum which resulted in the loss of 18 teachers in the district. Okay, that makes sense, the schools are doing a "poor job" so lets cut 18 teachers resulting in huge class sizes and a loss of programs. I was one of the unlucky18 to be cut, however looking back maybe I got the better end of the deal. Last school year as a result of the cuts my former colleagues at the middle school had 35+ kids in each class, a handful had 40+, oh and they also lost one of their plan periods. I see in order to improve their children's education the community voted, by over 80%, to increase class sizes making it extremely difficult to attend to each child's need, and reduce the amount of time the teachers had to prepare for class. Is this supposed to be some kind of reverse psychology?

As if this wasn't bad enough the teacher's union has been dealing with difficult contract negotiations since February. Due to the failed referendum and reduced state funds (thanks to Georgie's ingenious No Child Left Behind) the district is hurting for money. What's the answer to the money problem? According to the District 2 school board and administration you should take the money from the teacher's salaries and benefits. Because you know teachers are over paid. The thing is teachers weren't asking for huge raises, they were trying to keep what little they had, like adequate health and retirement benefits. What outrageous demands. After a Tuesday night negotiation meeting with a federal mediator the teachers were set to strike. Thinking of the interests of their students the teachers set the strike day for Thursday giving parents a day to plan for childcare. Luckily the school board realized the union wasn't bluffing and called a last minute meeting Wednesday afternoon and a contract was negotiated averting the strike.

The issues between the teachers, administration, school board and community are far from over. I only hope that these issues can start to be dealt with in a more civilized way. However knowing first hand how teachers are treated by the administration and board, that is unlikely. If you don't understand what I mean just take a look at what "concerned parent" Glen Samuel has to say about the teachers:

The community sent a clear message to the school board and teachers when 80 percent of voters shot down two education referendums in the last 13 months. In the real world, teachers would have got a pay cut. They would have got a benefit cut. These people would have been making a grave error going against the community. We pay our property taxes. We have a right to have the schools open.

Well the message you sent in voting down the referendums is that you value money and principal over education. And yes you have a right to have schools open but teachers have a right to earn a living. I agree that the financial structure of the education system is completely screwed up but don't take it out on the teachers. Take it up with the people who can actually do something about it like the local, state and federal governments.

Teachers aren't money hungry or greedy people. We know going into this profession that lower pay is something we have to deal with. But you have to draw the line somewhere. My wise friend, Lorie Comstock, put it best, "We're not in this for the money, but I don't want to be taken advantage of either."

White Sox Sweep Up

2005-10-27T23:51:00.000-05:00

Even if you aren't a White Sox fan you've got to tip your hat to a team that not only swept the World Series but also only suffered one loss in the entire post season. In addition to winning the championship the White Sox have shown the sports world and this country what it really means to play on a team.

Farewell Mrs. Parks

2005-10-25T20:16:00.000-05:00

"I was not tired physically, or no more than I usually was at the end of a working day," she said in her autobiography. "I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old. I was 42. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in."

Rosa Louise Parks 1913-2005

Go Sox

2005-10-17T13:49:00.000-05:00

Well it's finally happening, a baseball team from Chicago is going to the World Series. Last night the White Sox defeated the Angels clinching the American League Pennant, something they haven't done since 1959. While the Cubs may be the more popular and cursed team in Chicago the Sox are well past their due and no team is more deserving. The Sox dominated MLB for a good portion of the season. They were so dominant that just a month into the season sportscasters across the country had them picked to be exactly where they are right now. As fate would have it the Sox struggled late in the season giving us all a little scare and making us think that nothing good could ever happen to a Chicago baseball team. But they pushed through their slump and won their division and now they're looking like that dominant team we saw earlier in the season. I know I'm a bit partial being a Chicagoan, but I don't think there's a team out there that could beat them at this point. They swept last year's World Series champs the Boston Red Sox, and had little trouble defeating the Angels, a playoff series in which 4 Sox pitchers pitched complete games. I may be eating my words in a week but I do believe the Sox are going all the way. If they continue to play how they have throughout the playoffs neither St. Louis, or Houston stand a chance.

Marshall Field's, a Chicago Icon

2005-09-21T16:56:00.000-05:00

There are certain things one is reminded of when they think of Chicago; Michael Jordan, Wrigley Field, Al Capone, the 1968 Democratic Convention, the Sears Tower, the World's Fair, the '85 Bears, and Marshall Field's. Well as of yesterday morning that last one, Marshall Field's, will have to remain in our thoughts. Terry Lundgren, CEO of the Federated Department Stores and Field's new owners, gently broke the news to Mayor Daley that they would indeed be changing the names of all Marshall Field's stores to Macy's, ending months of speculation, begging, pleading, and petitioning by Chicagoans.

We'll have to chalk this up as yet another Chicago mainstay being lost in exchange for corporate naming rights. Anybody remember where Jordan and the Bulls won their first three titles? Not the United Center, the wondrous, albeit dilapidated, Chicago Stadium. I can understand why the stadium needed to be torn down and rebuilt, but did we also have to do away with it's name, not to mention destroy the world's largest pipe organ because it would cost too much to extract it. More recently the new Comiskey Park, a new stadium that kept the historic name, has been changed to U.S. Cellular Field, or the Cell for short. This caused an uproar with all Chicagoans, not just Sox fans, many of whom refuse to call it by it's new name. Now, come September 1, 2006, when the name change will be complete, we'll no longer see those forest green shopping bags bouncing up and down State Street, the Field's clock will be the Macy's clock, and Chicago will have lost another icon.

I understand that this is business and it all boils down to the all mighty dollar, no matter what PR spin Lundgren is putting on it, but still do we have no sense of history. Field's helped build this city just as Macy's did with New York. I have nothing against the Macy's stores, I've even been to the Macy's store in Herald Square and it was incredible. But how would New Yorkers and loyal Macy's shoppers feel if the roles were reversed? What if the Field's company bought out Macy's and wanted to change the name of all Macy's stores to Marshall Field's, including the famed Herald Square store? I'm sure that would not go over big, nor should it. And even though I'm not a New Yorker or a Macy's shopper I would still object. Field's is not New York, Macy's is, and Macy's isn't Chicago, Field's is Chicago.

I fear the day when our government can no longer afford the maintenance of our National Monuments. A map of Washington D.C. may too closely resemble a Wal-Mart aisle with the Parker Bros. Lincoln Memorial, the Velveeta Arlington National Cemetery, and the appropriately sponsored Trojan Washington Monument.

Keep Honking, I'm Reloading

2005-09-12T19:08:00.000-05:00

No, I have not decided to join the NRA, this lovely statement graced a bumper sticker on a vehicle in front of me this morning. What a nice cheerful thought to greet me on a Monday morning. This is precisely why I cannot give any intellectual credit to most anti-gun control supporters. Stunts like this do nothing to help your case, it actually adds fuel to the gun control fire. Whoever thought this bumper sticker was funny enough to print, sell, and purchase may want to pay a little more attention to the news. In a day and age when drive by's and road rage attacks are common happenings this is not funny, it's distasteful, crude, and just plain stupid. What is funny about insinuating that not only do you have a gun in your car, but you may use it if another driver pisses you off? For those people who claim to oppose gun control because they're sport shooters or hunters you should be disgusted by this too, because again, it's damaging your argument. However, to be honest I really don't understand the "I'm against gun control because I'm a hunter argument." Okay so you like to hunt, I'm no hunting expert but I believe rifles are the hunting weapon of choice, not modified machine guns. I'm not trying to keep people from being able to hunt, I'm trying to keep guns out of the hands of people with bumper stickers that read, "Keep honking, I'm reloading."

As a side note, surprisingly enough this bumper sticker was not on the back of a pick-up truck, but on a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Who new yuppies had such awful senses of humor.

Da Bears

2005-09-10T14:12:00.000-05:00

It's been 20 years since our beloved Chicago Bears won the Superbowl and had the whole country doing the Superbowl Shuffle. With the new NFL season underway Chicagoans and Bears fans everywhere can only hope for a return to the glory days, but don't hold your breath. Like last summer we all had high hopes after the team completed their training camp, but like last year, the injury fairy came along to burst our bubble. We now have our 64th starting quarterback in the last 20 years in rookie Kyle Orton, who is managing to look and play like a quarterback, unlike some of his more veteran predecessors. Head coach, Lovie Smith, has tweaked with the offensive line, and added more fire power to the back and receiving positions in the hopes that we will no longer have the worst offense in the league. So we go into this season the same way we go into most, with hope and faith that the Bears can make something good happen.

Bateman 365

2005-09-07T07:14:00.000-05:00

Bateman 365 is an innovative site in which artist Scott Bateman is producing an animated film every day for a year. Bateman is now 22 days into his production and has held true to his word. Not only has he produced a film for each of the past 22 days, he's produced creative, and comical ones some of which contain some biting commentary on the state of our government. He is only 22 days into his journey so it's not too late to get caught up with his clips by using the sites archive. I've included some of my favorites below:

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's Actual Commentary On the Bush Adminstrations Disaster Relief Efforts.

George W. Bush Springs into Action

Actual Excerpts From the President's Speech of 2/6/03

Politics Schmolitics: Karl Rove

The Bateman 365 Trailer

Hydrophobia

2005-09-03T23:10:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or does George W. seem to have an aversion to water? First in January his response to the tsunami was a bit too little too late. Fast forward 8 months and his response to Katrina is strangely similar. Apparently good 'ol George doesn't realize just how damaging water can be. Especially at extremely high volumes and when accompanied by violent, hellacious winds. Mr. President I am so sorry that both natural disasters interrupted your vacationing but get off your ass and do something!

Katrina

2005-09-02T20:14:00.000-05:00

At a time when we think the world and the U.S. can endure no more. At a time when we're almost done picking up the pieces from the last tragedy, Katrina strikes and brings devastation to our gulf coast. Millions of people are homeless and possesion-less. Hundreds of thousands more are dead or missing. Once again we must come to the aide of our fellow citizens. Forgive me for being redundant and posting the same information that's been seen on TV and other web sites, but I want to give you one more opportunity to donate if you haven't already. I know times are rough and money is tight but if the roles were reversed you can be damn sure the people of the gulf coast would be coming to your rescue. So please, anything you can afford to give, no donation is too small.

American Red Cross Katrina Relief

Dejavu?

2005-09-02T20:07:00.000-05:00

A Bush is in office, we're at war in the Persian Gulf, and we've just been struck by the worst hurricane in our history.

Forget his incompetence and insensitivity, these Bushes are plain bad luck.

He's Lost Something Alright

2005-08-18T23:30:00.000-05:00

Rush Limbaugh regarding Cindy Sheehan's Iraq war protest:

"Frankly, I'm also fed up-not fed up. I retract that. I'm weary, ladies and gentlemen, of even having to express sympathy. 'Oh, she lost her son!' Yes, yes, yes, but (sigh) we all lose things."

Okay dumbass, we're not talking about someone's car keys, or a perscription for painkillers. She didn't misplace her son. Her son died fighting in a war that doesn't have much of a cause. And the cause we were originally given was a lie. She simply wants to know what good is going to come from her son's sacrifice. Is that such an out of line question? We should all be asking that and Bush should be giving us straight answers. Let's not forget he is an elected public official, so he works for us. It's not unreasonable for us to hold him accountable for his actions.

P.S. Mr. Limbaugh would you be so weary of expressing sympathy to a republican parent who 'lost' their son?

Teachers Have it Easy

2005-08-16T09:53:00.000-05:00

We've all heard the saying before, "Those who can do, those who can't teach." It's one of the biggest loads of BS I've ever heard. I recently saw a rephrasing that is much more accurate, "Those who can do, those who can do more teach."

With the school year fast approaching I'm reminded of how much more we teachers do. Going into school well before the start of the year to prepare rooms and curriculum, continuing to work on curriculum for several hours at home, contacting students and parents, dealing with silly paperwork and inservice materials, and spending hundreds of dollars of our own money for student supplies and teaching materials. And this is all before the school year starts. Once the year starts we're spending countless hours outside of the teaching day working on lesson plans and grading, contacting parents, having our planning periods replaced by meetings, and still spending our own money on more supplies and materials.

For those of you who still think we "have it easy," you should read Teachers Have it Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers by Daniel Moulthrop, Ninive Clements Calegari, and Dave Eggers. If you can't put the time and effort into reading an entire book about teaching then at least read the Chicago Tribune's review of this book. Both the book and article, written by a former teacher, clearly describe what exactly teaching entails. It's much more than you can imagine. Marvin Hoffman, author of the Tribune's review puts it best:

Done right, teaching is one of the most intellectually challenging professions in the world, more challenging than many careers with much higher status and salaries. The kids in front of you really need you in ways that run infinitely deeper than most of my office-based friends ever feel needed at work. Every day is another page in a novel with a cast of 25-plus diverse and interesting characters.

Quote of the Week

2005-08-13T14:11:00.000-05:00

From the letters to the editor section in the August 15 edition in Time Magazine regarding their cover story on
Karl Rove:

The media are making the Plame case far too complicated. Bush can
no more fire Rove than dummy Charlie McCarthy could fire ventriloquist
Edgar Bergen.

Edmund C. Valentine
Wabasso, FL

Sweet Neo Con

2005-08-12T08:08:00.000-05:00

The Rolling Stones new album, "A Bigger Bang," will be released on September 6. I think it's pretty safe to say that the album won't be getting much fan fare from Bush and other conservatives. The song "Sweet Neo Con" pulls no punches when it comes to the right-leaners of America.

You call yourself a Christian, I call you a hypocrite
You call yourself a Patriot, well I think you're full of...

I still haven't figured out what they're full of but I know it's not good.

It's liberty for all, democracy's our style
Unless you disagree with us, then it's prison without trial

The Stones may be getting old but they're still holding onto their rebellious rocker style. I for one am eagerly awaiting the album's release.

Movie Theater Pet Peeves

2005-08-11T16:24:00.000-05:00

The August 5, 2005 edition of Entertainment Weekly contains a 5 page feature about the many many things that are ruining our movie going experiences. This has been a popular topic as of late. Last month the Red Eye (an offshoot of the Chicago Tribune) did a 2 page spread about this same topic, and I've been seeing little segments here and there on the various entertainment shows. Ladies and Gentlemen it all comes down to this, our movie going experiences are getting worse. Despite the new technology, better film quality, and newly designed state of the art theaters, movie theaters still aren't getting it right.

So, what's the problem? According to both the Red Eye piece and the main article from Entertainment Weekly there's not just one problem but many problems. I'm sure that as soon as you read the title of this post you came up with your own list of things that drive you nuts when you go to the movies. Most of us share the same pet peeves; over-priced tickets/snacks, dirty theaters, talkers, idiots who don't turn off their cell phones, and the newest most talked about problem today, the commercials. It used to be that if a movie was supposed to start at 7:00 you could figure it would really start at 7:05 maybe 7:10 because of the previews, now you're sitting through 15-20 minutes of commercials and previews. Now the previews I don't mind, I actually enjoy them, but the commercial madness has got to stop. At a recent movie outing I counted SIX commercials before we got to the previews. SIX, and three of them were for the same damn product (H2O). And these aren't the little 30 second spots they air on TV these are long and often times stupid commercials. A helpful hint to the theater owners, ad execs, and product CEO's; just because the commercials resemble movies or trailers doesn't mean we're going to like them, in fact most of us find them to be more annoying than the normal commercials. This particular issue has been getting some press lately because several big wigs in the movie industry have issued statements saying they agree with us and urge theater owners to find another way to make a buck. Mega-producer Michael Bay was on Access Hollywood recently talking about this issue. I'm afraid to say that I don't think it's going to change. If Michael Bay and other studio big wigs can't get it to change I'm not sure what will. I for one am implementing my own protest, I will not buy Aquafina water as long as I keep seeing their stupid commercials at the movies.

Another issue or pet peeve I'd like to address is one I haven't seen written about yet, but it is definitely towards the top of my list...self-serve butter for the popcorn. What the hell is that about? The AMC and Cineplex Odeon chains seem to be the only theaters doing this and if they know what's good for them they'll stop. I'm not a big fan of the soda self-serve thing either. For one, it may be quicker for the concession stand kids but it's longer for us (you know your customers), I don't know why it's so difficult for people to pick a drink and get it but it is. The self-serve thing also adds to the cleanliness issue that is already troublesome for most theaters. With so many people getting drinks and popcorn butter at the same time it's going to get dirty, people are going to spill and make a mess of the lids and straws, and the whole butter area can be a sticky gross mess. My biggest beef with self-serve concessions is the lack of service. I'm already spending an outrageous amount of money on popcorn and soda and then you're going to make me get it myself.

Okay people I've been rambling for long enough, now it's your turn. Big or small, obvious or obscure, we've all got them. What are your movie theater pet peeves?

A Nation Torn Apart

2005-08-11T13:42:00.000-05:00

Forget red states vs. blue states, liberals and conservatives, and all the other silly debates and name-calling. We've got a bigger issue to deal with, right now you need to decide: Who's a better pop slut, I mean princess, Britney or Christina? Just when I thought they put away their claws and agreed to disagree Christina, by way of contactmusic.com, comes out with some not so great advice to Brit. Apparently her career is doomed now that she's pregnant.

"She's let herself go, I can't see a comback in the cards."

Really? You mean marrying a white-trash back-up dancer who stepped out on his pregnant girlfriend, making out all around town with him, eating cheetos, drinking 40's, and walking barefoot into a gas station bathroom on more than one occasion isn't a good career move.

Get a grip people, it's a movie!

2005-08-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

Round and round we go. I'm not blind to the fact that The Da Vinci Code is a contraversial book. In fact I enjoy it, and the questions and debates it spurs. The one teeny tiny provision I have on those debates is that they be based in logic and make sense.

The movie version of The Da Vinci Code is currently being filmed in Europe with such Hollywood heavyweights as Tom Hanks and Ron Howard. Like most fans of the book I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the film, and I am fully aware that the movie isn't going to be exactly like the book. For length purposes alone it'd be impossible to match the book page for page, but I am completely confident that Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman (the same men who brought us A Beautiful Mind) will stay true to Dan Brown's work. Unfortunately there are some people out there pressuring Sony Pictures and the filmakers to make the movie more Catholic friendly. According to an article in Sunday's New York Times there are people out there who wish to "Sprinkle Holy Water on The Da Vinci Code." Good god people, it's a movie!

Not only is it just a movie, it's a movie based on a book. What would be the point in spending millions of dollars to secure the rights for the best-selling book if you're going to completely change the plot. Granted most books turned movies are inaccurate to a point but the main plot usually remains. It makes absolutely no sense to ask, or pressure, a studio into changing the plot of a movie. If I were the studio I would be more concerned with the millions of Da Vinci Code readers. If you disappoint us there goes your shot at a Dan Brown franchise.

I've heard all the arguments and I understand that people think this book is sacriligious, but there are also a lot of people out there who've enjoyed the book and it's inspection of religion. Some are afraid that people will take this book too seriously and believe that everything Brown writes is fact. But you know what, how do we know that the Bible wasn't written by the 'Dan Brown' of that time?

It boils down to this...if you don't like what the movie has to say, don't go see it. If you didn't like horror movies, would you go see one? No. Just because you have a moral, or factual objection to a movie doesn't mean studios are going to stop making them. I've got moral objections to stupid movies with no plot and toilet humor, but that doesn't stop people from making Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo.

Farewell Mr. Jennings

2005-08-08T12:05:00.000-05:00

Late last evening Peter Jennings, whose name is synonymous with news, lost his battle with cancer. Mr. Jennings was part of the Big 3 newsmen who dominated the air waves for the last two decades. He was one of the few comforting faces in times of tragedy and he will be missed.

They Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Tuna

2005-08-03T23:02:00.000-05:00

It started as a normal Tuesday at Country Lakes Golf Club in Naperville, IL. Golf carts were being shined, the club house was being stocked, and balls were being washed all in preparation for a mid-day golf outing. What wasn't normal? The scantily clad "caddies" that accompanied the golfers along the course. You see, this golf outing was being sponsored by Blackjack's Gentleman's Club. The problem was these "caddies" did more than choose clubs and shag balls, they also took their clothes off and performed sex acts (allegedly). What's the problem you may ask? Well, besides the fact that it's illegal, the Country Lakes Golf Club happens to be surrounded by several hundred townhomes and single family homes. Homes with nice backyards where children play. Homes with picturesque windows complete with lovely views of the rolling greens. Homes with a nice view of...a stripper's butt crack? Wait, that doesn't sound right. It didn't look right either. Many of the Country Lakes Golf Club residents were enraged by this display and a couple even video taped it to submit to the police, as well as local TV stations. No arrests have been made as of yet but police are still reviewing the tape, and reviewing it, and reviewing it.

All this time I thought golf was a gentlemen's game, not a gentleman's club game. Golf and strippers, they go together like peanut butter and tuna.

Watch your back Nike

2005-08-03T22:42:00.000-05:00

In the hopes of becoming a bigger threat to Nike Adidas announced that they're buying Reebok.

Soccer V-neck Tee.........................$30.00
Clima Revolution Running Shoes............$90.00
Reebok Co.................................$3.8 billion
Chance to boost sales over Nike...........Priceless

Schools of Thought

2005-08-03T14:23:00.000-05:00

From Zay N. Smith's QT column in the Chicago Sun-Times:

President Bush endorses the teaching of the Old Testament
story of creation alongside the evolution theory in science
classes, "to expose people to different schools of thought."

And when is someone going to inform geology students that Earth
is only 6,008 years old?

There are many changes that need to be made in our science classes.

Bush must not have been exposed to the "school of thought" that states there is a separation of church and state. The Old Testament story is not a "school of thought" it's the basis for a religion. Does Bush think we should also add the creation stories from all other religions as well as those from the Native Americans, Aboriginies, Pygmies, etc. to our science curriculum. I doubt it.

God help me if I'm ever exposed to Bush's "school of thought."

I never did like him

2005-08-02T18:45:00.000-05:00

Part of me hates to be a part of the Aniston/Pitt media frenzy, but I guess I'll get over it. While the Aniston/Pitt split has been in the media spotlight since the news broke in early January it's having a major upswing now with Jen's Vanity Fair interview hitting stands soon. Early on in all the hoopla I was feeling for both of them. But with Pretty Boy Brad's actions as of late, I'm not feeling so sorry for him anymore. Even if he's telling the truth and he didn't cheat on Jen, in the physical sense, I'm pretty sure he did emotionally. In any case they're just a couple of celebrities, no different from the thousands of other people who get divorced, and whatever did or didn't happen is really none of our business.

Here's an interesting preview from the Vanity Fair article. In response to the rumors that they separated because she didn't want to have kids yet Aniston retorts,

"A man divorcing would never be accused of choosing career over children. I've never in my life said I didn't want children. I did and I do and I will!"

You go Jen!

Roid Roofie?

2005-08-02T17:29:00.000-05:00

Here are some interesting stats provided by Richard Roeper in regards to Rafael Palmeiro's accidental steroid use:

Maybe someone slipped him a steroids roofie. Or maybe there's some other
explanation that will exonerate Raffy.

In the meantime, a few stats.

When Willie Mays was 24 he hit 51 home runs.
When Mickey Mantle was 24 he hit 52 home runs.
When Alex Rodriguez was 24 he hit 41 homers.
When Albert Pujols was 24 he hit 46 homers.
When Rafael Palmerio was 24 he hit 8 home runs. Eight!

After Jose Canseco joined Palmeiro's Texas Rangers, Raffy suddenly turned into
a big-time slugger. His average yearly home run output increased threefold.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence. Besides, some sluggers just take longer to reach their prime.

And it's great to see good ole George W. is sticking up for his "friend" and fellow Ranger. "He's testified in public, and I believe him." Right, because everyone who testifies in public tells the truth. And if I'm not mistaken isn't this the same George W. who, a few years ago, focused most of his State of the Union address on doping in America rather than his plan to capture Bin Laden, who is still at large today. It's just so impressive to have a president publicly denounce steroids then turn around and support a steroid user. I guess Bush too is a, oh what's the word I'm looking for.....oh yeah.....flip-flopper!

Roid Rage

2005-08-01T12:11:00.000-05:00

If an Olympic athlete uses steroids they are banned from competition, their medal is taken away, and they are subject to suspension from their sport organization. A very stiff yet fair penalty.

Up until this year if a professional baseball player used steroids they'd get away with it because for some strange reason the baseball bosses didn't feel it was important to test for. Of course they didn't. If they tested all of the players in the MLB how many of baseball's superstars would test positive? I'm guessing a majority seeing as hitting stats have dropped this season. And if a majority of your superstars have tested positive that's not going to bode well for the wallets of the team owners.

Enter Jose Canseco, a self described bad boy of baseball, and his popular book Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball got Big. Unless you've been living under a rock the last 6 months you know that in his book Canseco exposes the rampant use of steroids in baseball. Strange as it is this doesn't come to much of a surprise to anyone, except to the players actually using steroids. While Canseco could have gone about this in a more noble manner, there was no reason to give such graphic details about the actual injecting of steroids, and he brazenly diminishes the risk of steroids, at least it woke people up. Congress held a hearing to investigate the use of performance enhancing drugs and the MLB has finally instituted a policy regarding performance enhancing drugs. This new policy seems to be pretty weak but Commissioner Bud Selig claims to be committed to reaching a zero tolerance policy. I guess Selig is easing into this zero tolerance policy in order to give his superstar sluggers an opportunity to ease off the juice. Today Rafael Palmeiro was suspended for 10 measly little days for violating the current policy. The only thing more laughable than his suspension is his claim that he doesn't know how the steroids got into his body.

What kind of message does this send to our young athletes? Steroid use amongst teenagers has been steadily rising in this country, but baseball, a sport that is supposed to be our national pastime, has been turning their heads or issuing slaps on the wrist. The risks of using steroids far outweigh the benefits, and the risks alone should be enough reason to ban it from sports, but let's put it into simpler terms...it's cheating. Cheating is not allowed in sports and using steroids is a form of cheating.

Pop Quiz

2005-07-30T12:16:00.000-05:00

With all this talk about education I thought we should take a look back to see what we remember from school, try MSN's Summer Quiz.

Welcome Blog Box Readers

2005-07-29T20:12:00.000-05:00

I would like to welcome Delilah Boyd and the readers of her Blog Box. Delilah, thank you for including one of my posts in this week's edition of the Blog Box! Blog Box readers, thanks for stumbling across my humble little blog here. I've enjoyed and appreciate all of your comments. It is a refreshing reminder that there is intelligent* life out there.

*some exceptions do apply, see anonymous below

Dear Anonymous

2005-07-29T15:31:00.000-05:00

In response to my 1492 post someone named Anonymous writes:

My son has boy scouts, softball practice, basketball practice, student council
not to mention church choir. He depends on these things for a college scholarship.
When is he supposed to find time for something like history? Yawn!

I'm sorry, are you implying that your son's extra-curricular activities are more important than his school work? What is the point in getting him a college scholarship if he won't be able to answer grade school level history classes?

I am a huge proponent of students participating in extra-curricular activities, and I'm disappointed that so many fine arts and sports programs are being cut. I myself was a 3 sport student-athlete(note how student comes before athlete) all throughout school and I still managed to get good grades, as did many of my teammates. In fact more of my scholarships were academic rather than athletic. However, if you feel that history (and who knows what other subjects) is so unimportant you may have a difficult time finding any academic or athletic scholarships. All college athletic teams are bound by the rules of the NCAA which requires that student-athletes must receive a certain score on the SAT or ACT, as well as maintain a minimum GPA. In addition to this schools set their own grade standards which may be more strict than the NCAA's. Let's put sports aside for a moment. I'm wondering if history is so unimportant, or "yawn" inducing, why must you pass history and Constitution tests in order to graduate from both high school and college?

I understand that history is not the most fun or exciting subject, but it is an important one. Grades and tests aside, don't you think as an American citizen it's important to know this country's history? In fact it's because of a major event in the history and shaping of our country that gives us the right to express our differing opinions. That seems pretty important to me.

In 1492....somebody sailed the ocean blue

2005-07-28T20:13:00.000-05:00

I'm willing to bet that a large majority of Americans can identify that it was Christopher Columbus who sailed the ocean blue in 1492, but can they identify other historical facts? That is the question.

Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn) and Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) convened a hearing to determine why U.S. History is our worst subject. Author and historian David McCullough was the key witness at the hearing and expressed two major concerns: history text books, and teacher training. As a middle school history teacher I can tell you that these are indeed two of the biggest problems when teaching history. Take a look at several different history books and you'll see that they're all the same, very basic and very boring descriptions of various events throughout the course of American history. Descriptions that barely scratch the surface and don't tell the whole story. McCullough has evaluated school history books and found another problem and trend, "typeface in those books is growing larger, the illustrations are more lavish, and the content is shrinking." It seems as though the textbook companies are assuming students don't like to read, or aren't good readers. But while they're cutting content and increasing text size the actual language of the text remains too challenging, making what little information they've included difficult for students to comprehend.

One way to side step this huge textbook issue is to improve teacher training. McCullough claims, "Too many (teachers) have degrees in education and don't really now the subject they are teaching." This statement is partially true. At the elementary level most teachers take several classes in a variety of subject areas, middle school teachers also take classes in a variety of subject areas but a majority of those classes focus on the subject they're teaching, making them endorsed to teach that subject (hopefully giving them some expertise in that area). Because elementary and middle school teachers typically have the same certificate (k-9) most elementary teachers also have an endorsement in a certain area. High school teachers typically major in a specific subject, theoretically making them experts in that subject. We all know it doesn't always work out that way. We've all had teachers who have very little expertise of anything. This puts the state of education in a tricky position. If teachers aren't trained properly how can they teach properly? Colleges need to ensure they are providing their students with enough opportunities in their area of study. I took nearly 30 hours of history classes in college but only half of those classes have proved to be beneficial to me in my teaching.

These two main issues collide when teachers with insufficient training depend on their textbooks to do the teaching for them. Unfortunately there are still teachers out there who teach by the book and only by the book. I've worked with a few of these teachers, it isn't pretty. History is a great subject to teach outside of the book. There are so many other things you can do with your students; use a variety of resources to see different perspectives, perform reenactments, have discussions and debates, even watch a movie. The possibilities are endless. If we make history more exciting and meaningful it won't be our worst subject for much longer.

Chicago in 2016?

2005-07-27T22:48:00.000-05:00

It's about time Mayor Daley! Now that he has financial support from local business leaders Daley is finally going to make a bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. That gives me about 11 years to train for something. Too bad curling isn't a summer event.

What more?

2005-07-27T22:32:00.000-05:00

As if the low pay, over-crowed classrooms, increase in school violence, lack of supplies, budget cuts, no child left behind, and lay-offs weren't bad enough now I have to worry about my retirement fund being available. I'm well aware my social security benefits will most likely be gone by the time I'm 65 but now I can't even count on my measly state retirement fund. There is currently a federal investigation of Illinois' Teachers' Retirement System looking into some shady investments it's made that total more than $1 billion. A big thanks to our trusty newswoman Carol Marin, and other Sun-Times staff writers, for investigating and keeping us informed.

Recycled Campaign Buttons

2005-07-25T18:15:00.000-05:00

The Republicans were wondering what they could do with all these left over buttons from the 2004 elections. They just replaced a picture of Kerry with a picture of flip-flops. Who says the Republicans aren't environmentally conscious? This is a great example of recycling.

Flip-Flop Obsession

2005-07-25T17:36:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or do the conservatives of the world have an obsession with the term flip-flop? First, they use it as the backbone for the 2004 Presidential campaign. Now, members of the Northwestern Women's Lacrosse team are being criticized for wearing flip-flops to the White House. Out of all the problems we're facing right now this is an issue? Rove did what? Our homeless rate is how high? How many people in Africa are dying of AIDS? Who cares, did you hear about those girls that wore flip-flops to the White House?

Can we all just hold on and look at the big picture. Literally look at the picture of the team with Bush. All of the girls are dressed nicely in dresses or skirts and blouses, their hair is clean and styled and their make-up and jewelry are appropriate. Yes, some of them are wearing flip-flops but they aren't cheap brightly colored flip-flops you wear to the beach, they are higher-end flip-flops that match their outfits. Really what is the difference between the nice flip-flops and the other open-toed sandals the rest of the girls are wearing? Another thing to take into consideration is that these girls are between 18-22 years old. It is perfectly logical for them to wear nice, designer flip-flops for a nice occasion. I will concede that the White House, even Bush's White House, is an important and somewhat formal destination that deserves a great deal of respect from those who visit. But what these girls did was not disrespectful. They believed that what they were wearing was nice and appropriate. Despite what some conservatives may think this was not some stunt orchestrated by the left as a way to thumb their noses at Bush.

What angers me more than ridiculous flip-flop argument is the fact that this team's achievement is being overshadowed by this ridiculous flip-flop argument. The Northwestern Women's Lacrosse program is only 4 years old and in that short time they managed to go undefeated and win the National Title. But unfortunately they are probably going to be more widely known as the flip-flop team.

Seventh Heaven

2005-07-24T17:57:00.000-05:00

Lance Armstrong wins his 7th Tour de France. Congratulations Lance!

Tour de Lance

2005-07-23T16:07:00.000-05:00

With his first stage victory of the Tour coming with today's time trial Lance extends his lead and pretty much clinches his 7th victory. Tomorrow Lance and the Discovery Channel Team will begin their 144 km victory ride into Paris ending, like always, on the Champs-Elysees. If you'd like to tune in live coverage begins at 6:30 am (central time)on the Outdoor Life Network, however if you just want to see the thrilling end of the race you can tune in around 10 am.

Two BIG Thumbs Up

2005-07-22T21:34:00.000-05:00

Fonzie may have made the double thumbs up cool, but Siskel and Ebert turned the thumbs up into a national symbol for a job well done. People everywhere can identify the oft repeated comments: "I give this movie an enthusiastic thumbs up, it's one of the best films of the year." or "Thumbs down all the way. This movie is so terrible I wish I could rewind it and erase it from my memory." Even people who've never seen an episode of Siskel & Ebert, or the present day Ebert & Roeper, know what it means to get a thumbs up or thumbs down. Who would have thought that a little TV show featuring two average and slightly dorky Chicago movie critics would become a phenomenom that has not only spawned a catch phrase but become a true test for filmakers everywhere.

Monday, July 18 was officially dubbed "Roger Ebert Day," complete with speeches, a fancy luncheon, and the unvieling of a sidewalk 'medallion.' Just last month Ebert became the first movie critic to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If hadn't been clear before, there is no ignoring it now: Ebert is a true movie legend (perhaps a Godfather of sorts). People are not only eager to hear his opinions of movies but also his one of a kind quips and zingers. Ebert delivers some of the funniest lines on TV, lines that would probably be beneficial if they were in the movies he's zinging. Case in point a recent comment on the remake of The Longest Yard, "There is a sense in which attacking this movie is like kicking a dog for not being better at calculus."

Roger Ebert is not only a wonderful film critic he's also a truly good person who deserves to have his own day. The only surprise is that it took this long to come.

Mr. Ebert, I salute you and give you TWO ENTHUSIASTIC THUMBS UP!

CONGRATULATIONS (some restrictions may apply)

2005-07-22T20:52:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time there was a girl named Kaylin. Kaylin was an intelligent girl who knew that to succeed in life you needed to work hard. And she did work hard, so hard that she managed to be in the top 5% of her high school class and scored in the 95th percentile on her ACT/SAT. To honor her great achievements the state of Illinois awarded her with a $1,000 State Merit Scholarship. Kaylin, who's been working part time at a convience store to help pay for college, was ecstatic and relieved to be receiving some financial help. But then the Big Bad State Assistance Commission came knocking on her door to inform her, as well as 6,300 other scholarship recipients, that they would NOT be receiving their "scholarships." Unfortunately there is no prince available to give this story a happy ending.

Apparently the Merit Recognition Scholarship Program was cut from the budget that was passed last month, after students were notified about their award. What kind of message does this send to Kaylin and the rest of the students in Illinois? "Congratulations and thanks for working so hard, you have a bright future ahead of you. Here is a scholarship to help you out, just make sure you read the fine print, some restrictions may apply."

Potter-Head : I swear I didn't inhale.

2005-07-21T21:59:00.000-05:00

My name is Noel and I am a Potter-Head. There I said it. I was among the thousands of people who waited in long lines to get the newest Harry Potter book at the stroke of midnight (well actually it was more like 1:02 by the time I got my copy). Yes, I am that big of a dork and I'm okay with it. So judge me if you want but these books are damn good and I'm going to be sorry to see the series end after the next book.

Tour de What?

2005-07-21T21:30:00.000-05:00

As I'm sure you all know Lance Armstrong is vying for his 7th consecutive Tour de France victory, or the Maillot Jaune for you Tour aficionados. Unfortunately it doesn't always seem as if our news and sports anchors are aware of this. Is it possible to get more than a 10 second comment at the end of the sports segment, if it is mentioned at all. "Lance Armstrong once again retains his yellow jersey." How about a short clip of the race or a clip of his comments afterwards? Is that too much to ask? It is ridiculous that in a major city like Chicago that is the only air time he gets. Please don't crucify me because I am a big Cubs fan, but can't we cut 15-30 seconds from their game day low-lights and focus more on Lance and one of the most grueling athletic events in history. He is well on his way to an unprecedented 7th consecutive victory and he is getting more fan fare and air time in France than in his own country. Also, let us not forget that this is his last Tour and who knows when we'll see another victorious American rider again. The 2005 Tour de France ends this Sunday, let's kick it into high gear and give Lance and the Discovery Channel team the support and publicity they deserve!

WELCOME

2005-07-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

Hello and welcome! As the title indicates this blog is going to contain "a little bit of everything," news, entertainment, politics, etc. Anything from breaking headline news to silly random stories.
I hope you enjoy!

Noel