Educational System

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/nyregion/18teacher.html

Politics need to be taken out of the educational equation. One reason our country's students are not doing as well as they should be doing is because there are far too many lazy teachers and spoiled kids, both of whom know exactly what they can get away with.

If a teacher actually DOES his or her job, and actually GRADES students based on their knowledge, suddenly a teacher gets in trouble with principals, administrators, other teachers. Why? If a kid gets all As and Bs on his report card, and one D...everyone is going to think that one teacher is being unfair. What is MORE likely is that the rest of the teachers are playing nice, keeping things safe, so that THEIR report cards are good. When that kid with the D goes home and complains to his parents, far too many parents come rushing to their beloved child's aid by immediately complaining to principals about this bad apple of a teacher. My parents certainly didn't do that: it was assumed that I could try harder, and this was true.

A lot of teachers won't give out worse than a C because they know this will keep everyone happy. Students are happy that they didn't get a D or an F; parents are happy that their children are succeeding in school; principals and administrators are happy that parents are happy and that their schools will have good statistics. BUT...there is one fatal flaw in all this happiness: Curricula are far too simple and students aren't really learning.

Yay Dr. Death!

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/dr-death-is-released/
...I always thought it was terrible that he was convicted in the first place: if I'm ever in terrible, unfixable pain when I'm old, I'm moving to Oregon where doctors assisting in patient suicide is legal. It's like the whole drug issue, as far as I'm concerned...keep it legal and it will be safer.

A Whole Lot of Bullshit

This is like a murderer giving a speech on how we need to decrease the amount of violent crimes...or something like that. I would love to think that he is earnest but am just a little too realistic to have faith in this.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/washington/31cnd-prexy.html?hp

all this http://www.churchexecutive.com/Page.cfm/PageID/9387 does is make me want to watch this episode again; this really works as an endorsement for the show. I really don't even know what to say about people who get upset over stuff like this:

"We are writing to the 14 members who sit on the board of directors of Time Warner,” expressed Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, “asking each of them whether Maher's gratuitous and highly offensive attack on Jesus Christ merits the same punishment afforded Imus for his racist remark.”

"In Maher’s recent commentary on religion, the talk show host first began by making negative references to Falwell and to his strong Christian activism within American politics over his lifetime."

How can you offend someone who is dead? I think most people would find all the bullshit that Fallwell said to be FAR more offensive, and not to mention, less grounded in fact. Not grounded at all, as a matter of fact.

Heavy decisions on my mind

These: http://www.lorisdesignershoes.com/product.asp?lt=d&deptid=4305&pfid=LDS02814
or these?
http://www.lorisshoes.com/product.asp?lt=d&deptid=4309&pfid=LDS03639

And so it begins...

Here's my first post. Please hold your applause.