another try

I've been playing with Geogebra.  This is really just some testing of how to get stuff working. It's pretty neat, though.

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Procrastination is an art, as I view it.

You know I have something I should be doing if you see something up here. You also know you are getting older when you do something productivish when putting of the important work. I can even be caught cleaning sometimes lately.

Apparently, a bunch of stuff is happening in the world. A crazy short man is dead, troops are out of Iraq, and a few people are baling cash while the rest of us fight to make the rent. Does any of it matter during football season? Here's a lesser known fact, I have fallen asleep to almost every football game I have seen. It's really not as interesting on TV as people think it is. I had more fun watching games in high school. I'm not sure, but I would haphazard to say that the same disconnect we live through the televised events is the one that makes the "end" of the War such an apathetic event. It was reason I voted for Obama and is far too important to undervalue but we do so anyway.

I must be on now, but my prayers go to all the families hurt by the endless war. It decimated one nation, brought ours to its knees and has trampled the lives of millions. So many of our veterans will lead hollow and confused lives, as happens after every war, and the rest of us will say we feel sorry but rarely give the support. The only saving grace is that it has come to a close.

Uggh, I must get my son ready for daycare soon and take a nap and some other stuff. The next post will be less down but that's what was on my mind for the moment.

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More pictures with few words.

Work starts soon so I'll dissappear into my other existence but I have been having fun with the camera this past few days. Let's see what else I can take pictures of.

I had some idea of something smart to write but I forgot what it was. The summer vacation is all but over and it is time to reembrace the rest of my life. I entered the summer with grand ideas of planning every element of the year and being the best teacher I could be. Well, I had stuff to attend to and then I got a little lazy. I'll surely be better but I sure should have used the time a little better. We work to hard to succeed but find ourselves flailing through a slow tumble past happy dreams and into the mire of mediocrity. What do the great men I read of in the books do to take over their world? I need some of that so I can make things right by my eyes. Reminds me of a great quote I heard; this is the mangled version but it went like "Education should provide you the tools to live a decent life, and if the world won't let you, the tools to change it so that you can." On that, we're gonna go on a walk.

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Just like everyone else with a camera..

Feel free to give me your opinion on these. I'm gonna learn how to make good photos. The editing always feels cheap but some of it is pretty fun. The goal now is to make things a little more surreal and less bad then before.
I forgot...The ones that look like a ditch at night are, well, a creek that is in a ditch that goes next to our house. I like overgrown urban space. People who fear man will destroy the environment should pay more attention.

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Some vacation shots.

I'm about to head out the door to pick up the child but figured I would start getting some pictures of our first real vacation together. Some of these have been edited a little but the badlands are really pretty gnarly any way that you see them.
My newest silly goal is write more seriously on this page...let's see how that goes.

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It's time to figure out who the man is so we can finally sort the ignorance out.

Dumb people who think they are smart cause nothing but trouble. The ones who can convince people they are smart become politicians.

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Waitin.

Ordering some wings from a place not cool as this sign, but what is?

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Notes and a picture of water.

Nothing like a phone camera to gauge reality....Anyway, that's about a mile from the river's normal bank looking in the opposite direction. This is the spot where I usually take the exit to get under the bridges but there seems to be a raging current in the way. It's not just how high the river is but how fast and far away the water is moving. I will be curious to see how everything looks when it goes back down.

On the good news, passed my classes and got a positive review from my principal. Work is a thousand times better when you work for someone who likes what you do. I am most excited that I get to teach the same students for two years in a row. People get into teaching with the belief that they can make a difference and I have a real opportunity to help the kids appreciate a world beyond what they are used to. Much of popular culture does not embrace higher learning and the path to knowledge but my beliefs in the virtue of learning are supported, if but for a moment, when a student sees that that universe is far more complicated, beautiful, and elegantly ordered chaos than the narrow view his scope of life has given him.

Go grizzlies.

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Who knows.

I'm trying to see how well I can thumb type a post. It only seems like it would work in dire circumstances, if you ask me.  I hope to do more posting on life and teaching.  Educaton is amazing, powerful, and conflicted.  The classroom as I see it is so different and the students are trully different than most people where.  They do not have blind respect for authority, I only wish they would turn this into productive and positive change.  Most notably, they are in continual communication with someone, at no point, d they encounter the self reflective portion of their day when they are all alone and can only speak with themselves.  This leads to a social mind that can be vey powerful but a bit dumb. 
That's a student I got hooked up with the museum showing off his first scroll, don't laugh at the messy work, you would do worse...

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Welcome to the new.

Just ate an overpriced taco. What has the world come to? About to get back in the schoolhouse.

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...He is serious about something...

So I was talking with my brother the other day and he helped me realize the final part of the argument I made about politicians only working to raise funds for elections. What I could not figure out was, "Why is all this money needed? They aren't living off of these millions. Who's benefiting?" My brother reminded me to follow the money and most of that cash lands to media. The papers need juicy campaigns to sell papers to sell ads. Mr. State Congressperson needs to flood the papers with his ads and get some good stories about him to boot. (Mind you, I say papers like I still call any recorded music an album).
Media is not objective because papers have a profit margin to worry about, news is recorded and edited through a human being's eyes and brain, and there is no way to report everything. I once kinda gave it the benefit but the truth is clear.
I probably read and listen to way too much sports journalism; I don't know why but I'm addicted to it. ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, revolved around one old quarterback who has lost too many big games to count and is an ass. 75% of the stories revolved around #4, yet he lost the game. The far greater sports story was that Bobby Cox, manager for the Atlanta Braves for 36 years, managed his last game. Some people might try to argue that people are more interested in the Vikings QB than a class act manager. Most people are sick of this narcissistic, overrated quarterback. Hell, I watched the Monday Night Game, and the Jets young buck played some ball in the midst of a torrential downpour. That was a story of the game, but the story reported was of the loser. Most people watching sports just watch what is on most of the time.
I honestly don't follw politics much anymore because the outlets report the same as in the above story and any actual politics is beyond frustrating. The papers choose which stories to report and how to do so based on some real or perceived popularity. If ratings go up, revenue goes up and it pushes up the cost and need for candidate publicity. More money needs to be raised and so corporations/lobbyists/weird individuals give more of what is in short supply these days.
The news now wields incredible control in this useless cycle. It has helped lead to a stagnant Congress and an apathetic people. We could use some real smart managing these days but it's all about carrying the debate until the next election. The Constitution was designed by some smart and cynical folks. They worked to make the downfalls of government work for a better government. Greed, power, corruption, and the like are a given. What they failed to see was the consuming and sprawling power of the press and the media. So, let's say politics is powered by the media, why would a congressman or senator bicker over a vote to raise all this money. Well, the news gets to report what it wants. A $700000000 bill is probably about more than two issues and half a dozen bullet points. Of course, that's all I read 'cause I got shit to do. Now my dear public servant is judged on what he said about those two issues and maybe, but not usually, how he voted on those little nuggets of information. So now he realizes that he needs to offend the fewest possible people. He doesn't have to please the most. His handlers need to make sure no one is offended, even if it means a good Christian votes to continue a meaningless war because that's better than being seen as "too soft". -I'm searching for a better example but that'll work for now-. I'm freakin' tired and so I will pause here..Good night, have fun.

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Just rambling...

I have almost figured out the lie that is politics. Actually, we could all see it and it was too damn obvious like the Wizard forgot to pull the curtain. It happened this week with the defense bill, I could check my twitter feed and figure out the convuloted number and term but that don't matter. We know the story. One “party” attached don't ask, don't tell and immigration to the bill and it got voted down to be pushed after elections. Aha, caught you bitches. The Democrats will say something like “My estimeed opponent voted against a raise for the men and women in uniform who pledge the ultimate sacrifce. The Republicans will say “My estimeed oppenent want to ruin a soldier”s wage on the earmarks of liberal idealogies. Now both sides got big fighting words for elections. Broke Americans will give money to these greedy bastards to support the cycle in the name of what they believe to be a right.
This type of action should have the quasi-rational middle ground spitting mad. To be sure, all of the elements of this bill had value and need to be decided on. Defense spending is an assumed neccessity and from what I can tell, the only people making money these days are building tanks. Don't ask, don't tell is a violation of civil rights. I don't think repelling it will cause millions of prissy queers to enlist and demand a change in the uniforms; it just means gays that enlist won't live in fear or get discharged for having caught gay from their nature. I am in a multicultural education class now and it has helped me see things differently. Most of the students are from small town Tennessee and grew up in white, Baptist, and “straight” places. Ignorance is a big problem, particualarly when people are not exposed to differences. This is not the same as stupidity or crazy right wing nutjob. Ignorance just means that one does not know. I'm not sure why it's so prevelant in a time when Google and Wikipedia have amassed most of the knowledge of humanity but it is. We had a discussion on Islam in this class and a great number of the students (mature, thinking adults) did not know that Muslims are children of Abraham. Many were also surprised that Jewish people read the Old Testament. These are the three most important groups in Western history. It's almost tragic that so few don't know that how close these groups are. Then again, I'm not religious and don't comprehend how consuming the belief structure is. Many people feel that the only way to follow their religious beliefs is to become a new person that sees the world only through the eyes of belief. When they do so, they often see other religions as offenses to their own. And so, we are the root of the problem. Individuals want to believe that all people are the same and just like them yet each individual wants to feel like a unique snowflake. We have a conundrum.
God is really powerful and the one who controls the Word can control masses. This is why the Catholic Church only wanted clergy to be able to “interpret” the Bible. To be sure, religion is behind much of the good in the world. The majority of the teachers I have met have a deep faith and it is what pushed them to teach. I was probably the punkest mother fucker of all the teachers and I'm a pretty tame dude. Without the strength and guidance of her aunt, my wife's family would be suffering beyond normal capability. The Mormon's provided untold aid in New Orleans and the list of deeds goes on.
The key then, is enabling everyone to realize we all have our own faith as surely we are all individuals. It may align with others and a church community may provide strength and support but no way other than your own is the right way. Not sure how that's done.

....alas, I forgot about the immigration part but it seems some wetbacks came in and stole my job of unemployment...

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Why am I saying this?

That might be the worst title to date. It's about as bright as reading the message board on anything political. I've decided that Glenn Beck doesn't bother me. I can't watch his show for it's neither interesting nor entertaining but that's a matter of taste. I am confused by the growing mass who repeat his vitriol. The hate speech is frightening stuff. Hate is what drove those planes into the towers and gassed a whole mess of Jews and hung the strange fruit all over the South and... The emotion most easily distorted is hate. If you got some extra hate, play football or start boxing or roll around trying to rear naked choke hold someone, get it out. Don't rant and rave in the growing empowerment of faceless internet debate.
Twenty percent say Barry Hussein Sheik Obama is a muslim. Twenty percent also like Nickleback. My only hope for sanity is believing that they are the same people. We are in trouble if they are two separate groups. That leaves a piss poor majority, half of which doesn't care. We're have between thirty and forty percent of the population possibly rational and motivated. That's not a scientific measure but it doesn't make me feel any better.

If Bush younger was a great leader in the War on Terrorism, how the hell did we elect a terrorist as President? That would have to be the single greatest military blunder ever. Either that or Jihad Allah loving communist faggot terrorists are freaking brilliant. The only other possibility is that it is that he is not a pawn of the terrorists but that can't be. No, there are billions of people who hate me for having my freedom to eat Krispy Kreme burgers and buckets of fried crap. They have so much time because they have no lives, no families, no work, no nothing but time to bemoan the fact that they have nothing to do and it's my fault.

The problem is that ole Whitey ain't what he used to be and he's throwing a tantrum. He wants his freedom to do what the hell he pleases and is shocked to find that American freedom comes with a few rules. We don't live in the fifties no more and most of us are glad for that. Which reminds me, if I read or see another person mention "One Nation, Under God" as a sign that our forefathers built a Christian nation, I might give up. Then again, I don't even know what the Tea Party stands for. They don't know. How it turned into what it is just speaks volume on the general intelligence of people. Go Tea Party! Go Sarah and get to doing some damn laundry because you ain't got a say in nothing about this man business. Clean my boots like it's 1775 and don't talk when I've got something to say because you are nothing but a woman.

I always thought the original Tea Party was kind of a childish act and so maybe this new one isn't so sacrilegious in that regard. For every Ying, we need a Yang so this flat planet doesn't topple over. I propose a King George III Party. I haven't got past the name but I'm sure we can come up with some zany ideas and build a following and hold a rally at Ronald Reagan's graveside. That would be cooler than chocolate covered Doritoes.

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