Wow. The School's WebSite actually says that?!?

I was looking at a friend of mine's high school website. He went to an inner city school that he likes to say was more like a prison than an actual school. His wife emphatically agrees. When she saw where he went to school and grew up she was surprised. He eventually moved away from that environment and now states that the worst school in our area is better than the school for the gifted where he grew up. I thought he was feeding me his usual line of 'hee-yuck hee-yuck' humor but then I went out to his school's web site which he admitted he was surprised it even existed. It is a pretty basic website obviously done in-house by the students, but to our surprise one of the links is pretty telling of what they deal with in that school system.

Under the heading: "Odds and Ends / Found on the Wall..." it states:

Found on the Wall...

Found on the wall in the literacy center at South Division High School in Milwaukee

If ever there was an argument for why throwing more money at our public schools is not the best way to get higher achievement, this is it.

The problem facing our schools today is not lack of funds; it is lack of talent. We have under qualified people filling many of the key positions at our inner city schools. Some half-wit administrator felt that allocating funds to develop a “literacy” center in place of assigning those funds to attract a teacher with the talents and skills needed to improve the skills of the students.

Maybe there was a need for a literacy center. I wouldn’t be critical of an administrator developing such a program if it proved to be useful. It is going to be an incredibly hard sell to merit a literacy center staffed by people who can’t even write a simple sentence. But I am critical. I am critical that a person could be hired to work in a literacy center who struggles with basic syntax.

“Discovery the doors to books open.” This seems like it could almost make sense. "Books open the doors to discovery" is a great message to send. I can’t even imagine the hell a dyslexic individual trying to get help in this “literacy” center must be going through.

I have an idea. Let’s not hire incompetent people to teach. What happens when incompetent people teach? They teach incompetently. Therefore, no education takes place and we have just hired a $30,000/year baby-sitter with benefits.

Here is the link if you don't believe me:
http://www.1dynamicplace.com/SDHS/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d136.html


All I could say was.... "Wow" and it made it past all the censors. Way to go sneaky Web admins. Just goes to show you that the school administrators don't know how to use a computer and check on this kind of stuff. But what do I know I am just a dumb country bumpkin.

Sounds to me like Acorn was alive and well in the Inner City Public School System. If this is not an advertizement for Home Schooling than I don't know what is.

Sorry, Guys

Well, I have to give myself credit: at least I made it 1 week into dating again without screwing up.

Of course, I had to be typical over-thinking me after that time & sentence myself to probably at least another 2 1/2 years without a social life.

Some advice: when you know in your heart of hearts that you are meant to be alone for the entirety of your life, don't drag someone in hoping for a miracle - just accept it & lower the risk of one more person getting hurt.

She's a nice lady & I wish her the best - she deserves an actual man.

***Update***
OK, you can upgrade me from "dumbass" to "dork". As usual, I was worried about more than the actual problem.

Turns out, she was concerned that I was trying to push her out of my life (which would be phenomenally fast for me - considering this pretty girl has hardly been given the time to be in my life). We talked a bit yesterday & kind of resolved the concern - which is good being that I really do like this lady. Maybe we both freaked out a little because hitting things off so well is odd for me & the same for her.

Mrs. Who: Sorry about the "actual man" comment. Reading that, for a friend who treats me with the respect you do, must have been a slap in the face. Can I blame it on the former hole in my head just this once? PLEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSSE???

Part 1 - Seizure

I was having a great time on my 2-week vacation in SC. We just got home from the store (I was driving) & walked up the steps to the house.

Something felt a little weird for a moment...I couldn't release the keys from my right hand & when I reached over with my left hand to grab them, I realized there was no feeling on the right arm.

That's when everything went tense & I managed to get the words out: "Something isn't right here!" before falling down in a really bad fit. This was definitely a first for me...

I woke up 5-minutes later to paramedics over me with an oxygen mask asking me questions. All I could do was ask myself if i had been driving. Thankfully, I remembered I wasn't & everyone was OK.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the hospital for a C/T scan & an x-ray. Nothing of note on the x-ray and the C/T showed a "significant mass" on the left hemisphere of my brain. I was left that evening being told I needed an MRI to determine the nature of the mass.

100% Preventable

(H/T Michelle Malkin)

In the linked article you'll find a grisly example of a completely preventable crime. Had these two disgusting individuals not been here, in the United States, the horrible death of this young lady - Dani Countryman, 15 - would have never been perpetrated.

As it stands, we have two (more) illegal aliens living in jail cells, asking for warmer clothing; a devastated family attempting to deal with the tragic, needless death of a daughter; & a bunch of apologists for illegals in elected government.

To them, I ask:

How would you feel, sir or madam, if a stranger walked up to you & told your entire family that a daughter, son, mother or brother wasn't coming home because a selfish, bickering bunch of political opportunists thought it was better to court a vote?

Do you have the concept of shame within you to recognize that while you debated, prattled & postured for personal gain that illegal aliens are in this country, coming to this country, breaking our laws - the ones you take an oath to defend & support - & you have done not one thing to prevent this & other tragedies in the lives of Americans?

Honestly, the whole of it disgusts me. I try not to get furious over things out of my control but this is too much. I, for one, could not bear looking someone in the eye & tell them a loved one was gone forever because of my indifference or opportunism. Of course, that's because most of us, unlike the ineffectual beltway players, have our own consciences.

Bummed

I don't know if it's the lack of class lately (or more likely the colds that have prevented me from making it to TKD/HKD) but I've been very down.


I have a "hopeless" air about me for the past few days. I'm somewhat excited about visiting my family in South Carolina but not as upbeat as I'd normally be.


I guess it's just a phase. Every now & then I get these "what's the point?" moods.


Right now the feeling I have is along the lines of, "Well, this is your life...man, this sucks". Everything's been the same for three or four years now: perpetually single, boring existence, same routine - day in, day out - nothing exciting ever happening.


I'll grant you boring is sometimes good - it eliminates the worry of nasty surprises. But the single life isn't supposed to be so overwhelmingly fraught with bouts of ennui. Maybe it's loneliness but not entirely of the no partner type.


I wouldn't mind dating again, though it's been at least 2 years or so since I've even tried. I'm not in the mood for rejection (of course, who ever is?) which always hangs about me like some twisted telling of Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The thing is getting shot down for most people is an inconvenience. For me, it's practically a guaranteed bitter end.


For all this, "You've gotta like yourself", or, "There's nothing wrong with you", crap I hear, not once does someone give me some USEFUL advice. Tell me what one of the above phrases does to make me feel better? Yeah, didn't think so.


It's not that my friends & family don't mean well but they're not in the same situation I am. I'm that guy whose always been outside looking in. My siblings seem largely satisfied with their current places in life. It seems more & more to me that I haven't figured out one darn thing in over three decades on this earth.

Changing Banks

After posting on the recent decision of Bank of America (BoA) to allow illegals the opportunity to get credit, I discovered my own bank, Wells Fargo is doing the same thing.


In the linked article from Michelle Malkin I read that my bank is offering home mortgages to illegal aliens in California & they're considering a program for credit cards.


Obviously, I find that unacceptable. Rewarding illegal activity is hardly something I expect from any organization with which I entrust my money. If that's how they want to do business, I'm taking mine elsewhere.


Does anyone have recommendations for banks?

I Told You So (Unfortunately)!

The minimum wage increase pushed by the Democrats as one of their 1^st 100 hours objectives unfortunately had the result I predicted.


Remember way back when I mentioned that higher payroll would lead to job cuts? Well, that's exactly what happened.


Some teens in Arizona have been laid-off because of mandatory payroll increases from $5.15/hour to $6.75/hour. Even the Federal Reserve did a study showing for every mandatory ten percent pay increase to minimum wage, there is a corresponding decline of two to three percent employment.


For those of you in la-la land, that means when you tell businesses they must pay more, they also MUST cut jobs to meet their budget.


THAT. HURTS. EMPLOYMENT.


Someone needs to get that point across to the left side of the aisle.


Far from stimulating the economy or improving incomes across the board, the left-wing agenda once again has caused more harm than good. Intentions always count over results for liberals & this is another tarnished example.

Prepare!

I saw her that one day, alone & approachable. Everything said, pushed me, to walk over & speak to the person sitting not ten feet from me.


Everything, that is, except my own insecurity.


I've played the story in my mind, viewed it like so many endings drawn up & crumpled on the cutting room floor. Why I failed to choose a path leading to the happy reconciliation, even I can't answer. Wanting the chance so long, that when it finally presented itself, offered the resolution happier than I could have hoped, I ran from it like every other time.


In that fleeting, failed moment of my own doing, I have no idea whether she would have found the same happiness in knowing me that I'm so sure I'd have meeting her. Fear, it seems has been given too much power over my reasoning.


Now, it's only angst & regret I feel when I hear anything about her or see so much as a picture. Sorrow for an glaringly obvious opportunity allowed to pass. The blame? My own.


I never imagined her as perfect, there wasn't a flawless person sitting near me. To see that wouldn't have impressed. I saw a woman with whom a great deal of similarity was obvious. A person. Human. We shared, without either ever knowing, commonality through our preferred arts. In that & by how casually she could look at me without turning shyly away when I noticed, I saw quiet confidence in her. I suppose that's to be expected from someone of that experience.


After countless reflections I've come to realize what makes something for which I obviously long so greatly impossible.


I'm not prepared.


It's nothing to do with who she is, where she is & what she wants. Sadly, this would be the concern of a person whose whole & prepared for his role in life. In my situation that person hasn't come to exist. My feelings of inadequacy are well-rooted:


My college degree, something with 3 years completed, has not been finished. Something people far less intelligent (IMAO) have accomplished with relative ease.


The current direction of my career - while promising - is far behind where a person of my age should be. I'm hard-working, adaptive & produce results. Still, the aforementioned lack of a degree limits my potential.


Ultimately, it's that I realize a person prepared for a relationship - prepared to accept the challenges of life - would have completed these goals by now. It's not that I won't complete them. It's that taking so long has made me understand how much it has cost.


Selfish as it is (if there's any point I'm selfish with, it's relationships), I know I've lost that chance with a person obviously so appreciable for her offerings to public service & education. It's by my own failing & at least I can grudgingly hope there is someone for whom she is suited.


All that I can offer from this is: Don't lose the opportunity like I did. Do what you need to be prepared for life & don't let fear or perceived inadequacy hold sway over your goals, wants & desires. I did & though my life is FAR from over & I have many things which I can anticipate, I'll have to live the rest of that life knowing I lost a genuine chance at what would truly make me happy.


All because I wasn't prepared.

President Gerald Ford

I was saddened to hear of President Ford's passing on December 26, 2006. Although I was born on the day after he took the oath of office on August 9, 1974 & didn't have firsthand knowledge of his presidency, from the history on this man he is someone to be respected & admired.


I wish his family all the best & hope they can take solace in the fact this excellent human being lived a long life of character & dignity. My prayers are with them.


Rest in peace, Mr. President. You will be missed.

Unfortunate News

I have a friend here at work who recently suffered a great loss. He & his wife were expecting their first child. Tragically, they lost the baby two months into her pregnancy. It was heartbreaking to hear the news because they are good people who will undoubtedly be excellent parents.

In the interest of decency, I won't post their names. All I ask is please keep them in your prayers. I am certain they will need them.

God Bless.