Nov 142014
 

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 9, and it’s cold enough to freeze the tea bags off a brass idiot.  Our weather is rapidly spreading into the rest of the country, and I hate to say it, but you folks are in for some misery.  On stories that I’m not covering today, congrats to Obama on his climate deal with China.  Note the hypocrisy of Republicans, who say the deal isn’t good enough to solve the problem, while denying that the problem exists.  Also Kudos to the little space ship that could.  My COPD is still a mess, but I’m more ready for it.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:51 (average 4:25).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Increasingly teachers are speaking out against school reforms that they believe are demeaning their profession, and some are simply quitting because they have had enough.

Here is one resignation letter from a veteran teacher, Gerald J. Conti, a social studies teacher at Westhill High School in Syracuse, N.Y.

Chick through, Because we are careening into national stupidity at an exponentially increasing speed, we need to attend to what this teacher has to say.

From Upworthy: On Nov. 5, 2014, police in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, arrested a 90-year-old man for feeding the homeless. Needless to say, Russell Brand’s anger is totally called for.

 

Have you ever seen a more perfect example of an authentic Christian persecuted by Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians?

From The New Yorker: The United States of America, a nation with a population of approximately three hundred million people, totally accepts that the next President of the United States can only be selected from two families.

In interviews conducted across the country, Americans acknowledged that, while the United States boasts many exceptional people in the fields of technology, business, public policy, and government, none will be offered to voters as candidates because they do not come from one of the two families deemed eligible.

LOL Andy! I’d love a ban on Bushes and Clintons.

Cartoon:

1114Cartoon

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  15 Responses to “Open Thread–11/14/2014”

  1. The excues never will end.  After all even if they were the ones who said we can not do this without hte help of China.  Oh yea Obama agreed.  lol lol lol   I guess the election gives your cartoon true meaning.  After all what were there ideas?  Oh pick me I know "Its Obamas fault"  I feel if we get a Bush and Clinton 2016 the American people will be sick on election day and the republian/teaparty will win.  But banning them will not stop them.  But maybe if we can get Warren to run with Clinton we could win hands down.  Even better have the Clintons back Warren for President.  But that is just plain carzy right? 

  2. 3:00 I think TC was eying the fish in the lake.

  3. Take care of that COPD. Lots of R & R and keep warm.

    No time to comment now. gotta run. I need a dress for a wedding for next Saturday because I have none. That's what happens when you're retired and never go anywhere.

  4. Well, I'm planning on experiencing that Winter Weather Advisory first-hand.  I'm planning on driving up to Illinois early tomorrow morning.  – the last trip up in a LONG time, I hope.

    Mom's auction of her stuff is Sunday and I'd really like to be there for her.  I'm not taking the cat this time, because there's just too much going on what w/ the move to her new apartment and my brother flying in from Tampa.  So it'll be a quick in-and-out, arriving on Saturday (unless the snow is really bad) and coming home Monday morning.

    It's not suppose to hit KCMO until the afternoon, so I'm hopeful I can keep in front of its path.

    • Nameless, please do be careful!  Having lived in the north around the 56 parallel, I know what adverse weather is.  I've driven in whiteout a number of times and it is nothing to fool with.  If you have to, pull over and stay a night in a motel rather than risk ugly weather.

      Say hi to mom!

      • Sage advice, indeed – and I will heed! 

        Having grown up in Northern Illinois, and gone to school in Chicago, I'm not unfamiliar w/ the treacheries of "Winter Weather of the North".  While I yield to those further north, snow is snow whereverer it lands, and I DO respect it. 

        (After being on call during Resiency & up all night, I remember sleeping while riding back to IL w/ a few of my cousins for Thanksgiving a number of years ago.  He drove through a virtual blizzard, and the driver – on snow-covered Interstate 35 – did a 720 w/ us stopping just a few feet from a bridge drop-off!

        (Needless to say, being the oldest, they all made me drive the rest of the way.  One trip like THAT in a lifetime is more than enough!)

        • That remindss me ofd a flay tire at 2 AM in a blizzard on top of Loveland Pass in CO.  Once in a lifetime.  Still. take extra care, my friend.

  5. Hope your COPD stays under control TC – stay warm!

    Daily Kos – very powerful letter, which I am sure will be ignored for as long as possible by those in power – I hope it proves impossible to ignore, for the sake of all pupils, students, teachers and the future of American education.

    Upworthy – who'd have thought it, he is talking sense and I agree with him!

    (BTW I have already written an email to Life Extension, manufacturers of vitamins and minerals, based in Fort Lauderdale, telling them that until they manage to get some compassion and common sense on their city council, I (and hopefully others) will have to boycott their otherwise excellent products – in at least one of the reports on this worldwide, the city council have said that they have acted like this as local businesses fear that having the homeless around will impact on their businesses – well now the actions of the city council in their vicious prosecution of the 90 year old [and the other pastors] who were feeding the homeless most definitely is impacting on their businesses! ).

    New Yorker – please no!  (Mind you the powerful presidential families situation does make comedians the world over chuckle !).

     

     

  6. My MN guest is happier with the weather here than there.

    I agree with Russell and gag at the doublespeak from the mayor in response to my letters claiming media has it wrong because intentions were supposedly good without taking responsibility for ghastly results.

    I've lost track of how many millenials decided not to teach before ever going for a teaching job or are looking to get out already because of how much the administrators and such approaches are interfering with their ability to engage in best practices aligned with evidence-based best results.

    Andy understands how those in power prefer to be the makers of kings and queens with dynasties instead of more democratic approaches.

    Your cartoon is fitting for the rumors related to lame duck session indeed.

  7. Puzzle — 3:27  Too beautiful of a day to be in such a hurry!

    Daily Kos — Conti seems like my kind of teacher.  Education should be an investment in kids . . . teaching them critical thinking skills, research methods etc, not memory work.  In grade 12 history, all the classes were studying the Anatomy of a Revolution (American, British, French and Russian).  But before Christmas, over 50% were failing.  So while all the teachers except mine chose to stick with the programme, mine opened up the cirriculum for discussion.  We changed to Sino-Soviet studies.  The failure rate increased in the other classes, while in mine the failure rate dropped to about 10%.  Our class was a lot of research and papers, but our teacher was willing to take a chance and it worked.  And a similar situation happened to me in grade 13 history.  I didn't like the essay topics so I proposed one.  The teacher gave me 2 weeks to get some research done and then he would make the final decision.  I didn't disappoint and I did my topic getting 98%.  Both teachers were willing to invest in the students and the rewards were great for teachers and students.  For me, this is teaching and I suspect Conti would say the same.  If anybody has seen the movie "Sister Act II", Whoopi Goldberg walks through the halls of the school and passes by the Latin class.  The teacher is droning on with declensions and students are literally falling asleep and falling out of their desks.  That is not teaching.

    Upworthy — I so agree with Brand and of course with Arthur Abbott.  This is the quintessential "example of an authentic Christian persecuted by Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians".

    The New Yorker — Well, it seems that The New Yorker has changed and I can't read the articles or as they say "I've hit the wall for freebies."  One Bush is a forest too many.  As to a Clinton, hmmm . . .

    Cartoon — Oh yah baby, there's that suppy-side pseudo Christian Jesus that the right wing evangelical pseudo Christians ascribe too!

  8. I am so glad you are feeling better!

    Daily Kos:  This letter explains completely why so many good teachers are leaving the profession.  My sister taught  for 27 years.  The last five years she had to be a robot.  There was no room for creativity, no lessons she could teach that would show her children how to think.  She had to follow the "master plan" whether it fit or not.  She had to teach so the kids could "pass the test" and the school system could get  money from the state based on scores.  She gave up in disgust.

    Upworthy:  I had all ready seen a video of the arrest.  A few of the police officers looked embarassed, but a couple of them DID NOT.  Fort Lauderdale should hang its head in shame. Brand is right, the rules should be fair for all of us, the rich can do as they please, corporations can donate as much money secretly to elect their stooges, but a minister cannot feed the hungry. Our country is in terrible shape and will be as long as the pseudo Christians are in charge.

    The New Yorker:  Andy seems to have his finger on the pulse of America.  We certainly do not need another Bush in office, and I am not positive about another Clinton.

    Cartoon:  this must be the mantra used by most of the GOP.

     

  9. Thanks all.  Just woke up

  10. Great cartoon, TC.

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