Bloggg

Palin ought to watch what she says about people relying on teleprompters…and least BO is up front about it…she writes on her freaking hand, like a 10th grader!

Here’s a Nice, Clear Photo for ya. You Betcha.

Gee, is it just me, or did Sarah Palin have amazing timing yesterday….her little teabag speechipoo was at the same time last night as the premiere of Temple Grandin’s movie on HBO…. What a Dummy. Didn’t she know that her supposed base, parents of special needs kids, would all be watching the MOVIE?

It was an excellent movie, BTW. It told her story well, presented an accurate picture of the way Ms. Grandin’s mind works, and Claire Danes did an excellent job. I would not be surprised if both the movie and Ms. Danes garnered awards at year’s end. It’s a very uplifting movie, and very inspiring.

Watch Temple Grandin. Just do it.

That’s my new word. It’s my state of being this week. Better word for the dictionary than something like “bootylicious”, ya know?

We are getting B’s junior year eval done – the school is paying to have it done outplacement. So between appointments for that, four rehearsals, two concerts, the taxes, and getting ready for the upcoming snow, my mind is fried. Yes, the taxes. Practicing getting them done early so I know how to do just that next year for the FAFSA. Not a whole lot of time to think, let alone read the news.

Is there anything newsworthy going on in the real world that I haven’t had time to see?

Toyota, perhaps? I actually feel bad about this, because I have had two Toyotas, one of which saved my life. They were great cars, and even though I don’t have one now (luckily, I guess), it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t buy one again. It’s a shame that the management seems to be corrupt, and prospects just don’t look good.

No….. This. THIS is what’s worthy.

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm wants to push nearly 40,000 veteran teachers into retirement to eliminate their hefty salaries from the state’s 2011 budget. The plan, introduced to state lawmakers last Friday and discussed in her final State of the State speech yesterday, would save an estimated $230 million a year, but it would also leave students with a much less experienced cadre of teachers at a time when Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says the nation’s graduate schools are not adequately preparing our next crop of educators.

This is what happened to my husband, several friends of ours (not just in his department), and is still going on at the college where he taught for almost 40 years. Once you are over 55, you are disposable. There’s an article about friends of ours who are suing the university for age discrimination. One of the cases has been completed, and is in the judge’s hands now. The other hasn’t come up yet.

Whether or not the first one wins, I’m very proud of both of them. It’s time that this was all exposed, and that takes guts. One teacher friend of ours who was there for 13 years was let go in favor of another professors wife; not that she was bad, but he had been there, and now he is working in a store, too old and too far up the salary scale.

It’s kind of hard to imagine someone who is a “bad teacher” teaching for 40 years without an official complaint or a bad review. TPTB need to be told *officially* that it ISN’T right to push good teachers out because they don’t fit the mold, whatever mold it is that you might desire. As one of the commenters said, the two profs are “eccentric” – they aren’t “cookie cutter” teachers. Our friend is nowhere near as bad as the immature college students who posted there (and he is NOT a lecher – he is more of a space cadet).

Education is not supposed to be like Corporate America, we are not supposed to have to assimilate – and gawd forbid that the next generation of teachers falls into that category. If that happens, we’re up a serious creek.

I didn’t know they were going to up the Academy Awards Best Picture nominations from 5 to 10 films….now I gotta watch all those others? :0

Not that anything is going to beat Avatar. If you think about it, an award for Best Picture ought to go to the film where the director made the most out of that piece of film. I cannot even imagine that Cameron’s ex made a better picture than this. It’s a real shame that they were both released in the same year.

So tell me – what on this list is worth seeing?

Obama has always been good at speechifying. His speech the other night sounded like he was back on the trail, trying to convince you… Of course, David Plouffe is back, so that may be part of it. Another part is that he may be desperate because he IS losing his base. But you wouldn’t know that to hear the folks on TV and radio….

All the talking heads, and even Thom Hartmann, have been gushing over him ever since. This is disturbing, because I found I was not the only person who wanted to throw crap at the tv – at least not on the internets.

But that night, I thought I was alone in my anger. So I went in search of sanity, and found a good SOTU thread at Eschaton; Echidne was in charge, and folks were flinging nonstop.

Here’s the transcript, you can go reference it, I am still disgusted. Just the quote about rewarding success in education – that is what NCLB already does – but it also penalizes everything else. It doesn’t reward failure. Equation = he’s keeping NCLB.

I don’t hear the talking heads calling out all the Republican leanings – Nukes, Clean Coal, and Offshore Drilling; keeping NCLB; Tax cuts, tax credits; and – maybe the worst of all – Government is a Family – WTF?????!!!!!!

While I agree that the Community College system needs to be revamped, giving $$$ to the community colleges alone – which are, in PA, in citified areas – is just giving the finger to the middle class. How is that, you ask?

Most of us don’t HAVE community colleges in our counties. And if there IS one close but not in our county, we have to pay DOUBLE what the county residents pay, even if they are 20 minutes away from us, and 45 from someone on the other side of the county. State colleges have no money to give, yet they are now the most competitive because they are cheaper. And if you didn’t hear, Bernie Madoff wiped out much of the endowments of several universities….including Pitt, Brandeis, Harvard, Tufts, Yeshiva… keep going….

Not a word was mentioned about women’s health – of course, they don’t want us to feel our boobies or get mammos any more, so that shows ya what they really think of us. Not one word was said about autism or any disabilities. Of course, I didn’t expect him to, because he really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about OUR kids becoming productive members of society, about THEM getting an education. NOOOooooo.

At least there was some humor that evening, courtesy of Joe Biden – he in his Pelosi-color-coordinated tie, sat back there with the “cranky old man” expression on his face most of the evening. Thanks Reuters, this was the only shot I could find….

I will agree that BO got a good one in on the Supreme Court. It was good that he mentioned that foreign countries could buy the candidates, because I don’t think that a lot of your typical Rethugs thought about that. If Alito et al really think that it was untrue, then perhaps they should not BE on the SCOTUS, because they’re just not good enough lawyers, let alone have the ability to interpret the law….

The truly delusional, Telling words of the night were “I don’t quit.” Well, bud, ya can’t quit what ya haven’t started.

You still think he REALLY heard us??!!

Mind you, I do remember how bad Bush was. But that does not give Obama ANY right to be just as bad, or anywhere near, let alone even in that general direction. Not when he campaigned on CHANGE. Bipartisanship may technically BE change from the last 8 years, but they will not LET CHANGE HAPPEN. And that’s not what I want change FROM – I want change from the last **30** years. I heard way too much bipartisan and Rethug verbiage for someone who calls himself a Democrat. Too much on the right to support any change at all. BO is either a snake in the grass, or he is entirely deluded. I am hoping it is the latter. The other option is way too scary and reeks of Jesse Ventura’s Conspiracy Theory.

If he doesn’t want China and India and all those other countries to be “better than” us, then he has to get rid of NAFTA. Giving businesses incentives isn’t going to do the trick.

Actify, please, don’t speechify.

For some reason, Ollie was dragging Pippin’s bed out of his crate into the middle of the kitchen. He wasn’t sleeping in it, he was just doing it. He was also into that fruit box for several weeks, and it had become dilapidated and an eyesore. Well, it was an eyesore anyway.

So I decided to run to PetsMart/PetSmart to see if I could find something better.

He still drags Pooch’s bed out on occasion, but only if he’s trying to tell us something….anyone having any ideas what that might be, please enlighten me!

Gonna link to the Ark, in case someone there knows, too…?!

Rahm Emanuel is ruining politics/the Presidency/my dog’s armpit just as badly as Karl Rove. And truthfully, there’s not too much damn difference between them, you could call him Rahm Rove and it would fit. Scum. And you know about that – scum always rises.

BO needs to fire Emanuel’s ass, and as his replacement hire the person who GOT him into that job. The person who REALLY revolutionized internet politics, and started the REAL grassroots. The person who is truly the man behind the curtain.

That man is Howard Dean.