Meanderings

I think that one of the video game manufacturers should create a "bag the groupie" game where avatars of prominent individuals earn points by engaging in illicit acts with celebrity camp followers. In addition to "conquest points" they have to remain at the top of their profession AND avoid discovery by their spouses, the media, or being sold out by one of their prior flings. Just think you could be Bill Clinton, JFK, Tiger Woods, or a whole host of televangelists.

What a blow (pun intended) to the Algoreans. I wonder if the clean energy czar is going to get the boot.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017393/climategate-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-anthropogenic-global-warming/

My neurologist forwarded this x-ray to me. I thought that posting it might prove useful in explaining how my brain works.

Bull Simons Quote

History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight, someone who has the will to fight will take over.

Colonel Arthur "Bull" Simons
November 21, 1970

Ellis' Geek Report

I'm reading an article from this month's issue of Fast Company magazine that profiles Microsoft's newest OS, Windows 7. In the interest of full disclosure: I was a Windows user from 3.1 through XP and still use it from time to time on my awesomely cool Macbook Pro with Boot Camp. Boot Camp is software that partitions the hard drive and enables the the dual Intel processors in my Macbook to run XP and its related programs as a native OS. It's very slick and extremely handy. For the past several years, and especially since Anthony's emergence as Apostle of all things Apple, I have been a Mac devotee. I could cite the reasons here, but that's a separate comment. Today's commentary will dwell on the items that Microsoft chose to lead with when presenting their newest and shiniest technology to the writers at Fast Company.

1. The Boot Up Intro: Four multi-colored fireflies that coalesce into a glowing Windows icon. What? You're profiling your new OS and you're selling the boot up intro? Why would I care about that? What is less significant to a user over the age of 6 than the boot up intro? I can tell you because it is the second item in their profile.

2. The Task Bar Icons: Here is a direct quote from the article, "The task bar is the face of Windows, but the icons are the stars of the show." Admittedly I get pretty excited about some nerdy things, but that the task bar icons are the stars of the new Operating System are like saying that the gas cap is the highlight of your new Ferrari.
PS: That quote is from one of the designers, not a writer critiquing the product.

3. Desktop Wallpapers: By now I was stupefied. Why are the wallpapers important in the rebuild of the operating system? According to the MSFT spokesperson, by creating anime turtles and using slick Seattle streetscapes, they wanted to, "provoke a strong emotional connection," with the users. Ummm... build an OS that boots quickly, isn't rife with security holes, and doesn't crash when I run a Microsoft product and that will build an emotional connection.

4. Aero Shake: With this new gizmo you "rub your mouse" (no kidding) over an open window and the other active windows fly closed. I'm calling this one Mouse-terbation. 'Nuff said here.

This is pathetic Microsoft. I can't wait for the new Mac commercials.

Numb3rs - A Review

For the first four seasons, Numb3rs was one of the 3 shows that I watched with any consistency. Last season, I found myself missing an episode here and there, and not caring so much. I think its because it's become more about the characters and less about the drama/math. I want Don Eppes to be a hard charger, not an introspective second guesser. I want Charlie to be a mathematically brilliant, but socially uncertain member of the FBI team. I want Larry to be quirky, unpredictable, but invaluable companion to Charlie. This chemistry worked for me, and I believe many other viewers for the first four seasons. The slower paced episodes, the emotional angst, the overall change in the tenor of the show lost them a star in my rating. I truly hope they find the chemistry again, I truly want to love this show again.

4 digits out of 5

Legislating Waste...

Here is a brief email exchange that occurred between me and the MISD's Director of Food Service, Katie Watland, followed by my own commentary:

Hi Katie,

After going to Islandwood Environmental Learning Center for several years as a 5th grade teacher, I became much more aware of the amount of food waste that occurs during our lunches. This is particularly true during the primary lunch sessions where I see the smaller kids sometimes throwing away half of their meals. I was wondering if the food services team has recently discussed the notion of differentiating portion sizes for smaller kids so that they received enough food to be nutritious, but not so much that they would throw it away. For example, smaller pizza slices for smaller kids, fewer chicken nuggets, etc. Given our new online payment strategy, maybe they could be charged a bit less for their lunches - a real win for parents as well.

Thanks for the great job you guys do for the kids every day.

Best Regards,

Ellis Reyes

Katie's Response:

Hi-

Thank you for your concerns for potions with the primary lunch.  We are part of the National School Lunch Program and with that we are required to follow the guidelines setup by the USDA.  We are required to offer at least 2 oz of Meat/ Meat alternative, 3/4 cup of fruit/vegetable, 8 oz fluid milk, and a serving of bread.  We have to treat every student equally with portions and would not be able to charge two different prices for elementary.

While we can't change the portion sizes maybe somebody at  your school would like to take on composting like they do at Island Park Elementary. 

If I can be any further assitance, please let me know.

Thank  you,

Katie

++++++

 

That's right. One size fits all. A Kindergartner with a size 2 stomach gets the same amount of chow as the 5th grader with a size 12 stomach. So the size 2 dumps half of her food into the trash because she's full, and the size 12 goes back to class with a growling stomach. How is this a wise use of resources? Can we afford to be this wasteful? Wouldn't a little bit of flexibility be useful in this situation? Changing this ridiculous law is going to be my class' public service project for the year. We will begin by performing a statistical sampling of food waste over grade levels and lunch periods to gather data. We will then then use the Food Service's costs to calculate an average food waste cost per day and then extrapolate that number to a per year cost. Then we will compile a list of elected officials whose voices may be persuasive in changing the law and will start writing letters and sending emails.

We'll see where things go from there.

Questionable Leadership Decision

On the calendar it says that tomorrow is a "Non-Contract Day" for teachers. This means that we are under no obligation to go to work. However, a critical training session for our new math curriculum adoption has been scheduled between 8:30 AM and Noon tomorrow morning. Since our participation is STRONGLY encouraged, is this truly an optional session? Could we forgo attendance and remain in our administrator's good graces?

I suspect that the day was structured in this way to meet budgetary restrictions; it simply costs the district less to timecard teachers than to pay for all of us to be on the clock for 3.5 hours. Nevertheless, it does not excuse the quasi-optionality of tomorrow's work session. It seems coercive to me to calendar a day as non-contract and then to schedule a critical path training session during that time.

Why They Come Here For Health Care.....

Many people believe that folks from other countries come to the United States for medical procedures because of our superior technology, highly trained doctors, or state of the art research facilities. All untrue.

The reason people come to the U.S. for medical care is that the procedures sound nicer in English than in their native languages. For example, would you rather have a procedure called a Rumplereemer or a routine prostate check? See the difference? A Rumplereemer sounds invasive and horribly uncomfortable, a routine prostate check sounds clinical and safe. Here's another example: Pflatzenbooben or mammogram? With the former, images of bench-vices and pancakes come to mind, with the latter simply charts and grayscale photos.

To make it all less intimidating, I think all medical procedures should be translated into meaningless French phrases so that they will always sound much nicer than they are.

Dr. Jones - Why are you here today Mr. Reyes?
Me - I am here for Le fromage de merde
Dr. Jones - Ok, I'll send you down to the technician.
Me - Thanks Doc. I'll see you next time.

See how smoothly that went? No discomfort, no nervousness, just a simple phrase that rolls smoothly off of the tongue. If every country adopted this proposal the foreign demand on U.S. health care would decline to the point that we could not only provide quality health care for all Americans, but hospitals could begin to offer punch cards for regular visitors. 10 surgeries and the next one's free or a free sputum tray with each ER visit.

Now that's health care reform that would actually work!

Unintended Consequences

Mercer Island School Board Policy number 2022 regarding the proper use of Electronic Information Systems reads in part, "By creating this network, the board intends only to provide a means for educational activities and does not intend to create a first amendment forum for free expression purposes." Can you do that? I mean can I publish a newspaper and say that this paper will not abide by the First Amendment? Or by publishing the newspaper (or providing an electronic network) do you, by default, create a First Amendment forum?

I don't know, but this is one I'll be digging into. Stay tuned. It may get interesting.

Yay, the War on Terror is Over!

Today the Washington Times reports today that the Obama administration has declared that the "War on Terrorism" is over and that the terms "jihadist", and "global war" are no longer to be used. These descriptors are now considered "simplistic" and "ideological" by the Administration which views itself as more 'nuanced' and 'practical'. An adminstration spokesman also lamented the "inflammatory rhetoric, hyperbole, and intellectual narrowness" that has, in the Adminstrations opinion, surrounded this issue.

What a load of elitist crap.

Referring to our ongoing operations as a Global War on Terror informs the jihadists that we will seek them out wherever they hide, and that we will kill them when we find them. Changing the vocabulary to something more 'nuanced' simply tells the terrorists that the Administration is being led by a bunch of sackless ivory tower asshats who lack the will to drop the hammer on them.

Mr. Obama, the way to stop terror is to kill the terrorists. It works every time.

Dr. Seuss Quote

A friend posted a quote on Facebook a little while ago that made me think a little bit. The quote is from Dr. Seuss and it reads, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." I wonder what the good Dr. was thinking about when he made that comment. Could it have been.....

*The last episode of ________________
*Someone's marriage
*The plague
*Shock Therapy
*Grad school

I thought of many more, highly inappropriate responses, but thought it best to keep them to myself.

The Beer Summit

So the conciliatory sit down with Cambridge, MA police officer Crowley, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and President Obama is being organized. I'm sure that it is much more complicated for this to occur with an African American President than it would be at your house or mine. Why? Here are a few of the political considerations that I've come up with in the last few minutes:

I wonder if it would it be politically incorrect to serve an import? What message would that send to the U.S. beer industry? Should they serve a Boston-based beer like Sam Adams? Should they reach out to an African-American microbrewery somewhere? Should they serve something that is more stereotypically African-American, like Colt Malt Liquor, to show solidarity with da boyz in da hood? What if the families of one of the old-line U.S. brewers once owned slaves, what would the African-American community think then? Obama and Gates drinking slave beer, the horror!

Many things to consider before sipping a cold one with the Prez.

Open Letter to the President

Mr. President,

With all the respect due to your office, I think that you, personally, are a raving socialist and no friend to the United States of America. I think that you are exploiting the kindness of the American people to impose an agenda that is antithetical to the principles upon which this great republic was founded. You know well that we ache for those in need and do what we can to help, so you disguise your confiscatory and redistributionist programs in a veil of altruism, saying that we are assisting those who cannot help themselves. This is despicable.

Perhaps I would think more highly of you, and your ilk, if you were honest about who you are and what you are. If you ran for office under the banner of the American Socialist Party then I would have more respect for you because you wouldn't be lying to good-hearted, but naive, masses. If you ran as a Socialist, your agenda would be consistent with who you purport to be. I would oppose it as vigorously as I do now, but at least it wouldn't be positioned as something that it is not. As a Socialist your chummy relationships with Hugo Chavez and Raul Castro wouldn't be as offputting because we would expect them; birds of feather, etc. As a Socialist your apologies for Americas greatness would be more properly framed since the roots of our greatness is at odds with your predominant ideology.

Most importantly, as a Socialist you would be irreleveant because many more Americans would see you as you really are.

Kindest Regards

His words, my questions: Ellis vs. Obama

Obama said today that the driving force behind the federal deficit was skyrocketing health care costs.

Ellis' question: What about your uncontrolled spending Mr. President? It seems that your two attempts to stimulate the economy through massive spending have done more to expand the deficit than ten years of naturally occurring inflation in health care costs.

Obama said today that if we do not control the costs of Medicare and Medicaid that we will not be able to control the deficit.

Ellis' Question: Since this is already a government program, how will nationalizing the rest of the health care system help with controlling costs here?

Obama said today that his health care proposal will create a government run health care plan to compete with private insurers.

Ellis' Question: How do you "compete" with the government? That's like playing a game with the referee on the opposing team. They can simply regulate private insurers out of business and do the same with doctors who attempt to operate outside of the government program.

Obama said today that they have rough agreement that will keep the government out of health care decisions.

Ellis' Question: How is this possible if a government panel will decide which medical procedures are covered and which ones are not? This is the government being directly involved in health care decisions, isn't it?

XXXXX

Random Question

Who has more claim to the title "African American" a fair skinned person born in Johannesburg who moved to the U.S. as a child or a dark skinned person who was born on the west coast of America and is nine generations removed from African soil?

Swimming On A Humid Day

At the hotel pool

Spider Web

A spider web highlighted by the misty raindrops.

One night's worth of "tree droppings"

One drawback of living in a deciduous paradise is the effluent they
leave on your car. It's off to the car wash for a de-sapping.

Two Poems by Maria Reyes

I'm Moving Back to Settle
by Maria Reyes

Sad to leave my friends and go
Happy to see my old friends again,
but what relly maters is I have friends.

Going Into My Prey School
by Maria Reyes

Happyness goes around
kindness a strate line
everyones quite.
Then I move to a diffrent place
a place to have more friend ship
and every ones happy epxet for my friends
in the place I love
and I love Latimer Lane.
I think Latimer Lane
is better then my prey school.