Taking Care of the Troops

In past wars the USO sent groups of celebrities around to entertain the troops. They still do, although Bob Hope is sadly no longer on the circuit. Individual singers and groups have made trips to the Middle East, both on land and on ship, to entertain our military while it performs a vital mission.

While I certainly don't begrudge our troops any of this type of entertainment they receive, I'll admit to a slight amount of jealousy regarding this:

About 440 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines will get to see the newest Star Trek movie at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, on Saturday — about a month before its stateside premiere, Army and Air Force Exchange Service officials announced Friday.

The troops will get an extra treat at AAFES’ Reel Time Theater: The actors playing the new recruits on the Starship Enterprise will also attend — Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Nero (Eric Bana), Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) and Lt. Sulu (John Cho). Director J.J. Abrams also will be on hand.

How very cool.

Update, 4/12/09: I received permission to forward the following, from someone who was there:

So you may be wondering; is it worth it to see? That part is a no brainer. It is definitely worth it.

Is it true to the roots of the original series? Actually, so much so that many of the characters look pretty darn close and act like the originals, only better.

Is the movie good? From my perspective, it hands down beats the best of the Star Trek movies that were ever made, namely the Wrath of Khan.

In short folks, this movie is a kick in the pants and I predict it will start a whole new franchise for an entirely new generation of fans and soon to be fans. If this movie is not the blockbuster of the Summer, I will be greatly surprised.

It was that good.

[signature redacted, just in case]

- no, I will not get into the plot. Suffice it to say, it explains the very beginning of the very first episode of the original TV series and provides context that never previously existed before, particularly **CPT Pike**

This Gentleman Does Not Think Highly Of Our President

From a blog at the UK's Telegraph:

Barack Obama: President Pantywaist - new surrender monkey on the block

That's just the title. Here's the ending:

Watch out, France and Co, there is a new surrender monkey on the block and, over the next four years, he will spectacularly sell out the interests of the West with every kind of liberal-delusionist initiative on nuclear disarmament and sitting down to negotiate with any power freak who wants to buy time to get a good ICBM fix on San Francisco, or wherever. If you thought the world was a tad unsafe with Dubya around, just wait until President Pantywaist gets into his stride.

Go read what's in the middle.

ASU Won't Confer Honorary Doctorate On President Obama

The author of this piece is a little taken aback:

Universities typically confer an honorary degree on commencement speakers, particularly those who have reached the pinnacle of their career or achieved the top of their field. Arizona State University (ASU), though, says it will not confer an honorary degree on this year's commencement speaker, President Barack Obama, because "his body of work is yet to come"...

Writing two best-sellers? Not outstanding. Developing one of the largest grassroots organizations in the world? Nothing special. Becoming the first African American President of the United States? Good, but nothing to write home about.

What do you think?

Update, 4/11/09: That didn't take long.

Michael M. Crow, president of Arizona State University, tells POLITICO that the school is reconsidering its widely mocked plans not to give President Barack Obama an honorary degree when he speaks at commencement on May 13 and will “honor him in every way possible.”

“There was no intended slight,” Crow said by telephone from his office in Tempe. “We had not yet talked about what honors we might give him as our commencement speaker, and we still have a month to work all that out. We don’t want anyone to think we do not recognize what he has achieved and what he means in America.”

Universities and Veterans

Penn State quickly ditches a training video that stereotypes veterans as "angry":

"What if it was 'Oh, the gay one,' or 'Oh, the Asian kid?' " asks Maggie Kwok, head of the Penn State Veterans Organization in an interview with the Daily Collegian, PSU's student newspaper. She is referring to a "training video," prepared by the university's Counseling and Psychological Services office, depicting "worrisome student behavior."

The office swiftly removed the video when it prompted a kerfuffle, but the PSU College Republicans preserved it on YouTube. It's a fascinating documentation of academic prejudice...

The video's salient stereotype, however, is not of veterans as thickheaded but as angry...

All the videos in the series concern students behaving in ways that are creepy but not necessarily dangerous. In the first, a young woman tells her professor that a young man in her class has an unreciprocated romantic interest in her and has been making her feel uncomfortable. "It's not like he's stalking me or anything," she allows, but then she describes behavior that some may reckon crossed that line.

The second depicts a female student who is behaving erratically for reasons that are unspecified--perhaps trauma, mental illness or drug abuse.

The third shows a classroom discussion on news coverage of violent crime. When the conversation turns toward school shootings, a black-shirted male student in the back row remarks that such violence "doesn't make sense to me. Why shoot at the other students? Personally, I'd blow up Old Main or shoot up the administration. That's where the real problems are."

The video about The Veteran is similar to the others, in that all depict abnormal behavior by young people who probably are normal, but are immature or temporarily impaired. But the characters in the other videos are all completely generic, with no distinguishing characteristics other than their sex. Only The Veteran is fleshed out enough even to be a stereotype. (boldface mine--Darren)

Contrast Penn State's consideration for veterans with that of California's universities and the Troops To College program.

Update, 4/11/09: I need to flesh this out a little more. Here's what I sent on the topic to an email list of which I am a member:

It's clear that the people who made this video have a definite bias, one so strong that they don't even see it. THAT is the problem here. It would have been "insensitive", or stupid, if they'd included other stereotypes--the thugged-out black kid who looks threatening, the jock who won't take no for an answer, the Muslim who won't accept the authority of a woman professor. That they singled out only one, the veteran, is what makes this especially galling. Had they *only* singled out one of the other stereotypes I listed above, do you think there would be as much silence on this issue as there is with the veteran?

Buy One, Get One Killed

That's the message put out by the PETA crowd--buy a dog from a breeder instead of from a shelter, and the shelter dog will end up getting "put down". This is interesting coming from an organization that regularly "euthanizes" animals.

And to threaten human lives because a puppy breeder sold a puppy to the Bidens--is there anyone sane who can rationalize that?

"I thought when Joe Biden bought a puppy from me, what an honor," Brown told the Daily Local News. "Out of millions of breeders in the country, in the world, he picked me."

That was December.

When the story got out, Brown faced backlash from pet lovers who thought the Bidens should have opted for a shelter over a breeder to find their new puppy.

PETA seized the moment as an opportunity to blame the killing of shelter animals on people who buy from breeders. The organization's TV commercial, "Buy One, Get One Killed" ran in Delaware after the Biden puppy story made headlines...

Brown says she and Biden both received death threats from animal activists.

Nutjobs.

Friday Trivia

The answer to yesterday's question is:
444 days.

Today's question is:
For how many years was Hitler Chancellor of Germany, and for how many of those years was Germany at war?

Carnival of Education

Yes, I'm back from my cruise--and now I have to offer my reciprocal link to this week's Carnival of Education, which includes my post about the Teacher of the Year process in my school district.

Thursday Trivia

The answer to yesterday's question is:
4th of July, 1863.

Today's question is:
For how many days were the American hostages held in Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979?

Wednesday Trivia

The answer to yesterday's question is:
Belize.

Today's question is:
On what date did General Lee and his army retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg?

Tuesday Trivia

The answer to yesterday's question is:
River City.

Today's question is:
What is the current name of British Honduras?

Monday Cruise Update

What a trip so far! One of our dinner companions from last night will be attending the Air Force Academy in a few months, and it was a treat to talk to him and his parents.

Today we're at Catalina Island. Just got in from a Zodiac tour, on which I took video of nesting bald eagles and a pod of dolphins. When I get home to a reliable (and no extra cost) internet connection, I'll endeavor to remember to post some of that video.

Was up late last night drinking and singing and dancing, so tonight I think I'll catch the 9pm showing of Quantum of Solace in my cabin. Or maybe not :-)

In a couple hours we sail for Ensenada, in Baja California. Now I see why those former students of mine chose the Naval Academy; this shipboard life is kinda nice!

Monday Trivia

The answer to yesterday's question is:
Eagle, and Columbia

Today's question is:
In what Iowa town did The Music Man take place?

Sunday Trivia

The answer to yesterday's question is:
Joseph Ratzinger.

Today's question is:
What was the name of Apollo 11's lunar module? (Bonus point for also knowing the name of the command module)

Saturday Trivia

The answer to yesterday's question is:
2. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, followed by Venus, then Earth.

Today's question is:
By what name was the current Pope, Benedict XVI, known before becoming Pope in 2005?

Having an Ensalada and an Enchilada in Ensenada

Early tomorrow morning my son and I are leaving on a little vacation, and I expect internet connectivity to be minimal. We won't be back until Friday.

Fear not, though, trivia warriors! Your daily fix will still be here! I'm going to schedule new trivia questions to appear at 4pm PDT each day, along with the answers to the previous day's question--in just the format you're used to. I may not have a chance to post your answers in a timely or regular manner, but everything else will appear like clockwork.

Wish I'd Have Known About This In Advance

I have a feeling this could have been a very interesting talk.

Terrence J. Roberts – one of the heroes of the civil rights movement who along with eight other African American high school students broke the color line in Arkansas in 1957 – will speak to local students today at California State University, Sacramento.

The event is free and open to the public.

Friday Trivia

The answer to yesterday's question is:
2004. Hard to believe it's been 5 years....

Today's question is:
How many planets in our solar system are closer to the sun than Earth is?

Teacher of the Year

How is the Teacher of the Year chosen in your school district?

In my district, a teacher must be nominated by a student, parent, or other staff member. Then, the nominated teacher must submit a packet that contains the following--and no, I'm not kidding here:

A. Introductory letter
-Explain what it is like to be a student in your class.
-Relate an inspirational vignette that illustrates an important aspect of education.
-Share an example of how you turned a challenging moment into a teachable moment.

B. Resume of Background Experience and Professional Development Activities
-Colleges and universities attended, including post-graduate studies, dates of attendance and degrees earned
-Teaching history with time period, grade level, and subject area of each assignment.
-Professional memberships, including information regarding offices held and other relevant activities.
-Staff development activities, mentorships, and training of other teachers.

C. Student Progress Essay
-Describe how you know your students are achieving.
-Describe how you use and understanding of data (sic)
-Consider assessment methods used, what you do with data to improve instruction, and how you assess and address the needs of struggling students

D. Philosophy of Teaching Essay
-Describe your personal views about teaching including what aspects make you an outstanding teacher.
-Describe the rewards you find in teaching.
-Discuss how your views about teaching are demonstrated in your personal teaching style.

E. The Teaching Profession Essay
-Describe why you would recommend that individuals enter the teaching profession.
-Describe how you would strengthen and improve the teaching profession.
-Describe ways teachers should be held accountable.
-Describe ways in which you support the profession through teacher collaboration and mentoring.

That's all.

Am I the only one for whom this seems entirely ridiculous? There's no way I'm going to write essays telling others what a great and wonderful teacher I am. And I doubt there's anyone at the district office who wants to hear about my philosophy of teaching, anyway.

Asking someone to blow their own horn in order to win an award seems a bit like holding out a treat and telling your dog to "speak". I am not a trained dog, and neither will I act like one.

I Call Sexism!

Teachers at Hanham High School in Bristol, England, tackled sex education a bit differently this year.

Nude male models showed off their anatomy in the gym, while a live feed allowed the students in the main hall to study the bodies and ask questions, The Evening Post reported.

The students used their new knowledge when they took part in a sexual activity workshop. Topics covered included sexual hygiene and differences in each person’s body.

If someone can explain to me why this is more appropriate than "traditional" sex ed, I'm listening. This is just porn.

And why only male models?

Churchill Wrongfully Fired???

I still can't understand how the US Supreme Court could rule as it did in Kelo, and neither do I understand how a jury could rule that Ward Churchill was wrongfully fired.

A jury ruled Thursday that the University of Colorado wrongly fired the professor who compared some Sept. 11 victims to a Nazi, a verdict that gives the professor $1 and a chance to get his job back...

Churchill said claims including plagiarism were just a cover and that he never would have been fired if it weren't for the essay in which he called World Trade Center victims "little Eichmanns," a reference to Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi leader who helped orchestrate the Holocaust. Jurors agreed.

I'll agree that he might very well have gotten away with his plagiarism if he hadn't made the Nazi comments, but once the plagiarism was brought to the university's attention, was the school supposed to ignore it? Well, according to this jury, perhaps they were.

University spokesman Ken McConnellogue said the university will review its options before deciding whether to appeal.

"(The verdict) doesn't change the fact that more than 20 of his faculty peers found that he engaged in plagiarism and other academic misconduct," McConnellogue said.

Verdicts like this cause me to lose faith not only in our legal system, but in my fellow citizens.

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