Another Leftie Conspiracy Theory Down The Tubes

Not that this will deter them at all, but it is entertaining:

A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday dismissed former CIA analyst Valerie Plame's lawsuit against Vice President Dick Cheney and several former Bush administration officials for disclosing her identity to the public...

Plame and Wilson sought money damages from Cheney, Libby, former White House aide Karl Rove and former State Department official Richard Armitage for violating their constitutional free speech, due process and privacy rights.

But a three-judge panel of the appeals court upheld a federal judge's ruling that dismissed the couple's lawsuit.

Plame and Wilson are losers, kept afloat only by fawning anti-Americans who suffer from BDS.

Nuking Japan

I had committed to myself to ignore the anti-American hatefest that comes with the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but found a column so full of wisdom that I have to quote from it here.

The stories of survivors are harrowing — flames everywhere, people walking by whose flesh had been ripped off their bodies by heat and the blast, the inability to find loved ones. All the ghastliness of Dante’s Hell and a Gothic horror novel rolled into one. We pity them and ache for what they went through that horrible day.

But once –just once– I would like to hear the horror stories of the men and women of Pearl Harbor as counterpoint to the suffering of the Japanese and a reminder of who started the war and how they did it. I want to hear from those who can tell equally horrific tales of death and destruction. How Japanese aircraft strafed our men with machine gun fire while they were swimming for their lives through flaming oil spills, the result of a surprise attack against a nation with whom they were at peace. Or how the hundreds of men trapped in the USS Arizona slowly suffocated over 10 days as divers frantically tried to cut through the superstructure and rescue their comrades.

Perhaps we might even ask surviving POWs to bear witness to their ordeal in Japanese prison camps — surely as brutal, inhuman, and gruesome an atrocity as has ever been inflicted on enemy soldiers.

While we’re at it, I am sure there are thousands of witnesses who would want to testify about how the Japanese army raped its way across Asia. This little discussed aspect of the war is a non-event for the most part in Japanese histories. But the millions of women who suffered unspeakable mistreatment by the Japanese army deserve a hearing whenever the tragedy of Hiroshima is remembered.

Yes, no more Hiroshimas. But to take the atomic bombing of Japan totally out of context and use it to highlight one nation or one city’s suffering is morally offensive. The war with Japan, with its racial overtones on both sides as well as the undeniable cruelty and barbarity by the Japanese military, should have been ended the second it was possible to do so. Anything less makes the moral arguments surrounding the use of the atomic bomb an exercise in sophistry.

A previous post on Hiroshima can be found here.

Update, 8/12/08: The Japanese National Archives has just released some of Tojo's diaries:

Japanese World War II leader Hideki Tojo wanted to keep fighting even after U.S. atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, accusing surrender proponents of being "frightened," a newly released diary reveals...

The stridency of the writings is remarkable considering they were penned just days after the U.S. atomic bombs incinerated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing some 200,000 people and posing the threat of the complete destruction of Japan. At the time, Japan had begun arming children, women and the elderly with bamboo spears, in addition to the aircraft and other forces it had marshaled, to defend the homeland against a ground invasion...

The diary shows Tojo remained convinced of the justice and necessity of Japan's brutal march through Asia and its disastrous decision to draw the United States into the war by bombing Pearl Harbor.

How anyone can argue against dropping the bombs, and do so with a straight face, is beyond me.

Update #2, 8/6/16:  Here's a better link to the Tojo's diary article.

Appeals Court Rules Homeschooling Legal In California

As of now, as I type this, I can find no story about this on CNN.com, FoxNews.com, or at the web site of the major Sacramento newspaper. The SF Chronicle, though, has the story, and here's the link to the ruling.

A state appeals court lifted the cloud it had cast on the homeschooling of 166,000 California children and ruled Friday that parents have a right to educate their children at home even if they lack a teaching credential.

After an outpouring of protest from homeschooling advocates and politicians, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles reversed its Feb. 28 ruling that could have reclassified most homeschooled children as truants.

I first wrote about this here, and more recently here. As I said in the previous links, I never thought that the ruling requiring parents to send their kids to "regular" school would ever stand, which is why I didn't really get worked up about it.

Cindy Sheehan Qualifies For Ballot Against Pelosi

I'm not sure if I'm done laughing at this woman yet or not, but if nothing else she's certainly a gift that keeps on giving.

"The next part is going to be exciting," she said. "I want at least one debate with all four candidates so that Nancy Pelosi has to answer for her record."

In case you don't get it, Sheehan is attacking Pelosi from the left. Pelosi isn't nutjob enough to satisfy Sheehan and her followers.

She's not going to beat Pelosi, but it might be an entertaining spectacle to watch.

We Thank God For Men Like This

While on vacation I had heard that a helicopter carrying firefighters had crashed here in California, and as we all know, people generally don't survive helicopter crashes.

This time, though, 4 of 13 did.

"I feel like God has his hand wrapped around me," said Brown, who suffered second-degree burns to his face, in addition to numerous facial fractures. "I feel like I lost my brothers, but they're in a better place now."

"I love my job," Brown added. "And I will be a firefighter."

He's 20. A fellow survivor was only 18.

A Nice Little War In Georgia

Are our friends on the left anti-war, or just anti-Bush?

Naked Imperialist aggression? Check!

Indiscriminate bombing and killing of civilians? Check!

Designs on another nation's energy resources? Check!

Remember all those breathless, and wholly incorrect, charges leveled at he U.S. at numerous "peace" protests concerning the war in Iraq? Well now all those charges are *actually* happening in South Ossetia.....so where are the calls for vast marches on the National Mall, or in Paris or Berlin, to protest this *actual* imperialist aggression??

That's one view, one I support.

Also consider this, outlining the differences between McCain's and Obama's responses.

Advice For New Teachers

Under normal circumstances I'd say any list entitled 50 Things New Teachers Need To Know is way too long. However, I found myself agreeing as I went through the list.

It probably is too long for new teachers, but even we veterans can use some advice and reinforcement once in awhile. In that regard, I'm forwarding that list to my principal!

A Lack of Math and Science Knowledge

I was reading this article, originally from AFP, about new research into why some sea turtles dive so deep into the ocean. And then I read the following, and my heart sank to those same depths:

The mystery deepens. Not only are the turtles equipped with myoglobin-rich blood ideal for stocking oxygen, they sometimes plunge more than a kilometer (three-quarters of a mile) below the surface.

A kilometer is about .62 miles, or 5/8 of a mile. They overstated the distance by about 21%.

Secret Union Ballots

I wrote before about George McGovern, who seems to be coming around to a more conservative way of viewing things. Or maybe he's just an old-style Democrat, before that party turned anti-war and anti-American.

Anti-American, I said? Yes, you bet. Because when you spit on the sanctity of the secret ballot, and choose instead intimidation, trickery, and pressure, you're being un-American. And with the "card check" proposal that the Congressional Democratic majority wants (to pay off its union backers), the latter is exactly what we'll get with an Obama presidency.

McGovern, at least, is man enough to call his own party out on this disgrace.

There's no question that unions have done much good for this country. Their tenacious efforts have benefited millions of workers and helped build a strong middle class. They gave workers a new voice and pushed for laws that protect individuals from unfair treatment. They have been a friend to the Democratic Party, and so I oppose this legislation respectfully and with care.

To my friends supporting EFCA I say this: We cannot be a party that strips working Americans of the right to a secret-ballot election. We are the party that has always defended the rights of the working class. To fail to ensure the right to vote free of intimidation and coercion from all sides would be a betrayal of what we have always championed.

Some of the most respected Democratic members of Congress -- including Reps. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, George Miller and Pete Stark of California, and Barney Frank of Massachusetts -- have advised that workers in developing countries such as Mexico insist on the secret ballot when voting as to whether or not their workplaces should have a union. We should have no less for employees in our country.

I worry that there has been too little discussion about EFCA's true ramifications, and I think much of the congressional support is based on a desire to give our friends among union leaders what they want. But part of being a good steward of democracy means telling our friends "no" when they press for a course that in the long run may weaken labor and disrupt a tried and trusted method for conducting honest elections.

If unions are such a good deal for employees, they'll vote for them in private. Given the option, they might even join them or support them financially--even in those states in which they're not legally required to.

Union Protest At Politician's House and Neighborhood

At what point does it become acceptable (not legal, but reasonable and justifiable) to protest someone's professional activities by driving a truck-mounted billboard through their neighborhood?

I ask because that's what a local community college district union did.

And before you lefties say "always!", I remind you that there are a lot more Democrats to protest in this state than there are Republicans. Do we really want to make professional differences into personal vendettas? My previous post, in which I commented on Leonard Pitts' column, addresses this issue somewhat.

A Sense of Decency

I've both agreed and disagreed with Leonard Pitts before, but even when we disagree I find him to be an honorable and decent man. I cannot help but agree with the sentiments expressed in this column, and hope others take it to heart:

When the news broke a few days ago that Novak had a brain tumor and would retire, I was not made prostrate by grief. What I felt was that whisper of common mortality, that sense of there-but-for-the-grace-of-God one usually feels when tragedy strikes someone who is known to you, but not too closely. I felt sorry for the man and for his loved ones. It did not occur to me to celebrate their misfortune.

In this, I am evidently different from a number of observers who have infested Internet websites with exultation over the columnist's diagnosis...

The intention, I imagine, is to debase those with whom one has political disagreements. The authors of this sort of abuse evidently don't realize that what they really debase is themselves -- and political discourse as a whole.

Yes, it is fair, even now, to offer a harsh critique of Novak's politics. But there is something fundamentally indecent about celebrating his grave illness. Osama bin Laden, I might understand; he's a mortal enemy. Robert Novak is just a columnist with whom some of us disagree...

That's the mentality you're seeing here -- politics as war -- and it is not pretty. The thing is, there are truths above politics and one of them is that you do not laugh at the other guy's tragedy. How estranged are you from your own humanity, how deficient was your home training, when you need to be reminded of that?

Amen.

Time To Go Home...

...and start blogging about education again!

But before I do, allow me to indulge, in the 50 minutes I have left, in one last post from Cancun.

Based on my posts from the last week it should be clear that I had an exceptional time here. In fact, I'd consider coming back again. But I wonder if this is the right place for me. Cancun is designed around sunning yourself all day, either at the pool or on the beach, and partying at night. I'm not overly enamored with either of those activities. I probably spent a grand total of under two hours in the last week soaking up the rays; I spent my days touring, shopping, and exploring, and as for my nights--well, I don't need to party all the time party all the time party all the time =) If I come back maybe I'd bring a book instead of a bunch of magazines and try to devote more time to worshiping the sun god Helios. I do want to go parasailing as well, something I did not fit into my schedule during this visit. I'm thinking that if I were to spend a week here again, I'd spend a few days on Isla Mujeres and a few days at an all-inclusive resort in the Zona Hotelera.

One last goodie from the timeshare "gift that keeps on giving" is my airport transportation, that will be here in less than 30 minutes. Then I'm off to Mexico City, then to Guadalajara, and finally Oakland. I hope to be home by midnight.

I've paid attention to most of my usual blogs, noted a little bit of the news, and I have some stories I plan to blog about. Stay tuned!!!

Update, 8/10/08: I walked into the house just a few minutes before midnight--and went straight to bed.

Friday's Pictures of the Day

These are the last; sadly, I leave tomorrow.

click on the pictures to enlarge

Here are our jungle tour boats tied up at the marina.

I took video as we rode across the lagoon, through the mangroves, and into the Caribbean. Here is the snorkling area.

As you can see, we're not that far from the shore in the Caribbean! And there were plenty of other snorkling groups here as well.

Friday's Notes

If England is a nation of shopkeepers, Mexico is a nation of beggars. I say that matter-of-factly, not with any denigration. And yes, I have some anecdotal evidence to back that statement up.

Today, after the jungle tour (which I'll describe below), the tourguide made sure to mention that we could tip if we like. We have a "buffet" breakfast each morning, and there's a bowl out with a note soliciting tips. I've spent the last two evenings buying gifts for friends and family; at the cashiers, where people ring up my purchases, there are bowls asking for tips--for putting my souvenirs in a bag? I treated myself to a fine "last night here" dinner this evening, and in big letters across the $30 USD bill was stamped TIPS NOT INCLUDED. On the bus ride back from Chichen Itza, the bus "waiter" spent the last 20 minutes talking about tips; I kid you not, he went on for 20 full minutes. One of the English guys next to me tuned him out for awhile and then asked me, "Is he still talking about a tip?" When I answered in the affirmative he replied, "They did a good job. Don't you think at some point they'd let the service speak for itself?" The guys working the ferry boat to and from Isla Mujeres passed around a hat. Everywhere you turn, someone is asking for a tip. I'm not against tipping a food server or even a hotel maid (for whom the hotel has conveniently left me an envelope), but everyone and his brother here wants a handout. And that's a lot of amigos.

But now let's talk about the jungle tour.

Like everything else around here, it started late. However, zephyring across the Laguna Nichupte was muy bien. When the bowspray started hitting me, I decided that was the time to put the video camera away. Aside: maybe I'll post a little video when I get home and process it. We had so slow down as we hit the mangroves at the south side of Cancun Island, at the entrance to the sea. I was in the boat with one of the tourguides and he pointed out a falcon or hawk in a tree; I got it on tape. There were beautiful birds in those trees.

And then the waters got calm, and we were in the Caribbean. When we finally stopped we weren't more than 100m off shore, but the reef was nice. Drab colors, not like what I saw off Grand Cayman 19 years ago, but still nice. I saw three types of fish: the first was about a foot long, very vertically oriented and skinny, and dull gray; the second was everywhere, and they were maybe 6" long, vertically oriented, had white bottom-halves and yellow top-halves and had black stripes; and the third I saw only one of, and it was cylindrically-oriented and was colored in "desert camouflage".

I don't like oceans. I don't like fish. I don't trust many animals, and those I do trust are mammals. As in Grand Cayman, the water was comfortable and as soon as I got into it I felt like I was hyperventilating. I don't think I was the only one, though, because when I was still above water I could hear people making strange vocal sounds and yelps through their snorkels. It didn't take long to calm down, though, and enjoy the underwater view.

It's a strange world under water. The three dimensionality there is richer than what we experience. I can throw a ball through the air but it only travels in that third dimension; it will come down to the ground. Under water, everything moves in three dimensions. I was engrossed watching small sticks suspended in space there, not going up or down. After I calmed down I slowly reached out and tried to touch the yellow, white, and black fish, but they casually moved away as my hand approached. I started out panicky, became calm, and finished enthralled. I'm glad I did it.

I never did find time to go parasailing. I regret that, but perhaps I'll come back here again some time. Parasailing will be first on my list then.

But tonight I have to pack--and hope my suitcase doesn't go over the weight limit for the aircraft.

Thursday's Pics of the Day

I didn't carry my camera around today, so I added a picture to this post and present you with a bonus Chichen Itza picture here.

click picture to enlarge

Thursday's Notes

I woke up this morning a lot more pink than when I went to bed. Too much sun, not enough sunscreen, on Isla Mujeres. So what to do today?

The timeshare presentation.

After all, it's only 90 minutes, and who (my age) doesn't like seeing fancy hotel rooms and imagining staying there?

Oh, before I go on, it was not a timeshare presentation. It was a private membership club, or something like that. I'm still iffy on the difference between that and a timeshare. I think it's just the name.

That 90 minutes, though, morphed into 4 mostly-air-conditioned hours. The numbers started at over $80,000 (plus hundreds for the week I would stay at the facility!!!) and got down to $3,000 (plus a couple hundred each week I stay) for 25 weeks over the next 10 years. The last one wasn't bad on a per-week basis, even after adding in the per-week cost, but I don't know that I'm going to come to Costa Maya 25 times in the next 10 years. I might almost feel bad, too, because the last deal comes courtesy of a fellow Californian who, because of the mortgage fiasco back home, needs to sell the remainder of his membership blah blah blah....

After touring the facilities (yes, plural), my "guide" and I went into a room filled with people either selling or potentially buying. There must have been 25 tables in there, with a sales presentation occurring at each one. It was very comical to me. One would raise a hand, and a "manager", or perhaps a "developer's representative", would come over and apply a little harder sell. Sometimes they'd even sweeten the pot, lowering the price here, the interest rate there, offering a studio instead of the two-room package.

This is the second timeshare presentation I've attended in the last decade, and I've watched others from a distance. They all share several qualities, but the one that interests me most is this: is there some school where timeshare salespeople go to learn to write jibberish-y numbers, figures, and words randomly on a page? If you've ever been to one of these presentations you know what I'm talking about. What, exactly, is the point of that, to confuse you? No, it couldn't be, because they only want to make sure I get the best vacation package for my money. They're concerned about me. There must be some other explanation for this disorganized jumble.

I toured two of their facilities here in Cancun, and they're building one on Isla Mujeres =) I must admit, the rooms were exceptional, perhaps extravagant by my standards, but my room here at the Holiday Inn Express more than meets my needs. I even have wireless internet access in my room here--I didn't think to ask if their resorts had such amenities!

It wasn't a waste of 4 hours, though. At the first facility I got a strawberry daquiri. I kid you not, I watched the bartender spoon strawberry Smucker's jelly into the blender, but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing the rum wasn't watered down when I saw him open a new bottle and start pouring.

From there we took a boat ride across the lagoon to get to the second, bigger facility. A nice lunch and a couple banana daquiris welcomed me there. But let there be no doubt, the place was grand.

And for attending this personalized presentation, I received a voucher for a "jungle tour", which normally run from $50-60 depending on where you purchase them. The tour involves taking a 2-person boat through the Laguna de Nichupte and the mangrove forest (the "jungle") and going out into the Caribbean, where a half hour of snorkling over a reef awaits. I go on the jungle tour tomorrow.

So, all in all, not a bad way to spend the midday recuperating from a slight sunburn.

I'm doing the siesta thing right now, and will head towards the action in another hour or so.

Wednesday's Pics of the Day

click on pictures to enlarge them

This is the view east from Playa Tortugas, where I caught the ferry to Isla Mujeres.



Looking down the street from near where the ferry docked on Isla Mujeres. As I said, it is much more typically Mexican than Cancun.


Leaving the dock at Isla Mujeres.

Wednesday's Notes

I took the ferry to Isla Mujeres today. Talk about amazing--next time I come here, I want to stay there.

I've determined that Cancun is for the 20-30 crowd (very lively nights) and the "I want to be pampered" crowd (tremendous resorts). I'm in neither of those groups. I'm in the "where could I bring a pre-teen with assurance that he would have a good time" group, and Isla Mujeres is just the place. It's small--can't get lost, and nothing is too far away--and has great beaches. I never left the North Beach area, and I understand there are a couple of bigger hotels a little further away, but everything I need is right there at north beach.

Golf carts and scooters seem to be the prevalent mode of transportation there. And bicycles. It seems very family-friendly, and is much more like "real" Mexico than is the hotel zone of Cancun.

Maybe I'd stay there a few days, and then at the Riu Caribe for a few days next time.

So, have you wanted to stalk me? Here are the locations, thanks to Google Earth, of some of the places I've talked about.

My hotel: lat 21.128243, long -86.764065
North beach, Isla Mujeres: lat 21.256785, long -86.750230
El Rey Ruins: lat 21.060824, long -86.781457
Chichen Itza: lat 20.682803, long -88.568630

I Have A New Friend

I would like to introduce you to someone I've gotten to know since I got here. He's got an amazing dark brown tan, he's totally buff, has got a killer smile, and is exceedingly yummy. And best of all, he's a Republican!

Meet Melvin:
=)

Update: Below is a picture of Melvin's gringo friend, who is also a good Republican!

Tuesday's Pics of the Day

click on the pictures to enlarge

Chac-Mool (foreground) and Kukulcan (the snake heads at the top of the stairs on the platform in the background).

Depictions of Kukulcan are everywhere.

This is what everyone thinks of when they hear Chichen Itza, the step pyramid dedicated to Kukulcan. On the left (west) side you can see that it has been somewhat restored; on the right (south) side it has not been. Even if every rock were in place the restoration would not be complete; the Maya painted their pyramids. This one was red.

If only I'd had more time....

Tuesday's Notes

Today I'm going to write about the good, the bad, and the ugly. I leave it as an exercise to the reader to determine which category describes each point below.

1. I have found no establishment--store, restaurant, or bar--that sells root beer.
2. All drinks on Mexicana Airlines, including alcohol, were complimentary.
3. We did not have enough time at Chichen Itza today. We were on a clock, and it was running fast. Three hours, the first 1:40 of which was the guided tour, which was exceptional. There was not enough time for me to see everything, much less photograph what I saw. Neither did they give us a brochure or map so we could see the "big picture". I had no idea where I was relative to everything else, and that, combined with the time constraint, caused me to miss a couple of things I would have liked to have seen. I did, however, on reader Eric W's, suggestion, go to the Sacred Cenote.
4. We did not have enough time at the cenote (freshwater sinkhole). Having to choose between taking a swim and taking pictures, I opted for a swim. There was barely enough time to change clothes, jump in once, and change back. I wish I had pictures, but I doubt they'd do justice. Freakin' phenomenal.
5. Where is all my money going? I've bought three tiny souvenirs and one cocktail. Where's all my freakin' money going? I haven't even bought t-shirts for my son and me yet.
6. There are some serious hotties here, and they're not all tourists.
7. It rained for about 5 minutes at Chichen Itza today; that probably moderated the temperatures a bit. It rained hard for a few minutes as we arrived at the cenote as well. I didn't understand why people were huddling under umbrellas--we were going swimming!
8. I wore my contacts today, so I didn't jump from the highest spot into the cenote. I had to keep my eyes closed under water so I didn't want to jump from too high. The water was cooler than I expected, but just above the uncomfortable level.
9. At Ruinas El Rey, the entry fee was 35 pesos and there was a 35 peso fee for any kind of photography. At Chichen Itza the entry fee was 48 pesos; still photography was acceptable, but videography merited an additional 35 peso fee. In neither place were tripods allowed. What the heck is that?
10. Why is it that the English guys I sat near on the bus can fly direct from Birmingham (where?) to Cancun, and there's not a single direct flight from anywhere in California to Cancun???
11. Here's a shout-out to Mr. Leebert, my 6th grade teacher, who first taught me about the Mesoamerican ruins. It is to him I owe a debt of thanks for instilling in me a desire to visit Chichen Itza almost 32 years ago.

Monday's Pics of the Day

click on the pictures to enlarge

Wal*Mart es numero uno!

This picture from downtown Cancun just screams "Mexico" to me.

My hotel is on Pok-ta-pok, a small spit of land in the Laguna de Nichupte. This is a view east, across the Laguna Bojorquez, to the main part of the Zona Hotelera (Hotel Zone).

Here is a similar view across the lagoon at night.

Monday's Notes

I've encountered my first difficulty of the trip. I've included a trip to Chichen Itza in my package, but the local tour company has given me the run-around all day. Three times today I've called, three times they've said they've called back, three times they haven't.

I went into Cancun Centro, the mainland downtown, today, and went to Wal*Mart. Its food section was even larger than my local Wal*Mart at home! I had a good time looking around.

And then it was a small, authentic Yucatecan restaurant recommend by a local. Muy bien!

The descendants of the Maya are the locals here, although the tourism industry has brought people from all over Mexico. The Mayan language is still spoken, especially in some of the smaller villages. I asked one person if he was Mayan, and he said, "No, I'm too tall and my head isn't shaped like a watermelon." I was somewhat taken aback by his comment until I went to the local flea market downtown; I now understand that his explanation was exactly correct.

Well, time to call for the fourth time.

Update, 7pm local time: It took one call yesterday and 5 calls today, but I got tomorrow's tour squared away with the local tour company. They sent someone to my hotel to exchange my voucher for a ticket. This is good, as the time and place for meeting the tour bus has changed from what was on my voucher! The pick-up time is a half-hour later and much closer to my hotel than I expected, so this is all good. I was also told that a still camera is fine, but a video camera will merit an additional several dollar charge at Chichen Itza as it did at the El Rey Ruins. Anything to snag a little more of my cash, I guess!

Today's pictures will be posted after dark. I want a nighttime shot across the lagoon.

Sunday's Pics of the Day

click on the pictures to enlarge

Your fearless blogger, hard at work for you at the El Rey Ruins.

I thought that this was perhaps not the best marketing strategy--at least, the part at the bottom.

Looking north towards Isla Mujeres. Sadly, my camera is not going to capture the depth of the beauty of the water here.

Sunday's Notes

I'm definitely in Mexico.

There are some things that just scream Mexico to me, little sights and smells, and they're here, even in the touristy area. I'm definitely in Mexico.

Every place in the world has its own little idiosyncracies, those things that make it unique, those things that stick out in your mind. I haven't left the touristy area yet, but I've noticed a few things. There are a lot of Chevys (Chevies?) here. Peugeot and VW seem to be popular as well.
And I think it's cute that Pizza Hut, Hong Kong Express, and Hooters do food deliveries on motorcycles. I love how the Route 2 buses tell you, right on the windows, that they will take you to Wal*Mart (in mainland/downtown/Centro) Cancun.

The touristy area of Cancun is on a long, narrow 7-shaped island which connects to the mainland by short bridges at the ends of the 7. There is only one street that runs down this island, the Kukulcan, and everything fronts it. There are some monstrously large hotels here; they're so big that they look close enough to walk to but 20 minutes later they don't seem any closer! In these regards Cancun reminds me of the Las Vegas Strip.

Many of the big hotels have the following flags flying out front: Mexico, USA, European Union, Canada, and Japan. I wonder why?!!! I'll bet over 95% of their money comes from those places.

Necessity is the mother of invention. I bought a little waterproof case to wear around my neck, just big enough to hold a hotel key, credit card, and some money. Very handy to have around, especially if you want to go swimming and don't want to leave your stuff unattended, but someone needs to make one with a strap so you can wear it like a wristwatch. I'd totally buy that.

I give that invention away free. I've also designed a fairly good device for single people to get suntan lotion on their backs. Invention marketers, contact me!

Today after breakfast I took the bus to the El Rey Ruins, populated today by hundreds of iguanas. I think "iguana" is Spanish for "ugly freakin' lizard". Anyway, the ruins are small and unassuming but still interesting; the Maya must be/have been very small because their doorways are so short! I took some video and a couple of pictures, at least one of which will be in today's Pics of the Day.

Then I started walking back. Just a couple kilometers away is Aquaworld (through whom I will probably at least go parasailing) and I didn't see the need to take the bus. I walked partly along the beach, partly along the Kukulcan.

And why get on the bus then, after already walking part way? So I kept on walking. And I did this for over 11 km, in water shoes. I won't make that mistake again. My feet feel like they've been beaten.

I walked through a couple of the fancy hotels during this time, kinda putting the Holiday Inn Express to shame, but that's OK. I don't spend that much time in any hotel. I also walked through the local artisans' market, where I was offered weed, extasy, and "Mexican viagra". I turned down all three. And kept on walking.

Tomorrow I'm going into downtown Cancun (on the mainland, not the touristy area).

Saturday's Pics of the Day

click on the pictures to enlarge

After a redeye from Oakland, this was my first stop. From there it was on to Mexico City, the airport there being more like a huge mall than an airport (except for all those planes). It was entertaining hearing boarding calls for flights to Havana, something I don't think I'd ever head before!

After landing in Cancun I had to get a shot of this airliner =)

And after a long day's travel, this is the view from my hotel room balcony. And this is only the Holiday Inn Express; imagine if I'd stayed at one of those mega-resorts!

Cancun!

In a couple hours I'm off to Cancun for a week, where I'll fulfill a childhood dream and visit the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza.

Don't know how much blogging I'll be doing, and I don't know what my internet connection will be like, but I plan to publish at least a Picture Of The Day so you know how much I'm enjoying myself =)

Problem With Blogger

Blogger's automated system has determined that this blog might be a spamblog and has disabled it--just before my Cancun trip and my planned Picture of the Day!

If you're reading this, it means they've unblocked it after determining that this is not, in fact, a spamblog. I hope you're reading this shortly after I write this.

Update, 8/1/08: Apparently this was a large problem affecting many blogs. I'm glad the folks at Blogger restored everything so quickly.

Economics 101

From Megan McArdle, via Instapundit:

"Why aren't there hordes of economists studying meaningful alternatives to market capitalism? Because we've been experimenting with various other systems--both localism and extreme centralization--for over a century, and the experiment produces the same damn result every single time: human lives that are nasty, brutish, and short. . . . The idea that Chicago should scuttle the Milton Friedman Institute because it makes other professors unpopular with economic illiterates is shameful, and moreover, something that I presume few of these 'scholars' would tolerate if the ignorant were targeting their own fields. That this should be coming out of a university with Chicago's reputation for intellectual rigor is mortifying."

Socialism was tried at the Jamestown colony and it failed miserably. When the rules changed and the settlers worked for themselves, though, hunger ended almost immediately.

Charter Schools--Better Bang For The Buck?

The Center for Education Reform, although not entirely unbiased on the subject, sure seems to think so.

Anti-Military Activists Seek Access To Schools

My sense is that these activists often use disinformation campaigns that rival what they claim military recruiters use. They're certainly not "fair and balanced" in their information. Just as an example from their web site:

How to get out of JROTC classes
Maybe you heard from a friend that JROTC was really fun, that you get to go on trips and do special stuff. So you told your Counselor that you wanted to be enrolled into JROTC. But once you got in, you found out it wasn’t like that at all...If you are stuck in a JROTC class and cannot change classes you may want to ask the JROTC instructor about why you are studying war and killing.

They study war and killing and JROTC? Most interesting.

I love this so-called lesson plan by these kooks in which students are supposed to "research" JROTC and then write a letter to the school board asking them either to maintain or eliminate JROTC. Information about and against (not for and against) JROTC is given. This is the only information given in the "against" section:

JROTC does not encourage critical thinking, for it teaches students to march, obey, and blindly follow the leader. Why do we have classes in "marksmanship" when guns are not tolerated at school? The purpose of the program is not to instill leadership, but to recruit front-line soldiers of
color for serial warfare. JROTC sets low expectations in poor communities.

All the "about" information came from Mother Jones Magazine. Clearly they expect teachers to promote their propaganda in the classroom.

Propaganda techniques include:
patriotic flag-waving, glittering generalities, intentional vagueness, oversimplification of complex issues, rationalization, introducing unrelated red herring issues, using appealing, simple slogans, stereotyping, testimonials from authority figures or celebrities, unstated assumptions, and encouraging readers or viewers to "jump on the bandwagon" of a particular ideology.

Except for the "patriotic" part, I see a lot of their definition of propaganda on their own site--and on the left in general.

Expect more anti-American, anti-military activism in our schools during the next Congress, currently predicted to be even more liberal than the current one. The Obamessiah will not help in this matter, either.

Update, 8/11/08: I just learned today that CAMS, the organization discussed above, was created by the Los Angeles teachers union. Who says so? Their own web site.

And notice this professional, unbiased quote from that web site:

Teachers from other districts interested in protecting students from military predators should use their own unions for leverage. Contact your union, start a Human Rights Committee, and write a resolution like the one below.

Predators. Is this how you want your child's teachers to refer to soldiers? Is this the kind of person you want teaching your children? Does this sound like someone who presents unbiased, factual information?

But Darren, you say, you do the same thing. I do not. I make it clear when I state personal opinions. I'm very open and honest about my political proclivities. I don't hide behind a veneer of dispassionate balance while I indoctrinate my students to how I think they should think. And I certainly don't demonize those students who disagree with me. In fact, oddly enough, I stay in touch with at least as many of my leftie former students as I do with those who agreed with me. I practice diversity, I don't just talk about it.

I am not at all like these people who say they're against propaganda yet practice it. I am not at all like these people who say they "support the troops but not the war" but refer to troops as predators. I am not at all like these people who preach peace, harmony, and tolerance, but vilify those with whom they disagree.

"People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them."--Eric Hoffer

I do not support these liberal fascists, not at all.

The Purity of the Olympics

BEIJING (Reuters) - Some International Olympic Committee officials cut a deal to let China block sensitive websites despite promises of unrestricted access, a senior IOC official admitted on Wednesday...

China had committed to providing media with the same freedom to report on the Games as they enjoyed at previous Olympics, but journalists have this week complained of finding access to sites deemed sensitive to its communist leadership blocked...

Beijing organizers said censorship would not stop journalists doing their jobs in reporting the Games.

What more can I add, except that this is a great example of a government knowing best what you need.

Gay Marriage Pins at the NEA Representative Assembly

I don't know if this is the exact pin given to attendees at the NEA Rep Assembly earlier this month (discussed here), but sometimes it helps to have a visual cue.

The message is "Gay marriage causes global warming only because we are so hot!"

What exactly are they saying here? Since no one except Greenlanders wants global warming, is this some kind of homophobic, anti-gay-marriage pin?

I don't get it. Seems stupid to me.

Dress Code Violation Penalty

In-school suspension? Wait in the office for your parents to bring appropriate clothes? How about a jumpsuit?

Update: It's hard to disagree with this observation:

What these adults didn't factor in, was the students are clever and love the idea of "organized chaos." I PROMISE you, on day one of school, nearly 2/3 of the student body will intentionally arrive out of dress code, forcing the administration to realize they don't have enough jump suits. Those who are "lucky" enough to wear one will think it's cool and it will almost become trendy.

The students may not know anything, but they're not stupid.

Carnival of Education

This week's is here and includes my post about Wikipedia.

NEA Continues To Push A Homosexual Agenda

I am exceedingly tolerant about homosexuality, but I do not think that everyone else in the country should have a radical homosexual agenda pushed on them by anyone.

I would prefer the NEA concerned itself with being a labor union, focusing on Darren's pay, benefits, and working conditions, and not serving as a not-even-subtle far-left-wing social organization. No, I don't want them even concerning themselves with education--I'm compelled to pay them money ostensibly because they "represent" me somehow in negotiations with my employer, I want them representing me. Education, and the students involved, are the purview of the parents, state legislators, and school boards.

But back to the topic at hand. I've identified before how NEA gives plenty of my extorted money to gay groups and organizations (see here). Their myriad resolutions contain many pro-gay points. Let's see how they're pushing the agenda this year:

The nation's largest teachers union, the National Education Association, attracted 9,000 delegates to its annual convention in Washington, D.C. over the Fourth of July weekend. Delegates sported buttons with provocative slogans such as "Gay marriage causes Global Warming only because we are so hot!", "Hate is not a family value," "The 'Christian Right' is neither," and "Gay Rights are civil rights."

While I can actually agree with the last message, I don't quite see why my labor union needs to use my money to push this message. It's not--or it shouldn't be--their charter.

The influence of the gay lobby is pervasive in dozens of NEA resolutions adopted by 2008 convention delegates. Diversity is the code word used for pro-gay indoctrination in the classroom.

The NEA's diversity resolution makes clear that this means teaching about "sexual orientation" and "gender identification," words that are repeated in dozens of resolutions. The NEA demands that "diversity-based curricula" even be imposed on preschoolers.

Homosexuality is still a hot-button issue in our culture. I would prefer that parents pass on their own values to their children, not have left-wing values--even if I happen to agree with some of those values--forced upon children by their teachers in government education centers. When it comes to the values our schools should teach, I side with teaching tolerance as opposed to acceptance; let people think what they want. Schools shouldn't be taking a stance on moral issues that are still controversial. The schools should enforce appropriate codes of conduct, not thought.

The NEA is pushing plenty of other left-wing issues, too:

NEA resolutions cover the waterfront of all sorts of political issues that have nothing to do with improving education for schoolchildren, such as supporting statehood for the District of Columbia, a "single-payer health care plan" (i.e., government-run), gun control, ratification of the International Criminal Court Treaty, and taking steps "to change activities that contribute to global climate change"...

NEA resolutions include all the major feminist goals such as "the right to reproductive freedom" (i.e., abortion on demand); "comparable worth" (i.e., government control of wages according to feminist ideology rather than the free market); full funding for the feminist boondoggle called the Women's Educational Equity Act; and "the use of nonsexist language," i.e., censoring out all masculine words such as husband and father.

Keep in mind: I disagree with the author above in that I don't want a labor union worrying about the education of schoolchildren. If parents, legislators, and school boards are not looking out for children, and some other private organization is needed to do so, then let that organization live off of private donations and not via money extorted from my paycheck.

There are already plenty of pro-gay organizations out there. The NEA doesn't need to carry this (rainbow) banner. What do I think they should do? They could get their Democrat buddies in Congress to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision. Now that would be just, would restore fairness to our retirement system--and would directly benefit Darren. I wonder how much time and money the NEA spends on that compared to pushing a radical homosexual agenda.

Update, 7/31/08: Dr. Pezz attended the Rep Assembly and says that while the pins were for sale, the NEA was not pushing this particular message. The linked article implied that delegates were given these pins, and that might not be the case.

Paying Kids For Good Test Scores

I accept the argument that if we want better information from our standardized test scores, we have to make the tests meaningful to the students. One way of doing that is to pay them for doing well.

Want kids to score well on statewide tests?

Reward them.

Before they ask, "What's in it for me?" offer a prize for performance.

That's the thrust of a proposed state law passed this month by the Legislature and sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"What we're really looking at is recognition and motivation and incentive to achieve," said Sen. Elaine Alquist, a Santa Clara Democrat who proposed the measure.

Senate Bill 1709 would authorize and encourage school districts to provide nonmonetary incentives to middle and high school students for achievement or improvement on standardized tests.

Absolutely a stupid idea for reasons intuitively obvious except to the most stupid.

Local businesses could be asked to donate prizes, such as tickets to movies, concerts, restaurants or sporting events.

Few will try harder because they think they'll win a movie ticket. Kids who think they won't do well anyway certainly aren't going to try any harder.

This is one more data point for why we need a part-time legislature; the bill was sent to Governor Schwarzenegger. Fortunately he vetoed it.

In a veto message, the governor didn't reject the idea of doling out nonmonetary payola to kids who score high marks or show significant improvement on state tests. But he said no new law is needed...

"This bill is unnecessary since nothing in the current law prohibits a district from creating their own nonmonetary incentives for students today, even in the absence of this measure," Schwarzenegger said in his veto message.

At least Alquist isn't a total loser:

"This bill sparked the type of debate we need to have on the paradox with the STAR testing program – which is that schools, but not students, are held accountable based on the results," Alquist said in a statement Friday. "While I am disappointed the governor vetoed the bill, I plan to continue looking at ways to ensure that STAR tests are meaningful to both students and schools."

I'm not holding my breath, though.

Why We Need Better Science (and History) Education

One thing my son and I do periodically is watch tv series together during dinner. We've watched Earth 2, tried to get through Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and are currently almost through with the first season of SeaQuest DSV. It's one of our bonding rituals. I cook dinner, and he sets the tv trays and gets the appropriate dvd ready.

While at Sam's Club today I saw a set for a series I'd never before heard of, Space: Above And Beyond. It looks just cheesy enough to garner our attention, so I decided to read the summary on the back.

"It's the year 2063. After 150 years of deep space exploration, the people of Earth feel certain they are alone in the universe..."

Deep space exploration since 1913? *sigh*

25th High School Reunion--Bizarro World

I attended mine today. I freely admit that I thoroughly enjoyed myself; I almost didn't go, having had such a horrible time at the 20th. It occurred in three events spread over the weekend, and I chose to attend the family pool party today. It was a wise choice.

High school's over, and has been a long time. We don't have to reminisce anymore, instead we talked about what we're doing now, and took pride in showing off how good-looking and well-behaved our children were :-) I made a pointed effort to just go up to people, introduce myself, and start talking, something that doesn't come naturally to me. And if all else failed, there would always be burgers, drinks, snackies, and a huge pool.

The biggest hit of the party, though, was when our old counselor showed up. You'd have thought the Pope or a rock star had arrived, as popular as he was.

It was a good time. I'm glad I went.

Does This Sound Like Your District Administration?

I found this on my hard drive this morning. It's always good for a chuckle--the best humor often has plenty of truth to it.

PRESS RELEASE: DISCOVERY OF A NEW ELEMENT

The heaviest element known to science was recently discovered by investigators at a major US research university. The element, tentatively named administratium, has no protons or electrons and thus has an atomic number of 0. However, it does have one neutron, 125 assistant neutrons, 75 vice neutrons and 111 assistant vice neutrons, which gives it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by a force that involves the continuous exchange of meson-like particles called morons. It is also surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since it has no electrons, administratium is inert. However, it can be detected chemically as it impedes every reaction it comes in contact with. According to the discoverers, a minute amount of administratium causes one reaction to take over four days to complete what would normally have occurred in less than a second.

Administratium has a normal half-life of approximately three years at which time it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons, vice neutrons and assistant vice neutrons exchange places. In fact, an administratium sample's mass actually INCREASES over time, since with each reorganization some of the morons inevitably become neutrons, forming new isotopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to speculate that perhaps administratium is spontaneously formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as "critical morass".

Zealots Use Environmentalism As A Cover For Socialism (or worse)

I've been saying it for years. Even Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, says so. Here are some more folks who think so.

Online Schools

While this particular article is vacuous, I'm convinced there's a bright future for online high schools.

Required Morning Calisthenics Are Next

The nanny state gets a little nannier:

California will be the first state to ban trans fats in restaurants and bakeries under legislation signed today by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The measure requires restaurants to quit using trans fats by January 2010, and for bakeries to follow suit one year later.

"Consuming trans fat is linked to coronary heart disease, and today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier future for California," Schwarzenegger said in a written statement.

The legislation, Assembly Bill 97, was proposed by Democratic Assemblyman Tony Mendoza of Artesia and opposed by most Republicans.

Notice which political party fought to allow Californians to make their own choices, free from government interference. Note also why Schwarzenegger is referred to as a RINO--Republican in name only.

Conservative Messages In Movies

I don't know if the conservative messages in 300 and The Dark Knight were intended or if we conservatives, desperate for something positive out of Hollywood, are reading our own hopes and dreams into those movies. I'd like to think it's the former, but sometimes I wonder if it's the latter.

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting take on The Dark Knight.

There seems to me no question that the Batman film "The Dark Knight," currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war. Like W, Batman is vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand. Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past.

And like W, Batman understands that there is no moral equivalence between a free society -- in which people sometimes make the wrong choices -- and a criminal sect bent on destruction. The former must be cherished even in its moments of folly; the latter must be hounded to the gates of Hell.

"The Dark Knight," then, is a conservative movie about the war on terror. And like another such film, last year's "300," "The Dark Knight" is making a fortune depicting the values and necessities that the Bush administration cannot seem to articulate for beans.

It is interesting, though, that 300 and The Dark Knight made beaucoup dinero, while the recent spate of anti-war movies has essentially flopped.

When heroes arise who take those difficult duties on themselves, it is tempting for the rest of us to turn our backs on them, to vilify them in order to protect our own appearance of righteousness. We prosecute and execrate the violent soldier or the cruel interrogator in order to parade ourselves as paragons of the peaceful values they preserve. As Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon says of the hated and hunted Batman, "He has to run away -- because we have to chase him."

Values, morality--complexity, thy name is man.

"This Is Your Captain Speaking"

My pilot friend has passed on some more pictures.

He called this "Mushroom cloud over Chicago." Not very PC, but very descriptive.

Leaving LAX for COS (which, incidentally, is one of my favorite cities--Darren).

Half Dome, Yosemite National Park.

Half Dome and Nevada Falls.

Half Dome, Vernal and Nevada Falls

A non-traditional view, looking down Yosemite Valley. Half Dome is the high point near the center of the picture. This was taken from 16,000', and you can clearly see the smoke from the recent wildfires from across California.

Traditional view of Yosemite Valley. Tuolumne Meadows in at the top left, and Mono Lake is barely visible at the top right.

Tuolumne Meadows.

A distant view of Monument Valley.

The Grand Canyon.

Lost Wages, Nevada. I have a 6MB copy of this picture, and zooming in on it you can see the hotels on The Strip. Still, the heat and dust combine to obscure the vibrant colors, and this picture looks much, much more drab than does reality.

My First YouTube Video

It's a two-parter showing several veterans monuments here in Sacramento--California wasn't always so anti-military. If you watch them at the YouTube site, be sure to watch them in high video quality (the option is available in the rating box immediately under the video).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLCeNFcDbRs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI41IjO3dTQ

I give myself a C or C+ for this video. The choice of music is good, the videography needs improvement. And it looks much better on tv via DVD than it does on YouTube, even in high quality mode.

Hypocrisy, Press Bias, Etc.

I could not care less about John Edwards. As long as he stays out of politics, his impact on my life is exactly zero.

So this post isn't about John Edwards, it's about the press and its lack of coverage of his love child--if, and I want to make it clear that nothing is proven yet, if what the National Enquirer is reporting is true. But how will we know it's true if reputable press won't investigate?

Slate, no conservative shill, says it best:

The angle taken by most reporters and commentators wasn't that Craig's restroom conduct was particularly shameful. The press doesn't object to same-sex sex at all, nor should it. Craig's true offense, said the press and the clowns, was hypocrisy, which they consider an inexcusable crime. Craig had supported both federal and Idaho bans on same-sex marriage, had opposed hate crime legislation that would extend protections to gays, and had earned a perfect 0 rating (PDF) from the Human Rights Campaign, a gay lobby. And he had denied and denied any and all gayness while trying to recruit some action in a bathroom!

Although the Craig story and the John Edwards story, currently unfolding thanks to the National Enquirer, aren't directly analogous, they have a bit in common. Edwards, too, may be a sex hypocrite. The tabloid called Edwards a cheater last October and the father of a love child in December, and last night the Enquirer posted a story about Edwards' visit to his alleged mistress and child at the Beverly Hilton on Monday night.

When the original Enquirer story about the affair with Rielle Hunter came out, Edwards categorically denied the relationship, stating: "The story is false. It's completely untrue, ridiculous." As he rejected the Enquirer's charges, Edwards was making his wife and their marriage a central component of his campaign. If Edwards had had no affair, he wasn't a hypocrite, not then and not now.

But if Edwards had an affair and lied about it, shouldn't he suffer scrutiny akin to that of Craig?

I await reasoning from the mainstream press about why this isn't a story.

Update, 7/25/08: First they came for the bloggers....

LAT Gags Blogs: In a move that has apparently stirred up some internal discontent, the Los Angeles Times has banned its bloggers , including political bloggers, from mentioning the Edwards/Rielle Hunter story. Even bloggers who want to mention the story in order to make a skeptical we-don't-trust-the-Enquirer point are forbidden from doing so. Kausfiles has obtained a copy of the email Times bloggers received from editor Tony Pierce.

Update #2, 7/28/08: Cracks emerging in the wall of silence?

It Doesn't Even Stop During The Summer

A former New York teacher who admitted having sex with a 16-year-old boy has been arrested on rape and other charges after prosecutors say she continued the liaisons in violation of a court order.

I guess that's one way to spend your summer vacation.

Math and Dating

'Nuff said.

Telling the Truth From A Lie

Reading the "best of craigslist" can provide hours of entertainment. It can also provide lessons in how to tell the truth from a lie.

Just as an example, this one is quite possibly real. The content is real, the tone isn't excessive, and there are no glaring errors.

This one, however, is clearly made-up. The tone is hysterical, there author provides no details to cause us to believe she or her husband is in the military, and she sounds too much like a Moveon.org fool. Additionally, she made a serious factual error, one no military person would make--she said she's a Marine, but her post title says she's a soldier. No Marine would call himself or herself a soldier; it would be like an infantryman calling an armored personnel carrier, a Bradley, or a self-propelled artillery piece a "tank". Not gonna happen.

The loser who wrote the 2nd piece is clearly trying to play on emotions to make his or her point, because fact and logic has obviously failed him or her. As Bugs Bunny would say, "What a maroon." Or as the rest of us would say, "What a loser."

Katrina and More Socialism

Here's yet another data point for why I want smaller government, why I don't want government in charge of something as important as health care, and why I trust markets to fix problems more so than I trust government:

Federal officials vastly overestimated the value of hurricane relief supplies given away earlier this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported Monday.

The General Services Administration, which manages federal property, over-counted cases of toilet paper, plastic sporks and other cutlery, by mistakenly counting a single item as being worth as much as multiple items contained in a package of goods.

The original GSA estimate of $85 million should have been $18.5 million, according to figures released by GSA and FEMA.

The household goods were supposed to go to people whose homes were destroyed by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. But the items were stored in warehouses in Louisiana, and then Fort Worth, Texas. A recent CNN investigative story exposed that those materials never made it to storm victims.

Why is the federal government giving away household supplies? Why isn't that a state or local function; where in the Constitution is there any mention of such federal responsibility?

And even if you could make up, via penumbras and emanations, some type of justification, why are we still doing this three years after the hurricane?

Add this story to this one and you and you see what a culture of socialism creates.

8th Grade Algebra

Here's a column about 8th grade algebra with which I can mostly concur.

The firestorm over California's decision to require all eighth-grade students to take Algebra 1 provides a remarkably good overview of much of what is wrong with the state of math education in the country today: The focus is in the wrong place, and the real problems remain unaddressed...

Whether we teach Algebra 1 in eighth grade or ninth grade, it won't do much good if the students don't remember (or never learned) what they were taught before. My work has led me to believe the skills learned in fifth grade are indispensable for success in Algebra 1, and too many students are progressing through the system without having mastered those. We should be asking why students are arriving in Algebra 1 unprepared, whenever they get there.

5th grade math standards for California can be found here on page 20 of the booklet, which is page 29/79 of the PDF document. The above author's anecdote about the elementary-teacher-to-be was mortifying; I continue to believe that Liping Ma's Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics should be required reading in every elementary teacher preparation program.