Who’s that little old man?

I was just reading Sen. Joe Biden’s comments about Barrack Obama. This whole thing has been completely blown out  of proportion. He was clearly just comparing Obama to Paul’s grandfather.

Of course this implies that Obama is  "A King Mixer" and "Hates Group Unity." I also hear he’s been forging  Senators signatures on their photos to sell on e-bay, pointing out to Joe Leiberman that Ted Kennedy’s always being taller than him just to spite him, and pretending he’s Evan Bayh and taking his invitation to the gambling club.

Still, he’s very clean.

JT

Please comment

Hey, it looks like people have been checking out the blog on a semi-regular basis over the past week. Thanks for that. I’d like to ask that you please make comments. It makes it feel a lot less like I’m talking to myself. If you have something, anything, to say, please do so. Thanks.

JT

So this is what it feels like, when Doves Cry

Through a promotion from AMC Theaters  Laura and I were able to go see Freedom Writers for free on Friday night. This deal is open to all teachers in the U.S. and Canada, through February 1st. I guess the fear is that if it goes through the 2nd people will be able to see it over and over again.

Anyway, I went into this movie with pretty low expectations. I like Swank, especially as she brings Oscar gold to my Aaron Spelling theory. For those who know not of this theory and it’s undeniable truth, I’ll have to post on that another time. But, I’ve seen this movie where the pretty white teacher saves the urban youth. Sadly, I premenisce, no "Weird" Al song coming from this movie.

It was meant to be an uplifting tale about how a caring and motivated teacher can reach a group of students about whom others have forgotten. And she does reach these students. Over the course of two years the racial and gang lines that divide these students outside the classroom cease to exist inside room 203.

Here’s the problem with this movie. If you’re a teacher, it’s extraordinarily depressing. What I took from this movie is not that one teacher can make a difference. I know that already, I feel I already do, or else I wouldn’t be able to do this job well, nor continue to do it at all. Without giving too much away, and if you don’t want to know more about it than I’ve already written, please go read one of the other wonderfully interesting posts below, in order to reach these kids Mrs. G, has to overcome the resistance of her department chair, the jealousy of her more experienced and tenured colleagues, and a lack of resources.

To do this, she has to, get this, take not one, but two part time jobs during the school year, buy books for her students out of her own pocket. go over the head of her chair and principal to the school board, and oh, yeah, watch her marriage disintegrate and fall apart.

Did you read that last part? In order to do the job that needs to be done to help her students, she has to forfeit her marriage. The message of this movie is, you can help disadvantaged students. You can do truly fantastic things, and help kids as a teacher, if you are willing to take two outside jobs give up your personal life, and lose your marriage. God, that’s awful!

This movie ends up being an indictment of the educational system. And it makes me sad.

On another note, this movie was set in 1994, and I did not see one hi-top fade. I realize they were on the way out by then, but still. Here’s a wonderful list of people who wore high-top fades. At least one of these students should have had one.

Fades not-with-standing it’s a pretty decent movie. Swank does a nice job, and doesn’t end up paralyzed, dead, or dating Steve Sanders so that’s a plus for her. And this teacher she portrays really did do something wonderful for her students and is continuing to try and do wonderful things for other students, so that is also a plus. I just couldn’t shake the sadness I felt at all she had to do just to do her job. I can’t think of many other professions where you have to take two outside jobs just so you can do your primary job well.

JT

For all the geeks out there. . .

Who might find it useful to have all this info in one place. This page gives a quick reference for all myths busted, confirmed or plausible.

JT

Let’s play a little game

I read the American Idol quote and it reminded me of this bit I heard on Howard Stern a couple of years ago. They read clips from either Mike Tyson or President Bush II. It was surprisingly, or not depending on your point of view I guess, difficult to get the right ones. So I set up my own, Decider vs. Iron Mike quote-tastic quoterama.

"I’m a historian, and that freaks me out.
"

"I would have to ask the questioner. I haven’t had a chance to ask the questioners the question they’ve been questioning."

"It’s good to know how to read, but it’s dangerous to know how to read and not how to interpret what you’re reading.
"

"The point is, this is a way to help inoculate me about what has come and is coming."

"This doesn’t have nothing to do with reputation."

"I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.
"

This last one is pure Tyson, but it makes me laugh thinking about it being Bush.

"I normally don’t do interviews with women unless I
fornicate with them. So you shouldn’t talk any more, unless you want
to, you know. "

It’s the principality of the thing

Shocker to the world, but American Idol is to me what IU football is to most of the world.  (see previous posts and comments as to what this means; also, for more info on this point, go to Google and type in the keyword "sports").

This is a report on last night’s episode from the Baltimore Sun:

The next contestant, Janita Burks, says that her style "works in with
my confidentiality."

In case you were wondering, no, she was not discussing her ability to keep her dealings secret.  I am looking down my nose, through my glasses and your computer screen at you.

AB

State of the Onion

While sitting in my grad class tonight, doing almost anything but paying attention, I stumbled across this in the Onion.

I don’t have anything to add to this. Not sure if Melanie would call these feathers or not.

JT

Awkward Sports moment of the weekend

During halftime of the Colts-Pats game on Sunday when the Colts looked like they were about to cough it up to the Pats on a grand scale, Boomer Esiason says something to the effect If Peyton Manning doesn’t get this done he’s gonna need to build a house in A-Rods neighborhood, cause that’s where he’ll be. All the regular season stats and nothing in the playoffs.

Dan Marino sat two seats away. They were mercifully on a four-shot, making it impossible to read his lips as he told Boomer to kiss is white-newly-slimmed-down-because-of-nurti-system-ass.

I’ll be damned

This is proof that absolutely no one watches Indiana Football.

JT

For your viewing pleasure

I love you all. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9li1w2sMyE

Deana