Okay, so rather than address the disastrous lack of planning in our state’s sprawl-ification, on Tuesday, Governor Sonny Perdue held a prayer rally at the state capitol in an effort to coax rain from the sky and end Georgia’s catastrophic drought. And what do you know, God came through.
And as faith, nature and/or God would have it, Georgia did indeed get some rain. Since church and state held their intervention, a quarter of an inch to an inch of rain have fallen across northern portions of the state, according to the National Weather Service.
Unfortunately, as many of you know, God can be kind of a jerk. He pulled into Atlanta in His Hummer limo, got out, dropped about .25-.75 inches worth of rain (our reservoirs are down about 16 inches on average), jumped back in the car, and drove away, talking on His cell phone the whole time.
So basically, Georgia’s Heavenly Father is the Michael Lohan of deities. He turns up and gives the minimum amount of help He can get away with (while calling as much attention to Himself as possible), then goes on his merry way. Apparently, He loves us just enough to torment us, unleashing a brief spattering of rain and then turning into a celestial equivalent of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, “No rain for you!”
Maybe He really is a Republican.
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TREX!
TRex!!
me!!!!!
trex!
Of course, it all makes sense…
Jackboots and all…
TRex!
Hi everyone~:)
Does His Hummer glow with a Celestial quality?
g’evening TRex and pups
Hail hail, Muse Muse!!
You need your head examined!
Hiya TRex!
Maybe they should ask Santa Claus instead, and get rain for Christmas. He has a lot of time on his hands cause he can’t say HO HO HO anymore!
trex-
I have a cartoon for you. Heard about it here today:
http://www.npr.org/templates/s…..d=16321569
It’s apparently in a book called Rejection Collection: Cartoons that Never Made it into the New Yorker.
Picture of trex. Caption: I’d give up all my strength & power if I could just reach my weenie.
Maybe it’s because a Rethug governor was praying for the rain. Perhaps if a Dem were in office there, it would have been a good day-long soaker.
I may be in and out tonight, gang. The pain in my back has kicked up again and I can’t really sit for very long.
Goddamn back.
How is everyone?
Evening all. Actually, that was just god pissing on y’all. I mean, she REALLY hates Republicans and fundies (which is why their lives are all so miserable). Speaking of which, check this out (but only if you have a strong stomach).
TRex @ 14
ice is your friend – and do your stretching exercises
TRex, sorry about your back pain flaring up again :-(
Right now, I just want a brick to hit myself over the head with until I knock myself out.
Suzanne @ 16
Speaking from long experience, I agree.
He merely pissed on a tree in Georgia, TRex! A short pit stop along the way…
how am I? gotta little sore throat and got into an argument with the “split CA’s electoral votes” kids outside the Target store this afternoon.
Sorry about your back, TRex… sucks!
TRex @ 14
Other than Liberty dangling by a thread in the Shining City On The Hill, ‘zorright.
DrDick @ 15
I saw that. I was going to add the Baptist Music Minister who was arrested two week ago for raping a 13 yo boy.
Suzanne @ 16
If Ice doesn’t work, try heat … weren’t you going to a Chiro ?
DrDick @ 15
Hi DrD. Sheesh, that is some crazy sh*t…
It’ll be in the papers tomorrow that Al-Qaeda somehow got to the clouds.
TRex, talk to Betsy. She knows all about backs.
‘Not saying I did, but…’
;>)
Quarter-inch of rain? We get that every 15 minutes or so this time of year.
Of course, it’s cold and windblown and dark, but you can’t have everything.
God has spoken. It sprinkled in Georgia.
What about Bangladesh? I guess a 35′ storm surge is God’s wrath. Oh, maybe everybody in Bangladesh is gay, or they are abortionists….,maybe the deserve their fate…Oh, yeah, maybe their skin is brown, so they don’t make the “news”, meanwhile, Brittany Spears allegedly drove over the foot of a reporter and OJ Simpson is back in the noooose.
Sorry for the rant.
Well, that and the effin’ BROKEN DELL COMPUTER that cost me EIGHT FRIGGIN’ HOURS so far this week. (Knew it was bad luck to let a Windows box in the house… Stick with Macs… Always stick with Macs…)
Steve-AR @ 23
Yeah, buth their saved and doin’ God’s work, so it’s all ok.
If this was such a good idea, why didn’t the Gov do it a few months ago? Was he waiting for rain to show up in the forecasts?
(cynical beast, ain’t I?)
This goes on my list of “someday, this will fit perfectly . . .” phrases for use in future sermons.
Thanks, TRex!
I have a chiro appointment in the morning.
Well, that and the effin’ Neighborhood Watch meeting last night. (The namby pamby NIMBY ninny newbie neighbor pup authoritarian wimps they mainly are…)
TheOtherWA @ 32
i thought the same thing
Hmmm. @ 30
That’s been my rule for a few years now. Macs rule!
*ducks and runs*
Well, that and the… oh, never mind…
Hmmm. @ 30
But, Dell’s are Hell, to start with, my PC clone has performed admirably, aged as it is…
CTuttle @ 39
All our school computers are Dell.
I drove up and down I-95 between here and Fredericksburg today in the pouring rain. I’m really sorry the storm wasn’t more widespread than it was; I truly was hoping for some rain for our friends in Georgia.
Washington (state) voters narrowly passed a fifty percent voting margin for school levies, replacing the sixty percent one. It rained, mostly on the west side of Washington tonight.
SnarKassandra @ 40
So is my work computer and frankly, it sucks. I have a much better system at home.
TheOtherWA @ 37
Oh, this house has always been a Mac house — artists & musicians, don’tcha know. The Dell ( a good one, and recently bought) was just for work stuff. So unreliable, this Windows platform!
happy
b
i
r
t
h
day
t
o
me.
SnarKassandra @ 40
And you’re take would be…? Myself, I haven’t touched a Mac since the early Nineties…!
darkblack @ 28
Oh lollipop!
I am going to check out Cassie’s X-Mass present again. here
Mary McC! Happy birthday!
all those nice baptist gentlemen. thank god their congregations are being ’supportive.’
i mean don’t we all want ‘closure’ on this as soon as possible?
although i’m basically a pacifist i’d like some closure involving a metal chair and an extension cord
happy birthday mary mcc
Happy Birthday to YOU, dear Mary M. McC!!
Waving to TRex. Maybe you should put a call in to the still heterosexual crystal methodist Ted Haggard.
Oh, wait, a Methodist is just a Baptist afraid of water. Prolly wouldn’t work then.
As far as Lindsay Lohan’s daddy, poor bastid, I know the travails of raising diabolically attractive daughters.
DrDick @ 43
Spill, Doc! I may soon be in the market…
H/B Mary!
marymccurnin @ 45
{{{{mary}}}}}
A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEAUTY!
how are you celebrating it?
marymccurnin @ 45
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday, dear marymccurnin,
Happy birthday to you.
marymccurnin @ 45
Kewl! Happy Birthday!
Tanks.
happy
b
i
r
t
h
day
t
o
YOU!
I love the weather.com channel, cause I can hit the 10-day forecast to figure out when it might rain. Then I know exactly when to pray.
Technology is so kewl…..D’oh…
Happy Birthday, Mary!!
Steve-AR @ 48
I’m choking on the new low price of $5499. Good lawd…
Steve-AR @ 48
You’re sending it to me?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday, MaryMc!
Oilfieldguy @ 53
crystal ‘meth’odist.
*snort*
marymccurnin @ 45
Mary with the poignant art…Happy Birthday to you!!!!
Happy B’day, Mary!
Hmmm. @ 44
A vile stereotype, I say
;>)
…H/B Mary McC.
Oilfieldguy @ 53
Poor Lindsay spent 84 minutes in jail today for drunk driving. Bless her heart.
This is gonna be a long thread purty quick. Happy Birthday Mary!
happy merry-mary birthday!!!!
You guys have made my day!!! 58 big ones!!!!
The rich. They’re not like us.
They’ve got more money.
Mary! Happy Birthday to you.
Can you work us some magic?
Gaaaaaaaaaah!!
I am so sick of back pain.
Twain @ 70
Heck, I just got out. What is meant by “moral turpitude” anyway?
TRex, do you have giant salts for your bath? Aunt Betsy uses 2 cups in the tub.
Steve-AR @ 48
Bet she’ll get that! Because she deserves it.
And is Perdue claiming that he brought the rain?
Something you use to clean paintings off the wall?
Hmmm. @ 54
Not much really. Just a cheap HP with lots of ram and a big hard drive, plus a second 200 Gigi hard drive I dropped in myself. Also jacked the ram up to 2 gig. Doesn’t take much to beat the shitty Dells that schools get. Dell discounts them as a marketing ploy and sells thousands of really low end systems to cheap ass colleges (like mine) and public school systems.
Evening everyone! Better late than never I always say.
Happy, happy birthday to marymc :0)I found this today and thought of you. A bit early but I know you’ll appreciate it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..mp;index=9
TRex @ 74
Well, we’re certainly not part of Shrub’s have-more base… *g*
Happy Birthday Mary!
madmommy @ 82
yats make me think of camels
camels make me think of clowns
clowns make me think noooooooooooooo
Happy Birthday, Mary.
And, Cassie, good luck with that.
Happy Birthday, Mary!
Many happy returns, Mary.
Here’s a little something.
TRex @ 74
And they own everything – including the police and criminal justice system.
solai @ 86
Ha!
Maybe if we win the lottery.
Okay, I’ll be even more coy. So nobody wants to know how I generated the moral turpitude charge.
Oilfieldguy @ 77
Sounds kind of like something you’d buy at an art supply store. Spirits of Turpitude. ;-)
Yup. Diamonds and Pearls.
eCAHNomics @ 80
I think maybe it’s for cleaning your sins away. ;~)
Oilfieldguy @ 91
I’m afraid to ask.
Feingold in SJC replay trying to amend the FISA authorization to require the administration to show cause (”interest”) in order to obtain a bulk warrant.
Approved 10-9.
Bob in HI
TRex @ 76
Oh no!! Try this. Someone…or you…put fists/arms outside of your knees…you, push out against the tension, then…someone, or you, place arms outside the knees…you push in…..
I don’t know whether that is it, but it has repeatedly helped me with lower back pain…
Thanks, Doc. I’ll look into HPs then. This Dell has similar specs, but apparently crumbles and breaks upon software updates… fortunately while still under warranty, but man, I’ve n e v e r lost this kinda time to a Mac problem…
It’s what you use to clean your Moral Paintbrushes.
Hey, Petrocelli. Nice to see you back after…
TRex @ 76
If I had a magic wand I’d take that pain away for you. Sadly I don’t so I’ll just send you wishes that you heal quickly. I’d give you a hug but I wouldn’t want to hurt you.
Suzanne @ 85
Contortions?
;>)
Suzanne @ 85
Actually, in this case a yat is a common phrase, from “where y’at, dahlin?”
The 4th Amendment is not that hard to understand.
Oilfieldguy @ 91
OK, I’ll bite. As one Okie to another, just how the hell do you get charged with moral turpitude in Oklahoma? Did you piss on the OU Stadium?
Suzanne @ 85
If you want to hear a true New Orleans accent go to this youtube thingie. Its great.
Heh, my wife is watching the rerun of the debate, she was disgusted with the Q’s early, I told her it only gets better… Bwhahaha…
PS-whom was the consensual fave…?
eCAHNomics @ 80
Sounds like a sporting fish or something…/s
Oilfieldguy @ 91
Of course I want to know, I was just hoping someone else would be the first to say Moral Turpitude? I’m so jealous! C’mon, spill!
DrDick @ 105
Okie soakie
;>)
marymccurnin @ 106
They didn’t have “Santa and His Reindeer Used to Live Right Here”. :0(
DrDick @ 105
Singing the Texas fight song might do it.
Hillary got her mojo back, CTuttle, imo. She won.
We’re waiting OFG. What’s the story? Spill the beans, will ya?
Gnome de Plume @ 114
Give him a minute. It could be a long story.
Ate Tiny Reindeer.
Hmmm.
Loo Hoo. @ 113
One vote for Hill! ;-)
Peterr @ 112
The eyes of Texas are upon you ….
Peterr @ 115
Nah. He has it all written out and is just cutting and pasting to show off for us.
Loo Hoo. @ 113
whoo-hoo. Great. This is me pretending to be pleased for her.
madmommy @ 111
I remember that. It was funny.
I have a McKenzie’s bakery story. When my brother was three he ran into the bakery and went behind the counter, grabbed a chocolate eclair and ran back out. Still eats ‘em to this day.
From congressional testimony looking into the lack of rain in Georgia:
Irate Senator: Did you do it? Are your ginormous asspipes responsible for farting all the rainclouds away from Georgia?? (leans forward menacingly)
Oil Tycoon: (looking with a half-lidded disinterested glaze. Leans back and whispers to corporate attorney) [aside] What was the name of that company that is no longer around? (inaudible) Enron. That was Enron that did all that stuff.
Does Dennis Kucinich rely on his salary to support himself? No independent wealth?
I’m having a blast. Al Jazerra English TV, running on another screen, is doing a story on a U.S. couple that took up residence in s missile silo after 9/11. Nowhere would you find that on U.S. TV.
Gnome de Plume @ 119
Alright, T, did you watch it? Who gained, if so?
Dang, I quoted the wrong comment!!!
Josh Marshall:
Late Update: Yglesias has a good point here about one of the most insufferable parts of this debate. The aim behind most of Blitzer’s questions was to “put Democrats on the wrong side of public opinion, even if those questions are about things like driver’s licenses or “merit pay” for teachers that aren’t really under federal purview. Efforts to reframe those questions by putting those topics in the larger context of immigration policy more generally or education more generally are derided as cowardly dodges. The point, after all, is to force a choice — piss off an interest group, or say something that could be used in a GOP attack ad.” My only addition to this point is that I thought Obama should have put Blitzer and his militant simpletonism in its place. Just tell him to shut up. He was terrible. But a presidential candidate should be able to stand down a moderator.
marymccurnin @ 121
HaHa! The did one called “Ain’t Dere No More” about McKenzies, K&B, D.H. Holmes and Schwegmanns. Just since I’ve been here alot of the places in that video are gone.
Did Hillary just say that we need to weed out poor teachers?
I may saunter off to bed in a huff if the morelle turbot dude doesn’t come through soon.
We had a little K&B song we’d sing when I lived in N.O.
“Snotty clerks,
Long lines,
But we love that beautiful purple sign!
Hey, hey, it’s K&B…”
Gnome de Plume @ 129
Now don’t run off mad. Give that ‘ol codpiece teh fish eye, belly up to the bar and salmon few back.
TRex @ 130
Bought out by, I believe, CVS several years ago. No more gaudy purple signs all over town.
solai @ 128
“Poor” as in no money, as in no talent, or as in no willingness to teach to the stooopid tests?
Loo Hoo. @ 126
That is sooo true… I was disgusted with the framing…
eCAHNomics @ 95
Heh! This blogger knows me!
Okay, so there I was at three in the morning, not hurting anyone, laying in the grass at the childrens petting zoo with salt on my fanny, when up come these fascist bastids…
Gnome de Plume @ 129
excellent punmanship gnome
solai @ 128
It was the merit pay question. She said she thought the merit pay should go to the whole school that improved. Wolf pushed, asking if one teacher skates, should that teacher get the pay along with the rest of the staff. She said that if a teacher isn’t doing the job, that teacher should be weeded out.
If OldCoastie is still about…he needs to bring the incident of Intiative Fraud he experienced to the attention of
a) Debra Bowen, California Secretary of State
b)http://www.cadem.org/site/c.jr…..419/k.49D/" rel="nofollow">California Democratic Party Campaign To Stop The Republican “Vote Theft” Initiative
and c) No More Dirty Tricks
turpitude is a gian turtle with a lotta ‘tude
Oilfieldguy @ 135
OMG! I am laughing so hard I can hardly breathe! Tell us more!
Well, honestly, what did you expect from Wolf Blitzer, who never misses an opportunity to drool on Holy Joe’s shoes or climb into John McCain’s lap.
Little bearded dwarf.
Here is a poem about southern LA. I am not sure if I have posted this one or not. I haven’t keep track.
Prehistoric Land
Born in a prehistoric land,
where zooglygons, the Aquarian multigenarian still glides
with catfish, gar and gator;
where brothy Loplolly pines shade damp ground
that moves with the life of crickets, moccasins,
celadon lizards, and a low warm breeze.
Born below sea level where mockingbirds sing
and
mosquito hawks stand on stems listing and jerking
in little winds, their geodesic eyes looking
to find their blood eating prey.
Born to the sound of aqua-fortis, aqua-pura, rain drops
and
the rush of little pearly snakes moving without effort
through dense, deep green.
Born to the smell of Spanish moss hung at every convenience
on the oak, the mistress of the land
and
the rich soil that grows bulrushes,
Chinaberries, palmettos, and me.
Born in a time when the stocky, compact panther is history
and the interloper, Kudzu, twines up to smother trees
and
the strong water is killed, the Bogue Falaya, the Bayou St. John,
and Vermilion Bay.
With a wealth of effort and love,
born in a time to win it back again
cinnamonape @ 138
(formally keeponthinkingfree)
Trex I know that back pain thing feeling.
Are there any Oesteopaths in your area? Mine found the structual problem that doctors, chiropracters and many other kinds of healers never figured out. He showed me how it probably happened in a fall and I immediately understood it was from a bicycle accident many years ago. It was amazing. Still have some issues but occasional tune ups help. But you have to ask around and find a good one.
As for dealing with pain keep your other senses happy with color, fragrances etc. Colored fragrant baths help me. You need to balance out the pain neurons with some new nice ones.
Loo Hoo. @ 126
We know who owns the pullstring there.
…If you accept that premise
;>)
cinnamonape @ 138
OldCoastie is a she! (I was tricked too)
I’ve not got alot for the Georia water sitch. I mean come on. Surely they weren’t so short sighted as to not see this coming. We’ve been under a drought for years and have rationed water too. People change their landscaping, alternate watering days, water during certain hours, have city sponsored low flush toilets and rain collection barrels for watering outdoors. Our lakes operate at extremely low levels from when I was a kid and some have gone dry. The forest is a tinder box where a steel belted radial blowout on the interstate can spark a raging 2-300 acre forest fire in 20 minutes…. and did. The air is smokey most days with forest thinning and burning of said thinned forest fuels. I don’t know what that does to the ozone, but its damned unhealthy for humans…… but they must continue because without it there’s no stopping a worse fire. The fire I mentioned above was slowed from reaching homes only because part of that forest had been thinned. So it works, but the dry will continue and housing will continue to place more demand on our resources. This has gone on for years here. So no, I’ve not got alot for the Georgia sitch. Sorry. You must change the way you live, that’s all there really is to it. And even then….
Thanks redmaple. That all sounds like very sound advice.
Just some very stressful things happened today and I think my back muscles are singing along.
I’m ready to curl up in a fetal position with Juan Carlos and kiss this day goodbye.
marymccurnin @ 142
Excellent! For people who question why someone would live here, all I can say is there is no other place like it.
wow, mary mcc — I’ve never been to the NOLA area, but your post at #142 really evokes for me what it must be like.
:>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13uWfr_EY1o
((( TRex )))
Well, if the point of the debate was to pull away interest groups then they will have no problem asking the Republicants:
To stop a terrorist attack that would kill thousands of Americans would you be willing (eager?) to have sex with a man?
Loo Hoo. @ 137
That’s not going to go over big with the Teacher’s Union. Or with me. If it were honest, that’s one thing. But in reality what will happen is that they’ll fire all the teachers in the highest pay brackets to hire young (cheaper) labor. Very bad. I am a firm proponent of someone having job security.
In my job, I think I’d have to murder someone while at work before they could fire me. Doesn’t effect my work ethic. I still want promotions, raises, a feeling of accomplishment. But every now and then the issue arises that some of us are overpd due to the number of years we’ve been there. Fuck them. I’ve been there 17yrs, I deserve the pay.
LoudounLib @ 150
Come on down anytime, I can take you to most of the places in the video, and we can go on a swamp tour!
Welcome Trex
Yes cat snuggles are probably one of the most theraputic things around. Take care and pamper yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRv34Cat3Vw
Here is the disconnect.
Nowhere plans for nobody.
Suzanne @ 136
Thanks. I am trying to move this thing along, but I have a feeling that OFG was just playing with us. There isn’t gonna be a there there. What a party pooper. :~(
TRex, are you home or are you at work still?
madmommy @ 154
And I think we would have a blast! *g*
Oilfieldguy @ 153
For the good of the nation, I will take one for the team.
-Sen. Larry Craig
P.S. Maybe 8 or 9 even.
Suzanne @ 159
TRex’s radio station has a still? Given that we’re talking about Georgia, I suppose it’s possible . . .
LoudounLib @ 150
You really should go. It is NOT the south. It is its own place. Weird. Perverse. Happy. Earthy. Catholic. catholic. Dark. A grand mixture of life and death.
It bothers me that TRex is in physical pain. Although we have never met, I care about him a lot. As a gifted and incredibly sensitive person (way yonder more than I) he strikes me as a canary in a coal mine foretelling ill winds.
Peterr @ 161
the danged utube pulled the copperhead road video i was going to respond with
darkblack @ 145
Jeez. Cheney makes Wolf the fool.
So… anybody know anything remotely solid about amendments, versions, reconciliations etc. on the FISA revisions over the next couple days?
Personally, what I keep coming back to is that even though today was encouraging, it ain’t remotely over yet — even if they can manage to keep immunity out of it for now, we know Bush will veto, and that means yet another chance to take a whack at it.
Hmmm.
solai @ 128
That was an issue during Bill’s second term as Gov. It was a huge fight with the Union. There were pay increases and other improvements in education..but the teaches had to pass a competency exam.
marymccurnin @ 163
Given all of that, I need to see it sometime :-)
marymccurnin @ 45
*mwaah* Great Big Happy Birthday Kiss, Mary !
LoudounLib @ 150
Me too!
Loo Hoo. @ 146
Ooops! Gender is so hard to determine on the TOOBZ! Sorry!
LoudounLib @ 168
Why is it NOT the south?
LoudounLib @ 168
Definitely. One of my favorite cities.
Loo Hoo. @ 171
Road trip! *g*
The venerable B-Days squad is back to work tomorrow for the weekend, so I must be off. G’night all!
marymccurnin @ 163
Wanna know and love and be mesmerized by New Orleans? Read this book. I have. Probably six times.
Twain @ 172
it is unique and stands alone
nothing else like it
Nite, LL!
Night LL.
sleep well ll
Steve-AR @ 168
I am really torn with this issue. As a parent I want my kids teachers to be competent and engaged with their students, and I think teachers should be paid much better than they are now. I also think that NCLB is a fiasco designed to destroy the public school system. On the other hand, there are some teachers who are just phoning it in, and have enough tenure that they are not going to get fired unless they go completely off the ranch. It seems that there has to be some sort of middle ground that is to the benefit of teachers who are dedicated and the students who learn from them.
I am at work, but I’m just about to leave.
Suzanne @ 177
Been there many many times – seems like the south to me.
oh, and — feel better, TRex. *mwah*
poof…
Goodnight LL! Just send me a FB note when you want to come down for a visit, we’ll have ourselves a time!
TRex @ 182
drive slowly and carefully home, trex and as soon as you get home, do your stretches and ice your back
There was a very bad teacher in my daughter’s school. They made him take classes and do a few other things to improve his skills. Mostly his problem was his demeanor rather than his knowledge of the material. He quit. I think there are ways of weeding out bad teachers without giving the schools the opportunity to replace highly paid (older) teachers with lower-salaried newbies. My daughter teaches. She’s the only one I don’t worry about because she has job-security. So rare in this day and age.
And, TRex, so sorry to hear about your pain.
It’s not even America to me. It’s like a small country down there with a port.
I haven’t been back since Katrina, but I used to think that it was one of the most dire and beautiful cities in the world.
The only time I’ve ever been in NOLA included the only time I’ve ever seen Harry Shearer in person. Checking into a hotel as we checked out. Unmistakeable, and (as with many in the performing professions) of rather smaller stature than one might expect.
I admire Harry Shearer.
Though I do frequently wish for better music on Le Show.
I gotta take my scratchy throat to bed… tomorrow I will contact the Sec. of State and the OC elections board… and this weekend, I’m going to try to hunt these guys down and get a picture of the set up on the petition with the rubber bands and all…
Loo Hoo. @ 100
Hiya Loo Hoo … my brain went to sleep, thanks to the Bearded one …
OldCoastie @ 190
try some throat coat tea with honey and lemon, oc and hope you feel better soon
madmommy @ 182
Two (identical twin) neices of mine have taught high school English in the NYC public schools. (One is now retired on disability.) They are talented, dedicated & work like slaves. They have helped countless disadvantaged students get into college, etc. They hate tenure and are not big fans of the union, which stifles innovation & protects incompetent teacher.
LoudounLib @ 151
I googled earth where I used to live in New Brighton, 1962-1967 plus, years ago, the other day..freaked me out, then, because of that I could trace my actual footsteps of my way to school……technology…blows me away!!! I could actually see the soccer field that my “boyfriends” at the time used to play on…
It made me crazy for about a day, until I remembered that we are here now, and I’m sure glad I’m where I am here now, all those years later. *g* I’m right where I want to be…thank you very much (Mooch).
madmommy @ 182
In the AR case, IIRC, the exam was math and English at an tenth grade level, with help for the teachers to pass it and multiple attempts.
t’anks, Suzanne… and I’m wondering just how much vitamin C a body can take before it rebels completely…
Twain @ 173
Very European/Carribean in nature. A different mix of people than the south. Spanish, French, African, German, Irish, English, Jewish. A lot like New York. Hence the similarity in accents. Very poor. And one of the oldest cities in the states. Founded in 1718.
Being from New Orleans is one of the most important things in my life.
OldCoastie @ 196
is by traditional medicines and available in the tea aisle at most grocery stores. has lots of herbs and goodies in it to help sooth the throat
Oilfieldguy @ 177
Steve-AR @ 196
One would hope that those who are teaching math and English at the high school level would be able to pass a competency test on those subjects with no problem at all.
The whole thing about accountability is crap. If you have a low performing school you cut the money and resources; that is the fundie right agenda to kill public education.
redmaple @ 144
Osteopaths are amazing … Andrew Weil talks about them in his books.
OldCoastie @ 197
If I remember right, vitamin C is water soluble, so it doesn’t hang around for long in your system.
madmommy @ 182
Not hard for me at all. Everybody I work with has union protection and absolute job security. In the last 17yrs, 3 have been fired. Really horrendous infractions. I LOVE knowing my job is secure. I would hate to think that they could use some nebulous reason to fire me when their real goal was cheaper labor. And that is exactly what would happen. THEN, NO ONE WOULD GO IN TO THE TEACHING PROFFESSION.
Good evening dear friends. I hear we’ve got a birthday!
Mary McC, would you please cut the cake?
Hey T-Rex…we better get Amy back to REHAB, NO, NOO, NOOOO!
Fans Plead “Amy Quit Tour!”
Winehouse Birmingham Show Disaster
Amy’s Shambolic Performance
TexBetsy @ 206
Yummmmmm! Thanks.
But… doesn’t that also mean that there might be really bad teachers working alongside you for 17 years who should be fired, but can’t be?
TexBetsy @ 205
Wow! Another delightful delicacy. Thank you Betsy. Now I need to brush my teeth twice before I go to bed.
TexBetsy @ 206
Hey Betsy, pretty cake!
I am still giggling over what the kids want for Christmas/Hanukkah. Not asking for much, huh?
Gnome de Plume @ 210
This cake may even require floss.
madmommy @ 182
As a teacher, I agreed with Hillary’s answer. You can’t have merit pay for one teacher based on test scores (unless the teachers get to decide on classes themselves) and there would be too much room for POWER to administrators. But, if the whole school were to receive the merit pay, teachers would collaborate more, and administrators would do their best to win the money too by taking away all of the BS teachers have to do that has nothing to do wiht teaching.
madmommy @ 211
yegads!
And I think they actually want one each! And I am fairly sure i could not even fit one of those things into the bedroom.
madmommy @ 201
I think I “Mis-remembered”. The exam was at a eighth grade level. The farce is to blame teachers only for poor student outcomes. My GF’s mom teaches in an”inner city” school; by choice. She commutes 2 hours a day to do so. Without adequate total social services it is a very difficult task.
TexBetsy @ 212
You mean it’s got nuts in it? Or are those bugs I see? I know what lady bugs taste like, do you?
TexBetsy @ 206
Oh good, I’ve been waiting for you. Just finishing up my Chinese & hoping something sweet would come along. That is, if MaryMcC is willing to share.
Loo Hoo. @ 214
That makes sense to me After all if the science scores are up the English teacher should get some credit too, because kids who don’t read or comprehend can’t grasp the science stuff. It’s all connected. Making teachers compete against each other for money seems a bad idea to me.
This cake is for the entire lake. In fact, it IS the entire lake.
solai @ 205
I agree, a union is essential.
TexBetsy @ 219
i don’t see the mod tower nor the diving board – must be just the shallow end…
Steve-AR @ 216
Very true. Kids can’t learn if they are hungry or tired or stressed because of stuff at home. And the poorest performing schools always seem to be where the poorest people are and they are the ones who need the most help. They start in a hole and it’s damn hard to climb out of it.
Suzanne @ 221
It is the swampy end where all the NOLA folks are hanging out tonight
Well, I am going to head out. Another day of twisting eager young minds ahead tomorrow. Take care and enjoy the snark (and Betsy’s cakes).
TexBetsy @ 220
Who’s napping in the middle?
Bob in HI
OldCoastie @ 191
It’s gotta be illegal…and I suspect that they were INSTRUCTED to pull this ploy by someone.
But it’s quite obvious that people should never sign a series of Initiatives that are concealed…and no initiative requires TWO SIGNATURES!
3 Points:
1) Having tenure did not stop them from being conscientious.
2)Schools worry about the bottom line as much as corps and might very well replace them with perky 21yr olds when they reached 40. The 21 yr olds might even have more innovative ideas. But where would that leave all the 40yr old teachers. Think of the moms juggling work and family. Could they compete?
3) Under that scenario, knowing it was a 20 year job (at best) would these talented twins have chosen teaching.
I’m sorry to keep harping on this, but the upside of job security far outweighs the downside.
There has to be some way to modify the problem with bad teachers being kept on by the unions. But teachers need protection and good salaries so they need unions. Since teaching was mostly a woman’s job in the past that is why they are so poorly paid.
And we can fix our schools quit easily. More money. More attention to detail. More understanding about the needs of all children. I personally like the Montessori method. My kids wents to a Montessori school and have always done well.
taken care of, bob in hi
Hmmm. @ 209
To fire a teacher before they get tenure is a piece of cake (thanks TexB!). But when administrators don’t bother to do the job, that’s when you end up with problem teachers.
Suzanne @ 231
Thanks!
Bob in HI
excellent point loohoo – not fair to penalize all the teachers because the administrators are not doing their job
merit pay plan in TX
http://www.chron.com/disp/stor…..04097.html
Job security is nice, of course, if you’re the one who’s getting it. Non-teachers don’t have it, for example.
Hmmm. @ 209
Well, ideally, they’re not granted tenure. But, I recognize that there are bad teachers who can’t be fired. I get that. But, what is the percentage? I’d rather live with that than ruin another profession.
Evening, all!
Well, I am off to have sweet dreams, thanks to all the cakes tonight. See ya tomorrow.
I am definitely comming back in the morning to see where this teacher conversation goes. I agree that job protection is good, but protecting bad teachers is not good. Now that the little guy is categorized as special needs I am even more concerned than before about what is going on in education. There are no easy answers.
Goodnight all!
*waving hi and bye to the pups entering and leaving the lake*
bobschacht @ 231
Heh, we all hop to… ;-)
Hmmm. @ 236
school nurses and counselors and librarians and custodial and secretarial staff have the same protections and the same non-union “association” in my district.
I’m in a union and have job security. I wish more people could say that, not fewer.
madmommy @ 224
I hear the stories and I wouldn’t last a day. She teaches fourth grade and keeping the kids from killing each other is a job. She is threatened by the parents. This week she was off two days for a conference and the sub was threatened by a girl. The threat was “I know where you live and my mother has a gun.” The sub freaked out..my GF’s mom took it in stride and had the kids write a report about what “blank” had said.
Nite, Gnome and MM!
cinnamonape @ 226
I missed this whole issue. Is their a link or can you do an overview?
Old Coastie, You still here? Thanks again for the amazing advice! I’m back online and singin’ hallelujah!
Did y’all know that halogen bulbs might cause interference with your wireless? Neither did I, but at her suggestion I changed the two halogen bulbs I had put in my kitchen a few days before I noticed the problem. Et voila, here I am!
*reminder*
to those who are planning on attending the norcal firepup meetup at the little cottage by the creek in the redwoods
let me know
Suzanne @ 249
too far. sorry.
Suzanne @ 249
Did you wax the floors?
solai @ 228
20 years is about all they put in. The one is retired at 58 on disability & the other is dying to retire, but won’t be eligible for this year’s buyout & they only occur once every 5-10 years. (They started late.) 20 years is a long time to be a teacher. It’s a very stressful job.
Having tenure doesn’t have to stop anyone from being conscientious, but of course it does stop a certain % and you can’t get rid of them. And, according to the twins, the dead wood is really demoralizing for the others who are dedicated. Adds yet another impediment to the system.
They are actually an example of what you might want. Because they switched careers in their 30s, they got the advantage of more innovative ideas in education plus they were more mature when they finally got in front of classes.
Hmmm. @ 235
Job security is important to all. Now that we have a top heavy power structure job security like health insurance has gone out of the window. The middle class is shrinking. Privatization of schools will destroy job security and the school system.
Steve-AR @ 250
tomorrow nite – fair warning
TexBetsy @ 248
If I started swimming now… ;-)
CTuttle @ 241
i did not know you were a moderator CT
I really should clarify: I don’t mean to seem overly negative about this. I’ve just seen some really egregiously terrible teachers psychically attacking wonderful, creative students, several times, and it big-B-Bothers me that the union mechanism protects them — who don’t deserve it — fully as much as it protects those (like, I am wholly confident, all tenured teachers present tonight!) who do deserve it.
Not that I have a good answer for how to reliably, repeatably test for the difference…
TexBetsy @ 241
Classified staff in California have great job protection with CALPERS. And some of the best retirement advisors/money managers in the world.
Suzanne @ 248
I am still coming. Riding with Mr. P.
Be careful when you blow out the candles on the birthday cake.
http://www.welaf.com/funny-picture-9453.html
marymccurnin @ 258
woohoo
eCAHNomics @ 259
HA!
I am in year 19 in the public schools. I love it. I am the only one I know who ASKS to have the low literacy kids in summer school.
Hate NCLB and what it means for the kids and the teachers. But I love the kids and I love working with them. lasted a whole 3 days at the district office before I knew that the “something missing” was kid energy.
On the other hand, I’ve had far more years at part time than full time, and I’m no longer in the classroom.
Loo Hoo. @ 245
Here’s what OldCoastie said back on the “Roll The Dice” Thread (post 50).
marymccurnin @ 262
LOL !
Suzanne @ 254
Ah, ya missed the context, Bob was remarking about the cake, then, ya said you were on it… *g*
Howie has a post up about Blue America and the “Rahm event”. Is Christina Siun?
DWT
CTuttle @ 265
actually, i believe you missed the context since bob was asking for moderator help with something
Hmmm. @ 255
Again, the administrator needs to spend some time, and document the problems. They need to write up the teacher, and follow through. That is why I disagree with the whole issue of passing a bad teacher from one school to another. (The turkey shuffle) The administrator that gives tenure should keep that bad teacher shackeled around his/her neck for his entire career. Getting rid of a bad teacher isn’t impossible, it just takes work.
Red Cross Monitors Barred From Guantánamo
from NYT > Home Page by WILLIAM GLABERSON
A confidential 2003 manual for operating the Guantánamo detention center shows that military officials denied access to the Koran.
Suzanne @ 266
*white flag waving* Yes’m!
eCAHNomics @ 258
Cute!
CTuttle @ 270
:) would not want to create the wrong impression – thanks CT
Thanks for explaining further, Loo Hoo.
anti-romney calls in primary states
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics…..id=3872807
TexBetsy @ 268
In a related story, the Maladministration is furious that a Gitmo manual has been leaked…
Loo Hoo, here there’s a big focus on mentoring first and second year teachers and the lead mentors have some say in whether the school keeps or dismisses them after year two.
Hey, Loo Hoo – could you put me on the info list for the next SoCal meet-up?
Loo Hoo … YGM !
OT..Mat Yglesias on the debate:
As ever, it’s really striking to observe the difference between the audience-generated questions and the journalist-generated questions. Wolf Blitzer’s main interest is in asking questions designed to put Democrats on the wrong side of public opinion, even if those questions are about things like driver’s licenses or “merit pay” for teachers that aren’t really under federal purview. Efforts to reframe those questions by putting those topics in the larger context of immigration policy more generally or education more generally are derided as cowardly dodges. The point, after all, is to force a choice — piss off an interest group, or say something that could be used in a GOP attack ad.
The real people, by contrast, ask about problems in their lives. The mother of an individual ready reserve member wants to know about Iran policy. The mother of an active duty soldier wants to know about military pay versus pay for military contractors. An Arab-American wants to know about racial profiling. Then the candidates explain what they think about these issues.
link
I am off to bed. Have fun. Don’t be too good.
Alicia @ 276
Hi Alicia !
Evenin’ all!
Completely OT, but…
For all the SoCal firepups, I’ve just learned that John Dean will be speaking at UCSD (Univ. of CA, San Diego) tomorrow morning, at the Institute of the Americas, 10:00 AM. Sorry I don’t have more info, but I’ve been trying to find out all day.
Off to bed. Thanks for the interesting conversation. I’m just very, very pro-union so I sometimes get carried away. It’s just that important to me even if it means a few incompetents slip through. Night all.
Steve-AR @ 279
i had not thought of it this way but it makes total sense.
Nite, Mary!
madmommy @ 223
Not to mention having parents who are likely to be working two or three jobs and have no time to help them with schoolwork, even if they have the educational background to do it.
Funny how those who are always demanding we “protect the children” on social issues rarely get into that.
kristine @ 282
gonna go?
marymccurnin @ 279
Good night. And when you wake up tomorrow, you’ll only be one day older, in contrast to today, when you woke up a whole year older.
Teachers shouldn’t have to pay taxes.
cinnamonape @ 262
Makes a case for taking a camera everywhere we go, doesn’t it. Geez. (ROVE, anyone?)
TRex @ 290
Amen!
Public school teachers, I mean.
Steve-AR @ 265
Yes. And thanks for the link.
ack!
4 nooses found in university classroom
from CNN.com – U.S.
A student found four nooses in a classroom at Central Michigan University earlier this week, the school said Thursday.
Poor Are Lagging in Hurricane Aid From Mississippi
from NYT > Home Page by LESLIE EATON
The state is the only one for which the Bush administration has waived the rule that 50 percent of its Federal grants be spent on low-income programs.
TRex @ 288
Local, State, and Federal! Sales Taxes, etc. would be impractical to disallow, tho…!
Do you suppose that would drive more people into teaching, if we made them tax-exempt?
I agreed to making less money working for a municipality than i would have working in the private sector. In return, i got health care benefits, a pension, and job security.
Many folks make similar choices for similar reason in many careers – I think adding tax exemption would entice more folks to look at teaching.
TRex @ 293
The trouble with that is that once you make teachers’ pay tax free then all the other underpaid workers in important sectors will be demanding the same – firefighters, police officers, nurses.
TRex @ 296
Has anyone done a regional survey of public school versus private school teachers pay?
g’evening Pups! Happy B’day, Mary McM! (loved the poem)
Did i ever tell all y’all that i hate painting effin ceilings? Hate painting normal ones too. (rubs crick in neck)
TRex @ 298
When I was in school, I was given a federal Title 7 fellowship that paid for all of my certification classes (and 90% of my masters), plus books and stipend, in exchange for me agreeing to give 3 yrs to a high-needs school after graduation. 18 yrs later, I am still in high-needs schools.
yeah, tax-exempt them, or else we could just… PAY THEM A DECENT WAGE!
It’s a political will issue, not a school district administration issue.
persiflage @ 298
But, in all fairness, that’s not a bad idea, either… ;-)
Alicia @ 276
Sure, Alicia. Give me your email addy. We’re thinking quarterly, so Marchish.
Hmmm. @ 302
A decent wage, or rather, a living wage would truly float all boats…
I mean specifically pay teachers more than they get currently, relative to other occupations. Across the board. I mean raise my taxes however much is necessary to get it done.
newtonusr @ 299
Does it shock any of you to hear that for the most part, (unionized) public school teachers
earn more $$$ than (non- unionized) private teachers in Canada ?
And I don’t even have kids! — I don’t understand why parents don’t feel the same way about this.
Petrocelli @ 309
Here too.
TexBetsy @ 309
Is it true that Teachers’ salaries start at $18K in America ?
CTuttle @ 274
An UNCLASSIFIED GITMO MANUAL No Less!!!!
Uh-oh, I’m watching the head of HGEA say that the financial footing of pensions is taking a direct hit from the Mortgage fiasco! On my local Hawaii PBS station…
late late upstairs
Suzanne @ 286
Yeah, I’ll be there. Can’t wait…John Dean has always been a hero to me.
My sister-in-law teaches art at a private boarding school in England and says she makes much more than she would in the public sector there. (Using the US usage of ‘public school’ and ‘private school’, not the UK usages.)
newtonusr @ 299
Hearsay, so don’t take my word for it. The fancy-schmancy NYC private schools pay less, with less benefits than the NYC public schools. In exchange you get much smaller classes, bit layer of bureaucracy to smooth relatiionships with parents, & students who are selected to be bright & obedient.
My son went to all of the above-wasn’t a school that existed that was right for him. Private elementary thru grade 2, public elementary thru grade 6, (failed) experimental public school 7-9, bording school 10, NYC fancy private school 11 & 12. He had good teachers & bad teachers in all those schools.
kristine @ 314
Lucky … if you meet Mr. Dean, please tell him that he has lots of fans in Canada …
CTuttle @ 305
OK, what about the nurse aides who earn pitiful wages caring for our elderly? What about the military? OK, so let’s say we can all agree on which professions should be on the tax-free list. (Yeah, sure) Then there are 2 questions – how do you replace the tax they would have paid? Does everybody else have to pay a little more tax? The other problem is how you contain the anger of the rest of the tax-paying public?
I really don’t like the idea of creating special classes of people for legal purposes.
God:
“Perdue, you brick-dumb cipher, you and the GOP peckerheads like you have turned a country of 26 million people into a fucking charnal house, and you’ve got the nuggets to ask ME for water?
Here; turn your head sideways, and I’ll give you some water, right in your ear…pssssssssss….”
persiflage @ 318
… the road to Hell is paved with good intentions …
persiflage @ 318
Actually, Sheila, I like Warren Buffet’s exhortation, ‘tax the hide off of me’, sounds good… 8-)
Petrocelli @ 277
Back atcha.
kristine @ 281
Dang it, work!
TRex @ 288
I could go along with that!
Loo Hoo. @ 322
Reading now …
newtonusr @ 299
Private school teachers make less in this town. Now La Jolla Country Day School and Bishops, can’t tell you. It’s not public info.
Suz – YGM
Leahy is anticipating a bunch of cloture votes tomorrow. Whassup?
Bob in HI
TRex–
I was very,very sorry to hear about your cat, William. Hope your back is better.
Isn’t this the same governor who
a) Has done nothing about massive traffic chaos in Atlanta, seems comatose and major legislative initative was a “Go Fish” slogan?
b) Is a licensed vet and has ridiculously sought to protect you from Avian Flu in Georgia by spending millions buying Tamiflu which has no clinical efficacy against any H5N1 variant whatsoever, and in fact is replete in the medical literature for causing resistance strains?
I think you’re getting the idea that if Sonny Perdue prayed for rain he’s getting the answer to the prayers of greedy politicians who had years to plan and build infrastructure and sewer fittings for their soaring population and did absolutely nothing.
His pomp and circumstance meeting with the governors of Florida and Alabama was as productive as his rain prayer session will be.
Ya gotta love that Chris Carlos though who made the NY Times today:
Amid Drought, a Georgian Consumes a Niagara
A homeowner in Marietta, Ga., used 440,000 gallons in September, or about 14,700 gallons a day. By comparison, the average consumption in the United States is about 150 gallons a day per person, and in the Atlanta metropolitan area about 183 gallons.
Month after month during a record-setting drought, the two-story, five-bedroom home owned by that consumer, Chris G. Carlos, a wealthy investor who is a member of one of Atlanta’s most well known and philanthropic families, has topped Cobb County’s list of residential users.
I mean–that is a whole helluva lot of rompin’ in a hot tub amdist the Georgia clay isn’t it?
Robert Quigley, a spokesman for the Cobb County Water System, said Mr. Carlos had used an average of 260,000 gallons of water a month for the last year, about twice as much as the consumer next-highest on the county’s list. Mr. Carlos has apparently been using the water not only to flush nine toilets and maintain a swimming pool but also to refresh nearly four acres of lush landscaping around his white-columned, red brick home.
It really takes a whole lotta forehead slappin’ to figure out why Sonny Perdue and Georgia have run out of water given their bent to conserve and plan–like Mr. Carlos.
As then-Governor George W. Bush showed with his 2000 proclamation of “Jesus Day,” prayer is now a centerpiece of the Republican approach to public policy. And with the GOP fallen on hard times, Governor Perdue is hardly the only Republican turning to prayer in search of better days:
- Norman Podhoretz’s Prayer for Iran
- Ann Coulter’s Prayer for the Supreme Court
- Mitt Romney’s Prayer for Silence
- Rudy Giuliani’s Prayer for Bernard Kerik
- Jack Kingston’s Prayer for Rush Limbaugh
- Pastor Rick Scarborough’s Prayer for Tom Delay
- Chuck Colson’s Prayer for Waterboarding
- David Vitter’s Prayer for Marriage
- Fox News’ Prayer for Another 9/11
- George W. Bush’s Prayer to Replenish the Ol’ Coffers
For the details, see:
“Georgia Governor Perdue and the Top 10 Republican Prayers.”
CTuttle @ 264
Yes, I did comment on the cake, since it was held up as a depiction of the Lake. I was wondering who that was who was snoozing in the middle.
Inquiring minds want to know. (G)
Bob in HI
What no separation of state in Georgia? That is seriously catastrophic.
I love that Tori video. Only someone with preacher’s daughter syndrome could make a risque statement like that so poignantly.
LOL! Sounds like to me that GOD is showing he is faithful and real, but that GEORGIA is gonna have to do better than they have been doing!
Deuteronomy 8:1-20
And no, it’s not about abortion and gays. It’s about genocide, war, greed, idolatry, infidelity and covetousness. It’s about failing the poor and homeless.
You know, all that Sermon on the Mount stuff that conservatives and liberals skip past because Revelations has better special effects.