New Years Resolutions

Ok so I've compiled a few goals for the new year. I don't have them defined enough to be resolutions but I'm working on it.

In the new year, I plan to ...

• Blog more
• Eat better and exercise (I think I have to say that)
• Continue to put my girls first
• Increase my proficiency in Spanish
• Graduate college
• Relax
• Finally be able to read simply for enjoyment again
• stop watching tv
• something funny to be named later...

As for the tv thing, I'll probably put some kind of counter on my website to see how long I can actually go without tv. Probably won't make it a week..but whatever, none of this junk is serious anyway.

I still haven't decided what the last one will be. I'm brainstorming for ideas like ... learn to ride a unicycle, bowl a 300, or dunk a basketball. By the way those are out because... well please.

I'll put the final list up before year's end.

-Jesse

The New Year is comng

The New Year is coming and it is time once again to compile all of those lists consisting of things we will never accomplish. Last year I decided that I was too good to take part in such a mundane ritual. But since that was no fun I am going back to my old childish ways and I am going to make a list. I figure maybe just maybe...Id I put he list on the Internet I will...nah. But at least it will make it easier for my friends and family to mock me as they will have proof.

SO I am now working on compiling the list.

I will have a preliminary list up within the next couple of days and I will try to refine it by the 30Th.

Good luck to me. HAHAHA!!!

Inactivity

I haven't been active lately, online at least. I have  a few new projects that have been precluding me from coming up with some witty comments for the net. I'm trying to learn enough about web design to both pass my course and to help out at my daughter's gym. Also I we had family in this weekend and Hallie had a gymnastics meet. And yes, she kicked ... well you know. Oh and I'm also reading through a copy of my brothers upcoming book. 

So more to come soon.

Is technology that scary?

Can we please stop being lazy and use the resources available to solve some of the problems we face?

Problem:

So, I have a young child in school and I am aware that her schoolbooks tend to weigh a lot. I have read that if they carry more than 10 - 20% of their body weight they can possible suffer from some back problems. Well, I can not speak for others but my child is small and weighs only around sixty pounds. I can promise you that her school books weigh well in excess of 6 pounds. So there are some potential problems here.

Question:

What are we doing to fix this? Can it be fixed?

Solution:

(I would say that both parents and schools alike are essentially not viewing this as a problem or are choosing to not fix it. ) but what can we do ...kids have to have books...

No kiddin. Why don't we try and use our brains for once. Right now, there are commercially available items which could alleviate this issue.

Here are two such examples.

If schools were to use something like these, children's books would never weigh more than three or four pounds. All of the current books could fit onto one of these with room left over for a dictionary, full set of encyclopedias, thesaurus, and another other texts that were applicable at the time. These units cost under $400 as they are now. Mainly this is because they are not widely used. If they were to be mass produced for schools, I would imagine the cost would be very minimal, especially as compared to the cost of textbooks. The cost to replace the unit would be minimal and there would be no cost to replace the information contained within as the information would be licensed through the schools. All schools would be able to have available, the most recent texts. The more economically challenged schools would not have to wait years on new school books.

Why would we not improve a situation if it would be so easy to do so? We are lazy and scared of technology. The 'we' I am referring to is the parents. Children are not in charge and they are not afraid of technology nor change.

Tell me how this is bad.

Time for gymnastics

Just a quick post to say that I'm leaving to go to Nashville. My daughter, pictured above in her most serious pose, is competing this weekend.

Go Hallie!!!

Bible Translations

I recently had an exchange with a friend of mine that has some relatively strong views in regard to his church (notice I didn’t say religious) beliefs. For anyone that knows me, you will know that I heartily respect someone that is willing to stand up for what they believe in. Unfortunately, the conversation made that fatal leap from this is what I believe to a message akin to if you don’t believe this way then you are wrong. Oops.

I don’t mind someone disagreeing with me; in fact, I actually enjoy the resulting discourse. However when someone insists on presenting their closed minded opinions and is either uninformed or is simply repeating something they were told – well…

I do not remember what led up to the point of contention, nonetheless it occurred. I mentioned something that I read in the particular Bible that I frequent (HCSB) and his response was “yeah but that’s not King James.” I wanted to give him a chance to explain why my Policeman’s Bible (HCSB), given to me as a gift on father’s day, was inferior to his King James Version. His explanation was simply that the King James Version is the only Bible and that all others were translations. Wow.  I thought it appropriate to mention at this point that I was under the impression that the King James Version was also a translation. He faltered a little as if I had just let him in on some groundbreaking secret, so I continued with a conversation of my apparent misunderstanding that all of the English Bibles were in fact translations. This didn’t change his resolve that the King James Version was not only the best but the only worthy Bible.

 “How did you arrive at this conclusion?”

 “That’s what we decided as a church.” OK.

I also respect when people, or a group of people, come to a decision on how they will study the Word. But there is a difference between knowing what is best for you and deciding what is best for others.

I saw where this was going and decided to end the discussion.  It didn’t seem to matter to him that the Bible was written in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and German all before it was in English. So, I sarcastically remarked that I had better go tell my brother the pastor (who reads the Greek version) that he is reading the wrong Bible. 

Alas, my attempt at humor was wasted.

No Child Left Behind

I read an article this morning containing alarming statistics in relation to the graduation rate of the Memphis City school system. It seems that the NCLB program has boasted some gains over the past few years but has recently taken a turn for the worse.

MCS Graduation Rates
2005: 66.3 percent
2006: 67.2 percent
2007: 69.6 percent
2008: 66.9 percent

As with any standard curve or average, some of the schools were further below these dismal figures.

Graduation rates and the percentage of decline since last year.
Cordova: 73.8 (-14.4)
Fairley: 51.4 (-17.9)
Manassas: 50.8 (-13.5)
Raleigh Egypt: 69.5 (-10.9)
Ridgeway: 82.5 (-8.8)
Trezevant: 56.6 (-7.1)
Wooddale: 62.4 (-8.6)

As usual, these figures are shocking but they do not allow you to appreciate the real story. There is no emotion involved with numbers posted on a blog or printed in a newspaper. Does a graduation rate dropping almost 18% shock you? It shouldn’t because numbers are meaningless. It’s what the numbers represent that should cause you to move up to the front car on the emotional roller coaster. Let’s take a moment and translate these meaningless numbers into a language we of substance.

Take a look at this class picture.




All of these kids will fail to make it out of the Memphis City School system.












So…

· Which one will not be denied that entry level job that they desperately need?
· Which one will die as a result of a drug or alcohol addiction?
· Which one will have or abort an unplanned pregnancy because they feel trapped?
· Which one will spend most of their adult life in prison?


They will all to have a long difficult life ahead of them and they will not have even reached adulthood at the onset of this hardship.

We have failed these kids…and 1400 other class pictures filled with other children. These children are real; they are not numbers. If you have children, try to imagine that your child will be among the 36,410 out of the 110,000 that will not make it to the graduation stage. This is unacceptable.

Our system is broken, how do we fix it?

Halloween is evil

Give me a break.

If your child wants to go trick-or-treating this Halloween - LET THEM! Halloween is not evil.Some people, mainly the pseudo-religious, are on their kick again this year that Halloween is somehow antagonistic to the church and as such must be abolished. I could possibly feel for their position on this if they had completed even a modicum of research and not taken their stance because of some random proclamation from an uptight and uninformed talk show personality spewed haphazardly in the quest for ratings.

Do you honestly think that children care if Halloween had its origins in some ancient festival from a Gaelic culture long since past. Most likely they do not. Halloween is simply a time for children to dress up and get together with their friends and stroll through the neighborhood collecting candy. Besides, the costumes I see are Hannah Montana, Frankenstein’s monster and a few nurses and firemen; not exactly pagan icons.

But the children might get led astray by this horrible pagan ritual. If you or your child has a faith system so fragile that they are led astray by Scooby Doo and a bite size Snicker bar, you have bigger problems on your hands.

But it’s dangerous to let them wander through the neighborhood alone. No kidding. Don’t be a moron; watch after your children just as you would on any other night. Instead of condemning the holiday, get off of the couch and go spend some time with them.

Let them be kids. There is little innocence left for them. Children are being forced to grow up too fast. Don’t take away Halloween too.

Get over yourself.

I've been quiet...

I've been quiet lately, not because I have nothing to say but because I have too much too say. That's sounds dumb but I'll explain. As anyone that knows me can attest, I have a "soap box" point or flare up on many many many issues. Does this mean that I am over opinionated? Maybe. But I guess that is what blogs are for, huh. So, I will be slow to post because of school and multitude of other stuff but I will increase my speed and proficiency at this bloggin' stuff soon enough.

A few quick points...

• Halloween is not evil... get a grip
  
• the Internet is not going away... but old people are
  
• your version of the Bible is not superior to someone else's
  
• tolerance applies to others' views as well as your own
  
• immigrants are not taking all of the best jobs
  
• learning does not have to be boring
  
• both candidates are not the devil
  
• Santa Claus (more later...)
  

Weddings

I attended the wedding of a good friend last night. This time I can actually say that it was enjoyable and I don't have to lie because of social convention. As expected I can normally go on and on about how weddings are lame and an outdated custom. I can comment on how people take traditions from long past and infuse modern capitalism to create a debacle that only the mother of the bride could possibly enjoy. However, this time my feelings were different. I enjoyed last night's ceremony because I came away with the impression that both the bride and the groom were enjoying themselves. The minister cracked a few lighthearted jokes, the bride and groom snickered throughout the lighter moments and nobody took themselves too seriously. Both the ceremony and reception took place at the Memphis Zoo. It was elegant while still remaining comfortable. Every wedding should be similar to this in its joviality. 

The wedding would have been perfect but it lacked one tradition - the boxer dance.

I just may need a PS3

I do not get a chance to play video games often. This being said I came across some information recently about a new game. The link to a preview is below. Levi this rules. If I get this --- I'm going to school you.

Who wins if the kitten falls?

I was walking down the sidewalk one muggy afternoon and I heard a commotion up ahead which piqued my curiosity. Being the inquisitive person that I am I hastened my pace and rounded the corner to see a Fire Truck parked near a tree. A crowd had gathered - always a sign of something interesting. I made my way through the small band of onlookers to an adequate vantage point. I was stunned and thoroughly amused to find two firemen slugging it out. These guys were in full turn out gear and they were really going at it, Hollyfield style. I watched in amusement for a few seconds and curiosity got the best of me. I turned to a fellow spectator and inquired about the origin of this exchange. The guy didn’t take his eyes off of the action as he explained that they were fighting to see who got to save the kitten. Kitten? Then for the first time I saw and heard a baby kitten wailing at the top of its little lungs as it treacherously clung to the tip of a branch suspended easily forty feet above the street.  This cat was going to fall…

While I understand this is a critical point in our history with regard to the highly contested political election, the wavering economy, and the global threat of terror, I am exhausted from the bandying of insults and criticisms back and forth between the supporters of our two political parties. In the past I have never been one to be sucked in to the political scene. It’s easy to become jaded when barraged by countless reports of trusted elected officials caught with their hand in the cookie jar. If you combine this, the bickering between the candidates and the often ignorant viewpoints of people who have proudly donned the badge of Republican or Democrat, you can see how I am eager to have this election season behind us.

            The topic of this post however has nothing to do with my political leanings but rather the ignorance displayed by many when choosing sides. The political parties in this country seem to demonstrate an “us versus them” philosophy. While there are inherent differences between the two, as a novice to politics, I thought the idea of government was to work in the best interest of the people. Instead of fighting to get elected by vilifying the other side the candidates and the parties should be focusing on how to work together to repair the various critical issues plaguing America.

            For whichever political party you align yourself, think about the opposite. Do you think that your constituent counterparts want to destroy America? Do you think they wish to take away all of your money or opportunities? Do you think that they are ignorant, racist, god-less, arrogant ... and on and on and on. If you fall into this category you may need to reexamine your views. While there are those that fit into all of these categories, I believe that as a whole both political parties honestly desire to help better America. This leads me to a point I alluded to previously. Voting for a party in lock step with your family and friends is asinine. Take some time to investigate what the candidates stances are on the issues. It’s not about who gets to be the victor. Stop fighting and save the kitten!

Certainly the biggest issue facing us as Americans is the state of the economy. If the economy fails, the other issues go to the wayside. We can’t address immigration, education, social injustice, or global warming if there are no programs nor people to implement them.  Educate yourself. Learn how the candidates propose to fix America. In the end, while you and I may differ on our opinions of the proper means to the end, we both want the same thing – to save the kitten.

Educating Children

The proper education of children is undeniably the hot button topic among modern parents, principally with respect to the area of the country I call home. While this is not exclusive to my locale, my particular city has a drowning school system that is not only failing to find a successful way to reach the children it serves but also to simply remain in existence. So, as the system bobs a few more times before finally going under like the lead character in the climactic scene of Titanic, parents like myself scurry for our own life lines.

There has been debate for years regarding the consolidation of the city and county school systems which would undoubtedly lead to an even more unstable arrangement. Private Schools spring up daily itching to respond to the outcry of distressed parents – for a price. This band-aid approach only means however that the parents pay a higher price for slightly better teacher/student ratios and for some the option to be away from “those kids”. The comment “those kids” is a highly variable label pointing to whatever group the parent blames for the troubles that the entire community faces. All of this feeds into the debate over the religious, socio-economic, and racial divide amongst the differing types of educational facilities throughout the region. I haven’t even begun to rail against one of the nastiest issues, the near Sisyphean task of addressing underpaid and undervalued teachers, overcrowding, apathetic parents, lack of funding…….AHHH…!!!

I just want to bring my daughters up in the best learning environment I am able to provide. So what is the answer? This school year a unique opportunity was made available to me in conjunction with my daughter’s gymnastics organization. Some of the parents’ of the “team kids” have been home-schooling their girls together in a classroom setting. This cooperative effort is of course accomplished under the umbrella of one of the area churches. I had previously toiled over the idea of home school but hesitated because of lingering concerns to include socialization, loneliness, and effectiveness.

So we took the plunge and allied with this group in our valiant fight and all seems to be going well. My daughter’s class consists of eight girls of similar ages and aptitudes but yet diverse backgrounds. The class size is clearly superior to the alternative of twenty to thirty children jammed into a single classroom like cattle in a pen. Children are not cattle they are individuals. No teacher, no matter how practiced at his or her profession, can provide the type of individualized instruction that the child yearns for and rightly deserves while they are forced to fight against such insurmountable odds. This class is instructed by us from a pre-approved approved curriculum tailored to the children so they can learn without being spoon-fed. The time the teacher has available to provide individualized instruction for one student is not impacted by the unruliness of another. The optimization of instruction creates the opportunity for enrichment activities such as learning Spanish and Sign Language that would otherwise never exist. I want my child to have the platform to truly learn for their own growth not to be taught to simply perform well on a particular test.

While this prospect is not right for and does not exist for everyone, I plan to use it to my advantage and I will report how it progresses.

My First Post

As I sit here and begin to type out my first post I hesitate. I falter not because I don't know what to say, because I can talk all day without saying anything and argue with a lamp. No, my hesitation is caused by the fact that in today's society one thing uttered on one blog can stay with you forever. I have many "soapbox" issues and I get quite passionate about the things I believe.

So here comes the caveat: If you are easily offended or if you are simply closed minded you might not like what I have to say. I share opinion with the ancient greek philosophers in that I think solutions to problems arise from open and honest discourse. If you still choose to forge ahead - good for you and good luck.