Arkansas Blog

Let's start if off with a cartoon. clicky

Ah, from the Middle East, location of the Garden of Eden and the birthplace of the three monotheistic desert-born/Abraham tradition religions and the scene of centuries of constant warfare, we now learn 70,000 Iranian students are volunteers to be suicide warriors against Israel.

Doing the clicky reveal all.

HELP! I'VE FAINTED AND I CAN'T GET UP!

(Though blogging whilst prone is among my Top Five Skill Sets.)

Only five days into 2009 and already it appears it's the End Of Civilization As We Know It!

In today's clicky article from the L.A. Times, Rep. Bob Barr (author of the Defense of Marriage Act), uh, repudiates DOMA and himself.

"DOMA has to go," he says.

Since I don't frequent Men's Rooms, I'm wondering exactly what walls Rep. Barr is reading the Handwriting on.

I don't know. What with Global Warming, taxing farmers for bovine farts, the neverending Middle East crisis, a stock portfolio shrinking faster than Benjamin Button, and now THIS -- I can just FEEL 2009's going to eat up my Gift Certificate to Bridgeway.

Hi Norma, Thanks for adding to the list of things we know you can do while prone. :-)

Norma: Please clarify--or verify--are you blogging whilst prone, or supine?

It could make a big difference.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Sky

How's, "I'm prone to be supine," work out for ya, Sky?

Works for ME!

Norma: Beggars can't be choosers.

Sky

Somebody turn down the thermostat!

Here's a good question for us all. I'm on my knees looking for the answer. Blue name.

Four minutes wasted asking questions that aren't worth answering.

IMHO

Beyonce's Single Ladies

Dayum....

/click it

Slow night on the blog. Where are the trolls?

Oh, gee, Sky! The kid on the playground who's having fun then suddenly announces he's not gonna play any more!

It's 2009, sugarplum. Lighten up.

MY implied question, in my link above, is HOW is Rep. Bob Barr's repudiation of his own authored DOMA going to affect HUGELY important matters like Initiated Act 1 in Arkansas, or California's Prop. 8, or the military's "DADT" policy, in 2009.

Are THOSE serious enough questions to, uh, straddle, Sky?

Enquiring minds, etc.

Norma: Don't misinterpret--or misunderestimate.

Wasn't referring to the questions. Was referring to the two musical links

Maybe I'm just too old and too out of it to be moved or impressed by those performances. I find them irrelevant.

Other than that, I was referring to the small number of posts as "slow."

Don't rap my knuckles too hard, Norma. I'm still here, and looking to have additional fun. Not about to run home and pout.

Sky

durango.....that's a great video, how did you run across it?

As for the questions about the effects of Bob Barr's repudiation: Who knows?

I'm not inclined to speculate about such things, as my notions about the future don't amount to much. And others' pontificating about the future don't tend to impress me much. So I guess I basically overlooked those issues.

We'll see.

Slow night??? could be a lot of folks w/out power tonight................

I've held my breath all day, watching ice build and build, I'm usually the first Entergy

attacks.

I don't know if anyone has posted this over the past few weeks, but it's 3 or so minutes worth of laughs. Enjoy! CLICKY

Maybe we're all holding our breath, hoping nothing tragic or cataclysmic will happen before the 20th.

It's a fragile time.

sorry Im not a troll, and i certainly don't know anything entertaining or of general interest, im sorry to have to report that as well. all i have done is work, walk the dogs, and visit with my neighbor and my friend who is spending about three weeks with me. Neither one of us can believe that there's another person on the face of the planet we can tolerate for that long, but no deaths are reported yet. she even cooks for me, and I never get that around here. The dogs are good for a lot but they arent much on cooking.

we seem to be in the few counties not in one of the winter storms today but I dont k now if that will last all night. im low on birdseed, otherwise it can storm away out there for all I care. I can walk to the birdseed store. Not much further, but still. the question is, could I walk back? I havent done anything like that in a long time. 2008 took a lot out of me, physically and emotionally. I hope 2009 brings better times and better health to all of us. even the trolls.

Oops, Sky. You said the Big Unmentionable with your "fragile time" comment.

I don't blame anybody for not wanting to talk about it. But it's the Elephant in the Living Room.

Ironically, all my black friends talk about nothing BUT.

All my white friends? Never comes up.

But then, I'm whiter than Dita Von Teese.

DO try to stay abreast.

Glad you enjoyed it, Charles Eddie. It was performed by The Killers on Jay Leno's show a night or two before Christmas. For some reason, I thought of it as a question the people of Israel and Gaza should be asking themselves. Or that we Americans should ask ourselves at times: Are we human, or are we densers? Often, I'm convinced it's the latter.

NVR, that was a great link. Thanks!

It is really incredible that Max, so ever vigilant about significant news, has not mentioned obama's display of support for public education by sending his kids to Sidwell Friends. How elite of him!!!!!! I guess he didn't want to expose his kids to a system that is predominately black.

And of course, Strange, in the same circumstance, you would do what again?!! Oh yes, send YOUR kids to failing, dangerous schools. How do you suppose THAT would go over with the SS?
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Then if he thinks that public schools are so bad for his sweet children then why won't he support options for poor people to send their kids to private schools? What a hypocrite. He is against vouchers for poor folks forcing them to use public schools that are a joke but his precious little ones get to enjoy the priviledge of going to private elite schools. You criticize Repubs for doing that but it is ok for your elite demos. What a bunch of hypocrites you lefties are. Public schools are only for the common folks.

I suppose Strange wouldn't want a father to chose to do what was best for his children. Sidwell Friends offers a more secure environment for 2 high profile children who will be allowed to live a more private life than if they attended a public school. Perhaps it was chosen for offering a learning environment most like the private school they attended in Chicago. Changing schools in the middle of the year will be tough so why not pick what is best for the children in terms of their education and letting them lead as normal a life as possible?

Who was asking where the trolls were?

Perplexed--It was busy hijacking other threads. It just got to this one. Someone spoke too soon.

Conway Corporation has such an incredible record of keeping us with electricity, jazzy, or I'd be worried 'cause ice is hanging from all our trees...has been all late afternoon. I only wish I could share them with Hot Springs...and every other city with crappy electrical service. I assume I'll have ice tomorrow since I have a makeup appt. from the last day of ice. Oh well...no big thing...compared to all the disasters.

I am gonna make it your way...one of these days. Timing, health and circumstance will meld together one day and yield a glorious road trip!

I saw your video, durango, a month or so ago when I was channel surfing (I check-in on VH1/MTV every so often so I won't be more out-of-touch with the young folk than I already am.) And, like you, I thought it had a lot to say about much of what's occurring in the world. But my favorite new activist song is Sheryl Crow's 'Gasoline'...link at name. (The entire CD is GREAT!)

Lordy, cato...70,000 suicide bombers...we can only hope they're showing out for their holy men and will eventually choose another path. Nothing makes me as pessimistic as feuds that have been going on for thousands of years. Almost wish we could lock em up altogether until they learned to play nicely...or quit drawing the rest of us into their ancient and RIDICULOUSLY non-productive feuds. But we should absolutely quit giving Israel a blank check to slaughter at will.

I'm sure that the parents of DC children would like that same option. Unfortunately, the demos and obama in particular don't support vouchers. Pure unadulterated hypocricy and you all know it. Why should other parents be denied the same option you so steadfastedly permit him? HYPOCRITES!!!!!

Slidwel is the same school Chelsea Clinton attended. Amy Carter, daughter of President Carter, attended public schools while he was in office. Strange doesn't like Carter either. I have to wonder had Chelsea been an unwed teenage mother as Bristol is would the right wing be as quiet as they are over the new mom and child in the Palin family.

There it is again, AT. Troll attack. Not gonna bite.

Strange claims he was a teacher. As a teacher, I'll bet he was a member of NEA or at least AEA. Here's what NEA has to say about school vouchers. "NEA opposes school vouchers because they divert essential resources from public schools to private and religious schools, while offering no real "choice" for the overwhelming majority of students." It's not a democratic vs republican issue. For more information on wh NEA opposes them see blue name.

clinton and obama argue against voucers and support public schools and they send their kids to elite private schools. 'Let them eat cake'. That pretty much summarizes the demos position on public education for the little people and their actions relative to the elites.

Love Sheryl Crow, zelda. Would you believe my daughter gave this CD to me for Christmas? She often reminds me that I'm only as old as I'd be if I didn't know how old I am. A brilliant young lady she is, no? Goodness gracious! OSU has just pulled to within 2 of the Longhorns. Better get off here and get this game finished.

The NEA is a joke and the chief source of the degradation of public education. I sent my kids to public schools. Frankly, you make my case for me when you invoke the NEA. Most people and many teachers have contempt for the NEA. However, that does not negate the hypocricy of the obamas and the clintons to push public education while they send their kids to elite private schools. Let's give everyone that choice including the 'little people'.

The NEA knows that if parents had a real choice they would not choose public education. That is what they fear. Then the NEA would have far fewer dues paying members because the public schools wouldn't need as many teachers because they would opt for private schools. Nothing new here.

Twitter, in addition to being useless, is also insecure:

Twitter accounts of Obama, Britney Spears hacked

CNN) -- The Twitter accounts of President-elect Barack Obama, CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, Britney Spears, Fox News and 29 others were hacked Monday according to the microblog site, leading to false and inappropriate messages being posted on their accounts.

First Fox News Twitter followers read a false message about Bill O'Reilly's sexuality Monday morning after hackers launched several attacks.

Then came the attack on pop princess Britney Spears private parts.

CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, who uses Twitter on his TV show to interact with the audience, also fell victim to the scam, when a hacker posted about drugs on his account.

Twitter is a social-networking blog site that allows users to send status updates, or "tweets," from cell phones, instant messaging services and Facebook in less than 140 characters.

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wrote on the site's blog that the accounts were compromised after a hacker accessed tools the support team uses when a Twitter user can't remember or wants to reset their login info.

"We considered this a very serious breach of security and immediately took the support tools offline," Stone said in the blog post. "We'll put them back only when they're safe and secure."

Jennifer Dargan, Director of Public Relations for CNN confirmed Sanchez's account was compromised.

"As a result, some Twitter users may have received offensive messages attributed to Rick when the breach occurred," she said. "This is annoying, though such breaches are not uncommon when using social networking sites."

"Rick has notified Twitter of his account's breach and taken some basic steps to secure his account's access. Rick enjoys communicating with viewers via Twitter and he and many others at CNN find social networking a valuable tool in their shows. Rick will continue to use Twitter -- along with MySpace and Facebook -- to engage CNN's audience."

blue name

If your children needed constant protection because of your high profile position with possibility of threats on your life and that of your family, you'd choose differently. Clinton's daughter attended public schools while she lived in Little Rock. When their situation changed, they made a decision to send her to a private school that would offer her the best education with the most privacy. She'd already skipped a grade so was already younger than most of the children in her class.

My kids went to public schools too, but I'm not going to fault a parent for choosing differently. I taught in the public school system too and I know that it has its problems. I'm not sure vouchers are the way to fix the problems in public schools. Research shows that there are relatively small achievement gains for students offered education vouchers. The schools need to be fixed, but vouchers aren't the only cure.

It's Obama and Clinton ..........Strange I thought you were some sort of educator.

I taught in the LRSD several years ago. I am a businessman now.

Strange, I thought we let you take the rest of the year off from this blog.

What and miss all of this sparking wit and vivacious conversation with the elites of Little Rock and the far reaches of moonbat.

I thought you told us you were retired LRSD strange.

SL seems to have many lives, personas and identities.

Zelda --

I feel your pain.

I've been trying to keep up with this murderous Middle East suicidal religious shizz for at least 10 lifetimes and two-point-five Millennia of countless genital circumcisions (male and female, depending on incarnation), fugly burkas and towelhead wraps, fatwas, slaughtering innocent animals (bleat!), exploding mosques and temples and Tel Aviv discos, tribal wars and endless retributions extending back into the dank mists of Time.

All this is "God?"

Fine, God.

Get it over with. This shizz has gotten really boring and ugly to the rest of humanity, God.

We're done with trying to intellectualize it; analyze it; find a "solution"; show "compassion" when the bloodthirsty particpants don't.

Basically, God, we just want you to blow up the whole Middle East and start over, so Donald Trump and the Arab Emirates can turn the whole place in one gigantic Dubai resort of forward-thinking resort architecture.

Only, you know, where it's okay for couples to kiss on the beach without getting arrested, jailed and tortured.

As a suggested model, God, for such a desert community . . . take a look at Las Vegas.

Because, seriously Big Guy, the rest of humanity is pretty much fed up with the whiny, bloody, Middle East.

Disorder un-personality multiples.

Durango!! I was scanning what appeared to be a usless evening on the blog and decided to backtrack and check out your link. I'm so glad I did. Reminded me of one of the most interesting 'humans' in my memory - Hunter Thompson.

We start out human, but if we are not very, very careful and in control of our own opinions and decisions - we eventually become little more than dancers with all the prerequisite strings attached.......

Thanks for making my day..

Here are the facts on teachers & teacher unions in the USA. You be the judge.

Total # Elementary & Secondary teachers: 3.7 million (3.2 public, 0.5 private)
Total # Higher Education: 1.3 million (0.7 full-time, 0.6 part-time)

Most recent membership totals: NEA - 3.2 million, AFT - 1 million

In 2001, NEA had 2.6 million members in 13,000 communities. In 2008, 3.2 million, in 14,000 communities. Average yearly increase in membership over that period of time was roughly 86,000 members per year. From 2001 to 2008, NEA alone increased membership by 18.75%.

On a different tangent, click on name for article about research on need for more teaching of "imagination" in the classroom.

AND Strange apparently missed the foofaw over O'Bama's choice for Sec of Education. According to all reports I've seen "the reformers" won via this choice. Performance pay may be one thing, but vouchers are a pig in a poke - just another dishonest Repug talking point: form over substance, and when repeated often enough become "conventional wisdom." The voucher issue is simply a straw man, pulling in the uninformed/Morons...

In other words, bullshit!
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Yup, norma, I'm done with em...especially Israel. There is NO good reason to sacrifice our loved ones/treasure to try to stop religious nuts who've spent thousands of years fighting the same ole feud. But evidently our religious nuts have somehow irrevocably tied us to Israel...'cause we could rid ourselves of racism/sexism/this horrid economy and the Bush family before we'd be allowed to seriously discuss cutting aid to Israel and stopping our blind support for its every whim.

On another note...I got tears when I heard that Dubai's economy has tanked along with ours. Poor Cheney/Halliburton...where will they go...besides Hell.

Agreed, larry...vouchers are nothing more than a smokescreen for Republicans who want our tax money to pay for their private schools. Every dollar taken out of our public schools HURTS our neediest children.

Joke of the Day...public schools

Teacher: "Four crows are on the fence. The farmer shoots one. How many are left?"

Little Johnny: "None."

Teacher: "Listen carefully: Four crows are on the fence. The farmer shoots one. How many are left?"

Little Johnny: "None."

Teacher: "Can you explain that answer?"

Little Johnny: "One is shot, the others fly away. There are none left."

Teacher: "Well, that isn't the correct answer, but I like the way you think."

Little Johnny: "Teacher, can I ask a question?"

Teacher: "Sure."

Little Johnny: "There are three women in the ice cream parlor. One is licking, one is biting and one is sucking her ice cream cone. Which one is married?"

Teacher: "The one sucking the cone."

Little Johnny: "No. The one with the wedding ring on, but I like the way you think."