mt. Zion

Mt. Zion is incredibly awesome. I never knew how many people they help. Talk about community literacy ... Mt. Zion is a Magnolia extending limbs of service. Children are buds in bloom. Staff is the rain to grow from. Knowledge is sunshine.

Have you heard the news? Good things come in groups. The potential for Mt. Zion Human Services to transfigure human life is touching. A breeze is felt in positive interaction, and the day is stifling.

Mount Zion has given me the choir loft of their old church. Where creative expression through reading and writing will be fostered. I am so excited. These children are economically disadvantaged, below expected reading level, and uninterested in school. I tutor them and see the hope in their eyes. When creativity is involved, children become interested.

I close my eyes and imagine a room where innovative learning and interactive activity occur on a daily basis. Children pouring in and out, with colors and words sparking their imagination and interest.

Every art activity will relate to a term currently taught in school. Hands-on experience and creativity should teach kids the term, once they relate it to life.

Philosophy of education

Theoretically speaking, my philosophy of education can be summed up in one word: experience. How does one really learn until they try for themselves? I am not saying there is no value to studying a text or listening to a lecture, but it is in the practical application of what was studied or heard that the true learning takes place. Although it is thought to be a Chinese proverb, most of us are familiar with Ben Franklin’s wisdom: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Henry David Thoreau mocked the lecture-style method of learning favored in colleges: “To my astonishment I was informed on leaving college that I had studied navigation!--why, if I had taken one turn down the harbor I should have known more about it.” And the example I use for my students: “One cannot learn how to swim without getting wet!” Examples of this are everywhere. A student may be able to tell you how to write a five-paragraph essay, yet it is in the execution that will determine his/her grade. I taught English in Japan and Thailand. Even though my students had been studying English for over 10 years, they were unable to have even simple conversations. This is because there is too much emphasis on text book learning and not enough on the application of that learning.

-Rich Lauria

Learn by doing!

Humans have been on earth roughly 40,000 years, and writing dates back to 6,000 years ago when writing materials were clay, parchment (animal skin), and papyrus (bark of tree), pens (quills) were from wings of birds. Written word is now fact, regulates value, and is supported by oral language, in our culture. Writing trades sound for sight, an ear for an eye, alters our communication and ultimately changes community, especially if one can not read the written word. Writing turns spoken language into a thing, a word, and categorizes (newspaper sections, dictionary, encyclopedia). Before writing, we relied on dialogue for understanding; now humans have the ability to learn through listening, reading, and writing: the one mastering rules of the three is said to hold the power of language. Oral language teaches student to learn by doing and listening. Written language teaches student to learn by reading, studying, memorizing, and opens opportunity to go back to written language and put forth greater consideration. A majority of schooling for economically disadvantaged children is now done through written language, while schooling for economically advantaged children incorporates oral and written language; affluent children have greater opportunity for comprehension of class lessons because hands-on technique is applied to written conversation and reading. Incorporating oral and written language into school is beneficial for student because intelligent assessment is encouraged. This project aspires to improve communication between students and staff in public schools by making creative necessities available for incorporation of oral, the doing, with the written, reading and reciting.

It takes longer to say a word than it does to read a word. Imagine what the written word has done to our speed of life.

The challenge and collapse of creativity is only seen in economically disadvantaged schools; the downfall is schools do not have materials needed for expressive activity or the supplies needed to engage students in a lesson; children learn by doing.

Education in lyric

This paper investigates effective ways to learn, acquire knowledge, and teach. The goal is to reinforce critical thinking and discernment (problem solving).

Education

In a deep dark jungle, long time ago

Lived a lonesome caveman

He was a solitary soul

And he spent his playtime

Chewing meat from bones.

He did not know how to talk much

He only knew how to groan

Then he lifted up his hands and reached to the sky

Let out a yell and no one replied.

Frustration and torment tore him inside

Then he fell to the ground and he cried and he cried.

But then education saved the day.

He learned to speak and communicate

Education saved the day.

He thanked God for the friends he made.

Because everybody needs an education

Everybody needs an education.

Black skin, red skin, yellow or white,

Everybody needs to read and write

Everybody needs an education.

Thank the day when that primitive man

Learned to talk with his brothers

And live off the land.

He left his cave and he moved far away

And he lived with his friends in a house that they had made

He learned to think and to work with his brain

And he astounded his friends with all the knowledge he gained

He wrote it down on a rock that he found

And he showed all his friends and they passed it around

And then education came that day.

The day it came was a sacred day.

Education came that day

Well man built a boat and he learned how to sail

And he traveled far and wide

Then he looked up above saw the stars in the sky

So he learned how to fly.

Thanks to all the mathematicians

And the inventors with their high I.Q.s

And the professors in their colleges

Trying to feed me knowledge

That I know I'll never use.

Thank you for the millions of words

That I will never how to use

You can not tell me what I am living for

Because it is a mystery

Teacher, teach me about nuclear physics

And teach me about the structure of man,

But all your endless calculations

Can not tell me why I am.

Everybody needs education,

Open Universities, education.

Every race, and every creed,

Every nation, every breed.

Every nationality, education.

All the little people need education.

Eskimos and pygmies need

And even aborigines, education.

Well, physics and geography, education.

Philosophy and history, education.

Science and biology, education,

Geometry and poetry, education.

Well, education, education, education, education

Culture and Practices

Intricately woven practices are not innate, such as etiquette, how to hunt with rifle, mr. mrs. ms. and miss, language, hand shake, interview process and the correct color to wear, ladylike, masculine, leg crossing, folding hands in prayer, bowing head, floor kneeling, marriage and wedding habits: bachelor and ette parties, father giving away, father last dance, reception after in church, on beach, on cliff, in judge office. People are taught. Innevitably, we are the same. Can you imagine relaxing long enough to learn tons of methods of other people. (Majority of times, like their parents. How your father throws a curve ball or dance moves of your mother. Family recipes of cookies, ham, beans, corn, and turkey. Family tradition passed down. I sleep with the exact of pillows as my mother and hold my fishing pole like my father.) I learn from them, what they enjoy, what I am surrounded with, what I find satisfaction in.
So fine, I enjoy reading, writing, dancing. If an astronaut has the same blood type as me, I can save the astronauts life, with my blood.
Opinions were made to voice opposition to the practice of another.
I speak English. To communicate with others I must learn to speak Spanish. What is scary is how separate we believe we are from people miles away. *Refer to parts of every man. We are not.
I wish to change our current means. Something to bring PEOPLE together. (I think of a bookstore. One person began writing a book. Then many others followed.) Not to take away from accomplished goals, but to spread the possibility for others to achieve their goals too. Helping others brings me so much happiness.

Literacy in community

Keep literacy within community. Only thing mandatory is reporting your daily agenda, portal for member to relate, assess, commend, congratulate, suggest, honor. Write daily thoughts, where abouts, findings, striking facts, research, article read, aspirations, shift in avenues, recruits, change of opinion, changed another’s opinion, how one step closer to goal, pictures, personal testimonies, letters to congress, newspaper, community, text message, blog, email, celebrities interest, songs written, poems.
Established charities coming together. Awareness. Larger effort. No need to choose one. Every effort is step in positive direction. Disabilities. The only people with a real battle. Other struggles, we have created with words through speech and communication. Fantasies: class, wealth, skin color, popularity, beauty, athletic ability: just a competition, religion, name brands.
The separation of people, how are people categorized?
Sex, gender, class,


The parts of every man

By helping others, you are helping yourself.

One does not have to be better than the other. We can have both. Tons of energy, knowledge, health, effort, role models.

My presidential candidate selection. Two men striving to win. Fight. Competition. A winner and a looser. A separation of “parties.” Equality should never be about battle.

How was George Washington selected? What criteria? When did party separation establish and for what?
This is American foundation.
My mind thinks of when earth actually split into different countries, and when and how they were named and who selected person of power. Then there is the thought of religion and how we all grew from two people. And the distinctions in religions.
These are all thoughts of man. Human mind. Brains we all have.
We learn from parents, friends, families, television, computer, games, books, pictures, our environment.

Community is affected

Why we, college students, should care. Community is affected. More money would not make us work harder in school, unless we were paid for A+ papers. Then we would perfectionists on every assignment. So throwing more money at lazy teachers will not improve our education crisis. Awards must be given when goal is reached. Set goal for students the first day of class.
Better to thoroughly teach one subject than breeze over fifty. Quality, not quantity. Students will be experts at key topics of subjects. Allowing more time to grasp a theory is excellent. Let students test the waters of a subject, experiment, hypothesis, create, question, seek an answer, communicate findings and strategies with classmates. I would rather see a preposition master than a jumbled English student. What’s the rush to learn every aspect of a topic? Students need time to understand and interpret, stop and think, apply, research, relate. They’ll get to the next section in the book.
I have first hand experience of this practice. My professor
What’s it all for? Do be thrown into a company working for someone else. I would like to create something where people are working as their own boss, but in a joint effort to reach a goal we have set together. One goal, multiple roads leading to it. People will do their job. #1 they are interested in the topic at hand. #2 they must work for money, but I don’t have to be dictating their format or setting their daily schedule #3 get out of rush hour traffic! #4 do something worthwhile for humanity #5 find your passion and strive to make a difference #5 wow this feels amazing

Communication, Animal, Human

In television I saw the comparison of animal communication to human communication. I thought of how easy it is for a mother duck to teach her duckling everything she knows about life. Simple. Animals are simple. Animals are highly related to humans and communication. I quacked at a duck and it quacked back, if I would have yelled or spoken like I speak to my doctor, the duck would have ran away, instead of waddling closer. I see this with dogs. Bark at a dog and it will bark back, or at least flinch its ears to attempt understanding. The point is that we are trying to understand each other’s language.
I went to France and they were rude to me. I tried this with the same people. I stayed for one month. I played three different parts, just to see a reaction. On Monday, I entered a Patiserrie, bread shop, as an American. Speaking English. The owner, female, would not serve me. The next Monday I returned, speaking Spanish. The owner gleefully helped me select a loaf. The final Monday I returned, speaking French. The owner helped me and told me to check out that silly American in the window.
Being American, I laughed. She was confused. The point is that communication is key. If we attempt to understand another culture, they will be more willing to understand us, as a person. Since America is a melting pot, this needs to be done almost everywhere we go.
Animals have distinct personalities. So do humans. Usually an animal, mocks its human companion. This is to say, look at the animal to learn about the person. Animals are representations of ourselves. A family pet is as versatile as the family. Active dog, sleeping cat, what words birds say.

Creative Education

If cultural safety is lodged in the power of will, then to protect ideas and intellectual achievements, one must do what appears best and is almost bound to do so. Voltaire describes will as wish and to be free as to be able: liberty is the power--based on constitution and health of organs--to do what one will: wishes to do, one's dominant thought; people can not resist dominant idea, by your will you obey the idea that dominates you more, but will is not free and willing without a cause is unworthy of creativity. There is a reason for everything; liberty is the power--based on constitution and health of organs--to do what one will. If one never has the opportunity to learn of alternatives, will is restricted; one can only have the will to act in what one knows exists. Cultural safety is thus reduced to the confines of an interacting community and other cultures are perceived through distinct mediums. Artistic interpretation is either a personal reality or the perception of a another's reality.

One has the ability to produce a painting of Milan while living in New York City; the painting is not an eye-witness account and behavior is examined through internet photographs of the city center. On the other hand, a painter produces a painting of Milan and has lived in Milan since birth, the painting is also of the city center. The general public now has the ability to perceive both paintings, but which artist presents reality and displays a greater extent of will to protect culture? Cultural safety also rests highly upon the source of will.

The internet presents society with the ability to discover beyond one's immediate environment, but personal involvement is capable of altering one's will and perception; involvement brings forth emotional connection (relationship), and emotions, derived from connections, affect one's will (purposefulness).

Education Statistics

On the other side of town, the graduation rate is arrestingly low. There's not much enthusiasm to bake cookies for the PTA. The crime rate is staggeringly high. Businesses are moving out of that part of town. The property values are the lowest in the city. There are many other issues here: alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitution, teen pregnancy, unemployment. I'm not minimizing these problems or trying to castigate these communities, I'm simply connecting the issues. These problems are cyclical and intergenerational. Lower property values results in less money for the schools. This results in a discrepancy between how much gets spent per child in the affluent versus the not affluent parts of town.

• "School budgets are tied to property taxes. This is why schools in poor neighborhoods get about half as much money per student than schools in affluent neighborhoods" (dosomething.org).

• "Dissatisfaction with the size of the spending gap between rich and poor runs high. At New Trier High School's Northfield campus, where per-pupil spending tops $17,000 compared with $10,400 in Chicago" (Paulson).

This is a terrible analogy, but it's one that has been applied to similar situations. In the 80s, as long as AIDS was a gay disease, most people didn't know or want to know about it. It wasn't until it "moved to the suburbs" when heterosexual people contracted the disease did it gain attention. If I remember correctly, it took a 10 year old girl who contracted the disease from a blood transfusion and become a spokesperson for the disease did it start receiving funding for research and testing. So the analogy and the prediction: until these atrocious drop out rates move into the suburbs, this issue will be buried along socio-economic lines.

14 Nov 2008 .

Mr. Obama Email

http://www.eyeblast.tv/Public/Video.aspx?rsrcID=2036

I received this link in a chain email. This is attached message:
"This is an anti-democratic video targeted against Obama....originally so people would not elect him. You will see some obvious parts in the video that you can tell its Republican made. But my concern is there are undeniable facts that even though Obama is president now he will have to face these in his coming term. please watch the video and tell me what you think...."

Here's an example of a false fact.

The video states that Mr. Obama will not wear a jacket pin. He is wearing a pin in this picture.
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/18684/thumbs/s-OBAMA-PIN-large.jpg

The video states that Mr. Obama will not place his hand over his heart during the Anthem. Here are examples of both. You decide.
Hand on heart: http://www.thepresidentialcandidates.us/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/barackpledgeofallegiance.jpg
Waist crossed hands: http://albanysinsanity.wnymedia.net/blogs/files/2007/10/obama-no-patriot.thumbnail.jpg

Jeremiah Wright's section frightens to the core. Yikes, Jimminy Christmas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Wright

This man spreads personal thoughts to Americans.

People listen to their reverends and preachers.
"Do you know Black Liberation Theology? No, I do not. Liberation theology starting with Dr. James Cone PHD in 1960. Black value system.

Refuses to accept God's that are not identified totally with Black community. That is one-sided, America is a melting pot, with numerous religions and God's. (Catholicism, Islamic, Black)

Power of Black people to destroy white enemy, destroy oppressors now.

Repudiate: refuse to accept or associate with. "I have know him for 17 years, I will repudiate the man," Mr. Obama stated.

What are you thinking?

"Final Debate Captures Attention." The Crow's Nest

By: Kaeli Conforti

Debate Watch Party

Preliminary poll: 11 students for Obama, 2 for McCain.
Sheets of paper handed to students with arguments and candidate phrases. Students listened attentively during education, abortion, and health care issues.
Students favor round-table style of debating over forum style. Students complain when candidates sidestep issues, just stick to the issue at hand. Some felt Obama was on defensive because did not always respond to McCain. "Obama needs to smile."

Let's see how much this debate effects election outcome. Have students changed opinions?

New York Review

"A Fateful Election" by Russell Baker

The bush years: Nation deceived by official lies into endless Middle Eastern Warfare.
Loss of America's good reputation around the world.
Erosion of the middle class.
Astounding budget deficits.
Growing financial dependance on China.
Collapse of Wall Street. Famous masters of the universe forced to endure humiliation of asking government for handouts.
"Worst calamity since Great Depression."
Calamity: an event causing sudden change, distress, disaster.

Two men competing to reverse decline.
Obama: 47
McCain: 72

Young people don't vote in impressive numbers. Assumed that youth is on Obama's side.

McCain has young chess player's weakness of making an impulsive move just to see what will happen.

Obama is young candidate speaking for new generation, like Jack Kennedy in 1960, pressing the old out of the way and saying it's time to let the earth turn. He speaks, "Four more years of Bush." Obama appears to be running Hillary Clinton's primary campaign in the general election. Hillary messed up by pushing her situation to the center and running a general election campaign in the primaries.

Obama: "The US must begin to withdraw responsibility from Iraq. The War on Terror: The larger war we are in.

Uh Oh, Oh.

I saw a commercial that shocked me silly.

Joe Biden Predicts World Will Test Barack Obama With Hostile International Crisis

Ahh!

Prime Time Mr. Obama

What doesn’t make sense to me: Cut taxes for working families that make below $200,000...fine, that’s helping low-income families. People put money away for retirement, their hard worked money, and then only get half or a portion upon retirement. People who make more than $200,000 will be taxed. Is Obama’s plan then to take hard earned money from people classified as high-income? People that invest the same effort into their jobs. Earning their wages and pensions. I know I want to keep what I make. Whatever that may be. I want my family to keep what they have already genuinely made.
This entire speech Mr. Obama talks about money. Apparently Mr. Obama can raise funds, as seen in his campaign, but where will he find the money to help America’s poor? The same place he receives funds now, from people with money, from America’s rich.
He wants to follow a company called McKinstry’s business plan, “Founded in 1960, McKinstry's industry experience, outstanding reputation and consistently strong backlog continue to provide stability for our employees. McKinstry is on the leading edge of the industry maintaining our reputation of being a single-source solution provider "For the Life of Your Building."
What will early education do if children are suffering mid education now?
He is great at addressing his audience. I wonder what speech he pitches to the rich people who fund his campaign. $1 million for each news network, money that should be given to all the people Mr. Obama wishes to help. I wonder where extra money goes, money left over after campaigns are complete? What makes Americans so against donating money to our poor. People fund Obama because it is a cause they believe in, in a figure--person--they believe can do something worthwhile with their money. What if people gave their money to poor without promise in the middle man?
If these people support a man with claims to change so much, financially, do they ever stop to think that a direct contribution would benefit their concerns more. Instead of giving money to the man with the promise, give the money to the institution in need of improvement. Is it people we trust to handle our money properly?

Barack Obama Vouchers

"Sen. Barack Obama does not mention the word “vouchers” in his educational plan. In the 15 pages he devotes to his “pre-K to grade 12” education plan, he mentions the word “school choice” only once -- in a subhead called “School-family contracts.” (Jones)

I watched the final debate. Obama states, "Where we disagree is on the idea that we can somehow give out vouchers -- give vouchers as a way of securing the problems in our education system. Vouchers do not solve the problem." (LA Times)

My understanding is that he does not approve or support the voucher system. I am taken aback because an overwhelmingly positive, productive and supportive school operates entirely on vouchers. The school is in Tampa, Florida, my city. The school is Academy Prep.
These students want to be there. Academy Prep is the most wonderful school I have ever visited. To say he does not support vouchers means that he does not support this school, ultimately taking it away. I would be devastated.
My entire semester project portrays advantageous aspects of vouchers. When I see light in a child’s eyes, the last thing I want is to take that away. I examined the school from a neutral standpoint and found myself in approval. I wish he would reevaluate his position on vouchers, or enlighten me on his negative views related.
I see the effort people put in to maintain the progressive spirit. Academy Prep students and staff are striving to make a positive difference, to the best of their abilities, every day.

Mr. Obama supports charter schools. I want to research charter schools in my area. I spoke with a girl that attends a Tampa charter school and she said she enjoys her classes, but the drive is too far. She attends because an art program is offered, her specialty.

I do not see the problem in having combination: public, private, charter, voucher, home. If the children are benefitting, no need to yank the school. The focus is needed on unsuccessful schools, not schools already striving. Let them strive. Help others strive too.

Sources:
Jones, Susan. "Palin: I Do Not Support the Voucher System." 1 Sept 2008. http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=34928

Los Angeles Times. "Top of the Ticket." 22 Oct 2008. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/10/debate-transcri.html

Hillary Clinton Vouchers

"Hillary Clinton believes that private school vouchers only add to the problem with today's public school system. Providing children with private school vouchers simply "sweeps the problem under the rug," so to speak. Hillary Clinton has maintained that we need to reform our current schools, rather than using vital resources for private school vouchers. If the public schools are improved, parents wouldn't feel that private schools are as necessary for their children."

I DO NOT AGREE BECAUSE CHILDREN AT VOUCHER SCHOOLS WANT TO BE THERE AND EXCEL, IT IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME OR SWEEP UNDER A RUG. A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT IS SUSTAINED AT VOUCHER RUN SCHOOLS. BAD APPLES DO NOT EXIST TO POISON A THRIVING EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT. FOR THAT, VOUCHERS ARE WONDERFUL. HELP CHILDREN THAT WANT TO BE HELPED AND SUCCEED. VOUCHERS SHOULD NOT BE PROVIDED TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS RECEIVING TUITION. SCHOOLS LIKE ACADEMY PREP EPITOMIZE PUBLIC SCHOOLING SYSTEMS, SORT OF LIKE, WITH THE PROPER FUNDING, THIS IS WHAT YOU COULD BE. VOUCHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE FILLED TO CAPACITY WITH PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN, THEY ARE GETTING A CHANCE TO LEARN MORE, PARTICIPATE, CREATE, AND EXCEL. THEY ARE GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE NOT OFFERED AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THEIR FAMILIES ARE POOR, BUT THE COMMUNITY SUPPORTS THE BETTERMENT OF THESE INDIVIDUALS. THE BETTERMENT OF CHILDREN, OUR FUTURE.

THERE IS NO RICH KID POOR KID STEREOTYPE AT THIS SCHOOL. NO SEPARATION LIKE I HAVE EXPERIENCED DURING MY SCHOOLING. CHILDREN ARE NOT CATEGORIZED INTO CLIQUES BASED ON INCOME BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE SAME BOAT. THEY ARE ALL WISHING TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL, GAIN ULTIMATE EDUCATIONS AND EXCEL IN LIFE. THEY WANT TO CONTRIBUTE POSITIVELY TO SCHOOL. GRADUATES COME BACK TO SUPPORT ACADEMY PREP, LIKE A CIRCLE OF PERFORMANCE.

WHO SAID WE HAVE TO PICK ONE OR THE OTHER? WE CAN HAVE BOTH. PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT INTERESTS. ONE MAY ENJOY SUPPORTING A VOUCHER SCHOOL LIKE ACADEMY PREP AND ANOTHER MAY ENJOY SUPPORTING PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

IF THE OPTIONS ARE PRESENT, WE HAVE A GREATER GIFT.

CHILDREN ARE LEARNING, I AM HAPPY.

Source:
Senghas, Sarah. "Hillary Clinton on Education." 5 June, 2008. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/265088/hillary_clinton_on_education.html?cat=4

United States, Disability

Inequality usually based on gender, race and ethnicity. Disability justifies inequality for disabled people, women and minority groups included.
Normality: measuring, categorizing and managing populations.
Diseases of blacks commonly contributed to inferior organisms and constitutional weakness. The most pronounced race characteristic of American negro.
Higher intelligence of mullatos compared to pure blacks is evidence for superiority of whites.
Drapetomania, caused slaves to run away, disease of the mind.
Only disability might lower white person to a person marked a race.
Rhetorical tactics of suffrage opponents was to point to physical, intellectual and psychological flaws of women.
Women’s social problem was treated as a medical problem in need of special care.
Ethnicity has been defined as a disability.
Constitutional psychopathic inferiority. p.98 Idiots, feeble minded...
Once laws limiting entry of disabled people were in place, started limiting entry to undesirable ethnic groups.
Women work to remove themselves from negatively marked categories. To disassociate themselves from people who are really disabled.
In history writing, disability was ignored.
It is time to bring disability out of the margins and into the center of historical inquiry.

Rothenberg, Paula S., Race, Class, and Gender In The United States. New York: Worth, 2007

You Can't Boil an Egg and Uncook It

There are not equal outcomes in this country.

It's equal opportunity.

You take opportunity and make it work for you. Strive every day. Be rewarded according to merit, not need.

Latch-key kids are getting into trouble after school. School ends at 3:00 and parents don't get home until 6 or 7:00 p.m. Children need somewhere constructive to go; they need something positive to do.

Barack Obama's plan will shut down school's like Academy Prep because he plans to take away vouchers from Alternative Schools. Schools doing more positive thing than I could ever do by myself.

Public schools need heat under the seat to improve. Competition straight down the line. If you succeed, we feed. If you fail, we shut you down. "Prepare like the Normandy Invasion. Public Schools worship at the altar of the FCAT." This may seem exagerrated, but after hearing many personal testimonies, it stands true. My high school taught material on the FCAT, and I passed with flying colors.

This leads mt thinking to, "take from the rich and give to the poor" in an attempt to evenly distribute cash, to achieve a fairer, more egalitarian society.

In Marxist theory, socialism is a transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of communism....yikes.

America is the land of the free, and here, in my country, we work for what we want...never one in which money earned, is then taken away, and dealt out...not in my country.

At Academy Prep, volunteer service is exchanged for tuition.

(Tamayo, Lincoln J. Personal Interview. 7 Oct. 2008)

Obamination

February 21, 2007

Obamination

By Erik Rush

How many Americans would vote for a presidential candidate who was the member of a church that professed the following credo?

1. Commitment to God
   
   
2. Commitment to the White Community
   
   
3. Commitment to the White Family
   
   
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
   
   
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
   
   
6. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
   
   
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
   
   
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"
   
   
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community
   
   
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
    
    
11. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
    
    
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.
    
    

The question is rhetorical, of course. The answer is that such a candidate wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected dog catcher (apologies to America's animal rescue and public safety personnel) let alone President, because that candidate would be instantly branded a racist, among the most vile and frightening of white supremacists.

And those holding the branding irons would be 100% right.

Yet, in the "About" section of the U.S. Senate website for Barack Obama, Democratic senator from Illinois and contender for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, it states that Obama and his family "live on Chicago's South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ."

So...?

Well, to say that the Trinity United Church of Christ (http://www.tucc.org) is afrocentric in the extreme would be a gross understatement. It's not simply afrocentric, it's African-centric. In fact, one could argue that this organization worships things African to a far greater degree than they do Christ, and gives the impression of being a separatist "church" in the same vein as do certain supremacist "white brethren" churches — or even Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam.

Shocking? An overstatement? An overreaction?

One can see for oneself on the Trinity United Church website, which is replete with confirmation of what I present here. What follows is an excerpt from their Mission Statement:

"We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

"Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee chaired by Vallmer Jordan in 1981. We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:

1. Commitment to God
   
   
2. Commitment to the Black Community
   
   
3. Commitment to the Black Family
   
   
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
   
   
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
   
   
6. Adherence to the Black Work Ethic
   
   
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
   
   
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"
   
   
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community
   
   
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions
    
    
11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System
    
    
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System."
    
    

Sound familiar? Of course it is, since it's identical to the 12-point list at the beginning of this column — the one from the theoretical white supremacist candidate's church; the only difference is the substitution of the word "Black" for "White."

Trinity United Church of Christ's congregation also claims to hold to a "10-point Vision" which is similarly afrocentric, or if you will, separatist. Again, like the Nation of Islam, a white separatist church or the Branch Davidians, Trinity United more resembles a cult than a church. Only this one has as one of its most prominent members a serious contender for the White House.

And George W. Bush's born-again Christian status scares people?

These revelations, of course shed all the light we need on Obama's inscrutability; since before he announced his candidacy, both the Right and Left have commented on the lack of information vis-à-vis just who Barack Obama is and what he's about.

From The Chicago Tribune, February 06, 2007, Column: Against Middleclassness? by Rich Lowry. "Vallmer Jordan, a church member who helped draft the precepts, said they were designed to empower the black community and counter a value system imposed by whites. 'The big question mark was racism,' he said. 'Black disempowerment was an integral part of that historical value system. It became increasingly apparent to me that we black people had not developed our own value system . . . to help us overcome all we knew we had to battle.'"

"A value system imposed by whites..." Is Jordan speaking of the value system that kept families together and promoted morality, industry and integrity, or the one imposed by liberal dependency pimps since the Civil Rights Movement?

True enough that many blacks did abandon values; again, this was due to the corruption of the black clergy by white socialists and their black foremen. Trinity United seems to have thrown out the baby with the bathwater. Gravitation toward an Africanized "year-round Kwanzaa"-based pseudo-Christianity seems less of a solution than returning to the moral and social conservatism Blacks held prior to the aforementioned socialists gaining their stranglehold in the black community.

So is Obama seeking to be our first black president, or our first stealth black nationalist president? You see, were he a run-of-the-mill insincere Christian of convenience like Bill Clinton, Obama might belong to a run-of-the-mill, lukewarm, large nondescript church. But he doesn't. He belongs to a church which is (as I indicated before) blatantly afrocentric and even suggests the supremacy of Africa's descendants in America.

Granted that the Left will have no qualms about this highly questionable affiliation, but what about all of the American swing voters to whom Obama has built broad appeal by presenting himself as sort of a generic, open-minded moderate Democrat (as Bill Clinton also did, by the way)? Are they going to go for a candidate whose heart is actually closer to that of a refined Black Panther?

Trinity United clearly embraces things African above things American. The content of their website makes this undeniably clear. Aside from this tack being divisive, separatist and calls into question its adherents' identification as Americans, if they're looking for values, they — and Obama — would be better served by looking to modern political conservatives and traditional Christianity than retrograde African precepts and the Democrat Party.

Obama's affiliation with this church, if I must call it that, should be as alarming to the American voter as a Republican candidate for president belonging to the Aryan Brethren Church of Christ. Any argument against this assertion is politically-correct delusion, reverse discrimination and a hypocrisy — a very dangerous one.

© Erik Rush
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/rush/070221

So What If Obama Was Muslim? -Newsweek

Between March and July, the percentage of people who believed Barack Obama is Muslim increased 10 to 12 percent. We live in a country that separates church and state, I'm just not sure how deviated I would like the oval office to be, from my Roman Catholic denomination.

Ellis Cose wrote the article and speaks highly of Obama...does not believe the "race card" should be pulled relating religion to the September 11th attacks; they are so close in appearance, Cose could be his brother.

Wikipedia.org states:
Several of the original Thirteen Colonies were established by English settlers who wished to practice their own religion without discrimination: Pennsylvania was established by Quakers, Maryland by Roman Catholics and the Massachusetts Bay Colony by Puritans. Nine of the thirteen colonies had official public religions. Yet by the time of the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, the United States became one of the first countries in the world to enact freedom of religion by way of a separation of church and state.

Adherents.com outline:

Religious Affiliation of U.S. Founding Fathers	# of Founding Fathers	% of Founding Fathers
Episcopalian/Anglican	88	54.7%
Presbyterian	30	18.6%
Congregationalist	27	16.8%
Quaker	7	4.3%
Dutch Reformed/German Reformed	6	3.7%
Lutheran	5	3.1%
Catholic	3	1.9%
Huguenot	3	1.9%
Unitarian	3	1.9%
Methodist	2	1.2%
Calvinist	1	0.6%
TOTAL	204

2008, Pew Research Council, Top 3 Religious Affiliations, United States :
Christian
Jewish
Muslim
(Adherent)

Currently, there are 4.1 million Muslims in the U.s.

Barack Obama wants to be, "The change we need."

Muslim was not a religion this country was founded on. I am not prepared to change our principles, if, in fact...Mr. Obama practices Muslim.

I believe in the fundamentals of this great American society: prayer in school, pledge of allegiance, reciting the Preamble in history class.

What is the need to change something that our country has existed on for so many years?

I understand that we're a melting pot, but that does not mean that we have to deviate from our cherished founding fathers. America is a place where people from all over the world can come together and practice their own beliefs. Melt and glue together in a common peace, without imposing their beliefs on others.

(Adherents.com 7 Dec. 2005 http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html#Pew_branches)













Wikipedia.org. "Religion in the United States." 10 Oct. 2008

McCain's Mrs. Right

For events, thousands wait as long as 90 minutes to get a glimpse of her. “She has lifted McCain in the polls, has put Obama into confusion and is living out a Cinderella story unlike any other in political history, though the ending is still a slipper of uncertainty.” White women have swung away from Obama by as much as 20 points. She has a grip on most white women. A young woman held up a sign at a rally that read Sarah Palin UR my role model. Charlotte Schworer says she felt truly energized for the first time in regards to Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention. Palin never banned library books, though she did raise the idea with a librarian. She did not sell her jet on Ebay, though she sold the jet to Brett Favre. Democrats have not been able to curve the Republican forward motion. Sarah Palin is Northern Exposure meets the Wizard of Oz. The “yes we can” excitement of Democrats is getting a run for its money. Palin’s acceptance of VP raised Republican donations by $4.4 million and Democrats by $10 million. Currently, Obama leads in two swing states, Michigan & New Hampshire, while McCain leads in the other two, Missouri & Virginia. Obama has been established in the narratives as the media’s darling. Sarah Palin majored in Journalism & she has stated that she does not seek the media’s approval; she will not do an interview unless they treat her with some level of respect. I must fall into the category of white woman supporting Sarah Palin because I support Sarah Palin. I like what she says and what she plans to do for our country. I like that she sold her jet to a football player. I like that she says, “Wow,” in response to yelling fans; she is humble through the adversities of the campaign. I like that she is married with five children and I like the excitement she brings to the election. Either way, this election will be marked in history & I am happy to follow it and remember it for years to come.

Thomas, Evan and Karen Breslau. "McCain's Mrs. Right." Newsweek 8 Sept. 2008 29-34

John McCain Coins

Education, John McCain coins three words: excellence, choice, competition. He wants involved and empowered parents combined with excellent teachers. American education must be worthy of promise we make to our children and ourselves. He is committed to equal opportunity and believes there is no equal opportunity without equal access to excellent education. He believes in the ability of all students to access schools of demonstrated excellence, including home. We cannot eliminate options if we wish to keep up with the industrialized world. If school is not changing, students change schools: parents choice. (McCain)

I like McCain’s choice of words. Excellence is the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. Choice the ability to make a selection or decision. Competition is the action of competing, opposing. I like his choice of competition because I believe that is what giving parent’s a choice will do between schools. The choice that creates competition will lead to school excellence. Empowering parents is to give them authority, there’s a role changer. Teachers, principals and the government usually hold the power. Involved parents wish to select a proper school for their children. Uninvolved parents take no interest. Involved parents certainly need to hold the power. Excellent teachers will flock to excellent schools. Excellent schools will provide resources. Excellent teachers will use beneficial resources in the classroom. All the excellence put forth in the school will account for its excellent students. McCain’s equal opportunity creed is seen in his equal access belief and in the fact of him choosing a female vice president nominee. I am a female. I like the empowerment. I believe in effective, constructive, and encouraging home schooling. I like that McCain recognizes home schooling by saying home schooling has the ability of establishing excellence. I agree that America must leave schooling options open for all children. A child must feel comfortable at school. Families should never have to relocate their homes based on school districts and zoning. Parents will determine educational road to drive on, to and from school. McCain and I believe parents have the right to choose. Failing schools will be forced to improve. Polish or funds cut. Better or fire teacher. Update or report to parents. A reign of education excellence. Schools are encouraged to alter.


John McCain Campain Website. Education. 3 Oct. 2008

Obama Full Education2

“Older generations always had a music and art teacher. Not that music is always exciting. I was born into Stevie Wonder. We have done scientific research to show that children who learn music do better in math. Kids whose imaginations are sparked by the arts are more engaged in school. Kids who have physical education are more able to pay attention in the classroom. These things aren’t just extras, they are part of a well rounded education.” (Obama)

I love that Obama recognizes my great concern: the importance of electives in school. A well-rounded, balanced, advantageous, beneficial, finest, crucial, and stable education involves mathematics, science, English, geography, social studies, art, physical education, technology, music, language arts, and history. Children must express their core selves and not strictly memorize material and throw it up on a test. National standards for equal curricula are set. How about basing these standards on more demonstrative terms. Give children a chance to excel in more than math, science and reading comprehension. Creme de la creme must mean more than a perfect standardized test score. We cannot forget about the sculptor, painter, athlete, musician, actor, singer, drawer, or artist. Children will vary in likable school subjects and interests; they need vast options in school to divert resentment. If a child is presented with material he or she enjoys, he or she can run with each new found passion. Children’s desires must be tapped and enhanced for our world to see brighter tomorrow’s. Obama is accurate in stating that art, music and physical education are not just extras. Art is emotionally revealing. Music is satisfyingly harmonious. Physical education is healthy involvement. Incorporation is key; key to children, American students, creme de la creme.

“Obama is campaigning for our kids, our future.”

Obama Campaign Website. Education. 3 Oct. 2008

Obama Full Education

“Art education teaches people to see each other through each other’s eyes. It teaches us to respect and understand people who are not like us. That makes us better citizens and makes our democracy stronger.” (Obama)

Art may instill a path to greater understanding between people. Art may never reach full understanding. Everyone reflects opposing experiences. A work of art may resemble significance to few and disarray to many. On the other hand, a work of art may draw ideas into perspective. Art will not be interpreted equally, ever. There are times even the artist cannot explain his or her or work. People have difficulty altering states of mind to view something in a fresh array. Some people never stop searching for meaning; some people do not care to start. I fancy Obama’s belief in respect, but art has the tendency to create respect or deliver no respect at all. Art is capable of spreading understanding if the work is an utter representation of a solid and prevailing fact. If art captures opinion, the singular view of the artist, understanding is stunted. We need ways of mass displaying art and artist focus. A community to capture the necessity of art. A place to write about art’s meanings and motivations. If one picture holds one thousand words, imagine how many pictures stir within the mind. Fostering each picture leads to the higher understanding level. Democracy equals unlocked expression, self-governance. Art in itself--time, effort, materials, voice--deserves respect. Art is judged. Art is reviewed. Art is liked or disliked. Art is never fully understood and only makes us better citizens because art makes us better, as individuals. The attempt to create or interpret art generates community. Exercising the first amendment definitely enhances citizenship. The Freedom on Expression, not in the U.S. Constitution,

“It is often said that one of the rights protected by the 1st Amendment is the freedom of expression. This site, in fact, uses that term in its quick description of the amendment: "Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression." But "expression" is not used in the amendment at all. This term has come to be used as a shorthand, a term of art, for three of the freedoms that are explicitly protected: speech, petition, and assembly. While the use of "freedom of expression" is ubiquitous in this area of 1st Amendment study, it is important to note exactly what "freedom of expression" refers to - let this be such a note." (Constitution.net)

Obama Campaign Website. Education. 3 Oct. 2008

U.S. Constitution Online. Things That Are Not In The U.S. Constitution. 3 Oct. 2008

Presidential Debate. 26 Sept. 2008

I watched this at home.

The issues: Afganistan, energy, taxes, health care, Iraq, Iran, Immigration

My issue of education was briefly mentioned by Obama when he stated that he plans to enforce the No Child Left Behind Act, focusing on early childhood education. Obama can definitely help our children like he helped Chicago residents. I can even help Obama work toward better education and schooling for children of America.

John McCain appears more intelligent. He speaks to the middle man and Obama looks at the camera, like an actor playing a part. McCain is experienced and proves this through and through, leaving Obama scrounging for News facts and recent headlines is his dust. Obama can't seem to get over mentioning "The Bush Administration" regarding John McCain. Has Obama run out of puns to throw at McCain? McCain stands with dignity and enormously smiles at Obama's attempts, like listen young-ins, I learned how to handle bullies on the playground when I was beat up and tortured in Vietnam. Veterans were brought to light in this debate and John McCain is the man to ensure Veteran well-being, he is one, Obama can't touch facts. Obama talks only about "the middle class" and rising up and curing poverty. Obama, good luck. McCain focuses on wealth as a whole country, not categorizing people into classes, and how we can all repair and strive together. McCain uses his marker, probably Sharpie, to jot notes that he openly flips for America to see, like he has nothing to hide. He is not worried so much about placement and hitting his mark as he is about positively influencing America. What I see on stage is the common American battle between adolescence and older people. McCain is more experienced. McCain should get the job. McCain is more wise. McCain has seen more, met more people, traveled more, made his mark in history. I don't care if he's old, old is intelligent. McCain's intelligence is in America. I do like Obama and commend him for his great accomplishments and note worthy endeavors, but in this running I support history and involvement. I am too young to know a fraction of what McCain knows. In itself that is commendable. Obama learns through studying what McCain has experienced.

CNN Situation Room

The CNN Situation reports that Joe Biden plagarized a speech from Great Brittain in the 1989 elections, resulting in forced withdrawl. In addition, he admits to the camera--American public--that Hillary Clinton would have been a better pick for Obama. Uh Oh. Joe Biden has stated that he does not feel Obama is ready to be the president. I found this to be quite interesting, considering he is Obama's running mate. I wonder what changed his mind? I wonder when he changed his mind? Hmm...

Education: John McCain

A lady wearing a khaki jackets stands in a seated crowd and holds a microphone to her mouth. "What are your thoughts on the government's role in special education for people with disabilities both as children and as adults especially with regard to autism? I have two of my own so I just wondered what you thought was the government's role, you know, how do you think the government is dealing with it now and what you think the government should do to help in the future?"

John McCain is wearing a blazer and responds, "In interest of full disclosure, my wife Cindy was a teacher of special education before I took her away from an honest line of work." The crowd laughs. He continues, "The fact that we don't fully fund special education in America is a disgrace because it is a federal responsibility."

It could be the food we eat and the environment we live in that is causing the rise of autism in America. John McCain says he doesn't know the answers, but he would glad to provide he can for research & for assistance to parents who bear a burden that is hard for us to comprehend. He tells the lady she is wonderful and thanks God for people like her and wishes to help people that carry a burden like her.  

I am adament about conventionally grown foods and pesticides being used to farm in America. McCain grows emotional while responding to the lady and this shows a side that I usually don't see in presidents. I believe he truly wants to help. Moreover, I believe Cindy, as the first lady, will take a special interest in education and this topic of autism. 

New Hampshire town hall Q & A. On special education & autism. 

Education: John McCain

The question: What would you do to help prepare students in Iowa and around the country compete in the global economy? 

The answer: I think I would implement the No Child Left Behind Act more effectively so that we can have better performance out of K-12. I think it was a good beginning. Many people say they just wanna scrap it. Well those that want to do that I say, well do you want us back to where we were before we passed that law? But it needs to fixed and I think we can fix it. I think we need more student loan programs. We need to reduce the interest rate as we recently did. I think also we have to think about incentivising math, science and engineering students because that is the need for the future economy of our country and we have a real shortage of them. 

John McCain would like to make education affordable and available to every single American. He's not saying that people have to receive that education, but at least it would be available and affordable & we are a ways from that. He would start with telling math, science and engineering students that he is going to do everything he can to make sure they receive an education in those specialties and then broaden it out into every other. 

I like that John McCain wants to fix the No Child Left Behind Act because I agree with the notion of educating children before it is too late for them to advance in school grades. I do not like that he pinpoints math, science and engineering because those students already need a huge incentive to learn the complicated formulas and equations involved. First, Bush already cut funding from education and that kicked art & physical education right out the door. Second, I am not intersted in math or science or engineering. Third, where will children have their outlet? I will never be convinced that a sequence of numbers is a creative outlet. Lastly, I am sad that John McCain did not mention the arts or any other form of creativity (dance, music, film, pottery, sculpting, theatre, silk dying, painting, sketching, band, orchestra, athletics) in his top priorities pertaining to education in America. 

www.bigthink.com The Des Moines Register 1:30

Education: John McCain

McCain states, "And find bad teachers another line of work." The crowd smiles, claps and applauses. He says he wants choice and competition, furthermore, homeschooling, charter schools, vouchures, all the choice in competition. He wants every American family to have the same choice that he and his wife, Cindy, made and Senator Obama and Mrs. Obama made as well, and that was, "We wanted to send our children to the school of our choice." He continues, "Charter schools work my friends. Homeschooling works. Vouchures in our nation's capital work." Thousands of people in Washington, D.C. are applying for a vouchure system. New York City is reforming. As we know, the hurricane devastated the city of New Orleans, & they now have over 30 charter schools in the city. He believes it is all coming up, but is going to take dedicated men and women, paricularly in the teaching profession to make it happen. He closes with, "It is being proven that choice and competition for every American family is the civil rights issue of the 21st century because every citizens child now has an opportunity to go to school, but what kind of opportunity is it if you send them to a failing school?" I agree that we must give everybody the same opportunity and choice. I like that he brings his family scenario into the equation because many American families can relate. I have heard Obama speak about his family working hard and sacrificing to send him to school, so he wanted to send his children to a similar school. I believe that choice creates competition. Department stores have been at it for years by carrying different lines and displaying windows in contrasting fashion. Whether it be Macy's, Nordstroms, Dillards, Barney's, Neiman Marcus or Sears, likewise, they display similar products. People choose where to shop depending on their interest. In other words, department stores are all big with lots of stuff stacked high inside, but each has its own specialty. Analogously, charter schools offer basic classes but excel in one specialty: art, music, science, computer animation, arithmetics. Giving people the chance to choose creates competition in our daily lives, between department stores, and will with schools. I think with competition in the picture, failing schools will begin to improve and be in the road to cheering fans and superb reviews because I wish to see every child in a school that has the ability to prepare them to be the positive role models in our communities and lives. Likewise, no child should be stripped of that opportunity, from an opportunity that is as vital as wind is for a sail. An opportunity that is education.  

Road to the White House. Presidential candidates' forum, Saddleback Civil Forum on the presidency. Lakeforest, California. Saddleback Church. Campaign 2008, C-SPAN.

The Sarah Show

Thousands wait as long as 90 minutes to get a glimpse of her and women drive more than hour to see her in a nearby city. She has lifted McCain in the polls & has put Obama into confusion. She is living out a Cinderella story unlike any other in recent political history & fans are waiting for the glass slipper to fit. White women have swung away from Obama by as much as 20 points. Charollet Schworer, a retired thrid grade teacher from Kentucky who voted twice for Bill Clinton says, "I sat there, tears rolling down my face, watching my TV." She continues, in reference to the Republican Convention, "I felt energized, truly energized for the first time." The campaign denied all news interviews for nearly two weeks after she joined the ticket. She never banned library books, though she raised the possibility while speaking with a librarian. She did not end up selling her jet on Ebay, Brett Favre bought it instead. I really like that about her, that she has a private jet in her possession and chooses to sell it. I like that she takes an interest in books, but do not like the idea of banning them because I believe books are ideas and thoughts from creative minds and everyone has the right to read and write what they wish...the first amendment is freedom of speech. I feel many women can relate to her, while I am not a mother at this moment, and enjoy seeing a woman as a political figure...the nineteenth amendment grants women the right to vote. Grandmother's tell of getting goose bumps when she speaks and women flock to see her give speeches. Although she tells the same jokes, I have to agree, they are quite funny. 

Scherer, M. (2008, September 22). The Sarah Show. Time, 42-43.

Notables: McCain & Obama

This article can be found in the Nation/World section of The Tampa Tribune, Monday, September 8, 2008.

I have re-read this article as I learn more about the candidates through youtube, newsweek and TV. I find them interesting and strangely helpful, enlightening the public about presidential candidate preferences. Perhaps see how much you have in common?

Titled "Here are 32 things you may not know about the presidential candidates."

3 things I have in common with presidential candidate John McCain:
1. He carries a lucky penny in his pocket. I wear a lucky ring on my finger.
2. He has a stuffed dancing hampster on display in his Senate office. I gave my neighbor a dancing hampster at his 60th birthday bash.
3. He is serious about the finer points of barbequing and he likes to deep fry turkeys in peanut oil. I love barbequing and deep fried turkeys in peanut oil.

4 things I do not have in common with presidential candidate John McCain:
1. He was addicted to the TV show "24." I was addicted to the Showtime series "The Tudors."
2. He played Scrooge in POW's staging of "A Christmas Carol" at the Hanoi Hilton.
3. He talks to fellow prisoners of war, those with whom he shared a cell in Vietnam, almost daily. I am not a prisoner of war and was not alive during the Vietnam War.
4. He has seven children.

3 things I have in common with presidential candidate Barack Obama:
1. He considers his worst habit checking his BlackBerry. I check my BlackBerry a lot.
2. He carries a good luck charm, a tiny Madonna and child. I carry a good luck card in my wallet.
3. He has promised his daughters, Malia and Sasha, a dog this fall. I have a golden retriever named Sasha.

4 things I do not have in common with presidential cadidate Barack Obama:
1. He has two Grammy awards for recording his best-selling books.
2. He is a good, but cautious poker player. I prefer blackjack.
3. On his first date with his wife, they had ice cream at a Baskin-Robbins in Chicago.
4. His mother's name was Stanley Ann Dunham--her father, Stanley, wanted a boy.

Yay for the presidential elections!

Click this, find Florida.
http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/whos-ahead/key-states/map.html

Newsweek: Republican Convention Issue

Now I open up the Republican Convention Issue of Newsweek & turn to a picture of McCain & Palin, taken Friday, August 29 in Dayton, Ohio. Flip the page to Palin sitting on a sofa, skyline through a window in the background & bear skin--grizzly--rug placed over the arm rest. "Elected at 42, Palin is Alaska's youngest governor and the state's first female to take office." Woo hoo! Sarah Palin was a beauty queen in her hometown of Wasilla, being crowned Miss Wasilla in 1984, before I was even born! The article is titled "McCain's Mrs. Right." A photo of Palin displayed with a caught fish in hand. "One of Palin's first acts as governor was to sell the governor's jet on Ebay; she thought it was wasteful." That is awesome. She fired the chef at the governor's mansion in Juneau because she doesn't want her 5 children to think it is normal to have a chef. Awesome as well. Instead of hiring a driver to drive along state-troopers, we can spot Palin driving her own SUV--with not so many troopers--while talking on the phone and tending to her children. She is a working mother who wants to make a difference in America, a difference we can all benefit from. I have kept a blank canvas while researching this election and no matter what the circumstance, I am always impressed with Sarah Palin. She is so down to earth. My creative writing professor said, "I felt that if I pricked her with a pin, she would actually bleed; she is not just a poster or image on television." Newsweek stated, "Arriving home, she ran into the house, kicking off her shoes, grabbing her red sandals and yelling for her children." Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air for me. She is a hunter, fisher, mother, volunteer, snow mobiler, basketball player, politician, beauty queen, sportscaster & member of the American Rifle Association.

This article is written by Evan Thomas
This article is written by Karen Breslau
September 8, 2008, Newsweek

Newsweek: Democratic Convention Issue

I read an article in Newsweek titled “The Tragic Bonds of War.” This article is written by Jason Cohen and appearing on page 14 of the National Democratic Convention Issue. A soldier tells a story from the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq where, “We see death every day.” He says that when someone dies, he or she not only leaves the earth, but takes a piece of the--still living--ER staff. “We are not supposed to think, to dwell on who is in front of us—we think instead about what is in front of us: a collapsed lung, an amputation, an evisceration.” He says that his patients become a part of him. “As a fellow soldier, I share a special connection with my patients. When one dies, I lose a piece of myself.” One night, a soldier was flown in for critical attention and immediate care. Ann, an ER nurse, realized that this soldier was not like the others—they attended college together. She tried her best to save her fallen friend, giving everything but her own life. Fallen soldiers are more: fathers, daughters, classmates, lieutenants & friends. At the Support Hospital in Iraq, they are called Angels—as they are zipped into body bags and flown away. I have not heard a story with such sentiment since the beginning of this war in Iraq. I either blind sight them or haven’t been reading Newsweek. I took a Vietnam course as an elective in high school, my teacher being a war veteran, & know how much of the war and death tolls were accounted for & shared with the American people. What’s up with that? These are not statistics to hide.

Education: RNC: Special note

I am focusing in on education for my Isearch. McCain said that education is the civil rights issue of the century. I agree. McCain said, "Equal access to public education has been gained but what is the value of access to a failing school?" There is no value, it is a waste of time. This means more than half of children are continuing to learn in a poor environment which in turn shapes the future of our country. Education is key. My main issue is communication between parents and schools. McCain said, "Senator Obama wants our schools to answer to unions & entrenched bureaucracies. I want schools to answer to parents & students. And when I'm President, they will." I believe McCain wants to empower parents and I like that a lot. 

Writer's Workshop in McGraw-Hill Guide p. 132

The purpose of my exploratory assignments are too discover new and different opinions through the act of writing. I will learn as I write in each. There are no other group members present. The audience is me, my professor and my classmates. I can visualize family and friends reading my work. They can expect to find valuable information pertaining to education for orphaned children. I can appeal to my readers by stating my beliefs. I want to form questions from my answers and convey my thoughts clearly. I will try to keep an inquisitive tone. By reading and writing as an explorer I will gain fresh outlooks and new insights. I am held responsible for my words and will represent diverse perspectives honestly and accurately. My research will be accurate. I have chosen my invention strategies: freewrite and flowchart. Organization will fall into place, after conducting research. I will revise my work with a fresh & critical eye to make certain it fulfills the assignment. I will accept constructive criticism from my peers & thank them for helping me. I will edit after--only after--revision. I will document all outside sources. 

Invention Strategies

3 invention strategies I use: brainstorm, freewrite, concept map. Invention strategies are important because they let me explore my ideas and reflect. I can incorporate invention strategies into my formal assignments by using them to decide my topics, and go from there. These strategies help me decide what I like the most. I re-read my paper during the revison process and decide if I am clear, concise & answering my original questions. These strategies are important because I see if my thoughts are flowing properly. I like to comment on the sides of my paper. I like to have my paper read by a friend. I like to read comments from my peers--funny or brutal--because they say it like it is. If they have questions, I can answer them more clearly which ultimately strengthens my paper. I can incorporate this into my work by following my criteria and revising more than once. 

Borack Obama: Democratic National Convention

Obama thanks the applauding audience of this great nation. Joe Biden: running mate. Obama states, "I am grateful to finish my journey." Then introduces his wife, Michelle, and daughters Melia & Sasha. Obama states negative factors in present-day America and says we are a better country than we live in now; he wants to use our money to try and change America. "Pull yourself up by your boot straps. Even if you don't have any boots, you are on your own." Obama plans to cut tax breaks, cut taxes on 95% of American families, and vows that in 10 years he will end our independence on oil--oil addiction--from the Middle East. Obama promises to: provide affordable healthcare for every single American and end discrimination, to protect social security, provide world-class education, invest in clean coal technology, invest $150 billion in the building of fuel efficient cars, invest in early childhood education & pay teachers more. Obama says, "I will pay for every dime by closing corporate loopholes and tax savings." That's nice. Obama seems to have no real solution to his "oil addiction" & will find ways to harness nuclear power. 

I ran for president of my private Catholic school. I promised italian ice & free dress days: waterslides & rainbows. We contracted Mike's Italian Ice & we, the students, had to pay for each hot pink cup. Sweet. I was in over my head. 

Obama states, "I will never hesitate to defend our country, but will send troops with a clear mission, the equiptment they need & proper benefits when they return." But is a hesitation. More promised money, money, money. 

Glad to hear Borack Obama is a money tree. 

Glad to hear Borack Obama has been supporting our troops for the past 5 years...not.  

Glad to hear Borack Obama bash his fellow Americans throughout his entire speech (McCain, Bush, Palin). I am vibing a quick temper from Obama's statement, "I look forward to debate." Followed by an imitation of John McCain, "We all put our country first." I babysat a 3 year old & we played a game together called, mocking. 

Obama says that patriotism has no party yet he separated parties his entire speech.

While Borack Obama inhaled, John McCain ate the blows as a POW. What a grand display of patriotism. 

As a special sign of inspiration for people, Borack Obama's story is great. As for leading our country... no me gusta. 

John McCain National Republican Convention

Sarah Palin National Republican Convention speech September 3, 2008.

Palin is honored to accept nomination as Vice President of the United States with running mate McCain. Palin is grateful and starts speech with a multitude of heart-warming thank you’s to the enthusiastic audience. Sarah accepts the challenge and knows how tough fights are won; this is a time for politics and a time for leadership. Palin is a mother of 5. Her oldest son, Track is enlisted in the military and will be deployed to Iraq. Sarah knows about family ups and downs and says, “The greatest joys bring challenge.” Palin pledges to be a friend and advocate once in office. Her face gleams in pride when speaking of her husband Todd and children. Sarah introduces her parents, Chip & Sally, and states, “one of the many things I owe them is a simple life lesson that every woman can walk through a door of opportunity.” Sarah was born and raised in a small town full of honesty, sincerity and dignity: proud of America. Sarah refers to herself as once being an average soccer mom. Sarah jokes throughout her speech. Palin states, “We cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers.” I feel that Palin is a real person and not just an image on a poster. Palin gives a sense of inspiration for our country’s amazing future and I truly feel she is all about the people of the United States of America. I like the idea of laying more pipelines (as she is well educated on the topic because she is the governor of Alaska). I like that she vetoes waste less spending and gave close to half a billion back to Alaskan citizens. I like family; she is all about it. I am a people person; she is all about the people of the United States of America. I support our troops in Iraq; she is proud of all who serve. McCain will serve our country now like he did while occupying "prisoner or war" status with optimism and anticipation. Palin releases courage, energy and guts from the stage. Sarah Palin's energy should flow through our pipelines for then we would never run out. I rub chill bumps from my arm.