Minnesota's Sarah Palin

There is a short write up on Michele Bachmann on CNN.com I honestly do not know or follow her all that much, but the few times I have come across her, she seems like another Sarah Palin.

CNN says she whole-heartily embraces the likes of Rush Limbaugh which is not surprising. I realize that their antics bring in money, but they never really contribute anything constructive. Instead of a sober, intelligent discussion, it is name calling and painting things as black or white. The realities are that many of the most important issues are not black or white. Sometimes, there needs to be compromise.

I agree with most supposed Republican principles, but not their means or their previous attempts at implementation. Some of Obama's tendencies may be at odds with what I think, but at least there is sober, intelligent thought behind them. Let's be honest, he isn't doing anything all that different than has been done before. If things get out of hand, he can easily be defeated in the next election. Let's try and be a little more civilized.

Actually, it is really unfortunate that the tremendous losses by the Republican Party in 2008 didn't marginalize substanceless, loud mouths. Is it all just because she is not unattractive?

Helping People with Computers Fatigue

I found this comic at http://xkcd.com. It is so true, I just want people to use their brains just a little bit before they come to ask me a question. I realize that user interfaces are lacking, but don't be afraid to experiment first. I am going to print this out and post it...

Sheefish

This picture is probably a couple of months old, but I am just now posting it because my roommate just sent me a copy. This is my first sheefish. We had been out fishing for silver salmon, but I also caught this. As I recall, it had quite a bit of fight. It is a white fish. It tasted alright, but I prefer salmon.

For more about sheefish or inconnu, here are some links.

To Kill A Mockingbird

"One more thing, gentlemen, before I quit. Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal, a phrase that the Yankees and the distaff side of the Executive branch in Washington are fond of hurling at us. There is a tendency in this year of grace, 1935, for certain people to use this phrase out of context, to satisfy all conditions. The most ridiculous example I can think of is that the people who run public education promote the stupid and idle along with the industrious-- because all men are created equal, educators will gravely tell you, the children left behind suffer terrible feelings of inferiority. We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe-- some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they're born with it, some men make more money than others, some ladies make better cakes than others-- some people are born gifted beyond the normal scope of most men."

I have just reread To Kill a Mockingbird. I read it in high school, but having heard the english teachers around me have their students read it, I decided to reread it. It is a very enjoyable read and at the same time also tackles some important issues. Granted the story is contrived to make us see what the moral lesson is, but nonetheless it is effective.

I chose the above quote because as I read it, I could not help but think about NCLB and the loss of manufacturing jobs in America. A lot of people will disagree with me and think me racist or something, but our country is heading in the wrong direction. I don't want to see anybody left behind. I think that public education of some sort should be available to everyone, but the expectations placed on schools today is absurd. Expecting every student to get through Algebra and probably Calculus because we FEEL that they should is stupid. Not everyone is born with the brain power to get through those subjects and why should it be an expectation if they do not use those skills later in life. What is even worse, is that now the education system is so geared towards preventing failure that average and excellent minds are left fallow. That is hyperbole, there have been improvements, more advanced math classes and technology (robotics) are being brought into schools. However, if schools don't take some leeway with federal law on inclusion, they will have no choice but to water down classes.

Related to this is that I do not know how our economy will survive unless we employ some level of protectionism. I know that peace and prosperity have expanded across the world because of free trade, but at some point do we not need to be concerned about our manufacturing base? We need those good jobs for people that do not have the skills or brains to do something more difficult. This country can not survive as a strong economic power if we are predominantly service jobs based.

I am virtually a pacifist. However, how can we expect to mobilize for a just war if we have no industrial base. Are we going to be able to by parts and machines from China if we go to war with them? (That is an example, not a desire or expectation on my part.) I do not want a state economy. I do not want communism, but with nation states the most powerful players in world affairs, we need to make sure that ours is not on the decline.

48 Laws of Power

I just finished reading The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. It is an alright read. Each of the laws is described and divided in different sections: those that observed the laws, those that broke the laws, the essence of the law and if there was any way that the opposite of the law would be true.

I especially enjoyed the observances and transgressions because they were all illustrations from history. The keys or descriptions of the laws themselves were a little more tedious. I would have to say that I was a bit surprised with some of the choices the author used to illustrate the laws. I guess I would have thought to have seen Hitler show up at least once or twice, examples of observing or transgressing laws.

My knowledge of eastern, Chinese history is not very good. My knowledge of ancient history, Persians, etc. is also not very good. So reading this book gave brief glimpses into those histories. Now, I want to learn more about the Japanese tea rituals that were mentioned over and over. I also would not mind reading more about Chinese history. It sounds like it was pretty eventful. I did recently pick up a book on Western Civilization, maybe I will have to find a counterpart for Easter Civilizations.

The laws themselves seemed all pretty commonsense, though sometimes I felt that the laws were more concerned with deception. I realize that sometimes power relies on deception, but maybe the book should have been titled, The 48 Laws of Deception. However, I did find some laws to be applicable in everyday life and even as a teacher. Not that I want to dominate or accrue power, but sometimes, I need to be in control to do my job.

Law 42, Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter, seems relevant to a teacher, not to mention cults, politics, etc. It seems that quite often a smooth running class can be derailed by one student or that a class that is a struggle is has a good day when a particular student is absent.

Law 43, Work On the Hearts and Minds of Others, also obviously is relevant in many situations. I thought a few quotes were interesting.

"In all your encounters, take a step back -- take the time to calculate and attune ourself to your target's emotional makeup and psychological weaknesses. Force will only strengthen their resistance. With most people the heart is the key: They are like children, ruled by their emotions. To soften them up, alternate harshness and mercy. Play on their basic fears, and also their loves -- freedom, family, etc. Once you break them down, you will have a lifelong friend and fiercely loyal ally. In the game of power, you are surrounded by people who have absolutely no reason to help you unless it is in their interests to do so. And if you have nothing to offer their self-interest, you are likely to make them hostile, for they will see in you just one more competitor, one more waster of their time."

Finally, I really enjoyed the recounting of Ivan the Terrible's abdications to force the aristocrats to stop subverting him in Law 44, Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect. The author then goes into explaining the situation and even connects it to the classroom setting. I think that I have even asked classes before if they would have me or a student teach. Eventually, the more serious students win out since the joker's realize they only look like idiots at the head of the class pretending to teach.