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Things that are really annoying

Posted by Deornwulf on Thursday, December 21, 2006 11:01:19 AM
Today's blog is a bit of a rant but I feel the need to vent my spleen. This is a departure from my usual careful crafting of my posts.The following is a list of things that really tick me off. (I wanted to use another word but felt it would be impolite)

1. People who claim 9/11 was a government conspiracy. I really, really, really get hacked off by these lunatics who continue to push forward this nonsense.

2. Michael Moore - If you need to ask why.........

3. Parents who blame teachers for what the parents failed to do, raise their child right.

4. People who think all teachers are liberal drones of the NEA. 

5. Politicians who think test scores alone are a valid measurement of the educational process.

6. High Stakes testing

7. Comparisons of Iraq to Vietnam....from the Liberal Viewpoint.

8. Rosie O'Donal and her ladies on the View who have no clue

9. Lying hypocrites like John Kerry, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy and the rest of the Left Coast.

10. That Christmas song about no snow in Africa. All of those artists collectively waste more food and money than the entire membership of the Republican Party.

11. Sean Penn for thinking he is actually a journalist.

12. Comedians who think they actually know something about politics and world affairs. (Franken isn't even a good comedian)

13. White Bread Activists who have never worked a honest day's labor yet have the time and means to show up to protest the evils of Capitalism.....which is how they had the means and time to show up to protest.

14. Vegans for selfishly choosing to opt out of being a predator in the food chain. We have a duty to be a part of nature and since we have killed off so many of the other predators with our Veggie Trucks, we need to hunt!

15. PETA - Liars! Hypocrites! 

16. Meetings for things that can be handled in emails.

17. FemiNazis

18. Conservatives who fall into the same childish argumentation patterns as the Liberals. We're supposed to be the adults, we need to act like it. Sometimes the ends do justify the means.

19. Posters and Bloggers who can't spell, understand grammar or even know how to use the spellchecker. In the world of writing, Spelling DOES count. (Watch, I'll probably misspell something now or make a serious grammatical faux pas.)

20. Restaurants that do not understand how to make a proper glass of iced tea. Iced tea should not come from a pressurized canister from Coca Cola or Pepsi. It is always to be fresh brewed (like coffee) and kept in containers that have EVERY part cleaned on a daily basis.

A bit negative and of a rambling nature. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
    
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Final Exam Time

Posted by Deornwulf on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 8:45:33 AM
For those in the realm of education it is that magical time known as exam week. My posts will be rather short so I can get my exams graded and grades posted.

Wrongly maligned by critics, education as an institution (public or private) really only has what it perceives as the best interests of the child in mind. Much of contemporary theory coming from the liberals in education is not meant to impede a child's learning or to brainwash them into becoming part of the left. Rather it is born out of a desire to protect the student from all harm.      

By not allowing a child to fail, the liberals believe that the child will not be hurt. Unfortunately, they could not be farther from the mark. Failing is how humans learn. Falling down may hurt be we learn to pick ourselves back up again. To this end, education needs to rethink its view on failing if it is to truly help the child. Failure must be an option.
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The war in Iraq is over. We won.

Posted by Deornwulf on Thursday, December 14, 2006 11:01:33 AM
Despite the claims in the MSM, the war in Iraq is over and the United States won. The day Saddam and his Iraqi government no longer had the capacity or authority to engage in war with the United States and United Kingdom forcers was the day the war ended. The current conflict in Iraq fails to meet any of the qualifications used to define a just war.

The violence currently occuring in Iraq is not a war, it is just criminal violence akin to gang war activity. If the same MSM lens was used to examine the United States in the 1920's and the 1980's, we would be experiencing a civil war between insurgents and the authorities. Since we do not see any reports about the second and third American civil wars on any channel we must assume that the MSM and the Left are once again clueless or are trying to mislead the public.   
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American Made Junk by GM

Posted by Deornwulf on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 10:45:13 AM
I will never again buy a General Motors product. I used to believe that I should support my country and buy American but after experiencing the steady decline of my 1999 GMC Jimmy, I will be shopping for something made by a company and workers who take pride in their work.

The defects with my New 1999 GMC Jimmy started small and about 6 months into my ownership. The first thing to go was the adjustment handle on the driver's seat. It sheared off as I was adjusting the seat. Two months later, the passenger seat experienced the same problem.

Next to go south was the molding. The screw holding the panel behind the driver's seat fell out. I tried to screw it back in but it appeared to be stripped out. I settled for wedging in a piece of paper to keep it from rattling when the glue I tried failed to do the job.

10 months after purchase I came out on a hot August day to find that the rear view mirror had falled off of the windshield. I sought professional help to fix the problem but ended up with a mirror that shakes when the car is in motion.

At 15 months the rear window washer failed. I didn't even bother to try to fix it.

The rear left speaker was next to go at 21 months.

37 months after my purchase date (Now out of warranty), the heater box developed a leak and spewed engine coolent fumes into the interior. Facing a choice of spending $1000 on 8 to 10 hours of labor in a process that involves removing the entire dashboard to replace a $50 part, I choose to wear warm clothes in the winter. I was afraid of what else could go wrong with the Jimmy if the dash was removed.

At the fine age of 41 months, the rotors in the left front wheel quit working properly and had to be replaced.

At 45 months I finally had to have the pins in the driver's door replaced. The mechanic explained that it was common for the doors on the Jimmy to bend the factory installed pins and slowly come off the hinges. The sound difference in the car was amazing when I had it fixed so the door would close properly.

Just this past August, while making my move from Florida to Georgia, the alternator died on me. I realize that 6 years is a long time for the lifespan of an American made alternator but what made me angry was how impossible it was for me to even try to replace the battery. It's as if the design engineer felt it a challenge to make accessing the battery as difficult as possible.

I guess I was spoiled by my 1990 Ford Bronco II. In 10 years of ownership, I only replaced the clutch, brake shoes, starter (my fault), oil, filters, belts, and tires. The air conditioner did fail on me after 6 year, developing a leak of some sort but Ford has never been able to get AC right in many of their vehicles. The windows still worked fine so who needed air anyway.

If my GMC Jimmy was a horse, I'd take it out and shoot it. I will never buy a GM product ever again and may even consider shying away from buying any American made car. 
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Everybody's a Critic

Posted by Deornwulf on Monday, December 11, 2006 1:48:03 PM
It is so easy to be critical of a plan. It is a far more difficult task to come up with a plan. On my blog and in posted comments, I offer pragmatic solutions to various problems. I realize that discussion and criticism is an important part of free discourse on an internet forum but there is a point when arguing a plan becomes pointless if a counter plan is not offered. 

For example, I have suggested an plan to address illegal immigration . I believe it to be a pragmatic and practical solution. Critics have called it "pie in the sky" or a quaint little idea that will never work. Yet they offer nothing substantial in its place. 

This is what I believe is the real problem facing America; paralysis from overanalysis. So many are willing to pick apart  suggested ideas and plans and cry out that the plan will never work. Very few are able and willing to actually offer a plan of action. 

I do realize that a key strategy in Debate is for the negative side to attack the affirmative side's plan. It is an excellent semantic exercise but when we are discussing real world problems that must be solved, it is nothing but hot air into the wind. 
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Iran and Syria would be great allies!

Posted by Deornwulf on Thursday, December 07, 2006 2:08:43 PM
The Iraq Commission has suggested that the United States engage Iran and Syria in stabilizing Iraq and helping to establish peace in the region. I firmly believe that Iran and Syria would be great allies.......if they would just stop funding terrorism, destabilizing Lebanon, accept Israel's right to exist, and allow religious freedom to non-Muslims. Other than they, both countries are good to go.   
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Teachers Teach Because They Can't Do?

Posted by Deornwulf on Wednesday, December 06, 2006 10:37:52 AM

Teachers Teach Because They Can’t Do Anything Else?

        “Those that can, do. Those that can’t, teach.” It is amazing how often this quip will fall from the lips or pen of critics of public education. These philosophers pontificate that public schools are nothing more than jobs programs for those who would otherwise be out of work and on the streets if they were not employed as teachers. These critics theorize that the only reason anyone fights for the continued existence of the public school system is to protect the employment of these otherwise useless individuals. The fact that opponents of public schools must resort to such preposterous and outlandish statements only proves how ludicrous their stance is.

        The evidence against the notion that teaching is a profession for those who could not otherwise succeed in any other form of employment is overwhelming. My own personal experience provides for proof that I could indeed find other, more lucrative employment. At one point in my life I had thought to pursue a career in law. I scored a 159 on the LSAT and was accepted to several law schools and even had financing arranged. Instead, I decided to remain a teacher, thinking that I can make more of a difference in the world in the classroom over the courtroom.

        My situation is far from unique and actually more the rule than the exception. Many of my colleagues come to teaching leaving successful careers in other fields. They also seem to become some of the best teachers and are more likely to remain teachers longer than those fresh out of college. In fact, the younger teachers are more likely to leave teaching within their first five years. This group accounts for the highest rate of turnover in the teaching profession.

        One must also consider the skill set required to be successful in the classroom and how easily those skills are applied to the business world. A teacher typically engages in light bookkeeping duties, records management, data analysis, literary interpretation and criticism, behavior modification, implementation of technology resources, filing, activity planning, developing long range goals, and document production. And that only describes what goes on in a single week. An individual could easily find employment in any field with such talent.

        Finally, to make a broad generalization about the entirety of a profession is not only faulty reasoning, it is plain rude. For every perceived bad teacher, there are 100 others working hard to teach their students. 1 in 5 of those teachers will easily spend an extra two hours or more day on campus either before school or after school grading papers, tutoring students, or engaged in other activities meant to improve instruction in their classroom. Even the teachers who leave at the dismissal time will typically still take papers home to grade or will spend a few hours on the computer creating study guides or other class documents. Most all other professions leave their work in the office.

            In conclusion, while there may be a few bad teachers, they do not represent the whole profession. Teaching is more than a simple profession; it is a calling. To state that teaching is a jobs program for the otherwise unemployable is insulting, demeaning, and fallacious. Teachers teach because they can and are willing to do what others won’t.        
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Who reads this stuff?

Posted by Deornwulf on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 2:49:34 PM
Is there anyone out there actually reading my blog or am I venting to empty space? What do I need to do to get comments on my writing?   
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