First Attempt at Video Blogging (Click Image)

This is a montage of "stuff" from a trip to Memphis and D.C.

freevlog.org

The fabulous folks at freevlog.org are teaching me to video blog. I've been reading, watching, learning, and doing all night. We'll see how it goes.

I'm a Red Dot

Political Scale, originally uploaded by GrandPoo.

Political Quiz

I've already been through this once during a summer class. It was really pretty embarrassing because I've always wanted to consider myself a centrist. I am, however, not. I am way far left. Way far.

Well, I took another quiz linked from this guy's website who I'll talk about in the next post. The quiz is here and I scored as follows:


LIBERAL

LIBERALS usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a government-funded "safety net" to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles.

Yep, that's pretty much me.

Buy American?

I'm really turned off by the newest Anheuser-Bush commercial prompting people to buy their product based on the fact that it's American made. Incidentally, according to BuyBlue.org they also support the Republican party by 36% . This is bad news for me, a Bud and Miller Light drinker.

I thought this was amusing from Neal Boortz, a libertarian, from back in 2004. These are the ones he picked out of the bunch to use as examples:

• In the auto insurance category, Progressive Insurance shows a 91% support for Democrats while State Farm shows an 81% level of support for Republicans.
• Virtually all automakers, with the exception of Toyota, leaned heavily to the Republican side. The donation amounts from Toyota were so small as to be meaningless.
• Ditto for auto dealers. They leaned heavily Republican. Exceptions include the Don Beyer Automotive Group and the Potamkin Companies which leaned heavily Democrat; 100% for Don Beyer who operates in the DC beltway area.
• Grocery stores? Costco is 98% on the Democratic side. Wal-Mart grocery stores and employees donate heavily Republican Starbucks? Are you kidding? Solid Democrat.
• Do you like Brusters ice cream? 100% Democratic. Blue Bird and Flowers Industries? 100% Republican. Coca Cola? 66% Republican. Sara Lee? Democratic.
• How about some fast food! Arby's -- 100% Democratic. Wendy's --- 91% Republican. McDonalds? 80% Republican.
• Restaurants? Hard Rock Cafe International donates 100% Democrat. Waffle House is 99% Republican. No wonder I love Waffle House!
• Beer! Drink up. Anheuser-Bush donates 56% to 44% Republican.
• Retail stores? Barnes & Noble is 98% Democrat. No wonder I had such a rough times getting "The Terrible Truth About Liberals" stocked at Barnes and Noble. Home Depot ... 94% Republican. Bed Bath & Beyond .. 93% Democrat. Dollar General .. 100% Republican.
• For you fashion conscious folks. Anne Klein Inc. is 100% Democrat. Donna Karan is 91% Democrat. Ralph Lauren .. 100% Democrat. Tommy Hilfiger ... 91% Democrat. Fruit of the Loom, 100% Republican. Guess jeans? 83% Republican. Those Cintas uniform people? 100% Republican.
• Computers? Apple Computer, 81% Democrat. Dell Computers? 77% Republican. Vision? Republican.

Notice the fashion...Hmmm, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan or Fruit of the Loom and Guess jeans (otherwise known as mom jeans)? Better yet, Cintas uniforms. Mmmmm.

Then, he makes this comment, "I want you to cruise these categories ... you will see that there are occasional businesses who support Democratic Party politics to a greater extent than they do Republicans .. but for the most part you will see heavy support for Republican policies. "

Well fucking duh! Go figure that corporate businesses would support the Republican party.

Good God!

NASA to Help With Mom's Ailments

Mom: They’re gonna give me a heart monitor. I’m already limping with my leg and there might be something wrong with my neck. I really may have to use one of those hovercrafts.

Me: It’s a HoverRound. You may be able to use a hovercraft, but you’ll have to contact NASA.

Why I Love That Bitch Conan

The best comedians are also pundits. That's why I love that bitch Conan. I tried to hate him. Something about that mug turned me off. Alas, I cannot. He is the real Grand Poo Of Awesome.

Here are some of the most awesome lines from his speech to the Harvard Class of 2000:

"I especially miss Harvard Square. Let me tell you, (you don’t know this) Harvard Square is unique. Nowhere else in the world will you find a man wearing a turban and a Red Sox jacket working in a lesbian bookstore. I’m just glad my dad’s working."

"In 1985 we drove cars with driver’s-side air bags. But if you had told us that one day there would be passenger-side air bags, we’d have burned you for witchcraft."

"Many of you are justifiably nervous about leaving the safe, comfortable world of Harvard Yard and hurling yourself headlong into the cold, harsh world of Harvard grad school, a plum job in your father’s firm, or a year abroad with a gold Amex card and then a plum job at your father’s firm."

"You see, kids, you’re in for a lifetime of “And you went to Harvard?” Accidentally give the wrong amount of change in a transaction, and it’s “And you went to Harvard?” Ask at the hardware store how the jumper cables work, and hear “And you went to Harvard?” Forget just once that your underwear goes inside your pants, and it’s “And you went to Harvard?” Get your head stuck in your niece’s doll house ‘cause you want to see what it’s like to be a giant, and it’s “Uncle Conan, you went to Harvard?”"

"But let me leave you with one last thought. If you can laugh at yourself, loud and hard, every time you fall, people will think you’re drunk. Thank you."

E-mail from James Dobson

Wow, I found this e-mail in my inbox. Evidently at some point in my life I subcribed to something at Focus on the Famiy. At least we know the folks at Focus on the Family are fighting the good fight against those dirty, nasty liberals. (*sarcasm*)


There's Still Time to Help End Judicial Filibusters

News reports indicate it could be just a matter of days until an attempt is made by the Senate's Republican leadership to enact the "constitutional option" to end judicial filibusters.
The plan -- to restore Senate tradition by once again making 51 votes sufficient to confirm a nominee to the federal bench -- is staunchly opposed by the same Democrats who have abused filibusters for the past four years to block some of President Bush's appeals court nominees. This obstructionism, unprecedented in U.S. history, is being carried out by liberals simply because they don't want men and women who believe in strictly interpreting the Constitution to be confirmed.

What kind of judges do the liberals want? Those like the ones who allowed Terri Schiavo to be starved and dehydrated to death. Those like the ones who don't believe it should be illegal for abortionists to suck the brains out of nearly delivered children. Those who have ruled to overturn the traditional definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Those who believe pornography showing women being raped, mutilated and defecated upon is protected by the First Amendment -- but the Ten Commandments are not.
Please take a moment to contact your two U.S. senators to express your support for the "constitutional option." For contact information visit the CitizenLink Action Center and type your ZIP code into the space provided.

It is particularly important for you to make your views known if you are represented by any of the senators listed below, who have been identified by family advocates as key to the enactment of the constitutional option. You can find contact information for them -- including their Washington and district offices, by clicking on their names.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski
New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu
Maine Sen. Susan CollinsSen. Olympia Snowe
Virginia Sen. John Warner
Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel

If you'd like to stay up-to-date on this issue and other pro-family news, sign up online for a complimentary subscription to CitizenLink, daily e-mail news service. You'll find the issues you care about covered from a Christian perspective -- plus regular calls to action like this one that make it easy for you to make your voice heard.


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Applying for Teaching Positions

I'm in the process of applying for teaching positions in the surrounding areas. I haven't finished my dissertation, and I'm not sure whether or not I'll be graduating with my PhD in August. Regardless, I need a job.

I'm posting my responses to "Why I want to teach" and "My Philosophy of Education" not because I think they're particularly interesting, but because I want them to be easily accessible.

Lame, I know. Oh well.

Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education includes many elements from my role as a teacher and meeting teaching standards to learning styles and promoting critical thinking skills.

I feel my role as a teacher is as the facilitator in an active classroom by promoting hands-on experiences, open dialogue, the use of manipulatives, and the respect for diverse learning styles. I believe in encouraging children to explore and learn on their own as well as work with others to discover answers. I favor participation in discussion over lecture and allowing children to discover solutions to questions on their own.

I have adopted a progressive view on learning and critical thinking. Research has shown that memorization alone does not lead to knowledge, but children learn by applying information to real-world experiences. This may require them to ask very important questions and to apply them to social issues and challenges to the extent that is developmentally appropriate. I appreciate the need for standards in curriculum and feel these standards can be met by incorporating the knowledge needed into real-life situations and by hands-on experiences.

I believe classrooms work best with the collaboration and mutual respect of students, parents and other family members, other teachers and professionals, and administrators. I believe parents should be active team members and should be respected for their valuable knowledge and input on their child’s development.

I believe classroom instruction and practice should be developmentally appropriate. It is essential for teachers to have an understanding of child development and make sure that the expectations of students match their individual needs, interests, and developmental abilities. All children are unique, have special talents to offer, and have varying needs. Classrooms work best when there is a sense of community and all children (regardless of race, class, gender, or ability) have the opportunity to share their gifts.

I also believe that children respond best to positive behavioral supports. Behavior should be approached in a way that is proactive rather than reactive and gets to the root of the problem. Teachers should be knowledgeable about ways to plan for the modification of negative behaviors in a positive manner. I believe problems with behavior are best solved by having a well-developed philosophy on how to handle negative behavior, consistent expectations, and with the mutual respect of students and their parents or other caregivers. These elements combined will help to maintain a positive and stress-free learning environment.

I feel I have a responsibility to my students, my school, and myself to remain current with educational research and professional organizations. Teaching requires us to be life-long learners and to always be open for self-improvement.

Cumulus Cloudy Day

Cumulus Cloudy Day
Originally uploaded by Grand Poo Of Awesome.

Got my first two comments on my new flickr account with this picture within the first minute it was uploaded. Someone even added it to their favorites.

It was very encouraging. I think I'll keep clickin'. It's super fun.

Rockstar

I came out of the Mini Mart this afternoon with a Rockstar and a Snickers bar and this man in overalls and no shirt opened the door for me.

I kid you not, he said, "No beer! Don't be buyin' beer.". He flung his hands up and said, "None of that!" I don't know if he thought I was buying beer or what. It was weird.

Had I really been buying beer though, I would've freaked the fuck out. It would've been like the time I was in Poland and kept seeing the flame symbol with the word "Burn" painted on the ground everywhere. I thought God was telling me I was going to burn in hell for all the beer I'd been drinking while over there until I realized that Burn was the name of a popular energy drink.