Thursday, February 24, 2005
Repair The Vote
It looks like someone out there has been listening (or has the exact same idea we had completely independent of us). MoveOn PAC.org (the 'sister' website to Moveon.org) has a petition online, 'Repair the Vote' which states: "Congress must support electoral reforms such as guaranteeing paper receipts for electronic voting machines, providing remedies for long lines, and prohibiting partisan election officials."
Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? If you want to see/sign the petition, go here. They're looking for 200,000 signatures and I think, between all of us and all the people we know, we could greatly aid them in that goal. Peace out!
Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? If you want to see/sign the petition, go here. They're looking for 200,000 signatures and I think, between all of us and all the people we know, we could greatly aid them in that goal. Peace out!
Monday, February 21, 2005
Happy President's Day!
In the spirit of politics (and in honor of today's holiday), here's a list of 20 random facts about former (and current) Presidents of the United States. I basically just copied and pasted it from MSN here (although MSN wasn't presented to you with "Crazytary"):
1. In warm weather, 6th president of the United States John Quincy Adams customarily went skinny-dipping in the Potomac River before dawn. (A pioneer, Adams was the first man to blame shrinkage on the temperature of water)
2. 9th U.S. president William Henry Harrison was inaugurated on a bitterly cold day and gave the longest inauguration speech ever. The new president promptly caught a cold that soon developed into pneumonia. Harrison died exactly one month into his presidential term, the shortest in U.S. history. (Who didn't know this?)
3. John Tyler, 10th U.S. president, fathered 15 children (more than any other president)--8 by his first wife, and 7 by his second wife. Tyler was past his seventieth birthday when his 15th child was born. (Tyler was Bill Clinton's idol. Zing!)
4. Sedated only by brandy, 11th president of the United States James Polk survived gall bladder surgery at the age of 17. (Ironically enough, Polk later became an advocate of prohibition, saying "Alcohol leads only to pain. Excruciating pain.")
5. 15th U.S. president James Buchanan is the only unmarried man ever to be elected president. Buchanan was engaged to be married once; however, his fiancée died suddenly after breaking off the engagement, and he remained a bachelor all his life. (James Buchanan, our first gay president... "ooo" from the crowd. Hey, someone had to say it!)
6. Often depicted wearing a tall black stovepipe hat, 16th president of the United States Abraham Lincoln carried letters, bills, and notes in his hat. (Little do you know, Lincoln is still alive. That fateful day at Ford's Theatre, Booth shot the jelly sandwich Lincoln had hidden in his hat)
7. 17th U.S. president Andrew Johnson never attended school. His future wife, Eliza McCardle, taught him to write at the age of 17. (Bonus fact about Andrew Johnson: He only wore suits that he custom-tailored himself.) [That bonus fact wasn't from me... but this one is: Supplemental Bonus fact about Andrew Johnson: He was the first ever Broccoli Queen of Jackson County, Michigan]
8. Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president of the United States, died of throat cancer. During his life, Grant had smoked about 20 cigars per day. (Grant's one regret... not living long enough to see Kevin Kline's portrayal of him in the movie Wild Wild West)
9. Both ambidextrous and multilingual, 20th president of the United States James Garfield could write Greek with one hand while writing Latin with the other. (Sadly, Garfield couldn't read either of those languages and he died before ever figuring out what his hands were trying to tell him)
10. Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th president of the United States, underwent a secret operation aboard a yacht to remove his cancerous upper jaw in 1893. (How secret could this operation really be, if Cleveland had his upper jaw removed? "There's something different about your mouth today, President Cleveland." "Mmuwavah Paawvah Booah!")
11. The teddy bear derived from 26th U.S. president Theodore ("Teddy") Roosevelt's refusal to shoot a bear with her cub while on a hunting trip in Mississippi. (When asked why he didn't shot the bear, Roosevelt responded "It was holding a heart that said 'I love you' and, when I squeezed its paw, it sang to me. I just couldn't do it")
12. William Taft, 27th president of the United States, weighed more than 300 pounds and had a special oversized bathtub installed in the White House. (Taft is Limbaugh's idol. Zing!)
13. Warren Harding, 29th U.S. president, played poker at least twice a week, and once gambled away an entire set of White House china. His advisors were nicknamed the "Poker Cabinet" because they joined the president in his poker games. (Even though everyone thinks we bought Alaska from the Russians, Harding actually won it in a Poker game. And much of the Western side of Canada... which neither Russia nor the United States wanted, but both sides thought would be funny to give to England. I speak, of course, of British Columbia)
14. Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States, had chronic stomach pain and required 10 to 11 hours of sleep and an afternoon nap every day. (Coolidge is Bush's idol. Zing!)
15. Herbert Hoover, 31st U.S. president, published more than 16 books, including one called Fishing for Fun-And to Wash Your Soul. (The books sucked so much, Hoover became synonymous with vacuuming)
16. 32nd president of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt was related, either by blood or by marriage, to 11 former presidents. (Needless to say, Roosevelt was from Kentucky. Zing!)
17. The letter "S" comprises the full middle name of the 33rd president, Harry S. Truman. It represents two of his grandfathers, whose names both had "S" in them. (Truman's parents were so shocked by the fantastic odds against both of their fathers having an "S" in their name somewhere, that they couldn't do anything BUT name little Harry, Harry 'S')
18. Military leader and 34th president of the U.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower loved to cook; he developed a recipe for vegetable soup that is 894 words long and includes the stems of nasturtium flowers as one of the ingredients. (Eisenhower's recipe also called for two heaving cupfuls of something he called "Ike", because he knew everyone had such an affinity for it)
19. 40th president of the United States Ronald Reagan broke the so-called "20-year curse," in which every president elected in a year ending in 0 died in office. (A brave man, while in office Reagan also took a stand against what he called "stupid, far-fetched curses")
20. George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States, and his wife Laura got married just three months after meeting each other. (When asked about it, Bush responded "I think three months is enough to ensure that there could never be any destruction of the sanctity of a marriage union that could EVER occur in THIS relationship. After three months, you know a person pretty dog-gone good.")
1. In warm weather, 6th president of the United States John Quincy Adams customarily went skinny-dipping in the Potomac River before dawn. (A pioneer, Adams was the first man to blame shrinkage on the temperature of water)
2. 9th U.S. president William Henry Harrison was inaugurated on a bitterly cold day and gave the longest inauguration speech ever. The new president promptly caught a cold that soon developed into pneumonia. Harrison died exactly one month into his presidential term, the shortest in U.S. history. (Who didn't know this?)
3. John Tyler, 10th U.S. president, fathered 15 children (more than any other president)--8 by his first wife, and 7 by his second wife. Tyler was past his seventieth birthday when his 15th child was born. (Tyler was Bill Clinton's idol. Zing!)
4. Sedated only by brandy, 11th president of the United States James Polk survived gall bladder surgery at the age of 17. (Ironically enough, Polk later became an advocate of prohibition, saying "Alcohol leads only to pain. Excruciating pain.")
5. 15th U.S. president James Buchanan is the only unmarried man ever to be elected president. Buchanan was engaged to be married once; however, his fiancée died suddenly after breaking off the engagement, and he remained a bachelor all his life. (James Buchanan, our first gay president... "ooo" from the crowd. Hey, someone had to say it!)
6. Often depicted wearing a tall black stovepipe hat, 16th president of the United States Abraham Lincoln carried letters, bills, and notes in his hat. (Little do you know, Lincoln is still alive. That fateful day at Ford's Theatre, Booth shot the jelly sandwich Lincoln had hidden in his hat)
7. 17th U.S. president Andrew Johnson never attended school. His future wife, Eliza McCardle, taught him to write at the age of 17. (Bonus fact about Andrew Johnson: He only wore suits that he custom-tailored himself.) [That bonus fact wasn't from me... but this one is: Supplemental Bonus fact about Andrew Johnson: He was the first ever Broccoli Queen of Jackson County, Michigan]
8. Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president of the United States, died of throat cancer. During his life, Grant had smoked about 20 cigars per day. (Grant's one regret... not living long enough to see Kevin Kline's portrayal of him in the movie Wild Wild West)
9. Both ambidextrous and multilingual, 20th president of the United States James Garfield could write Greek with one hand while writing Latin with the other. (Sadly, Garfield couldn't read either of those languages and he died before ever figuring out what his hands were trying to tell him)
10. Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th president of the United States, underwent a secret operation aboard a yacht to remove his cancerous upper jaw in 1893. (How secret could this operation really be, if Cleveland had his upper jaw removed? "There's something different about your mouth today, President Cleveland." "Mmuwavah Paawvah Booah!")
11. The teddy bear derived from 26th U.S. president Theodore ("Teddy") Roosevelt's refusal to shoot a bear with her cub while on a hunting trip in Mississippi. (When asked why he didn't shot the bear, Roosevelt responded "It was holding a heart that said 'I love you' and, when I squeezed its paw, it sang to me. I just couldn't do it")
12. William Taft, 27th president of the United States, weighed more than 300 pounds and had a special oversized bathtub installed in the White House. (Taft is Limbaugh's idol. Zing!)
13. Warren Harding, 29th U.S. president, played poker at least twice a week, and once gambled away an entire set of White House china. His advisors were nicknamed the "Poker Cabinet" because they joined the president in his poker games. (Even though everyone thinks we bought Alaska from the Russians, Harding actually won it in a Poker game. And much of the Western side of Canada... which neither Russia nor the United States wanted, but both sides thought would be funny to give to England. I speak, of course, of British Columbia)
14. Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States, had chronic stomach pain and required 10 to 11 hours of sleep and an afternoon nap every day. (Coolidge is Bush's idol. Zing!)
15. Herbert Hoover, 31st U.S. president, published more than 16 books, including one called Fishing for Fun-And to Wash Your Soul. (The books sucked so much, Hoover became synonymous with vacuuming)
16. 32nd president of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt was related, either by blood or by marriage, to 11 former presidents. (Needless to say, Roosevelt was from Kentucky. Zing!)
17. The letter "S" comprises the full middle name of the 33rd president, Harry S. Truman. It represents two of his grandfathers, whose names both had "S" in them. (Truman's parents were so shocked by the fantastic odds against both of their fathers having an "S" in their name somewhere, that they couldn't do anything BUT name little Harry, Harry 'S')
18. Military leader and 34th president of the U.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower loved to cook; he developed a recipe for vegetable soup that is 894 words long and includes the stems of nasturtium flowers as one of the ingredients. (Eisenhower's recipe also called for two heaving cupfuls of something he called "Ike", because he knew everyone had such an affinity for it)
19. 40th president of the United States Ronald Reagan broke the so-called "20-year curse," in which every president elected in a year ending in 0 died in office. (A brave man, while in office Reagan also took a stand against what he called "stupid, far-fetched curses")
20. George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States, and his wife Laura got married just three months after meeting each other. (When asked about it, Bush responded "I think three months is enough to ensure that there could never be any destruction of the sanctity of a marriage union that could EVER occur in THIS relationship. After three months, you know a person pretty dog-gone good.")
Sunday, November 07, 2004
And so it begins...
Saturday, November 06, 2004
re: Teaching to the Tests
I love Randi's points, as the education I received from Big Rapids Public Schools put me pretty far behind already when I reached Albion (and was, thus, the source of some of my anger and frustration early in my college career). And I HATED the MEAP, as I feel I am intelligent, but not a good "test taker."
Here is the problem with her criticism: Without standardized tests (think MEAP, but go further to ACT/SAT), our society seems to not be able to objectively evaluate students. My dad, a college professor of Criminal Justice, and I have had this conversation dozens of times: while tests are NOT the best way to judge what students are learning, how do we, then, judge how well the student is doing or even if they understand what they're supposed to be learning? And, while some of us might actually come up with something that's a good replacement, keep in mind that pretty much our entire economy seems to be based, not on how intelligent you actually are, but how intelligent you look on paper. Eliminating something like MEAP may lead down a slippery slope to what would be a huge paradigm shift. Furthermore, it seems our society wants to be able to test the teachers... as the question on everyone's lips seems to be "Is our children learning?"
I'm just saying we HAVE to be prepared with an alternative, if we want to attack something like standardized tests (which I think is a good idea). Here's the good news, my dad recently visited the Canadian Mounted Police Training Center in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Mounties education focuses on group work and situational learning (the students are given a legal scenario and asked to work through what steps they should take resolve the problem), and seem to be evaluated as such, with no formal "testing". This is a great alternative, but it also has flaws: the extroverted student, those who think things through out loud, come across as the leaders because they are the ones who are talking. The introverted students seem to be left behind, because they aren't talking much comparatively. This, as an introvert, is one of my huge problems with group work: extroverted students get higher grades, even if what they're saying isn't intelligent, and the introverted student can't get a word in.
But I digress, even though some kind of situational learning might be the answer for colleges, or even high schools, my point is that it is going to be difficult to evaluate elementary school students without some kind of standard testing (MEAP). I don't see us as being able to give elementary students situations to work through constructively.
So, my panel of intellectuals, how can we go about replacing the MEAP?
Here is the problem with her criticism: Without standardized tests (think MEAP, but go further to ACT/SAT), our society seems to not be able to objectively evaluate students. My dad, a college professor of Criminal Justice, and I have had this conversation dozens of times: while tests are NOT the best way to judge what students are learning, how do we, then, judge how well the student is doing or even if they understand what they're supposed to be learning? And, while some of us might actually come up with something that's a good replacement, keep in mind that pretty much our entire economy seems to be based, not on how intelligent you actually are, but how intelligent you look on paper. Eliminating something like MEAP may lead down a slippery slope to what would be a huge paradigm shift. Furthermore, it seems our society wants to be able to test the teachers... as the question on everyone's lips seems to be "Is our children learning?"
I'm just saying we HAVE to be prepared with an alternative, if we want to attack something like standardized tests (which I think is a good idea). Here's the good news, my dad recently visited the Canadian Mounted Police Training Center in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Mounties education focuses on group work and situational learning (the students are given a legal scenario and asked to work through what steps they should take resolve the problem), and seem to be evaluated as such, with no formal "testing". This is a great alternative, but it also has flaws: the extroverted student, those who think things through out loud, come across as the leaders because they are the ones who are talking. The introverted students seem to be left behind, because they aren't talking much comparatively. This, as an introvert, is one of my huge problems with group work: extroverted students get higher grades, even if what they're saying isn't intelligent, and the introverted student can't get a word in.
But I digress, even though some kind of situational learning might be the answer for colleges, or even high schools, my point is that it is going to be difficult to evaluate elementary school students without some kind of standard testing (MEAP). I don't see us as being able to give elementary students situations to work through constructively.
So, my panel of intellectuals, how can we go about replacing the MEAP?
Friday, November 05, 2004
Obama's the place to start
Chad mentioned that Illinois might be a good place for us to gain some ground because of how easily Kerry won. I agree, and I think that a letter to Barak Obama might be a good place to start. He was just elected to the US Senate from Illinois... he's intelligent, knows the issues, and is new to the Senate, so he'll still be responsive to new movements like ours. If anyone would like to write a letter to Senator Obama giving him a brief synopsis of what we're trying to accomplish, I think that would be an awesome start. If we need more time before we start actually talking to congresspersons, that's cool... Obama's just a wonderful place to start!
