Media Matters

Facebook posting

2011-06-26T19:42:00.002-04:00

I love Facebook...maybe too much but even I have set my limits and mentally stop myself from getting carried away. I like it because I post what's going on in my life...mostly good. I don't want to post negative or bad stuff because I feel like it is drawing too much attention. But that is a symptom of how conscious people have become of posting things on Facebook.

The real reason I am writing this is because of people who post too much information on Facebook. I just want to list three examples.

1. Do not post details that should be private about your job. Another person who I know is a grad student and teacher. He has openly posted his gripes about students multiple times and other times, he will blast the school he teaches/studies at. NEVER blast students on social media...and especially if you do not have a full-time job yet and hope to graduate in a couple years.

2. A friend of mine went through a tough divorce last year...as the break up and divorce was proceding, he posted gripes about his soon-to-be ex as well as her parenting abilities and things she supposedly did. If a divorce is pending in court, this was probably not a smart move.

3. I get that sometimes it is important to let others know how a loved one is doing if they are sick or in the hospital. I understand that. BUT I do not get people who post pictures of injuries or grotesque photos of injuries. I don't want to see that!

Please feel free to add your "do not post" or what you cannot stand that people post on Facebook comment. What are your thoughts?

Jobs and Relationships

2011-05-31T18:32:00.004-04:00

It's been so long since my last blog post. I feel the need to write. For a long time, I have compared jobs to relationships and vice versa. We are looking for "the one"...whether it's a job or the signficant other. I strongly believe the two have a lot in common.

For both...
You want to make a great first impression.
You want growth in both.
You don't want to cheat on either. If you are cheating, what you have currently going on is not satisfying you. Or it is not giving you something you need or deserve.
You want good, open communication.
You want to have input in your future.
You want "the one" you find to be your last one.
If there's bad news, you would like to be treated as an adult and treated with respect. Meaning, you should be talked to in person and not in a memo or e-mail.
And vice versa, if you have to leave, do it respectfully. Be a good person. Show that you have class.
The transition process from one to another can be awkward and requires time.

In the Business Communication class I teach, I say to my students all the time to treat people like how you would like to be treated. The Golden Rule. Even if you have to fire an employee and it is unpleasant, do them the favor and tell them in person. It could be a learning experience for them as well as for you. I am such a huge believer in this. I try to treat students and colleagues with a positive attitude and support them.

Over my career in which I have worked numerous jobs, I have noticed that the "rules" I have listed in my comparison to relationships, usually hold true.

A bad audition that brings fame and laughs

2011-01-30T18:24:00.002-05:00

So I got a call from a longtime friend last Wednesday night and as soon as I said, "hello?", my friend was cackling like a hyena. My friend was laughing hysterically at Joe Repka, the American Idol contestant. Joe was a student of mine last year. Good to hear he mentioned Toledo. The day after the audition aired, Joe was on Kaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy----100! And he has been flooded with media requests.
And then there was this posted on YouTube...

Newswriting issue

2010-12-14T22:51:00.002-05:00

Sorry it's been so long between posts but I had to write something after seeing this story on the local news.

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Anferney Fontenet, 16, has been sentenced for raping a woman with Asperger's syndrome alongside a Toledo road.

As the judge handed down the punishment of 18 years in prison, the victim watched from a monitor in another part of the courthouse and Fontenet shed tears.
Judge Stacy Cook says Fontenet has no control over his impulses and that makes him a danger to the community.

The victim's mom read a letter her daughter wrote saying how the rape and robbery changed her life forever.

Fontenet had a few words to say in court too.
"I'd like to apologize to the victim and her family. I didn't intend for any of this to happen, but I'm not going to make an excuse for it, but what I did was not right. What I did was wrong."

The victim's family is glad this boy is off the streets.
"I don't feel satisfied. I don't feel dissatisfied. I am happy he's off the streets so he doesn't hurt anyone else, but I'm not in for revenge," the victim's mother said.

Fontenet will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He says he plans on appealing the sentence.

****My only question with this story is why is it relevant that the victim had Asperger's syndrome? Why is she identified by her illness?

The BIG 4-0

2010-10-13T11:05:00.003-04:00

So, here I am with a little more than a week left of the 30s. I am definitely thinking more about hitting 40 than what I did when I hit 30. 40 is middle aged. The 30s decade was a crazy one. I worked four jobs with hopefully, the one I'm at...being the one I can stay at the longest. I also started work on a Ph.D....first at Kent State and then on to BG to finish up some day.

I was married for four years and divorced. Enough said.

I'm just happy to be physically and mentally healthy. I wish I had the energy I had when I was younger but I still stay active enough to not become a total slob as I hit 40.

If you are over 40, please leave me some advice for hitting 40 and moving beyond. Also, how did you feel when you hit 40? Was it a big deal?

You never know who you'll run into...

2010-08-22T22:33:00.002-04:00

Ok, so here's a story...
I was at Kroger's on Main Street in Bowling Green, on the north end of town. At least I think it's Main Street. This was this past Saturday night. I was on my way to a birthday party. I just filled my gas tank and was waiting to turn left to go south...leaving Kroger's. I'm behind a white Chevy Caprice Classic. All of a sudden, the car puts it in reverse and starts backing up. I can't go anywhere because a car is behind me. I lay on my horn a couple times. The car kept coming and hit me!!!! Didn't seem major but the car hit me enough to get my attention. Of course, the light turns green. The white car turns left. I'm pissed. I follow the car. I'm honking my horn and flashing my lights every other block. The car keeps going. I call BG Police....who are busy with the Tractor Pull. I read off the license plate number and took a picture of the car with my phone. As I'm on the phone with BG Police, I am calling out what direction I am going and what streets I'm passing. Every so often, again, I flashed my lights and honked my horn. I noticed the passenger turned around and looked. I pointed to the side of the road as if to say, "HEY, PULL OVER!" I even yelled that out the window. We were now five miles away from Kroger's. We went by the fairgrounds where the tractor pull was going on. We never went faster than 40 mph. Eventually, I got transfered to the Wood County Sheriff's Department. I followed the car to a little town called Tontogany. Otsego High School is not that far away. We were now about 6 miles from where the "chase" started. The car pulled into a driveway. I parked. The passenger got out. She was a short woman...a little rough around the edges. I said, "You hit my car." She said, "no, we didn't." I said, "Yes, you did....back at Kroger's. We were sitting at the light waiting to turn onto Main....you started to back up and I laid on my horn and you hit me." The woman got really nervous and pulled out a cigarette and was shaking. I looked at the front of my car and really couldn't see any major damage. There might have been some scratches in the grill or something but nothing big. Anyway, then, the driver gets out. She's probably in her mid-60s. There's a handicap accessible placard in her rearview mirror. She struggled to make it over to me and the other woman, who as it turned out, was her sister. The driver, was missing teeth and walked (really struggled to walk) with a cane. She didn't know or believed she hit me either. She thought I was tail-gating her. After talking to her and her sister, the driver told me she is homeless. Her car is pretty much the only thing she owns. She has no phone. She lives in a mission in Toledo. She also told me she had been the victim of a break-in and had been robbed recently in Toledo. Her sister lives in a room at the house of a friend we were at parked at. She has a pre-paid phone. Both are looking for work. The driver was overly apologetic and seemed to be getting upset that she hit me and didn't realize it. The sheriff's department told me BG Police would follow up with them when I told them I live in Toledo. However, after hearing how down on their luck both women were, I decided this wasn't worth it. They don't need the trouble. I told them to forget about it. Just then, a Wood County Sheriff's Department officer pulls up. He showed me a message from the BG Police that basically said that again, they would follow up if I wanted to. I told him to forget about it. The ladies thanked me and said I was a very nice guy. I left and went on my way to the birthday party but man, it really taught me a lesson about waiting to judge somebody before I get all the facts. Here I was thinking, "what kind of a-hole hits me and keeps driving?" And then after talking to these two ladies, I found out they were super nice and didn't mean it all. And in the end, I ended up wishing I could have done more to help them.

In the minority

2010-08-12T20:03:00.002-04:00

I must be in the minority by saying I disagree with Steven Slater and his "departure" from JetBlue. Over my life, I have had many bad days at work and at one particular place I worked, YES, I did get as ticked off as Steve but I never would have given my employers the delight in canning me by doing something stupid. I know. I know. Steven quit and was not fired. Big flippin' difference. He would have been canned anyway. Who wants to hire the guy now besides reality tv show directors? Great, the guy will be a pseudo-celebrity like every other D-lister like Kate Gosselin, Octomom, and others.

The New York Post today reported that "Slater's lawyer Howard Turman said his client "wants to return to a normal life" -- adding that he has been in talks with the Queens DA's office since his arrest Monday at Kennedy Airport." BREAKING NEWS: Steven Slater will NEVER be able to have a "normal" life thanks to his emergency slide/beer escapade.

I think the public is jumping to serious conclusions about the innocence of Steven Slater. Again, here's what the Post reported today, "Marjorie Briskin, 53, a schoolteacher from Pittsburgh, said she was deplaning at JFK Airport when Slater and a woman walking in front of her got into a heated conversation over the woman’s luggage.

She said the passenger, who appeared to be in her 20s, asked Slater where her bag was stowed.

Briskin said the seemingly normal conversation turned unexpectedly nasty when Slater blurted out an expletive to the passenger.

"I didn’t think she was rude in the least," said Briskin, who was visiting the city for the first time. "It really blew my mind. It was so inappropriate."

Other passengers have reported that Slater had this cut on his forehead before they took off and he did nothing about it.

I was talking about this at the barber shop today and the barber had a great comment. He said, "you know, if he did that (pull the emergency escape and grab beer) as a passenger, he would be arrested and put in the slammer easily." But as an employee, he's a hero????" Even still, WHY should Steven be considered a hero? What did he do that was so heroic? He didn't go "Sully" and land a plane on the Hudson River?

Things on my mind as I go through school.

2010-07-31T14:06:00.006-04:00

Let me first apologize for writing about my doctoral program experience. I know not everyone can get into this but there are a lot of lessons that apply to areas outside of school.

First, my adviser, Dr. Ewart Skinner, said to me, "Think of the end....now." In other words, what I do now has a direct bearing on what happens when I graduate and look for jobs if I want to move around or even stay at Toledo. In terms of what I am doing now, more specifically, he meant the theory I specialize in as well as the research method is something I will carry with me throughout my doctoral student career and then when I apply for jobs or stay at Toledo, I can talk about my areas of specialty.

Second, think about your audience. My research interest is studying how pregnant teens and teen moms identify with pregnancy themes in the media like tv shows and movies. We have seen people blame the media for glamorizing pregnancy and making it more appealing to teens. To me, this has practical applications. I want to talk to teens about the media's impact. Once my research is completed, I want people, especially teens, to read it. In my opinion, there is a lot of academic research that seems to float in this cloud above people that only academic types read. I don't see the point in doing research if it does not benefit people in some way. So, to shorten up my point, basically, who is the audience? Who will read or hear your research? How will it impact them?

Lastly, you are constantly making an impression on somebody. What I mean by that is no matter what happens, what assignment you have, you are always "interviewing." Someone has their eye on you. The faculty in the Media and Communication Department at BGSU is strong and have published a ton of research articles and have connections. While many are set in where they are, they might get a call from a professor they know at another university asking if they know of someone who they think would make a good hire. I try to keep that in mind. I don't want to be the student who gets spoken of as, "yeah, he tries hard but doesn't seem to give it his all" or "he goes through the motions a lot." Not cool.

The Fans' reaction LeBron James.

2010-07-08T21:48:00.003-04:00

Ok, so LeBron is going to Miami. LeBron fans and I will call them LeBron fans because from what I have seen on Facebook, many are clueless about basketball and about the Cavs in general. They are bandwagon fans. I want to address the lunacy from Facebook...one statement at a time as a way to show what loons are out there. In quotes are actual Facebook posts followed by my reaction.

"he did what all egocentric punks do...shat on his home and left to take care of himself...I hope he suffers a career ending injury..." This loon wants LeBron to get hurt?!

"He should have let us know beforehand, but then would it really have ben a secret the whole world would have known instantly...he made a good decision, I will still respect him as a player...Im upset he left Cleveland but this is still his home, and I hope people will be adult enough to realize he is allowed to live his own life..." What does or did LeBron owe the fans?

"Would he have made more$$ staying In Cleveland?" Yes, but the Cavs have a crappy team compared to Miami and Chicago.

"Money went to his head." Any true basketball fan has to compare the Cavs' roster against Chicago's and Miami's and see where Bron's best chances are for a title.

"If he wanted to leave - ok. But why treat the fans so poorly?" HOW did he treat fans poorly? He was silent, except for a Larry King interview.

"The thing that bothered me the most was when he said he had no regret about his decision. As I said earlier there is a huge difference between skill and character. LBJ just showed his huge lack of character. Now it's up to our Cavs to prove what a great tean they are." HOW did LeBron show a lack of character?

"it's all about the Benjamins...." HOW? He went to a team for less money. He already has a $100 million contract with Nike, an endorsement deal with Sprite, and several other companies. He has tons of money.

"he showed a total lack of character and a total lack of caring for the 7 years NE Ohio has supported him. What a douche." Again, how did he show a lack of character?

"battery night at the Q!" A sign that there are still people out there playing with less than a full deck.

"Did you notice he's from Akron now? Akron, Akron, Akron." He has ALWAYS said he's from Akron.

"Is it wrong to already be rooting for season ending pre-season injuries?" Again, another person who is 'out there.'

"Belle, Thome, Ramirez, Boozer, and now LeBron.

So much for "Loyalty". = /" What LOYALTY did LeBron owe Cleveland? He was a Cavalier for SEVEN years!

"LeBron is a sellout." How? Why? For going to a team with a better roster?

" F*U* Lebron" Wow. Someone hates a guy this much for bettering his chances to go to a title contender?

Among some of the other unknowledgable stuff posted on Facebook, there was, "He's switching conferences." Uh, no. Only if he signed with the Clippers.

"I am enjoying all the backlash at Cleveland.com. You would think that the city will now fall into Lake Erie. He's not God, he only thinks he is. One injury and the Miami faithful will regret the signing." Is LeBron totally responsible for having a God complex? Let's see....LeBron didn't suggest a man turn his car into a petition. LBJ didn't suggest there be a flash mob at Tower City. LBJ didn't push for the Appreciation Rally in Akron. LeBron sure as hell didn't ask for the We Are the World remake. He didn't ask for downtown Cleveland to have the word "home" all over the place on the 4th of July. He didn't ask people to grow beards for him either.

One nutcase continuously debated me online that LeBron should have made his announcement in Cleveland. WHAT would have been the point in that? Make the announcement in Cleveland that he is playing for Miami?! That would make no sense.

This is what happens when the media drive a story without putting out facts. Too much "rumor" and "speculation" from "sources" was reported. Seeing the misinformation repeated by fans is alarming. The Cavs by the rules could offer him the max. Regardless of where LeBron is from, the Cavs have absolutely nothing in free agency. That's a fact. LeBron owed the fans and Cleveland nothing. He was here for seven years. He already has huge endoresement deals. This was not entirely about money.

Please go away, LeBron!

2010-07-06T19:56:00.003-04:00

Whether he stays in Cleveland or goes elsewhere, I hope LeBron disappears on vacation for awhile. The media have been acting like high school kids passing notes and rumors. Consider this. I get the Record-Courier out of Kent everyday in my e-mail. Twice in the last two days I got "breaking news" alerts about LeBron James. The first one said that "LeBron has a lot to think about after the sales pitches from different teams." YES....that was breaking news. And the other breaking news alert was that there's a RUMOR of a sign and trade deal for Toronto's Chris Bosh. YES, I said that....a RUMOR was reported as "breaking news."

The is LeBron free agency has turned into TMZ silliness at its best.

So what?

2010-05-30T19:27:00.003-04:00

As a doctoral student at Bowling Green State University, I along with my fellow students have a wide variety of research interests. However, it seems we are always trying to answer the question, "SO WHAT?". Or "why should people care?" One of my all-time favorite professors at Kent State, the late Larry Hugenberg once said, "you could probably take about 99 percent of all academic research and throw it in a pile in the parking lot and burn it (due to the so what question)." There is an issue with academia in that on one hand, you are looked at as a "sell out" if you try to reach beyond the academic journals and go "mainstream" to reach a wider audience BUT on the other hand, if you keep your research interests or projects inside the academic circles, who really benefits from your research? Case in point: my best friend here in Toledo did her dissertation on the retention of minority students in medical colleges across the country. She loooked at the factors that cause minority medical students who stay in the program and the factors that cause students to drop out. I applaud her massive effort to gather data and assemble her dissertation. Her dissertation led her to do presentations at several conferences across the country and it led to her getting a promotion at the University of Toledo. My friend was truly motivated to carry out her research because it was personal to her and she wanted to make a difference. My friend's work could not have made the impact it has if she would have confined it to academic journals. Thankfully, one of my professors said recently that one of the major academic communication organizations is softening its stance on reaching out beyond its walls to a wider audience.

Ironically, the Plain Dealer of Cleveland has an article (May 30, 2010) about a guy who is battling an issue to publish his research about a possible cancer-cell-killing project of his.
http://www.cleveland.com/medical/index.ssf/2010/05/cleveland_state_university_pro.html

Don't Tase Me, Bro!

2010-05-05T12:11:00.002-04:00

Recently, a Philadelphia Phillies fan ran onto the field and had a good old time eluding security. The guy is apparently very fast but not fast enough to outrun a taser gun as he slid nicely after getting jolted. Now, the debate is whether this was excessive force. Fans have run onto the field before. Here's a drunken Browns fan who paid the price.

And then, there's the occasional drunken wrestling fan...

Basically, my point is that I'm not sure the taser is that "excessive" considering the danger the other incidents have shown. A football fan getting slammed could have been paralyzed. Same with the wrestling idiot.

Food and Memories

2010-04-23T23:06:00.002-04:00

I find it oddly fascinating how a restaurant or food can trigger memories. For example, earlier this week, I was hungry and in a hurry. So I went through the drive-through at Arby's and got two little roast beef sandwiches. The sandwiches immediately made me think of my late dad, who passed away last year. He loved Arby's sandwiches.

Another place I went to recently was Boston Market. I think they have really good food there. Here's my issue. I had a close relative who was in a mental institution and I would go visit that relative several times. I would stop at the nearby Boston Market before going to see the relative. So, I developed a correlation between visits to the mental hospital and Boston Market. Even now that I am in Toledo, I still have trouble eating in the restaurant because it makes me think of going to a mental hospital. This time though, I got my food to go because I didn't want to sit in the store.

Dairy Queen is another place that brings back memories. When I worked in TV, I would go to Berea with one of the greatest guys I know. On the way back from Berea on the turnpike, we would stop in Richfield at the Dairy Queen. My friend has a stomach lined with tin. He eats all kinds of stuff that should melt paint off a car. It wouldn't be unusual for my buddy to get a chili dog and a burger at DQ. Anyway, every time we stopped, we had an absolute blast.

There are more food memories. I just had to share the ones I experienced or thought of recently.

Dismissed.

2010-04-04T23:07:00.003-04:00

It amazes me the lengths that some people go to-to dismiss serious criminal allegations like sexual abuse. The head of the Roman Catholic church, Pope Benedict, allegedly dragged his feet in dealing with sexual abuse cases when he was Cardinal Ratzinger. More cases are coming forward from the past. The apologies seem hallow.

A close relative of mine who is fanatical about his Catholicism was asked about this whole thing and his response was that the media was "on a witch hunt." He said there are more public school teachers having sex with students than there are priests having sex with kids. Maybe it's me...but I don't see how public school teachers having sex with kids dismisses a high ranking official in the church KNOWING about it and not doing anything about it. Whether or not the media covers the scandal and how intensely it does, does not change whether or not the abuse was right or wrong.

How can people ignore this?

2010-03-31T08:24:00.002-04:00

To be honest, I'm surprised more of these incidents aren't happening. Too often, schools are worried about their image and don't want people to think bullying happens at their school so they sweep it under the rug.

Why does this have to happen?

2010-03-26T10:00:00.002-04:00

I think it's great that people care about politics and we all have the right to an opinion BUT when it gets to the point where racism and death threats are involved, it's gone too far. There's no reason for someone to use the n-word on someone because of how they voted politically or what cause they believe in. Throwing bricks through windows, showing guns, and making harrassing telephone calls is not only out of line but it is a strong suggestion of the level of the person's intelligence and civility (or lack thereof).

How can this be fixed?

2010-03-19T08:07:00.002-04:00

President Obama wants a major overhaul of No Child Left Behind. NCLB is the major legislation that President George W. Bush passed in an attempt to raise the level of education in this country by emphasizing testing and improvement for EVERY student.

People have to understand something. Funding is tied to nearly everything, especially in education....attendance rates, graduation rates, passing rates, etc. You get the idea. Naturally, the better a school does, the more funding it receives. Can this lead to dishonesty? Sure. Students are passed who no in way should be passed. Students who have major disciplinary issues are not punished because again, suspending students and/or sending them home counts against attendance. Only major discipline issues will send a student home.

Standardized testing...this has led to major problems for schools and children. Teachers are teaching to the test, plain and simple. Their jobs are on the line. They are pressured by administrators to do well, no matter what kind of students walk through their door. Is that fair? Maybe not. It will force teachers to attempt to reach every child though.

But what happens when teachers teach to a test? Critical thinking and/or problem solving skills are not practiced. Instead, students become strategic test takers. Filling in a circle will never replace problem or project based learning. Furthermore, filling in circles will never substitute for learning writing skills and/or learning things like American History or Geography. Consider this: a grad student/classmate of mine said recently during a conversation about First Ladies that Eleanor Roosevelt did a lot and was a powerful First Lady because "FDR sat around a lot." That lack of common knowledge is disturbing. I once ran talked to an undergrad who had no idea where Mexico was. USA TODAY ran an article a couple months ago that said that more undergrads are taking up to seven years to get their bachelor's degree because they are taking so many remedial classes. This is not a surprise. Public edcuation is failing them. Education needs to be improved, big time.

Is he sorry he got caught or genuinely sorry?

2010-03-07T11:35:00.003-05:00

See the idiot above? That's Walt Baker, CEO of the Tennessee Hospitality Association. Walt sent the following e-mail to a few people comparing First Lady Michelle Obama to a monkey.

Baker says he meant no offense and sent it to what he considered to be "a select group of friends." "If anybody wants to make a political agenda out of it, they're wasting they're time."

Memo to Walt: Please rethink things before you hit "send."

****Below is the text of the e-mail. Attached was a picture of Michelle Obama and a picture of a monkey.

From: Walt Baker To: Albie DelFavero, Bruce Dobie, Butch Spyridon, Joe Hall, Peter Heidenreich, Terry Clements, Toby Compton, Chuck Creasy, Rob Moorefield, Ken Whitehouse, Paul Brown, Bob Davis Date: March 4, 2010 9:18:29 PM CST
Quoting Larry the Cable Guy...I don't care who you are, this is funny...

I was at the store yesterday, and I ran into Tarzan! I asked him how it was going and if he was into anymore movies.  

He told me that he could no longer make any more movies as he had severe arthritis in both shoulders and could no longer swing from vine to tree.

  I asked how Jane was doing, he told me she was in bad shape, in a nursing home, has Alzheimer's and no longer recognizes anyone, how sad. I asked about Boy, and he told me that Boy had gone to the big city, got hooked up with bad women, drugs, alcohol, and the only time he heard from him was if he was in trouble or needed something. 

I asked about Cheeta, he beamed and said she was doing good, had married a Lawyer and now lived in the White House!!!

Best ratings yet.

2010-03-02T18:19:00.001-05:00

My guess on the upcoming edition of Dancing With The Stars will be the highest rated ever. Pamela Anderson, Erin Andrews, and Kate Gosselin???? Too much "car wreck" type "stars" there to ignore.

From Yahoo! TV...

Overhyped cast announcements have become a twice-yearly tradition for "Dancing With the Stars," but this week, the hype may actually be deserved. For its tenth season, kicking off March 22, ABC has assembled the A-list of the B-list, ranging from the biggest "Bachelor" ever to the biggest (ahem) "Baywatch" babe ever to the most eccentric NFL star ever.

But above all, the show managed to score Kate Gosselin, one of the most talked about and controversial reality TV stars ever. Already, she's attracting attention for the fact that she'll need to be in Los Angeles to rehearse and tape two to three episodes each week, presumably leaving her eight young children behind (though reportedly she'll practice her routines back home in Pennsylvania). Expect that storyline to gather steam as the season progresses — unless, of course, voters send her packing quickly. Here's how we think Kate and the rest of the cast will do:

How does this happen so much?

2010-02-27T20:55:00.002-05:00

How do so many Howard Stern clones and show contributors get on-air?

Hockey Hope!

2010-02-22T10:32:00.000-05:00

Hopefully, the USA Hockey Team repeats what happened in 1980.

The ME generation

2010-02-07T14:21:00.002-05:00

Great series on education in the Detroit Free Press. Ok, so we've identified that this generation of students wants instant gratification, is used to be coddled, and is coddled by the parents. How can we fix this?

Students' attitudes a major obstacle to learning, prof says
BY ROBIN ERB
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER

What gets Carl Taylor is not what his students don't know; it's that many don't care what they don't know.

The sociology professor at Michigan State University calls it the "normalization of ignorance" -- a culture in which the definitions of reading and writing are what can be texted or Facebooked.

Taylor and others say that for many of today's youths, a Google search counts as heady research. And composition is cut-and-paste.

"They're moving so fast, the only thing that matters is the end," said Taylor, who grew up in Detroit and has spent years researching youth culture.

Too often, these students head to college without the critical-thinking skills, patience and tenacity needed for even entry-level courses. Add to the mix a sense of entitlement -- groomed over the years by parents who feed it and teachers who get tired of fighting it, Taylor said.

"I've always had concerned parents, but in this past decade -- and it gets worse every year -- you get this indignant, pissed-off student, who returns with an indignant, pissed-off parent," he said.

Parents have complained to him about his no-tolerance policy for tardy students and his unwavering deadlines on class assignments. They've demanded changes for their college-age children's grades.

For too many teachers in kindergarten through 12th grades, he said, it's not worth the constant fights with parents, students and administrators to keep working with a below-average student. Rather, it's easier to pass along the problem: "In the end, it's not worth the battle."

Taylor said a senior recently asked for his help in getting a job. When he criticized her cover letter, in which she wrote that she looked forward to "hereing" from her potential boss, she was annoyed.

"The ill-prepared, we can address; the attitude is tougher," he said.

It gets worse for Edwards.

2010-02-06T08:45:00.003-05:00

And the magnitude of how big of a turd John Edwards is continues to grow. How this clown vehemently denied he was having an affair and denied he fathered a child for so long shows how low he will sink.

PITTSBORO, N.C. (AP) — A former aide to John Edwards says in court documents that a copy of a sex tape featuring his former boss has been sent to the FBI.

Andrew Young said Friday he has the original copy of the tape in a safe deposit box in Atlanta. He said a copy of the tape was sent to his Washington attorney, who turned it over to federal investigators.

Young has said the tape shows Edwards and a woman he believes to be the two-time presidential candidate's mistress, Rielle Hunter. Federal investigators have been looking into the money that exchanged hands during Edwards' second White House campaign. He has denied breaking campaign finance laws.

A judge has ordered Young to turn over all copies of the tape.

When will they learn?

2010-01-27T15:37:00.006-05:00

Basketball player Greg Oden is doing the apology tour for as Jim Rome put it, "taking pictures of his package and e-mailing them to his girlfriend." WHY would anyone do this? Can anyone justify doing this? As Jim Rome said today, being a soulmate or in love is still no reason.

Here is the article from the Associated Press.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden (notes) is apologizing for nude photos that have surfaced on the internet. Oden says the pictures, taken with his cell phone and sent to a former girlfriend, were taken about 1 1/2 years ago. A friend told the 21-year-old Tuesday morning that the pictures were making the rounds on the internet.

“I would like to apologize to everybody: Portland, the fans, the organization,” Oden told reporters at the Blazers practice facility. “It was very embarrassing.”

Oden is out for this season after fracturing his left kneecap during a game against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 5. He averaged 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds in 21 starts. The 7-foot-center was the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft out of Ohio State. He missed his rookie season after have microfracture surgery on his right knee.

What an ass.

2010-01-21T18:19:00.002-05:00

Never has someone come across so publicly as being out for himself like John Edwards. As this guy campaigned, he vehemently denied he was having an affair as his wife was battling breast cancer. He eventually admitted to having the affair but denied he fathered a child with his mistress. Until now................................Edwards' confession would not have happened had one of his campaign aides taped a tv interview in which he said Edwards offered to pay him large sums of money to keep the fatherhood issue a secret.

How sad is it for the baby girl Edwards fathered. Can you imagine it if your father were to deny you? Again, like my title says, "what an ass."

Startling Revelations

2010-01-11T00:00:00.002-05:00

Can someone please explain to me how anyone can still think Sarah Palin has a political future? Having to be briefed on World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and the War on Terror is unreal. I'm glad 60 Minutes posted this online. Of course, the Republican supporters are saying in the comments online that "this is Sarah Palin bashing", "she's really a smart woman", and naturally, "60 Minutes is a liberal/partisan broadcast." I mean, come on! How bad is it when your v-p candidate needs to ask Senator Biden to call him "Joe" because she couldn't say his freakin' name??!!

Watch CBS News Videos Online
Oh, yes, these political insiders also said that if Palin runs for the Presidency in 2012, it would be catastrophic for the Republican Party. Hey, GOP supporters, please DO something for the better of our country...if you don't like the way Barack Obama is running our country, push someone forward who can do better. Unfortunately, Sarah Palin will not cut it. Please stop thinking Palin has it together. She does not. Because she has a twang and speaks kind of folksy, that does not compensate for her being clueless. You cannot get around that. "What magazines/newspapers do you read?" "Name a significant court case handled by the Supreme Court other than Roe v. Wade?" These are fairly basic questions that probably a decent percentage of Americans could answer. Under the bright lights of tv cameras, Sarah Palin could not handle either question.

What a tool.

2010-01-06T20:19:00.004-05:00

Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas needs to go away...at least from basketball. The idiot pointed a gun at a teammate in the Wizards' lockerroom over a card game issue. Arenas says he was joking. He has apologized but then last night, his last night in uniform, he pointed both fingers at his teammates in a huddle as if he was shooting guns. The laughing from Gilbert's teammates in the huddle is as bad his joking around on the issue. It has been reported that Arenas has brought four guns to the Wizards' arena. And yet still, Arenas thinks this is funny. Well today, NBA Commissioner David Stern had enough and suspended the knucklehead indefinitely without pay. Nice job, Commish.

Facebook and Phone Etiquette

2009-12-29T17:36:00.002-05:00

Can someone please help me out with manners for Facebook and cellphones in terms of the following issue: How long should you keep someone's contact information in your cellphone? How long do you keep someone as a friend on Facebook...even if you have no point in hearing from them or stopped hearing from them for months? Are there "rules" for the removal of info/former friends?

The passing of George Michael

2009-12-27T23:07:00.003-05:00

Washington D.C. and national sports broadcasting legend George Michael recently passed away at the age of 70 from leukemia. I remember back when I was growing up, staying up late Sunday night to watch George Michael's Sports Machine on Cleveland's WKYC TV 3 at 11:30. I especially tried to catch it on the last Sunday of the month and the last Sunday of the year was a really "can't miss" show due to the plays of the year. Below is typical of what you would get in one of the segments. The Sports Machine was a well-produced show that was upbeat, fun, and didn't need the "attitude" of other current sports shows to get you to watch. Michael always said the "tape is the star." In a typical half-hour show, you would see tons of highlights and so little of George.

Report the Facts. Respect the truth.

2009-12-22T20:17:00.002-05:00

Channel 3 in Cleveland followed up the Fox 8 story about the Chippendale dancer with this effort from video journalist Carl Bachtel. If you can't see the video here, please go to wkyc.com and see the story. It's at least more tastefully done than the one on Fox 8. At least Carl didn't get a shot of himself in the bed.

Yes, this is a top 20 news market!

2009-12-22T10:24:00.002-05:00

I grew up watching what is now Fox 8 in Cleveland. It seemed to be the most likeable station. They hire hometown talent and do a good job on sports. Many fine reporters and anchors have moved on from Cleveland to even bigger markets. Kelly O'Donnell, Martin Savidge, and Vince Cellini to name a few. With people moving on to bigger jobs, you would think that the journalistic standards in Cleveland are pretty high. Then, stories like these have to air...

The fact the guy is a Chippendales dancer has so little to do with the story but the reporter made it a big part of the story. The tight shot of him "travelling with a six pack"????

This aired during the five o'clock hour on Monday, December 21st. I wonder if I was the only one who felt uncomfortable seeing this on the news.

I wonder what the perception would be if a woman had done this story. Hmmmmmm...

More unreal Obama news

2009-12-01T12:57:00.001-05:00

Who comes up with this crap? Unbelievable.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's deliberate approach to decision-making and a fascination with science is raising some eyebrows and drawing the logical question.

Is Barack Obama Washington's Mr. Spock, the chief science officer for the ship of state?

Actor Leonard Nimoy, who has portrayed "Star Trek's" Spock for more than 40 years, tells The Associated Press that Obama's precise, logical approach may be "somewhat unusual for a politician." And that may be a compliment.

Obama's Spock-like qualities have drawn critics who say he's too technocratic, too deliberative and lacking in emotion.

But it's all good for the geek set who like the idea of a science president.

The president's science adviser, John Holdren, says Obama "is genuinely and intensely interested in science and technology in a way that goes beyond their practical relevance to meeting national goals."

Adam Lambert controversy

2009-11-25T22:02:00.003-05:00

The Adam Lambert controversy heated up this week after his controversial performance on the American Music Awards. I have several thoughts.

1. While he isn't saying he's sorry, he is admitting his performance "got carried away"...i.e. he admits he was offensive. It's as close to an apology as we will get. Furthermore, he admits he should have revealed to network executives during rehearsals that the simulated sex and other garbage was what he was going to do. Again, not quite an apology but as close as we will get.
2. Yes, his performance aired around 11 p.m. which is past kids' bedtimes but that shouldn't excuse someone from performing a simulated sex act on tv.
3. While I think he has a point that his sexual preference factors into the attention, I don't think that if it was a male performer with a woman or a woman performer with a guy simulating oral sex on-stage, there wouldn't be as much attention. I have to disagree with Adam on that. There would still be controversy.
4. Adam Lambert is not Elvis Presley. There is no comparison here as mentioned in the article....talentwise or shock-wise.
5. While he says Janet Jackson grabbing her crotch didn't get any attention, keep in mind Janet's brother Michael did it YEARS ago and has become a signature move. While not all that "family like or wholesome," it's not exactly over the top as simulated sex onstage.
6. On a network morning show a couple days later, Lambert performed and promised that his appearance was more "family friendly." Hey, either be one way or another in terms of your act. This is where Adam is right in terms of parents having responsibility with their kids. I just think it's rediculous to try to appeal to everybody, including families, if some of your act includes the raunchiness that we saw on the AMAs.

NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Lambert admits he got carried away with his sexually charged American Music Awards performance, but he's offering no apology.

The glam rocker from "American Idol" said on "The Early Show" that his performance would not have caused as much controversy if he weren't openly gay. He also said there were other "adult" moments on the show that caused no outrage.

"I admit I did get carried away, but I don't see anything wrong with it," he said Wednesday. "I do see how people got offended and that was not my intention. My intention was to interpret the lyrics of my song and have a good time with it."

Lambert kissed a male keyboard player, dragged a female dancer around by the ankles and had a dancer simulate oral sex on him while performing "For Your Entertainment," a song with a sexual edge. ABC received many complaints about the performance and that network's morning show, "Good Morning America," canceled Lambert's scheduled appearance on Wednesday because it said it couldn't trust what he would do.

"The Early Show" on CBS, perennially third in a three-network morning show race, happily gave him a platform and milked it — interviewing him, having him interact with fans and asking him to sing. One of the show's hosts, Harry Smith, tied the flap to rock history, noting that camera operators were only allowed to shoot Elvis Presley from the waist up during a network TV appearance generations ago.

Lambert admitted he didn't rehearse some of the more risque elements of his award show performance — a point that particularly upset ABC, which said it was taken by surprise by what he did. In the future, he said he'd try to get these issues cleared before the show.

But he noted that Lady Gaga smashed whiskey bottles during her performance, Eminem rapped about rape and Janet Jackson briefly groped a male dancer.

"Janet Jackson, crotch grab," he said. "I haven't heard one peep about that."

He said that "if it had been a female pop performer doing (his) moves that were on the stage, I don't think there would be nearly as much of an outrage."

"I think it's because I'm a gay male," he added.

Offered a chance to apologize, he declined. He said he didn't consider that there may have been children watching because his American Music Awards performance came at nearly 11 p.m., and that it's a parent's job to monitor what their children are watching on TV.

"I'm not a baby sitter," he said. "I'm a performer."

Asked what he'd do differently if he had the chance, Lambert said, "I would sing it a little bit better."

"I guess I have a tendency to divide people," he added. "Apples and oranges — you either like it or you don't."

"For Your Entertainment" is the title cut and first single from Lambert's new album, which went on sale Monday. He didn't perform that on "The Early Show," opting instead for the songs "Whataya Want From Me" and "Music Again."

He said before performing, "Parents, this is appropriate, I promise."

Lambert took questions from fans surrounding CBS' midtown Manhattan studio, including one who said she had traveled from Japan to see him. None of the questions were about Sunday's performance.

His mother, Leila Lambert, came on stage between his two songs, and was asked what she thought of her son at the American Music Awards.

"I was a little taken aback," she said. "But, you know, I just went with the flow. It's all good."

How NOT to fire people.

2009-11-20T09:14:00.002-05:00

According to BusinessWeek, here are the top ten things to not say or do when letting someone go. I won't call out a particular boss who fired me but I'm amazed that he nailed five out these ten.

The Top 10 Comments to Avoid Uttering

Here are 10 things you should never say when terminating an employee:

While these comments may not be evidence of an illegal motive, they may produce anger that results in the employee's visiting a lawyer to determine whether a viable claim exists.

1."This was a job elimination and had nothing to do with your performance." Do not say this when a discharge had everything to do with an employee's performance. Your desire to protect an employee's feelings -- or your own -- can later be used as evidence of pretext if the employee brings a discrimination claim.

2. "We have carried you for many years. It's just not possible to continue to do so during these difficult times." Don't trash the past. It is not only insulting to the employee, but it may be inconsistent with the employee's prior evaluations. Remember, pretext alone wins cases.

3. "We have no choice but to terminate your employment." There are always other options. Why not tolerate mediocrity a little longer? Termination need not be the only viable option, so don't suggest that it is.

4. "You have no one to blame but yourself. You just did not try hard enough." Hold employees accountable, but don't impugn their integrity. When employees feel personally attacked, they fight back.

5."This is just as hard for me as it is for you." There are few absolutes, but it is absolutely true that it always harder to be fired than to fire. Don't ask an employee who is looking at unemployment to feel your pain.

6. "This is not the right job for you. When you get the right job, you will thank me." That may make you feel good, but it will make the discharged employee bristle. The "thank you" may come in the form of a complaint.

7. "I am sorry, but you are fired." You may mean: "I am sorry we have come to this situation." The employee may hear that you think you are wrong. It's not a good time to have a conversation about the meaning of "I am sorry." Avoid apologies, even though you may genuinely feel badly.

8. "I know how you feel." Unless you have been fired recently, you don't know how the person feels. If you have been fired recently, now is not the time to share that experience.

9. "You will always be a part of the corporate family." Trust me. This will make the fired employee think: "Oh, good. Will I still get the newsletter after I sue you?"

10 "Pardon the e-mail, but you are fired." This may not be unlawful, but it's gutless. And it invites the angry employee to go for your gut.

Badly in need of p.r.

2009-11-11T06:34:00.002-05:00

This is the city of Toledo's dog warden, attempting to defend his reasoning for euthanizing a large number of dogs instead of pushing for more dogs to be adopted. Check out what he says are signs of a "good dog."

Great editorial in The Blade

2009-11-08T13:57:00.001-05:00

Today's Toledo newspaper, The Blade, has a great editorial on high school education and No Child Left Behind. I am seeing the results of this teaching at the college level. Too many students are unprepared in terms of reading and writing skills. This has to change!

Diluting academics
TO ENSURE that schools meet the federally mandated goals of the No Child Left Behind law, some states have set easier academic standards to measure student achievement. So, while the schools may meet the federally mandated goals of the 2002 statute, their students are falling behind in what they ought to be learning.

That was the troubling conclusion of a blunt report by the Department of Education in an assessment of how state achievement levels can be undermined when tougher standards are applied. "We're lying to our children when we tell them they're proficient, but they're not achieving at a level that will prepare them for success once they graduate," said Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

His agency compared state achievement standards to the more challenging standards behind the federal National Assessment of Educational Progress. The findings include 31 states with fourth-graders who rated proficient in reading when they would have rated below basic on NAEP.

Seventeen states claimed eighth graders proficient in reading when they also scored below basic on NAEP. And another 10 states deemed fourth and eighth graders proficient at math when NAEP scores indicated that they, too, would have rated below basic.

The Obama Administration says the report, which shows stunning disparities in academic standards among states, bolsters its argument for all states to adopt the same tougher standards for what students should know. And while the federal government can't impose those standards on the states, it can encourage them - with millions of stimulus dollars in grants - to accept a set of uniform standards being developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

The good news is that every state, with the exception of Texas and Alaska, has signaled an interest in better preparing children to achieve and succeed in a global economy by already committing to the higher standards.
That way, advocates say, no matter where children live, the educational achievement bar won't be determined by their ZIP Code.

Age

2009-10-24T10:47:00.002-04:00

Having just celebrated a birthday and had a 20th class reunion, some interesting things happened. First, my reunion was a blast. In a class of 410, 150 people showed up for our reunion. Great turnout. It could have been higher. People knew a lot about what I was up to based on my Facebook page. That was neat.

Also, in 20 years, everyone goes their different paths. Many are married with kids. Some got married and are now divorced. Some are in a different part of the country. Either way, we all were pretty good with each other in talking and relating to each other's struggles and successes.

Now, here's another side of age. I am in a Doctorate program at BGSU. I am at least ten years older than almost all of my colleagues. Instead of going straight from one degree to the next, I worked in the real world. I think it helped me mature mentally and experience things that you just can't learn in class. Anyway, in some of my classes (at Kent and BG), I notice how I get the "old man" treatment. I mean, he's the "old man" in here, what does he know? That is such a powerful motivator. I think it can be more powerful than positive reinforcement. Thankfully though, the treatment for the age difference isn't as bad as it could be. There are just a handful of people who seem to have an issue with it.

Children and the Media

2009-10-16T11:25:00.002-04:00

So this young boy, Falcon, is at the heart of a national story about an eccentric family. The family has been making the rounds of the national media talk shows on cable and broadcast networks.
The result?

I don't know who is more guilty...the media for putting this fool (the father AND his family on tv) or is the guilty one the father for putting his family out there like this?

Turn it off!

2009-09-29T14:26:00.002-04:00

Why don't more people understand there is etquette with having a cellphone? I walk away from people if I am on the phone. I don't want to "invade their space" with my conversation. I hate it when people leave their phones in church, in the theater, wherever there should be silence. Check this video out of Hugh Jackman onstage while a cellphone is ringing.

The lunacy continues.

2009-09-25T22:19:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe people actually listen to this guy. Even if this was fake, it's in very poor taste.

What?

2009-09-23T21:14:00.004-04:00

Not often do I see funny animal videos that I want to post here but my buddy, Mark Williamson has this on his Facebook page. I watched this a few times because I couldn't believe the goat is actually saying, "Wwwwwwhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaatttttttttt???"

And here's another goat video, with a goat yelling for its Mommy.

What is going on?

2009-09-11T12:41:00.002-04:00

Republican Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina has gone from nobody to "hero" status in many people's minds because of his uncivil actions during the President's speech a couple nights ago. Wilson apologized after the speech saying his emotions got the best of him.

I can't imagine going to a nationwide conference for Wal-Mart or Apple and heckling the C-E-O as he talked. I would get booted out of the conference.

The sad part is that people are calling Wilson a hero. Why? Because he openly called the President a liar? If he would simply read the proposed legislation, he would see that illegal immigrants would not get coverage. Secondly, he makes his own party look foolish when the President calls the GOP out for saying instead of trying to kill it, why not try to improve it?

And maybe the worst part of making a "hero" out of Wilson, we are saying to children and others that this behavior is acceptable.

Speaking to school-kids

2009-09-06T20:10:00.003-04:00

The President will be giving a speech aimed at school-kids this Tuesday at noon. The goal of the speech is to set goals, stay in school, and get good grades. However, many irrational people think that the President is using his post as a bully pulpit to indoctrinate children.

I want to address the "concerns" put up by the conservative movement:
1. He will indoctrinate children. Simply go to the White House website and see what the speech will be about as well as the supporting material offered to teachers.
2. This doesn't fit with the curriculum. Ok, neither do pep rallies and various other situations that students get pulled out of class for.
3. Students/people should be able to think for themselves. I agree. But saying that you want to view the video with your child at home doesn't exactly promote free thinking. And furthermore, what about the teachers being able to think for themselves instead of having superintendents just banning the speech altogether.
4. Our school doesn't have the bandwidth to watch the speech online. Well, had responsible administrators checked the White House website, they would have found out that the speech will be broadcast on C-SPAN.

Here's the simple solution. (sarcasm) If a parent is afraid little Johnny will be harmed by Obama's "do well" message, all mommy has to do is write a note to get Johnny out of class so he can put on his tin foil hat and help mommy make up more "palling around with terrorists" or "Obama wants to kill seniors" myths to float around.

I just wonder how far the "fear factor" from the fringe right will continue to push until someone with common sense will step in and say, "ENOUGH!"

With the anniversary of 9/11 approaching, I wonder if this outright hatred (for Obama) would have existed had Obama been President at the time of the attacks and he had to address the nation during school????

AMEN! The panel from today's Meet The Press got it right!

This is too much.

2009-09-03T07:24:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe stories like this are on somewhat mainstream online news-sources like Yahoo News. Michelle Obama's hair doesn't matter. What's next? Commentary about her nail polish? Why does the media get so fixated on little things? I wonder where the feminists are when stories like this make the news. When stories like this "break," I feel like the women's lib movement has been set back a few decades.

Why Michelle Obama's Hair Matters
By JENEE DESMOND-HARRIS
Jenee Desmond-harris Wed Sep 2, 5:15 pm ET
When the First Lady attended a country-music event in July without a single strand of hair falling below her jawline, the blogosphere exploded with outbursts ranging from adoration to vitriol. Things settled down only when her deputy press secretary clarified that there had been no First Haircut. In the aftermath, a didactic post on MichelleObamaWatch.com proclaimed that anyone "familiar with the amazing versatility of black hair" would have known that the new summer look was simply "pinned up." Many Americans have dismissed this hair hubbub as simply more media-driven noise - like the chatter about Michelle Obama's sleeveless dresses, J. Crew cardigans, stocking-free legs or, for that matter, recent (shocking!) decision to wear shorts in the Arizona heat. But for African-American women like me, hair is something else altogether - singular in its capacity to command interest and carry cultural baggage. The obsession with Michelle's hair took hold long before Inaugural Ball gowns were imagined, private-school choices scrutinized or organic gardens harvested. It's not that she's done anything outrageous. The new updo wasn't really all that dramatic a departure from variations we've seen on her before (the "flip-out," the "flip-under," the long-ago abandoned "helmet"). Still, her hair is the catalyst for a conversation that begins with style but quickly transcends outward appearance and ultimately transcends Michelle herself - a symbol for African-American women's status in terms of beauty, acceptance and power.

The Erin Andrews Effect

2009-08-21T10:34:00.002-04:00

Over the last few months, I have been posting infrequently on this blog. I've been taking summer a little easier. Also, I hadn't been checking the tracker that keeps the count of visitors to my blog. Recently, after posting an item about Billy Mays and Steve McNair, I looked at the sitetracker and saw that my blog had a huge spike in "viewers" through July and early August. Previously, the highest number of people stopping by my blog had been 545 in October of 2008, leading into the election.

In July, last month, 3,225 people visited my site. This month, 955 have already clicked on.

The reason?

In August of 2008, I posted a few thoughts about female sports reporters in locker-rooms covering sports and included a photo of Erin Andrews. I took the photo from a Google image search. I see that whenever an image is linked to a blog, that link is referenced on websites if an image gets used. So, in July, when the story broke about Erin Andrews being videotaped nude in her hotel room and people were looking all over the internet for photos, the thousands that came to my website probably were looking for the nudie pics.

More lunacy from the right.

2009-08-19T11:02:00.002-04:00

It's one thing to be "out there" but at least be informed. As has been stated many times, illegal immigrants will not have coverage. I have never seen so much misinformation on one issue have such a hold on so many people. When you have people who resort to yelling Hitler's name at meetings, that should give an indication of the level of intelligence and media literacy of some of the people that are present.

Furthermore, Barack Obama has been President less than nine months! Where were the cries of over-spending when Bush was in power and we were blowing money on rebuilding Iraq? This woman states her husband is working two jobs and doesn't have health care. She is arguing against reform that would help her husband. Ugh!

About time!

2009-08-19T10:45:00.002-04:00

These town hall forums on health care been out of control for too long. Democrats have been taking punch after punch from these loonies who show up packing loaded guns, shouting insults, and bringing Nazi-themed signs. When will it stop? Finally, at least someone had the guts to stand up to one of these crazies...and it was Barney Frank of Massachusetts.

The Real World

2009-08-08T19:25:00.004-04:00

An interesting moral dilemma has crept up in the world. Former Tennessee Titan quarterback Steve McNair was shot dead in a murder-suicide by the the woman he was having an extramarital affair with. The Titans plan on honoring McNair by retiring his number. McNair was married with children. I wonder how many Titan fans truly feel that retiring McNair's number is a good thing considering the way his life ended.

Can you imagine how McNair's family feels?...especially his wife and kids?

Billy Mays died a couple days after Michael Jackson passed away. Originally, it was reported that Mays died of heart disease. Shortly after he passed, it was announced that commercials with Billy Mays and his booming voice and hand gestures would continue to run. Now that it has been revealed that his use of coccaine contributed to his heart disease, I wonder if his spots will continue to dominate commercial time.

Search for yourself, part three!

2009-07-29T21:39:00.003-04:00

So, the Cleveland Indians traded Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee today to the Philadelphia Phillies. On Indians Owner Larry Dolan's page on Wikipedia, it says:

Larry Dolan has 6 children, among them Matthew and Paul who work for his law firm, Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan. Dolan has said his children will eventually assume ownership of the Cleveland Indians in his place. In June, 2009, Dolan suffered a mild heart-attack, and, disapointingly, didn't die.

His nephew James Dolan owns the New York Knicks of the NBA and the New York Rangers of the NHL. Neither him, nor his nephew, know how to run a professional sports team properly, and should both sell them before its too late.

Larry Dolan has made the Cleveland Indians the first MLB franchise to trade the reigning Cy Young Award winner in back-to-back seasons.

In July of 2009, Larry Dolan traded Ryan Garko, Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, and Ben Francisco for a slew of no-name players. The moves were widely perceived to be a big "Fuck You" to the fans in Cleveland.

Time and time again, it's proven that Larry Dolan is a cheap ass, and refuses to put money into the Cleveland Indians.

****If you didn't know, Wikipedia allows users to edit content and entries on its website, making it a "community encyclopedia." Obviously, the entry for Larry Dolan is a little off.

Search for yourself, part two!

2009-07-29T13:45:00.004-04:00

I got an e-mail response from the online internet company that had the erroneous info posted about me. Here's what it says:

Hi, David.
Thank you for writing to ZoomInfo.

At your request, your web profile has been removed from ZoomInfo. We apologize for any inconvenience.

ZoomInfo is a specialized web search engine similar to Google but focused on finding information about companies and professionals. The information found in ZoomInfo's search results comes from corporate websites, press releases, SEC filings, and other public websites."

(next two paragraphs refer to how long items stay on the web and searches)

Jackie
Product Support

***********First of all, I want to thank Jackie and ZoomInfo for taking action to correct this. It's sad that a legitimate online service has to be used by someone playing jokes.

The link on my (now deleted) profile went to the school district website. Given what Jackie says about how they get their information, I could easily assume that someone who has access to post material on the website did this. I hope not. Some people can be extremely juvenile. Furthermore, it would be one thing if this was an isolated incident but but the person who replaced me at my former job also has the same thing posted about them.

Search for yourself!

2009-07-26T21:29:00.002-04:00

Out of boredom, I sometimes find myself Googling myself or my family members every once in awhile. I'm amazed at the number of Strukels that are around the country.

Yesterday, I discovered something that I think you can benefit from. Someone created a fictitious entry of me on a business profile website almost a year ago and listed me as the past Head Custodian at Aurora High School. Now, I did work at Aurora for six years but I sure wasn't the "Head Custodian." I sent an e-mail to the website asking to have my name removed permanently, which the website says will take 24-48 hours.

I'm glad this wasn't something more serious or worse than "Head Custodian." Anyway, it strikes me as funny that someone would waste their time making up a fake profile of me online.

Lesson learned: it doesn't hurt to look for yourself online every once in awhile.

It's over!

2009-07-26T13:37:00.002-04:00

Today is Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's final day as the c-e-0 of that state where you can see Russia from. Thankfully, she is stepping down. Unfortunately, it probably will not be the last we hear from her. She continues to use her Twitter account and rumblings of a book deal are in the works.

I try to keep an open mind on almost anything. However, I cannot believe it when I hear the words, "she appeals to the conservative base." I worry about the base of the GOP if Palin is who they like.

How?

2009-07-09T21:57:00.002-04:00

Sarah Palin: Up Among Republicans?
July 08, 2009 1:04 PM

Data analysis can be a subjective thing; so it is with today’s USA Today and Gallup coverage of their joint poll on Sarah Palin.

USA Today’s p.1 piece says Palin’s resignation “actually has boosted her a bit among Republicans.” Gallup’s analysis makes no such conclusion.

While its story didn’t provide numbers, USAT tells us it was referring to the fact that 15 percent of Republicans surveyed said their view of Palin had become more favorable because of her decision to resign, vs. 12 percent less favorable. (Using decimals the difference actually rounds to 4 points.)

One problem from my perspective is that this difference among the 316 Republicans surveyed is not statistically significant at the customary 95 percent confidence level (nor indeed at 90, 85 or even 80 percent confidence). Another is that a different result shows a 9-point drop in the number of Republicans who want Palin to be a major national political figure - a result that, by contrast, is significant.

***********************************************
The above is from ABC News. Ok, so Sarah Palin announced on July 3rd that she is quitting her post as Governor of Alaska two and a half years into her first term. BUT she says she is not quitting. How?! She said in her press conference that she didn't want to be a lame duck governor and take trips and just cash a paycheck...you know, do what's best for Alaskans. If this is true, why didn't she resign while she was a vice presidential candidate traveling around the country???? She couldn't have been on top of her job as governor as she was stirring up fear at Republican rallies and bumbling her way through her only debate.

Furthermore, how can anyone seriously see Palin as a legitimate candidate for President? She showed as little command of the moment of her resignation as she did during her interview with Katie Couric and her debate with Joe Biden. Citing the constant complaints and attacks is a copout. If she can't hack criticism at this stage of her political "career," what makes her think the criticism will be any lighter at a "higher calling."

Meanwhile, Palin's number of Facebook friends continues to skyrocket.

Hey, if you are a Republican, PLEASE get off the "she's on our side" mentality and really ask yourself, "is this the best candidate our party can put out there?"

Thoughts on Michael Jackson

2009-06-27T19:08:00.002-04:00

It's amazing that the above video is 19 years after Michael Jackson's Thriller album came out. He still had it going on then in 2001. Jackson still had game. Listen to the crowd and how loud they are. They drown out the music at times.

After Thriller came out, Bad was a pretty good follow up, but nothing he did would touch the success of Thriller.

As he got older, Michael's looks, his "strangeness", sexual abuse claims, and his being a recluse took over the headlines.

Random thoughts:
-I had a classmate in junior high who wore his Thriller jacket to school and it got stolen. I felt badly for the kid.
-There's no way, if I ever have kids, that I will nickname a child "blanket."
-I am stunned that Michael's death crashed wikipedia and Twitter. Also, Amazon.com sold out of every Michael Jackson cd. That truly is a measure of Jackson's super-stardom.
-It's strange that it took death for Michael Jackson and his music to be so relevant again.
-Regarding the last two points, I think whenever Madonna or Prince pass on, a similar effect will happen but not to the same level as what happened with Michael. Are there any others that their deaths could have a similar effect?
-I will remember that I was in the BG Student Union when I first saw the news on CNN and then a classmate confirmed that he died before my class started in East Hall.
-I wonder how long will it take for bootleg or undercover footage of his last rehearsals to be leaked.
-I wonder if it's really true that Michael weighed 108 pounds at the time of his death.
-Being that I was seven years old when Elvis Presley died in 1977, I didn't experience the hysteria around his death. So, just to live during this is a unique experience.
-Will Jordan Chandler, the boy who Michael Jackson paid $22 million out of court in 1994 to settle sexual abuse claims, make any appearances in the media?
-I wonder how show business will ultimately remember and honor Michael Jackson.

See that guy picking up litter...

2009-06-22T22:15:00.002-04:00

that might as well be singer Chris Brown. Picking up the litter...not the actual garbage itself but.....nevermind.

Anway, today, Brown, in a plea agreement, pleaded guilty to assault charges for the alleged beating of Rihanna. In the deal, Brown will serve about 1,400 hours of "labor oriented service." He also must go to a domestic violence counseling class for a year.

I don't know if the two will stay together.

In other couples news, Jon and Kate of Jon and Kate plus 8 filed paperwork today to have their marriage dissolved. I know, previously I said I wouldn't watch the show. I watched tonight. It was one of the more uncomfortable hours of tv to watch. Jon said he was looking forward to an "exciting" new chapter in his life...while acknowledging it will be tough not being there everyday with the kids. At one point, he thought out loud, "What's going to happen if I get a job and have to move away?" Kate was obviously more affected by the break up than Jon. The lack of communication between the two, especially in front of the kids, was so obvious. The family all went out to a Sunday brunch for Mother's Day. Jon and Kate sat next to each other. Kate talked and tried to make the event as pleasant as possible. Jon was quiet the whole time.

And yes, they said the show will go on.

Who is to blame?

2009-06-20T12:05:00.002-04:00

From Yahoo! comes this article about an amazing failure rate at a Chicago school. You have to wonder about the bias of the writer when they say "the school board claims that written notices were sent." It paints the board to be as guilty as can be.

Tough times at South Side school
A Chicago school made an alarming announcement this week. Close to 60% of its students won't graduate from the eighth grade. The startling figure sent lookups on "Myra Bradwell Elementary School" spiking. An article from CBS 2 Chicago explains that many in the community are wondering who to blame for the students' failure. Some are pointing fingers at the parents, while those same parents are claiming they didn't receive any notice that their children were struggling (the school board claims that written notices were sent).

Breaking News!!!!

2009-06-15T19:34:00.001-04:00

Wow, I had no idea! Yahoo! News has released this earth-shattering study.

Survey: Family time eroding as Internet use soars
By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer - Mon Jun 15, 2009 2:45PM EDT

NEW YORK - Whether it's around the dinner table or just in front of the TV, U.S. families say they are spending less time together.

The decline in family time coincides with a rise in Internet use and the popularity of social networks, though a new study stopped just short of assigning blame.

The Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California is reporting this week that 28 percent of Americans it interviewed last year said they have been spending less time with members of their households. That's nearly triple the 11 percent who said that in 2006.

These people did not report spending less time with their friends, however.

Not really how it happened.

2009-06-14T18:29:00.002-04:00

Knowing someone who has mental illness has made me so much more sensitive to issues regarding mental health, especially in the media. I detest hearing things like, "he's/she's mental" or "they're schizoid." I don't think the people saying them really know what it's like to have those symptoms or have interacted with someone who struggles with mental illness.

Yahoo! has an entertainment section called "omg!." It usually has gossip and photos of stars at their best and worst times. Recently, a photo of Susan Boyle was posted and the caption underneath it mentioned her checking "into a mental health facility." See how Yahoo! showed it below.

Susan Boyle, who shocked the world with her beautiful singing voice, had everyone talking once again when she failed to win "Britain's Got Talent" and then checked into a mental health facility.

****Now, I highly doubt Susan stood on the steps of the facility and belted out a song as it appears here in the photo. The way the photo and caption are paired together, it's inferred that the photo was taken as she checked into the facility.

Enough!

2009-06-09T22:25:00.002-04:00

Now that the Obamas' dog has gotten in and out of the spotlight, what useless Presidential news is the media picking up on? His diet! Stories like these are helping drive the media away from the media and following the news.

CAPITAL CULTURE: World hangs on Obama's every biteBy JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck, Ap National Writer – Tue Jun 9, 12:07 am ET
At the bustling Pi pizza restaurant in St. Louis, the staff has come up with a new mantra: "It's just pizza!"

Just pizza, and yet still, they marvel, customers are happy to wait well upward of two hours at peak time for a table. That is, ever since news came out that Barack Obama loved this pizza so much during a campaign stop, the owners were invited to recreate it in the White House ovens.

"We tell them it'll be two to four hours, and they say, OK!" says owner Chris Sommers, who traveled on his own dime to prepare the presidential meal in April. "This has been our own private stimulus package."

Pizza from St. Louis, pancakes from Pittsburgh. A juicy burger or a chili half-smoke in D.C., soul food in Chicago. Our new president eats something and the world wants to eat it, too. We've always cared about the words that emerge from a president's lips, but has there ever been such attention to the food that enters them?

"Well, White House cookbooks have always been popular — but no, there's never been this flood of interest before," says Eddie Gehman Kohan, editor of the "Obama Foodorama" blog (subject matter self-explanatory.) She sees a fusion of two potent forces: An escalating interest in food and food policy, and enormous curiosity in anything Obama.

Possible motive?

2009-06-02T13:19:00.002-04:00

Sad news made the front pages this past Monday after abortion doctor George Tiller was gunned down at church Sunday. A new trend in news has been to follow the "fever" of the story through the internet as the USA TODAY article noted how both sides of the abortion issue were going wild on Facebook and Twitter.

In the (partial) article below, I can't believe the line "Police have not provided a motive for the shooting" was used. Ummmm, let's see, the guy was constantly harrassed and threatened....couldn't the reporter flat out ask if him being a doctor that carried out abortions had anything to do with his death????

Also, later in the article, there is this...."President Obama said he was "outraged by the murder."" What's the President supposed to say?

Late-term abortion doctor killed at church
By Marisol Bello, USA TODAY

George Tiller knew the dangers of being one of few physicians in the USA who provided late-term abortions His Wichita clinic was bombed in 1985 and has been repeatedly vandalized. He survived a shooting by an activist more than a decade ago. Opponents protested daily in front of his clinic, his home, homes of his staff and volunteers and almost weekly in front of his church.

On Sunday, Tiller, 67, was shot dead as he served as an usher at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita. The killing was condemned by abortion rights opponents and mourned by abortion rights advocates as a devastating loss. Police have not provided a motive for the shooting.

"He was constantly harassed, threatened. The man never escaped it. ... He knew it would someday cost him his life," said Marla Patrick, who worked with Tiller on abortion rights issues as the state coordinator for the Kansas National Organization for Women.

Just Shut Up!

2009-05-28T09:46:00.002-04:00

Who knows why Chris Brown feels the need to make stupid comments prior to the resolution of the charge that he beat Rihanna. Maybe it's just me but if that was me, I would be a lot more serious about my business than to joke about someone's black eye that allegedly came at my hands.

Gee, you think?

2009-05-25T15:53:00.003-04:00

The following headline is screaming on CBS News' website...
"Jon And Kate" 8 Being Exploited?

Jon and Kate have their own reality show due to the eight kids. Why wasn't anyone asking this question then?

And now that Jon and Kate are being accused of having affairs, promos for the show and tabloid stories are everywhere.

Personally, I don't see the fascination in this. Capitalizing on their misfortune isn't something I'll take part in.

First Amendment

2009-05-22T10:07:00.002-04:00

I am in a class at BG that deals exclusively with the First Amendment. The interesting thing is that "Freedom of Speech" has expanded to basically mean "Freedom of Expression." "Expression" can take on so many different meanings and can be seen in many debates today. Should you be required to wear a seat belt? Of course, it's stupid if you don't but should freedom of expression allow you to not wear it?

What about the kid who was suspended over going to prom at a different school?

What about the parents who wouldn't take their kid to get chemo?

See a doctor if...

2009-05-15T15:34:00.002-04:00

Virginia Republican Congressman Jim Moran is introducing legislation to restrict advertising for erectile dysfunction between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. More specifically, he doesn't want to see any ads for guys who have problems with their plumbing between those hours. Moran says ads for things like Viagra aren't good for family tv viewing.

While none of the ads show any sex or are graphic in any other way, I wonder where public opinion will fall on this.

A follow up on speeches

2009-05-14T15:42:00.003-04:00

USA TODAY had an article in yesterday's paper about what makes good commencement speeches.

Here are the eight criteria they listed for a memorable speech.
1. Inspire us...but lose the cliches.
2. Talk about yourself...but make it meaningful to us.
3. Make us laugh...but leave stand-up routines to the pros.
4. Practice...but don't sound practiced.
5. Make us think...but don't make us seethe.
6. Do your homework...because details matter.
7. Hope for a sunny day...but even then, have pity.
8. Finally, keep it short. Period.

So, summarizing all of these points, it sounds like the number one and overall rule should be: think of your audience first.

Current news topic

2009-05-12T19:52:00.003-04:00

I often wonder if there is a line the media stand to the point where they (the media) will not make someone a celebrity.

Take the case of Tyler Frost for example. Tyler Frost is a 17 year old senior at Heritage Christian School in Findlay. He was warned to not go to his girlfriend's prom at Findlay High School. The Baptist school where Tyler has gone for the last 13 years is against dancing, rock music, and gasp, hand holding! Tyler went to the prom and was promptly suspended for the last two weeks of school and cannot take part in graduation. He can take his finals and get his diploma. Tyler's reward? He was flown to New York to appear on every network morning show today. WHY? He blatantly ignored the rules of his school. I think the media picked up this story as a way of mocking the school's rules. I think a good majority of people would say the school's rules are stuck in the past but that's what they believe in. We could say the same about the Amish.

Graduation speeches

2009-05-10T18:02:00.002-04:00

What do you remember from your graduation?

I've been to two graduations in the last three days (counting today). At one graduation, the commencement speaker basically read what sounded like a term paper. It didn't help that the ceremony was in an old gym with poor acoustics. But anyway, at the end of the speech, the applause seemed more out of gratitude that it was over than for the content.

At the other graduation I went to, the speaker was definitely more interesting but went for 30 minutes and had eleven points he wanted the audience to remember. I liked this guy but I think asking the audience to remember eleven points is a lot.

Last December, at U-T's graduation, USA Today sportwriter and Toledo native Christine Brennan spoke and gave us words of advice from her father who said, "This ain't no dress rehearsal."

Looking back at my undergrad at BG and my Masters Degree at Kent, I don't remember either.

Horrible wording!

2009-05-01T17:23:00.001-04:00

Read the story below about the break-up between Nas and Kelis, especially the first line. If you know what Kelis' song "Milkshake" is referencing, then you understand why the first sentence is so wrong.

LOS ANGELES – The milkshake has gone sour between Kelis (KEL-ees) and Nas (NAHZ).

Kelis Rogers filed for divorce Thursday in Los Angeles. She's expecting the couple's first child in July.

Documents show the couple was married in July 2003 and separated in April. Rogers is seeking to have her hip-hop husband pay her attorney's fees and spousal support.

She cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.

Nas' real name is Nasir (NAH-SEER) Jones. He is considered one of rap's best artists and received a Grammy nomination for his latest untitled album. Kelis may be best known for her hit single "Milkshake."

His publicist did not respond to an e-mail message seeking comment.

The Final Week

2009-04-27T11:29:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe but this is the last week of my first year teaching at the University of Toledo. Of course, when the semesters are three and a half months long, time flies.

As many of you know, I taught high school the past seven plus years. The differences between being in high school and college are vast. For one, the students are held much more accountable on the college level. In high school, the teachers are accountable for the students' success and/or failure. Despite that, I still try my best to make sure each student succeeds. I set expectations high. I feel good when the grades I assign have validity. In other words, they are accurate. I feel comfortable knowing that those who got A's, worked hard for them and truly deserved them.

I have great colleagues in my department. They are very supportive. I know, I have said that a lot...but it's true. Often-times, the difference between making a job pleasant and it being a mere existence, is the people you work with. When you work with great people, you find yourself going to work earlier, hanging out with them outside of office hours, and whatever else.

Being on a college campus is an exciting thing. Having my own office is something I've never experienced before. That's why I almost always go back to my office after class just see it. My office is in University Hall, which has a tall bell tower. It feels like I have an office and teach class in a cathedral.

At the university, many things around Toledo are centered around the campus or what goes on here. It's hard not to go anywhere without seeing someone wearing a University of Toledo shirt or some kind of clothing.

Are you kidding me?

2009-04-23T09:04:00.002-04:00

Apple had to remove an application from its iTunes stores that allowed users to "quiet" a crying baby on the iphone by shaking it????!!!!! At what point did someone say, "Oh, that's a great idea!"????? I can't believe this.

SEATTLE -- Public outrage over a game available on Apple's iPhone has caused the company to remove "Baby Shaker" from its iTunes store.

Groups that fight child abuse and advocate for victims of brain injury condemned Apple for approving the game's sale in the first place.

The game's premise -- quiet a crying baby with a vigorous shake.

The application was designed by Sikalosoft, which did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

"Baby Shaker" was deleted from its Web site Wednesday afternoon.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris would not comment about how many people downloaded the game before it was removed. Apple itself screens each iPhone application.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has rejected apps that let iPhone users throw virtual shoes at President George W. Bush or watch clips from the "South Park" cartoon.

It has accepted numerous programs that simulate flatulence.

Unreal

2009-04-21T19:40:00.002-04:00

Here is story in today's USA TODAY that blows my mind. I have always liked dinosaurs and the public has always had a fascination with them due to movies like Jurassic Park and others. This well preserved mammoth is too good to be true...but it is.

Discovered in 2007, the 1-month-old mammoth died suddenly, probably trapped in mud. "She was doing great, very healthy," says paleontologist Dan Fisher of the University of Michigan, part of the international team researching Lyuba. "She just had this terrible misfortune."

Lyuba appears in the May National Geographic and in Waking the Baby Mammoth Sunday (9 p.m. ET/PT) on the National Geographic Channel. She's perhaps the best-preserved mammoth ever discovered: Lyuba's skin and internal organs appear intact, as well as traces of mother's milk found in her stomach. The only damage to the mammoth, which is less than 3 feet tall, are bite marks from village dogs.

Covered in coarse hair, the woolly mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius, roamed Eurasia and western North America at least 200,000 to 10,000 years ago. Dozens of partly intact woolly mammoths have been uncovered from Siberia's tundra, but Lyuba exhibits remarkable preservation. "She's all there," Fisher says. Preliminary analysis by Fisher and colleagues suggests the clay and silt that swallowed up the baby mammoth effectively "pickled" her.

Judging a book by its cover

2009-04-18T13:13:00.003-04:00

Last season, it was Paul Potts and his opera singing on Britain's Got Talent.

This year, it's Susan Boyle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alNx5b3PC-E
Both are great performances. These are the kinds of things that make these shows worth watching. Here are folks who come from nowhere and have this amazing talent unknown to everybody until they walk onstage. What great magical moments! Very cool.

Would you do this?

2009-04-11T11:22:00.001-04:00

This is definitely the strangest story I've seen since Ted Williams' death.

DALLAS – Nikolas Colton Evans had talked about how much he wanted to have a child, but the 21-year-old died after he was punched and hit his head on the ground in a fight. That would have been the end of it, if it weren't for his determined mother, a court order and a urologist.
Missy Evans has harvested her dead son's sperm and hopes to find a surrogate and one day raise her son's child. It's a decision that ethicists say raises troubling questions; one called the potential offspring a "replacement child."
Evans isn't concerned about what others might think. She says she is only doing what her son would have wanted.
"He would love me so much for doing this," she said.
Austin police say Nikolas Evans was punched during a fight on an Austin street early March 27 and then fell to the ground, striking his head. He died April 5. Police are still trying to identify the person who hit him.

Hidden meanings in stories.

2009-04-06T22:35:00.002-04:00

Two stories from this past weekend caught my eye for hidden and what I consider unnecessary comments.

Race car driver Danica Patrick had a rough start to her season. Patrick crashed early in the Honda Grand Prix. The crash happened as the result of a pass or attempted pass by another driver. At the end of the story, the writer, Mike Harris of the Associated Press, wrote, "Patrick, the only woman in the field, ended her day in 19th and Matos was 20th. Each completed just 31 of 100 laps." WHY was it necessary to mention her being the "only woman in the field?"

My other story is about the tragedy in Graham, Washington, where a father shot his children and himself.

Here's the first sentence of the story from the Associated Press. "A father apparently shot to death five of his children, ages 7 to 16, at their mobile home and then killed himself at a casino miles away, police said Saturday."

My question with this story is how relevant is it that they lived in a MOBILE home? What if the family had been living in a one-story ranch house? Does the one-story ranch home get reported? Or do we associate mobile homes with arguments, guns, and violence?

Haunting in Connecticut

2009-04-05T16:49:00.002-04:00

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20270145,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines
The link above is to an article in People magazine about the real Haunting in Connecticut on which the movie of the same name is based. The movie is about a family that moves to a house in C0nnecticut that used to be a funeral home. Several people died in the home during a seance and several more were "buried" in the walls of the house instead of at a graveyard.

I saw the movie today it's a good scare for a 90 minute matinee.

I have never been to a haunted house or at least not to my knowledge.

The "R" Word

2009-04-01T10:06:00.002-04:00

I apologize to taking so long between posts. Teaching school can be a little time consuming. Anyway, I saw this online in today's Blade newspaper here in Toledo. I applaud this effort. I am glad that there are steps being taken to change buildings and organizations that use the word "retarded." It kind of deflates the argument of banning the "r" word when it is still all over many buildings and organizations.

Lucas County commissioners back effort to stop use of 'retarded'
By JC REINDL
BLADE STAFF WRITER
"Recession" was considered a dirty word a year ago in some quarters. And no doubt there are octogenarian workaholics who feel the same about "retirement." Yet there's another "R-word" - unfortunately, one more commonly uttered - that Lucas County commissioners want the public to know is especially hurtful and offensive to those with intellectual disabilities.

The commissioners proclaimed yesterday "Spread the Word to End the Use of the R-Word Day" as part of a larger nationwide campaign against derogatory forms of the word "retarded." The national campaign, sponsored by the Special Olympics and spread through an online pledge at r-word.org, received recognition at schools and local governments from coast to coast.
Disabilities.

That proposal in Ohio Senate Bill 79 would require similar changes to all county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities."Words really are harmful, and they leave a lasting effect on people," said Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak, who introduced the county proclamation. "I think it's good to essentially remind ourselves to think before we speak."

Tuesday's campaign coincided with a state legislative push to rename the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities the Department of Developmental Disabilities. That proposal in Ohio Senate Bill 79 would require similar changes to all county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

Stop the Jesus Halo pictures!

2009-03-24T20:06:00.004-04:00

I saw the bottom image in an Associated Press article today on Yahoo! News. As an Obama supporter, even I am getting tired of the way some media folks are treating the President. There's a lot of criticism that some have "annointed" Obama as a "Messiah" to rescue us from the George W. Bush mess. That's one thing...but can the media stop framing pictures to depict Obama as Jesus? It's too obvious.

Duh.

2009-03-21T19:55:00.002-04:00

On Entertainment Tonight, there was a long feature the blonde anchor from the weekend show hanging out with Octomom. Octomom was coming home with two of her babies from a doctor's appointment and the paparazzi were all over her large vehicle. They actually followed her into her garage and she had to call the police to clear them away. A helicopter was also following above. While the photogs were banging on the windows, she kept saying things like, "Geez, I'm just a mom. Leave me alone."

After the photogs were off her lawn, Octomom went inside where she let the Entertainment Tonight anchor cradle her child.

Uh, hello, if you want to be known as just a mom, don't let E-T in your home.

No reason for this

2009-03-16T12:34:00.002-04:00

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2009/03/video_shows_stallworth_after_a.html

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth hit and killed a man with his car over the weekend. I'm not going to use the word "allegedly" because it happened. What hasn't been determined or released yet is whether or not he was drunk or whatever.

The Miami newspaper as well as the Plain Dealer website has posted video from after the accident that shows paramedics treating the pedestrian that was hit. This is so wrong. It's tabloid journalism.

Media Fascination

2009-03-15T17:20:00.003-04:00

Can someone please tell me why with the serious issues facing this country...why the warrant out for Lindsey Lohan is still newsworthy?

Do we really care?

Will Octomom please go away? And please, Access Hollywood and TMZ, stop giving this woman the attention she doesn't deserve.

Hypocrisy

2009-03-08T17:55:00.003-04:00

When George W. Bush was in office and Democrats criticized him, Dems were called unpatriotic.

When George W. Bush was in office, Democrats criticized his spending and were met with deaf ears.

Now that Barack Obama is in office, why are Republicans so loudly objecting to having their criticism being called "unpatriotic"?

Now that Barack Obama is in office, why are Republicans laying into Barack's budge????!!!!

Close call

2009-03-04T13:17:00.002-05:00

So, we on Earth were apparently almost hit by an asteroid. Check the line I boldfaced in the article below. Is there really a communications satellite that is 24,400 miles long/tall???? Is this true?

Phew! Asteroid's passing was a cosmic near-miss
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - An asteroid about the size of one that blasted Siberia a century ago just buzzed by Earth.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported that the asteroid zoomed past Monday morning.

The asteroid named 2009 DD45 was about 48,800 miles from Earth. That is just twice the height of some telecommunications satellites and about a fifth of the distance to the Moon.

The space ball measured between 69 ft. and 154 ft. in diameter. The Planetary Society said that made it the same size as an asteroid that exploded over Siberia in 1908 and leveled more than 800 sq. miles of forest.

Most people probably didn't notice the cosmic close call. The asteroid was only spotted two days ago and at its closest point passed over the Pacific Ocean near Tahiti.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

The Face of the GOP

2009-03-04T11:41:00.002-05:00

Hey, at first, Sarah Palin couldn't be the face of the GOP. Then Bobby Jindal fumbled away his shot at it in his best Mr. Rogers impression. Now, the GOP wants this guy, the Marlon Brando look-a-like, to be the face of the Republican party? That's good news for Democrats. Thank you, GOP!

A legend is gone

2009-03-01T19:27:00.001-05:00

I wish I could have bottled up the charm and many spellbound minutes Paul Harvey gave me listening in the car on long rides as he would tell great stories like these.

Winners and Losers for the week

2009-02-28T18:37:00.002-05:00

Winner of the week: Lakewood Baptist Church members in Ohio
This is from WKYC.com in Cleveland.
LAKEWOOD -- Some kids in Lakewood went to bed on an empty stomach Friday night, knowing that they wouldn't eat again for another 18 hours. Three children, members of the Lakewood Baptist Church, are participating in an international 30-hour fast to raise money and awareness about children living in poverty around the world.

Church members lit 600 candles to symbolize the estimated number of children who die of hunger every 30 minutes. Eleven-year-old Sarah McKissock is one of the children going without food for 30 hours.

"It's unthinkable that so many children are dying," McKissock said.

During the fast, the kids will put together care packages for the needy at a food pantry and make blankets for children who are seriously ill.

What a great thing to do for people they don't know.

Yesterday, I volunteered at my church with the Fish Fry. I have always wanted to do volunteer work and this was a good chance to do something, to get involved.

Loser of the week: Kanye West
This has been reported in several media outlets. Here is US Magazine's version.

Kanye West's controversial comments during a Feb. 13 taping of VH1's Storytellers will be cut before the show airs this Sunday, Reuters reports. The rapper defended Chris Brown, downplayed Michael Phelps' controversial pot pics and slammed Radiohead during the show's three-hour taping on Feb. 13 in L.A.

In the style of Storytellers episodes, VH1 filmed West -- known for his outspoken personality -- as he played his songs in an intimate setting and shared tidbits with the audience about how they were written. His controversial comments ended up on the cutting room floor, but not for political reasons, executive producer Bill Flanagan told Reuters.

"Can't we give Chris a break?" West said to the crowd regarding Brown's arrest for allegedly beating his girlfriend, Rihanna "I know I make mistakes in life."

On a similar note, he earned applause for his support of other stars who have seen their share of scandal. "Michael Jackson, amazing," the hip-hop star said. "Michael Phelps, amazing. He's a real f---in' person. He makes mistakes."

Ok, ok, I know we are all not perfect BUT that doesn't mean that smoking pot, beating up women, and allegedly having sex with kids is acceptable because "we make mistakes."

Winners and Losers for the week

2009-02-21T23:05:00.002-05:00

Winner of the Week: Eric Mansfield
Eric is a former colleague of mine from the TV world. He is an anchor/reporter for WKYC channel 3 in Clevleand. Eric used the release of the Rihanna photo as a news-story to see how this will affect attitudes towards domestic violence. Eric did the story without showing the photo. I appreciate Eric's sensitivity towards the issue.

Loser of the Week: TMZ.com
Congratulations to the tabloid website TMZ.com for putting the photo of Rihanna out there for the world to see. Doing this serves no newsworthy purpose. None. Her injuries have been described in the media. I have heard the "oh, we now have a face for domestic violence." What? Wasn't Nicole Brown Simpson good enough? The photos of her post-O-J beatings have been out there.

What kind of this standard is this setting for journalism? Where is the line drawn for not showing photos of victims?

Let it go!

2009-02-16T13:26:00.003-05:00

Will somebody please tell the mainstream media that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston stopped dating YEARS ago? Here's the latest to make the news courtesy of TVGuide.com.

Jennifer Aniston believes in hanging on to relationship mementos, even when the guy's just not into her anymore.

The former Friends star tells Marie Claire magazine that she can't bring herself to erase some of ex-husband Brad Pitt's voicemails. In fact, she has trouble erasing many of her past flames from her life. "I still have the cassette tapes of messages from my first boyfriend, my second boyfriend, my husband," she said.

Though it may seems strange, Aniston insists that saving the recordings is similar to keeping other lovey-dovey memorabilia. "It's like saving love letters," she said.

Thank you, program directors.

2009-02-15T16:33:00.002-05:00

I saw on the news that several radio stations around the country have stopped playing music by Chris Brown as the charges of domestic violence loom above him. While he has not been found guilty in a court of law yet, Brown himself has pretty much accepted responsibility.

"LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B star Chris Brown , who was arrested last weekend on suspicion of attacking a woman widely believed to be the pop star Rihanna , said on Sunday he was "sorry and saddened" about the incident, and was seeking counseling."

Chris Brown and Robbie Alomar

2009-02-11T16:09:00.003-05:00

Being this close to Valentine's Day, it's sad to see the news that has come out regarding the relationships of Chris Brown and Rihanna as well as the relationship of Robbie Alomar and his ex-girlfriend.

Chris Brown...If you haven't heard by now...Chris Brown allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, Rihanna.

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Earlier today, the Los Angeles District Attorney asked police detectives to dig up more evidence for their case against Chris Brown. The police are getting cooperation from Rihanna, and what she has told them so far is chilling. A source close to the investigation tells E! News exclusively that Rihanna has alleged to police that Brown choked her while threatening to kill her and, subsequently, she lost consciousness. They began squabbling after leaving Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party late Saturday. Shortly after midnight, things blew up. Brown pulled his silver Lambourghini to the side of a street in L.A.'s Hancock Park neighborhood. That's when, per the source, Rihanna grabbed the car keys and tossed them out the window, sending Brown into a rage. He tried in vain to find the keys, then came back to the car, put his hands around her neck and, according to the insider, said, "I'm going to kill you!"

The 20-year-old "Disturbia" singer told police that she lost consciousness, the source says, and when she awoke, Brown had fled.

According to the source, her right eye was blackened and badly swollen and she had hand prints on her arms. The responding officers were so concerned about her, they drove Rihanna to the hospital in their squad car instead of waiting for an ambulance.

Robbie Alomar did WHAT? I couldn't believe this when I read about this on Chris Hyser's (former WKYC in Cleveland producer) Facebook page.

NEW YORK – An ex-girlfriend of Roberto Alomar filed an explosive lawsuit alleging the former baseball star insisted on unprotected sex for four years despite having AIDS. The lawsuit, filed Jan. 30 and transferred to U.S. District Court on Wednesday, contains accusations that could not be corroborated but portray Alomar as someone who demanded sex without a condom despite showing obvious signs of HIV. Ilya Dall is seeking at least $15 million in punitive damages from the 41-year-old former infielder. Alomar spent 17 years in the majors and was one of the game's great second basemen.

Calls seeking comment from lawyers for Alomar and Dall were not immediately returned. Alomar lawyer Charles Bach told the New York Daily News the allegations are "frivolous and baseless."

Dall said the two began dating in spring 2002 and had unprotected sex for the next four years. She said that on several occasions during that time, Alomar refused to get tested for HIV, despite severe fatigue, sores on his mouth and throat, a constant cough and an infection of the esophagus that is associated with AIDS.

She said Alomar finally relented and tested positive for HIV in February 2006.

Absolutely sick

2009-02-11T08:16:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, I hear/see things on the news that make me wonder how cruel people can be. I can relate to this story from WKYC in Cleveland in a couple of ways. First, when I was living in Cleveland, my ex's house was broken into and ransacked. Some small items were taken. Nothing big. Having your home broken into makes you feel "violated." But I was more worried about our dogs at the time. Thankfully, the dogs were alright. Secondly, I am a dog lover. I love my little Scottie, Bonnie. Pets add so much to life. I feel so much sorrow for the woman in the video.

Early winners and loses for the week

2009-02-10T23:28:00.005-05:00

Winner of the Week: Neil Diamond

Neil was named the MusiCares Person of the Year at their annual charity fundraiser, which benefits musicians who have fallen on hard times. Diamond's career goes back to the 1960s is still going strong and is putting together a tour. How is this guy not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.?

Loser of the Week: Alex Rodriguez
A-roid admitted on Monday that he used "performance-enhancing drugs" in 2001 and 2003 with the Texas Rangers. Among the many excuses that A-roid has used, he has included: "I was pressured to perform" and the old teenager standby "everybody else was doing it." Nice role model.

The scary state of public education

2009-02-08T23:30:00.002-05:00

I saw this article in today's (Sunday's) Canton Repository when I was home in Massillon.

How scary is this that teachers are giving students easy grades?

Why easy grading is good for a teacher's career
By Jay Mathews
The Washington Post
Posted Feb 05, 2009 @ 05:07 PM

New Jersey high school teacher Peter Hibbard flunked 55 percent of those in his regular biology class one year.

There were no failures in his honors classes, he said, but many of his regular students refused to do the work. They did not show up for tests and did not take make-ups. They did not turn in lab reports. Homework was often ignored.

“Still, the principal told me that the failure rate was unacceptable, and I needed to fix it,” Hibbard said. “The pressure to give grades instead of actually teaching increased.

“A colleague told me that he had no problem. If students showed up, they got a C. If they did some work, they got a B. If they did fair or better on tests, they got an A. No one ever complained, and his paycheck was the same. He was a finalist for a principal’s job.”

Sometimes teachers are so candid and wise I am compelled to quote them. Here is what Hibbard told me:

“The pop phrase is that ‘those who can’t do, teach.’ I would like any serious critic to spend a month in the classroom. It is easy when you are a guest speaker and don’t have to worry about discipline.

“But do the planning, maintain interest, do practice and review, write and grade a test or three, and then deal with the parents. In your spare time, maintain records, deal with teen angst and crisis, monitor the bathroom (I went to college for this?) and be available for extra help. ...

“The message comes from the top. When leadership backs good teachers, it is so much easier. When I have to justify failing a student who refuses to try, well ...”

Hibbard taught biology for 27 years. Before that he was a field biologist for the U.S. Agriculture Department and a lobbyist on environmental issues for the housing industry.

He thinks his experience in the field was invaluable. When he started teaching he could give students practical answers to the question, “Why do we have to learn that?”

Asked for solutions for the apathy and buck-passing he observed, he sent me seven ideas. Each suggestion is followed here by my “grade.”

1. PARENTS

Get parents involved, not in the grades, but in the learning. If Johnny cuts school or misbehaves, on the third detention, one of the parents must also be present. The time should not be “quiet time” but a session with a professional on behavior modification.

Grade: A (Many of us parents hunger for support of our desperate attempts to deal with teenagers. Those of us who are totally clueless can still use a taste of reality.)

2. EXPERIENCE

Since we cannot require teachers to gain more experience in their field, the school system should arrange for paid internships for teachers during summers.

Either colleges or school systems can do this.

Grade: B (This strikes me as expensive, thus unlikely, but worthwhile.)

3. SOCIAL PROMOTION

Do away with it. The federal government should set specific standards for knowledge and application. States may add to it but not teach less.

The committee that sets the standards should have equal numbers of teachers, administrators, college officials and business executives. Parents should have representation.

Grade: A (This is expensive, too, but essential. It is possible under our current system to miss half of the questions on some state achievement tests and still be judged proficient.)

4. PROTECT TENURE

I almost lost my job because I failed an administrator’s child who did no work and got in my face, assuming his parent would protect him. Good teachers must not be subject to political pressure for grades. It happens far too often.

On the other hand, unions and administrators must decide on a procedure that does not protect bad teachers.

Grade: C-plus (The problem is real, but enforcing tenure rules is not a solution. As Hibbard’s own clash with his principal shows, an administrator trimp even a tenured teacher.)

5. FUNDING

Funding must be reliable and consistent. In New Jersey, the budget is sent to the voters. They provide the students but don’t approve enough money to educate them.

Grade: C-minus (Reliable and consistent funding is a fine thing but impossible to arrange in a free-enterprise, nonrecession-proof democracy. So this is a pipe dream.)

6. AUTONOMY

Give teachers ownership of their program. Teachers should have sufficient collaborative time to decide how to achieve the goals, what books to use and what equipment is needed, within the budget.

Most people with any skills want to be told what the job is, but not how to do it. That is why I went to college and go back for continuing education.

Grade: A-plus (Harnessing the creative energies of teachers is the key to making schools work.)

7. PARENTS, AGAIN

Districts must set up programs for parents during the evening or weekend for those who want to learn how to help their children with school. So many parents tell me ... they understand their children’s frustration, but they don’t know how to help.

Teach study skills to both students and their parents throughout their school years.

Grade: A (My mother taught parent-effectiveness classes after she retired as a classroom teacher. They were very popular, and I wish more parents had the same opportunity to learn proven techniques.)

Phelps and Pot

2009-02-05T21:35:00.002-05:00

The fallout is underway with Michael Phelps and his infamous bong. USA Swimming has suspended Phelps for three months due to the photo above. USA Swimming has also cut financial support off from Phelps for three months as well.

The Kellog cereal company has dropped Phelps saying that bascially his bong hit "is not consistent with the company's image."

The guy was smoking pot, which is not a "performance enhancing" drug.

I have several reactions to this whole mess. First, I am tired of people saying his smoking pot is part of the whole "experimenting" and "maturation process." Hell no, it is not! Not everyone smokes pot. It is so wrong to hear "experts" on tv try to dismiss this as "typical behavior" for someone who is "maturing."

Secondly, yes, smoking marijuana is wrong. Nothing more. Just because "everyone" smokes it, it's still not right.

Lastly, I wonder how great the person feels who took and leaked this photo to the tabloid. He probably got a nice check from it. It's sick that someone would look to profit from someone else's missteps.

Old stars, new stuff.

2009-02-03T22:08:00.002-05:00

What is it that keeps older music artists still "in"? Bruce Springsteen did a great job with his half-time show at the Super Bowl. A few months back, I posted that Tom Jones has out new music. His new song "If He Should Ever Leave" is getting airplay around the world. Several tour dates are posted on his website, including a March 3rd appearance at the House of Blues in Cleveland. I saw him a few years ago at the House of Blues and he was amazing. He puts on a great concert.

Bruce Springsteen's Performance

2009-02-02T11:36:00.003-05:00

What did you think of the halftime show? It didn't set the world on fire for me. I'm not a big Springsteen fan. It was ok. I'll say that much. People are talking about Bruce's "crotch first" slide into the camera. On the video, it is 3:43 in. While that is getting a lot of hype, I can't believe I haven't heard as much a peep about Springsteen's "hold his mic stand penis" move. This is 1:22 into the show! Hello!

Why is this such a (no pun intended) big deal?

2009-02-01T16:26:00.002-05:00

Jessica Simpson recently appeared at a couple of concerts, looking noticeably different. Why is this such an issue? Of course, the tabloids are all over her larger size. I don't get it. I still think she is a very attractive woman. Am I that far off on this one? I don't think so.

I definitely think there is a double standard. I highly doubt that if Matthew McConaughey put on weight, we would be seeing this much press about it.

Winner of Last Week

2009-02-01T10:35:00.002-05:00

Winner of the Week: President Barack Obama
All of the people who supported Hillary Clinton, I hope, were impressed with the first bill that Obama signed into legislation last week. Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The Act extends the statute of limitations for those who want to sue their employer in the case of pay discrimination. The statute of limitations now (thanks to the law) is now 360 days.

Loser of the Week

2009-01-29T09:42:00.002-05:00

Loser of the Week: Houston guard Aubrey Coleman

Aubrey issued an apology earlier this week claiming that he didn't intentionally use Arizona's Chase Budinger's face as a doormat.

"I want to apologize to Chase Budinger for what happened Saturday night. I never meant to step on him," Coleman said in a statement issued by the school. "I have never been in an incident like this before, and I have nothing but respect for him as a great player."

You can see in the video that Coleman is smiling off the court after he got ejected from the game.

Winners and Losers for the week

2009-01-24T22:15:00.003-05:00

Winner of the Week: Kay Yow

North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow passed away today after a long battle with breast cancer. The 66 year old won more than 700 games as a head coach. Yow battled breast cancer for what is reported as "decades." Her body took an incredible pounding from chemotherapy and other treatments. Still, she went on coaching and making an impact on others. Yow rarely took time away from her time but this year was different. The cancer spread to her liver and bones. Her team visited her this past Wednesday.

This hits home for me because my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 9 years ago. She is in remission. It was a tough battle but thanks to the doctors at University Hospitals in Cleveland and at Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio, she is fine.

Loser of the Week: Rush Limbaugh

I am convinced that this guy sole goal in life is to bash Democrats, no matter what. Among his highlights this week...saying he wants Obama to fail, criticizing his inauguration speech by saying it wasn't electrifying and focused too much on our nation's problems. Clearly, Limbaugh missed the part of the speech that said something about picking ourselves up and dusting ourselves off and getting at it. I believe Obama referred to it as a "call to service."

Martin Luther King Day

2009-01-19T19:16:00.002-05:00

Are you experiencing the same incredible and uplifting feeling from today that I am? This is the most historic Martin Luther King Day celebration there will ever be. On the day before the nation swears in its first African-American President, Barack Obama was helping to paint a homeless shelter. I feel so proud that he is our President.