Day of Silence Noise

What are educators to do when their students are participating in some sort of protest?

Do they allow the student to participate in protest measures while in the classroom? Or does the academic setting take precedence over such activism, thereby insisting that the students participate in the class discussion, whether it goes against the protest measure or not?

What about those who chose not to engage in the protest? It can become quite frustrating to communicate ideas when one or more group members are unable to speak.

Are protesters entitled to the same participation credit as non-protesters?

At least this is only a one-day thing.

He's begging for it

You don't yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater and you sure as HELL don't threaten the President of the United States. Last time I checked, it was illegal. The video was posted on http://www.WorldStarHipHop.com April 19.

"Comptroller" is such a cool word

There's been news that the final audit from Greece, New York is out.

Enjoy

Storm Watch

Here we go again ... taxes and budget time! Last year was a bit of an eye-opener. This year looks to be about the same. There may be less bickering, there might be more. It's the manager's choice. I read a very interesting point in the PotomacNews regarding the school budget. Actually, I never thought about it this way, but it made a whole lotta sense:

Supervisor Wally Covington, R- Brentsville, questioned why Prince William administrative salaries seemed to rise at a much higher rate than teachers, according to research he said he conducted using state Department of Education statistics.

Why not move the $1.3 mil raises that the "Top 10" are reported to receive for 2009, and give it to the teachers? Goodie Lord, it wasn't until 2007 that I've read so much beef regarding the school budget. Prior to that, nada. It's still in the air at this point, so the numbers will change. I guess we'll just hold our breath.

And another thing: I'm not extactly thrilled that there is a near-constant PWC vs. Fairfax comparison made. (They're probably not too happy about it, either.) Physical proximity does not always guarantee similar populations. Both counties have specific needs that make it almost impractical to cross-compare each other, especially when the issues become more complex.

In any case, perhaps there will come a time when we will all get along...

Or never.

Counterstrike

A protest against illegal immigration, this time in an academic setting. What happens next is not surprising...

Curiously Odd

I cruise FunnyJunk.com from time to time. Recently, they've allowed YouTube videos to be added to the site. In keeping with tradition, FunnyJunk visitors are able to comment videos as they do pictures or non-YouTube clips. One video in particular caught my eye. Titled "Fox Attacks," it wasn't the actual video I was interested in, but a comment poster Endpoint wrote:

Obama supports Caesarian abortion law, which allows a baby to be pulled from the womb and left todie on a gurney. Nurses are not allowed to assist a "fetus" that persists in living after beingremoved. Look it up.

These may be the words of a fierce Obama-hater that is only making this up in order to stir similar sentiment towards the candidate. Sifting through mud and muck to find the truth and confirm or bust claims such as these requires a little detective work. Has anyone else heard of this? Are there any sources that can prove this?

Do "caesarian abortions" even exist???

New Wine and Old Wine-skins

$14,000

Last time I checked, a goverment employee didn't get a raise that high. Last time I checked, a government employee wasn't allowed to earn more than the President. I needed some time to digest this bit.

Prince William County Superintendent Steven L. Walts stands to earn an extra $14,357 this year, based on proposed fiscal 2009 school budget figures that call for 6 percent merit and cost-of-living raises for all eligible employees.

(God help this poor blogger who made one-day's worth minimum wage canvassing on a street corner asking complete strangers if they "had a moment for the environment.") 14K is a nice cushion on top of an extremely comfortable salary, but 14K is what many people need. Sorry school board, you're not in control of things as much as you'd like to think you are. Fortunately, we have the BoCS who can sweep in and say, "I'm in charge now" and fix the school budget if necessary... I have a feeling it's getting very close to that point. Get your amour ready, and spit-shine that helmet! We're in for the long haul; extra rations optional but highly recommended.

By the way, I saw the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center. I had always thought the building was going to be built right there on Joplin Road. It's not. I guess you can't erect a new building on old grounds (hence the title).

I wonder if the saying "You can't put old wine into new wine-skins" applies to school board members.

hmmm...

By Request

There is much to be said about the power of the ballot. "VOTE 08" signs dot college student centers and libraries. Reading material gets distrubuted either in-person or through the inbox (both electronic and real).

However, what about those who elect not to participate in the election process? There could be several reasons for this.

1. They are not interested in politics


2. They did not conduct their research on the various candidates beforehand and feel that they should not vote


3. They are so fed up with the current system that they do not vote out of spite


4. Or the current electorate is satisfied with the incumbent's work. If the candidate is running unopposed, then the spot has been secured

Which bring us to the mayoral elections of PWC. In Occoquan, Haymarket and Quantico, the mayors pretty much have their positions guaranteed to them by the time the May 6 elections roll around. It would seem that the voters are happy with the work their mayors are doing.

Good luck to all candidates! My favourite to win is Earnie Porta. :)

Too True

Cruising the 'Tube has its benefits

Daylight Savings Time

Time to set our clocks forward... and subsequently fool our bodies by missing lunch and losing sleep. Good luck to the BoCS as they gear up for Tuesday. The PotomacNews reports

Prince William supervisors will begin the process of sifting through 500-plus pages of fiscal 2009 budgetary items with scheduled work sessions in the afternoon and evening.

(Some undergrad students will scoff at this number.) Just as important, the tax rate to advertise will also be addressed. Tic-tac-toe, 4 ties in a row was last week's outcome of the tax rate discussion. Hopefully, the supervisors will be able to reach a consensus tomorrow. March 18 is the deadline.

Here we go!

Sisyphus: The ten worse countries for women

We will be learning about this in Global Realities tomorrow. It's hard to imagine that this is acceptable on any level. But it is.

Sisyphus: The ten worse countries for women

Shields Up!

So you may have noticed that about 42% (I) and 65% (II) of the abovementioned links do not lead anywhere. I took them down for the sake of convenience. It was fun while it lasted, though.

I've been told that people are just starting to notice. Let's start some discussions and take down some names. I live for this :)

“Plans made after advice succeed; so with wise guidance, wage your war.”

Proverbs 20:18

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