The scary thing about electing Obama or Clinton
is the repercussions of the white man. I don't
mean the educated white man as much as the uneducated
white man. The KKK man or the "red neck" white man.
There are some men who don't appreciate women. There
are some white men who don't appreciate people of color.
Herein lies the dilemma.
If either Obama or Clinton are elected, there are
people out there who are not going to enjoy having
them be our President. For a nickel and a cup of coffee,
they may decide that we don't need them in office and
well , you know what I am saying. I do believe that we
have some lunatics in the world, Charles Manson and
company being part of that group, and they are not
governed by the same set of rules that we abide by.
Given the opportunity, or by chance waking up one
morning in an irritable mood,could cause someone
to make a bad judgement call. These people that
are crazy and set off by different emotions than average
white men, may hear another drummer if you know what
I mean. I am not implying any of this , I just bring
it up as a potential future prediction. I hate to say
I told you so.
But What If?
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Florida Mean Teens
What if we let the Florida Mean Teens get away with what
they have done? What are the consequences for our own
children?
What amazes me the most is that a whole group of kids
decide to beat up one girl. Were all of them so jealous
or envious of this one girl that they would plan such an
event? Were all of them in need collectively for so much
attention that they would organize into a lynch mob to
execute such action so that they could be on TV and get
national attention?
The Virginia Tech situation was one demented child who
struck back at his peer group for whatever was his reason,
but how do you bring together a whole group of other
people to carry out your own emotional sickness and
persuade all of them to feel the same way you do?
It will be interesting to see how this plays out and what the
answers are from the defendants. With Dr. Phil getting
involved in the fracas and getting even more attention, will
probably lead to more "copycat situations" and we will be
hearing about more beatings for national attention in the
future.
If the media would just let it die or if we are going to
have to be subjected to this day and night, just maybe
the judge who gets the case can impose the maximum
penalty allowed to make examples of the Florida mean teens.
What if they don't? What if they let them get away with
a slap on the hand? We as a society will be in real trouble.
We as a society are getting to the point where anything and
everything is ok. or at least accepted or tolerated. We can
only hope that justice will prevail and that we as a society
will soon come to our senses.
What If we don't?
they have done? What are the consequences for our own
children?
What amazes me the most is that a whole group of kids
decide to beat up one girl. Were all of them so jealous
or envious of this one girl that they would plan such an
event? Were all of them in need collectively for so much
attention that they would organize into a lynch mob to
execute such action so that they could be on TV and get
national attention?
The Virginia Tech situation was one demented child who
struck back at his peer group for whatever was his reason,
but how do you bring together a whole group of other
people to carry out your own emotional sickness and
persuade all of them to feel the same way you do?
It will be interesting to see how this plays out and what the
answers are from the defendants. With Dr. Phil getting
involved in the fracas and getting even more attention, will
probably lead to more "copycat situations" and we will be
hearing about more beatings for national attention in the
future.
If the media would just let it die or if we are going to
have to be subjected to this day and night, just maybe
the judge who gets the case can impose the maximum
penalty allowed to make examples of the Florida mean teens.
What if they don't? What if they let them get away with
a slap on the hand? We as a society will be in real trouble.
We as a society are getting to the point where anything and
everything is ok. or at least accepted or tolerated. We can
only hope that justice will prevail and that we as a society
will soon come to our senses.
What If we don't?
Monday, April 14, 2008
What if we elect Clinton or Obama?
Everyone is complaining about Bush. Everyone is blaming the
economy and the price of gas on the Republicans. At which
point did President Bush or the Republicans raise the cost
of gasoline or change the economy? We are all Americans,
the Congress dictates which laws are passed and put
before the American people.
What if we elect Clinton or Obama? So far I have only
heard fussing and fighting and denouncement, or
ridicule of each other. Not what I really look for
in a Presidential candidate.
Where or when are we going to hear about the issues?
How would they settle the war? How would they change
the economy? How would they fix the social security
if there is a problem?
Every time you think they might address the questions
of the day one of them slips up and says something
that the media doesn't like, so they blow it all out
of proportion and the general population has a new topic
over the water fountain the next morning.
Does McCain have all the answers? Probably not. At least
he is not out there on the campaign trail avoiding
the issues.
You might not always agree with him , but you are not
always going to agree with the other candidates either.
What if we scrap the whole lot of them and get some
other people to run. Someone without a grudge or
bad feeling in their bones. Somebody like Aunt Bee
from Mayberry or Gomer Pyle. Oh wait, you say they
are just made up characters or actors and actresses.
Do you see where I am going with this? What is the
difference between them and what we have running
for office now? I am not saying we should change anything.
I am just asking What If?
economy and the price of gas on the Republicans. At which
point did President Bush or the Republicans raise the cost
of gasoline or change the economy? We are all Americans,
the Congress dictates which laws are passed and put
before the American people.
What if we elect Clinton or Obama? So far I have only
heard fussing and fighting and denouncement, or
ridicule of each other. Not what I really look for
in a Presidential candidate.
Where or when are we going to hear about the issues?
How would they settle the war? How would they change
the economy? How would they fix the social security
if there is a problem?
Every time you think they might address the questions
of the day one of them slips up and says something
that the media doesn't like, so they blow it all out
of proportion and the general population has a new topic
over the water fountain the next morning.
Does McCain have all the answers? Probably not. At least
he is not out there on the campaign trail avoiding
the issues.
You might not always agree with him , but you are not
always going to agree with the other candidates either.
What if we scrap the whole lot of them and get some
other people to run. Someone without a grudge or
bad feeling in their bones. Somebody like Aunt Bee
from Mayberry or Gomer Pyle. Oh wait, you say they
are just made up characters or actors and actresses.
Do you see where I am going with this? What is the
difference between them and what we have running
for office now? I am not saying we should change anything.
I am just asking What If?
Sunday, March 30, 2008
What if we give up on Critical Thinkers?
I am really dismayed to hear people talk, especially
teachers about the government program "No Kids Left
Behind". In our state we have the SOL's that every
student must pass in order to move ahead one grade.
The students today are ruling the roost as they
used to say, and teachers have to work really hard
to teach them and to keep them in line. That is
another blog all together.
Critical Thinking.
If we don't start back to teaching the students
critical thinking, how is this future generation
going to be able to make decisions, and how are they
ever going to be able to run the country?
Most kids that I meet want instant gratification,
have shallow values, and are looking for quick fixes
on everything.
By learning to learn in order to pass the SOL's is
not leaving the teachers any time to teach intellectual
traits, standards or abilities at any time. The students
themselves are self educating themselves at home in
front of the TV or through friends, and trying to
decide how to make sense of the world through the media.
They need to become more intellectually fit.
A well educated person is able to reason quite directly
and deliberately.
We must develop students who reason through what
they are learning so as to grasp the logic of their
reasoning, students who know clearly the difference
between coming to terms with the logic of something
or merely rotely memorizing it.
This is what we are teaching them by remembering
the answer for the test instead of developing
their own thought on how they came up with the answer.
Teachers need to design instructions so that students
take command of the logic of their own thinking while
they are thinking and through that insightful grasp,
they can improve it.
How can we teach our students to begin to recognize
the inferences they are making, the assumptions
they are basing these inferences on, and the point
of view, and the perspective on the world that they
are beginning to form or inherit?
How can we help students to recognize how they are
reasoning about the world?
They need to gain command over their thinking.
They need to build intellectual muscle to overcome
inherent self deceptive tendencies.
They need to cut through the propaganda and learn to
think for themselves.
You can take a simple inference and look at it several ways.
The kids today take the most logical route, what they have
heard or seen and do not tend to think of the different
inferences.
For example:
Situation: A man is sitting on the side of the road
Assumption: only lazy people sit on the side of the road
Inference: That man is lazy.
Situation : A man is sitting on the side of the road
Assumption : anyone sitting on the side of the road could
be in trouble.
Inference : that man may need help.
These are simple. But the students today are given mostly
questions of multiple choice and they are to choose the
most logical answer. This is simple enough but does not
teach them critical thinking about the other possibilities.
Critical Thinking is important to their future and the
world's future. We need a generation of quality thinkers
who think for themselves and make the right decisions
based on clear and perceptive thinking. It just doesn't
seem to me that the kids today are learning this in
school. Only time will prove me wrong....or right.
teachers about the government program "No Kids Left
Behind". In our state we have the SOL's that every
student must pass in order to move ahead one grade.
The students today are ruling the roost as they
used to say, and teachers have to work really hard
to teach them and to keep them in line. That is
another blog all together.
Critical Thinking.
If we don't start back to teaching the students
critical thinking, how is this future generation
going to be able to make decisions, and how are they
ever going to be able to run the country?
Most kids that I meet want instant gratification,
have shallow values, and are looking for quick fixes
on everything.
By learning to learn in order to pass the SOL's is
not leaving the teachers any time to teach intellectual
traits, standards or abilities at any time. The students
themselves are self educating themselves at home in
front of the TV or through friends, and trying to
decide how to make sense of the world through the media.
They need to become more intellectually fit.
A well educated person is able to reason quite directly
and deliberately.
We must develop students who reason through what
they are learning so as to grasp the logic of their
reasoning, students who know clearly the difference
between coming to terms with the logic of something
or merely rotely memorizing it.
This is what we are teaching them by remembering
the answer for the test instead of developing
their own thought on how they came up with the answer.
Teachers need to design instructions so that students
take command of the logic of their own thinking while
they are thinking and through that insightful grasp,
they can improve it.
How can we teach our students to begin to recognize
the inferences they are making, the assumptions
they are basing these inferences on, and the point
of view, and the perspective on the world that they
are beginning to form or inherit?
How can we help students to recognize how they are
reasoning about the world?
They need to gain command over their thinking.
They need to build intellectual muscle to overcome
inherent self deceptive tendencies.
They need to cut through the propaganda and learn to
think for themselves.
You can take a simple inference and look at it several ways.
The kids today take the most logical route, what they have
heard or seen and do not tend to think of the different
inferences.
For example:
Situation: A man is sitting on the side of the road
Assumption: only lazy people sit on the side of the road
Inference: That man is lazy.
Situation : A man is sitting on the side of the road
Assumption : anyone sitting on the side of the road could
be in trouble.
Inference : that man may need help.
These are simple. But the students today are given mostly
questions of multiple choice and they are to choose the
most logical answer. This is simple enough but does not
teach them critical thinking about the other possibilities.
Critical Thinking is important to their future and the
world's future. We need a generation of quality thinkers
who think for themselves and make the right decisions
based on clear and perceptive thinking. It just doesn't
seem to me that the kids today are learning this in
school. Only time will prove me wrong....or right.
Friday, March 21, 2008
What if we run out of water ?
Somebody had better wake up and smell the
water. We are slowly running out of water.
Does anyone understand that? We need water
to sustain ourselves. We need water to
irrigate our land to grow our food. Does
anyone understand that? There are three
countries that grow the majority of wheat
that feeds the world. China, India,and
the United States. Ask me where we are
having the largest shortage of water?
I know we need to solve the gas problem.
However, all of you people out there who
are drinking bottled water, can't seem
to put it together exactly what you are
paying for that water. At one dollar each
for a 16 ounce size of water, equates to
$4.00 a gallon. As of today, we are not
even paying that much for a gallon of
gasoline, and yet everyone complains
about the cost of gas, but no one
complains about the cost of water.
Everything I read says that it takes
four quarts of water to make one quart
of water that we buy. Another group is
telling me that most of the social
water that we are buying is coming
straight out of the tap,and companies
are putting fancy labels on them,calling
them a fancy name and charging Joe Customer
big bucks for what they get out of the tap.
If we keep this up we are destined to run
out of water in the future...unless of
course our children learn how to distill
ocean water into usable water. I have an
idea. Let's run a hose from our sink and
bathtub to the commode and recycle our
bath water for flushing. I wonder if I
can patent this idea.
Conserve the water.
We need it to grow up with and so do our
children.
Check out this link
http://www.isecureonline.com/Reports/RHB/WRHBJ316/?o=1456713&u=32434014&l=844652
water. We are slowly running out of water.
Does anyone understand that? We need water
to sustain ourselves. We need water to
irrigate our land to grow our food. Does
anyone understand that? There are three
countries that grow the majority of wheat
that feeds the world. China, India,and
the United States. Ask me where we are
having the largest shortage of water?
I know we need to solve the gas problem.
However, all of you people out there who
are drinking bottled water, can't seem
to put it together exactly what you are
paying for that water. At one dollar each
for a 16 ounce size of water, equates to
$4.00 a gallon. As of today, we are not
even paying that much for a gallon of
gasoline, and yet everyone complains
about the cost of gas, but no one
complains about the cost of water.
Everything I read says that it takes
four quarts of water to make one quart
of water that we buy. Another group is
telling me that most of the social
water that we are buying is coming
straight out of the tap,and companies
are putting fancy labels on them,calling
them a fancy name and charging Joe Customer
big bucks for what they get out of the tap.
If we keep this up we are destined to run
out of water in the future...unless of
course our children learn how to distill
ocean water into usable water. I have an
idea. Let's run a hose from our sink and
bathtub to the commode and recycle our
bath water for flushing. I wonder if I
can patent this idea.
Conserve the water.
We need it to grow up with and so do our
children.
Check out this link
http://www.isecureonline.com/Reports/RHB/WRHBJ316/?o=1456713&u=32434014&l=844652
Tom Bush Eulogy
Tom we shared the best of times and the worst of times.
Today is the worst of times. You have been there for me
for 45 years. Today we are here for you. You have touched
all of our lives in one way or the other. That is what
brought each of us here today. I could fill a book of 300
pages or more about the times we have shared together. I
won't do that today. But I will thank you for your love,
your inspiration, your guidance and especially for your
friendship all of these years. I am sure you know how I
feel because I told you often. I still doubt if it was
ever enough. We knew each other pretty well.
You knew when I was hurting and I knew when you
were hurting. I am hurting now. I am sure you know that.
You were always there for me and you always
showed me that you cared. It was never what
do you want? It was always how can I help?
Late night talks, two hour lunches, going to plays, the
beach at New Years, the mountains, reunion planning, so
many good times shared between two friends. I will miss
you. I will pine for you. I will call your name in the night.
You will be there for me but you won't answer. That is o.k.
I will still know that you are there. These memories will
sustain me till we meet again.
I love you Tom, my buddy.Larry Oldham 1\14\08
Footnote: Tom died 5 years after having Cancer on
January 10th, 2008.
Andrew Olmsted
Andrew Olmsted
Andrew Olmsted was killed in the Iraq War.
This was his last blog. It touched my heart
and I wanted to share it with my friends.
Larry
Andrew Olmsted was killed in the Iraq War.
This was his last blog. It touched my heart
and I wanted to share it with my friends.
Larry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
