Today is my most favorite holiday. It is technically the Feast of Saint Patrick but is more commonly known as Saint Patrick’s Day and maybe more correctly than both would be Lá Fhéile Pádraig. It is the national holiday of the Irish people. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In Great Britain, the United States, Australia and the rest of Canada, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday.
Wikipedia has this to say:
Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born, probably in Roman Britain, about AD 385, and was originally called Maewyn.
At the age of 16, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. Having been a pagan before, he became closer to Christianity during his captivity.
He escaped from slavery after six years and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years. During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity.
He wished to return to Ireland and to convert the native pagans to Christianity, but his superiors instead appointed St. Palladius. However, two years later Palladius transferred to Scotland. Patrick, having adopted that Christian name earlier, was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland.
Patrick was quite successful at winning converts which upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.
His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick’s Day ever since.
They also say he didn’t drive the snakes from Ireland but they are Godless heathens who have no concept of the truth. 
The wearing of green is an American tradition and one that my family celebrates with great pride. We have Irish roots on both sides of the family and this is a day on which we celebrate that heritage. We will have corned beef (not homemade this year much to my dismay and in fact completely my fault) along with boiled cabbage. The history of St. Patty’s day runs deep in our American hearts. The first celebration took place in Boston in 1737 and 270 years we are still celebrating the holiday brought to us by Irish immigrants. New York has the longest parade, Chicago dyes its river green, New Orleans has a celebrating similar to Mardi Gras complete with beads but also including the throwing of cabbage and potatoes (I wonder what you have to flash to get those!), Maryville, MO has the shortest parade (the 2006 route was 86 feet). All over the country people take part in drinking the hideous invention known as green beer (nary a drop has crossed these lips).
I have been offered Bushmill’s on many a St. Patrick’s day by well meaning barkeeps and waitresses. Their well meaning offer is met with indignation. Not a drop of Protestant whiskey will cross my lips on this fine day! It will be Jameson’s for me and mine. I know that’s nitpicky but it’s just the way I roll.
Even such a holiday is dogged by controversy. I won’t even acknowledge the controversy here other than to say that it exists and those creating it should be taken out behind the local pub and given a good old fashioned Irish beating.
So on this fine day get your arse to the store and buy some corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and have a nice fmaily meal. Send the kiddos to their Grandma, get out of the house, and have yourself a few rounds in celebration of my favorite saint and the patron saint of Ireland. Below the fold are some good toasts for you to raise to family and friends tonight. And someting more important at the end…
(Read the article)
Sunday morning. I could gripe about work or go on about other stuff. But the words of John Prine will do. So enjoy a little music, get off the computer, and go spend time with your loved ones. There is nothing to see on the net today that compares with hanging out with your family or friends.
John Prine - Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody
John Prine - Souvenirs
John Prine - He Was In Heaven Before He Died
It turns out someone I respect greatly has not seen this film! I cannot fathom going through life without getting Lloyd Dobbler quotes…Here is the trailer. I think I am going to watch it again.
No words from me can add to this beautiful presentation. So just click the links, each in order, listening all the way through.
John Wayne - America, Why I Love Her
America, Why I Love Her
The Hyphen
My Roots Are Buried Here
The People
An American Boy Grows Up
Face The Flag
The Good Things
The Pledge Of Allegiance
Why Are You Marching Son
Taps (Spoken)
If that don’t tear you up then you ain’t got no heart and I got little use for you…
This band…Tony James…just wow. I know I am all contradictory being a punk and loving SSS but you can get bent if doesn’t make sense.
Alarmed by indicators of student stress like cheating and substance abuse, a handful of San Francisco Bay Area schools are reducing an education staple: homework.
Oak Knoll Elementary in Menlo Park has mostly banned homework — except reading, special projects or catch-up work. Palo Alto’s Addison Elementary and the Berryessa School District in San Jose are discussing the issue.
So there is a rash of cheating and substance abuse at the elementary school level? I have serious doubts about the logic used in the decision to stop giving homework. Of course it is not all homework but it is a good portion. I just don’t see first graders hiding their “kit” in the bushes and shooting up during recess because they had to do homework. It is more plausible that high schoolers might do such a thing but at that point I would be looking somewhere outside of homework for the answer to the problem.
For two decades teachers have been under pressure to raise academic standards and test scores, but CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports that many are now questioning the value of burying students in homework.
The changes have come as a University of Missouri study found high school students benefit tremendously from homework. In middle school, the results were not as strong, but homework was still found to be beneficial. But on the elementary school level, the same study found homework had no effect on students.
So we are going to use a single study to make a decision that will affect children for the rest of their lives? There must not be any studies that have found anything different. This must be the only study around.
At Duke University, Harris Cooper tells CBS News his research has shown that homework does help learning.
“All students can benefit from homework, but the amount and type that is done at each age level should be different,” Cooper says.
The administration at this school should be investigated for substance abuse! Opposing studies, parental opposition, and they are still going forward with this ill-conceived plan. I wonder what they have to say about it? (Note: The following is an exact copy but the numbering in parentheses is mine.)
Christian Aronson - Teacher at Oak Knoll Elementary
Homework is given out on Mondays and is to be returned to class on Friday morning. If your child has forgotten their homework on Friday, PLEASE do not bring it in for them. You have already been to second grade - it is their time to learn responsibility.
(1)Homework should come in to class with the child’s name on all of the pages. Please do not staple the pages together. (2)Pen should never be used for writing or math. All work should be written neatly!!! Please do not correct your child’s homework - if they ask for help, please help. If your child’s papers come in thoroughly corrected, I will not get a sense of where they are needing my help.
Each week’s homework packet usually includes:
1. (3)Reading Log - children should be reading a minimum of 15 every night. At the beginning of the year, this can include time that you are reading to them. By January, they should be reading a minimum of 15 minutes on their own.
2. Spelling words - spelling test are given each Friday. Children should be practicing these words daily in preparation for the test. The word list given to your child is appropriate for their spelling level.
3. Math sheets - 1 or 2 sheets to reinforce what is being discussed in the classroom. Math homework is given at your child’s math level.
4. (4)Handwriting practice - beginning of the year, practicing D’Nealian handwriting and correct pencil grip.
5. Writing - there is usually a writing assignment each week. These consist of sentence writing/grammar, poems, paragraphs/essays.
6. (5)Puzzles/riddles/stumpers - these are fun acitivites that parents can help. (6)Many of these are helping the children to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills.
7. Book reports - these begin in March and the children will be given a month to complete the book report. (7)Each book report requires an art project to come in with the report. (8)Specific instructions are given in the HW packet at the beginning of the month, as well as weekly orgnizational suggestions will be given each week on the HW weekly sheet.
8. (9)Special Projects - occasionally there will be projects that the children will work on at home with instructions as to when they need to come back to class.
I am only going to discuss the glaring errors in this outline (If it is considered an outline). I also fisk this knowing that my grammar is not always perfect and with the caveat that I am not a public school teacher writing something intend to be read by the parents of my students. While reading keep in mind that this person is employed at a public school and is teaching elementary school children. This is a person responsible for educating the next generation.
(1)Homework should come in to class with the child’s name on all of the pages.
Homework cannot come into class. It is impossible, as far as I know, for homework to do anything of it’s own volition. Homework can be brought into class by a student, it can be carried into class be a parent, it can be left at home, but it cannot, unless you are taking a robotics class, come into class. This is the first of many glaring errors. Homework is not an entity nor is it sentient, mobile, capable of propulsion, or otherwise able to come into class.
(2)Pen should never be used for writing or math.
I don’t even know where to start with this sentence. It is nonsense plain and simple. Simply adding “A” to the beginning of this sentence would at least make it appear to be correct. It also needs the qualification of “homework” added to the end. While it is safe to assume that the sentence is in reference to homework, since that is the obvious topic of the outline, clear speech is still appropriate for an educator. The way this sentence is written it appears the teacher is instructing parents to never allow their child to use a pen for writing [or math]. Simply adding to words would make the sentence clear and accurate. This error shows pure laziness and lack of proofreading and I do think those are qualities that would be acceptable for teachers of any grade level.
(3)Reading Log - children should be reading a minimum of 15 every night.
Children should be reading a minimum of 15 what every night? 15 Pages? 15 minutes? 15 seconds? 15 hours?
(4)Handwriting practice - beginning of the year, practicing D’Nealian handwriting and correct pencil grip.
A nonsense sentence that could have been corrected by the addition of five letters in two words: “At the” however our illustrious teacher didn’t bother. I almost expected to start seeing txt speak in her outline at this point. This is not an excusable error it is blatant carelessness. Actually I am chalking this all up to carelessness when the actual reason may be more insidious. This teacher may actually be this ignorant but that is a possibility I do not want to consider.
(5)Puzzles/riddles/stumpers - these are fun acitivites that parents can help.
Parents can help acitivites? There are such things as acitivites? The dual errors in this sentence make it impossible to understand. Disregard the fact that our brains can make sense of the drivel the simple fact is that this teach has stated that parents can help activities. She does not state that parents can help their children with activities but rather that activities are much like the autonomous homework in her first point and can be helped. I do not think that this can simply be blamed on carelessness. As much as I want to think that this teacher is merely careless it is becoming more and more apparent that she is actually ignorant.
(6)Many of these are helping the children to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Many of these what? This may seem to be nitpicking but it is part of the overall pattern. If this was the only error in the whole of the outline then I don’t think I would be taking issue with this teacher’s words. It is not the only error and regardless of the fact our brains can make sense of these words and we know to what the teacher refers the fact is that the sentence is grammatically incorrect. This is the sort of error that, in my opinion, can only be made from ignorance.
(7)Each book report requires an art project to come in with the report.
Apparently it is not only homework and activities that are autonomous but also book reports and art projects. In this sentence the teacher has relinquished her authority and is allowing book reports to require things. I wonder if the book reports will eventually require her to use a spell checking program? Let us be clear on this point. A book report is a thing that consists of words on paper and cannot require anything of anyone. I also have my doubts that either the book report or art project, required by the book report, can come into class. I am certain that both of the items require a human to carry them or bring them into class. This is mistake that is made over and over through this outline and as such the initial excuse that I used for this teacher is no longer believable. This is pure ignorance. This is pure ignorance being passed on to the children of this school. I am frankly shocked that the parents are not up in arms over this teacher being allowed to continue passing on this ignorance to their children.
(8)Specific instructions are given in the HW packet at the beginning of the month, as well as weekly orgnizational suggestions will be given each week on the HW weekly sheet.
The incorrect spelling and use of an undefined abbreviation in this sentence are just more evidence that bolsters the ignorance argument. If the teacher is too lazy to bother with a spell checking program then we can assume that the ignorance is not only the reason but that it is willful as well. If the undefined abbreviation was the only error then it would be forgivable to a large degree but it is not. It is very much proof that this person should be removed from all duties of imparting knowledge to children. It is a small error that is amplified by the myriad errors throughout the outline.
(9)Special Projects - occasionally there will be projects that the children will work on at home with instructions as to when they need to come back to class.
The final error in this document refutes the carelessness excuse completely and utterly. It is the fourth error of the same kind. It is pure and simple ignorance. As a teacher it is willful ignorance. Once again our teacher of children implies that something(s) assigned as homework is mobile and able to come into class only this time the thing(s), a project(s), is able to keep track of the date and return on their own on a specified date.
I think I will bookmark this entry and simply send a link to anyone who inquires about the reasons for which we homeschool our children. All I have to do is screw them up less than public school and I am a success. With teachers like this my job is one I could do in my sleep.
UPDATE: Mrs. Aronson has corrected the spelling of the title of this list/outline. (This is a mistake on my part, the webpage title that shows at the top of the browser is still incorrect. I thought the actual title on the page was incorrect no correction has been made. I left the update because I like to own up to my mistakes) She has also changed the reading portion to impart that “children should read a minimum of 10 every night! All of the rest of the mistakes remain including the one my lovely wife pointed out wherein the teacher imparts that “spelling test are given”.
That is the date. I mean THE DATE. It is the date Lucero comes back to Houston. You will find me at Walter’s on Washington in my best pearl snap, Lone Star in my right hand, Jaeger in my left, screaming along with the boys. For now I have to make do with a show from last year that I just acquired. I have made this show available for download but I will be damned if I link it from here. If you want the full show from the Rocks Off Concert Cruise - NY, NY 8-5-06 then drop me an email. I’ll hook you up with a link to grab it.
We’re on a fuckin’ boat…
Jason Isbell is from Drive By Truckers. And this is only song I can think of that has made me tear up in recent history. If you have a heart at all you won’t make it through this with a dry eye.
I don’t personally know anyone who shipped off to the Middle East and didn’t come back. I am grateful for that. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost someone who was defending our freedoms and our way of life. I know that me and a good portion of my friends disagree on the honor of this war but I don’t think this is the time or place for that. I don’t usually censor my comments but any comment running down our troops will be removed from this post. Let’s just let this one be about the song and nothing else.
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