Saturday, June 30, 2012
For The Uninspired, A Sign.
Failblog posted this photo of a little restaurant somewhere in which an employee couldn't come up with a great come on to entice customers. So they did this
Friday, June 29, 2012
Texas Republicans: Thinking is Bad?
I don't usually spend a lot of time reading the Democratic or Republican party platforms in states across the Great US of A, but the Texas Republican platform is getting a lot of attention this week.
The education plank in particular is inspiring a lot of critical thinking. That's because the plank calls for a ban on critical thinking in public school education.
Some updates coming through indicate this is all a mistake, that the Texas Republicans didn't actually want the ban on critical thinking on their platform. It got there by accident, according to Talking Points Memo. I'm not sure how you accidentally do something like that, but these things do happen. And the fact that some people hate critical thinking is really worrisome.
Here's what the platform said:
"Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority."
Maybe I'm misunderstanding it all here, but isn't critical thinking part of life? We don't go through life by rote, just doing exactly what we always have, because the situation always changes. Taken to its logical extreme, if I avoided critical thinking, I wouldn't put a coat on during a December cold wave because I didn't wear one in July.
Why make a decision based on changing conditions?
I see the people who wrote this thing worry that critical thinking would challenge the students fixed beliefs. In some cases, shouldn't some, but not all of people's fixed beliefs change?
Again, taken to its logical, weird conclusion, a kid who believes in the Easter Bunny at age three should continue to do so throughout life? Our beliefs inevitably change when we're confronted with new evidence. Should students not be exposed to any new evidence about anything, anywhere?
I wonder if the Republicans who wrote this are conflating critical thinking with rebellion. Critical thinking to me means you examine what you believe, and if it makes sense, it reinforces, not diminishes your beliefs.
And if it doesn't make sense, you make some adjustments.
True, nobody wants kids demanding WHY??? to every simple instruction. But to stay competitive in the world, don't we want people to think through things, to figure out how problems develop and how to fix them.
A sure path to failure is to say, "But that's the way we've always done things."
Or do we want a society that has everybody just working menial jobs? Because anything that takes skill means whoever's doing the task has to think critically.
The Texas education platform isn't the only oddball educational ideae floating out there. Politicians are always offering up novel solutions to education shortcomings.
A doozy came out of New Hampshire recently. According to the Laconia Daily Sun, a state legislator named Bob Kingsbury said a relatively high crime rate in Laconia is because they've instituted kindergarten, which takes kids away from their mothers too soon.
Kingsbury said the crime rate would further be reduced if gun ownership went up and schools offered boxing classes and organized boxing as a school sport.
Also, some private schools, especially those run by Christian fundamentalists, say evolution is a myth. They cite the Loch Ness Monster as "proof" that dinosaurs coexist with us, so therefore, there was no evolution.
It all makes you want to go home and put on a dunce cap.
The education plank in particular is inspiring a lot of critical thinking. That's because the plank calls for a ban on critical thinking in public school education.
 |
| Sometimes, politicians have um, interesting educational ideas. |
Here's what the platform said:
"Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority."
Maybe I'm misunderstanding it all here, but isn't critical thinking part of life? We don't go through life by rote, just doing exactly what we always have, because the situation always changes. Taken to its logical extreme, if I avoided critical thinking, I wouldn't put a coat on during a December cold wave because I didn't wear one in July.
Why make a decision based on changing conditions?
I see the people who wrote this thing worry that critical thinking would challenge the students fixed beliefs. In some cases, shouldn't some, but not all of people's fixed beliefs change?
Again, taken to its logical, weird conclusion, a kid who believes in the Easter Bunny at age three should continue to do so throughout life? Our beliefs inevitably change when we're confronted with new evidence. Should students not be exposed to any new evidence about anything, anywhere?
I wonder if the Republicans who wrote this are conflating critical thinking with rebellion. Critical thinking to me means you examine what you believe, and if it makes sense, it reinforces, not diminishes your beliefs.
And if it doesn't make sense, you make some adjustments.
True, nobody wants kids demanding WHY??? to every simple instruction. But to stay competitive in the world, don't we want people to think through things, to figure out how problems develop and how to fix them.
A sure path to failure is to say, "But that's the way we've always done things."
Or do we want a society that has everybody just working menial jobs? Because anything that takes skill means whoever's doing the task has to think critically.
The Texas education platform isn't the only oddball educational ideae floating out there. Politicians are always offering up novel solutions to education shortcomings.
A doozy came out of New Hampshire recently. According to the Laconia Daily Sun, a state legislator named Bob Kingsbury said a relatively high crime rate in Laconia is because they've instituted kindergarten, which takes kids away from their mothers too soon.
Kingsbury said the crime rate would further be reduced if gun ownership went up and schools offered boxing classes and organized boxing as a school sport.
Also, some private schools, especially those run by Christian fundamentalists, say evolution is a myth. They cite the Loch Ness Monster as "proof" that dinosaurs coexist with us, so therefore, there was no evolution.
It all makes you want to go home and put on a dunce cap.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Road Signs for Stupid Drivers
I just came off of writing an article for the Burlington Free Press about traffic problems in parts of northwestern Vermont
Yes, it's true Vermont highways aren't exactly like L.A. during rush hour and a storm, but we get our frustrating moments. Some people in Vermont have creative approaches to driving. It is kind of a free spirited state, after all.
We deal with people who can't decide which lane they want to drive in, so they pick both. It's scenic here in Vermont, so we expected a pretty view all the time. Which explains why when a traffic signal goes from red to green, people don't go, but sit there, waiting for the green to turn into a nicer shade, to match the surrounding trees.
They also wait for stop signs to turn green, too.
For some reason, Subaru drivers move very slowly. There's a LOT of Subarus in Vermont, so don't drive here if you are in a hurry. People don't like change, either.
So expect a slowdown when approaching a construction zone. After all, construction means change, and that's never good.
The signs say the speed is reduced to 40 or 50 mph at construction zones, which makes sense. You want it to be safe for the construction workers.
But people slow down to 10 or 20 mph, expecting a reward or something for slow driving. Also, if on Interstate 89, watch out if you see a police car with a trooper inside on the lookout for speeders. Even if you're obeying all traffic laws.
That's because people freak out near parked police cars along highways. If the speed limit is 65 mph, people will slow down to 40 mph when the cop comes into view. I guess they think the nice police officer will hand out candy to people who drive really, really slowly.
Me, I miss out on the candy. I have this strange notion that if I'm not speeding and I'm not driving erratically, the cop will leave me alone. An odd viewpoint in Vermont, apparently.
But, we eventually get to where we are going. I guess it's better than a highway full of road ragers pointing machine guns at us as they pass.
 |
| I wish the Vermont Transportatio Department would install signs like this. |
Yes, it's true Vermont highways aren't exactly like L.A. during rush hour and a storm, but we get our frustrating moments. Some people in Vermont have creative approaches to driving. It is kind of a free spirited state, after all.
We deal with people who can't decide which lane they want to drive in, so they pick both. It's scenic here in Vermont, so we expected a pretty view all the time. Which explains why when a traffic signal goes from red to green, people don't go, but sit there, waiting for the green to turn into a nicer shade, to match the surrounding trees.
They also wait for stop signs to turn green, too.
For some reason, Subaru drivers move very slowly. There's a LOT of Subarus in Vermont, so don't drive here if you are in a hurry. People don't like change, either.
So expect a slowdown when approaching a construction zone. After all, construction means change, and that's never good.
The signs say the speed is reduced to 40 or 50 mph at construction zones, which makes sense. You want it to be safe for the construction workers.
But people slow down to 10 or 20 mph, expecting a reward or something for slow driving. Also, if on Interstate 89, watch out if you see a police car with a trooper inside on the lookout for speeders. Even if you're obeying all traffic laws.
That's because people freak out near parked police cars along highways. If the speed limit is 65 mph, people will slow down to 40 mph when the cop comes into view. I guess they think the nice police officer will hand out candy to people who drive really, really slowly.
Me, I miss out on the candy. I have this strange notion that if I'm not speeding and I'm not driving erratically, the cop will leave me alone. An odd viewpoint in Vermont, apparently.
But, we eventually get to where we are going. I guess it's better than a highway full of road ragers pointing machine guns at us as they pass.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
New Bullying Outrage: Coach vs 13 Year Old
The news has been abuzz the past week with that 68-year old bus monitor being bullied by middle school kids on a bus.
The outrage has been understandably intense, and people have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the victim in that case.
But the bullying continues for others. Another video, sure to shock, is hitting the airwaves this afternoon. In it, a hockey game among 10 to 13-year olds had just ended on Saturday. The coach of one team intentionally trips a 13-year-old at the post game handshake. The kid got a broken wrist out of the deal.
Watch and be mad, really mad: (Then more details below)
According to The Province, a British Columbia publication, the coach was arrested but released Saturday.
A decision on whether to charge him with a crime is pending, and depends upon whether the parents of the victim want to press charges.
CTV/Vancouver identified the coach as Martin Tremblay, but said he could not be reached for comment. (I'll bet!) CTV said sources close to Tremblay said he slipped on the ice. Watch the video and judge for yourself. (Didn't look like a slip to me, but what do I know?)
I'm sure Internet sleuths are working on getting more information on Tremblay just as they quickly figured out the identities of the kids who abused the bus monitor in New York State.
You can see already what effect this guy's "leadership" has on the team, by this paragraph from the Province. (The coach was with a team called the Hornets, the injured 13-year old was with the Steel)
"Later footage also shows the man (the coach) trading words with a referee while a Steel coach standing in shock is ushered off the ice. A Hornets player is also caught on camera throwing a water bottle at the bleachers while others on the team applaud and gesture with their arms open. The Hornets coach also gives a middle finger to those yelling from the bleachers."
This coach is even worse than the miserable kids who abused the bus monitor. The kids with the bus monitor are young, immature, and more prone to doing stupid things. What's the Hornets coach's excuse?
I can't wait to hear Tremblay's explanation for this. I'm sure the kid did something during the game the coach didn't like, but tripping and injuring him? And so blatantly.
If he went out of his way to hurt that 13-year old hockey player, does he hurt other kids? Does he have kids, and does he abuse them? These are questions that need to be answered.
I'm predicting the coach will offer some lame excuse and lame semi apology at some point. But still. He's the latest installment of Worst Person of the Week.
The outrage has been understandably intense, and people have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the victim in that case.
But the bullying continues for others. Another video, sure to shock, is hitting the airwaves this afternoon. In it, a hockey game among 10 to 13-year olds had just ended on Saturday. The coach of one team intentionally trips a 13-year-old at the post game handshake. The kid got a broken wrist out of the deal.
Watch and be mad, really mad: (Then more details below)
According to The Province, a British Columbia publication, the coach was arrested but released Saturday.
A decision on whether to charge him with a crime is pending, and depends upon whether the parents of the victim want to press charges.
CTV/Vancouver identified the coach as Martin Tremblay, but said he could not be reached for comment. (I'll bet!) CTV said sources close to Tremblay said he slipped on the ice. Watch the video and judge for yourself. (Didn't look like a slip to me, but what do I know?)
I'm sure Internet sleuths are working on getting more information on Tremblay just as they quickly figured out the identities of the kids who abused the bus monitor in New York State.
You can see already what effect this guy's "leadership" has on the team, by this paragraph from the Province. (The coach was with a team called the Hornets, the injured 13-year old was with the Steel)
"Later footage also shows the man (the coach) trading words with a referee while a Steel coach standing in shock is ushered off the ice. A Hornets player is also caught on camera throwing a water bottle at the bleachers while others on the team applaud and gesture with their arms open. The Hornets coach also gives a middle finger to those yelling from the bleachers."
This coach is even worse than the miserable kids who abused the bus monitor. The kids with the bus monitor are young, immature, and more prone to doing stupid things. What's the Hornets coach's excuse?
I can't wait to hear Tremblay's explanation for this. I'm sure the kid did something during the game the coach didn't like, but tripping and injuring him? And so blatantly.
If he went out of his way to hurt that 13-year old hockey player, does he hurt other kids? Does he have kids, and does he abuse them? These are questions that need to be answered.
I'm predicting the coach will offer some lame excuse and lame semi apology at some point. But still. He's the latest installment of Worst Person of the Week.
Farmers Grow It, LMFAO Style
I think there's been every possible parody of the LMFAO hit, "I'm Sexy and I Know It," but this new one is the coolest.
The Peterson Farm Brothers, I think from Kansas have a hit on their hands with "I'm Farming
and I Grow It." In the video, below, the three brothers strut their stuff. I think they are far better than LMFAO, to be honest.
The text below the video helpfully display the lyrics to their song. Sample:
When I'm in my tractor, I got more power than an arc reactor
And when I'm in the field, I try to raise crops to maximum yield
This is how I roll, without me the world would be outta control
The hours I work, there is no equal
Gotta feed the mouths of hungry people
Much better than "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," don't you think?
I'm going to have to keep my eye out in the farm country here in Vermont for similar cow pasture and cropland talent. You never know.
Meanwhile, you've GOT to watch the Peterson Farm Brothers video, which has gone viral. It's an instant classic:
 |
| The Peterson Farm Brothers are |
The Peterson Farm Brothers, I think from Kansas have a hit on their hands with "I'm Farming
and I Grow It." In the video, below, the three brothers strut their stuff. I think they are far better than LMFAO, to be honest.
The text below the video helpfully display the lyrics to their song. Sample:
When I'm in my tractor, I got more power than an arc reactor
And when I'm in the field, I try to raise crops to maximum yield
This is how I roll, without me the world would be outta control
The hours I work, there is no equal
Gotta feed the mouths of hungry people
Much better than "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," don't you think?
I'm going to have to keep my eye out in the farm country here in Vermont for similar cow pasture and cropland talent. You never know.
Meanwhile, you've GOT to watch the Peterson Farm Brothers video, which has gone viral. It's an instant classic:
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Weather Porn!
I admit it. I'm a big consumer of weather porn.
Before you write me off as a total pervert, I should define weather porn. It's images of really bad storms wrecking houses, smashing things, ripping towns apart. It gives you a rush to watch this stuff. Though I suppose the weather porn rush is different from the porn porn rush.
In some ways, weather porn, somewhat like regular sex porn, is morally problematic. Sex porn is exploitive, making objects out of the people depicted in the smut. Though many of those people chose to be in the porn films.
Weather porn is maybe exploitive too. Victims of severe weather almost always are not doing something that some would raise moral questions about. I avoid the weather porn that shows victims crying over destroyed houses, or worse, relatives that had been killed by the storm.
But I do enthusiastically watch the videos of houses blowing away, or a tornado chewing up and spitting out a town.
Like sex porn, there are professional weather porn producers who make slick productions of tornadoes hitting their chase vehicles, or flood waters washing through a neighborhood, or hurricane force winds shredding Florida palm trees.
In the age of YouTube and social media, there's also an explosion of both amateur sex porn and weather porn. I indulge in making amateur weather porn myself, filming storms that roll through Vermont and posting them on YouTube, or taking photos and posting them to this blog or other sites.
Because Vermont isn't necessarily the epicenter of epic events like tornadoes and hurricanes, most of the weather porn I produce is soft core. The storms I film are fairly dramatic, but also relatively harmless, causing little damage and not hurting anyone.
I do get lucky sometimes, though and get a money shot, like a very close lightning strike.
However, in the past couple of years, Vermont has experienced some extreme weather, so I've been able to dabble in hard core weather porn, with epic flooding from Hurricane Irene, record high Lake Champlain flooding smashing shoreline buildings and roads, and flash flooding chewing its way through roads and neighborhoods.
You can see one of my weather porn videos above, taken in Colchester, Vermont during a record Lake Champlain flood in May, 2011
Like a sex addicted porn afficianado, I'm going to stay hooked on weather porn for the foreseeable future. It's getting out of control. I actually find myself hoping for a severe thunderstorm, and hoping I can position myself in the path of these storms.
I obviously don't want another Hurricane Irene disaster, or anything else that destroys homes and lives. I don't like watching that kind of suffering.
Even though it's not as great a rush as the hard stuff, I would still probably prefer to stick with the soft core weather porn.
Before you write me off as a total pervert, I should define weather porn. It's images of really bad storms wrecking houses, smashing things, ripping towns apart. It gives you a rush to watch this stuff. Though I suppose the weather porn rush is different from the porn porn rush.
In some ways, weather porn, somewhat like regular sex porn, is morally problematic. Sex porn is exploitive, making objects out of the people depicted in the smut. Though many of those people chose to be in the porn films.
Weather porn is maybe exploitive too. Victims of severe weather almost always are not doing something that some would raise moral questions about. I avoid the weather porn that shows victims crying over destroyed houses, or worse, relatives that had been killed by the storm.
But I do enthusiastically watch the videos of houses blowing away, or a tornado chewing up and spitting out a town.
 |
| In a classic weather porn money shot, a Texas tornado flings tractor trailers around in April, 2012. |
Like sex porn, there are professional weather porn producers who make slick productions of tornadoes hitting their chase vehicles, or flood waters washing through a neighborhood, or hurricane force winds shredding Florida palm trees.
In the age of YouTube and social media, there's also an explosion of both amateur sex porn and weather porn. I indulge in making amateur weather porn myself, filming storms that roll through Vermont and posting them on YouTube, or taking photos and posting them to this blog or other sites.
Because Vermont isn't necessarily the epicenter of epic events like tornadoes and hurricanes, most of the weather porn I produce is soft core. The storms I film are fairly dramatic, but also relatively harmless, causing little damage and not hurting anyone.
I do get lucky sometimes, though and get a money shot, like a very close lightning strike.
However, in the past couple of years, Vermont has experienced some extreme weather, so I've been able to dabble in hard core weather porn, with epic flooding from Hurricane Irene, record high Lake Champlain flooding smashing shoreline buildings and roads, and flash flooding chewing its way through roads and neighborhoods.
You can see one of my weather porn videos above, taken in Colchester, Vermont during a record Lake Champlain flood in May, 2011
Like a sex addicted porn afficianado, I'm going to stay hooked on weather porn for the foreseeable future. It's getting out of control. I actually find myself hoping for a severe thunderstorm, and hoping I can position myself in the path of these storms.
I obviously don't want another Hurricane Irene disaster, or anything else that destroys homes and lives. I don't like watching that kind of suffering.
Even though it's not as great a rush as the hard stuff, I would still probably prefer to stick with the soft core weather porn.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Puppy Envy on YouTube!
I found myself feeling extremely jealous this morning.
I was looking at Buzzfeed, like I often do, and found a video of a dog barking madly at a lawn mower.
And that's why I was seething with jealousy. The video is fine. It shows a dog named Furious barking at the mower, wanting to fight it. As of 4 p.m. Monday, the video had 1,026 hits. Not huge, but not bad, and growing fast, presumably due to Buzzfeed.
But the jealousy comes from a very similar video I shot last September of my cocker spaniel Jackson, when he was just a puppy. He confronts my lawn mower to charming effect. But alas, as of Monday, the Jackson video had just 65 hits.
If I think objectively, the lack of viewers might be because I haven't been marketing the video. Furious seems to have his own YouTube channel. I guess I have to learn how to push this kind of thing out there.
So in that spirit, here is Jackson in all his puppy cuteness last September, tangling with the lawn mower:
I was looking at Buzzfeed, like I often do, and found a video of a dog barking madly at a lawn mower.
And that's why I was seething with jealousy. The video is fine. It shows a dog named Furious barking at the mower, wanting to fight it. As of 4 p.m. Monday, the video had 1,026 hits. Not huge, but not bad, and growing fast, presumably due to Buzzfeed.
But the jealousy comes from a very similar video I shot last September of my cocker spaniel Jackson, when he was just a puppy. He confronts my lawn mower to charming effect. But alas, as of Monday, the Jackson video had just 65 hits.
If I think objectively, the lack of viewers might be because I haven't been marketing the video. Furious seems to have his own YouTube channel. I guess I have to learn how to push this kind of thing out there.
So in that spirit, here is Jackson in all his puppy cuteness last September, tangling with the lawn mower:
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