This is a National Geographic piece about which superheroes are scientifically believable.
"Scientifically, Batman was always the most believable superhero," Weinberg said. "Every piece of equipment in Batman's utility belt is available for sale today, 50 years later. That's pretty accurate science for a comic book hero."
Kind of interesting. Of course they don't mention that in the comic book Batman has a very dark side to him, not all fun and games that guy.
Spiderman always caught my eye because of the duality of his existence as a nerdy Peter Parker and an incredible superhero. It was the "never the bride, always the bridesmaid" kind of thing.
4 Cabinet members to resign
Not unexpectedly there are going to be some new faces in Bush's cabinet. The most prominent change is likely to be Colin Powell. The news of these changes are relatively recent, but already the crowing has begun about how this is an indictment of Bush and his policies.
I think that it is a little early in the game to say what this is going to be and or what it signifies. Give this a little time to play out and let's see what happens.
I think that it is a little early in the game to say what this is going to be and or what it signifies. Give this a little time to play out and let's see what happens.
Public School Versus Private School- The dilemma
I spent years attending Camp Ramah in California and made many of my closest friends there. I have attended a number of wedddings, births, funerals and assorted parties with these people. And now that most of us are married and parents it is hard to find the time to see each other.
For years we threw a New Years party that became "famous" within our little circle. It ran for about 13 years or so uninterrupted until one of our own died. But that is a post for a different day. I only mention it because today many of us gathered for a birthday party.
It was a nice chance to celebrate an adult birthday. Not that I mind the children's parties, but it is just nice to have some time to be Jack the man/friend and not Jack the daddy.
Anyway among our gang the oldest of our children will soon be entering kindergarten, and my son will be but a year behind them so I am very interested in the topic of where to send the kids to school.
I am the product of public schools, as are most of the people who were at this party. Off the top of my head I can count three doctors, two lawyers, a "retired" astrophysicist, a law professor, salesman and some engineers. If I translate that into university attendance it reads: Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Cornell, USC and UCSD.
We have become the yuppie crowd we laughed at, but that is ok with me. And now we are all ready to invest more heavily into the future of our children, education. The question on all of our mind's is what is the best thing we can do to provide for them.
How can we best serve their educational needs? Will public school make the grade, is private school the mandate we need to serve. How can we prepare them so that they can be successful in life.
So we wrestle over things like how to make sure that they are exposed to many different kinds of people, how do we who have managed to live lives of privilege keep our children grounded and respectful of others who do not have the same advantages.
In theory we all want to send them to the local public school. They should be able to go with the other children of the neighborhood and receive a great education while simultaneously learning about people of different backgrounds.
But we look at the public school and wonder the same thing. Is it going to be enough for my child? Will the teachers be devoted to teaching? Will they strive to make our children learn all that they can? Will they help to motivate a love of learning? Will the other students be smart enough to push our children so that they can reach their full potential.
Or will we need to look for a private institution that has a smaller ratio of students to instructor, newer facilities and access to resources that the public schools cannot match to serve our needs.
There are no simple answers. Idealism is replaced by the concern of not sacrificing our children for the ideals we hold to be important. That is, it would be great if we all sent our children to public schools and the parents rallied their support so that they received the best education possible.
But it doesn't happen that way because so many of the parents who have the resources to send their child elsewhere do. So you are forced to look hard and consider whether your child is going to be left behind because of your ideals. Maybe you can find alternative sources to expose them to people.
On the other hand we know that there are many private educations that do not compare to the public, lousy schools that cost more than the public school you fear might be lousy.
There is really only one thing that we can answer with any certainty. The values we hope to instill in our children will come from home. As parents we have the ability and the obligation to teach our children to value their education and to demonstrate the benefits to them.
So if we do our job we can expect that they will strive for everything we ask for so that they have a brighter future.
And in the end I come back to the same place over and over again. What is the ultimate goal of this rat race.
In my mind ultimately I want children who grow up to be mensches, to be people of character and integrity.
From a career standpoint I want them to be happy, but I would prefer that they pick careers that do not require a ton of financial struggle. In the end that is not my decision to make. But I can tell them that while a degree from Harvard can open many doors, it tends to be more limited than some would like to acknowledge.
Once you get a job and some experience there tend to be fewer questions about where your degree is from and more about what you have done outside of school.
For years we threw a New Years party that became "famous" within our little circle. It ran for about 13 years or so uninterrupted until one of our own died. But that is a post for a different day. I only mention it because today many of us gathered for a birthday party.
It was a nice chance to celebrate an adult birthday. Not that I mind the children's parties, but it is just nice to have some time to be Jack the man/friend and not Jack the daddy.
Anyway among our gang the oldest of our children will soon be entering kindergarten, and my son will be but a year behind them so I am very interested in the topic of where to send the kids to school.
I am the product of public schools, as are most of the people who were at this party. Off the top of my head I can count three doctors, two lawyers, a "retired" astrophysicist, a law professor, salesman and some engineers. If I translate that into university attendance it reads: Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Cornell, USC and UCSD.
We have become the yuppie crowd we laughed at, but that is ok with me. And now we are all ready to invest more heavily into the future of our children, education. The question on all of our mind's is what is the best thing we can do to provide for them.
How can we best serve their educational needs? Will public school make the grade, is private school the mandate we need to serve. How can we prepare them so that they can be successful in life.
So we wrestle over things like how to make sure that they are exposed to many different kinds of people, how do we who have managed to live lives of privilege keep our children grounded and respectful of others who do not have the same advantages.
In theory we all want to send them to the local public school. They should be able to go with the other children of the neighborhood and receive a great education while simultaneously learning about people of different backgrounds.
But we look at the public school and wonder the same thing. Is it going to be enough for my child? Will the teachers be devoted to teaching? Will they strive to make our children learn all that they can? Will they help to motivate a love of learning? Will the other students be smart enough to push our children so that they can reach their full potential.
Or will we need to look for a private institution that has a smaller ratio of students to instructor, newer facilities and access to resources that the public schools cannot match to serve our needs.
There are no simple answers. Idealism is replaced by the concern of not sacrificing our children for the ideals we hold to be important. That is, it would be great if we all sent our children to public schools and the parents rallied their support so that they received the best education possible.
But it doesn't happen that way because so many of the parents who have the resources to send their child elsewhere do. So you are forced to look hard and consider whether your child is going to be left behind because of your ideals. Maybe you can find alternative sources to expose them to people.
On the other hand we know that there are many private educations that do not compare to the public, lousy schools that cost more than the public school you fear might be lousy.
There is really only one thing that we can answer with any certainty. The values we hope to instill in our children will come from home. As parents we have the ability and the obligation to teach our children to value their education and to demonstrate the benefits to them.
So if we do our job we can expect that they will strive for everything we ask for so that they have a brighter future.
And in the end I come back to the same place over and over again. What is the ultimate goal of this rat race.
In my mind ultimately I want children who grow up to be mensches, to be people of character and integrity.
From a career standpoint I want them to be happy, but I would prefer that they pick careers that do not require a ton of financial struggle. In the end that is not my decision to make. But I can tell them that while a degree from Harvard can open many doors, it tends to be more limited than some would like to acknowledge.
Once you get a job and some experience there tend to be fewer questions about where your degree is from and more about what you have done outside of school.
The first of three posts
I didn't realize just how addicted I have become to blogging and the P.C. until I was forced to leave it behind this weekend. Actually it wasn't that long, but since I was stuck in a ditch for part of the weekend it sure felt like it.
Let's save First Amendment as well as 'Ryan'
"HOW did a patriotic movie about young men giving their lives for their country turn into such a hot-button issue?
On Veteran's Day, ABC decided to continue its tradition of showing the unedited version of Steven Spielberg's passionate plaudit, "Saving Private Ryan."
While ABC-owned stations, including KGO-Channel 7 in San Francisco, aired the World War II movie, 66 ABC affiliate stations owned by a variety of companies, including Cox Television (which also owns KTVU-Channel 2, the Bay Area's Fox affiliate station), did not -- out of fear.
Stations located in Atlanta, Dallas, Honolulu, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Orlando, Fla., Charlotte, N.C., and Portland, Maine, decided not to air the movie because they might get fined for the movie's profanity."
We are at war, so glad to see our priorities reflect that.
On Veteran's Day, ABC decided to continue its tradition of showing the unedited version of Steven Spielberg's passionate plaudit, "Saving Private Ryan."
While ABC-owned stations, including KGO-Channel 7 in San Francisco, aired the World War II movie, 66 ABC affiliate stations owned by a variety of companies, including Cox Television (which also owns KTVU-Channel 2, the Bay Area's Fox affiliate station), did not -- out of fear.
Stations located in Atlanta, Dallas, Honolulu, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Orlando, Fla., Charlotte, N.C., and Portland, Maine, decided not to air the movie because they might get fined for the movie's profanity."
We are at war, so glad to see our priorities reflect that.
Lung Recipient, Donor's Dad Run Marathon
"RICHMOND, Va. - Two years ago, Len Geiger was near death, suffering from a severe case of genetic emphysema. On Saturday, Geiger participated in his first marathon, accompanied by the father of the 14-year-old girl whose lungs were used in a double-lung transplant to save his life. "
How cool is this. It is nice to see good come out of tragedy, even if it is bittersweet.
How cool is this. It is nice to see good come out of tragedy, even if it is bittersweet.
He takes out the trash and gives her flowers
A woman in my office just finished telling us about how her husband takes out the trash and brings her flowers. I listened and then explained to her that I was going to have to hurt him for breaking the chain.
There is a code of ethics for the married man, a list of things that you do not do.
1) Do not lower the toilet seat, make her take responsibility and look before she sits down.
2) Under no circumstances do you ever give her flowers.
3) Do not take out the trash or respond to other similar requests until you have been asked at least 3 times.
4) Understand that if you break the code other men will come to administer your punishment.
The list is actually much longer than this, but I am too busy to provide it in full. Suffice it to say that if you break the code, you will be punished. And dad gum it, this dude has got to get his. If we don't jump on this now he'll mess it up for the rest of us.
There is a code of ethics for the married man, a list of things that you do not do.
1) Do not lower the toilet seat, make her take responsibility and look before she sits down.
2) Under no circumstances do you ever give her flowers.
3) Do not take out the trash or respond to other similar requests until you have been asked at least 3 times.
4) Understand that if you break the code other men will come to administer your punishment.
The list is actually much longer than this, but I am too busy to provide it in full. Suffice it to say that if you break the code, you will be punished. And dad gum it, this dude has got to get his. If we don't jump on this now he'll mess it up for the rest of us.
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