Support education - read Obama's address

I've come to the conclusion that conservatives don't support education.
OK, they say they do.
But not if it doesn't support their goals, too.

How can I say that? Simple -- listen the outcry about Obama's back to school address.
We have a crisis in this country -- ask a teacher or parent. Way too many high school students don't care about learning, and America lags behind other countries in education.
So, to me, a president that cares about education and is willing to take time to talk to young people is a good thing.

When that president also has a life that is inspirational -- an example where diligent study has paid off --that's even better.

And having the president help convey that learning is important is like icing on the cake!


So how could parents refuse to let their children watch the address? OK, maybe they don't agree with Obama. But whether you agree or not, it helps your children to watch and evaluate for themselves. How can we remain a democracy when one side refuses to even consider that the other has a point?

Please review the text of the speech here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

Sadly, instead for reading for themselves parents are listening to people like Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer, who in a statement this week alludes to "hot issues" that raise conservatives dander but have nothing to do with the president's theme of taking responsibility for ones education!

If you read it, is a very needed message and one that if Conservatives would actually put their reading glasses on and take a look, they would agree with.

Delivery Healthcare, Postal Style -- good analogy? See for yourself.

There has been quite a bit of negativity about the current efforts to reform healthcare.
I think the article below has some good analogies. Please take a look, and keep and open mind!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/20090827/ts_usnews/thecaseforpostalstylehealthcare

thanks,

Tracy

Top Ten reasons to look at a job search as an opportunity

10) Have a lot of company, there are lots of people looking for jobs
9) Make new friends - see above
8) Needed to get in touch with old friends and bosses
7) Resume needed updating, anyway
6) Needed a place to wear my interviewing suit before it goes out of style
5) Needed to start working out
4) Tired of commuting (actually, I'll miss the people on the bus)
3) Wanted to check out unemployement benefits and be part of the stimulus (thank you, Obama for the Cobra subsidy)
2) Needed time to finish my second novel
and last but not least, the number one reason
1) Needed a test of mental toughness! Just didn't have enough challenges.

:)

TA

Looking at the world in new ways

“The question is not what you look at, but what you see” – Henry David Thoreau

Found this interesting article that suggests, among other things, that slowing down can help when looking for creative solutions.

With the frenetic pace of information these days, it seems like a novel idea!

If you'd like to read the article, it's linked below:


http://tickledbylife.com/index.php/vu-ja-de-see-old-things-in-new-ways/

Heard on NPR that even Hollywood is being affected by the economy. The lavish Oscar parties are going to be cut back. What the commentator said was revealing – some of it perhaps they had wanted to do before, but now they are allowed to, and some was PR – it seemed bad to be so extravagant.
Perhaps it is a sign of a subtle shift in our values…

It is the same in some businesses – there are some things, like trade show spending, where mangers are afraid to cut back because “we do it every year” and “it might make it look like we aren’t doing well”. Now they have the opportunity to do this (for some, they’d not call it opportunity, it’s more like slashed budgets).

I wondered how, in the last eight years, some of the politicians could call themselves conservatives when then didn’t advocate “conserving” anything – natural resources, environment, spending, integrity in business, etc. Things are changing -- I’m hopeful a shift to common sense and moderation will become a part of the change.

Traffic and rain - like another one of Murphy's law

This morning, it rained. Hard.
It's really amazing how rain makes everything slow down (except waterfalls).

Going over I-40 on the bus, I looked out and the cars were bumper to bumper at a standstill.
We passed a school -- cars stopped, waiting in the drop off lane. It's like they were frozen in time.
(I hope they got doing soon)
Anyway, the bus arrived on time.

Have a good day!

Signs

Here's an idea for the under-utilized, mostly blank signs that the City of Cary (NC) put up:

Warn of strange conditions ahead! :)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/highway_signs_zombies

Really, they could use them more if they invested in them.
Hope about "sign up now open for parks and rec classes"?