Random factoid...

In the spring of 2000, it was reported that a 25-year-old Tehran transsexual, who had just undergone extensive surgery to become a woman, said he wanted to change back to a man after realizing just how poorly women are treated in Iran

Bring in the clones

I quickly perused today's Dispatch and noticed the story regarding a local suburb which shall remain unnamed herein but which is the one I reside in and so do many people of my general demographic. The article addressed the school district of which I am not a part of due to the financially savvy annexing of this part of the suburb to other unnamed suburb. A lot of folks residing in this suburb but ending up in the "other" school district lament this zoning assuming the suburb's residential district is more desirable. I disagree.

My contention is that resources, books, money and white people alone do not make up all the necessary parts of a good education. What's missing? Diversity. Every student is a clone of the one next to them and so on. Today's article seems to support my argument. The story goes that the district has hired a record number of alumni as teachers. A school rep is quoted as saying, "We don't seek them out. They're just quality candidates..." Or maybe just maybe after spending 4 or 5 years in the real world and encountering people who were...different, diverse, and possibly not white they realized they needed to head back home to the cocoon. The result is likely to be an even more narrow educational experience for the kids in that school district.

Now the district I reside in isn't all that diverse at this point but will become more so in high school. We probably shouldn't shelter our kids but for most parents it's a natural instinct. One that ironically can be more detrimental than all that scary stuff out in the real world. Better to be prepared.

Saturday Ramblings

Had a great Saturday. I was down to one child. Girls with their dad. My husband at THE pregame(if you don't know me I'd like to see you trying to do the math right now). Just me and him and some quality time. We hit the zoo early to see the "rillas" and "munteys." My first thought as we unloaded from the car in the parking lot of the zoo: This town is f'in crazy. I panicked for a split second because looking around at everyone I thought I may have inadvertently driven to campus. Every last person was wearing scarlet and gray. Including me and my son. At least we blended. You always want to blend, lay low and don't ever, ever attract attention.

My next thought of the day was people really need to commit. Take a stand, make a decision. One way or the other, folks. Either get a dog or get a stroller. LEASHES ARE FOR DOGS! I can't tell you how many children I saw walking around on damn leashes. I've heard the argument (from myself) as the behavior is rationalized that strollers are really the same thing -- keeping the kids contained, restrained, you're in control. No, they are not the same. I find it much more humane to wheel my child in stroller away from the ice cream cart or danger than it is to yank on their choke chain. Down, boy, down. Sit. Come. Lay down. Fetch. Completely and totally stupid. Maybe your payback will be when you are old and fraile instead of getting you a wheel chair your kids will pull out the old trying-to-look-kid-friendly-because-it's-disguised-as-a-plush-animal restraint. Would serve you right. Here, grandma! Fetch, grandma! How do you like it now?!

My last thought concerning the morning was if anyone, anywhere is ever disappointed in themselves or self doubting as far as parenting goes GO TO THE ZOO ON SATURDAY. You will feel better. One of the last images I was left with before heading out was overhearing a father say to his children, "If you don't shut up 3 out of the 4 of you are going to get your asses beat!" I couldn't help but look over and try to guess which three were gonna get it. They all seemed to be similarly sizing up the situation.

Good times. Gotta love this Saturday.

All Sarcasm aside....

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

Anyone who opposed President Obama's address to the schools should be seriously embarrassed.

THIS IS YOUR PRESIDENT...you must do as I say...

I am pretty sure that President Obama has diabolical plans to mind meld all the school children next week. Obviously...geez. Inside sources say that not only is the speech blatant propaganda for health care reform but also there will be a long, high-pitched sound near the first quarter of the address that will immediately attach to the frontal lobe of any listener's brain and will turn them black. Whatever if you don't believe me. It could happen. Not only that I heard the president's writers will be inserting barely detectable, subliminal pieces of information that are mostly coded as curse words. The children will hear our leader cussing like a sailor but they won't know it. When it's all said and done they will probably all turn gay but accept that their marriages should never be legally sanctioned by the state instead settling on hospital visiting rights and limited insurance coverage. They will want their parents to fund every single program the president asks for in the future. When the speech is over they will all voluntarily walk in a trancelike state to a secret cave/mine where Obama will then make them do hard labor and they will never see the sun again until Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews drive through town in their Chitty Chitty bang bang mobile and free them. Seriously, do you want your kids exposed to this?

The Other Religion

I've spent enough time jabbing at the Catholic church and other denominations. For the record I have no problem with a belief in god or some higher power. I do believe in the existence of many supernatural forces including possibly a god or aliens or some scientist who has created this galaxy as a computer simulation or a petri dish. I'm really not 100% on the exact form and details. But I do believe in the concept. Not totally sold on the "oh worship me and do as all those old, white uptight people say or you'll have me to deal with" angle, but I get the value of the overall idea of human decency and social order and I do my "just in case prayers" occasionally like the rest of us (please, just this one time and I promise I'll never -fill in the blank - again).

I also believe there are some natural forces that people decide are super and then they form an organized group around that. To take that one step further there are also things people want so badly that they will "pray" to a higher power for it or they will worship certain aspects of a coveted thing and will even form weekly rituals around them. We all know where this is headed, right? Though the sacred other religion I infer is rarely looked at with much of a critical eye by one of its own I will just come out and say it...Buckeye Football.

If you aren't sure if I should be calling this a religion check some eerie similarities...

* Weekly gathering of worship. check.
* Ceremonial garb. check.
* Chants, songs, incantations. check.
* The breaking of bread along with alcohol served in test tubes, mixed with gatorade or straight up out of a scarlet and gray can. check.
* Worship of godlike individual(s). Tentative, changing and fair weather at times but think Woody, Spielman, Eddie, Tressel, Beanie...check.
* Lack of awareness and/or acceptance of other similar worshippers who hold different gods sacred. check.
* Lack of compassion or understanding when others nearby fail to worship with as much fervor as is expected, fail to don the appropriate ceremonial garb or generally aren't as devoted. check.
* Elevated priority of worship beyond what would be considered common sense. check.
* Punishment for worshipping other gods. check.
*Mindset that losses are somehow deserved and due to fate and that if we just cheer/yell louder next time it will have some influence over the outcome. check.

I love this time of year. The smell of fall, the leaves, woodburning fireplaces, grills. The sounds of the season, especially Carmen Ohio. I dig the excitement of football...but I just can't bring myself to worship on fall Saturdays anymore than I can hit a church on Sundays. Now let the games begin. And please forgive me...