More violence

Another gun related massacre.  This time in Orlando, FL.  Early reports tell of over 20 dead and 40 injured.  The gunman had an assault rifle and a handgun. 

The assault rifle he had was once banned by the Brady Bill but congress did not renew it.  I wonder what it's going to take for this country-especially our republican congress-to come to grips with this problem.  Doesn't anyone have the guts to stand up to the NRA or are they so deep into their pockets that they simply don't care?

Give it up, Bernie

This is the first post of a political nature since last year. That in itself is quite noteworthy. With this political season being one of the nastiest in this nation's history, I vowed to avoid the topic but now it's time to offer an opinion on the current state of the presidential race.

Bernie, get out! You made a valiant run at it; you gave democrats a choice but you never really offered a position on the issues much different from Hillary's except to say there should be 'free' medicare for all and 'free' public school college education for those who want it. 

Therein is where you are seriously flawed: there's no such thing as free.  Someone has to pay.  I fear it would be me!

Now it's time for you to humble yourself and throw your support to Hillary because it's absolutely vital to this nation's well-being that one of the most dangerous men on earth not become president of this great country.  So do the right thing.  Support Hillary.

Thus endth my rant.  Fair warning: there may be one-maybe two-posts of a political nature between now and the end of the year. 

Rest in Peace, Joanne

I received word this morning that Joanne D. (aka "Sarge"), a very good friend of mine and former colleague from Sandy Hook School, passed away after a two week battle with leukemia.  Joanne had been retired barely a year when she was diagnosed. 

Joanne was the heart and soul of Sandy Hook School.  She knew every single student and their families, the classes they were in and their bus stops . 

As the school secretary not much was done  without her help and involvement. I worked with her on numerous projects including budgeting. 

Over the course of over 20 years we became good friends.  She will be greatly missed by many, many people.

Memorial Day

While you are enjoying this day with your friends and family or getting some gardening done or just plain sitting around reading or watching TV take a few seconds of your time to  give a quiet thanks to those who made it possible for you to do what ever it is you're doing.

End of the school year

Well, it's that time of year.  Year-end activities at the grand children's schools. So far we've been to three such events-two concerts and an event celebrating the year in writing called an authors' tea.

Next week we go to our fourth such event and that will probably be it for the year.  With school ending relatively early this year, baby sitting duties will kick in a little sooner than usual. 

That's fine with me.  It gives me an excuse to avoid yard work-especially welcome given the early onset of heat and humidity.

For pictures of these events and more pictures of the coming summer  go to  my web site. 

georgeswebpage.com

Back to the club

Due to a very affordable membership drive and Sandi's urging, we have rejoined Newtown Country Club.  NCC is a small but challenging 9 hole course with a bar and  restaurant.  Part of the membership fee includes a requirement to spend a certain amount of money every month at the restaurant.  It's not much and basically one dinner takes care of it. Plus the food is good.

That's the good news.  The bad news is the game of golf which I find to be quite difficult.  My scores-like my ball-are all over the place but I've been assured by several people that part of the reason is because I simply don't play enough.  Theoretically, the more I play, the better I'll get. 

They may be right but I'm not optimistic. We'll see.  I'll keep you posted. FOOUUUR!!

Get your facts straight

The other day  I received a long email from some long-time friends.  It was a forwarded message that had been viewed by many other people including other mutual friends.

It apparently originated from an ER doctor down south somewhere-I think North Carolina.  In essence the message reported an incident this doctor supposedly had wherein she was treating undocumented workers for something.  She went on to explain how even though the patients were illegal immigrants,  they were fully entitled to Medicare and full Social Security.  It then went on to say how awful this is and it's just plain wrong, etc etc.

After reading the message, I confess to being a little angry myself and wondered  how this could be allowed to happen so I  decided to dig into it a little more.  Guess what?  It's totally bogus.  After just ten minutes of looking at fact-checker type web sites, I learned that this thing has made the rounds over and over and the truth is that undocumented workers  absolutely are not entitled to medicare or social security.  If they obtained it fraudulently, that's another story and they should be subject to arrest but they certainly didn't get it legally.

The fact that the information contained in this message was blatantly false  epitomizes the lengths to which some will go to make an otherwise valid point.  It’s one thing to have legitimate concerns about important issues like undocumented immigrants.  It’s quite another to spread false information to make a point.  To do so diminishes the basic idea.
(http://www.factcheck.org/2009/03/social-security-for-illegal-immigrants).

I realize that this being an especially heated political season there will be many people-on both sides-prone to exaggeration.  But out and out lies are another matter.

My anger regarding the folks-whoever they were-receiving free treatment was transferred to the people who blindly forward this garbage.   It's one thing if you're just plain stupid but there's no excuse for otherwise intelligent people to accept as an article of faith some of the crap floating around on the internet or in emails. 

I know it's just going to get worse.  If you don't believe me, simply watch any network morning show on any given day of the week.  It's pathetic.

Updates to web site

Don't forget to check out the photo gallery to my web site. There have been new pictures added. Plus be sure to click on the May almanac link.  You'll learn some interesting things about the month of May.
georgeswebpage.com

Certified Wildlife Habitat

The National Wildlife Federation runs a program whereby property owners can have their property certified as wildlife habitats.  There are no restrictions to the size or location of the property.  You can own one eighth of an acre to a thousand acres and it can be city, suburbs or out in the sticks.  It doesn't matter. 

However your property does have to meet certain criteria.  Here are some of the things your property will need:
*Shrubs and trees to serve as food sources or shelter
*A water supply such as a bird bath, brook or pond
*Use of only organic pesticides and herbicides
*A 'safe' zone.  Somewhere that is generally undisturbed by anything not ordinarily in an animals habitat
*Presence of brush piles if possible but not necessary.  For example my grandsons and I built about 4 large brush piles in our back woods and in the winter when there's snow cover we're able to see evidence of animals using them for shelter.
*Bird feeders or suet stations

There's more but you get the idea.  I was able to certify our property without doing anything additional. 

The designation of a wildlife habitat does not entitle the property owner to tax breaks or anything else for that matter except the satisfaction of knowing you're not doing any harm to the wildlife around you and are in fact helping it.  So if you're interested go to National Wildlife Federation web site and check it out.

Who's responsible?

Who's responsible-state legislatures or the fire marshal?  If you're wondering what I'm babbling about now, I'll tell you.  It seems someone-either Florida's state legislature or the fire marshal-has determined that having an electric grill on a condo lanai-either screened or not-should not be allowed due to the lack of sprinklers out there.

The fact is people down here have been using these grills for years but apparently someone somewhere left a burger on a little too long thus resulting in a grease fire causing Lord knows how much damage.  Now, because of that one or maybe even a few people's carelessness we all have to suffer.  After all the fire marshal said so.

This isn't a situation unique to Florida.  I remember during my teaching days when every once in a while the town would have to allocate thousands-many thousands-of dollars toward upgrading the school to current fire codes even though a school hadn't burned down since the days of one-room school houses.

The same applies to residential properties too.  Once when I was trying to get a certification of occupancy for an addition we did to our living room, the inspector insisted on seeing all of our smoke detectors.  I had three. I had to buy 4 more-one for each bedroom-none of which had anything to do with the original project.

I regard this as massive over regulation.  It wouldn't be so bad except it's costly and inconvenient. I think I'll start a petition-unless of course the extra paper involved is a violation of the fire code!

Happy Mothers Day

Every day should be Mothers Day for all you do. Happy Mothers Day, Ladies. And a special shout out to the three shown here.

A Note About Amazon Customer Support

We've been in Florida for two days now and Sandi needed a couple of books for her Amazon Kindle.  I usually do the ordering and arrange for the download.

When I went to do it this time I ran into the same problem I've had several times in the past.  We receive acknowledgement that the books were ordered but they don't appear on the Kindle.

Now comes  problem number 2:  When I finally found a number to call, guess where it was.  You guessed it-India.  Now I don't have a problem with India necessarily but what I do have a problem with is the fact I can't understand a word they're saying.  Over and over again I had to ask her to repeat herself.  I finally got the two books but she had no answer for me as to why it keeps happening.

Sandi's Kindle is a first generation reader.  I just got one and have never had a problem with it so maybe it has something to do with outdated software but they won't admit to that. 

Zero for two, Amazon.  Not good.   Who do I write to complain?

Book Review

I just finished a reading a book called "The Nightingale" written by Kristin Hannah. It's about two french women and their experiences during World War II.  That's all I'll tell you about it lest I spoil the read for you.

If you like history, especially World War II history, this is an absolute must read.  But even if you don't like history it's a book you should read.  It's the story of unbelievable human endurance.  It covers a huge range of  experience-from great love and sacrifice to intolerable evil. 

Fair warning though.  While this is one of the best books I've read, it is not an easy read and by that I don't mean because it contains a great deal of esoteric vocabulary.  I mean because it will leave you drained.  I can only imagine how the author must have felt after she finally penned the final word.

Read it.  You won't regret it.

A Day At the Polls

Yesterday I had an interesting experience.  I worked at the polls.  It was a long day.  I had to be there at 5:15 A.M. and I didn't get home until about 9 P.M. I never once left the building.

A friend of mine who is active in the political process in town called me and asked me if I would serve.  I worked  in the presidential primary election and I was a checker at the republican table.  (Ironically, many acquaintances who are familiar with my political leanings questioned why I was on the republican side so I explained you go where you're needed.)

The job consists of confirming a person's identity, residence in town and registration in the political party you're working.

For the most part everything went smoothly.  Occasionally there were people who were at the wrong voting place or who didn't know which party they belonged to. (Not kidding. This happened a lot or they weren't registered for either party.  They thought all you had to be was a registered voter to vote in a primary.) Eventually we straightened everything out and moved on.

A few observations:
There are more registered republicans than democrats in Newtown where I live.  While no one can see a completed ballot, the voters did talk among themselves and even to me while waiting to get checked in.  Generally, I got the sense they were overwhelmingly  Trump supporters.  Comments ranged from good old fashioned values to fixing the terrible immigration problem to those terrible socialist democrats.  In fact one guy called over to the democratic table which was right next to the one I was working and said their sign was mislabeled.  It should read socialists or communists!  (I felt like telling him I was in fact a democrat and he was a jerk but I figured I'd get in trouble.)

There was no particular demographic that I could see-young, old, blue collar or white collar.  One thing they all had in common was they were white.  Another factor could have been level of education but that was hard to tell. Besides having an education doesn't necessarily mean you're smart.

Another thing that caught my attention was the number of people who had switched parties to vote in the republican primary.  I think that says a lot about the way people are feeling about the political process these days.

As it turns out Donald Trump won the Connecticut republican primary along with four other states.  He is most likely going to be the candidate to go to the national election.

I'm wondering if I'll be asked to  work the big one.  That would be an even longer day because the verification process after the polls are closed is more involved and would take longer.  If asked, maybe I'll just take a pass.  It would probably be better if I did anyway because I might overhear some moron and make an inappropriate remark!

Pet Peeve Number (who knows by now!)

Time for another rant.  It's been going on for the past few weeks and really getting annoying.  You know how right after a snow storm you'd be driving along and occasionally encounter a huge pile of snow on the right shoulder of the road extending into the road thus making you brake to go around it or even hitting  it?  That pile of snow is due to private snow plows pushing their customers' driveway snow into the road.  Not good.

Well there's a spring time equivalent.  It's blowing leaves into the road.  Some guys don't even wait until the vehicle passes.  They just blow all the leaves into your car.

Leaves aren't quite as dangerous as snow and the payback is if you get close and speed up a little you can blow a lot of them back into the guy's yard but it does affect visibility and I always have a bit of a concern that dry leaves will lodge against the hot parts under your vehicle thus igniting.  Also, you have to wonder what else is being blown into the road besides leaves.  Some other kind of debris that will damage your tires?  Who knows?

Anyway, that's it for today but the day is just starting so stay tuned.

Do you like history?

I admit I like history more than most people.  I'm always looking  up information on what happened throughout history on particular dates.  Then I post many of them on Facebook.  I think it's interesting and important.

Take yesterday for example.  I posted on Facebook that April 19 marked the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord thereby beginning the American Revolution. The year was 1775.  A few people 'liked' the post but not many but that didn't bother me much.  Who's got time to pay attention to long-ago events (besides me, that is)? 

But what did bother me a little is the fact that there wasn't a single mention of it in papers or on TV news.  Don't you think the event should have at least been acknowledge to remind people about "the shot heard around the world" and "don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes" and finally that famous ride of Paul Revere, Samuel Prescott and William Dawes.  THE BRITISH ARE COMING! THE BRITISH ARE COMING!

I wasn't expecting an hour-long special mind you-just some mention of arguably the most important day in American history.   Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I wonder if schools mentioned it.  I'll have to ask my grand kids but I'm not hopeful. 
 

Brooke's pictures

My older grand daughter, Brooke, has taken an interest in photography.  Click on the link below to view some of the pictures she took on a recent trip to Jamaica.
georgeswebpage.com/brookespics

When entertainers speak, some think it's gospel

Who has more visibility to the general public than entertainers and politicians? Not many. Unfortunately when they  speak of things about which they know nothing,  there are many who tend to believe them.

Now we all know politicians are full of it so practically no one believes them but what about people like actors, singers and even to a great extent professional athletes.  When they start making remarks outside of their field of expertise people tend to believe them only because they like them for what they're known for-not for the issue they're addressing.

Of course it's possible for an entertainer to know more than their craft.  George Clooney and Robert Redford come to mind.  They're both involved in outside issues and they're able to speak with great authority on them.  But the vast majority are not in that category. 

Take for example something I saw this morning on the Today show.  Robert DeNiro was being interviewed and he was talking about a variety of topics one of which was immunizations and autism of all things. He made the rather absurd statement that there was a link between the two. 

This theory originated many years ago by an English doctor who published an article in the British medical journal Lancet.  It raised quite a stir.  There was even more of a stir when it was later discovered that the entire thing was a fraud.  But to this day people still insist that their children not be immunized lest they contract autism. 

To neglect to vaccinate children is the height of neglect and irresponsibility.  The overall health benefits of vaccinations far, far outweigh the risks.  Yet here's a great actor like Robert DeNiro making these kinds of outrageously stupid statements and because he is a popular actor people will believe him.  Numerous people from the medical community including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were quick to react but for many it will fall on deaf ears. After all, Robert DeNiro said so! 

Beware. We're surrounded by idiots.  Don't believe what people say just because they're popular in a totally unrelated field.

Thus endth my rant for the day!

Miss Daisy

It's vacation week in the local schools.  Pete, Jen & the boys are off to Puerto Rico. Mike, Becky & the girls are off to Jamaica.  Sandi is still working long hours making the world safe from the IRS.  So that leaves just me and Daisy to fend for ourselves.

Daisy is a one-year-old yellow lab.  She's the sweetest dog you'd ever want to have...but, she's still very young.  That means very early mornings, exercise periods and dog proofing the house.

Dog proofing is quite a challenge. It's similar to child proofing when yours or someone's very young children are at your house. For kids you do it for their safety.  Dog proofing is to keep everything else safe.  Things like pens, pads, slippers, shoes, coasters, books, pretty much anything light enough for a fairly strong dog to grasp in its mouth and chew until it's unrecognizable.  Even electrical cords are fair game.  Thank God she outgrew that particular phase.  When we first sat for her I had the presence of mind to unplug various lamps and gadgets.  Good thing too because on one particular occasion I discovered a plug laying in the middle of the living room floor which had come from a nearby lamp.

Another challenge is keeping her in our yard.  We have over two acres but she still likes to wander into the neighbor's yard and explore.  She also likes to chase squirrels but of course she doesn't know where the property lines are.

At first I walked her around on a leash and when she started to go toward another yard, I would give a good yank to keep her on our property.  That actually seems to have worked but better still is the pocketful of treats I always have with me so when I yell 'come' or 'treat' she comes flying back from wherever she was, sits in front of me and gazes anxiously at me with her big brown eyes.

Like I said, she's a sweetie.  But she's also like having a toddler in the house again.  Becky & her family will be home Sunday.  I'm sure when Daisy returns home, it will be like when the grand kids go home.  Quiet and peaceful. Too quiet and too peaceful.  Fortunately none of them are far off.
Time to go.  Daisy needs her walk.  At least I'm getting exercise too!

The End of Common Sense??

Yesterday a Newtown Middle School teacher was arrested for having a  loaded hand gun in school.  It was under his shirt but someone spotted it and reported him.  He had a carry permit but in the State of Connecticut it is illegal to bring hand guns to school. It is also a Newtown Public Schools policy that no teacher shall be in possession of a hand gun at school.  The teacher is on paid leave of absence until his arraignment later this month.

Aside from the legalities of the situation which only an attorney can really understand, one would logically ask what in God's name was he thinking?  To bring a gun to school in Newtown of all places where we're still dealing with a horrific tragedy is enough to question this guy's sanity.  Was he making a point?  Is he just plain stupid?  Did he forget he had it strapped to his waist? Was he trying to be 'cool'?  No matter what explanation he ultimately offers, he's done teaching-as he should be-unless maybe some lunatic state like Texas welcomes him with open arms.  In that case good bye and good riddance. Seriously, I can't wait to hear his defense. 

Anyway, here's the kicker....he was a former student of mine.  In fact he lived not far from where we lived and I believe my son may have known him.  Thinking back to when he was in my class, nothing particular comes to mind.  He was just an ordinary kid.  And it should be noted that in regard to this particular situation he didn't do anything violent or threatening. He just made a monumentally stupid decision.  The wrong place at the wrong time type of thing. 

The deeper issue here of course is guns in general.  The NRA and its legions of admirers supports this kind of thing.  Guns are so deeply ingrained in American culture as to be pretty much inseparable.

What's it going to take to get people to realize that the United States of America numbers among the most violent nations in the world and this needs to change?  Maybe one of my children or grand children will lead the charge (unarmed of course).

Night visitors

Last week a night visitor made its way to our humble little house knocking down our bird feeder (see below).   At first I thought time and the wind had blown it over  but then about 20 feet from the feeder I found a big pile of scat (that's science talk for animal poop-see below).  It definitely wasn't deer or dog or turkey so I did a little research and it turns out it was from a black bear.

Over the 30 years that we've lived in this location I have seen  interesting changes in the wildlife habits with whom we share our modest 2 acres.

We started out with mostly deer and turkeys-lots of both of them.  The turkeys would come and go.  Sometimes there would be 20 of them around our feeder and other times we wouldn't see them for several weeks or even months.  Yet, recently four of them literally came on my front porch and pecked on the front door!

Deer have always been around-singly or in packs.  This past winter however there has been a noticeable drop off in deer activity.  Maybe one or two here and there.  Part of the reason for this is the relatively mild winter.  Apparently they've been able to find food in the woods.  However read on for another possible explanation.

Red foxes are also here from time to time chasing chipmunks and squirrels who are always around in great numbers.

Another relatively new factor influencing all of this is the recent arrival of coyotes.  We hear them in the woods across the street and one day while I was snow blowing the driveway, one followed me for a short distance before veering off into my neighbor's yard.

Coyotes may well be the reason for the reduction in the turkey and deer population.  It's all simply nature at work.

Now enter the bear.  They have a very wide territory and it's not unusual for them to show up in a yard at one time and not return for several months.  I've talked to several other people in the neighborhood including my son who is  about 2 miles away and they all report seeing a bear in their yards.  It's more than likely the same animal.

For now I'll put the feeder back up and see what happens.  I've also installed a borrowed a trail cam and for the past week there's been no unusual activity.

We'll see how it goes.  Stay tuned. 

To see more pictures of area wildlife not necessarily in my yard but very close by, click here georgeswebpage.com.  Click on the photo gallery in navigation bar.

Welcome, April!

April 1st brings back many fond memories of my teaching days.  Of course school children live for April Fools Day.  It's the one day out of the entire year that they get to prank their teacher without getting into too much trouble.

April Fools jokes range from the usual verbal stuff to chalk in erasers (nowadays kids don't even know what chalk is!) to coffee that's been tampered with to the one trick I will never forget.  A former student of mine in consert with her mother stayed up late to make a chocolate layer cake but the joke was the layers were filled with horse radish.  When I took a bite, I turned bright red and started to cough-all to the delight of the entire class who was in on it. 

Clever.  That little girl is a CEO somewhere now!

April brings more than tricks.  Spring starts in earnest with flowers growing and rain to nourish them.

Historically, April is a very important month.  Many wars have either started or ended in April.

To learn more about the month of April, click here georgeswebpage.com/almanac

It seems we have reached another sad milestone..

The other day when it was raining enough to prevent outdoor work I decided to get rid of some clutter I'd been tripping over for some time.  In this particular instance it was a stack of National Geographics that kept falling off the shelf where they were piled-seven years worth to be exact.  That makes over 80 issues.

I've been receiving National Geographics since I was about 10 years old.  My blessed Aunt Ann gave me a subscription to them one year and I never let it drop.  That's about 60 years worth of magazines.

I don't know what happened to them when I was little but when I started college and teaching, I saved them as a reference.  During my teaching days I'd bring them to school and the kids would look at them and use them to cut out pictures for projects.  Even my own kids used them from time to time.

That was then and this is now.  With the exception of some occasional interest by grand children there just isn't the same level of interest.  I've contacted schools and libraries and no one wants them.  I even reached out to a few nursing homes and assisted living facilities thinking the senior residents there would appreciate them.  I posted a message on Facebook asking for suggestions.  A few people shared the message with their friends but other than that I haven't been contacted by a single person.

So here I am with a bunch of magazines, taking up space and no apparent purpose.  Yet I can't bear to toss them.  I'm determined to find a good home for them. 

Any ideas?  If so, contact me at george.stockwell@gmail.com.
Thanks

Spring is here

Since spring is officially here and the weather has warmed considerably, it is time to consider the list of outdoor tasks that await me.

1. Leaves, leaves and more leaves
2. Prep garden area
3. Cut, split and stack recently acquired wood by driveway (over a cord)
4. Cut up the stuff that has fallen in back woods and get it to the wood pile (probably about half to three-quarters of a cord
5. Work on cellar Bilco doors to stop water entering through them into basement
6. Pressure wash house
7. Charge tractor battery and get it started
8. Prep snow blower for summer storeage
9. Repair stone walls
10. Clean up brush that fell over winter
11. Relax on front porch and watch birds

That should keep me busy for a while.

The Way It Should Be

Congratulations to President Barack Obama on his historic trip to Cuba and representing the United States of America to the rest of the world in the fashion it should be- kind, willing to listen, accepting-as opposed to hateful, bigoted, hostile and exclusive. We do not exist in a vacuum.  We must learn to live with others.

Mother Nature is still in charge

By the calendar it is spring but over night Mother Nature sent us a little reminder that it is after all only March and she is, as always,  still in charge.  We woke up this morning to a beautiful snowfall. And it was,  in my view,  the best kind of all-nothing stuck to my driveway.  The best of both worlds-very nice to look at and nothing to snowblow or shovel.

The forecasts for the coming week look very nice but lest we get too complacent, let me remind you we've had some big snow storms in April in the past so I don't think I'll be putting the snowblower up just yet.  One never know.

Pet Peeve Number....(nevermind)

I used to number my pet peeves but I ran out of numbers.  Anyway, here's my latest-school buses.  Well, not exactly school buses themselves. After all we all know when school's in session, they're going to be out there every morning and afternoon like clockwork.  Plus, very often the driver sees a long line of cars behind the bus so they try to be considerate by pulling over and letting traffic pass.

No, the problem is not the bus, although it's related.  The problem is all these mothers (yes, it's mostly mothers. Fathers say goodbye and walk away). Why is it necessary for the mother of especially the little ones to stand there and carry on a discussion with the poor driver who keeps trying to close the door but mom continues to rattle one?  It's like they're experiencing  some sort of separation anxiety.

By the time the driver has hit his/her third stop, everyone is already late and the cars are lined up behind the bus.  For heaven's sake, give the kid a hug, kiss him/her on the forehead and then go somewhere.  What could you possibly need to know or tell the driver at this point in the year?

Thus endth my rant for the day-but then again the day is just starting so stay tuned.

Daylight Savings Time

Twice a  year we have to mess with our clocks-either ahead or back-although with the satellite/digital age upon us it actually gets easier because it's done automatically.  But for those of us with analog devices, it's still a pain in the neck.  For example in my particular situation I have my truck clock, three bedroom clocks, three conventional face clocks, the microwave and oven clocks and the most important of all, the coffee maker so that coffee is ready for when I wake up-6:30 on the dot.

All other clocks (Sandi's car, cable boxes, iPads, iPhones and computers) take care of themselves.

Depending on what source you consult,  the  tradition of changing clocks started either during one of the wars in order to extend daylight time for the war effort or in the day of Benjamin Franklyn who did it for pretty much arbitrary reasons.

If you talk to a farmer or a native American you'll be told it makes no difference whatever.  Whatever work there is to be done will be done between the time the sun comes up and stopped when it gets dark.  Who cares what the time is which of course makes complete sense.

If I had to choose one over the other for a permanent arrangement, I'd take the Daylight Savings Time that's coming up.  The only problem with that is there would be lots of middle and high school students waiting for the bus every morning in the dark.  I guess the solution to that is to start school later.  There are in fact districts experimenting with this because research is showing over and over that kids need that morning sleep and when they're rested they of course learn better.

Whatever the case may be, don't forget to set your clocks forward Saturday night-unless you're a purest and you get up at 2 A.M. Sunday morning to do it!

Guns in the news...again (still?)

Two gun-related items have been in the news lately.

The first was a piece reporting a controversy presently brewing between police and those who choose to carry their guns.

It seems the police are asking that laws be changed so they can ask to see a carry permit without there necessarily being a cause for suspicion.  The carriers are upset with this and regard it as an invasion of privacy. 

The second issue to make it in the headlines involves the suggestion that teachers carry firearms while at school.  The theory is that if there another situation as the one that happened in Sandy Hook should happen again, the nut job doing the shooting could be stopped.

In my opinion both issues are no-brainers.  The idea that police can't ask to see a carry permit is absurd.  If the person has one, fine.  Move on.  If not, why not?  What is he up to? Period. Done.

In regard to teachers carrying pistols in school, the idea is ludicrous.  Teachers do not belong in schools with hand guns.

What's happening in these two cases is typical of the whole subject in general.  It is utterly devoid of common sense which of course means the paranoid lunatics carrying on many of these conversations are bordering on psychosis. 

Great.  I hope they have permits.

I'm now all in with the digital age...

For some time now I've embraced technology.  I was my school's web master back in my teaching days and I was also their tech consultant.  I have a desktop computer, a laptop, an iPad, an iPod and an iPhone so I'm not afraid to try new gadgets.  The one area however where I've resisted is in books.  In fact some time ago I wrote right here in this blog spot that I would never succumb to an e-reader and then I went on to list the reasons why.   But frankly that was a little hypocritical because I have read books on my wife's Kindle and I have to say I enjoyed it.

Well this past birthday the family bought me a Kindle.  It's similar to the original Kindle that my wife has except the screen is back-lit which is a big improvement.

I still like books.  I have about 6 stacked up to read but my last experience convinced me it was time for a Kindle.  I was reading Book 5 of the Harry Potter series.  The book is almost 900 pages long so it's big.  Trying to read this huge book in bed was a pain.  Plus now that we take several trips a year to our condo in Florida, Kindles are very easy to pack for travel and going to the beach. 

The other thing is that Kindle books are cheaper than hard cover editions.  Paperbacks are still cheaper too but you have to wait for them. 

Finally, the frosting on the cake as my daughter reminded me is that many libraries now allow you to borrow books for download to a kindle.  What could be better?  Free books and you don't have to go anywhere.

So all in all I think I'll enjoy my Kindle...but don't worry, I'm still going to be reading hard cover and paper back books.