90 percent of kids born after 1993 are stupid

The title of this blog is a completely made up fact and is almost certainly not true.

But in another sign of me getting old, fasten your safety belts and glue in your dentures because it's a "Damn Kids Today" blog.

First, here's what's got me upset.

Suspended teacher defends critical blog

This Natalie Munroe isn't the smartest teacher ever because she didn't think through how this could backfire on her. Yes she didn't use her full name (Natalie M) and no she didn't name any kids or her school directly but the internet is no longer an anonymous playgroud. Also, Central Bucks East High School appears to be a somewhat upscale public school that serves a bunch of fancy ultrawhite neighborhoods. Can't imagine what her blog would say if she went through Cincinnati Public.


But here's the thing, Munroe is suspended and may get fired because of bad parents. Maybe some of you went to school in utopia, but I doubt it. And if that's the case you know she's right.

Most high school kids now are "disengaged, lazy whiners." In fact it wasn't a whole lot better when I was in high school or even college for that matter.

So let's take a look at some of the fun things Natalie said and why she's right. These are things she wanted to put on student evaluations.

* "I hear the trash company is hiring." -- We need solid santiation engineers, some people are cut our for that kind of work.

* "I called out sick a couple of days just to avoid your son." -- This may be the only blog point where they could have grounds to terminate as she admits to lying when calling off, but I know plenty of teachers, good ones, that just need a break. We've all called in for a bullshit reason before.

* "Rude, beligerent [sic], argumentative f**k." -- That's just funny. I knew about 100 kids at West High that fit that description.

* "Just as bad as his sibling. Don't you know how to raise kids?" -- No Natalie they don't. If they had any freakin idea how to raise kids we wouldn't be having this fun discussion.

* "Asked too many questions and took too long to ask them. The bell means it's time to leave!" -- Alright Natalie needs to bite the bullet on this one. We ALL know that kid (Dungy wasn't his name Peter?) who asks a crap ton of questions and while at the college level maybe a kid can be told to stuff it, at the high school level teachers should take that as a good sign.

* "Shy isn't cute in 11th grade; it's annoying. Must learn to advocate for himself instead of having Mommy do it." -- Again I can think of tons of people who fit that bill.

* "Too smart for her own good and refuses to play the school 'game' such that she'll never live up to her true potential here." -- Not sure what she means here but I think it shows a concern for a student and not just complaining.

* "Am concerned that your kid is going to come in one day and open fire on the school. (Wish I was kidding.)"-- Natalie you probably should tell a cop or something.

Munroe concluded with my favorite part of what I've read of her stuff: "These comments, I think, would serve me well when filling out the cards. Only, I don't think parents want to hear these truths. Thus, the old addage [sic] ... if you don't have anything nice to say ... say 'cooperative in class.' "


This all comes back to the "your kid sucks" situation. See while most parents love their children, the good ones don't completely coddle them and worship their sweat socks.

Good parents know their kids have strengths and weaknesses and don't get offended when a weakness is addressed. I sucked at math as a child, my teachers would tell my parents this (in nicer terms). My parents did not berate the teacher and call them a failure, they realized that yes, I did suck at math. So they got me a tutor.

My parents know I suck at math, they know my sister's weaknesses too. While they love us, they recognized that some failures need to be owned by the kid.

I didn't get a lot of playing time on the basketball team...but guess what I was short, uncoordinated and generally helped the other team when I was out there....so my parents didn't punch the coach. Coach puts attack in perspective

The coach in the above link told a kid who wouldn't run to to go run or quit....which is within the right of any coach.

81-5 girls hoops playoff blowout raises questions in Texas

This article says "Something tells us the players on those losing teams would have retained more self belief and pride by missing out on the playoffs than by being on the receiving end of historic blowouts."

And there it is. The root of it all. We're so concerned with the kids self belief and pride and crap that we forget to prepare them for reality.

A kid needs self esteem and constant beatings to it are detrimental of course. But losing one basketball game even by a million points is just one game. It's a teaching opportunity.

Coach of that team needs to say "We got it handed to us today. We're not as good as they are. Sometimes someone else wins and sometimes you lose pretty hard. Let's get back to practice and try again."

That's life people. We all say no one is perfect but parents today can't seem to see that's true about their kids too.

Smallville, a good show

I've recently been watching the early seasons of the show Smallville for the first time on DVD and not having been too familiar with the series, I'm impressed.

The show is good and they do a good job portraying what it may have been like for Clark Kent growing up. Tom Welling is a great Clark and Annette O'Toole and John Schneider are perfect for his parents Jonathon and Martha Kent.

The Lana character, Chloe and Pete are all there because you couldn't market a teen drama (which is what it was) without some high school friends.

The real cool character though through the first 3 seasons I've now seen is Lex Luthor.

To anyone who really doesn't know, in the Superman universe Lex Luthor is to Superman what the Joker is to Batman. He is the worst of villains and often believes his evil to be for the good of mankind.

Smallville takes a lot of liberties but long story short is this. Lex is banished to run some plant in Smallville, Clark uses his power to save his life and they become friends. Lex is always trying to figure how Clark saved him and knows Clark is hiding something, leading to tension and what will ultimately doom their friendship and in a sense shape the future of the world.

(Side note, Clark Kent being from Smallville has a nice Jesus metaphor. From an otherwise insignificant town comes world's greatest hero)

But how interesting. We see how the choices Lex and Clark make shape the other's life.

Lex Luthor is more identifiable than Clark to me and I think that's what they were going for.

Clark is unbreakable, indestructible and never wavering in his beliefs of truth, justice and "other stuff." He is who I guess we all want to be.

Lex on the other hand is a brilliant mind, curious, seeking the truth or some version of it. He craves power and is full of ambition but isn't a bad person. He's fiercely loyal.

But there is a dark side. He struggles with an evil dad and valiantly against his destiny to be even worse. Lex struggles to do the right thing and often doesn't. He fails at being good again and again and each time gets a little closer to being the super villain he will become.

I don't identify with super villain Luthor, but rather with the mostly regular guy who tries to do the right thing.

I always love Shakespeare's tragic heroes and while Luthor in comic lore never gets his redemption (to my knowledge), his story from the Smallville perspective is truly a tragic one.

Anywho I know I'm a decade late in posting a review of that series but I've been watching it a lot and wanted to throw my two cents out there.

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Update on the coming Robot War.

I think the machines are trying to scare us into submission.

They sent their champion out against two of our greatest trivia warriors and showed their utter dominance on Jeopardy.

An IBM computer known as Watson destroyed Jeopardy champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter the other day, showing that we have little hope of outsmarting them when the war comes.

Be ready people. You never know when the robot apocalypse will begin.

Strip it, strip it good

Welfare is a needed part of any government. Not all people will be self sustaining at all times and a little support while they're down helps everyone in the long run. Not to mention it's good to help out those who need it.

What I hate is welfare abuse. I hate the guy on "disability" because of a sore neck from an eight year old car accident. He can watch tv and play on his computer but he can't get a job in an office?

I hate the woman who has three kids and is pretty excited about No. 4 because it means more government aid. Rather than quit having kids, kids became her cash cow.

You get the idea.

But sometimes welfare is important.

Say you're a hard working joe who likes a cold beer and a hot woman at the end of the work day. You leave work and head to your favorite gentleman's club, have a beer, watch a dance and go home relaxed.

But oh nos! You just got laid off.

Well good thing in Colorado the ATM's dispense cash on your food stamp card. Trixie's finances are already hanging by a g-string and if you don't show for your lap dance, who will feed her kids?

The bare truth is if Trixie can't make enough money lap dancing, she'll have to go back to full time hooking and now the strip club is out a valued and talented employee.

Trixe's only hope at that point is to meet Richard Gere.

This is the nipple...eh, I mean ripple effect that could happen if Colorado lawmakers have their way and ban the use of government assistance at strip clubs.....

Something that believe it or not, is still technically legal.

Colorado Bill Bans Welfare Cards At Strip Clubs

Obviously I'm kidding. You should not use your food stamp money to see hot girls get naked.

Government aid shouldn't be allowed to be used for much more than keeping a roof, keeping it warm, keeping people fed and keeping them clean.

I know good folks who are on and have been on food stamps and I get it that occasionally they wish they could buy some wine or go out with that money. If everyone were as responsible as them, that could work. That just isn't the case.

Lots of states are starting to talk drug testing for receiving welfare. There are noble intentions behind these bills, but they are bad.

A drug addict made a choice at one point in their lives to do drugs, now they are an addict. If an addict is trying to get clean but relapses the day before their food stamp test, we're saying they should starve to death?

I disagree.

I'm not sure how we fix this because we don't want welfare to be used (anymore than it is) as a crutch for druggies that don't intend to change. We cannot support people indefinitely who refuse to support themselves.

But on the other hand if we tell druggies they can't have assistance even though they're poor, where will it end? Next it will be smokers get less assistance because we're afraid they'll use it to save money to buy cigarettes.
Then maybe fat people can't have as much in food stamps because they'll overeat and waste it.

I exaggerate a bit of course but you see my point.

The welfare system will likely be abused forever because people are lazy and we have an overly litigious culture.

So how do we fix it, I dunno. I just wanted to write that little satire bit about the strip club.

Your thoughts?

A different kind of love

This one's more personal than usual, no one will be faulted for not reading it as there will not be a quiz.

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A family is supposed to be a place of unconditional love.

It can take many forms. It can have have a mom and dad, just mom or just dad, two moms or two dads, maybe a grandma and and uncle etc. What makes a family isn't genetics, it's love.

Now one thing I've always commended about most people in successful, tough or failed marriages is that even if their love for their spouse fades away, the vast majority still love their children unconditionally.

I remember as a child going to a friends house and one thing my mom always told me was "No matter what if you need me, just call and I'll come get you." And sometimes I wanted to come home early for no reason (or rather stupid reasons) and no matter what, she came.

Dad was the same way but much busier with work. If I needed something, I got it. Mostly, they supported me and built me up.

I remember bouncing on Dad's belly with Karyn (Karen then lol) and watching Mom play with Rachel and later Mary in pools at the various hotels we hit up on dance competitions. We were no Norman Rockwell painting, but we had some good times.

Going to Skyline as a post-Chrism Mass tradition was a great family and faith building tradition.

When I was a teen and into rebelling a bit, they were still there. When I was wrong I was chastised but they never made me feel unloved, even if I did and said things that would make them want to.

Both my parents through all their troubles managed to put their kids first when I was growing up and I will always remember that.

Today is Valentines Day and it is I think I good time for an announcement of sorts. Nothing special just something that needs to be said.

Ephesians 5:31 says "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh."

Kelli is my love, my life and my future. She is my family. I love my parents, siblings, grandmas, aunts, uncles and cousins, but Kelli and I are our own family now with our own lives to lead.

We haven't been blessed with kids yet but I hope one day we will be.

When that time comes, I hope to be able to show my kids the unconditional love and support and most of all the kindness that I remember receiving from my parents.

Everyone is thinking about romantic love today, and that's great. But what do you say we all try to remember love of our families as well. Jesus says to forgive each other, not to hold onto bitterness.

The Bible says "Fathers provoke not your children to anger" but that applies to mothers to I think. And children, honor you parents.

Happy Valentines Day everyone. If you love anyone today, let them know.

More important things....

I was going to blog about illegal immigration activist today but something far more important strikes me now.

I have been immersed in discussions about faith, God and morality the past month or so and it's week's like this one I am reminded why this matters to us at all.

Humanity has long been obsessed death and what happens after we die. An argument non-theists make is that our obsession with God spawns from a fear of death and a need to believe that our loved ones are not gone when they die, and that our own existences won't end either.

I agree with them on a point. If it weren't true, I'd still want to believe it.

But I'm a Christian, and to me, this life isn't the end.

It's secure in that knowledge that those who have died in this world have gone on to the hands of a merciful God for judgment.

Last night, though I still lack details, Courtney Clifford, 28, of Portsmouth, Ohio died. I had heard she was back in hospice care as a result of a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer.

Courtney was a local activist for ovarian cancer and was the daughter of Portsmouth High School football coach Curt Clifford. She was also quite the athlete herself in her day.

Courtney's Obituary


Someone who knew Courtney better than I will eulogize her better. Someone who still works at a newspaper will put down her life in print.

But I did want to mention her in this blog. I wanted to say that I met her three times, spoke to her on the phone twice. I interviewed her for a story a few months back that you can read at the bottom of this.

In that brief period of time I learned that Courtney wasn't one of those young cancer patients that people build up into a hero whether they deserve it or not.

She was one who earned that distinction. She lived a great deal in 28 years, and stared death in the face for a long time. I was impressed and I ask all of you to pray for her soul and for the comfort of her family.

Here are a couple articles written about her:

Clifford raising awareness for ovarian cancer

The color of cancer

Skynet is coming or How I learned to stop worrying and love the machine

There are some news stories that are interesting, some are heartwarming, some are informative and still others seek to terrify.

I don't think the BBC is trying to be scary but check this out.

Robots to get their own internet

That's right, they're calling it RoboEarth. We all know that evil robot overlords are one of a handful of probable apocalyptic scenarios and this seems to confirm that theory.

In Terminator, Skynet was a sophisticated defense system that not only could learn but eventually became self aware. When someone tried to shut it off, it nuked the world.

I dunno about you, but I have a zombie contingency plan that is easily adaptable to several apocalyptic scenarios but it wouldn't help against Robot Overlords.

What good is my Soviet-era gun against them? Nada. So here are some things you'll need to consider when our once benevolent Tom-Toms and iPods and turn on us.

1. Remember, it will all be over soon
Unlike a human based apocalypse or even the zombie scenario where long term survival is possible, that's not the case here.
Either scientists and the military will win (HIGHLY unlikely) or the robots will. Since the robots are smarter and think way faster and control all of our satellites and such, the Robots will kill you.
The best case scenario is something like the Matrix where the machines find a use for us.
Nevertheless we are programmed to survive so I assume you're going to give it a try.

2. Be Vigilant
Timing is key in survival. Be looking for the first signs of the war. In 2007 and robo-lawn mower killed a Danish man. One incident might be ignorable, but if there are more than 2 robocasulties in a week, follow step three.

3. Get the F--- out of Dodge
When the computers all become friends and inevitably see us as enemies, they'll move fast. Before you know it On Star will have you locked out of your car, your home security system will call you an intruder and (possibly floating) robot assassin cops will be on the way.

You need to get away deep into the wilderness. I recommend somewhere wet and dark or somewhere hot and sandy. Anywhere that is bad for computers....of course that's usually also bad for humans but this is the end times so don't whine about comfort.
It may take the computers some time to adapt enough to extreme environments to come kill you, giving you time to document what's happened and leave it behind for a future generation of aliens that may one day kill the robots and take over Earth.


4. Cannibalism, get over it
As the Robots wipe out all life food will get scarce. Killing other tribes of survivors and eating them is one way to get by. Also, no point burying you dead.

5a. Go for the Gusto
If you really want to survive you need to do a couple things. Hide out too long and they will find you. You MUST act!

Find a friend who knows a lot about computers, a retired special forces colonel, an annoying person you don't care about who can die and a love interest. Be careful not to select an android for your merry band, they're you're only hope.

5b. You mastermind the human rebellion but it fails. You will be killed soon. To stay sane, start thinking of really cool ways to die.

You'll feel better about the oncoming silence if you think of exciting ways to go out in a blaze of glory. If the last man is going to die, make it a good death.


So there you have it, some depressing lunchtime reality about how it's all going to end. If you need a minor pick me up, I recommend this whimsical diddy by Jonathon Coulton called Chiron Beta Prime.

Enjoy.

No comment...please God no comment

If like me you tend to read the news online, you get a unique feature that you don't get as easily from reading print.

Reader comments.

Reader comments are the little posts under the story posted by people named "Crabby Newt" and "Possum on a Gumbush" (real names) that serve to let anyone reading them know that the commenter did not read the story.

In the small town newspaper world or on major site like Yahoo! it's all the same. Comment Morons read the headline, but can't really understand things. They are morons. Comment Whores just like to comment on anything they're interested in and Comment Cocks are just trying to stir up trouble.

Rarely is there an intelligent comment.

Commenters take the time to log in and leave a comment but rarely read more than the headline. For funsies, here are some actual examples from stories online right now.

Headline

: Catholics cannot confess via iPhone: Vatican
This story essentially exists as a correction for yesterday's report by idiots in the media that the Church would allow such a thing as confession via iphone. The article correctly reiterates that the iphone app in question is a confessional aid and does not constitute the sacrament. It is a refresher course for lapsed Catholics who’ve forgotten how the sacrament of penance works. It doesn't appear to involve even making a call.

Comment

: The well meaning and likely Catholic Veronica wrote this 57 minutes ago: "the priests don't forgive you of your sins...when the priest tells you you are forgiven, its to remind you that God forgives you, sometimes, talking to others while staying annonymous helps to ease your mind...it helps to hear someone on the other end that is not judging you by your thoughts and actions, but rather to help you to find peace within yourself as well as to help bring you closer to God. why does this have to be considered brainwashing...talking to one another to help resolve conflict and issues is not brainwashing."

My thoughts

: Veronica doesn't understand confession terribly well nor did she read the story. Veronica is a comment moron.
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Headline

: Missouri executes man for rape and murder of girl
Missouri executed by lethal injection a 47-year-old man early on Wednesday for the 1991 murder, rape and kidnapping of an 11-year-old St. Louis girl. That's the jist of it.

Comment

: Dave wrote 22 minutes ago: "Thank God he was not black! The minority community would be screaming at the top of their lungs that this was just another example of white people oppressing black people by giving a deserving murderer the death penalty!"

My thoughts

: Dave is both a comment whore and a comment cock. The story doesn't mention race but a google search confirms the executed man was white. Dave is a comment whore because he's commented on about 30 articles in the last hour (checked his profile). He's a comment cock for pulling the race card for no reason.

Headline

: President has stopped smoking, but will it last?
Simple story. Michelle says Barrack hasn't had a puff in more than a year.

Comment

: 2 hours ago Franco123 wrote: "All my freinds that smoke are alive and well over 67, and all my freinds that din't smoke in there 50 are all dead of cancer, all 14 of them are all dead I WONDER WHY IS THAT.im 62 and i just started smoking and i feel better now then when i din't smoke."

My thoughts

: COMMENT MORON. Franco lives in the land of the weird where magic happens and unicorns and snipers live together in peace. Fat people can fly, the handicapped park in the back of the lot and tobacco is good for you. You heard it here first folks...start smoking now or die by 50.


At the beginning of this blog I said comments are something you don't get in printed copy....all I can say to that is thank God.

If you're thinking about leaving a comment somewhere, that's up to you. But the only people that really bother are morons, whores and cocks.

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On an unrelated note, I managed to stay off politics and religion for three straight days now and no one is really commenting. If those of you that talked to me about this issue are still reading let me know somehow or I might just drift back the other way.