With friends like these...

The executive branch has the task of enforcing laws passed by the legislative branch. In other words, the White house to defend laws passed by Congress. The amount of effort they'll give, though, depends on whether the White House agrees. Case in point: Affirmative Action during the Bush administration. The Bush Justice Department did practically nothing to defend Affirmative Action because it doesn't agree with the concept.

The Obama White House says it supports repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Meanwhile, the Obama Justice Department is doing cartwheels to defend the policy in the courts. They are even using decades old quotes from General Powell. Powell 2010 disagrees with Powell from the early 1990's. Why on earth is the Obama Justice Department acting so vigorously (and using outdated quotes) to defend a policy they want to overturn?

The Bush Justice Department would never screw its supporters this way.

News of the day

So Republican Chair Michael Steele likes to watch lesbian bondage scenes on stage. (Update: The RNC says Steele himself wasn't there.)


And Ricky Martin is gay.

Come on, people! Give me real news. I have a blog to write.

If you're going to fail, fail spectacularly

I have never seen Battlefield Earth but I know it is widely regarded as the worst film of my lifetime. Ben Affleck can be happy that Gigi (apparently) doesn't suck anywhere near as much as this film does.

The original screenwriter for the film has written a fantastic mea culpa.

Update: Yes, as a commenter pointed out the movie was "Gigli" not "Gigi." Gigi is the horrible name a friend calls my dog.

Decisions, decisions

Here's the dilemma: In early February I found cheap $200 tickets to Nepal for spring break... last Wednesday there was a campus-wide announcement that we are to hold office hours during spring break.

Three-fourths of my department had previously made travel plans as I had. None are changing their plans. For me, there's safety in numbers. For Ann it is not as clear; many have actually canceled their flights.

Tonight we are deciding: Go to Nepal and risk a very slight chance of retribution OR stay here and do a couple of days snorkeling in Fujairah and see Wynton Marsalis next week. (I'm not a great fan of jazz, but seeing one of the best in the world in person is appealing. Then again, Federer was a huge disappointment.)

I'm tilted towards the latter but for bad reasons: I have work I need to get done so spending a day or two on that would be good plus I always get anxious before traveling. Before the first Nepal trip or Ukraine I would have canceled without being upset. Yet I'm very, very happy I did both trips. On this trip we were planning to go to a resort town we missed last time. A close friend of Ann's was there last week and spent three days white-water rafting and the rest of the time lounging around the lake... and staying at a hotel for $15/night, including breakfast. Remember: Nepal is one of the cheapest vacations on the planet.

If we cancel $160 goes towards a voucher for a future flight. I am completely torn and I cannot be objective. So with the facts as unbiasedly presented as I can, what do you think?

Quote of the day: Negro in chief

So in asking, "What Would Jesus Do?" some Christian militants thought it would be a good idea to kill cops. (They are agents of the federal government.) Their website is still up and currently has nobody to censor comments. Apparently, those not arrested forgot to put wi-fi in their bunkers.

Anyhow, here's one commenter lamenting the plight of would-be cop killers:

"If the charges are bogus I hope you all get through all this a;right. God knows in the current political climate Our negro in chief needed something to draw attention away from his incendiary socialist policies. And take heart most of these fag indoctrinated children on the west coast spamming your forum should be leaving for school soon so things should calm down soon,"

Copied and pasted verbatim.

I have never once felt any safety concerns living in the land of Muslims. Wackos like these so-called Christians scare me much more. Just as Christians shouldn't be branded by these nut-jobs, Islam shouldn't be branded by Al Quaeda.

But it does make me wonder if there is a pattern. After all, there are no crazy militant atheists.

Meat consumption

(This graph comes via the USDA and a post on Andrew Sullivan's blog.)

When I see a historical graph I try to come with a narrative to explain it. This graph on meat consumption baffles me. Take a look. See anything peculiar?

Beef was on a meteoric rise from the 50's to the mid 70's. Given the extra income during that period and the growth of places like McDonalds that makes sense. But was there a big drop followed by a gradual drop so that now people are eating 20 pounds less of beef per year?

The gain in chicken makes sense: Fast food places have slowly increased their offerings with chicken. Ditto for the gain in turkey as it is increasingly seen as the healthy meat.

And I'm surprised that pork consumption has remained relatively constant. As beef and chicken became cheaper I would have expected pork to lose ground.

But the beef graph absolutely has no explanation to me. Any ideas?

South Atkins Beach Diet: Week 5

Here's the latest:

Start: 225
Week 1: 221
Week 2: 218
Week 3: 215
Week 4: 213
Week 5: 211

That may look like another disappointing two pound loss but it's actually much better. Mid-week I was very dehydrated and weighed in at 205. For the last three days I've been pumping in water like there's no tomorrow. So the 211 is after getting bloated up, which is common the week before my period.

Dip from my bucket

I was asked to explain "Dip from my bucket."

In High School a friend gave a humorous speech where he ripped into 1/2 of our 100 student class. His speech was great and, yes, he made fun of me... some geek joke. For reasons I do not remember the HS counselor was sitting in that day and he went ballistic.

After Neil finished Counselor Bob took the podium and gave the "Dip from my bucket" speech. I was not in the class but this is one of those things from HS where it's been talked about so much everyone feels like they were there.

Their are people who people who are nice and tell you good things. They fill your bucket, counselor Bob explained, and you like being around them. In return you want to say nice things to them and help them fill their bucket. There are people who are nasty and want to cut you down. They want to fill their bucket by taking from yours.

Now, in reality, Counselor Bob had a point but his credibility was shot by the class of '87 because he was known for talking in the bars about students.

And I've always appreciated Neil's speech. Yes, he made fun of me. He also made fun of a whole lot of other people. Who did he NOT make fun of? Those who were disadvantaged or simply not bright. So while you shouldn't dip from people's buckets, I think Neil was right: Dip from those who can afford it. I love the positive self-help guru bullshit. It's a large part of who I am. There's no teenager alive who has read more self-help books than I did. But at some point you realize that there is a certain level of fake involved. Counselor Bob was 90% fake and that's why my classmates avoided him.

The face of hate

A man with an Obama bumper sticker becomes the victim of road rage. Given the level of rhetoric coming from the right wing media - and no attempt to dial it down by so-called Republican leaders - this is not surprising.

Dip from my bucket

Yesterday the high went over 100. It's going to continue to go up for the next few months. This city will not see a high under 100 until late October. Think about that: six months with each day over 100.

No matter what you have going on in your world think of me in a city where every it will be over 100. Dip from my bucket. It may not fill yours but I hope it at least brings a smile as you walk out the door.

School House Rock

Whether you support health care reform or not my generation will get a kick out of this:

"This was the first state that believed"

President Obama came to Iowa City today.

Yes, we can.

Update: Today I wished I lived back in Iowa. There’s no way I’d have missed this:

I made it through the rain...

OK, I'll try not to break into Barry Manilow because, really? It's still raining.

This has been the longest, most trying week since my first semester. It's over. I will shut the phone off and crank the fan on the AC so I don't hear fighting cats in the morning (which is what usually wakes me up) and I hope to sleep until at least noon.

Unrelated, today I went to a workshop where Ann was one of the presenters.

It's the first time I've seen her present since speech contests in HS. In other words, it's been over 20 years. She did a fantastic job and was very engaging. Ann and I have very different teaching styles and it's interesting because I think hers is best for what she does and I'm pretty confident that mine is best for what I do. She teaches English skills which requires more student interaction where I teach content which requires more standard lecture... Today's workshop was on student interaction and Ann presented ideas I haven't tried.

I may be an old dog but when it comes to teaching I'm very willing to learn new tricks. It was a great way to end a bad week.

When it rains, it pours

Today we were informed that we are expected to be on campus keeping office hours during spring break.

Really.

A bad week gets worse

I'm really, really happy the health care bill passed. The rest of the week has sucked.

Today I had two sections of guys taking the midterm on Blackboard (meaning over the internet). As a teacher I have two safety measures: The test is invisible to the students until the time of class and I create a password and tell students at the moment they are to start taking the test.

Making a long a story short, students were able to access the test before class. As I result I have no time tonight because I have to write a new midterm for them to take tomorrow.

Biden nails it

Confession

It's good for the soul, right?

I doubt this story will do much for my soul, but here goes...

Last month I sent money home but leaving myself plenty to get by until my next paycheck at the end of this month.

That is, umm, until last week.

I was really good and did three workouts in four days! I'm great! I'm losing weight! I'm working out! Super! I deserve a reward!

So I had a massage. Unless you have a sadist like I had in Ukraine, most massages are nice and relaxing. This massage was excellent and made me realize that no matter hard I try to relax nothing beats a massage.

I checked out the massage package deals at the club. A 90 minute massage would cost Dh 220 ($60) but a package of ten massages would cost Dh 1600 ($475). Before you scoff at $475 please realize that this is a 27% discount! 27%! For a package of ten that's almost 3 free massages! Where could you beat that?!?*

OK, I think you know where this is going. I bought a package of 10.

Today is March 23 and I have Dh 60 ($16) left until payday. Payday is a variable here. It can be as early as the 20th of the month or as late as the 29th. I'm sure none of you are worried if I'll starve - I have proven fat sources. Besides, I do have a few friends here who would be happy to help me out but I'm trying my best to hold out until payday... whenever that comes.

For my Republican friends

If I were against Obama I would absolutely buy one these T-shirts.

The big loser

Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo makes an interesting point: The biggest loser last night was Mitt Romney. In 2012 Republicans will want to nominate someone who can attack Obamacare. How can they do that with a guy who signed practically the same bill into law while governor of Massachusetts?

*****

You may have noticed that I added Ezra Klein to the blog list on the right last week. The reason? He was (and still is) providing the best analysis of healthcare reform. Now he's answering reader's questions about the bill law.

Moderating comments

While I appreciate Justice Alito's comment on health care below it's pretty clear that I need to change the comment controls on the blog.

I have two options: Require that all comments be approved. I would approve any comment by someone I know even when critical. (I'm pretty sure I know Justice Alito's secret identity.) I'm not a big fan of this because I kinda appreciate it when multiple friends and family members pile on. With moderating comments that would go out the window.

The second option would be to require commenters to register with me. That's a better option because once you're registered you can fire away and I promise I won't delete. The problem? People won't sign up.

I know I'm cranky tonight. I'll try to give this some thought when I'm in a better mood.

Joys of blogging

You may have pulled up the blog today and started reading "Part II" and wondered, "Where is 'Part I'?" I was writing the posts between classes. A student came to ask some questions and I didn't have time to finish. (Note: Part II was unfinished when I went to class. I finished the love story.)

*****

Unrelated, today was not a good day. In the world of teaching, it was a good day but some intra-office politics are bothering me. And the fact that it is bothering me is bothering me. Why? Because compared to Hamilton or even Coe or the U of Iowa the issues here are very small. I just shouldn't get worked up. And on a day when we get a win like this on HCR, nothing in the office should be bothering me.

HCR Part I - Repeal?

If the political consultants in my party have any sense - and I admit that's debatable - they'll latch on to the calls to repeal. It's one thing to demonize a bill before it is passed but after people realize the boogey men were not real?

1. Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until their 27th birthday
2. Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions
3. No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage
4. Free preventative care for all
5. Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national high-risk pool until the exchanges come online.
6. Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50% of what they pay for employees’ health insurance.
7. The “donut hole” closes for Medicare patients, making prescription medications more affordable for seniors.

There are a few more you can see here. The ads write themselves: Congressman X wants Seniors to pay more for prescription drugs, tell a 12 year old she can't be insured because she has a pre-existing condition, deny you preventative care, and he even thinks someone with an accident like Christopher Reeve shouldn't get continuous care.

I know where polls are today on health care reform and Democrats are going to lose seats. Lose the House? Very unlikely. Lose the senate? Not a chance. Those losses will be mitigated once Democrats are able to go on the offensive. The good news for Republicans is that my party has proven time and again we cannot be complete wussies.

HCR Part II - Be careful of what you wish for...

Last summer the "gang of six" senators - three Democrats and three Republicans - worked on health care reform. In the group was our very own Chuck Grassley. Although Grassley is a Republican conservative he has had made progressive progress on health care issues in the past. (He worked with Hillary on CHIP - health insurance for poor families.) AND Chuck is close personal friends with the lead Democrat Max Baucus. How close? I won't claim they've visited Brokeback Mountain but I'm pretty sure they've downed a few Buds and said, "I love you, man."

In August the Tea Partiers were at the cranky best and scared the bejeebers out of Chuck. When he returned from the August recess he quickly quit the talks. I'm sure he apologized to Max profusely... perhaps over a nice dinner, by candlelight with soft music playing in the background. Max kept pleading, "I can't quit you, Chuck" but he understood that Chuck was facing reelection in 2012 and working on health care would have invited a primary from the Tea Party right.

At that point the only way to win for the Republicans was to block the bill at all costs. "Death Panels" and outrageous claims of pulling the plug on Grandma became common. I wondered all along how the bill might have been different if Chuck and Olympia Snow had remained at the table.

Conservative David Frum makes the same point, without the love story.

HCR Part III

Say what you will about George W. Bush but it is undeniable that he was decisive. There was no question about where he stood. Most on my side disagreed with him a lot, but we had to grudgingly admit he stood by his principles.

It's a trait I wish Obama had more of. In the health care debate he'd give lip service to a public option but doing nothing to move it forward. When Scott Brown in Massachusetts won (reducing Democrats to a 59-41 majority) Obama was willing to pitch healthcare altogether and only offer small bits of change. The mixed signals from the White House isn't limited to health care. Look at Don't Ask, Don't Tell, shutting down Guantanamo, torture, trying terrorists in civilian courts... the list of waffling is enough to give me an ulcer.

In the end, however, a win is a win. Dick Bennett used to coach the Wisconsin Badgers basketball team. His style of play is very heavy defense. Wisconsin games were boring but he was the first coach to win 20 games in a season at Wisconsin.

So, like a Wisconsin fan, I may not like Obama's style but, wow, did he deliver a big win.

And it rolls on

I took an ambien at 7 slept till 10. I was dreaming that I was working back at Kaplan. That frightened to quickly awaken.

Now it is an hour later and I have taken another ambien. My hope is to wake up at 3am.\\

Soon I will be able to discuss this... my stomach is still too tight.

South Atkins Beach Diet - Week 4

Here's the latest breakdown:

Start: 225
Week 1: 221
Week 2: 218
Week 3: 215
Week 4: 213

So I only lost 2 this week. After pigging out on 2 pounds of hamburger last Sunday and eating pizza on Tuesday I'm happy I didn't gain weight! I have ten days until I leave for Nepal and my goal from the beginning was to be at 210 for the trip. I am more confident of making this goal than I am of passage of the bill-whose-name-I-dare-not-speak.

Go Panthers!

I let go of my hatred for Kansas basketball. Nevertheless, it was worth staying up until 4AM my time to read the conclusion of the Kansas-UNI game. (The best I could do was the ESPN gamecast so I couldn't actually watch it.)

I wonder if anyone outside of the immediate families of the players picked the upset. I hope to be able to download it and watch it sometime.

THIS is the man I caucused for

I should be in bed at 3AM but I can't because UNI is leading Kansas! Thanks to my friend Christy on FB that got me to follow the game on ESPN.com

During half-time I read the president's speech to Democrats in congress. No teleprompter, no prepared remarks, but an amazing speech.

A vote to watch...

...on the bill whose name I still cannot name.

Congressman Bobby Rush of Illinois. Why? He's the only guy who ever beat Barrack Obama in an election. Although, I'm sure Obama is happy he lost that race and went on to the senate race, there was quite a bit of bad blood in the primary between the two.

Will carrying a grudge make Rush a "No" vote?

Stay classy, Tea Party, stay classy

I'm doing my best to follow things on the slow and spotty internet I'm borrowing from my neighbor.

After Republican leaders addressed the crowd in front of the Capitol participants spit on a congressman, called civil rights leader/congressman James Clyburn a "nigger" and Barney Frank a "faggot."

Update: Here's a better story about it.

Short post tonight

Why? Because the internet is out again and the tethering to my Iphone is also not working. I'm hacking into my neighbor's connection which doesn't work well.

Here's a brief snippet of my conversation with Etisilat:

Steve: This is the third time I've lost the intnernet in the month of March alone... and there's still ten days left. Will it happen again?
CSR: I have alerted a technician and we will fix the problem.
Steve: I understand and appreciate that but it's already been down six full days during the month of March. For the Dh 250 I'm paying each month I'd like it to be more reliable.
CSR: We fix it when it breaks.
Steve: You're not understanding my point: The fixes only work for a few days and that's not acceptable.
CSR: Is there anything else I can do for you?
Steve: Obviously not.

The under-reported story

Imagine a bill that would cut student loan costs by $60 billion over 10 years and use those savings to help more students be able to go to college through the Pell grant program. That's nothing short of amazing!

*****

When I was a college student my student loans came with a 10%* penalty. If I borrowed $1000 I only received $900. At the time I thought this was ridiculous because the title was the "GUARANTEED Student Loan" program... meaning that if the borrower defaulted the government would make it up. Hence there was no reason for the bank to charge me 10% and I should have had a really low interest rate (not 9%) because the payment was guaranteed.

President Clinton tried to clean up this mess but was hit by the pro-bank lobby who didn't want to let go of this cash cow.

Attached to the bill-whose-name-I-cannot-speak is a reform that takes banks out of the picture entirely. The savings - $60 billion over 10 years - would be funneled into the Pell grant program to help the poorest students get a few extra bucks towards tuition.

This is a completely under-reported story but the effects on college education will be instantly noticeable.

*I confess that I cannot guarantee that the penalty in my era was 10%. It may have been a little less or a little more. As a geek I'm embarrassed that I cannot recall the exact number.

Temptations

So this week has not been the best for the diet: On Sunday I ate two pounds of hamburger. On Tuesday I ate three pieces of pizza and even a few bites of ice cream. (It's not the calories of pizza or ice cream that make them evil, it's the carbs... it can create hunger later on. Fortunately for me, it did not.)

For the rest of the week I've been pretty good. I have even done three workouts. After paying for a gym membership in September I went twice and stopped going.

I've been good about avoiding temptations: No beer, no Reese's, no french fries, etc. But today I came across this old picture:

I have to admit I want to make this again. Here's how I described it last fall:

"What you see above is corn on top of pork chop gravy on top of bacon-cheddar mashed potatoes with pieces of pork chop mixed in."

Alliant is evil

I first made this point EXACTLY one year ago. I followed up in May outlining the sleazy reasoning behind their increase.

The Iowa Utilities Board did not approve the 17% increase Alliant asked for. They only gave them a 14% increase. I hope to use their strategy the next time I ask for a raise.

Governor Culver asked them to hold off on the exorbitant hike and Alliant flatly said no.

I want to be on the Iowa Utilities Board so bad I'd quit my job and move back to Iowa just to be on this volunteer board!

Sound crazy? It wouldn't be if I had no ethics. I'm sure they have slush funds and cushy jobs just waiting for them when they are off the board. Even if my ethics would make this financial suicide for me, I want on that board!

Oh, the irony!

Hey Gus!

Guess what?

Your great, great, great (add a few thousand greats) grandparents lived near me. Shocking, isn't it?

We've known for years that dogs were domesticated from wolves but it was not known where they were domesticated. Now they know and you're not going to believe it: The middle east. The story is really interesting. Maybe Mom & Dad will read it to you.

I miss you, pal. While this region may have been the first to breed small wolves into handy domesticated animals the love affair has certainly worn off. Not trying to bring you over here may have been the most selfless thing I've ever done. As much as I wish you were here I know you are much better off with two caring grandparents and a farm to roam around.

Love,

Steve

I'm a geek, but...

... I've had 8 hours of sleep in the past two days and I just can't bring myself to stay up any longer for the CBO report on the bill whose name I cannot speak aloud.

For those not keeping score, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will come out this afternoon (in the US) with a report on the price of the... umm, you know, big bill they are dealing with. Once it is done the House can set a time to vote... probably late Friday or Saturday.

As long as the numbers show the plan will be a deficit reduction instead of a deficit increase it will be good news. (Of all the concerns of passing this bill, this is not one; it will show a deficit decrease.)

Update: It's a good thing I didn't try to stay up. It's not coming out until Thursday which means the earliest the bill can be voted on is Sunday.

Advertising differences

I’ve never understood why advertisement for male… um, issues… are funny while advertisements for women skirt around the issue showing flowers and meadows. 

Finally an ad that pokes fun at its own industry.  If I were a woman I’d buy this product!

Transition time

In the winter the weather is better here - each and every day. Even on the few days it rains I'd take it here over Iowa's winter. In the summer it is better in Iowa - each and every day. Short of a tornado blowing through town I'd rather be in Iowa.

So when is the transition from better in the UAE to better in Iowa? It's hard to say, but today's high of 62 and tomorrow's high 0f 65 sound better than the highs here of 97 each day. However, 97 here is not like 97 in Iowa. Yesterday I stopped to talk to a friend in the sun for just a few minutes and sweat was dripping off me. Meanwhile, in the shade it is bearable to be outside and the nights are warm but comfortable.

In another couple of weeks Iowa will win the contest every day for the next six months. For now it's debatable where it's better.

St. Patrick's Day

It was a good day of teaching... and being Wednesday it's effectively the end of the week. (Thursday is officially the last day but it's usually just a gathering for coffee or an occasional meeting.)

Yet as good as today was I can't help but feel homesick. St. Patrick's Day is just about the best holiday of the year! The only thing better than St. Patrick's Day that occurs during the first week of NCAA basketball. <-- That's the home run of sports, drinking and hanging out with friends. It doesn't get any better than this.

But alas, on this St. Patrick's Day I'm home... alone... drinking a glass of red wine. **sniffle**

The Iowa basketball effect...

...and this has nothing to do with firing the coach...

When I was 8 I became very superstitious while watching Iowa basketball... as if something I did in a kitchen rural Benton county would have an effect on the game. I used every charm and incantation I could think of... if I had discovered that wearing the same underwear led to Hawkeye victories I'd have kept wearing the same pair until they were in shreds. (Perhaps wash them occasionally.)

I've let go of most of my superstitions but there's a certain major bill in congress right now that I cannot bring myself to name, let alone discuss. I wish I had a rabbit's foot to rub. Although here it might be a lucky camel toe.

Diet notes

On Sunday I was feeling great about the first ten pounds (no longer) under my belt. That night I fried up a pound of hamburger with cabbage, onions and garlic. It's a quick and easy meal... I snarfed it down so fast I couldn't remember the taste.

"Oh, what the hell..." I thought as I decided to fry up another pound of hamburger with cabbage, onions and garlic...

I ate the second portion more slowly and just as I was finishing I realized what I had done. My stomach felt like it was going to burst.

For the first time in my life I had bulimic thoughts: "I should make myself throw up." In reality I probably should have because I felt sick for hours... but when you're on a diet and you make yourself throw up you've crossed a line that's just a bit too scary.

Diet notes - 2

On a positive note, today I'm wearing the slacks and belt that made me decide to do the diet a little over three weeks ago. On that Sunday morning as I dressed for school I tried on the slacks that had become too tight and thought, "Can I suck it up put up with this for a couple of hours? I only teach one class today..." Realizing I was now rationing my too clothes for days I only had to wear them for a few hours made me realize I had to start the diet right then and there.

So today I'm wearing those slacks. They are still tight but easily wearable. It's progress. And as long as I avoid eating two pounds of hamburger in less than an hour it's progress I hope to continue.

Eggs delivered to work

As I arrived on the men's campus I noticed many people gathered around a van. When I came close my department's secretary told me it was from the college's agriculture department and that this week they are selling fresh eggs and tomatoes. (Apparently it is a regular occurrence and I've missed it all this time.)

The lightbulb looking things are, indeed, eggs I bought. The eggs were rather high priced: $2.70 for two dozen eggs... but still cheaper than in the store. The tomatoes were a steal for $1. That's a lot of tomatoes for $1!

Now did you happen to notice that there were not 24 eggs in the carton?

As I was walking into my office I stumbled...

... and this was the result. A cleaning person was nearby. He saw what happened and quickly walked in the opposite direction.

CSI - Dubai

I've never gotten into the CSI genre but if you do this is a must read.

On January 19 a Hamas leader was killed in Dubai. The Los Angeles Times has the complete story of how the UAE discovered that he was murdered (not death by natural causes as the killers attempted to show) and how they pinned those who did it.

Amazing, amazing stuff.

Slacker

By the 14th of March 2009 I had written 59 posts for the month.

I think I'm a few short this year. And it is not a quantity vs. quality issue: I like the average post from last year better than I do the average post from this year. I will try to do better.

I like the blog... it's one of the better things I've started... but do me a favor and please comment more.

And I apologize to Rahm Emmanuel. Last week I chastised the pseudo him for not signing his real name. Later I remembered. My bad.

Weekend remainders

It's been a while so some of these are quite old.

A British researcher says you can't have more than 150 friends. Your mind can't wrap itself around a larger number. I call BS because I have 150 on FB alone that I keep at least some contact with...

Want a list with links to all of the Superbowl ads?

Keep in mind: Reagan's presidency was declared dead after the 1982 midterm election.

Would you like to see your handwriting when you type a letter in Word? Now you can. If I had nice handwriting I'd do it.

A guy has a novel approach to protecting his camera. He takes a series of pictures...

It goes on like this for dozens of pictures basically asking the person who sees this to return the camera.

Want to see what you look like as a cartoon? You can do it here and it's free! I can't bring myself to do it so if any of you do please let me know.

Telling your boss what you think of them is good for your health. Perhaps, but my employment at Hamilton would have been much, much shorter.

And finally... I give you something that will make you lose your lunch: Sex ed videos from the 1950's and 60's. They are all bad but the first one is giving me the shakes as I write this.

The South Atkins Beach Diet - Week Three

There's progress...

Start: 225

Week 1: 221

Week 2: 218

Week 3: 215

I'm officially down 10 pounds. Yippee!

No major cravings although that hasn't stopped me from doing something stupid: As we were walking along a mall in Dubai I stopped and bought gummy Cokes. As I ate one I realized, "Duh, this is pure sugar!" I gave the bag to Mike.

Short term goal remains: Under 210 when I board the plane to Nepal. With 2.5 weeks left I should make it.

Fearing a WHOLE SUMMER in the US

I have some work opportunities for the summer... but if they all fall through my worse case (best case?) scenario is being back in Iowa from roughly June 15 to September 15.

That should make me ecstatic, but it doesn't. There are many ways to spend money in the US and the trip scares me. So I set up a budget. $400/week. That's what I get to spend... Should be easy right?

Unless, I plan to travel at all...

The bottom line: The summer trip is very workable and I should have a good time. I'm being a pussy in picking out the negatives.

It's like I'm back in college...

Remember my go-all-out drive this semester? I promised my colleagues I'd rewrite the PowerPoints for each chapter and redo the semester project. I thought we were meeting next week where I'd give them the latest PP's and the new project.

The meeting is tomorrow... at 11AM.

So I'm going to be pulling an all-nighter to get this done. I could lament all the time I wasted this weekend or just accept that this is typical of me so I should be used to it.

Unlike college, if I came to the meeting tomorrow and said, "I didn't have time to get it done by myself, but if any of you would like to help me it could be done by tomorrow." I know the response here would be, "Take your time... next week is soon enough."

Internet addiction

I sometimes wonder how much worse I'd be if I grew up with the internet.

I know I lived 25 years without the internet. I don't remember how I did it and I'm really trying too hard. I don't want to imagine going back.

Ikea instead

The trip fell through. It was nice to have a 2% chance of going. Oh well, to make up for it I'll go to Ikea and look at kitchen sinks.

That's almost as exciting as flying to Tapei.

Transit Visa

I had never heard of the term before.

Background: My friend Gwenn has prepared for months to take 14 female students to Tapei for a "Model UN" conference. She was given every obstacle possible and was somehow still able to make it work. Last night I dropped her off at the women's dorm where a bus took them to Dubai to fly out.

At midnight Gwenn called in a panic. Three of the women - two from Pakistan and one from Iraq - were not able to board the plane because they didn't have a "transit visa" for the stop in Hong Kong.

Not all hope is lost: They may be able to fly out tomorrow night and fly through Singapore. Gwenn asked if they needed an escort would I be willing. I said, "Sure!" It's not that I would like to fly for ten hours and turn around and fly back... it's that on the way back I would love to take a few days in Singapore and see my friend Rahul.

Since I'd really, really like this to happen I'm 98% sure it won't.

Not going to phone it in

Originally written Monday night... and edited tonight.

*****

I gave my first BlackBoard test today and it went smoothly. By giving the questions one-at-a-time, randomly, and not allowing them to go back, I think there was virtually no cheating... which is quite a feat.

The scores were bad: An average of 56 in one class and 58 in the other. Had I given a paper exam with multiple versions and watched them like a hawk the scores would have been the same. (One upside to the scores: This is the class that students fought to get into in part because they viewed me as easy... killed that myth quickly.) It's not that the test was hard - it wasn't - it's that we have a bad textbook and even worse PowerPoint slides.

At the beginning of the semester I vowed that this semester I wasn't going to phone it in. My first semester here was draining. Adapting my way of teaching to this culture was not as easy as I expected and God knows I wasn't prepared for the cheating. Spring and fall 2009 were practically coasting... and summer 2009 was the easiest teaching gig of my life. I could easily continue to coast. I could report to work, do my job with little effort, and consistently be considered a good teacher. I'm not being cocky. I'm teaching courses I've taught dozens of times before and teaching comes naturally for me. I am very lucky that I found a job I love and can do it well without a lot of effort. Very lucky.

But at the end of last semester I had a "Dead Poet's Society" moment: In the US I was able to inspire many of my students... not to the point of disobeying their parents, getting in trouble and committing suicide... but enough that many have kept in touch years later...

Here I'm the guy who makes boring stuff interesting (that's my reputation on the message board they use). But inspire? Not really. So this semester I have vowed to go all out. Offer review sessions. Offer study guides. On Thursday I will go do a voice over for the PowerPoints that will be recorded. If it works it should be good for review.

I have no idea if it will work or make any difference. I just know I have to give it a try.

(The post above was edited to a third of what I wrote Monday.)

Update:

I'm not sure if my "go all out" strategy is going to work. I went into the men's and women's classes (that had bombed the quiz on Monday) and said, "OK, we have to change how we do things..." I gave them the quiz again and told them to work in groups, use the book, use notes, anything to get to the right answers. The women were meticulous. 25 minutes later some groups were on the fifth question. I said, "I appreciate your making 100% sure to have the right answer but we've got to do this faster."

In the afternoon I'm with the guys. One group had all 25 questions answered in five minutes. The group score? 72/100. Others followed shortly after with scores only slightly higher. I said, "Oh dear God, this was supposed to be a learning exercise. You didn't have time to look ANYTHING up. Do it again."

The guys said, "But tell us which ones we got wrong and we'll look those up."

Yep. The semester of going above and beyond may well be remembered as the semester of beating my head against a wall.

$6.8 Million for a license plate

A friend took this picture and sent it to me. Buying the car was chump change considering the license plate "5" costs Dh 25 million ($6.8 million)

In the meantime…

The other night I was searching on the internet and found nothing interesting… much like TV 20 years ago.  As I commented about that on FB my friend Chad sent me this:

So worth two minutes of your life.

Not gonna to phone it in

I gave my first test on BlackBoard and it went well. The only problems were mistakes I made. I’ve become an instant fan and I’m never gonna give it up.*

I wrote a treatise about teaching tonight… long enough that even my parents would have given up before the end. I hope to revise & shorten by tomorrow. In the meantime I’ll summarize by saying my mantra for Spring 2010 is “I’m not gonna phone it in.”

Confused?

I can’t embed a Hulu of the clip but I can give you a link to a clip. The bastards at Hulu will not allow those outside of the US to actually watch any of the clips so I’m not 100% sure of what you’ll see but if I’m right it will be Steve Martin hosting Saturday Night Live. It’s a job he’d done many times before. This time he decided he wasn’t gonna phone it in… and after coasting for 2009 here I made the same decision before this semester.

* If you clicked on the first link I apologize. You’ve been rickrolled. Internet geeks like to get people to click on links that bring them to this insidious song from the 80’s. I didn’t make this up. Here’s an explanation: And I promise it won’t take you to more Rick Astley.

What it means to live in rural Iowa

Sometimes I think I have exaggerated what it is like to live in rural Iowa, but when I hear tales like this I think, "That's the Iowa I know!"

Karey has a story that pretty much nails rural Iowa:

The bad: Old timers will put out a cold stand-offish demeanor... you can live in rural Iowa for 20 years and still be referred to as a newcomer.

The good: When you need help, your neighbors will bring the whole family.

It's a great story.

BlackBoard

Tomorrow will be a first for me: I'm giving a test 100% electronically. Students will all bring their laptops. At 8AM I'll give them a password to open the test. There are 25 questions that each student will get randomly one at a time. The answers have also been jumbled. Once they've answered a question they cannot go back to change it.

(All of this is way too strict for me. I'd like to them to go back and re-read questions but if I allow it students will jump around to find the same question as the person sitting next to them. All who use this system told me, "Make it a random 0ne-question-at-a-time and don't let them go back.")

I can stand at the back of the classroom and see if anyone is using notes on their computer or copying and pasting the questions to e-mail to another class.

In theory it will be great... but I've heard enough horror stories that I haven't tried this until now. The benefits for me are huge: No grading. Done automatically and the student knows his/her score before s/he walks out of the classroom. It's even automatically entered into the gradebook. After all are done I can see a breakdown question by question. I will know which questions everyone got right and which ones were missed the most.

Wish me luck. I'm an old dog and this is a new trick.

The South Atkins Beach Diet - Week 2

I weighed in at 218. That's 3 pounds off last week and on goal of 2 - 3 per week. I wasn't sure if I'd make it this week with the pounds of cheese I've been eating (lots left over from the wine tasting.)

Start: 225
Week 1: 221
Week 2: 218
Week 3: ???

My goal is to be under 210 when I step on the plane to Nepal. In my experience of being overweight, I know every pound makes a difference in comfort in those tiny seats.

I am considering adding a radical element to the mix this week: Excercise.

Cultural Festival

A student told me about a cultural festival at a local high school. About a dozen countries were represented.
They showed off the arts and crafts from their country and their world famous celebrities. Sadly, the Romania picture did not come out. They had outstanding meatballs AND a large picture of Nadia Comenici. The girl asked, "Do you know who she is?" I replied, "I'm old enough to remember her in the Olympics." The girl was shocked anyone could be that old.

Every country was giving away food. Lots and lots of food.

Being on the diet I couldn't try most of the stuff. Bummer.

In the American booth there's a big tribute to Michael Jackson and surprising large Michael Jordan poster. Click on it to see who they highlighted. Confession: I have no idea who Taylor Swift is...

The festival organizers put Iran and the US next to each other. I doubt that was a coincidence. Also, the flag looks a little odd but I think they got the fifty stars right.

Wine tasting

Here's a pic I took before the party. Wines were randomly numbered and the clipboard allowed each guest to comment.

The biggest problem for me hosting a party is transportation. You simply do not drink and drive in this country. In addition to the huge penalties for doing so, the roundabouts require every ounce of mental power. Fortunately, Ann's husband Mike doesn't drink and willing to make a couple of trips to get guests home.

Wine tasting

OK, so there was no post for March 4... I have an excuse: My internet is still down and the Iphone connection I'm using doesn't work great during peak hours.

Besides, I spent the entire day preparing for the wine tasting. It's now 1:30 AM and the last of the guests have left. Some thoughts:

• Never serve 16 different wines. Even with small samples people were sloshed by #8.
• Price and appreciation are completely separate. The wine tasting was blind. People liked several cheap wines and didn't like most every one of the expensive ones. My favorite example is two wines from Jacob's Creek where the "Reserve" bottle ($22) was disliked whereas the regular Joe-Schmoe Jacob's Creek ($12) was loved.
• I covered every label and gave each guest a clipboard with sheets to comment on each wine. When throwing a party there's a fine line between really cool idea and GEEK. As I was buying the clipboards I was thinking, "Steve, you may be crossing the line here..." Fortunately, they were appreciated and most took their wine commenting duties seriously.
• In the final tally the cheapest wine - $8 - got better reviews than all of the over $20 bottles.
• Ann played hostess and I basically spent most of the time getting cheese and the next round of wine. Ironically, by the end of the evening I had had only two samples of wine.
• The Coke fridge played it's normal spectacular role: Guests wanting water, juice, pop, etc., didn't feel any need to ask.
• I charged people $15. My costs were much higher but nobody had an issue with paying a cover fee. Many paid the $15 and still brought cheese or a bottle of wine.

I don't mean to brag, but I'm 3-3 on parties. Thanksgiving, Christmas and the wine tasting have all been home-runs. My goal is to be the guy that throws the parties that everyone wants to go to. In the US that would be arrogant, but here the bar is very low.

There must be something about March 3rd...

First, today is "happy liberation day." Two years ago today Susan fired me and it was the best day of my life.* It's hard to describe what it's like to live through years of depression. I'm grateful that I have any friends left after completely shutting down from 2005 to 2008!

Second, today - March 3, 2010 - has been an incredibly productive day. I've accomplished more today than I do most weeks... Probably more than I did during the entire summer school of 2009 when I'd teach in the morning and fall asleep drooling on my couch each afternoon.

It was a great day teaching, learned how to give tests on blackboard (meaning I don't have to do grading because the computer will do it for me), and spent 3 hours preparing for tomorrow night's wine tasting.

* I initially wrote "arguably the best day of my life" and then thought... "Really, what day tops it?" Nothing came to mind so I removed "arguably."

Snow.

In Atlanta.

In March.

This was posted by a friend on Facebook.

Trouble with the internet? No problem.

A couple of hours ago my internet stopped working. It's a relatively common occurrence. Considering I pay $90/month for a 1MB connection it should be more reliable.

Thanks to the IPhone I can connect using the cell phone towers. I'm limited on much data I can use on my phone (1 gig per month) otherwise I'd have dropped the physical connection months ago.

Pretty cool.

******
I'm feeling a little stress in the amount of work I have to get done by tomorrow and the wine tasting I'm hosting on Thursday night. It's gonna be cool!

Unrelated: News came today that summer school is a go for the university. (There had been rumors there'd be no summer school.) It will be a while until I know if I get some classes but I hope I do.

With no summer school I'll be home June 15 - September 15. I can see the guys living in my house packing my bags for me long before then. With summer school, I'd be back from July 28 - to September 15. That would be long enough... and I could certainly use the money.

Hockey

Tonight I attended my first hockey game - at the end of the season. Al Ain beat the arrogant Dubai team on a goal with a minute to go... in other words, about as exciting as hockey can get.

On the menu in the arena restaurant? Wine leaves. I'll bet there's not an arena in America with wine leaves! (I've seen them on the menu in Greek restaurants. I'm not a fan.)

Not on the menu? Beer, of course. I think this is my first hockey match without it. Oh well, I couldn't have had any on the low carb diet anyway...