Of Mice And Men- Banned from KCK Curriculum

So I am sure most people know about banned books. Apparently Of Mice and Men is next on the chopping block for the KCK school district.

A Concerned parent told the school that she and her son were uncomfortable reading the book Of Mice And Men By Jon Steinbeck. Dana Washington says that the book,"uses the N word more times than a rap song" and is very offensive. But why? isn't historical fiction a big part of literature and understanding how people lived in the past?

When a student at Washington high school rejected the use of the N word in the story an unnamed teacher stated in effect that he did not see any reason to be upset about it because the students use it in the hallway all of the time.

I personally have read books and seen movies that have used the N word more times then in Steinbeck's book. And I see my African American classmates seemingly glorifying the use of the N word. Not to completely defend the English Teacher but I have heard students use the N word many times and they regard it as a term of endearment. When we read a 'Of Mice And Men' type of book they complain about how it is offensive and how we are reading it because the teachers are racists.

The book is currently on review by the school board as to whether it should stay in the curriculum or not.

Dana Washington mother of the offended student has said, "Why is it that only [racial terms are]the ones used for African Americans that are used as a teaching tool?" I somewhat remember students reading books in class talking about Jews and how they're are oppressed which include terms that are use to degrade them.

My Answer?  Do not talk unless all the facts are presented to you and learn that this is a part of our history that is going to be around forever. You might as well live with the fact that this is part of the curriculum and they only have to read this one time. Also if your child goes to college then they might have to read the book again. If they choose not to then they have the choice of an alternative. If that choice is not presented to them then they have the choice to leave the class.

Sanctuary Gets Hype

SCI FI laid out its biggest show for the fall. Sanctuary, a series about protecting the things that go bump in the night. Stargate SG-1's Amanda Tapping stars as Dr. Helen Magnus. a Doctor within the Sanctuary. She hires a man named Dr. Will Zimmerman (Dunne) to help her protect the various creatures that walk the Earth.

Sanctuary used to be a Web Series that premiered Spring of 2007. it gained popularity very quickly and people asked for it to be put on television. i guess that SCI FI heard the call and answered it because May of 2008 the SCI FI channel played its first teaser trailer for the show.

Do not forget to Tune into the SCI FI channel Friday October 3rd for the Premiere starting at 9:00 CST

More Palin V McCain

Palin announced today that She did not believe that the media coverage in the past has not been sexist or gender motivated. this is in exact contradiction to the statements that have been coming out of the McCain Campaign calling things like SNL and even the regular news has been sexist.

She states that the coverage is fact in that she is not "part of the Washington crowd"

Public Displays Of Affection

Public Displays of Affection (PDA) is a common act among people in love. Especially in their teenage years. Many people scorn this calling it inappropriate. But why? How? How can it be inappropriate? How can you deny the most basic show of love as something that is wrong?

PDA is usually harmless. Holding hands, a short kiss, carrying the other person’s book bags. How could this be seen as an act of a malicious nature?

Some of the most reoccurring arguments for PDA are that it disturbs the workplace. It creates an adult like environment, or that it will grow into more inappropriate behavior. I guess, not really, are you kidding me?

I can see a little bit of truth in the argument that it will disturb the workplace. The main place that PDA is seen is in high school. I guess that if I am really to think about it I don’t want to see an entire hallway full of couples kissing. I have seen Public Displays of Affection in school but I have to say that I am not disturbed and I am sure that the kids that have also witnessed this will agree that they have not been disturbed or mentally scarred for life.

The second argument of it creates an adult like environment. I have to somewhat disagree. If you think about it then you could see that we are pretty much adults, especially when we are 17. Being that age creates a grey area as to whether you are an adult or not.

The third and last common argument, I have to say is downright BS. There is no better way to put it. PDA will not lead to more inappropriate behavior. We will not all of a sudden have public displays of sexual relations. There is no way to possibly water down this rant. This is probably the most overused, incomplete and worthless argument ever known to combat this topic.

In my opinion PDA is something that is going to happen and should happen with minimal to no moderation. Let us be the judges of what is proper to do. There is no other way to put this. Kids will be kids and we will do kid things. 

Web Blocking

The KCK School district’s plan to allow Internet access to the laptops was a necessary move and a smart move. But all somewhat good plans can go down the drain straight after conception. The KCK District uses Barracuda Web Blocking software to monitor and prevent students from going to sites that are deemed inappropriate. But then again with too much power comes corruption. “We follow the basic guidelines of the Children’s Internet Protection Act so that we may give our students as much ability to visit websites.” The Children’s Internet Protection Act states that precautions must be taken in schools and libraries to prevent children from viewing pornography. That is the basic guidelines of the act. So why does it seem that every website is blocked? Well it pretty much is. Last year during the second semester there is an incident is known as the great blocker where almost every website was blocked. Yes, even Google, Yahoo, and MSN. These are search engine sites or e-mail websites that are very popular among people.

This incident lasted weeks. Almost every website was blocked and it made teaching and completing assignments very difficult if not impossible. When asked about why so many websites were being blocked the head IT man at the district headquarters Joe Fives would not comment. Now even with some of the sites put back on the allowance list. There are still some that are blocked that does not make sense. Blogger, a part of the Google Company is currently on the blocked list. But after some surfing a discovery of at least three unblocked porn sites a conclusion has come about that the district has not correctly identified web sites that have the need to be blocked but the district has blocked websites that kids can use to further their abilities. We have the opportunity to do great things but we will not have teh chance if our abilities and movements are controlled.

Pre Debate Analysis

It seems that there are some big things that are going to come from the first in two Presidential Debates.

what will be the main topics? probably the economy and the war.

1. John McCain has not been running a good campaign. The last thing people want to hear is that a candidate is suspending their campaign to be able to help the economy. Shouldn't you be working to run the country so you can fin it yourself.

     2. McCain made a risky move choosing Palin. this will upset the conservative base.

     3.  The Maverick Persona will not work. Obama has a strong anti maverick Ad that is   working very well even swaying the republican opinion.

  

    4. Obama has been keeping the campaign going even when working to make a bailout plan.

    5. Obama has it McCain hard on the Economy. and McCain has not had a good economic plan.

    6. Obama has an exit strategy for Iraq. McCain has an entrance strategy for Afghanistan.  (the     word Draft comes to mind.)

there will be another post after the debate.

Calif. court won't delay gay weddings until vote

Justices deny appeal for stay until voters decide on ban initiative

SAN FRANCISCO - California's highest court on Tuesday refused to stay until after the November election its decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.
Conservative religious and legal groups had asked the California Supreme Court to stop its order from becoming effective until voters have the chance to weigh in on the issue.

An initiative that would amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage has qualified for the ballot. Its passage would overrule the court's decision.
The Supreme Court says its ruling will be final at 5 p.m. on June 16.
Wednesday's denial clears the way for gays and lesbians in the nation's most populous state to get married starting June 17, when state officials have said counties must start issuing new gender-neutral marriage licenses.
On Monday, the initiative that would again outlaw gay marriage in California qualified for the state's November ballot.
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen said a random check of signatures submitted by the measure's sponsors showed that they had gathered enough names for it to be put to voters.
The measure would amend the state constitution to "provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
If approved by a majority of voters on Nov. 4, the amendment would overturn the recent California Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. It is similar to gay marriage bans that have been adopted in 26 other states.
"This signifies the fact that California voters really do favor and will come out to vote for the protection of historic marriage," said Ron Prentice, executive director of ProtectMarriage.com, a coalition of religious and social conservative groups behind the initiative.
In response to the court's May 15 ruling, California public health officials already have amended marriage license applications to read "Party A" and "Party B" instead of bride and groom. Local officials have been told to start issuing the revised licenses to same-sex couples on June 17.
Gay men and lesbians would still be able to get married between then and the election, even with the initiative pending, unless the court agrees to stay its decision until after Nov. 4, as the amendment's sponsors have requested.
If the marriages proceed during the next five months, it is unclear whether they would be nullified if the amendment passes. Some legal scholars have said the state Supreme Court might get called on again to settle that question.

Kate Kendell, executive director of the San Francisco-based National Center for Lesbian Rights, said gay marriage advocates have already launched a campaign to defeat the measure.
"There is just so much at stake, now, in terms of what kind of state we are going to live in and what values we are going to uphold," Kendell said.
To qualify for the ballot, the measure needed 694,354 petition signatures, an amount equal to 8 percent of the votes cast during the last governor's race.
Proponents submitted 1,120,801 signatures in late April, and county clerks determined the measure qualified by verifying the validity of 3 percent of the signatures they received, according to Bowen.
Recent polls have found California voters are about evenly split on whether gay couples should be allowed to marry.