The Tan Tax

One of the provisions I'm happiest about in the new health care bill is the tax on tanning. Starting soon tanning salons must charge a 10% tax on artificial tanning. This tax will go to help pay for key components of the overall health care bill.

This was a fantastic idea. As a high school teacher I have been preaching against artificial tanning for years. So many of my students, male and female, indulge in the practice regularily...but even moreso during the weeks leading up to prom. Tanning has been scientifically proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to have serious health implications...especially in regards to causing skin cancer.

Skin cancer and the other health issues associated with tanning pose a drain on our health care system and divert funds from other health research. Hopefully placing a 10% tax on these beds will serve as a nice deterrant to a practice that is entirely based on vanity and is extremely dangerous. I would expect millions of dollars to be raised from these taxes. And if the tanning business collapses...then that wouldn't be so bad either.

Unfortunately, my high school had their prom last month...too late to fall under the new tanning tax. Maybe the prom organizers knew something.

Ridin' the Boat

Over Spring Break we went to Steamboat Springs, Colorado to ski. It was Jackson's first ride on an airplane ("jetplane" if you ask him.) and he loved it. Both going and returning Jackson loved flying.

It was also his first ski trip. He was a bit too young for ski school so we just got him some equipment one morning and slid down the beginner's slope for an hour. He enjoyed it but we'll put him in ski school next year. He really enjoyed simply riding in the gondola on our last day there.

We did have the unusual experience of not being able to ski one day due to weather. Our second day there the mountain was shut down all day due to 80 mph winds. I was bummed about the lost opp to make tracks but it was a relaxing day. The two days we did get to hit the slopes...we hit it hard. The trails were a bit icy in the morning but softened up nicely by mid-morning. We cruised mainly blues and hit the Tomahawk moguls several times that last day. I'm really liking moguls. I've gotten to the point where I hate the easy narrow greens. They go on and on and on and the going is extremely slow. So we mainly hit the wide steep blues where you could really carve some nice turns.

Steamboat's a nice resort. After being bought out by Intrawest Resorts (who own Vail, Breck, Key, etc...) they've had a huge infusion of cash. Lots of improvements built in the last few years. Our lodge was about a five minute walk from the gondola. We usually took the free shuttle anyway. Storing the gear overnight at the base was very nice.

I will definately consider Steamboat again.

Classroom Management: Turf Management

I'm nine weeks away from completing my 11th year of teaching. The question I often I hear is "don't you get tired of the classroom discipline issues?" My response is that I rarely have discipline issues in my classes any more. My first year was a disaster as I was too lax. My second year was quite a bit better although I was a bit too strict. The third year was leaps and bound better...but it all came together in my fourth year.

Seriously...I average sending one to three students to the office a year. That's it. The classroom is the least stressful part of my job. Sure, some are more naturally adapted to classroom management than others. But a lot can be learned. It took me years to get to this place. Good classroom management requires experience and proactivity. You have to anticipate issues before they arise. You must be the one in control of the initiative...not the students.

There are many components to good classroom management. But I'll discuss one in detail today.

You must establish your turf.

Before the first day of school I number each one of my desks. Then on the first day of school I stand at my classroom door with a class roster which is already conveniently numbered by the office. I simply ask the student what their name is and send them to the desk that corresponds with their number.

This demonstrates immediately that you're in charge. Most students will go straight to their assigned desks and sit there until the bell rings because that's all they know to do. This keeps students from wandering around and getting into trouble before your first class of the year begins. When the bell rings there is no mad dash for desks and you can get started much more expediently.

By assigning desks on the first day you've already established your turf and the hierarchial structure. Yes, the chart is often alphabetical and you might have to make adjustments within a few class days. But usually my seating chart stays fairly intact for the entire school year.

The small effort of creating a seating chart reaps big dividends in terms of healthy classroom management. Psychologically you have already shown the initiative before the school year has begun and demonstrated to the students that the rule of law exists in this particular classroom.

The name is...

I used to watch this scene...from Dr. No before any event that I felt nervous about...prom, job interviews, first day of school...

It's the first time the legendary line was used. Classic.

Another Snow Video

Here's another vid from the snow day a couple of weeks ago...

Olympic Quick Hits

Some Winter Olympic Quickhits...

Very glad that Bode Miller won three medals at the Vancouver games. I'm a big fan of Miller and thought the media piled up on him a bit too gratuitously in Torino. Bode is undisputedly the greatest American alpine skiier of all time.

I was also glad that Julia Mancuso was able to win two silvers despite being overshadowed by the publicity seeking drama queen Lindsey Vonn.

Supercool that the South Korean gold medal winning figure skater skated her short skate to James Bond music.

Jackson's favorite Olympic sport by far was the ski-cross...which made it's Olympic debut this year.

I've finally come to accept snowboarding as a true Olympic sport...but I still can't stand short-track skating. I'm still up in the air (pun intended) about freestyle ski aerials and mogul skiing (with the jumps) as legit Olympic level sports.

The Russians aren't trained in good sportsmanship...latest example...that blowhard Plushenko whining about not getting gold. Skating is not a one trick show. Sure, quads are great...but there's more to the sport than managing one trick.

The closing ceremonies were awful. I can't stand Michael Buble and his stage antics. And the Canucks reinforced every Canadian stereotype...giant moose, beavers, mounties and hockey players? Really? That's all you got to proud of? That and drunk cigar smoking female hockey players I guess. Guess you have to proud of something. I've been to Canada and think it's one of the most amazing places I've ever been. Canada deserved a better representation of their culture in the closing show.

Overall I enjoyed these games. Vancouver seems like a fantastic city. Despite some of the glitches I'd rather see an Olympics there than in Sochi, Russia.

Splits

This is an old joke. I recently saw it again on Doug Pagitt's blog. It always makes me laugh...


I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off.

So I ran over and said, “Stop! Don’t do it!”

“Why shouldn’t I?” he said.

I said, “Well, because there’s so much to live for!”

He said, “Like what?”

I said, “Well, are you religious or atheist?”

He said, “Religious.”

I said, “Me too! Are your Christian or Buddhist?”

He said, “Christian.”

I said, “Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?”

He said, “Protestant."

I said, Me too!

Are your Episcopalian or Baptist?

He said, “Baptist!”

I said, “Wow! Me too! Are your Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?

He said, Baptist Church of God!”

I said, “That’s great, me too! Are your Original Baptist Church of God or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?”

He said, “Reformed Baptist Church of God!”

I said, “Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?”

He said, “Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915!”

I said, “Die, you heretic scum!” and then I pushed him off.

Snow Day!!!

We don't get snow days in Texas! Today we received 10 inches of snow...a Dallas record! School is cancelled tomorrow...which is Kimberly's birthday...what a nice gift from God. We played in the snow after school today. Made a snowman and had snowfights. More snow here than in Vancouver! Here is some video...

iPad? Really?

I have to admit I'm not too impressed with the new Apple iPad. I watched the video of Steve Job's presentation and was left underwhelmed. Part of this is due to the frenzied hype leading up to the announcement. Another factor is the horrible name for this new device. iPad? Really? Brings to mind more unpleasant technological devices. Somebody in Apple Marketing should be fired.

But I'm mainly underwhelmed because I was expecting a new type of computer. However, the largest amount of storage for this thing is 64 gigs. That's half the size of my iPod. It does not possess a DVD/CD drive. I haven't seen it up close so I don't know if it has a USB port or not. If it doesn't then it's pretty much worthless to me.

All the thing seems to do is to be a great web browser. Ebooks...don't like 'em. Music player? The thing's too big...I'll keep my iPod. Doesn't even have a camera for skypeing or video chats. It's basically a $600 web browser /videogame device/ video player.

Maybe it will set the template for cooler things to come. But right now? It's just a toy for the rich or gadget hounds.

Say No to Leno

I watched the Oprah interview of Jay Leno and came away with the following reaction: The guy really is a conniving, self-serving narcissict. He tries very hard to present the everyman persona...but in reality he is as slick as any other hollywood shark.

Despite Jay's protestations here's the reality: Back in 2004 Leno wanted to retire. He agreed to give the show up in 2009. NBC quickly signed up Conan to succeed him to avoid a repeat of the 1992 Letterman vs. Leno Late Shift Mess. But as 2009 approaches Leno gets cold feet. He decides he doesn't want to leave the television business. He even told Oprah that he can't imagine not being on the air and predicted that she won't retire in 2012 like she has announced. Of course he wrapped this up in the humanitarian desire to keep his staff employed. But Conan wisely had signed a succession contract. NBC was obligated to give Conan The Tonight Show.

So NBC gives Leno is own show in primetime. The show bombs. Conan's show is still in infancy and has yet to build an audience. Remember it took him a couple of years to build up his Late Night audience back in the early 90's. In fact he was almost cancelled within a month of going on the air. But NBC showed remarkable patience and Late Night gradually became a hit with Conan O'Brien at the helm.

So with The Tonight Show dropping off in ratings Leno played his hand and demanded his old job back. And he got it.

Now the story he's spinning is that NBC told him in 2004 that they wanted to replace him with Conan and basically strong armed him into the five year retirement plan. He said he told a "white lie" to his audience that he wanted to retire but he never really wanted to. He states that he felt betrayed by NBC for wanting him to replace with Conan. He felt that he was being fired despite being #1 for over a decade.

What a load of crock. There is NO way that NBC back in 2004 says to Leno they want him gone in favor of Conan. Late Night's ratings were good...but not at Tonight Show levels. Plus, Leno was the undisputed king of the ratings (more proof that America is stupid).

All Leno had to do was to say no to the (fictional) deal. ABC was looking to replace Nightline. They or FOX would have jumped at the chance to get Leno from NBC. There is NO way NBC would try to force out Leno in favor of Conan.

But Leno has been shocked at the backlash. So he is revising history. He's trying to now paint Conan as the usurper. He's now saying he wants to keep his job to save the jobs of his staff (despite decimating Conan's staff and the thousands of people who work in network dramas who lost their jobs when the Jay Leno Show took over their primetime slots). He's saying he's been cancelled twice...which is completely ridiculous since NBC has given him three shots now at a show.

He has proven (although this was proven back in 1992 as well) to be a hubris filled liar with a persecution complex. This has been rumored to be true for decades...now it's out in the open. What a bum. Either he's completely delusional or he's a machiavellian operator under the guise of a blue collar everyman (despite his $800 million dollar networth). Oh yeah, one more thing...he tried to gain pity from Oprah saying he lives off the income he makes as a stand-up comic. All the Tonight Show money goes to the bank or to some charitable foundations he runs. Cry me a freaking river.

R.I.P. J.D. Salinger

Got news that author J.D. Salinger died earlier today. Towering writer yet shunned all the fame. He lived the last several decades in seclusion outside of Cornish, New Hampshire.

I only read "Catcher in the Rye" and his collection of short stories "Nine Stories" But they had a huge impact on me. Part of the Salinger legend revolves around the idea that there are rooms full of manuscripts in his farm house. Be interesting to see if they ever see the light of day.

4 and 12

Well the Chiefs had a lousy 4 and 12 season. However, I'm actually feeling pretty good as a Chiefs fan. The poor season was not unexpected. There were many close games and they ended strong with a beat down of Denver. Two former Longhorns (cough) stood up and became stars...Jamaal Charles and Derrick Johnson.

But with the hiring of both Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennell as OC and DC...the Chiefs should be much improved next year. I didn't like Weis's hubris at Notre Dame but he was a heck of a coordinator. And Crennel was given a difficult job in Cleveland but still retains his defensive reputation. Both former head coaches will be able to help Haley as he continues to learn on the job.

There's also another top five draft pick this year. Super early prediction: 8 and 8 next year. That would be an amazing jump for this team as the Pioli-Haley era kicks off in earnest.


Photo: gotta love the old Chiefs logo used from 1963-1971. Unabashedly Politically Incorrect before people knew what that meant!

Movie Disappointments

For some reason yesterday I was thinking of the biggest movie disappointments during my lifetime. I'm speaking of movies in which I held high hopes and was let down immensely. Here are few that come to mind...

Goldeneye: The trailers looked amazing. It was the rebirth of 007 after a six year hiatus. But the plot was third grade and the final action set piece revolving around running over a big satellite dish was boring. The industrial flavored musical score was terrible. The trailers held showed so much promise that even now if I see one I think...I should give Goldeneye another look only to be disappointed again. And again. And again.


Hudson Hawk: This movie looked like it was going to combine the action DieHard Bruce Willis with the comedic genius Moonlighting Bruce Willis. Supercool James Coburn was cast as a badguy. But the movie fell completely flat. Unfunny jokes and stupid musical numbers equal lame flick.


Black Rain: Michael Douglas at the peak of the mid-80's Wall Street years and up and coming Andy Garcia fresh off The Untouchables in a Japanese Yakuza/Triad gangster flick set in Tokyo? On paper - awesome. On the screen...slow, ponderous and sleep inducing except for that cool scene when Garcia gets decapitated in a parking garage by a motorcycle riding Yakuza hood.
The Big Bounce: An Elmore Leonard book. Great cast with Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Sinese, Charlie Sheen and even freakin' Willie Nelson set in beautiful Hawaii! The screenplay botched both the story and Elmore dialogue.

The new Star Wars movies: Jar Jar Binks. Pansy Anakin. Bad acting. Terrible dialogue. I am still ticked at George Lucas for this disgusting missed opportunity. Could have been another Lord of the Rings. Ended up being Lord of the Crap.

The Pirates of the Caribbean sequels: Couldn't understand the creole and pirate accents. The F/X way overdone. Totally lost the charm of the original. I still have yet to pay to see the third one since the second one was so bad.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull: Lucas, Spielberg and Harrison Ford? How do you mess this up? Well you throw in stupid Shia LaBOOF, Kate's really bad haircut and bad Russian accent, monster fire ants and aliens from outer space? Aliens? Really!?! I almost cried to see Indiana Jones reduced to this tripe.

The Godfather Part III: Actually not too terrible...just pales considerably to the first two classics. Sophia Coppola, who's gone on to direct some awesome movies of her own, has been beaten down for years over her performance so I won't pile on. Okay, yes I will...her scenes make me puke (But I've forgiven her for her movie "Lost in Translation"). I don't understand why Pacino sounds like he's growling when he talks (very similar to Batman's voice in the new Christian Bale versions) and Bridget Fonda is just too light weight to be in a Godfather movie.

Have fun with Jesus!

Many of you know that my Grandfather White passed away last December. After much discussion we decided to take our three year old son to the funeral. Kimberly would keep him in the back of the sanctuary while I sat up front. We also wouldn't let him go up to the casket. We thought he was too young for that.

We did tell Jackson that his Great Grandpa White had gone to live with Jesus up in Heaven. That was about as far as we were willing to discuss it with him at this time in his life.

We also took him to the graveside service although Kimberly and Jackson stayed in the back of the crowd while I was closer to the front. As expected he got a bit squirmy and Kim began walking him back to the car so he wouldn't be a disturbance to others during the short grave site ceremony.

As they were walking off, my three year old son turns back and yells "GOODBYE GREAT GRANDPA...HAVE FUN WITH JESUS!"

I don't think most heard what he said. At first I cringed...but then thought no...that's a perfect sentiment for a believer in Christ. I couldn't have said it better myself.

I'm With Coco

Team Conan!

Once again Jay Leno is trying to screw The Tonight Show and ruin late night television. Leno likes to play the everyman persona but he is as ruthless and ambitious as the most machiavellian Medicis. He stole Letterman's rightful place as host of The Tonight Show. It was well known that Johnny Carson wanted Letterman to follow in his foot steps. After Carson died it was revealed that Carson had submitted jokes to be used in Letterman's dialogue on The Late Show. Although Carson never appeared on any show as an interviewed guest after his retirement he made many cameos on The Late Show. He never gave Leno his blessing.

But Leno used his backroom savvy to score the desk. The show devolved into lame humor and was aimed at the moronic jocularity I guess is popular with the proletarian masses. Jaywalking and the Dancing Itos strove for the lowest common denominator and proudly reached it.

Although I prefer Letterman to Conan, Conan is stratospherically more intelligent and witty in his humor than Leno. O'Brien's monologues are actually funnier in my opinion than even Letterman's. But they may be too surreally absurd for the literally minded. Leno is the Three Stooges, Letterman Ernie Kovacs and O'Brien The Marx Brothers. I hope I didn't offend Stooge fans.

Now intellegent America is being given the shaft again. Not only do we have to endure Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck on FOX we may have to endure Leno back at 10:30 (CST). I'm tired of smart America being ignored in favor of the ignorant masses. Fight back against Leno's America and join Team Conan! If I sound elitist...so freakin' be it! Conservatives deserve better than Palin and Beck and Liberals deserve better than Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. America deserves intelligent humor like O'Brien and Letterman. The time of stupid America is over!

Quote of the Week

Interesting quote by one of my students talking about hunting over the holidays...





"I like to shoot em, but I don't like to eat em."





Ansley
KHS class of 2012.

Weezer on the Tonight Show last week...

Here's the Mighty Weez on Conan...

The 2009 Book List

Well here it is...the final list of what I read in 2009. I'm already excited about 2010's reading list!

Number 9 Dream by David Mitchell

The Republic by Plato

The Prince of the Marshes (and other occupational hazards of a year in Iraq) by Rory Stewart

The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac

Wild at Heart by John Eldridge

The Fortune of War (Sixth in the Master and Commander series) by Patrick O'Brian

No Logo by Naomi Klein

The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron

The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia by Frances Wood

Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman

Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart

Taking on the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital World by Markos Moulitsas Zuniga

Race Matters by Cornel West

Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism by Cornel West

Thoughts on 2010, 09, etc...

.


I am very glad 2010 is here. Overall 2009 was a good year. But the last three months ended fairly stressfully. Work issues, church issues and the loss of a loved one made the last 12 weeks of 09 a bit hard. Harder than normal.


So I'm ready for 2010. Some quick hits on the holiday season which were so busy I didn't blog much.

I saw Kimberly fall from a ski lift. Fortunately the lift was only three feet off the ground. Her ski-tips caught the ground at Paoli Peaks in Indiana. She landed face first into the ground below. A cat scan at the ER verified that all was okay. Before the fall the skiing had actually been pretty good.

Jackson got to sled in the snow in Indiana. Click the vid and check out pics on my flickr account.

At a family gathering on New Year's Eve I noticed the theme on Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve was stars who are past their prime and don't know it. Jennifer Lopez looked freakishsly weird, Britney Spears looked hungover and Beyonce looked way out of shape. And I couldn't take my eyes off of Ryan Seacrest's hair...my eyes were oddly hypnotized by his coiff updo.

I have too many gift cards and am overwhelmed on how to spend them. Bought four books today from half-books for $2.00 with a giftcard. Wander aimless around Best Buy and Borders and had book and video overload. I'm not much of a browser. I like to go in and know what I'm looking for.



My Christmas lights did not blow off my roof this year.

Okay gotta go. See ya.

Wiki Map

Here is an interesting map that breaks down which nations have the most wikipedia entries or are tagged the most. I find it fascinating that Burkina Faso leads Africa...more than Egypt or South Africa. That can't be right can it?


Here is the full article on the story...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/07/map-of-wikipedia-articles_n_382404.html

God Bless...

God bless you Grandpa. You are one of my heroes. I will miss you...but we will meet again...

Tebow Fatigue

Tim Tebow does not walk on water.


He might be a great guy and all...but the beatification of Tebow went way to far. Here's a couple of things to keep in mind the next time you hear the FOX or CBS reporters chanting his name in a sutra.

When Sam Bradford won the 2008 Heisman, Tebow could not hide his digust and anger. After the ceremony he even said he would use the slight as motivation against the Sooners in their soon to be played national title tilt. This anger comes despite the fact that Bradford's numbers were much more impressive in every way than Tebow's. Plus, Tebow had already won the award the year before. Revenge? Bitterness? Sense of entitlement? Are these the attributes of a saint?

I know I might cause this blog to come crashing down by saying this but I would rather have Colt McCoy of texas win the Heisman than that poser from Florida.

Then last Saturday night...I caught the last few minutes of Alabama's dismantling of Florida. The cameras caught Tebow crying on the sidelines. Then during his interview he could barely talk because he was crying so much. All this while sporting a Bible verse on his face paint. What a fantastic witness. Way to have your priorities in order Tebow.

This is a guy who has won a Heisman, conference championships and a National Championship. And he's crying because he lost? A bit of perspective please. You've achieved more than the vast majority of college athletes. And you're crying? Can't say I feel sorry for you in the least. Sorry Tebow...your myth has spiraled out of control. Some of it may not be your fault. You're probably not a bad kid. But don't act like you're some sort of saint.

Wonder if someone collected those tears in a vial. Doctors in Gaineville might do tests to see if they have healing properties.

Thanks Sprint...

Last week I excoriated Samsung for their crappy phone and their fraudulent warranty.


So to even the ying yang scales of negative energy I should laud Sprint for trying to rectify the situation.

When Samsung failed to help me I called my provider Sprint to see if they could help me. I knew that if I purchased a new phone I would have to pay the full cost rather than the reduced price one receives for extending a contract or establishing service. I didn't really think that was fair...especially since I have been a loyal Sprint customer for seven years.

Sprint Account Services (not Customer Care Services who couldn't help in the least) said their system would not allow them to simply give me a rebate. But they said I would be eligible for that rebate if I added a third line for $9.99 a month on a two-year contract. Then they would give me a credit of $20 a month for the next two years to cover the cost of that third line and more for the inconvenience I experienced.

The new phone would be programmed with my same number. The old phone will simply go unused since we don't need a third line.

I went to Best Buy since they do not use mail-in rebates on their phones...you get the rebate immediately. I walked out with a free LG Rumor 2. Didn't pay a dime...and when all is said and done I actually got $10 off a month for two years from my what I was originally paying!

So I'm giving Sprint props on this one for helping me out. Still: stay away from Samsung!

The Weez on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Special duet with Sara Bareilles last week....

No Duh? or Free Shoes U?

Rarely do football jobs as big as Notre Dame and Florida State come open at the same time. An interesting question would be if you were a hotshot coach being courted by both and offered the same terms of employment...which job would you take?

Notre Dame used to be the slam dunk answer. But now I'm not so sure. It's cold up in South Bend. Indiana doesn't have as much talent as Florida and you have to compete with Ohio State, Michigan and the rest of the Big Ten for recruits in the upper midwest. Of course Notre Dame can recruit nationally but their academic standards (which I applaud) makes it impossible for some of the best athletes to go there. The NBC contract doesn't mean as much with the spread of satellite and cable outlets. Plus, there's no conference championship to fall back on for a coach. It's BCS or National Title or nothing. That's a lot of pressure.

Florida State does have a lot of recruiting competition with the Gators, Miami and others (UCF, USF, etc...) in Florida. But there are plenty of in-state recruits to go around. Like Notre Dame you do have the chance to restore a program to former glory. Academic standards are less strenuous. The easily dominated ACC is not near the conference the SEC or Big 12 is.

But you know...there's something about Notre Dame. As much as I hate the Fighting Irish...they are something special for whatever reason. If you win big there you would be linked to some of the biggest names in football history. But man, the weather is so much nicer in Tallahassee.

Dunno.

Cup Fever!

I was fortunate that the 2010 World Cup draw was held during my lunch time. I was able to watch the proceedings via the internet. The United States drew their most favorable group in recent memory. The Yanks drew England, Slovenia and Algeria.

England will be tough. Maybe we will pull off another 1950 Cup shocker and beat the Limeys. Slovenia and Algeria barely squeaked into the World Cup. We couldn't ask for a better draw. We avoided a "group of death" and will have little excuse to make it to the second round.

For the uninitiated, there are 32 teams in the World Cup which will be played this summer in South Africa. The 32 teams earned their spots in a rigorous qualifying process in each of the regional federations. The 32 teams were then placed into pots that were determined by FIFA rankings and geography. Then those teams were randomly drawn via lottery balls and placed into eight four team brackets.

The four teams then play each other one time in their respective bracket. If you win you get three points. If you draw you get one point. If you lose you receive zero points. The two teams with the most points after all have played each other then advance to the round of sixteen. Goal differential breaks ties.

From that point on the sixteen teams play in knock out stages similar to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The field narrows to the quarterfinals (final eight), then the semifinals (final four) then into the championship match.

The farthest the United States has ever advanced is into the quarterfinals in 2002. We shocked Luis Figo (which he deserved for ditching FC Barcelona for Real Madrid) and Portugal in the group stage. We also humiliated our arch-rival Mexico in the Round of Sixteen. We lost to the eventual runner-up in the quarterfinals, Germany, 0-1. We played an amazing match...but German keeper Oliver Kahn (the man with dinner plates for hands) kept our best shots out of the net. Germany would end up losing to a reborn Ronaldo (who sported an awful mohawk while breaking the all-time World Cup Tournament goal record) and Brazil who were trying to make amends for a disastrous 1998 Final loss to France.

In '06 we got shafted by a faux penalty call on Claudio Reyna against Ghana. We didn't make it out of the group stage.

We got a great shot this year. We won last year's World Cup tune up tourney, The Confederation's Cup played in South Africa. We came in second in the Gold Cup a month later losing to Brazil in the final despite leading the entire game until a second half surge by the Brazilians.

People in the U.S. are beginning to take notice. America leads the world in purchasing tickets for the World Cup. Over 70,000 tickets have already been purchased by the Yanks...compared to 25,000 in soccer mad England.

I didn't catch the '06 final live. I had taped it while we were up in Indiana visiting family. I avoided the internet and most news sources. Still...I accidently caught a glimpse of a newspaper headline on the road in Sikeston, Missouri that gave away Italy's shocking victory over the French. I was surprised that the story was on the front page of a local paper and didn't expect to see the ending given away. I watched the game once I got home and still can't believe Zidane headbutted that guy. Of course the French got lucky this year only getting into the World Cup with a blatant hand-ball against Ireland.

It's only December...but things are already gearing up for a great soccer summer!

Boink

Worst Christmas song of all time...

That stupid "boink boink" song by Sir Paul McCartney...I think it's actually called "Wonderful Christmastime." I hate it hate it hate it.

I love the Beatles but their Christmas songs are terrible...

Can't stand "So this is Christmas" by John Lennon. Do the radio stations even listen to the lyrics of this tripe?

Oh and Andy Williams...going down the chimney down is redundant.

I'm not really a Grinch. Just got a stupid cold.

Singing Dynasties

Here's an easy way for my students to learn the basic order of the Chinese ruling dynasties. I have them sing the dynasties to frere jacque. The only danger is during A.P. exam day hearing students softly humming the tune while they take the test.

Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin (repeat)
Han, Sui, Tang (repeat)
Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing, Republic (repeat)
Communist (repeat).

Yes, I know I leave out the Period of Warring States, Wang Mang's brief rule between the early Han and the later Han and the era of the Three Kingdoms but the basic dynastic structure is there.

Picture: Qin Shihuangdi...The first and only emperor of the Qin Dynasty. China gets its name from this family. He's the guy with all the terra cotta soldiers.

Don't Go Stoops!

C'mon Stoops. The weather in South Bend is awful. Notre Dame is so 1940's. NBC doesn't mean much in the age of satellite t.v. and internet exposure. Plus, half your OU lineup couldn't pass the stringent academic requirements of ND. You'd have to recruit against the Buckeyes and Michigan.

Stay where you're appreciated. Don't listen to a few haters...they're just aggies in disguise trying to sabotage the Sooners.

Don't go Stoops! Don't go!

The truth is....

Oklahoma State will always be just Oklahoma State.

I guess maybe they could change their name to Boone T. Picken's University. Maybe their fortune would change then.

DO NOT BUY A SAMSUNG CELL PHONE!

Do not buy a Samsung cell phone. In fact, I'm going to say that again...

DO NOT BUY A SAMSUNG CELL PHONE!

Just got a new Samsung Rant cell phone six months ago through Sprint via Walmart. Then after only six months...the LCD screen whites out. Can't see anything on the screen. This phone had never been dropped or damaged in anyway...I can honestly say that. Then one day the screen is useless.

Samsung tells me to return it. Then contacts me to say that a new LCD screen is NOT covered in the year warranty and that the charge will be $85.00...for a $29.00 phone. Asinine. So I went up the chain of command to the supervisor who said just the same thing.

I said send the thing back. Don't bother. What a fraudulent warranty. Turns out the screen is what needs to be replaced the most...so they conveniently leave that out of the warranty. First time I've EVER had a problem with a cell phone before the service agreement was up. This phone didn't even last six months. So I'll say it again...

DO NOT BUY A SAMSUNG PHONE!

ALL CAPS IS BEAUTIFUL

So I was bored one fine morning when I decided for my own amusement to make a simple demand of my students. I instructed them that their assignments for that day had to be written in cursive.

Wailing and gnashing of teeth ensued. Some had no idea how to proceed. A real apoplectic frenzy of anuerysms and emo song ideas.

Now I know they learn this skill (cursive writing...not whining) in the third grade. But many related that they had not used cursive writing since that long ago innocent time in their lives. I can relate. I actually hate cursive script. I hate writing it and I loathe reading it. I also abhor writing in lower case. Yep...that's right...I write in all-caps...in print. Although all-caps is not appropriate for email and cyberspace because IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE YELLING it looks fine and non-threatening on paper or the chalk/white board.

I'm not sure of the origins of my all-caps fixation. I think it started in college with the rapid note-taking of the university lecture. But I was also greatly inspired by that scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" when Professor Indiana Jones writes the word NEOLITHIC on the chalkboard in all-caps. Every year, in the first week of my World History course, when I write NEOLITHIC on the board I think back to Raiders. Could also be genetic since my Dad writes in all-caps.

Anyway, I digress. I told my students that doing things that are difficult for your brain is an excellent exercise habit to develop. Write in cursive if it's difficult for you. Work logic problems. Write with your opposite hand. Better yet...write in cursive with your opposite hand. Read hard books. Memorize things. It's good for your brain.

Studies show that such exercise may actually improve your intelligence quotient. Some think your "intelligence" is a set thing. Yes, you can increase your knowledge...but not your base intelligence. Some disagree saying that by working your brain you create new synaptic pathways that allow for better understanding and the ability to enjoy Demitri Martin jokes.

I dunno. I just like making my students intellectually sweat.

NOT the Hits!

I am very happy with the newest radio station in the Dallas/Fort Worth area...91.7 KXT. KXT is owned and operated by the local PBS affiliate KERA and is a sister station to our DFW NPR station. This station focuses on eclectic music. They play everything from world music to alt country to acoustic folk to jazz to alternative to indie rock and everything in between.

I began listening the day they went on air (last Monday) when I read about the station in the Sunday paper. Here's a list of songs or groups I actually heard in one hour of listening yesterday...

A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
Do You Realize? by The Flaming Lips
Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney and Wings
Bottle of Blues by Beck
Ain't Nobody's Business...a duet by Willie Nelson AND Wynton Marsalis
No Surprises by Radiohead
a song (I didn't catch the title) by Leonard Cohen
a song by Regina Specktor
a song by the Polyphonic Spree
and...Pretty Girls Don't Cry by Chris Isaak.

Now that was just in one hour of listening. That's the kind of lineup you won't find on some crappy corporate owned pop station. I now stream the station all day on my work computer. Check it out online HERE.

Raditude Review

Yeah, I know this review comes a bit late since Raditude came out November 3rd. But I'm an historian by trade and I like things to settle a bit before I throw my analysis in the mix. I need the critical distance and I've now listened to Raditude about 10 times all the way through. I'll keep my thoughts brief.

If you're longing for the emo days of Blue and Pinkerton then Raditude is not for you. Raditude fits more with Green. It's lighthearted (and at times satirical) faire. Weez should have released this album in the summer. It brings to mind rolling to the cineplex after a stop by Sonic listening to Q104 (R.I.P....Kansas City's "the number one hit music station!") at full volume in a beat-up pontiac with the windows down.

You'll find Beach Boy hooks and Slayer powerchords on this disc. There's no serious meditation here...just catchy songs that you won't easily eject from your brain. I'm not a big fan of "Can't Stop Partying" even though I catch the fact that it's a joke and slam on the britney/paris/simpson set. I actually like the Hindu Slumdog Millionaire vibe of "Love is the Answer" although I'm sure it's pageantry made some hardcore maladroit fans wretch in the backalley of some CBGB wannabe hangout in Deep Ellum.

Not sure what my favorite track is although I like the Brian Wilsonesque closer "I don't Want to Let You Go" which comes via River's solo album Alone II. On Alone II the demo version of this song actually follows River's cover of "Don't Worry Baby" so I think the Beach Boy's comparison is intentional. I know it's a juvenile Phil Spector rip-off but the wall of sound in "Trippin' Down the Freeway" is very appealing and I still can't get "I'm Your Daddy" out of my head.

The only disappointing thing about this album are the four bonus tracks that come with the iTunes pass. The bonus tracks on the Red Album were all good...better than many of the tracks on the actual album. These are typical mediocre bonus tracks and aren't worth the extra cash. Stick with the original album content.

So get over your urbanpoet hipster emo pose, let your guard down and enjoy some real power nerdrock.

Praxis

So I'm really diggin' my small group's new book, "The Kingdom Experiment" from The House Studio. This book examines the beatitudes and suggests eight experiments for each beatitude to carry out to help us live out the particular beatitude in real life. No more talk, no more discussion...actions. Talk is important. But it can also be cheap. To paraphrase one of my favorite movies "He's all action with no theory and we're all theory with no action."

There's got to be a balance. But I think the scales should probably weigh more heavily toward the action side of the equation. I get tired of conversating and discussing things to death. I want to live my life more intentionally for the Kingdom...to achieve praxis. "Faith without works is dead" right? I think as Protestants we got so paranoid about people thinking they could achieve salvation through deeds that many threw service out the window. I admire those Prots who emulate Christ by doing while realizing that salvation comes soley through faith.

James Sire says that you don't truly believe something unless you put into practice. My SNU mentor prof Dr. Bob Lively used to say there's a lot of professors of philosophy out there but not too many true philosophers because true philosophers live out their beliefs...not just talk about them.

The clip above is from the movie Waking Life. Sorry, I seem to be on a Waking Life kick lately.

The Journey Never Ends

To quote Magnum P.I., I know what you're thinking...

After you read this you will think I've recently become obsessed with the debate over destiny or coincidence (see my post on my random Cobain references earlier this week.). But maybe I'm just paying better attention to the swirling mists of life. These things happened and I did not seek them out...

I hate Journey...the band fronted by that mulleted mo Steve Perry. But I have a student this year named Jerry who is obsessed with Journey. Not the current incarnation with that fillipino imposter as a frontman...but classic Journey with Perry et al. Never in ten years of teaching have I met a student obsessed with Journey. In fact I don't know if I've ever met a true Journey fan. Most sane people wouldn't admit to liking Journey in the first place.

So I'm driving to school listening to my new Raditude CD and I pull into my usual parking space. I put the car in park, eject the Weezer CD and lo and behold, Journey is playing on the radio. Jack FM i s playing that stupid ballad 'when the lights go out in the city.' Here's where it gets all Ingmar Bergman...at that EXACT moment...the moment I eject the CD and hear Journey on the radio...Jerry, my Journey obsessed student, is walking on the sidewalk RIGHT in front of my Mini Cooper. He's two feet in front of the car when all this happens. And I never see Jerry before school in the parking lot. Coincidence that the ONLY Journey fan I know happened to be walking in front of my car at the exact moment Jack FM plays their stupid song? Wouldn't have happened had I left five minutes earlier or five minutes later or had the radio tuned to a different station.

And if this weird confluence of events is not mere coincidence...what does it all mean? Am I supposed to start appreciating Journey more? Contrary to my student's beliefs...I don't have all the answers.

I'm just asking...

What's in my bag...

What's in my messenger bag right now...nothing worth stealing I'll tell you that much...

The contents as of right now (subject to change hourly) are...

A moleskine journal (pocket sketchbook edition)
A Collins Gem Diccionario Ingles (Spanish/English dictionary) bought while in Spain
Pocket sized New King James New Testament
wax for my braces
Three uni-ball deluxe micro pens
Three Bic round stic medium pens
One papermate clickster grip 0.5 mm mechanical pencil
Greatland Multi-tool
Mini tube of Colgate Total toothpaste
rubberbands for my braces
One old Advil allergy sinus tablet
carmex
2 gig Kaufman ISD flashdrive
Keystone Resort matchbox
One bandaid
One pad of post-it notes (three inch)
three school business cards
three Lion and Lamb Fellowship business cards
three Center for Human Rights Policy business cards
Raditude by Weezer CD
School Parking pass
six hanging files to take home
vinyl portfolio with legal pad
September and October 2009 Backpacker Magazines
October 2009 National Geographic Adventure Magazine
Number 9 Dream by David Mitchell
Getting Things Done by David Allen
The Kingdom Experiment from The House Studio
pair of fake Elvis Costello/Rivers Cuomo black rimmed glasses

That's way too much garbage to be carrying around.

Good Riddance!

I was very glad to hear that the Kansas City Chiefs have finally cut Larry Johnson. I know that some will question the cutting of the Chief's most talented player. But he was over the hill anyway and hadn't done much the last several years. Besides, was he really all that great? A 7th Grade tailback could run through the holes that amazing Chiefs O-Line of the mid 2000's made. Three of those future hall of famers retire and Johnson becomes a mediocre back.

Plus, he was a criminal. The guy was cited three times for hitting, spitting or abusing women in some way or another. He was homophobic and disrespectful to every NFL coach he played for. He disrespected the fans. He had been a cancer for years in the locker room. He was more interested in being a rapper than a football player.

The best thing of all is he will never get the honor of breaking the Chiefs all-time rushing record. He was only about 75 yards shy of Priest Holmes's record. Chiefs fans deserved better than Johnson being the record holder. Many might be surprised that I would rather have a Longhorn hold the Chiefs record...but Priest was a stand up guy who respected the fans. The Chiefs aren't going to win much this year and maybe the next...Johnson will not be missed. L.J....don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Giving Blood

So I gave blood Monday. The mobile blood center made their stop at the high school. I try to give blood whenever I can because I'm O negative...which is the universal donor blood. Unfortunately its also a very rare blood type. Only seven percent of Americans have O- blood. To complicate things...O - types can only receive O -. Nothing else works. So I've entered the numbers of several friends of mine who have O - in my cell phone...just in case I need an emergency donation.

Give blood if you can. My wife lost six (out of a possible nine) units of blood in an ectopic pregnancy about five years ago. Donated blood saved her life. Thirty more minutes and it would have been too late. Because of that incident and the fact that my blood is rare...I try to give whenever I can. Doesn't hurt and I've never felt sick or close to passing out. They're not exaggerating when they say you're saving a life. Plus you get a cool t-shirt.

Bring back Oklahoma - Nebraska!

Barry Tramel of the Oklahoman makes a case for OKLAHOMA and Nebraska to meet every year. Currently because of the balanced Big 12 schedule they are two years on then two years off. I've always hated that because this rivarly deserves to be played every year. Tramel points out that the SEC adopted an annual cross-divisional game for each member school in part to protect the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry. The Big 12 could easily adopt the same system.

As an OU fan growing up in Kansas City during the 1980's the OU-Nebraska game was the biggest of the year. Most years, in the 1980's, it was even bigger than OU-texas. It was the last game of the season and often determined the Big 8 championship which frequently gave the conference champion the chance to play for the national championship.

The game was always played the day after Thanksgiving so the game was often played in cold and rainy conditions. Living in Kansas City there were lots of Nebraska alums and fans around. But the pre-game trash talking actually didn't possess much trash. Cornhusker fans are among the nicest and respectful you'll ever find. The ribbing was always good natured and after the game there was rarely any lingering bitterness or acrimony.

I also miss the fact that the Big 12 is not associated with the Orange Bowl. The Big 12 champion if not playing in the BCS title game plays in the Fiesta Bowl...which is still a minor bowl in my eyes compared to the Orange, Sugar, and Rose. Heck I'd rather have the Cotton Bowl in the BCS rotation than the Fiesta. I miss the conference champ playing their game at night in balmy Miami.

I've got a lot of great memories of the OU-Nebraska series. I agree with Tramel...its time to make it an annual affair once again.

Nirvana or Coincidence?

So I'm walking down the vaunted hallways of learning at KHS when I can't help but to overhear a student say to another..."he's our generation's Kurt Cobain."

That's all I heard so I missed the context and who they were referring to. But it reminded me of the strange and random way references to Kurt Cobain have been popping up in my life in the past week. A week ago I was invited to take part in a pep rally skit that honors the birth year of this year's senior class by lip-syncing songs from 1991-1992. I was asked to play Kurt Cobain singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (which ironically the video for the song takes place during a high school pep rally). The cheerleader sponsor figured I must have been a Nirvana type back in the nineties. I politely declined...I hate pep rallys. At least they figured me for Nirvana and not Right Said Fred or Fine Young Cannibals.

Three days ago Kimberly and I watched one of her Netflix picks..."Management"... Some obscure comedy starring Jennifer Aniston (who I think must star in one movie a week.) and Steve Zahn. Unbeknownst to us beforehand, much of the movie takes place in Aberdeen, Washington (Kurt Cobain's birthplace) with many a reference to the late singer songwriter.

Then I hear that reference to Cobain today...shocked that the MySpace generation has even heard of that name. And on this very day my class lecture was focused on Hinduism and.... nirvana. Spooky eh?

I wasn't even a big Cobain fan back in the day. I liked Nirvana's stuff okay but I never bought an album. I really liked "Scentless Apprentice" and "Tourettes" as songs. But his suicide didn't really mean all that much to me. I was a bigger fan of Stone Temple Pilots. I actually really like the band Nirvana's drummer Dave Grohl put together after Cobain died...Foo Fighters. Got a lot of their discs and even saw them in concert when they toured with Weezer.

Speaking of Weezer...they say their biggest influence was Nirvana...even having a song about Nirvana's album "Nevermind" on the Red Album. At Weezer's Troublemaker Tour in 2008 they sang a cover of Nirvana's "Sliver." And here's where the connection gets even more obtuse. TODAY...the new Weezer album "Raditude" drops. (written 11/3)

Confluence of weird events? Dunno. I did catch that student in the hallway later in the day and asked her who she was referring to. She said she was talking about some random KHS student and said she really didn't even know who Kurt Cobain is...she was just namedropping.

Figures.

Raditude Day.

Raditude by Weezer dropped today. Just picked up my copy. Rocks.

Are You A Dreamer?

The following dialogue comes from one of my favorite movies "Waking Life."

Man on Train: Hey, are you a dreamer?

Wiley: Yeah.

Man on Train: I haven't seen too many around lately. Things have been tough lately for dreamers. They say dreaming is dead, no one does it anymore. It's not dead it's just that it's been forgotten, removed from our language. Nobody teaches it so nobody knows it exists. The dreamer is banished to obscurity. Well, I'm trying to change all that, and I hope you are too. By dreaming, every day. Dreaming with our hands and dreaming with our minds. Our planet is facing the greatest problems it's ever faced, ever. So whatever you do, don't be bored, this is absolutely the most exciting time we could have possibly hoped to be alive. And things are just starting.

Great scene from a great movie. I used to dream a lot...both awake and sleeping. Still dream a lot when I'm asleep...hard to control that. But I noticed that I was dreaming less while awake...and that's a shame. I knew things were going the wrong direction when a college student friend of mine asked me a few years ago..."what are your dreams?" I kind of laughed to myself and thought "what a tool."
But the reality is that I was the tool. I had become cynical and sceptical about dreaming. I had become a tool of the industrial complexities of the modern economy. What had happened to the metaphysicality of my world view? I decided right then to rage against the mind-numbing machinery of modern existence. To quote another exchange from Waking Life...

Two characters bump into each other while traversing the stairs to a subway...

Soap Opera Woman: Excuse me.

Wiley: Excuse me.

Soap Opera Woman: Hey. Could we do that again? I know we haven't met, but I don't want to be an ant. You know? I mean, it's like we go through life with our antennas bouncing off one another, continously on ant autopilot, with nothing really human required of us. Stop. Go. Walk here. Drive there. All action basically for survival. All communication simply to keep this ant colony buzzing along in an efficient, polite manner. "Here's your change." "Paper or plastic?' "Credit or debit?" "You want ketchup with that?" I don't want a straw. I want real human moments. I want to see you. I want you to see me. I don't want to give that up. I don't want to be ant, you know?

Naw...I'm not going to be an ant. I even preached along those lines last week at church. God invented dreams. He dreamed up all of existence. Ever notice how much of the Biblical narrative is driven by dreams and visions? If we stop dreaming then we lose an essential part of our humanity. A society that mocks dreams mocks God.

So last week my two-year old son gave me this elastic Lance Armstong style bracelet...except it's not yellow and it doesn't say "livestrong." It's blue and has one word on it...dream. That's it...one word...dream. So I've been wearing that lately to remind me to dream both while asleep and awake.

The whole "dreamer" scene from the movie Waking Life (1:18 in length) can be seen here...

Weezer on Letterman

Here is Weezer performing two of the new songs on Letterman. They were on the Late Show both Thursday and Friday night which demonstrates their greatness. Only U2 and the "hippest" bands get to perform multiple shows on Letterman in the same week. The second song features the band (Including the CBS Orchestra) in the custom made Weezer Snuggies.

Despair or Graditude?

Robert C. Solomon, a well-known professor of philosophy at the University of Texas who died in 2007 of heart failure at the age of 64, used to tell the following story from his own personal experience...

He was a medical student at the University of Michigan when by chance he walked into the wrong crowded lecture hall. He had been unhappy with his medical studies when something the lecturer said caught his attention. The professor was lecturing about Nietzsche's idea of the eternal return and the the fundamental question:

"If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"

That very day Solomon went and changed his major to philosophy and would eventually become one of America's foremost experts on 20th Century Continental Philosophy and phenomenology.

Goodbye Geocities....

I am not alone in my fond nostalgia for the now dead Geocities webhosting platform. I have good memories of Geocities which Yahoo pulled the plug on this week. Geocities was the host of my first real presence on the web. My first platform, truepath, died a fairly quick and obscure death. Geocities was The Internet Lounge's first home. As blogs and social networks replaced homepages I relunctantly followed the masses by moving to blogger. The blog medium was much more intuitive and efficient than the old homepage format at Geocities. But it was at Geocities where I first learned how to construct a webpage no matter how primitive. R.I.P. Geocities...you helped invent the modern internet.


HERE is a very good article on the demise of Geocities.

See 'ya Slingin' Sam...

I was disappointed to hear the news that Sam Bradford will have season ending surgery on his shoulder. He has almost certainly played his last game as a Sooner. He had a short, yet spectacular career. It is tragic that it ends this way. Had the Sooners played a cupcake schedule the first weeks of this season like most of the other NCAA powerhouses out there (see Texas and Florida) Bradford's story probably would have ended differently.

I was fortunate to be invited by my uncle to go see Bradford play against Baylor a few weeks back. It was the only time I saw Bradford play in person. Little did I know that the Baylor game would be the only game this season Bradford would play the entire time (save for the last series when Landry "The Mustache" Jones came in for mop up duty).

Photo: Photo taken by me at the Baylor game...Bradford's last full game as a Sooner.

Candy Madness!

Last Saturday Jackson and the fam watched the annual Kaufman Scarecrow Festival Parade. There were lots of firetrucks, police cars, tractors, horses, two marching bands, floats, ATV's and more. The parade went on for more than an hour. Best part...candy! Jackson and I ran out into the street time and time again to grab candy being thrown by the paraders. JDW would yell "Candy Candy!" and we'd make a mad dash of it. He filled a whole bag. Pics are HERE.

U2 in Dallas

The U2 Concert at the New Dallas Cowboys Stadium last Monday night was spectacular. Everything worked out very nicely. We got parked quickly and easy. On the way out we only had to wait in parking lot traffic for 20 minutes...not bad when there's 80,000 other fans trying to get out. I'm thinking they have the kinks just about worked out on the parking front at JerryWorld.

The stadium itself is truly a wonder. When we walked through the glass doors on the north party plaza entrance I expected to see the usual concourses that have entrances to your seat. But instead you immediately are in the arena itself overlooking the playing field. It's only once you move to the left or right that you find the usual concourses. It's quite a jolt to find yourself overlooking the field so quickly. The bathrooms are spotless. The walls glisten. The concourses are wide and spacious. The seats are comfortable and well spaced. Jerry spent his 1.5 Billion well.

U2's stage was covered by a spaceship looking canoply with four massive exo-skeleton like legs descending to the ground. It was bordered by a round catwalk and moving bridges that allowed the band to play to the crowd in all directions (hence the "360 Tour"). Even the drum platform rotated. The giant videoscreen was round as well and lowered to right above the band and back up to the top of the stage. It could also break up in fragments and spread over the whole stage exploding with light and color.

The music itself was great. U2 is even better live than on disc. They played a great mix of old and new. During the song "Walk On" and "One" they had crowd members walk around the circular catwalk holding up masks of Ang San Suu Kyi...the Nobel Prize winning president of Burma who has been under house arrest by the repressive military junta since her election in 1990. Bono also thanked George W. Bush for his work with Africa and played an impassionate speech by Nobel Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu.

A once in a lifetime show. Our seats were great. The experience utterly fantastic. Here's the setlist. HERE you can find some pictures from the concert.

Breathe

Get on Your Boots

Magnificent

Mysterious Ways

Beautiful Day

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Stuck In A Moment

No Line on the Horizon

Elevation

Until The End of the World

Unforgettable Fire

City of Blinding Lights

Vertigo

I'll Go Crazy - Remix

Sunday Bloody Sunday

MLK

Walk On

One

Where The Streets Have No Name

Ultraviolet

With or Without You

Moment of Surrender

We Are All Neda

Neda died with open eyes. Shame on us who lived with closed eyes.

Moleskine Hacks

Moleskine Hacks can be found all over the web. Many of these hacks follow or personalize David Allen's GTD paradigm. I've been using a Moleskine for eight years. It's taken me several years to develop a systemic framework that I find useful. I'm always tinkering but here are the basics of my personal Moleskine system.

The first ten pages or so are dedicated to the following topics (in no particular order)...

Long-Term Projects
Books/Authors to consider
CD's/Songs to purchase or download
Movies to put in my Netflix Queue
Gift List
Blog Ideas
Vids to download from YouTube to my iPod
New Restaurants I frequented during the calendar year
Movies I saw at the theater in the calendar year (including a 5-Star rating system)
New Year's Resolutions
Books I read during the calendar year.

The rest of my Moleskine is journal form. I write just about everyday even if it's just a line or two. Interspersed are poems, haikus, short stories, sermon ideas, sketches, mind-maps, interesting quotes, etc...

On Sundays I write a weekly to-do/goal/action list on the top half of a page. I draw a horizontal line that bifurcates the page midway down. I label the bottom half ideas or miscellaneous. I don't make use of the GTD sticky tab methodology because these action lists are easily referenced since my Moleskine entries are in chronological order. The action list page is always near the end of the written pages.

I couldn't go hardcore GTD. It's just too regimented for my free-form tastes. However, I much prefer the Moleskine to the Hipster PDA which is just too chaotic for me. Any of these paper-based systems are much more preferable to an electronic PDA which I used for several years. I do use my cellphone for my scheduling and calendar since I finally have a phone with a qwerty keyboard.

BTW: I favor the Plain Pocket Moleskine notebook.

The Golden Arches Loom

If you live in the continental United States you are never more than 107 miles from a McDonalds. I thought about this as I ate McD's for the third time this week. Here's the article that tells how they discovered the fascinating fact.

The Mother of All Speeches

For all the wingnut teabaggers out there who think the President will be brainwashing our students tomorrow with Maoist propaganda you can find the text of the released speech HERE. You'll find some scary thoughts like "stay in school" and "respect your teachers."

My thoughts on this absurd and surreal controversy can be found HERE at my school blog.

And since it is Labor Day I am wearing my red Weezer shirt to show my support for the working class. Yes, there is much corruption in some labor unions. But without them we'd be back in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Personally I like 40 hour work weeks and no forced child labor. But then again, I'm a radical. I got Raditude.