Since Mitch won't be doing any new tours, this is the next best thing: The first and I would imagine last posthumous release. If you haven't caught the comedic stylings of Mitch Hedberg, you're missing out. What kind of world are we living in where Bernie Mac, Sam Kinison, Bill Hicks and Mitch Hedberg die young, but Sinbad and Carrot Top are hale as a horse?In other matters, I've discovered in just a few weeks on the job that Saipan isn't the only place in America with severe academic issues. Indeed I can see literacy just falling off a cliff in this country. I have scores of students claiming not to have a single book in their house. Now, there is an especially strong tendency here among students to come up with every excuse under sun or moon to avoid work, but I'm starting to think they aren't lying about having no books in the house. Things like spelling here are far worse than in Saipan. With a far better staff of teachers, better funding, though not dramatic with all the federal goodies the CNMI gets or is at least eligible for and not all administrators take advantage of, students here in the mainland are every bit as intellectually troubled as what I saw in Saipan. There are bright spots. I have an honors class that reminds me why I got into this job.
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Chrissy Hyde, who has one of the sexiest voices in history, had an album called Learning to Crawl. I started seeing that already yesterday as Brad Ruszala's goddaughter is becoming mobile, not so agile, and sometimes hostile. She's still on the master cleanse of her own, drinking just milk.
9 comments:
interesting and surprising to hear that so few students keep books at home in America. i love books, grew up with them and made sure my daughter would read them. I grew up in a family of book readers, that's why. my husband's family on the other hand were not into reading as much. but now, my husband is a wide reader too.
i know of a 13 year old girl in the states who keeps reading these japanese stories like naruto or sasuhina, and i find that a bit sad because i would rather she reads books. she told me recently that she would look up some books in the library. america has wonderful libraries....
Can we come up with a good nick name for Brad, or shall I say a better one?
The (reformed) God-player or something?
I'll get to work on it.
The honors class sounds like fun. What are you teaching them? Writing, literature, critical reading, something else?
Brad nick: Bradingo
what a beauty, it's time to get those quilted books for baby Ashley. All my kids' first birthdays were book parties to get their libraries established. When is her birthday? Sometime around March or April right?
Writing, research and presentations, Bruce.
Ashley's birthday is April 18.
Could a class here sponsor them and have a book drive? Or, would the irony be over their head?
My son has started reading newspapers during power outages. It's a start.
Have you seen Carrot Top lately? Steroidly grotesque or a vestigial sense of humor?
Bradinthesack?
Bradley FiST (Often vulnerable to friendly fire)
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