Monday, April 29, 2013

sad adjunct news

last week i read this:   The Ever-Shrinking Role of Tenured College Professor

and then there was this: Colleges Are Slashing Adjuncts' Hours to Skirt New Rules on Health-Insurance Eligibility

because adjuncts are paid by class, the nuances of how many hours worked per week are not taken into consideration. but cutting the number of classes taught is not lessening the workload as class enrollments are increasing dramatically. the workload is actually increasing while the pay is going down.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Monday, March 25, 2013

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

pet peeve

Why do people say "it's in the last place you look?"

Of course it is. It can't be in any other place. You don't continue to look for an item after you have found it.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

someone needs to fess up

67 arsons now on the eastern shore.  this is just crazy.  is it a firebug?  a member of the fire department?  a conspiracy involving a congressmen?  without any information, the mind goes wild with speculation.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

spring break to do list

class prep - done
submit ASC abstract - done
finish human subjects request/proposal for book project - done - but hit a snag, must do additional stuff...added to to do list below
create test - started...
enter pres grades - done
grade papers
respond to emails/late papers - done
disst. data analysis
taxes - done
CITI HS training -done. whew.

[this list is being updated accordingly.]

Monday, March 4, 2013

keep calm and hit her

are you kidding me?

amazon is in trouble for selling t-shirts that "included slogans were spun off the phrase, "Keep Calm and Carry On", a famous British propaganda slogan and included shirts that read: "Keep Calm and Hit Her", "Keep Calm and Rape a Lot" and "Keep Calm and Rape Them" for $23–$26."

but this is not made by amazon, but an australian company. the owner apologizes,
'No words can express how I feel about what has occurred and in no way do I condone or promote this serious issue ... This was a computer error of my creation and I accept my responsibility in the matter." ...Fowler further explained that the shirts were merely a result of a computer glitch, saying they were created by an “automated process” that “relied on both computer based dictionaries and online educational resources ie. verb lists” to generate a parody of “Keep Calm.”
are you kidding me?! i don't believe this for a second.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

progress

I've been busy with data analysis as of late. It feels good.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

wow, be safe


accident today in the MM tunnel - a car and a tractor trailer. [via]

happy valentine's day

2013-02-13_13-01-14_77.jpg

i have these cute little bags of candy and goodies to distribute...

Friday, February 8, 2013

Thursday, February 7, 2013

actual question from the test in my social welfare class

I was looking at the test statistics and noticed something interesting on this test question:
Despite widespread distaste for the word _________________, virtually all public functions are handled by this type of organization.
CorrectPercent Answered
President
0%
Bureaucracy
91.304%
Republican
8.696%
Economy
0%
haha, 9% of my students answered that there was widespread distaste for the word republican!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

banning gay kids in GA

more than 100 schools in georgia do not allow gay kids to attend.  you guessed it, these are private schools.  they have specific, written policies against the admittance of homosexuals.

on one hand:  "As a result, his report says, public money is being spent by private educational institutions that “punish, denounce and even demonize students in the name of religion solely because they are gay, state that they are homosexual, happen to have same-sex parents or guardians, or express support or tolerance for gay students at school, away from school or at home.”"  

this is public money though a tax credit program.  "$170 million in tax credits have been given to people who donated to the nonprofit organizations that funnel money to private schools."

on the other:  "And, they argue, the scholarship program is not discriminatory because it is open to all kinds of schools that might have different philosophical foundations than state-run public schools. It is a matter of choice and religious freedom, they say.
“You can be a Jewish school. You can be a Muslim school. It’s the same as a Catholic school or if I wanted to go to an all-girls school or a homosexual school,” said Claudia Hunt, who runs admissions for the Providence Christian Academy, a kindergarten-through-12th-grade school in Lilburn.
“That is why we are independent schools,” she said. “We all have different missions.""

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

shiny new Corvette

LeftLaneNews: "Chevrolet's all-new 2014 Corvette Stingray is expected to carry a base price of about $55,000 when it arrives in dealer showrooms later this year, but the first example of the C7 – complete with VIN# 0001 – has sold for than more than 19 times that price.

Corvette Stingray number 0001 crossed the auction block at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale collector car auction on Saturday night, with the hammer dropping with a final bid of $1.05 million. The winning bidder was businessman and NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

criminalizing homelessness

jobs are no longer plentiful and homes are no longer affordable.  sad.

criminalizing poverty:  "Twenty years ago, a federal court in Miami ruled that the city could not arrest homeless individuals for engaging in life sustaining activities in public, when they had no other place to do these things.


The court's decision led the community to build a homeless shelter, but the recent economic downturn and foreclosure crisis have resulted in so many people losing their income and housing, that there is now no room at any established homeless shelters in Miami. So once again, both in Miami and throughout the country, there are efforts to pass local ordinances that would make the innocent everyday actions of individuals experiencing homelessness criminal. These proposals sound awfully similar to considering people criminals because they are too poor to afford a home.  ....

The face of homelessness has changed dramatically over the past few years. Many today become homeless when they suddenly fall behind in their rent or mortgage payments due to a medical or economic emergency, and find themselves unable to catch up because wages today are often not sufficient to meet basic needs. Government figures show that since the 1950's, residential rents have more than doubled even after taking inflation into account. During the same time period, minimum wage has actually decreased after adjusting for inflation!"

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Monday, December 3, 2012

DNA databases

real life may be catching up to TV technology.

in chicago, they are adding the DNA profiles of some convicted killers, even executed serial killers such as john wayne gacy, to a database in hopes of solving cold cases.

marvelous. read more here.

so far, there are no hits.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

the windy city

   this may have been my favorite part. random artwork on the street.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

election night

big night for america. i am, of course, glued to election results on tv.

but i'm also watching this closely: Maryland's Question 6 tracker.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

down with the spiders and webs

halloween is over, but hooray for the fact that i can still keep the pumpkin decor through thanksgiving.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Sunday, October 28, 2012

sandy, oh sandy

we're still hanging in there, for now all is well.

the news, however, is reporting that 3,700 people locally are without power.  the pic is from virginia beach.






update monday:  all is well.  the usual spots of my town are flooded, as can be seen in this pic.

yes, we went out 'adventuring' this morning in the storm.








update, later monday: this is what it looks like around here.  [the man is sleeping.]

Monday, October 22, 2012

search

i think it is funny that when you google 'search,' the first thing that it brings up is yahoo.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

getting ready for halloween: spooky houses

we decorated for halloween the other day so now i am thinking halloween all the time.  in particular, i am combing craft ideas and reading up on haunted houses.

America's Scariest Homes: 12 Real-Life Haunted Houses

to the left is Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA.  here's what they say: The Winchester Mystery House is a 160-room Victorian mansion brimming with bizarre architectural features and a very eerie origin. With features such as secret passageways,labyrinth-like winding hallways and a seance room, this eccentric house is rumored to have been built for spirits themselves.