Roman Soldier

Friday is Halloween. And we were studying the Roman empire and more specifically the "Roman Soldier." I took advantage of the day...

We had a good time Friday as we learned about the life of a Roman Soldier in class.

The kid's reactions were pretty funny! Some went crazy. Others looked at me like I was just appearing to them as the very same guy with a tie and shirt on like every day. Weird.

I love teaching. Such a great job.

"Going Rogue"

This is one of the funniest bits that Jon Stewart has done in a long time...

Aidan's 4th Birthday Party

We had a great time at the park. See all the wonderful pictures here:
4th B'Day Party at the Park

new sweatshirt from aunt marla an uncle george. aidan loves it.

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@ the park preparing for aidan's bday party.

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moonwalk in the park. beautiful day. fall is finally here. 65 degrees and sunny.

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Ron Howard's Call to Action.

Ron Howard said, "This is for you America." Indeed. Well done.

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Wassup? Change. True.

Do you remember the original Bud commercial for "Wassup?"


This is the updated version. Very smart and very original.

Wassup 2008:

cheddar chip boy

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"Not on the Test"

Thanks to Straight Talk's blog for sharing this...



On his website you can also download the song and video:
Not on the Test

Really hit home. Especially on the heals of our 'debate' in class the last two days. :)

I love my job...

Today was a really great day. We had a block or 90 minute class period day. (We do on Wed/Thu) So I showed about 10 minutes of NBC Nightly News last night to catch students up on the election. There was also a great story about the war in Afghanistan. Gripping viewing. Then I introduced our Religion Project and Chapter 5 - The Roman Empire.

For the last 1/2 hour we did "Philosophical Chairs." It is just another reason I love AVID. I learned Philosophical Chairs through my training as an AVID elective teacher. The process works like this, you raise a question for debate that has two choices. The students write their response on a piece of paper and then they take a side of the classroom and debate ensues.

There are 5 simple rules:
1 - Stay in the hot seat (or undecided seats) for only 1 minute
2 - Repeat or Rephrase what the last person said
3 - Wait 3 seconds until that person is finished to be sure they are done with their comment.
4 - You must wait until the 4th person to speak again. (generally speaking, someone on your side must speak before you can speak again. the comments move like ping-pong back and forth)
5 - Move your 5 toes and get your feet walking. You show support for comments made not by talking, but by moving from your side of the room to theirs. It does not mean you have completely changed your mind, you just are giving them support for their argument.

The question today was, "Where would you rather live - Athens or Sparta?" This is such a compelling question. The kids really get into it. We have already investigated the roles of men and women in both societies and we took our test on the chapter yesterday. So today they were really ready to debate.

Our building principal came in during 5th period today. She stood wide-eyed as the students went back and forth about the question. The bell rang and I sprinted to the door to collect their notes and reflections. She told me later that students walked by her while I was waiting in the hall and said, "I just LOVE this class!" One of the students gave me her sheet and said, "This is such a great class... my favorite ever." It was from a young lady who was so much trouble for me at the beginning of the year. I almost started to cry. It really got to me and made me feel good.

I am really lucky to be a teacher. It is such a rewarding and incredible job.

More info on PChairs:
Scholastic: Philosophical Chairs Discussion

karate time. aidan's big 4 year-old party is on Sunday at the park. Halloween theme with costume, cake, and pizza. it is going to be fun!

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Teaching: Population Growth

This is a great video to show in class. I show it during the first week of school and it helps setup the first chapter with the discovery of early man and our origins. It puts into place how far the population has come and also does a wonderful job of showing the fact that we have limited resources for an exponential growth of population.

Some people wonder why my wife and I have decided to have only one kid. This might help you understand if you don't get it:


What did you think?

Nike "Fate" Leave Nothing... great ad.

This should win some kind of award. Just an incredible ad. Fun, emotional and soooo true.


AND, in my fantasy leagues I own both of them! :)

[my combined record for the year now with my 2 fantasy teams: 13-1]

@ starbucks 4 breakfast before grocery shopping.

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Wow, 100,000 See Obama in St. Louis? Wow.

STLToday - Huge Crowd Hears Obama

Great Story

We need more people like this... great story.

"Remember New Hampshire?"

After winning his third and final debate, Barack Obama warned his crowd today about being too confident. Although I certainly was not "too confident" after the first 30 minutes of this debate.

McCain came out swinging and he did it with a lot of passion and emotion. Even though I don't agree with him, I thought he bested Obama on taxes last night. Certainly he was on the attack and often that is what viewers believe a debate winner does.


McCain's Joe Plummer reference will be absolute SNL material tonight when they do the debate parody. If it was a close race, that kind of gimmick would be the thing that could backfire and make him look absolutely silly. But, I do not believe it is of much consequence. To me it certainly was nice to see these two candidates discussing a real, actual working American for a change. It brought out some interesting conversation, but in the end was very gimmicky for McCain to keep "Joe Plumming" all night long.

Obama won in the eyes of most debate watchers because he is winning the argument that is most important in this country today: What should we do about this economic mess? Obama's plan was spelled out in a coherent and calm way. He was the steady captain of the ship. For all McCain's leadership and experience credentials, he has given way in this race to a 'steadier hand.' Obama has found his voice. It's steady, calm and reasoned leadership.

In my humble opinion, it is the only thing that will help lead us out of this mess. For we have a consumer confidence crisis on our hands. People are going to have to be reassured. Folks are going to have to trust in our economic system and government again. I believe they will be able to do so with Obama at the helm.

Certainly it is NOT going to be easy. I almost feel sorry for Barack. Taking over this mess? But, what an opportunity. His country needs him now and he is poised to be able to capitalize on this chance to showcase his skills and give this country what it needs most at this time - a leader.

Obama - 14 Point Lead?

This is the result of the new CBSNews/NYTimes poll:

Watch CBS Videos Online

Can this really hold up? No way. The press/media love a tight horse race. After all it is about ratings. Will Obama keep adding to his lead? I can't believe he will. The bar is set very low for McCain tomorrow night at the debate. He should be able to pull a 'rescue' effort and show himself much better.

In my opinion, Mr. Obama needs to press and NOT sit on his lead. He needs to be convincing and straight forward. He needs to inspire. If he sits back and acts cocky, he's in deep trouble. People don't want to see that right now. They want a leader that is going to WORK.

We'll see how the debate tomorrow night goes.

Kathleen Parker: White House Wanted Palin Removed from Ticket

Very interesting interview. Of course from Colbert:

Kathleen Parker wrote in the National Review that Sarah Palin should be taken off the ticket. Kathleen Parker is a conservative columnist. On the Colbert Report, Parker reiterated her belief that Palin is not qualified for the GOP ticket, but she also revealed that some White House officials have told her that they secretly agree:

COLBERT: Now but you said you got emails from people in the White House who secretively –

PARKER: Did I say that?

COLBERT: Yes you did. You said you secretly got emails from people in the White House but you wouldn’t name who they were, who said that they agreed with you.

PARKER: That’s correct. I got a lot of off-the-record emails and a lot of phone calls from people who said, you’re saying what we’ve been saying.

eating at johnny rockets for lunch. yum!

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fun @ the woodlands mall!

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At long last... My Texans Win!

It has been a terrible fall. We have had a car accident, hurricane, and terrible losses for our hometown football team. Especially the last two weeks - very close loses to the Colts & Jags, our divisional opponents.

Today was a rocky outing against the Dolphins. But, Matt Schaub won it on the final play of the game by running it in from the three yard line. A one-point win! Finally the Texans do it.





Is there anything better than a weekend where the Cowboys lose and Texans win? :)

Oh yeah, and the Nittany Lions are #3 in the nation. Another great win for JoePA's squad in Wisconsin. And I actually got to watch the game on ESPN.

Friday Night Breaking News

Friday is the night when most political news breaks. It is because most Americans are not watching. So someone that gets news put out on them on a Friday night thinks the damage control can be easier to deal with in the short term.

Last night saw two pretty big developments:

McCain booed for calling Obama 'decent'
Republican candidate's supporters showing anger at rallies

"If you want a fight, we will fight," McCain said. "But we will be respectful. I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments." When people booed, he cut them off.

"I don't mean that has to reduce your ferocity," he said. "I just mean to say you have to be respectful."

On Friday, McCain rejected the bait.

"I don't trust Obama," a woman said. "I have read about him. He's an Arab."

McCain shook his head in disagreement, and said:

"No, ma'am. He's a decent, family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with (him) on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about."

He had drawn boos with his comment: "I have to tell you, he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States."

The anti-Obama taunts and jeers are noticeably louder when McCain appears with Palin, a big draw for GOP social conservatives. She accused Obama this week of "palling around with terrorists" because of his past, loose association with a 1960s radical. If less directly, McCain, too, has sought to exploit Obama's Chicago neighborhood ties to William Ayers, while trying simultaneously to steer voters' attention to his plans for the financial crisis.

Also this...
Ethics Probe: Palin Abused Power

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, the chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday. The politically charged inquiry imperiled her reputation as a reformer on John McCain's Republican ticket.

Investigator Stephen Branchflower, in a report to a bipartisan panel that looked into the matter, found Palin in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain.

The inquiry looked into her dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who said he lost his job because he resisted pressure to fire a state trooper involved in a bitter divorce and custody battle with the governor's sister. Palin says Monegan was fired as part of a legitimate budget dispute.

Neither story really helps McCain very much. The first shows him being quite erratic. And he is confusing his own people. First you ask the insinuating question: "Who is Barack Obama?" And when your own people start chanting Terrorist! - you look away. They sent their VP candidate out there to fire up crowds and it worked. People took it negatively though on the whole. McCain is down by 10% points in most nationwide polls today. So now he grows a spine and tells them to stop and that Obama is a decent man.

One side of me says, "Whew, finally the John McCain I had some respect for." And another side of me says, "Is he just doing this because the polling numbers are down?"

As for Palin... haven't we had enough of "Way to go Brownie!" and the cronyism and abuses of power of the last 8 years? Launching personal vendettas from your elected office is no way to lead. Should someone be asking the question: "Who is Sarah Palin?"

The Obama Campaign has released their own version of "Who is Barack Obama?" It's a 14 minute video clip that shows the Obamas behind the scenes at the national convention. Quite an inside look at just how "dangerous" and "radical" this all-american family is!

fun @ chilis.... wow, my steak burritto. sooooo hot & good!

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@ dinner 4 norma's bday. chuy's mexican in humble. brand new.

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Sad, sad, sad... "Sidewalk to nowhere."

This is video from a McCain line waiting to get into his rally in PA. I'm from Pennsylvania and this just made me feel sick. It is sad that people can act like this. I feel like this campaign is just descending into madness. Why all the hatred?


Why all the hatred? Could it be that McCain/Palin believe it is their only way to win? It's really sick to play on people's fears. If there isn't a strong odor of racism in this video clip... then I have no idea what it is.

I wish people in America could see the look in some of my African-American student's eyes right now. A black man is ahead in the polls and has a chance to become president of the United States of America. Do you know how much good that is going to do for their self confidence and for their community?

I am not someone who thinks that the glass is half empty. This is an opportunity for America. It certainly should not be viewed in any other way.

Oh yeah, do these McCain supporters know that they have probably lost 1/2 their retirements in the stock market in the past week? Maybe there are more important issues than shady character allegations? Maybe that's why Obama is in the lead?

Open House

Tonight was Open House @ school. I had a total of 25 parents. That is less than one of my 6 classes of parents. Ouch. It's a shame, but I wonder how much the hurricane had to do with that? Everyone is still getting back into the groove and many may be working extra hours to compensate for time off from work.

I do love having the chance to meet and greet parents. We do it through a bell schedule and end up with only 10 minutes with each group of parents. So it is a limited look at how the class functions. What I basically do is pull up my website and give them a quick look at how it works. That way when they are at home or at the office they can pull up the website and see how things are going. My Website Here

This year has been great at school though. I love my classes. I love my schedule. It is amazing to work with so many great kids every day. I am really a lucky, lucky guy!

Aidan's First Karate Tournament!

Aidan had a wonderful time today. All the hard work he has put in all summer and fall went towards competing today. He did his forms - steps, kicks and punches. And then he got to do sparing. He lost his match, but he was going up against a SIX year old. Aidan is 3 (he'll be 4 at the end of the month). But, I was so proud of him. He landed two punches! Amazing. I thought for sure he might run out of the ring against a kid almost twice his size. Aidan made us proud!

Check out all of the pictures here: Karate Tournament Pictures







Aidan scores to the chest with a punch! Way to go big man.

Debate Truth Squad

CNN Truth Squad:


Afghanistan Surge? Palin wrong. Wrong commander in the field, wrong facts on his comments.

Obama can't admit the surge worked? He has done that in the past few weeks (guess that wasn't in the newspapers she reads?).

Healthcare? McCain wants to deregulate health care. You can buy across state lines. CNN says Biden misrepresented McCain's claims... but didn't he say he wanted to treat health care more like the banking industry?

Interesting. Biden went through many, many more details in his analysis of foreign policy, economics, health care, etc... yet he didn't make these kinds of misrepresentations of his opponents. It is frustrating to watch a debate like that. I thought the moderator did a horrible job of keeping them on the question and redirecting any questions to take advantage of learning more about their positions. But, it looks like the American people understand what they were watching...


Taxes? Mrs. Palin misrepresented Obama's position on taxes. Period. There is no other way to explain it.

538 - Good News for Obama

On the 538 Polling Site: www.fivethirtyeight.com it looks like Barrack Obama is doing pretty well.



Also the site Electoral-vote.com is a great one. Shows exactly how this thing breaks down.

I really wish we would just do a popular vote. It would take all the mystery out of this thing. And we might actually see a presidential candidate come to Houston for a change! (other than during primary/caucus season)

Really interesting to look at this graph: Click Here for graph of events/polling It shows that just after McCain uttered last Monday that the economy was "fundamentally strong" he has sunk. It's quite dramatic. And an interesting history of the past year.

Who will win? Who knows. But, it is fun to watch.

Congressional Bailout Hugging

Who better to explain just what is going on in DC? The Daily Show: