BFTP: 99 Blue Skunk things

A weekend Blue Skunk "feature" will be a revision of an old post. I'm calling this BFTP: Blast from the Past. Original post December 24, 2008. Sort of fun just stumbling upon something like this again. I've managed in the past five years to cross a few more "things" off my list.

It's the first day of our school holiday break for me. A non-work day before we fly to Mexico. So far this morning I have finished writing a 3500 word white paper, done a load of laundry, answered all my e-mail, read all RSS feeds, printed my boarding and parking passes, updated our lake association website with pictures of our monster, Jeffie, and put a roast and acorn squash in the oven. My bags are packed, the driveway and sidewalks are cleared of snow and all my Christmas shopping is done.

Jeffie, the Lake Jefferson (LeSueur County, MN) monster

So now it is idle hands time, which is usually dangerous for me. Then I saw this meme...

THE 99 THINGS MEME

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. (OK, I feel guilty about this one...)
7. Been to Disneyland/world.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped. (This looks terrifying. See also skydiving.)
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning. 
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. 
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (Fish are animals, right?)
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.

Been there done that, got the t-shirt: 65
Wish I had: 15
No desire: 19

This list is for little old librarians... We of the adventerous soul can do better...

THE BLUE SKUNK 99 THINGS MEME

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you won't admit to having done: underline
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog. Received a cease and desist letter from a publisher
2. Slept under the stars. Slept in your car in a road ditch during a blizzard.
3. Played in a band. Paid your own tuition.
4. Visited Hawaii. Visited any country with a average per capita income of less than $2500.
5. Watched a meteor shower. Watched a tornado from your porch.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. Given a donation instead of gifts to family, friends or coworkers.
7. Been to Disneyland/world. Done the behind the scenes tour of the Magic Kingdom.
8. Climbed a mountain. Hiked at over 13,000 feet. Without oxygen. Smoking on breaks.
9. Held a praying mantis. Held a python longer than you are tall.
10. Sang a solo. Hiked where there were bear warnings.
11. Bungee jumped. Skiied a black diamond run.
12. Visited Paris. Visited Mandalay.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. Been stranded on an island overnight.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. Wrote and illustrated a children's story.
15. Adopted a child. Adopted a pet from an animal shelter.
16. Had food poisoning. Had altitude sickness.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. Spent the night in a real monastary.
18. Grown your own vegetables. Run your own still.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. Seen aboriginal art on Uluru.
20. Slept on an overnight train. Sat beside people with live chickens in a cage on a train.
21. Had a pillow fight. Had a fist fight.
22. Hitch hiked. Hopped a train.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. Took a day off without giving an excuse.
24. Built a snow fort. Used a bb gun to shoot your friends - for fun.
25. Held a lamb. Emptied a rat trap.
26. Gone skinny dipping. Spent a day on a nude beach.
27. Run a marathon. Bicycled across a state.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice. Ridden a hot air balloon over the Masi Mara.
29. Seen a total eclipse. Seen a volcano erupt.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. Watched a sunrise from the Greek island beach you just slept on.
31. Hit a home run. Got a home run on a first date.
32. Been on a cruise. Been on a white water rafting trip.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. Hked to the Hanakapi'ai Falls on the Nai Paii coast in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. Learned that one of your ancestors was a criminal.
35. Seen an Amish community. Visited a Peruvian village in the Andes.
36. Taught yourself a new language. Taught yourself a computer program.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. Been stranded away from home with no money at all.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person. Seen the world's largest reclining Budda in person.
39. Gone rock climbing. Climbed the Great Pyramid of Giza without getting caught.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person. Seen the mosaics on Mount Nebo in Jordan.
41. Sung Karaoke. Did a Maori folk dance.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. Walked up to a bison - on purpose.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant. Eaten something you couldn't translate in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa. Worked in Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. Gone snowshoeing by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance. Been carried on a strecher.
47. Had your portrait painted. Bought an original piece of art.
48. Gone deep sea fishing. Gone wreck diving.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person. Seen a Celtic cross in the Irish countryside from the seat of a bicycle.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Been to the catacombs in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. Seen a big shark while scuba diving.
52. Kissed in the rain. Made love in a public place.
53. Played in the mud. Taken a mind-alteringl substance.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. Visited Simon's Cabaret in Phuket, Thailand.
55. Been in a movie. Directed a play.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China. Ridden a bicycle in Xian and gotten lost.
57. Started a business. Smuggled something through customs.
58. Taken a martial arts class. Built an entire building.
59. Visited Russia. Read all of War and Peace.
60. Served at a soup kitchen. Eaten in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. Bought a fake Rolex.
62. Gone whale watching. Gone Fairy Penguin watching on Philip Island.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason. Gotten a smile from a beautiful woman for no reason.
64. Donated blood. Sold platlets because you needed the money.
65. Gone sky diving. Flown in an experimental aircraft.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp. Visited the Holocaust Museum in Berlin.
67. Bounced a check. Pawned something.
68. Flown in a helicopter. Flown in an ultralight.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. Taught your grandson a game.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial. Toured Gettysburg.
71. Eaten Caviar. Eaten a sheep's eye.
72. Pieced a quilt. Installed a new toilet.
73. Stood in Times Square. Stood in Tianamen Square.
74. Toured the Everglades. Visited cannibals in the Borneo jungle.
75. Been fired from a job. Been deliberately fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London. Taken the Jack the Ripper tour of London at night.
77. Broken a bone. Been stung by fire coral.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. Driven on an ice-covered lake.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
80. Published a book. Been asked to write a forward to a book.
81. Visited the Vatican. Seen the Living Goddess in Katmandu.
82. Bought a brand new car. Drove a car with over 200,000 miles on it.
83. Walked in Jerusalem. Walked through Amsterdam's red light district.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. Had your name in the police report of your home town paper.
85. Read the entire Bible. Read Richard Burton's translation of the Arabian Nights.
86. Visited the White House. Attended a party at the president of Singapore's mansion.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. Eaten food from a street vendor in Kuala Lumpor.
88. Had chickenpox. Had a concussion.
89. Saved someone’s life. Saved your own life.
90. Sat on a jury. Testified in at a legislative hearing.
91. Met someone famous. Had something named after you.
92. Joined a book club. Wandered away from the tour group.
93. Lost a loved one. Looked for one of your children who was lost.
94. Had a baby. Helped deliver a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person. Seen the ruins at Coba and Uxmal.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake. Floated in the Dead Sea.
97. Been involved in a law suit. Been hit with a rod by the Saudi religious police.
98. Owned a cell phone. Gone for a whole week without a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee. Been bitten by a monkey.

Now even I don't really want to do all of these things. But I've done most of them. Remember - it's not the people in the nursing home with the most money but  the best stories who win. Since the nursing home is looming every closer, I suppose I better get busy!

Minimum wage and education

Warning to anyone under 50: This starts as one of those old fart's "when I was a kid we walked to school uphill both ways" stories. But it does eventually make a point about today's educational system...

I was a beneficiary of the minimum wage laws. When I was earning my undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley from 1972 to 1976, I was also earning about $1.65 to $1.90 an hour as a laundry worker.  In addition to taking 12-14 hours of classes, I would work from 2pm to 9pm, six days a week either driving a van that picked up dirty linen from nursing homes up and down the Front Range - or stuffing that laundry in 400 pound capacity washing machines. For a year, I was also the assistant manager of an apartment complex, vacuuming hallways on the weekends, getting my apartment rent-free.

As I remember, my after-tax take home pay 40 years ago was about $75-$85 a week. Not only did my stay-at-home-mother wife and I live on it, we paid my full tuition, books, and fees; paid off the doctor ($600) and hospital ($600) bills for my daughter's Caesarean birth, and even had about $1000 in savings when I graduated.

Yes, we were very frugal. Our apartments were small, uncarpeted, and unair-conditioned. We drove a $400 used car. The only time we saw the inside of a restaurant was when a relative took us out for supper. There were no cellphone, Internet, or cable bills. But we did not starve, go naked, or feel deprived - at least that I remember. Why?

• Apartment rent was $80 a month, including utilities.
• Groceries ran about $20 a week.
• Full tuition was $140 a quarter. (Thank you taxpayers of Colorado for subsidizing me.)
• In the 70s a new car was $3000 and new house was $10,000. Gas was $.30 a gallon.
• We had no health insurance, but could afford to pay doctor visits and dentist appointments upfront.
• Seems like chewing gum, candy bars and small bags of potato chips were all about a dime.
• I bought a new b&w 19" TV for $80 and a stereo turntable/receiver-amplifier/speakers for $300 (Big fight over that one, but boy, did Maria Muldaur singing "Midnight at the Oasis" sound good!)

So here is my point: I estimate that the cost of living has gone up by 1000% since my days in college. Today's apartment rents are $800, cars $30,000 and candy bars $1.00. 

Yet the minimum wage is nowhere close to $16.50 or $19.00 an hour. 

I don't think anyone doubts the correlation between poverty and poor performance in schools. And while politicians love to tell stories of "welfare Cadillacs," the reality is that most of our parents can be counted among the "working poor" who often work multiple part-time jobs still unable to make ends meet.

This is why, that if one truly believes in improving education, one needs to be knowledgeable and active in political issues beyond school. Whether you believe the solution to poverty is a higher minimum wage, fewer welfare "benefits," better job training programs, or something else, believe that poverty needs to be addressed - and work at it politically.

And maybe we'd see more kids be able to put themselves through college again as well.

Image source

If missile launch sites were run like public education

From yesterday's headlines:

Air Force pulls 34 nuclear officers off job for alleged test cheating (Associated Press)

... 34 are suspected of cheating several months ago on a routine proficiency test that includes checking missile launch officers’ knowledge of how to handle an “emergency war order,” which is the term for the authorization required to launch a nuclear weapon.

...

[Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James] suggested that the cheating was confined to this single case involving 34 officers, although numerous missile officers have told the AP confidentially that some feel compelled to cut corners on their monthly proficiency tests because of intense pressure to score at the highest levels to advance in the force.

...

The 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom, where all 34 suspected cheaters are based, is responsible for 150 of the 450 ICBMs.

...

The Malmstrom unit failed a nuclear safety and security inspection in August but succeeded on a redo in October. 

Were this a public school system, what actions might be taken:

• Cover-up the cheating, denying any wrong doing as long as possible, by administration
• Rededicate our efforts to teach students test-taking skills (rather than useful skills or content)
• Fire the teachers, assuming they were behind the cheating somehow
• Continue to base salaries grades and promotions grade advancement on high-stakes, summative assessments (OK, it looks like the Air Force has that one covered)
• Never question the validity of the test content or ability of educators to convince students of the importance of doing well other than to win some extrinsic reward (high score, good grade, data for a college application)

When I read about a cheating scandal involving high-stakes testing in schools, I sigh, shake my head, and think "what do you expect when the pressure is high on doing well on a task that has no value to the individual." Who can blame teachers, students or administrators for thinking that a job not worth doing is not worth doing well.

But what if the test DOES have value? I kind of like knowing that the people running our ICBMs know what the hell they are doing. (I am adding these folks to my list of people who I don't want thinking outside the box - my dentist, my airline pilot, my tax preparer, my auto mechanic, my plumber, etc...) 

Maybe the problem isn't with testing in schools, but the value of what we test, how we test, and why we test.