Category Archives: General Posts

Sports, relationships, parenting, literature, education, and more. If it catches my interest that day, I’ll write about it.

General Posts

Monday Night Ramblings

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I miss loving my job.  There was a time when I truly adored teaching.  It was rewarding and fulfilling despite not being the most lucrative of careers because most of my students valued the skills I taught them.  Sure, there were the occassional ones with whom I butted heads, and there were some who disliked my teaching style, but for the most part, I left work every day feeling appreciated for my efforts.  There’s no substitute for that feeling.

Today, I feel bombarded on all fronts by not only a lack of appreciation but also quite often outright disdain for holding students accountable for their abilities.  Most of my students don’t see education as a bridge to their goals, but rather an obstacle.  On the other hand, corporate America seems displeased that I attempt to teach critical thinking to my students because employees who can think for themselves can question authority, especially corrupt authority.  Corporate America wants unthinking, robotic drones who obey orders and stay in their place in the great pecking order.  Likewise, the bureaucrats who oversee education seem to want to replace me with an automated program that the students can access on their smart phones.

It wears on me daily, this lack of appreciation.  And it scares me to think about where we’ll be in another generation when all of the professional educators have been replaced by quasi-professionals who follow the canned course outline to a Tee and make no effort to push their students beyond what is measured on the standardized tests.  Where will we be when our workforce can barely read and write?  Where will our innovators and entrepreneurs come from when the middle class is completely gone?  How will we ever rebuild 235 years of human rights progress when the corporate masters have abolished the Bill of Rights?

I don’t mean to be negative and fearful, but the truth is, I’m scared of where we’re heading, of the new dark ages we’re entering.

General Posts

Sunday Afternoon Ramblings

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Repairs along the front wall.

The last three days have seen great progress at the farm.  We got nearly all of the brush that had been cut down dragged away and burned, and we cleared out most of what was left on the far side of the building.  There’s still a little bit to cut on the far back corner, but that job is nearly complete.  Next, we’re going to get all the little limbs and other debris to the burn pile.  The perimeter is really taking shape and looking good.  We also fixed a couple of drainage problems that should help with the flooding issue.  All in all, this has been an extremely productive weekend.

My muscles are so sore I can barely stand it, but it’s a great feeling.  Today, it feels like we’re closer to having the farm operational.  Seeing that progress is a great feeling and gives me a sense of encouragement that is hard to describe.  From all of our hard work, things are really taking shape.  I don’t want to forget to include Marty Carson.  He’s come out and helped us a few times for free, and without his help we wouldn’t be nearly as far along.  He’ll try to deny it and say that he has barely done anything, but we both very much appreciate everything he’s done.

I also want to thank all of the people who have donated to the IndieGoGo campaign.  Tony Davidson has donated twice.  Matthew McMahan gave a nice donation.  Amy Lovdal-Taylor not only made a donation but also wrote a nice note of encouragement.  And Melissa Royer also gave to our campaign.  Each of them has a special place on my list of cool people, and in all seriousness, I appreciate their support more than they’ll ever know.  That goes for everyone who has contributed.  With as hard as times are getting for all of us, I am extremely grateful for each and every dollar we have received.

We’re down to one week to go on the campaign.  If you want to donate, please do so now before the campaign is over.  Even just a $5 contribution will help us get the supplies we need to finish these renovations.  Please, help us get this farm up and running.

General Posts

Wednesday Night Ramblings

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The people who I simply can’t understand are the working class people who defend corporate greed in terms of fairness.  I’m sorry, but that Uncle Tom, willing slave mentality is beyond me.  The irony is that these people often see themselves also as defenders of individualism and self-governance, when corporate culture is much more akin to fascism and totalitarianism.  If you don’t believe me, show up to your corporate job out of uniform and attempt to express any personal view that clashes with corporate policy.  See how long you last.  I’m not suggesting anything so outlandish as showing up nude or drunk.  I’m talking the wrong color pants and openly disparaging the new benefits package.  In the fascist corporate world, you will be reprimanded swiftly for these minor individual expressions.

These same people also often lament the decline of small businesses over the last three decades yet refuse to acknowledge that the single biggest enemy to small business is and always will be big business.  Yes, I concede that the government has over-regulated too many aspects of too many areas of our lives, but we all know that the government is run by lobbyists and special interest groups whose deep pockets influence rules and regulations.  Most of them represent big business interests, so I argue that the regulations that have most hurt small business have actually been pushed by big business to reduce competition.

At this point in my life, I’m done trying to convince the willing slaves to open their eyes.  If they are so blinded by propaganda that they defend CEO’s who receive multi-million dollar bonuses for failing miserably at their jobs while simultaneously attacking civil servants who earn barely a livable wage for maintaining the infrastructure of our society, then there is no hope of ever getting through to them.  That’s how I see it anyway.