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As time goes on, I realize that I'm not the most open person. Especially when it comes to social media, which I think airs on the side of caution but sometimes I feel like I should let me readers get to know a little bit more about me. Just a little.
Fun Fact Number 1
My two biggest fears in life are getting old and commitment. In regards to getting old, the thought of losing control of my mind, my body, my life as I get older scares the crap out of me. And about my commitment issues; I can hardly sit through a movie. It's too much time. It's that bad.
Fun Fact Number Two
I like to think that I'm this outgoing girl with all the confidence in the world but the more I get to know myself, the more I realize that it takes me a while to warm up to people. I hold back on letting you see the "real" me because I've been hurt. Very hurt. And I don't like when it happens so I tend to tread carefully. BUT, once you do break through those walls, I'm yours forever.
Fun Fact Number Three
I love people too much. When I'm in relationships; whether it be friendships, romantic relationships, family, I love them too much. I care too much. Not to the point that I'm enmeshed with them but to the point that it's hard for me to let them go if they ever leave. Growing up as a military brat, I had to let friends go all the time. So I think that I now cling to those closest to me because I don't want them to go like all the others did.
Fun Fact Number Four
I'm insecure. There's not a whole lot I need to say about that. I'm secure with who I am but I struggle with who I want to be.
Fun Fact Number Five
My weight loss doesn't define me. I know people sometimes think that because you're losing weight, that should be the only thing you post about but we're so much more than that. The people who know I'm trying to lose weight in "real life" only ask about it every now and then and I think that's how it should be. There's so much more to me than how much weight I'm losing.
That's all I got.
There are always words we can't say. Words that don't seem to come out, no matter how much they mean to us nor how much we urge them to. There's always something holding them back. It may be fear, it may be longing, it may be too much emotion, it may not be the right place.
Regardless, there are words that I'm constantly struggling with to people in all facets of my life. I think there's a fear within me to say the things I want to so badly. It's not a fear of failure, it's the fear that the things I say will change, for better or worse, the circumstances I've become used to.
There have been so many times when I want to scream meaningful thoughts that, to me, are so important. Sayings and feelings and emotions that have been bottled and closed shut since before I can remember.
I feel like I'm slipping, losing touch with what needs to matter. For a period in my life, I felt that I was upfront, almost too much, with those around me. If I felt a certain way about them, they were well aware of it. Good, bad or indifferent. But now, it's as if I've become complacent with how others view me. They think we're strong acquaintances? Good enough. They think we're best friends? Sure. They think there's a romantic connection, you keep thinkin' that.
Now though, I've been struck with this fervor that I written about last time. The fervor takes over me wholly, not just in one aspect of my life. I'm the kind of person that when the wind blows strongly in one direction, I let it take me. And now is definitely one of those times.
I want to go back to Alaska. I'm going to Costa Rica. I'm going back to Belize. And if there are any more trips in the near future, I'll gladly oblige. I want to tell that one guy how I really feel. I want to tell my sister just how proud of her I really am.
It's not fear that's holding me back, it's this paralyzing anxiety about what they will say back. Will the nature of the relationship change? What if it fails miserably? Why do I feel the need to tell them right this second?
But it can't wait.
As cliche as it sounds, life really is too short. I'm 21 and dammit, I'm going to make the most of whatever may come. If our friendship is severed because of words, then it never was a friendship worth saving.
There are always words that need to be said. Not only for your sake, but for mine as well.
We've all heard the adage, "We want what we can't have." A huge part of me has always wondered why that is. We see something we like and we want it, need it almost. Then when told we aren't allowed to have it the feeling suddenly intensifies. We absolutely need it, have to hold it, have it, touch it. It needs to be ours.
Is it because we're told no? Do we automatically register that as a desire?
I want a lot of things in my life, need them? No, but it would be nice to have them. I've exhausted the fact that I want to travel. But I've noticed when people tell me I can't, I immediately book a flight bound for anywhere. To prove them wrong maybe? I don't know.
It's a conundrum, really. We lust after these things that aren't good for us. Usually, anyways.
There are some things in my life, right this moment, that I've been told I can't have. So naturally, I'm doing everything in my power to get them.
I'm completely fascinated by what's happening though. I'm taking notes and observing my own behavior all while embarrassing the hell out of myself trying to accomplish my goal.
But, in the end, I know what I want. Whether it be good for me or not. As time goes by and I get older I start to notice smaller things. A quick smile from the guy at the coffee shop, a little wave from a pedestrian, a second longer on the handshake from that one guy. They're not big moments but I kind of revel in them.
They're like little distractions. You know those times when there's only one thing on your mind and nothing you do will side step that thought. It's always there, always prevalent and everything you do seems to relate in some way back to that one thing?
I like to take the time to notice the little distractions because in the end, that big thought will get chipped away. Slowly, I know. But a little piece will be taken away each time I notice something else. Each time there's a new distraction, a tiny little thought kind of flutters away.
My true passion in life has always been traveling.
It doesn't matter how small or large. A midnight roadtrip to see snow, a transatlantic to the Emerald Isle, an empty flight to see Mayan ruins.
I've always had this intense feeling of wanderlust that I usually can't put into words. It's this pushing feeling against my chest screaming in the smallest voice, "Go. Be. Do." At times this voice is a faint whisper and at times, like tonight, it's this roaring and deafening battle cry. It's my calling, truly and literally.
As I've said in previous posts, I'm only truly happy when I'm away. I'm constantly fighting the piece of me that feels like it's too small for Florida. I sit in classrooms that teach me history of ancient lands and I'm chomping at the bit. I sit at tables and listen to stories of others who have gotten lost and I'm intrigued beyond recognition.
I've made plans as of late to fuel my fire.
I'm going to Costa Rica with one of the girls I met in Belize. We'll be in the cloud forest, surrounded by volcanoes and jungle. It sounds like paradise.
Also, my lead professor has offered me a spot on this year's Belize trip again. And I'm seriously thinking of taking it. I've never pushed myself further out of my comfort zone than I did on that trip. God only knows how much more potential I can actualize while there a second time.
I know that I'm blessed for these opportunities. I know and I'm grateful.
I also know that if I don't take these opportunities, someone else will. Someone else will get to to experience the passion and fervor and all consuming love I have for the world that we live in. And to be honest, that doesn't really fly with me. I live for that feeling and I plan on taking it with me wherever I go.
People have told me that it's too much.
People have said that I'm too lucky, I need to stay grounded.
People have whispered that I had too much fun for one lifetime, time to take a break.
To those people;
It's not too much. I'm exploring the world I was placed in. There are millions and millions of things and people and sights to be gazed upon. I plan on doing so.
I can't be grounded. I was born to fly. I've always been a dreamer, sometimes too much of one. But my parents raised me right, they gave me the best gift of all; creativity, imagination, love, passion and drive. They pushed me out of the nest. They knew I could fly. And for that I can't disappoint them.
And for those who said I had too much fun. Is there really such a thing? Imagine for a moment the happiest you've ever been. Emulsify that into a tangible object. Would you put that object on a shelf because it was good enough? Would you let it sit there and collect dust? I wouldn't. If I've had "too much fun", then there's much more fun to be had.
I was in a relationship for years that stifled me. It sucked me dry. I lost my lust for life.
He hated to travel. He hated when I brought it up. He hated when I went on trips. And slowly, very slowly, I started hating myself.
Then one day, I broke free.
I can't look back to that. I can't be that girl who depended on someone else for my self worth. Because I'm better than that.
This world is far too grand and great to not be appreciated. That's what I'm here for.
There's a place that everyone has, everyone knows of. There's a place that everyone cherishes.
It's different for everyone. Maybe it's your bedroom, maybe it's your local beach, a close encounter with someone in particular.
A place you can go where you feel the best, you feel content, happy, alone, forgiving, free. For me, it's my lakehouse.
It's this quiet getaway that I look forward to every year. Not so much the running around of the family, the happy shrill laughs that echo off the wall but rather the time right before sunset. There's this inexplicable silence.
Like it's just me and the trees. I like to sit in the hammock at this time, just rocking and listening to the creak of the metal chain, the birds that sing, the slight waves crashing against the rock. But it's silent. It's peace.
The inner workings of my mind seem to stop, even if for a brief few moments. But it's like I can look at the world and see clearly for what seems like the first time. Like the daily nuisances that are constantly buzzing and beeping and screaming stops and it's quiet.
I can breathe.
The wholesomeness of feeling again
The gentle breeze off the lake
Telling and whispering secrets
Of the many before me
The swaying of the hammock
Like inversions of emotions
Back and forth
Guiding me towards reckoning
The passage of time seems slow
The leaves seem to fall in waves
Drifting, floating, wavering
Still alone in the silence
I've done my fair share of exploring and seeing the world. Not as much as I hope to someday accomplish, but enough that I'm content.
What most people don't tell you about traveling is how much you learn. About yourself, about other cultures, about the world in general. It's not in the long lines of the tourist traps or in the audio guide rambling in your ear but rather in the people you meet along the way.
It's in the lunch spent with a Belizean man whose whole life has been dedicated to holistic medicine derived from his Mayan ancestors. It's in the shared pint with the Irish singer whose father died fighting for the IRA and still struggles with her identity as an Irish woman. It's in the bottle of wine shared by two friends in Venice talking about stories of deranged childhoods who will never speak again after their travels.
As you go on, there are memories you will take back with you that no one will ever be able to appreciate in the way that you do. They become these little treasures that you hold the closest to your heart because they're so precious. They're glimpses of your hope in humanity.
But there are also those memories that make you reflect. Make you think.
Like the family who opened their home to you, made you a feast fit for a queen, gave you their biggest bed but struggled with the idea of having to send their kids to school because they couldn't afford it. Or like the man in England who sat in the same spot everyday underneath the lion statue and looked so hopeless and his missing legs told a story too hard to hear. Or like the little girl in Guatemala who asked for money with big brown eyes and no left arm.
People don't tell you about the bad things. But I think with good reason. Most of the time those "bad things" are just reflections of the society in which they're brought up. They have no control over how they're portrayed. And as Americans we expect the rest of the world to be to the standard that we are accustomed to. So when we see things that haunt us, they truly haunt us because we've never experienced anything like it.
That's what travel is all about, though. It's seeing, coming to believing, and experiencing. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
I have always had this intense urge to travel, to be lost, to see new things, to feel the earth beneath my feet.
I've never been able to let go of that urge or get a hold on it, whenever an opportunity presents itself, I take advantage of it. A roadtrip? Yes. A cruise? Yes. Study Abroad? Yes. Why should I limit myself to what I'm allowed to do? Who makes those rules anyways?
The more that I do see, the more I appreciate what I have. What I've been given. I've been given health. I've been given a family. Friends that love me, an education, jobs, food, warmth, love. I'm lucky. I know that.
But I can't help but feel like my purpose isn't limited to what I've been given. I'm constantly striving for more and I think there's a reason.
I'm not entirely sure what that reason is nor do I need to know, I just want to explore the possibility of reasons. Tangle myself between them, lose myself to the idea of them, find myself within them.
There could be some profound reason like changing lives. There could be a mundane reason like I was an explorer in a past life. Who knows.
What I do know is this, I am the best version of myself when I'm traveling. I'm happy, I'm free, I'm wild, I'm the rawest form of me and also the most refined. I become who I'm meant to be, I transform into something out of a book. Placid yet intriguing, sharp yet content, I'm this ultimate conundrum of characteristics.
I learn something new about who I am and who I want to become every time I step foot onto a plane. A new land means new memories, new ideas, new thoughts.
Just the thought of getting on a plane and going anywhere makes me yearn for an adventure. To meet the people the tour guides warn you about, the locals. Learn the way they conduct themselves, learn their culture, how they communicate, how they learn, how they love and why they love their country.
Dr. Suess once said, "Oh, the places we will go…" and to me, that is everything. That's my past, present, future. The places I've been define me. The places I'm going define who I will be.
And I'll just be along for the journey.


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Oh, Just Shut Up and Let the Damn Ball Roll to the BackstopYours truly has avoided comment on what, if one judges by volume of commentary, is the top issue of the Red Sox offseason. But the metaphorical pot of oatmeal that is Jason Varitek has boiled all over the hot stove league to a degree it has become impossible to ignore, especially since the catcher and Boston management are moving towards mutual recognition of their common plight-they're stuck with each other.
I haven't written about Varitek just because so many others have. Glenn Ordway will be blathering about "how he handles the pitching staff" and "what if this" and "suppose that" about Varitek at his own funeral, but a relentless focus on fruitless speculation is talk radio's game plan for everything.
I haven't written about Varitek because I write this blog for my own (and others' if possible) pleasure, and what I am about to write about the Sox catcher will give me none. I have always respected and admired Varitek as a ballplayer. He has been an important contributor
to what has been the greatest period in Red Sox history. Catchers are the only players in baseball who deal with pain on a daily basis. Other guys play ball. They go to work. Varitek has embodied that principle of honest craftsmanship.
Funny thing. After one is told by somebody else that YOU'RE done, it becomes harder to blithely state that athlete X is finished and should seek another career path. Life disruptions suck. Experiencing them, however, is a helpful reminder that sports commentary involves other people besides oneself.
But I ain't blind, he's already made many millions of dollars, and it is beyond obvious that Varitek IS done as a major league hitter, and more than half past done as an effective catcher. The infallible indicator of a batter in a slump is letting pitches go by he should swing at, followed immediately by swinging at a pitch a foot or more outside the strike zone. That has been Jason's M.O. at the plate for going on two seasons. A Varitek at-bat with men on has become a painful embarrassment for all concerned.
This leaves us with Varitek's "handling of the pitching staff," that nebulous concept which involves the catcher's status as the lowest rung of management, the team's shop foreman. Actually, since pitching is a creative endeavor, the catcher might more accurately be described as the staff's editor, attempting to shape the work of others into the best it can be.
The trend in baseball analysis is to scoff at what isn't readily quantifiable, but "handling the pitching staff" exists, just as any form of management exists even if you can't see it in action, and Varitek is good at it. Think of the days in 2004 when Varitek would, often in back-to-back games, work in close consultation with Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez. There were two artists whose personalities could hardly be more different, but each was gifted, each was highly intelligent, and each, in his own way, could be an enormous pain in the ass. The skills needed to shape the work of such men are considerable. We shouldn't ignore them.
But, and this as big a but as it gets, these skills rank way below more tangible ones as throwing runners out and, most of all, hitting when we assess a catcher's value. Varitek hit 13 homers in 2008. If the Red Sox had a chance to obtain a catcher who could hit 33 homers in 2009, and the guy spoke only Farsi to his pitchers, and spoke to them less often than J.D. Salinger, every hurler on the Sox staff would be urging management to sign the new misanthrope. Pitchers may need understanding while they work, but not as much as they need runs.
Of course, the Red Sox don't have such a chance. Varitek hasn't been replaced already because there aren't any replacements who would be improvements. For reasons
requiring more research than I plan on doing, catchers are a cyclical commodity. There are times in baseball history when there's a bunch of unbelievable ones (1950s: Campanella, Berra, 1970s: Bench, Fisk, Munson, 1990s-early 2000s: Posada, Pudge Rodriguez, and yes, Jason) and then there are horrible fallow stretches in which the best teams can hope for is .245, 10-15, 60-70 lumbering semi-competence.
We are in such a fallow period. Quickly now, who were the catchers for the two teams in the 2008 World Series? I couldn't answer the question without looking it up, and I'm a Phillies fan (Top of my head, I knew his last name was Diaz, but that's it). There's Joe Mauer, and a bunch of Molinas, and well,..... Boston has had no qualms about promoting minor leaguers to starting jobs in the past few seasons. Since they haven't kissed Varitek goodbye, and in fact, have put as much or more work into resigning him than they did towards acquiring Mark Teixiera, we must conclude that option is not available here.
So Varitek will sign for much less money than he'd hoped (although it's still plenty of money, count me among the unworried that a capable player like Bobby Abreu must take a huge pay cut to a measley $8-9 million per annum). The Sox will suffer through a great many more killed rallies in 2009 than they had hoped. And the law of supply and demand will have chalked up another victory.
Despite the title of this post, you gotta have a catcher-whether you want the one you've got or not.

subset: commoncrawl


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A Couple weekends ago was the A&M Vs. Nebraska Football Game
Now this time of the year gets a little completive around our house
(between Me (Aggie) and Glen (Cornhusker))
especally when it comes to dressing our children for the game
This year I decided to make shirts
They are Kid Divided shirts!
I know you have seen the House Divided stickers on cars for A&M and TU
I especally like the back
Ike and Jo's are the same except Jo's has cordinating bows on the sleeves
And please forgive me, I have to brag about the cutest babies around,
Here is Porter P!
He is wearing his Cuero Gobblers shirt
I forced a hat on his head
For some reason I don't have any pictures of Eli by himeself
I think it is because I am so excited to spend time with them that I don't want to be behind a camera
Josie and I have been driving back and forth all over Texas the see them
They are soooo cute, and quite a pair, I love being an Aunt... AuntTeague


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An open letter to Iogo
Dear cunts,
Please fire the motherfucker who designed this fucking Iogo Nano bullshit for the love of fucking god. I can't believe you ever let this bullshit slide like it's normal; this shit is cruel and unusual. Who the fuck's idea was it to put the epitome of delicious, thick, rich, creamy goodness into a god damn motherfucking thimble. I could wear these stupid shitty yogurt cups as pinkie-toe warmers, you slow god damn bastards. I know they're supposed to be for young kids, but I don't know any 5-year-olds who would be satisfied with a single fucking half spoon-full of the best yogurt they'll ever taste. There's a special place in hell for dumb shitty plebeians like you who tease people with just enough yogurt to taste, but not nearly enough to enjoy. Fuck you.
Now that I've had to go through three stupid fucking packs of this shit to finally bring my total mouthfuls of yogurt up to 2, I'm still not bloody fucking satisfied. Thank you, you stupid shitty god damn motherfucking shit-eating fuckin' cocksucking dickpirates for making me waste my fucking money on this shit. You insensitive fucking pricks. I'm done. I'm sticking to greek yogurt. You've fucking done it, Iogo. You've crossed the fucking line. I'll see you in court.
I hate you with every fibre of my existence,


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Baurion is a Breton ostler who can be found at the Roxey Inn.
Baurion can be found drinking inside the inn from 10 AM to 12 AM the next day until he goes outside and sits on a bench just near the entrance through 6 AM then he goes and sleeps on a bed roll behind the inn until 10 AM then his schedule repeats.
Baurion does not have much to say to the Hero other then giving the latest rumors, he will however sometimes talk to the other customers inside the inn.


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"Banana" Jack Murphy is a youthful looking 43, but his young looks belie the twenty-five years he's spent as a broadcaster. He began on the radio a few weeks after graduating from high school and has been at it ever since. He's worked as a dj in hard rock, classic rock, country, and bluegrass as well as doing radio and TV interviewing, selling advertising, and doing general promotion. With this broad experience, it's little wonder that when he got the chance he purchased a small radio station and started developing the sort of programming best representing his interests and enthusiasm. WLSC (AM 1240) in Loris, South Carolina is the result.
Jack became "Banana" Jack about twenty years ago when he moved to Myrtle Beach and was broadcasting the morning program with a partner named O.J. (no…not THAT O.J.). The station wanted listeners to have something with their O.J., so they figured bananas went well and Jack was named. He's been "Banana" Jack ever since. A slight man, Jack seems larger than his size as his enthusiasm for his present effort is so great. As we drove to Loris from our campsite at Ocean Lakes, we came into WLSC's listening area and heard some God and Country country music, Jack's enthusiastic presentation of upcoming events and possibilities, some classic country with Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson and a few ads. We came into Loris, a small, neat southern town which expects to benefit from the expansion westward of the Grand Strand as land, even in these slow times, has become ever less available and more expensive near the beach. WLSC is located in a brick storefront on the corner of SC 9 and Main Street, an ideal location for local folks to stop in and chew the fat, listen to music, or perform live.
The WLSC studios are still a work in progress, having only recently moved to town from a dilapidated mobile home a few miles out of town where the transmitter is still located. The storefront window looks right in on the broadcast studio where Jack is working. He's been doing live radio, but as we come in he pushes a few buttons and steps out to greet us while the technology takes over. For the next hour the music plays, the ads run, and the show goes on without Jack's having to take the mic again. We sit together on a beige leather sectional and talk about his career in radio, his love of country and bluegrass music, and his hope and dreams for this small radio station. We're interrupted briefly as a young musician gives Jack a call to seek air time and they arrange an in-studio interview and later as workmen come in to install insulation - a work in progress.
At present, the station is programming bluegrass mostly on Saturday with some additional tunes interspersed with the country and gospel offerings. At noon on Saturdays WLSC carries Cindy Baucom's syndicated Knee Deep in Bluegrass program, an IBMA award winning show heard nationwide,. After Baucom's program, Jack spins three hours of bluegrass programming from 2:00 until 5:00 PM on Saturday afternoons. Plans are afoot for increasing the amount of bluegrass played at the station, and, since there is no other bluegrass outlet in the region, Jack expects to be able to draw an audience for it. For listeners not within WLSC's signal range, the station streams audio here.
The studio has sufficient space to permit live programming. At present most of the live offerings are local gospel singers who perform and preach from the studio on Sundays and Monday evenings. His plans, however, include a couple of programs which will include live bluegrass programming. "Bluegrass on the Corner" and "Live from Loris" are both in the plan and will be coming soon. Jack is also programming two syndicated segments of western music on Saturdays. Clear out West features Andy and Jim Nelson telling stories and spinning western tunes. Spirit of the West celebrates cowboy life.
Just as we're preparing to return home, we sight a small space toward the back lined from floor to ceiling with old 45 rpm and 33 1/3 recordings of classic rock, country, and bluegrass. The albums and records are in pristine condition and will provide listeners with hundreds of hours of pleasure re-experiencing music too little played on the radio these days. Original albums by Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Kitty Wells, Flatt & Scruggs and more are there. Jack pulls out albums and records while he excitedly shares his memories of these performers and his love for the music. The décor of his station will feature his collection of recording and radio memorabilia. All in all, Banana Jack Murphy has shown remarkable ambition and ability as he takes a station which had seen better days and prepares it to fill niches where a need exists in his broadcasting area. Bluegrass and country music fans could do much worse than check in on this station as it develops.


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Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Newton Might Have Known a Thing or Two
So as I'm telling her all of this, and oh so much more, it occurs to me that this apple didn't fall far from the tree. As a kid, I used to watch in horror and embarrassment as my mom would tell her life story to anyone who would listen - other people in the check-out line, grocery checkers, gas station attendants, department store sales clerks, etc. I was mortified by this because I was certain that these people had absolutely no desire to listen to her anecdotes and at 13 my greatest desire was to de-emphasize any connection I had to my parents. Like pubescent children everywhere, I was WAY too cool to be spending time out with them. I suspect, however, that then, as now, people generally responded to her quite positively.
Now, I find myself talking to people on a regular basis, just the way she did. It seems that I've spent a good part of my life trying to distinguish myself from her big personality by being as different as possible and in the end I've wound up being more like her than I ever would have expected. Go figure.
5 comments:
I guess it's true that we all turn out like our mothers, to some extent. My mom is also fond of sharing a bit too much information, especially with whomever is helping her at the register at Macy's or someplace like that. I guess someday I'll be talking in detail about the sweater that didn't wash up well at all or the bra that's underwire almost cut me.ReplyDelete
I find myself using the phrase "my son" too often and possibly in an obnoxious way.
I have to say though if I'm half as good a mom as my mom is, I'll be pleased and proud.
Ditto on being like my embarrassing mom. You just know they cackle about it!ReplyDelete
Yeah, whether we like it or not I think we all end up like our mothers.ReplyDelete
I find that since I've started staying home with my kids, I am much more talkative and hungry for adult conversation.
Biology has its pull! :)ReplyDelete
Nature and Nurture is a tough combo to escape! It sounds like you and your mom are fun to sit by at the salon.ReplyDelete
And, you are killing me with the picture of the bean with the bedding and the plaid dress... that is such good stuff.


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When people talk about luddites or technophobes, a snicker swell seems to occur; after all, we're in the digital age, why are people so irrationally resistant to improvements and newer-better-faster more efficient standardizations? Being a luddite today, or any day for that matter, is much akin to calling yourself "anti-improvement" as a political label.
But we need to be very careful with labels because they're sticky, and frequently wrong.
I had to remind myself of that as I read yesterday's Bangor Daily News OpEd piece Shannon Martin: Internet no substitute for newspapers... on the internet. Never mind the irony that I and thousands of others would never have seen Dr. Martin's article were it not published online; I was amusing myself with imaginings of a Green movement backlash calling her a Tree-Killer.
By contrast, there's rationality and good intention behind Dr. Martin's position. Her strongest point is that no equipment is needed for the citizen to view a newspaper. As well, Martin and I agree on this: the public must be informed of its government's business. But she also has phobia of a change in public notice standards, imagining many fears that simply have no basis.
Her very premise, as extracted almost word for word from the book she published ten years ago on the same topic, "Newspapers of Record in a Digital Age", appears flawed, out of date and out of touch. The idea that printed newspapers create the most ideal permanency of record may have had a dying relevance a decade ago, but today it's being lowered into the ground at best, grinding to dust at worst. There are dozens of ways to maintain a permanent record, digital or otherwise, without newspapers. Does that mean we should get rid of printed newspapers tomorrow? Absolutely not.
Maine's bill to generate cost savings through internet publication standardization, LD 1878, is an excellent step in the right direction: tax revenue efficiency; human resource efficiency; publication timeliness efficiency; and, the benefit of the start of a digital age open government standardization model.
Speaking of which, Martin claims that going to an instant information model is somehow an attack on open government. But that was simply an afterthought, here are some stunners:
Pushing and Pulling
Publishing in newspapers is "pushing" the data out to citizens, while publishing online is making the citizen "pull" the data to them.
I could write a book on why this is wholly invalid, but let me start with this: What is the difference between a man using his computer to get a government body meeting date and a man driving to the grocery store to purchase a newspaper that provides the information? Speed, cost, convenience and reliability all favor the former. Want to talk subscription? That one favors the eCitizen as well.
The jaw-dropper here is that Martin seems to ignore the fact that LD 1878 has a provision so that those who don't want to use a computer can get a direct mail subscription to the information! That leaves newspaper publishing in the dust... doesn't it, or am I missing something nostalgic here?
Death to the Proud Maine Activist
How can the pride of Maine, the government activist, possibly survive if the information isn't published in the newspaper?
This is what gave me the sense that Martin is out of touch. Activists do one thing really well: they act. The fact that activists can now get all their information through a computer rather than a printed paper allows activists to be more productive while doing less. Activists use computers. If they don't, then they wait for an activist leader who does to give them information.
The fact is that the people who want this information are going to get it: purchasing a newspaper or visiting a website doesn't make a difference. Technophobes are a dying breed; their ludditiousness is being pandered to for reasons that make as much sense as outlawing newspapers because I fear getting newspaper ink all over my hands.
Newspapers are Taken More Seriously
If newspapers are independent of the government, then there's more accountability and the publishing carries more "seriousness" weight.
Not to be brash, but I'm having a hard time taking this argument seriously. I'm sure you can see that there isn't even a leaky cup there to hold the water in the first place.
Internet Content isn't Easily Accessible
"All who use the Internet know that digital media are neither fixed nor easily accessible."
I now feel a bond with the last thought of a truck driver who is about to hit a deer that refuses to budge. There is a lot to be learned here for Dr. Martin and I highly recommend that she spend some time understanding not only the second-nature intuitiveness that has been developed in the internet universe, but also the technologies of wordflow automation that are available to governments. Online archiving is here, it's available and it's more useable than any newspaper archive or microfiche ever has been.
Publishing on the Internet will be Resource-Heavy
"A system will be required that includes computing system startup, upkeep and maintenance, software, hardware, technicians, system oversight, system archiving, emergency response personnel and backup systems."
This is a looping load of filler. Computing system startup? If she's not talking about the power button, then we need more clarity. Hardware? Your government better already have it and they'll need to replace it in a couple years time regardless of LD 1878. Emergency response personnel? Is that similar to the fire truck that comes every time I find all the newspapers at the store are sold out or when the paperboy skips your house? System archiving and backup systems? Repeat after me: "redundancy." The rest of this is all software. Get a comprehensive open government software solution that automates all of the clerical processes and you have hands-free system oversight, system archiving, off-site backups, support technicians, live meeting video streams, real-time online publishing and a whole lot more.
Even if a situation arose where it would cost less to publish only via newspapers, LD 1878 fairly allows for that option to be used in lieu of internet publication.
Nielsen ratings published in December of '06 show that 70% of US citizens are online. How many of that super-majority actually purchase the newspaper? How many of the other 30% actually get a newspaper to find out about public meeting notices?
Dr. Shannon Martin has every American's best interests at heart, but her beliefs cost more tax dollars than most constituents may wish to spend. If you and your community are fine with a biennial cost of over 1.5 million dollars to additionally publish in the newspaper, that's fantastic; go for it! However, the base of all information needs to be digital, it needs to be searchable and it needs to be online first.


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The iCal application included on your Mac OS X operating system helps you organize your appointments and meetings. iCal allows you to share the events and appointments on your iCal with others, even if you don't have a MobileMe account. MobileMe is a cloud-based service from Apple that stores your backups, files and other data on the Internet so it can be accessed from any location with an Internet connection.
Click the "iCal" application on the dock or from the "Applications" folder.
Click the "Calendars" button and choose the calendar you want to share with another user.
Click the "Calendar" menu button and click "Publish."
Click "Everyone" to make the calendar public for other users to access or choose the "Only the People You Invite" button to share the calendar with specific people.
Click "Share" to share the iCal calendar with other users.
Photo Credits
- Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images


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As thousands of Kyivites get fired, Kyiv Mayor Leonid "Kosmos" Chernovetsky imports a Finnish Santa Claus and paints the sky with fireworks.
On December 20, Kyivites witnessed the best of bread and circuses.
The Finnish Santa Claus-for-hire
Kyiv Mayor Leonid "Kosmos" Chernovetsky: Kyiv has many problems, but today we will not talk about bad things. Today, there's a holiday waiting for us. At the City Hall, we prepared for you the best, the tallest, the most beautiful, and the fluffiest Christmas tree. It's made up of four hundred…and fifty pines. We spent half a million hryvnias on it.
Bystander: Let's not talk about how much we spent!
Mayor Chernovetsky: Every year, we add one meter to the Christmas tree. Soon, it will reach the sky. Citizens, have fun! It's all for you! Now, I have the magic word. I suppose the Christmas tree should be lit. You're not screaming loud enough! Louder!
Finito la comedia!
P.S. Here's a funny Soviet postcard I found by happenstance.
Happy New Year!


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In my area, Goodwill has a great selection, reasonable prices and daily sales. Other good thrift stores include the ARC and the Salvation Army. If your town lacks good thrift stores, consignments shops can also be a good bet. Keep in mind that the less money you spend on clothes, the more money you have for steak and coconut oil.
|(Yeah, that's me. 210 lbs and shrinking.)
This entire outfit, including shoes, was less than $14.00. So you can really go poppin' tags with only $20 in your pocket!


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There are two main areas, one side is the dining/restaurant, the others is selling is small items like yoghurt and tidbits.
This is the place selling the tidbits and etc.
This is the Dining/Restaurant area. As you can see there are a lot of customer especially during lunch/dining time. We waited for 25 minutes or so.
We ordered the Salmon, portion is a bit small for me, :)
Pork Chop, food average around 250 baht ++
The taste of the food is average normal western food, its not those that you will shout oomph, I need to have it again.
You could order their ice cream for 60 baht per scoop and you can get to keep their cup. You can see the cup on the shelves below.
Where is this Place : Th Mitraphap Muak Lek KM 144, along the way to Bangkok From Khao Yai
Is there a Website : Dairy Home and Facebook Page
Price Range : Slightly above average
Type : Dining
Will I go again : If I go to Khao Yai again, I will drop by
Map : Refer below


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Due to word blindness I clicked on "with helmets" rather than "with picklehaub". End result a pack of 77mm Guns with the wrong crew, Oh well I thought I can always use the guns as part of later army I will just order the right pack. This time managed to click on 2 packs of "Howitzer" rather than "Field Gun". End result the right crews for the first Field guns and one of the packs of Howitzers. So the crew "with helmets" have now become a Howitzer battalion rather than 77mm in the front line.
As they are in helmets these will be for a later period army than my 1914 - 1915 collection. Fancied my hand at some of the more elaborate camo. No idea if it is realistic but they were fun to paint.
Usual basing material using a mix of PVA and flexible filler. Given a watered down coat of GW Graveyard earth which I am now on my last pot of. GW Desert Yellow dry brush (loads of that left) and finally "burnt grass" static grass.
The go with the Stormtroopers and the A7V I did a while ago so happy that they aren't on their lonesome.
As with all gamers, projects come and go. Models you were thinking of moving on get a new lease of life due to a comment in the Hobby or a movie on TV. This will hopefully be my record of my best endeavours not to start anything new until I have at least completed 75% of what I already have....as if that is ever going to happen ;)
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
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Irish Chemistry Olympiad
March 30, 2017 | Leave a Comment
Good luck to two of our Leaving Certificate students Ciara Finan and Aideen O'Reilly who are competing in the Irish chemistry Olympiad on Saturday. Teachers were invited to nominate up to two of the most enthusiastic and keenest students in the school in Chemistry, both Aideen and Ciara have shown through their academic achievement and class […]
Trend Micro Poster Competition Winner
May 18, 2016 | Leave a Comment
Well done to Tamzin Cahill, St. Nevan 1st Yr, who won the school poster 13+ category of the Trend Micro "What's your story competition". This is the third year in a row that Loreto College have been successful in this competition. Below is a photograph of Tamzin displaying her winning poster titled "Knowledge in the […]
Good Luck Sorcha
March 10, 2016 | Leave a Comment
Best of luck to Sorcha Finan, 2nd Yr, who is in the finals for the Education Prize which is taking place in Manchester this Friday 11th March.
The 11 finalists from the UK and Ireland will take part in a workshop with wire artist Celia Smith. The overall winner will be announced at the workshop.
"Princess Wars" – Fresh Film Festival
February 11, 2016 | Leave a Comment
Princess Wars, a film made by a group in last year's TY, has reached the Leinster final of the Fresh Film Festival. It was selected out of 400 entries. The film will be screened in the Odeon cinema in the Point Village Dublin, on Thursday 25th February between 10am – 1.30pm. The viewing audience will vote […]
Loreto Christmas Card Competition
December 1, 2015 | Leave a Comment
It's that time of year again, where many students get the opportunity to enter a design into Loreto's annual Christmas card competition. There are three categories; Traditional Christmas Card, Religious Card and a card for the school. This year there was a total of 94 creative and talented entries. There are three winners who each […]
ISTA Science Quiz
November 23, 2015 | Leave a Comment
The Cavan/Monaghan Branch of the Irish Science Teachers' Association hosted the regional final of the Senior Science quiz in our school on Thursday 12th November. Twelve teams competed in this "battle of the minds" with our very own Ms. Amond taking on the role of quiz mistress on the night. Ciara Shiels, Mairead Bogue and Clodagh O'Reilly, 6th […]
Cross Country Update
October 16, 2015 | Leave a Comment
On Tuesday the 6th of October 29 students from Loreto Cavan travelled to St Brigid's Athletic Club in Co. Meath to take part in the Geraldine Dolan Memorial Schools Cross Country meeting. It was a huge event with over 450 athletes from 17 different schools taking part. The athletes from Loreto Cavan put in a […]
Mathletes Success
April 27, 2015 | Leave a Comment
We are delighted to announce that Ciara Sheils (5th year) was successful in winning the Ulster provincial playoffs of the Mathletes challenge last Saturday 18th April. Ciara had to complete timed online maths challenges, problem solving questions and a teamwork activity in which she performed excellently. Clodagh O'Reilly (5th year) also competed in the provincial […]
'Get up and Go' Competition
April 27, 2015 | Leave a Comment
On the 17th of April, we made our way to Athlone Springs Hotel for a transition year mini-company competition called 'Get up and Go'. A total of 25 companies participated in this competition. This competition focuses on all aspects of a business: Quality, Innovation, Finance, Communication and Marketing. Two companies from our school were involved […]
Irish Junior Mathematics Competition
April 20, 2015 | Leave a Comment
We are very proud to announce that four of our first year students have been selected to take part in the finals of the Irish Junior Mathematics Competition. These students are Emma Dolan, Sorcha Finan, Zuzanna Lazvga and Eimear Rudden. They will travel to Monaghan on Friday 8th May to compete. We wish you all […]
A MATHLETES update
April 20, 2015 | Leave a Comment
Students have worked really hard online since we took on the Mathletes challenge at the end of February. We have had a number of students finishing in top 10 positions nationally for the month of March and one student came top of the country in her year category, a massive achievement. The students who placed in […]
Sports Update
March 27, 2015 | Leave a Comment
Cross Country Running has been very successful within the school year, with many competitors of various year groups. The Ulster cross country championships took place in Belfast on 24/02 with Clodagh O'Reilly (5th yr) taking gold in the senior race and Megan McGivney (1st yr) coming 7th in the minor race. Congratulations to […]
Irish Junior Mathematics Competition 2015
March 18, 2015 | Leave a Comment
On the 4th March, all first year students in the school took part in the Irish Junior Mathematics Competition ran by the Irish Maths Teachers Association. A great effort was made by all students on this problem based quiz and a very high standard of maths was observed. Big congratulations to the following 1st year […]
MATHLETES Challenge 2015
March 18, 2015 | Leave a Comment
This year the mathematics department have signed students up to take part in the MATHLETES challenge. We have invited 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th year students to register on khanacademy.org and complete maths missions and problems to earn points both for themselves and our school team. A great enthusiasm is being shown by all students […]
Inter Schools Sailing Competition
January 26, 2015 | Leave a Comment
Pictured below is a photograph of one of the less traditional sports we enter teams into at Loreto College Cavan. Caoimhe Martin participated in an Inter Schools Sailing Competition before Christmas at Malahide, Dublin. It was a great experience for Caoimhe and all the sailors. The competition was organised by Olympic Sailor Ciara Peelo who […]
Clodagh represents Ireland in Bulgaria
January 25, 2015 | Leave a Comment
Clodagh O' Reilly, 5th Yr, represented Ireland in the Spar European Cross Country Championships which were in Samokov, Bulgaria on the 14th of December. As a result of Clodagh's success at the Irish Schools Cross Country Championships Clodagh was selected to be a part of the Irish Women's Junior Team. Clodagh flew out with Double […]
Our very own "Young Scientists"
January 16, 2015 | Leave a Comment
Three Transition Year students recently participated in the BT Young Scientist 2015 exhibition.
"Can you beat us" is a project on game theory by Ciara Finan and Emma O' Reilly. The girls pursued a mathematical study of how to use game theory to develop a winning strategy for a game called Pick-Up, reducing this down to […]
Sporting Success!
December 12, 2014 | Leave a Comment
We in Loreto College, Cavan are very proud of the sporting achievements of our students and it is true to say that our school is fast becoming a sproting academy with students excelling in Ladies football, athletics, rugby, soccer, basketball, badminton, swimming, camogie and even archery. Pictured below from left: Morna O'Hanlon, rugby, Michaella Leddy, […]
Loreto Swim Gala
December 11, 2014 | Leave a Comment
Students from Loreto Cavan recently took part in the annual Loreto Schools Gala in the National Aquatic Centre in Blanchardstown. It was a highly successful day resulting in many wins for our excellent swim team. Deborah Coyle won the U-16 back crawl 50m race. Eimear Brady won the 50m breast stroke in the over-16s team […]
'Tis The Season……To Design Christmas Cards!
December 1, 2014 | Leave a Comment
Christmas is getting near and Loreto is getting into the festive cheer. There were many entries in our annual Christmas card competition ranging from traditional cards to festive cards and the judges had a hard time deciding on a winner. Eventually the winners were announced, Nicole Dolan, Arooj Moghal and Eleanor O'Flynn . The prizes […]
Sports Update
November 17, 2014 | Leave a Comment
It is true to say that Loreto College students and their teachers have been very busy over this past few months, not only with their studies, but also with their sporting activities. See below for an update!
Senior Gaelic Football
The Senior Gaelic football team had their first Ulster game against Our Lady's Castleblaney. The team came […]
'Rapped Up' In Maths!
November 14, 2014 | Leave a Comment
The Student Council's Rap 'n' Maths competition took place from the 21th – 24th of October. All of the maths classes were preparing weeks before the competition and great creativity was shown by all. On Tuesday 1st Years and 2nd Years took the spotlight giving us very entertaining versions of many of the latest songs. […]
Loreto students make an impact on the Irish Rugby scene.
November 4, 2014 | Leave a Comment
Congratulations to Shannen Lane and Morna O'Hanlon, sixth year students, who are making an impact on the Irish Rugby scene. Shannen currently has 6 international caps for her country and has recently represented Ireland on the U19 rugby sevens team, in the 2014 Sainsbury's School Games and in the European Championships. Morna is a member of […]
Go Lauren!
September 18, 2014 | Leave a Comment
Lauren Gaynor, St. Imelda was awarded athlete of the year by Archery Ireland and the National Sport's Council of Ireland at a ceremony in Dublin on September 17th. The award was made in recognition of her success throughout 2014 as well her dedication and commitment to her sport. Lauren represented Ireland at the World Cup […]
National Award for Bernadette
May 20, 2014 | Leave a Comment
Bernadette Harkin (St Kevin) is pictured here with her prizewinning Internet Safety poster, which won the €3000 overall school prize in the 2014 Trend Micro "What's Your Story" competition (details here).
Bernadette's poster depicts The Little Mermaid, Ariel, who makes good use of the Internet to stay connected to the world. Bernadette and her St Kevin […]
Ulster Champions show off their Cup!!
May 16, 2014 | Leave a Comment
Our victorious U-16 Ulster Champions arrived back after school to a great welcome in the Staffroom to show off their silverware – well done on a great achievement girls!
Here are the celebration pictures, of some of the team with their two coaches Ms Smith and Mrs Shannon, taken by Adrian Donohoe…
More Success for Enterprising Students
March 21, 2014 | Leave a Comment
Enterprise Education is again on a high in our school – Ms Dolan reports on her student teams recent successes:
County Cavan Student Enterprise Awards 2014 were held recently, the following teams were awarded prizes. All three winning teams will go forward to the National Finals in Croke Park on April 2nd, and we wish them […]
Clodagh's family is Ireland's Fittest Family
February 15, 2014 | Leave a Comment
In a very close final, broadcast on RTE last night, Clodagh O'Reilly (TY Rubens) and her family won the tough competition to find "Ireland's Fittest Family". Congratulations, and well done on keeping it all secret until the final show.
Lauren now ranked in world Top 10 Archers
January 31, 2014 | Leave a Comment
Congratulations to 5th Year student Lauren Gaynor is now ranked #8 in the World Archery tables. Here she is competing recently to gain that place.
Regional Interschools Showjumping competition in Cavan
November 29, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Best Wishes to our 'Red' and 'Green' teams as they compete in Cavan equestrian Centre this weekend. Our Participants listed here…
Windows Poetry Awards 2013
October 8, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Megan Brady (Student Editor) writes:
On Sunday 22nd of September, three of our students: Eimear Connolly (6th Year), Abike Aiyegbusi and Abbey Rae (both in 3rd Year) represented Loreto College Cavan at the Windows Poetry Awards 2013. This is a National Poetry Competition which is now in its 21st year, and attracts thousands of entries each year […]
Ready for the All-Ireland Ladies final on Sunday
September 26, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Our Irish teacher Ms Doonan, pictured here in her Cavan colours, is ready to play her part in the All Ireland Ladies Intermediate Football Final on Sunday in Croke Park. We all wish her, and all our past pupils on the team, the very best. Here Ms Doonan shares her thoughts on the journey so […]
TY video wins national award
May 29, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Every year TrendMicro, a Cork based technology firm, sponsors an Internet Safety competition for students called "What's your Story?". This year the students were challenged to make a 2-minute video showing the good side of the Internet, using their original ideas. Our TY students took up the challenge, and today it was announced that we […]
Poster Prizewinners
April 30, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Here are the prizewinnng entries to the Student Council Anti-Litter Anti-Gum competition…
The winners are as follows:
Ciara Deering – Be part of the solution, not the pollution.
Nafeesa Naz – Don't be a Litter Bug.
Caoilin Young – Think and stop before you drop.
Aideen O'Reilly – Don't be a tosser.
Caoimhe wins in Croke Park
April 15, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Young Entrepreneur Caoimhe O'Reilly (2nd Yr) is pictured above on RTE's Nationwide April 15th Show (available at on RTE Player, Caoimhe featured at approx. 21 mins into the show), collecting her award at the national finals of the Enterprise Awards.
Alanna's Got Talent!
March 18, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Well done to Alanna Donohoe (1st Yr), pictured here in the Anglo Celt newspaper, who last weekend won the final of Cavan's Got Junior Talent last weekend.
Eircom Junior Spiders Awards Update!
March 5, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Megan Brady (student editor) writes:
Today we are at the Eircom Junior Spiders awards at the RDS, Dublin. Our blog had been shortlisted for Best project. We have met lots of other schools with amazing projects. Soon the winners will be announced, so wish us luck! Here myself and Hannah are pictured with James Whelton and Bill Liao the creators […]
Ulster Ladies Gaelic Football Final
March 5, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Match report from Ms. Doonan:
The Loreto U16 Gaelic Football team competed in the Ulster Ladies Gaelic Football Final on the 25th of February at the Mid Ulster Sports Arena, Cookstown. They were competing against Our Lady's and St. Patrick's College, Belfast. The final was a very fast game and the determination of both teams was […]
All Ireland Senior Camogie Semi-Final!
March 5, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Match report from Ms Doonan:
Following their victory at the Ulster Camogie Final the Loreto Senior Camogie team competed in the All Ireland Senior Camoige Semi-Final on Friday the 22nd of February. They were competing against Scoil Mhuire, Trim at Trim GAA. The Semi-Final was a very physical game with Scoil Mhuire taking the lead from the […]
Amy is a 'Homecook Hero'
January 7, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Second Year students Amy Wharton (St Julieanna) has got through to the final stages of the Homecook Hero baking competition. Congratulations to Amy and her Home Ec teacher Ms Reddington. We have all been busy voting for Amy's delicious Chocolate Brownies to win.
Bullseye for Lauren
December 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Lauren Gaynor (Athena) Loreto College Cavan who has had a very successful year in Archery. She competed at the EBHC (European Bowhunting Championships) in Italy in July of this year where she won Gold. More recently she competed in the Irish Indoor Open Archery Competition In Dundalk, Co. Louth. Many countries from Europe […]
Senior Camogie team are Ulster Champions
December 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Our U19 Camogie team, pictured celebrating above with the Roisín McManus shield, won their replay of the Ulster Final this Sunday evening. They beat St Clare's College, Ballyjamesduff 4-4 to 0-2, and out now through to the All Ireland Semi-final on Saturday 16th February 2013.
Student Council Christmas 2012 Card Competition winners 2012
December 12, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Laura O'Conor and Emma Brady (Head Prefects) announce:
The winners of the 2012 Christmas Card Competition were announced today. Thank you to Easons Cavan (P&M Lynch) for their generous sponsorship of the prizes. All entries are displayed on the Student Council noticeboard.
The winning students for 2012 are:
School Card Winner: Rebecca Tully (1st Year)
Religious Category:
Winner: Weronika Kocurkiewicz […]
Enabling Access Through Generations
December 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Amanda Collins, Emma Clarke and Shannen Lane (Athena) write:
We recently won the local Enabling Access poster competition and were invited to an award ceremony in Dublin. We arrived this afternoon at City Hall with our Class Tutor Ms McVeigh and were welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Dublin. We listened to five guest speakers at […]
The Dragons' Lair is in sight for Shopoly!
November 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Megan Brady (5th Yr) writes:
Our business project Shopoly made it through to the regional finals of Dragons Den. Shopoly is a board game and app based in a supermarket environment that teaches you children how to use money in a fun and and educational way.On Thursday the 15th of November we went to […]
International Mathematics Olympiad
November 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Mrs Cassidy writes:
Five of our students – Mable Kurian, Ruth Maloney-Derham, Aileen McCabe, Dearbhla McGovern and Orla Murphy – have been selected to participate in Mathematics Enrichment lasses. These classes lead to Olympiad training classes in preparation for the International Mathematics Olympiad which will take place in May 2013.
The purpose of this initiative is two-fold. […]
Paige Conroy is one of Ireland's top ten young golfers
November 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Paige Conroy (Apollo) writes:
I first became interested in golf when I participated in golf lessons with the school when I was a first year student. Now I have a handicap of 19 which qualified me to play in an all-Ireland competition for under 18's.This competition was on a links course in Sea Point, Co. Louth. […]
Mid-term Math Madness
October 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment
We had a great finish to our first half term today with the performance of the first raps, song and drama to celebrate Math week. Fractions, decimals, angles all got rhymed and reasoned to music. The judges had a difficult job to pick winners – these will be announced after mid-term so watch this space.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2012
August 6, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Good luck to all Loreto students, teachers, staff and families who are competing, performing, volunteering or working at the All-Ireland Fleadh in Cavan August 10th-20th.
Here are some of our Loreto / Killashandra musicians in action:
Lauren wins National Art Award
May 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Lauren O'Rourke from 2nd Year was recently announced the winner of the Mental Health Ireland National Photographic Project. The theme of the Project was Positive Mental Health.
Lauren's photograph was chosen from entries received from second-level students from all over Ireland. The theme of the Project was Positive Mental Health. Sarah was awarded a trophy […]
Concern debates
February 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment
This is the season for the Concern Debates, Concern's flagship school activity. This week our team of Emer, Lisa, Raja and Yvette went to Moyne Community School with their coach Ms McGlade and a small group of suporters. The topic being debated was that "Africa's growing population is preventing its development". The chief judge was […]
Siamsa Gael Linn finalists
January 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Congratulations to "Pé Scéal É" – Niamh Goeghegan, Rachael Birt, Lauren Sexton, Danielle Brady, Áine McDermott, Bronagh Sweeney, Emma Brady and EimearConnolly – who made it through to the next round of Siamsa Gael Linn, one of 32 groups from all over Ireland to get through. The next stage of the competition takes place on […]
Final preparations for Young Scientists
January 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Eimear Kelly (TY Europa) writes:
Eimear Kelly, Ciara Deering and Laura Young will be participating in the BT Young Scientist Exhibition in the RDS, Dublin this week from January 11th until January 14th. Our project is based on mental health. We are creating a mental health teaching pack to improve and develop mental health education. This […]
Photographic competition
November 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Get your entries in for the TY Photographic competition, on the theme of positive mental health – entries by December 9th to Ms Rogan please.
Loreto Swim Gala at National Aquatic Centre
November 14, 2011 | 3 Comments
Síomha Surlis writes:
Last Friday the 11th of November, 26 students went with Ms Doonan and Mrs Mary McKeever of Breifne Swim Club to the National Aquatic Centre for the annual Loreto Swim Gala. We started our warm up at 10.30 and the competition started at 11.00. We swam freestyle, backcrawl, breaststroke, butterfly and relays. Our […]
Rap'n Maths is a great hit to date!
October 23, 2011 | 16 Comments
The Student Council Rap'n Maths competition got underway last week. On Monday 3rd Yrs faced off against 2nd Yrs and 6th Yrs battled it out with 5th Yrs. On Friday the 1st Yrs held their competition. The TYs (who were on Work Experience last week) will challenge each other next Wednesday.
There was great creativity shown […]
Maths Rap competition
October 12, 2011 | 20 Comments
All Maths classes are busy preparing their entries for the Maths Rap competition which runs through next week, organised by the Student Council as this years charity fundraiser. As you can see from the poster below, the entry fee is a very appropriate "50c" per student. Watch this space, we will post the winners as […]
'Calci-Yum' and 'Milk Mustaches' Reach Regional Finals
April 13, 2011 | 1 Comment
Anne Marie Connolly and Gemma Cullen (TY Monnet) write:
Transition year art students with the help of their teacher Ms. Molloy got the opportunity to compete in the Milk It! Awards. The Milk It! Awards is an awareness programme involving the creativity and might of students to communicate with fellow teens. Students are given important health […]


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School library survey will collect data by district
On April 1, the South Dakota State Library opened the annual school library survey to collect data for the 2011-12 school year. Each district is asked to submit one survey per district rather than one survey per library. The survey will be available online through May 16. District superintendents should have been notified of survey access details via email on March 29.
The State Library is charged with collecting annual data from the states school libraries (SDCL 14-1-44 (7) Execution of State Library Policy).
The State Library will compile survey data and report back to superintendents in the fall of 2012 so that the data can be informative in the districts decision-making processes and school improvement planning. Previous data digests are available on the State Library's website.
Research results from across the nation show that effective school libraries result in higher student achievement achievement that can be measured in improved reading scores. Effective school libraries have a program, a place, and a professional who collaborates with and supports all content areas in delivering curriculum and meeting standards.
For more information, please contact Daria Bossman, Assistant State Librarian for Development Services, at (605)773-3131.


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Show Me Deaf Community is a b/vlog about what I see and what the Deaf Community show me in daily life. The author is a.k.a. Deaf Advocate on other blogs. He believes in Deaf Advocacy and the rights of the Deaf in all aspects of life from birth to grave. It is a human right and a testimony to facts of life affecting the deaf community. He firmly believes in Laurent Clerc and his contributions to the New World. George Veditz is another one! He predicted videophones in 1913!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
AG BELL: The Father of Deaf Eugenics
Alexander Graham "Bell was connected with the eugenics movement in the United States. In his lecture Memoir upon the formation of a deaf variety of the human race presented to the National Academy of Sciences on 13 November 1883 he noted that congenitally deaf parents were more likely to produce deaf children and tentatively suggested that couples where both parties were deaf should not marry.[112] However, it was his hobby of livestock breeding which led to his appointment to biologist David Starr Jordan's Committee on Eugenics, under the auspices of the American Breeders Association. The committee unequivocally extended the principle to man.[113] From 1912 until 1918 he was the chairman of the board of scientific advisers to the Eugenics Record Office associated with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, and regularly attended meetings. In 1921, he was the honorary president of the Second International Congress of Eugenics held under the auspices of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Organisations such as these advocated passing laws (with success in some states) that established the compulsory sterilization of people deemed to be, as Bell called them, a "defective variety of the human race". By the late 1930s, about half the states in the U.S. had eugenics laws, and the California laws were used as a model for eugenics laws in Nazi Germany." (from internet sources)
Hitler benefitted from Bell's research. This shows proof why George Veditz wrote that many deaf people feared AG Bell. Today, any followers of AG Bell or any programs that are related to "eugenics" by any form or association are guilty by association with sick individuals who wanted to remove deaf from the human race. It is a sign of sickness on those hearing people who believe in Bell's dangerous fantasy.
Oral programs have hidden agenda for practicing eugenics. This is how and why many oralists are pawns of audism. Do not forget that 62% of AG Bell membership are in medical profession. Their only mission are very pathological and oppressive.
They spread lies through their manipulation of many innocent deaf babies. There is a reason for us to stop them in their tracks!
It is time to tell truth! Oralism is just a false facade for audism.
It is a form of physical and mental abuse that has gone on and on since September 11, 1880.
It is time to STOP IT!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
This story is happening all over the world on how audiologists as well as other so-called hearing professionals who claim to be helping the deaf are TWO-FACED!!!
They lie just like Alexander Graham Bell. They all have been telling LIES since 1880!
They are conspirators of audism!
They are profiteering from deaf babies!
This is a BIG shame!
It is time to STAMP OUT AUDISM!
You need to get off your fannies and stop the madness caused by hearing people!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
It is ages old quote. It was quoted by Sir Francis Bacon in 1597. He quoted it as "Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est."
And Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr on October 8, 1952 said, "If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us. The free mind is not a barking dog, to be tethered on a ten-foot chain.
This is what hearing people are trying to dumb the deaf community down by using oral methods. It is a false facade of audism. Those conspirators of audism have no mercy or no excuses. It is a shocking shame how those hearing people are behaving towards deaf community at large. They are treating deaf people as barking dogs tethered on a ten-foot chains.
They are lying through their teeth like dogs when it comes to oralism. They are too stubborn and too selfish to let deaf use American Sign Language. It looks stupid and silly on them when they tell the public not to use ASL. It backfires on them and there will be more to come.
With the political turmoil and the AB2072, it is time to declare war on their stupidity, selfishness and aggorance.
It is time for cognitive restructuring. It is time to educate the public. It is time to air out their dirty laundry.
Now the Audists Hall of Shame is open and those people are inducted into the Hall of Shame for being conspirators in practicing audism.
Alexander Graham Bell was the conspirator of eugenics in trying to remove the deaf from the human race. Adolf Hitler adopted his plans for his ill-fated country. Alexander even asked Congress to let him experiment on deaf people and even recommended sterilizing them to prevent more deaf born.
Tony Mendoza authored the bill AB2072 and is considered conspirator of audism.
Oberkotter Foundation is the conspirator of audism by combating ASL and forcing deaf babies to use AVT and cochlear implants. It is viewed as an "evil empire".
Karl White is a conspirator of audism. He was rude to deaf people at the meeting. He said, "Deaf people do not know what is best for deaf babies" quoted by Karl White of EDHI 6:27 PM Apr 21st 2010.
Central Institute for the Deaf is conspirator of audism.
St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf is conspirator of audism.
Jean Moog is conspirator of audism.
Theresa Bulger is conspirator of audism. She made rude comments about a deaf Texas girl who was killed by train.
If you know of anyone who should be in Audists Hall of Shame, let me know!
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I just read Mr. Eklund's opinion about Nashville. It's a very nice account and bid for support, but I feel sometimes I feel there is a time to let go. If the fans don't show up this year, then I blieve it is probably time.
I'm not cold, just hardened. In Quebec, we lost the Nordiques and then the Expos. Bad things happen to good franchises, so to speak. Of all the nonsense of trying to force hockey on people in states that are closer to the tropics than the snow, Nashville isn't the worst (that would be Hartford to Carolina in my opinion, less passion for hockey and yes, less fans at the games), but Nashville is the second yougest NHL citizen, has been given a ten-year chance and still haven't been able to take to the game as hoped (a la Colorado this time around). I think they should be relocated to a Canadian city to be honest, now that Canada seems to be able to compete.
For perspective, Nashville is the 35th city ever to be associated with the NHL. City, not franchise – many cities have had 2 at one time (New York, Montreal), or franchises at different points in time (Pittsburgh, Ottawa). (Source: Rauzulu's Street)
1. Montreal
1. Ottawa
1. Quebec
1. Toronto
5. Boston
6. Hamilton
7. Pittsburgh
7. New York
7. Chicago
7. Detroit
11. Philadelphia
12. St. Louis
13. Minneapolis St. Paul (Minnesota)
13. Oakland/San Francisco (California)
16. Buffalo
16. Vancouver
18. Atlanta
19. Kansas City
19. Washington
21. Cleveland
21. Denver (Colorado)
23. Hartford
23. Edmonton
23. Winnipeg
26. Calgary
27. Newark (New Jersey)
28. San Jose
29. Tampa
30. Anaheim
30. Miami (Florida)
30. Dallas
33. Phoenix
34. Raleigh-Durham (Carolina)
35. Nashville
36. Columbus
Looking at it slightly differently, you can see their historical claim is weak:
Northeast Div
Montreal (1917-)
Toronto (1917-)
Ottawa (1917-32, 1933-35, 1992-)
Boston (1924-)
Buffalo (1971-)
Atlantic Div
New York (1926)
Pittsburgh (1926-32, 1967-)
Philadelphia (1932, 1967-)
New York 2 (1972)
New Jersey (1982)
Southeast Div
Atlanta (1972-1980,1999-)
Washington (1974-)
Tampa (1992-)
Florida (1993-)
Carolina (1997-)
Central Div
Detroit (1926-)
Chicago (1926-)
St. Louis (1935, 1967-)
Nashville (1999-)
Columbus (2000-)
Minnesota (1967-1993, 2000-)
Vancouver (1971-)
Colorado (1976-1982, 1996-)
Edmonton (1979-)
Calgary (1982-)
Pacific Div
Los Angeles (1967-)
San Jose (1991-)
Anaheim (1993-)
Dallas (1993-)
Phoenix (1996-)
A city like Hamilton, Quebec or Winnipeg, who have made the NHL work in the past and whose teams all left in different circumstances, deserve a chance. Even Kansas City who had a team before may deserve a second chance. If the current owner of Nashville wants out and no one person is leading a bid, it probaably doesn't look like a good business proposition. Rescue bids like the current one can work (Edmonton), but they can also go very wrong (Expos). I like Tennessee and would probably like Nashville, but if they don't turn out to the games this year, then theu should take their medicine.
Just my thoughts.


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Sucky weekend
- My dog had a seizure on Saturday. She's okay now... we find out more on Friday, when she sees the vet.
- My house was broken into on Sunday. I lost all of my electronics; my wife lost half of her DVDs (she had over 700) and jewlery.
I'm kind of pissed off, as a result.


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In an earlier post, I touched on some Antietam books, but glossed over James V. Murfin's The Gleam of Bayonets, which is considered the first scholarly modern study of the battle and in some quarters is still deemed a standard work. Having finally found a nice first edition in jacket, I thought I'd give it a bit more discussion. As I mentioned before, for a book of such fairly recent vintage, finding that nice first edition copy was unusually difficult. The book was first published in 1965 by the small publishing house of Thomas Yoseloff, Inc. Some readers may recall that Yoseloff was an aggressive publisher of Civil War books from the mid-1950's and well into the late 1960's. In addition to new works, he brought back into print such classic, multi-volume sets as Battles & Leaders, the Photographic History of the Civil War, and the 16-volume Campaigns of the Civil War, no doubt all connected to the war's centennial. As a sidebar, Yoseloff passed away late last year at the age of ninety-four.
The book was well received from the outset. It won the Fletcher Pratt Award of the New York Civil War Roundtable for the best nonfiction Civil War book of 1965. Its current publisher, LSU Press describes the book thusly: "The gentleness and patience of Lincoln, the vacillations of McClellan, and the grandeur of Lee—all unfold before the reader. The battle itself is presented with precision and scope as Murfin blends together atmosphere and fact, emotions and tactics, into a dramatic and coherent whole. Originally published in 1965, The Gleam of Bayonets is now recognized as a classic and the standard against which all books on Antietam are measured." I would agree, for I found that as I was working on my regimental history of the 26th NYSV, I consulted this work considerably more than other, more recent works on the battle. According to Nevins, the book is "detailed and well-documented, [however] this account is strongly anti-McClellan and opinionated."
Virtual Antietam also reports, and I was not aware of this, that Murfin's book was until recently, the only published work based on the landmark 'Carman Maps'. Ezra A. Carman, a veteran of the battle and its first historian, produced an indispensable set of troop movement maps and edited them with prodigious input from Union and Confederate veterans alike, but never published the accompanying manuscript. Of course, most Civil War bibliophiles are now aware that Carman's legendary work has just been published by Routledge Press. Those maps, however, are not in the new book but online for reader access.
James V. Murfin (1929-1987) spent most of his life studying the all-day engagement that took place close to his boyhood home of Hagerstown, Maryland. As historian James I. Robertson observed in his Introduction to the book, Murfin was not a professional historian by training nevertheless his book was surely "a labor of love" produced over years of prodigious research "and scores of hours spent trampling over the battlefield." Murfin later worked for the National Park Service in the Publication's Division at Harpers Ferry for seventeen years and was ultimately authored or edited more than a dozen books, including Harpers Ferry and National Parks of the U.S.A. In fact, the Murfin Theater at Antietam National Battlefield Visitors Center is named in his honor.
The book has been in print consistently since its initial publication forty-three years ago. Bonanza Books did an inexpensive hardcover reprint I believe in the 1970's while more recently, Easton Press rewarded the title with its full leather-and-gilt treatment in 1995. It was also reissued in paperback by LSU Press in 2004 with a new foreword by Scott Harwig.


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My husband is involved with another woman.
A sentence I never in my life thought I would be writing, much less that it would be the truth about my marriage. But it is. He is out with her tonight, as I write. While we live in the same house, trying to unravel our life together. While our children played and waited for dinner this evening and the afternoon sun glowed so beautifully outside and i thought we could have a barbecue and the kids would love ice-cream, he left. To go to her.
They met at work. The story as old as the hills .... they started talking, became friends .... she confided the details of her difficult divorce, he listened. He told her his marriage was dissolving also (because suddenly that seemed true), and that he was not happy. Their friendship grew ... little by little. And then one day it was a drink after work and then one drink became three. White wine and Zucchini sticks. And then they were dating, a proper courtship. And so began their affair. Late night calls and early morning texts. Hiding his phone and carrying it everywhere with him. He lied and lied and lied again, to make room in his life for this new chapter, to fit her in. He was out with friends, he said. He had to work late. He was staying over in the City. For work.
I knew. But I had no proof. Only the stab in my gut and the gnawing certainty that there was someone else. I had to find out the hard way, by searching and digging and using my intuition. And every step a painful discovery that the marriage I believed to be strong enough to weather any storm, was ending.
The past months have been a time of deep grief and confusion ... of feeling angry and desperate, quite and despairing. My head and heart in constant warfare, each looking for proof to show they are right. Each kindness a reminder of what we had, each fight another nail in the coffin. I have howled and sobbed and lain motionless for hours. I have sat and let my thoughts wander. I have walked and run and thrown paint and written and emailed and texted and called .... and screamed. And whispered. And thrown things and pushed and pushed and pushed. And lit candles to sit vigil in the night, with my memories.
Somehow, 18 years ended here. Like this. With me dismantling our wedding album tonight, while he is out. Tearing up the photos because the memories are too painful. Saving a few - for the children, so they know there was love there, once upon a time. And that I too believed in happy endings and fairy tale ever afters.
Every marriage is different - a complex, multi-layered, beautiful living thing ... it has to be watered and pruned and given attention to, and maybe sometimes life gets busy and we get wrapped up in the day to day ... the juggling of household and children and money and work and obligations and other people's demands and not enough free time .... and your needs and my needs ..... and what about ours.
We forget to water. The weeds start to grow.
I thought the plant was still alive, it would flourish again. It was just struggling a bit - maybe it needed more light, less water. He decided the plant had died, and no amount of love or care would bring it back to life again. There was no longer any point in trying. For him.
I have had time to think about my role in how this came to be ... the things i said and did not say, the years and months of habits that built up and the hurt that was caused. From both sides. We have talked more in the past months than in the past years, and that has been painful to realize. But important for closure. We have tried to understand each other but at the bottom of it all, the fact remains that he has moved on ... and with somebody else.
To those of your reading who feel overwhelmed in your relationship - who feel there is no way to connect, to reach out .... that it's easier to start again, to find someone new, to leave that door open instead of drawing a sacred boundary around your partner and yourself ... deal with your relationship first. I beg you. Before you let someone else in. Talk to your partner, no matter how difficult it seems. Tell them how you are feeling, allow yourself to be vulnerable, even if there is no guarantee they will understand. Even if you think it is over. Especially if you think it is over. Try for this not to be an angry conversation - for it not to be a time of accusations and a list of wrongs and hurts. Find a safe place to talk. Just start. Light some candles and sit quietly ... under the stars at midnight, in bed with your Hello Kitty pajamas on. On the couch, on a beach, walking. Find a way to tell each other how you feel. Write the words if you cannot speak. Sing them, paint them, weave them. It might not be too late. It might just be that all the words disappeared along the way and it became easier not to speak, not to be seen, not to be hurt. And so the years went by and the hurt built up until the layers became firm, trodden down each day, so hard to break through. But it's worth trying. It's always worth trying just one more time.
In all of this, my faith in the world and in love and marriage have truly shattered. I trusted him not to hurt me. I trusted that he meant it when he said till death us do part. This is a death indeed, but not the one we meant in our vows. I see the world differently. Him differently. Our entire marriage differently. Myself differently. This has changed me.
In so many articles I read as I was searching for answers, it struck me how people who cheat could always justify their choices. It's OK to start an affair with someone who is married because it's his / her decision, their marriage must be bad, their partner a nightmare who doesn't understand / appreciate / see / love them anymore. Pick your adjective, every excuse exists. Or it just happened. Just like that. And so of course, one must act. The new lover / partner is not at fault, in their own eyes - they are not forcing the married partner to do anything. The one who is married can justify his / her dalliances in a million different ways. They were unhappy. Their marriage no longer met their needs. They needed a change. Midlife. A new start. Bored, stifled, not understood. Not seen. Not wanted. Life got too hard. They just wanted some fun, while staying in their marriage until their children were grown.
Marriage is hard. It is up and down and good patches and bad patches so bad you feel you might end up an alcoholic or pack a bag at midnight and hit the road speeding, desperate to be anywhere but here.
Marriage is also beautiful and stormy and tender and it's meant to hold us, to be a harbor and an anchor and a safe place. I think our culture has become too casual with marriage, with lifelong vows. We marry because we like the idea of it, but the actual reality - the difficult part of working through the rough patches .... not so much. It's easier just to give up, start new, find someone else. When the universe presents a different option, don't we have a right to find out happiness .... to live life to the full, we say ? We are entitled to happiness, we tell ourselves. We forget about the hard work and sacrifice that often go hand in hand with lifelong commitment. And the rewards to be gained by staying. Sometimes.
Don't we owe it to our partners and children to really try ? To fight for something deeper and more meaningful, to allow for the love that truly holds and mends and really knows another person, their shadows and their light ? Don't we owe it to ourselves not to give up just when we are tempted, but to remember that building a life and a family takes self sacrifice sometimes ..... we have to draw a circle tight around our marriages, and keep that line secure - no one should cross over.
It seems to me that in the world around me, people have become entitled and demanding. They want, and so they take. They help themselves, even if that person belongs to someone else. They treat marriage vows as if they are casual promises, able to be broken anytime it's convenient. I don't want to be part of that world ... where promises are taken lightly, where families are destroyed for selfish pleasure. Where self restraint and integrity are no longer valued. I believe we do all deserve happiness, and I also believe that not all marriages last and sometimes it is for the better. But I also believe in honesty, and in communication and in openness.
I know from personal experience, watching friends and colleagues around me, that sometimes marriages truly are not right and no one is happy and it's best to part ways ... and I have seen new marriages bring real happiness and a wonderful new life together. I know it's not always clear cut and simple. We're messy complicated contradictory beings. We're human. We change. We fall in love anew. I think what I am struggling with is the ease with which i see marriages cast off .... the ease and self-justification with which marriages and families are destroyed. If it really is time to let go, then let it be done kindly and honestly ... let that relationship be resolved with respect for a life shared and built together. Let there be compassion, even if love has died.
An ending before a beginning.
If it's going to happen, let it be done cleanly.
But life is messy. People want what they want. This is the stuff of music and art. It gets complicated.
I wish marriages could be ended before new relationships began. I wish new relationships didn't end marriages. I wish there were no affairs and nobody thinking they had a right to tempt someone out of their marriage. i wish married men and women could not be tempted, not until they had resolved the issues making them want to look outside their marriage in the first place.
But wishes are dandelion whispers blown on the wind, and not all wishes come true.
And so here we are. Living under the same roof because needs must, for now. And because of two beautiful children who don't understand what is happening, not understanding why we can't just make up. Here we are. Fighting and crying and talking and at odds with each other and grieving. Here I am, watching him leave, again and again. Here we are, rattling around the home that was meant to be our forever ... and now it's a reminder of where everything fell apart.
Death by a thousand paper cuts.
Here I am - learning to keep getting up, no matter how many times I am knocked to the ground. Here I am, grateful for my friends and family. Grateful for the sisters that have held me up and walked this journey by my side. Here I am, grateful for children and how the busyness of life can sometimes make me forget. Just for a moment. Here I am, grateful for time to grieve and lament and allow the sorrow to flood me. Here I am, grateful for quiet nights with a dark blue sky and the moon shining through. Here I am, grateful for time healing. For learning to listen to my own voice again. For remembering who I am. For my sense of humor. Here i am, grateful for life's journey, even though this detour took the wind out of my sails and nearly killed me. Here I am, grateful for new beginnings and endings and all the life that happens in between.
Here I am, grateful for my memories. Grateful that there was love. Friendship. Laughter. Here I am, still holding on too tightly, but slowly learning the necessity of finally letting go.


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Student Body Right . . . Student Body Wrong
Posted by Walter
I was right about the world's largetst outdoor cocktail party. Georgia is terrible, but Florida is utterly overrated. They are still very soft, and Chris Leak looks like a man who has been completely beaten down by his fan base rabidly calling for his backup all season.
I was wrong about Clemson. They looked just atrocious on Thursday night. Just when we think they might be taking the next step to national relevance, we are reminded that they still have Tommy Bowden as their head coach. His gameplan against VTech was as stupid as it was ridiculous. Against 8 and 9 man fronts hs continually ran the football and threw swing passes on 2nd and long. I didn't see a single vertical pattern all night. Just an utter embarrassment. That said, this team has the talent to be a contender for the national title in 2007.
I was right about Steve Kragthorpe and Tulsa. I annointed them one of the most underrated teams in America during the preseason and their 7-1 record highlighted by a big win against UTEP this week proved me right. Kragthorpe is not long for Tulsa, and is on his way to bigger and better things.
I was wrong about Missouri. Fool me once shame on you Gary Pinkel. Fool me twice shame on me. How did I not see this coming? I don't know. Bob Stoops vs. Gary Pinkel was the mismatch of the week.
I was right about Oklahoma State. What an offense! Nebraska is proving to be nothing great, but the Cowboys did put up 41 on the black shirts. There really are a ton of weapons on this Oklahoma State team in QB Bobby Reid (229 yards 2 TD), RB Dantrell Savage (117 yards 2 TD), and WR Adarius Bowman (86 yards 1 TD). This set of skill position players may be the best kept secret in the country. With games left against Texas (this weekend) and Oklahoma (to close the season), the Cowboys may yet have something to say in this Big 12 race.
I was wrong about Miami. I don't know why I picked them. Perhaps I just couldn't believe they were actually as bad as they have looked. Perhaps I wanted them to win so my Eagles have a built in excuse when they inevitable lose to the Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl (thus costing them their ACC division). Either way, I was wrong.....the Canes stink!
I was right about Oregon. In typical fraud fashion, a week after getting killed by Washington State they roll up 55 points on hapless Portland State. Hope you guys are proud of yourselves. On a side note, Bill Doba's Washington State Cougars had their second straight outstanding win this week, absolutely mauling a UCLA defense that led the Pac-10 in most statistical categories.
I was wrong about Tennessee......this week. The apocalypse is coming for Phil Fulmer and Erik Ainge. It just has to!
I was right about Hawaii. They are just awesome and it's time to start taking a long hard look at Colt Brennan as someone who is more than just a system kid. Brennan currentle leads the NCAA in passing efficiency (185.00), touchdowns (33...to only 5 INT!!!), and completion percentage (74%), and he is 3rd in yards (2,934). This kid is 6'3'', possesses good zip on his passes, throws a perfect deep ball, and is only a junior. Is it so hard to believe that one of the top 3 quarterback prospects for the 2008 NFL draft plays his college football in Honolulu?
I was wrong about the USC offense. Dwayne Jarrett is a superior talent, but the most indispensible player on that unit is his alter ego Steve Smith. Smith has 40 catches for 680 yards this season, but has played his best football when the Trojans have needed it the most (11 catches for 258 yards and 2 TD vs. Oregon State, and 11 catches for 182 yards and 2 more TD vs. Washington State). I can't wait for some team like the Detroit Lions or Oakland Raiders to choose Jarrett with a top 5 pick, while a more shrewd team like the Patriots or Ravens snages Smith in the 2nd round. Who would you bet on having a better NFL career?