Nightingale

sure... the solution is: Put ALL the school money from the states and the feds into one big pot. Each student is then allocated a portion of that pot. Naturally, schools with more students receive more money. Also, limit each school district to a maximum of ten elementary, ten middle, and ten high schools. This prevents the huge pyramid of administration that is currently eating LAUSD's money.

how are parents supposed to put any confidence in the schools when: 1. the buildings are falling down and condemned (yes, some LAUSD buildings that they are still holding class in are condemned!) 2. The teachers are non-credentialed 3. Their kids have no books. What about that would inspire a parent to have confidence in the school?? If schools were a more welcoming place for kids of lower socioeconomic status, perhaps behavior problems would lessen? its hard for kids to concentrate when the roof is leaking on their heads and their textbooks, if they have them, are full of bookworms. These kids, for the most part, are dealing with inexperienced, mostly non-credentialed (AKA intern) teachers. These teachers have no classroom management skills, and, while they may have subject knowledge, they probably don't yet have the skills it takes to pass that knowledge on to students, especially uncooperative students. If the schools were nice places to work and paid well, they would attract the veteran teachers who are currently working in suburban schools. Attract good teachers the same way corporations attract good employees: Pay them well and provide a good work environment. A veteran teacher is much better equipped to deal with a class full of kids with limited English speaking parents, kids with behavior issues, and kids with poor attitudes. Unfortunately, these teachers never seem to end up where they could do the most good. If a school board could walk into a suburban high school and tell their top teachers "come work for us, we'll give you two prep periods a day, a classroom with a separate office for you to do your prep work at a brand new school with lots of nice flowers and trees, and brand new textbooks, with an administration that will actually listen to you, oh, and we'll pay you double!" do you think those teachers would give it a shot? I guarantee some would. A good teacher can make a HUGE difference. Unfortunately, the schools that most need highly qualified teachers never get them. Teachers come in, work for a year or two while they finish up their credential, and either burn out because of the working conditions or move on to other areas once they're qualified. The kids who most need a teacher that knows how to teach never seem to have one. Is it any wonder these kids fall through the cracks?

IRIC, a rigger cannot install a cypres in need of a check-up or battery change.

speaking from the point of view of an educator, little Johnny sure as hell can't do physics if he is continually sent to schools in condemned buildings with no textbooks and poorly trained teachers. With the right tools, however, he could probably do pretty much whatever he set his mind to. It isn't just to have kids from the ghetto compete with kids from Beverly Hills with the way our current system is set up. The kids from the ghetto do not have the same educational opportunities, and I invite anyone who believes otherwise to substitute teach in LAUSD for a while. I truly feel that if all schools were created equal, our nation's youth would have much more equal opportunities in college and in life, rendering affirmative action for the most part unnecessary. Give kids what they need to learn, and give teachers what they need to teach, and a lot of socioeconomic inequality problems will solve themselves. as a sidenote: I do not support affirmative action. I am all for giving OPPORTUNITIES to minorities. Affirmative Action, the way it is currently implemented, is not an opportunity, it is a handout. By having universities admit students who would not otherwise make the cut, they are setting these students up for failure, because they are not properly prepared. Ditto with AA in the workplace.

try Arizona Natural cold medicine. Only lasts for about four hours, but nobody I know who's tried it (and I've gotten almost ALL my friends and family to try it because I think its so wonderful) has had any type of drowsy side effect. I know Longs Drugs carries it. You can also find it here: http://www.bioright.com/products1.html

Personally, I don't mind if someone I'm dating wants to buy me dinner. Its nice if they're able to. However, opening the door for me is more important. Listening to me rant when I've had a rotten day is more important. Knowing when to tell me that I'm overanalyzing life and to just relax and live it is more important. I'd rather go out with a guy who was dead broke but made a consistent effort to let me know that he cares in many little ways than with grand financial gestures. Dinner at McDonalds with someone you really want to be with is way more special than dinner at a five-star restaurant with someone who's a rich asshole.

personally, I don't give a damn if someone I date makes less money than I do. I make a pretty good salary for someone my age, so I run into that a lot, and it doesn't bother me one bit. What I do require is that someone be either financially independent, or making a darn good effort to get that way. A guy who still lives with his parents when he's in his mid to late 20s usually isn't someone I'd date. There's plenty of cheap or no-cost ways to have a good time. As long as you're spending time wiht each other and enjoying it, that's what counts.

1. Whats your name? Kris 2. How old are you? 25 3. Why did you decide to start jumping out of airplanes? It was a completely random idea of mine. I just called a friend and said "hey, wanna jump out of a plane?" and he said "ok!" so we did and I was hooked. 4. Are you single or taken? Married? dating someone without defined parameters at the moment. translation: no freakin clue. 5. Do you have kids? No 6. What do you drive? 1999 Escort 7. Have you ever done a kisspass? yep, but both times I was on the receiving end. One from the instructor who took me on my first tandem. He did my check dive for my license and gave me a kiss pass as a congrats once I did everything I had to do (we're pals, so it was ok and definitely not inappropriate), and one unexpected one from LO Mark Brown on my first 6-way (yes, I know... BEER!) jump. 8. Where do you live? Southern California 9. Do you have any pets? two cats (Anakin and Indiana) two rats (Pip and Squeak) and several dozen fish. 10. How many jumps do you have? 38 11. What color eyes do you have? Green 12. What is your nationality? Irish 13. Have you ever dated someone you met off the internet? Yes 14. Favorite Movie? Princess Bride or the 10th Kingdom 15. What do you do when you arent skydiving? Work (civvie in the LAFD), go to school (finishing my Master's this may! FINALLY!), Irish dance. 16. Have you ever BASE jumped? No 17. If not... do you want to? No. its fun to watch, though. 18. Do you have siblings? a brother, and two close friends who I consider siblings. 19. Where do you want to travel to the most? I'd love to go back to Ireland, and also would love to see Egypt, Greece, Africa and Thailand (plus everywhere else I haven't been) 20. What's your favorite color? Green is my favorite, and purple is my second favorite. Not together though! ugh! 21. Where was the last place you flew to? Las Vegas en route to Utah. My dad picked me up in Vegas and we drove the rest of the way. Last trip where the plane actually flew me to my destination was Florida.

what I'm trying to figure out is why you've chosen to place "activist" in quotation marks. Activist: A proponent or practitioner of activism Activism: n : a policy of taking direct action to achieve a political or social goal It seems like they are taking direct action to achieve their political goal. They fit the definition of activists, therefore no quotation marks necessary.

I have a headache, but its not from alcohol. I only had one guinness! I was just out entirely too late last night at a ceili. The custom was that everyone brought something to share, whether it was music (singing or instruments for an impromptu irish jam session) dance, food, or beer. We sang and danced half the night away!

I would add law enforcement to that list (unless you were only referring to federal spending), but otherwise, it pretty much fits me.

I think you need to post the picture in question in this thread so folks can make an informed vote!

Personally, I feel that if you are not ready to follow the orders of your CO and Commander in Chief (however much a moron you may think him), you shouldn't sign on the dotted line to enlist. That said, I am refraining from further judgement til more details are released regarding the soldier's side of the story. If its simply an "I don't wanna go back because I don't wanna." follow the appropriate actions for AWOL and/or deserter. However, if there were extenuating circumstances, those must be taken into account as well.

I don't bring it up. But I'm happy to have a friendly, healthy debate if someone else does, provided they stick to the issue and refrain from personal attacks or generalizations.

then why the heck are all the people out there who are against gay marriage calling themselves "conservatives" ??????? If they want less government, it seems like they would want less restrictions over such things as marriage, rather than more.

you're speaking in the economic sense. In the economic sense, I am conservative to moderate. However, in the social sense, I am very much a liberal. Basically, I want to let other people make their own choices, without trying to legislate who they marry, what they do in their bedroom, where and how they worship, and which religious/moral code they choose to follow. I'm an economic conservative because I feel that social programs and arts funding should be privatized. By all means, feed the homeless, help people who are out of work, and help abused spouses. But don't do it on my dime, with my tax dollars. Taxes are to fund the running of the government and the support of the military. Helping others should be the responsibility of each individual rather than mandated through taxes and programs. I donate to charities of my choice regularly, and I wish my government would trust me to make the right choices with regards to helping others. I'm a social liberal because I want people to be free to make their own choices and follow their own path. For those of you who believe there is one right way and the rest are wrong ways, consider that many times people need to stumble about on the wrong path for a while before they find the right one. They need to be given the freedom to do so (within reason) because it is hard to become enlightened when one is staring at the inside of a jail cell or feeling forced to follow a path that he or she disagrees with. That only breeds resentment and hurts your cause more. Personally, I believe that if an action doesn't harm or have the potential to harm another person, there is probably no need for a law about it. For example, I find liquor laws rather reasonable (except in Utah! LOL). You must be of an appropriate age to make responsible decisions, and may not drink in situations where you put others at risk (ie. driving). Sure, there's a few other restrictions, but for the most part, adults are free to decide for themselves, and the substance is available without too much difficulty. Now, look at marajuana laws. I don't know how many of you have ever been around high people, but personally, I'd rather be in a room with a bunch of people on pot than a room with a bunch of drunks. There's no reason laws about marajuana can't be the same as laws about alcohol. Let adults make their own responsible choices.

someone who is schizophrenic and not on medication is not responsible for their actions. they are quite literally out of their mind. My cousin is schizophrenic and is currently in jail for crimes committed when he was not medicated and doesn't even remember. edit: and for those of you wondering, both my cousin and I were adopted, so no chance of it running in our family, although my cousin, his biological mother, and his two biological brothers all have it.

I think the conclusion of the scientists is that the "stuff" they tell you comes out of your ear actually is the candle wax from the candle itself.

bah! its St. Paddy's Day! Go to a real one.

nah... ya see, the best Irish beer is too dark to be dyed green.

www.kellybluebook.com

"How the Irish Saved Civilization" is an excellent book. It led my Celtic Christianity class to conclude that God must have invented whiskey to keep the Irish from taking over the world, as we seem to be such resourceful folks!

I did it online through Earthlink. they took care of the registration and hosting for me and it was very easy. Its a good way to go for a beginner. I could've registered the domain myself and found somewhere cheaper to host, but it wouldn't have been nearly as user friendly.

LOL have you ever climbed Blarney Castle???? People have trouble with the stairways SOBER.

WOW!!!!!