A blog about Technology, Hobbies & Crafts, and Health & Wellness.
Real Name: ROB Member Since: March 14, 2006 Last Signed In: November 17, 2009 Profile Views: 595 Blog Views: 3439 Strange Lights Over Bakersfield? Fall Garden PLans How Many of You Are "That Guy?" Burglar Beat By Elderly Man The Force Can Be With You for $120 Cut Teacher Salaries by 5%? 700 NY Teachers Paid To Do Nothing Ed McMahon Dead at 86 Weekend Trip to Tehachapi You Be the Judge: Racist or Not? December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 
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OK, they were obviously aircraft lights. As I sat waiting for my son to get out of the dance at Centennial HS, I was watching something strange in the sky over head. In the distant north I saw a series of lowflying craft coming towards Bakersfield. They were spaced a mile or two apart and were low enough that I thought they were on approach to land. They didn't. They flew over the middle of town, banked east just south of town then flew towards Tehachapi. As I was pulling out, they were banking again along the Sierras.
Some kind of training exercise? IDK Just interesting. OK, I want to plant a Fall garden this year. I've never done it before so I need some help. I'm thinking carrots and potatoes so far. What other crops have people had luck with for the Fall? Owen Wilson is "That Guy." Hilarious! OK, I'm not a Kern High School District teacher, but I understand a Board member is throwing this solution out there to save JV sports. Why? Why do we need three levels of sport? When I was in high school, we had 2 and it seemed to work just fine. Heck, why not just one team? Anywho, while 5% is just too much for my blood, I would be willing to forgo my yearly step increase (about $1400 annually) this year if need be. However, I would expect that it be added back sometime over the next 5 years. In my district we all get the same amount added to our salaries each year so it would be a larger percentage for some, much less for others. Still not approaching 5% for even the newest of teachers. Other ways I would save money: 1. Get rid of class-size reduction. It doesn't pay for itself and why should Math and English be special. Take on 40 kids at a time like the rest of us. 2. Reduce the bus routes to all but the furthest students. Transportation is a HUGE expense and not legally necessary. 3. DRASTIC: Cut 1 day a week, but extend the other four days by an hour and a half. We are doing it for summer school, let's do it now. 4. Charge a fee to play sports. 5. Charge a fee to be in band class or pay for your own instruments. 6. Cut the teacher credentialing program in Sacramento including the BTSA program. Make local HR, site Principals and department chairs responsible for new teachers attaining a credential. The current program is a money pit.
Any other ideas?
Any one else have any ideas? So on Saturday, I had a rare day of nothing to do. Mrs. Witbee was going to clean the house with the boys, but I convinced her to do a road trip to Tehachapi. You see, I heard about a cool place up there called Morning Cloak Ranch and Botanical Garden. I am a huge plant guy (and that can be taken several ways). I figured while we were there, we could go to the local museum and see what else was going on.
Well, the botanical garden didn't work out. We pulled into the long driveway and parked in the small lot. We got a little scared because there were other cars, but they had obviously been there for some time. I could see lots of trees and walking paths, but no people. We kind of milled around for a while, but never found anyone. So we reluctantly left. Later, we found out the new owner was running it by appointment only. Maybe next time. SO we ventured downtown where it turns out there was a craft fair at central park. We walked around the park, bought some stuff including a great set of handmade wooden blocks. Very cool. Next we decided to have lunch at the Apple Shed. I had heard about it and decided we should check it out. Iy was OK food, but way overpriced ($40 for 2 adults and 2 kids with on meal shared). Last stop was the Tehachapi Museum. It was quite small, but packed with cool stuff. And the docent was a fount of info. We also went to the small garden across the street. Even though we didn't get to accomplish our main task, we had a great time. I always have fun in Tehachapi. I would love to move there some day. The people are so nice.
ATLANTA — It's been two months since 2-year-old Cori pulled the gold stud from her left earlobe, and the piercing is threatening to close as her mother, Maggie Anderson, hunts for a replacement.
It's not that the earring was all that rare — but finding the right store has become a quest of Quixotic proportions. Maggie and John Anderson of Chicago vowed four months ago that for one year, they would try to patronize only black-owned businesses. The "Empowerment Experiment" is the reason John had to suffer for hours with a stomach ache and Maggie no longer gets that brand-name lather when she washes her hair. A grocery trip is a 14-mile odyssey. In an earlier post, I said that school districts need to find out what educators in thier district are doing right and build on that. This article is a great example. These types of trips should be the norm in high school science classes. I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to take trips and been told we don't have the money. And let's not just restrict it to Honors or AP students. Lower-level students can be inspired, too. "A group of college students said they are lucky to be alive and they’re thanking the quick-thinking of one of their own. Police said a fellow student shot and killed one of two masked me who burst into an apartment."
Pick one or your top 3. Last week I read Kingpen's trip report on a hiking trip to Fossil Falls. I had never even heard of it. I did a little research and decided the Witbee family needed to see this. We have been doing day trips to local "interesting" places recently in a bid to better understand our region make some memories. It only took about 90 minutes to reach our first stop: Red Rock Canyon. A couple of us had been there before, but it had not lost its appeal. Hiked a little, took a lot of pictures, visited the visitor center. Next we stopped at the China Lake Naval Weapons Museum. I didn't even know this place existed and it was truly awesome. A history of China Lake and representations of all the weapons developed and/or tested there. Beware:it is a Naval Base and you have to get a day pass to enter (License, proof of insurance needed). About a half hour down the road you reach Fossil Falls. It's a slight hike, but well worth it. The gate is guarded by an ancient cinder cone volcano. The black rocks are beautiful. The canyon formed by the ancient water fall is to beautiful for words. The more research I do, the more cool stuff I find to do. I am inspired by a lot of Kingpen's reports and hope to make it to those fire lookouts mentioned a few weeks ago soon. I'm sure many of you, especially the old timers, have seen so much of these sights, so feel free list your favorite interesting "family friendly" sites within a few hours drive of B-town. Georgetown University Hid Religious Symbols at White House Request Georgetown University hid a religious inscription representing the name of Jesus during President Obama's address there Tuesday, FOXNews.com has confirmed, because White House staff asked the school to cover up all religious symbols and signs while the president was on stage. http://www.foxnews.com/poli...
Extremely cool technology doing what it should do: Making life easier for us.
Amputees and people with difficulty standing could soon move using a ‘wearable transportation device’ that gives the effect of walking. Exmovere Holdings has unveiled a self-balancing, hands-free concept vehicle called the Chariot, which is controlled by subtle movements of the lower torso and hips. Sensors inside the cocoon-like shell of the vehicle interpret gentle pressure changes "A well publicized report this week that an estimated 1.5 million American children experienced homelessness in 2005-06 did not use the federal definition of homelessness. Instead, it used a different definition that grossly inflated the actual number." http://www.foxnews.com/stor...
Turns out by some definitions a kid living with a relative other than parents is defined as "homeless." Turns out the number of kids who actually don't live in a home is over a million less than previously reported. Of course, just one child without a roof over their head is too many.
"A U.S. airline is now selling "penis" on flights, an anchorwoman has declared." I was having an interesting discussion this weekend with a colleague. We were talking about the merits of having Freshmen-only classes in high school. Of course there are a lot of good reasons for it, but one of my biggest concerns was keeping the Senior boys away from the Freshmen girls as much as possible. In fact, I used the term "pediphile" once or twice. My colleague poo-pooed the idea that an 18 year old boy pursuing a 13 year old girl amounted to pediphilia. We agreed to disagree.
What do you think? Scientists today uncovered the remains of an ancient dinosaur dubbed the One Trick Pony. The remains point to a terrestrial animal. The skull specimen found was very thick while the brain cavity was narrow suggesting the creature had only one thought at a time. Also the backbone was nearly non-existent. The hooves were well worn on this specimen suggesting it traveled extensively or walked in circles for hours. The ocular canals were very small suggesting the eyes were quite tiny and the dinosaur likely suffered from myopia. The species was believed to have died out because of lack of procreation in an all-male environment.
Scientists have given the dinsaur the scientific name Neo viri. This is awesome. Apparently there are awards for "oddball but often surprisingly practical scientific achievements."
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,432122,00.html Deborah Anderson had heard the urban legends about the contraceptive effectiveness of Coca-Cola products for years. So she and her colleagues decided to put the soft drink to the test. In the lab, that is. For discovering that, yes indeed, Coke was a spermicide, Anderson and her team are among this year's winners of the Ig Nobel prize, the annual award given by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine to oddball but often surprisingly practical scientific achievements. The ceremony at Harvard University, in which actual Nobel laureates bestow the awards, also honored a British psychologist who found foods that sound better taste better; a group of researchers who discovered exotic dancers make more money when they are at peak fertility; and a pair of Brazilian archaeologists who determined armadillos can change the course of history. Apparently local radio personality Scott Cox is returnng to his time slot Monday morning after a whooping two days of suspension. I find this to be unacceptable. The man is a CONFIRMED liar and thief who also used his son to carry out these acts. He is still being investigated by the sheriffs department for his actions. Yet the powers that be determined he should be back on the air already? I listened to part of the program on Thursday and Friday. I never heard Scott come on the air and ask Vegas to forgive him for doing such a stupid thing. Maybe I missed it. The on-air talent had insinuated that this was necessary for his return. But if you had to tell him to apologize, is it a sincere apology? It is no secret that I never cared for Cox's shock jock approach. Especially at 6AM. The fact that there were people on this forum making excuses for him was silly. Just because he helps out his community doesn't mean he gets a free ride when he breaks our laws. So from now on I will no longer listen to KERN 1410. As long as Scott Cox is on the air, I will listen to another station. The entire KERN staff is now a little less trustworthy by keeping this waste of space around. I realize I am just one person and I am not calling for a boycott. Make up your own minds. Most people on here don't seem to care anyway because they agree with him about Chad Vegas. http://www.teachertube.com/... .....When they are older. I've been off work now for a couple of weeks. I know a lot of people look forward to this, but I'm not really an extended vacation type of guy. During these few weeks I actually went back to work for a couple of days here and there (proctored some CAHSEE exams) and had some other family commitments. So we really didn't have time to go anywhere. Now, my federal jury duty started (though my number didn't get called today) and will last until the end of August. So my chances of getting away from home are slim before work starts again on Aug 12. This might bum some people out, but not me. My idea of a great vacation is staying home. During my time off, I have landscaped my front yard, built a large shed in my backyard, work on lesson plans for my high school classes, worked on lesson plans for my adjunct college class, watched lots of Star Trek, saw some movies, played with the kids, played with the puppies, played video games, spent more time with Mrs. Witbee (though still not enough) and many other things. What's your idea of a good vacation?
Australian doctors have raised concerns about clinics offering vaginal cosmetic surgery, warning the trend towards so-called "designer vaginas" may be exploiting vulnerable women. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said procedures being offered included "vaginal rejuvenation, revirgination, designer vaginoplasty and G-spot amplification". "What is involved in these procedures is often unclear since recognised clinical nomenclature is not being used," it said in a position paper released this week. The college labelled the procedures dangerous, expensive and unwarranted, and said it strongly discouraged surgery that was not backed by scientific evidence or clinical trials. "The real risks of potential complications such as scarring, permanent disfigurement, infection, dyspareunia and altered sexual sensations should be discussed in detail with women seeking such treatments," it said. The college said women should understand that there were a large number of variations in the appearance of normal female genitalia. "The college is particularly concerned that such surgery may exploit vulnerable women," it said. Ted Weaver, chairman of the college's women's health committee, said most of the operations cost at least 10,000 dollars (9,500 US), which he described as an "extraordinary amount of money". "We feel these operations might prey on people with insecurities and fears who actually need psychological help," he told Australian Associated Press. "They are also not very anatomically-based and have the potential to cause serious harm." Doctors in the United States and Britain have raised similar concerns about the surgery.
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