Joan and I are going to a place that sells both music instrument stuff and Apple tech. While she gets her bassoon reeds, should take this disk tray in and ask for recommendations on computer to utilize these. WhatDaYaThink? Would they even know what these are?
Note: This was from our business’ first computer software installation (early 80’s). I remember liking Word Perfect better than Word. Software was on 20+ disks, plus …. well you can see the 4th disk for printer installation. #floppydisks
In April 2003, while serving in the Hawaii State Legislature, Gabbard ENLISTED in the Hawaii Army National Guard. In July 2004, she was deployed for a 12-month tour in Iraq, serving as a specialist with the Medical Company, 29th Support Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
She served in the US Congress from 2013-21 and believes her criticism of VP Harris caused her placement on a TSA’s watchlist. She is NOT a conservative and NOT (yet) a republican. She has endorsed President Trump.
For every flight, because her boarding passes have an “SSSS” designation, she is followed by (according to Air Marshalls):
2 explosive detection K9 teams
1 explosives specialist
1 plain clothes TSA officer
3 Federal Air Marshals
Every flight is preceded by a “very in-depth screening” lasting 30-45 minutes
If you have a non-political reason why she was placed on a terror watchlist, please share. This is shameful.
author of “Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up”
I periodically listen to interviews conducted by Marissa Streit, a former classroom teacher. The title of this one caught my eye so I listened. As I did, I noted down some near quotes that I hear. These are not polished…. but give you an idea of the discussion. I didn’t agree with everything said, in particular, the parts about allowing children to walk home alone from school (or have I been affected by the hype?)…. But she kinda answers a thought I’ve had….. Why did we not have these problems, at least as pronounced, when we were kids? I don’t ever remember ‘mental health, PTSD and therapy being nearly as prominent as they seem today. I don’t intend to read the book, but parents of young children my gain from hearing this interview.Before you attack one of the comment/notes, listen to that part of the podcast and think critically about why you want to say what you want to say….and thank you for that.
Have America’s Classrooms Become Profit Centers for the Mental Health Industry?
Why does every child talk about having anxiety?
Why are our children swimming in mental health therapy?
1 in 4 young people identifying as trans. (Girls 7th grade).
Everybody needs therapy.
Everyone is broken.
A generation that is in profound distress.
The largest patient pool for mental health therapy are from the public schools. (CA)
Trams-informed care.
Every child has emotional damaged.
Instead of sending kids to the principal, they are now sent to the counselor.
Schools as a mental health ward.
SEL Social Emotional LearningTrojan house.Teachers are not therapists.
How are you feeling? Think of a time when (pain).
Trauma informed care.
Being born black means you’ve been traumatized.
Break the family
Over medicate children
If you wanted to break them down, there would be no better way than what is currently being taught in schools under the heading of mental health.
But… we have to keep them from suicide. How to find the line.
…the child who has never thought about it is forced to think about it.
…the child who HAS thought about it….
Does your child have a serious problem you cannot fix by changing their environment? If you cannot stabilize them that way, then yes. Therapist….but research the therapist the way you would research a surgeon.
Reset the default. Step 1 should not always be therapy and medication.
Some will need it and they should get it, but we are overreacting every childcreating mental disorder.
Hardship can be good for you. Certain kinds of adversity is really good for kids. Tell them the truth…that resilience is the story of the human condition. Most kids will emerge resilient. Tell them their parents went through hard things. Their grandparents went through hard things. Most will recover….a small percentage will really need professional help.
We don’t teach history so much as we’re teaching victim-hood. We don’t even teach them their own history. We need to connect them to their grandparents…what they went through. What their family, their ancestors went through.
You can get through it…because the vast majority will.
Feelings are always front and center. Being crushed under the weight of their own feelings.
PTSD traumatizing.
There are people who need help.
Kids need authority, community, independence. I can walk home from school… or to the store…or cook dinner.
I’m not shy. I have social depravity.
I’m not worried….i have anxiety.
Once you have anxiety, you need an expert to help you and you need a drug.
“You can’t say that. “
Disagreeable personality.
Don’t let someone diagnose them unless they really have a problem.
Terminology
SEL (Social Emotional Learning). Everything is a psychological program and requiresgroup (classroom) therapy.
Memory poker (as in the game). Group setting, kids trying to “1 up” each other. Exaggerating and talking yourself into the idea that you have been traumatized.
And all this is happening instead of academics.
Parentify. Parental abuse. Why do immigrant kids do so much better? Strong parenting. Chores and helping family and community are expected. Immigrant kids running toward adulthood and American kids staying home on mamas couch because they’ve been traumatized. The world is against them.
Trauma. There are traumatized kids, but we apply it to everyone.
There is a reason why we didn’t hear these terms as children.
Trust “Parenting expert”….only if he/she raised good kids to adulthood. Not a book learned only. Books by parenting experts who have never had children. (I remember thinking this way about the college professors in the Education School who had never been away from the college campus telling us how to teach.
Cheer for first half, band for halftime, back to cheer for 2nd half
One of my all time favorites because it shows commitment and dedication. This girl is a cheerleader during the first half of the game, then, while the other cheerleaders have a break, she runs to the band, grabs her drum and marches halftime…..and then back to cheer for the rest of the game.
In the high school where I taught, we were just beginning to work on Africa: Ceremony, Song and Ritual. It was an incredible piece of music written to display some of the beauty and complexity of African music and drumming.
I have two “racist”-related stories to go with our preparation of this piece. The first happened several years ago when I invited (and then had to un-invite) an area African drumming group to come to our school to lead a Master Class for our students and open our concert. That will be for another post.
More recently, as part of our discussion and preparation, I spoke with the class about how African drums are considered “sacred” and that we would treat this music and our performance of it with that type of respect.
As part of that discussion, I spoke a little of my son’s study abroad experience during his undergraduate work at Duke University, when he spent a summer in Ghana. He was one source of telling me how reverently the Gananians treated the drumming instruments. He also told me the exceptional level of respect they gave “white people”, especially men.
He stepped over some local cultural norms when he insisted on helping with the food preparation and in washing his own clothes. It should be noted that the home where he stayed was considered one of a “nobleman” from the area.
Not comfortable with the female servants doing his laudry, David tried to do his own. The best he could get was for them to let him help them.
“Everyone wanted their picture taken with the white guy, and they wanted hugs. When I went to church, they would always set me on the front row, if not on the platform itself.” -David Gardner
What really sparked the shocked response was when I told this class (mostly white with a small hispanic component) about my son’s experience in a Drumming Circle, where several of the students from his trip participated. The comment that the drumming leader made (multiple times) was that….
“You all are playing like a bunch of WHITE PEOPLE.”
I got a noticeable gasp of disbelief and shock when I shared that quote. I explained that this was not something a white person said, but rather was a critical statement made by a Gananian African about how non-Africans were playing his instruments.
I was not trying to be or show any form of racial disrespect, but rather, to use a quote from someone who should know the instrument….. Incident averted.
Our fundraising convention was in Atlantic City — at the Trump Taj Mahal. I’d never seen anything like it. There were probably over a dozen check in agents. There were all sorts of people who wanted to open doors, carry luggage, etc — all for tips, of course. We experienced a major customer service upgrade.
When we got to our luxurious room, there was something wrong with one (yes, one) of our three phones. There was a phone next to the bed, one on the desk, and one in the bathroom.
When I called the front desk about the phone, I was invited to bring Joan and go to the manager’s desk in the lobby. Once there, we were informed we’d be changing rooms. I didn’t want to move our stuff.
“It has already been moved for you….and I think you’ll like your new room.”
Main lobby entrance.
The tower of rooms.
From the living room toward the bath room.
Living room from guest bath.
Living room from dining area. Notice chandelier. There is a fireplace to the left of the TWO front doors.
Living room from bedroom. TV comes up out of the furniture. Jacuzzi is left of TV.
Bedroom from bath. TV comes up out of furniture. Notice the mirror on the ceiling over the bed.
View out one window.
View out another window.
We were escorted via a private elevator to our “suite”. There were two front doors, a living room, a dining area with a chandelier, and two bedrooms (one had a TV that came out of the furniture, a jacuzzi and a mirror on the ceiling over the bed). The guest room also had a bath. There was a fireplace and large screen TV in the living room. Windows faced two different directions.
This upgrade because of a broken phone. They could have just replaced the phone, but this is exceptional customer service.
UPDATE: 8/17/24: This Casino/Hotel closed in 2016 as the result of a labor dispute and strike.
I made two very small political donations to out-of-my-district candidates I couldn’t vote for, but whose positions I liked. Two complaints.
First, they make the $10-$20 donation process difficult as all the ‘defaults’ during the process are for a higher amount that automatically repeats monthly or quarterly. Ohhhhh, the lists those donations put me on.
I also donated to PragerU, a cause and operation I support, even though I don’t benefit directly from all their children’s books and programming. I have watched and learned from several of their 5-minute videos on various topics and enjoy some of the interviews and programming shows they provide. I will probably donate to them again. But wow….do they ever have me on their list(s) now. Opportunities to support this cause or that one, to have my donation doubled or tripled (but only today)….. And they even use the USPS.
Of course, we all know that if you click on something in Y-ville or F-whatchamacallit… that you are doomed for an almost never-ending onslaught of similar things to watch, read or support.
The only entity I support significantly and regularly is my church and some of the specially targeted mission programs it supports. I won’t get into the thousands of missionaries or of the emergency services and help in times of disaster and for people in need — because that is not my main focus of this post.
Just today (so far) and it is not even noon yet…. I have been asked to support, via email, text, and the tentacles of social media:
both presidential candidates (one just wants $1, yeah right). But today, not tomorrow.
both vice presidential candidates “if I can afford it”
a senator, who “for less than a cup of Joe – just $5” will make the senate his political color
PragerU
Daily Wire
Israel
Not today (yet), but I periodically hear from:
my university (I do enjoy the student callers)…
my university’s school of music – I even sent postcards to prospects on their behalf
My university’s philanthropic dept
several candidates (both major parties)
Newsmax (and others) want me to ‘vote’ or participate in a poll, but I’m confident those will lead to a donation opportunity.
Recently, I received a letter with the return address of President Donald J. Trump. I was going to post it on Facebook (denied) on Instagram (denied) and X (denied). Maybe there really was something wrong with the way I took the pic….but that is why I did not include it in this post.
Most who offer audio or video podcasts advertise and also offer a subscription for a variety of benefits. There was one I really liked, but she stopped all “free” and went subscription only. I didn’t follow. But NOW… she’s back.
I use Unroll Me app to reduce emails….somewhat successfully.
Sending “STOP” on texts is a joke. That just confirms the number and adds me to to other lists.
If you donate everything away, will the government replace it?
What’s your story? How do you avoid/reduce them? Or can you? Advice appreciated. Attackers not.
Teen years can be trying times. Parents may be fighting, separating, dating and remarrying, which means the teen now has to not only deal with a break up of a foundation in his/her life, but often now has to live in multiple households. Some have to adjust to step-siblings, job losses, financial struggles and more.
Then, there are the complexities of school with seemingly unending pressures to perform, trying to get through the dating games, often without an anchor or example to follow. Influenced by increasingly negative social standards, or lack of standards….. teens can get caught in the rise and falling tides.
Most learn how to negotiate life’s trying currents, but can turn the wrong way, make a miscalculation or poor decision — and find themselves high and dry on the beach…..and they need help. Not every student needs, wants or will accept a teacher’s help. Sometimes the teacher’s effort is both unappreciated and unsuccessful.
Teens will listen if they respect and trust. Trust is one of the most valuable mentoring requirements.
In 7th grade, attending a band clinic at Morehead State University, I made the definite decision that I wanted to be a band director. No one on either side of my family had been to college, so I was clueless in many aspects of what it would take.
My band director, James Copenhaver, pulled me aside one day to explain:
You want to be a band director. That means you’re going to need to go to college, but your family can’t pay for you to go (My parents were divorced and my polio-surviving mother was raising five children.)
Your grades are okay, but not good enough for academic scholarships. You’re not athletic, so that is out.
The best chance for you to get to college is to become good enough on that clarinet that by the time you graduate, a college will pay for you to come. You’ve got four years.
Joan and I are going to a place that sells both music instrument stuff and Apple tech. While she gets her bassoon reeds, should take this disk tray in and ask for recommendations on computer to utilize these. WhatDaYaThink? Would they even know what these are?
Donations
