Friday, December 30, 2005

Some of us LIKE warm weather, Dammit!

I am a news junkie. I admit it. I get most of it from the internet but I am still addicted to local papers as well. And much of what I read in the Valley Morning Star irritates me but usually the worst stuff is in the headlines or the editorial pages. Today there were two Very Irritating Pages and only one was the editorials....

Very Irritating Page Numero Uno:

"Lyin' Bryan" on the weather page:

"Fog will plague the valley for each morning for the next few days so be careful driving during the overnight and morning hours. Daytime highs are still pushing the low to mid-80's through the weekend. A weak frontal boundary will push through early Sat. but won't bring much help."

(So far so innocuous but that last phrase - emphasis mine - suggests Bryan is about to step over the "no value judgments about the weather form the messenger, please" line...)

"We need rain and cooler weather. Next week there is a glimmer of hope with a more substantial front bringing daily highs down in the low 70's by Wed. Keep your fingers crossed."

Yo! Bryan! You may think the 80's in December is hell-like but some of us happen to think it is just about right! Especially those of us who plan to take the polar bear dip on Sunday! So quit wishing colder weather on me, okay?

Geez.

Very Irritating Page Numero Two-O (sent to the VMS Editor 12/30/05)

Re: "School choice could end evolution debate" - the unattributed editorial in the Dec. 30 edition of the VMS

I have seen some indefensible opinions appear in this space, but this has got to be one of the dumbest editorials I have ever seen in the VMS.

The writer is essentially saying that parents - not the state - should decide what kids should be taught. If I want my kids to learn that the world is flat, that the sun revolves around it and that it was created 5000 years ago by the Flying Spaghetti Monster, well then by god I should be able to send my kids to a school that teaches just that.

Meanwhile, in other places on the planet kids are reaping the benefit of centuries of scientific study while developing a grasp of how tested and proven theories can help us solve earth's problems and mysteries.

Keep the teaching of Intelligent Design in religious facilities where it belongs. Teach evolution in schools. Do not hobble our children and endanger our nation's future by confusing dogma with science.

I'm not surprised no one on your staff would attach his/her name to this stinky heap. I have some libertarian tendencies myself, but editorials like this help remind us of why it is so important to keep education public and under the watchful eye of state-certified educators.

Hooray for the New Year!

"WhY!!!??"
Why o why sandy feet are you making me change my bookmarks, messing with my daily routine and starting up a whole new blog in a whole new location??!!"

The reasons are many, but suffice to say that the old blog was a bit too closely associated with the old boyfriend - a nice guy who was much geekier than I and who I had hoped would help me figure out how to use PHP so that I could customize it (the old blog, that is) to my heart's content.

This of course never happened.

Basically, I decided there was no hope for me and PHP and so I am migrating to blogger which is proving to be much friendlier to my poor over-taxed brain.

I hope you can make the migration with me. I haven't quite figured out the RSS stuff yet but I feel confident that I can.

Onward through the fog!