I don't have much time. My week turned out to be the week from almost hell and I have a busy weekend. So while I have about 30 minutes of free time, let me spout off on things I wanted to say during the week.
Tim Russert
Tim Russert has died at the age of 58 of an apparent heart attack. I agree with what the news pundits talking heads are saying. He was the be prepared interviewer around and he was the fairest interviewer around.
R. Kelly
Of course R. Kelly was found not guilty. What else do you expect? Relatives of the "girl" said it wasn't her. She said it wasn't her although not in the court room. The woman who was the main witness had credibility problems. And he has enough money to buy a great legal team, but for this case, a good enough team would have done and Kelly's legal team was really just good enough.
After this mess first broke, R. Kelly came out with a song where he called himself the Pied Piper. And he has a song now where he mentions honey and it sure seems like he's singing about...
Writ of Habeas Corpus
I don't like the recent Supreme Court decision to allow "enemy combatants" to seek access to U.S. courts to get a hearing on charges against them. On the other hand, it seems like the President and Congress tried to get around the seemingly improper means of indefinite detention of people. In a classic war it could be said that the people would be released when the war is over. But this "war" is different in that it will not end.
Baby Momma
I hate to be the one to piss in the pool, but I remember Michelle Obama saying that Barack was her babies' daddy when she was introducing him at a campaign event. Now, ED Hill should have lost her job after the "terrorist jab" quip. Giving someone dap is mainstream. Now, I thought people would mention Barack giving Michelle a pat on her backside. (And what a backside it is...) And that "other thing"...
Paying Parents to Be Parents
The Baltimore City Public School System has a low parental involvement rate. So, to encourage parents of students to do what they should be doing without being told to do it, the school system wants to pay money to community groups to get parents involved in the school system.
The reasons parents do, or do not, get involved in their children's education are varied and complex. In a city with many single-parent households, where many children live with adults other than their parents, and where many parents must work long hours to make ends meet, several Baltimore schools have long struggled with parent involvement. In some cases, parents are incarcerated or addicted to drugs. In other cases, parents had a negative experience in school when they were young, or their child's school has made them feel unwelcome, or they don't know how to navigate the bureaucracy.
Last night, the board authorized the Family League of Baltimore City to disburse $500,000 in system money to community-based organizations that will submit proposals for parent mobilization through the city procurement process. Also, the system has received a $300,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other grant applications are pending. Sarbanes said the system will likely have about $1 million of public and private money combined, which would serve about 60 schools in the first year.
Parents should be involved in their children's activities. And if they aren't, and the parents are addicts, then there is a bigger problem involved. If they are working and can't take time out for their children, there is a bigger problem.
Peanut Butter
Also known as the Lakers.
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