My Life According to The Flaming Lips; Or, This Sucky Blog is Still Alive

I did this on Facebook with NOFX, but the Flaming Lips version is, at least to me, a lot more entertaining, so I did it again.
And no, I’ve not totally abandoned the blog.  It’s summer – I have better things to do (like melt, apparently).  Anyway…..
————————————————-
Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these [...]

Hess Meeting

As I mentioned earlier on this blog, I was one of the people who scheduled a meeting with the new Superintendent of the LCSD, Rob Hess.  That meeting happened earlier today – I was nearly, but not quite, the 100th person to meet with him.  Given that he’s been on the job for about 20 [...]

California reaches a tentative budget deal

I don’t have a lot to add to this, but I do have a few things:
After resolving their major education dispute Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders hope to finalize a budget deal today that closes California’s $26 billion deficit with spending cuts, accounting shifts and revenues from local governments.
State leaders have agreed on [...]

If only Ezra Klein got a dose of radical politics….

He makes a good point here:
Is it worth being disappointed about that? Sure. But legislation cannot be understood in a vacuum. The place to change the tax argument isn’t in final days of health-care reform. It’s in the intervening years when Republicans are attacking the very idea of taxation. Any given piece of legislation is [...]

I’d like to interview Superintendent Rob Hess

As part of Superintendent Hess’ transition into the Lebanon Community School District, he’s offered up something like 100 meetings for community members and others on a first-come, first-scheduled basis.  Each meeting, as I understand it, is 30 minutes in length, and it’s his way of getting to know the community.  It’s a good idea.  I [...]

Reporting on Lebanon’s Pregnancy Alternatives Center

There’s a story in the LE this week about the rebuilt Pregnancy Alternative Center reopening:
The Lebanon Pregnancy Alternatives Center has been rebuilt from the ground up after a fire last December destroyed the building.
I blogged a bit about this when it was first burned down:
Something like the Lebanon Pregnancy Alternatives Center doesn’t seem to provide [...]

Whales

Whoa:
I asked Frohoff at one point if, given both the dark past of human-whale interactions in those lagoons and what we’ve now come to know about whale intelligence, there could possibly be some element of knowing forgiveness behind their actions. She took a deep breath and widened her eyes, making it clear that she wanted [...]

Tipping

From the author of Waiter Rant, who is writing a book about tipping (and no, this isn’t even a book excerpt AFAIK, just a paragraph from a regular ol’ post):
Tipping, as I’m discovering, is a very strange phenomenon. Existing in a netherworld off human emotions, social utility, and economic theory, it defies easy classification. Tipping [...]

Link Dump

Why don’t I update this crappy blog, blah blah blah…. basically, it’s summer, and I’d rather be outside than spend any more time at a computer.  Strange, I know, but somehow true.  Anyway, below is a collection of links I always intended to post on within a day or two of finding them, but never [...]

Courtney trial moved from Benton County

The GT’s Rachel Beck has a story today noting that the Courtney trial is being moved out of Benton County:
In a surprise move at a hearing Tuesday afternoon in Benton County Circuit Court, prosecutors said they would concede to the defense’s motion to change the trial’s venue.
As the story makes clear, the prosecution’s decision to [...]

Another instance in which the appropriate response falls between ‘fuck off’ and ‘die’

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?

[LCSD] More Sansom

Word has it he’s not going to Lacomb, but staying put.  While Lacomb will be happy, with all the outstanding complaints against Sansom, I can’t imagine this is going to mean smooth sailing at Seven Oak.

The 4th

It strikes me that one of the mental dividers I use is whether someone celebrates the 4th of July qua 4th or not.
Dividing what?
Whether one’s politics are radical or not, of course.