You're right, Denney

I do need to add to this blog. I have ignored it way too long. Pressure from work just kind of took over everything. Let's see what Crud can do.

WHERE HAS CRUD BEEN?

Crud Bonemeal has been very busy working on a project and trying not to get too depressed about the condition of our country.
The elections are coming up in November.
I am so disappointed in everything that has happened except for the fact that the Democrats are putting this Obama fellow up for President. This guy is so far to the left, he makes McGovern, Mondale, and Dukakis look like Reagan Republicans.

I have been reading what I can get my hands on trying to get a handle on this issue with the gasoline prices, and therefore, the prices of everything else. My investments are struggling, but I am in it for the long haul there.

I just don't know where to start sometimes. The price of everything is going up, but my income is not...and who cares?

Denton County Commissioner Has Alternate Identity on MySpace.Com

Denton County Commissioner, Cynthia White aka "Schyler"

I found a campaign flyer in my mail today from the Hugh Coleman for County Commissioner campaign. I support Hugh in this bid because I think he would be better for the county than Ms. White. With all that said, this has to be the best flyer I have received from any candidate campaigning for anything in this election.

Apparently, Hugh found Cynthia White's "blog.myspace.com" page. In her myspace page, Ms. White is posing as a 21 year old single female from Alabama named "Schyler." She even had a photo of herself posted. Ms. White is a 44 year old woman, an elected public official, and I actually don't know if she is married or not.

But why would she be posing as a 21 year old single female? Is it to lure young men to their dooms? This whole thing is priceless. I pulled up the site shown on the flyer: blog.myspace.com/schylerspage, and it is now a private page and it can only be seen by invitation from the owner, namely, "Schyler" or Cynthia White. I am aware that she is a singer in a rock band and her stage name is Schyler.

I ask you: which is worse, that she has this page with this false information on it, or that she took measure to hide it when it was exposed for the campaign?

I may hang on to this one forever. It's priceless!

News to Watch

The "Naked News" team from Toronto, Canada.

Would I ever really hear the news if I subscribed to this? Could be interesting, though.

New Enemy Tactic: Are They Running Out of Volunteers?

AP story from 2 Feb 2008:
Iraqi officials raised the death toll of Friday's two Baghdad bombing attacks to at least 99 - including 62 people killed at the central al-Ghazl market and 37 others killed about 20 minutes later across town, at the New Baghdad area pigeon market. The Iraqi police, hospital and Interior Ministry officials all spoke on customary condition of anonymity.
At least 88 people were wounded in al-Ghazl, and 56 others in the second blast, they said.
Two mentally disabled women strapped with remote-control explosives - and possibly used as unwitting suicide bombers - brought carnage to the two pet bazaars.

Apparently, the evidence is pretty clear that the Terrorists are now using mentally handicapped individuals as bombs. Is there any question that these murderers need to be exterminated for our own protection?

I just hope that the Iraqis who appear to be cooperating with our effort are not just yanking our collective chains.

Fun Website

Probably the most fun website ever!
It is the best way to waste time.

(From CB: Thanks to Liberally Lean from the Land of Dairy Queen at skattershooting.blogspot.com for the heads up on the website. That guy is good at finding these silly things.)

A School District Intentionally Leaving Children Behind

Rochester City School District Embraces Ebonics

Rachel Barnhart (Rochester, N.Y.) – It’s called Black English Vernacular – or more commonly – Ebonics.
In a newsletter to staff, Rochester City School District officials say it is OK for students and teachers to speak Ebonics in class.
The newsletter, Diversity Dialogue, suggests teachers use BEV to communicate with students. It says teachers can:
• “Switch into BEV in specific situations or informal discussion.”
• "Translate common phrases in Standard English into BEV.”
• “Read and retell stories in both BEV and Standard English.”
“We need to embrace the diversity they bring into our schools,” said the district’s Chief of Diversity and Leadership, Michele Hancock.
Hancock and Tyra Webb-Johnson, Director of Coaching and Leadership, wrote the newsletter. They are both former elementary school principals.
“We want (teachers) to have a better understanding of what BEV is so they can incorporate it into their teaching. That way, they're not alienating the students who are speaking the vernacular and degrading them,” Webb-Johnson said.
Ebonics was debated nationally in 1996 when the Oakland, California school district proposed using it in the curriculum.
Ebonics is defined as a speech pattern used by some African-Americans that does not follow standard grammar.
“No matter how you speak, you do need to learn the standard form so you can embrace the larger audience of people,” Hancock said. “But you can hold on to the richness of your family environment and not feel that is beneath any standard of living.”
Hancock says many people, including her own son, who graduated from college, know how to "code switch" between Standard English and Ebonics. She said students must learn to be proficient in Standard English.“Many African-Americans are bi-dialectic in their speech patterns. I think it's critical teachers understand those speech patterns so they can effectively, visually show children how they are speaking, but not to denigrate it, but to celebrate it,” Hancock said.
13WHAM News showed the newsletter to several black leaders in the community.
“Anybody who suggests that these kids will lose their identity because they cannot be, should not be encouraged to speak Ebonics is wrong,” said school board member Van White, who is pushing to create an African-American studies department in the district. “We are not African-Americans because of how we speak, but who we are as a people.”
“I understand there's a need for teachers and students to meet on some common plane, but I'm not sure expressing that as Ebonics as that plane is a way to go,” said City Councilman Adam McFadden.
“It's acceptable in hip hop culture, but I don't think anyone would suggest the way forward for students already coming to school with severe educational deficiencies is to maintain a deficient language pattern,” said former Mayor William Johnson.
Johnson and then-Police Chief Bob Duffy fired a white police officer for writing a memo called “Ghetto Lingo,” which claimed to translate English phrases into African-American vernacular.
Hancock and Webb-Johnson say many white teachers come to them for help communicating with students. The BEV suggestion is not a mandate, they said.
“It doesn't hurt the kids. What we're saying to the children is we value what you bring. You have value,” said Hancock."What if one of your teachers started speaking Ebonics to you tomorrow? I would think they were crazy!" said Jada Scott, an 8th grader.
"I just think that's outrageous. Ebonics, that's something that kids speak out in the street with their friends, it's not something to be encouraged in the classroom,” said Maxine Humphrey, a high school senior.
“I think it's not a good idea,” said senior Candice Scott. “If we learn to speak Ebonics and we get into the real world, I don't think it's going to be of any help to us."
"I don't think it's a very good idea. I think it's more important for the kids to reach up to the school standards, instead of the school coming down to the kid’s level,” said parent Melynda Scott.