The Republican presidential candidate says Obama advocates sending two news combat brigades to Afghanistan. McCain, on the other hand, thinks they need to stay focus on the cost of oil and gasoline and reclaim the country's independence. 

LISTEN TO MCCAIN'S RADIO ADDRESS: weeklyaddress_072608.mp3

TRANSCRIPT

8/21 vs EHC Munchen
8/22 vs EV Fussen
8/24 vs ERC Ingolstadt (DEL)
8/26 vs EV Ravensburg
8/29 vs Ausburger Panther (DEL)
8/31 vs ESV Kaufbeuren

Also, the official 2008-09 AL schedule has been announced.

Again, each death is a tragedy, but a country that deems twenty-five or fewer deaths in a war zone over seven years to be “serious losses” (usually spurring national debate about continuing participation in the mission) is not capable of serious peacekeeping.

I'll also add this post of his, with just the title: "Because When Germans Call a Charismatic Political Leader a Messiah, Good Things Happen"
Meanwhile, David Pryce-Jones takes a moment on his own NRO blog to examine European support for Senator Obama, European anti-Americanism, and the connection between those two.
And at NRO proper, Byron York discusses Parisian support for Senator Obama.

From the NYT

"WITH gestures that ranged from a wink to a sneer, most anyone you met here this week volunteered the view that Barack Obama’s visit to Europe caused unprecedented frenzy. But it’s been hard for me to find a European, aside from two Harvard-educated friends in Paris, who confessed to excitement — not just about the visit, but the prospect of an Obama presidency.

It is true that Der Spiegel, the German newsweekly, featured Mr. Obama on its cover, topped by the words “Germany Meets the Superstar” — but the cover was satire, and nasty satire at that. The editors managed to find the ugliest photograph of Mr. Obama ever taken. It caught the senator at a moment that might be exhaustion but looks like conceited smirking. When Der Spiegel featured Mr. Obama on its cover in March, the cover line was “The Messiah Factor.” Must one add that this, too, was not meant to be taken at face value?

Europeans will be as relieved as 72 percent of Americans to see the end of the Bush administration, but their attitudes toward the Democratic candidate are far from being the same as the ones he arouses at home. Mr. Obama makes Europeans uncomfortable. "

And apparently, in Israel, Obama plastered the area around the Western Wall, aka the Wailing Wall, with campaign posters and paraphernaila...  This is the holiest sight in Islam...  and he put up campaign posters...  seriously?  The Israeli politicians don't even do this...  If I find this incredibly distasteful, what is the Jewish community gonna think? 

Photo from WND

BUT WAIT, you might say...  he drew hundreds of thousands of people in Berlin and crowds everywhere!  They loved him! 

Ummm...  no. 

What the American media is not telling you is that the opening act for Obama at his "big" speech in Berlin happened to be 2 of the most popular bands in Europe giving a free concert. 

Berlin is a place where massive festivals are run of the mill.  The Love Fest was famous for gathering a million people or more, Octoberfest is just ridiculous...  millions.  200k... with 2 massive European bands...  pfft.

Kinda puts a different spin on things doesn't it?

And then there is England...  a place known for it's wit and snark.  Well, Gerard Baker from The Times certainly out did himself with the ultimate snark piece about Obama.  I HIGHLY SUGGEST READING IT ALL.

Go HERE to read the whole thing, but here is a snippet for you:

"And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?"

 

Doesn't really sound like they are loving him does it?  I didn't think so either. 

Even at home, his whirlwind tour of the world didn't go over super well...  he is down in many of the polls and virtually tied and McCain is gaining ground fast...  especially in some of the key battleground states  (CLICK HERE)

The NY Times snarked about Obama in Berlin...  David Brooks essentially called Obama's event in Berlin saccharine Disney on Acid that has jumped the shark. 

WOW.  Pretty strong words... 

Still think the world tour was a success?  I didn't think so.

UPDATE:  According to one of my readers, Casaloma, the 200k figure in Berlin...  well that is what the Obama camp told the US press.  The Germans apparently estimated the figure to be more like 20k.  Still searching for confirmation on this, but would not be at all surprised.

The expressions on the judges' faces, beginning with boredom and even (in Simon Cowell's case) contempt, and their subsequent reactions are completely genuine.

Two sweet touches: The singer, Paul Potts, went on to win the show; At the time of this audition, Paul Potts was a mobile phone salesman.

Link to original clip from the show with more background.

But let me begin with this...I really can't see myself paying $4.00 for a cup of anybody's coffee.   Sorry, Mr. Starbuck...but it is just the way it is.  It's...it is how I feel.  I just can't see it.

I know people are all wrapped up in image...but does holding a cup with 'Starbucks' logo really have more value than a cup with 'Dunkin Donuts' logo on it.

I mean all through the Decocratic Primaries...people were saying that Obama attracks the Starbuck crowd...and Hillary the Dunkin Donuts people.   Huh????

Why all this division?

Breaking people down by coffee lines...it is all a bit too much.

Maybe it is just that I am not a coffee person. 

My father being Jamaican...and Jamaica being a British Colony once upon a time...so what do the Brit's drink?   Tea, of course.   And so that is what most Jamaicans drink.  So, our household is basically all tea drinkers...following right after daddy and our Jamaican hertiage and tradition.  And it extends all the way down to daddy's grand-children and great-grand children...and since they are basically still kids we haven't gotten to the fourth generation yet.  Who will also undoubtedly also mostly be a bunch of tea drinkers, I am sure.

Starbucks has to have the record for being one of the fastest growing companies in America.  I have never seen a company grown so fast.

But then they seem to have made all the right moves in the beginning.  They started off with statilite stores...branched off into deals where they went into places like Virgin Records and other high traffic locations which proved to be excellent decisions for them.  Because people who purchase $13/$15 CD's certainly also have enough to buy a $4.00 cup of coffee.  And they did.

Starbucks a Seattle based company has 7,100 company owned stores across the country.  Some time this year the company plans to close 600 of its under producing stores.  Which means they will be laying off some 12,000 employees...which the company says it will try to place as many of them as possible at other store locations.

In February of this year, Starbucks fired some 600 other employees and is currently periodically shutting down stores during some regular business hours in order to do some re-training of its employees.

It is probably safe to say...that if you work at a Starbucks that is inside a Barnes & Nobles or a Virgin Records location...or any high volume/high traffic area...your store will probably not be closing.

For a listing of the closing stores Click Link below.

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/USStoreClosureInfo.pdf

Or go to...

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/pressdesc.asp?id=882

And to read more on the story via ABC News Click on the Link below.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5288740

These youtube videos may need some loading time...if so lower the volume all the way and read the blog or all of my blogs until it loads completely.  The stop and go will drive you crazy otherwise.  Thank you.   

And while I am sharing...don't forget to share this blog address with all your friends, family, church, the people upstairs and down the street too...  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com      the place to be when it comes to staying on top of what is important...interesting...and insightful.   Pass it on....

Barack Obama is quite a family man...a man who clearly loves his wife and his children as is evident in his pictures with them, everytime you see him with his wife and in his comments concerning them.  For such passion to extend itself into the public and political area is a gift to those of us who shall soon reap the rewards of it...which shall also be reaped by those of the whole world also when he becomes President of the United States of America in November of this year.

Clearly the people in Germany who gathered to hear him speak recognized that Obama is an extrodinary person...that kind of person only goes around once in a lifetime.

So, to have been on this planet to have seen and heard the likes of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Nelson Mandela etc. we can truly say that we have been blessed.  Because we have truly be blessed to be here in the company of some very extra-ordinary people who have shown us what true love and commitment is all about.

Now, in walks Barack Obama.

From the time he hit the world stage at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. They saw it then...the press...they all saw it...and when he stepped from the stage they touted him 'The Future of the Democratic Party.'

It was upon that stage as he addressed the members of the convention that Barack Obama literally looked out and saw his destiny. And from the moment he stepped off that stage he began working towards today and where he will be come November of this year, 2008...the President of the United States of America.

Some people don't trust him because they look at him as not being black enough.

Others look at him and say he is too black.

The hispanic say he will only do for black people and forget about us.

 It is quite clear that Barack Obama does not wish for his children or grand-children to inherit the chaos and fear that the Bush Administration has ushered into the United States.

He does not want his daughters...nor their children to live under the cloud of uncertainty of what tomorrow may bring for this country or this world.

Through all of its current troubles, Barack Obama has chosen to shoulder the burden...to take on the responsibility of trying to right this country again...to rewrite the history of American that George Bush and his people so callously sought to undermind and undo.

When he left Harvard, he hit the streets of the ghetto working to undo social ills and injustices. It is in his nature to champion the cause of the people.  When you read about his mother, you see that it runs in the blood...the seeking to unify the world and caring for others.   It is what Barack Obama is all about.

This week in Germany, we got a chance to see that the world too sees something special in Barack Obama.  To hear those people chant 'change' and call out his name was more than moving.

They say that Barack Obama doesn't know enough.  He has no experience...no.  And they are right.  He has not had any experience running with the liars and the cheats who have made up this country's government for years. 

This country needs somebody who isn't down with the 'crew.'  Somebody not afraid to make his own decisions.  Not afraid to be wrong if he thinks it is in the best interest of this country.  Not afraid of second guess himself and yet comtemplate the decision and its overall impact.

This country needs somebody who is not afraid to stand alone.  Who is not afraid to say wrong is wrong.

Give me somebody young and yearning for training.  Don't give me somebody who thinks he already knows everything...and doesn't know nothing.

I don't care who goes into the White House or who has gone into it in past...they all had to learn on the job.  It is not like going to work from one fast food place to another...or from one corporate office into another. 

It is not...it is the White House...the Presidency.  

Until you get voted in...you can't possibly have all of or a fifth of the capabilities to do it.  Most of it comes with on the job-training.  For anybody to say anything else is a lie.  No corporate CEO has ever been under the pressure of the President of the United States...nothing is like the job of being the President of this country.

Barack Obama not only looked Presidential in Germany...he spoke Presidential.  He speaks with authority, leadership, knowledge and a zeal for this country that we have not heard for a very long time.  Give me that any day...because I know the rest will follow.

Unlike any other President of this country...Barack Obama has lived as a child in several other countries.   Having done so he understands other people, their language, their cultures...that gives him a greater sensitivity to other nations that no other President of this country could have possibly had.  On the world stage or on domestic politics Barack Obama is head over heels beyond Senator John McCain.  There is no contest.

For the problems that Bush has brought to America's door...we are going to need somebody who can think outside of the box...not trying to hide within the box.  But a real thinker and doer.  Someone with temperance and perhaps even some tolerance...and between Hillary and Jesse Jackson...and Rev. Jeramiah Wright...Obama has shown lots of that.  And certainly for one thing for sure it will, also, take more than politics as usual to straighten up the Bush messes that we are in.

Just a quick note on Charles Barley.  Like Reggie Jackson and so many other athletes that chose to do for others, Charles Barley while recently out dining came across a young man who was waiting on his table whom he recognized was in need of some help...in order to go on to college.  Barley stepped in and told the young man he would take care of his full college tuition...brings tears to my eyes.   I love these kind of stories.

And I love Charles Barley in that television commercial...he is so annoying. 

Great for you Charles Barley...and you can read more on this story by Clicking and Link below.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Charles-Barkley-tips-well-pays-busboy-s-tuition?urn=nba,95780

Okay, you China Olympics bound people...here is another Chinese word or saying...

Bu yong xie...pronounced   Boo you shay...    Remember that I told that 'bu' is the Chinese negative... well, in this case too...but it depends upon what you want to say...

It translates into 2 meanings...     1.  You're welcome

                                                     2.  No problem...

'No problem' is a popular saying or phrase in China.

If you remember 'xie xie'... pronounced 'sure shay' ....meaning 'thank you.'

Ni hao....you are saying 'hi' to one person       Nim hao...you are saying 'hi' to a group or more than one      

Ni hao ma...    Knee how ma  .....it means   hi, and how are you?    or how are you doing.

Nim hao ma...means  the exact same thing except you are addressing more than one person.     And 'nim'....is pronounced as you think  ...as nimb.

Now, I am going to advance you a little bit....

Wu chew chin sway.... means I want water     (this I forgot to write out in the actual Chinese spelling...I was great for sitting in class and writing down 'what it sounds like'...it was the only way I could learn the language.  Other than that...in less than 30 seconds I would forget).   

So, this means 'I want water' but remember it is not written in the actual Chinese spelling...and of course the Chinese do not really write this stuff out....no.  They use characters...or what we call Chinese characters.  And you have seen what Chinese characters look like...but we have never been able to make them out...or knew that each character symbolizes a Chinese word...and there are thousands of characters...and some even have a gender...to reference male or female.

Now, you have learned something else.   And remember that "wu" ....means 'I' or 'me'... first person singular.    pronounced "woo."

Well, I am suppose to really be doing some work today.  So, I better get to it.

Have a beautiful day...    God bless....

Script For "Troops" (TV :30)

Anncr: Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan.

He hadn't been to Iraq in years.

He voted against funding our troops.

And now, he made time to go to the gym, but cancelled a visit with wounded troops.

Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras.

John McCain is always there for our troops.

McCain. Country first.

John McCain: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

AD FACTS: Script For "Troops" (TV :30)

ANNCR: Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan.

· Barack Obama: "I became Chairman of this committee at the beginning of this campaign, at the beginning of 2007. So it is true that we haven't had oversight hearings on Afghanistan." (MSNBC Democratic Presidential Debate, 2/26/08)

ANNCR: He hadn't been to Iraq in years.

· The New York Times: Barack Obama Had Not Been To Iraq For Over 900 Days. "For months, Senator John McCain and other Republicans have been criticizing Senator Barack Obama for not having visited Iraq in a long time, even running a daily tally that is now well past 900 days." (Larry Rohter, "A Mixed Take By McCain Camp On Obama's Trip To War Zones," The New York Times, 7/19/08)

ANNCR: He voted against funding our troops.

· Barack Obama Voted Against Providing $94.4 Billion In Critical Funding For The Troops In Iraq And Afghanistan. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Obama Voted Nay)

ANNCR: And now, he made time to go to the gym, but cancelled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras.

· Barack Obama Cancelled A Planned Visit To Ramstein And Landstuhl In Germany. "SPIEGEL ONLINE has learned that Obama has cancelled a planned short visit to the Rammstein and Landstuhl US military bases in the southwest German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The visits were planned for Friday. Barack Obama will not be coming to us,' a spokesperson for the US military hospital in Landstuhl announced. I don't know why.' Shortly before the same spokeswoman had announced a planned visit by Obama." (Der Spiegel Website, http://www.spiegel.de, Accessed 7/24/08)

· Obama Senior Strategist David Axelrod Said The Pentagon Told The Campaign That Barack Obama "Should Not Come." "Though the Rammstein visit had been planned for days, Obama senior strategist David Axelrod said that that Pentagon notified an Obama military advisor only yesterday or the day before that he should not come. The Pentagon 'viewed this as a campaign event and therefore they said he should not come,' Axelrod said. Obama has been at the base in previous overseas trips. He visited with troops--even played basketball--when he touched down in Kuwait during the Iraq and Afghanistan leg of his swing." (Lynn Sweet, "Pentagon Tells Obama Not To Visit U.S. Troops At German Base Because It Would Be Too Political," Chicago Sun Times' "Sweet" Blog, http://blogs.suntimes.com, Posted 7/25/08)

· "The [Military] Official Said 'We Didn't Know Why' Th e Request To Visit The Wounded Troops Was Withdrawn. 'He (Obama) Was More Than Welcome. We Were All Ready For Him." (Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, "What's Not On Obama's Schedule..." MSNBC's "First Read," http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com, Posted 7/24/08)

· Military "Prepared To Accommodate Obama's Traveling Press And Campaign Staff At The Passenger Terminal At Ramstein Air Base." "Morrell said the U.S. military was prepared to accommodate Obama's traveling press and campaign staff at the passenger terminal at Ramstein Air Base, the U.S. Air Force base in southern Germany where Obama's plane had been cleared to land." (Michael Finnegan And Peter Spiegel, "Obama's Cancellation Of A Military Hospital Visit Leaves Unanswered Questions," Los Angeles Times' "Top Of The Ticket" Blog, 7/25/08)

· Defense Department Press Secretary Geoff Morrell: "Sen. Obama is more than welcome to visit Landstuhl or any other military hospital around the world. ... But he has to do so, just as any other senator has to do so, in his official capacity. It is not acceptable to do so as a candidate." (Michael Finnegan And Peter Spiegel, "Obama's Cancellation Of A Military Hospital Visit Leaves Unanswered Questions," Los Angeles Times' "Top Of The Ticket" Blog, 7/25/08)

· Defense Department: "But The Pentagon Certainly Did Not Tell The Senator That He Could Not Visit Landstuhl." "Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters later Friday the Pentagon did not explicitly say Obama should not visit the base, but was concerned with whether his capacity there would be one of a presidential candidate, not a senator. 'We do have certain policy guidelines for political campaigns and elections. And what is appropriate and what is not appropriate in those situations. But the Pentagon certainly did not tell the senator that he could not visit Landstuhl,' Whitman said." (Alexander Mooney And Sasha Johnson, "Pentagon Was Concerned With Obama Visit To Hospital," CNN's "Political Ticker" Blog, 7/25/08)

· Obama Campaign Explanation "Didn't Square With The Defense Department Explanation." "On Obama's flight from Berlin to Paris, Gibbs offered more details. Around July 15, the Pentagon approved Obama's visit. But military officials later invoked a rule on political activity at military bases and questioned whether it would cover Obama's visit, Gibbs said. Obama spokesmen said they were seeking clarification on what the rule is. Gibbs also declined to speculate on why the Pentagon did not cite the rule until Wednesday. That account, however, didn't square with the Defense Department's explanation. The Pentagon said it informed the Obama campaign on Monday that he and his Senate staff could visit Landstuhl, where wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan are treated, but that no press would be allowed." (Michael Finnegan And Peter Spiegel, "Obama's Cancellation Of A Military Hospital Visit Leaves Unanswered Questions," Los Angeles Times ' "Top Of The Ticket" Blog, 7/25/08)

· The Pentagon Reportedly Informed Obama That He And His Senate Staff Were Permitted To Visit Landstuhl, But "No Press Would Be Allowed" In Military Base. "The Pentagon said it informed the Obama campaign on Monday that he and his Senate staff could visit Landstuhl, where wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan are treated, but that no press would be allowed." (Michael Finnegan And Peter Spiegel, "Obama's Cancellation Of A Military Hospital Visit Leaves Unanswered Questions," Los Angeles Times' "Top Of The Ticket" Blog, 7/25/08)

· Barack Obama "Would Not Have Been Able To Address The Media Or Make Any Campaign-Related Statements." "A memo sent out Wednesday from Undersecretary of Defense David Chu explained that Obama's visit to such a military facility would be limited under these circumstances. Obama would not have been able to bring any of his campaign staff -- only one Senate staffer and security. He also would not have been able to address the media or make any campaign-related statements." ("Obama Camp: Visit To Troops Would Have Seemed Too Political," Fox News, 7/25/08)

· Before His Thursday Speech, Barack Obama Went To The Ritz Carlton To Work Out While In Berlin. "Still, Obama, just like George W. Bush in the 2000 election, managed to squeeze in his workout time despite a heavy schedule of high-level meetings with government officials and his big speech at the Siegessule, or Victory Column, around 7 p.m. Berlin time. '4:49 p.m.: Obama enters the luxury Ritz Carlton hotel wearing a T-shirt, black sweatpants and white trainers -- apparently to work out in the hotel's gym. He kept up the campaigning on the way there, smiling and waving at tourists and other onlookers,' the breathless Spiegel ticker reported." (Jill Zuckman, "Barack Obama Gets A Workout At Ritz Gym," Chicago Tribune's "Swamp" Blog, http://www.swamppolitics.com , Posted 7/24/08)

· After His Thursday Speech, Barack Obama Joined His Campaign Staff And The Press Corps For A Martini At A Berlin Restaurant. "After the speech was over, the candidate, in a celebratory mood, joined his campaign staff -- and the press corps traveling with him -- for dinner and a very dry vodka martini with olives at a downtown Berlin restaurant." (Karen Tumulty, "Obama Urges Unity In Berlin," Time, www.time.com, 7/24/08)

· Barack Obama Said That He Was Going To Have Some "Down Time" In Berlin And That He "Would Love To Tour A Little Bit." "Obama noted that in a break from his whirlwind schedule, 'we've got some down time tonight. What are you guys gonna do in Berlin? Huh? Huh? You guys got any big. plans? I've never been to Berlin, so...I would love to tour around a little bit.'" (Jake Tapper, "Obama On Tonight's Berlin Speech: "A Crapshoot"," ABC News' "Political Punch" Blog, http://blogs.abcnews.com, Posted 7/24/08)

This post has three sections: I) Student Desk Arrangement Issues; II.) Features Which Can Disturb Students; and III.) Enhancements Which Can Help Students.

I.) STUDENT DESK ARRANGEMENT ISSUES

Best Directions of Students:

Should students be arranged according to their best directions--either facing their best direction, or with their best direction at their back? I don't think so. In most classrooms, students are moved around every few weeks determined mostly by classroom behavior issues. It would be entirely unworkable for the teacher to calculate each student's best direction, and arrange him according to that plan. If the teacher is arranged according to HIS best direction, this is sufficient. Perhaps if one or two individual students were having a lot of trouble, it might be worth trying placing only those students according to best direction.

Desk Arrangements within the Classroom

Feng Shui practitioners all recommend AVOIDING desks in straight rows. Here is one acceptable arrangement, as in these two photos--the island arrangement:

[caption id="attachment_576" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Desks in an island arrangement"][/caption]

An even better arrangement is the semi-circle:

According to one expert, rounded forms in the classroom increase harmony; and enhance concentration.

One of the biggest problems many teachers (like myself) face is lack of space. Many times, desks are crammed in, or arranged in rows because there just isn't room to do anything else. I was interested to see how the Chinese dealt with this problem (since Feng Shui originated in China, and the practice was preserved in Hong Kong and Taiwan when thrown out by leaders in mainland China). I thought maybe they would have a better solution, but I found it wasn't necessarily so. I did find that they do sometimes have desks in straight rows.

Other times, they try when possible for u-shaped arrangements; or desks in three sections, with each section at a slightly different angle.

This classroom has a severe space problem, and has used a U-shaped arrangement similar to what I have tried in my own classroom these past three years. (This year I may see if I can cram all the desks in to a semi-circle arrangement.)

Here are some other ideas:

Here are some other good arrangements I found:

II.) CLASSROOM FEATURES WHICH CAN DISTURB STUDENTS

A.) Color

Red represents the fire element, and is known to increase aggression.

Used in excess, it can produce stress and anxiety. Small accents of red (in a photo, candle, book, or pillow) can enhance interest and add motivation for students in various classroom bagua sectors. (There are several methods of placing the bagua, but the simplest one is to place the career center on the same side as the entrance to the classroom.)

Beware of other too-bright colors. I used to substitute in a Colorado school with bright orange (and some bright yellow) on classroom walls. A terrible school shooting later occurred in that school--it was Columbine High School.

I will never forget hearing about it on the news--yes, even here in the Middle East. After the shock, my very first thought (long before I knew about Feng Shui) was that the color of the walls (and I hope it has now been changed) certainly contributed to the problem. As a follow-up to this series, I will write a brief post on what I saw in Columbine High School in the mid-80's.

If you should ever find yourself in such a school, I suggest you COVER YOUR WALLS with every kind of blue and green picture, poster, or fabric that you possibly can (blue and green being colors that promote relaxation, and green being the easiest color on the eyes).

B.) Classroom Clutter

This is a big problem for teachers who have insufficient storage space, or for those who have no counters, tables or space for additional work areas, other than their own desk tops. I am one of these teachers, and I never got this year's mess cleaned up until after the students were gone!

I plan to try something new this year. I'm going to keep each separate on-going project in a box on top of some shelves in the back of our class. So that the boxes don't look like a mess (we don't have the nice boxes with lids that stack, so I will just have to use ordinary shipping cartons), I plan to cover each with a piece of colored fabric. I will probably try to choose something like blue, green, or a pale pink.

Messy desks are the other main source of clutter which can keep students from feeling organized and on top of things. Don't be tempted (as I always am) to skimp on desk-cleaning time if you're behind on lessons! With elementary students, have a surprise inspection (random five students at a time only) with foil stars for a reward for orderly desks. Or put up a poster displaying the names of students who keep their desks clean!

Messy teacher desks can also disturb students. With my new "carton" idea, I hope to be able to keep my desk under control (it's barely bigger than the student desks). I saw an idea which can help "revitalize" the desk area that should help make both me and the students who come to my desk feel a little better--I'm going to put a live plant on the corner of my desk. Right next to me, I should be able to handle keeping it watered.

C.) Sharp Corners

Sharp corners tend to increase aggression. If you are already in a very crowded classroom, pay attention to this. Sharp corners can be countered by trying to "round" them in some way. One solution is to put live plants (without spiky leaves or thorns) in the corners of your room. Another method is to drape fabric from one wall to the other, effectively rounding the corner (and behind which boxes could be stored without looking "cluttered" if you need extra storage space).

D.) Overhead Lights, Overhead Beams, and Overhead Fans

D-1.) Overhead Lights

Overhead lights can be very disturbing if they are hanging down over students. If they are hanging low, and can be raised, by all means, do it. But most of us don't have the option to make any changes.

In my own classroom above, a light bulb from the light hanging down at the far corner exploded all over the student desks (luckily, students were not seated below, and were lined up in the corridor ready to come in to the room, as I turned on the light). After that, I did do some research on light bulbs, and found that sometimes inexpensive bulbs purchased from third-world countries are sometimes defective in strength, and tend to explode more easily than light bulbs from first-world countries. (Incidentally, you can see below the best arrangement of desks that I've been able to come up with so far.)

D-2.) Overhead Beams

Overhead beams are a really tough issue to do anything about in a classroom situation. I don't see that much can be done about this unless you are in a music classroom--then others might not question your sanity if you mounted flutes (the usual suggested remedy) on the overhead beams (and claimed they were "decorations").

In our class, we also have to deal with heavy, overhead beams. At least they are painted white, like the rest of the ceiling, and are not in a contrasting color. In any case, our room has at least twelve-foot ceilings, so there would be no way of reaching them!

One site suggested, "Tall plants with a strong vertical shape can help offset the oppressive chi of overhead beams or a slanted ceiling." However, I think tall plants would be difficult to place in a crowded classroom directly under the beams, as it would block students' view of the board!

If it is possible, try to position classroom aisles under those beams, instead of having the student desks directly under them.

If it is not possible, my suggestion is to worry about the things you can do something about, and don't worry too much about the things you can't do anything about. Anything you are able to do in your classroom is likely to be helpful, and at the end of the day, each small change helps make the classroom a better learning environment than it was before.

D-3.) Overhead Fans

If your classroom has overhead fans, you probably need them! Even though it is not desirable, from a Feng Shui point of view to sit directly below this sort of cutting energy, my suggestion is (if possible) not to position student desks directly below the center point of the fan, but as outward from the point of the fan as possible. Try to position the aisles between desks directly under the fans. It will be better for your students.

Wall fans are preferred to ceiling fans (but they don't do nearly the job of cooling).

E. Classrooms without Windows

Classrooms without windows are best remedied by placing a large scenic picture (or poster) of a mountain scene at the back of the class, behind student desks. A SPARSE quantity of red accents in the room can enhance students' energy (don't overdo it, as in the case of Columbine High School).

An alternative strategy is to place several plants along the back wall.

F. Classroom at the End of a Long Corridor

or

For classrooms at the end of a long corridor, I have seen a suggested remedy of hanging a small mirror outside the classroom door (to deflect excess energy). For safety reasons, I don't think that would be allowed in a lot of schools. I think a large plant at the door (without spiky leaves) would serve the same purpose. It probably would not be allowed in the corridor, but would be allowed just inside the door of the teacher's own classroom.

III.) ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS WHICH CAN HELP STUDENTS

A.) Color

If you have any choice in the color of your classroom, choose nourishing and/or relaxing colors, in shades that have a connection with nature. Stay away from dark colors, as they tend to be overwhelming. Use darker colors only as accents (for example--red, dark blue, dark brown).

B.) Music

If you use music in your classroom, avoid discordant music (unless it serves another educational purpose, of course). One Feng Shui expert specifically recommends the use of Mozart.

I use music while my third-grade students trace handwriting sheets (which can be quite boring). Last year, our cassette player was stolen from the classroom over the summer, so I read stories to students. But I like to use the opportunity to introduce my students both to Classical Music and to World Music (different types of music from all over the world). I also play American Classics from different decades (1950's thorugh 1980's).

Studies have also been done (about ten years ago) showing specifically that children's math abilities can be enhanced if they listen to Classical music while working on math, a left-brained activity (because Classical-type music engages the left brain, whereas most other types of music, such as Rock, engage the right brain).

C. Enhancement of the Knowledge Area of Classroom Bagua

Feng Shui expert Stephen Skinner recommends that students can be helped to pass examinations by enhancement of two bagua sectors. The "children" area should be cleaned out of all clutter, and the "examination" (knowledge) area should be enhanced with symbolically-applied stick cinnamon.

The knowledge area could be further enhanced by a photo mounted on the wall with students graduating, or passing exams (photos of the students' own faces cut out of pictures, and mounted on top of the magazine picture of students' graduating, or passing exams). The photos should be mounted in a classroom location where students will see them every day.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, remember that, "Every long journey begins with a single step," and that every small change brings a small improvement!

I wrote this post because I had trouble locating all this information in one central place, and it took a lot of time to search out individual pieces. I hope this has helped others to find all of this collected in one post. I'd be pleased to know if anyone finds any of these photos or suggestions helpful!

Eileen

Historia (Cap. II)
En 1631, durante la guerra de los treinta años la ciudad fue tomada por el conde de Tilly. Este hecho dio origen a la tradicional celebración anual del Meistertrunk (trago maestro), con una pieza alegórica. Según dice la tradición, Tilly tomó prisioneros a los señores de la alcaldía, los condeno a muerte y ordenó que la ciudad fuese quemada. El alcalde de Rothenburg le dio como ofrenda de bienvenida, vino servido en un magnífico y colorido vaso de vidrio de 3¼ litros. Tilly, ligeramente aplacado por el gesto, ofreció respetar la integridad de la ciudad si alguien era capaz de tomar el vino del vaso en un solo trago. El alcalde, Georg Nusch se ofreció voluntariamente para el intento y para el asombro de todos y en particular de Tilly, Nusch procedió a vaciar el vaso de un solo trago, con lo que la ciudad fue salvada de la destrucción.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Rothenburg+ob+der+Tauber&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=91.128358,107.226562&ie=UTF8&s=AARTsJq7A-zhS3iAfFaxr8uH9qGWs2orPQ&ll=49.376226,10.183983&spn=0.03353,0.051498&z=13&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

Solar Energy (Freiburg, Germany)

This is really a neat clip. I don't understand why we can't do more of this in the states.

Passed the first 7 days of IPO, despite not having massive purchases of shares, we are achieving a good pace.

For the minimum target of success of this IPO, we are with 7% above that target of 400,000 shares.

We have been contacted and some investors, on the hope that the pace of actions accelerates on the arrival of the end of the month.

[Portugal][Original]

Passaram os primeiros 7 dias de IPO, apesar de não termos compras massivas de acções, estamos a conseguir um bom ritmo.

Para o objectivo mínimo de sucesso de IPO estamos com 7% acima desse objectivo, de 400.000 acções.

Temos estado a contactar alguns investidores e esperamos que o ritmo das acções acelere com a chegada do início do fim do mês.

There are many web sites dealing in reasons including: California Gold Rush, Oregon Trail, the Dustbowl of the 1930s, the Homestead Act of 1862, immigrating from another country in search of a better life, religious persecution, and more.  Today many people move from one locale to another due to a change in occupaton or a relocation, stationed at different spots due to military service, to get out of small towns or big cities, to go to school, and more. 

I thought I would detail some of my ancestors' migration patterns.  I don't have enough proof to document the reasons why they moved - just that they did.

Frederick Goul (5th great-grandfather)
Frederick took his wife, son, and daughter by ship (possibly the "Rawley") from Frankfort, Germany to America in the mid-1700s.  By the time they reached Philadelphia, his wife and daughter had died. 

Adam Goul (4th great-grandfather)
Adam married Elizabeth Lutz in Pennsylvania and several of their children were born there.  They moved to Rockbridge County, Virginia by 1804 and by 1817 had migrated west to Goshen Twp, Champaign County, Ohio.  Adam and Elizabeth are buried at Treacles Creek Cemetery in Champaign County.

John Goul (3rd great-grandfather)
One of Adam's and Elizabeth's sons, born about 1802, in Philadelphia, he was with his parents when they moved to Ohio.  About 1823 he married Martha McManaway.  John and his wife didn't move from Champaign County.

Malissa Goul (great-great grandmother)
Malissa met Franklin Blazer in Champaign County and they married.  The couple moved west to Madison County, Indiana before 1860 and most of their children were born there.  One son, John, and one daughter, Martha (Mat), remained in the area.  Daughter, Katie, grew up in the County and only moved in 1930 with her husband to live with their son in Greene County, Indiana.  Daughter, Rachel, moved west to Missouri and Kansas.  Son, Wesley, moved to Champaign County, Ohio where he married, brought up children and died.

Glen R. Johnson (maternal grandfather)
My grandfather (son of Katie Blazer and John L. Johnson) was born in Anderson, Indiana and never moved away until he was in training for WWI at Ft. Omaha, Nebraska and then on to Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas.  He went to France toward the end of WWI and then returned to his wife, son and home in Anderson.  During his career in the Army Air Corps (later the Air Force), he and his family moved East to Greene County, Ohio.  This is the place they considered home for the remainder of their lives.  Yet they also moved according to the military to Wiesbaden, Germany.  My grandfather also spent some time in Washington D.C., Tullahoma, Tennessee; Finschafen, New Guinea; Orlando, Florida.  Returning to the Dayton area before 1960, he and his wife lived out the remainder of their lives in that area.

Jacob Johnson (3rd great-grandfather)
Jacob was born in New Jersey in 1787.  He moved (probably with his parents and family) by 1816 to the Southeastern section of Ohio in Brown County, Ohio.  His wife's family (Ann Shields) has also been located in that area.  By 1840 Jacob and family were living in Center Township, Rush County, Indiana, where he spent the remainder of his life.

James Wilson Johnson (great-great grandfather)
He was born in Ohio when his parents, Jacob and Ann, lived in Brown County.  As a child he moved with them to Rush County, Indiana.  In the 1880 Census James and his second wife, Margaret Gordon, are living in Stoney Creek Twp, Madison County, Indiana.  James spent some time in Michigan in his later years living with each of his daughter's and their families.  He moved one last time - when he was buried in Little Blue River Cemetery in Rush County, Indiana.

John Mullis and Dolly Stanley (3rd great grandfather and mother)
In-laws of James Wilson Johnson, they moved from Wilkes County, North Carolina before 1838 to Rush County, Indiana.

Perhaps as I continue with my research, I will discover the reason why these people moved from one area (or country) to another.  It has just been quite interesting to see their migration patterns.

Flashbaxx aka Daniel Stenger lives in Aschaffenburg, Germany. This year his second record Changing Tides appeared on his own label. Changing Tides is a work full of downtempo sounds. If you enjoy Flashbaxx latest mix go ahead and don't hesitate to shop his latest album.

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Ray Hanania's World
July 26, 2008
Click comic strip to view larger image
Barack Obama in Berlin vowed to break down the walls that separate people around the worlds. But, not the wall in Israel that separates Palestinians from their lands.

When I backed the car out of the garage, for a trip into the hamlet, I saw Red  running around in the back yard.  He’d stop, sniff, and move to another spot and do the same thing.  He was either looking for nuts he had buried or ones from Junior.  I mowed the lawn yesterday and that probably confused him.

This afternoon, after they were long gone, I disinfected the feeder and washed it out.

JUNIOR

RED

MAJOR GARRETT: The scene, unprecedented in contemporary European politics, was unlike any a U.S. presidential nominee ever had the audacity to expect, or the cultural candlepower to attract. But to the upbeat throngs estimated by Berlin police to be in excess of 200,000 Obama did not sing a sweet song of hope and change. Instead he zeroed in on the threats of terrorism and nuclear proliferation.

OBAMA SPEECH VIDEO: "This is the moment when we must renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan, and the traffickers who sell drugs on your streets. No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO's first mission beyond Europe's borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone. The Afghan people need our troops and your troops; our support and your support to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now."

MAJOR GARRETT: That means Germany and other NATO nations must throw more into the battlefield in Afghanistan, where a resurgent Taliban and its terror-plotting al Qaeda allies have recently launched increasingly lethal attacks."

As for Iran and its headlong pursuit of nuclear weaponry, Obama said While Europe may welcome his call for direct unconditional talks, europe must back such an initiative with a heretofore missing committment to using all economic and diplomatic tools to isolate and punish Iran if it proves intractable.

OBAMA SPEECH VIDEO: "This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East. My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions. We must support the Lebanese who have marched and bled for democracy, and the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace. And despite past differences, this is the moment when the world should support the millions of Iraqis who seek to rebuild their lives, even as we pass responsibility to the Iraqi government and finally bring this war to a close."

"A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more -- not less."

MAJOR GARRETT: On a continent weary of Pres. Bush Obama spoke of a new era, but hastened to add, if he's elected, his administration will not represent a cost-free alternative to the status-quo.

The crowd, which did not applaud that much, filed quietly away. If Obama hoped his words would galvanize the audience and his message would thereby reverberate in capitals throughout Europe, there was no evidence of it. The tepid response may stand as a silent declaration that calls for new sacrifice and anti-terror tenacity - whether spoken by the current president or the presumptive Democratic nominee - meets similar European skepticism.

Garrett noted that Obama's speech did garner some applause lines - on the issues of global warming, a call for "just peace" between Israel and the Palestinas, and especially on the call to end the war in Iraq.

But the real story was the absence of applause on Obama's presentation of his foreign policy.

One of the biggest delusions Democrats suffer from is the perception that if only their guy were president, the world would love us. They believe that Europeans hate President Bush because he's a cowboy who ignored them and decided to do it all on his own.

They couldn't be more wrong.

We saw a little bit of the real problem in Berlin on Thursday: if Barack Obama wants to stand up to terrorists and demand Iran renounce its nuclear weaponry, he better expect that he will be acting alone.

Europeans are not willing to sacrifice. They don't want to "renew their resolve to rout the terrorists." They don't want to have a stake in seeing the NATO mission in Afghanistan is a success. They don't want to send troops to Afghanistan. They don't want to send "a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions." They don't want to commit to "using all economic and diplomatic tools to isolate and punish Iran." They don't want to "be required to do more--not less."

Now, personally, I don't really believe that Barack Obama wants any of this either. I think he was simply pandering to American public opinion and mouthing the slogans that Americans want to hear from a man they rightly believe is weak on foreign policy.

But don't expect squat from Europe if you want to stand up and act in order to secure a better and safer world.

I came across an interesting article titled, "Why Europeans Doubt Colombia’s Hostage Rescue," that sheds some light on European's attitude.

The story presents the fact that European papers and television across the continent were presenting and believing the myth that Columbia bribed the terrorist organization FARC to release the hostages, and the rescue by the army was just a ruse. It provides details of how France, Denmark, Italy, Germany, and Spain have paid one ransom after another for hostages. And then it concludes:

European friends of the FARC are angry. How dare Colombia join the ranks of Britain, Israel, and the United States by refusing to negotiate with terrorists? How dare Colombia disprove the European mantra that all conflicts be resolved through diplomacy? How dare Colombia upstage post-heroic Europeans who, having lost the will to fight, believe anything can be bought for money?

Colombian President Álvaro Uribe summed it up well: “There are some who are bitter and who are seeking to discredit the operation. But these bitter people only know Colombia from afar. Aloof Europeans, what do they know about Colombian ingenuity? They believe that Colombian genius lies with the FARC. Someday they will know these military boys who carried out this operation.”

The fact of the matter is that Europe looks at diplomacy, negotiation, and compromise as end-all solutions. Look at what they have accomplished, they would argue: we formed our European Union on the basis of compromise. We who were former enemies united; why can't we likewise come together with opponents such as Saddam Hussein's Iraq or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Iran?

What they don't realize is that the United States of America has a rather enormous advantage of experience in the process of "uniting," having done so nearly two centuries before Europe got into the act; that Americans aren't much interested in hearing moral lectures on politics from the inventors of monarchism, communism, fascism, Nazism, and socialism; that the only reason Europeans aren't speaking first German and after that Russian is because the United States stood up and fought for their freedom; and that Europeans ought to be therefore grateful enough and generous enough to stand with the United States as we continue to fight for the freedom of other oppressed peoples.

What Europeans have conveniently forgotten is that their freedom was won for them, and not by them. What they have forgotten was that their diplomacy, negotiation, and compromise didn't mean squat to the Nazis or the Soviets; only American power and our willingness to use it mattered to these determined enemies of human freedom.

If Barack Obama becomes president (and, I must admit, there's a part of me - and I'm ashamed to admit this - that wants Obama to get elected so that everyone can see just how spectacularly liberalism will fail) he will be shocked to discover that Europe will be nothing but an obstacle to his every effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

An article titled "Why Europe Won't Sanction Iran" provides a lot of the underlying reasons for this behavior.

The reason President Bush ultimately was forced to attack Iraq was because France and Russia did everything they could to prevent any meaningful sanctions being applied to Saddam Hussein's Iraq in a corrupted and incompetent United Nations. We had good reasons for believing that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD, and were frustrated at every turn by Europe in obtaining the tough sanctions that would have forced Saddam to open up his program to inspection. Unable to obtain a diplomatic solution, we were forced to either attack or risk a WMD-armed Iraq.

And Russia and China are doing the same thing now in protecting Iran even as it is almost certainly developing a nuclear weapons program.

We're going to see the same demand to let diplomacy and sanctions work - even as every meaningful effort at diplomacy and sanctions is thwarted; we're going to see the same aversion to war - even as war becomes the only option; we're going to see the same international condemnation and isolation all over again.

Or we're going to see a nuclear-armed Iran that will be free to carry out terrorist campaigns by proxy and even shut down the Strait of Hormuz at will with absolute impunity.

Europeans have largely degenerated into Nietzsche’s portrayal of the “Last Man,” the end result of decades of creeping cynicism and mediocrity.

Today, Europeans are frankly both pathetic and apathetic. They won't stand up for anything; they won't fight for anything. The people who are literally dying out due to extremely low birth rates don't care if they are consuming benefits paid for by massive debt that will crush the next generations after them. And their most cherished desire is that the mighty United States would be as weak, as pathetic, and as insignificant as they are.

Americans would have a different view of the world - and a different view of President George Bush - if they learned that lesson. It may take the election of a liberal president, and the crisis of a nuclear Iran, to drive that reality home.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama offered the German people free Dönerkebaps, Germany's top selling fast food chain in exchange for their attendance to a rally taking place in Berlin.

"I had no idea that Chris Brown was doing a day-time concert," chirped a 16 year old German hip-hop fan.

Other attendees reacted in confusion when they realized that there was no musical act, only a speach by a 'well dressed black man'.

Some seemed tense and impatient.  "I listened to {Brown's} new single Forever at least a dozen times this morning...why are we listening to the guy in the suit bark a bunch of English babble towards us?" stated an irate 20 years old.

Obama's strategy worked.  Millions responded, giving the Illinois Senator cheers and applause during the 28 minutes that his speach lasted, only ending after drunken Germans began throwing their Döner toward the candidate's podium. Secret Service evacuated Obama through the Reichstag.

So there you have it, Obama and his campaign offers free Dönerkebaps. I wonder how many votes he actually thinks he will get from these people.

What is a Dönerkebaps? I asked this question myself.

Doner Kebaps - Germany's Favorite Fast Food?

Dönerkebaps have emerged as a leading fast food in Germany. Served at stands everywhere and in small Turkish imbisses, Dönerkebaps cost from €2 to €6 depending on what you order. The basic Döner is a thick pita filled generally with either chicken or beef but you can get lamb if you are lucky. You can also get fresh french fries and a nice salad with Tsatsiki sauce. Definitely a wholesome, cheap and healthy fast food option.

Give credit where credit is due.

Destination Infinity.

PS: An appropriate and thought provoking speech. No wonder, he is the leading candidate for the next US President.