when you're just too busy to be impatient...

word for the day...

Manure: In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large shipments of manure were common..

It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen.

Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!

Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening.

After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term "Ship High In Transit" on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term "S.H.I.T", (Ship High In Transport) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.

You probably did not know the true history of this word.

Neither did I. I had always thought it was a golf term.

What is so unique about July 8th this year?

At exactly five minutes and six seconds after 4:00 am it will be

04:05:06 07/08/09

This will never happen again in our life time.

What it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895...

Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.


8th Grade Final Exam: Salina , KS - 1895


Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of "lie,""play," and "run.."
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.


Arithmetic (Time, 1 hour 15 minutes)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft . deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs . for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs . coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft . long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.


U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus .
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States .
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas ...
6 Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln , Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.


Orthography (Time, one hour)
[Do we even know what this is??]

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.


Geography (Time, one hour)

1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America .
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa , Denver , Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon , St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco .
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete.

Gives the saying "he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning, doesn't it?

Also shows you how poor our education system has become and, NO! I don't have the answersto all of the questions.

oh, i'll be a smarty pants. i knew what orthography is, but only because i taught reading and had to take classes on it, though it hasn't been known as orthography for decades. same with the grammar part but, again, it's because i taught it.

the math part would have thrown me for a loop. i hated math. the first year i taught, with a background in Reading Instruction, they gave me half of the 6th grade math classes to teach!

monday morning mayhem - on Wednesday...

i couldn't wait for a weekender with this one and i didn't really post a real monday morning mayhem..., so i thought this would really break up the week.



don't honk at old people...






you knew Maxx loved this one...

come on baby...

shake your tail feather...




watch it until the end. he gets better and better...

i love Ray Charles, too.

brush up your Shakespeare...

Mayor Richard J. Daley has announced that this Thursday, April 23, 2009, is 'Talk Like Shakespeare Day' in Chicago.

April 20, 2009 (CHICAGO) -- In honor of William Shakespeare's upcoming birthday, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has proclaimed "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" in the city.

Although Shakespeare's actual birth date is not known, many scholars believe it to have been on April 23, 1564, since the poet and playwright is known to have been baptized three days later.

This year, April 23 is Thursday.

In his recent proclamation, Daley urged Chicagoans to celebrate the occasion by bringing the spoken words of Shakespeare into their daily lives.

ABC7 Chicago News via the AP

so what's the big deal?

i tried to find a video of how Da Mayor normally speaks, but couldn't. he speaks soutside. that's not a typo. there is no /sh/ sound in soutside English. i should know; i speak it fluently.

well, not on a regular basis. with education you learn to speak differently, but i can slip right into it when i'm with friends or family. as a matter of fact, i just got of the phone with my cousin. "i's speakin' soutside wid'im" the entire time.

so, for Mayor Daley to proclaim this Thursday "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" is wonnerfull.

actually, it's also in conjunction with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater that is one of the greatest in the country. it won a national Tony Award a number of years ago for top regional theater. i've seen many incredible performances there over the years.

so, thou may speaketh on Thursday yon as if thy were with the Bard


but you may need to "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" first...






this may help also...





crossposted at macarthur park

ummmm...

i just can't be serious all of the time. it doesn't make me evil... just normal.





i was amazed i'd last that long.
how long did you last?

of course, the doctor does keep telling me i'm getting older. i saw him Wednesday and he didn't say it. probably because i've told him i'd slap him the next time he did.

calm down, he's married and has kids...

{minds in the gutter...}

ummmmmm... i suppose after the previous three serious posts, if NOM or any of the other wingers comes here, they are probably saying,

"See, see. We told you so!"

i guess i'd have to respond to them with,

"Lighten up! It's only a banana in my pocket."

i told you i can't be good all the time - it's boring!

you should be dancing, yeah......

unbelievable...

my mouth was WIDE OPEN when i first saw this...





in Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Outliers: The Story of Success, he shows that it takes a minimum of 10,000 hours of practice to be the best at anything. this kid is on the road to showing pool sharks a thing or two...




and i can't recommend Gladwell's book enough. it is making me challenge everything i've believed about education in my 37+ years in the profession - especially in Gifted Education.

just havin' some fun...

and needing a silly break...

yesterday was the 100th anniversary of Carmen Miranda's birthday. this is my favorite song for some obvious, and some not so obvious, reasons. enjoy...


Happy Birthday, Carmen Miranda.

she would have been 100 today. she's a hoot and always will be. this is my favorite of all the extant footage of her. yes... it's so gay!



The Lady In The Tutti Frutti Hat


Sung by Carmen Miranda
Written for: The Gang's All Here (1943)

Lyric: Leo Robin

Music: Harry Warren






I wonder why does ev'rybody look at me

And then begin to talk about a Christmas tree?

I hope that means that ev'ryone is glad to see

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.

The gentlemen, they want to make me say, "Si, si,
"
But I don't tell them that, I tell them,
"Yes, sir-ee!"
And maybe that is why they come for dates to me,

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.

Some people say I dress too gay,

But ev'ry day, I feel so gay;

And when I'm gay, I dress that way,

Is something wrong with that?

Americanos tell me that my hat is high,

Because I will not take it off to kiss a guy;

But if I ever start to take it off, ay, ay!

I do that once for Johnny Smith

And he is very happy with

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.





You hear a lot of people shouting, "There she goes!
"
You see a señorita dressed in flashy clothes,

In Rio de Janeiro, ev'rybody knows

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.

When she begins to sing a song in Portuguese,

The temp'rature goes up a hundred more degrees;

Although they're freezing prices, they would never freeze

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.

It isn't any wonder that
She likes her native habitat,

'Cause when she has to pick a hat,

She picks it off the trees.

She always has a half a dozen Romeos,

And when they come to sing a serenade, she throws

A lemon or banana like you throw a rose,

But Casanovas still prefer
That hep and happy character,

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.


they were really dirty lyrics back then...
not to mention the bananas...
i wonder what they were really thinking???

silly me...


Some people say I dress too gay,

But ev'ry day, I feel so gay;

And when I'm gay, I dress that way,

Is something wrong with that?

this is priceless, or maybe Payless...

I'm not going to insult you by including the now (in)famous shoe tossing video. It's been played to death and the clueless smile on the Tsar's face when it was happening was priceless.

BUT, Rude Pundit has a great idea as a followthrow...

This morning, the Rude Pundit decided to honor the efforts of Muntader al-Zaidi, the Iraqi shoe-tosser, by taking out a raggedy old pair of sneakers, putting them in a Priority Mail shipping box, helpfully provided by the United States Post Office, and shipping them to President George W. Bush at the White House. He included a note that read, "This is a farewell kiss from the American people, you dog."

Now there have been many actions suggested over the years on sending messages to the current regime in Washington, but this is not only unique it could possibly help some homeless people in the D.C. area, if the White House realizes that they could do something good for the first, errrr last, weeks in office!

you can get all of the information at the link to Rude Pundit.

thanks to Crooks and Liars for the heads-up...

Torchwood withdrawal...

i'm suffering from a severe case of Torchwood withdrawal. it seems like it's been forever since the show's last season, and there are all kinds of strange things being said about major changes not only to the cast but to the number of episodes, when they may air, etc.

in the mean time, i found these video of bloopers from seasons 1 & 2. they're funny [and dirty too...]









if you're interested in the latest updates on Torchwood you can click on Torchwood.tv

i miss Captain Jack...


scaramouche, scaramouche...

"one of these day, Alice. one of these days...

POW! right in the kisser."

Jamie over at Green Mountain Jamie always has these fun quizzes.

today he had What color is your kiss? mine?

Your Kiss is Orange

For you, kissing is all about pushing the envelope. You're a wild kisser. And you don't have to know someone all that well to kiss them. (You figure that's how you'll get to know one another!) While you may be impulsive with who you kiss, there's nothing random about your kissing technique. Kissing Type: Unconventional People See Your Kisses as: Intoxicating You Kiss Best With: A Red Kisser Stay away from: A Pink Kisser

What Color Is Your Kiss?

what (who) is a pink kisser?

thanks, Jamie. you're safe since you are a green kisser...

learning English...

i've been learning Spanish over the last couple of months in anticipation of going to Honduras in February to work with the schools through HEDAC, the charitable organization of which i'm secretary. unfortunately, the doctors have put the kabosh on my going since my back is all screwed up again.

i speak French fairly well; i spoke and understood an Italian/Albanian dialect for most of my younger years; and i took two years of Russian in College. learning Spanish has brought me a lot of new understanding about language. having taught elementary school and being a elementary school administrator for many years, i understand the concepts behind learning and teaching.

each language has a lot of idiomatic and structural challenges, but they are nothing like in English. when you are a native English speaker you take a lot for granted. people learning English have a worse time than with any other language. English is probably the hardest one to learn.

here is just one little sampling of why it is so difficult:

Lovers of the English language might enjoy this. It is yet another example of why people learning English have trouble with the language. Learning the nuances of English makes it a difficult language. (But then, that's probably true of many languages.)


There is a two-letter word in English that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is 'UP.'

It is listed in the dictionary as being used as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ?

Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends and we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver.

We warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.

We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has a real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.


it's no wonder some people get all f***** UP when they talk and start screaming "UP yours..."

commercial time: a group of the others is still going in February to Honduras; we are in the midst of our annual fundraising drive right now. if you would, please click on the HEDAC link in the sidebar and help us help the kids.

all money goes directly to services, supplies and school rehab for the kids, less operating expenses for things like mailings. each person who goes on our trips pays the way for him/herself.

the link allows credit card donations or you can send a check to HEDAC, 111 E. Chestnut #50G, Chicago, IL 60611. please notate my name [Mike] on the donation as we need it for accounting purposes being a 501(c)(3) with all donations being tax-deductable.

we thank you for your help...

m/

secession back in the picture?

Dear Red States:

If you manage to steal this election too we've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the country of New California.

To sum up briefly:

You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states...
We get stem cell research and the best beaches...

We get the Statue of Liberty...
You get Dollywood...

We get Intel and Microsoft...
You get WorldCom...

We get Harvard...
You get Ole' Miss...

We get 85% of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs...
You get Alabama...

We get two-thirds of the tax revenue...
You get to make the red states pay their fair share...

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22% lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families...
You get a bunch of single moms...

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in?Iraq?, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines, 90% of all cheese, 90% of the high tech industry, 95% of the corn and soybeans (thanks Iowa!), most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92% of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite. Thank you.

Additionally, 38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% believe that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

Finally, we're taking the good pot, too.
You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico...

Peace out,

The Blue States


wow, an argument that finally makes the decision difficult...

nahhhhhhhhh...

maybe they'll secede and save us all the trouble.

hmmm? maybe we lost the Civil War after all...

this is what you got when gas was 15¢ a gallon...

The attendant spotted you immediately as you pulled into the station and inquired, "Can I help you?

"Yes, I will have 7 gallons of regular gas for $1.05 and the free gift tumbler (glass*) you show on the sign plus the green trading stamps."

The attendant unscrewed the gas cap and put 7 gallons of gas into the fuel tank. He checked the oil and showed the customer the dip stick. If oil was needed, he removed the cap on the engine and poured the oil into the motor.

Next, he checked the radiator for anti-freeze, followed by a check of the tires and the spare for the proper amount of air pressure.

He wasn't finished. There remained the washing of the windows.

Finally, he collected the $1.05 plus 15¢ for the quart of oil, hurried into the station for change, returned with the change, gift tumbler, green stamps and a polite "Thank You."


Now, at the low current price of $3.77/gallon, you get to pump the gas yourself, wash your own windows, check you own oil, monitor the air pressure yourself, and as far as getting anything free, the only thing that seems free is the receipt!

and we wonder why the oil companies are making the highest profit margin of any industry!

i found this little story in a free publication that is sent to my father, who has been dead for 17 years now, called the "Keenager". it's a monthly sent out by Catholic Charities. and i don't have the faintest idea why my father would be getting something from them. my mother was Catholic but my father was high Anglican! (Episcopalians to those of you who are thoroughly vetted as Americans.) i guess i should cancel it, but these stories and some of the jokes are funny. i guess i am getting old...

*i had to put glass in parentheses with this note because I wasn't sure if younger people would know that a tumbler is more than a guy doing somersaults at the circus or gymnastics meet. i contemplated doing the same for green stamps and dip stick but decided they can do some investigating on their own.

ciao...

herding...

found this over at BETTER PROJECTS. it reminds me of a lot of things - the war, the economy, the election, the government, etc, etc, etc...., but most of all it reminds me of where i used to work - in schools...





on my desk in my office, i had a miniature orange traffic cone that said,

Getting anyone to do anything around here is like trying to herd cats.

it's impossible to herd ONE cat let alone a... what do they call a group of cats? i know whales swim in a pod. hmmmmmm?

you have got to see this...

i realize that i tend to go on and on about the Bugatti Veyron. i am obsessed, i agree. i have always been obsessed with exotic cars. well, any car for that matter.

if you remember the first post i did on the Grand Sport a couple of days ago [Grand Sport debut], i mentioned that if you take the targa top off and leave it home the car comes with an umbrella if it starts to rain?

well..., it literally is an umbrella! below is a short video that autoblog.com posted of how you use it if you have to...





it really is an umbrella!!!

if you were competing in the Olympics...

what Olympic sport would you be?

me?

You Are Archery

You are a bit of a traditionalist. You like old fashioned things with deep traditions. You also like to see the result of your accomplishments right in front of you. If practice makes perfect, that's fine by you. You like to practice a skill.

What Olympic Sport Are You?

fits, though i probably would have preferred fencing a little bit more. it's so dashing; you get to wear funny clothes; and you get to the the heart of the matter...


soo? what Olympic sport are you?