Yankees vs. Phillies, 2009 World Series.

I am asking his fellow Mets fans to pull their head out of 1947 or 1977 and get some perspective. The folks in The Bronx are our neighbors. The true enemy has names like Utley and Victorino and lies 90 minutes south on the Turnpike, take a left at the Ben Franklyn bridge. If the Yankees want to take their trip down the Canyon of Heroes, let them. It's what they do. What we don't want is Jimmy Rollins or Cole Hamels mouthing off about The Mets during the off season and then backing it up. Yankees over Phillies!!!

The Mets fans animosity toward the Yankees is an outgrowth of the Yankees beating the Brooklyn Dodgers in 5 World Series from 1947 to 1956 (the Dodgers won one in 1955). The Mets were always seen as an extension of The Brooklyn Dodgers and adapted many of their fans (I am not sure what happened to the New York Giants fans). So it was natural for them to "hate" the Yankees. But in reality, it took almost 30 years for that rivalry to make sense of make a difference. From 1962 to 1999 they were rarely contenders at the same time. And nobody took the Mayors Trophy Game that seriously.

Come 2000, there was actually a Subway Series between the two teams. But reality check: The Mets (yes - MY Mets) were way out of their league. Even though they had an infield featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, their outfield should have been featured on the cover of Stupid Player Monthly (I've always imagined what The Mets would have been like if they had the Kansas City Royals young outfield from that year : Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, and Carlos Beltran). 2000 was in the middle of the Yankees mini dynasty and the Wild Card Mets weren't going to topple them.

1976

Hello Goodbye

Stand together - to be edited

This will be an evolving post

1. Suppose there was something that would threaten the Jews of this area. Could the local temples stand together and support each other for our mutual survival. I'm not just talking about Temple Sinai - they would show up to any picnic we threw. And I suppose Beth Shalom would join us. But what about the Chabad of Roslyn on Powerhouse, and Orthodox Roslyn Synagogue on Garden Street, and the Young Sephardic Iranian synagogue on Willis, and shelter Rock Jewish Center. If we found our very survival in jeopardy, could be put aside our religious differences and fight as one people?

2. I recently read that that Ronan Tynan, an Irish Tenor who sang the 7th inning stretch at Yankee Stadium was released from this gig for statements he made while shopping for an apartment. He said that to a real estate agent showing an apartment on his floor that he was ok with the prospective tenants as long as they weren't Jewish. He later claimed he was only speaking in jest. The real estate company called his comments appalling even though everybody else - the tenants, the Yankees seem to accept his apology as sincere.

The second story I will quote from AP about a campaign incident in South Carolina

"Two Republican county officials in South Carolina have apologized after they disparaged Jews in a newspaper op-ed in support of a fiscally conservative U.S. senator.

The chairmen, Edwin Merwin Jr. and Jim Ulmer, wrote the newspaper in backing Republican Sen. Jim DeMint's opposition to congressional earmarks.

"There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves," according to the piece published Sunday in The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg.

DeMint called the comment thoughtless and hurtful Tuesday, and one of South Carolina's two Jewish legislators, Democratic state Sen. Joel Lourie, said he was outraged."

In another report we heard :

"Democratic state Sen. Joel Lourie, said he was outraged.

“The words of these key Republican leaders are disgusting, unconscionable and represent prejudice in its purest form" "

I am a little late to the party but I could have written a letter in response to this supposed outrage. First of all, to all those who call the comments racist - the Jews are not a race. That is what Hitler called us to help justify murder.

"I want to thank Jim DeMint's concern that the comments made by his supporters concerning Jews and penny pinching were hurtful and thoughtless. However, the Jewish people are a pretty thick skinned bunch and we will let you know when we are "hurt" or "outraged".

You can do us a favor if you feel up to it. The next time one of your constituents implies that President Obama is Hitler, or abortions are like the Holocaust, or that feminists are nazis, or that the health care reform is akin to Josef Mengele's experiments, help us out and set those people straight on the truth "

3. When I get to continue I will write about Jews picking on other Jews instead of watching each other's backs.

Ownership

Ok, a couple of things from the Board Meeting last night. So I am standing around and have nowhere to sit because people are sitting in my usual seat. And I notice the usual comings and goings -people walking up to each other, business, old friends. I have none of that there, or anywhere for that matter. Finally H comes up to me - she was at her usual seat - but she knows from the past that this bothers me. In telling me that she is swamped with publicity I remind her that used to do publicity - write articles for the web site and the local community rags. But when the web site committee, who wouldn't allow me on, would present, they neglected to give me credit. And publicity, which H W chaired with B.B-F. had their meetings Friday afternoon and acted oblivious to me writing things for them. So I sort of faced away.

When Rb T.C. gave his report he ended it by mentioning "ownership" - a word I like to use. I am learning that it isn't enough to get cretit for an accomplishment, and paychecks can be unsatisfying after all the bills are paid. What motivates people is ownership. To know it was their baby and they are successful. Right now the place is run by relatively few people with no oversite. When I am asked to join a committee I am treated like a low level employee, given a chore to do to make me feel involved. And I may or may not be given credit for it. Which is why I have trouble doing chores in the first place. It takes away ownership. The chores are based on someone else's values, defined by narrow parameters. And most of the time the results are thankless.

Almost a week

Has it really been 6 days since my last post? That's why I need to carry around a posting device (ie computer or phone). The ideas were in my head.

One of the ideas was to write down some of my potential plots. I don't know if I am making too big a deal of it but I just can't come up with a decent story. Maybe I will use writing prompts every day and write 3000 words.

Now I am forgetting what I came up with. Well a couple of the ideas involved a super human that was invunerable to every other supernatural villain. Not that he had any other power, my no vampire could bite him. Another super human could stop time except for someone around him, and then stories in his stopped time. Another I came up wtih long ago was either the kidnapper or the assasin who pisses off his victim and then becomes the victim. So the story is thru the original criminal and how scared shitless and alone he is. Hopefully far enough off from the Mel Gibson movie (that anti-semite!!!).

I need a small laptop. Or a large netbook. I will find myself at an all day conference when I could use one, as well as other venues. I should buy one. I had my eye on an 11.6 inch one and wondered if I should wait for the new version of windows.

Writing propts are nice but I need real story ideas. I wonder of their are plot prompts. I will explore.

Perhaps I am a vegan standed on a desert island and when the local fish and fauna see what an effort I make in not eating them they become my friends and help me.

But how will it end?

Still haven't come up with a story.

But how hard can it be???????????? I just need something of an outline in the next couple of weeks.

The reason why we do things

I discovered that in my organization there are three reasons why we do the assignments we are given. 1. Because we should be grateful and not gripe. 2. Do as your told and keep your mouth shut or you may lose your job. 3. Because "they" might see you, catch you - not doing what you are supposed to or not having what you are supposed to, or doing "it" wrong.

The problem with all this is that at no time are we given ownership over the situation - a feeling that we are making a difference or even getting a direct benefit. I find the most surprising thing is that nobody questions what goes on. This seems to apply to the workplace as well as the temple - committees and board.

If it is for the first three reason and bot ownership over the situation then the absurdities - politics and cover your ass mentality become all to apparent. Administrators making workers do waste of time things because it might save their job (ours are usually safe). People have to know that their opinions are (a) asked for (b) heard, and (c) respected. When does that ever happen in the school system.

One of the biggest absurdities is the calling of parents - a kid is absent 90 times, is 17 years old, and only has a dozen credits. And it's this teacher who is going to "break" the news to his "parents". They have either gotten this call a thousand times, read the report cards, conference with guidance and still can't or won't do anything about it, or they are completely neglectful. I guess the third situation that the kid fell through the cracks and might be too far gone, but I doubt it.

Truth is I am tired of wasting valuable resources on kids who refuse to commit themselves to the system in place. I mean, if they came up with a better system and they will be one of those drop out successes, god bless them. Otherwise it is a matter of diminishing returns.

I have to get my binder together.

What is out of our control

In planning for a school year several planners should have the opportunity to spend several weeks planning. Some of the first days should be patiently spent with just legal pads and discussion without the urgency to "do something." I would like to be in a brainstorming session where we go over every possibility, contingency, and have a chance to dream.

But people are not like that.

One of the things we would have to start with is what is beyond our control - either temporarily or permanently. For example, the poor job at programming students for the wrong classes - perhaps if addressed early that could be taken care of with guidance. Or several sections of classes could be rearranged to match kids up with their appropriate level.

Other things out of our control - excessive absences, not studying, the Regents exam, language barriers, C6 obligations, inflexible or non negotiable rules (whatever they are).

I have classes of students with over 50 absences from last year on my register. They should be in a two term course. Some students admit to not studying. The students who go 50 or higher in the last regents should be grouped.

Once we get these rules on a board in plain sight we can work from there to work around them. We need classes that are close together and close to the action. We need math classes that are always math classes. We need professional meeting places, not dirty classrooms.

More on this as I think of it.

Recent things on vegan

The following was posted in a message board and sent as an email.

This was an excellent post, ********, and I hope a few people stop and catch their breath after reading it. I read on this board an implication that ethical veganism is the only veganism. Does that mean I should call myself something else if I'm not willing to join a PETA rally? I still have to tell people that I eat a vegan diet, which means I still have to use the word. And what about our comforts that affect animals in other ways? Should I give up my cell phone because it is made with precious metals mined in the Congo? Should we not shop in supermarkets that have a meat and dairy case?

I hope that some of our more passionate members will come to appreciate the little steps that all of us take. And I hope that if 20 years from there was a 10, 20, 25 % decrease is meat eating and fur wearing we can at least be proud of the effort.

------

After a year and three quarters I am still trying to come to terms with my own veganism. While it was the treatment of food anmals that pushed me over the edge I don't find myself compelled to go back out there and fight for the animals. Since that moment I've been more interested health and environmental aspects of animal farming. So much soybean and water wasted on feeding a animals for slaughter; beans and water that can more efficiently go to feed the hungry. So much poop and fertilizer draining into the water table and methane pumped into the air. So many recalls of beef and chicken. These are all legitimate concerns in my book.

...I was reading on yahoo "Foods that help you lose weight." And at the bottom of the list of whole grains and fruits was "Swiss Cheese." Huh? Because it has calcium in it. So why don't you just drink calcium fortified OJ or Soy Milk? I wanted to reach through the screen and throttle her.

From a facebook message.

"Wow - I think you just summed up the whole system in that character. I find the biggest problem (now) with administration is that every scrap of paper they order us to staple up of fill out, they tell us "that's what 'they' will look for." These untenured morons, who are scared shitless for their otherwise meaningless jobs, put their whole lives in terms of the bogeyman. Nothing meaningful, creative, or even efficient ever gets done."

"Do you get hit with a lot of "Differentiated Learning" bullshit? Every teacher with decent experience and half a nut will do it naturally. Yet, the weenies (admins) want us the "show" it in our lessons. This is their usual cover their ass move to protect them from the bogeymen (you know the bogeymen - they creep around the school, wearing suits in 90 degree weather, earning $150,000 for checking bulletins boards). At any meeting or workshop I remind the shaking weenies that differentiated learning is not an excuse for poor programing / placement and lack of study. The problem always is that all pedological fads are designed for k-3 elementary school classes and then crammed down the rest of our throats."

Scenes from a Monday

As I feel the burnout seeping its way into my brain and body I have had an interesting Monday. Right now in the Teacher's Center is a girl that is crying after a fight broke out earlier on the floor. Naturally there is no security officer on the floor. The one that finally came up could barely walk. Fat and useless.

Got my first observation out of the way. It was a sneak attack - the AP and Principal dropped in. I was told that these would be 5 minute drop by's but it turned out to be a full fledged observation. Satisfactory of course but lucky I had a lesson.

I have been reading Alfred Hitchcock magazine. A good source for short stories. Maybe by reading simple stories I will learn something. There seems to be millions of these magazines around- Analog and Asimov for Sci-Fi (one deals more with fantasy and the other with a basis in fact). And there is Hitchcock and Ellery Queen for mystery. It seems like some authors are frequent suppliers for these mags - which, again means that the writing is effortless. I should be able to do that.

I want to learn to craft a story. Right now I don't care about grammer or publishing. Let's just get this thing off the ground.

I need a soda.

Friday at the Library

Friday at the library - my decompression and salvation. Facing tons of work this weekend with family gatherings inbetween.

I can't believe nobody observes the silence of the library anymore.

Back to me. But I don't want to lose sight of why this started. I need an idea for a story. All the freakin' stories out there why am I a blank. I wish, at least, I had people to discuss it with.

I need a plot idea so I can get to work. I no longer believe in the no plot, no problem philosophy. I need a plot!

Just Needed to Write

The morning is off to a frustrating start and I felt I should do some writing. But all of the computers were taken and the library is closed for a meeting. So I came back here, knocked off some lesson planning, and found a computer. I wrote a few emails and now I feel a little decompressed to sit and write. It should be a busy day since I am way backed up on paper work. I'll do some during the building assignment time and maybe after school. I am meeting a group for some vegan pizza later and will have time to kill. I was thinking of picking up some canvas shoes and belt but let's not go nuts.

But this is such a waste. No life, no career. Now I can look back at all of my summers and free time and see I should have studied statistics, a language, computer programming, and piano. But I thought of all this last may and never did any of that. Still, I can't believe I have to endure another ten years of this nonsense - people throwing garbage on the floor, not studying, talking out. Does anyone have professional satisfaction??? Add writing - I had plenty of time to learn the craft of writing. I wonder what it would have been like if I had a mentor.

Two pieces of advice I should have taken and didn't. - "Leave the system" when I was young enough to get my state license and explore Long Island, and "A career is not something you do for your whole life." What would life have been like with several careers?