Anyone heard of English as a second language classes?

I totally support this idea! If these people are so brilliant then they should have no trouble taking and completing an ESL class. They may be the most brilliant professors around but how can they teach if their students cannot understand them? In my opinion, it is a failure on the part of higher education if the professors cannot teach coherently and students cannot understand them. With the price of higher education skyrocketing it is especially important that the people who teach do so in a coherent way so that students and parents get their money's worth.

Minnesota professors should speak English, lawmakers say

Associated Press
A House proposal to get tough on Minnesota college professors whom students find difficult to understand got a little easier Wednesday.

A measure brought forward would give such professors a year to improve their speaking skills.

Rep. Bud Heidgerken earlier proposed requiring that professors at the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system speak coherent English.

Faculty groups and college administrators said the most talented candidates for math and science professorships often have foreign backgrounds and, at times, limited English skills.

But backers of the proposal said students and their parents have a right to expect they will understand their professors.

Memories....

At times I can remember when the roles were not reversed. Times when my mother took care of me and not vice versa. I am the youngest in a family of 3 children. My sister and brother are several years older than me so I grew up having the best of both worlds; I had siblings yet by the time I was 13 both of my siblings were in college so I was like an only child. My dad and I were so close that we were called the "gruesome twosome" by the rest of the family. Sadly, my dad passed away nearly 9 years ago and I still think of him and miss him every day. My relationship with my mother was always very close. I remember crying buckets of tears whenever she would leave for a night out with my dad. She was always there to take care of me. In my teenage years we became friends as well as mother and daughter and that relationship has continued. Now my mother is losing her memories and the roles are reversed; now I'm the caregiver. In fact, sometimes she will call me "Mom" as in her mind the line has become gray. The woman who ran the family budget now is too confused to write a check correctly. When we have groceries delivered, she cannot remember that cottage cheese belongs in the fridge. She's lost her creativity too. She was a painter, a knitter and a jewelry maker. Thanks to my mom, I too have a very pronounced artistic side. She was also an avid book reader; plowing through several books every week. Now she struggles to say the right words and has trouble recalling the names of everday items. She knows something is happening to her and she quite frequently dissolves into tears over things that she never would have before. I'm grateful for the time that I am able to spend with her. We live together now so that I can be her caregiver. I know that she is eating well, that she is bathing and that she does not have to struggle with finances. I take care of those things for her. I try not to think about what lies in the future for both of us. I truly try to live one day at a time. I adopted a kitten to join us. Mom loves this kitten and the kitten loves her. My mother, as a young parent, never had time for pets as she was busy caring for a family. Now she enjoys petting Olivia and playing with her. It's nice to see her bonding with a pet.

Truth

This is so true. I agree 100%

Clooney Faults Democrats on Iraq War
Mar 13, 3:29 PM EST

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- George Clooney has faulted Democrats for their timidity in the months before the start of the Iraq war, saying many party leaders muted their criticism of the Bush administration rather than risk being branded as unpatriotic.

"The fear of (being) criticized can be paralyzing. Just look at the way so many Democrats caved in the run up to the war," Clooney said Monday in a profanity-laced posting on The Huffington Post blog site.

"In 2003, a lot of us were saying, `Where is the link between Saddam and bin Laden? What does Iraq have to do with 9/11?'" Clooney wrote. "We have to agree that it's not unpatriotic to hold our leaders accountable and to speak out."

In the Web posting, Clooney, 44, said, "When you hear Murrow say, `We mustn't confuse dissent with disloyalty' ... it's like he's commenting on today's headlines."

Roe v. Wade

What do a bunch of old men know about women and their bodies? It is unbelievable in this day and age for government to invade the privacy of women in the decisions they make regarding their own bodies. The right to privacy is guaranteed by the constitution of the United States. Any decisions a woman makes about her own body is her personal right; no one should be able to tell her what to do. The solution is to educate women and men about ways to avoid conception. Government has no business coming between a woman and her right to privacy.

Prince?

One of the women in my carpool told me that last summer she had a visit from Prince at her home near Chanhassan Minnesota. She said that he was canvassing the neighborhood for the Jehovah's Witnesses! Not sure if I believe her.

In the 90s I used to see Prince cruising around on his motorcycle. Paisley Park is nearby and he lived in the neighborhood.

Oh what to say...

It's been awhile since I have posted. Winter has been fairly mild here in Minnesota all things considered. The last few days have been seasonably cold. We currently have little to no snow which is weird.

In January, after feeling achy and tired one too many times I finally relented and went to the doctor where I learned that I have fibromyalgia. Of the 18 different tender points used to diagnose fibromyalgia, I have 12. Or at least I had twelve on that day. After reading everything I could find on this disease I concur with my doctor. I have so many of the symptoms it's scary. But in the end it's a relief to know that it has a name. My case seems to be fairly mild except when I have a flare up and then I am in utter pain and fatigue.

My SAD has been pretty good this winter. I attribute that to meds.

Religion

Just got one of those emails that everyone loves to pass around. This one concerned Christian holidays and stated that if the government did not want to acknowledge them, since "it's the law" then maybe government employees and elected officials shouldn't get Christian holidays off from work. I'd like to take it a step further: if the government recognizes Christian holidays then why not Jewish holidays, Muslim holidays and all other religion's holidays? Our country was founded for religious freedom as well as other reasons. Why are Christians, I count myself as one, so up in arms? Why aren't the Jewish people up in arms, and the Muslims?

Just a thought......

Who's the Patriot?

I recently read a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. The letter was from a parent who was complaining about the November 2nd student walkout to protest the war in Iraq. This parent was vilifying any student who would dare to speak out against President Bush. My first thought was, Hello, this country is a democracy. EVERYONE has the right to speak their beliefs and thoughts. If you don't like this, then you can easy move someplace where the freedom of speech is prohibited. There seems to be a movement lately that claims that if you speak out against our government then you are unpatriotic, un-American and engaging in treason. Baloney! Do these same people feel that the founding fathers who laid the foundation of this great country were treasonous? (they might still be British colonials if they believe that!). That would also make the Boston Tea Party an act of terrorism and treason (again, it would be if you were loyal to King George).

If the government makes a bad decision, then it is our right as Americans to speak out!

Cruising for a bruisin'

I can't have a blog about life in Minnesota without mentioning the Minnesota Vikings. I am not surprised by the recent allegations about a cruise involving members of the team and their bad behavior. It seems to me that professional athletes seem to feel that they are entitled to everything. They are paid millions, and basically treated like children (ie taken care of by everyone). Wasn't it only a matter of time before their Sodom and Gomorrah became front page news? Can you say Wilt Chamberlin or Kobe Bryant? The good thing is that this has probably killed a special session of the legislature to decide if taxpayers should help foot the bill for a new "palace" for them to play in. I do not support using public money to finance either their game or their lifestyle. For those of you who do, well, feel free to contribute. I feel that there are much more important issues in this state that deserve the support of the taxpayers.

Bullying

Bullying aka mobbing is an interesting phenomenon occurring in our workplaces. Basically what this entails is managers and or peers ganging up on an employee or group of employee and harassing them psychologically and verbally. The main intent of this behavior is to force the person to quit or leave the job. I have seen this happen at my place of work. It has also happened to me at my last 3 jobs. I outlasted the bullies at the first job; they left and life got oh so much easier. All resources that would allow us to advance in our work have been removed for us. Training is not available, we cannot read books to learn about the subject and even free, outside training is not being allowed. It is unbelievable that such behavior occurs in the workplace! I thought this type of thing was over once you graduated to adulthood, but I guess not. It's time to fight back and make sure that these bullies are stopped.

Anxious and SAD

I have a lovely form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder. Every autumn around this time I start to feel anxious and depressed and I dread the onset of winter. It sucks even more because I live in Minnesota. Not that someone in California or New Zealand is immune from this disorder (SAD). I become a slug and no matter how hard I try I can't keep up with work and life. I just want to hibernate the winter away. Hey, maybe I have some genetic makeup similar to a bear! Anyway, it sucks, sucks, sucks. Especially since no one understands it, least of all the people at work. So I must medicate myself and hope that it keeps me on an even keel for the next 5 months. In case you have this, there are many great support groups and books on the subject; one of my favorites is Winter Blues by Norman Rosenthal, MD.