Subject: FW: What is it about this that you don't believe?
This isn't about politics and buying votes, it's simply about the fiscal
management of our tax dollars. At this point in time, neither party has
impressed me as being fiscally responsible. I just wonder how many will be
around after the 2010 mid-term elections!
What is it about this that you don't believe?
_____
This should be read and understood by all Americans Democrats, Republicans,
EVERYONE!!
To President Obama and all 535 voting members of the Legislature,
It is now official you are ALL corrupt morons:
* The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. You have had 234
years to get it right and it is broke.
* Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to
get it right and it is broke.
* Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it
right and it is broke.
* War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it
right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to
"the poor" and they are still poor.
* Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44
years to get it right and they are broke.
* Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get
it right and it is broke.
* The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our
dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a
budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You
had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.
You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our
throats while overspending our tax dollars AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE
YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM??
Folks, keep this circulating. It is very well stated. Maybe it will end up
in the e-mails of some of our "duly elected officials" in Washington !!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Thanks Dave Kaelin alias Dawood Kahn silkroadsandsiamesesmiles.com
Curious Incident of the Teacher in the Classroom
Struggles of a First-Year Teacher
Student Intereset Survey + Goal Setting Lesson PlanAugust 5, 2007
So, Monday (tomorrow) marks the first day of the 2007-2008 school year in most counties that I’ve heard of in Georgia. Monday is also the official start of my first year as a teacher. I’ve been told horror stories, but I’ve also been given lots of reassurances. I’m hopeful that if I remain consistent and fair in my discipline plan, I will be able to gain student’s respect. I’m already looking forward to the days when I have students that will spread the word and allow me to have a reputation that precedes their coming into my class.
I’ve been trying to do a lot of preparation, but it has been difficult. So far, I can confidently say that I am as prepared as I can be for the first day of school. I have my syllabi all printed out and I have my Student Information Sheet and Interest Survey ready to go. My number one goal is to establish myself as a strict authority figure, immediately. My number two goal is to get to know my students as well as I can, on an individual level, as early as possible. I created this fairly open-ended interest survey in order to do that.
In addition to going over the syllabus/code of conduct/expectations and all that good stuff, on the first day. I have my digital camera ready to take pictures of each and every student (although, I will be taking them in groups of 3-4). I want to be able to have pictures to fill up the bulletin boards. I figure that it will help me remember their names and make them feel more comfortable in my classroom. I hope to create a really close-knit community in my classroom, so I’ve been brainstorming ways of doing that. I think the best way that I have come up with is trying to make students feel, as much as possible, that this classroom is theirs, just as much as it is mine, and to ask for their opinions as much as possible.
On Day 2 I plan on using a Goal Setting Lesson that will enable students to better understand how I formulate goals for their class and help them set goals for themselves, both short and long term. A lot of the students that I will be teaching are considered at-risk. Meaning, I suppose, that they are at-risk of not graduating from high school and continuing in the cycle of generational poverty, which is a big problem in this city. Many of them have no models for goal setting and many of their parents don’t talk about what what they will do five years from now. So, I am going to try to make this a big part of my classroom and find ways for students to continue to monitor their progress and set new goals.
In Carol Ann Tomlinson’s How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, she offers an activity that is perfect for extending the ideas taught in the Goal Setting Lesson. One of her ideas for differentiating is allowing students a day within a unit to set their own goals and come up with a plan, or set of activities, that they are going to engage in to meet their goals for the day. She calls it Design-A-Day, and many members from my college cohort have had many good things to say about it.
I’m trying not to bring textbooks in until the second or third week of the school year, so what I start students out with is a diagnostic test so that I know where they stand in terms of ability in all the criteria that they will be tested on. On that same day, I plan on guiding them again through Georgia’s college preparation website GeorgiaCollege411 and the CollegeBoard website. We’ll probably have discussions about learning interests, scholarships, tuition, college majors, and post-college opportunities, as well as a short Q&A session about what to expect in and from college life.
On Thursday and Friday I’m going to do a mini-unit based on names. We will read a vignette from House on Mango Street called “My Name,” in which the main character, Esperanza, gives a very lyrical explanation and description of her name. Students will discuss the vignette and names and general. They will end the week by writing their own short vignettes about their name.
Now down to “real” planning . . . .
I don’t know about all of you teachers out there, but I’m ALREADY exhausted . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Response to Prompt #8
#14- Your Plan
SESSION 4 – Back to the original plan with PhotoStory
Posted in Education, English Education, English Teachers, Lesson Ideas, Lesson Plans, Public Education, Secondary Education | 3 Comments »
3 Responses to “Student Intereset Survey + Goal Setting Lesson Plan”
Tim Fredrick Says:
August 7, 2007 at 10:51 am
I just found your blog and wanted to wish you well on your first year. It will be very tough. One thing in this post got my attention: ‘Many of them have no models for goal setting and many of their parents don’t talk about what what they will do five years from now.’ From working with ‘at-risk’ students for all of my career, I can tell you that you are making a BIG assumption here about their home lives. In another part of the post, you acknowledge the ‘cycle of generational poverty’ but then go on to say that there is a lack of goal setting. Think a bit about this assumption. It’s important that you do, because this assumption about your students and their families is going to come across to the students and is going to put them off.
I was also amazed by the amount of thought that you put into your ‘discipline plan’. It seems to me that you are prepared. But, don’t forget to just be yourself. Teens want their teachers to be ‘real’ (whatever that means). I did the whole plan thing when I first started and had various methods to get their compliance. But, if you just come across as genuine and caring to them, treat them politely and like they are humans, and create lessons and units that are meaningful to their lives right now, you don’t need a ‘discipline plan.’
Good luck. You sound like you really care about teaching and strive to do well. This will be a rocky year, I’m sure, but the one thing that will get your through it is your desire to help your students.
mzpoon Says:
August 17, 2007 at 12:25 am
Thank you for such a great blog. I don’t know how you can find the time to write it when you are so obviously involved in your planning. I, too, wish you well this year. One of your exhausted colleagues….
t. poon
Sam Kegley Says:
December 26, 2009 at 7:17 am
Great find, Dave Kaelin. I am a retired engineer, but I am also an adjunct teacher and more recently a tutor, due to my poor hearing, at Columbus State Community College.
Tim Fredrick has some excellent advice for this young and energetic teacher. I am sure that they6 will be as good as they desire and that desire is quite evident.
God has blessed good teachers all over this world and their very fortunate students.
SamKat
Struggles of a First-Year Teacher
Student Intereset Survey + Goal Setting Lesson PlanAugust 5, 2007
So, Monday (tomorrow) marks the first day of the 2007-2008 school year in most counties that I’ve heard of in Georgia. Monday is also the official start of my first year as a teacher. I’ve been told horror stories, but I’ve also been given lots of reassurances. I’m hopeful that if I remain consistent and fair in my discipline plan, I will be able to gain student’s respect. I’m already looking forward to the days when I have students that will spread the word and allow me to have a reputation that precedes their coming into my class.
I’ve been trying to do a lot of preparation, but it has been difficult. So far, I can confidently say that I am as prepared as I can be for the first day of school. I have my syllabi all printed out and I have my Student Information Sheet and Interest Survey ready to go. My number one goal is to establish myself as a strict authority figure, immediately. My number two goal is to get to know my students as well as I can, on an individual level, as early as possible. I created this fairly open-ended interest survey in order to do that.
In addition to going over the syllabus/code of conduct/expectations and all that good stuff, on the first day. I have my digital camera ready to take pictures of each and every student (although, I will be taking them in groups of 3-4). I want to be able to have pictures to fill up the bulletin boards. I figure that it will help me remember their names and make them feel more comfortable in my classroom. I hope to create a really close-knit community in my classroom, so I’ve been brainstorming ways of doing that. I think the best way that I have come up with is trying to make students feel, as much as possible, that this classroom is theirs, just as much as it is mine, and to ask for their opinions as much as possible.
On Day 2 I plan on using a Goal Setting Lesson that will enable students to better understand how I formulate goals for their class and help them set goals for themselves, both short and long term. A lot of the students that I will be teaching are considered at-risk. Meaning, I suppose, that they are at-risk of not graduating from high school and continuing in the cycle of generational poverty, which is a big problem in this city. Many of them have no models for goal setting and many of their parents don’t talk about what what they will do five years from now. So, I am going to try to make this a big part of my classroom and find ways for students to continue to monitor their progress and set new goals.
In Carol Ann Tomlinson’s How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, she offers an activity that is perfect for extending the ideas taught in the Goal Setting Lesson. One of her ideas for differentiating is allowing students a day within a unit to set their own goals and come up with a plan, or set of activities, that they are going to engage in to meet their goals for the day. She calls it Design-A-Day, and many members from my college cohort have had many good things to say about it.
I’m trying not to bring textbooks in until the second or third week of the school year, so what I start students out with is a diagnostic test so that I know where they stand in terms of ability in all the criteria that they will be tested on. On that same day, I plan on guiding them again through Georgia’s college preparation website GeorgiaCollege411 and the CollegeBoard website. We’ll probably have discussions about learning interests, scholarships, tuition, college majors, and post-college opportunities, as well as a short Q&A session about what to expect in and from college life.
On Thursday and Friday I’m going to do a mini-unit based on names. We will read a vignette from House on Mango Street called “My Name,” in which the main character, Esperanza, gives a very lyrical explanation and description of her name. Students will discuss the vignette and names and general. They will end the week by writing their own short vignettes about their name.
Now down to “real” planning . . . .
I don’t know about all of you teachers out there, but I’m ALREADY exhausted . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Response to Prompt #8
#14- Your Plan
SESSION 4 – Back to the original plan with PhotoStory
Posted in Education, English Education, English Teachers, Lesson Ideas, Lesson Plans, Public Education, Secondary Education | 3 Comments »
3 Responses to “Student Intereset Survey + Goal Setting Lesson Plan”
Tim Fredrick Says:
August 7, 2007 at 10:51 am
I just found your blog and wanted to wish you well on your first year. It will be very tough. One thing in this post got my attention: ‘Many of them have no models for goal setting and many of their parents don’t talk about what what they will do five years from now.’ From working with ‘at-risk’ students for all of my career, I can tell you that you are making a BIG assumption here about their home lives. In another part of the post, you acknowledge the ‘cycle of generational poverty’ but then go on to say that there is a lack of goal setting. Think a bit about this assumption. It’s important that you do, because this assumption about your students and their families is going to come across to the students and is going to put them off.
I was also amazed by the amount of thought that you put into your ‘discipline plan’. It seems to me that you are prepared. But, don’t forget to just be yourself. Teens want their teachers to be ‘real’ (whatever that means). I did the whole plan thing when I first started and had various methods to get their compliance. But, if you just come across as genuine and caring to them, treat them politely and like they are humans, and create lessons and units that are meaningful to their lives right now, you don’t need a ‘discipline plan.’
Good luck. You sound like you really care about teaching and strive to do well. This will be a rocky year, I’m sure, but the one thing that will get your through it is your desire to help your students.
mzpoon Says:
August 17, 2007 at 12:25 am
Thank you for such a great blog. I don’t know how you can find the time to write it when you are so obviously involved in your planning. I, too, wish you well this year. One of your exhausted colleagues….
t. poon
Sam Kegley Says:
December 26, 2009 at 7:17 am
Great find, Dave Kaelin. I am a retired engineer, but I am also an adjunct teacher and more recently a tutor, due to my poor hearing, at Columbus State Community College.
Tim Fredrick has some excellent advice for this young and energetic teacher. I am sure that they6 will be as good as they desire and that desire is quite evident.
God has blessed good teachers all over this world and their very fortunate students.
SamKat
Thanks Ray Springer, Abex Denison associate of mine
Okay Ray Springer,
Now you've done it. Now, you've made me cry.
I have had so many excellent Christmas e-mail greetings, but this is absolutely the best!
I must admit that I believe in a Santa Claus who prays to our God.
Thanks Denison friend!
Sam Kegley
Ray Springer
res228@insight.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: koni
To: undisclosed recipients
Sent: Friday, December 25, 2009 12:32 AM
Subject: A Christmas Story, You will be blessed by reading it!
This is a very awsome story, whether you believe in Santa or not : )
Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin . The child climbed up on his lap, holding a picture of a little girl.
"Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling, "Your friend? Your sister?"
"Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he said sadly.
Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw her dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
"She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!" the child exclaimed. "She misses you," he added softly.
Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's face, asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas. When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the child off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but halted.
"What is it?" Santa asked warmly.
"Well, I know it's really too much to ask you, Santa, but ." the old
woman began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa's elves to collect the little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors. "The girl in the photograph... my granddaughter well, you see ... she has leukemia and isn't expected to make it even through the holidays," she said through tear-filled eyes. "Is there any way, Santa . any possible way that you could come see Sarah? That's all she's asked for, for Christmas, is to see Santa."
Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the woman to leave information with his elves as to where Sarah was, and he would see what he could do.
Santa thought of little else the rest of that afternoon. He knew what he had to do. "What if it were MY child lying in that hospital bed, dying," he thought with a sinking heart, "this is the least I can do."
When Santa finished visiting with all the boys and girls that evening, he retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah was staying.
He asked the assistant location manager how to get to Children's Hospital.
"Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face.
Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah's grandmother earlier that day. "C'mon.... I'll take you there," Rick said softly.
Rick drove them to the hospital and came inside with Santa. They found out which room Sarah was in. A pale Rick said he would wait out in the hall.
Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half-closed door and saw little Sarah on the bed. The room was full of what appeared to be her family; there was the Grandmother and the girl's brother he had met earlier that day. A woman whom he guessed was Sarah's mother stood by the bed, gently pushing Sarah's thin hair off her forehead. And another woman who he discovered later was Sarah's aunt, sat in a chair near the bed with a weary, sad look on her face. They were talking quietly, and Santa could sense the warmth and closeness of the family, and their love and concern for Sarah.
Taking a deep breath, and forcing a smile on his face, Santa entered the room, bellowing a hearty, "Ho, ho, ho!"
"Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to escape her bed to run to him, IV tubes intact. Santa rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug.
A child the tender age of his own son -- 4 years old -- gazed up at him with wonder and excitement. Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale bald patches from the effects of chemotherapy. But all he saw when he looked at her was a pair of huge, blue eyes. His heart melted, and he had to force himself to choke back tears. Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah's face, he could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the women in the room.
As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept quietly to the bedside one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder or his hand gratefully, whispering "thank you" as they gazed sincerely at him with shining eyes. Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told him excitedly all the toys she wanted for Christmas, assuring him she'd been a very good girl that year. As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his spirit to pray for Sarah, and asked for permission from the girl's mother. She nodded in agreement, and the entire family circled around Sarah's bed, holding hands. Santa looked intensely at Sarah and asked her if she believed in angels.
"Oh, yes, Santa... I do!" she exclaimed.
"Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you, "he said. Laying one hand on the child's head, Santa closed his eyes and prayed. He asked that God touch little Sarah, and heal her body from this disease. He asked that angels minister to her, watch and keep her. And when he finished praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing softly, "Silent Night, Holy Night.... all is calm, all is bright." The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, and crying tears of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed at them all. When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed again and held Sarah's frail, small hands in his own.
"Now, Sarah, "he said authoritatively, "you have a job to do, and that is to concentrate on getting well. I want you to have fun playing with your friends this summer, and I expect to see you at my house at Mayfair Mall this time next year!" He knew it was risky proclaiming that, to this little girl who had terminal cancer, but he "had" to. He had to give her the greatest gift he could -- not dolls or games or toys -- but the gift of HOPE.
"Yes, Santa! "Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright.
He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and left the room. Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met Rick's, a look passed between them and they wept unashamed. Sarah's mother and grandmother slipped out of the room quickly and rushed to Santa's side to thank him.
"My only child is the same age as Sarah," he explained quietly. "This is the least I could do." They nodded with understanding and hugged him.
One year later, Santa was again back on the set in Milwaukee for his six-week, seasonal job which he so loves to do. Several weeks went by and then one day a child came up to sit on his lap. "Hi, Santa! Remember me?!"
"Of course, I do," Santa proclaimed (as he always does), smiling down at her.
After all, the secret to being a "good" Santa is to always make each child feel as if they are the "only" child in the world at that moment.
"You came to see me in the hospital last year!" Santa's jaw gaped.
Tears immediately sprang in his eyes, and he grabbed this little miracle and held her to his chest. "Sarah!" he exclaimed. He scarcely recognized her, for her hair was long and silky and her cheeks were rosy -- much different from the little girl he had visited just a year before. He looked over and saw Sarah's mother and grandmother in the sidelines smiling and waving and wiping their eyes.
That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus. He had witnessed --and been blessed to be instrumental in bringing about -- this miracle of hope.
This precious little child was healed. Cancer-free. Alive and well.
He silently looked up to Heaven and humbly whispered, "Thank you, Father. 'Tis a very, Merry Christmas!
If you believe in miracles you will pass this on...I did!
The highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity. Choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over popularity... These are the choices that measure your life. Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for there is never a wrong time to do the right thing..
God Bless You and Have A Blessed Day
Now you've done it. Now, you've made me cry.
I have had so many excellent Christmas e-mail greetings, but this is absolutely the best!
I must admit that I believe in a Santa Claus who prays to our God.
Thanks Denison friend!
Sam Kegley
Ray Springer
res228@insight.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: koni
To: undisclosed recipients
Sent: Friday, December 25, 2009 12:32 AM
Subject: A Christmas Story, You will be blessed by reading it!
This is a very awsome story, whether you believe in Santa or not : )
Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin . The child climbed up on his lap, holding a picture of a little girl.
"Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling, "Your friend? Your sister?"
"Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he said sadly.
Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw her dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
"She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!" the child exclaimed. "She misses you," he added softly.
Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's face, asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas. When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the child off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but halted.
"What is it?" Santa asked warmly.
"Well, I know it's really too much to ask you, Santa, but ." the old
woman began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa's elves to collect the little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors. "The girl in the photograph... my granddaughter well, you see ... she has leukemia and isn't expected to make it even through the holidays," she said through tear-filled eyes. "Is there any way, Santa . any possible way that you could come see Sarah? That's all she's asked for, for Christmas, is to see Santa."
Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the woman to leave information with his elves as to where Sarah was, and he would see what he could do.
Santa thought of little else the rest of that afternoon. He knew what he had to do. "What if it were MY child lying in that hospital bed, dying," he thought with a sinking heart, "this is the least I can do."
When Santa finished visiting with all the boys and girls that evening, he retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah was staying.
He asked the assistant location manager how to get to Children's Hospital.
"Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face.
Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah's grandmother earlier that day. "C'mon.... I'll take you there," Rick said softly.
Rick drove them to the hospital and came inside with Santa. They found out which room Sarah was in. A pale Rick said he would wait out in the hall.
Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half-closed door and saw little Sarah on the bed. The room was full of what appeared to be her family; there was the Grandmother and the girl's brother he had met earlier that day. A woman whom he guessed was Sarah's mother stood by the bed, gently pushing Sarah's thin hair off her forehead. And another woman who he discovered later was Sarah's aunt, sat in a chair near the bed with a weary, sad look on her face. They were talking quietly, and Santa could sense the warmth and closeness of the family, and their love and concern for Sarah.
Taking a deep breath, and forcing a smile on his face, Santa entered the room, bellowing a hearty, "Ho, ho, ho!"
"Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to escape her bed to run to him, IV tubes intact. Santa rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug.
A child the tender age of his own son -- 4 years old -- gazed up at him with wonder and excitement. Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale bald patches from the effects of chemotherapy. But all he saw when he looked at her was a pair of huge, blue eyes. His heart melted, and he had to force himself to choke back tears. Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah's face, he could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the women in the room.
As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept quietly to the bedside one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder or his hand gratefully, whispering "thank you" as they gazed sincerely at him with shining eyes. Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told him excitedly all the toys she wanted for Christmas, assuring him she'd been a very good girl that year. As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his spirit to pray for Sarah, and asked for permission from the girl's mother. She nodded in agreement, and the entire family circled around Sarah's bed, holding hands. Santa looked intensely at Sarah and asked her if she believed in angels.
"Oh, yes, Santa... I do!" she exclaimed.
"Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you, "he said. Laying one hand on the child's head, Santa closed his eyes and prayed. He asked that God touch little Sarah, and heal her body from this disease. He asked that angels minister to her, watch and keep her. And when he finished praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing softly, "Silent Night, Holy Night.... all is calm, all is bright." The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, and crying tears of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed at them all. When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed again and held Sarah's frail, small hands in his own.
"Now, Sarah, "he said authoritatively, "you have a job to do, and that is to concentrate on getting well. I want you to have fun playing with your friends this summer, and I expect to see you at my house at Mayfair Mall this time next year!" He knew it was risky proclaiming that, to this little girl who had terminal cancer, but he "had" to. He had to give her the greatest gift he could -- not dolls or games or toys -- but the gift of HOPE.
"Yes, Santa! "Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright.
He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and left the room. Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met Rick's, a look passed between them and they wept unashamed. Sarah's mother and grandmother slipped out of the room quickly and rushed to Santa's side to thank him.
"My only child is the same age as Sarah," he explained quietly. "This is the least I could do." They nodded with understanding and hugged him.
One year later, Santa was again back on the set in Milwaukee for his six-week, seasonal job which he so loves to do. Several weeks went by and then one day a child came up to sit on his lap. "Hi, Santa! Remember me?!"
"Of course, I do," Santa proclaimed (as he always does), smiling down at her.
After all, the secret to being a "good" Santa is to always make each child feel as if they are the "only" child in the world at that moment.
"You came to see me in the hospital last year!" Santa's jaw gaped.
Tears immediately sprang in his eyes, and he grabbed this little miracle and held her to his chest. "Sarah!" he exclaimed. He scarcely recognized her, for her hair was long and silky and her cheeks were rosy -- much different from the little girl he had visited just a year before. He looked over and saw Sarah's mother and grandmother in the sidelines smiling and waving and wiping their eyes.
That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus. He had witnessed --and been blessed to be instrumental in bringing about -- this miracle of hope.
This precious little child was healed. Cancer-free. Alive and well.
He silently looked up to Heaven and humbly whispered, "Thank you, Father. 'Tis a very, Merry Christmas!
If you believe in miracles you will pass this on...I did!
The highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity. Choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over popularity... These are the choices that measure your life. Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for there is never a wrong time to do the right thing..
God Bless You and Have A Blessed Day
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Thanks Sonny! I don't know if this makes me smarter or just scratch my head.
Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.....
On this particular day a rich tourist from back East is driving through town. He stops at the motel and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.
As soon as the man walks upstairs, the owner grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel.
The guy at the Farmer's Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her "services" on credit.
The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with the hotel owner.
The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter so the rich traveler will not suspect anything.
At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, picks up the $100 bill, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town.
No one produced anything. No one earned anything.
However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future with a lot more optimism.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is conducting business today.
On this particular day a rich tourist from back East is driving through town. He stops at the motel and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.
As soon as the man walks upstairs, the owner grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel.
The guy at the Farmer's Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her "services" on credit.
The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with the hotel owner.
The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter so the rich traveler will not suspect anything.
At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, picks up the $100 bill, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town.
No one produced anything. No one earned anything.
However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future with a lot more optimism.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is conducting business today.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Kegley family question from my brother, Jim
Jim,
We did it and it was not fun. I don't remember the gunny sack thing, but
Dad, Bud and I used a wheelbarrow and wooden ramps up out of the (maybe 9
foot cirulcar wine cellar and the six foot square coal cellar northwest of
the wine cellar. That was the basement found in the house when we moved in
after the 1937 flood.
The '37' flood water had stopped about Mrs. Shonkwiler's house and covered
the Scott's retaining wall in front of their house. We were at the foot of
Portsmouth's 'hilltop' and thought to be safe from another flood. I began
second grade at Highland School so it was probably 1940 when we moved into
the 1227 McConnell Ave. house that most of us grew up in.
In those early twentieth century times, most men like dad had no privilege
of using, or even having, spare time for much but work. They felt guilty if
they weren't working. Any male offspring were considered as available help
(slaves if you will) to their work ethics. Dad was a working supervisor,
but he was often on the road (N&W) and left instructions for us to go on
with.
I don't want to sound like a hero. I was just a lackey in this, but perhaps
the experience justifies my runninhg out of the house and three blocks up
the alley to Mound Park when I discovered Dad might be coming up McConnell's
first block hill from work. Believe me, I would rather play ball in the
park much above working with Dad. When I did assist him, he would often
send me to his unorganized garage (much like my unorganized office with my
computer) to get a left-handed monkey wrench or even real tools I didn't
know the nomenclature of. He would mutter something about my being some
kind of idiot when I took too long hunting for something I wasn't even sure
what it was I was looking for. Dad, as you probably know, could fix anything
with chewing gum and rubber bands. Actually he was a good back yard
mechanic.
The fully finished basement must have been 25' by 40' or one thousand square
feet vs the original 120 square feet (more than eight times the previous
size. We had a few wonderful Thanksgiving feasts down there with the Kegley
clan. The home movie which we watched at this 2009 Thanksgiving showed Dad
slicing the turkey, Bud and Norma (Newman Kegley pregnant then with Philip
who is now 55), and most of our siblings as youngsters. I am sorry that
upset you, our great Portsmouth nostalgist, but I enjoy mom and dad and
family on home movies. We all loved Forest Earl and Mary (Clark) kegley so
deeply.
Good question.
Sam
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Kegley"
To:
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 11:47 PM
Subject: Family question
> Sam,
> I seem to remember you, or somebody, talking about helping Dad dig out
> the basement under 1227 McConnell? Am I dreaming, or did you and Bud,
> help Dad, by filling gunny sacks with dirt to be hauled away? I think I
> was too young when it happened.
> Jim
>>
>
>
We did it and it was not fun. I don't remember the gunny sack thing, but
Dad, Bud and I used a wheelbarrow and wooden ramps up out of the (maybe 9
foot cirulcar wine cellar and the six foot square coal cellar northwest of
the wine cellar. That was the basement found in the house when we moved in
after the 1937 flood.
The '37' flood water had stopped about Mrs. Shonkwiler's house and covered
the Scott's retaining wall in front of their house. We were at the foot of
Portsmouth's 'hilltop' and thought to be safe from another flood. I began
second grade at Highland School so it was probably 1940 when we moved into
the 1227 McConnell Ave. house that most of us grew up in.
In those early twentieth century times, most men like dad had no privilege
of using, or even having, spare time for much but work. They felt guilty if
they weren't working. Any male offspring were considered as available help
(slaves if you will) to their work ethics. Dad was a working supervisor,
but he was often on the road (N&W) and left instructions for us to go on
with.
I don't want to sound like a hero. I was just a lackey in this, but perhaps
the experience justifies my runninhg out of the house and three blocks up
the alley to Mound Park when I discovered Dad might be coming up McConnell's
first block hill from work. Believe me, I would rather play ball in the
park much above working with Dad. When I did assist him, he would often
send me to his unorganized garage (much like my unorganized office with my
computer) to get a left-handed monkey wrench or even real tools I didn't
know the nomenclature of. He would mutter something about my being some
kind of idiot when I took too long hunting for something I wasn't even sure
what it was I was looking for. Dad, as you probably know, could fix anything
with chewing gum and rubber bands. Actually he was a good back yard
mechanic.
The fully finished basement must have been 25' by 40' or one thousand square
feet vs the original 120 square feet (more than eight times the previous
size. We had a few wonderful Thanksgiving feasts down there with the Kegley
clan. The home movie which we watched at this 2009 Thanksgiving showed Dad
slicing the turkey, Bud and Norma (Newman Kegley pregnant then with Philip
who is now 55), and most of our siblings as youngsters. I am sorry that
upset you, our great Portsmouth nostalgist, but I enjoy mom and dad and
family on home movies. We all loved Forest Earl and Mary (Clark) kegley so
deeply.
Good question.
Sam
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Kegley"
To:
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 11:47 PM
Subject: Family question
> Sam,
> I seem to remember you, or somebody, talking about helping Dad dig out
> the basement under 1227 McConnell? Am I dreaming, or did you and Bud,
> help Dad, by filling gunny sacks with dirt to be hauled away? I think I
> was too young when it happened.
> Jim
>>
>
>
Thanks Judi! The sick eklitists need much fixing!
*A serious proposal...........
*
------------------------------
Subject: Let's Fix Congress
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:06:42 -0500
*THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!*
*Co**ngress has the lowest approval of any entity in Government, now is the
time when Americans **can** join together to reform Congress - the entity
that represents us.
We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a
Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These people
will become American heroes.
**
Congressional Reform Act of 2010
**
1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.
A. Two Six year Senate terms
B. Six Two year House terms
C. One Six year Senate term and three Two Year House terms
* Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to
work.
*
2. No Tenure / No Pension:
A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when
they are out of office.*
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to
work.
*
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security:
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social
Security system immediately.. All future funds flow into the Social
Security system, Congress participates with the American people.*
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, server your term(s), then go home and back
to work.
*
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans*.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to
work.
*
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay
will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
* Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back
to work.
*
6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the
same health care system as the American people.
* Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to
work.
*
7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American
people.
* Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to
work.
*
The American people did not make this contract with congressmen,
congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
* Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back
to work.
*If you agree with the above, pass it on to all in your address list. If
not, just delete.*
------------------------------
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it
now.
------------------------------
Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. Sign up
now.
*
------------------------------
Subject: Let's Fix Congress
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:06:42 -0500
*THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!*
*Co**ngress has the lowest approval of any entity in Government, now is the
time when Americans **can** join together to reform Congress - the entity
that represents us.
We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a
Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These people
will become American heroes.
**
Congressional Reform Act of 2010
**
1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.
A. Two Six year Senate terms
B. Six Two year House terms
C. One Six year Senate term and three Two Year House terms
* Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to
work.
*
2. No Tenure / No Pension:
A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when
they are out of office.*
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to
work.
*
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security:
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social
Security system immediately.. All future funds flow into the Social
Security system, Congress participates with the American people.*
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, server your term(s), then go home and back
to work.
*
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans*.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to
work.
*
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay
will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
* Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back
to work.
*
6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the
same health care system as the American people.
* Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to
work.
*
7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American
people.
* Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to
work.
*
The American people did not make this contract with congressmen,
congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
* Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back
to work.
*If you agree with the above, pass it on to all in your address list. If
not, just delete.*
------------------------------
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it
now.
------------------------------
Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. Sign up
now.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thanks Sarah Rapp.
Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
-----Original Message----- From: windkiller@aol.com To: Windkiller@aol.com Sent: Thu, Dec 10, 2009 11:59 am Subject: MERRY CHRISTMAS
I will be making a conscious effort to wish everyone a Merry Christmas this year ... My way of saying that I am celebrating the birth Of Jesus Christ. So, I am asking my email buddies, if you agree with me, to please do the same. And if you'll pass this on to your email buddies, and so on... maybe we can prevent one more American tradition from being lost in the sea of "Political Correctness".
With Love & Prayers!!!
This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm
-----Original Message----- From: windkiller@aol.com To: Windkiller@aol.com Sent: Thu, Dec 10, 2009 11:59 am Subject: MERRY CHRISTMAS
I will be making a conscious effort to wish everyone a Merry Christmas this year ... My way of saying that I am celebrating the birth Of Jesus Christ. So, I am asking my email buddies, if you agree with me, to please do the same. And if you'll pass this on to your email buddies, and so on... maybe we can prevent one more American tradition from being lost in the sea of "Political Correctness".
With Love & Prayers!!!
This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm
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