Oh noes!

Straight rip from LJ, but details removed since this blog is publically viewable.

Just got this IM from Dad:

[23:13:18]*him*: got back from beginner band signup tonight. its on tues & thurs nights now.. only signed up 30 kids. things are not looking good for our beloved band program.




I cleaned up his typos. =-P


Why is this horrid? The band used to be the biggest bragging feature my middle school had. We competed in high-level competitions, and if we didn't win we sure didn't give it away. We went to Super-State when I was in 7th grade. We played high school level music and played it with a vengance and then some. Beginning band signups were a HUGE deal that ate up your Saturday because half of the kids in the school district, 4 elementry schools, were there. Maybe half of those dropped by the time high school rolled around, but dangit the interest was there, and band was considered a legitimate activity by all, as worthy of time, resources, etc. as any sport or academic subject. Then the band's director for 35 years retired. The new guy isn't the worst (though probablly the frutiest director I've met...) but he's still no prize, but according to Dad, it's the new middle school principal who's REALLY driving the program into the ground. This is the same lady (the principal) who ran the "gifted" program in my grade school when I was a kid, and I swear I think they put her there because she didn't have the skills to deal with "lesser" students, ie the non-genius ones. I did some things in ORE, but because of my sister (who's 4 grades behind me,) and I working the way we do, (more or less alone, keep to ourselves, and we tended to do things to how we thought we'd get the most out of it, less focused on the grade,) she really excluded us both from ORE activities when we were kids. Basically, she's one of those educators who does things her way, for her sake more than the students. She doesn't care what the band's done for so many students, the skills it gave us, and..just....grrr!!!! Middle school band was probably one of the best experiences of my young life and to see it in that state REALLY upsets me. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think of one of the most sacred (outside of things actually religious) things from your childhood, and maybe you'll get an idea of what I'm going off about here. ~_~ Maybe for you it was karate, choir, a sport, whatever.


*Deep breath*

Guten Nacht / Oyasumenasai (methinks I spelled that right; my Japanese book prints some hiragana characters a bit odd and also really flipping small.)

Finding Trans-Intolerance

Finding Trans-Intolerance

Spero News | Lucifer letter to the ACLU

Spero News | Lucifer letter to the ACLU

Stalker.com much?

digg - USB flash drive that steals passwords in seconds

digg - USB flash drive that steals passwords in seconds

Alessandro Ali De Menech

Alessandro Ali De Menech

This child's mother is literally using this blog as a babybook, and the little tyke is SO ADORABLE!!!! ^_^ KAWAII!!!!!!!!

Link dump

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=46225

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=7511

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=7509 Fine by me; I won't miss it.

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/12006c.asp

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/aug/06083103.html

That'll do for now....