ECKSCLAMATIONS

NCSFCU - Can you join?

2011-09-17T20:10:00.000-05:00

One of the best kept secrets (in my opinion, of course) in the Milton School District, is that all of the students and their families in the District are eligible for membership in the Northumberland County Schools Federal Credit Union.

Sometimes bigger is not better. NCSFCU is a small, member owned, financial institution. If personal service is important to you; if you like doing business where the person on the other side of the counter knows your name; if you want a voice in your financial institutions operations and decision making; you should consider NCSFCU.

"Lifehacker" explains why you should join a Credit Union -http://lifehacker.com/5055408/why-choose-a-credit-union-over-a-bank

"My BankTracker" compares Credit Power Index of Banks and Credit Unions - http://www.mybanktracker.com/bank-news/2011/08/29/credit-union-vs-bank-how-to-choose/

CNN Vetted some of my flood video!

2011-09-16T21:59:00.001-05:00

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-670560

2011-09-13T23:09:00.000-05:00

Stuff I see out my window

2011-07-12T00:09:00.002-05:00

I bought a security drop camera - works off of Wi-Fi, loops 7 days worth of video, sends e-mail alerts when it detects motion - and thought it would be fun to put in the front window over the weekend. (usually it sits inside the front stairwell)

Caught what might be the first of a series - Milton Downtown Bar Fights!

Be warned - although there is very little fighting - there is a lot of swearing. It has a happy ending. Video is after the break.

Photos from Little Pine Picnic

2011-07-10T23:52:00.001-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days - Foster playing with box

2011-07-10T23:10:00.002-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days - Harry Potter countdown should be started by now.

2011-07-09T19:21:00.004-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days - D&D still rules

2011-07-08T19:20:00.003-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-07-07T19:18:00.002-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-07-06T19:00:00.010-05:00

From ECKSCLAMATIONS

Todd's 2011 Visit - Little Pine Dam

2011-07-05T21:48:00.002-05:00

My dad, brother, and son (Ed, Todd, Dan) waiting for dinner at a family get together at Little Pine Dam.

Dad and Jody waving at us as we canoe past pavilion.

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-07-05T18:59:00.001-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-07-04T23:41:00.004-05:00

Modified Outside Magazine "Bucket List" - Part Two

2011-07-04T23:34:00.000-05:00

10. “Catch a steelhead on a spey rod”. I would like to learn to fly fish. I’m still happy with trout. No need to go after a swimming bull and play at Matador.

11. “Take a risk”. The magazine mentions jumping off of Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon as a possibility. There are some cliffs on an island in Newfound Lake, New Hampshire that need jumped from.

12. “Talk to a wild panda”. Requires going to China. Not on my list of places to go. I would like to talk to a real live Leprechaun. This will entail going to Ireland. I would like to do that trip, with stops in Scotland and England.

13. Is missing from the list. Hmmm?

14. “Take two weeks off”. No phones, Internet, tv, etc. I’m up for this one. Probably would be worked into another on of the items on the list. Something to be incorporated into a long camping trip or expedition.

15. “Build a cabin in the mountains”. Again, not something I aspire to do. I have more modern aspirations. I would like to own (retire in) a state of the art road mansion/motor home. With regard to cabins, I would like to rent the Danaker cabin for a week and take my son Dan on a week long fishing trip.

16. “Make a man cave”. Done. My house is one giant man cave.

17. “Trek in the Himalayas”. I’m a warm weather person. The Himalayas are cold and desolate. I like the idea of desolate, but want something warmer. A trip to a secluded beach or private island would suite me. I’ve also thought about sailing or kayaking the Greek Isles.

18. “See a tornado”. Done. Not in-line with the outdoor theme, but a fair substitute in my mind; I want to go see a Broadway Musical.

19. “Win your age group in a race”. This is a timely one. Arvel, a friend from Fidler’s, just started running 5Ks. I’m not sure how many people are in his age group in races around here, but I know Arvel isn’t in my age group. The Harvest Festival 5K might be an option. If not that, then definitely the Run of the Bison.

20. “Ski powder”. The cold thing again. I don’t have any interest in skiing powder. The ice slide at Eagles Mere. That is my goal.

21. “Master a surprising cocktail”. I’ll go with the articles recommended drink - Pisco Sour.

In a shaker, combine 2 oz pisco brandy (we prefer the excellent Pisco 100; pisco100.com), 1 oz fresh lime juice, 1 oz simple syrup, 1 egg white (trust us), and a handful of ice; shake (vigorously!) for ten seconds; strain into a rocks glass; and garnish with a dash of Angostura bitters.

22. “Swim naked”. I’m upping the ante’. I will go to a nude beach.

23. “Coin a phrase”. I have a few already. Most come from swim lessons or school. Many I have inherited - “If it doesn’t apply, let it fly”, “accept confrontation; weak or strong, right or wrong”, “Talk to the fishies; listen to the fishies”. Others are my own - “Your emergency is not my urgency” or, talking like a Chinaman during swim lessons, “Chin-down, chin-down”.

24. “Join the circus”. As what? I’m thinking I can tie this one into #48 somehow, so I’ll get back to it.

25. “Learn to kayak”. Did this once upon a time. Not real good at it. I managed to flip upside down and bend into an ‘s’ instead of a ‘c’, got stuck, and banged my face off of about 200 feet of fast moving rocks while swallowing anything but air. I’ll pass. Besides, I’m a big guy. I do much better in a canoe. For #25, I’ll substitute “canoe the headwaters of the West Branch all the way to the Chesapeake”.

26. “Watch the World Cup”. Like live and in person. Nah. I’ll settle with going to a Steelers game.

27. “Become an expert hatchet thrower”. Something I’ve done already. I might not be an expert, but I got the gist. I’d rather learn to shoot pistol. I had fun shooting with my brother a few years back and never had the opportunity to do it again. I will make #27 “buy a pistol and learn to shoot it”.

28. “Read right”. Outdoor Magazine means that you should try reading a real guide book. Not just surf the internet. I read plenty. I have a separate list of reading goals and will post those later.

29. “Get in the best shape of your life”. Might be to late for that, but I’ll aim for best shape I can get into. See #9 and #19.

30. “Trek Torres Del Paine. Alone”. I will go on an extended Vigil. It will likely not be Torres Del Paine. I’m not sure where it will be. Peter Stark writes in his book , “The Last Empty Places”, about how desolate north western Pennsylvania is. He uses satellite images that show the lights across the surface of the planet at night to find some of the least occupied areas on the planet. I would like to hike to Hammersley Hole and camp for a few days. Possibly seek out the elk herd. It should be in that area. All by myself.

(To be continued)

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-07-03T23:37:00.003-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-07-02T23:35:00.001-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days - Ninja Cats

2011-07-01T03:20:00.000-05:00

Or Karate Kittens?
Fighting Felines?
Kung Fu Kitties?
Tae Kwan Do Tabby?

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-06-30T03:18:00.000-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-06-29T03:17:00.002-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-06-28T03:14:00.001-05:00

Uhmmm. Dinner.

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-06-27T03:10:00.000-05:00

These little kittens have lost something.

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-06-26T09:04:00.001-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days - Annoy crap out of cat app

2011-06-25T09:02:00.000-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-06-24T08:57:00.001-05:00

Where's my dinner?

Morning Joe Re-Tweeted Me!

2011-06-24T08:38:00.002-05:00

Probably not that big a deal, but made me feel good. I commented about the President's comments to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and how many service men I talk to believe in the mission. Someone at @Morning_Joe liked my comment enough to re-tweet it.
Excuse me while I deflate my pathetic ego.

30 Cats in 30 Days - Gif Two

2011-06-23T22:33:00.002-05:00

From ECKSCLAMATIONS

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-06-22T21:55:00.000-05:00

Mental Health System Questions Raised in NYT Article

2011-06-22T21:51:00.001-05:00

I worked in an assisted living home where the "resident" was allowed to engage in behavior that would have been considered criminal in the "real world". When the resident became angered and threw plates, silverware, and even a coffee pot at us, we (there were two staff for one client in this situation) were told by our managers to flee to the basement. This person slapped staff in the face, pulled the keys off of an employees laptop and then bent it in half like a book, and laid down in the middle of a four lane highway after jumping out of a van. Every time I brought the idea of pressing charges, I was told that the agency I worked for could not prohibit me from doing so, but that I was strongly urged not to. The subtext - If you do, you won't be working here for long. Having a mental health diagnosis should not be an excuse to forgive or circumvent criminal behavior.

This past January, a mental health worker was brutally murdered in a resident home in Massachusetts. Deborah Sontag has written a lengthy piece in the New York Times that raise questions about the state of Mental Health Care as it relates to the murder. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/us/17MENTAL.html?_r=1)

Do we push to hard for independence? What are appropriate client-staff ratios? When should mentally ill people be held accountable for their behavior?

30 Cats in 30 Days - Gif One

2011-06-21T18:55:00.001-05:00

From ECKSCLAMATIONS

Modified Outside Magazine "Bucket List" - Part One

2011-06-21T17:53:00.001-05:00

The September 2010 issue of Outside Magazine ran an article titled “You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Bucket”. The article offered up 51 must do adventures, quests, or skills which everyone should consider adding to their bucket lists. I’ve been holding onto the magazine for the past several months with plans of using it to model my own bucket list.

I don’t believe I have had a mid-life crisis yet. This might be the beginning of mine. I have gone over this list and re-present the list from Outside magazine with my personal modifications and annotations.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. “Get a passport”. This item stays on my list. I have not made “The Canada Trip” to the Daneker family cabin for several years. I want to go back to Canada with the gang this Fall, so I’ll need to get a passport.

2. “Self-guide the Grand Canyon”. I have no desire to cruise down the Grand Canyon. I also don’t like the idea of having to participate in a lottery ($25) that usually requires a 5 year wait, just so I get the privilege of paying $100 to go down the canyon in a boat.

I’ve already self-guided my way through the Grand Tetons, so I know I can plan and manage a lengthy trip. If I were going to take on an expedition on my own, my goal would be to go back to the Grand Tetons. So that will be my #2 - self-guide a trip through the Grand Tetons.

3. “Start a group ride”. Can do.

4. “Chase down your hero”. I’m not sure who my hero is. My first thought would be
to chase down Chris Crutcher. I use several of his books and short stories in my classroom. I’ve wanted to hear him speak.

With deeper thought, I realize that my true heroes are much closer to where I live and, sadly, not paid enough homage. The local people who have made me who I am do not receive my recognition. I need to put time aside to seek out these people. Some should be easy. The Snooks live one town over. Bill Hawkes and Walt Nicholson should still be living near Williamsport. I’m sure, with the help of friends and facebook, I should be able to contact others, like James Guild and Frank DeMarco (Scout Leaders), Coach Fravel, or Mr. Farley (English Teacher).

I need to create a sub-list, I suppose.

5. “Become a bush pilot”. I have little desire to ever fly again, let alone be a bush pilot. However, I would like to fly a dirigible or hot air balloon. A local man flies a para-glider around the Milton area. That would be something I might like to try.

6. “Learn a constellation other than the Big Dipper”. I’m fair with constellations already. I will commit to spending a few nights out with the Google Sky App and a hefty telescope (I’ll borrow Ethan’s).

7. “Get tubed”. By which, they mean go surfing and catch a tube. I have never surfed. I’ll keep this on the bucket list.

8. “Master a second language”. I have never had much success with learning other languages. I learned enough German to get by back in 1988. I tried Spanish when I went to Lock Haven. Heck, I still struggle with English. This comes off of Outside’s list.

Keeping with the language part, I want to write a book. Maybe a work of fiction. Maybe a collection of short stories about being a Foster Parent. Number eight - Write a book.

9. “Overachieve”. Uhh - duh. Isn’t this the point of a bucket list - sorta. Outside magazine as a motivational sidebar about Eric Greitens. He is a 37 year old overachiever. Navy SEAL commander, Rhodes scholar, consultant, multiple marathons, …

His formula: Bust your ass in an early morning workout, eat healthy, work with good people, pray every day, laugh a lot, and have meaningful goals. I get it.

I have started riding my bike and swimming, again. Following my son’s healthy diet plan, I have purchased a decent food processor that will liquefy the stuff I don’t usually take the time to eat (spinach, apples, carrots, broccoli, etc.) and then I add some fresh fruit and ice to make healthy lunches. I do work with some good people (and some not-so-good people) and continue to try and create new and meaningful relationships. God and I get along great. I laugh (usually at the not-so-good people) plenty. And now I’m writing out these goals. I sure hope some of them are meaningful.

(To be continued in later post)

30 Cats in 30 Days - Steelers Fan

2011-06-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days - Boxers or Briefs?

2011-06-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

Foster tends towards boxers.

30 Cats in 30 Days - What's in a name?

2011-06-18T09:24:00.002-05:00

So Ange is smiling because she knows she just suckered me into keeping "The Cat".

The cat needed a name. I raise other peoples kids. Put the two together - Foster Kitten.

Foster Kit for short. Get it?

30 Cats in 30 Days - Random Web Pic

2011-06-17T12:28:00.000-05:00

Lit Crit

30 Cats in 30 Days - Foster

2011-06-16T13:55:00.003-05:00

The Milton Harvest Festival parade was on the 18th of September this past year. I had watched my share of the parade, gorged on Gunzey sausages, and made my rounds of the festivities. It's hard not to. The festivities take place on the street in front of my home.

My phone rings and I see that Angie Witter is calling me. "Hi Ang. What's up?"

"Can I drop something off at your apartment?"

"Sure."

I figured that she had watched the parade with her uber-son Trace and needed to stow folding chairs or blankets. Not so. She comes up the steps bearing a furry present - a cat. Angie explains how the "poor little thing was lost and wandering on the parade route" and was sure to get squashed by a fire engine. "You would like a cat, wouldn't you Kurt?"

I tried to explain that I really didn't need a pet running around the apartment. I even got Tracer on my side when I suggested that the cat would be better off staying with her two dogs and several cats. Ang quickly turned that argument, explaining that her hubby Tim would wig if she brought home another pet. Trace attempted his best fists on hips, I'm not leaving unless we take the cat with us, Superman pose, complete with protruding lower lip. Angie (I thought at the time) wavered and asked if I would watch the cat long enough for her to go get her kitty carrier. (Had I been thinking quicker, I would have realized this for a scam. She managed to carry the cat to my apartment and she only lives five minutes from downtown. Why would she need a cat carrier?)

Just in case the cat belonged to someone downtown, I took a picture of the cat (with Trace) and floated a lost cat poster around the neighborhood. No one ever claimed the cat and Angie hasn't stopped back in the past nine months with a cat carrier. Hmm?

30 Cats in 30 days

2011-06-15T13:47:00.000-05:00

30 Cats in 30 Days

2011-06-14T13:42:00.002-05:00

The Nexus commercial has led me to post 30 cat pictures in 30 days.

"Ackkk! When did the mouse get a laser! My eyes!"

THOR!

2011-06-04T20:28:00.001-05:00

My first official movie of the summer was worth the price of admission. Thor is a solid summer flick. It will probably hold it's own against the many other superhero movies coming out this summer, but is doubtful to be the best. Nice visuals, 3d worked, and a story that was easy to follow makes THOR a good pick; just not a great one. If you have limited opportunity to get out to the movies this summer, you might want to wait for X-men or Green Lantern.

First Flight of Ole' Black Betty

2011-06-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

Boyardee and Milton make CBS Sunday Morning

2011-05-10T21:52:00.001-05:00

Rocket Cam One

2011-05-09T16:00:00.003-05:00

Green Lantern Previews

2011-04-04T21:06:00.003-05:00

Thought I would post this for Dave H. I know he is probably more psyched than I for the upcoming comic book movies. This is selected excerpts from clips shown at a CinemaCon.

Real Live Wookie! (in miniature)

2011-04-04T20:52:00.000-05:00

2011 Lifeguard Training Video

2011-03-31T22:46:00.004-05:00

Blogger on Android

2011-02-03T22:34:00.001-05:00

Google has finally released an "official" app for blogger users. Yippee.

So i'm trying it out with a simple little post.

NYTimes: Light Out, Huck, They Still Want to Sivilize You

2011-01-07T02:07:00.001-05:00

Didn't Orwell or Huxley warn about this.

From The New York Times:

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK: Light Out, Huck, They Still Want to Sivilize You

A new edition of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" that replaces the word "nigger" with "slave" does the original Twain novel a disservice.

http://nyti.ms/gzdTyo

Take The New York Times with you on your Android or other mobile device, free of charge.
For more information, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/services/mobile/apps/

All aisles open Thanksgiving eve.

2010-11-15T19:09:00.002-05:00

Whoopdy doo.

Ten days before Turkey Day - three self-check out lanes and one full service for about 16 customers.

Fail.

First Post from the classroom blog

2010-08-24T20:10:00.002-05:00

Thought I might save some effort and repost my entry from the classroom blog. Here it is --

This is the obligatory "First Post".

It is an important post for two reasons -

1. It gives me something to use to set the width of the post column and ensure everything fits on the page.

2. The aspirations for creating the site can be set down so that others can understand the purpose of the site.

The first is done. On to the second.

I can recall, from when I was a high school student, the "fear" teachers had about electronic calculators. This new technology was going to destroy the math skills of every student who owned one and brought it to school. They should be banned! What right minded parent would buy such a thing for their kids?

Embracing new technology can often be troublesome. Often times, it seems, public schools are slow to adapt to or accept new innovations when they should be racing to be the first. Youth have embraced the internet and cell phone culture. If a teenager doesn't have a Facebook page, they likely have one on MySpace. Almost half (48%) of the population 12 years of age or older have a profile on a social media network. The typical American teen sends or receives more than 50 text messages a day. Almost 2/3 of teens text during school. (Resource)

To ignore the opportunity to incorporate web content and mobile texting into the educational experience would be to pass up a significant opportunity to engage students with a modality that they are familiar and comfortable with.

Therefore, it is the intent or purpose of this site to provide a first step into incorporating these technologies into my classroom. This site will serve as a home base for future endeavors. It is foreseeable that assignments or extra-credit material will be posted on this site. Student generated content may be included. This site may also be a place where photos of school activities will be posted. I am sure students will also have suggestions for what this site could be used for.

2010-08-20T12:28:00.002-05:00

Dan in front of Chinese Buffet

2010-08-18T14:35:00.000-05:00

2009 Pig Roast - Portrait

Rendered video by Alexander Lehmann

2010-08-17T22:53:00.000-05:00

Found this kick-ass (I can say that now, because it is the title of a movie) 4 minute animation on "Whatever" blog. If you like Sci-Fi or disaster movies, take a break and watch it (preferably in HD on a large monitor - I felt my desk moving!)

EXODUS Noisia & Mayhem ft. KRS one from alexanderlehmann on Vimeo.

Canadian Crowd Control

2010-08-16T22:06:00.000-05:00

Jack's visit - Knoebel's Grove

2010-08-15T12:53:00.001-05:00

Jack is on his mid(?) deployment leave from Afghanistan. There was a dinner this past Thursday and yesterday a get together at Knoebel's amusement park.

It was the first time in, near as I can recollect, that Jack, Keith, Josh and I have all been in the same place in nearly a decade. Sad . . . kinda . . . that we all (people in general) seem to drift apart as we get older.

A set of pictures can be seen on Facebook at -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=478405&id=637670334&l=b459a99b75

And, of course, I mashed together a Muvee with the auto-producer -

Sgt. Jack William's Essay

2010-08-13T22:43:00.002-05:00

The following essay was written by my good friend Jack Williams. It has been printed by a few newspapers (mostly armed forces papers, but also a few smaller community newspapers). It is reproduced here with his permission.

He and I discussed getting his message out via the internet. Please link to this post and share it with others. Jack's perspective is that of the soldier at the tip of the spear. It is important for folks back here (in the states) to hear how many in Afghanistan feel about their mission.

By STAFF SGT. JACK A. WILLIAMS

U.S. Air Force

As an active duty, Air Force medic, my four years' time in service, serving on the ground with the Army in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, has changed my perspective on combat, military sister services and my role as an Airman.

As my team approaches the halfway point of its deployment, I've been given an opportunity to demonstrate that an Airman on the ground can be a strong asset to the joint expeditionary team.

Here is my story.

The past four months have been both challenging and rewarding. I have learned and applied a lot of skills, leadership and personal restraint. I have performed cricothyroidotomy's (an emergency surgical opening, in the neck, used to establish an airway), needle decompressions, MedEvac'd critical patients following attacks, covered the bodies of my friends and leaders, performed detainee exams on the people who were responsible, pulled security on dismounted patrols, trained on a .50-caliber machine gun, treated both U.S. and Coalition soldiers, all on top of executing the mission of a Provincial Reconstruction Team.

In February 2009, I had just returned from a deployment in southwest Asia. I was deployed as an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. At the time, I had only been in the Air Force for three years as a medical technician but I had been an EMT in civilian life for the previous 10 years while going to school. I entered the military after 9/11, when I finished my college degree in recreation management at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania. My family has always been involved in public service; the military, law enforcement, firefighting, counseling, nursing, etc. and it is a path that I wanted to continue to pursue.

I had only been back in the states for three weeks when my supervisor, Master Sgt. Stacy Pilgrim, talked to me about deploying again in the near future, this time to Afghanistan.

I really wanted to go to Bagram Air Base in northern Afghanistan and work in the emergency room or intensive care unit. After being deployed to a location where the military populace was relatively healthy, I wanted to deploy and do my job, like I was trained extensively to do, and maybe learn a little more along the way.

I was almost done with six weeks of Airman Leadership School, an in-residence course for future non-commissioned officers, when MSgt. Pilgrim asked me how I would feel about deploying again at the end of the year, even though I had just returned from deployment weeks ago.

"It would be an Army tasking to Afghanistan, as part of a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT)", she said.

I was a rather young medic- with regard to time in service- and it was comforting to know that both MSgt. Pilgrim and my leadership had confidence in my abilities for a sister service tasking with the Army. It would be confidence I would need in the months ahead.

It is my opinion that our PRT commander, Lt. Col. Erik Goepner, unknowingly shares my beliefs, has a strong passion for the mission and vision of the PRT, and expresses that by wanting us to succeed and maximize our efforts within the province.

Our team would try something that has not been tried, to my knowledge, in the past. We would be forming two smaller PRT elements and operating out of coalition force FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) at key locations within the Province in order to better facilitate the development and maintenance of the Zabul Provincial Government, as well as expand its infrastructure and capabilities- all while increasing the legitimacy of the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) in the eyes of the populace.

By moving to these locations, we would become the area experts, something that was not possible when commuting to the area several times a month in the past.

In support of this effort to maximize our effectiveness, Capt. Maxwell Pappas was chosen to develop the first team for "Operation Shagardahn Awakening."

Team Shagardahn, which means "student" in the local Pashto language, is a group of specialists with knowledge in military leadership, civil affairs, civil engineering and medicine. An additional 10 security forces (SecFor) members from the Pennsylvania National Guard platoon, assigned to our PRT, completed our team.

Less than one month after being in country, the effects cell consisting of CPT Pappas- Team Leader, SFC Michael Didonato- Civil Affairs, TSgt Clifford Monroe- Civil Engineer, SrA Kyle Woodard- Communications Specialist and myself- Medical, moved to the largest population center in the province to begin our operations.

Shah Joy has a population of approximately 71,000 people and is comprised primarily of Pashtun tribes. The district sits at around 1800m (6100 feet) above sea level on a central plain with mountains running along the north and south.

Each member of the effects cell has their own respective key tasks to perform; my task would be the lead for all medical projects within Shah Joy District, including identifying, developing and managing medical infrastructure, medical programs and medical capabilities.

My plan to accomplish this is broken down into six focal areas. These include hospital expansion, development and implementation of a First Responders Course for the ANA/ANP (Afghanistan National Army/Police), maintenance and continuity of current hospital programs for QA/QC (quality assurance/quality control), enhancement of hospital education and training, legitimization of local pharmacies within the bazaar and reduction of the amount of biohazards (needles, syringes, medical waste, etc.) on the streets by creating "OPERATION Clean Streets."

As an NCO medic on the FOB, I would also inherit some additional responsibilities to provide care to U.S. and coalition forces, become the environmental officer for the FOB and set up and operate a medical aid station.

On 29 March 2010, after only a week and a half at our new FOB, I had the first of many opportunities to utilize my medical and combat training.

We had an incoming wounded ANA (Afghanistan National Army) and upon entering the aid station I found him with a gunshot wound to the head and shoulder. He was overall in noticeably poor condition.

My skills kicked in from memory, knowing bleeding, airway, breathing, and circulation were what mattered. Bleeding was controlled using gauze and pressure dressings. I performed a cricothyroidotomy (cric), an emergency surgical opening in his neck, which allowed for breathing, and was the first I had performed outside of a training simulation lab.

We continued breathing for him using a bag-valvmask and giving IV fluids for the blood he lost. Once bleeding was controlled and his airway, breathing and circulation were managed we wrapped him up in a hypothermic wrap and reassessed.

This was my first real experience in the combat zone, as a medic without a medical provider watching over me. I knew at that time my job was about to get harder with the summer months rapidly approaching.

I just didn't know how soon that would be.

As the days passed, we were now actively involved with our missions and started implementing our projects; Capt. Pappas was meeting with the District Chief and village elders on assessments and needs within the area, TSgt Monroe was working diligently on improving the infrastructure of the schools, wells, bridges and speed bumps through the bazaar, SFC Didonato was working on civil affairs and I with the medical projects.

In the following months I would take part on a quick response force to a suicide bomber attack in the bazaar, assist in the recovery of a U.S. Soldier killed in action and treat Afghan forces injured during indirect fire attacks on our FOB, all while ensuring the safety and security of myself and those around me in these situations.

During the ensuing days, it became more and more obvious to me that the Taliban was getting desperate and were now attacking their own countrymen, innocent children and destroying property to instill fear in the people. They know that it is only through fear that they can continue to intimidate people into doing what they want.

We continued carrying on the mission, making a stronger impact and influencing the people and elders within the Shah Joy bazaar and surrounding areas. We realized that we must have been making a positive influence in the local community because now the indirect fire (IDF) attacks on the FOB were starting to increase and the ANA/ANP have started finding some IEDs planted along our routes of march.

Even though the enemy activity in the area had been increasing and intelligence of suicide bombers and IEDs being placed were substantial, we continued our missions and maintained a heightened level of awareness where we were performing our mounted and dismounted patrols.

There were 3 days that were probably the hardest on me since I have been in country. On 9 June 2010, at 0430hrs we were abruptly awoken by the sound of an explosion that sounded like it was in our backyard, a QRF responded to investigate and they found that a goat had tripped a pressure plate IED along a known route that only the PRT has been operating on in that area.

On June 10, my father's birthday, SFC Didonato, TSgt Monroe and I were at the District Center, next to the FOB, unloading school supplies to be delivered to the children of Shah Joy, when we took IDF and a rocket landed on the exterior wall of our location.

When we returned to the FOB that night I called my father to wish him a happy birthday, but the hardest part of the conversation was lying to him and telling him I was fine. I couldn't bear to tell him that I had just experienced a rocket attack and he almost lost his youngest child on his birthday.

On June 11, we realized that our Provincial Reconstruction Team, doing positive things in the community, was unmistakably being targeted by the Taliban.

On this day, we were conducting a dismounted patrol to the local bazaar to purchase 500,000 Afghani (approximately $10,000) worth of medical supplies and medications to be donated to the local government hospital and distributed in surrounding villages. We had a predetermined route with three selected pharmacies in the bazaar where we would stop to purchase medical supplies/medications, place them into an ANP pickup truck and then deliver them to the hospital for distribution. One of our main goals as a PRT, in Shah Joy, is to help legitimize the government. With the school supplies at the District Center and medical supplies at the hospital, we could allow the government agencies to deliver the supplies, subsequently gaining the support of the Afghan people.

While we were finishing up with our first pharmacy, exchanging money and receipts, my team was hit by a suicide bomber. I quickly exited the pharmacy and scanned the road.

All I could see was a cloud of white smoke and dust and within seconds I could see civilian casualties in the road, one man lying lifeless and another, a child. It was surreal, I couldn't hear a noise but I could see that the child was screaming in pain.

As my senses started to return I heard TSgt. Monroe, yelling "Man-down, Man-down." I continued my scan and saw what appeared to be one U.S. soldier lying on the ground unconscious, I quickly and cautiously approached the uniformed soldiers and realized I had not one but two U.S. soldiers down - SFC Robert Fike and SSG Bryan Hoover.

One of the soldiers showed no signs of life; the other passed within seconds of my arrival after attempting to treat his life-threatening injuries.

A third team member, Spc. Anthony Spangler, in close proximity of the blast, had been blown back 20 feet and suffered some minor injuries and his weapon was unserviceable. Cpl. John Scavitto had only been a CPL for one week on that day and was now the squad leader, as an E4, for our SecFor. His ability to distinguish himself as a leader, reposition the security element and maintain situational awareness is a direct reflection of the exceptional leaders we had just lost.

PC Mauk, was filling in as acting communications specialist on that day, and showed no hesitation on calling up a situation report and getting us reinforcements. SPC James and SrA Henderson, pulling rear security, continued to perform with limited communications and diverted all traffic away from the site. We loaded the bodies of SFC Fike and SSG Hoover in a nearby ANA truck and TSgt Monroe escorted our soldiers back to the FOB.

All members of Team Shagardahn performed remarkably while maintaining professionalism and personal restraint. After an incident of this magnitude some people have an urge to lose all control and start doing things they will later regret, such as discharging a weapon on an innocent civilian or showing excessive force. Our team had just suffered the most significant event of our deployment, we lost two of our leaders and close friends, and still maintained our ground, mitigated any additional threats in the area and waited for our QRF to arrive and allow us to go home. We arrived back at the FOB, paid our respects with prayers and tears to our fallen soldiers, placed them onto the "Heroes Bird" and saluted them as they departed.

At this time, I have been an EMT in the civilian life for 12 years and a medic with the Air Force for less than 5 years.

I can tell you after all of the trauma and death I have been exposed to, when you see an American service member lying on the ground, knowing that you can't do anything to save them is a gut-wrenching sight.

There were a lot of mixed emotions in the passing days, as there should be.

We found ourselves questioning, Why are we here? How can we help these people if they don't want to help themselves? How can we fight against suicide bombers and IEDs when there are no apparent indicators and those responsible are masked among the innocent people?

Every person will go through the stages of grief in their time. What helped me get back on my feet was my personal belief in the mission - the sense of belonging and knowing that the majority of the people in Afghanistan are looking for help and to rid the country of "douche menan," literally translated, "enemy," in Pashto.

This was my sense of purpose.

Though a majority of my deployment still lies ahead, I am staying confident in the mission and will continue to perform my duties to the best of my abilities. I can do this because I know that my family supports me, I believe in the mission and I believe that God, with the help of the men and women around me, will keep me safe and successful for the remainder of my tour.

Lazy Wolf

2010-08-13T22:21:00.001-05:00

2010-08-13T08:47:00.001-05:00

School is just around the corner, time wise. I can't believe how quickly the summer has passed. Soon my kiddos will be returning to school. If you are buying school supplies on-line and happen to be using Amazon, please click through here. My site will receive a small commission in Amazon Gift Cards that I will then use to purchase school supplies and other items. Thanks.

Charlie

2010-08-11T23:36:00.000-05:00

I mentioned about a week ago that the long time Director of the ThunderBoomer Girl Scout Camp had passed away. I wanted to post some pictures of Charlotte. Or Charlie - that being what most of us called her.

One of the jokes at camp was that you could never get a picture of Charlie. Usually you would get a picture of her hand in front of her face about 2 inches from the camera lens. Or you would get her backside -

There are two shots that I have where she manages to partially hide behind other objects. One is with an inner-tube at the pool - couldn't find it to scan it. The other was behind two polaroid pictures. That picture I do have a scan of. It is on a page in one of the scrapbooks we kept. It is a large scan, so click on it and it will open up in a much larger frame. Charlie is the one hiding in the top right.

I did manage to, over the years, get a few decent photos (and some not so good photos). Here are a few more of Charlie.

I've become a conspiracy theorist - Nevel better comment

2010-08-10T23:24:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I was semi-shocked to hear on the news that the Attorney General for the State of Virginia was questioning the birthright of the President. I mentioned it to my "bosses boss" - Jon Sharpe. My recollection of the conversation is that it seemed Ken Cuccinelli was going to fight the health care reform legislation with anything he could. One possible way to get around having to support the legislation would be to prove that the President was not a citizen and, therefore, any law he signed would be void.

Googling "cuccinelli birther" led to HuffPost and a YouTube Video.

Q: What can we do about Obama and the birth certificate thing?

Cuccinelli: It will get tested in my view when someone -- when he signs a law, and someone is convicted of violating it and one of their defenses will be it's not a law because someone qualified to be President didn't sign it.

Q: Is that something you can do as Attorney General? Can you do that or something?

Cuccinelli: Well only if there is a conflict where we're suing the federal government for a law they've passed. So it's possible.

Q: Because we are talking about the possibility that he was not born in America.

Cuccinelli: Right. But at the same time under Rule 11, Federal Rule 11, we gotta have proof of it.

Q: How can we get proof?

Cuccinelli: Well... that's a good question. Not one I've thought a lot about because it hasn't been part of my campaign. I mean, someone is going to have to come forward with nailed down testimony that he was born in place B, wherever that is. You know, the speculation is Kenya. And that doesn't seem beyond the realm of possibility.

Last week Cuccinelli won a decision that has cleared the way for him to sue the Federal Government over the health care reform law.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-ap-va-lawsuit,0,7458614.story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/02/AR2010080205019.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jIYk-9I_3l_9vZpcpalaAhOGdUdgD9HBHHH00

Attorney General Cuccinelli has also written a legal opinion that finds State Police in Virginia have the right (possibly responsibility) to question the immigration status of people they pull over. Virginia's stance might actually be tougher than Arizona's.

(Within this whole drama in Virginia is another thing that torques me about the Obama White House - When the push was on to get the Health Care Reform Bill passed, the Dems and the President's staff insisted that the fee/penalty/fine people would have to pay if they didn't purchase their own or the Government health care package was NOT a TAX. In their argument before the Judge in this hearing, they said it IS a TAX. Don't argue the truth - argue whatever wins. That is the integrity of our Politicians.)

Now, here is the conspiracy part. Attorney General Cuccinelli and the Great State of Virginia are tromping all over the Federal Government. They have, along with several other States, basically thumbed their noses at the White House and the Health Care Reform Law and said "we ain't playing or paying". It must be infuriating for Commander and Chief (of not just the country, but our countries military). I know I would want to thumb my nose right back if I were sitting in the Oval office. How do you do it? Send Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Gates has announced that there will be drastic cuts to the military budget. This is not surprising. The plan to reduce the military budget and force reduction has been in the works for some time. But where do they cut? You got it. I know you do.

Virginia. The Joint Force Command in Norfolk will suffer the ax. It will be a loss of over 5000 jobs and untold business for the northern part of the state.

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/08/dangerous-winds-jfcom-closure

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/08/defense-decision-stuns-leaders

http://www.dailypress.com/news/military/dp-nws-joint-forces-contractors-20100810,0,1367244.story

I've also heard that the Navy may be relocating some of the submarine fleet and an aircraft carrier from Virginia to Florida. The beauty of this "cut" is that it is a straight up military decision. The House and Senate have no direct control over the decisions of what bases stay open or close. (they can lobby I suppose). And the State has no control over the decision. It is the perfect strike back. No recourse for the Attorney General.

It is only a theory, but the dots line up and we all know politics is dirtier than pig farming.

Life Guarding Photos

2010-08-05T22:10:00.000-05:00

Had a great meeting today with the Director of the Milton YMCA and others. We were discussing the Fall schedule for the pool. Lifeguards and lessons instructors are getting more difficult to staff - we thought. After getting everyone together, we seemed to be able to generate quite a list of prospects.

One thing I did re-realize is how much I miss instructing the Life Guard Classes. I did have a great time this past Spring helping Ann Lawton at the East Lycoming YMCA. I really should look into getting back into it.

Anyway, decided to post some old LG pictures with some new ones --

Amazon Video On Demand

2010-08-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

In a further effort to earn some Amazon Dollars, I am shamelessly posting another ad. If you don't know already, you can help me out by coming here - to the blog - and clicking any of the Amazon links to do your Amazon shopping. If you a re buying off of Amazon already, the extra click won't take but a second and ends up helping me buy stuff for my kids - foster care or school kids - usually books.

I like Videos on Demand via Amazon. I can usually find what I want to watch, the prices are reasonable, and I've rarely had compatibility issues with the different devices I use. Maybe I have been lucky?

President addresses Boy Scouts at National Jamboree

2010-08-03T19:50:00.004-05:00

Via video. He couldn't break away from fund raising and other commitments to show up in person.

But that is OK. Ronald Reagan didn't attend the Jamborees while he was President (he sent his wife). And Bill Clinton and GW only attended one of the Jamborees of the two that took place during their terms. Bush Sr. attended during his first term - good thing, yes? Maybe Obama is counting on a second term?

Some people - mostly those with Scouting backgrounds or sons and daughters at the Jamboree - are upset that the President of the United States could not find time to attend in person. After all, he is the Honorary President of the National Organization. It is also Scouting in the USA's 100th Anniversary. Google "President Disses Boy Scouts" and you'll get a sense of the thoughts of our country. More people seem upset about people being upset than anything else. How dare the Boy Scouts 'expect' the President to show up? Frugal Cafe' Blog Zone has a good sampling of what people are saying.

Boy Scout Jamboree’s 100th Anniversary vs. ‘The View’: Boy Scouts Lose, Obama to Appear with Daytime TV Harpies

Jane Chastain lays her thoughts out very plainly in her posting on WorldNetDaily -

Obama disses the Boy Scouts

Truth be told (I'd tell nothing else), the Presidency and the Boy Scouts are not that tight. You might think, given the number of Astronauts, prominent business men and entrepreneurs, and other popular figures (like
Mike Rowe, who did speak at the Jamboree) that were scouts, that most of the Presidents were Eagle Scouts; or at least Scouts. Not so much. Not until 1961 did a Boy Scout end up in the Oval office (John Kennedy). The next President with a Scouting tie from his youth would be Gerald Ford, the first and only Eagle Scout to be President. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were both Cub Scouts. I can't find a credible source for this, but I believe Barak Obama was in a program similar to the Cub Scouts when he lived Jakarta, Indonesia. Knowing this, it might be easier to understand why the President did not feel a sense of loyalty or duty to the Scouting organization. (Ref. http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/presidents.aspx)

I probably would not have even taken the time to post this moderate rant had it not been for a local piece in the Daily Item -

Valley Scout dances before 70,000

Jamboree blends good times with learning

Near the bottom of the article, Ted August is quoted -

"He is the first president in a long time that has not attended the Boy Scout Jamboree. Everyone here was disappointed. It's too bad the leader of the United States government could not take the time, but he could show up for a talk show on TV."

And the President didn't even show up for the talk show that day. He pre-recorded the show. FOR THE VIEW!!! *shaking head* sad, sad, sad.

Depending on your lean, you may or may not want to give the President a second chance to attend the National Jamboree. It will mean giving him a second term to continue his war on our country. I would prefer if he doesn't have to make a choice between The View and the Jamboree. Let someone else make that tough call instead.

Really late Boston Pics

2010-08-02T22:24:00.001-05:00

I just never got around to them -

While in Boston, we hit a Red Sox game. We also went to the Museum of Science.

Having studied Escher in school, Tony found the Escher exhibit to be a special experience. He already had a background of Escher's art work and could explain a lot of subtle things to me that I did not know.

Of course, I was most impressed with the Naboo Fighter hanging from the ceiling.

To cute for me, but Cathy will like it.

2010-08-02T21:48:00.000-05:00

An abuse of power - they don't just want your guns, they want your camera

2010-08-01T22:45:00.000-05:00

In China and North Korea, journalists (and tourists I imagine) are escorted by government officials and have their ability to film or photograph curtailed so that only "official" images of the country are taken. It is the perfect way to control a country - only allow the message out that the government wants out. The government never gets a negative light shown on any of it's activity.

Apparently some police departments in a few states believe they can exercise this type of control over the citizens they are working for. There is no assumed right of privacy when someone has their photo taken in a public setting. If the billboard camera shows your mug on the big screen at a baseball game, you can't sue for a violation of your right to privacy. If you are involved in an automobile accident and a photojournalist shows up and takes pictures of the accident and you are in the pictures, you are at the mercy of the judgement of the newspaper editors. Accused (not yet found guilty) parties at a trial are routinely videoed in prison suits and chains entering and exiting courtrooms. Their rights are not considered infringed upon. But don't film your local law enforcement officer at a traffic stop if you live in Maryland - They might just lock you up (after violating the privacy of your home and taking your electronics).

Anthony Graber is facing a sixteen year prison sentence because of this helmet-cam video he posted on YouTube.

Graber's behavior is that of an idiot - insane speeds on the crowded highway, popping wheelies - dangerous and jerk-ish. He was definitely endangering others and I can understand why law enforcement would be a tad more aggressive when he is finally pulled over. I don't see anything particularly damning towards the police officer in the video, so I don't understand the draconian response. The ACLU of MD has a short Blog entry with links to a paper on the wrongful arrest of Graber, an article from NBC Washington, an ACLU article about the arrest of a photographer in Seattle, and other links.

Using wire tap laws to go after traffic criminals is another example of how the legal system is willing to circumvent it's own laws in order to get what they think is justice. In turn, they corrupt the system they are suppose to work within. This is similar to what happened with the Hadley Six case in which the ADA is using a rarely enforced statutory rape statute to punish two young men that she has already decided are guilty. Unable to charge them with anything else, she is playing a game with the legal system.

More Steve Jackson Games - Cthulhu Lives!

2010-08-01T21:30:00.003-05:00

Last week I mentioned how we bought some games while on vacation in Boston. Along with Zombie Dice, we purchased "Cthulu Dice". It is another simple dice game (die game actually - is that a pun?). In this game, each player picks a target player and tries to curse him in an attempt to steal their sanity. Sanity is measured with little glass stones. When only one person has any sanity left, he is the winner. If everyone runs out of sanity, Cthulu wins.

We have played this game with different groups of friends. Learning curve is short - maybe three minutes to learn. Like Zombie Dice, this game does not have the depth to be the sole focus of a game night. Unlike Zombie Dice, Cthulu Dice has the "screw your neighbor" quality that many find fun - Kinda like "Lunch Money" - a long time favorite that I should write about later.

CPR is Sexy. I don't care what the New England Journal of Medicine says

2010-07-30T22:50:00.003-05:00

If you follow the news (some of you don't), you have probably seen something about "compression only" CPR.

Here is the deal. American Heart and Red Cross can take what they want out of the New England Journal of Medicine study. Truth is, trained rescuers are going to get better results then untrained rescuers. The study only involved callers to 911 taking their instructions on how to perform CPR from the dispatcher. It does not attempt to compare the success rates of trained responders. As far as I can discern, there is no information regarding the amount of training callers may have had before calling 911 to aid a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. This could skew some of the results.

This, according to the abstract, was the method -

Patients with suspected, witnessed, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were randomly assigned to undergo either compression-only CPR or standard CPR. The primary end point was 30-day survival.

And here are the results and conclusions -

Data for the primary analysis were collected from February 2005 through January 2009 for a total of 1276 patients. Of these, 620 patients had been assigned to receive compression-only CPR and 656 patients had been assigned to receive standard CPR. The rate of 30-day survival was similar in the two groups: 8.7% (54 of 620 patients) in the group receiving compression-only CPR and 7.0% (46 of 656 patients) in the group receiving standard CPR (absolute difference for compression-only vs. standard CPR, 1.7 percentage points; 95% confidence interval, −1.2 to 4.6; P=0.29).

This prospective, randomized study showed no significant difference with respect to survival at 30 days between instructions given by an emergency medical dispatcher, before the arrival of EMS personnel, for compression-only CPR and instructions for standard CPR in patients with suspected, witnessed, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Looks to me like there is "no significant difference" between methods. So, following the apparent National trend to dumb things down, we'll just skip teaching rescue breathing. I know, I know. This study was for people calling 911. They didn't have training.

Doesn't matter. American Heart and the Red Cross are watering down the curriculum anyway. It's a shame. Rescue breathing is a great skill to have, I don't know (w/sarcasm), for breathing emergencies? Dad chokes on a hot dog, teen drowns in river . . . Rescue breathing!

It's pointless anyway. The survival rates in this study are pretty grim. Only a 7 to 8.7% chance your still kicking after 30 days for the poor souls in this study. The abstract doesn't allude to the use or arrival of a defibrillator. I do know your chances of surviving a cardiac emergency are greatly effected by both how quickly EMS arrives (make that 911 call early) and the use of an AED. I would be interested to see some numbers on survivability and those two factors.

I do have hope. In the multitude of Google hits, I stumbled upon what is quickly becoming my favorite CPR training video. Be forewarned; some may consider this NSFW. It is risqué. It is suggestive. There is NO nudity. It's all after the jump --

Super Sexy CPR from Super Sexy CPR on Vimeo.

Super Sexy Abdominal Thrust from Super Sexy CPR on Vimeo.

Supernatural - Season Four

2010-07-29T23:26:00.000-05:00

I just finished watching season four of Supernatural. Dylan W. and I started watching Supernatural about halfway through season one. Santa bought me season 3 on DVD. I never managed to have the time to catch episodes of season four. I had some Amazon reward dollars to spend, so I purchased the fourth season through Amazon Video on Demand and have spent the past dozen or so evenings watching all the episodes.

I'm not very knowledgeable about the other internet video services. I see the commercials but haven't felt the need to try them. I've been very satisfied with Amazon's services. And I am also satisfied with the fourth season of Supernatural.

The season starts with Dean returning/escaping from Hell. Quickly, we are introduced to Angels, which is surprising. The first three seasons presented a world with no intervention from heaven and gave the impression that demons were unchallenged by anyone other than hunters. About half of the episodes deal directly with the season's over-all story arc. The rest of the episodes are diversions from that plot and provide some levity and novelty to the season.

Episode 5 - Monster Movie - is shot in black-and-white and is an offbeat tribute to the classic creatures of the night - Count Dracula, The Werewolf, and The Mummy. Episode 12 - Criss Angel is a Douche Bag - Title says it all.

My favorite new character is Castiel, an angel played by Misha Collins. The introduction of Angels to the scheme of things has really increased my interest. I've enjoyed movies like "The Prophecy", "Constantine", and "The Seventh Seal" that have angels and divine intervention involved. There is a lot of involvement, for good and ill, in this season.

And, did I mention Sam becomes a demon blood sucker (as opposed to a blood sucking demon?)?

Re-use of old slide show from Camp K blog

2010-07-28T22:36:00.002-05:00

AAARRRRR! WE WERE PIRATES LONG BEFORE JACK SPARROW!

Create Your Own

Why is Butch not the CEO of a Fortune 500?

2010-07-28T00:08:00.007-05:00

Butch has got to be the king of die hard summer campers. Timothy Noah, according to his article "You Are How You Camped", would classify Butch (and myself I suppose) as someone who Really, really, really enjoys camp. He titles such campers as Camp Cultists and writes that they are likely to grow up to be CEOs of major corporations. What happened to Butch (and I)?

Timothy defines 5 groups of campers in his article and I kinda see where he is coming from. I thought it would be interesting to take a poll and see if anyone would divulge what kind of camper they were and verify Timothy's predictions.

I can't promise the polls will work. First principle for my blog - it is an experiment and poll widget is new.

What kind of camper are you?

We are an Entitlement Country - and - Don't Miss the Big Lie

2010-07-26T21:49:00.020-05:00

Thanks to Jean Fidler, who will hopefully comment, on pointing out this seemingly harmless ad for WIC for what it truly is - a testimony for why our country is failing. Watch the video, then read the play-by-play. (The video embedding has been disabled by the owner of the video. Click through and it will play on YouTube)

0:00 - Two cute little girls sitting with playground in background. Text over shot - "What grows better with good food from WIC?" Kids take turns reading title. Sweet.

0:05 - Four kids, Hollywood Squares version in a 2x2 frame shouting "My eyes." in answer to question. Text in middle "eyes". How cute.

0:06 - Full frame of red headed girl with more rings on her fingers than Ivanka Trump shouting "my fingers" with text over shot saying same. Very Irish.

0:07 - Hollywood Squares thing again with four kids, one who couldn't point to his nose and another who is darn near picking, all saying "my nose". "Nose" printed over shot. Still very cute.

0:08 - Little boy playing with baby's toes saying "her toes" with obligatory text over shot of "toes". Nice switch up from "my" to "her", providing something more than a self centered message on "my, my, mine, mine, MINE! GIVE IT TO ME!!!!!"

0:09 - Blonde haired kid pulling up pant legs saying "my elbows and knees". Couldn't help but get that panicked feeling that he had wiped out and skinned himself up.

0:10 - Blonde girl lifting up shirt. "My tummy, see?" Also very cute, almost saccharin.

0:11 - Switch to interior of a kitchen. Little girl drinking orange juice at table, mom coming up from behind with a bowl. "WIC helps working families stretch their food dollars. You get healthy food and nutrition education (for it?) and it doesn't cost a thing."

WHAT!!!! Doesn't cost a thing? Are you kidding me?

Who is paying for this? You and I (well hopefully you - your not a "dead beat" are you?) - that's who is paying for these programs. While I work to make enough money to pay for my food, other people keep taking without giving back. They get food put on their table, while I get it taken from mine. This is like the Ally bank commercials, where the kids even realize that this isn't fair.

And the mom is PREGNANT! (yes, probably a baby suit underneath. She's just an actor and not a "real" person) What she should be saying is "Hey! I couldn't afford to work and feed my first kid, so you know what I did? I went and got pregnant again!" Yipppeee!

I solicit your further comments.

Brains . . . must eat BRAAAAAINS!

2010-07-25T21:22:00.003-05:00

While in Boston, Tony and I did some game shopping. Since we seem to be stuck in a Zombie mode, Steve Jackson's "Zombie Dice" seemed like a good pick. A little more complicated then "LRC" and more complicated than Yatzee, this novel game can be mastered in under a minute. We have played it on several different informal occasions. Zombie Dice does not have the depth to be a stand-alone game for a game night, but would be fun as a filler between games or for casual play while shooting the camel turd. No previous experience with undead required.

Who is the Bully?

2010-07-24T22:24:00.000-05:00

You may recall that this past January there was a troublesome suicide in which a 15-year-old ninth grader hanged herself because, as the media portrayed it at the time, she had been the subject of terrible bullying and abuse at the hands of a half-dozen of her peers - The Hadley Six. The young girl, Phoebe Prince, had recently moved from Ireland to South Hadley Massachusetts. Immediately after her suicide, several students were the focus of accusations claiming their bullying had directly led to Phoebe taking her life. A(n over) zealous District Attorney, Elizabeth Scheibel, decided to charge six students with various charges relating to the tragic incident.

http://www.slate.com/id/2260952/entry/2260953/

I clearly remember discussing this with my co-workers at school. The consensus was that this was a witch hunt. The DA was trying to win points with the community by sacrificing teenagers who may have bullied Phoebe. The first indication to me that the whole story was not being told was that rarely enforced statutory rape laws were being used to charge the two young men involved. In Massachusetts any sex under 16 is statutory rape. A 17 year old and an 18 year old have been charged for allegedly having sex with the 15 year old Phoebe. The law here was not the focus. If it were, there would be a lot more students in trouble. Instead, the DA is citing an infrequently used statute for leverage in her campaign. The DA's attempt to prosecute the students for criminal homicide in Phoebe's death is also rarely used because it is rarely successful.

In her three part article "What Really Happened to Phoebe Prince?", Emily Bazelon masterfully accomplishes what rarely happens in journalism today. She has spent the time and put forth the effort to dig into the facts of this under reported travesty. Emily Bazelon presents a much truer explanation of what led up to Phoebe Prince's untimely death and examines how the over use of the legal system can freeze a community and prevent any effectual recovery from a tragedy like Phoebe's. It is a longer piece then most people surfing the internet would take the time to read, but it is worth the extra time. There are also a few links to other media or information that break up the reading.

Of interest beyond the article is the comments section. Posts a-plenty and with extra hot sauce - flaming! People have strong opinions about this article and the case it covers. I must say though, I doubt more than half the people commenting actually read the whole article and did a little extra research on their own.

My favorite quote from the article is from Alan Dershowitz with regards to trying to charge the defendants with a civil rights violation with bodily injury - "That's a real stretch. People want to think that there's always legal accountability where there should be moral accountability. But in the criminal context, you should always err against overextending the law."

http://www.slate.com/id/2260952/entry/2260953/

Fooled Again

2010-07-23T23:20:00.003-05:00

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

This kind of deceit seems to be the standard in journalism today. Sometimes deliberate, sometimes through ignorance, "facts" are misrepresented. Even in this article/post by Bob Cesca, information is distorted. In the second paragraph "The videos turned out to be misleading at best, and the fake pimp character went on to plead guilty to charges of entering federal property under false pretense." seems to imply the charges are a result of the ACORN videos. They are not. The charges involved a separate stunt played out by James O'Keefe and others and were not related to the Pimp and Prostitute videos investigating ACORN.

See how easy it is to mis-represent the facts. Certainly, I agree that both sides of the media are failing at being journalists. Where's Walter Cronkite when you need him? (please, no flames about Cronkite - tis a joke)

"Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society." - Attributed to John Adams.

Droid wins - IMHO

2010-07-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

From "MASHABLE" after being spotted on "I Love Charts".

I, as you may know, own the Droid (not Droid X) and think it is superior to the I-phones. Sorry Heather and the rest of you apple fans. My screen is bigger, battery is replaceable, I have more memory (and can change mini-sd chips), and open market apps (most of which are free). You get video chat and a bigger price tag. Oh - and only one type of phone will use your OS. Android OS works on lots of phones.

As far as the Droid X is concerned, if I decide to give up my Droid for a Droid X, I could transfer just about everything to the new phone. Can you change to a different phone with Apple? For now, I'll stick with my Droid. It lacks a bit in the camera department (takes good video, but photos are often blurry. Does not take good pictures of moving targets) but makes up for that with a super GPS package that is FREE!

Another Peanut Butter Cup Moment

2010-07-21T23:43:00.000-05:00

Sometimes two good thing go great together (this may not be one of them). I'm not a guitar player. My brother is. And we are both Star Wars geeks. We had all the Star Wars figures (first generation). For some reason he always got the good guys. I remember the first Easter after Star Wars came out. I got Darth Vader. He got Luke. I got C3PO. He got R2D2.

I never got the vehicles. He did. Hands down, the best ship was (is) the Falcon. He had it and it was awesome. I can see it flying through the living room in our house in Avis. Rear legs retracted. Front leg down so it could serve as a handle for the person "flying" it. You needed the handle because it was huge (for a ten year old).

Now, someone has turned one into an electric guitar.

Details are at http://www.boingboing.net/2010/07/21/millennium-falcon-gu.html via Boing Boing.

Judge Ranck

2010-07-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

I had the opportunity to meet Judge Ranck. It was only once, shortly after his retirement, at a juvenile courts recognition dinner. Even after a short conversation, I regretted not having had the opportunity to have known him better.

Judge remembered as 'man of integrity'

Sam versus the Skloosh

2010-07-20T21:17:00.002-05:00

Addie, Sam, and Socrates

2010-07-18T23:08:00.000-05:00

Just a few pictures of my niece, nephew, and my son's dog.

19 Facts You May Not Have Known About The 'Star Wars' Universe

2010-07-17T12:53:00.003-05:00

For true Star Wars geeks, nothing new here (except I thought it was Darth Vader, not Radar? jk).

However, asylum.com was a cool site to peruse.

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

I HATE ICP - But this sh*t is funny - NSFW (that's Not Safe For Work - bad words!)

2010-07-16T14:23:00.001-05:00

I'm not really sure what or who "Noisebridge" is, but I'm digging the "Geeks Strike Back" mentality they present in trying to educate the Juggalos at an Insane Clown Posse concert. I almost skipped posting this because I don't want to provide any implied support for ICP, but it is just too choice. Check out the Juggalos in the line waiting! The subtle sarcasm of the Noisebridge gang is lost on the fans of ICP. Awesome!

Two other videos and some pictures can be seen at "Laughing Squid" - http://laughingsquid.com/noisebridge-attempts-to-teach-science-to-juggalos-at-insane-clown-posse-show-in-san-francisco/

the Y - after a day to think about the re-branding

2010-07-15T23:54:00.001-05:00

After having some time to consider everything that was presented over the past several days to the media/public, I have decided that changing the YMCA logo and "identity" or "brand" is a minor part of a larger plan. The shame is, the new logo is where the attention is going. Of more importance is the study conducted by YMCA of the USA. In the remarks given at the press conference and in the press release, the real change in the Y (more accurately a refocusing of what the Y has always been good at) is the focus of mission.

The Y Community Snapshot Study - which I have not seen in its entirety - is the report being held in clenched fists to prove the urgency and need for change. Numbers abound. 66 percent of people think the current quality of life in their communities is worse than last year. Respondents reported that they were concerned the most about chronic issues involving crime, violence, and public safety. They also identified access to quality healthcare, poverty, negative youth behaviors, and declining values as concerns. (They apparently don't care about or were not polled about global warming, terrorism, or American troops serving in foreign countries)

I am always skeptical when people start throwing around numbers. The Community Snapshot does help support the renewed focus of the Y mission. A mission that should be intuitively obvious and not need the justification of a study. Regardless of the percent of people involved in their community, it is never a bad thing to increase that number. Does it really matter if only 30% of the people surveyed (vice the actual percent of 41) believe youth violence and bullying are a problem? The numbers are nice to have, but they are not needed.

Three bullet points or phrases are being hammered into the psyche of the Y

For Youth Development
For Healthy Living
For Social Responsibility

The Y has been involved in youth development and healthy living for decades. The newest push is the third item - Social Responsibility; not an area that has been actively talked about or "pushed". My inner cynic is saying "Social Responsibility is the new code word for Volunteer at the Y so they don'e have to pay someone to do something that someone else might do for free". Experience has shown that the programs run by the "volunteers" are the ones that seem to prosper and work best. The Milton Y "TGIF" and "Jive" programs were huge successes when they were managed by a group of local parents who wanted quality social activities for their children. When the children of these parents grew up and the parents left the program in the hands of the "employees", the programs dwindled into non-existence.

So, yes, I do see the need to refocus the energies of the program. I believe that problems are best solved at the lowest level possible. Ys will be able to tailor their programs to meet the needs of the community. The best way for the community to get what it needs from the Y is to have a strong involvement from the people in the community. If that is the result of the "Re-Branding", it will be worth doing.

(http://www.ymca.net/news-media/y-community-snapshot.pdf)

Police Brutality VIDEO: SHOCKING Texas Incident Caught On Tape

2010-07-15T19:24:00.002-05:00

Would it be helpful to know that this dash cam video is from November (mentioned in the video, but not in the HuffPost article)?

As is typical with these allegations, opinions are being based on a quick snippet of video. No where do we get an accounting of what happened prior to the other officer arriving. For all we know, the 18 year old (that is an adult in most states) may have been threatening the officer with a gun and had to be disarmed before he was cuffed and held against the other car.

Forming an opinion that this police officer is a "meathead" or a "n@zi" on this meager amount of information would be the same as me concluding that the people who make such comments are ignoramuses. Just not enough information to say anything useful.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

YMCA re-brands itself (kinda like Radio Shack is now "The Shack")

2010-07-14T20:43:00.000-05:00

Described by Neil Nicoll, president and CEO of YMCA of the USA, as Bold, Vibrant, Welcoming, Inspirational, and capturing the personality of the Y, I present to you one of five color schemes being introduced by the YMCA of the USA.

My first impressions - rolling on floor laughing . . . oops. I mean ROFL. Initial thought - why don't we start calling The Red Cross "red" and the Girls and Boys Clubs of America "the clubs". Come on now . . . Radio Shack tried this. Did it work? (More after the jump!)

Then I watched the National Press Club video. (which can be found at this link - http://www.ymca.net/media-coverage/ ) And yes, I did actually watch all 50 minutes. I also read the accompanying press release. (press release - http://www.ymca.net/news-releases/20100712-brand-new-day.html) My opinion might be swayed, but I'd like to sleep on it.

I have always believed that the YMCA . . . errrr . . .the Y has the potential to be a focal point in any community. In Milton, for example, the Y is the center of the downtown bullseye (or was, it might be shifting towards the MOOSE - which will likely re-brand itself as the M, or maybe MOO). (OK - I digress further. The MOOSE isn't really The MOOSE. The proper acronym is LOOM - Loyal Order of Moose)

I'm back now. I have always believed the Y can make changes in a community. At it's core the values of the Y have not changed. It is even pointed out in the National Press Club video that the key areas of focus continue to be youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. The "triangle" will remain a part of the new identity, continuing to represent spirit, mind, and body.

The Y has the ability to meet the needs of communities. Each YMCA is able to meet the needs of the people who live around it. The Ys are true community centers. For example, when families in Milton needed a Day Care Center, these same families used the Y to create a new Day Care Center (I live over it).

Now . . . I'm going to sleep on this, as promised. Possibly more tomorrow.

Pop Quiz 7-14-10

2010-07-14T09:55:00.001-05:00

Do you know who this guy is? I'll even give you his name - Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta. What is he famous for?

Answer is after the jump.

Doh!. Dan is the voice of Homer Simpson. He also voices about a dozen other characters.

You can check out which Simpsons characters are voiced by which actors at "I Love Charts".

BONESHAKER

2010-07-13T22:57:00.000-05:00

Great summer read. Wil Wheaton recommended "boneshaker" (probably on a tweet) and I found the book in a bookstore in Boston the same day. Karma. Had to purchase it. Was a quick read. Steam Punk and zombies - couldn't be to bad? Turned out to be good. Nothing high brow here and nothing earthshaking (pardon poor humor) or extremely novel. Just a good solid story about a young man trying to find out about the father he never knew and a mom trying to protect same child. Throw in a fictitious steam-punk version of Seattle, zombies, airships, and a diverse set of characters and you get some fun.

Shelfari Page for BONESHAKER

(Boston) New England Aquarium - Part the Third

2010-07-09T13:21:00.000-05:00

I mentioned before how the center of the aquarium is this huge (I'm guessing a bit, because the walkway spiraled around it) 4 story tank. It had lots of cool sea life. The sharks were . . sharks! There was an eel that was a bit of a camera snob, stingrays that seemed content to just swim around and around and around, blowfish, and lots of others. But my favorite were the sea turtles. I think I want to go swim with them someday.

Tony and the SHARK! -

And Tony with the Sea Turtle. Plus more after the break.

(Boston) New England Aquarium - Part the Second

2010-07-09T01:00:00.001-05:00

The aquarium has several rehab facilities. There is a whole section that is like an ER and hospital/rehab for sea turtles. No pictures allowed :-(

I did get some pictures from the "fish hospital". This poor guy has a bubble over his eye. He is in the "Critical Care Ward". He doesn't look very happy.

(Boston) New England Aquarium - Part the First

2010-07-08T20:16:00.003-05:00

The New England Aquarium was our first stop on our first full day in Boston. As with most of the attractions we visited, I could have spent a whole day here. Sea Lions have an external wall on their tank and are the first critters to welcome you to the aquarium. If you look real close, you can see them in the photo just left of center. (click on pictures - they are stored in hi-res and you can blow them up big!)

The facility has a four(?) story walk around tank in the middle of the building with large (think Sharks!) sea life in it. The bottom "floor" of the building is a gigantic penguin pool with hundreds of penguins.

Picture taking was a problem. People using flashes kept getting nice pictures of themselves. The flash turns the glass walls into mirrors. I had my best success shooting in video mode. First video clip has Seahorses, a crab, an urchin, and these strange 5 armed creepers that look like something from a SciFi movie. There are three more videos after the jump (click the "read more")

Nerd, Geek, or Dork

2010-06-25T23:53:00.000-05:00

I took the test and here are my results --

Your result for The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test...

Pure Geek

48 % Nerd, 57% Geek, 26% Dork

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.

A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Geek, earning you the title of: Pure Geek.

It's not that you're a school junkie, like the nerd, and you don't really stand out in a crowd, like the dork, you just have some interests that aren't quite mainstream. Perhaps it's anime, perhaps it's computers, perhaps it's bottlecaps, perhaps it's all of those and more. Your interests take you to events and gatherings that are filled with people you find unusual and beyond-the-pale, but you don't quite consider yourself "of that crowd." Instead, you consider yourself to be fairly normal.

Which, you are. Congratulations!

Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Take The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test at OkCupid

Sam would be proud

2010-06-25T09:41:00.000-05:00

I remember when Wal-Mart first came to PA. I remember the ad campaign. Wal-Mart promised "Made in the U.S.A.". That stopped shortly after Sam Walton went to the great Super Center in the sky.

FlowingData has a map that shows the growth of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club over the best 40-some years. Very cool to watch (in a War Games kinda way). Interesting if you pan around the map or zoom out. There are several Wal-Marts in Puerto Rico. Hawaii seems to dig Sam's Clubs.

Check it out at -- http://projects.flowingdata.com/walmart/

Media - (Mc)Chrystal Balls

2010-06-24T21:29:00.000-05:00

It will continue to be more a story about how one reporter brought down a General (and further weekend a President - IMO). I have read the Rolling Stones article and it is . . . interesting. Is it good journalism? What is? Check out the article (that is . . . READ the article) at Rolling Stone's Website - "The runaway General". Then see how many comments there are. When I posted this, there were 30. Seems kinda low.

Then for more fun, Jon Stewart provides some (as always) funny commentary, but not at who I thought he would. Again, you start to understand why I can't stand the major news networks.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

McChrystal's Balls - Honorable Discharge

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Morning Joe

2010-06-21T16:10:00.003-05:00

During the school year I wake up to "Morning Joe" with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist, and a whole slew of regular guest commentators. The show runs 6 to 9 AM and has a very contemporary feel. The bumper music is usually 70's and 80' tunes. Guests wander in and out of the show through-out the morning, almost like they have stopped by to grab their caffeine and then coincidently get drawn into the conversation. There is not a lot of fluff and the hosts (Joe and Mika mostly - Willie is more of the useless trivia/news/comedy guy) do not always agree with each other, let alone their guests. Discussions can get very heated. True, each individual may have a bias on any topic, but due to the wide range of guests and opinions, at the end of the conversation you truly do get a balanced view of the news. Honestly, it's about the only cable news I watch anymore. Most of the cable news I cannot stomach.

There is one thing about "Morning Joe" that I cannot stomach -- Their Starbucks blend of coffee. I was so excited when I found it on the shelves of Wal-mart, I took the bag home and took pictures of it next to my coffee mess.

Then I ran a pot . . .

I spent 6 years in the Navy. I drank a lot of bad coffee. I have stomached some of the most dangerous grounds ever percolated in a Boy Scout Camp. I consider myself a professional on bad coffee. I admit, I don't have the range of taste buds to appreciate the subtleties of better brews. I didn't need to with this stuff. It can't decide if it is a French Roast, a dark roast "wake-me-up", or a base for all the fancy slurryups coffee houses like to dump into otherwise perfectly good coffee. I like my coffee sans everything. If the brew can't go down on its own, it is no good. I understand now why Joe always has creamers, flavored syrups, sugar, and ice in his coffee. It is the only way to make it palatable. Morning Joe Coffee - failed.

Buy a bag anyway and put it on your shelf. It does look cool and I believe part of the proceeds are marked for charity (not sure - can someone find out?)

Errors and Corrections

2010-06-21T15:33:00.001-05:00

Friend Jason Kramer, who happens to be a pharmacist and e-friendly small business owner (two links in there), corrected my error of thinking Adderall was not a C-II drug. It is. Good news(?), Zyprexa is not and it costs more than Adderall - making it an even bigger waste of money! Sweeter.

You may want to go back and re-read the revised post (or not). Argument is still the same.

Thank you Jason.

You don't know JACK!

2010-06-20T23:59:00.000-05:00

Had a decent Father's day today. My son Dan, one of my foster sons, and Mia went up to my fathers for dinner. Mia made chicken and shrimp kabobs for the grill, along with macaroni salad and deviled eggs (potentially a stinky situation with all the eggs involved). At my request, dad made a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing - yummy! Cathy came over for dinner. All-in-all a very laid back and pleasant day.

But tonight, as I was finishing reading "Deadline" by Chris Crutcher ( a whole separate trauma) I was IMd by my friend Jack. He is an Air Force Medic serving with the First Battalion, 110 Infantry Brigade at FOB Bullard. I often catch him on Facebook in the evening, which is the morning for him. Once, he hurriedly typed "things are starting off fast today" and "just found an IED have to wait for EOD". He signed off shortly after that. He has also described some of the gorier casualties he has had to deal with. He's even mentioned a few fatalities. Until June 11th, they had always been Afghan Nationals and, not that it should matter, I felt relief to know that these were not American Soldiers dieing in his unit.

June 11th that changed. Army Staff Sgt. Bryan Hoover and Army Sgt. First Class Fike were killed by an IED. Not that you can intuit much emotional context out of a text message, it is obvious that this loss has played heavy on my friend - as it should. And it should effect us at home more as well. There have been 35 American fatalities in June (as of the 20th) and I have not heard nearly as much about this disaster as I have heard of the oil spill in the gulf, the silly debate of defending the American Border in Arizona (silly in that there is already Federal precedence to check a suspects immigration status if it is suspect, so who cares if a State wants to in-act their own similar legislation. Read all three answers.), or Armani Underwear airbrushing out Megan Fox's Abs (worth two seperate links btw).

If you want to see who has died in service to our country, check out --

http://icasualties.org/OEF/Index.aspx
http://militarytimes.com/valor/index.php
http://www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf
http://freedomremembered.com/index.php/category/states/pennsylvania/ (this link is just for Pennsylvanians - there are write-ups for both Hoover and Fike)

And there it is! Not that I will dwell on these thoughts, but I will be more anxious as I wait to see Jack log on to his Facebook account. Please, keep him, as well as all of the other great Americans who serve on our behalf, in your thoughts and prayers. And, do not forget those who have fallen.

The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. - General Douglas MacArthur

R2Egg2

2010-06-19T01:00:00.001-05:00

I bought a Motorola Droid the day after Christmas this past year. It was part gift for myself and part gift from others. I have fallen in love with it. I have become one of those people I used to make fun of. I always have it with me, am always reading texts and emails, and struggle to put it down when dining out with friends. It is like an addiction. A social networking addiction? Maybe.

I started a Twitter Account because of my droid (R2Egg2 - yes, I named it). Egg2 has opened up other social networking applications to me. I just started "foursquare" and I "Yelp*". I get my daily doses of Facebook directly to Egg2. My Google (Gmail) mail, calendar, task list, and documents sync together, so I am never without access. My favorite podcasts (Slate political Gabfest, Radio Free Burrito, and NPR All Songs Considered) load directly to the Droid. Egg2 plays my music, holds my pictures, and shoots video (streaming live to http://qik.com/kurteeck or the bottom of this blog). I've even used it as metal detector at work (Tricorder App!). It is the coolest toy ever (for now).

Plus, now that I have posted this, you can click through the links and hit me up from the net or SMS me at 570-486-4443.

Later.

A bitter pill to swallow

2010-06-18T01:25:00.001-05:00

The amount of money wasted on medicine for foster kids is amazing. Sometimes it seems I destroy almost as many pills as I administer.

Here is an example. Child goes to med clinic. Dr. prescribes a certain med. For this example, lets say ~~10 mg Adderall XR~~ Zyprexa. He writes out a 30 day prescription with two refills. The Dr. also puts the child on a schedule II drug, which can only be scheduled out for thirty days and cannot be refilled without another appointment. (This also helps feed the coffers of the Doctors who do these med clinics) I go and fill both prescriptions for the first thirty days. Someone screws up and doesn't schedule the next med clinic within 30 days. (This happens more often than it should as well) I run out of the schedule II drug but do refill the ~~Adderall XR~~ Zyprexa, which has refills. Three days into the 30 pills of the refill, we get into see the doctor for the schedule II drug. While talking to the child, the child mentions to the doctor that he doesn't like the way the ~~Adderall~~ Zyprexa makes him "feel". In turn, the doctor decides to take the child off of the Zyprexa and put him on something else. I end up with 27 capsules of Zyprexa.

Thirty 10 mg capsules of Zyprexa costs around $475. (http://tiny.cc/p2ti2) What am I to do with them? I have to destroy them. Who pays for the wasted meds? You do! All kids in foster care in PA receive their health care through Medical Assistance, which is funded with your tax dollars. Sweet.

(Friend Jason Kramer, who happens to be a pharmacist and e-friendly small business owner (two links in there), corrected my error of thinking Adderall was not a C-II drug. It is. Good news(?), Zyprexa is not and it costs more than Adderall - making it an even bigger waste of money! Sweeter.)

Take A Pill!

2010-06-17T00:07:00.001-05:00

It is no secret that I am not a fan of behavioral meds; especially when it involves kids I have in my home or at school. It's not that I am totally against their use. My father, depending on which doctor you ask, is either schizophrenic or manic depressive. You wouldn't know it. When he is on his medication he is as "normal" as the next person. But get him off his meds . . .

I was classified as a hyperkinetic child when I was in elementary school. My parents nor my teachers (I just used "nor") gave me pills. And, as much as I would like to say they did, they didn't apply a 2x4 or a paddle. I did miss quite a few recesses. There were some early bedtimes. I was allowed to pace back and forth as I read books in fifth grade. And I survived school.

Most of the students I get that are labeled ADD/ADHD do just fine if they are given a little extra structure and, at times, leeway. Same with foster children. I've had kids, Thomas for instance, who have shown up on my doorsteps so doped up that they are doing a damn good impersonation of a zombie, except they can't even work up enough energy to growl "Brains".

Immediately we changed Thomas' meds. He was way over medicated. Granted, without the huge doses of Depakote, he became very much like Tigger - bouncy, bouncy, bouncy. Also fun, fun, fun, fun, fun. (watch Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger too). I'll take an active kid over a zombie. It just takes more effort. I think my parents called it "parenting".

Likewise, teachers need to teach. I know. I know. "I have to many students in my classroom." "I don't have time to deal with Johnny and the rest of my students." "It's not fair to ignore the other children while I have to spend extra time with Johnny." Get over it. I don't remember having all these "aides" in school when I was a child. And I teach the kids that public schools can't seem to manage, 21 of them this year, in a classroom by myself. It is work. Don't use a students lack of unnecessary medications as an excuse for not being able to manage your classroom. And quit making suggestions to parents that they need to get their kids on meds unless you have solid indicators that the student has a real, diagnosable problem.

There are young people out there who do need medication to help them focus. Their condition should be across environments (how many kids have "an inability to stay on task and remain in seat" in school, but do just dandy plugged into their PSP or X-Box at home). It should not be a product of learned behavior. And, the sole reason for administering meds should not be to "control behavior". Skinner did that well with out doping up his pigeons.

I did have a student this year who really has ADHD. He can't stay focused or still in school or at home. There is no (at least as far as my colleagues and I can determine) reward for his distracted behavior in school - he didn't gain anything that he saw as a positive from his behavior in school. He is not a behavior problem in the classroom. He can not focus in on what is being done in class. His short term retention of information is poor. How can you synthesize information or draw conclusions if you cannot hold onto discreet pieces of information in your memory? This student could not and it explains why he, or anyone with a real problem, would come to hate school. On meds, much better. He can remember what he read minutes ago, can follow along in class discussions, and can link ideas together. But this students case is, from what I have observed, the exception to the rule.

So, what sent me on this rant tonight? An article on Politics Daily by David Sessions titled "Psychotropic Drug Abuse in Foster Care Costs Government Billions". I'll rant some more tomorrow about my experiences with the excesses and waste of Medicaid, Foster Care, and managed health care.

Later.

Album Recommendation

2010-06-16T09:30:00.001-05:00

I love big sounding music. The large orchestral and choral pieces you hear when the good guys rise from certain defeat and overcome insurmountable situations. The music they play in video games to get your mind running so fast you forget that it is a game. Music that the studios attach to previews in the theater that make even the lamest movie seem like it will be cool. This album is that music.

I just purchased the album today and I've listened to it over and over. It makes me want to break out either my dice bag (dungeons and dragons geeks know what I mean) or the video camera and shoot a short action sequence.

You can hear previews on the player or download the MP3 album.

As always, I do appreciate it whenever you use my blog to then go to Amazon and buy stuff. Thanks.

Amazon.com Widgets

Some "Slick" Humor - Carl would be proud

2010-06-16T00:09:00.000-05:00

WWdN: In Exile

2010-06-15T23:47:00.000-05:00

Another summer has come and I look at my poor blog and realize how neglected it has become. Fear not! I am revitalized. I have found my muse. And it is not a feminine sprightly muse. It is the youngest officer of Starfleet, "The Gordo" from "Stand By Me", the kid from that movie "Toy Soldiers" -- what was his real name?

I didn't think about him as having grown up. I didn't know that he had (re)created himself as one of the most popular bloggers of the past decade (Forbes.com awarded him "Best Celebrity Weblog" in 2003 and in 2009 ranked him as the 14th most influential celebrity blogger. He's been nominated for lifetime achievement awards in blogging and has been compared to blog powerhouses like Fark and Slashdot.); and then turned his blogging into authorship. I'm not even sure how I stumbled onto his web site - WWdN: In Exile.
I just know that I did stumble upon it around Easter and have been letting his musings and anecdotes fill the few empty places I have left in my brain. I even bought one of his books --

I finished it the same day it arrived. The "He" is Wil Wheaton. And he is much more than the characters he played years ago. He is the geeks geek. He writes about all the cool things my friends and I did when we were his age - Star Wars, Star Trek, Car Wars, Dungeons and Dragons, Pac-man and Dig-Dug. And it is readable. And enjoyable. And - very human.

The motivating part - I did write a 50,000 word novel in November as a participant in National Novel Writing Month. I have learned to shed my inner editor and put my thoughts into type. I just haven't had the spirit to write (nor the time, thanks to conditions at work). My "muse" was gone. Wil Wheaton has shown me that it is also ok to shed the cloak of self-doubt. They are voices in his head that he (and his wife) have learned to ignore. I'll write. I'll post. If people like what I have to say, great. If not, I will be none the worse for the effort.

I will ignore the voices of self doubt. It is time for round three (if your counting) for the Egg Bros primary web presence. I hope some readers come along for the ride.

ECKSCLAMATIONS

NCSFCU - Can you join?

CNN Vetted some of my flood video!

Stuff I see out my window

Photos from Little Pine Picnic

30 Cats in 30 Days - Foster playing with box

30 Cats in 30 Days - Harry Potter countdown should be started by now.

30 Cats in 30 Days - D&D still rules

30 Cats in 30 Days

30 Cats in 30 Days

Todd's 2011 Visit - Little Pine Dam

30 Cats in 30 Days

30 Cats in 30 Days

Modified Outside Magazine "Bucket List" - Part Two

30 Cats in 30 Days

30 Cats in 30 Days

30 Cats in 30 Days - Ninja Cats

30 Cats in 30 Days

30 Cats in 30 Days

30 Cats in 30 Days

30 Cats in 30 Days

30 Cats in 30 Days

30 Cats in 30 Days - Annoy crap out of cat app

30 Cats in 30 Days

Morning Joe Re-Tweeted Me!

30 Cats in 30 Days - Gif Two

30 Cats in 30 Days

Mental Health System Questions Raised in NYT Article

30 Cats in 30 Days - Gif One

Modified Outside Magazine "Bucket List" - Part One

30 Cats in 30 Days - Steelers Fan

30 Cats in 30 Days - Boxers or Briefs?

30 Cats in 30 Days - What's in a name?

30 Cats in 30 Days - Random Web Pic

30 Cats in 30 Days - Foster

30 Cats in 30 days

30 Cats in 30 Days

THOR!

First Flight of Ole' Black Betty

Boyardee and Milton make CBS Sunday Morning

Rocket Cam One

Green Lantern Previews

Real Live Wookie! (in miniature)

2011 Lifeguard Training Video

Blogger on Android

NYTimes: Light Out, Huck, They Still Want to Sivilize You

All aisles open Thanksgiving eve.

First Post from the classroom blog

Rendered video by Alexander Lehmann

Canadian Crowd Control

Jack's visit - Knoebel's Grove

Sgt. Jack William's Essay

Lazy Wolf

Charlie

I've become a conspiracy theorist - Nevel better comment

Life Guarding Photos

Amazon Video On Demand

President addresses Boy Scouts at National Jamboree

Really late Boston Pics

To cute for me, but Cathy will like it.

An abuse of power - they don't just want your guns, they want your camera

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CPR is Sexy. I don't care what the New England Journal of Medicine says

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Re-use of old slide show from Camp K blog

Why is Butch not the CEO of a Fortune 500?

What kind of camper are you?

What are you like today?

We are an Entitlement Country - and - Don't Miss the Big Lie

Brains . . . must eat BRAAAAAINS!

Who is the Bully?

Fooled Again

Droid wins - IMHO

Another Peanut Butter Cup Moment

Judge Ranck

Sam versus the Skloosh

Addie, Sam, and Socrates

19 Facts You May Not Have Known About The 'Star Wars' Universe

I HATE ICP - But this sh*t is funny - NSFW (that's Not Safe For Work - bad words!)

the Y - after a day to think about the re-branding