Archive for Education
Harassment or Competency?
Posted by: | CommentsThanks for visiting Brainwavers. If you're new here and you like what you see, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. I hope you enjoy the site
I’m all alone on highway 82 headed toward Montgomery Tuesday night when I top a hill and see a police car sitting in an empty parking lot. Of course I immediately check my speed, and I’m only about 7mph over. No problem. I just keep going. I’ve never been one who immediately jams the brakes when I see a cop. I check my rear view mirror and what do you know, he’s pulling out behind me. Still no problem. I drop to about 5mph over and keep going. By now he’s right on my tail, so I look at the road ahead trying to anticipate where he’ll hit the lights. There’s a large, almost truck stop type store ahead. That’s the spot. I don’t slow down, but prepare mentally to pull in. Just before we get to the entrance of the parking lot he hits the lights.
Do You Know Why I Pulled You Over?
Of course I’m not going to start guessing. I’ll just let him tell me. It’s because one of my tag lights is blown. Ok, this should be quick. He’ll give me a verbal warning and I’ll be on my way. He checks my insurance and takes my license back to his car. This isn’t going to cost much time at all. I’ll be able to make it up when I hit I-85. After a few minutes two more officers show up. What? Ok, they just saw a fellow officer with someone pulled over in the middle of the night, and they are just stopping for support. No big deal: until one of them walks up to my passenger door and the other two come to the driver’s side and ask me to get out.
Was I Just Profiled?
The officer in charge of the scene, as he put it, brought me back to his car and explained that there has been an increase in drugs being transported between Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, and Auburn. So here I am around midnight heading from Tuscaloosa to Lee County with several bags in the front of my truck and a couple of gas cans and bags in the back of the truck. My truck and license are from Lee County and I’m coming from Tuscaloosa on a road that’s become a popular drug route. So the police just took some facts about criminals and compared those facts to what they saw. Yep, I was profiled. It’s ok though. I completely support profiling. Why is it wrong to say “A big purple elephant just broke a law; we need to check big purple elephants”?
The Drug Search Begins
The officer went through the whole “it’ll be easier to confess now rather than lying and having us find something” speech. I told him that I was completely comfortable with them searching my belongings. So I stood at the police car talking to this officer while the other two combed through my bags, under the seats, in the dash, under the floor mats, etc. I was somewhat amused watching them. The whole time they are intensely searching with the the demeanor that something could be found under the next t-shirt, and the whole time I know that there’s no chance of them finding anything. I’m not mocking them, I just found it amusing.
How Do I Feel?
After finding nothing, the officers left everything like they found it. They didn’t leave any bags dumped out or anything else messed up. They returned my license and pocket knife that they had held during the search. Two of the three were friendly and told me to have a good night, drive safe, get the tag light repaired, etc. The other officer seemed a little gung-ho and disappointed that they didn’t find anything. He just stood in the background with his arms crossed. Now here’s the question: did I feel like I had been wrongly searched? Was I harassed? I say absolutely not! I’m ok being inconvenienced for thirty or forty minutes knowing that these guys are trying to stop drug trafficking. Here’s exactly how I feel: I have a brother who’s in his last year of an 11 year sentence for drugs. I have a sister whose death was indirectly related to drugs. (She wrecked while going to visit someone in jail for drugs) I have my own zero tolerance policy for drugs. Here it is as simple as I can say it: You bring drugs in my house, vehicle, around my family, or try to sell to my kids, and you will be the one calling the police to come to your rescue.
To the officers who searched my truck; thank you.
Throwing Babies Away Could Become Common
Posted by: | Comments“Live Baby Thrown In Trash” is a headline that’s unblelieveable, but Obama’s voting record indicates that he supports these heinous crimes. Put aside white, black, democrat, republican, red, yellow, or green. Anyone who claims to be human could in no way support allowing a baby to die just bacause it was supposed to be aborted. If you have any doubts, just search “Obama born alive policy”. Or, you can watch a National Right To Life video.
Thanks to digitalcaffeine for bringing this article to our attention.
More Great Military Sites
Posted by: | CommentsI ran across two more sites that do a great job of honoring our military. The first, supportheroes.org, gives financial support to veterans and/or their families who struggle because of disabling injuries or death due to war.
The next, poetpatriot.com, has a ton of information that any patriot will enjoy reading. He has timelines, quotes, jokes, and tributes. I really enjoyed the patriot classroom section. Here you can find information on voting, the flag, and presidents, along with several other topics.
Walter E. Williams: A Minority View
Posted by: | CommentsWalter E. Williams is a must read syndicated columnist. His articles are right on, and that’s about the best way I know to describe them. I have a link to him in my sidebar, but his latest two articles are such homeruns with me that I had to put him in the spotlight. Here are the latest articles:
Congressional and Leftist Lies
Academic Cesspools II
I also urge you to visit his syndicated page to read more great articles, and check out his biography.
If your heart tends to bleed easily you might want to skip this and find some poetry to read.
Made In China: Pick Your Poison
Posted by: | CommentsLet me think…do I want my kids ingesting lead paint or the date rape drug? Those seem to be the choices today with the junk we import from China. After months of hearing about the recalls on Chinese products I have a pretty obvious question, why do we still have so much Chinese junk coming into this country?
Greedy American Companies
The main reason is because the businesses who sell this junk are making truck loads of money. These people worship money to the point of endangering our children with poisonous products. It’s all about the buck. I guess you could argue that these companies are ensuring employment for the Chinese children who are making the products that are being imported into America. Oh wait, employment infers money for work; I think that these kids are on the work-or-else program.
American Consumers Are Guilty Also
That’s right, if we don’t buy it these retailers won’t carry it. As long as we continue to sacrifice quality and safety for price this junk is here to stay. I have been as guilty as anyone in the past, but in recent years I have been trying to pay attention to the products that we buy and only buy American made products. It’s even rubbed off on my kids. I have a six and a seven year old, and they check the “made in” information when we are shopping.
Some Trade Is Good
I realize that some international trade is good, but I also know that the United States has a huge trade deficit with China. In 2006 the total U.S. trade deficit with China was 232 billion U.S. dollars. Through September 2007 the deficit was $187 billion, which puts us on track for a $250 billion deficit for 2007. Let’s see if we can start spending some of those billions here at home.
Humorous note: I overheard my kids talking about where to put different toys. I moved in to listen ( as long as they are living in my house their business is my business, but that’s another artilce) and discovered that they were sorting toys by their “made in” information. My son said that he wants to have a collection of toys that are made in America. The funny part was when my son brought in a toy and exclaimed, “Hey, I found a toy that was made in Philippians!”
My daughter also gathered some items that she had made by hand and wrote “Made in USA” on them with a Sharpie.
Stretching Shoulders To Stretch Lives With The Pink Rotater
Posted by: | CommentsI have recently added the “Stretching Shoulders to Stretch Lives” image to my sidebar. By clicking on this image you will be introduced to a wealth of information on shoulder performance and rehabilitation.
Scott Kay and Chris Melton, the owners of Joint Mechanix, have developed The Rotater, a shoulder stretching and rehabilitation device. The initial purpose of The Rotater was to aid in post surgical rehab and physical therapy. As The Rotater made it’s way around the country it gained popularity in other areas as well.
The Rotater in Athletics
Many athletes, who have perfectly healthy shoulders, have been drawn to The Rotater because it provides an increased range of motion to enchance their performance. Golfers in particular have seen the benefits of using The Rotater. PGA teaching professionals and long drive champions have recognized that increased shoulder flexibility promotes increased shoulder turn which leads to more power and distance.
Breast Cancer Survivors Can Benefit From The Rotater
The advantages that The Rotater offers to breast cancer survivors were totally unexpected. Loss of shoulder strength and mobility is very common after women undergo breast cancer treatment. Scott’s sister and Chris’ aunt were both diagnosed with breast cancer, so these guys were inspired to use The Rotater as a weapon against breast cancer.
Giving Women The Strength To Overcome
While The Rotater alone helps increase shoulder mobility, Scott and Chris recognized the need to increase shoulder strength as well. They went straight to work and the result is the Strong Arm. This device is used along with The Rotater to help strengthen shoulders. The Strong Arm will soon be available on their website as a accessory for anyone who owns a Rotater. However, Scott and Chris realized that breast cancer patients need them now. They started producing a special line of pink Rotaters, and each one is packaged with a free Strong Arm device.
Funding The Fight Against Breast Cancer
Scott and Chris will donate 10% of all revenue from the Pink Rotaters to breast cancer research. The slogan “Stretching Shoulders to Stretch Lives” was born out of their desire to help.
You Can Help
I’m sure that as you have been reading this you have thought of someone who could benefit from a Pink Rotater. I’m asking that you also think of the people who will benefit from the generous donations that Scott and Chris have pledged. Order a Pink Rotater today!
Operation Christmas Child
Posted by: | CommentsOperation Christmas Child is a program that sends shoeboxes filled with gifts to children all over the world who might not otherwise receive anything. This program is through Samaritan’s Purse, a Franklin Graham organization. These people visit countries all over the world to deliver these gift boxes and to share God’s love. Each of my kids put together a box, and they loved it. They included a personal letter to the kid who receives their box with the hope that the child will have the resources to write back. They are excited about making a new friend in a part of the world that they may never be able to visit. We watched a video about Operation Christmas Child that taught us how fortunate we are to live in America. There were stories and video from poor countries all over the world. One that really stuck with me was a man who searched for used shoes every day so that he could resell them to feed his family. I wake up every day and have to decide what I want to eat out of a well stocked refrigerator. This man’s only goal every day is to find enough food to carry his family for one more day. I encourage every person who reads this to check out the Samaritan’s Purse site and join in Operation Christmas Child. They have a “suggested gifts” list on the site. Also, be sure to check out the “do not include” list as well.
A New Nation Is Born
Posted by: | CommentsI am beginning a series on the early days of America. I will spotlight the men who stood strong in the face of a tyrant who called himself the king of Great Britain. Each article will be dedicated to a person, or event, of great significance to our country’s quest for freedom. These men didn’t visit the “hot spots” to kiss babies and shake hands. They sacrificed the security of the known to birth a great nation where generations to come could live free. They handed us the greatest nation on Earth, and we are systematically dismantling everything that they fought for. They didn’t jump on the “We’re Republicans so we vote like this; they’re Democrats so they vote like that” bandwagon. They were united in a battle for all of America, the Blue States and the Red States. My desire for this series is to reunite Americans as Americans. I want to help people re-focus on building “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Don’t Wait Until Test Day To Start Studying
Posted by: | CommentsI am currently reading The Upside of Down by BGEA board member Joseph Stowell, Sr. This book was written to help people understand and deal with tribulations that we will all face at some time.
The point of this article is not a review of this book; that will come later. This article was prompted by carrying the book around with me at work. I imagined some people seeing the book and assuming that I must be going through some turmoil. Well I’m not at the moment, but I know that I will at some time, and I like to be prepared. I started thinking about how a lot of people wait until they need help before they start looking for it. That’s like waiting until the middle of an exam to start studying for it.
The Sports Approach
Preparing mentally and physically is key for all athletes, teams, and coaches. They spend days leading up to a game viewing tapes of that weeks opponent. These guys don’t wake up on Saturday morning and say, “Who is it that we’re playing today? I think I may need to check them out.” No, when game time rolls around they have already made the preparations necessary to be successful.
Start Practicing Now
This same approach can be used in everyday life. There are numerous resources available for the people who take the time to look for them. Books like the Bible, The Upside of Down; writers like Chris Melton and Brad Baggett; CDs; DVDs; live seminars; or even one-on-one counseling are all excellent resources that we can use to prepare for the downsides and enjoy the upsides of life. Start studying now for the test that you are sure to have in the future.
Education Then And Now
Posted by: | CommentsGuest Author:This article was submitted by Scott Kay
I am 44 years old, but I can still remember the name of my first grade teacher. It amazes me how many things I have forgotten over the years, yet I can still remember grade school. School was way different back then. Back then kids either walked to school or rode the school bus. Now a lot of kids are driven to school by their parents. I guess some people feel that riding the school bus is beneath them. My Momma didn’t care whether I wanted to ride the bus or not because in our house children were not in charge. Back then my Momma made me a peanut butter and banana sandwich and put it in a paper sack for lunch. Now kids want money for lunch every day. Then we had P.E. and recess and were encouraged to exercise and play. Now P.E. is no longer required at some schools. Then the biggest crime was chewing gum in class. Now the biggest crime is a toss up between drugs, guns, and murder. Then we prayed in school. Now prayer offends the heathens. Then we said the Pledge of Allegiance. Now the Pledge offends people who hate our country. Then we had parties to celebrate American holidays. Now American holidays offend people who hate America. Then the teachers and school administration were in charge of the school. Now parents and children are in charge of the school, that is unless something happens that they don’t like and then the blame is put back on the school. Then we got spankings for doing wrong followed by another spanking at home for the same wrongdoing.( I never particularly cared for this one.) Now when a kid does wrong and is mildly reprimanded the parents try to figure out how they can sue the school. Then the dropout rate was low. Now the dropout rate is high. Then children earned better grades. Now children earn worse grades but are given better grades.
Maybe I’m old fashioned, but the school system seemed to work better back then with less trouble. I’m not sure who started to break it or who is keeping it broke, but it seems to me like we ought to get back to basics. Public education has become a huge mess. People just can’t seem to understand why kids are turning out the way they are today after we have tied the hands of the teachers. We have restricted the teachers’ abilities to do what they went to college to do, what they were trained to do, what they love to do, and that is to teach our children. America should bring the old school back. If parents don’t like what’s being taught and how it’s taught; consider home schooling. How do you feel about it?