WC072623: A Job I'd Be Good At

 

Today's Challenge is A Job I'd Be Good At.

I was born with chalk in my hand. A bit dated as today it's a computer hooked up to a video shown on a TV or smart board. I'm a teacher. Not was a teacher. I am still a teacher. I teach a bible study class at my church on Tuesday mornings. After class we go to a diner for breakfast. Over the summer we have been studying the book of Judges. Before Covid I had a Sunday School class where I taught the book of Hebrews. After the shutdown most of my class became homebound or died and when before we had two classes, we're down to one and a former Methodist pastor is the teacher, but I put my two cents worth in all the time.

Before I started teaching, I thought I would be a good warranty administrator at a diesel repair shop, but the price of gas doubled, and the repair shop went belly up. That's when I finished my methods classes and got my certification to teach.

When I started working with an attorney my dreams of becoming an attorney evaporated. I taught Street Law (high school class) and learned just enough to be dangerous and didn't want to go into that field. Taking pleadings and doing other grunt work while spending most of my time writing in a quiet office was great, but there was no way I wanted to do all that paperwork. All power to the attorney as it was his bread and butter.

WC: Share One Interesting Fact I Know.

 

 

Share one interesting fact I know.

Hmmm, so many to choose from. 

I've decided on the facts I learned about the father of oceanography while researching the life of Matthew Fontaine Maury.

As head of the National Observatory starting in 1844 he started having over a hundred years of naval logs gathering dust evaluated and required all naval and merchant vessels sailing under the U.S. flag to fill out logs on their voyages and give them to the observatory. 

At this time the only charts available for use for the shores of the U.S. came from Britain and they charged a high price for them, and they dated from before the Revolutionary War.

In 1848 the observatory released the first wind and currents charts for the Atlantic and afterwards for the Pacific, followed by all the oceans by 1856. 

By 1851 at the height of the gold rush to California those charts not only saved hundreds of ships from hitting shoals and reefs saving thousands of lives but shortened the sailing time from New York City from 180 days to an average of 90 days and records by clipper ships down to 81.

Those charts were given by the U.S. out to all maritime nations for free in exchange for them turning in their ships logs both merchant and naval to Washington D.C. By 1856 Maury had 186,000 floating laboratories collecting wind, currents, and other data to keep the charts current.

In 1858 his routs from New York to Rio De Janeiro was cut short by a third. He charted a route using the Antarctic winds and shortened the route from England to Australia by a thousand miles.

His textbook The Geography of the Seas was used as a textbook at Annapolis until 1927.

This is why he is considered as the father of oceanography and meteorology. 

Soap Box Saturday: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

 

Kathleen McElroy’s appointment as journalism director was celebrated at first. Credit...Meredith Seaver/Bryan-College Station Eagle

The New York Times today had an opinion piece about Kathleen McElroy. She was the director of the school of journalism at the University of Texas.

She was hired to take over the same position at Texas A&M. McElroy is a graduate of A&M in 1981, she was a supporter of the university and helped found and fund "The Battalion" the campus newspaper. She has decades of journalism experience and worked on the New York Times She also worked on the 1619 Project. 

It would seem she'd be the perfect candidate to revive a school of journalism that is not granting degrees at this time. 

There's another alumni group at A&M "The Rudder Group," that opposed her joining the staff. Seems she would promote diversity, equity and inclusion. They had help in their complaint as Texas governor Greg Abbot at about the same time signed a law that diversity, equity and inclusion cannot be taught at state public universities.

Seems to me the good Christian governor of Texas just outlawed Christ's Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you."

When asked about the charges she is quoted as saying, "Diversity, equity and inclusion, have been a small part of my journalism and academic career."

The school changed her contract from five years to one and offered her a non-tenured position. She chose to go back to her tenured position at UT, but they've replaced her directorship. I would not be surprised that all hell will break out an UT as well. 

The Declaration of Independence. It states quite plainly the "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men (that means everyone) are created equal and are endowed with certain inalienable rights and among these are the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." 

Isn't equity the same thing as equality? The definition of equity is: The quality of being fair and impartial. Oh, Golly Gee, isn't that what we want referees and umpires to be? Don't we want our judicial system to be fair and impartial? Don't we as parents with students in the public schools to expect the district, administration and teachers to be fair and impartial? But you can't teach it! Hogwash!

Why is teaching students that they are all equal in the classroom and they will be treated fairly and impartially regardless of their differences not allowed? D.E.I. should be mandatory in all educational settings in the United States regardless of public or private schools.

Everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty is the basis of Due Process of Law, mentioned numerous times in the amendments to the Constitution. Due Process has as its basis D.E.I.

Red state legislatures and governors that are banning the teaching of D.E.I are trying to erase the foundation of this country and our rule of law and using our children as guinea pigs to do it.

Here is the real witch hunt. I'm a retired teacher and I shudder for all my fellow public-school teachers across this country for being in the crosshairs of wannabe Cotton Mathers wanting to hang them for doing their jobs.

WC071223: Describe Your Fashion Sense

 

Today's topic: Describe Your Fashion Sense.

Mine depends on the season. Right now (summer), for the most part I'm in cargo shorts, t-shirt or polo and Nike walking shoes, I have multicolored shirts and a number of Cowboys shirts especially #4, also Isotopes for games and Lobos. I'll put on pants and short sleeve shirts and dark walking shoes for church.

In the fall dress pants, long sleeve shirts and maybe a sweater vest for church. The rest of the week a track suit with t-shirt and trainers. I prefer Adidas and have black, navy blue and red for variety. For rain I have a number of wind breakers. It's gotten to where I like an elastic waist band over pants that need a belt. Cowboy's jersey for the games of course. It's seldom the Hobo...err Lobos have a game on TV.

In winter I wear blue and black jeans, sweater or long sleeve shirts with sweater vest inside and blue jean jacket or heavy jacket outside. I have four cowboy hats, but rarely wear them as they don't fit inside a car and it's futile to wear them for a couple of minutes from car to door. For church I wear either one of four corduroy sport coats (navy, black, grey and brown) with blue or black jeans and black cowboy boots with turtleneck or dress shirt and bolo tie.

I also have a black three-piece suit which doubles for formal with a black bow tie, navy suit, grey sport coat and a gold cowboy cut sport coat. I don't wear them much since I'm not in an office and taking papers to the courthouse. They're a little too dressy anymore for church. I have a large collection of ties, but rarely wear them as they are a pain.

 Around the house cotton sweats with heavy socks.

Spring is back to what I wear in fall. 

WC 070523: How I stay cool during heat waves.

 

The challenge today is timely as we're in a heat wave in the high 90's and triple digits right now.

My way to stay cool is to water early in the morning my flower beds, weed a bit and then take a shower.

I stay in the house with the swamp cooler which keeps the bedroom area cool. The living room used to be a problem, but we recently installed a three-speed ceiling fan and with it on high it keeps the living room and kitchen livable. Nice to have solar panels on the house so I don't worry about the electric bill.

If I have to go out my car has a good air conditioner and I park as close to where I'm going as I can.

It won't be long until our monsoon hits and the rains cool things down. Then wife and I will start taking walks around the neighborhood again.