Wednesday, February 21, 2007

bits of news

1. DYP Protests Google search results for "Armenian Genocide"
The True Path Party (DYP) has launched a campaign against Internet search giant Google regarding Armenian "genocide" claims. The campaign, mounted by the youth branch of the DYP, draws attention the first 100 pages returned by Google when "Armenian genocide" is typed in the search box. All results are Web sites that claim the veracity of the "genocide." According to the members of the youth branch, all the Web sites were made by Armenians. Google lists Web sites according to the number of people who go to the sites. The way to put Web sites explaining the Turkish version of the events to higher places on the search results is to click them once every day, the youth branch stressed: "The easiest way to do this is to make those Web sites our homepage."


2: Armenia passes dual citizenship...
Armenia seeks to boost population
..>..>
View of Yerevan with Mt Ararat
Armenia's struggling economy needs support from the diaspora
Armenia's parliament has passed a dual nationality bill which allows the granting of citizenship to emigres in the huge Armenian diaspora.

Armenia has a population of 3.2 million but the diaspora is estimated to be some eight million. Many of them live in Russia, France, Iran and the US.

Ethnic Armenians who speak Armenian would benefit, as would foreigners married to an Armenian.

The diaspora's remittances are crucial for Armenia's economy.

Armenians backed dual citizenship in a November 2005 referendum. It abolished a clause in the constitution which barred dual nationality.

The Armenian diaspora is 2,000 years old, but its size increased dramatically after the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1917.

According to the National Bank of Armenia, remittances from the diaspora are double the size of the country's budget.
Armenia is a small landlocked country. It still has bitter disputes with its neighbours Turkey and Azerbaijan. The influence of Russia - formerly Armenia's colonial master - remains strong.

Cal builds its athletic reputation....

Cal ranked 1st in Fall Director's Cup....

Looks like we beat out all your SoCal favs... though UCLA did come close. Sorry guys. Maybe next year?

http://calbears.cstv.com/genrel/011107aac.html

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

What? You mean, I'm supposed to park in between the white lines?

The level of stupidity in this world never ceases to amaze me. And, it seems to all be concentrated in Glendale. Or maybe it's just that the GNP takes pride in airing our city's stupidity... (you'd think they'd want to make the city look smart rather than dumb).

Thankfully, the columnists wrote some decent columns last week - or maybe I say that because I'm partial to the Beatles (which Mr. Kimber wrote about - no idea how that ties into education but...) and Ani wrote a halfway decent column about Father Movsessian.

But, then I flip to the opinion pages. Ugh! Remember how I posted that in America, we need someone to tell us something before we realize it's wrong!?!?! So, Ms. Ann Marie Smith (which I hope is not a psuedonym for a person I know with a very similar name.... because THAT woman I like!)... vents to the GNP for getting a parking ticket. Initially, I was intrigued. I hate parking tickets as much as everyone else. Especially those really senseless ones (as in, why on earth can't I park here?!?!)

But Ms. Smith goes on to complain about getting tickets for parking crooked. I hope all idiots who can't park between two white lines get fined!!! You don't need "a sign" telling you to park between the white lines. And yes, it sucks when the person next to you is parked crooked but maybe if the police enforce this continuously and uniformly, people "next to you" won't park crooked. (Not to mention, if you park crooked next to a crooked parked car, then if the crooked parked car leaves, YOU ARE STILL CROOKED - and therefore, you are now the problem car in the lot!)

I am sure Ms. Smith is frustrated because she was forced to park crooked. And, I will even give her the benefit of the doubt and say that she herself is not a bad parker and would have parked straight had the cars next to her parked straight... and that I can, then, understand her frustration. But next time she writes a letter, she should avoid statements like:

"There are no signs clearly posted to state that you must park perfectly between the lines or get a ticket."

I keep rereading that - I don't know if I should laugh or cry. All I know is that as annoying as the "T" (public transport) in Boston might be, I am grateful for not having to deal with all the crooked parking idiots of this world!





City needs to back off petty parking tickets

I feel it is petty, wasteful and harassing to give tickets at city parking garages for cars not being perfectly aligned in the lined stalls — especially when others have parked slightly crooked and the only open space is crooked.

There are no signs clearly posted to state that you must park perfectly between the lines or get a ticket.

Why should I park in the city garage to risk a $35 parking ticket?

What would the area businesses do if many people abandon shopping in this area because of this ridiculous harassment?

The city garages are the only one I know of with this type of petty enforcement.

The city should either post visible signs at each stall to warn patrons of the ticketing policy. Or it should just be decent and let people support the Exchange and Brand Boulevard businesses without this burden.

ANN MARIE SMITH

Glendale

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Two in a row

because blogging is more fun than revising my appellate brief.

So, I finally rolled up my shades today to let some light into my room (my windows are horrible so the last few days I pulled the shades down to help keep the draft out).

I absolutely ADORE looking out my window at the snow covered rooftops. And just now, as I was contemplating writing a second blog, it started to snow. It looks like there are tiny white dust particles floating through the air. Its lovely.

Now, what's not lovely is that ice i've been complaining about for the last few days. I mean, it's not necessarily the black ice that sucks. Everyone keeps warning me about the ice you can't see - yada yada. But, it's the ice I CAN SEE that's the problem.

See, you can usually spot the black ice if you're paying attention - and if you're not, you can just assume that it's slippery and walk carefully.

But when you're on the snow... you can't tell which parts of the snow are solid slippery ice and which parts are just icey (the kind you can step on and it crunches a bit). And so, you relax for a few steps thinking - hey, its the crunchy stuff - and then all of a sudden... you slip.

And yes, I did finally eat it. I was crossing the street at Harvard Square on my way to the Arto concert and as I stepped onto the sidewalk, my legs flew back and I hit the pavement - sorta on my hip. I was covered in ice and mud - ew! Thankfully, my legs slipped back instead of forward because had I fallen the other way, my head would have hit the pavement in the middle of the intersection - and Bostonians aren't the calm collected "Oh look there's a head in the road maybe i should stop" type of drivers.

I will always associate that fine university (that my children are going to graduate from) with my first ice fall. Aw :)

Tips?

So, I'm trying this new "category" thing with my blogs.

Most of them are pretty self explanatory. Most of them overlap. If you think I need a new category or if I should move something, feel free to let me know.

Glendale Elections = Fun Times

I woke up at 8 am today. That's just disgusting. Not only is it Sunday - its a 3-day weekend sunday. What on earth was i thinking? (It was the alcohol from last night doing the thinking - not me!)

I was very excited to find out that I am still loved in Glendale. The one thing I hate about Boston is being anonymous. But fortunately, Glendalians are keeping my "memory" alive...

You see, there is a crazy woman running for school board and her name is Naira Khachatrian (sp?). Though I've never met her in person (I don't think), I did have the pleasure of speaking to her on the phone when she called me one day - here is an abbreviated transcript:

N: I saw you on television last night and you said you were the proud product of public schools. How could you be proud? Our public schools suck. They keep our children back! If you had received a good education, you would have been able to go to a good college such as UC Berkeley. You know, my son is very smart - he got into Berkeley.

Me: It's funny you should say that because I DID go to Berkeley. Who is your son btw? I knew many of the Armenians on campus.

N: Oh, my son didn't go to Berkeley for various reasons - he went to (I believe she said CSULA). And you DID NOT go to Berkeley. Don't try to fool me! You could have never gotten into Berkeley. Do you know what sort of GPA you need to get into Berkeley? My son is very smart. What was your GPA? And you are too young to have graduated from Berkeley!

Me: Well, I transferred to Berkeley. My GPA was XXX. And I did graduate from Berkeley last spring.

N: Liar. You did not. How old are you? How could you? Do you know UNIVERSITIES are FOUR YEAR schools not TWO YEAR schools? Do you realize Berkeley is a FOUR YEAR school? That means you must be 22 when you finish. They don't allow you to finish in less time than that. And Berkeley doesn't take transfers.

I finally gave up and said, "You must be right. I would not know anything about Berkeley or the UC system. I am an idiot. Thank you for educating me on the failure of our public school system. But if you ever have a free moment, please drop by the office and take a look at my degree - perhaps you can tell me what school I graduated from. Have a nice day." (Click).

Well, I guess this woman is still hung up on our little conversation because apparently she attacked me on TV a few weeks ago. Awwww! Isn't that sweet? I'm not even IN the city and she's using me for her politicking. I love it!

The unfortunate part is that I heard about this through someone else and actually have no idea what she did say - I'd LOVE to find out so if you happen to watch Armenian TV and see a crazy lady talking about me... drop me a note!

(When I told my mom this story she said - "Hey, they say there is no such thing as bad publicity." Lol. I must agree. As long as she feels the need to bring up my name in conversation, I must be doing something right! ....well, unless I'm a crack addict or something)

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Who the Hell is Arto

So, I posted (elsewhere) that Arto is going to be in Cambridge, MA tomorrow night and that I am absolutely ecstatic about seeing him again... and sure enough, people asked... "Who is Arto?"

My Response.... oh, and a blog about the weather... again :)
.....
Who the hell is Arto?
Ugh... C'mon people... Arto and the ANB - you must have heard me blabbing about these guys for weeks after my trip in 05.

Ararat video
ANB Myspace Fanpage
BBC World Music nomination
Official site of Arto (I can't spell his LN)

Okay. That should be enough FYI right. I must say - i had no idea he's 50. wow. (And befor you all critique my musical taste... yes, he has a voice thats "interesting" but when you hear them live with the entire band, its awesome - and the words are great!)

So, now that that's out of the way....

Okay, the snow novelty thing... ya, almost (but not quite yet) over it.

It snowed on Tuesday night. I mean, this was more "real" than the last time i said it "really" snowed. We got a few inches - nothing like the 100 inches in upstate NY but... a few. Decent. Cars were covered. Etc.

As I was walking to school, I realized that walking on the snow is a bit like walking on the sand at the beach (except at the beach you are rarely wearing 10 layers and carrying heavy books). Man, what a work out. Lift, step, lift, step.... climb over the snow banks that the snow plows left at the sides of the road. Then there were the occasional puddles where the salt and shoveling had caused the snow to melt... I was pretty good at avoiding most of those. In a few places, the snow was complete slush - muddy slush to be exact. But I still wasn't bothered much. Hey, its a new experience right?

About two blocks away from school I passed by an old lady - perhaps my grandmother's age or a few years younger. She was obviously homeless - hunched over, wearing several layers and a beat up old sneaker on one foot (a plastic bag on the other). Here I was bundled up in my warm cozy boots and jeans and sweater and jacket - and here was this poor woman hobbling through the snow. And, though I feel bad when I see a homeless man, I think seeing a homeless woman is just that much worse. Yes, I'm sexist! After I passed her, I seriously was about to break into tears so I found a single in my wallet and walked back towards her and offered it to her. She initially looked at me and said, "Oh dear, you don't have to do that." She paused for a moment but when I didn't withdraw my offer, she responded, "But I'll take it and buy myself a cup of hot tea! God bless you." Aww.... it broke my heart. She was nice. Its so unfortunate that people end up homeless but it's even more unfortunate when its freezing cold and snowing outside. I hope she found somewhere warm and cozy to spend the rest of her day.

Anyway, I finally got to school, sat through my endless day of classes and at 2 pm - hallelujah - i was ready to go home... except one problem....

I got down to the lobby and started chatting with some classmates as I put on my jacket/scarf/gloves/ear muffs. Outside, the "snow" had turned into a giant mess... it was raining, snowing and hailing all at once... go figure (damn indecisive weather). The "puddles" had turned into "rivers." And, gosh darnit.... I hadn't thought to grab an umbrella! Just as I thought the situation couldn't possibly get any worse, one classmate mentioned, "Oh, by the way, the green line is down"

WHAT????

what do you mean "DOWN?" One guy sat down on the couch. "What are you doing? You're going to stay here?" "Well, you heard him Alina, the green line is down...." Oh no... it was Vday - I had a pie to bake (and eventually destroy) and stuff to do. I was not about to be stuck at school! I called MBTA. Sure enough, the wire had cut, the green line wasn't operating but they had a shuttle service instead. I bundled up and headed out.

As I came to cross the street, I learned the first lesson of this mixed awful weather. The "snow" is not always safe. You see, as I began to cross the street I had 2 options - 1. walk through the puddle or 2. step on the muddy snow - though it might be slushy, at least its not a puddle.

I went with 2.

Eh. Wrong answer.

2 was a giant puddle - larger than puddle #1 - but covered, misleadingly, with some muddy snow making it look like a snow pile. In I went shin deep - and no, I didn't have rainboots on.

I scrambled onto a bus headed to Kenmore station where I change over to a different train (D line). And then, I started my .3 mile walk home.... up the slippy, slushy, icy hill and then.... across another street. As I stood there trying to calculate the depth of the puddles and where I should cross the street, another young lady approached, looked both ways and just walked on through. Thats when I realized Lesson #2 - sometimes, there's really no "better" way to go - just suck it up and do it. At this point, the streets were literally flooded... silly of me to think I could find a dry path across the street. Waddle across I did.

The rest of the walk home was okay. The snow was half melted half ice... I felt like I was hiking - but with my feet sliding across each other. In my bundled mess (imagine my medusa hair from the rain and a scarf wrapped around my head and face and two hoods - one from my sweater, one from my jacket... ya, real cute) some guy stepped aside to let me pass and as I did he said, "You are very beautiful" - HAH! Lesson #3... Crack impairs your judgment.So, I made it home. No falls. No broken bones. Just some cold wet feet. A short while after I got home, my two roomies came home - much earlier than usual. Apparently, the school was shut down at 3pm - classes cancelled, libraries closed, employees sent home. (My last class ended at 2pm - damnit!)


Today, was another adventure. The "water/ice/snow/slush/mud" had turned into...ice. And all the foot prints of people climbing through the snow had sorta frozen (in places where it wasn't shoveled). Shoveled places were even worse because the shoveling had left a thin layer of water leaving an even slicker layer of ice. So, this time, it was like an obstacle course - hike through the frozen snow (sometimes big balls of snow serve as boulders to help liven up your morning commute)... be sure to dodge the puddles, avoid the ice when possible and when not.... walk very slowly. Oh! Don't forget those snow banks from yesterday - ya, its like a mini wall of snow you get to climb over... except its a slippery wall and a slippery ground. good luck. And give up on traditional heel-toe walking... stomping works better.

(Then I decided it'd be a great idea to cross the foot bridge to get a picture of the snow covered Charles. Uh, it was kinda like trying to go up a newly waxed floor in rollerblades... yes I held the railing with two hands and went up sideways and went down backwards. don't ask)

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Because I'm in Property...

I really should stop reading the GNP but... I already read the celebrity gossip sites, most of CNN, about 15 people's profile's on myspace, new apartments on craigslist and... I even logged onto facebook for a few minutes.

So, I moved onto the GNP. Unfortunately.

As I started reading Kimber's (see below) column, I was excited. The guy referenced "Res Ipsa Loquitor" - I know what that means...woohoo! And, I mean, typically, I like what this guy writes... but.... his column seems to make no sense. I mean, he goes from 17 year olds who drive BMW's to what we feed our kids to CEO's being given severance packages. I mean, I'm not advocating severance packages or feeding junk to kids but what's his point? I especially don't get the part about going into someone's house and cleaning it. WTF is he talking about? Am I missing a metaphor?

And, about the bit on 17 year olds driving BMW's...

Perhaps I have become overly sensitive to this subject but I sense some resentment and perhaps some prejudice. Personally, I don't think parents should let their kids drive fancy shmancy expensive cars starting the day they turn 16. BUT, that said, I do know parents who have allowed their kids to drive nice cars and at the same time taught their kids the importance of hard work (or, the value Kimbers seems to think they're missing - how to share the road). And, I've met kids who drive beat up, broke down, barely running vehicles who have ZERO respect for other drivers on the road. Heck, I've seen 40 year olds driving beat up old cars who don't seem to have respect for other drivers. Actually, I think 75% of Southern California drivers have no respect for other people on the road irrespective of what car they drive.

And then he goes on to comment on people who make loud nosie and then ties them to the 17 year olds driving BMW's. That's an interesting assumption. I've known many a non-bmw driving inconsiderate person and many a bmw-driving considerate person.

I just hate generalizations. We all make them. I know. And that's fair. But don't mouth off in a public forum and feed your personal prejudice to everyone else. I've spent many years consciously trying to break down my own personal prejudices. I don't think it's fair to clump people together so categorically. Do we all do it in our personal lives? Of course. That won't change. But when a high school teacher in a predominantly BMW driving community publicly announces his prejudice and then comes into the classroom with such preconceived notions about his students and their families, I am a bit bothered.

(Since GNP articles are archived over two weeks, text below:)
EDUCATION MATTERS:
Let the fact speak for itself
By DAN KIMBER

There is a Latin phrase used in law that says, "res ipsa loquitor," which translates roughly to, "the thing speaks for itself," and is usually invoked in civil cases to establish negligence without having to prove it. When a doctor, for instance, sews up a patient after an operation but fails to remove a scalpel from the patient's body, an obvious case of negligence is established. The fact speaks for itself.

I'd like to apply that phrase to some situations in my life that seem, to me, anyway, self-evident and beyond dispute. Like, for instance, people wanting to build a house/mansion on a street in a neighborhood that will alienate virtually every neighbor in the vicinity. That pretty much speaks for itself. How comfortable would a family be in a house that negatively affects the quality of life of its neighbors?

Like mom and dad buying a new BMW or Mercedes for their 17-year-old son. There is nothing good to be said about such a thing. Parents who indulge their little prince thusly bear responsibility for what they have wrought — a spoiled, over-inflated, thinks-he-owns-the-road, doesn't need to follow rules, obnoxious general pain in the neck for the wider community.

Kids do thrive when they are lavished with love and security and acceptance and support, but they are none the better for coming to believe, at such a tender age, that the world revolves around them.

Like people who make loud, continuous noise into the wee hours (likely related to some of the above folks) without regard to other people within earshot and who are kept awake by their loudness. This is prima facia, in-your-face, inconsiderate, boorish behavior. Can anyone put a positive spin on people who do this?

Like school districts that have money to spare when it comes to instituting useless, and I don't use that word lightly, programs to upgrade teachers' skills, but cannot find the money to finance basic programs that benefit the students. Schools have had to scramble to support many programs by profit sharing with companies that sell junk food on its campuses. Kids get fatter, their requirements for exercise get shorter, their bodies and minds get mushier, and as long as we continue to dispense mega doses of salt, sugar and fat to our children, they will continue to under-perform. The situation is getting better, but much more needs to be done. We need to reinstate the four-year physical-education requirement for high school and get rid of the garbage that substitutes as food from every corner of every campus.

Like when students take a sudden nosedive in their grades. It's almost always because of some emotional upheaval in their lives. Getting them back on track often starts with someone, anyone, caring enough to do a little probing. "So what's going on with you?" "Is everything OK?" "I'm a good listener, is there anything you want to talk about?" If there is a problem, it doesn't take much to open up a kid who is hurting on the inside.

Like when a CEO of a large company gets hundreds of millions of dollars just for leaving the company, while stockholders go empty-handed or workers in that company have their pensions diminished or taken away all together. That is capitalism gone crazy.

And finally, if a person enters someone else's house (uninvited) to clean it up, and then instead proceeds to make an absolute mess of that house while there, and after being asked to leave insists on staying, all the while creating more of a mess, I ask: Shouldn't that someone have the basic sense to leave, and then be gently reminded that it's not his business to put other people's houses in order? That's pretty basic advice wherever and however one wishes to apply it. Res ipsa loquitor.

DAN KIMBER is a teacher in the Glendale Unified School District, where he has taught for more than 30 years. He may be reached at DKimb8@sbcglobal.net

Monday, February 12, 2007

Sex...Clothing...Sex...Clothing.... hm....

I mean, I'm sure you all know the answer to this... but here is a fun little post.


http://www.styledash.com/2007/02/08/women-chose-clothes-over-sex/

Women chose clothes over sex

You may have suspected as much -- hell, you probably knew this already -- but a recent survey proves it: women prefer clothes to sex.

On average, they'd be willing to give up sex for 15 months for an overhaul of their closet -- 2 percent would be willing to go without for 2 years in exchange for a new wardrobe. (Although, let's be fair, it's possible these women weren't having any sex in the first place.) 61 percent of the 1,000 women participants would rather abstain from sex for a month than lose their favorite article of clothing.

Clothing also stays with women longer -- with the average woman holding on to her favorite garment at least one year longer than any one relationship -- and is better for self-esteem.

So next time my fiance's mind wanders, I can be confident that -- chances are -- she's not thinking of some other guy, but rather a new top, or that old, reliable outfit that just won't go away.

And, special thanks to S. Vincent for dubbing me his blogger of the week. I guess its my first "recognition" from a fellow blogger hence the excitement.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Did he just say that?

A recent article on CNN talks about how kids are using "IM language" in term papers and essays. More and more teens are submitting papers using "ur, b4, dat" etc.

Personally, I think that is HORRIBLE! My extent of using "IM language" is usually using "cuz" instead of "because" and other, more recognize abbreviations such as w/ for with (and, when text messaging a LONG message, I will stay within my character limit by using u or ur - but not often). People who use da for the and dat for that should just shoot themselves. Shortening a word by one letter doesn't save you time or energy you lazy idiot! What's worse is kids who use ma instead of my (don't ask, I don't even know how that makes sense) - and what the hell is wata? is that what a?

Anyway, I agree with the teacher who says she is from the South but doesn't use Southern slang in her writing. I think this is normal. You never write bro or wassup or dude in a paper... slang/abbreviation/street talk - WHATEVER it is.

I just don't understand how 8th graders (not 5th graders) are finding it acceptable to use slang in papers. Where are our teachers? Are they too busy shopping online during class or something? I don't understand why my sister's high school students (in the past) couldn't form complete sentences. (She's a history teacher - she can't teach history if the English teachers aren't teaching English!) Did I have this problem in high school? Do high schoolers in other countries have this problem?

Of course, to add insult to injury - we have idiots promoting this wacko spelling stuff. For example: American Dreamz. Dreamz? Are we trying to be hip? I think I missed the memo that said "S" is out and "Z" is in....

And then this guy:
"Some educators, like David Warlick, 54, of Raleigh, North Carolina, see the young burgeoning band of instant messengers as a phenomenon that should be celebrated. Teachers should credit their students with inventing a new language ideal for communicating in a high-tech world, said Warlick, who has authored three books on technology in the classroom."

Um, did he just say "new language"? Yes, everyone, burn your websters because its time for a dictionary with the "nu lang" so we can all "b kewl" okay "dawg"?

MORON!

He goes on to say that most of his college students dropped the "adolescent" habit once they got to college.
1. If its adolescent, why are you giving it such a stamp of approval by labeling it a new language?
2. The college students you have now weren't using "ur" in their 8th grade papers... aim was popular then but I don't aim language was extremely popular yet.
3. Why wait until college? Do you really want the bad habits to be that engrained before you stop them? Should we baby our 17 year olds and allow them to make fools of themselves?

I know slang is slang - it will never go away. Slang adds flavor to our language. Slang is culture. I get all that. But this new tech stuff gets on my nerves. Yet, I am still willing to put up with it.... as long as it is restricted to the tech and internet world. Never, ever, ever should it be acceptable in a classroom.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

from my SEESTER

i just realized my "m" button keeps getting stuck so pardon any ispellings you ay notice... thanks

Just to add to your "what is the world comming to " thoughts...

Snickers is pulling the ad it had on durring the superbowl...the really funny one with the two guys and the Lady and the Tramp moment...because of guy rights groups protests

also, this new one, Suicide-prevention group protests GM Super Bowl ad

We are weetarded...

Posted by Arbella on Thursday, February 08, 2007 at 9:33 PM

By the way

Bloggers like comments.... so feel free to leave one.

I mean, its kinda like coming to my house and not saying hi...

In the words of Stephanie Tanner... HOW RUDE!

And we thought Communism was bad

Now New York wants to regulate - not only what you eat (the anti-trans fats movement) but also WHEN you listen to you iPod.

New York Senators are proposing legislation which would make it illegal to listen to/use your iPod while crossing the street. Yes, you read me right. Based on the proposed law, individuals caught listening to their iPod while crossing the street would be fined $100.

First and foremost, doesn't NYPD have much bigger problems on their hands? Don't they have some real criminals to go catch?

But honestly, is this how little faith we have in the common sense of our nation? Aren't NY people supposed to be some of the most street smart and savvy around?

I truly believe, as I've mentioned in my blogs, that the more we baby our population, the more dependent, inconsiderate and illogical we will become.

I don't need the government to tell me I am not ALLOWED to be distracted while I cross the street because I learned in Kindergarten to look both ways before I cross the street. And, my Grandma spent the next 6 years it in my head. And, if I'm not mistaken - "look both ways" is a common lesson on daytime children's shows and in elementary children's books. If you can't learn to look out for yourself, why do we need to?

Granted, it is an extra income for the state which is beneficial. But personally, I have full faith that I can safely cross the street while listening to my iPod - EVEN WITH an ambulance "charging" at me (not that an ambulance can exactly speed in NY traffic).

Perhaps I am a hypocritical person since I am an advocate for minimum wage and health care and all other welfare initiatives which some see as being "paternalistic" of the state. However, I do see a fundamental difference in the state requiring money hungry employers to provide health care for me and the state not letting me listen to my iPod while crossing the street.

Oh well

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

What is this world coming to?????

As we watched the superbowl halftime show, a bunch of us joked that the FCC would fine Prince for being too sexual...

Well, looks like a big hoopla is being made about his performance afterall.

Prince guitar solo behind sheet at Super Bowl called phallic

Honestly.... i mean, HONESTLY... if these as;lfkajsdlfkajdf m****f***ing MORONS didn't make such a big deal about it - no FIVE YEAR OLD would have any idea what "phallic" is.

And, even if they did - seeing Prince jack off behind a curtain isn't going to make ANYONE want to go have sex. And if it makes them want to go jack off - MORE POWER TO THEM!

Goddamn... when did we become the holy puritans? I am about to get on a boat and take my ass to England in search of religious freedom because I am absolutely fed up with these unmoralistic stupid scums trying to push their views on me. Just because you call Prince out on being too sexual doesn't make you holy - your shit stinks just as bad.

Anyway, i'm just pissed off. I find it outrageous that we are letting it come to this even. Instead of worrying about Prince and his guitar solo, why don't we worry about the hoochied out barbie dolls we're selling our kids. Frankly, that angers me much more than a guitar performance that my 5 year old would not likely understand.


(Here is my favorite part of the article though:)

Prince's previously most talked-about performance came at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards, where he donned yellow, butt-baring pants (a stunt later spoofed by Howard Stern). Always eccentric, he famously changed his name to The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, then to simply a symbol and finally back to Prince. He also became a Jehovah's Witness in the mid-'90s.

But Prince's halftime performance, though celebrated, came in a much different cultural environment, where even the fleeting outline of a man and his guitar could, for some, suggest shaded depravity.

"If people want to be hypersensitive, they can be hypersensitive," says Rolling Stone's Edwards. "Those trombones are phallic, too. What are you going to do?"

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

She strikes... again

Ani has done it again. Just when you thought her column couldn't get any more pathetic, it does.

In her most recent column, Ani talks about cliques. Here is a basic summary of her column (in her own literary style). There were cliques at my high school. There are still cliques in schools. Some kids form cliques because they like cars. Boys take "girl" classes. High school continues to be a place where kids find themselves.

Thats it. No, honestly, I don't think I missed anything. Do you see a point? I enjoy reading columnists who contribute something - have some interesting thoughts. Not that the GNP has great columnists (heck, there is one dedicated to grammar - but then again, that does seem to be something people enjoy)... but, Ani is seen as "the other Armenian columnist." There are two - Patrick and Ani. Patrick writes things of substance. Ani writes nothing. But the GNP sees her as a voice of the Armenians. Puh-lease!!!

Clear out Ani - keep her as a journalist if you'd like but find a new "token Armenian columnist" who can contribute something more worthwhile. Ani's stories hurt my head.

WRITING THE RIGHT:
The more things change ...

Times have changed since I was in high school more than 10 years ago. Almost every student was part of a clique, as is the case today, and the cliques were defined by the character, personality and appearance of the individuals who belonged to them.

During lunchtime, everybody would quickly get together with their clique and there would be no mingling, if any, among the groups on campus.

Back when I attended Crescenta Valley High School, you had the soshes, the Goths, jocks, hashers, skaters and the thespians, just to name a few.

These cliques would meet and greet at the same location every day, as if they had marked territories that belonged only to them. No one ever crossed any boundaries and, for the most part, everyone kept the peace.

There were the occasional after-school fights between students of different ethnic groups, but even that got to the point where everyone overcame the shock of kids fighting because of their cultural differences.

After visiting Crescenta Valley and the other high schools in Glendale recently, I noticed some changes and additions to the school campus cliques.

At Hoover High School, I met with an Armenian-American student who informed me that there is a clique consisting of Armenian boys who drive Honda cars with VTEC engines.

The boys are, naturally, referred to as VTECs, students band together all in the name of their vehicles and mutual love and understanding of their VTEC engines. When I was in high school, students drove around, but didn't really care about the engines. There were certainly no cliques designated for the car engine enthusiasts.

Another clique that seems to have become more common on high school campuses is the performing arts clique. Next to the thespians, this group consists of the dancers and choreographers who come together in support of the arts. This clique is comprised predominantly of girls with at least one boy interested in their cause.

But the bigger change is that it is becoming more common and acceptable among students to cross gender lines for activities and classes.

For example, more boys are taking the traditional "girl classes," such as cooking and child development. In my time, boys felt threatened in taking these classes because they didn't want to be stigmatized and subjected to mockery from their friends.

This may still be the case today, but the male students who take classes that are unconventional for their gender have more confidence and support from their peers.

High school was and is a place where kids find themselves. And while kids will always be kids, it is fascinating to watch the evolution over time.








ANI AMIRKHANIAN is a news assistant. She may be reached at (818) 637-3230 or by e-mail at ani.amirkhanianlatimes.com.

Old Blogs

I am still updating old blogs... I want to get most of them on here but I've only gone as far back as 12/06 so far. So, if you're interested, check out the pre-december postings later on this week.

Arctic Chill, Superbowl Ads and Headlines...

Gooooood morning!

Man, it is COLD out there. Everything I said to anyone about how I didn't mind the cold... ya, ignore that. That was in reference to 10-20 degree temps. Things are much different in the (negative)10-10 degree temps. Much different. Accuweather describes the temps as "frigid cold" "very cold" and "bitter cold" - I don't care what you call it - all i know is it sucks. Last night I went to the screening of Screamers at Harvard - by the time I got there, I thought I had lost my fingers. I know I say that a lot but this time they really hurt. Really really hurt - burned! I couldn't bend my fingers in fact. And i was wearing TWO pairs of gloves. Then on my way home I was tempted to just stop walking and curl up in a little ball on the ground and resign to the fact that the cold would kill me. I was near tears by the time I got home (oh wait, I was actually in tears - cold breezes cause you to cry!). Today, I figured I'd wear more clothing (yesterday I left the house in a long sleeve shirt and sweater in the am - no jacket - and at night I picked out an inadequate jacket). Yes, today I wore leggings, jeans, socks and boots (on the bottom) and a long sleeve shirt, turtleneck, sweater, jacket, scarf, earmuffs and gloves (on top). It was still cold.

*Sigh*

Well, I guess it coud be worse.... and, on the days where I'm more energetic, the cold seems more refreshing (makes you real hyper!) rather than depressing.

Anyway, on to superbowl. I love superbowl because its an excuse to drink beer on a sunday and eat lots of crap food! Yay. I can't tell you how many wings I ate - and a tiny slice of pizza, a hot dog... and beer! yum. The game was good - it was a fun first half. The half-time show was one of the most entertaining in recent years - esp compared to last years (yawn). And the commercials weren't half bad either.

Here are my picks:
1. GM Robot: (The myspace version of this ad is incomplete so I linked youtube). Seriuosly, after a few beers, I was ready to cry watching this commercial. And yet, it was hilarious. Reminded me of Johnny #5 (short circuit).
2. Taco Bell Lions: This reminds me of Selmi trying to pronounce some of those names. Rrrrrrrr...
3. Bud Immigrants: Self explanatory - and hilarious.
4. Blockbuster Mouse: First good blockbuster commercial in a long time.... i love squeaky!
5. Dalmation wannabe: This one is too cute. So its not the most hilarious one ever but its cute nonetheless.

Of course, I haven't watched every single one but these are my favs so far. I also liked the Snickers Kiss, a lot of people liked Rock Paper Scissors, and there were some other good ones as well... check them out at: Myspace Superads or CBS Superads.

And, last but not least, today's great stories:
1. Looks like we can't even look up to our ASTRONAUTS anymore. Such a shame.
2. This one isn't a funny story per se, but I've always had a problem with the term "friendly fire" - if you shoot at someone, its not friendly. PERIOD. But, for more on strange terms in the English language, see George Carlin.
3. I have a hard enough time preventing body parts from bouncing all over the place when I'm fully clothed and working out - but for those who enjoy bouncing, I present to you the nudey-gym
4. Chewbacca strikes back...
5. I noticed on the radio that God is sometimes bleeped - for example bleep damn. (Since damn is a much better word than God). But I guess that's not the only case...

And for the law kids... don't drink VODKA during trial - (then again, this contradicts an earlier case where jurors did crack).

Well, that's all for me. Cheers.

Friday, February 02, 2007

$600 for a a globe


(by the way, my "opinions requested" post is the one before this, not this one...)

Honestly, where did I go wrong? Here I am, suffering through civil procedure (for another 25 minutes) and there are people out there inflating a big ball with the world drawn on it and charging $600 bux a day. SIX HUNDRED?!?!?!

Here's the story: Kids at Holy Redeemer got to spend 30 minutes prancing about a 22ft inflatable globe as some dude gave them a lesson in geography.

Incase you don't see the flaws in this, let me point them out:
1. Who on earth pays $600 a day to let kids run in circles around a large ball for 30 min at a time?

2. The story notes that children had to bring $3 each to be able to participate. Um, Holy Redeemer is a private school with a decent tuition i'm sure. Why are they charging the kids $3? If they can't budget for the ball, dont bring it to campus!

3. 30 minutes is not long enough for a geography lesson. 30 min is not long enough for a quick geography lesson. And, 30 minutes around a 22 foot globe (imagine, the teacher points out where europe is but you can't figure it out until its your turn to get to the other side of the globe)... is DEFINITELY not even enough time for the kids to figure out where the continents are. (and we wonder why our children are so inept in the international world).

4. I am 100% for innovative learning. I think this globe might be a great activity - i think the school should buy its own globe instead of paying someone $600. But, most importantly, I'm sure the reason the kids liked this program is not necessarily because of the ball but because of the instructor and the lesson (refer to kids quotes for proof). The instructor was probably one of those upbeat funny guys that danced around the room and pointed out silly facts about Poland. The kids got to run around and be hyper while laughing and learning. Hm, could it be this method rather than the ball that made the lesson so enticing.

Of course, I under stand that you can't run around the classroom and make little soundbite jokes about history or math all year long (any time you go more in depth, the topic loses its luster), i still think this should teach schools something about teaching methods rather than giant overpriced balls. (Example: See Ms. Wortheim or whatever her name was...quite possble the worst - and highest paid - teacher at ghs. though i don't think she's still around).

See article: http://glendalenewspress.com/articles/2007/01/30/education/gnp-dome30.txt

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Just be grateful its not a survey


Look, I could post tons of bulletins but i choose to post tons of blogs instead - I'm in property... what else do you want me to do?

Here is my collection of fun articles....

1. Another one jumps into the race - Sen Biden has thrown his hat in the ring. And, while most presidential hopefuls are busy making keynote speeches and doing political news interviews, Biden is scheduled to appear on the Daily Show


2. Husband pisses wife off - except this husband is an important political figure and this wife decided to take the fight to the media - the front page of the newspapers to be exact.

3. Don't know what the CIA was thinking here... look at this guy's face... would you want to kidnap him?

4. Random Urine Testing: FOR ALCOHOL! Yep, kids are going to start getting tested for weekend drinking.

5. LaRouche continues to terrorize: Folks, if you see these LaRouche people, avoid them like the plague. They aren't "like a cult" they ARE a cult. These kids get paid to sever contacts with family and support LaRouche - LaRouche is nobdoy. He is not a real political figure. He will not be president. And don't think these kids are smart - whatever argument you make, they ignore and continue on their path - they try to make you feel dumb and the more frustrated you get, the dumber you sound. Give it up! (On a side note, these people crashed the Dem Convention one year and the Berkeley Dems got in a huge "singing" war with them - sounds gay huh? but it was invigorating. After that they began tabling on campus calling us the children of the devil. aww, so sweet!)