The headlines...and a little more

The rapture debate via billboard... fascinating.

With a slightly different religious sentiment, the LA Times reports on the blessing of the aninmals on Holy Saturday... these prayer requests make me smile:

"I'm hoping he'll be potty-trained earlier," said Veronica Lopez of El Sereno, who brought her silky Yorkie, Napoleon Bonaparte.

"We'll be happy if she calms down a bit," said Ramona Dawkins of Long Beach, who brought her Chihuahua, Poppy, to be blessed.

That sentiment was echoed by Leannah and Maddy Barreto, 9 and 7 years old, of El Sereno, whose 5-month-old Australian cattle dog, Hunter, had trouble settling down. Their Aunt Laura, who brought them, had come to the event years ago to have her Blackie blessed.

Turning to politics, perhaps it is just this kind of poll that has legislators in CA trying to keep the public from weighing in on taxes. Turns out 60% of votes, majorities in both parties, would do what lawmakers haven't had the guts to do in years. Now we know that it is not the voters that they work for ... or are afraid of... term limits apparently only makes this lack of backbone problem worse.

This story just breaks my heart on so very many levels. I know each life lost is a tragedy, but this one hits particularly close to home. The time and energy this young man spent educating himself just to get killed in an senseless war (granted I think all war is senseless, but still), truly tragic.

And, we're back to religion, sort of... when I heard the headline: Governor Perry asks Texans to pray for rain on Easter, my first sacrilegious thought was "Texans should pray for leaders who don't tell you that global warming doesn't exist." I knew I couldn't be the only one who thought this exhortation was worthy of mocking and politically contextualizing...so when I googled the headline, I was happy to see beyond FOX news, that it popped up on Mother Jones and a Science's blog called "Dispatches From the Culture Wars."

Mother Jones' favorite quote:

Now, for a little bit of context: Perry is well-known for his skepticism about the existence of global warming—a phenomenon that has contributed to the conditions that cause wildfires. It's also more than a little ironic given that the state last year filed a lawsuit to block the Environmental Protection Agency's regulations of planet-warming emissions, claiming that the finding that climate change poses a threat to humans is based on flawed science.

What diversity looks like ... here in this LA Times story. And coincidentally the opposite of what I read in a local abq story about a high school in Clovis (NM not CA) planning on disbanding all student groups in order to keep students from creating a Gay-Straight Alliance... shaking my head in disbelief, seriously.

Another story about public schools having to be creative as cost saving measures keep them from updating texts. I personally prefer that they use novels to readers, but I think it is important to note how many time we've heard that cost cutting measures in schools will not affect students or academics, yeah... I bet they are not cutting back on football uniforms.

There are a few things I have heard and read this morning that I am choosing not to share in order to end on a high note. So, here is a wonderful story about a "genius" who decided to be a teacher...and is helping his students love every bit of it. So, happy Friday!