The 2000's in Sports (video)

Dear ESPN,

Thank you for continuing your dedication to excellence in the form of flashy sports highlights that can condense hours of competition into mere seconds.

Furthermore, thank you for summarizing an entire decade of sports in a comprehensive series of 10 fantastic clips.

Yours truly,

Grateful sports fans everywhere

So it's kinda broken...do you still want it?

Yes, the current Senate health care bill only vaguely resembled the health care reform that many Americans anticipated - so is it still worth passing?

Yes.

Yes.

Ten thousand times yes.

Recognizing Reform

Credits to SJ.

Hide and (still seeking) with John McCain

For the first half of the 2000's, and even in the early stages of his presidential campaign, I often considered supporting John McCain. He seemed intelligent, moderate, thoughtful, and capable of productive leadership.

And then he ran for president.

Even in his concession speech, I thought I caught a glimmer of the moderate McCain that I had once debated supporting.

And then he joined his radical comrades.

Maureen Dowd does a fantastic job of questioning whether this "worthwhile" John McCain actually exists:

Is There a Real John McCain?

Best Facebook SNAFU's of All Time

It's no secret that I love the Huffington Post.

In case you missed it, my nomination for funniest compilation of 2009:

The Funniest Facebook SNAFUs of All Time

The Dead Grandma Exam Syndrome Study

Yes, you read the title correctly.

Hilarious study of just how low some students are willing to sink to "save" their grade.

The Potential Downfall of American Society

Jersey Shore Handbook

Now, I have not seen a single episode of "Jersey Shore", and perhaps I should to be fair before I blast it's "characters", writers, producers, and the MTV network for continuing to sink the image of young America to an even newer low.

(Even those young viewers who mock the show and truthfully cannot relate to the show's many TMZ-headline-snagging antics are pulled down by how other generations view these young wastes of space as even the most modest metaphor for all 18-24 year-olds across the country.)

But, it appears that I've already begun my tirade.

Jersey Shore Handbook

Movie Watch

Very excited for these movies:

A Single Man

A Prophet (Un Prophete)

Nine

Alcoholic Monkeys

Yes, I do occasionally post clips from the Huffington Post Comedy Page on here.

This is no exception.

I swear, this clip would help clear the air about evolution for any moonshine-sipping creationists.

Jimmy Kimmel's Dumbest 911 Calls of the Decade

Enjoy:

Reppin' UM Alums' blogs

Hail to the Victors.

To make sure I point out other UM alums' blogs:

Hairy Lime: A Blake GoBlog - Blake Goble

Making Curriculum Pop (ning) - Ryan Goble

Boyer Meets World - Matt Boyer

Am I missing more? Add them, please!

Unbelievable Architecture

I must admit: when I was growing up, I wanted to be an architect.

(Long story short: took one university drawing course and immediately clicked my way over to the U of M's School of Education website and followed my real passion.)

Anyhow, as my family knows that I am still amazed by creative style and design, my sister sent me this:

The Best Gingerbread House EVER.

IMMD

If you don't already frequent this site for wonderful pick-me-ups (not the Spitzer kind), check it out:

It Made My Day

Bill O'Reilly Throwdown (video)

The Yglesias Award is for writers, politicians, columnists or pundits who actually criticize their own side, make enemies among political allies, and generally risk something for the sake of saying what they believe.

WHABAM!!!

Yglesias Award Nominee: Bill O'Reilly

Google is taking over the world, and I like it.

Anyone who has been clicking through these links over the past month knows that I love Google. The platform for "Share It: Links" - Blogger - is owned by Google. Their advertising campaign, Google Search Stories, is fantastic.

Now:

Get on the bandwagon and check out

1) Google Wave (hit me up on a Wave if you're on)

2) Google Voice

And for crying out loud, if you don't already have a Gmail account, get on that, too.

1952-2008: Presidential Campaign Commercials (videos)

A fascinating collection. Click through for an incredible history lesson.

The Living Room Candidate

Thanks, SJ.

Anyone else notice tackling is non-existent?

I'd been wondering about this for a while, and even though Al Michaels offered a predictable explanation, I'm still wondering if this new trend is okay...

Hey, what happened to tackling?

Adding a little spice to your Christmas dinner...

Bring this up with family and see where it gets you:

More U.S. Christians mix in Eastern, 'New Age' Beliefs

For anyone who has ever written a college essay...

Calvin had it right:

Because Arnold Palmers are so delicious...(video)

It's not called a half-and-half.

MacGyver Cat (video)

I hope you've already seen this by now.

If not:

Rodent Headdress?

WHY.

I'm shuddering simply reposting this:

Rodent Headdress on Catwalk

Thanks, Jess.

HP: Create Amazing (video)

One of the coolest videos I have ever seen.

(Wait for it to load - takes a little while)

This film has been letter boxed to preserve the source image / tilt shift effect. The HP "Create Amazing" campaign is a global tilt shift campaign envisioned by McGarryBowen for HP shot, in Shanghai, New York, Santorini, London & Istanbul. The sets were shot in L.A. This cut also includes some of my existing footage from Rome & Sydney.

Water Safety

A topic many of us take for granted, but this is worth your time:

1) Facts about your area's water contaminants

2) The Facts About Bottled Water

3) That Tap Water is Legal, but May Be Unhealthy (lengthy)

Staying with Gender and Education...

A length, but worthwhile read on teaching guys and girls in public schools:

Teaching Boys and Girls Separately

The Known Universe (video)

Wow...

Let it load - this can only be seen in HD.

Even if pay limited attention to the first minute or two, I promise you'll be roped in to the end:

Computer Science as a Core Class or Math Elective?

"If you look at history, the nations with economic superiority are building the tools the rest of the world is using."
--Chris Stephenson, executive director of the New York-based Computer Science Teachers Association

Our young generation is very adept in using technology...if we want to maintain our tie between empowering education and an economic stronghold, wouldn't computer science education become one of many viable answers?

Fewer high school students taking computer sciences classes

What do you think: are advanced high school mathematics classes outdated? Should Computer Science be offered as an alternative to AP Calculus classes? Am I completely full of it?

"Gender Balance" in Higher Education

My mom informed me that this has been a hot-button issue for a long time inside professors' circles at many different institutions. Time to bring it out (further) to current students and recent graduates:

Sex bias probe in colleges' selections

For a look at the numbers: scroll down for statistics.

Civil rights lawyer's counterargument.

And, finally, some of my own thoughts (originally composed in a reply email):

Hmm...I can see the arguments from both sides: women should not be held to different admission standards based on their gender, and it is an inherent requisite for any organization who provides education based on the credo of equal learning for all to keep admission rates even between males and females.

Regardless, I feel it boils down to this: even in the interest to maintain a balance in student population, if more females are applying to school, then there is absolutely no reason they should have their hard work held against them. The best applicants are the ones who should be admitted, and if the top prospects are more female than male, then that's how this should be.

I feel like this is another instance in which educational "gaps" in later education (high school and college) really boils down to the root of the issue, which exists years before these "trends" gain noticeable attention. With the "racial gap", predominantly white (read: middle-to-upper class) students enter kindergarten with an unbelievable advantage over non-white (read: poor, low-SES) students in vocabulary, manners, educational opportunities, etc because of their household environment and educational values (not to mention the countless opportunities that money provides for those who have it). With this "gender gap", it boils down to the fact that middle and high school boys do not apply themselves (or, more acutely, do not see the need to apply themselves) to succeed in the same way that their female counterparts do. (Excuse the fact all of these statements are, for the most part, sweeping generalizations.)

Many young males (and young females, for that matter) in schools see grown men in positions of power, or what our society holds to be important roles. I feel that for some females, this image partly serves as a catalyst for determination to succeed and surpass prejudiced expectations for female achievement, not to mention encouraging others (male and female) to help right the ship of gender inequality. On the other hand, for many males, seeing these images of men holding societal power serves to reaffirm a shallow and ill-advised belief that being a male in our society will grant you whatever power you need to be successful (supported by the many studies have pointed out this idea of male (and white) entitlement exists beyond a doubt).

So often in a school setting (especially in an English classroom), I see a tremendous effort to snag seemingly unmotivated young guys to read, write, and practice multiple forms of literacy. Although, as a male, I am rightfully admittedly sympathetic to this issue, I often wonder whether we are neglecting female students by doing so.

The parallel of math and science achievement comes to mind. For years there was the concept that men were simply better at math and science than women. Then, over time, and over positive and rightful efforts that still continue today, the pendulum began to shift: female students found more support from their teachers in subjects such as math and science and soon found the pendulum of gendered academic success swinging towards the middle. Although the concept of male supremacy in certain subjects has not yet been erased, it's closer to a simple sense of equality than it was 20 to 30 years ago.

Now there are many efforts to bring up male reading and writing scores in subjects such as reading and language arts that have long been dominated by female students. I think we are in the right frame of mind to encourage young guys to read and write, but I hope we are not neglecting female students in this effort. Supporting both genders when attempting to raise a specific aptitude of only one gender is a tricky line to walk, but it shouldn't be.

We need to strike a balance between inspiring unmotivated male youth and continuing to encourage, and most importantly, support female youth in celebrating academic accomplishments and encouraging further educational endeavors. By raising standards for female college admissions (to, in short, balance student populations on campus) is a direct violation of the concept of balanced support. Right now, it seems that women are more interested in higher education. This should be supported. This should also be a rallying call for educational activists to encourage young male students to achieve success in higher education, but it should not at all hurt the chances of female applicants applying to college.

If men aren't interested in college right now, then tough. Support those applicants who are determined to continue their education, even if it means an disproportional balance in student populations.

Let Cody Stay!

Go to the original link, and consider the petition here (http://www.buzzfeed.com/eliot/let-cody-stay-26q).

The A/V Club — Best of the Decade: Films

My pops said this was stupid. I disagree with the top choice. "The Dark Knight" gets the nod, but was outranked by "The Prestige." There are already dozens of these comes coming out, and I'm working on my own top 25, to then hopefully change it by 2020. This list also kinda reflects of our (Eric, Linz, Sofia, Beef) generation. No? Ch-ch-check it out:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-best-films-of-the-00s,35931/

New Banners?!? Or, How Blake Went Nuts on the Photoshop

Alright folks.

I have photoshop again. And in the last half-hour of making sure the bizness still works, I've come up with the following two proposals:

Might these be suitable as banners? Any ideas? Am I being a passive agressive jerk? Is my text design still in tact? Can we design this site all together now?