I Love My Wife To Death – Even Got It On A Birthday Cake

Behold the Rafflesia arnoldii which is also the largest known flower in the world. It is also known for its distinctive smell which resembles that of a rotting corpse. That is why it is also known as the "Stinking Corpse Lily" or one of the "Corpse Flowers." So, back up a couple of days. My … Continue reading I Love My Wife To Death – Even Got It On A Birthday Cake

Mitt Romney’s Very Misguided Op-ed Endorsing Betsy DeVos

Mitt Romney’s op-ed appearing in the Washington Post (and other national papers including my hometown Winston-Salem Journal) praising the selection of Betsy DeVos as the presumptive Secretary of Education is a stunning display of ignorance on the part of a man who almost became the leader of the free world “Mitt Romney: Trump has made … Continue reading Mitt Romney’s Very Misguided Op-ed Endorsing Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos Literally Has Paid Her Way Into Becoming Confirmed As The Most Unqualified Secretary Of Education Ever

An article appeared this morning in my hometown newspaper, the Winston-Salem Journal, that highlights the call by two left-leaning organizations for Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina to recuse himself from confirming Betsy DeVos as Trump's Secretary of Education. Bertrand Gutierrez in "Critics call for U.S. Sen. Richard Burr to recuse himself in vote for … Continue reading Betsy DeVos Literally Has Paid Her Way Into Becoming Confirmed As The Most Unqualified Secretary Of Education Ever

Why Shakespeare Matters To People Who Don’t Think Shakespeare Matters

The following is courtesy of the venerable Bill Bryson in his book Shakespeare: The World as Stage. I share it in the beginning of the school year with my students in my Shakespeare 101 elective class. Some think it rather trivial, but as the class progresses, many begin to see that the scope of Shakespeare’s … Continue reading Why Shakespeare Matters To People Who Don’t Think Shakespeare Matters

DaddyStu and MalcolmSon – When Your Kid Calls You By Your First Name

Not everyone gets to have a moniker that pretty much states that he is the "daddy" of something. There's Puff Daddy. Trick Daddy. Daddy Yankee. That Dad Rapper on You Tube Mac Daddy and Daddy Mack who make you wanta jump, jump! Big Daddy Kane. And then there's DaddyStu. Doesn't get any more original than that. … Continue reading DaddyStu and MalcolmSon – When Your Kid Calls You By Your First Name

Teachers, Winter Is Coming, So Get Your Dragons!

“Winter is Coming!” Actually it’s here, at least according to the calendar, and by the looks of it here in the piedmont of North Carolina, it surely does look like winter outside with a blanket of snow on the ground. But also metaphorically speaking, “Winter is Coming!” Trump is descending upon Westeros, D.C to lay … Continue reading Teachers, Winter Is Coming, So Get Your Dragons!

From Texas, The Greatest Country in the United States – “I Can’t Answer These Texas Standardized Test Questions About My Own Poems” (From Huffington Post)

This is both hilarious - AND SCARY at the same time. Enjoy and keep in mind that this is the status quo in a test crazy society. It starts, "When I realized I couldn’t answer the questions posed about two of my own poems on the Texas state assessment tests (STAAR Test), I had a … Continue reading From Texas, The Greatest Country in the United States – “I Can’t Answer These Texas Standardized Test Questions About My Own Poems” (From Huffington Post)

Open Letter to Dave Machado, Charter School Chief for the State of North Carolina Concerning His Words About the Annual Charter Schools Report

Dear Mr. Machado, As the Director for the State Office of Charter Schools in North Carolina, your words concerning the annual charter schools report just recently made to the State Board of Education prove not just interesting, but rather selective and uninformed and display an attitude to make sure that charter schools in North Carolina … Continue reading Open Letter to Dave Machado, Charter School Chief for the State of North Carolina Concerning His Words About the Annual Charter Schools Report

Vouchers, Charters, and Choice! Oh, My! – Dorothy, You’re Not in Public School Anymore

"Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!" – Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. "Vouchers, Charters, and Choice! Oh, my!" – Me As the North Carolina General Assembly is about to convene for the long session here in the new year, it bears repeating that public education will again be at the … Continue reading Vouchers, Charters, and Choice! Oh, My! – Dorothy, You’re Not in Public School Anymore

“NERD” Is Now A Cool Thing To Be

Someone call you a nerd and it offended you? Maybe it should depend on how it is meant. From Dictionary.com: Nerd: noun, Slang. 1. a person considered to be socially awkward, boring, unstylish, etc. 2. an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit: 1950-55, Americanism; obscurely derived expressive formation From Thesaurus.com: Fool, jerk, techie, weirdo, dolt, dork, dweeb, goober, goofball, oaf, trekkie Sorry, people. That negative connotation surrounding the word “nerd” is gone. Like in elapsed, … Continue reading “NERD” Is Now A Cool Thing To Be