School Daze

Finally dug through some paperwork that I’d put on hold and made some headway today. In particular, I took a closer look at my Cuesta Early Childhood Education (ECE) graduation paperwork and found out what messed up the degree evaluators. One of the classes they said I lacked was substituted by another so unless there’s something else going on that I don’t know about, I should get the right sheepskin this time around. Should be a Child Care and Development Teacher associate degree. E-mail sent off to the evaluator.

Tomorrow I meet up with an insurance friend of mine to get a new and improved (and hopefully cheaper) health insurance policy. Seems like every year means a double digit increase in whatever policy I’ve got at the time. It’s expensive hell getting old as an independent player.

This week I need to rev up on my on-line wind energy classwork. Classes start on Thursday. Syllabus needs a time-line update as usual. Now if I can remember my password.

Fortunately, I’ve got last semester’s effort to help out. Getting a new book for the main text is always extra work but it was probably worth it from the student standpoint. I learned a lot from it too. I use Paul Gipe’s latest edition of Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business. Not a bad overview for those with an interest in the technology for their own use.

Interesting report of the latest Green Party of the United States (GPUS) national meeting in Tulsa. I was rather pleased by this report in general. What Happened in Tulsa?

Another interesting report is one from the John Conyer’s hearing on the Ohio Election, “What Went Wrong In Ohio: The Conyers Report on the 2004 Presidential Election”. Reportedly any reference of Green or Libertarian activities in trying to bring that one out into the open was curiously omitted by Democrat Representative Conyers and his staff or the editor.

The efforts by the Kerry campaign to get Ohio recounted and examined were all but nil. That in spite of having money still left in the bank from his presidential run. This being the campaign that earlier claimed that “every vote would be counted” unlike in 2000. Yeah, right.

“The Greens, who don’t stand to win anything except the respect and admiration of all decent people, raised nearly $150,000 in only four days to challenge George Bush’s unofficial 136,000 vote margin in each of Ohio’s poll precincts. Kerry had the same option and plenty of cash on hand ($15 million in unspent campaign funds), but took the Skull and Bones path, fearing a contested outcome might damage the legitimacy of a system that he values just as dearly as his erstwhile opponent, George Bush – Black voters be damned. ” - Greens Shame Dems - The Black Commentator

Been reading Isaac Asimov’s “I, Robot” for leisure reading. Lovely short stories only slightly dated (1950 copyright). The two protagonists sent off to remote parts of the solar system to test out new robots would probably have killed each other if they were real individuals who had to do so many joint missions together. Of course, the conflict is used by Asimov to help tell the story (sometimes inelegantly) and to keep the general interest up. It still works albeit more irritatingly than perhaps an earlier less critical read would have found.

Unlike some, I liked the recent movie version although it was a bit too much Will Smith being Will Smith at points. Of course, that’s probably why he get hired for roles like this and “Independence Day”. Go figure when it involves Hollywood. I also enjoyed Robin Williams in the Asimov-based robot film, “Bicentennial Man”.

School Daze

Finally dug through some paperwork that I’d put on hold and made some headway today. In particular, I took a closer look at my Cuesta Early Childhood Education (ECE) graduation paperwork and found out what messed up the degree evaluators. One of the classes they said I lacked was substituted by another so unless there’s something else going on that I don’t know about, I should get the right sheepskin this time around. Should be a Child Care and Development Teacher associate degree. E-mail sent off to the evaluator.

Tomorrow I meet up with an insurance friend of mine to get a new and improved (and hopefully cheaper) health insurance policy. Seems like every year means a double digit increase in whatever policy I’ve got at the time. It’s expensive hell getting old as an independent player.

This week I need to rev up on my on-line wind energy classwork. Classes start on Thursday. Syllabus needs a time-line update as usual. Now if I can remember my password.

Fortunately, I’ve got last semester’s effort to help out. Getting a new book for the main text is always extra work but it was probably worth it from the student standpoint. I learned a lot from it too. I use Paul Gipe’s latest edition of Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business. Not a bad overview for those with an interest in the technology for their own use.

Interesting report of the latest Green Party of the United States (GPUS) national meeting in Tulsa. I was rather pleased by this report in general. What Happened in Tulsa?

Another interesting report is one from the John Conyer’s hearing on the Ohio Election, “What Went Wrong In Ohio: The Conyers Report on the 2004 Presidential Election”. Reportedly any reference of Green or Libertarian activities in trying to bring that one out into the open was curiously omitted by Democrat Representative Conyers and his staff or the editor.

The efforts by the Kerry campaign to get Ohio recounted and examined were all but nil. That in spite of having money still left in the bank from his presidential run. This being the campaign that earlier claimed that “every vote would be counted” unlike in 2000. Yeah, right.

“The Greens, who don’t stand to win anything except the respect and admiration of all decent people, raised nearly $150,000 in only four days to challenge George Bush’s unofficial 136,000 vote margin in each of Ohio’s poll precincts. Kerry had the same option and plenty of cash on hand ($15 million in unspent campaign funds), but took the Skull and Bones path, fearing a contested outcome might damage the legitimacy of a system that he values just as dearly as his erstwhile opponent, George Bush – Black voters be damned. ” - Greens Shame Dems - The Black Commentator

Been reading Isaac Asimov’s “I, Robot” for leisure reading. Lovely short stories only slightly dated (1950 copyright). The two protagonists sent off to remote parts of the solar system to test out new robots would probably have killed each other if they were real individuals who had to do so many joint missions together. Of course, the conflict is used by Asimov to help tell the story (sometimes inelegantly) and to keep the general interest up. It still works albeit more irritatingly than perhaps an earlier less critical read would have found.

Unlike some, I liked the recent movie version although it was a bit too much Will Smith being Will Smith at points. Of course, that’s probably why he get hired for roles like this and “Independence Day”. Go figure when it involves Hollywood. I also enjoyed Robin Williams in the Asimov-based robot film, “Bicentennial Man”.