More park = more fun but probably more tourists

I just read in the good ol' Bangor Daily News that my beloved Acadia National Park's request for more $ to purchase more lands and expand the part has passed Congress and W. is expected to sign it! I will be interested to see how this pans out and exactly what is done and when. We'll see you this summer, ANP.

back in the saddle again

well, as you can probably tell, it has been a few weeks since my last posting. There has not been a whole lot to say. The 3rd quarter ended and most of my students passed--yay. I went on vacation for a week but did not go anywhere. Natty-Boh had her woman-parts taken out and now is unable to have puppies. I got one last weekend in at Sugarloaf with the Team08 crew. Now it is back to the old grind of teaching in a new quarter....the 4th quarter! 8 and a half more weeks until summer--kind of. anyway, more to come later.

(by the way...this shot was not from this past weekend)

~casey

SEXY time at the Post Office

Usually i would dread calling any sort of bureaucratic office associated with any part of the government...especially the post office, but not if i lived in Waterville, ME. The home of Colby College, and apparently, for some, a bunch of sexy postal employees. I found this story on the BDN website, but the best part is that it is an Associated Press story. Wow...gotta love Vacationland.

what would you rather buy for $168,000.00?

When i take a look at my bank account, it is rare that i have even $168.00 or $16.80 in disposable income, let alone $168,000.00! But this little blurb on the Reuters UK website got me thinking. If i had that kind of scratch just to blow on luxury items--what would i but? A Bentley, a time share, stock, 168 season passes to sugarloaf, 168,000 condoms from the dollar store? NO! I would purchase a little slice of heaven!...That's right, i would buy a thong and i would wear it everywhere!

Education

What is education? How is it best to educate someone? Are there those who simply cannot be educated to do certain things? Progressive education? Traditional education? How can we educate the most students as humanly possible without sacrificing the opportunity supposedly afforded to all? Is it possible to care wholeheartedly and at the same time be totally immune to individual needs and struggles? Such is the emotional, philosophical, ethical, practical, professional, and ideological juggaurknot that is school.

Through experience, study, and deep thought, I have come to some of my own core values and beliefs regarding education, but they are less definable than one would think. It is the old adage of "i'm not sure what it is, but i'll know it when i see it." As cliche as that may sound, it is true. I have an undefinable pedagogy. Does this have the ability to be evaluated? Can it be measured? What does this mean--not only for me and my practice, but for those who are the subjects of this experiment and this wordless pedagogy?

Some would say that practice makes perfect, but I am not so sure I would agree with that? What is the good of practicing something if it is wrong or the methodology is flawed, or it is simply too inefficient to be a success? And how, anyway, do we define success? Not only in education but in life as well? Are there not overarching personal definitions and rating systems to everything we do? Where one sees only failure others may see the glimmer of hope for success and all is open for debate.

Questions, questions, questions.

~casey

Do as I say, not as I wage an unnecessary war

In a gesture of patronizing and posturing, G. W. Bush made a phone call to China to urge President Hu Jintao to ease up on Tibet and try talking it out. The maverick president is giving advice about talking?! I am 100% in favor of a free Tibet and helping enable that, but is this the best course of action to take to ensure that this happens? I think many people around the world--especially those that actually have knowledge of world affairs would err on the side of caution and steer clear of any advice coming from a person who never takes advice, public opinion, or the greater interest into mind. President Hu, run! Run far away from this man and his ideas for talking. Have you ever really even heard him speak? It is another language--one I am quite sure does not translate that well.

~casey

The Thirsty Whale...going........

I'm not sure if anyone has ever been here, but The Whale is a fun time. Good food, great beer, fun time. I love it so much better in the off-season, (as with most things on MDI) but it is always a good time nonetheless. Here's to another whale of a time this summer!


Cheers!
~casey