when there's not enough fuel for the fire, count on ann coulter to save the day!
and in other news, denmark has a 3rd consecutive night of unrest. while protests and violence are certainly regrettable everywhere, i'm particularly struck by the recent rottenness in this state*. in this case, it's the government vs. the anti-establishment, and it just goes against every image that i have of the Danes. it's such a beautiful country, with a very friendly, laid-back population, and its rather under-the-radar attitude allows for a relaxed flexibility when it comes to dealing with significant social and political issues. i really hope that this situation gets resolved quickly and peacefully.
as anti-american as some may see it, i do agree with critics' denunciation of the Pizza Hut Book-It program. it was implemented in one of the two elementary schools that i attended, and i honestly don't recall my parents ever taking advantage of the free pizza prize. it's not that they would never indulge us; rather, mom and dad had taught geoff and me something very, very important. by the time we were both able to read, my brother and i realized that it was a fun and enjoyable activity all its own. we didn't associate food with reading. that's the problem that i see with the pizza-based incentive program. by and large, youngsters are learning that everything worth doing comes with food attached. there is no emphasis on something being its own reward. i acknowledge that we adults do it too; it's the mentality that if i spend 30 minutes on the treadmill, than i can treat myself to the death by chocolate dessert at X restaurant. the difference comes with impressionability. adults should know better. but in first or second grade, children experience an onslaught of stimuli, and it's their first instinct to choose that which results in the optimal pleasure pay-off, whether or not it's good for them. Pizza Hut should be ashamed of itself (but of course it's not) for taking advantage of a young, captive audience, and this deplorable corporate sponsorship of childhood gluttony needs to end as quickly as possible.
what is going on with men's college basketball? there have been so many upsets of late, and it's made me even more excited about the possibilities for march madness. right now, i'm sitting on pins and needles waiting for both the AP poll update AND the tournament selection. according to an espn "bracketologist" (come on, are you serious?), maryland gets the #4 seed in the east bracket with first round play against gonzaga. with the terps on a hot streak and gonzaga trying to juggle a lot at home, it has the chance of being a really lop-sided game. on the other hand, this is basketball, where it's conceivable that basement-dweller Wake can beat likely season conference winner Virginia. all in all, this is going to be an exciting field this year. and hopefully florida with bite the big one early on. that'd make me pretty happy.
;)
*please excuse my blatant and probably inappropriate shakespeare reference. i just couldn't help myself.
and in other news, denmark has a 3rd consecutive night of unrest. while protests and violence are certainly regrettable everywhere, i'm particularly struck by the recent rottenness in this state*. in this case, it's the government vs. the anti-establishment, and it just goes against every image that i have of the Danes. it's such a beautiful country, with a very friendly, laid-back population, and its rather under-the-radar attitude allows for a relaxed flexibility when it comes to dealing with significant social and political issues. i really hope that this situation gets resolved quickly and peacefully.
as anti-american as some may see it, i do agree with critics' denunciation of the Pizza Hut Book-It program. it was implemented in one of the two elementary schools that i attended, and i honestly don't recall my parents ever taking advantage of the free pizza prize. it's not that they would never indulge us; rather, mom and dad had taught geoff and me something very, very important. by the time we were both able to read, my brother and i realized that it was a fun and enjoyable activity all its own. we didn't associate food with reading. that's the problem that i see with the pizza-based incentive program. by and large, youngsters are learning that everything worth doing comes with food attached. there is no emphasis on something being its own reward. i acknowledge that we adults do it too; it's the mentality that if i spend 30 minutes on the treadmill, than i can treat myself to the death by chocolate dessert at X restaurant. the difference comes with impressionability. adults should know better. but in first or second grade, children experience an onslaught of stimuli, and it's their first instinct to choose that which results in the optimal pleasure pay-off, whether or not it's good for them. Pizza Hut should be ashamed of itself (but of course it's not) for taking advantage of a young, captive audience, and this deplorable corporate sponsorship of childhood gluttony needs to end as quickly as possible.
what is going on with men's college basketball? there have been so many upsets of late, and it's made me even more excited about the possibilities for march madness. right now, i'm sitting on pins and needles waiting for both the AP poll update AND the tournament selection. according to an espn "bracketologist" (come on, are you serious?), maryland gets the #4 seed in the east bracket with first round play against gonzaga. with the terps on a hot streak and gonzaga trying to juggle a lot at home, it has the chance of being a really lop-sided game. on the other hand, this is basketball, where it's conceivable that basement-dweller Wake can beat likely season conference winner Virginia. all in all, this is going to be an exciting field this year. and hopefully florida with bite the big one early on. that'd make me pretty happy.
;)
*please excuse my blatant and probably inappropriate shakespeare reference. i just couldn't help myself.
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