by Jason on November 30, 2008
Many of you probably braved the crowds to get some great deals on the famous Black Friday sales. I couldn’t believe that places like Kohl’s opened at 4 am. Way too early in my opinion. But if you missed the deals on friday, you have another shot on Cyber Monday. According to Wikipedia:
The term Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. [1] Whereas Black Friday is associated with traditional brick-and-mortar stores, “Cyber Monday” symbolizes a busy day for online retailers. The premise was that consumers would return to their offices after the Black Friday weekend, making purchases online that they were not able to make in stores. Although that idea has not survived the test of time, Cyber Monday has evolved into a significant marketing event, sponsored by the National Retail Federation’s Shop.org division, in which online retailers offer low prices and promotions.
A great site to look for savings is the cyber monday website by shop.org. Good luck!
by Jason on November 29, 2008
There is a lot of friction between politicians and the dreaded NEA (National Education Association) when it comes to educational reforms. There are so many issues that can be brought up like vouchers, tenure, unqualified (or underqualified) teachers and administrators, and in Ohio, school funding.
In this post I would like to highlight some of the efforts of the Chancellor of Washington, D.C. schools, Michelle Rhee. In a September issue of Newsweek, the authors wrote a very interesting article titled An Unlikely Gambler – By firing bad teachers and paying good ones six-figure salaries, Michelle Rhee just might save D.C.’s schools.
Chancellor Rhee has been shaking things up in Washington since the start of her tenure. According to the article:
She says she wakes up every morning with a “knot in my stomach,” and that she is “angry,” though “angry in a good way.” She is angry at a system of education that puts “the interests of adults” over the “interests of children,” i.e., a system that values job protection for teachers over their effectiveness in the classroom.
We know that President-Elect Obama opted to keep his children out of the public school system in Washington, chosing to enroll them in Sidwell Friends School. Personally I do not begrudge him in that decision. He must do what is best for his family. But I wonder how he will respond to a crisis in our inner-city public schools. Will he take action or will he be beholden to the NEA that supported him in is election bid? Do you think that the methods of Michelle Rhee should be implemented in our larger city publich school systems?
by Jason on November 29, 2008
by Jason on November 28, 2008
My wife and I decided to go and see a movie tonight, something that we don’t do frequently enough. We chose to see Four Christmases. Out of five stars, I’d give it 4.5 or 5. I was thrilled with this movie.
Four Christmases stars Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. It has a rating of PG-13, so you may want to read some plot summaries before you take your children. There is some sexual innuendo so you need to keep that in mind.
This movie was hilarious. I nearly laughed the entire movie and I don’t typically do that. It is a nice story of a trendy couple that had been together for three years and set in their ways. Through a series of comedic events, you see the evolution of this couple. I don’t want to give away the ending so I will stop here. It is definitely worth the time and money. Give it a shot! Check here for show times.