Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Day 2 of the Democratic Convention

There were a couple of humorous moments last night. If you were watching C-Span, they showed Gov. Ted Strickland trying to begin his speech, but there was no speech in the teleprompter. You hear him say twice, "there is no speech", while he waited he continued to acknowledge the crowd. Once the speech was up, he gave a very nice tribute to Stephanie Tubbs-Jones and then he gave a Taft-esque speech, no emotion just continually stared into the monitor to give the talk.

The other humorous part, was Kucinich's speech. Now I did not see it live, but saw an unedited version of it from CNN and there he was hopping around the podium and punching his fist in the air like some uncoordinated cheerleader.

Hillary's speech was good, perhaps if she was able to have that energy and passion in the early rounds of the primary, this week could have been her coronation, instead of being the set-up person for Barrack on Thursday.

What was interesting if you really listened and read between the lines, she doesn't think Obama will win, there was no ringing endorsement and no telling her supporters to vote for him in the convention. According to a copy provided to the media, she does exhort her supporters to do just that.

Tonight is Bill Clinton night, what will he say. The theme for tonight is National Security issues. Not sure he is the right guy to be up there. The only person worse up at the podium would Jimmy Carter.

NOTE: For the GOP convention organizers, don't let the big time speeches run past 11:00pm, I think a lot of good stuff maybe missed by those on the East coast. When Hillary's speech was done it was nearly 11:30, past the local newscasts.

Barack Obama



Is this what Obama meant by his title of the book "Audacity of Hope"?







H/T Hot Air and Ace

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Lakewood Schools Report Card

The Lakewood Schools Report Card, based on last years numbers they are down slightly in some areas. The District performance rating is down and but the graduation rate is up. The State gave the system a Letter B grade.


District Details


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Lakewood

District IRN: 044198
County: Cuyahoga
District Rating: Effective
Number of Performance Standards Met by the School District (based on FY2008 data – 2007-08 Local Report Card): 24

Test Percentage of Students Who Passed Test

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 3rd Grade Reading Achievement Test (2007-08) 82.6
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 3rd Grade Reading Achievement Test (2006-07) 84.1
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 3rd Grade Reading Achievement Test (2005-06) 81.5

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 3rd Grade Math Achievement Test (2007-08) 85.0
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 3rd Grade Math Achievement Test (2006-07) 87.6
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 3rd Grade Math Achievement Test (2005-06) 78.9

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 4th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2007-08) 80.1
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 4th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2006-07) 80.6
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 4th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2005-06) 79.1

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 4th Grade Math Achievement Test (2007-08) 76.3
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 4th Grade Math Achievement Test (2006-07) 63.5

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 4th Grade Writing Achievement Test (2007-08) 84.7
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 4th Grade Writing Achievement Test (2006-07) 82.9
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 4th Grade Writing Achievement Test (2005-06) 88.7

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 5th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2007-08) 76.0
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 5th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2006-07) 83.5
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 5th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2005-06) 82.9

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 5th Grade Math Achievement Test (2007-08) 63.8
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 5th Grade Math Achievement Test (2006-07) 63.5

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 5th Grade Social Studies Achievement Test (2007-08) 70.3

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 5th Grade Science Achievement Test (2007-08) 73.1

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 6th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2007-08) 84.9
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 6th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2006-07) 79.4

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 6th Grade Math Achievement Test (2007-08) 80.0
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 6th Grade Math Achievement Test (2006-07) 76.6

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 7th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2007-08) 82.8
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 7th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2006-07) 76.7

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 7th Grade Math Achievement Test (2007-08) 79.5
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 7th Grade Math Achievement Test (2006-07) 79.5
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 7th Grade Math Achievement Test (2005-06) 78.3

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 7th Grade Writing Achievement Test (2007-08) 91.0

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 8th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2007-08) 84.8
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 8th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2006-07) 85.3
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 8th Grade Reading Achievement Test (2005-06) 74.9

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 8th Grade Math Achievement Test (2007-08) 76.5
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 8th Grade Math Achievement Test (2006-07) 80.9
Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 8th Grade Math Achievement Test (2005-06) 71.7

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 8th Grade Social Studies Achievement Test (2007-08) 60.5

Percentage of Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the 8th Grade Science Achievement Test (2007-08) 70.5

Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Social Studies Ohio Graduation Test (2007-08) 81.9
Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Social Studies Ohio Graduation Test (2006-07) 84.0
Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Social Studies Ohio Graduation Test (2005-06) 82.3

Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Math Ohio Graduation Test (2007-08) 80.0
Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Math Ohio Graduation Test (2006-07) 88.0
Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Math Ohio Graduation Test (2005-06) 85.3

Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Reading Ohio Graduation Test (2007-08) 86.4
Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Reading Ohio Graduation Test (2006-07) 91.4
Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Reading Ohio Graduation Test (2005-06) 90.5

Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Writing Ohio Graduation Test (2007-08) 85.1
Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Writing Ohio Graduation Test (2006-07) 94.6
Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Writing Achievement Test (2005-06) 90.5

Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Science Ohio Graduation Test (2007-08) 74.1
Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Science Ohio Graduation Test (2006-07) 80.0
Percentage of 10th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Science Ohio Graduation Test (2005-06) 74.8

Percentage of 11th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Social Studies Ohio Graduation Test (2007-08) 92.7
Percentage of 11th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Social Studies Ohio Graduation Test (2006-07) 93.1

Percentage of 11th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Math Ohio Graduation Test (2007-08) 93.1
Percentage of 11th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Math Ohio Graduation Test (2006-07) 92.6

Percentage of 11th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Reading Ohio Graduation Test (2007-08) 95.3
Percentage of 11th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Reading Ohio Graduation Test (2006-07) 95.6

Percentage of 11th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Writing Ohio Graduation Test (2007-08) 96.5
Percentage of 11th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Writing Ohio Graduation Test (2006-07) 96.1

Percentage of 11th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Science Ohio Graduation Test (2007-08) 92.2
Percentage of 11th Grade Students Who Scored Proficient or Higher on the Science Ohio Graduation Test (2006-07) 88.5

Student Attendance Rate (2007-08) 94.3
Student Attendance Rate (2006-07) 94.2
Student Attendance Rate (2005-06) 94.5

Student Graduation Rate (2007-08) 92.0
Student Graduation Rate (2006-07) 90.6
Student Graduation Rate (2005-06) 90.3

District Performance Index Score (2007-08) 95.5
District Performance Index Score (2006-07) 95.8
District Performance Index Score (2005-06) 96.3

District's AYP Determination (2006-07 applied to school year 2007-08) Not Met



I wonder what it takes to get an A like some of the other schools in Cuyahoga County. Must be 90 or better across the board.

Perhaps with this report card, it will be easier for the School board to locate a new superintendent before the end of the school year.

Day 1 of the Democratic Convention

I stayed up to watch Michelle Obama's speech last night, but wasn't swayed by what she was saying. I felt like she was trying to give an opening statement in court, but failed to tell the American people what the evidence is going to show on how a President Obama will lead this country.

When comparing her speech to Ted Kennedy's speech she seemed to fall flat.

That's great that she loves America and that she is from the south side of Chicago and educated at top level ivy league schools (none which were mentioned)but, I did not know that Barrack while clerking with the law firm that Michelle worked for was chatting her up for dates. I guess that will be the only tidbit that I pick up from this convention.

It think a drinking game should be started for the rest of the convention, everybody should drink a beverage every time someone mentions "the southside of Chicago"

Speaking of falling flat, poor Caroline Kennedy's she was not given the oratory skills of her father or uncles, I expected a little more emotion out her while introducing her Uncle Ted. I mention this, because later in the night she was on CNN with Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper and the rest of the panel and she was quite good with the deflecting and defending the VP selection and vetting.

Well tonight is Hillary night and Tomorrow is Bill's turn, these two speeches should be interesting. I also think that Hillary should let the delegates vote during the nomination process, I think that would be good catharsis for the party. I believe that will help unify the Democrats by eliminating the tendency by the Clinton supporters that they are being pushed under the rug.

We shall see.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Obama Veep Selections

I am anticipating that Obama will probably announce his choice around the 5:00pm today, that way it can be the dominant story for the next 24 hours and then the press will follow the ticket all weekend leading into the Democratic convention.

Consider it the Political version of sweeps week for the TV ads.

Who will it be? Joe Biden, Evan Byah, Tim Kaine, Kathy Sebelious, Chet Edwards.

My guess it will be Biden, but we shall see.


UPDATE

It's 9:00pm on Friday before the Democratic Convention:

Obama doesn't understand politics and the media. He had the the perfect opportunity to drive the message for the next 200 hours, now he is continuing to leave the media and the public guessing. Which would give him the bounce he so thoroughly needed this week.

If Obama loses this election and that is a possibility, today could be the day when the historians point and say: He blew it!

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Monday, August 04, 2008

Maybe the Obama Bus has a different name

Several weeks ago I talked about how Obama throws people under the proverbial bus and I made the following comment:

Although, maybe if we can get the County Commissioners to say something then they might get run over by the Obama bus! That would be change that I could believe in!


Looks like the FBI and IRS were already planning things for the Cuyahoga County. It will certainly make things interesting come November.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Lakewood Schools and Dr. Estrop

Lakewood City School Superintendent Dr. Estrop has resigned and the resignation was accepted recently by School Board, but it has been interesting to see how little the public cares about Dr. Estrop's departure.

Not having any kids in the Lakewood schools, I don't really know about the day to day operations managed by Dr. Estrop. Perhaps the silence is sign of his reign.

Anybody care to comment?

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Welcome Home Ryan Demro

Maybe I should change the title to 2nd Lt. Ryan P. Demro USAR.

I awaiting to hear the TINS!

Friday, August 01, 2008

The Chosen One

This pretty much sums up how this presidential campaign is going.


And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”

Background
Obama fears the Blair effect as tour continues
The Europhiles are not the future, Mr Obama
The Bugle - Barack Obama is coming to Europe!
Our leaders go after some Obama magic
In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.

He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the

Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.

And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.

From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.

And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.

And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.

From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.

In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace.

As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.

And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.

The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for.

And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.

Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.

And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.

Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.

But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.

And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.

Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not.

On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.

And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: “Yes, We Can.”