Katie101's Blog

I came across a quote the other day and it literally made goosebumps creep up on my skin....it is from one of the world's most hated men, but unfortunately, he spoke a prophecy for our country.......

"America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within." ... Joseph Stalin

We are almost there.........

There are two things that are infinite: the universe and human stupidity.

It's 5:03 and I'm watching Kelvin Reynolds speak to evacuees in Birmingham about their experience since arriving here to escape Gustav. One woman reponds that the "food is terrible. It's awful. I can't believe the stuff they are serving in there." Another guy says that they are "still not getting treated right and that they still have to spend their own money for everything." HUH? Are you kidding me?

The state of Alabama recieved the largest numbers of evacuees out of all of the states around. Our govenor and the leaders of other municipalities mobilized their respective entities to make sure that these people got what they needed-- mostly food and shelter. What a shame that they couldn't be served a five-star meal and what a further shame that they couldn't each be given thousands upon thousands of dollars to spend once they got here. I'm trying to figure out something: if the food is free and the shelter is free, outside of gas, what the heck are they having to spend their own money on? Is this supposed to be some kind of extended vacation of sorts at our state's expense? This confirms that being compassionate, nice, and accommodating is still not good enough for some people.

To any evacuees who may be reading this and who may be disappointed at the services you received while here in the great state of Alabama: our state is here to serve you and give you the required minimum that we are charged as human beings to give. Our job is not to bestow you with riches and make sure Ruth Chris' steaks are served to you on bone china.

Give me a friggin' break.........*smh*

I am mostly undecided about the whole lottery issue, but I found an article on AOL that reiterates something that Martin Kaine in an earlier blog and I found it to be rather interesting......read on.....




NEW YORK (July 25) - When it comes to purchasing lottery tickets, making people feel poor will prompt them to spend more money on a chance to become rich, American researchers said.
They found that people who were convinced they were earning a low salary bought nearly twice as many lottery tickets compared to others who were made to feel more affluent.


"When people are made to feel subjectively poor, they end up buying more lottery tickets which is somewhat perverse since every time you buy a lottery ticket, it's the equivalent of burning money," said George Loewenstein, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who advised the research team.
"It's certainly paradoxical that making people feel poor means they are more likely to burn money," he added in an interview.
In a study published in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making the researchers found that when people thought their earnings were below a certain standard, they were more prone to take risks and fall into a poverty trap.


"Lottery tickets are such a bad financial decision. Purchasing the tickets just makes their financial situation worse, which then encourages them to purchase more lottery tickets," Emily Haisley, who headed the research team, explained.
In the study people earning less than $100,000 a year, which was suggested by the researchers to be a low-income, bought 1.27 lottery tickets compared to 0.67 by people who earned more.

In a second experiment in the study, some people were indirectly reminded that everyone has an equal chance of winning the lottery. The group given the reminder purchased 1.31 tickets, compared with 0.54 in the group not given the reminder.
"People who run lotteries have a lot of knowledge. They know who buys what types of tickets, they know who their customers are and their advertising certainly plays on the hopes and aspirations of low-income individuals," Loewenstein said.
A recent report by the Commission on Thrift, a project of the private, non-profit think tank Institute for American Values, said that U.S. households with incomes under $12,400 spend an average of $645 on lotteries.

I've never been one to be really expressive about civil rights. I was born in 1980, and although some may argue that the struggle still continues (and in some respects, it does), I choose to look at the wonderful society I was born into- one that seeks to regard me by the content of my character and not by the color of my skin.

Martin Luther King, Jr. has been dead for 40 years now and it is so disheartening that the things he stood for, for his own people, are constantly being disregarded, by his own people. People of all colors marched today, many in the rain, and I wonder, "What for?" To be reminded once or twice a year of the changes he strove to make is futile. His effort has to be an ever-present state of mind---- not regarding black vs. white, but regarding people treating people with civility and kindness. MLK was no saint--- only one perfect person walked this earth--- but he was very instrumental in God's overall plan of making the place we live in humane for all colors and people.

I read a book called Carry Me Home by Birmingham native Diane McWhorter a few summers ago and it showed me the gritty details of how the civil rights struggle started in Birmingham. I would be willing to bet that most people don't realize that the civil rights struggle didn't start with black and white, but with the New Deal and the unions of the coal mines in Fairfield. See, it's called reading and it's becoming a lost art among our youth, especially our black youth. Sagging pants, crime, apathy, and poverty can all be related back to one thing------> ignorance. And that was the very thing MLK wanted to stamp out. Unfortunately, 40 years after his death, the dream that he lived and died for is largely ignored by the very ones it was conceived to help.

The dream has been put off.....deferred....delayed.....and as long as we sit and stand idle, pointing fingers and casting stones, it will one day die. And that will be a sad day for us all.

I am speaking of John Rogers.

The Birmingham school board decides, with the state breathing down its neck, to close 16 schools or face takeover. The board complies. People are angry, but they'll get over it. It is for the good of the system, and soon everyone will see that. Joe Morton visits the board to further discuss progress and bubblemouth Rogers threatens to filibuster the education budget. Mind you, the education budget is for the benefit of the ENTIRE state- every school in the state- but because Birmingham has to close schools, due to its own inability to maintain a fiscally-sound budget, Rogers contends that "If he wants a fight in the Legislature, he's got it,"  with regards to Morton. How ignorant can you be?

How can you, with a good conscience, even attempt to block a budget that benefits every school-aged child in the state? How can you, with sound judgment, say that you will sabatoge money that will go to fund the necessities that students need? Maybe Rogers was joking, but joking about education is what's got us in trouble now. It's causing ignorance to run rampant like a roaring lion and that lion is devouring up our very being......

Wanna know what ignorance looks like? Find a picture of Rogers.......

Closing 16 schools to cut costs: $millions$

Cutting staff members to further cut costs: $thousands$

Watching Rep. John Rogers humiliate every constituent that voted for him: Priceless

It's the fourth day of the new year, four people are dead, and two (from what I gather) are injured. I said that I wasn't going to speak any further about Birmingham and its mayor (given that I am hardly a resident of Birmingham), but I cannot restrain my anger at the moment and what do I do when I'm angry? I write.

Birmingham's Genocide Campaign 2008 has begun, and what is your mayor worried about? A friggin' stadium. Disregard the fact that a 7 year-old boy saw his mother, who was a high school valedictorian and college graduate, killed before his eyes. Disregard the fact that my mother asks me to call her every time I return from the city to make sure that I am still breathing. Disregard the fact that there is a mass exodus from the city of both white AND black residents. Disregard the fact that the school system is hell on wheels going deeper into hell. Disregard the fact that Birmingham is running neck and neck with the other murder capitals in the nation at being number one. Disregard all of that and place a domed stadium at the forefront of priorities. Wow........

I am in awe at the priorities of some people. It simply amazes me how white people used to kill us and we went to protesting in the streets. Now we are killing each other and no one gives a rip....we lock our doors and buy into the "Stop Snitching" policy........simply amazing......all the while the city council bickers and the mayor vows to build something that people have already said "no" to.......

The situations at Hoover and Huffman High Schools.....

Misappropriations? Maybe.....

Mishandling? Probably....

Mismanagement? Absolutely!

I've stressed adult responsibility so much on this site that even I'm tired of hearing myself say it. Problem is, those that need to hear it, don't.

We've got two high schools in the area- one, a part of a booming city with millions in the operating budget. Then, on the other side of town, we've got a forgotten jewel, a used-to-be magnet school in its heyday- a school that was known nationally for its English department. Now, with its dilapidated buildings and decrease in academic excellence, it is known for how many of its students on campus have parole officers and criminal records.

 Who do I blame? You got it- the adults, but several different adults. The parents at Huffman for not complaining about their principal sooner. Underhanded and sinister things have been going on there for years.....at the expense of hundred's of children's education. Rush, on the other hand, had some help in his demise. If people didn't walk around regarding him as the savior of Hoover High, he never would have gotten so high and mighty in the first place. Dang- it's no wonder why some of the children act the way that they do. Look who they have for role models.

The two H's- one the victim of an incompentent school board and city government. The other the victim of success.

I've quietly watched this fiasco unfold- and I call it a fiasco simply because if you sincerely want my opinion, it's all about parental responsibilty. I have indulged in great dialogue with most of you here and y'all pretty much know my view on things.

1. If the parents of the white children had taught their children some kind of sensitivity (regarding the noose), then there would have never been a noose-hanging incident.

2. The administration should have recognized long ago that overt racism was happening on the campus of their school when the shade of a tree, a stupid tree, was being utilized by white students only, thus being dubbed, "The White Tree".

3. When the noose-hanging incident did occur, those in power in Jena should have tried to quell the rising tensions as quickly as possible. For the principal to give expulsion as punishment, and then for the superintendent to come back and reverse that action simply shows that no one at that school or schoo district were on the same page.

4. The parents of the black students should have taught their children the power of conflict resolution and how to control their tempers. A white person can call me a BLEEP all day, but it's not what they call me, it's what I answer to.

Bottom line: These children- white nor black- are to blame. It's the grown, rusty adults who should be shouldering this burden. We must understand that children only get away with what we let them, and if we let them tie nooses around trees- a long-recognized symbol of hate- and if we let them walk around beating each other up, then that is what they will do.

Racism is still alive and well. And it's no wonder- we are breeding it at a high rate of speed.

In scanning MSN, I have come across the senseless murders of a white couple- two college students- in Knoxville that has apparently received little to no national or mainstream media coverage. These two innocent people were carjacked and kidnapped and I dare not include what else allegedly happened to these people, but some of the details include the poor girl having bleach poured down her throat to get rid of DNA evidence. Eventually, they were murdered- the man was shot and his body set on fire. The young woman- her body was reportedly dismembered and placed in garbage bags.

I haven't seen this anywhere on any major (or minor, for that matter) news network. And according to what I've read, it's because the murderers, four men and one eighteen year-old girl, are black. I've never been ashamed of being black, but reading about this has made me ashamed at some people who are black. Question: do you think that blacks who commit crimes are less likely to get media coverage than black on black, or white on white crime, etc.? If so, why?

Things have been pretty tense on these boards the past few weeks. I have come on here at times only to leave (quickly) and shake my head. The fact of the matter is, the things that make us different only becomes an issue when we make them. I went from teaching all black children in one system to teaching almost all white children in another system without missing a beat. How? Because they are children. And because I simply love children no matter what they look like. It's about EDUCATION not color.  All of you that I correspond with on these boards- the same goes for you because remember: how can I love Jesus whom I've never seen, but not love my fellow man whom I see (at least cyber-wise) daily? Forget those things that don't make a difference. Racism, hate, envy, and violence will always run rampant, but why do we have to partake in it? Let's agree to disagree on some issues and face the real issues head on- like, not forgetting in a few years that 62% raise......like paying more attention to what your child's teachers are doing to better prepare them for tomorrow......like the wonderful effects of random acts of kindness (if you've never done one, you should. It gives you a high like no other!)

All I'm saying is, let's focus on the big things. And let the petty things lie. There will always be simple-minded people to worry about those. And there are no simple minds in this online community!!!!

View today as an opportunity to fix what you messed up yesterday.

I worked in this school system for two years. It's in the news again that to avoid state takeover, the system must trim the budget by 15 to 18 million dollars. Included in this trim would probably mean the loss of hundreds of jobs, mostly classroom instruction jobs, where nothing can stand to be cut.

Well I have an idea. How about cutting all the assistants to the assistants to the assistants down at Park Place? Why are there 8 people doing the jobs that maybe four people could adequately perform? There are schools that have less than 400 enrolled. Why do those schools need more than one to two administrators? Even better, why not consolidate those schools, as Stan Mims has been suggesting? But the parents are highly and ignorantly opposed to that.

Birmingham City Schools has a problem- with money being the main part, but also with the quality of instruction. It is no secret that school systems are mostly supported by property taxes and other voter-implemented taxes. Think about it: How many people who live in the B'ham city limits and who have children in the school system actually OWN their own homes? And if they do, how many are actually going to VOTE to increase a tax to ensure the improvement of their child's education? I know how many- Slim to none and Slim died yesterday. These people are clueless and uneducated in what it will take to see some improvement. And to make matters worse, those who are in power are more concerned with the politics of it than actually trying to make a difference.

I loved the children in B'ham System. I hated to leave them because they need teachers who are there for them, and those are few and far in-between. What I didn't love was the administrators who hired their buddies....who were clueless to what it meant to educate a child. When it came down to it, I had to choose between being able to teach without the fear of being caught up in some random act of violence, or being able to teach in an environment where I wasn't always in fight or flight mode. The latter won.

Ignorance breeds apathay. And apathy breeds complacency. These three have turned into an epidemic in Birmingham, and it looks like the state is going to be the only cure.

Forgive me if I seem insensitive or a little rude. Last night, there was a story on the news about parents hot about a park getting closed and their children not being able to play football or something. Forgive me if I see something wrong with this, but because I am an educator, it baffles me the battles that some people choose to fight and the battles they choose to sit down and lose.

I teach English 10 and 11 in a very progressive school system in the area; however, I have children who seem bright yet when they open a book to read, it becomes evident that their comprehension levels are that of gradeschool children. What is going on here? At the first sign of something extracurricular being taken away from students, parents will engage in an uproar. But what about grilling your child's teacher about his or her progress in school? What about grilling your state representatives and the state legislature about educational funding to make sure that at some point, Alabama makes SOME progress to be even on the tail end of the rest of the nation? What about showing your children that while football and baseball and soccer and basketball are fun activities, they don't come before LEARNING? Why are people not angry about why our children can't pass the graduation exam after five attempts? Why are people not livid about our children getting to college and not being able to write a standard five paragraph essay?

People rave that education is free. It's not. If you don't think education costs something, try ignorance.