Heaven's Cloud

[color=indigo]I don?t know, if I had been shot seven times (or however many times it truly is) I sure as heck would be sporting a bullet proof vest. Gimmick or not I am inclined to believe getting shot hurts. I am not a big fan of ?Fiddy??s music, I always think he sounds like he is mumbling his lyrics. Then again, I don?t frequent dance clubs. My guess is that ?Fiddy??s music has the same appeal that Brittany Spears? and Justin Timberlake?s music does, the beat and bass line encourage dancing.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Luminaire [/i] [B][color=crimson]In all actuality, don't our votes not count? >thinks of lesson from history in 7th grade< As far as the government voting process goes, they already know who will be president before the voting even starts. There's this group of people, can't remember the name, who choose who is best. Does anyone else find it suspicious that Gore would have won if Florida hadn't had its little mishap? If Gore had won Florida, he would have won. It seemed strange to me. ~Lumi ^_^[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]You are partially right and mostly wrong. The Electoral College is broken down into pieces within each state. Each piece or district comprises their base votes from the popular vote. This can be a problem however, because some districts have a larger population than others yet all receive an equal vote. While Gore won the total popular vote in Florida, Bush won the popular vote in more Electoral districts. Click on this link, read, become informed. After all the government will play a significant role in the rest of your life.[/color] [url] [url]http://www.fec.gov/pages/ecworks.htm[/url][/url]

[color=indigo]My most awkward experience occurred at my senior prom. My girlfriend at the time already had a prior date to the prom so I ended up going with one of her friends. Now, my girlfriend at the time had recently gone through a horrible break up and still had temper flares from time to time. She had a little bit to drink before the prom and was definitely a little tipsy. At one point in time I was off in another part of the convention center talking to a friend, when my girlfriends date came running up to me saying that she and her ex got in a huge argument, apparently her ex talked trash about me and my girlfriend was talking trash to his date (who, coincidentally was one of my good friends). Anyway, my girlfriend and my prom date ended up leaving with her mother (who was a teacher and a chaperone), and her ex was removed from the dance. Oddly enough, my girlfriend?s ex?s date remained at the prom because she ended up getting angry because her boyfriend didn?t stick up for her (boy, is that a run on sentence!). We ended up hanging out together for the rest of the prom. Afterwards I went to my girlfriend?s house and there was definitely an awkward conversation about why I didn?t immediately come to her house, and why she didn?t feel that it was necessary to tell me she was leaving. We didn?t remain together for too long afterwards, but we still remain pretty fast friends and whenever we get together we have a good laugh about the whole incident. [/color]

[color=indigo]I have always had mixed feelings about whether or not people should be as concerned about voting as the media seems to emphasize. I can find several reasons for not voting. First, if you view the Electoral College logically it is easy to see how it can invalidate a single vote. Even though ninety-nine times out of one hundred the popular candidate in a state wins the Electoral College, there is always that one percent of fallibility. Second, what if the candidate you vote into office does exactly what he or she plans to, yet is a horrible president? Since you voted for him/her are you not partially responsible? The inverse is what if the candidate you voted for lost, and the candidate that won is a horrible president? Aren?t you somewhat responsible because you weren?t able to convince enough other people that the candidate you desired to win should be president? The main problem with those reasons is that they can easily be countered with logic. If you don?t vote you obviously don?t care enough about our country to involve yourself in one of the most important functions of our government. I guess my best advice is, at least become familiar enough with the candidates to decide which one closely mimics your political ideology, or at least the one that disgusts you the least. Then on election day, cast your vote and hope that whoever wins advances the general well being of the country more than they set it back. For example, I think good ole? GW Bush does a pretty decent job as president of the United States, however, I am not about to write off any of the democratic candidates. As the primaries continue the American public will slowly understand exactly what the candidates stand for as well as grasp what GW Bush plans to achieve if he is elected for another term. Remember to catch the State of the Union Address tonight![/color]

[color=indigo]When I was younger I lived right outside D.C. and I remember my die hard conservative grandfather taking me downtown every year and follow the progression of people to the capital steps. I remember that one year my grandfather got really angry at some of the marchers because they were saying hideously derogatory things to a few protesters. My grandfather was always level headed but he laid into these men saying that just because they didn?t have the same beliefs as the pro-lifers they still should be allowed to voice their opinion. That was the kind of guy my grandpa was. Anyway, I am not pro-life so there is no reason for me to venture to DC to march. (p.s. I don?t understand how you associate abortion with the Holocaust, however, I have been to the Holocaust museum recently and I truly think that a person would have to be inhuman not to be moved while visiting that museum)[/color]

[color=indigo]I would have to agree with Mitch (as well as anyone else that stated a similar opinion) whole-heartedly on this issue. Evil is a trait that changes with the morals and perception of the time from culture to culture. The people that society tends to deem evil are usually guilty of an act that has been considered immoral for centuries (ie: theft, rape, murder, genocide). Therefore, I would logically conclude that I find people that express traits of what society deems immoral and evil at the time to be evil. Obviously there is a flip side to that argument, because a person deemed ?evil? may be considered ?just? at a later date in history?[/color]

[color=indigo]Ergh, we had to build bridges out of plastic straw in my eighth grade shop class (yes, I took shop; yes, it was required). It was such a pain in the ?you know what?, and my partner was nearly as intelligent as a brick wall. Needless to say my bridge collapsed quite early in the competition? Anyway, good luck with the project? [/color]

[color=indigo]Well since ninety percent of the people that I know that have [b]claimed[/b] to be Wiccan are morons, and since stupidity tends to spawn evil, I guess I have come to the conclusion that the stupidity of Wiccans tends to lead to evil...[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Queen Asuka [/i] [B][color=hotpink][size=1]I have always wondered whether or not that stuff tasted very good. I think some people just drank it BECAUSE of the caffeine. I mean, did it taste sugary? I'm just so darn curious! ^_^[/color][/size] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]I always thought it tasted like a sweeter RC Cola. It doesn't taste too sweet, but it is a little sugary. In all honesty it doesn't hold a candle to plain ole' Coca-Cola.[/color]

[color=indigo]I used to love the Surge flavored Slurpees from 7-Eleven...I miss slurpees :( Anyway, the most caffinated soda had to be Jolt...you could fuel a rocket with Jolt Cola[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dagger IX1 [/i] [B]Actually, I was under the impression that she fell victim first to a tightly laced bodice, next to a poisoned comb, and finally to the notorious poisoned apple. Although Walt Disney was indeed a veritable genius, he didn't come up with the concept of the apple on his own; it was already present in Grimm's version of the Snow White story. Since I'm a big fairy tale fan, I felt as though I ought to mention that. ~Dagger~ [/B][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]Ahhh, yes. I was a little misleading, but it was on purpose I assure you :). In the original Grimm's tale the Huntsman/Prince saved Snow White from the bodice, comb, and apple (which she choked on until it became dislodged when a servant stumbled carrying the glass coffin). In other versions Snow White was poisoned by a rose and a doll. Disney could have used any of these themes but he chose the apple...why? Why did he want Cinderella to have glass slippers instead of the original gold ones? Many aspects of Disney's movies were modified for specific reasons... Oh well...I had no intention of writing nearly this much on the subject, I just have gotten sick of people stating how much more accomplished, elaborate, and complex anime is than western cartoons...it is not.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by maladjusted [/i] [B][size=1] I don't know about Disney or anything, but I'm not saying anime is the only animation medium that can be complicated. In terms of plot and story development, more animes has more complex elements that most Disney movies and cartoons. [/size] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]I have never seen a well made anime movie that is more complex than Snow White that is enjoyable. The greatest anime movies have fairly straightforward plots. Akira, Knockin? on Heaven?s Door, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, and Spirited Away, are all very easy to follow; none have a more or less complex plot than Snow White. [/color] [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by maladjusted [/i] [B][size=1] Symbolism and metaphors might be found every minute in Disney movies, but their plots are simple enough. And you have to add that almost every Disney movie is based off of a story already written down or passed down by word of mouth. Disney does not simply make this stuff up, people did that a long time ago. Case in point, Snow White vs. Evangelion. Snow White was a tale, an old one, that Walt Disney decided to make a movie out of. Hideaki Anno dug up all that stuff from religious documents and decided to jumble it all into an anime series. [/size] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]Snow White is a two hour movie, it is pointless to compare plot twists of a two hour movie to a twenty-six episode series, and the End of Evangelion movie is pretty straight forward as well. No offense, Hiddeaki Anno?s religious references are quite obvious and you could parallel the tale with the old Greek Titan myth, the Tale of the Armored Guardian, and several others?Anno just incorporated Biblical concepts to those stories. I am not saying that Evangelion wasn?t a fabulous show, it was. I am just stating that Anno revitalized an old tale(s) and added a new twist just like Disney did (for example, in the original Grimm?s tale, Snow White didn?t fall victim to a poisoned apple, but to a tightly laced bodice). [/color] [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by maladjusted [/i] [B][size=1]Think of all the mainstream American cartoons, versus anime like Boogiepop Phantom, Evangelion, .hack//SIGN, etc. that were popular in Japan. Come on, Simpsons VS. BP. Which one has a more complex PLOT? [/size] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]To be honest, I think the Simpson?s is a much more intelligent show. You have to be a lot smarter and well read to get some of the references that the Simpsons incorporates than you do to understand Boogie Pop Phantom. Does Boogie Pop Phantom have a more complex plot? Needlessly complex, yes. Again, you are comparing a show that depends on the viewer watching every episode to grasp the plot to a show that runs stand alone episodes. [/color] [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by maladjusted [/i] [B][size=1]Yes, most animes are bunch of fanservice stupid things like...hamsters rescuing the day or whatever. Yet the few anime that actually have more interesting plots are definately above most other cartoons. [/size] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]I agree with you there, then again most of the anime that you seem to find complex and well written are marketed towards people in their late teens and older while most American cartoons are marketed to young children. (In all due respect, if you are going to argue that anime is more complex and adult than American cartoons please remember that ?anime? is both singular and plural, there is never an ?s? :)) [/color] [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by maladjusted [/i] [B][size=1]And then there's my anti-argument, since out of millions of anime titles, only about 30 are actually good. And we all know a good book beats everything mentioned here. :p[/size] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]Yes, a good book is much better than any television show. But that statement contradicts your post somewhat considering that the most renowned literature is beautifully simple and straightforward at a glance yet contain boldly complex undertones when you read between the lines.[/color]

[color=indigo]Well I am the fourth so if I have a son he'll be the fifth. That is a non-negotiable. Besides that I decided long ago to allow my wife to name whatever kids we have. I know that if it was left up to me my kids would have names like "Sky Blue" and "Moon Beam"...I have been imbibed with way to much Dead and Zappa Hippie culture.[/color]

[color=indigo]Seventeen is the perfect age to have sex for the first time...sure, you can wait longer if you want I guess, but seventeen is the perfect age. Why? Well that is just a mystery of the magical number seventeen...[/color]

[color=indigo]I have been composing music for a little while now. When I was in high school I actually won a small scholarship for a brass chamber music piece I wrote. I really haven?t been involved in too many symphonic groups since I entered college. For the past three or four years I have slowly been becoming familiar enough with guitar chord progressions to utilize them adequately enough to write music. I have written a couple songs and I actually cannot wait until I get my tax return so I can finish my computer and add the necessary software and equipment to allow me to record and edit my music. I know I am not talented enough to ever have my songs purchased, but it is a fun hobby that brings me a ton of satisfaction.[/color]

[color=indigo]To be honest, I have never seen an anime that has more substance than Disney?s Snow White. Now before people get there panties in a bunch, I am not saying that there isn?t complicated anime out there, I just wanted to compound on what Semjaza Azazel stated. Grave of Fireflies has some beautiful imagery, a few metaphorical references and a moving story line. Series like Boogie Pop Phantom and .hack seem complicated, but only in the sense that it is hard to understand the pieces without the whole. And Chobits is a fairly good allegory that references a higher power, the human condition, and love. But none of these touch Snow White (as well as a host of other early Disney movies) in depth, development, and deliberate metaphorical references. You don?t have to look hard at Snow White eating a poisoned apple to make an instant connection to Eve eating an apple. She ate the apple and fell into a deep sleep, another purposeful reference to man before the biblical second coming of Jesus. However, before heathen (and I point out that by heathen I mean polytheistic not pagan) could crush her, Snow White?s Prince Charming rescued her. Prince Charming is a blatant reference to both God and Jesus, he was a kind gentle man to Snow White before she fell from grace and he was her salvation afterwards. The heathen ideology is represented by the Evil Queen, who was once the most beautiful woman in the land. If you look at the Queen?s transformation she parallels the last stance of heathen ideology, turning into what she detests just to remain in power. And it goes deeper than that, actually most Disney movies are deeper than that purposefully. But the beauty of Disney is that you don?t have to get the symbolism and the allegories to enjoy the movie. Anyway if this interested anyone in any fashion there are tons of sites on the net, including some that have discussions with historians that talked to Walt Disney about his earlier movies?[/color]

[color=indigo]It doesn't really matter for two reasons. The first being that the second email says that you will be competeing for $20,000. Which means you haven't won anything, despite the initial wording of the email. It is probably similar to a time share, you pay to go to stay at the hotel the seminar is in but you have the chance to win money. You should have figured that out when you read-- "We're familiar with your work, Vicky, and you know . . it [b]could happen just that way[/b]!" You recieved this because you have submitted entries and subscribed to news for poetry.com. The second reason is that if you didn't realize this email was a solicitation immediatly then I don't think you have quite a good enough grasp on the English language to write a poem worth $20,000...[/color]

[color=indigo]I love the Family Guy and Futurama and I am glad they are having renewed success, but I really don?t think that either holds a candle to the Simpsons. In its prime the Simpsons was the funniest sitcom on television, and it was funny on so many levels. Not only was the show loaded with burp and fart jokes, but it also had senseless violence and obscure jokes that actually required a degree of education. Personally I think that there are several episodes of the Simpsons that cannot be touched by any television show ever.[/color]

[color=indigo]In true [b]Hi-Fidelity[/b] fashion here are my top five picks for songs that annoy me by reputable (or at least somewhat reputable) musicians/bands. [b]Sussudio[/b] [i]by Phil Collins[/i]- Even though I enjoy insulting Phil Collins constantly (look at the guy, he is asking for it!) I do think he is phenomenal musician that has written some incredible songs. [i]Sussudio[/i] is not one of those songs. In case you are not familiar with this song, here are some lyrics (which remind me strangely of some of the poetry on OB)? [i] Ah, I've just got to have her, have her now I've got to get closer but I don't know how She makes me nervous and makes me scared But I feel so good if I just say the word Sussudio just say the word[/i] ?yeah, exactly. Not only is this a horrible song, it is played on classic rock stations constantly. The girl is song may make Phil Collins ?nervous and scared? but the song itself makes me nauseous and ill. [b]Knockin? on Heaven?s Door[/b] [i]covered by Eric Clapton[/i]- When a DJ decides to play an Eric Clapton song he has catalogues to choose from. [i]Layla, Crossroads, Cocaine, Wonderful Tonight, Tear?s In Heaven, Down and Out[/i], anything by Cream or Derrick and the Dominoes just to name a few. Too often do they pick Eric Clapton?s cover of [i]Knockin? on Heaven?s Door[/i]. It sounds like Clapton was trying to infuse both country and reggae in the song, but never realized country and reggae doesn?t mix well with folk songs. Dylan?s original version is good enough and G&R did a much better job, there is no reason for DJ?s to play Clapton?s version as much as they do. [b]We are the Champions[/b] [i]by Queen[/i]- If this is the only song of Queen that the radio stations wish to play, than I longer want to be rocked. No more fighting till the end I tell you! No more! I just want this song to stop playing at the intermission of every sporting event I go to and I want to be able to stop my car at a red light without having to fear hearing this song on the radio tandemed with [i]We Will Rock You[/i]. It is a great song, had a wonderful run?but its time to end it. [b]Rock of Ages[/b] [i]by Def Leppard[/i]- This song has an incredible opening, but then ends up just plain sucking. I find it ironic that the opening lyrics state ?Its better to burn out than fade away? yet the song actually fades away. My opinion of Def Leppard has always been favorable, but this is not the pinnacle song that DJ?s around America make it out to be. But I guess that DJ?s united together in the eighties and decided that they would continue playing the song until the Rock of Ages stopped rolling. [b]My final pick is an obvious one if you know me?[/b] [b]Come Sail Away[/b] [i]by Styx[/i]- I hate Styx. Not just because they wrote Come Sail Away, but because they wrote [i]Lady, Christopher, Mr. Christopher, Babe[/i], and the entire [B]Kilroy[/B] album. Some people do like Styx (only God knows why) so I do consider them somewhat reputable. But [i]Come Sail Away[/i] is a horrible song, and it is long. It can be hard listening to a good long song (hey, a rhyming hat trick) but this song is impossible?they repeat ?Come Sail Away? over and over for four minutes! I usually don?t judge people solely on the songs that they like, but I think that all of the people that actually like this song should subjected to forced sterilization. There is no way they should be allowed to breed. [/color]

[color=indigo]That is because you are young and you are overreacting. I did it when I was younger, and I am sure when I am thirty I will look back at my life and think that I overreacted about quite a bit when I was twenty-three. It is just a part of growing up. If you write the company and tell them the truth I guarantee that you will instantly feel better. But even if you don?t, do you think this will still bother you in a month? Will you be laughing about this incident with friends a year or two from now? In ten years will you even remember the incident? The truth of the matter is that your problem isn?t at all important in the grand scheme of your life.[/color]

[color=indigo]Well, my first guess is that you entered another person?s poem into a contest under your own name. At least that is what I have concluded since you don?t seem to express your self in a manner that would suggest you are capable of writing a twenty-thousand dollar poem yourself. If you were seven at the time you really have no need to worry, no court in the world is going to arrest a person that was seven at time they copied something. I suggest that you simply email the organization back telling them that you sent them a work that wasn?t your own and you cannot possibly take credit for it. Then apologize and explain that you were only seven at the time. If your email is anything like your first post in this thread, the organization will probably just laugh and wonder why nobody recognized the poem. As far as this incident ruining your life, it won?t. Life is always what you make of it, and there are very few things that a person can do that will lead to their livelihood?s damnation. [/color]

[color=indigo]Meanwhile? A dirty man in a freshly cleaned white shirt scurried through the woods. Pirouetting and leaping, he nimbly avoided brambles, tree branches and an unsightly mud puddle. ?Mon Dieu!? the man exclaimed in horribly exaggerated French accent, ?why must British woods be so filthy? I don?t remember the woods in France being this dirty. If I have to keep dodging all this muck and goo I will never escape those overacting buffoons chasing me.? Those overacting buffoons were comprised of nearly a hundred men, all of whom wanted to tear the scrawny, beak nosed man limb from limb. While none of them possessed more than a flicker of intelligence the men did have just cause to be upset with the grimy Frenchman; he did have affairs with all of their wives?and we all know that a Frenchman likes nothing more to than to have dirty, filthy sex with lonely housewives. The man paused in a dark secluded part of the forest; he could feel the rumbling mass approaching. Searching for a quick escape, the man scanned the area; the only hiding place was a moss ridden immense oak tree. Spewing a stream of curse words in French so profane that I dare not repeat them, the man took off his shirt, neatly folded it and stuck it in his small bag. With monkey like swiftness, the grimy Frenchman ascended forty feet up the tree. Below, the troupe of men came to a halt at the moss ridden tree. They stopped and conversed for a minute and then the majority of the group moved through the woods. Five stragglers remained behind and began setting up camp below the Frenchman. The man swore under his breath, and strained to hear what the men were saying. ??anyway, it was at that moment I walked into my house and saw the bugger on top of my wife,? one of the men exclaimed. ?I think he must have bewitched her because she was groaning in an odd way, a way I ?ave never heard her groan before.? ?My daughter was groaning to,? another man said. ?I?ve bedded her a dozen times and never heard her groan in that manner.? ?You bedded your daughter?? the first man questioned as he pounded a tent stake into the ground. ?Err, uh, of course I never bedded my daughter, what kind of sick pervert beds their own daughter,? the man choked. ?You misunderstood me, I never heard her groan like that while she was in bed sleeping?yeah that?s it.? ?Well that?s good,? the third man chided in. ?Bedding you kin is a very serious sin.? ?What?re you? A preacher or sumthin?? the second man spat. ?Well, yes I am actually,? the third man replied. ?Forgive me father,? the mortified second man moaned. ?I had no idea. Forgive me for asking but why are you here? You can?t have a wife or a daughter of your own.? ?Nay child,? the Priest said. ?His holiness the Pope long ago forbade priests to have intercourse. Nonetheless, I stumbled upon him bewitching one of my flock, a young, nubile lad barely eleven. When I saw that dirty Frenchman tapping the ass that had so long made my loins burn with an uncontrollable desire I knew that God wanted me to punish him.? ?Did you say your loins burn father?? the first man asked. ?I know a wonderful chemist that makes a cream that?? ?It was a metaphor you nincompoop!? the priest interrupted. ?How about you young sir, what did this nefarious Frenchman do to you?? The forth man looked at the priest. ?Well, he didn?t do me as bad as bad as he did you fellows, I mean he didn?t bed my wife, daughter, nor sleep with my boy toy. No nothing like that, actually I caught him raping a donkey.? ?A donkey?? the priest gasped mystified. ?A donkey,? the man confirmed. ?I caught him sleeping with my donkey too!? the fifth man chided. ?Of course he was also bedding my wife, my daughter, and my eleven year altar boy son that spent way too much time with the local priest. I swear I?m gonna kill that man!? ?You lying sack of filth!? an outrageous French accent bellowed from above. ?I didn?t sleep with your daughter!? The Frenchman cupped his mouth, cursing his own stupidity. ?Hey, who said that?? the first man shouted to no one in particular. ?I think it came from up there,? the priest stated, pointing at a humongous tree branch. ?We have you now Frenchy!? the fourth man exclaimed, gathering with the other five men beneath the branch. The dirty, shirtless man had nowhere to go. Divine fortune smiled upon the Frenchman that day, for the huge tree limb broke under his weight at that very moment crushing and killing three of the four men. The Frenchman rolled off stunned, but unscathed. Unfortunately, the remaining two men were had surrounded him, one in front, one behind. The grimy man tore the huge rusty sword off his back and lifted it over his head in an attempt to fight off the man in front of him. The sword was too heavy, however, and it caused him to topple backwards, slicing the priest behind him in two. The Frenchman leapt to his feet prepared to fend off an attack but his would be assailant just gawked at him dumbfounded. ?You just killed a priest!? the fifth man (who was chasing the Frenchman for bedding his wife, son, and donkey, but [i]not[/i] his daughter) exclaimed. ?Oh, yes. Sorry about that,? the grimy, shirtless man said as he vainly attempted to remove the sword from the priests body. ?You are a monster!? the fifth man screamed. He turned to flee from the Frenchman, unfortunately he was not watching where he was going and he hit his head on a tree limb. The fifth man somersaulted backwards and fell to the ground unconscious. The Frenchman looked puzzled for a moment, then reached into his bag and removed his clean white shirt. When he put it on he noticed a small red smudge. ?I have such rotten luck? the Frenchman spat as ventured deeper into the forest.[/color]

[color=indigo]I assume that Puerto Rican law is similar if not identical to U.S. law. I know that in custody cases children can make an appeal to the judge/court to live with a particular parent. Obviously some requirements have to be met; the parent that the child is making a plea for has to be able to support the child independently, want to keep the child, and prove (through the testimony of others) that they are a suitable parent, and the courts can even take the child?s grades into consideration. If you are unable to rationalize with your father than this is an option you and your mother may want to look into?just remember that if the courts grant full custody under these terms your father is not obligated to pay any child support.[/color]

[color=indigo]Much to my chagrin, I was stood up on my first date. When I was in the sixth grade I developed a crush on a girl that I had been friends with for years. I finally worked up the nerve to call her up and I was relieved when she said yes. We decided on going to see Suburban Commando, which honestly was not my decision (although I really wanted to see the movie). Anyway, my mom drove me to her house to pick her up and no one was home. I think I was both devastated and relieved at the same time (because I remember being insanely nervous before hand). I found out later from my mom that someone had called for me but she couldn?t understand what the caller was saying. I was never able to really talk to her again, actually I remember avoiding her as much as possible. Even though I moved to North Carolina three years later it seems that she and I have always kept tabs on each other through mutual friends?kind of weird I guess. [/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i] [B]Yeah, I can't remember if I made the point in my post or not... but the teachers could potentially be robbed of a lot of freedom and importance by this. There are sections in there that basically seem to make me feel like the children have more control over how the school works than the teachers do... which is really strange. However, I suppose if a school isn't improving after five entire years, you have to wonder how great these teachers are as it is. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=indigo]Well, at the same time you have to consider that inner city public schools don?t pay there teachers enough to get by on half the time, so you are going to get a mixture of great teachers that teach because they enjoy it and teachers that are horrible but cannot be fired because they school cannot find replacements (that was a pointless tangent :)). I do agree with what you said though, I was and am against this bill. Fortunately, it was watered down in congress, but I still think that it is beginning a poor precedent and could have horrid effects in the future. It is my big black mark towards Bush this election, however, all of the democratic candidates are so vague about education reform that it is hard to place anyone. [/color]