Nuggets from the current issue of « Harper’s »:

‘The phrase “national security” undoubtedly will make numerous appearances in the campaign speeches between now and the November election, and if the ritual holds true to form it will add to the country’s inventories of fear instead of increasing its store of courage. To define the national security as a wonder of aircraft carriers or a marvel of surveillance cameras is to mistake the lesser for the greater instruments of American power, to miss the point, made by the signatories to both the Constitution and the report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, that the republic’s best and only chance for survival rests on its freedom of thought and force of mind.’
—Lewis Lapham

And in the Sanctity of Marriage Department:

‘Percentage of the 958 same-sex unions granted to Vermont residents since July 2000 that have since been dissolved: 3
‘Percentage of U.S. heterosexual marriages that are dissolved within five years: 20’

Nice comparison, but a better one is:
Vermont gay marriages ending in divorce: 3 percent.
Oklahoma straight marriages ending in divorce: 60 percent.

Here’s a head-scratcher:

‘From the Frequently Asked Questions page of the U.S. government’s Hurricane Research Division website.
Why don’t we try to destroy tropical cyclones by nuking them?
During each hurricane season, there always appear suggestions that one should simply use nuclear weapons to try and destroy the storms …’

The Amurrican Empire. Whatta country.

Perhaps I’m doing something right in the classroom … As I arrived at a northeast Ann Arbor high school this morning, I met a student who was in a history class I guest taught over a month ago. He stopped me and asked me if I was going be in that class again today and said, ‘Oh, man! I so wish you were, dude!’ when I told him I was headed somewhere else.

And later, a sophomore in one of my English classes pronounced me, ‘Best. Sub. Ever.’ Another said she ‘hearted’ me.

It ain’t Teacher of the Year, but I’ll take it.

But I wonder if it had something to do with me allowing a sixth-hour student to practice skateboard tricks in the middle of the room during free reading time?

And Sunday’s “move-out today,” or so goes the scuttlebutt (heard as I walked by a couple of people sitting out in front of Ambrosia this morning, one of whom was talking about how much she was looking forward to the atmosphere of the town once all the students are gone).

Helicopters circling over central campus, lots of clueless out-of-towners wandering around, lots of ties and shirts and trousers as opposed to jeans and shorts, people scrambling around to assemble poses for video cameras, the worst traffic on State and South U that I’ve seen in weeks if not months ….. yep, today must be graduation day.