Hello again everyone!
Wow what a crazy week! I seem to have kicked off 2008 with some sort of nasty, nasty mutant virus, so I spent most of Monday and Tuesday trying to fight that sucker off. Alas, I am now back in the saddle, however, and excited to be back at work!
This week has also been very exciting for a number of reasons:
First, and most importantly, on Thursday morning I attended an NCLB panel discussion on Capitol Hill entitled "Improving No Child Left Behind: The Cost of Waiting." More on this in an upcoming MENC Legislative ALERT (please tell me that you've signed up for them by now riiiiiight?? ;-)), but for the time being, please just trust me when I say that this was several hours of my time very well spent.
The panel featured opening remarks from Secretary Tommy Thompson (Co-chair, Commission on NCLB and former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Also speaking was Governor Roy Barnes (Co-chair, Commission on NCLB and former Governor of Georgia). These two gentlemen set the tone for a conversation that would proceed to feature various high level majority and minority level staff members brought in to discuss the "ongoing" (try to excuse me if I'm a bit if a cynic at this point) reauthorization efforts.
Following the first panel discussion and a lively Q&A session, the audience was then treated to a series of local education reports as delivered by a host of bright, articulate, grassroots level education leaders. Eduardo Angulo, Chairman of the Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality, and a local education advocate in the state of Oregon, was particularly impressive in his remarks. Overall, the dialogue was upbeat and inspirational, and it gives me (as it should give you) hope that perhaps 2008 won't be a lost year after all in the fight to reauthorize America's most important education bill. Hope is the message to be had here!
Now, on to only slightly less relevant fare...
The presidential primaries!
Phew! These babies have really heated up since last time we left off (and things were starting to bake back then too!!). Just to recap, we're pretty much down to two candidates in each of the major parties, Senators Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, and Senator John McCain and Governor Mitt Romney on the Republican side, respectively. A brief side note: Mitt Romney's son's name is Tagg. Tagg Romney. Oh what I would give to come from a family that named people things like Mitt and Tagg. Awesome.
Anyways, to make a long story short, all of the candidates duked it out in their respective party's California debates this past week (hopefully you caught some of the action on CNN!) and are now waiting with fingers crossed for Super Duper Tuesday next week when voters in 22 states (a record amount) will all cast their votes or caucus on the same exact day (absolute HEAVEN for political junkies like me!).
Once all of the dust has settled, we FINALLY may very well have our two presidential nominees. If not, however, then it will be on to "Chesapeake Tuesday," when those of us in Reston and elsewhere in the greater Washington, DC region will have OUR chance to play a role in this seemingly never-ending soap opera that is the 2008 presidential nomination process! WHAT FUN.
Ok, and now lastly, on to some COMPLETELY unrelated but totally awesome fare...
L O S T returned this week. DUN DUN DUN.
Yesssssssssssss.
For those of you who follow this drama-filled island mystery (and as several of us loyalists here at MENC can safely attest to, you don't just watch L O S T, you sleep, eat, and breathe L O S T), its return has seemed like a long time coming. And with absolutely ZIPPO (other than those wonderful presidential debates!) else on TV right now, what could be better than a heapin' helpin' of this consistently amazing Robinson Crusoe meets Swiss Family Robinson meets Survivor meets the X-Files tropical brain cramp?!?!
The answer?
NOTHING! (Tune in next Thursday night for more of the action!!)
Ok, well that’s all for now gang… have a wonderful weekend and blog with you soon!!
