Taxing

Today we worked on getting our income taxes ready to send. No sense waiting until the last minute! (snort) We managed quite nicely - we were able to come up with every scrap of paper that's required, and to jump through all of the hoops from the IRS and also the hoops from TurboTax. It's basically finished - Dick just wants to go over it again before we submit it.

We had time afterwards to finish fixing up the Let's Go Moo cache, and stopped at Moomer's for ice cream - which will turn out to be our dinner!

Not the Best of the Rest

We had fun driving around today trying to fix up our Let's Go Moo cache, which was in dire need of maintenance. We got it partially finished, and we'll do the rest tomorrow.
Each year, the winner of the NIT is called The Best of the Rest, meaning the best of those left out of the NCAA tournament. Michigan played in the championship game tonight, but came up short, so they're the runners up. I guess we could say that they are the Best of the Rest of the Rest.

Bidding for its second NIT championship in three years, the Michigan men's basketball team fell behind early and never recovered as South Carolina captured its second straight NIT crown with a 76-64 victory Thursday, March 30, in New York City. The Wolverines (22-11), who trailed 10-2 early and were down 39-27 at the break, made a late run to cut the margin to nine points but could not get any closer. Daniel Horton closed out his brilliant senior season with 18 points, while Brent Petway and Chris Hunter added 12 points apiece.

T.C. Geo-Lunch

We started out the morning geocaching in Mother Gen's old backyard - no kidding! A cache has been hidden near the TART behind Gen's lot. We couldn't find it, so we'll have to go back. The other one we couldn't find was at the Civic Center - so we'll have to go back there too.

We met Frank and Peggy for lunch at Scott's Harbor Grill - we had a great time - sat and talked for two hours...very much fun indeed. The four of us have a lot in common - kids, geocaching, teaching, Ann Arbor, Boston, etc. We ran into Janet there, too. It really is a small town!

In the afternoon we went to Benzie County for two new caches, and we were FTF (First to Find) on both of them - so that kind of made up for the morning.

It was a beautiful day to be out and about - the weather has been very mild this week - we shed our jackets early. The bay was simply gorgeous - it's fun to see the ships at the Maritime Academy - the big one is docked there (The State of Michigan) along with two little tugs - a lot of local color.

We found a new place in Inland Township, Benzie County - Turtle Lake on Miller Road. It's quite small, but it's in an area that would be very pretty in the summer time. Just makes me want to place a turtle cache there! (see link above)

Exactly So

Laurie found a video in Arabic with subtitles. (see link above) The speaker captivated us all with her bravery, her passion, and her rationality. Dick found a transcript of the interview:

2/21/2006 Clip No. 1050

Arab-American Psychiatrist Wafa Sultan: There is No Clash of Civilizations but a Clash between the Mentality of the Middle Ages and That of the 21st Century

Following are excerpts from an interview with Arab-American psychiatrist Wafa Sultan. The interview was aired on Al-Jazeera TV on February 21, 2006

.
Wafa Sultan: The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete.

[...]

Host: I understand from your words that what is happening today is a clash between the culture of the West, and the backwardness and ignorance of the Muslims?

Wafa Sultan: Yes, that is what I mean.

[...]

Host: Who came up with the concept of a clash of civilizations? Was it not Samuel Huntington? It was not Bin Laden. I would like to discuss this issue, if you don't mind...

Wafa Sultan: The Muslims are the ones who began using this expression. The Muslims are the ones who began the clash of civilizations. The Prophet of Islam said: "I was ordered to fight the people until they believe in Allah and His Messenger." When the Muslims divided the people into Muslims and non-Muslims, and called to fight the others until they believe in what they themselves believe, they started this clash, and began this war. In order to start this war, they must reexamine their Islamic books and curricula, which are full of calls for takfir and fighting the infidels.

My colleague has said that he never offends other people's beliefs. What civilization on the face of this earth allows him to call other people by names that they did not choose for themselves? Once, he calls them Ahl Al-Dhimma, another time he calls them the "People of the Book," and yet another time he compares them to apes and pigs, or he calls the Christians "those who incur Allah's wrath." Who told you that they are "People of the Book"? They are not the People of the Book, they are people of many books. All the useful scientific books that you have today are theirs, the fruit of their free and creative thinking. What gives you the right to call them "those who incur Allah's wrath," or "those who have gone astray," and then come here and say that your religion commands you to refrain from offending the beliefs of others?

I am not a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being. I do not believe in the supernatural, but I respect others' right to believe in it.

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: Are you a heretic?

Wafa Sultan: You can say whatever you like. I am a secular human being who does not believe in the supernatural...

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: If you are a heretic, there is no point in rebuking you, since you have blasphemed against Islam, the Prophet, and the Koran...

Wafa Sultan: These are personal matters that do not concern you.

[...]

Wafa Sultan: Brother, you can believe in stones, as long as you don't throw them at me. You are free to worship whoever you want, but other people's beliefs are not your concern, whether they believe that the Messiah is God, son of Mary, or that Satan is God, son of Mary. Let people have their beliefs.

[...]

Wafa Sultan: The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror, with their work, not their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. 15 million people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims have turned three Buddha statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a Mosque, kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them.

How to Enjoy a Saturday

Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Glen Arbor needed a Medicare Part D presentation at 10:30 this morning. Dick did a great job. It was a small group but very friendly. Afterwards we had a great lunch at Art's Tavern, which we always enjoy.

We also enjoy driving around Leelanau County! We drove past the Dunes Climb and were surprised to see 4 people up at the top with backpacks. We drove into Pierce Stocking drive, but it's not open yet. We went to Empire to find the end of the Shore to Shore Trail, and to scout out possible locations for caches for the new cache series.

After resting at home for a while, we took the other car to the dump and recycling. We had a great time driving around unusual roads out near Holiday Hills, and behind the Timber Ridge campground. I was amazed at the new houses out that way. We did the Subaru Cruise downtown except we were in the Ford Explorer - so I guess it was a Marco Explore, not a cruise. Downtown was busy - the marina area was deserted - the bay looked dark and angry.

Beef stew in the crockpot.

Second Place

I've been bumped into second place in the GenFamily bracket challenge. Melanie is now # 1. My pick for National Champ (Villanova) had a really tough time beating Boston College so now I'm biting my fingernails about the final outcome!

Dick worked at the Visitor Center from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. - an unusually long stretch. He was covering for Kathee, who is on Spring Break. The Agency had 2 people call him with Medicare questions - I think that's out of line. At least they didn't show up in person the way three of them did last week.

I had my C-T scan - they said it takes 3 to 5 business days for me to get the results, so it will be the end of next week. I was there from 12:30 to 3:30 - the test has a prep similar to the prep for a colonoscopy, but less so, thank goodness! But I did have to drink three large cups full of "stuff". We got pizza from Mancino's so that the day shouldn't be a total loss! (wink)

Coyle's, Caching & Companions

The DinoDuo are back up north, so it's time for a geo-get-together. We met in Houghton Lake for lunch at Coyle's, and to catch up on some caches not done in the past. It was a real cache catch-up. (Sorry) We also caught up on all of the latest news, told most of our favorite jokes, did some pre-planning of the Shore to Shore cache series, and did some caching in the rain. My favorite was the Ospreys Soar- I wasn't afraid to do the reach-in! Dick and I did 8 caches all together.

The weather was miserable - we got rained on and snowed upon, and went down a couple of two-tracks which weren't very vehicle friendly, but that's really fun for us. That's about as adventurous as we get!

On the way home we agreed that it was our favorite kind of a day.

Have you tried frozen Bertolli pasta dinners? Yum! We had that for a late dinner, with polenta.

B-Day

This was a Very Nice Birthday! It began with a call from Tom - we had fun talking about kitties, and his job. He's a little stressed out because he has an upcoming deadline, and he doesn't have his xenon-fluoride chamber perfected yet. And you know how frustrating that can be. (!) I got gorgeous yellow tulips from my offspring, a lot of really cute birthday cards from Dick, a lovely, lush azalea plant from Tim and Susie, and a phone call from Jana.

I spent most of the morning playing guilt-free games on the computer - Did you know that today is National Goof Off Day? (see link above)

We went to the movies and saw Eight Below, which is a dog story about lost sled dogs in Antarctica (http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/8below/). The dogs were really good actors, and displayed a surprising amount of human compassion for each other. But seriously, folks, we really enjoyed it. The dogs were beautiful, and the young, mostly unknown cast was quite good. We were especially impressed with Jason Biggs, the comic relief. He was funny without actually scene stealing the way it sometimes happens. Dick was able to detect some flaws in the technical aspects of dog sledding, but I was enthralled by the drama and the pathos.

We went out to dinner at the Hofbrau in Interlochen, and I had a marvelous time! They have one of those interactive games where you answer trivia questions at your table and your score shows up on the TV monitor. I won, because no one else was playing.

To top it off, Michigan won their 3rd round NIT game against Miami - so it was a perfect birthday. This from mgoblue.com:

The Michigan men's basketball team earned a return trip to Madison Square Garden with a 71-65 NIT quarterfinal victory over Miami (Fla.) Wednesday, March 22, in Crisler Arena. The quartet of Daniel Horton (19 points), Chris Hunter (16), Lester Abram (15) and Dion Harris (15) combined for all but six of the Wolverines' points as U-M gained an NIT semifinal berth for the third straight season (two postseason, one preseason). Graham Brown added 10 rebounds for Michigan, which will face Old Dominion next Tuesday, March 28.

Google Images / Life Story

This idea came from another blog. The project is to do a pictorial autobiography using only images from searching "Google Images". No other pictures or images are allowed. It's a real adventure to see what you can come up with! Some are absolutely appropriate, some of the images are a bit of a stretch, but all in all I'm happy with the way it turned out. So here's my 70th birthday Google Images Life Story:

Grand Traverse Bay. My family moved to Traverse City in 1941 - I was in 1st grade. Dick and I were lucky enough to be able to retire here after living in Wayne County for over 30 years. 

Who could be happier? I was amazed to find this picture on google images. I'm using it to represent Dick - it's a great photo. 

Dick and I both graduated from Traverse City Central High School, Dick in 1954, and Nancy in 1953. 

Dick and Jane (Nancy Jane, that is) 

The University of Michigan continues to be a big part of our lives. We enjoy all of the sports activities, and even better than that, all of our children hold degrees from Michigan - they are all 4th generation Michigan grads. 

After High School I was off to Ann Arbor for four years at the University. BAed'57 

And so after college we established the Steiger Family, which follows: 

Laurie - of all the choices available when you google image Laurie, I liked this one the best because it's sweet and beautiful. 

This is for Dylan, the world's best grandchild. Since we were destined to have only one, it's a miracle that we got the best one! 

Tom, the middle child - graduate of MIT, University of Michigan, and physicist with Cymer. I thought this was especially appropriate because Tom once did his own version of a tour of the Pacific Rim. 

Jana Louise, our youngest child. She is now a corporate barracuda and a cat lover. 

I completed a quilt this year - no one is more surprised than I am - it was a fun (if somewhat nerve-wracking) project, and the best part about it is that it's finished. 

Scrapbooking is an absorbing, colorful, entertaining hobby. I love to sort through all of the available stickers and ribbons and tags and papers - it's very satisfying. I'm not sure for whom I'm doing the scrapbooks - nobody is really overly interested - but Dick says it OK to just do it for myself, and so I continue to enjoy it. 

Pogo.com, my favorite online activity (after e-mail and blogspot, of course). 

Geocaching - Our hobby for the 21st Century ! 

One of our signature cards 

If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look Around You

If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look Around You, or Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice. This is the well-deserved motto of the State of Michigan. The link above has interesting trivia and important facts about Michigan - I recommend it.

I really have to start taking my camera with me in the car. Today the bay was indescribably beautiful, and the sky was blue and pink and gray - I was really missing my camera. Words just can't describe the scene. That's what made me think of the "pleasant peninsula" thing.

First thing was a visit to Dr. Burke to discuss my latest complaints and to get a blood test. I can't figure out why it is that I always feel better after I talk to him, no matter what he tells me. This time he wants me to have a C-T scan on Friday because he thinks something is "worrisome" (one of his favorite words). I'll do it because I always do what he says, and it's working so far!

Ran some errands, dropped in on Dick at the Agency, and went to visit Mother. She has a new neighbor just moving in today - her name is Onie. Mother reports that McLenithans have been to visit, and she was thrilled. She seemed in a marvelous mood today - quite unusual for her.

Michigan beat Notre Dame in double over-time tonight. Not what you would call a commanding performance!

Dion Harris'catch-and-shoot three-pointer as time expired in the second overtime gave the Michigan men's basketball team an 87-84 win over Notre Dame in the NIT second round Monday, March 20, in Crisler Arena. The Wolverines, who trailed by double digits in the first half, played catch-up in the second period and finally pulled ahead on a triple from Daniel Horton, who finished with 29 points. Harris, Lester Abram and Chris Hunter each had 15 points for U-M, which hosts Miami (Fla.) in a quarterfinal at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Spring arrived at 1:26 EST today. Snow is predicted for the next three days. Go figure. Happy Spring

Bright Blue

Another crisp, sunny, blue sky day. Visited Mother, tried to find a cache, watched basketball.

Mother and I looked through catalogs and picked some spring clothes to order- that was fun.

The cache eludes us still. Dick thinks that it's gone.

In basketball, the upsets continue.

I'm Number One!

For at least a half an hour, I'm all alone in First Place in the Gen Family Bracket Challenge! This is so hard to believe, I can't even tell you. It won't last, but it's fun for now. (See link above.)

This morning we went for a ride to the Fife Lake area to scout out a hiding place for a cache. We're working on a Shore to Shore cache series which will consist of 12 caches along the Shore to Shore Hiking Trail from Empire to AuSable. We're doing the four western caches, DinoDuo will do the middle four, and James and Sheryl the eastern section. It's an ambitious project, and we'll all have all kinds of fun doing it.

Ate lunch at the Fife Lake Inn - came home to watch basketball!

FTF

Hey! We went for a ride and wound up being the First to Find a new cache. That's always fun. The cache was at the Acme Park.

It was also fun to drive around downtown and watch the St.Paddy's day pub-crawlers crawling from pub to pub. The craziest thing was that even though the temperature was in the 30s, these folks were walking around with no coats on - and some of the pubs aren't that close together! Oh well, everyone looked to be enjoying the activity, especially the girl with the foam beer mug for a hat, and the people with green everywhere - necklaces, leis, hats, and clothes. We were there quite early, and I can just imagine how things picked up afterwards! We came home and staidly ate our corned beef and cabbage.

Michigan State was blindsided by George Mason U.(?) in their first round tournament game - it's really a shame because State has the talent to go farther in my opinion. It's upsetting everyone's brackets, too. It's a big shock. This from msuspartans.collegesports.com:

3/17/06
Michigan State Falls To George Mason, 75-65
George Mason sure proved it belonged in the NCAA tournament. Despite critical comments by some experts that it should not have gotten an at-large berth, the 11th-seeded Patriots used hot shooting, a balanced attack and a surprising rebounding superiority to upset sixth-seeded Michigan State 75-65 Friday night in the first round.

Morale Booster

My High School girlfriends keep in touch by way of a round robin letter. It takes almost a full year for the letter to make the rounds. There are 13 in our group, and the name of our club was the SLGs. This time, Freda emailed her letter in addition to sticking it in the mail, and the first paragraph really got to me - Freda always did have a way with words! Anyway, these are words that mean a lot to me on the eve of my 70th birthday! Please pardon my sentimentality.
Here's Freda's first paragraph:

I was really struck this time, even more than usual, as I read the wonderful Robin letters, by just how awe-inspiring you all are! And what a fascinating privilege it has been and is to witness and participate in the life journeys of the SLG’s -- girlfriends still, after all these decades. Our letters show deep interests, vibrancy of living, compassion, love, caring, diligence, lots of humor, appreciation of all that we have, and a mental balance and depth of character that get us through the really tough times in our lives (these seem to increase as we age). Three Cheers for the SLG’S!!!

A Day for Errands

Just a few good errands to run today - recycling, library, cruise downtown, visit Mother, Staples, and groceries. It might not sound like much, but it took all afternoon!

At the library I got a passel of genealogy books - I'm working on the Geib family tree - and I can't go back farther than Nicholas. I think I'll have to visit Germany.

It was a beautiful, crisp, sunny late winter day. The bay was deep, deep blue, with whitecaps - a beautiful sight.

Mother's world is shrinking before our very eyes. She sits in her chair in the corner of her room all day long every day. She has no interest in socializing or venturing beyond her door. Her conversation revolves around which caretaker is on duty, who is out in the hall, and how horrible the food is. She's not interested in very much else.

Dick fixed ribs for dinner - what a treat. I think that was the end of the ribs from the last use of the smoker. When the weather gets a little more spring-like I hope he'll do some more.

It's fun watching the first round of March Madness. I'm watching the Michigan game on my laptop. They're leading by 10 at the half.

Update: Final - Michigan 82 UTEP 67

Michigan plays Notre Dame Monday @ 7 p.m. @ Crisler.

This from mgoblue.com:

Chris Hunter scored a team-high 20 points, Dion Harris added 18, and Daniel Horton had 14 as the Michigan men's basketball team handled Texas-El Paso, 82-67, in the NIT first round Thursday, March 16, in Crisler Arena. With Harris and Horton each hitting three triples and combining for 21 points in the first half, the Wolverines owned a 44-34 lead at the break, and Hunter took over in the second half, scoring 14 of his points. Brent Petway added 10 points for U-M, which will host Notre Dame at 7 p.m. Monday, March 20.

Clean and Shiny

My dental hygienist did her thing today, so my teeth are in pristine condition. It was fun to hear how her family is doing, and her plans for St. Patrick's Day. Dr. Kevin wasn't there today, but fortunately we really didn't need him.

Dick had a Medicare presentation this afternoon at Central Methodist. This group seemed more informed than any other group we have seen. There were 25 people there, and most of them were very elderly. One lovely lady was 95 years old. Dick is still feeling the effects of his heart cath somewhat, but he did a great job, and he's glad to be home now!

Jana called on her way to Philly for a conference. She wanted directions from mapquest.

Yippee!

Dick had the angioplasty today with the best possible results! He has a slight enlargement which can be treated with medication - so no surgery and no stents! The Doctor said that he had a strong heart. Yippee!

He's happy to be back home,and he's feeling well. He has to avoid exerting himself for the next week, so we'll be taking it easy.

I picked my brackets this morning. The team I picked to win the championship is not really my favorite, and the Big Ten didn't fare too well in my brackets either, so I'll be making some adjustments - probably right up until the last minute.

Michigan is a #1 seed in the NIT (see link above). Their first game will be Thursday
at Crisler @ 7 p.m.

Blue Sky Day

Right after lunch we went to visit Mother. She's fine. I got her to talk a little bit about some family history - mostly Aunt Nellie Geib and Uncle Frank Geib - siblings of my Grandpa. She has such a good memory of days gone by.

We had a chance to visit with Julius, the 102 year old who lives across the hall. He wheeled in to say hello. He was reminiscing about the big flu epidemic of 1918! He would have been 14 at the time. Margaret, who we think suffers from dementia, wandered in to say hello - she wants to go home to West Salem Ohio, which she says is only 4 miles away. I told her that this was Michigan, and she looked at me like she doubted my sanity. She said, "My mother dropped me off here, and I'm as mad as the dickens." Or maybe as mad as the March Hare.

It was a gorgeous day - temp was 45+ most of the day - blue sky and lots of sunshine. We did a couple of caches in town and then went out on the peninsula to check out the Peninsula Twp. Park and to do another cache. Dick is checking out all of the local parks which have pavilions to help prepare for the MIGO Fall Fun Day next October. He thinks that Chad has already decided to use Camp Greilick though.

We tried to find a cache at Muncie Lakes, but we struck out. We found a decoy cache that said "You're getting warm", but we couldn't come up with the real one.

By this time we were getting hungry, so we went to Peegeo's and had the steak special - it really hit the spot. We were sitting where we could see the TV - I was stunned to see that Iowa had beaten Ohio State this afternoon to win the Big Ten Championship. Those OSU fans are probably crying in their beer.

The brackets for March Madness were just chosen, and Michigan is nowhere to be seen. (See link above.) Oh well, it's just as well - we figure they wouldn't have gone far at all. So now we're crying in our beer, too! Maybe they can win the NIT. (heavy sigh)

Third Weekend of Socials

For the third weekend in a row we were off to a geocaching meet and greet. Today's event was in Houghton Lake (see link above). This one was particularly fun for me because eight of our favorite geocaching buddies were there - four terrific couples -Tim and Susie, Marty and Don, Frank and Peggy, and James and Sheryl. There were lots of other really great old friends there too and several new (really young!) friends.

The potluck lunch was enjoyable and delicious, the kids were cute, the babies were adorable, and a great time was had by all. Dick especially enjoyed watching everybody bowling, or trying to! I think he had more fun than anyone!

We found five caches on the way home, and we were back here by 6:30. A very pleasant day.

Jan Howard

Our old camping "buddy" has passed away. When our kids were little, many Belleville teachers and their families went camping with us in the Smokies every Easter vacation. We sometimes had as many as 25 people from 4 or 5 families walking down a mountain trail. Our funniest stories, memories, and campfire reminiscences almost always involved George and Jan. George had the ability to crack everyone up with his dry wit ("How are we going to torture ourselves today?" and "Throw some Coleman fuel on that fire and we can all spend the night in a nice warm hospital!"), and Jan was amusing in her own way. She will not be forgotten. This obit is from the Cheboygan newspaper:

Janet L. Howard, 65
CHEBOYGAN - Janet L. Howard, age 65 of Burt Lake, passed away Wednesday, March 8, 2006 at Cheboygan Memorial Hospital.

She was born Feb. 3, 1941 in Gary, Ind., to Henry and Doretta (Rasmussen) Irving. On March 14, 1964 in Saginaw, Janet married George H. Howard, who survives.

Janet worked as a teacher's aide for the VanBuren Public Schools for 13 years, retiring in 1994. She and George then moved to their home on Burt Lake where they had summered since 1979. She received a bachelor of science degree in occupational therapy from Western Michigan University, where she was a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. Janet enjoyed swimming, sewing, woodworking, restoring wood furniture, upholstery, caning, camping and traveling.

Besides her husband, George, Janet is survived by her two children, Kevin (Cathy) Howard of Willis, Mich., and Kristen (Eddie) Antkoviak of Cheboygan; two sisters, Jean (Dr. Wesley) Jackson of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and Melissa (Fred) Marria of West Bloomfield, Mich.; one brother, Dr. William (Lori) Irving of Los Altos Hills, Calif.; and three grandchildren, Jack, Ella and Maci Antkoviak. She was preceded in death by her parents.

A Memorial Service will be conducted at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 at the Nordman Funeral Home in Cheboygan, with the Rev. Jeff Dinner officiating. Visitation will be held two hours prior to the service at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions in Janet's name may be directed to Hospice of the Straits.

Tournament Loss

Yesterday's Big Ten Tournament results for Michigan could really amount to two losses - the game, and the tournament bid. We watched the whole sad thing. Dick gave up on them with 12 minutes left in the second half. I didn't give up until 38 seconds remaining. The team gave up long before that. This excerpt is from the msn.com home page:

Most painful loss: Michigan

Twenty-one turnovers and 18 percent shooting cost the Wolverines an NCAA tournament bid. The loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Michigan's seventh defeat in nine games, guarantees Daniel Horton and Dion Harris will play in the NIT rather than the NCAA tournament. Some would like to believe that wins over Illinois and Michigan State keep Horton and Harris on the bubble. But the selection committee strongly prefers clubs with records of better than 3-8 against RPI Top 50 competition and a 5-7 tally away from home.

Dick had his echocardiogram this morning at Grand Traverse Heart Associates. They have a beautiful new building across the street from the Hospital. We'll be doing our bit to help pay for it! :)

Public Schools

For once, here's a rational view of education in the public schools. Some factions love to blame the public schools for all of our nation's ills - it's the fault of the schools, it's the fault of the teachers, etc. Whenever someone acts stupidly, "He's obviously a product of the Public Schools."

Yet how often have we said - my students just don't seem to care. Many parents didn't seem to care - they regarded the school as a babysitter. Dick and I used to say to each other - "I think we care more about these kids learning than anybody else - including the parents, and the kids themselves."

I love this article because it says what we know to be true after spending a combined total of over 50 years in classrooms:

For once, blame the student By Patrick Welsh
Wed Mar 8, 7:08 AM ET



Failure in the classroom is often tied to lack of funding, poor teachers or other ills. Here's a thought: Maybe it's the failed work ethic of todays kids. That's what I'm seeing in my school. Until reformers see this reality, little will change.


Last month, as I averaged the second-quarter grades for my senior English classes at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., the same familiar pattern leapt out at me.


Kids who had emigrated from foreign countries - such as Shewit Giovanni from Ethiopia, Farah Ali from Guyana and Edgar Awumey from Ghana - often aced every test, while many of their U.S.-born classmates from upper-class homes with highly educated parents had a string of C's and D's.


As one would expect, the middle-class American kids usually had higher SAT verbal scores than did their immigrant classmates, many of whom had only been speaking English for a few years.


What many of the American kids I taught did not have was the motivation, self-discipline or work ethic of the foreign-born kids.


Politicians and education bureaucrats can talk all they want about reform, but until the work ethic of U.S. students changes, until they are willing to put in the time and effort to master their subjects, little will change.


A study released in December by University of Pennsylvania researchers Angela Duckworth and Martin Seligman suggests that the reason so many U.S. students are "falling short of their intellectual potential" is not "inadequate teachers, boring textbooks and large class sizes" and the rest of the usual litany cited by the so-called reformers - but "their failure to exercise self-discipline."


The sad fact is that in the USA, hard work on the part of students is no longer seen as a key factor in academic success. The groundbreaking work of Harold Stevenson and a multinational team at the University of Michigan comparing attitudes of Asian and American students sounded the alarm more than a decade ago.


Asian vs. U.S. students


When asked to identify the most important factors in their performance in math, the percentage of Japanese and Taiwanese students who answered "studying hard" was twice that of American students.


American students named native intelligence, and some said the home environment. But a clear majority of U.S. students put the responsibility on their teachers. A good teacher, they said, was the determining factor in how well they did in math.


"Kids have convinced parents that it is the teacher or the system that is the problem, not their own lack of effort," says Dave Roscher, a chemistry teacher at T.C. Williams in this Washington suburb. "In my day, parents didn't listen when kids complained about teachers. We are supposed to miraculously make kids learn even though they are not working."


As my colleague Ed Cannon puts it: "Today, the teacher is supposed to be responsible for motivating the kid. If they don't learn it is supposed to be our problem, not theirs."


And, of course, busy parents guilt-ridden over the little time they spend with their kids are big subscribers to this theory.


Maybe every generation of kids has wanted to take it easy, but until the past few decades students were not allowed to get away with it. "Nowadays, it's the kids who have the power. When they don't do the work and get lower grades, they scream and yell. Parents side with the kids who pressure teachers to lower standards," says Joel Kaplan, another chemistry teacher at T.C. Williams.


Every year, I have had parents come in to argue about the grades I have given in my AP English classes. To me, my grades are far too generous; to middle-class parents, they are often an affront to their sense of entitlement. If their kids do a modicum of work, many parents expect them to get at least a B. When I have given C's or D's to bright middle-class kids who have done poor or mediocre work, some parents have accused me of destroying their children's futures.


It is not only parents, however, who are siding with students in their attempts to get out of hard work.


Blame schools, too

"Schools play into it," says psychiatrist Lawrence Brain, who counsels affluent teenagers throughout the Washington metropolitan area. "I've been amazed to see how easy it is for kids in public schools to manipulate guidance counselors to get them out of classes they don't like. They have been sent a message that they don't have to struggle to achieve if things are not perfect."

Neither the high-stakes state exams, such as Virginia's Standards of Learning, nor the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act have succeeded in changing that message; both have turned into minimum-competency requirements aimed at the lowest in our school.

Colleges keep complaining that students are coming to them unprepared. Instead of raising admissions standards, however, they keep accepting mediocre students lest cuts have to be made in faculty and administration.

As a teacher, I don't object to the heightened standards required of educators in the No Child Left Behind law. Who among us would say we couldn't do a little better? Nonetheless, teachers have no control over student motivation and ambition, which have to come from the home - and from within each student.

Perhaps the best lesson I can pass along to my upper- and middle-class students is to merely point them in the direction of their foreign-born classmates, who can remind us all that education in America is still more a privilege than a right.

Patrick Welsh is an English teacher at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., and a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors.




Copyright © 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Dr. Dino

For me this was a day of sorting through pictures, reading, playing pogo, and watching TV. And for the sorting through pictures part, I was actually sitting in a rocking chair - which kind of adds to the leisurely retirement flavor of my day.

Dick went to see Dr. Dino Recchia, his cardiologist. Dick is scheduled for an echocardiogram on Friday, and a heart catheterization next Monday. We're playing the wait and see game for now. Dr. Dino thinks that Dick may have a blockage, but I'm putting the emphasis on the "may". Dick doesn't have any restrictions, curtailing of activities, or anything like that - so he's just going ahead as usual.

The Good Life

This is a sunny, blue sky kind of a day - we still have a foot of snow on the deck, but I think winter will be over this week. Rain and higher temps are predicted for the end of the week. I went out walking with my ski-walkers, and it was lovely outside. It's fun to see the bunny tracks in the snow criss-crossing the yard. Things are melting - icicles are dripping and falling off the eaves because of the strong sunlight.

Sharon and Kevin have organized another GenFamily NCAA basketball bracket competition - I signed up for it right away. It's one of the most fun things ever! Now I have to research my picks - I don't think that either Michigan or State will be in the sweet sixteen. John W. always picks State to go all the way no matter what - he might be sorry this year.

Update: 9:15 p.m.

Dick worked all day at the Agency - from 9 to 4. When he got home, he said he wanted to crash and then go out to eat at the Olive Garden! Well, we tried - but evidently it's the most popular place in town these days. There was a long wait, so after about 10 minutes we gave back the beeper because we decided not to wait the estimated 25 minutes. We went to Auntie Pasta's, and had a wonderful dinner. The food was yummy and the restaurant was not crowded.

Tomorrow morning Dick has an appointment with the cardiologist.

Sugarbush

We had great weather today for the Geocaching Event "Sugarbush Pancake Brunch" in South Branch at the home of James and Sheryl. (See link above) It was a sunny, windfree, mild day. There were around 40 people there - new caches, a campfire, 4 horses, and home made maple syrup. I enjoyed talking to Ann Arbor Connie about quilting, and to Mrs. Capt. Bud (Marty the First Mate). New friends are always a Good Thing.

Last year I sat on the bench and waited for Dick to go find the cache. This year I walked all the way to the maple syrup cache with the ski-walkers, and I did fine! Then I returned to the campfire while Dick and the Buds found the event cache and the beaver dam. It was fun watching Clatmandu and Sunshine feeding carrots to the horses. The pancakes were terrific, but the meeting afterwards was the most fun because of the auction and the raffle and the door prize and all of the associated jokes and comments.