Signature staff

According to www.signature.edu, Signature School is looking to hire some full-time teachers. Social Studies, Health/Science, and Special Education/French teachers are needed.

A current Indiana teaching license is required for application. Send a resume to humanresources@signature.edu or call 812-421-1820 for more information.

This is also why schedules have not been finalized, which I assume is why we have not been notified of bookstore days/hours. I wonder how long the hiring process will take, since EVSC teachers are not too inclined to take Sig positions.

FINAL DETAILS FOR THE SLAM

yum

Events Announcement!

This Saturday (Aug. 2) is a doubleheader!

First, the Sig School Speech and Debate team will be holding a car wash fundraiser at Fazoli's on Green River Rd. It will start at 9 and stretch to noon or whenever cars stop coming.

Then later that night (I think 6, maybe not) will be the poetry slam on the park on the side of Sig. Once again, we are needing more performers, so please perform! Also, during intermission we will perform pieces from nationally renowned slam poets, so you are welcome to do that too! And bring hot dogs and chips because we will have a grill and cookout! Fun times.

P.S. Bring hot dogs, really, please.

more ap scores

From Dr. Blandford, teacher of AP Comp Sci:

score     #

  5       5

  4       2

  3       1

  2       0

  1       0

One of the people who took the test wasn't even in the AP Comp Sci class--he studied by himself. So overall, those scores are as amazing as the Calc scores.

Boston.com / Latest News / World

Poll: One-third of Germans believe US may have staged Sept. 11 attacks :

BERLIN -- One-third of Germans under age 30 believe the U.S. government may have sponsored the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, according to a poll published Wednesday.

And that's why International Awareness is a mandatory part of Sig's curriculum.

new menu section:

Scholarships

check it out.

wow

I saw those fish downtown yesterday. Wow.

Also, someone found SM through a Google search for "executive inn" prostitutes. Wow.

breaking: Uday and Qusay killed in Mosul

From the New Zealand National Business Review:

The United States military command in Iraq has confirmed that, following an intense firefight in Mosul, Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay have been killed.

The deaths have been confirmed by the US Central Command.

US army spokesman Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez said during a televised Baghdad briefing that, "An Iraqi source informed the 101st Airborne Division today that several suspects, including Qusay and Uday, numbers two and three on the US Central Command's most-wanted list, were hiding in a residence near the northern edge of the city," he said.

"The six-hour operation began when the division's 2nd Brigade combat team approached the house and received small arms fire. The division subsequently employed multiple weapon systems to subdue the suspects who had barricaded themselves inside the house and continued to resist detention fiercely.

"Four persons were killed during that operation and were removed from the building and we have since confirmed that Uday and Qusay Hussein are among the dead."

He said positive identification of the bodies had been made from multiple sources.

Well, although Saddam's sons can't be brought to trial, at least this may convince the Iraqis at Saddam and his regime is not coming back. However, Operation Iraqi Freedom should not be judged entirely by its results--it's unfair to criticize the Administration for not yet finding Saddam, just as it's unfair to praise them for receiving a lucky piece of information leading to the killing of Uday and Qusay. What must also be taken into account is the motivation behind Operation Iraqi Freedom--was there real, convincing evidence proving Iraq's intention to rebuild its WMD capacity? Or was the US just setting up Saddam for a fall, to lessen the threat of dictators controlling the world's oil supply?

I personally think oil had a major part to play in attacking Iraq. Why is Bush not calling for a coalition strike on North Korea, even as it flaunts its nuclear intentions?

CRAWFORD, TEXAS -- President Bush appeared on Monday to shrug off evidence that North Korea might have begun producing plutonium at a second, hidden nuclear facility, and avoided any hint of confrontation with the country as it races to expand its nuclear arsenal.

"The desire by the North Koreans to convince the world that they're in the process of developing a nuclear arsenal is nothing new," Bush said, striking a more moderate tone than he did in March, when he declared that the United States would not "tolerate" a nuclear North Korea.

What the heck is Bush implying? We destroy a regime for possibly developing nuclear weapons, but we take time to talk to one that is internationally-known to be developing them?

I'm not saying we should attack North Korea. Rather, I'm saying that you should ask yourself what the difference between North Korea and Iraq is. I'm not going to say that answer is the O-word, but it very well could be. Protecting the world's oil supply could be a justifiable cause. But not when it is shamefully covered up.

AP scores

They are coming back!

I received my report yesterday. Several people did. We'll prolly all have our reports back within the week.

Unless your name is Adam Grimm. His mailman is devious.

maybe he's just misunderstood

I realize that leaders are supposed to project an aura of confidence. Maybe even show a little swagger. But sometimes leaders go too far in trying to keep up the show. Is this the case with President Bush in the post-9/11 era?

Today the White House released pre-war intelligence on Iraq, attempting to prove that Bush did not intentionally mislead the public about the reasons for war. The now-declassified portions of a 2002 CIA "National Intelligence Estimate" on Iraqi weapons concluded that Iraq was trying to revive its nuclear weapons program.

1) "Trying to revive"? Granted, that would be a serious violation of international law, but this is definitely not the image we were given as we built up to war. We were told that Saddam already had nuclear weapons, ready to be used to blackmail the US or to be given to terrorists. "Intelligence reports" even suspected the existence of a "red line" around Baghdad, which once crossed by our troops, would initiate the release of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons by Saddam's forces.

2) Appended to the National Intelligence Estimate was a more cautious assessment of the validity of the uranium issue by the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research. "The claims of Iraqi pursuit of natural uranium in Africa are, in its assessment, highly dubious."

It is outraging that the Bush Administration pretended to be assured about Iraq's nuclear ambitions when the classified intelligence they had "incriminating" Iraq was admittedly suspect.

In other news, "Bush's overall job approval dropped 8 points since May to 55 percent, according to a CNN-Time poll released Friday."

apologies to my adoring masses

I was busy on a few projects these last few days. One relevant one is the beginning of a Signature School Speech and Debate website.

Check it out at signaturespeech.says.it. I actually used images in the template ^_^ !

what??!!

CIA didn't get disputed documents until February 2003 after Bush claim:

WASHINGTON (AP) When the Bush administration issued its pre-war claims that Iraq had sought uranium in Africa, the CIA had not yet obtained the documents that served as a key foundation for the allegation and later turned out to be forged, U.S. officials say.

The CIA didn't receive the documents until February 2003, nearly a year after the agency first began investigating the alleged Iraq-Africa connection and a short time after it assented to language in President Bush's State of the Union address that alleged such a connection, the officials said.

college essay example

"I Balance, I Weave, I Dodge, and All My Bills Are Paid" by Hugh Gallagher

Prompt: In order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you better, we ask that you answer the following question: Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?

I am a dynamic person, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row. I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing. I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prize-winning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, Puerto Rico, cliff diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

For more info on the author, who really did get accepted to NYU, I'm not kidding, go here. This admissions essay is pretty famous--it's all over the Internet.

On the one hand, think how bored college admissions boards must get after reading hundreds of essays about how "volunteering at the local nursery home is an englightening experience for all parties involved." This essay, saturated with sarcasm, gave admissions a wet willy, and they liked it. It woke them up.

At the same time, the author was not strictly following the guidelines. Which could be extremely detrimental to application to an engineering school. And the idea for a sarcastic essay is no longer entirely uncharted...admissions may think you are a wannabe. So gauge your level of originality closely.

summer SLAM!

reminder: the next poetry slam is on August 2nd at 6, on Sig's side yard! Go to http://slampoets.arecool.net for more info.

picnic!

Signature School's annual back-to-school picnic is coming! More info to be posted later.

Maggie recalling what Ms. Gregg said about AP English scores

Phoenixdelaluna: she said there were 5 fives, i think 9 4s, and 13 3s
SeeBol: that is all the scores?
SeeBol: or all she said
Phoenixdelaluna: all she said

AP Calc scores

Class scores provided by Ms. Hughes:

AP score   # of students

   5              8

   4              7

   3              1  

   2              0

   1              2

Of the 18 students that were enrolled in AP Calc class, all 18 took the AP test. And 16 passed. Amazing.

interesting EVSC budget relief proposal

From the Evansville Courier and Press, "Candidate ties school aid to cuts":

A candidate for Evansville City Council says the city should support local schools, but only if the school system cuts administrative salaries and eliminates an assistant superintendent.

E.L. Walters, a Republican challenging incumbent Councilman Steve Bagbey, D-2nd Ward, called for the city to make a one-time donation to the Public Education Foundation of Evansville. The nonprofit foundation raises money for some Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corp. programs.

Walters said the donation would be contingent on EVSC Superintendent Bart McCandless agreeing to a 10 percent cut in salary and giving up use of a leased vehicle. One of three assistant superintendent positions would be eliminated, and salaries of the remaining two positions would be sliced 10 percent.

Now, I have no put a lot of research into the salaries and benefits of the EVSC's top administrative positions, but I do suspect they are bloated (the superintendent is supplied with a corporation Jaguar...insurance payed for courtesy of the EVSC and the taxpayers). This proposal should be debated seriously.

Admittedly, more funding for the EVSC is a questionable cause, as the funding referendum earlier this year got squashed by a large majority of votes by Vanderburg citizens. However, the referendum for higher property tax was guaranteed to have an immediate financial cost. This proposal will actually save money by reducing the excess expenditure of the EVSC...and perhaps place the public back in control of the EVSC. This proposal deserves to undergo referendum.

more AP scores...for graduating seniors entering college

Found this blog entry on Google:

I got my AP scores early without paying for them. How? you ask. Well, it's a simple little thing called oversight. Dartmouth's class of 2007 webpage has a link that was activated on July 1st that says "Standardized Test Scores." They ask that all students check to make sure they have the right numbers in their databases... so I did. Expecting to find all my SAT stuff, I clicked on the link and found a long list of AP scores. I almost called in on July 1st because I have no patience whatsoever, but I decided I should try to develop self-control. I guess finding these scores was a reward for my attempt at waiting.

AP scores spoiler!

So I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean (which casts Natalie Portman's twin) and walking out, I saw Mr. Thread! We talked a little, and apparently Mr. Thread was faxed a copy of Sig's AP scores! When he found out I did not know my scores, he spoiled some of them for me. So these are the things he said.

- there are about 8 5s in the AP Calculus class
- I have a 5s in Chemistry, Calculus, and Comp Sci for sure
- I have a 5 or 4 in English Language and Composition
- I may have gotten straight 5s (in all the classes listed above, plus Comparative Politics)

I'm not entirely sure of the veracity of my scores...Mr. Thread could just be playing a twisted joke, it just seems weird that he'd know most of my scores. But I'm pretty sure he wasn't joking about the AP Calc class, so yay for that, Ms. Hughes is one of the best math teachers I've ever had (up there with Mr. Weinzapfel, the pimp).

But I guess my official scores for all my tests will arrive this week. Apparently Sig received the school report yesterday.

more commentary on the Bush Administration

...and its high-handed decision making. This time from a major media outlet, Newsweek.

No Mistakes Were Made:

July 11 — President Bush is certain he did the right thing by going to war in Iraq. Bush never second-guesses himself, a trait that permeates his administration and contains the seeds of his undoing.

HOW CAN BUSH fix the mess in Iraq if he denies any missteps? This administration’s unwillingness to ever admit a mistake makes it unlikely it will expand the force size in Iraq, take responsibility for the phony intelligence Bush touted as a prelude to war or eat enough humble pie to get military and financial help from other nations. The White House won’t acknowledge anything that might chip away at Bush’s commander-in-chief image. That’s the nature of the reelection machine that Karl Rove has constructed in his role as Bush’s consigliere. To admit flaws risks losing the luster of the wartime president.

Beautiful article, read it. Even if you are Republican.

[insert cheesy title here]

The Evansville Courier and Press reports (I am not making this up) Something fishy in Evansville:

EVANSVILLE (AP) -- Indiana's largest river city is going fishy, with six-foot tall fish statues arriving downtown as part of a fund-raiser for the United Way of Southwestern Indiana.

"We did a survey of the public of what they would like to see and fish came up the winner," said Carol Braden-Clarke, the United Way's executive director. "We felt it was an appropriate choice with Evansville being on the river."

The fish already have chees....I mean catchy names such as "Arti-fish-al Tourist," "Bubbles," "Catch of the Day," "Leonardo Da Fishi," and (Cari will appreciate this) "Tuna in a TuTu."

Personally, I think I enjoyed the carousel horses more than I'll enjoy the fish. Unless you can ride these. Anyhow, the Downtown environment is definitely more visually pleasing than Reitz and its "Link." Central has a decent building though.

all this bickering

The Bush Administration is an expert at making high-handed decisions.

Anybody can agree with the premise of that statement, if not the exact wording. We were told simply to trust the President's judgement of the intelligence on Iraq. We were babied with the same "tax cuts make for more jobs" line as our balanced budget vaporized and our National Debt reached unprecedented levels. Whether or not you think Bush is at fault, it's clear that he made decisions at a cabinet level, and expected his party (which holds the majority in both houses of Congress) and the American people to accept his decision. "President Bush, we want more funds for education, not tax cuts." "Too bad. I've already decided tax cuts will help our economy return to its full strength and glory! God bless America."

Now, many political pundits predict a crushing victory for Bush in the 2004 elections. The economy is horrible, but Bush has made no one care. Our international relations has been mostly replaced with an unilateralism that irks the rest of the world, but no one cares. And despite huge pre-war peace protests, the Iraq issue is mostly a plus for Bush--even with the latest scandal over the Niger-Iraq link. And ABC News reports that "Bush's overall job approval rating dropped to 59 percent, down nine points in the past 18 days."

Yes there was a huge drop, but Bush's ratings remain well over 50%. Couple that with the fact that the Democratic Party has not united under one leader yet, and you can see why most people forsee a victory for the GOP in 2004.

I predict almost the exact opposite to occur in 2004. Bush, with his bullying around of the Democrats in Congress, has unwittingly incited the Democratic Party to vote in full force in the next elections. More over, Bush's high-handed decision making is the anti-thesis of Independents' open decision-making. With the entire center, left-of-center, and left vote unified against Bush (whoever the Democratic candidate turns out to be...Nader will not get any ideology votes this time), Bush will be humiliated in 2004.

Unfortunately, a Democratic sweeping of Washington riding the wave of anti-Bush sentiment may be just be High-Handed Administration v2.0

Democrats have obviously had their pride hurt by their relative unimportance under this Administration. They must be itching for payback. Possible Democratic candidate Howard Dean illustrates this point well with his campaign that prides itself in being anti-Bush:

So this is a serious credibility problem, and it's a lot deeper than just the Iraq-Niger deal, it has to do with assertions by the secretary of defense that he knew where weapons were that turned out not to be there, it has to do with assertions by the vice president there was a nuclear program that turned out not to exist, and assertions made by the president himself, not just about the acquisition of uranium, but also about the ability of [deposed Iraqi President] Saddam [Hussein] to use chemical weapons on the United States. We need a full-blown public investigation not held in Congress but by an outside bipartisan commission. (full text)

By a "bipartisan commission" Dean is either hoping that a) Bush gets reprimanded or b) the commission splits into the Bush supporters and Bush haters. Either way, the entire vote left of right will unify around the Democratic candidate.

Instead, any investigation into Iraq intelligence has to be nonpartisan. All members have to be as objective as possible, and being rational people, they should reach a sound, firm consensus on if Bush distorted intelligence on Iraq.

Anyway Bush is attacked, it can't be out of the spirit of Bush-bashing for its own sake. I don't support Bush. I don't like him. I hate Bush. But I would hate for the Democratic Party to resort to His tactics after the 2004 elections.

Recent Google queries that have lead to SM

- ap scores receive july 2003
- july blog "ap scores"
- july 2003 "ap scores"
- AP Calc scores
- signature school ap scores
- when receive AP scores July
- duct tape flip-flops

So for all of you students out there anxiously waiting for your scores and Googling to find out when they are mailed back, I think you'll be relieved to find out the answer is: no one knows when exactly they are mailed back. The College Board says on its site that AP scores are sent back during July. That could mean the beginning. Or that could mean the end. But if you don't have your scores by August 15, it's a good idea to call up AP Servies (1-888-CALL-4-AP).

If a kind soul reads this post and feels sorry for me, I'd really appreciate it if you would pay to find out my AP scores by phone. My AP number was 11543227 and I was born July 7, 1986. As the AP booklet puts it:

Your AP grades are available early by phone!
Students in the United States, U.S. territories, and Canada may call 888 308-0013 toll free beginning July 1. This automated grad-reporting service is just $15 per call

Almost all AP Grade Reports are released by mid-July whether you take advantage of this service or not.

Oh, and I'm still willing to sell duct tape flipflops. $10 a pair.

new and improved!

SM now provides you with Evansville's weather! Check it out at the bottom of the right sidebar. Courtesy of Weather Underground.

reformated links

And I added a new link: Ryan Reynolds's blog. Who is Ryan Reynolds? He's a writer for the Evansville Courier and Press. Apparently, he is Garet Matthews's protege.

Let me repeat that. Apparently, he is Garet Matthews's protege.

Yes, the same Garet Matthews who guest-critiques our creative writing class. And while some of you may avoid Mr. Matthew's critiques, Ryan Reynolds is definitely enjoyable to read. He is an active blogger, and writes columns that are more pertinent to our generation. For proof that he blogs insatiably, check out his blog (linked above). For proof that he writes with a "hip" style (I use that phrase very tentatively, not quite sure what it means myself), read his article in the Courier and Press:

I'm a sucker for charity car washes, so when I spied four young people camped out in the parking lot of the Rosenberger Avenue Burger King on Saturday, I stopped for a quick auto scrub.

"What group are you guys raising money for?" I asked, because you can never be too careful whom you give money to in this age of scammers, flim-flam men and corporate attorneys.

A stout young man in a gray T-shirt gave me a shocking answer.

"The College Republicans."

Come again?

Actually, my answer was this: "Jeeeeeeeez. Wouldn't you guys be more comfortable caddying for tips at a country club?"

Is this guy awesome or what? Good luck to Mr. Reynolds as he travels along the journalism/blogging path.

No, its not the result of a new reality TV show...

NYTimes: Here Comes the Bride. Again, and Again . . .:

In a era when divorce and remarriage are commonplace, it might not be surprising for a city clerk to see some of the same names pop up on applications for marriage licenses from time to time.

But it did strike the city clerk's office as highly unusual when it learned this year that one Manhattan woman had applied for 27 marriage licenses from 1984 to 2002 — and that at least a dozen others had seemingly married in numbers that were highly suspicious.

These "career brides," as one city official called them, were not marrying for love, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office, which announced yesterday that four women had been arrested and two more were being sought on felony charges punishable by up to four years in prison. The authorities said they believed that the women had offered to marry illegal immigrants for a fee, usually about $1,000.

NYTimes articles require a free suscription to view, but for those of you who don't want to suscribe, the rest of the article just explains how these career brides are caught.

On Fox's new fall line-up: Who Wants to Marry an Immigrant?

summer slam

zildjangirl: SummerSLAM! August 2nd rain date 4th at Park next to Sig school

AP domination

In the Information Age, some relatively simple knowledge is not online. Waiting for my AP scores to be mailed back, I came across the AP awards on the AP Central website. I think that after this current round of AP tests, I will already have AP Scholar with Distinction

"AP Scholar with Distinction is granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams on full-year courses" (or the equivalent).

I don't know if I can get the AP State Scholar award.

"AP State Scholar is granted to the one male and one female student in each U.S. state and the District of Columbia with grades of 3 or higher on the greatest number of exams (at least three full-year course exams or the equivalent), and then the highest average grade (at least 3.5) on all AP Exams taken.

Had the two first criteria been switched, I'd have a chance this year. But I'll have a good shot after next year's round of AP tests, I think.

And I'm pretty sure I'll get National AP Scholar next year

The award of National AP Scholar is granted to students in the United States who receive an average grade of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams on full-year courses (or the equivalent).

I'm just really frustrated that a Google search for "AP State Scholar" indiana only returns one relavant result: Andrew Chi of Terre Haute South Vigo High School was the AP State Scholar of Indiana in 2001. And upon further Googling, I found out why he was AP State Scholar:

Mr. Chi, a senior at Terre Haute South Vigo High School, completed AP exams in Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, Statistics and Calculus BC.

That's EIGHT AP tests in the Sciences and Maths alone. I'm sure he took more tests in English and History. He's an AP machine!

On second thought, I'll settle for AP Scholar with Distinction.

more sig school blogs and new trier high school

A search on Google for Signature School blogs returned http://www.outa-my-mind.com/, http://www.drifter.nu/, http://web.pitas.com/katrine, and http://samuelpriest.blogspot.com/.

I don't know any of these people really well, so I'm not sure if I should link to them. Not that I don't trust them, but that they may not want the exposure of a permanent link on Signature Monitor. If these people keep good tabs of their blogs, however, they should track their referers and find this post, and if they don't mind a link to their site, they'll just leave a message on the chatterbox saying so.

Also, that Google search found an old article from the Hoosier Review. Paul Musgrave wrote, "Don't mess with Evansville. We have Signature School, soon to be the New Trier of the Ohio Valley." Paul is a Wells Scholar at IU, so he knows what he's talking about. I didn't, however. I had no idea what New Trier was, though the name sounded familiar...perhaps it was a big debate school, not sure.

Anyhow, I looked up info on New Trier High School (which I found was based in Illinois, I suspect Chicago area), and they are pretty amazing. They have a separate "campus" for freshman away from the sophomores and upperclassmen. The average teacher salary is $75,480. Wow, if anyone wants to be a teacher, go to New Trier. New Trier spent $14mil on construction alone in 2000-01. That's more than the $10mil budget cuts the whole EVSC passed this year.

Their standardized test scores are phenomenal. They averaged significantly higher than the rest of Illinois on all sections of the ACT. On the Prairie State Achievement Exam (equivalent to Indiana's ISTEP, but only administered to 11th graders), New Trier simply dominated the rest of the state in all categories (interestingly, the PSAE has the same topics as the ACT).

New Trier High School has an online newspaper at http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us/ntnews/

But hey, maybe Paul Musgrave is right. Signature School is developing the separate Loft into a science campus (not sure when that will start, let alone finish, though). Signature School has accomplished the (to my knowledge) unprecedented feat of a 100% ISTEP passing rate. We will give the EVSC and the rest of Indiana a wakeup call with our AP testing scores: just because we live in Indiana does not mean we deserve mediocre education.

And of course, sig school has a website. This, and several more, listed at the top of this post and on the sidemenu.

is this not impeachment material??

The Washington Times reports White House concedes false Iraq claim:

WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- The Bush administration has conceded a blunder in statements about Iraq's nuclear aims, a report said Tuesday.

The statement acknowledged for the first time President Bush should not have alleged in his State of the Union address in January Iraq had sought to buy uranium in Africa to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program.

And the White House is still trying to play it off like they did not receive the disproving evidence from the CIA. Riiight, like no one in Bush's staff double checks the veracity of the President's State of the Union Address. And if that really is the case, then that's a whole different problem in itself.

Don't slam on Spam

From the Guardian Unlimited of Great Britain: Can it, Spam firm tells American software makers

Hormel Foods, the makers of Spam luncheon meat, are challenging a technology company in Seattle which wants to trademark SpamArrest, the name of its software for email users.

Brian Cartmell, SpamArrest's chairman and chief executive, said: "Spam is a common term describing unsolicited commercial email.

If Hormel did not want unsolicited email associated with its product, this effort is too late to have any effect. Everyone knows the annoyance of spam, and everyone knows the blandness of Spam.

AP scores?

Students can now pay to receive their AP scores. All AP scores will be sent out in two weeks or so for free.

According to Ms Hughes, so far, of around 5 people who have paid for their AP Calculus I scores early, 2 or 3 have received scores of 4, and 2 or 3 have received 5s. I would not be surprised if the vast majority of the AP Calc scores were 4s adn 5s.

If anyone has their scores, and would like to have them listed on this site, anonymously or otherwise, drop me a message.

UTNIF

Rachael Goldman and her little sister Andi are currently attending the University of Texas National Institute of Forensics for a two-and-a-half week session on extemporaneous speaking, original oratory, poetry, and humorous interpretation. Have fun at camp guys.

Go Horns!

ridiculous

Fox News published a story on how a nine-member Senate fact-finding group returning from Iraq is divided:

Two Republicans said there was definitive evidence and details probably would be made public soon. But Democrats weren't so sure, saying the Republicans were trying to shift the focus from proving that deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had weapons to proving he was developing them.

Well, at least there seems to be a bipartisan consensus that Saddam had a WMD program. That's more than what the public was given in the build-up to war. Then again, is this too little, too late to restore US international reputation?

If it took this long to reveal incriminating evidence against Iraq, that means President Bush was not aware of this evidence during the build-up to war for the past half year. Yet he still pushed for war, claiming that Iraq had huge stores of weapons of mass destruction. Bush abused his credibility as President of the United States to launch a "just" war on Iraq!

if lying about an intern got Clinton impeached...

The Ivory Tower, a branch of the Hoosier Review, which I read daily, posted a link to a very interesting story by AlterNet, "Ten Appalling Lies We Were Told About Iraq" The article lists ten examples of lies, or at the very least, heavily distorted rhetoric made by President Bush or his administration. Most shocking of these lies is #8: Yes, Iraq had tonnes of unaccounted stocks of biological and chemical weapons. But those weapons have expired past their shelf-life and are no longer potent.

new template

Yeah, in case you haven't noticed, I updated the template...the old template was nasty nested nested nested tables. CSS is beautiful.

If anyone wants me to teach them HTML, CSS, or build a site for them, drop me a message on the chatterbox

SATs

June SAT scores have been mailed back

good move

The South African Broadcasting Corporation reports US gives Palestinians $30m in aid:

The US has announced a $30 million aid package for the West Bank and Gaza Strip to repair Palestinian infrastructure damaged by Israeli military incursions.[...]

On Monday, US diplomats said Washington would boost aid to Palestinians as part of an effort to marginalise the Islamic militant group Hamas, whose extensive welfare networks have won it wide popular backing in the West Bank and Gaza.

This is the way to go, do more of this. It's the only way for the two-state dream to become reality.

that's right

more on Iraq

The Christian Science Monitor reports that "A recent poll shows nearly two-thirds of Baghdad residents want the US to stay until Iraq is stable."

read more

it was a hassle but...

I moved my personal site off of Blogger/Blogspot--and I like the freedom so far. Visit my site at http://sibo.has.it and give me suggestions on the layout (all hand-coded by yours truly)

If you think it looks nice, tell me. And if you think I should move Signature Monitor off of blogspot, tell me. Thanks