Yes, there are still parties to come. For the most part, though, it is OVER!!! Ben’s graduation was last Friday. His graduation party was last night. I may be exhausted but it is a happy exhaustion. Below are pics – well, not of the party as I never picked the camera up once people started… Continue reading It’s Over!
Maine-Endwell Central School District graduated the Class of 2009 last night. The past week has been a blur of activity for the senior class as they have gone from prom to senior trips – two day trips – to senior awards night to graduation. Last evening we heard from five members of the Class of… Continue reading Graduation 2009
I have found memories of going to The Cider Mill Playhouse as a child to see Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” The setting is one that most children knew from the field trip to watch the cider being pressed. The performance, while peppered with local talent, may have a star in it – or, as likely,… Continue reading “1776” at The Cider Mill Playhouse
With the summer solstice having passed this weekend, summer is truly upon us. Here in upstate NY, we are actually getting warm weather and maybe even summer weather by the week’s end. So begins the huge summer cookout season. While my summer cookout season began with a wonderful picnic on Memorial Day weekend, I am… Continue reading Summer Cookout Season Upon Us
Yes, I am sure the money is right. If nothing else is important to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, money is. The bigger question is “is the television contract with NBC good for recruiting new and more hockey fans?” I would say emphatically NO after the past two days. First off, this year’s Stanley Cup Championship… Continue reading Is NBC right for the NHL?
We sit and watch as The Boston Globe and its unions make news daily. Votes take place to see if concessions will keep the Boston institution printing papers. Meanwhile, here in Small Town America, the news is just as bad, if not worse. Since there is currently only one daily newspaper in my area, I… Continue reading Small Town America, Its Media and the Recession
Unlike my normal, school day morning, I managed to get up and get myself coffee in time to hear President Obama’s speech in Cairo, Egypt live this morning. While a good speech, it was not the moving speech we heard on his campaign trail last fall. Many items discussed in the speech made me… Continue reading POTUS Speaks to the Muslim World
There has always been debate within many communities that linking teacher pay to student assessments – generally speaking, standardized tests – is a flawed assessment for the teacher. I am beginning to truly believe this to be the case. NYS recently released state math assessment scores for grades 3-8. While NYS implemented statewide assessments in… Continue reading Teaching to the Test
Last fall, Governor David A Paterson of New York began talking about a new, bigger, better bottle bill in NYS. The original NY bottle bill has been in effect about 25 years and is only on beer and soda bottles and cans. This bill was an environmental victory as the funds from the bottles and… Continue reading NY’s Expanded Bottle Bill
Many of my diehard Republican friends were very disappointed with the results of last November’s election. They were, though, happy to hear that President Obama would keep Secretary Gates on as Secretary of Defense. Now, Obama is busy filling those “lesser” positions. The most recent rumor – being reported by NPR here – is that… Continue reading Obama’s Possible Army Secretary
Nicki's Nook 