Deinonychus Rap!

Hold on to your butts...

I took a class called Dinosaurs in college, because why not?  Part of our final project in this class had to be a performance, so I wrote a rap that I rapped a capella in front of the class.  The other day, I found the paper I wrote the rap on, which was covered in writing everywhere in all directions like a lunatic wrote it.  After much deciphering, I figured  out which part was the real rap.  Without further ado, I present to you the Deinonychus Rap:

My favorite dino's the Deinonychus
Unknown and anonymous, but in size synonymous
With all of the raptors / Who managed to capture
Many people's hearts starring in Jurassic Park / that movie is classic art
Deinonychus weighed over a hundred pounds
But could probably walk around making very little sound
Deinonychus stood about six feet tall
Yeah, his name is latin for "Terrible Claw"
Attached to the tip of the second toe
Was a claw twice as big as toes three and four
He used his arms to seize prey and his claw to kill them
Died out a hundred million years ago but until then
He was a lean, mean, killing machine
Came on the scene in the Mid Cretaceous
You know he was tenacious
A member of the meat-eating group Theropod
His wrists moved left to right / this was very odd
But also important as Theropods evolved into birds
It enabled their flight stroke to fly around the world
Bob Bakker analyzed Deinonychus's bones
To help him show / that Dinos weren't slow
And Ostrom claimed that he hunted in packs
More recent research showed Ostrom's methods were wack
But some folks say even though it's improbable
Pack-hunting Dinos are not impossible
At the least, the idea's entertaining
To think of eight Deinonychus killing and maiming / The Ornithopod Tenontosaurus
No, this scene will never bore us!
Deinonychus lived in Western USA
I hope you've learned something today
I'm at the end of what I have to say
I only hope that someday / a movie will come out
Giving Deinonychus the clout that he deserves
For sure / the world should know what he's about / I'm out!

A wedding limerick

The following limerick was written and read by my grandfather Tom Smith (not to be confused with my Uncle Tom Smith who I interviewed here.  Also not to be confused with my cousin Tom Smith.  Or my brother Tom.  Confusing, huh?)  He read it at my cousin Betsy's wedding to Ben Samson.  Here is the limerick in its entirety, complete with punctuation!

A Toast to the Busy "B's"

Betsy and Ben

Today - a new life has begun

And everyone's saying well done.

        A short walk down the aisle

        Caused all present to smile

They got married - son of a gun!

The saying is true that time flies

Bringing us a pleasant surprise

         It's been a real pleasure

         To see Betsy - our treasure

Maturing in front of our eyes!

Their high school is known as the place

Where the couple did meet face to face.

         A hot day at the park

         And the faces sun marked

Gave Ben the hunch he would trace!

That same year they both said goodbye

To the school - and their spirits did fly.

         Betsy was filled with elation

         Being the third generation

With a diploma from Allderdice High!

Miss Smith at Barnard was no clod

The Big Apple streets she would trod

         With English her major

          And subways no stranger

With both - she was magna cum laude!

While Ben chose to not hang around

To a Maryland school he was bound

         Architecture his major

         And I'll venture a wager

Their romance didn't lose any ground!

Then they returned to the Burgh - if you please

To earn cash for a trip overseas.

         Two thousand ten was the year

         Touring Europe brought cheer

A great trip for Ben and his squeeze

So - a toast to our Betsy and Ben

May their marriage be always a ten.

         She's a beautiful lass

         With a well rounded - - - - shape!

We wish them the best - and amen!

It's always Sunny.....

Came across this video the other day, and I laughed so hard I cried:



I can't wait for Season 7.

Some good stuff on the Times

Here's a link to an op-ed by David Brooks of the NY Times about the benefits of behavioral economics.  It's a good read, and concisely makes the case for more behavioral research - go check it out.

Here's another excellent op-ed on the Times, this one by my personal favorite Paul Krugman.  In this article, Krugman attacks President Obama for his use of conservative framing when discussing the economy.  Well done, Paul!

Well, I'm on vacation so I'm getting the heck off of the computer.

-Cy

Minnesota Government shutdown suspends childcare assistance

Note: If you closely follow politics in Minnesota go ahead and skip the next two paragraphs.  If not, tune in and I'll explain some of the shenanigans that have been going on in this frozen, god-forsaken state...

In Minnesota's last election, Republicans took control of both the state House and Senate, while the Democratic candidate Mark Dayton was elected Governor - somewhat similar to the US's national government, but with the Republicans controlling the Senate as well as the house.  Unlike Obama, Mark Dayton came out with a strong budget proposal that would balance the state's budget with two thirds spending cuts and one third tax increases on the wealthiest 2% of Minnesotans (click here for excellent op-ed by Dayton explaining his position).  Republicans rejected this of course, though one would think they had already won with over half of the budget being balanced with spending cuts. The problem with that sentence is the word "think" - there's been altogether too little of that by anyone lately.

Anyway, Dayton and Republican leaders couldn't agree on a budget before the deadline, so the state government has shut down!  Governor Mark Dayton named a list of services that are considered "essential" that would continue during the shutdown, and all other state government functions would stop(which begs the question: If something is not "essential" then why do it in the first place?  But again, pretty much nothing in this whole mess makes SENSE.)  Child care assistance was not on the list of essential services.

Some background is in order on the Childcare Assistance Program, for those who are not in the know.  The Minnesota Department of Human Services' Child Care Assistance Program (commonly referred to as CCAP) pays tuition for over 100,000 low-income children in Minnesota.  These families rely on the program to pay for childcare so that they can go to work.  Without these payments, many families will not be able to afford high-quality childcare (which as I have mentioned here, here and here is extremely important!).  They will be forced to either get unlicensed childcare, which is at best less educational and structured than licensed programs, and at worst dangerous and neglectful of children, [Note: See comments for discussion of this sentence] or quit going to work - a terrible choice that no one should have to make.

In addition, family child care providers and childcare centers are both left not knowing what will happen with their CCAP families.  Many do not have the cash on hand to withstand a prolonged shutdown, and will have to close if there is not a compromise soon.  I personally have worked with providers that have a majority of their children on CCAP, and some childcare centers are almost all CCAP children.  Click here for an article from the Saint Cloud times (hat tip to Anna for the link) about what family childcare providers are going through.

There's some hope on the horizon, as Dayton has now asked that childcare be added to the list of essential services, but no one knows what the Judge will rule (link here).  The Republicans refuse to raise anymore money from at all from millionaires and billionaires, no matter who is hurt.  Sometimes I feel like Will Ferrell in Zoolander:

Support Katy's bike ride!

My friend Katy Petershack is going on a bike ride to support her local Boys and Girls Club in Wisconsin.  Sounds awesome!  Here's her facebook post:

I'm doing a 50 mile bike ride for the Boys and Girls Club here in Dane County. I would love your support as I try to reach my goal of raising $250 dollars. I'd appreciate any donation, even $5 would put me closer to my goal!! Click on the link if you'd like to donate! Thank you!

Click here to donate to help Katy reach her goal.


-Cy 

Interview with Tom Smith, Executive Director of Long Run Children's Learning Centers Center

I have been working with a Minneapolis-based nonprofit called First Children's Finance for about 8 months now.  We do a lot of training and consulting for childcare center directors, so when I remembered that my Uncle Tom is the Executive Director at a center in the Pittsburgh area, I thought I'd email him with a few questions for the first ever interview on this blog!  As I have mentioned before on this blog, early education and childcare is extremely important.  Here is the interview in full, with a few notes that I have added in.

Question 1:  How long have you worked for Long Run Children's Center, and what attracted you to work there?
A:  I assumed the position of Executive Director in August of 1999. The school opened in 1962, and the founder, Bertha Mae Chaplin, had been its only Director until she decided to retire. It was an attractive job for someone looking for an administrative position in early childhood – a well-established program in a brand-new building, NAEYC-accredited, and (at the time) well-supported financially.

Question 2:  What is the mission of Long Run and why is it important?
A:  The Mission Statement is too long to insert here; let me just say that the Center was created to provide preschool services for children with special needs, a population that was largely un-served at that time. In the years since, the service has evolved, and now consists of inclusive preschool classes which also offer benefits to local typically-developing children. We believe that preschool education in general is of critical importance to the future of our communities, and that no one should be excluded from the opportunity to maximize his or her potential. We also feel that the inclusive program supports broader understanding and tolerance, an outcome that has been reported by a number of “alumni” parents.