S7s: Jan 10

1) Exam week at North Henderson (and a lot of other schools). My kids seemed to have done well. I'm not at liberty to talk about the tests but I feel good about what we accomplished this semester and I hope that they were able to carry that over into their tests. I hope that they also know that they are not defined by the tests.

Big kudos to our testing coordinators, who organized, planned and prepared hundreds of tests, computers and separate setting placements each day. It was a pretty smooth week and that's because there was a lot of cooperation, planning and communication happening.

2) Republican debate last week, here are a few thoughts:

• I hope they know that they are not running against Barack Obama. You would think they were.
• Remember when Ben Carson was relevant? 
• On that note, who's Carly Fiorina?
• I feel as Trump has reached his high water mark.
• Drop the matter on Cruz's eligibility, Trump. How about you run on issues?
• Christie doesn't want you to forget that he's still there. 
• I can't believe that the American servicemen captured and then released by Iraq was even an issue. They were legally detained and then released. The candidates sounded like we should have started a war over it.
• Jeb Bush is the invisible candidate, but he still win the nomination.
• I think it will be either Rubio or Cruz. 

3) I should have mentioned it in last week's Sunday 7s: Ken Griffey, Jr. Congratulations on the Hall, Kid. Such an effortless swing, the backwards hat, great athlete and fun to watch. And then there was the smile. He looked like he was having fun. If not for injuries, his numbers may be even more staggering. And, as far as we know, he is free from all the doping allegations that followed the greats of that era. Someone said the fact that Junior was hurt proved he wasn't on performance enhancing drugs since drugs help you heal faster.

4) I officially said goodbye to Pompey on Friday. Signed the title over and handed the keys to my nephew, Benny. Real sentimental moment. I was very attached to that car. I hope Benny loves it half as much I loved it. Things worked out well: I got a little money for my car (3 times what the dealer was gonna give me), helped my nephew out and even got my roof rack sold!

John Hart drove me down to deliver the vehicle. We made a stop at the Beacon for some "A-plenty":

5) I must confess: I fell asleep during the 3rd quarter of the College Football Championship Game. It was a good game though. Kudos for Alabama for playing well and being gutsy with the onsides kick. Clemson has nothing to hang their heads about: they played excellent and Watson is a legit star! They'll be in the conversation next season for number 1. 

Here are the final rankings according to me: 1) Alabama 2) Clemson 3) Ohio State 4) TCU 5) Stanford 6) Oklahoma 7) Michigan St 

6) Huge week for the wrestling team. We won on Thursday against Smoky Mountain 74-4. On Saturday, we went 5-0 to win the Ram Duals at TC Roberson. Our record is now 23-4, 4-0 in the WNCAC. 23 wins sets a new school record for wins in a season. The old record was 22, set by the 2011-2012 team. This week is rivalry week: West Henderson on Tuesday, East Henderson on Friday.

I think what I like best about this photo is not that we won the Ram Duals, but how much fun it looks like the team is having and how much they like each other. I'm really blessed with a great group of kids.

7) The NFL is popular because they give us great entertainment. Up until Alabama-Clemson, most bowl games were lame. They were lopsided. Last week's first round games in the NFL were very exciting and this week's even better. You had Carolina take a 31-0 lead and barely hold on to win. Arizona won in improbable ways, Kansas City mismanaged the clock and Peyton holds off an injury ridden Steelers team. Great stuff.

Predictions for next week:

• Carolina is playing too well and getting great efforts by more than Newton. As good as Larry Fitzgerald was yesterday, he can't carry the Cardinals out of Charlotte with a victory. Carolina by 6
• I am pulling for Manning. But New England has been like his Kryptonite. And, when's the last time 2 number 1 seeds played in the Super Bowl. As much as I'd like to see Carolina-Denver, I have to pick New England by 3.

Let's Get Political

Alright, now the election season is starting to get very exciting. John McCain announced Republican Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, making her the first woman vice-presidential candidate in Republican party history. It is a very bold move. It might also be a very dangerous move.

Before I chime in on Palin, let me make a few points about Joe Biden:

The Good:
- He has experience.
- He is pretty respected in political circles
- He is not Hillary

The Bad:
- He has experience
- He is pretty respected in political circles
- He is not Hillary

As someone who is campaigning as a candidate of change, Obama risks backfiring by choosing a running mate who has served as a US Senator since 1972 and is tangled with many political alliances. Some people were hoping for a "Super-ticket" of Obama and Hillary, but I understand why Obama did not do that. For most of GW Bush's presidency, I felt that he was sometimes overshadowed by Dick Cheney, that is was Cheney calling many of the shots. Had Obama nominated Hillary, I think people would have wondered who the real President was.
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Now Sarah:
It seems like she has done a pretty good job of governor of Alaska. I got a good impression of her while I was in Alaska. She appears to be in touch with the constituents, personable, pretty and smart. She's advocated for Alaska and, for all my knowledge, seems like an effective governor. McCain is the maverick, the candidate not confined by the Beltway. To prove that, he chose a running mate from another country. Okay, I know, Alaska is not another country... but how many Americans know that (not my student who was arguing that there were 53 states in our country)?

McCain also knows that there are a lot of Clinton voters who are not happy with Obama and many of those voters are women. Here is a chance to steal some votes. Did you see the interviews of the Democrats that were still upset about Hillary losing in the primaries? They were all women. To me it means that: a) women are more passionate/opinionated or b) they're not mad their candidate lost, they are mad their WOMAN candidate lost. (btw, voting for Hillary because she is a woman is stupid. Or voting Republican because McCain brought a woman is stupid. Stupid is also voting for Obama because he is black. As is voting McCain because he is 80 and white)

How could this historic and bold pick hurt McCain and the Republicans? Off the top of my head, two things: Ted Stevens and experience. Ted Stevens is the Republican US Senator from Alaska who has been federally indicted for shady dealings with oil contractors. He is a mainstay of American politics as he is currently the longest serving US Senator, chaired the Senate Appropriations committee and is beloved by many Alaskans for his ability to bring beaucoup of federal money to Alaska (ex: the infamous Bridge to Nowhere). I don't think the Democrats need to necessarily smear Palin, they just have to make it known that Palin is the Republican Governor from a state whose senior Senator, a Republican, just got indicted and also has a host of other ethical issues. As an uniformed electorate, we won't want to know anything else. Why bother checking facts, the connection is enough. Amazingly, despite indictment, Stevens won the Republican primary in Alaska and will be on the ballot for re-election in November.

Experience is the other issue that has to concern the Republicans. For months, they have attacked Obama's experience in national and, especially international, politics because his only major political experience is 4 years in the US Senate (not including 8 years in Illinois State Senate) . And you know something, the campaign has been working as McCain has closed the gap considerably. But it's hard to criticize the Obama-Biden ticket now since Biden brings over a quarter century of US Senate experience and the McCain-Palin ticket includes a candidate, who despite being a star (sound familiar?), only has been elected to two offices: 6 years as Mayor of Wasilla (population 5,469 in 2000 Census) and Governor of Alaska (who's entire population is less than Brooklyn, NY) for 2 years. John McCain turned 72 today (29 Aug). I can see the commercial now... what if McCain's health took a turn for the worse? The next president would be a 44 year old lady (two years younger than Obama) with only 2 years of major office experience and no foreign policy experience (even though Alaska is a foreign country).