Trump Talk

               Trump Talk : by frank burns

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house Trump was chasing a Muslim Mouse. How is he Muslim we wondered out loud, I asked him said Trump if you really must know. Christie came by but stopped at the fridge, Rubio and Cruz were stuck at the Bridge. Carson was outside trying to get in, Trump said don’t worry Ben you will not win. You Rick Perry Pataki and Paul, are losers you see and Trump will not fall.  Trump is a winner and I will win win, but ill open the door if you wish to join in. Carly is coming and bringing the cake and I hope I don’t have to look at her face. She is so ugly,  the more she gives facts, it is so evident the knowledge she lacks, but just like poop attracts many flies She fills in the blanks with a few of her lies.  

Bush will be here he is running a bit late, looking for reasons to stay in the race. Remember my brother he made us all safe, while he created the Islamic State. Paul has made hardly a sound but he will not put boots on the ground. Trump and Cruz and Rubio agree that boots on the ground is the only way. Let’s go to War they all agree except for Rand Paul with a percent less than three. Carly and Ben and Kasich say yes send in the troops to crush the ISIS. Tiny voices in back you can hear. Huckabee and Graham are coming near. You can’t come in Trump yells out loud. Look at the polls he screams out so proud. Santorum and Walker Pataki Jindal, are all at the bar for the last call. How can this be? Who is this Trump? We all thought he was a chump. He beat us down with racist talk and now it is us who away we must walk.

A knock at the door startles them all, Rubio and Cruz are here after all. Trump makes that face that looks like a pout, then springs up and begins to shout. He shocks the house with the words from his mouth; we must keep those two Mexicans out.     

The New Bob Dylan !

                                                                    I don't normally watch American Idol. One night I heard this guy singing on TV while my wife was watching the show. The guy was off key and somehow out of sync. He drew me into the show and I must admit that these performers were pretty dam good. I gave this guy Phillips no chance against these great performers. Joshua Ledet was the best singer I had ever heard in my life. I loved every song he sang. Phil Phillips was not in the same class as Jessica or Joshua. He was growing on me though. I found myself watching the show and enjoying every minute. I must admit the first time I ever heard Bob Dylan I hated it. I remember thinking this guy can't sing. Of coarse I was only a teenager and I knew nothing. As the years passed and I listened to Bob Dylan not only did I come to love his voice but I loved his songs and his songwriting abilities. I use to slap myself all the time for missing it the first time around. Bob Dylan is in a class with very few other artists. He has become an American Treasure. He is so special in our music world.

                                                                    Then this guy Phil Philips is just growing on me every week. He has something special. Then on the next to last day when every body else is doing a song they think will push them over the edge Phillips pulls out his ACE. He does his own song called "Home". In this world of Brittney Fluff or synthetic make believe music this guy from Georgia picks up a guitar and blows me away with his one try. Awesome. Throw away the electronics and turn on Phil Phillips.  I am listening to this song and it's the new Bob Dylan. He puts on a production that blows America Away. I knew right then and there that this singer songwriter would win this competition. Enjoy this man because he is the real deal. The others are great but he can create. His own song propelled him over the edge and Joshua and Jessica didn't have their own songs to compete. I look forward to his first album. Phil Phillips is so much more than a singer!

When Smaller is better?

                                             I apologise but I am still stuck on this School kick. Bare with me.

We all know that Small schools are better than big schools. But what is a smaller school? There are many reasons why and there are many studies to prove it. We don't need the studies we can simply use our common sense. If I wanted to create a smaller school I could do it in a few different ways.

                                                                      The first way would be to reduce the amount of students in each classroom. More teachers would have to be hired. The children would benefit from this. This would create more jobs and cost a lot of money.

                                                                      The second way would be to reduce the amount of students in the school. If we have 4000 kids in a school we divide by four and now we have 4 schools with 1000 kids. This is simply a play on words unless you also reduce the amount of students in each class. Now four sets of administrators would have to be hired but not teachers. You would be attending a smaller school but surrounded by the same amount of people and students in the classroom. I have created 4 smaller schools with the same amount of teachers and students.

                                                                      The third way would be to physically reduce the size of each classroom. If I built a partition in the classroom I could say I reduced the classroom size thus providing smaller schools.  This would benefit no one except maybe someone in politics being able to say he created smaller schools. This may also save some money on energy costs. At least in the winter.

                                                                       The fourth would be to close all the gigantic Schools and move the students into smaller facilities. The students would be in a smaller school but still have the same amount of students in the classroom. But I would have lived up to my word and provided smaller schools.
                                                                       The fifth would be to make each student smaller. We could accomplish this by making each overweight student loose ten pounds. Each student would take up less space and there you go again we have a smaller school. This would solve a few problems we have today but wouldn't help the students learn. 
                                                                             
                                                                        My point here is that if you are sincere in your quest to help children then you could simply hire more teachers and limit the amount of students in the classroom. But! if you are at war with the teachers and trying to break their spirit and weaken their morale you may just start closing schools and firing teachers all under the false premise of creating smaller schools. Is this what is really going on? 
                                                                      
  I am curious as to how many other creative ways can we get smaller schools. Let Brutus know!

by: Margaret Renkl

          The Ladies Home Journal 

What's at Stake

There have been many recent education studies concerning the impact of class size on student achievement. According to Helen Pate-Bain, Ed.D., director of Project STAR (The Student Teacher Achievement Ratio Study, a long-term study of reduced class size), the maximum class size in elementary school ought to be 15 to 18; in middle school 18 to 21; and in high school 22 to 26. (It's important to note that these are maximums; obviously smaller classes would be even more beneficial.)
Few states mandate such numbers, however. In some states there are no requirements for limiting class size at all, and in others, even the official limits far exceed the recommended maximums with 32 or more children not being unheard of in kindergarten. As states struggle with budget shortfalls, often the easiest ways to make cuts in the education budget is to jam more kids into each classroom.
The advantages of smaller classes are great: more individualized instruction, fewer discipline problems, greater opportunities for enrichment activities like group projects, a happier class atmosphere. In addition, says Pate-Bain, research shows that children in smaller classes develop a more positive self-image: "When a teacher gives a child a lot of individual attention, he learns to believe he can achieve great things."
Ironically, there's a direct correlation between small class size and higher standardized test scores in the lower grades, as well, says Deborah Diffily. Just when there's a national push to raise test scores, in many cases, there's also a statewide push to cut the education budget.

 

 

“The Raven”

A music video by: Frank Burns and Eric Funk

Directed: by Curtiss Wesley

Starring: Carl J LePere and 

Amy Fantasia

with the

NY Venom Dancers

Featuring: the hit song “The Raven” written by: frankiebee (Eric Funk and Frank Burns)

http://www.amazon.com/Frankiebee/e/B006P18ZZ0/ref=ac_dpt_sa_link

Video Coming soon!

Heather is blonde and beautiful. Tonight she is at the club and working the bar for drinks. She is wearing her best slinky black dress fitted to perfection with just the right amount of skin showing, sexy but tasteful. There are many interested eyes following her every move. Waiting, hoping, and praying for the perfect time to make an approach. She strolls around knowing that she is desired. She uses it like a tool, an instrument or instruction manual on how to manipulate men. Her looks are stunning but her perfume will absolutely push you over the edge. In her mind she is worth the eight dollars per drink just for the privilege of looking at her. It is 1:30 AM and Heather is just warming up.

She is in the middle of another perfect evening when her eye is caught by someone in the dimly lit window. It is a hideous sight. Heather is not sure if it is the lighting or the accumulated filth on the glass. She tries to turn away but her mind won’t let her. She loses her control for a moment and orders her own drink from the bartender, something she would never do unless she had to. She sips her drink and looks over at the window again. The mysterious man is gone. Heather starts to feel woozy. She makes her way through the crowd.

The bathrooms are downstairs. As she nears the top of the staircase she looks down and sees the now familiar hideous man that was in the window. She steps back in fear. Her heart is now racing with excitement. She rubs her eyes and shakes her head. She slowly peeks back down the stairs and the stranger is gone. Heather hears voices in her mind. Someone or something is calling her but it is not clear who or what. She waits until some other women make their way down to the ladies room and Heather follows behind them. She is afraid and locks herself in the stall. Her mind drifts and she seems lost in her dreams. She then becomes aware of silence. Silence can sometimes be deafening. Heather can feel the silence. She can almost scoop it up with her hand and taste it. Like a super dry martini that puckers up your whole mouth. Where did everyone go she wonders? She slowly opens the door to the ladies room and sees no one. She walks to the stairs and takes the first step. Where is the music?

She shakes her head again trying to wake up from this nightmare. She takes each step with caution and finally gets back up to the club. There is no one in the club. The lights are out and it is empty. Heather is terrified. She makes her way to the front door. Her eyes are drawn to the window but the window is clear. She sees the clock on the wall and it says 4:30 AM. I lost three hours somewhere. Was I sleeping? Heather makes her way out the front door. She stands there in front for a minute or so, bewildered and frightened. Voices start filling her head. She puts her hands over her ears but the voices are in her mind.

Heather turns toward the corner to hail a Cab but the street is empty. Then as she turns there is the strange man standing on the opposite corner. His face is ghastly and black. He slowly walks toward her. Heather’s knees are shaking. She turns and starts running. She has been to this club a hundred times and never noticed what a scary neighborhood it was in. She scans the streets for any sign of life. She pulls out her cell phone and dials 911. The Raven is in pursuit. She turns but he is following in the shadows.

Heather is found the next day in the subway lying peacefully on a bench by some early morning commuters. She looks as beautiful as ever as if someone posed her in position. Her cell phone still opened and displaying her last call to 911. There are no marks on her body but Heather is lifeless. It appears that she was frightened to death. She is the fifth victim in two months.

The four other victims were found in the same way. Each had a copy of Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven next to their lifeless bodies. Each body pristine and beautiful. NYPD calls this madman "The Raven"

What is the meaning of smaller schools?

I started my schooling in the Bronx at Public School 78 in New York. We had at that time about forty plus kids in the class. For me this was normal and I quite frankly didn't care if there were fifty in the class. We learned math and English and played in the schoolyard in our recess. As  I got older people were all saying the classes were to large and that's why kids couldn't learn. I don't know if that is true or not but it makes some sense. When the Board of Ed said it had a new plan to make the schools smaller it sounded good. Smaller schools and the kids would learn more. Well one thing I know for sure, the Board of Education will screw up any plan. To me smaller schools mean less children in each class. This is what I hear people crying out for and I think it makes sense. Well when I went past my old High School I noticed it had a different name on it. I stopped a young man and asked him" hey what happened to Evander High School"  "Oh they got rid of that and now they made five smaller schools in its place." he replied. "So how many kids are in your class" I asked him. " I don't know exactly but about forty I guess" he said. " How does one Principal handle five schools ?" I asked.  "No man! there are five principals in that school" he answered."Oh I see " I said to the young man. "How do you like the change" I asked him. "I kinda like the difference" he replied. "Thanks for your time" and with that I drove away. I went home got on the Internet and started to calculate. One building has at least 2 assistant Principals and one Principal. The Principal makes $200,000 and the APs make $90,000.The teachers make $60,000 to $70,000. but there are the same amount of teachers in the new system. So!! to teach the exact same amount of children, with the same amount of teachers,in the same building,  in this new system, it cost an extra $305,000 x 4 not including the support staff. That comes to a minimum of $ 1,220,000 for each building that houses these schools. There are as near as I get from the Internet approximately 500 high schools in NYC.If they convert each building using this system it will cost an extra 500 x $1,220,000 is $610,000,000 per year for ever. Where is the City getting an extra Six Hundred Million Dollars from. Who is benefiting from this madness. Not the kids, not the teachers, not you, not me, not the janitors or maintenance people. Who ever thought this was the meaning of smaller schools. Next they will decrease the size of the classroom by square footage. From 30' x 30' to 10' x 20'. This would make for smaller schools.  It's a joke and it's on the children. Hire more teachers not more Administrators.

How do I get out of here?

I am amazed now at the new world of parking lot design. I mean when I was younger they built a row of stores or a large set of buildings and the parking lot sort of went in front. There were rows and you knew at the end of a row you could zip around and go to the next row.  You didn't have to think about it much. I mean you drive in there and tried to get close to the place you were shopping at and wallah! Now I find myself lost and bewildered in these new state of the art parking lots. I know there are reasons why they are doing it but I'll be dammed if it makes sense to me. They waste precious space. They make turns and dead ends where none are needed and, worst of all are the confusing exits. If I had it all to do over again I want to become a parking lot designer. I would like to make it easier for the world to shop and get where they are going.