Hard to believe it is the last day of November!

Tiger Woods
As reporter/columnist Stephen A. Smith said yesterday, Tiger Woods is worth millions and millions of dollars (perhaps billions). As a result, he has made many of the people around him very wealthy…wealthy enough that they would want to protect the man who has made them wealthy and will continue to make them wealthy. In all likelihood, his people are covering for something. I’m sure it is only a matter of time until we hear the true story.

As I have mentioned previously, we have the Turkey Bowl today and then review tomorrow. There will be extra help Tuesday morning and Homework Club Tuesday after school. There is no extra help on Wednesday.

Today was the birthday of Mark Twain. In the past, Mr. Joseph’s classes have read Twain’s Tom Sawyer. I’m not sure if that will be the case this year. Last year, our students did not read it.

Today is also the day that Ken Jennings’ steak of victories on Jeopardy came to an end. I believe he ended up making nearly 2.5 million dollars on the show. That sum is pretty spectacular when you remember that contestants only typically win about $20,000 a night. He was on the show when I first started watching it frequently. Now, I rarely miss a show, thanks to DVR.

Today is also the birthday of Dick Clark, Ben Stiller and sports legend Bo Jackson. Jackson managed to be a top star in both football and baseball until he was injured playing football. It is also the birthday of Clay Aiken and Elisha Cuthbert of “24″. I can still vividly remember Kim, Jack’s daughter, being chased by a mountain lion in the 2nd or 3rd season…one of the worst scenes of that otherwise great show.

Enjoy school today.

The Turkey Bowl was excellent. It was a fun day but it was also learning. From time to time, it is a good idea to see what we know. The Final will be here before you know it. It was also great that I was able to have 17 students earn extra credit. If you were not one of them, don’t get upset. There will be a 2nd (and possibly last of the quarter) opportunity to earn extra credit next week.

I can say this statement with sincere honesty…”I love my job!” However, I wouldn’t mind staying home either.

Looking ahead, we have Turkey Bowl VII on Monday. Tuesday there will be Extra Help and then review during class for Wednesday’s essay. There is also Homework Club on Tuesday. Remember, the essay is the final part of your project grade. We will continue outlining our essays in class. You may have to prepare some of it on your own if we don’t get to all 3 essay outlines in class.
I will be collecting your notes packet in class on Wednesday. I recommend that you have all of your notes, including your outlines on the packet (you can use front and back). This will help to prove that you’ve been doing the right thing for the last 2 weeks. If you need another packet, I still have a few (about 4) or you can get them on socialstudieswithasmile.com or PEN.
As I’m sure you are aware, class participation is 20% of your grade for the quarter.

Happy Birthday to our very own Ben O. and Samantha H. Enjoy the day! They share birthdays with Mariano Rivera (40 years old and still going strong), Vin Scully (Scully is the announcer for the LA Dodgers and is a legend-he has been with the team way back since they were the Brooklyn Dodgers. This might be his last year and is one of the all time greats. Scully is 82 years old.).
It is also the birthdays of Presidential advisor Rahm Emanuel and Director of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. I wonder if there will be a party at the White House and if there is, I wonder if we will be able to crash the party. I hear that is easier than you might think.

Speaking of legendary announcers…Bob Sheppard, PA announcer for the New York Yankees has announced his retirement. For years, he has never publicly announced his age. He is currently 99! years old. He has announced Yankee games since 1951. He has been ill lately and unable to attend games. Sheppard’s voice has been part of the Yankee Stadium experience for generations. He has announced every Yankee from Phil Rizzuto, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson to Paul O’Neill, Derek Jeter and Don Mattingly.

Sheppard is also a good guy in my book because he is a St. John’s University graduate!

On This Day In History
1963-President Johnson names Earl Warren to a commission (known as the Warren Commission) to investigate the Kennedy assassination

I actually did go shopping yesterday…but nowhere near a mall. I went to Home Depot and then to Modells. The stores themselves are probably fine, it is the traffic and parking that I hope to avoid. I live close enough to the mall that I can avoid weekend shopping and go on my way from school instead.
I’ve also done some online shopping.

Just my own very brief commentary on the Tiger Woods story…I’m not buying it. I don’t know if we’ll ever find out the true story but I don’t think he just so happened to crash into a tree/hydrant only to be freed by his wife using a golf club to break out the back window. There have been rumors of infidelity on Tiger’s part.

Enough gossip…

Recently while watching MSNBC, the news anchor at the time led a discussion on whether or not this has been the worst decade in recent history (2000-2009).
Here is a list of troubling parts of history over the past 10 years:
2000-Presidential Election ends in recounts, court hearings and heated debates…George Bush becomes president
2001-Tragic Terrorist Attacks (9/11)
The terrorist attacks lead to wars in Afghanistan and Irag. Both wars are still ongoing with American lives lost daily
2004-Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, killing thousands of people and destroying many homes and villages
2005-Hurricane Katrina
The Ongoing Economic Crisis
Cincinnati Reds 751-869

Seems pretty bad when you put them all together. However, decades that include World War I, World War II and The Holocaust and the Great Depression or even Vietnam and Civil Rights unrest were pretty bad (quite an understatement, eh?) as well.

I guess we think of this decade as being so bad because we are living through it and either don’t remember the past or were not alive for it.

On This Date In History
1975-President Ford nominates John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court. Stevens is still on the Supreme Court. The current Justices are Stevens, Sonia Sotomayor (the newest Justice), Samuel Alito, Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer.
I can proudly say that I was able to name 8 of those Justices without looking them up. Breyer gave me the trouble…I wrote the name of recently retired David Souter instead.
Amazingly, most of us would not be able to name 4 of the judges yet MANY could name the 4 American Idol judges. I guess that’s just the world that we live in. We will be devoting time, time and more time to Basic Social Studies Stuff Everyone Should Know later in the year in Core Extension. We also devote a few weeks to government in our regular class.

It was also one year ago that Plaxico Burress of the New York Giants accidentally shot himself at a NY night club. I’ve been saying this for a year now, as bad as the Jets might be, at least they don’t shoot themselves.

It is also the birthday of former Presidential candidate Gary Hart, actor Ed O’Neill, Paul Schaffer from The Late Show with David Letterman and comedian Jon Stewart.

Black Friday is the term used for the day after Thanksgiving. Many stores have huge sales and I guess because so many people are off, they flock to the stores to get their shopping started. It is referred to as Black Friday because stores go from in the red (losing money) to in the black (making a profit).

I don’t plan on doing any mall shopping today but I might go to some stores that I think would be less crowded. I’ve already shopped online this morning. Cyber Monday is the big day to shop online (this Monday). I don’t shop at school. Besides…I’ll be too busy with the Turkey Bowl.

A few notable birthdays today…Jimi Hendrix, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Urkel himself, Jaleel White

When I was a kid, Friday nights were TGIF nights on ABC (Thank Goodness It’s Funny!)…It was 2 hours of family programming that I would watch with my brother, sister and grandmother. To prove how popular/successful it was, here is a list of some of the programs that were on over the years (Family Matters, Full House, Step by Step, Perfect Strangers, Mr. Belvedere, Boy Meets World, Hanging With Mr. Cooper). Several of those shows can still be seen in re-runs on cable channels and are still popular with kids.

As a follow up to yesterday’s “unfashion show”, according to fanhouse.com, the White Sox shorts uniform lasted only one day:

Professional ballplayers in shorts? It lasted just one game, but August 8, 1975 has forever earned a place in White Sox history infamy. According to the Hall of Fame, several minor league teams featured uniforms with shorts in 1950, but the notorious ChiSox owner Bill Veeck was the first to bring the style to the majors. It’s a good thing it didn’t last, or else the already dubious distinction between the physique of a pro ballplayer and amateur beerleaguer would have been blurred beyond recognition.

It was on this day in history that George Washington set aside a day of Thanksgiving to celebrate the adoption of the Constitution. Where would we be without the Constitution???

Today also would have been the birthday of Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schultz. There were lots of genius cartoonists/creators in the past generation. Schultz and Jim Henson of the Muppets/Seasame Street come to mind.
It was also the birthday of Sarah Grimke. Grimke was a noted abolitionist and a key member of the women’s rights movement. In fact, later in the year we will induct her into an Abolitionists Hall of Fame.
Hard to believe that Tina Turner turns 70 today.
Simply The Best!

I am pleased to announce that November is yet another record breaking month for socialstudieswithasmile.com. Whether you are coming to study, check your homework, find an extra help date, or participate on the blog, I appreciate your visits. It makes doing all of this worth the time, effort and money.
I hope to keep this website up and running for a long time. Who knows…perhaps you’ll use it with your children to help them study for tests years and years from now.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In a recent comment, the topic of horrible baseball uniforms came up.
For your viewing pleasure, I present to you an “unfashion-show”

San Diego Padres (early 1980s)

I don’t remember these (probably because I wasn’t alive but I’ve never seen pictures either)
Philadelphia Phillies-1979

The Great Pete Rose

Finally, the worst ever…a baseball uniform with SHORTS!!!

These weren't around long...I'm sure you can figure out why

Although there were several horrible uniforms over the years, I do miss the variety.

Best uniform…

Proof that clothes don't make the man...Edwin Encarnacion

Staying with the baseball theme…today would have been the birthday of Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio, the Yankee Clipper.
It is also the birthdays of the former first twins…Jenna and Laura Bush.

We are pretty lucky to have this as our last day of school. When I was in school, we always had classes on Wednesday. It wasn’t until I went to college that we had off on Wednesday and that only began my first year of college because St. John’s had finally built dorms.

Here is a classic Charlie Brown scene. I’m sure you’ve seen it before but it is always entertaining to watch. Enjoy!

I’m interested to hear what you think about the ELA exam. This is the actual exam from last year. So our question of the day is What did you think of the exam? You can react positively or negatively or perhaps both but explain why you feel the way you do.

Anyone going to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade? I’ve never gone and I’m not going this year but it seems like it would be fun.

This Day In History
1963-Jack Ruby shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of assassinating President Kennedy. The amazing thing about this was that Ruby nearly missed his chance. Oswald was supposed to be escorted out before he actually was…but he was delayed because he didn’t want to wear the sweater that he was wearing. It took the police a few minutes to get him the sweater he was requesting…as a result, Ruby was at the right place at the right time and managed to kill Oswald. Who knows what would have happened had Oswald survived.

It also was the birthday of ragtime composer Scott Joplin.

See you in school today. Don’t forget about the Emergency Early Dismissal drill.

I’ve added the December calendar to socialstudieswithasmile.com and PEN. Check it out, especially if you are going to be out of school for an early vacation or as I like to call it “visiting a special doctor in Florida.” We will be working up until the last day before the Winter Recess.

I agree with some of the comments posted about Laughs and Lunch…it is always a great time. It sounded like watching the Disney cartoons might not be a popular choice. Should I skip them? I’d love to hear your feedback but I’ll also ask the “loyal Lunchers” next time we meet.
I enjoyed the Tweety cartoons also.
I bought a new set of Popeye cartoons today. They were only $1 at Party City so I couldn’t resist.
Another Laughs and Lunch question: I have a cartoon set of “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”. It is a personal favorite of mine since childhood. Would it be a good idea to watch that in the next few weeks or should we skip it. It isn’t religious at all and I know there are some classes that read the Dickens classic.

WOW! Core Extension was a bit wild today. But at least it was entertaining. Somehow we turned into a muppet version of “The Voyage to America”. Ryan S. was especially funny today until he lost his job as Narrator E.

The New York Mets announced today that they are going to be wearing a new jersey this year. It is supposed to bring back memories of the classic Mets jersey. I for one am in favor of the change. This jersey is much better than the black one or the white non-pinstripe jersey. I’d be interested to hear your opinion, especially our resident Mets fan, Elizabeth.

17 bags of leaves yesterday…and that was only the front of the house and part of the back. I’m hoping to continue during one of the days off this week (Wednesday hopefully).

Short week of school but learning will still take place. Vacation begins Wednesday, not Monday.

Happy Birthday to Miley Cyrus…She’s the biggest hit Billy Ray has had since Achy Breaky Heart!
It is also the birthday of Robin Roberts of Good Morning America…Roberts is an inspiration to all people for her battle in overcoming breast cancer. She got her start, believe it or not, on ESPN’s Sportscenter.
Yankee fans will love to know that is also Jonathan Papelbon’s birthday.
Most of all, happy birthday to our very own Rachel E.

Have a great day in school.

Laughs and Lunch will not meet today…however, we will meet on Tuesday.

Tomorrow we will do a practice ELA exam. It will be helpful to familiarize yourself with the test. Most importantly, it is important to prepare for a test with a time limit. Budgeting our time can be difficult if we never practice it. That is exactly why all of my tests are times (one period only) unless you are required to get extra time.

It was nice of my nieces to visit today during Period 6. If you are in SJU you got to meet them. It was also nice to get a break from Mr. Swinson. Hmmm…the mystery of what happened while I was gone will probably keep me up late tonight. Then again, maybe not.

I’m off to dinner in about an hour with Mr. Joseph. Believe it or not, we actually do get along.

11/22/09 marks the 46th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The movie JFK (as inaccurate as it is) is the reason that I became so interested in history and then became a Social Studies teacher. It still ranks as my all time favorite movie. I’ll probably pull it out today and watch it or check out some of the documentaries that will likely be on the History Channel.

By my account, I’ve read about 50 books about the JFK assassination. I think there is a lot we don’t know about the events on that day and we probably never will.

There is a great documentary that many have probably not seen called Four Days In November. It was produced by Mel Stuart. Stuart created the first Willy Wonka movie. It uses actual footage to take us through the events that took place in Dallas.

Had I not seen JFK perhaps I would not be your teacher today.

Other topics that are interesting to me in history are (in no particular order):
McCarthyism
The American Struggle for Independence
Slavery
Government
The Cuban Missile Crisis (this is a new one for me)