Archive for May, 2010

May

Memorial Day

Enjoy this time to be home (and not have school). We also need to remember why we are off. If you know any veterans, thank them today. Many people gave up their lives so that we can live with the freedom that we have.

This BP oil spill is getting bad. It sounds like a solution will not be easy. Hopefully someone comes up with a plan that works and can be put into action quickly. To make things even worse, hurricane season is right around the corner.

Reds begin a big series today against the Cardinals. They hold a one game lead.

Our next test is Thursday on Chapter 16. Ask for a practice test tomorrow.

This Day In History
1913-The 17th Amendment was ratified. This amendment allowed for the direct election of Senators.
1990-Seinfeld premieres on NBC
Celebrating his 80th birthday today is Clint Eastwood. He is definitely one of the great tough-guy actors of our time. Check out Gran Tourino and In The Line of Fire, my two favorite Eastwood movies.
It is also the birthday of Peter Yarrow. He is from Peter, Paul and Mary and is the writer of “Don’t Laugh at Me” which is the song we played during our Odd Girl Out Character Education day.
Also celebrating: Joe Namath, Brooke Shields and Jake Peavy.
It also would have been the birthday of Walt Whitman.

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May

Bruce Almighty and Reds All-Righty!

The Reds won last night thanks in part to the 2 HRs hit by Jay Bruce and the 12 runs scored by the team. The Reds are now in 1st place by 2 games. I just read that this is the first time the Reds have had a 2 game lead since June 6, 2004. That team did not finish particularly well. However, this team is an excellent mix of veterans and youngsters. Each game of late has been exciting to watch. It figures that they play well the year I don’t have a trip to Cincinnati scheduled.

This Day In History
1854-The territories of Kansas and Nebraska were established. The Kansas-Nebraska Act will be on next week’s test. Study your flow chart and the information from the textbook.
1922-The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington.
1982-Cal Ripken Jr. played in the first of 2632 consecutive games. That is a major league record. Who’s record did he break to become the record holder?
Celebrating a birthday today is Manny Ramirez. It also would have been the birthday of Mel Blanc, of Looney Tunes fame. Laughs and Lunch just wouldn’t be the same without him. According to wikipedia, Blanc was the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, Woody Woodpecker, Barney Rubble, Mr. Spacely, Speed Buggy, Captain Caveman and Heathcliff, among others.

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May

DJ

Here’s a picture of DJ from earlier this week. He’s growing up so quickly!
random 222

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May

Reds Astro-nomical Victory

Would anyone have predicted that on May 29 the Reds would have the best record in the National League? Even I didn’t expect that to happen. Amazingly, the Reds are winning without their best player (Votto) because of a stiff neck. Miguel Cairo has been filling in and has batted near .500 in the last 4 games.
This is a great team to watch, they are very exciting and enthusiastic. The efforts of Jonny Gomes are rubbing off on the team.

I can’t believe that when we get back to school it will be June. This year went by really fast. Hopefully we won’t have the same rate of speed during the summer.

This Day In History
1790-Rhode Island became the last state to ratify the Constitution.
2004-The World War II memorial was dedicated in Washington DC. I went a year later and it is a beautiful tribute to those who fought in the war. Washington DC is truly a great trip. If you’ve never been there, go.
Birthdays today include Melissa Etheridge and former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent. It also would have been the birthday of President John F. Kennedy. He would have been 93 years old. Because of some of his physical ailments, it is unlikely that he would have lived that long but you never know. It also would have been the birthday of Patrick Henry.
Fact I Did Not Know: Bob Hope was not born in the United States. He was born (on this day) in England. Bob Hope was a famous entertainer/comedian. He is perhaps most known for his trips to entertain our troops while they were off fighting in wars. This is a tradition that still carries on today.

Tags: baseball, Reds

posted by Mr. Dowling in School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (9)

May

Reds Keep Rolen On

Yet another win for the Reds to keep their one game lead over the Cardinals. They have a huge 3 game series next week against the Red Birds. Scott Rolen had a big 3 run HR in the first to keep the Reds rolling…I mean Rolen! He already has more homeruns this year than he had all of last year.
Tonight the Reds debut a new pitcher, Sam LeCure. LeCure takes over for the injured Homer Bailey, who should be back in a few weeks.

Does anyone have any plans for this weekend?

Early Congrats to Jacob. This is a big weekend for him.

Tests will be graded this weekend and returned on Tuesday. I hope to post an extra help schedule for the Final. Look for it shortly. It will include 5 mornings and one afternoon. Additionally, homework club is always an excellent opportunity to review.

Round 2 of the Trivia Challenge has begun. Thank you to those who have participated. It seems that the pace is starting to pick up, which is good.

This Day In History
1957-The National League approved the move of the Dodgers and the Giants from Brooklyn and New York. New York baseball would never be the same. Thankfully, 5 years later, the Mets were added. The lovable losers were, well, loved by New York. Amazingly, they won the World Series in 1969.
To my knowledge, the Dodgers and Giants have only won 2 championships since moving.
1998-Phil Hartman is killed. Hartman is known for his time on Saturday Night Live and the Simpsons.

posted by Mr. Dowling in School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (22)

May

The Official Mr. Dowling Has To Work And I Can Sleep Late Page

This is your opportunity to rub it in. Go ahead, I can take it!

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May

Thursday, 5/27

Enjoy your LOOOOOOOOOOOONG weekend. Try not to rub it in that I have to work tomorrow. Good news for me is that it is a slightly shortened day. I think we only work until 1.
Be sure to remember why we have on Monday. We need to take some time to remember those who died protecting our country and our freedom.

The Reds remain in first place and are now one game ahead. The bad news is that they have the same record that they had at the same time last year. The Reds then went on to lose 20 or so games in their next 45+. I don’t anticipate that happening but you never know. This Reds team is a better team than last year’s team. Next week’s series against the Cardinals will be huge. In fact, Wednesday’s game (June 2) will be on ESPN.

This Day In History
1995-Actor Christopher Reeve is paralyzed in a horse riding accident. Reeve, of course, played superman.

It is also the birthday of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Senator Chris Dodd, Todd Bridges from Diff’rent Strokes, and baseball players Jeff Bagwell and Frank Thomas.

Enjoy the day and stay cool. It is going to be another hot one.

posted by Mr. Dowling in The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (27)

May

Caption Craziness

Please note: This is not a contest. Just an opportunity to share some laughs.
Begin…

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May

Tuesday, 5/25

Test Day: I’m sure you’ll all do fine…especially if you’ve been studying.

I hope to have the test back as soon as possible. I’m hesitant to hand it back before the Memorial Day break because students tend to forget to get things signed over the weekend. We’ll see how it goes.

As we get closer and closer to the end, I get more and more worried about having time to review for the final. If you are like me, find comfort in the fact that we’re reviewing for the final in Core Extension already (you are invited-with your teacher’s permission) and I’ll be releasing a Final Review Extra Help schedule shortly.

I went to the Weber baseball game. They won with a suicide squeeze of all things. It was a well played game. Andy V. played 3rd base and impressed me. He’s very knowledgeable when it comes to baseball. Sam G., Ben and David K. are also on the team. It is always nice to see talented ballplayers.

Reds=Back In First Place. They are now tied with the Cardinals.

The Trivia Contest is off to a roaring start. Hopefully we can get more of a rhythm going when answering questions. I guess the good news is that both of the contests that we’ve had so far have ended close. Thank goodness I decided to make the first round only 10 points. We’d still be on the first competition.

I can’t believe Wyn got a food question wrong. By the way, macadamia nuts are amazing. When I was in Hawaii I had macadamia nut pie…incredible. If I could turn back time I’d come home with a lot more macadamia nuts than I did. They are much more expensive here than they are in Hawaii.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Food,School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (8)

May

Monday, 5/24

“You should never comment about the losses of a team when your team is in last place.” Words to live by.
This is a big week for the Reds. They are playing 2 bad teams (Houston and Pittsburgh). They have to come out of this around 5-2 and certainly need to win more than they lose. I have faith in them.

The Hall of Fame Assignment is graded and will be returned to you in class today. Amazingly, there were students that did not put a name on any of the plaques. All that work for no credit.

Be sure to study for tomorrow’s test.

This Day In History
1883-The Brooklyn Bridge was opened to traffic
1844-Samuel Morse transmitted the first message using his invention, the telegraph.
1935-The first night baseball game took place in Crosley field, the former home of the Cincinnati Reds. Yes, the Reds won the game.
The Reds also played the first night game in Brooklyn. It was the 2nd of 2 consecutive no hitters pitched by Johnny Vander Meer. Who knows, you might end up on a quiz show one day and need that information for a million dollars (share some of it with me).
Birthdays today include Patti LaBelle, Bob Dylan and Priscilla Presley. It also would have been the birthday of Daniel Fahrenheit. I wonder what he is famous for, besides having a cool first name.

posted by Mr. Dowling in School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (16)

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