Is College Worth It? by William Bennett

The former U.S. Secretary of Education, William Bennett has a new book out, Is College Worth It?
He says that "only 150 of 3500 of U.S. Colleges are worth it." In the top 10 are

1. Harvey Mudd
2. Cal Tech
3. MIT
4. Stanford
5. Princeton
6. Harvard
7. Dartmouth
8. Duke
9. University of Pennsylvania
10. Notre Dame

The University of Washington is 86. Northwestern is 146.

Yes, to get into one of the big name universities is important and your future is almost guaranteed with a big salary and opportunities. Competition is high but some students buy their way into the top 10 with family name and money.

I believe strongly that it is always important to get as much education as possible and to keep learning. To discourage students from going to college, if they can't get into the top 150 and give up is wrong. There is online free learning. There are libraries. There is on the job training. There are always ways to learn and grow. Getting an education, the way that is possible for the student is better than not getting an education. Becoming literate, learning as much as you can so you can be a responsible citizen is important to the global community.

Mr. Bennett said that it is important to pick a degree that will be useful in the marketplace and I agree. He has a degree in philosophy and even though it usually doesn't translate into the best degree choice, Mr. Bennett did well for himself.

I think that the individual who is intelligent and has passion for learning will do well no matter where he went to college. Believe in yourself. Work hard to be the best you can be. Keep learning to find new answers and solutions to the problems around you.

Going to college is very expensive in the United States. Interesting that Europe manages to maintain a free university system for those who are able to compete and maintain a higher quality of education.

I think that the most important thing that parents can do is to assume the responsibility of being the most important teacher in their child's life, make sure that their child is ahead of the class in all subjects, is socially adjusted with friends, active in sports so their mind and body are strong, eat healthy, and to be the best parent they can be by listening, supporting, teaching independence within the safety net of the family, expose them to travel, the zoo, aquarium, plays, the arts, and music. Not every family is musical but there is a high correlation between math and music and success in school. Introducing a musical instrument early is important but the practice is equally important that needs to continue for years. Since this is tricky since not all kids want this path, exposure is better than nothing. Since children mimic and watch closely what their parents do, it is important that you show enthusiasm for learning and make sure your behavior and words do not conflict with this main goal.

Mother's Day

I'm having such a wonderful Mother's Day. I've heard from all my kids and received such nice gifts. I spend the morning with Ben and my granddaughter, Anna with a special breakfast at the Rusty Pelican in Wallingford.

It's always special to spend time with Ben and Anna. I had such a nice time and a wonderful breakfast. I ordered the garden skillet, my favorite.

Ben and Anna brought beautiful flowers when they picked me up and Anna gave me a special bead dog that she made. It's very nice.

Daniel and Jodee sent a  beautiful bouquet of flowers. Gretchen sent a beautiful card and gift card. Joe called this morning while I was at breakfast so he got to talk to Ben too. Joe is busy working on a gardening project at home.

It was wonderful to see or talk to all my kids. As I have always said, I have the BEST kids in the world. It's the best gift to see and spend time with them and my grandchildren. I have so much to be thankful for.

Blueberry smoothie

I just made a blueberry smoothie and it was so good. 1 cup of vanilla greek yogurt. 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed, 1 tablespoon of wheat germ, 1 tablespoon of bee pollen. 1/2 banana. 2 cups frozen blueberries, and water all blended up smooth. Delicious.

Zumba with Mariam

This noon I took a great class from Mariam at 24 Hour Fitness Northgate in Seattle. She teaches Zumba and Belly Dance for 1 1/2 hours. Zumba by Mariam concentrates on your core, which I need. She's a gifted dancer and so popular. Everyone loves her. She's here during May but it moving to San Francisco. It's definitely our loss but San Francisco will love her. She's so nice, kind, and a great instructor. She will really be missed here. She said that she will post videos on YouTube so I will put at least one on this blog so you can see how great she is.

Khan Academy

One of my favorite learning websites is Khan Academy. www.khanacademy.org. If you can't find it, google "khan academy," and then you will find it. Often when I put in the web address, I get switched to something else.

Learning for free for everyone with a computer with math, science and economics, computer science, humanities, and test prep. If Khan Academy is new to you, be sure to look around at everything for an overview. The knowledge map is interesting. Under science and economics, you can learn everything from cosmology and astronomy to macroeconomics. Under test prep, you can study for the GMAT.

There are over 4100 videos that are interactive and measure progress for the student wanting to learn. Khan Academy is an excellent tool in the classroom or at home for young and old.

I haven't visited this website in months but in looking around, I see that it is organized differently. At first I thought many videos were cut out but I see that they are still there. Have fun. Look around. Learn.

freerice.com

One of my favorite, fun websites is www.freerice.com. It's a great website to learn for young and old. There are different subjects to choose. Under the topic humanities, there are famous paintings, literature, world hunger, and famous quotations. Under the topic math are the topics multiplication table and basic math. Under languages, you can work on German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Latin. There is human anatomy under the science topic. You can even work on your SAT preparation. Under the topic English, you can pick vocabulary or grammar. You can study the chemical symbols. Under the topic of geography, you can pick world landmarks, identify countries on map, world capitals, and flags of the world.

For each correct answer, the website donates 10 grains of rice through the world hunger program to help end hunger.

My favorite choices are famous paintings, vocabulary, grammar, identify countries on map, world capitals, and flags of the world. It's fun.

Zumba with Daniel

Zumba with Daniel is pure fun. I went to his class this morning at 9:30 a.m. at 24 Hour Fitness Northgate. I had an amazing time. The room was packed. Daniel is very popular and loved by everyone. He has smooth moves. He gets you sweaty, moving, with a big smile on your face.

I love Zumba. I'm grateful to have Daniel as an instructor.

Aqua Zumba with Niel Smith

I went to Aqua Zumba this morning at 11 a.m. at 24 Hour Fitness Northgate Seattle, and the instructor was Niel Smith. Niel always makes Zumba fun! Aqua Zumba is zumba in the pool. It's a pool party. Actually it is like going on a cruise and having fun.

Niel always makes class fun for everyone. He has a kind heart. He's a great dancer and choreographer. He's gets the old and fat to move and have fun. He makes you feel young again. He's not replaceable and loved by everyone.

If you want to have fun, come at 11 a.m. to 24 Hour Fitness Northgate Seattle on Fridays to take the class Aqua Zumba. Niel makes it fun and you will have a great time.

Zumba and service animals

Last night at Zumba, a woman complained about the music being too loud and that she could not bring her service animal into class. It's inappropriate for a service animal to be brought into a Zumba class because it would not be safe for the dog. It is unkind of the owner to even consider such a thing. Zumba is usually packed with dancers who move into every inch of space. It would be difficult to dance with a dog underfoot--a safety hazard for dancers and the dog. The woman with the service animal wanted to dance. Unless the dog was tied up at the side, it would be inappropriate. Music is loud in Zumba. It doesn't work for everyone. In life, there are endless choices to spend your time. Not everything works for everyone.

I remember seeing this woman when Marco was a Zumba instructor. She used to sit at the side in a chair and watch. Now she is better and able to dance. I asked her if she was going to dance. She said yes.

This reminds me of what teachers in public school have to deal with. Not all classrooms can be for everyone. Just as I believe it is inappropriate for a teacher in a public school to have to deal with a special needs student who is severely disabled, I believe it is inappropriate for a Zumba class to accommodate someone who wants to dance with a service animal. Unless the classroom were much bigger and she could dance off to the side or unless there were a special class just for people with service animals, it isn't going to work.

Modern Family

I just watched the latest episode of Modern Family on Hulu.com since I no longer have television. What a great show! It was about roller skating. They were at a rink for a fund raiser and the whole cast of Modern Family was roller skating. What fun!

I recently bought roller skates. I'm a little reluctant to try them out. I need to start slow and go to a roller rink. My goal is to skate around Green Lake. When I do that, I will walk around with a permanent smile. I wish there were more roller skating rinks. Last year for my birthday, I went roller skating with my family. Although I hadn't been on skates for over 20 plus years, after I got used to them, I could zip around at the end of the time. I love roller skating and look forward to going around Green Lake.

I was waiting until my youngest son came to visit to go roller skating. I knew he would hold my hand and he would help me. It doesn't sound like he is coming any time soon and I can't let my skates gather dust until he does come so I must just do it.

Something to consider................

Sometimes an issue bothers me until I write about it. I have been thinking about this for awhile and I hope that I am able to express this point of view clear enough.

I don't like conflict and I like to stay in the safe zone but sometimes you have to say something, you must speak up. I believe strongly in using words, logic, and the law and never physical violence or causing harm.

Something happened this evening that brought this issue to the forefront in my mind again and I can't sleep. Please consider my words. I hope it can make a difference to help a lot of people.

When Pope Francis became Pope, I thought that he is the one who might do something about this issue so I am asking him, too, to consider my words. Pope Francis is a scholar, someone who believes in social justice, and not a religious snob. He is of the people. I'm not Catholic but from the Catholic church the answer just might come for it is a strong and powerful church.

Through the centuries, the Catholic church has harbored homosexuals. I believe this to be true. Just as the Catholic church has been the protector of learning, books, and education through the centuries, I believe this church has been the safe haven for homosexuals; otherwise, there would not be all the gay priests. This is not a new issue. Consider the book, Pope Joan too.

Many right wing conservative churches believe strongly that homosexuals are evil or not normal and that God doesn't shine down upon homosexuals with approval. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of these churches. Other religions believe this way too. Mormons were instrumental in preventing gay marriage in California and stopping it cold.

Homosexuals or gay people have always been with us. Look at history.

If God made every person on earth and sometimes I'm not sure I believe in God anymore after the last 15 years that have been unusually difficult for me and so many different churches have been such a disappointment to me, I ask this.... If God made every person on earth, then he is pleased and his creations are a perfection. Homosexuals were born this way. I doubt very much that any person would want to experience the kind of harassment and torment and prejudice that comes to gay people unless they were truly born that way. So this means that God made them in his perfection. Remember when Jesus, the good Jewish boy, said that everyone should love one another. This is one of the most important things he asked of everyone. He asked that we love everyone, no matter how difficult they are or how different they are from us. That's the challenge and not easy. He said to love fat people, people of color, people who don't look like we do, people who live on the other side of the world, people who have different opinions.

In the last six months, I met a nun in a catholic school who looked like she was gay. I really had that thought. That brought up the book Pope Joan that I read in a book club. There have been gay Boy Scout leaders. There have been gay priests. So many gay people trying to be good and do the right thing. They are human. Would gay priests have abused young choir boys, if they were allowed to be gay and marry? I think not. Would gay Boy Scout leaders have abused young boys if they were allowed to be gay and marry? I think not.

Our failure with this issue, I believe is that we need to realize that people who are born gay are loved by God and are perfect just as they are. No one should ask a gay person not to be gay. Priests who are gay should be allowed to marry. Homosexuals should be allowed to marry without prejudice or loss. God wants people to be happy and to be their unique selves. He wants us to learn from each other. He wants us to live in peace and be kind to each other.

I hope my words will be considered and have a positive impact. Although I am not gay, I sincerely hope that those who are will be allowed to be themselves in peace without judgment or harm.

Lunch with Ben

I went downtown on the bus and had lunch with my son, Ben today. I had a great time. It's always special to spend time with him. He's one of the best people I know. I'm always proud of him and love him very much. To get to spend time with him is a great gift. 

My children are the BEST people I know and to spend time with my children and my grandchildren is the greatest gift and the most fun.

Zumba with Niel

This afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at the Northgate 24 Hour Fitness in Seattle, I took the Zumba class with Niel. He's such a great instructor and he's fun. I had such a wonderful time. I'm so grateful to be able to take his class.

One of the women in the class said that one of the Zumba instructors, Mariam, is moving away to San Francisco. She's heart broken. It's hard when you get attached to a great instructor and they aren't there.

That's why it would be so nice if 24 Hour Fitness would have a large screen in front that they could pull down with videos of the favorite instructors. The instructors would still get paid but 24 Hour Fitness would make so much more money with more people coming through the door. Zumba is a big draw for the club. Even when the instructor is here, it would help so that the people in the back could see the feet of the instructor to copy the dance steps. I wish. I wish. I wish. I talked to Kayleen, the manager before I left and suggested it again. This way there could be more classes every day. We could still have classes with Mariam and Marco who moved to the East Coast. Then we could have Niel at least twice every single day. When Daniel visits his family in Brazil and is gone for a month, we can still have him on video on a large screen and he could still earn extra money. Everyone would be happy. A win for the instructors. A win for all the members of 24 Hour Fitness. A win for 24 Hour Fitness. When members see that there is consistent and more Zumba classes at all times of the day, more people would want to join.

Century Link

 

I was shocked to open my bill from Century Link and find that it is going to be $136.80 a month for internet and phone. I was told at the Northgate Mall here in Seattle that it would never be over $74, even if the amount was raised so why is it $136.80?

 

I changed from Comcast because my bill was $164. Then I finally got it down to $120. I wanted to save money so I gave up television. So now I am missing Survivor every week. I have no idea who got voted off or what is happening.



I think it is outrageous that businesses can charge whatever they want. Century Link advertises a five year locked in price of $19.95 for the Internet and if you get the super duper Internet speed it is $29.95 so how does this translate into internet and phone for $136.80?

I was welcomed into the Century Link family. I need from Century Link services and bills that they promise and delivery as promised.

Maybe someone needs to work on price controls. This is outrageous!

Last week I got a notice that my bill was going to be $105. I called. They said, "That's right." I went into the mall office at Northgate mall for Century Link and they said, "It's about right." Then when I got this real bill, it is even higher.

The end result as of today, May 9th is that Century Link agreed to back off a $31 installation charge but my monthly bill is still going to be around $105, which is higher than I thought. When I asked if I could just have Internet, they said that the price would be the same because I needed to bundle the phone and Internet to keep it at $105.

Zumba with Niel Smith

This morning at 9:30 a.m. I was at 24 Hour Fitness Northgate to take a Zumba class by Niel Smith, my favorite instructor. I was so happy to see him walk in the door since I haven't seen him in awhile. I love Niel. I'm so grateful for all the fun in his class. He's such an amazing and gifted dancer and choreographer. It is a great gift to be in his class to learn from him and to have fun. This is the most fun that I have in a week when I get to take a class by Niel. You get to move, dance, and the music is great. You live in the moment. Nothing else exists. Pure fun. Everyone in the room dancing together and having a great time. What could be better?

I wish I didn't have to work this evening so I could go to Zumba again.

Niel needs to be cloned so he could always teach at least a couple of Zumba classes every day at 24 Hour Fitness Northgate. Then I would always be happy, fit, and all would be well in the world.

I downloaded the Zumba Fitness app on my android cell phone but I am having problems checking in when I take a class. Each time that you take a Zumba class and check in on this app, you are donating your calories lost in class to give to the great calorie drive to eliminate world hunger. Too many people in the world are hungry and everyone needs to do what they can to help. "Let's give the world a reason to dance," says Zumba Fitness because each calorie burned in a Zumba class is a calorie worth of food and is donated to a person who is hungry. 870 million people in the world do not get enough to eat. It is my understanding that the average amount of calories burned in a Zumba class is 750 calories. More if you end up with dripping wet hair, a wet shirt, and sweat drips on the floor. Pure fun in a Zumba class. I know of nothing better. I love Zumba. I'm happy to help in this project.

Seattle

I love Seattle and I'm so grateful to live here. I moved here in December of 2011 to Northgate which is only 9 miles from downtown Seattle. It's so close, I could walk. It would be a little tricky, if I walked but still possible. I know because my son has run to work before and he lives in Green Lake. I know I could walk to Green Lake and all I would have to do is follow his route that he uses to run to work which is to go along Aurora until you get close to the Space Needle and then head towards 3rd and Union. Maybe someday when I am particularly adventurous, I will.

Every day is an adventure in Seattle because so much is here. It's such a grand and glorious city. It has all the ingredients of a big city with all the culture and the arts. I know that not everything is perfect but it sure is as close as it comes. It has an amazing symphony, art museum, the Dale Chihuly Glass Museum, the Woodland Park Zoo, the Pacific Science Center, Broadway plays, great restaurants, the Pike Place Market, and on and on and on. The list just keeps going. It's endless as to the possible wonderful things you could do. They keep adding to it all the time. All you have to do is open the Seattle Times to see what is next.

I can't do it all but it's there. It's out there. Seattle has perfect weather, not too cold, not too hot. I don't like hot weather. I can deal with cold weather a lot better than hot weather.

We have a great mayor and a great governor. All is well in Seattle. If something happens in Seattle, they quickly figure it out and handle it. Things get done. Seattle has everything and the best part is that it is an international city where people from all over the world come and live in peace. Pretty good.

This morning....

So I woke up this morning early at 4:30 a.m. and all I could think about was something that I should have done yesterday but didn't. Nothing I can do about it now but it is bothering me so maybe if I blog about it, I can move on. I think part of the reason why I am fat is because I am clogged with words, art, music, etc. My new definition of obesity! Clogged with words, I say!

Okay, so after talking with my sister in Georgetown, Texas for over an hour on the phone, I looked at the clock and it was around 8 p.m. Not too late to go to Target and buy Greek yogurt that I needed and Diet Coke that I just HAD to have, especially if I drove so I did. When I got to the check stand, there was a nice young family ahead of me. They obviously were many times more affluent than I. The man brought his wrong Target card and he wanted the 5% off of his purchase of over $300. They didn't live close. I came so close to just letting them use my card. My dead husband would have yelled at me for days if I had but it was the right thing to do and I didn't. I was wrong. I guess I was expecting the clerk who waited on them to call a manager on duty to make it right and to give these people the 5% discount since they had an old card and they had good credit cards. The man had picked up the wrong Target card. I could have fixed it but I chose to stay safe and I watched when I could have helped everyone.

Beethoven's Fifth -- Seattle Symphony

My last afternoon ticket for the season was this afternoon for Beethoven's Fifth -- Beyond the Score Series. Every time I go, it seems like it just keeps getting better and better and I don't know how that is possible since it is always perfection. It was glorious and pure genius.

During the first part was a narration about the history of Beethoven's Fifth. The actors were amazing, bold, caught up in their character, and lived the part. Obviously, they are on stage often and could be in the movies. I loved the period costumes. As I look in the program, I see that Cathan Bordyn is "a local and film actor with over 40 roles spanning his career." Well, no wonder! And David Pichette "has been a fixture in the Seattle Theater scene for 30 years." They were all serious actors and you could tell. I hadn't read this part until I got home. They made it special for everyone in Benaroya Hall.

Christian Knapp was the conductor. He was glorious and seemed to be all arms. He was light on his feet moving this way and that. You could tell that he loves to be a conductor and he loves Beethoven's Fifth.

Tears rolled down my cheeks during parts near the end that was just pure perfection. I loved every part. Heaven is listening to the Seattle Symphony. I'm grateful that I get to attend once in awhile. It must be glorious fun to be able to go to every performance several times a week. I can afford to do the afternoons once in awhile. I am usually in row W and today I was in seat 11, isle A, orchestra left. End of the season for me. I had a great time.

I wondered today if the gift shop sells cards of the members of the orchestra. I wonder if in the packs of cards there are the conductors, instruments, composers, symphonies, and all the members of the orchestra with information on the back. I need to look and see. That would be fun to buy and collect. I also need to buy a CD once in awhile.

I see that Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich is coming up this month. Tempted to buy a ticket but I can't afford to do all I want to do in life.

Starbucks

I love Starbucks. I love the menu. I love the coffee. I only buy Starbucks at the grocery store to make at home.

This afternoon during the break at the Seattle Symphony, I ordered a Frappuccino. I got a coffee Frappuccino and it was delicious. Really good. I love it. Now I will have to order them all summer.

Lists

I have a long list of things to do. I keep working on it to check things off. It's a never ending list because some chores have to repeated over and over and over. When I can't finish one thing or if it becomes more complicated than I had expected, I do what I can and then move on to another one. I'm getting a lot done. I also plan my day and make a list of things to do for each day. Some days I don't get everything done so things get moved over to the next day.

This morning I decided to set up my old computer. Everything was going along fine until I found that not all the computer cords were where I had left them so I can't hook up my computer, which I will use for writing. Now I have to let this go until I can buy new cords.

Then I went on to cleaning my vacuum cleaner. I had to take it apart with a Philips screw driver. I put it back together and cleaned it but have to wait for a filter to dry before it is ready to use again.

My old computer has been on my list for awhile. I finally got it back yesterday. I was told that they might have to completely wipe it which would have been hard since there is a lot of writing on this computer plus two of my novels. I'm so happy my computer didn't have to be wiped clean and that all information is still on it plus all the photos. I have decided to keep this computer off line and just use it for writing.