Signing up for classes for next term has been a nightmare involving way too much time and way too many people. After much hullaboo and effort, last Friday I managed to get shoehorned into the Biology course I needed, but that required giving up my slot in Chemistry (no other openings) and rearranging my math and writing courses. When I first tried to sign up, the registration service would not let me sign up for much of anything, as my basic reading and writing qualifications had expired (apparently they do this after about 5 years). This wouldn't have been such a big deal except that A.) I had gone in and "fixed" this with a counselor last term after experiencing the same problem. B.) The advisors able to fix this were so backed up that it took a three hour wait to get in to see one. C.) Once I did finally get in to see an advisor and fix the requirements, registration services were up and down like crazy over the next week or so, meaning that when I did finally get signed up for classes, the biology course I needed was closed on all campuses, save for a few slots in various classes on Sylvania. Unfortunately, due to an error in the bureaucracy, there were no matching Lab slots for those lecture classes, so it was impossible to sign up for the class at all.
This past Friday they finally added a new lab section, which caused a number of students to shift around, opening a slot at Cascade campus. I swapped my schedule to jump into the new slot, causing the aforementioned loss of my Chemistry course. Given that they took the registration system down for maintenance on Friday at noon, I assumed that that was that, and that I'd just have a 13 credit term and have to take Chemistry during the summer. Eden asked me last night if I had anything left to turn in at my Biology final today, which I was 98% certain I didn't, but I logged on to the course webpage for paranoia's sake this morning to be sure. No assignment, but some wild hair prompted me to check registration services again. Not only were they up, but a Chemistry section I could use had an open slot again due to someone dropping! So now, I'm back to 18 credits, have all the classes I wanted to get done this term, and only need to go to classes on Monday and Wednesday at Cascade campus (the closest to my new digs, with working wifi in all of the buildings). I'm pretty happy about that.
Tonight's Biology final will be the last, and, in point of fact, will likely have absolutely no impact on my grade, as the teacher set things up to drop the lowest of three tests. Given that my lowest score on the other two tests was 89%, I'm pretty sure I won't do better, but who knows? We're required to take all three tests anyway, right? From my calculations, I'm riding somewhere between a high B and a low A based on my assignments and lab work I've gotten back, but there's enough wiggle room in the ones I don't have back that it could go either way. I guess I'm pretty satisfied with either grade, even though the A would be much much better for OIT - I've still understood a heck of a lot more in this course than I thought I would at the start.
Not so much so with Algebra. Honestly, I don't know what's happened to my brain in the intervening years, but math-wise I feel pretty stupid these days. Way back in high school I won a State Championship in Algebra. Right now, if the final I took on Monday works out the way I think it did, I'll have a C. Really not happy with that at all, but in reflection, I've struggled so much with this that I'll be pleased to be done with it. It's kind of odd - one of the things I liked about math growing up was that it had definite answers, and if I understood the principles involved, there was almost a Lego-style click in my head as I manipulated terms from one form to another. It made sense. Right now, I still get that click for some things, but others just don't work at all. They make sense in reviewing problems on the board and when using them for homework, but I can't seem to make them work on arbitrary problems. Makes me a little nervous for the upcoming Trigonometry section, but it'll be the last outright math class that I need for this degree, so I'll just grin and bear it.
In any case, this'll probably be the last post on this blog until I either get my final grades back or the new term starts up again on the 29th of the month. We're still posting pictures to the other blog and will probably have some new ones if we do the honeymoon thing (waiting to see about some car repairs on Eden's bug before making decisions). Feel free to stop by and wander through the posts there!
Well, I've just given my final speech for class. Given the positive response to prior speeches, I thought I'd post the text here. Personally, it just plain sounds wrong - the required number of cited sources over a 6 minute speech force nearly every other word to be written by someone other than me. Regardless, it is an issue I feel strongly about, so I guess it's the overall sentiment that counts.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
In 1992, Bill Clinton was elected to his first term as president of the United States. One of the many campaign promises that he used to achieve this victory was a commitment to ending discrimination against homosexual and bisexuals in the military. On July 20th, 1993, a new policy was distributed to military commanders to fulfill that promise, popularly known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. I’d like to take a few minutes to tell you how this policy has been received, how it has affected service members, and why the policy should be repealed.
When the policy was first released, it was considered controversial enough that the full text was published in the New York Times on July 20, 1993, as an article entitled “Gay rights in the military – The Pentagon’s New Policy Guidelines on Homosexuals in the Military”. A few selected sections stand out from the body of the text, such as “Sexual orientation will not be a bar to service unless manifested by homosexual conduct” and “Neither investigations nor inquires will be conducted solely to determine an individual’s sexual orientation.” Initially, this sounds like a somewhat reasonable compromise between the needs of the organization and the rights of the individual. Further on in the text, however, we see that “No distinction will be made between off-base and on-base conduct.” Taken as written, this effectively means that service members are only allowed to have heterosexual relationships for the duration of their service. The document even acknowledges problems with this policy, stating openly that “As long as service members continue to be separated from military service for engaging in homosexual conduct, credible information of such behavior can be a basis for extortion.”
As of 2003, nearly 10,000 service men and women had been discharged from service in the U.S. military under this policy, as outlined on November 23rd, 2003, in the article “’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ – 10 years and 10,000 discharges later”, written by Aaron Belkin and Tobias Barrington Wolff of the San Francisco Chronicle. Many of the people being discharged had otherwise unblemished service records and would otherwise have gone on to serve for years to come. A notable event among those discharges was the widely publicized discharge of 28 language experts in 2002, including specialists in Arabic in Korean, at a time when we sorely needed their expertise. Another article, “’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Turns 15”, written by Mark Thompson of Time Magazine on January 28th, 2008, relates the experiences of Joan Derrah, a Navy captain that kept her lesbian orientation a secret her entire career. One of the more vivid images offered is the experience of having to give a survey to 250 of her subordinates. She recalls the survey asking “Do you know a gay person, and, if you did, what would you do?” Shortly after, she had to excuse herself to the bathroom to be physically sick. At the time of this article, the number of service members discharged had risen to almost 12,000.
Captain Derrah’s experience was certainly not unique, and it illustrates another disparity introduced by the policy. According to the article “’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Hits Women Much More”, written by Thom Shanker of the New York Times on June 23rd, 2008, “… (while) women make up 14 percent of Army personnel, 46 percent of those discharged under the policy last year were women. And while 20 percent of Air Force personnel are women, 49 percent of its discharges under the policy last year were women.” The military was at a loss to explain this disparity. In response to the needs of personnel discharged for sexual orientation, the article goes on to quote Eileen M. Lainez, a Pentagon spokeswoman on personnel issues, who states that “Separated members have the opportunity to continue to serve their nation and national security by putting their abilities to use by way of civilian employment with other federal agencies, the Department of Defense or in the private sector, such as with a government contractor.”
The policy has not been popular, especially within the ranks of the military itself. In the article “104 retired military brass against ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’”, published November 17th, 2008 on CNN.com, over 100 retired military officers have signed a statement asking that the policy be repealed. The first signature to be found on the document is that of Retired Admiral Charles Larson, a former proponent of the policy when it was instated in 1993. Of the many arguments given to support the repeal of this policy, one specific quote stands out; “To meet its goals of increasing numbers, the military has recruited thousands of convicted felons and illegal drug users under its ‘moral waivers’ program… ….while dismissing hundreds more for being gay.” With president Barack Obama now in office, it now seems likely that such a repeal may be possible. A recent article entitled “Obama to End Military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy was posted January 14th, 2009 on Foxnews.com by Carl Cameron. The article quotes the White House press secretary Robert Gibbs responding to the question “Is the new administration going to get rid of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell policy?” – he stated “… you don’t hear a politician give a one-word answer much. But it’s ‘Yes.’” Specific plans for how this will be carried out were not given, however.
In the end, the current military policy towards homosexuals and bisexuals in the armed forces is not only wrong and hurtful; it is also counterproductive towards achieving mission goals. As you’ve heard today, the policy forces such service members to deny their sexual orientation completely for the duration of their service, and leaves them powerless if any mention of their prior activities comes to light. Thousands of capable men and women have been released from service, while others from questionable backgrounds are called in to fill the gap. Many that have had long, distinguished careers within the Army, Navy, and Marines have stepped forward to voice their dissent, to call attention to this injustice. Our new president seems ready to take action to correct the issue, but to do so, he will need the full support of the legislature behind him. I urge you to consider this issue fully, and to make your opinions felt. Write to Senators Merkley and Wyden, as well as Representative Wu, and let them know in no uncertain terms that you will no longer stand for such an unfair policy.
So, I'm compelled to admit that I've neglected this blog a bit for the last few weeks, in favor of actually getting schoolwork done amid wedding arrangements. At this point, the deed is done (see it at joshandeden.blogspot.com!) and I've just gotten to my last actual class for this term, with finals week starting on Monday. It's a relief, but things are still busy.
I've just gotten my grade back from my last speech (76/80!), and, while the text of that speech is lost somewhere in the ether (my laptop is busy trying to die), I'd like to share a handout I gave. I chose to give my speech on the process of making bread, and gave out copies of my favorite low effort recipe. Among other things, I think you'll be amazed by the nutritional information given below - note that these quantities are for the entire loaf; most commercial breads list similar values per slice. In any case, here's a recipe that will take perhaps 15 minutes of effort, total, spread over 24+ hours, resulting in incredibly tasty, healthy bread.
No Knead Bread
Summarized from: http://www.recipezaar.com/Original-No-Kneed-Bread-352798
Original Recipe adapted from: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=2&ref=dining
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Loaf 737g (Recipe makes 1 Loaf)
Calories 1367
Calories from Fat 33 (2%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 3.7g 5%
Saturated Fat 0.6g 2%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.4g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.6g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 2340mg 97%
Potassium 421mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 286.5g 95%
Dietary Fiber 10.3g 41%
Sugars 1.0g
Protein 39.1g 78%
Ingredients:
• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
Directions:
1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on counter top.
2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a cotton towel (not terrycloth) with flour. Set dough seam side down on top of towel. Fold towel over the dough. Let it nap for 2 hours. When you’ve got about a half hour left, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450°F.
3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven. Holding towel, dump wobbly dough into pot. Doesn’t matter which way it lands. Shake to even dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210°F Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes.
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