As a new dad, I have the privilege of waking up to a screaming baby at the inconvenientest times of night. He is beautiful, and his cry is even adorable, even at ungodly hours. Sometimes he wants food, other times it a fresh diaper he wants. For the former, his mother promptly obliges. In the case of the latter, I can lend a hand, which I do quickly so I can get back to rest.
Though I don’t always get up eagerly, I don’t complain. Four days before Joseph was born I was at Fort Meade, Maryland doing some Army training. It’s the kind of place where you have to wake up at 0400 and present yourself for inspection. Fireguard duty in the middle of the night is the norm, and cleaning dirty latrines is a fact of life.
So waking up to change my own son’s messy diaper is no big deal. I do it and move on. But it got me thinking, what if changing diapers was an Army task?
First, everyone in the room would have to wake up and be in uniform before they could report for diaper duty.
The diaper changer would report to the NCOIC, who would ensure that everyone was in the right place and ready to go. Of course, any NCOIC worth his stripes would never abide a baby making noise while preparing to execute a mission, so someone would have to get the little one to forget the predicament that brought them to this point.
The next step in the baby-changing procedure would be the completion of all applicable DOD forms. This is to ensure that NCOs and officers can track the different diaper changings. Despite the fact that such forms never get read or followed up on, they are very important.
The Risk Assessment is the next step. The Army loves to assess risks, and there are many, even in a routine diaper changing. Take the risk assessment lightly at your peril.
Diapers and other supplies (wet wipes, lotion, powder) need to be requisitioned from Supply. More forms, and more approval. All requests need to go through the NCOIC for preliminary approval, but need the Commander’s signature. For any supplies used, forms need to indicate who used them, the quantity, and the time they were used.
Before changing the actual diaper that is dirty, a run-through should be conducted to improve accuracy and performance. After the drill, an After Action Report will help identify strengths and weaknesses.
Finally we are ready to change the diaper. By this time, the boy is potty-trained.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Raider Melancholy
The Silver and Black got wiped all over the field at McAffee last weekend. Though they have fallen to 1 -2 this preseason, I have high hopes for the Raiders this year.
Russell looks like he's struggling, but Kiffin will open up the playbook more with time, giving the young quarterback a chance to show off his improvisational skills. The receivers performance will follow.
The McFadden-Bush tandem should lead the division in rushing, and the defense looks solid. Our wildcards are special teams and offenseive line.
My prediction is 8 - 8. The division in markedly weaker, and we play the NFC south. Eight wins represents high hopes, but it's definitely not a stretch.
Division winners:
AFC North- Steelers
AFC East- Patriots
AFC West- Chargers
AFC South- Jaguars
NFC North- Lions
NFC East- Eagles
NFC West- Cardinals
NFC South- Saints
Other predictions:
The Giants won't make the playoffs
The Patriots won't make the Superbowl
The AFC Champs will come out of the South
Go ahead...argue with me.
Russell looks like he's struggling, but Kiffin will open up the playbook more with time, giving the young quarterback a chance to show off his improvisational skills. The receivers performance will follow.
The McFadden-Bush tandem should lead the division in rushing, and the defense looks solid. Our wildcards are special teams and offenseive line.
My prediction is 8 - 8. The division in markedly weaker, and we play the NFC south. Eight wins represents high hopes, but it's definitely not a stretch.
Division winners:
AFC North- Steelers
AFC East- Patriots
AFC West- Chargers
AFC South- Jaguars
NFC North- Lions
NFC East- Eagles
NFC West- Cardinals
NFC South- Saints
Other predictions:
The Giants won't make the playoffs
The Patriots won't make the Superbowl
The AFC Champs will come out of the South
Go ahead...argue with me.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Stowell, Werewolf Hunter
My Battle Buddy at DINFOS wrote this.
The night air brought a chill through Standton Park’s oldest and most run down cabin. It was an ancient and abysmal looking thing with cracked paint and gouged floorboards. Half the pipes running through the building had long since rusted out and others were hopelessly clogged. But none of this unsatisfying appearance had even the slightest impact on the lanky grim looking figure propped up in a dark corner of the cryptic cabin. The man just stood there silent and contemplating thinking about all that had come to pass to bring him here on this night. Stowell was no stranger to the bone shaking chill that accompanies loneliness in a place like this. He patted the left breast of his tattered overcoat and felt for the revolver it held. The cold steel of it gave little comfort but Stowell wasn’t in the business of comfort and the now howling wind outside promised only stinging cold pain. More than just the wind was stirring outside the cabin. A lurking black beast caught Stowell’s eye, he had found his mark. Stoic as ever he stepped out from the cabin, eyes flaring, an unholy fire behind a stone mask of apathy. Stowell glided over the snow covered ground stealthily approaching the now hulking figure. The creature’s back was still to him, something else was holding his attention. Step after step Stowell edged up on the beast until he could reach out with the revolver and touch it nearly. He fished a silver bullet out of his pant pocket and held it up to the moon’s light and for the first time, his stony face cracked into a sinister grin. In a swift fluid motion the bullet found it’s way into the revolver and Stowell swung the barrel up to meet the back of the giant wolf’s head. The night exploded in a bang and a shower of blood, finally the beast had been slain. Finally Stowell could sleep in peace.
The night air brought a chill through Standton Park’s oldest and most run down cabin. It was an ancient and abysmal looking thing with cracked paint and gouged floorboards. Half the pipes running through the building had long since rusted out and others were hopelessly clogged. But none of this unsatisfying appearance had even the slightest impact on the lanky grim looking figure propped up in a dark corner of the cryptic cabin. The man just stood there silent and contemplating thinking about all that had come to pass to bring him here on this night. Stowell was no stranger to the bone shaking chill that accompanies loneliness in a place like this. He patted the left breast of his tattered overcoat and felt for the revolver it held. The cold steel of it gave little comfort but Stowell wasn’t in the business of comfort and the now howling wind outside promised only stinging cold pain. More than just the wind was stirring outside the cabin. A lurking black beast caught Stowell’s eye, he had found his mark. Stoic as ever he stepped out from the cabin, eyes flaring, an unholy fire behind a stone mask of apathy. Stowell glided over the snow covered ground stealthily approaching the now hulking figure. The creature’s back was still to him, something else was holding his attention. Step after step Stowell edged up on the beast until he could reach out with the revolver and touch it nearly. He fished a silver bullet out of his pant pocket and held it up to the moon’s light and for the first time, his stony face cracked into a sinister grin. In a swift fluid motion the bullet found it’s way into the revolver and Stowell swung the barrel up to meet the back of the giant wolf’s head. The night exploded in a bang and a shower of blood, finally the beast had been slain. Finally Stowell could sleep in peace.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Sic Semper Tyrannis!
Last spring’s news about the BCS rejection of any semblance of a playoff is only a symptom of the powerful’s determination to keep its stranglehold on the authority to grant the title of football supremacy.
The vestiges of a former era designed to protect the powerful and elite at the expense of the weak continues to reign, only because the people haven’t realized their own power.
The current system, whereby a veritable aristocracy of football elites chooses representatives from among its own ranks, is fraught with inequity and controversy. The plebeians clamor for a more just arrangement, while the power brokers ignore them with impunity.
Ever since its inception in 1998, the Bowl Championship Series has not been able to soften the din of cries for its replacement with a true, tournament-style playoff system. Among the most passionate opponents of the tyrannical system are the fans of schools from the non-BCS conferences which have virtually no chance of vying for the title.
Schools from conferences like the Mountain West, Mid-American, and Western Athletic Conference have heretofore played the part of loyal opposition—playing by the rules in return for the slimmest of chances to play for glory and reap in huge rewards. Meanwhile, year after year, the BCS conferences get richer and more entrenched in their power.
It is high time these loyalists to the current regime band together and secede from the Union.
The larger, richer BCS conferences, of which there are six, can safely ignore the mid-majors under the status quo. The current power structure heavily favors the larger conferences, but rests purely on the “consent of the governed.” The latter should dissent, in a violent way.
The way forward for the non-BCS conferences is to stage an open rebellion, whereby they format their own playoff system. They could call it the “Football Playoff Series” (FPS) and, starting from scratch, would be free to design the optimum scheme. It should have in mind three goals: to provide a more exciting postseason for college football fans, to earn its participants’ more money than they currently get, and to force the BCS to reform.
According to the rules of the new FPS, all participating schools would agree to boycott BCS games, even if invited. They would then stage their own 16-team playoff, to be scheduled against BCS game time slots. Let the viewing public decide which they’d prefer to see.
Under fair rules, even the lowliest conference would send a representative to the tournament, providing possibilities of Cinderella stories and thrilling moments. Much like the NCAA basketball tournament, the ultimate winner would usually be one of the grittiest, toughest, most battle-tested teams, even if an underdog.
Thus, the FPS would crown its own, dare I say, more legitimate? champion—casting doubt on the superiority of the BCS winner. With 15 games to be played (beginning before Christmas and ending sometime in mid-January,) the FPS would clearly increase revenue over the paltry sums they get now. With a hiatus in college football, viewers would abound during the first weeks, especially given the opportunities to see exciting teams and upset possibilities. By the time the field was narrowed to four teams, television audiences would rival at least non-BCS bowls. And if these conference commissioners don’t think a true championship game would attract as big an audience as a non-championship Sugar Bowl or Fiesta Bowl—which is as far as mid-majors would ever get anyway—then they aren’t worth whatever salaries they’re getting.
A real football playoff would certainly bring NFL scouts to the stands, which in turn would attract more blue chip recruits to the FPS schools, and the balance of power would slowly correct itself.
Though it may take a couple of years, it would eventually become evident that there is more money and fan support in the FPS, at which point the scenarios all play in the FPS’ favor.
One possibility is that the BCS ignores the upstart and leaves the FPS conferences in a better state than before. Either way, the FPS is making more money, attracting better athletes, and rewarding a more loyal fan base.
Or, the BCS sees the new champion as a threat to its own legitimacy and proposes an ultimate bowl game featuring the BCS champ and the FPS champ, similar to the way the NFL and AFL agreed on a championship in 1967. You want to talk about ratings? The first Superbowl had nothing on this.
Most likely, the BCS would amend their own system to be more equitable and some sort of merger would result.
To quote a unionist, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” The BCS is unfair and ill-conceived, and any real football enthusiast knows it. Only when the BCS house of cards falls will we have a more perfect Union in college football.
The vestiges of a former era designed to protect the powerful and elite at the expense of the weak continues to reign, only because the people haven’t realized their own power.
The current system, whereby a veritable aristocracy of football elites chooses representatives from among its own ranks, is fraught with inequity and controversy. The plebeians clamor for a more just arrangement, while the power brokers ignore them with impunity.
Ever since its inception in 1998, the Bowl Championship Series has not been able to soften the din of cries for its replacement with a true, tournament-style playoff system. Among the most passionate opponents of the tyrannical system are the fans of schools from the non-BCS conferences which have virtually no chance of vying for the title.
Schools from conferences like the Mountain West, Mid-American, and Western Athletic Conference have heretofore played the part of loyal opposition—playing by the rules in return for the slimmest of chances to play for glory and reap in huge rewards. Meanwhile, year after year, the BCS conferences get richer and more entrenched in their power.
It is high time these loyalists to the current regime band together and secede from the Union.
The larger, richer BCS conferences, of which there are six, can safely ignore the mid-majors under the status quo. The current power structure heavily favors the larger conferences, but rests purely on the “consent of the governed.” The latter should dissent, in a violent way.
The way forward for the non-BCS conferences is to stage an open rebellion, whereby they format their own playoff system. They could call it the “Football Playoff Series” (FPS) and, starting from scratch, would be free to design the optimum scheme. It should have in mind three goals: to provide a more exciting postseason for college football fans, to earn its participants’ more money than they currently get, and to force the BCS to reform.
According to the rules of the new FPS, all participating schools would agree to boycott BCS games, even if invited. They would then stage their own 16-team playoff, to be scheduled against BCS game time slots. Let the viewing public decide which they’d prefer to see.
Under fair rules, even the lowliest conference would send a representative to the tournament, providing possibilities of Cinderella stories and thrilling moments. Much like the NCAA basketball tournament, the ultimate winner would usually be one of the grittiest, toughest, most battle-tested teams, even if an underdog.
Thus, the FPS would crown its own, dare I say, more legitimate? champion—casting doubt on the superiority of the BCS winner. With 15 games to be played (beginning before Christmas and ending sometime in mid-January,) the FPS would clearly increase revenue over the paltry sums they get now. With a hiatus in college football, viewers would abound during the first weeks, especially given the opportunities to see exciting teams and upset possibilities. By the time the field was narrowed to four teams, television audiences would rival at least non-BCS bowls. And if these conference commissioners don’t think a true championship game would attract as big an audience as a non-championship Sugar Bowl or Fiesta Bowl—which is as far as mid-majors would ever get anyway—then they aren’t worth whatever salaries they’re getting.
A real football playoff would certainly bring NFL scouts to the stands, which in turn would attract more blue chip recruits to the FPS schools, and the balance of power would slowly correct itself.
Though it may take a couple of years, it would eventually become evident that there is more money and fan support in the FPS, at which point the scenarios all play in the FPS’ favor.
One possibility is that the BCS ignores the upstart and leaves the FPS conferences in a better state than before. Either way, the FPS is making more money, attracting better athletes, and rewarding a more loyal fan base.
Or, the BCS sees the new champion as a threat to its own legitimacy and proposes an ultimate bowl game featuring the BCS champ and the FPS champ, similar to the way the NFL and AFL agreed on a championship in 1967. You want to talk about ratings? The first Superbowl had nothing on this.
Most likely, the BCS would amend their own system to be more equitable and some sort of merger would result.
To quote a unionist, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” The BCS is unfair and ill-conceived, and any real football enthusiast knows it. Only when the BCS house of cards falls will we have a more perfect Union in college football.
The Responsibility of Learning
I am an American Soldier.
My brief experience in the United States Army has been eye-opening. It strikes me with awe to think of the vast resources with which we are trained to fulfill our mission, and the professionalism with which most soldiers approach it. It has also given me plenty to think about in terms of learning.
Whether it's called "training," or "learning," the process is the same. What I get at DINFOS depends upon the same fundamental principlesas what a third-grader gets in his science lesson, or what a high school math teacher tries to give her students in a geometry lesson.
Given that an organization exists as a goal that its students learn a set of information, the entire responsibility of the affair rests on the organization. When students are learning, or don't meet the programmed outcomes, then at least one of the things designed to produce the outcome has failed. In standards-based teaching system, instruction is planned from the end. Each instructional unit is designed to bridge the gap between students' abilities to the standard ability.
For example, if I want to teach someone how to create a header in MS Word, and I plan the instruction, then I would expect anyone who recieved my isntruction to be able to create a header. If the student attempted to follow my instruction and couldn't create the header, then some part of my instruction was faulty. There is no other way around it.
Teachers have a hard time coming to grips with this reality. They want to attribute all of the gaps in learning to students. True, some student behaviors contribute to a lack of learning, but instruction can resolve such a lack.
The military instructors at DINFOS need to learn the lesson even more. If a certain instructional strategy consistently has bad reviews and results in poor knowledge acquisition, then it SHOULD BE ABANDONED. Whe do teachers continue to put their faith in methods that yield such dismal results?
My brief experience in the United States Army has been eye-opening. It strikes me with awe to think of the vast resources with which we are trained to fulfill our mission, and the professionalism with which most soldiers approach it. It has also given me plenty to think about in terms of learning.
Whether it's called "training," or "learning," the process is the same. What I get at DINFOS depends upon the same fundamental principlesas what a third-grader gets in his science lesson, or what a high school math teacher tries to give her students in a geometry lesson.
Given that an organization exists as a goal that its students learn a set of information, the entire responsibility of the affair rests on the organization. When students are learning, or don't meet the programmed outcomes, then at least one of the things designed to produce the outcome has failed. In standards-based teaching system, instruction is planned from the end. Each instructional unit is designed to bridge the gap between students' abilities to the standard ability.
For example, if I want to teach someone how to create a header in MS Word, and I plan the instruction, then I would expect anyone who recieved my isntruction to be able to create a header. If the student attempted to follow my instruction and couldn't create the header, then some part of my instruction was faulty. There is no other way around it.
Teachers have a hard time coming to grips with this reality. They want to attribute all of the gaps in learning to students. True, some student behaviors contribute to a lack of learning, but instruction can resolve such a lack.
The military instructors at DINFOS need to learn the lesson even more. If a certain instructional strategy consistently has bad reviews and results in poor knowledge acquisition, then it SHOULD BE ABANDONED. Whe do teachers continue to put their faith in methods that yield such dismal results?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Radio!
We are done with our Radio course at DINFOS. I felt inspired to see the lifesize two-dimensional bust of Airman Cronauer in the music library as I prepared for my daily radio music show.
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