Belichick, Brady and their now Ego-Deflated Inquisitors

Patriots logo as cropped from our NFL lawn flag. (Bergeron Images)

Once, years ago, when a candidate for the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education was running for a seat after becoming thoroughly disgusted with the actions of a few board members, he was quoted by the media as saying, “I’ve seen enough and heard enough.”

That quote accurately reflects my sentiments about the concocted issue that has been swirling around the topic of football inflation.

Since a week ago last Sunday when the New England Patriots blew away the Indianapolis Colts 45-7, thereby earning the right to move ahead to play for the the biggest prize of all in Super Bowl XLIX, Pats haters have raised their ugly voices in unison, yet without any proof to demand the heads of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, preferably that of the former.

Dick’s Pick of Selected News Stories

I thought that I would try a different tack with this blog post by inviting your attention to a few of the newspaper articles that I came across yesterday.

The first story is about the kind of topic that level-headed parents really like to read about; namely, the achievements of their own school-age kids and – in this case, specifically – of the enthusiasm and respect that Nina Kozielska, a senior at the Bridgewater-Raritan High School has for American education and for this country’s people. 
 
Her expression in the story’s photo says it all.  Just click on the link below “for the rest of the story.”

A Standout Student from Poland:

·         Nina Kozielska:  A terrific, uplifting article of human interest on the local scene:  Polish exchange student thrives at Bridgewater-Raritan High School

The last three paragraphs below provide links to the controversy about the alleged deliberately underinflated footballs used by the New England Patriots last Sunday in their championship game and victory over the Indianapolis Colts.  On February 1^st, the Patriots will meet the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

All about the Air in Footballs:

·        1.)  In Sports, the New England Patriots are in the frying pan, and sports writers are falling all over themselves to analyze what happened, most of them speculating about facts which they don’t yet have and drawing conclusions which they should not be making until those facts are made available.  The best article that I’ve read so far about the N.E. Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks game last Sunday was written by retired sports writer Jerry Isenberg, a pro among pros.

·         2.)  A  Seattle Seahawks player was fined for obscene gestures in Seattle’s win over Green Bay last Sunday.   Marshawn Lynch was slapped with a $20,000 fine and, on December 21^st, he was also fined $11,000 for the same violation in a match against Arizona.  Click on the link to find out about another $50,000 fine in 2013 for violating a league media policy.  Nice going Lynch.

  

·       3.)   Columnist Shirley Leung advises us to get our heads on straight about football and of what it tells us about ourselves in the midst of this nation’s real problems.  Her analysis of this topic presents a rational woman’s view about this sport.  It is essential reading should you wish to consider a completely different viewpoint about so much attention to this ‘inflation’ brouhaha.

Icy Rain and a Few Thoughts about a Delayed BR-BOE Meeting

Brd. Sec. Peter Starrs and Consultant Judith Ferguson review data.

THE DRIVE:  It was one of those mornings when no one with a modicum of common sense should be on the road.  I think that I may have had a lapse in judgment about that basic dictum. 

Around 7:30 am, I put a pair of ice walkers over the soles of my shoes, got behind the wheel of one of the Subaru’s, and carefully drove to the Wade Building for an 8:00 am, Sunday morning public meeting billed as a “Special Session of the Board.”

Icing conditions for early today had been predicted well in advance.  This morning, roads were treacherous.  Washington Valley Road was covered with ice – too early even for road crews to salt all of the roadways.

While driving, I pulled over into the breakdown lane at least five times to let careless drivers pass. Eventually, I safely arrived at the Wade Building in Martinsville after a long, rather harrowing drive at 15 to 20 mph.

New Common Core Testing Requirements Cause Consternation in Education Communities

 As promised in my blog post of Friday, January 9^th, the text below contains the entirety of the comments delivered to the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education at its reorganization meeting on Monday, January 6^th, by Mr. Steve Beatty, President of the Bridgewater-Raritan and Somerset County Boards of Education.

Mr. Beatty emphasizes a point in in his address to the BR-BOE.

They contain strong objections to the new academic testing process soon to be introduced into the school district under federal mandates, as a part of Common Core requirements.

Mr. Beatty’s remarks are presented in their entirety and have not been edited.  However, I’ve taken the liberty to add headings to facilitate the reader’s segueing from one sub-topic to the next.  In the first paragraph, I’ve also added a description of the term “PARCC” for those who may not be familiar with this acronym.

Mr. Beatty’s Comments as Delivered on Monday Evening

 Introduction and Initial Critique of PARCC:  I would like to open the conversation on the implementation of the Common Core, and more specifically, the PARCC tests (Partnership of Readiness for College and Careers assessment) and their impact on the students of the Bridgewater-Raritan School District.

What to do? What to write?

Mr. Beatty prepares to address the BR-Board of Education..

This has been a tough week to select a topic for a blog entry – much to write about, not enough time for it all.

On the local scene, Bridgewater Township held its annual reorganization meeting on Monday evening at the Municipal Complex, followed on Tuesday by a similar ceremony for the Bridgewater-Raritan School District at the Wade Building in Martinsville.

It was at Monday’s meeting that Bridgewater Mayor Dan Hayes gave his positive State of the Township Address.

Both events, although technical in nature, were on the light-hearted and celebratory side. I came away with the sense that Washington politicians might learn something from some of our locals.

HarperCollins Dissolves Israel on its Map of the Middle East

It was mind-bending!  This morning, while listening to public radio station WHYY of Philadelphia, I heard a news announcement which was completely outrageous:

HarperCollins map omits  Israel (Photo courtesy of The Tablet)

The publishing house of HarperCollins designed and printed a map of the Middle East intended to be sold for classroom use in certain unnamed Gulf countries.

The map shows all the nations of that region with the exception of Israel which appears nowhere, despite the fact that Israel is an acknowledged geographic, economic, and social entity. It is a nation-state recognized by the United Nations and civilized countries throughout the globe.

In one sense, right-thinking people should not be so surprised by this action, because it is characteristic of a deep human failing:    Willfully ignore a person long enough, and that individual ceases to exist in your mind.