August 27, 2009

Outside: 107 °F; Luisa: 101. Pity Party!

That's me at the moment. No, I'm not home smoking a reefer, you sicko. It's a thermometer. [Photo from the CDC.] I feel terrible! Must blog!

Didn't go to work today [though the whole point, I'm told, is to infect as many students as possible], since I'm running a fever and really don't want any of the little people — quite a few of whom aren't little at all — to come down with whatever I have, which seems to be a garden variety thing and not the dreaded H1N1. Some dear child always wants to know how long it is from when you get sick with swine flu until you die. "Well, in your case..." God, I love middle school.

Fave education quote o' the moment, from the most excellent James Madison:
[A] general system of Education cannot be too much applauded. A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.
[...]
Learned Institutions ought to be favorite objects with every free people. They throw that light over the public mind which is the best security against crafty & dangerous encroachments on the public liberty [...] They multiply the educated individuals from among whom the people may elect a due portion of their public Agents of every description; more especially of those who are to frame the laws; by the perspicuity, the consistency, and the stability, as well as by the just & equal spirit of which the great social purposes are to be answered. [Letter to to W. T. Barry, August 4, 1822.]
Well, it's a grand theory, anyway. We do what we can.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ooooo, sounds like you got the same bug that just went through my house. We, too, thought it was the H1N1 because all the symptoms were the same. (bleah) Well, be prepared to be knocked down for 3-4 days at least, and then left with a bad cough and nasal and/or chest congestion for weeks.

At least it's not the flu, eh?