One person's trash...

The old adage is true — well, at least we thought so thanks to our found treasure on yesterday's antiquing voyage.

We have been searching high and low for bargains to fix up our house. Rachel made an awesome find on an antique chair that fits nicely in our living room. We purchased it from the Ozark Antique Mall in Ozark. If you haven't hit up the antique shops in Ozark, you're missing out. Too, you're missing out if you don't visit Ozark's square, which features some shops with an array of home decor sure to please your home.

After shopping the chain stores, we have determined that the same ol', same ol' offered at Furniture Row and Slumberland is OK and standard, but the character of treasures at local, unique shops is like no other. Plus, supporting our local economy is what it's all about, right?

Our next venture is browsing for bargains at The Thicket, a neat shop tucked behind Steak 'n' Shake on Glenstone. The clerk told us he was going to bring out lots of new merchandise later this week after their 60-percent-off Christmas paraphernalia has been sold or put away.

Never a Year Like '09

There's also another cool way to reflect on 2009. I created a collage of "my year in status" on Facebook. Anyone who uses Facebook would find it quite interesting, I'm sure.



¡Feliz año nuevo!
— Aaron

No real snow yet, but...

Indications of a white Christmas? From the NWS:

IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THERE WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME WINTER
WEATHER JUST PRIOR TO CHRISTMAS.  DETAILS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THE
MOMENT...BUT ALL MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE SIGNALING THAT UPPER LEVEL
ENERGY WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST BY AROUND THE 23RD OR 24TH OF
DECEMBER.  IT ALSO APPEARS AS THOUGH A GULF MOISTURE CONNECTION
COULD BE ESTABLISHED BY THEN.  THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN
MODEL SOLUTIONS AT THIS POINT.  THE FORECAST WILL BE FINE TUNED WITH
TIME AS OUR ANALYSIS BECOMES MORE STABLE AND CONSISTENT.  WE
RECOMMEND THAT ALL INTERESTS ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND THE
MISSOURI OZARKS TO MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...REGARDING THE POTENTIAL FOR WINTER
WEATHER JUST PRIOR TO THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY.

I know, the last few chances of snow weren't that great, but we can still hope for a white Christmas, right?

First accumulating snow on its way

Hebrew National trying to lick the snow as it fell last January.

The Ozarks will likely see its first accumulating snowfall this week.

Amounts are still up in the air because a few variables are still being assessed, but people in the Ozarks with the best shot of accumulating snow are northwest of I-44 as the upper level low will likely traverse that highway.

The National Weather Service's forecast discussion this morning:

THE NEXT CONCERN FOCUSES ON THE STRONG STORM SYSTEM THAT IS
EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE OZARKS TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY.
CURRENT MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE
TRACK OF THE SURFACE LOW PASSING THROUGH THE OZARKS ALMOST RIDING
FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ALONG THE INTERSTATE 44 CORRIDOR.
THERE REMAINS SOME CONCERN THAT THE MODELS MAY NOT BE DIGGING THE
SYSTEM ENOUGH GIVEN THE EVENTUAL KICKER ENERGY IS STILL ROUNDING
THE TOP OF THE HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE OVER THE WEST COAST. THE SHORT
WAVE THAT WILL DETERMINE JUST HOW FAR THE SYSTEM WILL DIG IS JUST
NOW BEGINNING TO BE SAMPLED OVER ALASKA. BECAUSE OF THIS REMAINING
UNCERTAINTY AND THE AMOUNT OF COLD AIR THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE HAVE
CONTINUED TO INDICATE SOME ACCUMULATING SNOW MID WEEK. STILL THE
HEAVIEST SNOWS SHOULD REMAIN NORTH OF THE OZARKS ACROSS NORTHEAST
KANSAS AND NORTHWEST MISSOURI. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD BEGIN
EARLY TUESDAY AS FLURRIES OR LIGHT SNOW AND CHANGE OVER TO RAIN
DURING THE DAY TUESDAY. AS THE COLD AIR SLIDES INTO THE REGION
OVERNIGHT TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING...PRECIPITATION WILL
SLOWLY CHANGE OVER TO SNOW WITH THE POTENTIAL OF SOME MINOR
ACCUMULATIONS. AGAIN...THIS WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE TRACK
OF THE STORM SYSTEM. WILL NEED TO CONTINUE TO TRACK THIS SYSTEM
AND HOW THE MODELS HANDLE THE DIGGING ENERGY OVER THE NORTHWEST.

AGAIN...IT STILL APPEARS THAT THE BEST CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING
PRECIPITATION WILL BE ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 44. THE
UNCERTAINTY THAT REMAINS WITH THE EXACT TRACK OF THIS WINTER STORM
AND WHERE ACCUMULATING WINTER PRECIPITATION WILL OCCUR WILL NEED
TO BE MONITORED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

A taste of winter — maybe a full meal next week

As I said in my previous post, our winter weather activity is very likely on the increase over the next several weeks.

I saw some pretty nice snowfall in Marshfield yesterday during the last hour of the day and after school. It didn't stick, obviously since the ground is too warm. But despite the very lacking moisture in the atmosphere, the southwest low was able to have enough energy to provide us with some snow.

Next week, however, forecast models are showing potentials of some accumulating snow. The snow shovels could be needed Tuesday into Wednesday.

Yeah, it's early on, but you might keep an eye on the forecasts. As time gets closer, I'll give provide some updates.

Weather Low Down

We've already heard that it'll be "our possible first snowfall of the season," several weeks ago when local meteorologists were looking at a little puny low of the northwest that could come in and put a little dusting on our cars.

Yeah, I woke up and saw nothing, too.

But, here's the deal. The U.S. weather pattern is shifting in that we are going to start seeing waves of energy move in from the southwestern U.S. into our neck of the woods.

That means that right now — and probably over the next several weeks — we will be seeing chances of snow in the forecast in southwest Missouri.

And you can pay attention to the forecast and know that if a snow graphic is in the seven-day outlook, it's a safe bet that snow probably will fall. If the meteorologist says "accumulating snow" during this current weather pattern, he or she does have a higher probability of that being accurate right now.

It's possible that this Wednesday afternoon/evening/night that we could honestly see our true first snow. I don't believe it'll be that significant, but I do think we'll actually see snow falling instead of squinting our eyes to see it barely snowing through the raindrops. The variables for this low to bring us some accumulating snow are (1) the track of the low and (2) the speed of the cold air mass coming in from Canada.

At this point, it looks like those receiving significant snowfall are probably areas in south central Missouri up into the St. Louis region. A special weather statement was issued earlier today from the St. Louis National Weather Service office:

THE LATEST WEATHER DATA CONTINUES TO INDICATE THE INCREASING
POSSIBILITY OF ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS THE AREA FOR WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. THE MOST FAVORED REGION AT THIS TIME APPEARS
TO BE NEAR THE INTERSTATE 44 CORRIDOR IN MISSOURI AS WELL AS MUCH
OF THE EASTERN SUBURBS OF ST LOUIS AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST
ILLINOIS...HOWEVER ALL AREAS IN EASTERN AND CENTRAL MISSOURI AND
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS APPEAR LIKELY TO GET SOME SNOW.

...BY LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SOME AREAS MAY SEE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW.

IT MUST BE STRESSED THAT THERE IS STILL A DECENT AMOUNT OF
UNCERTAINTY WITH REGARDS TO THIS STORM...ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT
TO HOW QUICKLY THE COLD AIR WILL BUILD IN TO CHANGE THE
PRECIPITATION OVER TO SNOW AND ALSO WITH THE EXACT TRACK OF THE
STORM. ANY CHANGE TO THESE TWO ITEMS COULD DRASTICALLY IMPACT THE
EXPECTED SNOWFALL AMOUNTS.

Aaron's Articles will keep you updated on the track of this upper level low as it comes in.

Oprah to leave show

Oprah Winfrey has decided to quit her show. Her last show will be Sept. 9, 2011.

While I don't always agree with Oprah, I do say it's hard to believe she won't be on the air in a couple years. She has been such a cultural icon to our country, and I do believe she has done some great things with her money and power.

I wonder if she'll have show re-runs.

First snow?

Looking down Grand in Springfield on January 28, 2009.

We might see the first flakes for the 2009-2010 winter season. We're expected to receive next to nothing in the way of accumulation, but I wouldn't mind to see the grass a little white tomorrow.

"An upper level storm system will track east across southern Missouri tonight and as it does, precipitation will likely become mixed with or change to all light snow," said the National Weather Service. "Accumulations are expected to remain minor or generally less than an inch and mostly on grassy surfaces.

We have a slight chance again tomorrow, too, due to the same upper level low's continuing to sit and spin.

"The upper level low will lift northeast into Southeast Missouri on Tuesday. Light snow will be possible mainly west of an Osage Beach to Branson line with general snow accumulations of less than an inch expected."

New east-west highway in south Springfield?

KY3 reported tonight on a proposed east to west highway in southern Greene County:



Do we really need it?

I know that rush hour drive times are pretty nasty in southern Springfield due to Ozark/Nixa commuters coming to and from work. But, isn't rush hour bad no matter where you are from 4 to 6 p.m.?

I'm not sure if concentrating on just that area of town is necessarily the best option. I think that all major routes need to be fixed in Springfield. Have you ever tried jumping onto East Sunshine during rush hour? Yikes. Why can't we work to improve all major thoroughfares in Springfield? Could we not work to have three lanes of traffic in both directions on all heavily traveled routes — like Battlefield, Sunshine, Chestnut and Kearney for the east-west roads and Glenstone, National, Campbell, and Kansas for north-south streets? If the flow were improved on all the roads in town, wouldn't traffic flow in and out of town at the beginning and end of the day much more smoothly?

As you can see, most of my post has question marks, so your comments and opinions are very much welcomed.

Skating down memory rink

Growing up in Mountain Grove, Missouri, a small town about an hour away from any real metropolis, had its benefits, but it was definitely lacking in entertainment.

One thing's for sure, any recreation there was in MG, the McGrath family did it. I have fond memories of the bowling alley, tennis courts, swimming pool, golf course, and Taco Palace. (Taco Bell can't even begin to touch TP.)

Another major source of small-town merriment that I was able to relive yesterday was the skating rink. After some coercion from my wife to take her skating, we found ourselves — along with my aunt, uncle, and two cousins — at Springfield Skateland on South Campbell. Having not been in a pair of skates since 1994 (or maybe even earlier), I was a little skeptical of my abilities.

I was rocky at first, but by the end of the two hours we were there, I was zooming around the rink like a teenager. I have to say, too, that I'm amazed I didn't fall down — no, not even once. Rachel, who has a little more youth in her than I do, was the one who fell once and nearly took a small child out.

Nonetheless, we had a blast, and I'm glad my wife pushes me to do things I wouldn't normally do. Thanks for the memories and for the trip down memory lane, Rachel.

Get 'em laced up, girlfriend. I'm ready for some roller boogie.

This Is It

We've been listening to a lot of Michael Jackson lately.

Last weekend, we saw This Is It, a movie that chronicles Michael's journey to create what would've been a powerful concert. We were initially worried that the movie would exploit Michael, but it really didn't. It was a well-put-together film that gives the viewer a behind-the-scenes viewing of the concert.

Now, I'm not as big of a fan of Michael Jackson as my wife, but I have to admit the movie really displays his love for music and just how much he loved to entertain. Yeah, Michael was unique, but I believe that's why he was on stage his whole life — as opposed to just being a child superstar that fizzles out as he ages.

Just like when you attend a concert, this movie made me want to listen to all of Michael's songs that I've enjoyed before.

Here are a few I keep playing on my commute to/fro work:

• Human Nature
  
• They Don't Care About Us
• Smooth Criminal
• Earth Song
  

Interracial couple denied marriage

Rachel, we can't live in Louisiana:

NEW ORLEANS – A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have. Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.

"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.

"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.

Bardwell estimates that he has refused to marry about four couples during his career, all in the past 2 1/2 years. Read more here.

I don't use this phrase, but WTF?

72-year-old who was tasered gets rewarded

The 72-year-old woman tasered in a traffic stop in Texas last month has accepted a settlement offer of $40,000.

The dashboard cam footage has been released. Here's a report with that video from Fox 7 in Austin, Texas:



After watching the footage, I have to side with the officer. All she had to do was sign the ticket and be on her way, but her refusal led to the incident. After getting out of the vehicle, she wouldn't step over and was placing both the officer and herself in danger by standing too closely to the roadway. You have to respect and obey what a police offers says — no matter your age.

Cupcake Burgers

Thanks to a blog post by Natalie (Nunn) Tristan a few months back, we were inspired to make something new for a fall festival we're attending tonight.

These are cupcake hamburgers with all the fixin's:



It really does play tricks with your mind when you're trying to eat them.

Heads up this p.m.

Severe weather is likely in the Ozarks today:

 SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT AREAS GENERALLY ALONG AND
 NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 44 CORRIDOR THIS MORNING. SOME OF
 THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND
 LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. NON THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS GREATER
 THAN 30 MPH CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED THIS MORNING ACROSS EXTREME
 SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND WESTERN MISSOURI.

 ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND
 INTENSIFY THIS AFTERNOON AS A STRONG COLD FRONT PUSHES
 INTO THE OUTLOOK AREA. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THE
 GREATEST RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ALONG AND
 EAST OF A NEVADA TO JOPLIN LINE FROM EARLY THIS AFTERNOON
 INTO EARLY THIS EVENING.

 THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP INTO A SQUALL LINE BY
 MID AFTERNOON...WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT BEING DAMAGING
 STRAIGHT LINE WINDS UP TO 70 MPH. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL
 ALSO BE POSSIBLE DUE TO HIGH WIND SHEAR IN THE LOWER LEVELS
 OF THE ATMOSPHERE. HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS WILL ALSO
 CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE. A BRIEF PERIOD OF HEAVY RAINFALL
 WILL ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS...BUT THE THREAT FOR FLASH
 FLOODING WILL BE LOW AS THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL MOVE
 QUICKLY TO THE EAST. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO EXIT
 SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI EARLY THIS EVENING.

Cool morning, severe wx later

It was a rather chilly 45 degrees when I took the dog out for his morning duties today. It seems that autumn is beginning to clinch down for the season.

But, severe weather will come into play for Thursday, according to the NWS. The ingredients will be present, but just exactly what types of severe weather remains to be seen.

UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL TEND
TO TAKE ON A NEGATIVE TILT...BRINGING QUICK COOLING TO THE MID
LEVELS. CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD THEN
QUICKLY DEVELOP BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS AND
QUICKLY OVERSPREAD THE REGION. WIND FIELDS WILL BE QUITE
IMPRESSIVE WITH THIS SYSTEM...WITH SHEAR PROFILES EASILY
SUPPORTIVE OF SEVERE STORMS.


...THE BIGGEST QUESTION STILL REMAINS THE AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY THAT
WILL BE PRESENT. THIS WILL BE A VERY DYNAMIC SITUATION WITH VERY
QUICK MOISTURE RETURN AHEAD OF THAT SURFACE TROUGH. EARLY
INDICATIONS ARE THAT 60 PLUS DEW POINTS WILL MAKE IT NORTH INTO
THE AREA. THIS WOULD LIKELY SUPPORT MLCAPES APPROACHING OR
PERHAPS EXCEEDING 1000 J/KG...ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST KANSAS
AND WESTERN MISSOURI. ALTHOUGH A LOT OF QUESTIONS REMAIN...
ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO SMALLER SCALE FEATURES...CURRENT
THINKING IS THAT ALL MODES OF SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE.

The all-American solution to everything

In light of the recent "jackass"es, as one wise man referred to people who are publicly disrespectful and rude (a.k.a. Joe Wilson, Kanye West, and Serena Williams), I thoroughly enjoyed this clip from Jay Leno's show last night:

Obama's speech

In case you haven't seen President Obama's speech that he'll deliver to students tomorrow — or your parents say no-no, Johnny, our president won't brainwash you, here it is:

Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Excellent speech. I can totally see why right-wing radicals are offended.

'I just think it's really kinda crazy'

Thanks, Norm, for representing our city so well.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

An actual "thank you" to John Stossel, once again.

Obama in our schools

President Obama might visit your school on Tuesday — just maybe.

Listen, I understand there are people who vehemently oppose Obama's stance and opinions. But since when is it wrong to let our children listen to someone encourage them in their educational interests? Do me a favor, parents, and put your kid's iPod ear buds in your ears for about 30 seconds if you're TRULY concerned about your children's influences.

Who CARES if you disagree with President Obama. Have your opinions about our leadership; it's a free country, right?

But, really, why is it wrong for someone in charge of our country to speak to the youth of the country about the importance of education?

Bush, Sr. spewed his nasty opinions around about the dangers of drugs. Oh, my goodness — don't you dare speak to my kids about that because I disagree with you!

I'm stealing a line from John Stossel tonight: Give me a break!