Speeches @ MindSay 
The Prez and his Non-State of the Union Address:
Barack Obama gave a pretty well written speech, that while a little soft on specifics, got the job done where it counted...namely trying to make the public a smidge more confident after the last few weeks of gloomy portents of doom. I guess the Big O Administration took Bill Clinton's recent mild criticism to heart and that is a good thing. Sure stuff is pretty sucky now and it is refreshing to see a politician talking to the American people like grown-ups but sometimes you need to add a spoonful of sugar to folk's medicine to help it go down, y'know?
One area of these joint Congress Stat of the Union thingees that bugs me to no end is the constant applause from the assembled peanut gallery. These things would take about 10 minutes from start to finish if everyone saved their applause for when the President is finished speaking. Instead we get these goofy little applause duels between the Dems and Repubs that makes them all look like immature brats. And Nancy Pelosi was looking like the head cheerleader desperately trying to gain the favor of the new star quarterback with the way she was hopping up and down with every syllable that came out of Obama's mouth and clapping like a madwoman. At least it was a step up from watching former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert struggling to get in and out of his chair for the trillion standing ovations the Republicans used to give George W. Bush. I always expected him to have a heart attack right there on live TV.
The Future Leader of The Loyal Opposition or Not:
Bobby Jindal (Governor of Louisiana) has presumably been tapped for the last year or so as the NEXT BIG THING in the Republican Party and last night's rebuttal was basically his coming out party. Sadly it was met with varying degrees of disappointment from his own party. Sure it was a bit of a letdown seeing little Bobby in his big boy suit standing there like a deer caught in headlights when the cameras first switched to him and he was a little bit less than dynamic in his delivery to be brutally honest. That being said I don't think his speech was really that bad. While I disagreed with the majority of what he said and felt he had a bit of a rough start; by the end he had gotten his act together and did an alright job.
The real problems with Jindal's speech can be boiled down to three things:
1. Jindal was hyped up by so many of the GOP faithful as their savior to rescue them from President Obama in 2012 that there was no way he would meet those expectations.
2. Jindal is ridiculously nonthreatening. He is a small framed man who doesn't put forth enough of a macho image and ever since Ronald Reagan came to prominence Republicans have loved their manly men (or at least what they have idealized as manly), namely a guy who can look comfortable wearing a cowboy hat as he rides a horse and shoots a gun.
3. The contrast in setting between Obama's speech and Jindal's was a recipe for epic fail. One guy is in a room filled with people clapping at every cough with a sycophantic cougar sitting behind him and the other guy is standing all alone in the foyer of a mansion with a staircase as a backdrop.
And now the Republicans all have sand in their collective vagina's where Jindal is concerned with every wingnut with a keyboard or microphone declaring his future political life dead before it even started which is a bit premature if you ask me. Jindal can be resuscitated with a few tweaks to the overall game plan that was mapped out for him:
1. Jindal should be leaning more toward a VP slot instead of the Presidential position in 2012. The guy is smart (he is a Rhodes Scholar), seems to be doing a decent job in Louisiana, and in previous speaking engagements has shown himself to have a bit more charisma than he did last night. Despite taking some serious shrapnel Sarah Palin is doing better politically now than she was before her doomed VP bid. So a shot as VP, win or lose, should only help Jindal's political bonafides.
2. He needs to butch it up a bit. Hire a trainer, take some Creatine, call A-Rod's cousin...just start working on his fitness. Maybe even grow a beard or goatee and get a new hairdo. The Catholic choirboy haircut does not help give him any heft at all.
3. Only speak in front of crowds who like you, never in drafty hallways all by your lonesome. If Jindal had given that exact same speech in a town hall type setting, filled with rank and file Republicans eager to clap and scream their approval, he'd have come out looking like the rising star everyone was predicting him to be instead of the fallen star everyone is describing him as.
Casey from PA. and Warner from VA. gave speeches at the Democratic National Convention tonight. I think they both nailed it. I was surprised when I first saw Warner, because I thought he kind of looked geeky and didn't look like he would be a great speaker. Wow, was I wrong. Keepin my fingers crossed tightly! And I hope folks in the country listen to this...
OMG, as the night went on, Brian Schweitzer of Montana was terrific also...I had never heard of this guy. I sure hope he is going to stick around. Loved him.
And yay, Hillary: "Unite" "we are one party" "No way, No McCain"!!!!
Be sincere; be brief; be seated. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt, on speechmaking
The best way to sound like you know what you're talking about is to know what you're talking about. - Author Uknown
From: www.quotegarden.com
Yep, group presentation time. Plus I have a major learning contract final due on public speaking. I'm also giving a speech on Tuesday and unlike Mark Twain I just wrote my speech today, lol. We only found out our topic on Tuesday and I've had homework ever since. Ask me anything on public speaking and I've probably read some theory on 'how to' teach yourself guides lol.
Today was the second day of the new school year, and we had two more assemblies ("ceremonies").
Yesterday morning we had a kind of "meet the new teachers" ceremony. The principal gave a (long) speech and then introduced the 12 new teachers that are with us this year. There was a lot of bowing and standing and sitting back down going on! (not good for the students who have to sit on the floor... they are probably just managing to nod off to sleep when it's time to stand again).
Yesterday afternoon was the Entrance Ceremony for the students that are starting this year. I was meant to go to that but accidently took too long at lunch time and missed the start. I will go next year...
This morning in the staffroom, the 10 teachers that are leaving our school (or "have left") came in and gave a Sayonara speech. I was a little late for school, and arrived just in time to see a full-grown male holding back sobs as he made his farewells to a school he has worked at for a full 4 years out of his 26years teaching career (why?). The speeches went until 9.30am, when we all had to head to the main assembly hall so the teachers could give their "official" goodbye speeches to the school.
The principal gave a little spiel on each teacher. The principal at my school is famous for his heartfelt speeches. He does these motivation talks that really crack me up. Most of the time I can't understand what he is going on about but he yells and then speaks softly, swings his arms around and makes fists and blows out his chest... all very powerful for a 5 foot nothing 64 year old man. Anyway, the little pieces he did on the teachers that were leaving were all done with the same kind of zeal as his motivational speeches. He must have inspired those teachers into thinking they had some interesting knowledge to impart to the students, because one hour later we had only managed to get through 4 of the 10 teachers speeches. (I snuck out after that... was quite boring).
Then that ceremony finished and it became time to welcome the new first year students to their first school assembly (the first year students were not yet in attendance; they were off getting pictures taken and height and weight measured!) The Brass Band came out and there was marching music as the first year students all filed in one by one underneath the banners of their class. Then more speeches. Funny things about a Japanese assembly is that it has to be properly announced at the start, the master of ceremonies gets the vice principal to announce the day and time and school name, and then the vice intorduces the principal, and the master of ceremonies gets everyone to stand up and bow... it is all done with so much seriousness and with an air of the "official".
Japanese people LOVE official.
No I have to apologize for my slackness of the last week. I have to say I have had an amazing time at home and being completely honest have not wanted to sit down and take even the slightest amount of time away from it to write you all, I know I am going to hell for being selfish!! But I wanted it all to myself!! I knew I would share it all when I got back to school, promise!!
Between simply just being in a place you not just call home but mean home when you say it, is refreshing in itself. I felt refreshed the moment I could see land when my plane was descending into Auckland airspace, and I mean that’s something because we Wellingtonians really don’t like a thing about Auckland. Flying in was gorgeous, for those of you that know what I'm talking about, you could see the entire way down the south island, it was just that clear, almost every detail from the patchwork of the farms on the Canterbury plains to the furtherest peak on the Southern Alps, it was all in plain sight. I felt so lucky!!!
This was only the beginning, although I do have to remark, this was the best weather I was to get in my entire stay, but I mean not everything could be perfect right, there had to be some reality!!
I was so happy to see my dad at the airport, I have missed him so much this year, and the worst part about that is I have only been away nearly three months, for some unknown reason however I have found this year the hardest yet in terms of being away. I was lucky enough to be treated with an unexpected visitor at the airport on my arrival, my puppy Bruno!!
I went from there for a much needed shower, it’s gross how gross you get when you’ve been on a plane for, well I lost count of how many hours!! Next on the agenda was surprising my best friend that I was home for her 21st the following Saturday, she nearly fell over backwards and out of her chair when I walked through the door. I was happy to see how surprised and excited she was to see me. That night continued with many a beer, now that I was once again legal to drink (18 is such a better age). I then went to see my boyfriend, I have missed him too, I think this might be a large factor in what has made this year that much harder, long distance = no fun (until you get to see them again!!).
This is pretty much how the majority of my week went. However I did manage to get in some excellent timing with 2 of my good friends, who I went to high school with, 21sts on that first weekend. One was a lunchtime affair and so it made for an early start while the second continued well into the night!!1 Such a good way to catch up with so many people you haven’t seen in so long.
Just an insert here for all of you who are wondering why the hell we put so much on for a 21st. I guess at home it is a celebration of independence and life. Pretty much its the time your parents, if they haven’t already; say “here you go now you have to support yourself, no more leaning on us”. It’s a big thing in a young adults life if you’re a New Zealander, and I know Americans don’t do it that way because I am trying to plan mine to have here in January and no one knows what I'm talking about. There are speeches by those close to you and friends who just want to give you a good roasting and its all out on and it’s a big thing!!! (Big enough to warrant a trip half way round the world in a week) Just thought that might help some of you who are confused!!
Back to the time at home, the week flew by way too fast, and consisted of me taking my friends out for dinner or lunch, who’s 21sts I had missed, and spending more time with Popz and Manu (boyfriend) and loving every minute of it!!! Then a Friday roll around, this also, purely by good timing, was Manu’s birthday. I had brought tickets to the Foo Fighters in concert, in Wellington. And I must say one of the best concerts I have ever been too. They are amazing live, such a great show to watch and they played songs off old albums that hadn’t been played live in nearly nine years. Makes shows that much more worth it!!
And the Saturday night was the big night, Nicole’s 21st!! My speech went down, despite how nervous I was, I hope without a twitch and things went really well. Was so good to be able to share such a awesome night with her and certainly catch up with many of her family which I know really well as well. Now I'm getting a little nervous as she plans the big trip out to New York for mine. Ohh no I feel pay back for my speech coming on!!
Well I hope you all enjoyed my little recount but I'm sure not nearly as much as I did living it!!! Want to go back already!!!
Hopefully this makes up for my slackness last week!! Will write again soon, as I slowly get into the swing of things all over again. But only two weeks left and I am off to England and Scotland, hard life this one!!
How were all your thanksgivings???
Catch up
Kez
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