Thanks to the enormous pressure the millions of loyal MT.Net readers placed on the Orange County School Board, Keith Cook has stepped down as chairman of the board! While its natural to want to congratulate ourselves, keep in mind that Cook only stepped down from the chair; he didn’t actually resign from the board.

I think Carynne McIver, Orange High School’s valedictorian, said it best:

“It was an honor to speak at graduation, and I feel like he took it lightly by taking someone else’s speech,” she said. “I was very disappointed by it.”

Not only did Cook set a bad example by plagiarizing, he insulted those kids who worked very hard to get to that graduation. Cook couldn’t take the time to write a five-minute speech so he stole someone else’s.

We’ll see if resigning from the chair is enough of a mea culpa for Keith Cook on election day.

While there are plenty of things to say about Reagan, I found this one perhaps the most terrifying. In late 1983, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. came extremely close to World War III. And the world never knew just how close it was until years later.

All that tough-talk Reagan loved had the Soviets convinced that the bubble was going to go up any minute. They reacted accordingly, going so far as to put a number of nuclear-capable planes on standby alert at East German airfields. One should not play such games with cornered bears. Especially ones armed to the teeth with nukes.

Reagan lived in a different world than the one we live in now. Some would rightfully argue that Reagan lived in a different world then – his own. It’s insane how willing America was to accept global nuclear war as an option – the kind of thinking which seemed to dominate during Reagan’s tenure. I only hope we’ve turned that corner for good, though I won’t breathe easier until the Reagan leftovers populating the current White House have moved on.

So long, Ronnie. There’ll never be another like you. Some of us sleep easier because of that.

It occured to me that the sky-high oil prices must be having a crushing effect on world trade. A large portion of goods that sits on the shelf at your local Mall-Wart originates in China. Thus, it has to take a long ride on a freighter in order to get here. Such trips burn up a lot of diesel.

The cheap oil prices which made it cheaper to import goods from overseas are apparently history now. While the high fuel prices are definitely putting the pinch on the U.S. economy, they could also make it more attractive for manufacturers to produce goods here, avoiding the Slow Boat From China.

(On the other hand, diesel prices are still much lower than gasoline, in that diesel doesn’t need to compete for refinery time. Maybe my next car needs to be diesel?)

Reagan’s gone, in case you’ve been under a rock or something. Like him or not, he certainly did leave his mark on America.

I’ve been trying to find that humorous Onion article about Reagan getting a pyramid built in his honor. Instead, I find that the Onion has locked its archive behind a premium-only shield. Bummer. I thought the Onion was cooler than that. In an age where no one but the New York Times makes money on subscription content, the Onion takes a step backward. (Porn makes money, of course, but I’ll ignore that for now.)

I’m all for companies trying to make a buck, but I don’t feel like the Onion has done much to earn my money lately. It just hasn’t had the spark it used to. Perhaps they realized that archive actually has the best stuff, so people will pony up to relive old laughs.

The Onion’s recent commercial slant made me wonder if the < a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-02-13-theonion.htm">move from Madison, Wisconsin to New York was the shark-jump itself. Lots of the comedy ideas came from things the staff grew up with in Middle America. While funny stuff happens in the Big Apple every day, I imagine its just not the same.

Maria Schneider writes the Herbert Kornfeld columns, one of my favorite Onion features. She admitted in an interview last year that “the Onion has peaked.” Hard to tell if she’s being facetious or not. Sadly, from my point of view, she’s correct.

I was hoping to talk the family into going to the New Hope Valley Railway today. It’s the first Sunday of the month, which means they’re selling rides on the track they own.

Trains run all through the day. Unfortunately, none conincide with The Kid‘s napping schedule. So we’re going to have to miss today in favor of the next one, July 4th.

Anyone else who’d like a train ride, get there by 10:00 this morning as the train leaves at 11 and is bound to be full!

Orange County School Board Chairman Keith Cook needed a speech to give to the graduating class of Orange High School. So, what did he do? He did what any dishonest student would do: he stole one from the Internet. Cook didn’t steal from just anyone, he had to plagarize a speech by Donna Shalala, the former secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. Cook did, however, change a few sentences in his version. You know: to be on the safe side.

What really gets stuck in my craw is that the guy can’t seem to figure out what he’s done wrong. Check out these quotes:

“It was a mistake on my part, and I apologize to the students and parents at Orange High School if they thought I deceived them. That was not my intent.”

or this one:

“I work very hard in the community to have a good reputation as someone who could be trusted or be a man of his word,” he said. “I think there is room for anyone to make an honest mistake.”

(These quotes (just to be sure they’re not mine) come from the Raleigh News and Observer)

This isn’t an “honest mistake.” This is cheating, plain and simple. This man is in charge of the school system’s ethics policy? When confronted with it, he hides behind his years of service, though any kid caught doing the very same thing could be suspended.

Keith Cook is at best a dumbass and at worst dishonest. The integrity of Orange County School System has been compromised. If Cook knew what was good for him, he’d resign before voters turn him out on his ear on November.

Does anyone have any shame anymore?

It’s Hallie‘s second birthday today. We’ve had fun tearing open presents and playing with them.

Hard to believe this girl is the same one we first met two years ago today.

Saw this gem of a job on Monster.com today:

The world’s largest commercial real estate firm is seeking a Network Administrator experienced with Microsoft Exchange 2000, Windows 2000 Server and all Microsoft desktop operating systems. Must be able and willing to work on all aspects of IT, from server maintenance and Active Directory to customized applications at the desktop level to printer and cell phone troubleshooting. This is a challenging and exciting opportunity for a candidate who wants to make a big difference in the daily operation of a great organization!

We are currently looking for a Network Administrator with the following characteristics:

• Willing to travel between Raleigh and Charlotte offices
• Ability to communicate with diverse groups (written & verbal)
• Proven track record via verifiable experience or certification
• Ability to manage change
• Great under pressure
• A+, Net+ and/or MCSA a plus
• Research and documentation skills
• Ability to think outside the box

It is the Network Administrator’s primary responsibility to ensure continued up-time for end users through preventative maintenance as well as disaster recovery.

As professional high achievers, our successful employees are competitive, proactive, self-motivated, excellent listeners, speakers and written communicators. If you are looking for a dynamic environment, excellent growth opportunities, competitive earnings and a comprehensive benefits package, we encourage you to send your cover letter, resume and salary history to …

Okay. Not bad, you say. Sounds like a good opportunity, right? But then you look at their salary offering: $25k to $30k.

Excuse me? The company wants an expert at Windows administration who’s also skilled at application development (and cellphone troubleshooting of all things) and preferably vendor-certified with a “proven track record.” For your efforts, you’ll receive wages that make working at Burger King seem like a step up. And, oh, by the way: you’ll be schlepping between Raleigh and Charlotte because we’re too cheap to hire someone for each office.

And this, remember, is the “world’s largest commercial real estate firm.”