Midtown marred

sacramento.metblogs.com

Today's weather was the sort that pulls you out the door and down your block before you even know where you want to go.

And so I found myself wandering down a typical midtown street, past quiet old houses and rambling gardens. But what to my wondering eyes should appear? The tagged up fronts and sides of approximately one building per block - all the way across town. It made me mad. Really, really mad. Vandalizing anything is wrong - but it seems especially heinous to deface someone's house.

It brings to mind some recent discussions from around the Metroblogging network on whether so-called street art encourages graffiti. To which I answer: Street art IS graffiti. ... But if they're both painted on a structure that doesn't belong to the person holding the pen/can/paintbrush/sticker then guess what - they're both wrong, illegal, vandalism, bad. Ick ick ick. ...

A shooting where I turned around

kmilyun.com

Remember my post about my attempt to walk to a store? Feb. 28? Well here is an update - someone who was at the liquor store next to the store I was headed for did not make it!

From the Sacramento Police Dept. Web site: ...

On Friday, March 9, 2007, at 10:19 p.m., the Sacramento Police Department responded to 6626 Valley Hi Drive regarding a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located one victim inside a parked car. The victim, 27 year-old Michael Lamar Barron, was pronounced dead at the scene. Another victim was located at an area hospital with nonlife threatening wounds. ...

We drove by this store this weekend and at the signal light a very emotional and nice lady offered to wash my truck for a penny, whatever we would give. She said that the family of a shot man needed the money to bury him. I am assuming as the wash was set up in the parking lot by the liquor store it was for this man. ... I did find myself asking ... Which young man? As there have been so many around these parts lately.

Character education

sacrag.com

The Bee reports on several area schools that are taking part in local nonprofit group Center for Youth Citizenship's "Free to Learn" program, that helps little students build traits like "caring, giving and service; justice and fairness; leadership, initiative and teamwork; respect; responsibility; and trustworthiness."

"Character education is, like, the foundation of my classroom," said Carly Davenport. ...

In the abstract, I suppose it is good that educators are concerned with building those skills. What sorts of content do they cover to achieve those goals?

"Teresa Faruzzi recently gave her second-grade class a peculiar assignment. The Charles Mack Elementary students had to decide whether an animal's camouflage was helpful or harmful to others. They scanned science books to pick a critter. The assignment's intent was to help students connect a character value - such as respect or fairness - to an animal's ability to camouflage itself."

Stupid chameleons are like, so cheating. Other topics that were considered include:

• The Number 4: Villain or Superhero?

• Water: Is it friendly?

• "Plural possessives make mommy cry" - Tommy G's story

• Electrons: Why do they have to be like, so negative?

Homeless people watch

marcvaldez.blogspot.com

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, as the remaining cast members of "Camelot" dwindled away into the dark from Applebee's, a young man in his early 20s approached and asked if I knew whether Davis had a homeless shelter. The question took me aback: Davis is a comfortable community with little obvious need for a homeless shelter. On the other hand, people can drop into town anytime from anywhere from Interstate 80. ...

There is a portion of my brain, about the size of a walnut, where I make decisions about whether to aid the distressed. The walnut is schizophrenic and irrational. Given any two homeless people, I might aid one and not the other, neither, or both, depending on whim. In this case, even though it wasn't that cold, he was visibly trembling. I asked if he was cold, and he said yes. So, apropos enough, I gave him a well-worn "Oliver!" sweatshirt, which I've had for more than six years. ... So, if you see a forlorn but unfamiliar DMTC aficionado wandering near the Richards Blvd. exit off of I-80, that is how he came to have his sweatshirt.