Where to start?
I see that gas prices have skyrocketed over the past month, up more than a dollar here (MI is one of the most expensive states for gasoline). Hmmmm.... Why, in the past few years, was there such an outcry that "Bush is to blame," yet, today, nary a peep about Obama? (I'm not shilling for W here; I don't think he was a very good President.) Seriously, anything in the media, letters-to-the-editor? Do we hear our good Sen, Car Levin (you know, the new "Conscience of the Senate"), or Gov Jennie saying the same things about BO as they did about W regarding gasoline prices? Hey, at least be honest here, folks!
And to be an inspector general? Let's see, as the ubiquitous You Tube video shows, an I-G can be vapid or, if he/she does his job and uncovers wrong doing, can be fired by BO, if the wrong doer is a buddy of the President.
Speaking of Presidential dismissals.... Gee, I remember the outcry when Nixon "fired" Richardson (and was it Ruckelshaus?) because they were getting too close to the White House. Where is our media on BO's firing of the I-G? Strangely silent, don't you think? In fact, were it not for talk radio (for all its faults) and the Internet, who would even know about this? (As I've noted before, for years I refused to identify myself as a teacher, for obvious reasons. I would think many in the media, at least those with some modicum of integrity and decency, would follow a similar path. But, then, I'd be thinking wrong, as I often do.)
I'd like to make a few comments about the recent health care proposal, too, but Cody is fussing in his crib.... But, I will later; not as if anyone reads this or cares.
Out....
Friday, June 19, 2009
Government
There's a You Tube video going around with a committee hearing that shows an incredibly stupid exchange between a Congressman and a federal inspector general. If you have any friends, you've no doubt seen it, since it is being sent all over the place. My comments:
This shouldn't surprise anyone, not at all. It doesn't matter, Dem or Rep--it's not their money! (Of course, Gov Jennie disagrees.) As Nobelist Milton Friedman once wrote, "It's easy to spend other people's money."
There are many problems here. One, how can anyone give away more than a trillion dollars and not know or not care who has received it? (Well, it's easy--see above.) Two, this kind of person is our government leadership. She's not an anomaly. Three, if anyone needs any evidence that government cannot be a solution to anything (or, at least, not to very much), here it is. And this kind of stupidity can be found every day, on every level of government, from Washington, DC and the state capital to the local school board and administrators. Four, these people are not even ashamed of their incompetence (if they even recognize it). Of course, they are going to "save" the United States from itself, a nation, that despite its flaws, grew into the freest, most prosperous country in history. Five, we, that is, voters and citizens, have allowed this to happen. Why do we keep electing the same stooges or types of stooges (Iacocca calls them "Bozos!")? Why do we so blindly accept the crap for candidates the Dems and Reps keep throwing at us? Why do we accept, without questioning or even any scrutiny, what our school officials tell us (it's not as if many of them know anything)? What is it that is more important than paying attention? That is, unless we are fine with what government is doing for us, although I prefer to say, to us. Unless we think these folks are perfectly fine in their positions--and I'm talking about Cabinet members, elected local officials, school administrators, the whole bunch.
This shouldn't surprise anyone, not at all. It doesn't matter, Dem or Rep--it's not their money! (Of course, Gov Jennie disagrees.) As Nobelist Milton Friedman once wrote, "It's easy to spend other people's money."
There are many problems here. One, how can anyone give away more than a trillion dollars and not know or not care who has received it? (Well, it's easy--see above.) Two, this kind of person is our government leadership. She's not an anomaly. Three, if anyone needs any evidence that government cannot be a solution to anything (or, at least, not to very much), here it is. And this kind of stupidity can be found every day, on every level of government, from Washington, DC and the state capital to the local school board and administrators. Four, these people are not even ashamed of their incompetence (if they even recognize it). Of course, they are going to "save" the United States from itself, a nation, that despite its flaws, grew into the freest, most prosperous country in history. Five, we, that is, voters and citizens, have allowed this to happen. Why do we keep electing the same stooges or types of stooges (Iacocca calls them "Bozos!")? Why do we so blindly accept the crap for candidates the Dems and Reps keep throwing at us? Why do we accept, without questioning or even any scrutiny, what our school officials tell us (it's not as if many of them know anything)? What is it that is more important than paying attention? That is, unless we are fine with what government is doing for us, although I prefer to say, to us. Unless we think these folks are perfectly fine in their positions--and I'm talking about Cabinet members, elected local officials, school administrators, the whole bunch.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Letterperson
How can D. Letterman get away with the nasty, tasteless jokes he made last week? Now, I don't watch him. I don't find him remotely funny or entertaining. I do hear his "Top Ten" lists played on radio shows and I heard his "jokes" about Sarah Palin and her daughter.
My questions are: Where are the women's groups? Ah, their silence is deafening, just like it was during the scumbag Clinton's years. Where are the calls for Letterman's job, like there were for Limbaugh, Campanis, Jimmy t. Greek? Where are the sponsors who are pulling out their money from the show?
OK, please tell me how this is different. Tell me how this isn't hypocritical. Sometimes I'm ashamed of my fellow citizens.
My questions are: Where are the women's groups? Ah, their silence is deafening, just like it was during the scumbag Clinton's years. Where are the calls for Letterman's job, like there were for Limbaugh, Campanis, Jimmy t. Greek? Where are the sponsors who are pulling out their money from the show?
OK, please tell me how this is different. Tell me how this isn't hypocritical. Sometimes I'm ashamed of my fellow citizens.
Israel?
I really enjoy reading the letters-to-the-editor and op-ed pieces in the newspaper. More often than not, the "regular Joes" have much more sense than the so-called "experts." But the letters, esp, can often be way off the wall.
Take, for instance, yesterday's Free Press. The pro-Muslim/Obama letters were, for the most part, predictable, very much so. "It's all Israel's fault!" Well, of course it is. Bombings in Pakistan and Azerbaijan? Israeli settlements. Riots in France and Belgium over cartoons? Israel's existence. It's easy to see how flawed, narrow-minded, etc. these letters are.
If BO was holding out a hand to moderate Muslims, if indeed there are moderate Muslims, where was the mention of US military deaths on the behalf of Muslims in the Sudan, Kosovo, Afghanistan, the list goes on? Where are the "thank yous" from the "moderate Muslims?"
One of my buddies, once, upon finishing The Haj, by Leon Uris, wrote, "...if only 10% of what this book says of Muslims in the Middle East is true...." Why is there so much media silence over the Muslim world, that is, religious intolerance (Christians, Buddhists, Jews, etc. are killed for their beliefs--of course, that's Israel's fault), treatment of women (surely the fault of the Israelis, too), human rights abuses (we know who's behind those!), vast corruption in government (OK, so they're not alone on that one), abhorrence for things "Western" (of course, Israel's attachment to the West is responsible) etc.? Did I mention slavery, strapping children with bombs, mass murders, and territorial aggression of their own? How about beheadings?
Where is BO on those things? Where are the Muslim protests over them? Or, shall I just assume it's perfectly fine to blow up your own kids, chop off people's heads because their faith is different, treat women like nonpeople, and more? Is it fine to run schools that emphasize this in the "education" of children?
If it's not, where is the courage of our President (oh, one of the letters spoke of BO's "diplomacy," yeah, Neville Chamberlain-like--of course, history, what's that?) in addressing the Muslims on these issues? And, for the umpteenth time, where is the outrage, the protest of the Muslims who supposedly follow "the religion of peace?"
There is so much I don't comprehend (like how anyone could have voted for BO, other than who the Reps made their choice). Oh, I understand; after all, I worked with public school teachers for 35 years. But I can't comprehend....
Take, for instance, yesterday's Free Press. The pro-Muslim/Obama letters were, for the most part, predictable, very much so. "It's all Israel's fault!" Well, of course it is. Bombings in Pakistan and Azerbaijan? Israeli settlements. Riots in France and Belgium over cartoons? Israel's existence. It's easy to see how flawed, narrow-minded, etc. these letters are.
If BO was holding out a hand to moderate Muslims, if indeed there are moderate Muslims, where was the mention of US military deaths on the behalf of Muslims in the Sudan, Kosovo, Afghanistan, the list goes on? Where are the "thank yous" from the "moderate Muslims?"
One of my buddies, once, upon finishing The Haj, by Leon Uris, wrote, "...if only 10% of what this book says of Muslims in the Middle East is true...." Why is there so much media silence over the Muslim world, that is, religious intolerance (Christians, Buddhists, Jews, etc. are killed for their beliefs--of course, that's Israel's fault), treatment of women (surely the fault of the Israelis, too), human rights abuses (we know who's behind those!), vast corruption in government (OK, so they're not alone on that one), abhorrence for things "Western" (of course, Israel's attachment to the West is responsible) etc.? Did I mention slavery, strapping children with bombs, mass murders, and territorial aggression of their own? How about beheadings?
Where is BO on those things? Where are the Muslim protests over them? Or, shall I just assume it's perfectly fine to blow up your own kids, chop off people's heads because their faith is different, treat women like nonpeople, and more? Is it fine to run schools that emphasize this in the "education" of children?
If it's not, where is the courage of our President (oh, one of the letters spoke of BO's "diplomacy," yeah, Neville Chamberlain-like--of course, history, what's that?) in addressing the Muslims on these issues? And, for the umpteenth time, where is the outrage, the protest of the Muslims who supposedly follow "the religion of peace?"
There is so much I don't comprehend (like how anyone could have voted for BO, other than who the Reps made their choice). Oh, I understand; after all, I worked with public school teachers for 35 years. But I can't comprehend....
Saturday, June 13, 2009
C'Mon!
The hits just keep on coming....
Newsweek mag just came out with its list of the "best" 1500 schools in the USA. C'mon, what a joke! How can anyone take the list at all seriously? To its credit, one local school district said it appreciated the high ranking, within the top 200 I think, but noted the flukish criteria.
According to the accompanying article, the rankings are determined by the number of Advance Placement, etc. tests students at the school take. Then, that number of AP tests is divided by the number of senior graduating to get a ratio. The rankings are then determined from those ratios.
Ah, you've already seen the foolhardiness of this! Yep, it doesn't matter how well the students do on the tests (we'll ignore the legitimacy of tests for now). They can all score the lowest possible; it makes no difference. All they have to do is take the tests. One of the schools listed, in the district where I live, require students who take AP classes to take the AP tests. (I told one of the teachers who so required that was silly. When he protested, but not too much, since I am a former teacher of his, I added if my kid was in his class--he wasn't in that school--if he was required to take the test, the school would be paying the $85 to take it and I'd have the law on my side!) Again, it doesn't matter if they do well. Great criterion, huh? And, to top it off, the guy who computes the ratios was cited as saying it is "dumb" to send kids to college without having taken AP courses. What a Bozo! No doubt, there are administrators and teachers all over the country proud of their rankings. (Certainly, I admit, there are probably some who should be proud, but not because of these rankings.)
Yep, let's reform education, continuing to allow those who should not be allowed to make decisions to make them.
Newsweek mag just came out with its list of the "best" 1500 schools in the USA. C'mon, what a joke! How can anyone take the list at all seriously? To its credit, one local school district said it appreciated the high ranking, within the top 200 I think, but noted the flukish criteria.
According to the accompanying article, the rankings are determined by the number of Advance Placement, etc. tests students at the school take. Then, that number of AP tests is divided by the number of senior graduating to get a ratio. The rankings are then determined from those ratios.
Ah, you've already seen the foolhardiness of this! Yep, it doesn't matter how well the students do on the tests (we'll ignore the legitimacy of tests for now). They can all score the lowest possible; it makes no difference. All they have to do is take the tests. One of the schools listed, in the district where I live, require students who take AP classes to take the AP tests. (I told one of the teachers who so required that was silly. When he protested, but not too much, since I am a former teacher of his, I added if my kid was in his class--he wasn't in that school--if he was required to take the test, the school would be paying the $85 to take it and I'd have the law on my side!) Again, it doesn't matter if they do well. Great criterion, huh? And, to top it off, the guy who computes the ratios was cited as saying it is "dumb" to send kids to college without having taken AP courses. What a Bozo! No doubt, there are administrators and teachers all over the country proud of their rankings. (Certainly, I admit, there are probably some who should be proud, but not because of these rankings.)
Yep, let's reform education, continuing to allow those who should not be allowed to make decisions to make them.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Doom?
Just when I am convinced education is doomed, along comes something that cements my conviction.
Today (or yesterday or the day before or...) I received this month's "higher education" journal. Anyone with any hope that education would somehow save the day would be filled with dismay. Where to start?
Oh, let's go with "rubrics." No, not "Rubric's Cube!" That might be a better thing, overall, for education though. Teachers are now encouraged to give "rubrics" to students when students are given assignments. That is, the rubrics will tell students what teachers expect--you know, sort of giving them the answers. What ever happened to analyzing, critically thinking, etc. to get "the answers the teachers want?" Let's just give it away. Some teachers who do this justified the use of rubrics with, "The students love them!" Well, no kidding! What student wouldn't want most or all of his/her work done, at least the hardest part, for him/her?
Then, on the front page, is the summary of two reports that are supposed to make us feel better about the future. 18-29 year olds of today are "more progressive" than they were 30 years ago. Great, just great. Well, what does "more progressive" mean? Here is one quotation: "we need a strong government to handle today's complex economic problems...." First, why would anyone be surprised to find that someone else should solve our problems? Why should we solve our own problems? Hmmm. I wonder where they learned that...see above about rubrics. Second, government can't handle itself let along "complex economic problems." Deficits, corruption, Fannie and Freddie, CRA, IRS, where to stop?????
On the back page is more. One professor, asked to write a column, I guess, for others to follow, wrote that he asks students "what kind of physics (or history or English or math or....) they want to study this term instead of giving them a syllabus." Ah, says a critic, what a choice, the Bermuda Triangle or Newtonian physics! Of course, (as I am frequently reminded) history would be filled with "the history of rock." Oh, yeah, baby! In English, students could choose comic books (don't laugh, schools have comic book literature courses) instead of Mark Twain, Dostoevskii, etc. Relevance, that's what it is, relevance. Being ignorant of great ideas has become relevant.
And yet another. Apparently, some professors want tenure and promotion credit given for their blogs!! Hey, I might be the dean of some history department, maybe. And these are the people leading, educating the future.
How many ads have we seen about "get your degree in a year," "get college credit for life experiences," etc.? It's not just McCollege, but McEducation. And we expect the youth of today to be prepared to handle ever more difficult problems in the future? What tools are they being given? Not challenges, not difficulties, not qualities, but mush, pabulum.
And what's most disturbing, nobody cares that this is what is happening.
Out to mow the lawn.
Today (or yesterday or the day before or...) I received this month's "higher education" journal. Anyone with any hope that education would somehow save the day would be filled with dismay. Where to start?
Oh, let's go with "rubrics." No, not "Rubric's Cube!" That might be a better thing, overall, for education though. Teachers are now encouraged to give "rubrics" to students when students are given assignments. That is, the rubrics will tell students what teachers expect--you know, sort of giving them the answers. What ever happened to analyzing, critically thinking, etc. to get "the answers the teachers want?" Let's just give it away. Some teachers who do this justified the use of rubrics with, "The students love them!" Well, no kidding! What student wouldn't want most or all of his/her work done, at least the hardest part, for him/her?
Then, on the front page, is the summary of two reports that are supposed to make us feel better about the future. 18-29 year olds of today are "more progressive" than they were 30 years ago. Great, just great. Well, what does "more progressive" mean? Here is one quotation: "we need a strong government to handle today's complex economic problems...." First, why would anyone be surprised to find that someone else should solve our problems? Why should we solve our own problems? Hmmm. I wonder where they learned that...see above about rubrics. Second, government can't handle itself let along "complex economic problems." Deficits, corruption, Fannie and Freddie, CRA, IRS, where to stop?????
On the back page is more. One professor, asked to write a column, I guess, for others to follow, wrote that he asks students "what kind of physics (or history or English or math or....) they want to study this term instead of giving them a syllabus." Ah, says a critic, what a choice, the Bermuda Triangle or Newtonian physics! Of course, (as I am frequently reminded) history would be filled with "the history of rock." Oh, yeah, baby! In English, students could choose comic books (don't laugh, schools have comic book literature courses) instead of Mark Twain, Dostoevskii, etc. Relevance, that's what it is, relevance. Being ignorant of great ideas has become relevant.
And yet another. Apparently, some professors want tenure and promotion credit given for their blogs!! Hey, I might be the dean of some history department, maybe. And these are the people leading, educating the future.
How many ads have we seen about "get your degree in a year," "get college credit for life experiences," etc.? It's not just McCollege, but McEducation. And we expect the youth of today to be prepared to handle ever more difficult problems in the future? What tools are they being given? Not challenges, not difficulties, not qualities, but mush, pabulum.
And what's most disturbing, nobody cares that this is what is happening.
Out to mow the lawn.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Newspapers
I dislike the online newspaper arrangement for the Det newspapers. I have no doubts they will both go out of business. Each/Both has/have, for years, ignored the real newspaper readers, filling their pages with tripe about Hollywood, television, etc. which is important only to those who don't read newspapers. So, what they did was appeal, not to those likely to read (that is, buy) the paper, but to those who aren't so likely. Doesn't seem to bright to me (but, what do I know?).
Today, I was struck by how utterly lousy the Free Press columnists are. Dzwonkowski is bright, insightful, thoughtful, although I don't often agree with his views. But at least he's worth reading. I read three columnists today who I don't often read. I had a few extra minutes so I included them this afternoon/evening. I was reminded why I don't read them--can I use the word "tripe" twice in a single blog?
And, to be fair, it's not just the local columnists or the Free Press. The Oakland Press's national syndicated writers are vapid, just as lousy.
I was thinking about switching from the News to the FP to get the Kakuru/o, but these columnists convinced me otherwise. BTW, I think Nolan Finley is pretty good!
Today, I was struck by how utterly lousy the Free Press columnists are. Dzwonkowski is bright, insightful, thoughtful, although I don't often agree with his views. But at least he's worth reading. I read three columnists today who I don't often read. I had a few extra minutes so I included them this afternoon/evening. I was reminded why I don't read them--can I use the word "tripe" twice in a single blog?
And, to be fair, it's not just the local columnists or the Free Press. The Oakland Press's national syndicated writers are vapid, just as lousy.
I was thinking about switching from the News to the FP to get the Kakuru/o, but these columnists convinced me otherwise. BTW, I think Nolan Finley is pretty good!
The Supremes
I was really reminded of what passes as intelligent discourse these days by reading two letters-to-the-editor in today's newspaper. No, I'm not talking about Oprah or some other Hollywood-types' views of what's wrong with this world.
The letters, both, were ecstatic over the nomination of Sotomayor to the SCOTUS. She's a great choice and should be confirmed because, hold on to your hats, because "she's a great choice!" Now there were no reasons why Soto is "a great choice," other than she is a Latina woman, just that she is. I suppose BO could have just gone down to Mexicantown, off Fort St, according to these letter writers, and picked someone to nominate?
Reminds me of a North Central Accreditation discussion I had with the bldg chair one year. "It's just so great!" she gushed. I asked what made it so great. Somewhat nonplussed at the question (after all, how can anyone doubt that "It's just so great?"), she finally stumbled upon, "Because it's just so cool!" Wrong answer, but that's the type of intellectual leadership (is that oxymoronic?) you'll find in your schools today. While I'm at it, one time, in filling out surveys evaluating the school's performance, teachers were more critical than the leadership committee would have liked. So, they merely changed the teachers' answers to the survey, dismissing them with "Oh, they didn't really mean that" and other such tripe. (Well, they really did "mean that!") After intramural protests fell on deaf ears, when the NCA committee that confirmed (or denied--yeah, right, as if that was going to happen!) came, I approached it and told them about the changed answers. Yep, you guessed it, I was ignored. Nobody asked me a single question. I think that's because "It's just so cool!" Shame, shame on them all....
The letters, both, were ecstatic over the nomination of Sotomayor to the SCOTUS. She's a great choice and should be confirmed because, hold on to your hats, because "she's a great choice!" Now there were no reasons why Soto is "a great choice," other than she is a Latina woman, just that she is. I suppose BO could have just gone down to Mexicantown, off Fort St, according to these letter writers, and picked someone to nominate?
Reminds me of a North Central Accreditation discussion I had with the bldg chair one year. "It's just so great!" she gushed. I asked what made it so great. Somewhat nonplussed at the question (after all, how can anyone doubt that "It's just so great?"), she finally stumbled upon, "Because it's just so cool!" Wrong answer, but that's the type of intellectual leadership (is that oxymoronic?) you'll find in your schools today. While I'm at it, one time, in filling out surveys evaluating the school's performance, teachers were more critical than the leadership committee would have liked. So, they merely changed the teachers' answers to the survey, dismissing them with "Oh, they didn't really mean that" and other such tripe. (Well, they really did "mean that!") After intramural protests fell on deaf ears, when the NCA committee that confirmed (or denied--yeah, right, as if that was going to happen!) came, I approached it and told them about the changed answers. Yep, you guessed it, I was ignored. Nobody asked me a single question. I think that's because "It's just so cool!" Shame, shame on them all....
Friday, June 5, 2009
Kids
Does anything more joy, contentment than little kids? I know, sometimes, they can be exasperating, but, on the whole, is there anything greater than...
watching the little ones while they sleep? They are so serene, occasionally get a grin as if their dreams are bringing them joy as they rest. I can sit and watch and watch and watch.
taking them to the park and watching them just run around from ride to ride, from the slide to the swings to the merry-go-round? They show just unbound energy and joy.
seeing a dad, even more so than a mom, buy his kid a present? I was at the grocery store yesterday and a dad was purchasing balloons/flowers for his 6-year old (I counted the balloons!). The look of excitement, of contentment, of anticipation on the guy's face was great.
sitting down and reading to them, before they can actually read? Oh, they point out the pictures in the book(s) and tell their own versions of the stories. And, they make up some things, often not even related to the stories. A really cool thing is letting them turn the pages--they don't turn until they are ready and then, it's turn the page.
And then we read in the newspaper of another Muslim child sent by his parents to kill others by wearing a bomb strapped to his/her body. (I'll refrain, today, from commenting on the cowardice of those who send a child to do a job, a dastardly and hideous one at that, they won't do themselves.) Have they never watch their children sleep, read books with them, seen them playing? If so, my questions are why? and how? And I will never, ever understand.
Yet, our President, in his naivete, reaches out to them. He seems to believe all cultures and all ideas are equivalent in validity. What a fool! We should spend more time watching the kids!
watching the little ones while they sleep? They are so serene, occasionally get a grin as if their dreams are bringing them joy as they rest. I can sit and watch and watch and watch.
taking them to the park and watching them just run around from ride to ride, from the slide to the swings to the merry-go-round? They show just unbound energy and joy.
seeing a dad, even more so than a mom, buy his kid a present? I was at the grocery store yesterday and a dad was purchasing balloons/flowers for his 6-year old (I counted the balloons!). The look of excitement, of contentment, of anticipation on the guy's face was great.
sitting down and reading to them, before they can actually read? Oh, they point out the pictures in the book(s) and tell their own versions of the stories. And, they make up some things, often not even related to the stories. A really cool thing is letting them turn the pages--they don't turn until they are ready and then, it's turn the page.
And then we read in the newspaper of another Muslim child sent by his parents to kill others by wearing a bomb strapped to his/her body. (I'll refrain, today, from commenting on the cowardice of those who send a child to do a job, a dastardly and hideous one at that, they won't do themselves.) Have they never watch their children sleep, read books with them, seen them playing? If so, my questions are why? and how? And I will never, ever understand.
Yet, our President, in his naivete, reaches out to them. He seems to believe all cultures and all ideas are equivalent in validity. What a fool! We should spend more time watching the kids!
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