H1N1 Flu

Now that the so-called "swine flu" has been found in Spain, the WHO says it may wind up being the first flu pandemic since the Hong Kong flu in 1968-1969.

About the latter (from Wikipedia):

The Hong Kong flu was the first known outbreak of the H3N2 strain, though there is serologic evidence of H3N? infections in the late 19th century. The first record of the outbreak in Hong Kong appeared on 13 July 1968 in an area with a density of about 500 people per acre in an urban setting. The outbreak reached maximum intensity in 2 weeks, lasting 6 weeks in total. The virus was isolated in Queen Mary Hospital. Flu symptoms lasted 4 to 5 days.[8]

By July 1968, extensive outbreaks were reported in Vietnam and Singapore. By September 1968, it would reach India, Philippines, northern Australia and Europe. That same month, the virus entered California from returning Vietnam War troops. It would reach Japan, Africa and South America by 1969.[8]

"Three strains of Hong Kong influenza virus isolated from humans were compared with a strain isolated from a calf for their ability to cause disease in calves. One of the human strains. A/Aichi/2/68, was detected for five days in a calf, but all three failed to cause signs of disease. Strain A/cal/Duschanbe/55/71 could be detected for seven days and caused an influenza-like illness in calves."[11]

Joe Biden is right about swine flu and confined spaces; his remarks are by no means gaffes.

I am glad I don't have to rely on public transportation now. I'd be in one hell of a fix.

More Shit

Elizabeth Edwards was even more sick over her husband's affair with that dipshit than I was.

It is a wonder she didn't throw him out.

However, I feel he simply should have admitted to the thing when he announced. It would have derailed any blackmail attempts.

Snip:

In the book scheduled to be published May 12, Edwards says her husband, John, admitted to the betrayal just days after declaring his run for president in 2006. She says she wanted him to drop out of the race to protect the family from media scrutiny, but stood by his side anyway.

Kentucky Derby 1950-1959

All of these are newsreels, so the races are not complete, just highlights. I will take what I can get, however.



1950: Middleground:




1951: Count Turf, a son of 1943 winner Count Fleet:





1952: Hill Gail:





1953: Dark Star, in one of the biggest upsets in racing history:





1954: Determine:




Determine sired 1962 winner Decidedly.



1955: Swaps:



Swaps sired 1963 winner Chateaugay.



1956: Needles:





1957: Iron Liege. This is the race where Bill Shoemaker, on Gallant Man, misjudged the finish line and lost the race:






1958: Tim Tam:






1959: Tomy Lee:



Hereis the YouTube channel with these great clips.

Kentucky Derby 1960-1969

More vintage races. Many of these are newsreels, so not all of the races are complete. They'll do for now.


1960: Venetian Way (footage not complete):




1961: Carry Back (complete footage--sound not the best). This was the first Kentucky Derby I ever saw. I was six at the time:




1962: Decidedly (not complete footage):




1963: Chateaugay (not complete footage):




1964: Northern Dancer (complete race and additional obituary footage):




1965: Lucky Debonair (not the full race):




1966: Kauai King (not the full race):



1967: Proud Clarion (not the full race):





1968: The infamous Kentucky Derby, won by Dancer's Image, but he was disqualified. Forward Pass ended up with the purse money. The sound quality isn't too good:






1969: Majestic Prince:

Kentucky Derby 1970-1979

The decade of champions. Oh, how I miss Chic Anderson!

1970: Dust Commander:





1971: Canonero II:



1972: Riva Ridge:



1973: Secretariat, who set the track record which still stands today and in a freakish performance in which he ran each quarter faster than the previous one:



1974: Cannonade:



1975: Foolish Pleasure:



1976: Bold Forbes:



1977: Seattle Slew:



1978: Affirmed:



1979: Spectacular Bid:

Kentucky Derby 1980-1989

1980: Genuine Risk:



1981: Pleasant Colony:



1982: Gato Del Sol:



1983: Sunny's Halo:



1984: Swale:



1985: Spend A Buck:



1986: Ferdinand:



1987: Alysheba:



1988: Winning Colors:



1989: Sunday Silence:

Jimbo Eruptions

If school districts aren't doing enough to force teachers out by devious means, Jimbo will further assist them if he gets his way.

Kentucky Derby 1990-1999

1999: Charismatic:



1998: Real Quiet:



1997: Silver Charm:



1996: Grindstone:



1995: Thunder Gulch:



1994: Go For Gin:



1993: Sea Hero:



1992: Lil E Tee:



1991: Strike the Gold:



1990: Unbridled:

401(k) Scam

If people haven't read this and other articles from the latest issue of Mother Jones magazine, I strongly encourage people to do so.

It was all about money when it came to 401(k)s, as I have written in here repeatedly over the years. They were promoted as some kind of "get rich" schemes, but in fact the only ones getting money were the companies instituting these fake "pension" plans--these are not real pensions--because they shifted the cost and risk from themselves to their employees.

It soon became clear that 401(k)s were not going to supplement pensions, but replace them. (See "Scrambled Nest Eggs.") Congress did its part, raising premiums for defined-benefit plans (which had to contribute to the PBGC) and thus making 401(k)s (which did not) more attractive. As time went on, more and more companies froze their defined-benefit plans, creating a two-tiered system whereby longtime workers got to keep their traditional pensions while new employees were routed into 401(k) plans. In addition to their advantages for employers, 401(k)s favored wealthier workers in higher tax brackets, who stood to benefit more from being able to set aside a portion of their salaries tax free.

No one seemed much bothered by the move of a vast portion of Americans' retirement funds into risky securities-based funds. The Fed supported the 401(k) boom, just as it later would the housing boom, by championing deregulation and keeping interest rates low. Who would choose to invest their retirement funds in safe but low-interest bonds or T-bills when they could make 10, 15, or 20 percent in the market? In 1983, according to a survey conducted by two securities-industry groups, just 15.9 percent of American households owned equities; by 2005, the figure was 56.9 percent. More than half of households that owned stocks had first gotten into them through a 401(k) or similar account.

The plans are total trash.

Local Education Wars

Tell me about defamation. It is par for the course in public agencies in Nevada.

I went through it too with the school district, even being accused of "dishonesty" by a principal who lied under oath (I'd call it perjury) at my rigged hearing. And then on top of that, the district which called me a liar because it didn't want to pay benefits to an older employee decides it needs my help in a frivolous lawsuit of which I am a defendant. Too bad, so sad.

So Terri Patraw is going through the same thing:

When University of Nevada, Reno President Milton Glick banned former women’s soccer coach Terri Patraw from campus, he destroyed her reputation by saying the action was to “protect life, limb and property” but never gave her a reason for his decision, her lawyer told a judge today.
Advertisement

Only when Glick gave testimony in March in Patraw’s civil case did she learn he had based his decision on police reports saying Patraw grabbed her replacement on the shoulder and neck at a basketball game, Jeffrey Dickerson said.

Milton Glick, like John Lilley before him, is a piece of work. I don't remember there ever being this much shit going on at UNR when longtime president Joe Crowley was in charge. He was downright benevolent by comparison.

Gene Lyons

Barack Obama is battling problems from all sides, and now he has to contend with a war waged upon him by former president Dick Cheney.

Swine Flu

Sooner or later it will hit Oregon, and presumably every other state in the country.

It has arrived in Multnomah County.
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The Reno daycare affected with swine flu has been identified.
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The WSWS uses the subject as an opportunity to bash governmental efforts to combat it.
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Obama News Conference

President Obama is holding a 100-day press conference:

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

The "swine flu crisis" will be among the topics.

Local Education Wars

Things are getting a little desperate as the finalist for the WCSD superintendent job, Edmond Heatley, has dropped out of the running.

They may have to go through the dregs of their own school district, God forbid, given the low quality of administrators.

Miscellaneous News

Swine flu has reached Washoe County, now that a single case has been reported.
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Congress gets a bit closer to banning the slaughter of wild horses.
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Was Guy Ward Hendrickson the Zodiac killer, or is the story bullshit?
_____

Saturday is the Kentucky Derby

It is time to look at some of the past races:

2008: Big Brown:



2007: Street Sense:



2006: Barbaro:



2005: Giacomo



2004: Smarty Jones:



2003: Funny Cide:



2002: War Emblem:



2001: Monarchos:



2000: Fusaichi Pegasus:



Official Kentucky Derby YouTube channel is here.

Obama's 100 Days

Obviously the WSWS has little good to say about it or him.

It's a mixed bag, in all honesty.

The WSWS concludes:

After only 100 days of the new administration, workers and youth are coming face to face with the fact that Obama represents no change from the anti-working class, anti-democratic and militaristic polices of his predecessor. His presidency has already established the impossibility of effecting real change in government policy by means of elections within the framework of the existing two-party system, or through appeals to the Democratic Party.

The defense of the interests of working people is the task of the working class itself. It must mobilize its strength in social and political struggle independently of the two parties of the ruling elite, fight to break the stranglehold of the financial aristocracy on society, and advance its own socialist alternative to the bankrupt capitalist system.

Switcheroo

It appears Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania will switch parties and run for re-election as a Democrat.

Perhaps a couple more will jump. I have a couple of Maine senators in mind.

Unfortunately the Democrats still have blue dogs like Ben Nelson which cancel out Specter.

Swine Flu

Mexican officials are trying to focus in on the source of the swine flu outbreak:

With the death toll climbing, Mexican authorities at the center of an international swine flu epidemic struggled Monday to piece together its lethal march, with attention focusing on a 4-year-old boy and a pig farm.

The boy, who survived the illness, has emerged as Mexico's earliest known case of the never-before-seen virus, Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said Monday. It provides an important clue to the unique strain's path.

Meanwhile, the borders control are being tightened worldwide.
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Arbitration is a Big Fraud

and certainly "binding" arbitration should be absolutely illegal, for arbitrators almost never rule in favor of consumers or employees, as yours truly found out through bitter experience. They have to favor companies or employers, for if they don't, they are out of business.

It is basically a corrupt process.

Local Education Wars

The University of Nevada, Reno, is offering a pittance to settle a lawsuit filed by a fired women's soccer coach before the case goes to trial in May. But:

Patraw, in fact, plans to decline the offer, and go forward with her trial, scheduled for May 11 in Washoe District Court, her lawyer, Jeffrey Dickerson said in an e-mail Monday.

“She has no intention of accepting this, as it does not come close to reflecting the actual harm which will be proven to the jury,” Dickerson said. “We are strong and ready to ask the jury for just compensation.

“We are sure the jury will agree $150,000 is not just compensation for what the university has done to Terri’s career, something it did for no reason other than to retaliate for her reporting violations,” Dickerson said.

UNR lawyers are scheduled to continue arguments on Tuesday for dismissing a list of claims in Patraw’s lawsuit before the case goes to trial. Dickerson has defended the claims, saying they all are legitimate.

Because the Economy is in the Ditch

and won't get out of it anytime soon, it is not surprising some insecure men feel women should simply marry young, to any guy who comes along, so they can get out of the labor force and make it easier for unemployed men to have the jobs women are taking away from them.

That is what is REALLY underlying this message that women should marrying young, trying to scare them into thinking if they don't get married by the age of 25 or definitely 30, nobody will want them. It's about the economy.

It is the same message the Rosie the Riveters were given at the end of World War II to get out of the labor force to make room for the returning servicemen.

By the way, marriages of 20, 21, or 22 are laughably young, especially if people are supposed to stay married until they die at 80 or 85. Talk about life imprisonment without parole.

The Cult Chronicles

Despite the fact she had followers like Alan Greenspan and the fact the Chicago Boys led by Milton Friedman basically dressed up her crackpot theories in economic clothing, and despite the fact "libertarianism" simply doesn't work, Ayn Rand's books are seeing a resurgence.

There is no limit to human gullibility and stupidity. The problem is many powerful people believed in the same swill, and millions upon millions of people are paying the price for their idiocy.

Miscellaneous

More warnings are coming out regarding the budding swine flu pandemic, this time warnings for Europeans to stay out of the U.S. and Mexico if at all possible.
_____

During These Tough Times,

it may be less profitable to set up a church than to set up an organization catering to atheists.

The number of people declaring themselves without a religious faith has increased dramatically over the past twenty years. Not all of them are atheists or agnostics, but they are an untapped reservoir of supporters to a nonreligious movement.

When George W. Bush Became

president after the USSC illegally gave him the job, few people in the media talked about his inability to put two words together. But when it comes to Vice President Joseph Biden, articles abound about his legendary "gaffes" and "worry" about them.

My biggest gripe about Biden is the fact Obama doesn't rely on him more. It appears he has been relegated to foreign policy issues, which is fine, as he is an expert, but Obama desperately needs his imput on domestic issues.

While I Was Enjoying My Hike to Table Rock

with my sister, there was a protest going on in the little town of Phoenix, Oregon, regarding the formation of a neo-Nazi organization there.

The worsening economy makes people do absolutely stupid and criminal things such as creating hate groups. You never see people organize groups opposing the obscene maldistribution of wealth in this country; it's always about minorities or women.

If the Economy Doesn't Finish Us All Off,

the swine flu may.

Given how bad I can get sick the few times I do, I am glad I am not working with kids this year.

A Young Anti-Abortion Nutcase

uses deception to try and "expose" Planned Parenthood.

I will bet after this article, her face will be plastered at every clinic in the country.

More Lower Table Rock

My sister and I hiked up Lower Table Rock today. The flowers were still in abundance. Here are a few of the pictures. Included is a picture of the drawf wooly meadowfoam, found nowhere else in the world but the two Table Rocks.

All I Will Say

is beware of ANY "reform" of Social Security, which needs NO reform, and coming from the likes of the GOP and "blue dog" Democrats, who want the program abolished.

I don't see how anybody can take "reform" measures seriously considering the economic downturn and the fact 401(k)s have revealed to be absolutely worthless.

Jimbo Eruptions

Chrissy Mazzeo is seeking to amend her lawsuit complaint to include Jimbo as part of a cover-up.

Obituaries

Noted actress Beatrice Arthur, who starred in two hit sitcoms, Golden Girls and Maude, and who won a Tony award for her role in the Broadway musical Mame, has died of cancer at the age of 86.

She usually played wisecracking roles, and she was also known for her deep voice, deeper than most men's voices.

Speaking of Mame, Arthur also appeared in the 1974 movie version of the play, which was directed by her husband, Gene Saks. She gave a good performance reprising her role as Mame's sidekick, Vera. Unfortunately, Lucille Ball was miscast in the title role, and worse still, she couldn't sing and could barely dance.

Here is a performance of one of her songs from Mame called "The Man in the Moon":



"Bosom Buddies" with Broadway Mame co-star Angela Lansbury:




Arthur was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame last December. Here is the first part of an extensive archival interview:

link

Other parts are at the link sidebar.

Excerpt:

The Economy

It continues to slide, with jobless claims up, and home sales down:

The US Labor Department reported Thursday that there were 640,000 new claims for unemployment compensation last week, up 27,000 from the previous week. The US economy has been hemorrhaging jobs at a rate of well over 600,000 per month since January.

The report noted that the number of people re-applying for unemployment benefits reached 6.13 million, setting a new record for the 12th consecutive week.

The Education Wars

With a shitty job market, naturally Teach for America applications have gone up.

Actually I think this is a good idea. I am not even opposed to taking advantage of the program myself, assuming I am not too old and opportunities in other lines of work aren't available.

There is nothing whatsoever wrong with this.

However, the Wall Street Journal's ultraright editorial page trashes teachers' unions and "tenure" without knowing shit about either one. Teachers' unions don't support individual teachers at all, and "tenure" is a joke, for teachers can be thrown out far easier in public schools than "at will" workers in private industry.
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Lower Table Rock

Today I went up to Lower Table Rock. There were scads and scads of wildflowers, and there were some vernal pools that had not yet evaporated. It was difficult to see the rare vernal pool fairy shrimp, but I did get some pictures of tadpoles. Mount McLaughlin is in the background of a few of these pictures.

Personal Stuff

I just returned from eating a bacon cheeseburger at Eddy's, which is a hamburger joint in Medford on North Riverside Avenue. It is known for having the best hamburgers in the valley, next to Jasper's. My brother and I ate at the latter a week ago. Both places have good burgers, but I would say Jasper's wins the nod on the fries.

Still, both places are very good. They are located in spots where people can easily drive past them. I have driven past both for years and years and never tried their food.

I would still pick Reno's Nugget Diner's legendary Awful Awful over both Eddy's and Jasper's, but they will do.

Paul Krugman

As far as I am concerned, ALL of the Bush administration's wrongdoings should be examined and exposed, starting with Bush v. Gore, which made the whole mess possible.

By sidestepping any investigation, the ruthlessness of the right will continue.

I for one don't write them off at all.

Miscellaneous News

A woman went through an almost unbearable experience:



_____

A Bronx middle school teacher, pissed off he was reassigned to the infamous "rubber room" on allegations I am sure are bogus, made sure he would be fired when he stupidly made a bomb threat:

Mr. Kelly, the police commissioner, said that the teacher was being disciplined after being accused on Thursday of having struck a student and had been told by the principal not to return, and that Mr. Garabitos thought the charge wrong and wanted the principal transferred.

An official with knowledge of the case said that Mr. Garabitos was a union chapter chairman at the school and had received a letter on Thursday informing him that he was being reassigned to a so-called rubber room — a term for classrooms where teachers removed from teaching duties are assigned — as discipline for imposing corporal punishment [pdf] on a student.

The teacher barricaded himself in the classroom, saying, “I have a date with God,” the official said. Although there were no students in the classroom, the roughly 1,200 children attending the three schools on the educational campus were evacuated, and the police were summoned.

He was probably abused, but he argued his case in the wrong way, obviously.

Obama and the Memos

It is rather hilarious to know the Wall Street Journal is trashing Obama over the memos when it, under the dubious leadership of the late, great Bob Bartley, trashed Bill Clinton over ever bogus thing known to man.

The Journal presses its attack by warning that, in the event of an investigation into torture, prominent Democrats would be implicated, like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee in 2002, fully briefed on the torture and enthusiastically in support of it. That is another reason why the Obama administration will take no serious action against either the torturers or those who gave them their orders.

The Journal speaks for substantial sections of the military-intelligence apparatus, the Republican Party and the financial elite, who are contemptuous of democratic rights and of Obama’s efforts to posture as the new face of American imperialism after the debacle of the Bush years. The essence of their argument is that, in the name of national security, everything is permitted.

I really fear Obama is going to fail as president.

The Booming Economy

Chrysler faces bankruptcy as early as next week, while the banks get all kinds of handouts.

The Education Wars

More drivel by two people who don't know shit about education but merely repeat the mantra from organized corporate interests:

Most people do not know that there are many charter schools with union teachers. In fact, one of the pioneers of the movement was Albert Shanker, the legendary head of the American Federation of Teachers.

The fact is charter schools are public schools, they serve our children, they use our tax dollars and our facilities, and they are required to meet the same statewide academic standards of traditional public schools.

Charter schools don't have a good record overall. The problems with education stem from bad, corrupt leadership from school districts and because of the lack of a civil service-style system for school districts. I would propose such a statewide system for school district employees. With teachers, ranking them on the basis of test scores for their licensing exams plus experience and then putting them on an eligibility list for whichever region teachers want to work ala the federal civil service system would get rid of patronage/nepotism and reduce age discrimination in hiring. Testing/experience ranking systems for classified employees would also be implemented in my scheme.

Local Education Wars [Updated]

The final "outstanding" candidate for WCSD superintendent made his appearance yesterday.

The field of four is expected to be narrowed to two by Monday.

Could it be Montenegro and Olson, both of whom are scandal free?

Citing family issues, Kimberly Olson has decided to withdraw.
_____

Is Obama

playing politics with those torture memos, or is it more likely he simply doesn't know what in the hell he is doing?

The case for playing politics:

Barack Obama has thrown his own Administration, half the Democratic party, and the entire Congress into chaos over the issue of torture memos and prosecutions.

As he has done most of his political life, Obama tried to play both sides of the fence when it came to the release of the torture memos trying to placate both sides by releasing the memos which documented Bush White House authorization for torture and at the same time placate the right by saying no one would be prosecuted.

"Playing both sides of the fence" as in trying to be "post-partisan" or "transformative" can also mean not knowing what in the hell he is doing. After all, with this environment, Democratic presidents can't possibly "reach across the aisle" with those who believe in a scorched earth politics, so I tend to believe Obama doesn't know shit what he is doing.

Jacksonville Woodlands Trail System

This afternoon I decided to drive over to historic Jacksonville, Oregon, and walk the Woodlands Trail section located above the Britt Festival amphitheater. Many flowers were in bloom, including the red bell-like Gentner's fritillary, one of the rarest flowers in the world. They are found only in Jackson and Josephine counties, with the greatest concentration in around Jacksonville.

From this site:

Gentner's fritillary is known only from scattered localities in southwest Oregon, along the Rogue and Illinois River drainages in Josephine and Jackson counties. It is highly localized in a 48 kilometers (30 miles) radius around Jacksonville, Oregon, on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, Department of Transportation, Southern Oregon University, City of Jacksonville, and private landowners.

Gene Lyons

has some comments about the so-called "terror memos" that were released by the Obama administration.

More Horseshit

from Arne Duncan, who fails to note what is really wrong with our schools.

At least he mentions "principal" quality. The problem is the hiring systems in public school districts are not based on the civil service system, although the pay scales mimic it. Hiring is based more often on political and familial connections rather than on experience and qualifications.

Duncan, of course, is just another Business Roundtable type with no clue at all about schools.

There is NO "honest assessment" on teacher "quality" because hiring decisions are more often than not NOT based on qualifications.

When you have schools like the one where I was before I was unjustly sacked had a mother and her two daughters teaching in the same school building and the principal saw nothing wrong with this, then you know something is horribly wrong with our public school system. Think of the more experienced, more talented teachers who were passed over in favor of the two daughters, both in their twenties.

Miscellaneous News

Unlike yours truly, if people actually read your blog, you can make a living on the lecture circuit, as P.Z. Myers realizes. The key is to know how to market yourself and write about things people want to hear.

I never expect to make anything out of this enterprise, and since the election there hasn't been a lot worth writing about of a national nature. I get too pissed off with all of the layoffs and stuff going on. More to the point, I am up in Oregon on "vacation," perhaps looking to move up here permanently, and that is my priority right now.
_____

There is no stay of execution for Medford's Oakdale Avenue's maple trees, unfortunately.
_____

The Local Education Wars

Reno media finally got wind of WCSD superintendent finalist Kimberly Olson's problems during her stint in the military.

Well, she would fit right in with the culture at WCSD.

Take a look at these comments:

Wordman | 1 week ago

...two losers, if I ever saw one...does that make her a criminal...and what was her punishment--sent her to DISD? Hahahahahahhaaha


Posted by Quiet Fire | 1 week ago

"she was accused of using her position to benefit a private security firm.....pleading guilty to less serious offenses"

How does she get hired as the "chief human development officer"?? It's no wonder that the DISD is in trouble!


Posted by texas_native | 1 week ago

Reno - Is this the best you can find? The finalist both have questionable reputations and you want them to run your schools. You want these people to make the decisions concerning your kid's educations? Wipe the slate clean and start another search - also look at why these are the type of candidates you are drwaing to apply for your position.



Posted by DFLefty | 1 week ago

sorry for the repetitious double-post. My "Submit" button mystriously went unresponsive. I guess BigBrother had to make sure my opinion fit the guidelines.



Posted by Hillister | 1 week ago

Dear Reno ISD. Do not hire anyone from DISD, especially Colonel Olson. Key words, Plead Guilty.



Posted by DFLefty | 1 week ago

Neithter of these candidates should even be eligible for a position like this. Olson fired many teachers for infractions much lesser than her own, and Montenegro is a prostitute who won't hold a job to term without ethics issues. BigDog is right. Market must be lacking ANY good candidates, if these two are finalists.

Posted by DFLefty | 1 week ago

Reno, please consider Olson's treatment of the Dallas ISD teachers during her time here before you make a rash decision. BigDog is right; she is not a "quality candidate" for the position. Montenegro seems like an education prostitute willing to apply for any position. His "work history" section of his resume must be a very long read. There's probably a reason for that.


Posted by BigDog | 1 week ago

Must have been a lack of quality candidates wanting to live in Reno.

The last one says all. Reno is dying on the vine as it is, and besides, the school district isn't worth shit.
_____

Miscellaneous News and Olds

Somehow I missed this event last year featuring a true Reno legend. Note no mention is made of Shannon's relationship to Charles Kuralt, despite the fact everybody in the country knew about it following his death.

I would have gone to this event had I known about it. I don't recall the papers making a big deal out of it.
_____

The Dumbbell Chronicles

Some stupid punks have started a neo-Nazi group in southern Oregon:

A Rogue Valley man recently released from prison after being convicted in a string of racially motivated assaults in 2003 now leads a statewide neo-Nazi group based in Phoenix.

Andrew Lee Patterson identifies himself as the state leader of the National Socialist Movement, Oregon Unit, and said he has been a "storm trooper, first class" with the movement for about six months. Other unit leaders from around the state selected him as leader based on his active involvement, he said.

The 29-year-old with a shaved head said he and his staff in Phoenix coordinate activity around the state, while a local unit focuses on recruiting and Southern Oregon issues — especially illegal immigration and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Patterson would not disclose membership numbers, either locally or statewide.

In recent weeks they have distributed fliers across the Rogue Valley and Klamath Falls calling for white pride and unity, denying the Holocaust happened and demanding that illegal immigrants return to Mexico so the white race doesn't become extinct.

Police across Southern Oregon have been watching the group for several months and have seen an uptick in activity in the past two to three weeks, Medford police Lt. Tim Doney said.

Of course the worsening economy and talk show trashing of Obama have helped fuel the idiocy.

Local Teacher Wars

A lawyer for an ex-soccer coach suing the University of Nevada, Reno, says she was paid to keep silent.
_____

California Political Nonsense

It is official, I guess. Gavin "Like It or Not" Newsom has announced he is running for governor.
_____

Thanks to the Economic Mess,

children are also victims, and they are not flourishing in this country's schools.

Local Teacher Wars

The Truckee Tahoe School District is reducing the number of teachers laid off.
_____

A former university coach fired over whistle-blowing finds herself a target of character assassination by her former employer, which is typical when they pull this kind of shit.

These universities or school districts call you every filthy name in the book to justify throwing you out on your ass, especially after you are "tenured" or "post-probationary," thinking you will be too broke to file a lawsuit in court. What is key is to con you into their rigged arbitration hearings while at the same time forcing you to waive all of your rights.

And usually these educational entities are right about the suits because teachers are too broke to hire lawyers while they have unlimited amounts of taxpayer money to use.
_____

Now that two of the six original finalists for WCSD superintendent have withdrawn, it might be helpful to find out about the remaining candidates. And one of those yours truly thought might be good turns out to be very questionable, indeed.

Here is a page with some articles for locals and the curious to read.

It sounds like Montenegro is bad news.

But he didn't seek out the job, apparently:

“It was an invitation and I thought about it and I decided to just submit my application,” Montenegro said Saturday. “To my surprise, I was in the mix of the final six.”

Washoe County schools is similar in size to Arlington. Both districts have about 63,000 students.

Montenegro said the invitation to apply came from Jim Huge, a search consultant hired by Washoe County. He said he hasn’t been hunting for a new superintendent job.
Montenegro resigned in July after serving about six months as Arlington’s superintendent. District trustees had questioned his relationships with educational nonprofits that did business with the district.

He ain't the only one of the "Fab Four" with problems:

Mrs. Olson left the Air Force after she was accused of using her position to benefit a private security firm she helped operate.

Mrs. Olson, of Weatherford, declined to comment until after her contract with DISD is finalized in a few weeks. Her supporters have said the charges stemmed from overzealous regulators nitpicking the work of people in a chaotic war zone.

Mrs. Olson will come to a district that is dealing with a federal corruption investigation and accusations of conflicts of interest among administrators.

Michael Hinojosa, superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District, said Tuesday that he found Mrs. Olson honest when she was asked about the charges.

"She was extremely forthright with us, and we've done our due diligence on this," he said. "I'm satisfied that there are no integrity issues. She explained it all to my satisfaction."

Mrs. Olson spent a year fighting the charges but ultimately pleaded guilty in 2005 to less serious offenses, including creating the appearance of a conflict of interest, according to an article published in the Los Angeles Times. She was reprimanded, ordered to pay $3,500 and allowed to resign from the Air Force with an honorable discharge and no reduction in rank, according to media reports.

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If Laid-Off Workers Think Teaching is a Great

"fall-back" career choice, they are seriously mistaken.

First of all, few districts have shortages at all. As noted in the post below, many districts are hiring very few people and may be laying people off.

Second of all, teaching is not an "easy" job. It is very labor intensive, and little of it can be delegated, unlike being a manager for a corporation.

But most important, the business world really doesn't prepare people for just how shitty public schools are in terms of administrators. Whether one survives the public school experience depends less on talent or ability than on pure luck. One rotten administrator, as I had, and your career is over. And if you are over 40, forget even considering the field. Age discrimination is rampant, as I found out through bitter experience.

The Local Education Wars

The school district which gave me the boot now has staff who are stressed out because they could be next, especially if they are "too old" (i.e., over 40) and have significant work experience.

The current superintendent is a mental midget, which is par for the course for district administrators, but just you wait until the board of trustees hires a replacement. Many staff are going to be shitting bricks:

Retirements among teachers are at an all-time low this year, Dugan said. That, coupled with declining enrollments, has virtually wiped out any job opportunities for new teachers.

"For this year and perhaps next year, it will be a difficult time for new applicants to find positions," Dugan said.

It'll be open season targeting teachers like me who refused to suck ass.

You couldn't pay me enough money to work for those assholes again; the corruption is unreal. I am not sure I would cross the street to work at any public school knowing what I know now.

The Booming Economy

Jackson County, Oregon's unemployment rate promises to go through the roof. It is currently at just a hair under 14 percent.
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Forgotten But Not Gone

Just because the Bush family is no longer running--and ruining--things doesn't mean it isn't trying to profit from the current administration.

Remember Ignite! Learning? It seems old Neal "Silverado S&L" Bush wants to see some of that stimulus money put to good use.

Many Supporters of Obama

are not very happy with his administration's decision not to prosecute Bush officials who sanctioned torture.

More of the "transformative politics" at work.

Miscellaneous

An eagle gets ready to go back into the wild after recovering from a near fatal poisoning:

Wildlife Images worker Cyndee Maunu was called to an upper Rogue River farm in February to capture a wounded bald eagle, but the rescue trip quickly became what appeared to be the tragic recovery of a dead raptor.

She found the bird comatose and barely breathing, like a feathery rag doll.

"When I held it in my arms, its head flopped down and its wings just sagged," Maunu says. "When I put it in the cage, I thought it had expired."

Now that floppy head is erect, its eyes as steely as ever. And come Tuesday, air again will be beneath the wings of this eagle as it is returned to freedom — the latest animal-rehabilitation success story for this Merlin-based operation.

The eagle that was discovered almost poisoned to death by lead and fertilizer will be freed Tuesday in the air over Lost Creek Lake, near the ranch where it was found less than two months ago.

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Since "only" 20 horses are allowed to race in the Kentucky Derby, here is the list of the prospective runners, with their earnings to date.
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"Spontaneity" is NOT the guiding principle when it comes to "knowing" the Obama's; instead, political strategy is.
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More About Those Scams Called 401(k)s

Courtesy of 60 Minutes:



Watch CBS Videos Online

Upper Table Rock Hike

I just returned from a hike at Upper Table Rock near Medford, Oregon. It is very pretty this time of year, with wildflowers in abundance. People were also in abundance today enjoying the scenery. However, I didn't see any fairy shrimp for the vernal pools have evaporated until the next rain. When that happens, the eggs laid by the female shrimp will hatch and the cycle begins anew.

The little white flowers I believe are the drawf woolly meadowfoam plants, which are not found anywhere else in the world except the Table Rocks.

There were many hawks flying around looking for food. There were a couple of vultures, but mostly there were hawks. I managed to get a couple of pictures of a couple of them in flight.

Eventually I will make a Blurb "book" from these pictures.