and the reason Obama's fixes are doomed to failure are here in this link.
It's the administrators--not the teachers--who are the problem, stupid. They have total power over teachers, while teachers have no power at all.
Their "unions" are largely ineffective and in the pocket of the school districts. Administrators, in addition to their obscene salaries and virtually unlimited power, are more often than not unionized (referring to principals rather than senior administrators in this case), therefore virtually guaranteeing they cannot ever be removed from their jobs. The legal system, beginning with the "tenure" or "due process" hearings all the way to the courts of appeals and beyond and whether administrative or civil, heavily favors school administrators.
Because principals are administrators and thus supervisory staff, they should NEVER be allowed to have unions and should be far more vulnerable to being outright fired than they are currently. Right now, except for the very rare principal who IS fired, they are merely moved around or are promoted when they get into trouble.
ALL teachers or former teachers know this truth about administrators and teachers, but the public remains in the dark about it.
Administrators and their obscene power trips are the problem.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
News, Etc.
Well, no shit: According to a survey in Psychology Today, some 75 percent of vegetarians eventually wind up eating meat.
Vegetarianism and veganism are not natural for humans. That's the bottom line.
Funny how one of the reasons these people give for eschewing meat is they think they will be "healthier," but it turns out not to be the case.
The Psychology Today piece:
Not to mention it is an ordeal for people hosting parties to have to kowtow to the vegetarians.
_____
It's the demand side, stupid. That is what is wrong with our economic policies in a nutshell.
_____
Why can't American workers be like the British?
Vegetarianism and veganism are not natural for humans. That's the bottom line.
The most common reason former vegetarians cited as the reason they returned to meat was declining health. One vegetarian turned omnivore put it very succinctly:
“I’ll take a dead cow over anemia any time.”
Other former vegetarians cited persistent physical weakness despite eating a whole foods, PETA recommended diet while others returned to meat at the recommendation of their doctor.
Another big reason that vegetarians returned to meat was due to irresistable cravings. This occurred even among long term vegetarians. Respondents talked about their protein cravings or how the smell of cooking bacon drove them crazy.
Funny how one of the reasons these people give for eschewing meat is they think they will be "healthier," but it turns out not to be the case.
The Psychology Today piece:
About a quarter of our ex-veggies described the hassles they said were associated with strict vegetarianism. They complained that it was difficult to find high quality organic vegetables in their local supermarkets at a reasonable price. Others began to resent the time it took to prepare meatless dishes, and some said they simply grew tired of the lifestyle.
A related reason for returning to meat consumption, one mentioned by 15% of our subjects, was that vegetarianism was taking a toll on their social life. The degree that vegetarianism and particularly moral veganism can screw up your day to day existence was nicely summed up in a New York Times op ed by the philosopher Gary Steiner titled, appropriately, "Animal, Vegetable, Miserable." In describing his personal experience with giving up the consumption of animal products, he wrote "What were once the most straightforward activities become a constant ordeal."
Not to mention it is an ordeal for people hosting parties to have to kowtow to the vegetarians.
_____
It's the demand side, stupid. That is what is wrong with our economic policies in a nutshell.
_____
Why can't American workers be like the British?
If It Walks, Talks, and Acts Like a Republican,
chances are the person IS a Republican and not a Democrat.
Unless there is a challenger to Obama in next year's primaries, I will be either leaving the presidential check-off on the ballot blank or I will write in somebody like Bernie Sanders.
I will NOT vote for a Republican for president no matter which party he claims to be representing.
Unless there is a challenger to Obama in next year's primaries, I will be either leaving the presidential check-off on the ballot blank or I will write in somebody like Bernie Sanders.
I will NOT vote for a Republican for president no matter which party he claims to be representing.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
I Have Always Been a Skeptic,
so I am not as hopeful as Diane Ravitch is about the future of public education in this country.
She believes resistance is growing, which is true, but the trouble is both our political parties are in bed with the same neoliberal interests in dismantling not only public education, but ALL public institutions.
This is also a worldwide trend.
Thirty or more years of neoliberal propaganda has exacted a toll, and I am not sure growing opposition isn't too little, too late.
Ravitch:
She believes resistance is growing, which is true, but the trouble is both our political parties are in bed with the same neoliberal interests in dismantling not only public education, but ALL public institutions.
This is also a worldwide trend.
Thirty or more years of neoliberal propaganda has exacted a toll, and I am not sure growing opposition isn't too little, too late.
Ravitch:
Of one thing I feel sure—history will not be kind to those who gleefully attacked teachers, sought to fire them based on inaccurate measures, and worked zealously to reduce their status and compensation. It will not admire the effort to insert business values into the work of educating children and shaping their minds, dreams, and character. It will not forgive those who forgot the civic, democratic purposes of our schools nor those who chipped away at the public square. Nor will it speak well of those who put the quest for gain over the needs of children. Nor will it lionize those who worshipped data and believed passionately in carrots and sticks. Those who will live forever in the minds of future generations are the ones who stood up against the powerful on behalf of children, who demanded that every child receive the best possible education, the education that the most fortunate parents would want for their own children.
Duffy
He finally let me take pictures of him after he got his hair cut on Monday.
I have a lot more, but the system isn't letting me upload them right now.
I have a lot more, but the system isn't letting me upload them right now.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
News, Etc.
The NYT continues with its teacher-bashing garbage writing about evaluations of teachers, something "journalists" know absolutely nothing about.
_____
Usually principals are allowed to do whatever the hell they want in their schools and have ironclad job security. But in a notable Arlington, Virginia, case earlier this year, a middle school principal quit her longstanding job because the superintendent wouldn't allow her to dismiss an employee she saw as incompetent and a danger to students.
It appears the person she wanted to get rid of was moved to another school rather than dismissed. Though the principal doesn't say it, ten cents says the individual in question had some kind of political connection with the district and/or board. The superintendent thereafter harassed the principal and ultimately she received an unsatisfactory evaluation.
It doesn't happen often.
_____
This is an absolutely stupid "controversy":
Knowing the Zephyr Cove area, I suspect the Latino families work in the nearby hotels and casinos at Stateline or South Lake Tahoe.
If people are going to bitch about people not speaking English, complain to the casinos and other businesses that hire them.
_____
Taking cue from his neoliberal supporters and donors, Obama gets closer to approving job-killing trade proposals while at the same time supporting "efforts" to help those who lose their jobs because of such idiotic and destructive policies.
_____
Usually principals are allowed to do whatever the hell they want in their schools and have ironclad job security. But in a notable Arlington, Virginia, case earlier this year, a middle school principal quit her longstanding job because the superintendent wouldn't allow her to dismiss an employee she saw as incompetent and a danger to students.
It appears the person she wanted to get rid of was moved to another school rather than dismissed. Though the principal doesn't say it, ten cents says the individual in question had some kind of political connection with the district and/or board. The superintendent thereafter harassed the principal and ultimately she received an unsatisfactory evaluation.
It doesn't happen often.
_____
This is an absolutely stupid "controversy":
Knowing the Zephyr Cove area, I suspect the Latino families work in the nearby hotels and casinos at Stateline or South Lake Tahoe.
If people are going to bitch about people not speaking English, complain to the casinos and other businesses that hire them.
_____
Taking cue from his neoliberal supporters and donors, Obama gets closer to approving job-killing trade proposals while at the same time supporting "efforts" to help those who lose their jobs because of such idiotic and destructive policies.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Earth to Pat
The kind of economic policies you and your right-wing/libertarian ilk in both political parties support and implement will destroy this country and not what people do or don't do in the sack:
Billionaire Robertson gets sillier and sillier the older he gets. He's around 81 years old now.
Billionaire Robertson gets sillier and sillier the older he gets. He's around 81 years old now.
The GOP Would Never Get Away
with putting in draconian policies, but it doesn't matter as long as we have "Democrats" like Obama willing to sell the American people down the river and achieve the same goals as the right:
The current scapegoats are public employees, including teachers, simply because they have benefits that once were routine in the private sector before Reagan came along and encouraged the gutting of pensions, etc.
Last Thursday, the Democratic-controlled New Jersey Assembly passed a sweeping package of pension and health care cuts and attacks on government workers’ bargaining rights drawn up by Republican Governor Chris Christie. Leaders of the state Senate, also controlled by the Democrats, said they would quickly adopt the same bill and send it to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
The bill affects 750,000 public sector workers and retirees. The New York Times summed up its contents as follows:
The current scapegoats are public employees, including teachers, simply because they have benefits that once were routine in the private sector before Reagan came along and encouraged the gutting of pensions, etc.
Why Is It
so many "working-class" people identify with the rich and vilify those who are not, including those in their own income bracket, and vote against their own economic interests?
The GOP had this down pat when the elites in the party realized they could pull a con job on workers by peddling "social issues" and thinly-veiled racism in order to get votes.
It also helped that Reagan ditched the Fairness Doctrine so that nonstop right-wing propaganda could take place without any counterargument allowed.
I am not sure these people can ever right themselves to where they have to understand that economics is EVERYTHING and why the country is so fucked up.
The GOP had this down pat when the elites in the party realized they could pull a con job on workers by peddling "social issues" and thinly-veiled racism in order to get votes.
It also helped that Reagan ditched the Fairness Doctrine so that nonstop right-wing propaganda could take place without any counterargument allowed.
I am not sure these people can ever right themselves to where they have to understand that economics is EVERYTHING and why the country is so fucked up.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
One of My Piggest Pet Peeves
is the tendency of far too many bloggers and commenters on boards to put commas outside the quotes. In American writing style, this is ALWAYS incorrect unless it is a citation. Why don't these stupid bloggers take a look at books and know periods and commas are NEVER outside the quotes? They don't. All of them are morons for making such an egregious error, and any teacher who allows it should be fired.
In Britain, which always does things weird like people driving on the wrong side of the road, punctuation goes outside the quotes. It frankly looks hideous. But the rule in American writing is this:
Periods and commas go inside the quotes. The ONLY exception is a reference citation like this:
"I hate commas outside quotation marks" (Nunes 2011).
Semicolons and colons go outside the quotes.
Exclamation points and question marks go inside if it is part of the quote but outside if not.
It's not rocket science, people. Do it correctly.
In Britain, which always does things weird like people driving on the wrong side of the road, punctuation goes outside the quotes. It frankly looks hideous. But the rule in American writing is this:
Periods and commas go inside the quotes. The ONLY exception is a reference citation like this:
"I hate commas outside quotation marks" (Nunes 2011).
Semicolons and colons go outside the quotes.
Exclamation points and question marks go inside if it is part of the quote but outside if not.
It's not rocket science, people. Do it correctly.
News, Comments, Etc.
The death toll in the Nevada Amtrak crash is now up to six.
_____
William Koch, one of the least known of the Koch clan, decided to buy a gift for his corrupt brothers Charles and David:
A fake "Democrat" uses fake signatures to "sign" legislation.
How apt.
_____
William Koch, one of the least known of the Koch clan, decided to buy a gift for his corrupt brothers Charles and David:
After winning the bid, Koch shook the hand of Steve Upham, whose family owned the photograph, and said, "I'm glad you all benefitted from it."_____
Koch founded Oxbow Carbon, with sales of $4 billion annually. His twin brother is David Koch, who, along with an older brother, Charles, run the energy giant Koch Industries. David and Charles are prominent conservative activists and are reportedly in the Vail area this weekend, hosting their semiannual conservative action retreat.
William and a fourth brother, Frederick, have sold their interests in the company.
Saturday night, William Koch left little doubt who would win the tintype as the bidding climbed from about $300,000 to $2 million in about two minutes.
A fake "Democrat" uses fake signatures to "sign" legislation.
How apt.
But the president couldn't get around explaining how the Patriot Act got signed into law without briefly shining a spotlight on the autopen. Once that news was out, though, the White House clammed up. It declined to provide any further details about how many autopens the administration uses, what they look like, where they're kept, or who makes the machine._____
Saturday, June 25, 2011
News, Etc.
Same-sex marriage got legalized in NY last night to a bunch of fanfare.
Meanwhile, unemployment doesn't appear to be declining to any great extent, the economy is in the shitter, and few jobs are being created.
But hey, SSM is far more important than whether people live or die.
_____
Babe Didrikson Zaharias may have been the greatest all-around athlete, but in the year of her centennial, she appears to be forgotten even in her hometown:
Truth is definitely stranger than fiction.
_____
Obituaries: Fred Steiner, 88, best known as the composer of the theme of the television series Perry Mason.
Track vet Mark Gerard, 76, of a stroke. He was famous for treating Secretariat and other famous racehorses, but he ruined his reputation when he got involved in a betting scandal:
Meanwhile, unemployment doesn't appear to be declining to any great extent, the economy is in the shitter, and few jobs are being created.
But hey, SSM is far more important than whether people live or die.
_____
Babe Didrikson Zaharias may have been the greatest all-around athlete, but in the year of her centennial, she appears to be forgotten even in her hometown:
But if her name may mean increasingly little to a young generation of sports fans, Didrikson, who was born 100 years ago, was perhaps America’s greatest all-around athlete, male or female.
No athlete excelled at more sports and games than Didrikson. She was an all-American basketball player, a two-time Olympic track and field gold medalist and a golf champion who won 82 tournaments, including an astonishing 14 in a row. One of the 13 founding members of the L.P.G.A., Didrikson became the first woman to play against men in a PGA Tour event and the first American to win the British Women’s Amateur Championship. She was also an outstanding baseball, softball, tennis and billiards player, diver and bowler.
...
Perhaps Didrikson’s most spectacular athletic achievement occurred at the amateur track and field championships in Evanston, Ill., on July 16, 1932. She was the lone representative of Employers Casualty Insurance Company of Dallas, competing against company teams of 12, 15, even 22 women. When Didrikson was introduced, she ran onto the field by herself, her arms waving wildly. The crowd gasped at the audacity of this “one-woman track team” (a phrase Didrikson coined).
Over the course of three hours on a sweltering track, she sprinted from event to event, with barely enough time to catch her breath. She finished first in five events: broad jump, shot-put, javelin, 80-meter hurdles and the baseball throw. She tied for first in a sixth event, the high jump. In qualifying for three Olympic events, she amassed a total of 30 team points for Employers Casualty. The second-place team, the Illinois Women’s Athletic Club, scored 22 points — with 22 athletes.
Truth is definitely stranger than fiction.
_____
Obituaries: Fred Steiner, 88, best known as the composer of the theme of the television series Perry Mason.
Track vet Mark Gerard, 76, of a stroke. He was famous for treating Secretariat and other famous racehorses, but he ruined his reputation when he got involved in a betting scandal:
But a $200,000-a-year practice wasn't enough, and in 1977 Gerard put over one of the biggest betting coups in New York history, running a champion from South America in a cheap horse's name and collecting almost $80,000 on bets. He put it over, that is, until racing officials investigated. For running a very good horse under the name of a cheap plater, Gerard was sentenced to a year in prison. He was only in his 40s, but his career as a caretaker for marquee horses was over._____
Friday, June 24, 2011
Obituaries
Actor Peter Falk, 83, best known for starring in the television series Columbo, died yesterday. He had suffered from dementia and had been the subject of recent tabloid reports of odd behavior.
Sad way to go, unfortunately.
Falk lost his right eye thanks to a malignant tumor at age three. He had a glass one put in ala Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sad way to go, unfortunately.
Falk lost his right eye thanks to a malignant tumor at age three. He had a glass one put in ala Sammy Davis, Jr.
In the wake of his two Oscar-nominated film performances and Emmy Award in the early '60s, Falk was offered — and turned down — a number of potential TV series.
But he accepted "The Trials of O'Brien," a legal drama in which he played a talented New York attorney with a less-successful personal life. Although a critical success, the show fared poorly in the ratings and was canceled in 1966 after one season.
For Falk, who had played his share of heavies over the years, "Columbo" was a welcome change of pace.
"I'd done too many shows where I'd walk into a hospital room where a man was in bed and I'd go over and turn off the oxygen," he told TV Guide in 1972. "I've shot, knifed and beat people in too many bloody scenes. There's no fun in doing that. I like to do something optimistic, where the people try to live, not die."
During his long run as Columbo, Falk received a lot of fan mail from police officers.
News, Etc.
Obama won't do jack shit about the problem with the USPS.
Why not? He's nothing but a Republican anyway.
_____
Why doesn't he appoint himself dictator and get it over with?
He thinks he is smarter than everybody else simply because he went to Ivy League schools.
_____
This is a fairly good piece about Diane Ravitch, explaining why she has changed her view about public education "reforms."
It would be good if the work of Lois Weiner were more widely known.
_____
Awful train crash near Fallon, Nevada, which has killed at least two people.
Highway 95 is the main highway going south from Reno to Las Vegas.
Raw video:
Another video:
_____
This is the story of "due process" for teachers, which does NOT exist in the United States of America.
The ONLY reason school districts want to gut tenure is to not have to pay for these sham hearings. They want to be able to get rid of any teacher who dares offend these shitbag administrators, and then taunt them into suing in federal court. Of course, few lawyers will bother taking on teacher lawsuits, as I found to my dismay.
I also went through "unpaid" administrative leave for the purpose that WCSD could "settle" for a piddling $10,000 and forfeit my right to sue (which was a joke) and unemployment compensation (which I did get). Of course if I had been able to get a real attorney instead of a shyster from Carson City in bed with the district via WEA, I might have been able to get a decent deal, including WCSD paying my Social Security for the four years I worked there as a licensed teacher.
Why not? He's nothing but a Republican anyway.
_____
Why doesn't he appoint himself dictator and get it over with?
He thinks he is smarter than everybody else simply because he went to Ivy League schools.
_____
This is a fairly good piece about Diane Ravitch, explaining why she has changed her view about public education "reforms."
It would be good if the work of Lois Weiner were more widely known.
_____
Awful train crash near Fallon, Nevada, which has killed at least two people.
Highway 95 is the main highway going south from Reno to Las Vegas.
Raw video:
Another video:
_____
This is the story of "due process" for teachers, which does NOT exist in the United States of America.
The ONLY reason school districts want to gut tenure is to not have to pay for these sham hearings. They want to be able to get rid of any teacher who dares offend these shitbag administrators, and then taunt them into suing in federal court. Of course, few lawyers will bother taking on teacher lawsuits, as I found to my dismay.
I also went through "unpaid" administrative leave for the purpose that WCSD could "settle" for a piddling $10,000 and forfeit my right to sue (which was a joke) and unemployment compensation (which I did get). Of course if I had been able to get a real attorney instead of a shyster from Carson City in bed with the district via WEA, I might have been able to get a decent deal, including WCSD paying my Social Security for the four years I worked there as a licensed teacher.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Paul Street Scooped the Poop on Obama,
just as I saw through this neoliberal sack of shit, and he writes about the "record" of Obama's "accomplishments," which are no more liberal than his idol Ronald Reagan's.
And on it goes. This president just makes me sick.
Thanks to “the Tea Party’s” role in energizing the pseudo-conservative ultra-Republican base, the dominant media’s partnership in selling the Grand Old Party’s latest (Tea Party) makeover, and (last but not all least) the critical role of the state-capitalist Democratic Party and its corporatist standard bearer Obama in demobilizing the nation’s progressive majority and working and lower-class voters, right wing Republicans swept into majority power in the House of Representatives, came close to achieving a majority in the U.S. Senate and took over a large number of governor’s mansions and state legislatures in the south, Midwest, and across the country.
To the delight of many in the elite business class, no doubt, much “mainstream” media commentary responded to the historic elections by advancing the preposterous line that the center-right Obama had governed “too far to the left” in his first two years in power. Also warming the heart of capital, Obama himself undertook yet one more of his much-ballyhooed “shifts to the right” in response to the rightist triumph. Claiming falsely that the American “people ha[d] spoken” in November 2010, President Obama made a number of moves calculated to win the more heartfelt allegiance of top business players. He continued his pattern of disregarding and irritating his liberal and progressive “base” by agreeing to sustain George W. Bush’s deficit-fueling tax cuts for the rich beyond their original sunset date of 2010.[37] Accepting the false business and Republican Tea Party claim that “overpaid” public sector workers are a leading force behind rising government deficits and economic stagnation, Obama ordered a two-year freeze on federal worker salaries and benefits.[38] He published an Op-Ed in the plutocratic editorial pages of The Wall Street Journal – an essay that praised “free market capitalism” as “the greatest force for prosperity the world has ever known” – and said that government often places “unreasonable burdens on business” that have a “chilling effect on growth and jobs.” The tone of his editorial suggested that it wasn’t neoliberal deregulation that sparked the financial collapse of 2008, but all those nasty little government rules and guidelines that stifle innovation and growth.39
And on it goes. This president just makes me sick.
News, Etc.
Mobster and longtime fugitive James "Whitey" Bulger and his girlfriend were captured yesterday near L.A.
Bulger was on the FBI "ten most wanted" list for years.
Sooner or later authorities were going to catch him. Bulger is a mere 81 years old:
A pair of dog stories for today:
One is tragic:
And one a good news story:
Someone who knows about TFA talks about what a con job it is.
If there weren't so many goddamned fools going into teaching, there wouldn't be this kind of garbage in schools, and there wouldn't be the mistreatment of teachers who are already there.
_____
Bulger was on the FBI "ten most wanted" list for years.
Sooner or later authorities were going to catch him. Bulger is a mere 81 years old:
Bulger was believed to have been traveling with Greig for the last several years, according to the FBI. Petite with blue eyes, Greig was a dental hygienist by occupation. Authorities say she dyed her hair to disguise her appearance. The media campaign was aimed at women in their 60s, the same demographic as Greig, in hopes of developing leads._____
A pair of dog stories for today:
One is tragic:
After two happy years, Romulus became ill with cancer and the family discussed putting the dog to sleep. Stinchcomb, loyal to her core, was shattered. So Tuesday morning, authorities said, she did something desperate: She loaded Romulus into her parents’ minivan without permission and fled the house.
She picked up a friend, also 15, who was behind the wheel when the van flew off a rural Lake County road and struck several trees and a utility pole. Stinchcomb was killed in the crash, while the driver suffered minor injuries. The dog did not survive.
And one a good news story:
A dog who had all four of his paws amputated when he was just a puppy is going walkies once again, thanks to a brand new set of bionic legs._____
Naki'o, a Red Heeler cattle dog, was abandoned in a frozen puddle and suffered such severe frostbite that he was left with just stumps to move about on.
Someone who knows about TFA talks about what a con job it is.
If there weren't so many goddamned fools going into teaching, there wouldn't be this kind of garbage in schools, and there wouldn't be the mistreatment of teachers who are already there.
_____
Our Great Country
As mentioned many times, the United States of America is no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is now the land of unlimited income inequality thanks to greed at the top of the corporate ladder and politicians willing to give these people whatever they want.
Nobody seems to care about the likelihood of social unrest as a result of neoliberal policies.
Athletes and movie stars have long been overpaid, but now they have been overshadowed by the greedheads at various corporations. Apparently the star system is now in effect in American business:
"Contaminated" is right.
Nobody seems to care about the likelihood of social unrest as a result of neoliberal policies.
Athletes and movie stars have long been overpaid, but now they have been overshadowed by the greedheads at various corporations. Apparently the star system is now in effect in American business:
The ever-rising pay and perks of corporate CEOs, far from being an “excess,” like a wart on the face, are the principal driver of this widening economic inequality. CEO pay quadrupled during the past 35 years, dovetailing with the increase in the incomes of the top 0.1 percent. While executives and managers comprised 60 percent of these top 140,000 taxpayers, they accounted for 70 percent of the income gain enjoyed by this super-rich stratum over the past 35 years.
Significantly, as the Post summary noted, “These are not just executives from Wall Street, either, but from companies in even relatively mundane fields such as the milk business.” In other words, it is not just a product of windfall profits in financial markets, but a phenomenon that has contaminated all of Corporate America.
"Contaminated" is right.
Apparently There are More Layoffs
despite the "improving economy," now with applications for unemployment having gone up.
A shameful 54,000 additional jobs were created last month, far, far below what is needed to get the economy on track.
The neolibs think this is great because this creates even more downward pressure on wages and salaries.
link
A shameful 54,000 additional jobs were created last month, far, far below what is needed to get the economy on track.
The neolibs think this is great because this creates even more downward pressure on wages and salaries.
link
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Asshole of the Month
NJ governor Chris Christie gets all defensive when somebody asks him a pointed question:
Actually it IS voters' business where this asshole sends his kids to school. It is a reflection on his attitude toward public education.
At bottom he thinks he shouldn't pay property taxes for other kids' education, though he won't admit it. It's the mentality of right-wing, libertarian thinking.
Actually it IS voters' business where this asshole sends his kids to school. It is a reflection on his attitude toward public education.
At bottom he thinks he shouldn't pay property taxes for other kids' education, though he won't admit it. It's the mentality of right-wing, libertarian thinking.
News, Etc.
No experience or training in the field of education required, despite state certification laws.
Just have the right "attitude" in supporting the wholesale destruction of public education.
Hell, if you are a "superintendent," you might get a gig with Rupert Murdoch.
_____
Al Gore has little good to say about Obama and the issue of global warming.
Of course, no REAL Democrat would have anything good to say about Obama.
_____
This is a perfect gift for the Koch brothers. Perhaps they could both slash their wrists with it and save the world a lot of misery.
_____
Sad news about Glen Campbell, 75, as he has revealed he has Alzheimer's disease.
_____
This article tells me everything I never wanted to know about coroners.
_____
Just have the right "attitude" in supporting the wholesale destruction of public education.
Hell, if you are a "superintendent," you might get a gig with Rupert Murdoch.
_____
Al Gore has little good to say about Obama and the issue of global warming.
Of course, no REAL Democrat would have anything good to say about Obama.
_____
This is a perfect gift for the Koch brothers. Perhaps they could both slash their wrists with it and save the world a lot of misery.
_____
Sad news about Glen Campbell, 75, as he has revealed he has Alzheimer's disease.
_____
This article tells me everything I never wanted to know about coroners.
_____
Our Wonderful Economy
Good news for workers as forty-six major U.S. cities will experience NO job growth until at least 2021.
I might as well hang it up right now and retire on $300.40 a month.
link
The map, with the no job growth in red:
Here is the report, for those who are interested in reading it:
U.S. Metro Economies Report: 2011 Release
I might as well hang it up right now and retire on $300.40 a month.
link
The map, with the no job growth in red:
Here is the report, for those who are interested in reading it:
U.S. Metro Economies Report: 2011 Release
Welcome to the Real World
where companies like Wal-Mart can treat their employees like dirt and can avoid class-action lawsuits, thanks to the United States Supreme Court.
Indeed, the sex discrimination at Wal-Mart that drove the recent suit is the product not merely of managerial bias and prejudice, but also of a corporate culture and business model that sustains it, rooted in the company’s very beginnings.
In the 1950s and ’60s, northwest Arkansas, where Wal-Mart got its start, was poor, white and rural, in the midst of a wave of agricultural mechanization that generated a huge surplus of unskilled workers. To these men and women, the burgeoning chain of discount stores founded by Sam Walton was a godsend. The men might find dignity managing a store instead of a hardscrabble farm, while their wives and daughters could earn pin money clerking for Mr. Sam, as he was known. “The enthusiasm of Wal-Mart associates toward their jobs is one of the company’s greatest assets,” declared the firm’s 1973 annual report.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
It's the Jobs, or Lack of Them,
not the lack of employee "skills," that are at the core of high unemployment, thanks to neolibs in both political parties hellbent on destroying the American economy.
Talk about "skills" and the need to "retrain" is nothing but a cruel joke, especially for those of us over 50 who are too goddamned old and broke to go back to school after having our careers stolen from us.
Talk about "skills" and the need to "retrain" is nothing but a cruel joke, especially for those of us over 50 who are too goddamned old and broke to go back to school after having our careers stolen from us.
The Bimbos Speak
Evolution isn't a belief system; it is SCIENCE. Science explains the "how," while religion explains the "why."
Too bad these bimbos don't understand this simple truth:
Science, including evolution, isn't an option, like meals in a cafeteria, for fuck's sake.
Too bad these bimbos don't understand this simple truth:
Science, including evolution, isn't an option, like meals in a cafeteria, for fuck's sake.
Michael Lind Tells the Truth
Obama should run as a Republican because the neoliberal ideas he espouses run contrary to traditional Democratic or liberal ideas.
Of course, if the GOP did run him instead of Romney or somebody else, they would lose the election.
How's this for insults to the president?
I'd say today's "Democratic Party" is the Republican Party of 1980. Obama is a big admirer of Reagan, after all. The party has embraced discredited and debunked neoliberal ideas that are right out of the Chicago School playbook.
Of course, if the GOP did run him instead of Romney or somebody else, they would lose the election.
How's this for insults to the president?
If Obama chose to run for reelection not as a Democrat but as a moderate Republican, he could bring about two healthy transformations in the American political system. The moderate wing of the Republican Party could be restored. And the Democratic presidential nomination might be opened up to politicians from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.
In the last generation, the old-fashioned moderate Republicans from New England and the Midwest symbolized by Nelson Rockefeller have been driven out of the GOP by the conservative followers of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Streaming into the Democratic Party as voters, and buying it with ample Wall Street cash as donors, this upscale elite has changed the party from a populist liberal alliance of unionized workers and populists into a socially liberal, economically conservative version of the old country-club Republicanism of the pre-Reagan era. The transformation began under Jimmy Carter, accelerated under Bill Clinton and has nearly been completed under Barack Obama. This is not your grandfather’s Democratic Party. It is your grandfather’s Republican Party of 1955.
I'd say today's "Democratic Party" is the Republican Party of 1980. Obama is a big admirer of Reagan, after all. The party has embraced discredited and debunked neoliberal ideas that are right out of the Chicago School playbook.
The Mistake
this teacher blogger is making, and somebody who actually has a law degree, I believe, is he thinks he has due process rights or ANY rights afforded by other employees in the United States of America.
He should know better, really. "Tenured" teachers have NO rights at ALL, just a "right" to a sham hearing that is little more than character assassination.
The public has been so brainwashed into thinking teachers have ironclad job security thanks to "tenure," but that isn't true and never has been.
School districts want to eliminate the sham hearings simply to save money because they have to pay for the hearings to be conducted, or appeals resulting from "awards" teachers on rare occasion get, or in the few times teachers can afford to appeal dismissals thanks to administrative law being rigged in favor of school districts.
Teachers have fewer rights than burger flippers or even Wal-Mart workers.
He should know better, really. "Tenured" teachers have NO rights at ALL, just a "right" to a sham hearing that is little more than character assassination.
The public has been so brainwashed into thinking teachers have ironclad job security thanks to "tenure," but that isn't true and never has been.
School districts want to eliminate the sham hearings simply to save money because they have to pay for the hearings to be conducted, or appeals resulting from "awards" teachers on rare occasion get, or in the few times teachers can afford to appeal dismissals thanks to administrative law being rigged in favor of school districts.
Teachers have fewer rights than burger flippers or even Wal-Mart workers.
Obituaries or Whatnot
I had never even heard of this man Ryan Dunn, although it appears he lived up to being a "jackass" when he auditioned for the Darwin Awards the other day. He died in a fiery car crash, as did his passenger, without regard to safety or the importance of not driving drunk.
Well, film critic Roger Ebert is getting a lot of flak for telling the truth, just as Germaine Greer got vilified for daring to suggest Steve Irwin got what he deserved when he was teasing animals for fun and profit.
link
I am sure he was somebody's son or brother or whatever, but he was still an idiot.
No sympathy here except for his innocent passenger.
Well, film critic Roger Ebert is getting a lot of flak for telling the truth, just as Germaine Greer got vilified for daring to suggest Steve Irwin got what he deserved when he was teasing animals for fun and profit.
link
I am sure he was somebody's son or brother or whatever, but he was still an idiot.
No sympathy here except for his innocent passenger.
Just in Case the Peons Dare Exercise Their Right
to throw the bums out and dare challenge the rule of their betters, states are now enacting all kinds of restrictions on who is allowed to vote:
Good ol' Florida, land of voter integrity.
On May 19, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a bill cutting the period for early voting from 14 to eight days. Florida residents who recently moved from one county to another and want to change voting precincts on election day will now have to cast a provisional ballot, subject to review by election officials.
The attack on voting rights in Florida is particularly significant given its central role in the theft of the 2000 elections.
A lawsuit filed in anticipation of the June 28 mayoral elections in Miami-Dade County by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenges the legislation for violating the federal Voting Rights Act. The US Department of Justice did not grant the state pre-clearance for the legislation as required under the act.
The Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965 following massive popular resistance to Jim Crow segregation and voter intimidation in the South. It requires that the Department of Justice investigate proposed changes in election laws and rules that affect counties with a history of racial discrimination.
Good ol' Florida, land of voter integrity.
Monday, June 20, 2011
News, Etc.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Because Our Government is Totally Broken
and run by and for gangsters, the rich are becoming more filthy rich at everyone else's expense.
And people identify with this shit while demonizing the poor despite the fact THEY have far more in common with the poor than they ever could with the rich.
This country is just about done. It can't survive as a banana republic.
And people identify with this shit while demonizing the poor despite the fact THEY have far more in common with the poor than they ever could with the rich.
This country is just about done. It can't survive as a banana republic.
Etc.
Nobody can answer why a light bulb has been burning for 110 years.
_____
The voyeurism in us, or in many of us, is behind the popularity of new "reality-television" shows exploring the phenomenon of hoarding.
Hoarding is really a type of mental illness, and it should be differentiated from being a slob.
_____
_____
The voyeurism in us, or in many of us, is behind the popularity of new "reality-television" shows exploring the phenomenon of hoarding.
Hoarding is really a type of mental illness, and it should be differentiated from being a slob.
_____
Saturday, June 18, 2011
News, Etc.
The state of Florida, that paragon of electoral integrity, is now besieged with shocking rumors there may have been cheating in some public school districts.
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Death of a Literal Snakeoil Salesman:
He died at 100 of natural causes.
link
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Stupid is as stupid does:
Of course if you are sent a package in error through the USPS, you can keep the item, as long as it has your name on the package. If you receive an item by mistake in an order, you can also keep the item. Yours truly many years ago received a gold bracelet she did not order, and the links were in the shape of horseshoes, believe it or not! Of course she kept it.
However, a bank deposit is a completely different ballgame. This idiot deserves to have the book thrown at him. It is like people trying to cash a fake check.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
______
_____
_____
Death of a Literal Snakeoil Salesman:
Mr. Haast was bitten at least 173 times by poisonous snakes, about 20 times almost fatally. It was all in a day’s work for probably the best-known snake handler in the country, a scientist-cum-showman who made enough money from milking toxic goo from slithery serpents to buy a cherry-red Rolls-Royce convertible.
A secret of his success was the immunity he had built up by injecting himself every day for more than 60 years with a mix of venoms from 32 snake species. He suspected the inoculations might have explained his extraordinarily good health, but he was reluctant to make that claim, he said, until he reached 100.
He died at 100 of natural causes.
link
_____
Stupid is as stupid does:
Of course if you are sent a package in error through the USPS, you can keep the item, as long as it has your name on the package. If you receive an item by mistake in an order, you can also keep the item. Yours truly many years ago received a gold bracelet she did not order, and the links were in the shape of horseshoes, believe it or not! Of course she kept it.
However, a bank deposit is a completely different ballgame. This idiot deserves to have the book thrown at him. It is like people trying to cash a fake check.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
______
_____
Why Am I Skeptical
despite this assurance from AARP?
It's because we have a neoliberal in the White House who actually appointed a "commission" to "study" Social Security but was basically a Pete Peterson fan club.
Dear Susan,
AARP has not changed its position on Social Security – period.
In fact, we're fighting right now to stop Congress from cutting your Social Security and Medicare benefits as part of a deal to pay the nation's bills. Instead of cutting the benefits you've earned, Congress should be cutting waste and closing tax loopholes.
We will be counting on activists like you to join us in sending a message to Congress: "Cut waste, not the Medicare and Social Security we've earned."
Thank you for continuing to stand with us in our fight to stop Congress from making a political deal that could cut your Social Security and Medicare benefits.
For more information about how AARP wants to strengthen Social Security for future generations, see our press release below.
Sincerely,
Fred Griesbach
AARP Campaigns
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 17, 2011
AARP Has Not Changed Its Position on Social Security
Reaffirms that program must be strengthened to maintain critical benefits
WASHINGTON – AARP CEO A. Barry Rand offered the following statement in response to inaccurate media stories on the association's policy on Social Security:
"Let me be clear – AARP is as committed as we've ever been to fighting to protect Social Security for today's seniors and strengthening it for future generations. Contrary to the misleading characterization in a recent media story, AARP has not changed its position on Social Security.
"First, we are currently fighting some proposals in Washington to cut Social Security to reduce a deficit it did not cause. Social Security should not be used as a piggy bank to solve the nation's deficit. Any changes to this lifeline program should happen in a separate, broader discussion and make retirement more secure for future generations, not less.
"Our focus has always been on the human impact of changes, not just the budget tables. Which is why, as we have done numerous times over the last several decades, AARP is engaging our volunteer Board to evaluate any proposed changes to Social Security to determine how each might – individually or in different combinations – impact the lives of current and future retirees given the constantly changing economic realities they face.
"Second, we have maintained for years – to our members, the media and elected officials – that long term solvency is key to protecting and strengthening Social Security for all generations, and we have urged elected officials in Washington to address the program's long-term challenges in a way that's fair for all generations.
"It has long been AARP's policy that Social Security should be strengthened to provide adequate benefits and that it is sufficiently financed to ensure solvency with a stable trust fund for the next 75 years. It has also been a long held position that any changes would be phased in slowly, over time, and would not affect any current or near term beneficiaries.
"AARP strongly opposed a privatization plan in 2005, and continues to oppose this approach, because it would eliminate the guarantee that Social Security provides and reduce benefits, and we are currently fighting proposals to cut Social Security to pay the nation's bills.
"Social Security is a critically important issue for our members, their families and Americans of all ages, especially at a time when many will have less retirement security than previous generations with fewer pensions, less savings and rising health care costs. And, as we have been for decades, we will continue to protect this bedrock of lifetime financial security for all generations of Americans."
For more information, visit www.aarp.org
It's because we have a neoliberal in the White House who actually appointed a "commission" to "study" Social Security but was basically a Pete Peterson fan club.
This Country is Making a Giant Leap Backward
to before the days of Brown v. Board of Education with the drive toward school privatization and putting in unqualified "teachers" (i.e., Teach for America) to teach inner-city youth. Of course these students are primarily minority.
The NAACP is now seeing through this push for charter schools for what it is, and it isn't pretty.
By the way, Milton Friedman is the one who came up with the idea for vouchers in private schools as a way to circumvent the Brown decision.
Ah, yes, the Bradley Foundation, another one of the "usual suspects" trying to run our country into the ground.
The NAACP is now seeing through this push for charter schools for what it is, and it isn't pretty.
By the way, Milton Friedman is the one who came up with the idea for vouchers in private schools as a way to circumvent the Brown decision.
Back in the mid-Nineties, devious right-wing activists at the Bradley Foundation, in Milwaukee, hit upon a “wedge” issue designed to wreck the alliance at the core of the Democratic Party’s urban base. Blacks and public employee unions – particularly teachers – were the foundations of Democratic power in the cities. Aware that African Americans revered education but were often in conflict with largely white teachers unions over issues of racism and community control, the Bradley gang, under president Michael Joyce, created out of whole cloth a “movement” for publicly-funded vouchers for private schools. No such Black community “demand” had ever existed, but well-aimed infusions of millions of dollars among opportunistic politicians like Cory Booker, a first term city councilman who aspired to become mayor of Newark, New Jersey, grafted Black faces onto a Hard Right corporate scheme to divide key progressive constituencies: Blacks and unions.
Ah, yes, the Bradley Foundation, another one of the "usual suspects" trying to run our country into the ground.
Friday, June 17, 2011
News, Etc.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
This Just Frosts My Ass
It appears the lawyers in the bogus "rape" case where I am named as a defendant have decided to have a "private" mediation on August 5, 2011. If there was a way I could download that document filed with the court to here, I would do so.
Of course the "case" will end there. That was the whole point of that bottom feeding son of a bitch plaintiff's lawyer to file the suit. It was NEVER meant to go to trial but instead to shake down the insurance company for cash. If you or I did such a thing as commit extortion/insurance fraud, we would be in jail. There will be NO more discovery, no getting "experts" to talk about this matter, nothing. The mother and her son will get at least 100k for what amounted to a frivolous lawsuit, while the attorneys on both sides will get hundreds of thousands of dollars, courtesy of Washoe County School District's insurance company. There was no evidence the district's lawyers EVER sought to have the case dismissed; after all, why SHOULD they? They are getting money, too, for dragging it out and getting more compensation for their billable hours. Everybody is going to get rich except those people who had their names smeared and dragged through the mud, not only by the Sanchez attorneys Tom Beko and Rebecca Bruch of Erickson, Thorpe & Swainston, of Reno, but also by the Reno Gazette-Journal, the Sparks Tribune, and other local media. The case in turn was reported by Associated Press and published all over the country. Of course, a bogus case doesn't stay local anymore because of the internet. Literally anybody in the world can google it, so this is actually a "world" news story.
There is no regard for the truth. When the matter is settled, both sides will lie their asses off to the media. The national press will get wind of this, and my name and the counselor's will be further dragged through the mud. I have visions of Nancy Grace yammering about this shit, and Matt Drudge having this shit story on his website. Meanwhile, there is no way I can sue the plaintiffs once the matter is settled. It's over, done with. The reputation, meanwhile, is thrown in the trash can, as many people believe any kind of bullshit a plaintiff's lawyer alleges. The most I can do is file a complaint against the plaintiff's lawyer with the Nevada State Bar, and you KNOW how quick fellow attorneys are to sanction their own. They stick together, just like doctors and school district administrators.
It just pisses me off. You read this here first.
Of course the "case" will end there. That was the whole point of that bottom feeding son of a bitch plaintiff's lawyer to file the suit. It was NEVER meant to go to trial but instead to shake down the insurance company for cash. If you or I did such a thing as commit extortion/insurance fraud, we would be in jail. There will be NO more discovery, no getting "experts" to talk about this matter, nothing. The mother and her son will get at least 100k for what amounted to a frivolous lawsuit, while the attorneys on both sides will get hundreds of thousands of dollars, courtesy of Washoe County School District's insurance company. There was no evidence the district's lawyers EVER sought to have the case dismissed; after all, why SHOULD they? They are getting money, too, for dragging it out and getting more compensation for their billable hours. Everybody is going to get rich except those people who had their names smeared and dragged through the mud, not only by the Sanchez attorneys Tom Beko and Rebecca Bruch of Erickson, Thorpe & Swainston, of Reno, but also by the Reno Gazette-Journal, the Sparks Tribune, and other local media. The case in turn was reported by Associated Press and published all over the country. Of course, a bogus case doesn't stay local anymore because of the internet. Literally anybody in the world can google it, so this is actually a "world" news story.
There is no regard for the truth. When the matter is settled, both sides will lie their asses off to the media. The national press will get wind of this, and my name and the counselor's will be further dragged through the mud. I have visions of Nancy Grace yammering about this shit, and Matt Drudge having this shit story on his website. Meanwhile, there is no way I can sue the plaintiffs once the matter is settled. It's over, done with. The reputation, meanwhile, is thrown in the trash can, as many people believe any kind of bullshit a plaintiff's lawyer alleges. The most I can do is file a complaint against the plaintiff's lawyer with the Nevada State Bar, and you KNOW how quick fellow attorneys are to sanction their own. They stick together, just like doctors and school district administrators.
It just pisses me off. You read this here first.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
All Ed Majors Should Realize They Won't Have Careers,
and they will be told, as these laid off teachers are, to look elsewhere for careers.
That's so TFAs with only five weeks training, if you can call it that, can be dumped into low-income schools and screw largely minority students out of having an equal education to white students.
Face it, it really is about equality and the lack of it in education.
On the other hand, the market has ALWAYS been saturated with teachers, and this is key to why they are treated like garbage.
link
That's so TFAs with only five weeks training, if you can call it that, can be dumped into low-income schools and screw largely minority students out of having an equal education to white students.
Face it, it really is about equality and the lack of it in education.
On the other hand, the market has ALWAYS been saturated with teachers, and this is key to why they are treated like garbage.
link
Since Billionaires Know Best,
because, after all, if we peons were so smart, we too would be rich, they want to turn education into a profit-making enterprise. Never mind history or common sense.
There are billions and billions to be made in this "industry," and one way to get more obscene profits is to treat teachers like they are expendable. They already are, of course, because too many people stupidly go into this career thinking they want to "make a difference" in students' lives instead of being good little asskissers who must do anything and everything an administrator tells them to do.
Now these billionaires want to use temps, whether they are TFAs or real teachers who are put on temporary contracts, never being able to make teaching into a lifelong career, much less ever be vested in public employee pensions (probably the REAL reason for using temps). They can save even more money abolishing "tenure" by not having the kangaroo hearings anymore, forcing teachers to go to federal court for redress--IF they can find attorneys who will take their cases, an almost impossible task.
Then, when the supply dries up, open the "career" to high school grads. Failing that, then make all schools distance learning establishments having "teachers" from China or India "teaching" students.
The billionaires will still have their private schools, with their children taught by real teachers.
More:
Since privatization is a worldwide trend, expect European and other countries to follow suit.
There are billions and billions to be made in this "industry," and one way to get more obscene profits is to treat teachers like they are expendable. They already are, of course, because too many people stupidly go into this career thinking they want to "make a difference" in students' lives instead of being good little asskissers who must do anything and everything an administrator tells them to do.
Now these billionaires want to use temps, whether they are TFAs or real teachers who are put on temporary contracts, never being able to make teaching into a lifelong career, much less ever be vested in public employee pensions (probably the REAL reason for using temps). They can save even more money abolishing "tenure" by not having the kangaroo hearings anymore, forcing teachers to go to federal court for redress--IF they can find attorneys who will take their cases, an almost impossible task.
Then, when the supply dries up, open the "career" to high school grads. Failing that, then make all schools distance learning establishments having "teachers" from China or India "teaching" students.
The billionaires will still have their private schools, with their children taught by real teachers.
More:
The billionaires' propaganda machinery claims the corporatization of American education is necessary to make the United States “competitive,” internationally. But teachers in most of the countries that lead the U.S. in learning are highly respected, if not revered, and relatively well compensated. Under the guise of “reform,” the United States is moving in exactly the opposite direction as the rest of the world. The American people are being conned by billionaire hustlers who are stealing the public schools – and the national future – right in front of our eyes.
Since privatization is a worldwide trend, expect European and other countries to follow suit.
Etc.
I made sure I missed the "debate" the other night with the GOP candidates.
It's a hell of a note that voters will have a choice between a Republican and a Republican in November 2012.
I plan to not bother to vote for Obama.
_____
I almost wonder if it's too little, too late for teachers to protest what has been going on with the nonstop trashing of public education and privatization of schools.
Teachers are typically meek as shit because they are "afraid" their bosses will write them up and ruin their careers if they dare exercise their First Amendment right to speak out.
_____
Pervert former WCSD teacher has pleaded guilty in a bathroom voyeurism case.
He should get more than probation regardless if the victims were colleagues and adults.
It's a hell of a note that voters will have a choice between a Republican and a Republican in November 2012.
I plan to not bother to vote for Obama.
_____
I almost wonder if it's too little, too late for teachers to protest what has been going on with the nonstop trashing of public education and privatization of schools.
Teachers are typically meek as shit because they are "afraid" their bosses will write them up and ruin their careers if they dare exercise their First Amendment right to speak out.
_____
Pervert former WCSD teacher has pleaded guilty in a bathroom voyeurism case.
He should get more than probation regardless if the victims were colleagues and adults.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Blogger Appears to Be on the Fritz Today
The last posts showing are from Friday, and I have updated regularly since then.
Now it seems to be okay, at least with a different browser.
Now it seems to be okay, at least with a different browser.
News, Etc.
Coasters original lead singer Carl Gardner, 83.
Corporate profits are far more important to Obama than job creation.
_____
One of the best things that could happen to this country is if copyright troll Righthaven is put out of business once and for all.
At least one judge isn't putting up with this nonsense.
_____
I've read about ten of those books on the list; I guess I need to get to work.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, the Coasters had a string of hits in the late 1950s, including "Searchin'," ''Poison Ivy" and "Young Blood." Their single "Yakety Yak" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 following its 1958 release. It also spent seven weeks as the No. 1 rhythm and blues song. "He loved his singing," Veta Gardner said of her husband of 24 years. "That was his whole life."_____
The Coasters have continued to perform over the decades, with multiple changes to the lineup. Gardner has always held the rights to the group's name, and his son, Carl Gardner Jr., took over as lead singer when his father retired in 2005.
Corporate profits are far more important to Obama than job creation.
_____
One of the best things that could happen to this country is if copyright troll Righthaven is put out of business once and for all.
At least one judge isn't putting up with this nonsense.
_____
I've read about ten of those books on the list; I guess I need to get to work.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Obama Won't Do a Thing About Job Creation
for the millions of people who are unemployed or are underemployed, like yours truly, yet he blathers on about touting a jobs plan for creating some 10,000 engineers.
He sounds more and more like a con artist. Not that he wasn't one in the first place, but it's becoming more and more blatant.
There are plenty of engineers in this country who aren't working or are working at cheap shit jobs.
About the only things I see advertised are junk sales jobs that either don't exist or have high turnover. And don't get me started on retail. Almost all of the outfits require "personality" tests which have right or wrong answers, and if you don't answer the questions right, you don't even get your application approved.
Luckily, I have my tiny pension to "live" on or I'd really be in the ditch this summer. School is basically over with in Oregon, and nothing will happen until September. In the meantime, I have to find something or else start giving plasma.
He sounds more and more like a con artist. Not that he wasn't one in the first place, but it's becoming more and more blatant.
There are plenty of engineers in this country who aren't working or are working at cheap shit jobs.
About the only things I see advertised are junk sales jobs that either don't exist or have high turnover. And don't get me started on retail. Almost all of the outfits require "personality" tests which have right or wrong answers, and if you don't answer the questions right, you don't even get your application approved.
Luckily, I have my tiny pension to "live" on or I'd really be in the ditch this summer. School is basically over with in Oregon, and nothing will happen until September. In the meantime, I have to find something or else start giving plasma.
Arne Is Acting Like a Typical School Administrator
and believes he is above the law, in this case Congress, and if he wants to put in things that aren't in NCLB or he wants to bribe states on his own, he will damned well do it.
Duncan is such a stupid jock he thinks education, where teaching is a collaborative process and NOT a competitive one, should be run like the goddamned NCAA basketball finals.
Mr. Duncan's pledge to use the waiver process didn't sit well with two Congressmen working to renew the law."Given the bipartisan commitment in Congress to fixing No Child Left Behind, it seems premature at this point to take steps outside the legislative process that would address NCLB's problems in a temporary and piecemeal way," Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate education committee, said in a statement.Rep. John Kline, Republican chairman of the House education committee, has said he feels no urgency to move a bill, despite Mr. Duncan's pressure. "He'd like to get this done before they go back to school in September. We're not going to do that," he said in a May interview with the Wall Street Journal. He said he hopes to have the matter settled in 2011, partly because it's more difficult to pass ambitious legislation during a presidential election year.Mr. Kline is particularly hostile to Race to the Top, Mr. Obama's pet program that provides competitive funding for states that embrace the education changes he favors. The president has repeatedly cited this as a key to his administration's success in education and a blueprint in reauthorizing No Child Left Behind.
Duncan is such a stupid jock he thinks education, where teaching is a collaborative process and NOT a competitive one, should be run like the goddamned NCAA basketball finals.
News and Outrages
Does "Democrat" Jerry Brown remember that teachers do NOT pay into Social Security? My God, this "austerity" shit has GOT to stop.
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Of course charter schools are a waste of money. But it isn't about the kids; it's about squeezing taxpayer money to the last dime in order to line these privatizers' pockets.
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_____
Of course charter schools are a waste of money. But it isn't about the kids; it's about squeezing taxpayer money to the last dime in order to line these privatizers' pockets.
_____
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Excellent Interview
with NAPTA's Karen Horwitz over the outrageous treatment of teachers throughout the country:
Or listen at the link.
Listen to internet radio with Bronx Teacher on Blog Talk Radio
Or listen at the link.
It's the Rich Wrecking the Economy, Stupid,
and both political parties are responsible for the mess.
These crooks need to be in jail, not getting bailouts.
In his book, Crisis Economics, Nouriel Roubini outlines the insane response to the recession by Republicans and Democrats. Because both parties simply threw money at the banks and hedge funds instead of punishing them, a condition of "moral hazard" was created, meaning, that banks would assume another bailout would come their way if they destroyed the economy again -- too big too fail, remember? Roubini explains how the Democrats allowed the "too big" banks to get even bigger; how Wall Street salaries based on short-term profits went unregulated; how the regulations that were put into place were inadequate and filled with loopholes; how nothing of any significance changed.Roubini has also written extensively about how the post-bailout Federal Reserve policies were fueling a commodity bubble that may be in the midst of bursting, possibly triggering a double dip recession. Essentially the big banks and rich investors were borrowing cheap dollars from the Fed and investing abroad in commodities with the hopes of higher returns. Roubini states:“The risk is that we are planting the seeds of the next financial crisis...this asset bubble is totally inconsistent with a weaker recovery of economic and financial fundamentals." (October 27, 2009).
These crooks need to be in jail, not getting bailouts.
Obituaries
The only one I can think of recently of note is the death of Leonard Stern, 88, who I best remember as being executive producer of the sixties television sitcom, Get Smart and created or co-created the shortlived sitcom from 1966, Run Buddy Run. Stern was credited with originating the so-called "Mad Libs."
Stern died of heart failure.
Stern died of heart failure.
Arne Must Be Reading His Email
and realizing outraged parents and educators may have a say in the 2012 elections, so he is thinking about more "waivers" for schools. But there are serious questions being raised about Duncan's willingness to bypass Congress if they don't act to reauthorize NCLB, which many in both parties are reluctant to do given its colossal failure.
Of course, more and more schools will fail AYP because they are supposed to as an excuse to get rid of ALL public schools and replace them with charters and private schools.
I hate these assholes in both political parties who are killing our democracy because they are bought and paid for.
This comment I agree with:
Duncan's entire approach to education is the exact opposite of what teaching is supposed to be, which is collaborative, NOT competitive. That's a dumb jock for you.
Of course, more and more schools will fail AYP because they are supposed to as an excuse to get rid of ALL public schools and replace them with charters and private schools.
I hate these assholes in both political parties who are killing our democracy because they are bought and paid for.
This comment I agree with:
Arne Duncan has been at the helm of the education department in the federal government, I think most Americans worry and are wearied about his executive power used as a wrestling match-you do this and I'll give you this. Never mind most of his educational experimentation not backed up by any solid research just done to provide opportunities for hedge fund investors penchant for privatization of public education. Coming from a competitive sports background such as basketball, Mr. Duncan views and treats all his educational decisions as a sports game-always winners and losers--now he's using his executive authority to modify one of the requirements of NCLB that all public school children reach 100% reading proficiency by 2014. Duncan is willing to use his powers to fix the problem with the law but at the expense of the nation's beleaguered public school system capitulating to his requirements--emphasis on charter schools, placing them in public school buildings, new teacher evaluation system, using standardized test scores to rate teachers, dismantling the tenure system, etc.-- many not well researched. I find it interesting that a man with little formal college credentials a BA only under his belt in sociology was appointed to such an important policy making position in the nation to wield so much power, requiring highly credentialed and effective educational personnel in the public schools of America when he has so few himself. Duncan last fall gave a speech at the American Enterprise Institute forum degrading graduate education and viewed it as a "waste of time" paying higher salaries to teachers with master's degrees, saying it has no impact on student learning or achievement. Yet he ironically espouses the need for highly effective teachers in the classroom. When is this all ending and public education put back on track again?
Duncan's entire approach to education is the exact opposite of what teaching is supposed to be, which is collaborative, NOT competitive. That's a dumb jock for you.
Obama Thought He'd Throw a Bone to Liberals
and nominate Elizabeth Warren, but he's been farting around I believe on purpose because Obama believes what the Republicans do.
Obama needs to be knocked out of the primaries, and I hope Warren actually considers running for president herself.
I don't want the next election to be a choice between two Republicans.
Obama needs to be knocked out of the primaries, and I hope Warren actually considers running for president herself.
I don't want the next election to be a choice between two Republicans.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
And the Winner Is...
Longshot Ruler on Ice, 24-1, wins the 143rd Belmont Stakes. It was a sloppy track, and favorite Animal Kingdom was pretty much sunk after his jockey nearly fell off him at the start of the race.
Second was Stay Thirsty, and third was Brilliant Speed. The time was 2:30.88, way, way, way off Secretariat's track record.
Video and more as soon as they become available.
The race:
Animal Kingdom came in sixth.
Second was Stay Thirsty, and third was Brilliant Speed. The time was 2:30.88, way, way, way off Secretariat's track record.
Video and more as soon as they become available.
The race:
Animal Kingdom came in sixth.
Dear Tony,
Take the entire House of Representatives, the United States Senate, the Supreme Court, and the White House with you.
ALL of these institutions and the people in them are screwed up. They aren't representing the vast majority of people anymore.
link
ALL of these institutions and the people in them are screwed up. They aren't representing the vast majority of people anymore.
link
The 143rd Belmont Stakes
is about to be run, and Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom is co-favorite at the moment.
I like to look at a blast from the past before bad breeding practices made thoroughbreds far more fragile and the chances of ever seeing another Triple Crown winner in my lifetime become more remote:
I like to look at a blast from the past before bad breeding practices made thoroughbreds far more fragile and the chances of ever seeing another Triple Crown winner in my lifetime become more remote:
No Republican Can Be Worse Than This No-Good Piece of Shit
we have in the White House.
The idea that employers should get out of paying their share of Social Security undermines the entire program, and I warned people a long time ago Obama would try this kind of shit on people.
He is NOT answering to the American people but to Wall Street crooks. He MUST be primaried and defeated.
link
The idea that employers should get out of paying their share of Social Security undermines the entire program, and I warned people a long time ago Obama would try this kind of shit on people.
He is NOT answering to the American people but to Wall Street crooks. He MUST be primaried and defeated.
link
“That the White House would even consider cutting Social Security’s funding is enormously alarming. It indicates that the White House does not take seriously the dedicated nature of worker and employer contributions to Social Security. Those contributions belong to American workers and their families. Social Security should not be treated as a piggybank or raided by politicians in Washington.
Friday, June 10, 2011
The Jury Was Clearly Sending a Message
in this case, which the award will be no doubt reduced.
The jerk who did this to the woman is being prosecuted and is awaiting trial.
Snip:
Outrageous, but of course some will say this is a "frivolous" lawsuit.
You can read the original complaint here.
The jerk who did this to the woman is being prosecuted and is awaiting trial.
Snip:
But in her lawsuit and in court documents, Alford claimed that a sexual assault by her supervisor came after almost a year of escalating harassment in a workplace "rife with sexual jokes and lewd propositions."The store's then-general manager, Richard Moore, began by making inappropriate comments, nicknamed her "Trixie" and "Trix," and pinched her, the suit says. It claims that he gave her clothes and chocolates, progressed to groping, and that he sneaked up behind her as she was sitting on the floor of the stockroom and hit her on the head with his penis in the fall of 2006.On Oct. 12, 2006, the suit alleges, Moore threw Alford to the ground, lifted her shirt and masturbated over her as he held her down. He was arrested later that day and awaits trial in St. Clair County Circuit Court on a charge related to the accusation. His attorney did not respond to a message left Thursday.He never returned to work. Alford stayed for roughly six more months.The suit says Alford called a company harassment hotline in May 2006, but an investigator never contacted her. At some point after the call, the suit claims, she was approached by Moore's supervisor, who confronted her in front of Moore about his alleged harassment and warned Moore to "watch his back" because of the complaint.
Outrageous, but of course some will say this is a "frivolous" lawsuit.
You can read the original complaint here.
A Bad Penny...
Sharron Angle is trying to peddle a book she "wrote." She also insinuates Senator Reid's campaign engaged in cheating in last year's election:
This moron really doesn't believe in democracy.
This moron really doesn't believe in democracy.
News, Etc.
James Auchincloss is sent back to jail over child porn charges, while the prosecutor can't resist taking a cheap shot at his family, a family that has reportedly had NOTHING to do with him for years.
Auchincloss was said to have been a source for Kitty Kelley's Jackie Oh! and Onassis was said to have been so pissed off at him, she cut him off. The book was published way back in 1978.
Jackie died in 1994--seventeen years ago--and it can be assumed the family has had little if any contact with the Auchincloss black sheep ever since.
_____
Rep. Anthony Weiner is misogynist, idiotic, and arrogant, but what else does his scandal mean?
I can't argue with that.
_____
Another lie exposed as government pension funds won't be bankrupting states.
Auchincloss was said to have been a source for Kitty Kelley's Jackie Oh! and Onassis was said to have been so pissed off at him, she cut him off. The book was published way back in 1978.
Jackie died in 1994--seventeen years ago--and it can be assumed the family has had little if any contact with the Auchincloss black sheep ever since.
_____
Rep. Anthony Weiner is misogynist, idiotic, and arrogant, but what else does his scandal mean?
Scandal-mongering allows the ruling elite to conduct its internecine battles without any interference from the masses. This or that politician can be eliminated without acknowledging the issues involved.In this case, it appears the Murdoch-owned media targeted Weiner at least in part because he was the presumed frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City in 2013, when the current mayor, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, leaves office because of term limits.More generally, both capitalist parties use such scandals to position themselves against each other while avoiding any discussion of political substance.
I can't argue with that.
_____
Another lie exposed as government pension funds won't be bankrupting states.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
News, Etc.
Campaign 2012: Garbage in, garbage out.
_____
If you have no understanding of the politics of public education, especially the relationship between principals and teachers and how easily principals can ruin lives, then you have no business trying to "reform" education.
As I mentioned, FMLA is big-time violated by school districts all over the country. I know; I was a victim of such abuse of the law by my former principal and the head of human resources.
______
_____
If you have no understanding of the politics of public education, especially the relationship between principals and teachers and how easily principals can ruin lives, then you have no business trying to "reform" education.
As I mentioned, FMLA is big-time violated by school districts all over the country. I know; I was a victim of such abuse of the law by my former principal and the head of human resources.
______
Sky-high Unemployment Probably
won't create massive unrest because you always have people who believe those unemployed created their own problem, but just wait until gasoline or food becomes unaffordable.
Then all bets are off.
I don't look for Obama to be re-elected. He's proven himself a complete flop and actually destructive in many ways.
Then all bets are off.
I don't look for Obama to be re-elected. He's proven himself a complete flop and actually destructive in many ways.
"Alter" is a Good Name for a Journalist,
and education scholar Diane Ravitch castrated the hell out of the Bloomberg bought-and-paid-for punk last night on David Sirota's radio show. I missed the dressing down, unfortunately.
I pretty much know all of the "reformers's" "arguments," which are nothing but smoke and mirrors to cover up the fact they want to gut ALL public institutions because they are public, not because of any perceived "inefficiencies."
Alter never went public school, just like Obama never did. Yet this trust fund brat thinks he knows it all. Or rather, he is merely doing the work of the privatizers.
I pretty much know all of the "reformers's" "arguments," which are nothing but smoke and mirrors to cover up the fact they want to gut ALL public institutions because they are public, not because of any perceived "inefficiencies."
Alter never went public school, just like Obama never did. Yet this trust fund brat thinks he knows it all. Or rather, he is merely doing the work of the privatizers.
I am One of Those People Over 55 Years of Age
Bob Herbert is writing about and who may NEVER find full-time meaningful work again. It's a scary prospect, but our leaders have NO intention of improving the job market, as they are a bunch neoliberal thugs.
That's because these idiots and cretins are all bought off.
The U.S.A. may very well be on its last legs.
But there is no chance, given the embarrassingly dysfunctional political environment in Washington, that any of the bold steps needed to ease the jobs crisis and brighten the nation’s future will be taken. The politicians have abdicated their responsibility, thus insuring that the long dark night of the American economy will continue.
That's because these idiots and cretins are all bought off.
The U.S.A. may very well be on its last legs.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
By the Way, "The National Council on Teacher Quality"
is financed by the same hoodlums who are out destroy public education in this country. Anything coming from that outfit can be dismissed as a steaming pile of shit:
The National Council on Teacher Quality receives all of its funding from private foundations. Here is a list of our funders:
Aaron Straus and Lillie Straus Foundation
Abell Foundation
B & L Foundation
Barksdale Reading Institute
Barr Foundation
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Boston Foundation
Bower Foundation
Brookhill Foundation
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Chamberlin Family Foundation
Daniels Fund
Doris and Donald Fisher Fund
Edythe and Eli Broad Foundation
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Finnegan Family Foundation
Foundation for the MidSouth
Garner Foundation
George Gund Foundation
Gleason Family Foundation
Goldsmith Family Foundation
Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust
Houston Endowment
Joyce Foundation
Longfield Family Foundation
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation
Osa Foundation
Phil Hardin Foundation
Polk Bros Foundation
Rockwell Collins, Inc.
Searle Freedom Trust
Steans Family Foundation
The Teaching Commission
Walker Foundation
The National Council on Teacher Quality does not accept any direct funding from the federal government.
http://www.nctq.org/p/about/funders.jsp
The National Council on Teacher Quality receives all of its funding from private foundations. Here is a list of our funders:
Aaron Straus and Lillie Straus Foundation
Abell Foundation
B & L Foundation
Barksdale Reading Institute
Barr Foundation
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Boston Foundation
Bower Foundation
Brookhill Foundation
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Chamberlin Family Foundation
Daniels Fund
Doris and Donald Fisher Fund
Edythe and Eli Broad Foundation
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Finnegan Family Foundation
Foundation for the MidSouth
Garner Foundation
George Gund Foundation
Gleason Family Foundation
Goldsmith Family Foundation
Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust
Houston Endowment
Joyce Foundation
Longfield Family Foundation
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Foundation
Osa Foundation
Phil Hardin Foundation
Polk Bros Foundation
Rockwell Collins, Inc.
Searle Freedom Trust
Steans Family Foundation
The Teaching Commission
Walker Foundation
The National Council on Teacher Quality does not accept any direct funding from the federal government.
http://www.nctq.org/p/about/funders.jsp
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