May, 2013 archive
School Daze 1
At Psychology Today Blogs, Alfie Kohn contests the claims that our schools are failing. He argues that, in many cases, the claims are little more sales pitches for educational snake-oil.
A couple of nuggets:
And later on, discussing science scores:
But even with older students, there may be less to the bad news than meets the eye. As an article in Scientific American noted a few years back, most countries’ science scores were actually pretty similar.[2] That’s worth keeping in mind whenever a new batch of numbers is released. If there’s little (or even no) statistically significant difference among, say, the nations placing third through tenth, it would be irresponsible to cite those rankings as if they were meaningful.
Follow the link for some facts, with citations.
Addendum:
And be sure to see the George Smith’s comment, below.
Life Is Not an Aaron Sorkin Fantasy 0
As the punditocracy’s current fad seems to be calling for “leadership” from President Obama (witness this drivel from Maureen Dowd, who is always willing to sacrifice sense to achieve sarcasm), as if he can somehow sprinkle pixie dust over Congress to turn it into a sensible body determined to make proper decisions, it is well to remember this gem, buried in a longer column by Joshua Green concerning gun control.
As long as we the people continue to people the legislatures with fools and tools, we will be ruled by fools and tools.
Dust Bowl Days 0
California prepares to relive its storied past.
For nearly a century the state has been taking snow measurements at select areas across the Sierra Nevada in an attempt to gauge how much water will be available for farmers and city dwellers. Having a course bare of snow is not unheard of in May – the last month it is measured – but it’s another stark reminder that water will be in short supply this summer.
With the DWR projecting to supply just 35 percent of what 29 agencies providing water to 25 million Californians say they need, officials still are not ready to call it a drought.
For grins and giggles, here’s a bit of what Richard Henry Dana had to say about Los Angeles.
Sanfordized, Chutzpah Dept. 0
Jaded as one might be, Republican hypocrisy is forever new and fresh.
Now, just arriving from the Appalachian Trail:
That would be the same President Clinton that Sanford once voted to impeach.
Learning while Black 4
I wonder what they would have done to her if she had put Mentos into a Diet Coke.
16-year-old Kiera Wilmot is accused of mixing housing chemicals in a small water bottle at Bartow High School, causing the cap to fly off and produce a bit of smoke. The experiment was conducted outdoors, no property was damaged, and no one was injured.
Not long after Wilmot’s experiment, authorities arrested her and charged her with “possession/discharge of a weapon on school property and discharging a destructive device,” according to WTSP-TV. The school district proceeded to expel Wilmot for handling the “dangerous weapon,” also known as a water bottle. She will have to complete her high school education through an expulsion program.
I am certain that the fact the girl is black has nothing whatsoever to do with this. Nothing at all.
Via Chauncey Devega, who adds excellent commentary.
Calvacade of Crazy 4
More and more, Republicans seem to basing their playbook on stuff the Onion wouldn’t print.
Dick Polman summarizes the week in wingnut whackjobbery. A nugget:
Hey, no wonder they said no to expanded background checks.
Better yet, before they sign up that sister-free Kentucky tyke and mount the barricades, perhaps they’d prefer to self-deport.
Sequestrian Dressage 0
Battling the poors and the olds.
Not Just a Chicken Joke 2
The Regent goes national.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Via The Richmonder.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
(snip)
Estimates for first-time claims ranged from 335,000 to 365,000 in the Bloomberg survey of 48 economists. The Labor Department revised the previous week’s figure up to 342,000, from an initially reported 339,000.
As near as I can tell, workers doing the sequestrian dressage, who are “furloughed” without pay for a day or two a pay period, are not considered unemployed.
Just screwed.
“Implement Plan B” 0
The Booman wonders what’s up with Plan B.
Atrios nailed it earlier yesterday.
What’s up with Plan B is that grown-ups get stupid at the prospect that their children, particularly their daughters, might actually have matured into growing-up sexual human beings.
(They deal with it better with their sons. “Wild oats” and all that. Funny how the sower gets a free pass, while the field gets ostracized.)
They want to pretend it didn’t/doesn’t/can’t/won’t happen.
They don’t want to admit that their horny teenagers will act as they did when they were horny teenagers.
I know that I didn’t like it when that realization came to me.
Fortunately, my now-ex kept me from being stupid.
Childhood Fantasy Childhoods 0
At SFgate, Amy Graff is alarmed at the sexed up images she sees in children’s board games. She says that the Candyland she remembers was nothing like this (Nor is the one I remember).
I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’m torn between “Grow up, already,” and “This is one more signpost on the road to perdition.”
I do believe that when persons scream, “What about the children!” they often aren’t really talking about the children, but about themselves and their own hangups.
Children are lot more matter-of-fact than the adults who desire to shield think they are. I’m not arguing for “kindergarten, life in the streets,” but I am convinced we have slid from protectiveness to paranoia about our kids (though sometimes they do give us reason).
I wonder what has pulled the games in this direction: Kardashians or Disney princesses?
Legacy, Bushie Style 0
Ten years ago today, George the Worst patted himself on the back on the carrrier Abraham Lincoln, congratulating himself for victory in the Great and Glorious Patriotic War for a Lie in Iraq.
He turned out to be about ten years early.
Dick Polman looks back. A nugget:
Sanfordized 0
Larry Flynt endorses Appalachian Trail hiker Mark Sanford for Congress as “America’s great sex pioneer.” (Video at the link.)
I have nothing to add to this.
When Probes Come Home To Roost 0
I can’t say I’m a big fan of Al Sharpton, but this item about The Regent is too good to pass:
The governor’s argument seems to be that there was no quid pro quo.
At most, there was quid pro amateur.
