2014 archive
Chartering a Course for Disaster 0
Attempts to destroy public education continue apace in Florida. John Romano reports:
At the same time, charters are also failing rapidly. Florida had the second-most school closings in the nation last year. In Pinellas and Hillsborough counties alone, nearly 30 charters have opened and closed in recent years.
Charter growth is clearly not a problem.
Charter accountability, on the other hand, might be.
So do you:
A) Say it’s time to monitor charter applications more closely?
B) Say the plan is working and continue on the same path?
C) Say “Yippee!” and make it even easier to open charters?
If you chose C, you just might be a state legislator.
This is a logical consequence of a societal decision made some 30 years ago, coincident with the deification of MBAs, that there is no such thing as the public good, that accumulation of wealth is the only standard for judging any effort.
“Round Up the Usual Suspects” 0
Emphasis added:
She called to report that her truck had been stolen and spent fifty-three days in jail awaiting trial; her suit was dismissed because the police have immunity.
No brains, just immunity.
Afterthought:
I cannot keep myself from thinking that the cops just rounded up the first black lady named “Teresa” that they saw.
After all, this happened in Georgia, where they all look alike.
Pah!
CBBT 0
The other local rag has a fantastic slide show depicting the building of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Follow the link.
H/T to my brother for the link.
Misdirection Play, Republican Family Values Dept. 0
After reeling off a list of paragons of Republican Family Values (David “Diaper Me” Vitter, Mark “Appalachian Trail” Sanford, Dr. Scott “Let’s Have an Affair” DesJarlais, Vic “Child Support Schmild Support” Sprouse), Tina Dupuy explains how Republican Family Values work. A nugget:
Do read the rest.
Via Progressive Populist (the print edition).
Break Time 0
Off to drink liberally.
Hacked Off 1
Via Raw Story.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite in a crowd.
They arrived to find three people, two women and a man, with injuries, the release said.
Investigators determined that a gun belonging to the unidentified homeowner accidentally discharged into the concrete floor resulting in the injuries, the release said.
Drinking Liberally Virginia Beach Tonight 0
(Date corrected–copy and paste pasted me one.)
Fun and fellowship for liberals. Join us and talk about anything in a relaxed atmosphere.
When: Thursday, April 24th, 6 p.
Where:
Croc’s 19 Street Bistro
620 19th Street (Map)
More here.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Back up a bit.
(snip)
The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, climbed to 316,750 from 312,000 the week before, the lowest since 2007.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits dropped by 61,000 to 2.68 million in the week ended April 12, the fewest since December 2007.
Hole in the Head One
0
Reg Henry is taken aback that golf is waning in popularity. He tells us that golf gurus are concerned that there are 5,000,000 fewer golfers than there were a decade ago.
I live next to a golf course, and I see few young golfers, except for youngsters being set on a path of corruption by their fathers, and members of the golf team from a local college, just down the road a piece.
Remedies are being considered. Here’s a nugget from his column:
What an appalling prospect if this should catch on. You could go play Pebble Beach because it’s on your bucket list and find a bucket being used for the hole.
Golf is an expensive sport. Other than freakish “xtreme sports,” it is probably the most expensive sport short of skiing. One wonders whether the destruction of the middle class, depriving many of the ability to pay for club memberships, not to mention golf clubs, may have something to do with its waning popularity.
Whatever, it’s still golf, a good walk spoiled.
Golf is pool on an extra-large table, with added membership and greens fees and without heat in the winter or AC in the summer.
Get a pool table. It’s cheaper, more comfortable, just as frustrating, and lacks the built-in mosquitoes.
Shoot First, Ask Questions Later 0
Philly cops stand their ground and an innocent pizza delivery guy is shot for being.
Maybe he had heard the gunshots two blocks away – the ones two plainclothes officers were responding to – when they attempted to stop him just before 10 p.m. Moments later, they riddled the Taurus with 14 shots.
He was guilty of wearing a hooded sweatshirt (that’s what we used to call them in the olden days, when I was a young ‘un) and being visible.
I think the cops have been watching too many cop shows on the telly vision, where everyone is a mope and the cops are always right.
More pointless bloodshed at the link.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Politeness proliferates.
(snip)
Sgt. Jason Halifax said the investigation was continuing, but it appeared that “safe weapons handling practices were not followed.”
They seldom are, are they?