Category Archives: defense contractors

First Graders expected to know 6th through 12th grade levels **edited

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This is outrageous.  There is no way a first grader, who can barely tie their shoes, can be expected to understand subjects that are more geared towards 6th through 12th grades.

I mean just look at the complexity:

Explain the
importance of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and the use of
canals to support farming and the development
of the city of Babylon;

Explain the significance of the
Code of Hammurabi;

Describe the city of
Babylon and the Hanging Gardens;Describe how a civilization evolves
and changes over time;

Explain that much of what we know about ancient
Egypt is because of the work of archaeologists;

Identify Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as major monotheistic world
religions;

Answer questions that require making interpretations, judgments, or
giving opinions about what is heard in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud,
including answering why questions that require recognizing cause/effect relationships;

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This is but a glimpse of it–see more on Diane’s website.

Unreal.  I didn’t even learn about the code of Hammurabi until I was in college studying ancient Greek history!!  As you can see by the link, this is complicated material–too complicated for a first grader to know!  OMG. As others commented, this is child abuse.

And let’s touch on the elephant in the room–the teaching of religion in a public school.  It does not belong there.  If one wants their child to have religious instruction, they can enroll them in a parochial school.    After all the bloodshed throughout the centuries over who had the “right” religion, it is stunning that people continue to try to force religion upon others…the lesson lost is that we have no right to push our religion upon others–everyone has the right to find their own spiritual path.

And what is glaringly omitted from the religious instruction, as seen here, are what Jesus taught–he provided loaves and fishes when people were hungry; he healed the sick and touched those with leprosy when no one else would (much like AIDS); he overturned the tables of the moneychangers (bankers) whom had set up shop in the temple–something the religious leaders had allowed.   He had a woman as a trusted companion, in a time when women were not respected nor regarded as equals.  He lived the golden rule of doing unto others as one would have done to you (this is also noticeably absent from the requirements–they fail to mention that all religions have that belief.)

Jesus promoted things that the conservatives rail against….

Anyway, these requirements are not psychologically sound.   No one in their right mind would think these requirements are in line with the brain and social development of a seven year old.

Hey, I know what–let’s drive these poor children into depression and low self-esteem so that Big Pharma can make more $$ drugging them up with antidepressants and happy pills…./snark

**edited to correct psychology

NCLB is a failure…

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….so the natural thing to do is require it for colleges and universities, too. /snark

Be sure to click on the link Diane has provided.  The speech she gives is outstanding in outlining exactly what is wrong with testing, testing, testing.

One of her points is that they are subjective social constructs.

Another important point she makes is that we can’t fully comprehend what will happen when children are subjected to  this nonsense testing year after year, trained like Pavlov dogs to get the “only” correct answer.  And the weight of the world upon that  “only” correct answer–if they are fond of their teacher, their principal, their school, but fail to get the correct answer and that teacher loses her/his job, and the school is closed…well, that’s a lot of pressure to put upon a child who will then blame him/herself for failing a test that was designed for them to fail.

About ten minutes in, Diane brings up the very important point that a university professor would expect the student to come to college prepared for it–to be able to comprehend complex texts and use critical thinking skills to analyze the ideas.  She states that the students won’t be able to ask “why”?

I don’t know about other universities, but Purdue was already gravitating towards lecture-only courses that were not designed to have robust classroom discussions.  That was one of the things I looked forward to when I began my college career….I was very disappointed with the lack of classroom discussion on the subjects–very few of the courses I took made sense to have lecture-only.  Most would have enriched the subject and expanded one’s worldview by new ideas being discussed.  As I write this, I can only think of five classes where we had good discussions.  And one of those classes–sociology, where I had open classroom discussion, had changed when one of my children took the very same class—it had been turned into ALL lecture and she did not have to read the five books I was required to read for it.  I was shocked.  Diane touches on this point at about 20:00 in to the speech–cram as many students you can into a lecture hall to have cost savings and….more profits.  Meanwhile….we’ll build a million dollar new sports stadium….

Diane brought up something the charter school movement would rather people not hear–that teachers are demoralized by the testing, too.   They hate what it has done to their profession.  In other words–teachers care and want their students to do well.  And it’s not because of the pay!

As I’m listening to this, it pops into my head what my college adviser had told me when I said I wanted to be a teacher–she discouraged me because she said there would not be that many jobs.  How did she know this?

And I for one cannot figure President Obama out–I know that he cares about this country.  I know he is an intelligent man.  What I can’t figure out is why he is promoting this failed policy?  Why isn’t he listening to these impassioned teachers?

Nick Clegg defends bullying Guardian

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Nick Clegg has defended his actions towards the Guardian newspaper.

The fact that the Guardian has copies outside the country has restored my faith…somewhat.  Why should they have to go to such great lengths to exercise Freedom of Speech?

Gah, as I thought about this story last night, images of the King’s soldiers coming in and smashing printing presses went through my head…if nothing else, it sure does hit home that nothing has changed and that Freedom of Speech needs to be fought for and protected for democracy to survive.

News of Egypt, Syria, Middle East

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In Syria,  appears there have been several chemical attacks on civilians, according to this. 

The video is hard to watch.  Good God.  They’ve got oxygen masks on them, but I would think that water is more suited to flushing the poison out of their systems?  What kind of monster would do this?

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EU’s response to the crisis in Egypt.

Meanwhile, a court orders the release of Hosni Mubarak.  (!!)  Color me confused.

The report states this is likely to add fuel to the fire in Egypt already, so I’m at a loss to understand the thinking behind it.

 

 

The Guardian hard drives destroyed

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When I first began reading this, I wondered how the agents got into the basement….shocked doesn’t begin to describe how I felt when I read that the Guardian’s editor allowed them to destroy the hard drives. Wow.  Just wow.

I never thought I’d see the day that the Guardian caved.  They threatened legal action?  Are you serious?  You caved because of threatened legal action?  Or was the threat something more sinister?

Jaysus H.

 

Protestors banned from oil exploration site

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First Nations protestors were banned from interfering with oil exploration on a land reserve.  They consider it sacred ground and they were not consulted by leadership before the leaders gave their approval.  It’s stunning that the tribe brought charges before the court against their own.

What I would like to know is….if it is a land reserve, what the hell are oil companies doing there in the first place…?  It’s a land reserve! 

Just keep tearing up the Earth and polluting it until there is nothing left….small minds.

If we lose the media…

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…then we basically lose a huge part of the democratic process.  The Fourth Estate has historically shed light on stuff the politicians would rather you not know…it’s kept the checks and balances needed to keep those in power from abusing that power. Edward Snowden is an example of how the media is no longer serving the public interest by investigating claims on abuse of power.

 

Power corrupts.

                                                         Absolute power corrupts absolutely. 

 

Links here and here--note the “feel good” town hall meetings to diffuse the growing voices against media consolidation….we’ll make it look like we care, and then totally ignore the wishes of the American people.  We’ll also ignore that the airwaves belong to the American people and their wishes should take precedence over corporate interests.

 

A scab by any other name

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Diane Ravitch has an excellent link up to Black Agenda’s take on the charter schools takeover.  I am glad there are voices coming from the African American community against charters.  Up until now, I haven’t heard their voice being raised at what is surely a stealth racism of closing public schools in poor and minority neighborhoods and replacing them with deficient charters run by well-paid CEO’s.

I hear plenty against Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel, but I’ve yet to hear any voices raised against Oprah for promoting charters out the wazoo.