Category Archives: women

Education News

by

Nancy Carlsson-Paige has a guide for parents who wish to advocate for their kids and schools.  Note in the comments section how they are requiring a kindergartner to know the value of money, and won’t let them into kindergarten without that knowledge.

Are you kidding me??  A child that young has no need to know the value of money.  They are not likely to be in a store buying items requiring them to know correct change–so why is this something they need to know when they’re 5 or 6?  Absurd.

Next, we have the New York Times reporting on how “loud” Diane Ravitch is…how can one be LOUD on a computer keyboard?  And where are the facts to back up their claim of Ravitch’s name-calling?  And again with the “personal attacks”?  What personal attacks?  Attacking someone on their record is NOT a personal attack.  She pumps out “hundreds of barbed words” in her blog? Really? Well, if Motoko Rich considers Diane’s blog full of barbed words….she would surely find my blog worse than that.   haha.

So…Tony Bennett is in the news yet again.  This time for using State time for political activities….against State employee ethical guidelines.   It is drilled into you that you cannot use your job for political activities or accept anything of value from political campaigns.  (hat tip Diane Ravitch)

Lastly, Tennessee Superintendents speaking out against Kevin Huffman, former husband of Michelle Rhee.  One of the commenters stated that Rhee was now married to a pedophile.  I went looking for information and found this.  Wow. So…not only does Michelle Rhee put tape over young children’s mouths and then laugh when they peel the skin off removing it, she defends a sexual harasser.  Good God.

Pope Francis

by

John Amato has a post up on the likeability of Pope Francis.  He does seem to follow Jesus’ example, which is rather refreshing.

The Church has been resistant to change, however, so he will meet with a lot of resistance.   I’m of the wait-and-see position.

I would like to see them bring the disservice done to Mary Magdalene, who was labeled a prostitute by the Church, more out in the open.  Some, including this writer, did not know of the smear to her until I read it in non-Catholic books.  If she was Jesus’ companion, and he trusted her as a confidant, she should play an important role in religion.  The Church, however, made a statement on it many years ago, but did it quietly.  Many still do not know she was not a prostitute.

And lastly, I am jealous that the Pope has  stick shift.  I love stick shifts, but unfortunately, the Green Hornet is automatic.

PBS’ Frontline on the Wall St meltdown

by

Just in case you missed the link in the Center for Media Democracy article yesterday, I wanted to highlight it here:

http://video.pbs.org/video/1302794657/

It’s really important to revisit what happened and who was responsible….so it doesn’t happen again.  We are STILL paying for Greenspan’s idolatry of Ayn Rand…

Bluntly, bankers can’t be trusted to tell the truth.  They cannot be trusted to regulate themselves.  Ain’t gonna happen.  By nature, bankers are greedy and see everything in dollar signs, and as this piece illustrates, if they think they can get away with something, they won’t let ethics or concerns for democracy get in the way.

The subtext to this story is how Brooksley Born was ignored.  A woman not taken seriously….a narrative of sexism.  It’s interesting that she refused to talk about her meeting with Bill Clinton…makes me wonder if he tried to get in her pants and then called her ‘boring” because she refused…or perhaps he was intimidated because she was not only intelligent but principled, as well.  Bill probably doesn’t “get” principled people…sharks only understand other sharks….

 

This on Phil Gramm, who….wait for it….joined a banking firm after aiding the financial meltdown.   And afterward, calling us “a nation of whiners”…um-hmmm….

Frank Partnoy, a law professor at the University of San Diego and an expert on derivatives, said, “No one, including regulators, could get an accurate picture of this market. The consequences of that is that it left us in the dark for the last eight years.” And, he added, “Bad things happen when it’s dark.”

In 2002, Mr. Gramm left Congress, joining UBS as a senior investment banker and head of the company’s lobbying operation.

~~~~~~~~~

Another subtext is the intimidation by those involved.  They created derivatives to be confusing on purpose…and counted on the others to be too embarrassed to ask the question “what does this mean”? Here we have a law professor who understands derivatives, and HE was in the dark about them.

People are intimidated and don’t want to say “I don’t understand”.  I used to be that way, but no more.  Ask away, folks.  Ask away.  And if someone makes you feel stupid by being condescending, then call them on it.  There are some really smart people out there, but nobody knows everything.   And you aren’t going to learn (and understand) anything if you don’t ask questions. If more people had asked questions and raised concerns like Brooksley Born, the financial collapse would have been averted.

More on the ethics of Gramm here.

And here.

Grow your own groceries…

by

Link.

This is recommended by organic consumers, but I can’t say that I’ve tried it firsthand.  Margery Wildcraft is a master gardener, however, and it does come with a 60 day money back guarantee, so I feel comfortable putting it up here.

One of the things that folks had during the Great Depression was the ability to grow their own food.  With this un-Depression, folks aren’t as likely to either know how or have the space…to which container gardening or empty city lots come in handy.    I think it is a great idea in that you know your food is grown without chemicals.  It’s local, which they say is better because it doesn’t cost $$ to transport AND there is some evidence that in geographic areas, the food has unique qualities that are beneficial.

 

More sobering news **edited

by

I hope my readers understand why I’m continuing to talk about stories like this and this.

…because it doesn’t get talked about anywhere else.  If it is talked about on the major networks, it’s a blip on the screen…but treated as if an afterthought.  Women’s concerns don’t matter, if you gauge it by the attention and action that it receives.

Maybe instead of “Rape Culture” we should call it “Violence Against Women” culture, after seeing this.

Good God.  What exactly was the decal maker’s message in creating this decal?? An experiment, my arse.  And then he tries to play the “concerned citizen” schtick by feigning empathy towards abused women.  Give me a break.    I could hardly stand to watch the video in its entirety–it made me sick.  I would caution against giving this creep donations…probably won’t end up where it is supposed to go.

Would he have thought it okay to create a decal with an African American hanging from a noose? Or an African American hogtied in the back of a truck?

Sweet Jesus, where does it end?

**edited to add:  I went back this morning to read the comments, and others also made note that if this decal had been an African American hanging by a noose, people would be outraged.  I rather doubt this guy would have attempted that.  Someone put up a link for yet another violent decal….so this isn’t something new.  But this does strike home the continuing acceptance of media encouragement of violence against women.  And the commenter “mick” shows how great this ingrained acceptance of violence is….it’s just a joke, what’s your problem..?  (his sarcasm, not mine.)

The Opt Out Movement **edited

by

Diane Ravitch reports on a growing movement of parents who are keeping their children home on test day–to opt out of the stupid nonsensical testing of things that can’t be tested…. **edited to add link. Geesh.

In other Ed. news- — Joe Williams, a PR shill for the corporate reformers masquerading as Democrats has been…ahem….schooled.

The facts don’t lie.

More reports of crooks running public education in the ground so they can profit off of it….

From the article on the expose in Maine:

A Maine Sunday Telegram investigation found large portions of Maine’s digital education agenda are being guided behind the scenes by out-of-state companies that stand to capitalize on the changes, especially the nation’s two largest online education providers.

~~~~~~~~

And the graphic linked to in the article is just mindboggling.  Look at the flow of money!

It still just absolutely stuns me on how the American Legislative Council (ALEC) was able to get away with so much for so long!  Just stunning.

Finally, Teach For America plans exposed.

The Rabbi **edited

by

An update to this post….apparently, the Rabbi made a snide remark about Weiner being “married to an Arab” .  Yeah, that kind of nixes one’s self-righteous position, doesn’t it?  **edited to add:  it was Jon Stewart that brought that to light. Sorry, I was tired when I posted last night.)

Doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind about the rest of the exchange or Weiner’s campaign nor his actions towards women, though.  But he has a right to be married to whomever he chooses without that being a factor in his fitness for mayor.  He’s not fit for mayor for his predator actions and his thinking that exposing himself was a joke.

More from the edumucation files

by

Wow. I am continually amazed at what has been going on behind the scenes with the charter school engineers.  Truly amazing how they have been able to get away with it.

This report from a teacher who spells out exactly what my fear is of the nonsense testing that really cannot test potential and does not allow for the obstacles to learning for kids in poorer districts….and then blames the public school teacher for things that are out of their control: student engagement and parent involvement.  The resident troll, teaching economist, has finally revealed he has no clue about what teachers in k-12 are up against.  He teaches lecture courses of 500 students, some of them online.  There is no engagement with classes that size–that was my complaint about my classes in college–no class discussion to enrich the learning experience.  The guy’s a robot who cannot engage in dialogue.

Parents United Philadelphia has this up.

Advice from a money manager….who actually likes public education.

From a comment:

As a teacher with wealthy connections, I can tell you that most of the rich don’t care much about public education either way. They send their kids to private school on principle. The public schools are for the “unwashed masses”. They use private schools to separate their children from the commoners. The old money saw public schools as giving back to their butler’s kids or their cook’s children, and they weren’t bothered by paying taxes (chump change anyway). The new money see taxes for public schools as irritating, and they want to keep as much money as they can, and don’t care about their cook’s children, city children, etc. The “new money” have no interest in community or helping others.

~~~~~~~~

Spot on. The wealthy do not care about public education. Period.  It has always been for the “rest of us” who cannot or will not put our kids into private schools.   The most annoying thing to the wealthy is that public education creates citizens who are….educated.  Educated citizens cause all sorts of trouble–like being able to carry on arguments against the destruction of public schools; like asking intelligent questions of politicians; of fighting for civil rights….of fighting against things the wealthy hold dear: greed, selfishness,  lack of social conscience…..

~~~~~~~~

The student who stood up to be heard at the *cough*  conversation with teachers has a blog up explaining what went on.  What a powerful young woman…this old lady was worried about the future generation, but Hannah gives me hope….

(hat tip to Diane Ravitch)

Lastly, a blog at Reclaim Reform on Arne Duncan.  How can someone who failed so miserably be….promoted...?

A student speaks up to Michelle Rhee

by

What a brave phenomenal young woman.  Truth to power.

Steve Perry sounds like a real nice guy….not.  Cockroaches?  Really??  Sounds like sour grapes to me…