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The Daily News has an article in Friday’s paper about how the New York City Department of Education is making plans to lay off 4,100 teachers, while spending over $1,000,000,000 on outside consultants. (And oh, by the way, sometimes the consultants the D.O.E. hires aren’t even Americans.)

Of course this shows just how corrupt Mayor Bloomberg is, as he single-handedly controls the D.O.E. (a change he insisted on a few years ago).  In effect, he is funneling public tax monies into the hands of private concerns.

How do New Yorkers feel about it? Well, the News has put an inset poll adjacent to their article. It asks, “Do you think $1 billion is too much for the city to spend on consultants?”  As of this writing, fully 96% have answered “Yes, that seems outrageous. The money would be much better spent on keeping teachers in the classroom.”

Isn’t someone who’s elected supposed to pay at least some attention to the will of the people?

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   BretEastonEllis

Cover of Mulholland Drive

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The Times has come out with a story on school “reform”.  I admit I haven’t finished reading this multi-page piece, but so far, a few things have jumped out at me.  Some odd things within:

New York Times on former Chancellor Joel Klein: When Klein started, for instance, less than 50 percent of New York’s incoming high-school freshmen were graduating in four years. That number is now 63 percent.

The explanation for this is pretty simple: under Klein, the city’s high schools were encouraged to practice grade inflation, and to rubber-stamp diplomas.  But there is no mention of this in the article.  Do you imagine that the New York Times has no idea of this widespread practice that most teachers in the system bemoan loudly and frequently?  Guess again.

On “innovation”: Individual schools … were expected to earn good grades on their report cards from the city — another Klein innovation — or risk closure.

So now, schools that expel troubled kids (or never accept them at all) will exhibit “improved” student learning, and earn better grades on their city report cards.  I student-taught in a school that took any child.  And even if they were sent to juvy, the school would really work to get that kid back in the school after their time was served.  That school is being closed due to Klein’s “innovations”, while schools that have expelled many are painted as “success” stories.  Please.

On “bold policies”: Klein’s successor, Cathleen Black, made it clear that she planned to continue the bold policies that he started implementing after his appointment by Mayor Bloomberg in 2002.

Why does the Times neglect to mention that Cathie Black had a 17% approval rating before she resigned?  I mean 17%??  They believe this is not relevant information?

Well, hopefully, the Times will address some of these things later in the piece, but from their previous ridiculously biased education “reporting”, I won’t be holding my breath.  (I’ll probably continue reading and commenting in later posts.)

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On MSNBC, Michele Borba, “Educational Psychologist”, says teachers should be in the halls to herd kids into their classrooms. Well, how do you do all the things you are required to do like: write your Aim, Agenda, and Do Now instructions on the board, put your materials where they need to be (remember – most teachers do not have their own classrooms – they are coming into the classroom at the same time as the students), set up your overhead and/or unlock the calculators or set up any other equipment you’ll be using for the lesson, oh and also keep your eyes on the students who are inside the classroom (you are responsible for the students’ safety when they are in the classroom) – when you are STANDING OUT IN THE HALL?

Borba is completely illogical and she is either being disingenuous and simply spouting a party line that does not support teachers, or my guess is she couldn’t teach her way out of a paper bag.

Also, is it efficient and economically responsible to pay people who hold master’s degrees (and sometimes even doctorates) to act as hall monitors, when they have been hired to perform educational tasks  – you know, like TEACHING?

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McChrystal bane Michael Hastings tweets this to our attention:  The Terrorist Consequences of the Libyan Intervention by Paul R. Pillar at The National Interest Blog

Excerpts:

…we should remember that anything done to Qaddafi is being done to someone who had given up terrorism.

…think about the lessons that will be drawn if someone who gave up not only terrorism but also his unconventional weapons programs in return for normal relations and acceptance in the international community is made a target for regime change. The lesson that the mullahs in Tehran and others will draw is that it would be useless to reach any agreement with the West about terrorism or nuclear weapons because the West is really interested above all in regime change and, regardless of any agreements that may have been reached, will seize the first opportunity that comes along to try to realize that goal.

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So, in other words, why would any current leaders work towards security and peace with the West; why bother with diplomacy when we’ll bomb them the first chance we get anyway?  And why give up weapons of mass destruction when we ask, if we are just going to attack them after they do.  This Libyan War, oh excuse me, I mean this Libyan Time-Limited, Scope-Limited Military Action (in White House-speak), may send exactly the wrong message about our trustworthiness as a partner and our ability to enact change through diplomacy, to those in power whom we would liked to have influenced.

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Harvard’s Niall Ferguson talks strategy and revolution in Newsweek:

Only the hopelessly naive imagine that 30-something Google executives will emerge as the new leaders of the Arab world, aided by their social network of Facebook friends. The far more likely outcome—as in past revolutions—is that power will pass to the best organized, most radical, and most ruthless elements in the revolution, which in this case means Islamists like the Muslim Brotherhood.

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As I write, the Iranians have made their most brazen move yet by sending two warships through the Suez Canal into the eastern Mediterranean. This should not worry only Israel. It should also worry Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who dreams of a revived Ottoman Empire as the dominant power in the region.

the rest of the article here

excerpted from Niall Ferguson’s column in Newsweek:

Free Google eBook:

Scouting For Girls – 1920

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excerpts from New York Times:

Ron Haviv :  …there was a real presence of support for Mubarak. One of the demonstrations was quite large and seemed to have a variety of different Egyptians: women, children, old men, young men, et cetera, et cetera. I know it’s been reported that a number of those people have been paid, which I think could be possible. But I also think the number was so large and the people I encountered there — their rhetoric and desire and their support for Mubarak seemed very genuine to me. It didn’t seem like people were being scripted, at least the people I talked to.

Anti-Mubarak protesters are not immune from anti-media anger, either, as Ed Ou, can testify firsthand, having witnessed the beating of an undercover police officer. “I was photographing this man, who must have been scared out his mind,” he said. “People got very upset at me for the obvious reason that it shows a less benign view of the anti-government protesters.”

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Westergaard’s work was one of 12 drawings of Mohammed published by a newspaper in 2005, that triggered violent protests across the Muslim world.  The assault on Westergaard’s life occurred in 2010.

The prosecutor argued that the Geele intended to kill Westergaard and aimed to “seriously frighten the population” and destabilize Denmark.  The court also found the terrorist guilty of attempted murder of Westergaard, attempted murder of a policeman, and an attack with an axe on another police officer.

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-some info from MSNBC and A.P.

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Mark Demoss, a Christian conservative, launched a pledge honoring civility with Lannie Davis, a Jewish Democrat.  They sent the following pledge to every governor and congressperson – 585 in all:

I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior. I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them. I will stand against incivility when I see it.

Only two republicans and Joe Lieberman agreed to sign it. ALL of the Democrats refused to agree to be civil via this pledge.

So, when we complain about violent rhetoric, maybe we need to take a look in the mirror first.

-Info from MSNBC's Countdown.

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Out of the land of Jerricho, a great Nation shall set forth to a land rife with hollers.

Hear our prayer! Thy folk hero shalt not choke. Neither shall thy ladainian fumble thy football.

For our Road Warrior, he who disputeth that nachos are a Mexican food, we ask for him a playoff road record, to be written in canon.

Be ye not led by ye mike’d up naysayers, but heed thee thy Namath of Olde.

Fear ye not false idols: As it was with thy Peyton, as it was with thy Brady, so it shall be with the Reothls um Rothelsbu.. the guy with the broken nose.

Thy D shall smote the heathenish inelegant bruiser of a quarterback (whose name cannot be spelled) at a confluence of rivers.

May ye attend to thy ground and pound, yet not forsake thy weapons, such as Saint(onio) Holmes.

Yea, tho no man is an island, we welcome Hines Ward to Revis Island.

May those of black and gold hold fast to their towels so terrible… to mop up all their tears.

Adorn thyselves with thy vestments of green and align thyself with the vanquisher of fire – Ed. And anointing thy feet with a little oil to make them pretty vouldn’t hoit.

Verily, thy Mad Backer canteth waiteth (AND NEITHER CAN WE.)

In Rex We Trust.  Amen.

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Pundits and reporters are using the Gabrielle Giffords assassination attempt to serve their own political agendas.  And some people want to use the tragedy of the murders as an impetus to legislate the allowed verbiage of political campaigns that they oppose.   Should the vitriol be tamped down?  Perhaps.  But the real issue, which our media is either missing or ignoring, is our lack of social services for the criminally insane.

A New York Times article indicates that Jared Lee Loughner is believed to be schizophrenic.  It is clear from news reports, that Loughner’s college, parents, local police, and even the U.S. Army, were quite probably well aware that he was suffering from mental illness.   However, apparently none of these people or institutions had clear procedures and access to social services that could legally step in and provide Loughner with the  treatment that he obviously requires.   Someone like John Hinckley probably would not have benefited from more cordial political rhetoric, but he certainly could have benefited from psychiatric help.

Instead of focusing on our lack of much-needed social services, the left finds it simpler to blame the murders on Sarah Palin.

So, if we’re going to legislate the vitriolic verbiage of political campaigns, perhaps we should take a good hard look at the following widespread violent imagery as well.  It could incite someone unbalanced, and some of it can even be found in SCHOOLS.:

Punch gave Judy
A knock on the eye.
Says Punch to Judy,
“Will you have any more?”
Says Judy to Punch,
“My eye is too sore.”
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There was an old woman had three sons,
Jerry and James and John,
Jerry was hanged, James was drowned,
John was lost and never was found;
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She gave them some broth without any bread.
She whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.
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The pig was eat,
And Tom was beat,
And Tom ran crying down the street.
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They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife.
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Away, birds, away!
take a little and leave a little,
And do not come again;
For if you do,
I will shoot you through,
And there will be an end of you.
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A naughty boy came with his wee bow and arrow,
Determined to shoot this little cock-sparrow.
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There I met an old man
Who wouldn’t say his prayers;
I took him by the left leg,
And threw him down the stairs.
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As I was going to sell my eggs
I met a man with bandy legs,
Bandy legs and crooked toes;
I tripped up his heels, and he fell on his nose.
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Cry, baby, cry,
Put your finger in your eye,
And tell your mother it wasn’t I..
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naughty Jack Spry, he got a black eye
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Who killed Cock Robin?
“I,” said the sparrow,
“With my little bow and arrow,
I killed Cock Robin,”
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Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top!
When the wind blows the cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall;
Down will come baby, bough, cradle and all.
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When Jill came in,
How she did grin
To see Jack’s paper plaster;
Her mother, vexed,
Did whip her next,
For laughing at Jack’s disaster.
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Jerry Hall, he was so small,
A rat could eat him, hat and all.
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There were once two cats of Kilkenny.
Each thought there was one cat too many;
So they fought and they fit,
And they scratched and they bit,
Till, excepting their nails,
And the tips of their tails,
Instead of two cats, there weren’t any.
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Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home!
Your house is on fire, your children all gone
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There was a little man, and he had a little gun,
And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead;
He went to the brook, and saw a little duck,
And shot it right through the head, head, head.
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Her mother came and caught her,
Whipped her little daughter
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There was a man in our town,
And he was wondrous wise,
He jumped into a bramble bush,
And scratched out both his eyes

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excerpted from Publishers Weekly:

Alan Gribben and NewSouth Books plan to release a version of Huckleberry Finn that does away with the “n” word (as well as the “in” word, “Injun”) by replacing it with the word “slave.”

Gribben has no illusions about the new edition’s potential for controversy. “I’m hoping that people will welcome this new option, but I suspect that textual purists will be horrified,” he said. “Already, one professor told me that he is very disappointed that I was involved in this.” Indeed, Twain scholar Thomas Wortham, at UCLA, compared Gribben to Thomas Bowdler (who published expurgated versions of Shakespeare for family reading), telling PW that “a book like Professor Gribben has imagined doesn’t challenge children [and their teachers] to ask, ‘Why would a child like Huck use such reprehensible language?’ “

(the rest of the article here)

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Seems like a scrubbing of American history and culture to me.  I guess when we find things in our country’s past troubling to us, we should simply pretend that they never occurred.

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