The Kid's Got Talent

*11/29/08 update: After a bit more research, I found out that the actual singing is done by the acapella group Moosebutter (they have given the video artist permission to use their soundtrack). If you like what you hear, go over to their website and buy the track for $.99.

Globalist Sweatshop Management Approaches Crushing Higher Ed Teachers

Charles Mannin, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, recently pushed the humanity of the bulk of Tennessee higher ed teachers and students right out of his mind:

Charles Manning, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, acknowledged that adjuncts teach a large share of the classes at the board’s institutions. “They are critical,” he said. Asked if they were well paid, he said that they are “clearly not.”

At the same time, he defended the decision not to raise the maximum level. “That would raise expectations when we don’t have the money,” he said.

If colleges pay adjuncts more, Manning said, the institutions would have to cut sections, so that some smaller number of adjuncts would be paid, but others would be out of work, and some students wouldn’t get into classes. “We have an obligation to raise the levels of education,” he said. “The alternative for us is not to teach as many students, and we don’t think that’s right, either.”

Um, when did "raising expectations" become such a horrible thing? I guess when it coincides with any attempt to cram more students in front of the people you are crushing. I guess "being able to actually grade papers" and "freeing teachers from having to apply for food stamps" doesn't figure into any formula on how to "raise the levels of education." I'm surprised that the University of Tennessee regents aren't trying to emulate Chinese methods of melamine and lead injection as a way of "raising the levels" of food quality.

Seasons of Pain

November fourth is the day when my web surfing habits shift dramatically.

Before:
Pollster/Five-thirty-eight
Real Clear Politics
Daily Kos/Red State
Drudge/Huffington Post
CNN/MSNBC/NY Times

After:
Weather Underground
Weather.com
ESPN
Apartment therapy
Dwell
CNN/MSNBC/NY times

Semiotics of Power, Part 4

As this POTUS campaign comes to a close, a candidate I earlier examined made a final pitch last night. I must say that this longform commercial had "shock and awe" value for the competing campaigns, despite its personal and voter-centered focus.

Thanks from the Rez

Southwestern writer, Tony Hillerman, has hung up his boots for good. I'll write a longer blog post about him later, but I just want to acknowledge the passing of this authorial force and great person.

I voted today

I hope you vote soon too...

Amen

I agree, Tom Friedman. Ethos is EVERYTHING.

Fall's Sentinels

Few scenes strike more poetically than autumn-clad maples guarding over a cemetery.

Fugue in Autumn Minor

Just a few pics from our recent Lake Itasca trip:

Twitterpation

An informal, but interesting, list of why one person loves Twitter.

A Dilbert Take

Scott Adams, the cartoonist for Dilbert, a McCain contributor who concedes that he leans "Libertarian, minus the crazy stuff," commissioned a detailed study on whether an Obama administration or a McCain administration would be better for the U.S. Economy. The results of the survey of 500 economists is pretty startling. He writes up the study's findings in a blog entry, which contains some pretty interesting tidbits. I was a little surprised to learn that:

there are far more Democratic economists than Republicans, and both sides strongly support their candidate. Does that tell us anything useful at all?

Economists crossed party lines on the questions of International Trade, Environmental Policy, Immigration, Reducing Waste in Government, and Reducing the Deficit. I didn't include a question about a gas tax holiday, because the idea has already expired, but economists crossed party lines on that issue too. That suggests a degree of objectivity on an issue level. The crossover issues, plus the rankings, are important no matter who gets elected. That will tell you if your president has the right priorities.

Even with that caveat, Adams is careful to note the political affiliation of who holds what opinions. The majority believe an Obama administration would be better for the economy. His final point in his CNN writeup of the study seems the most telling:

Among independents, things are less clear, with 54 percent thinking that in the long run there would either be no difference between the candidates or McCain would do better.

While "independents" can mean almost anything, this test of intellectual honesty could be re-worded as "46% of nonaffiliated economists think Obama would be better." While that puts majority of nonaffiliated economists for the other two categories, it seems likely that McCain drew even less enthusiasm. Since the orthodox economic theory SHOULD favor a deregulating, free-marketer McCain, it seems curious that these middle-ground economists are warming to at least the idea of some regulation of markets. They aren't there with international trade, but it seems like they are concluding that domestic issues may be better handled with at least some of the intervention that an Obama administration proposes.

Political Hay Season

I hate to have so many political posts, BUT...

I wonder how much hay will be made of this Gore-esque claim...

Connecting the Dots

I'm not a fan of Joe Klein, but if the press starts to connect these two things, McCain is likely toast. We'll see.

Want!

Compact, mobile, and totally cool.

Good Answers

Corporate Sclerosis

So, it appears that our terrorist watch "list" (it's really a database) is on the verge of collapse. It looks a lot like corporations on the government dole aren't as good at cooking up solutions as they often claim. Seems like citizens should be demanding more competition for government contracts, more transparent representation (a.k.a. less lobbyist access) and a more robust public debate over the things that affect the public.

Oops

Wrong answer.

Hang in there Georgia

Georgia is getting news out via blogger. New world meet the old world.

Nice

“I think people generally understand the 21st-century reality that this type of public information is going to be widely available.”

Your criminal and political information is now available to anyone at the click of a mouse. Nice.

Sunsets

One of the things I miss most about living in the West (Arizona and New Mexico) are the sunsets. Fortunately, we occasionally get some pretty spectacular ones (usually in July and August when the long daylight hours combine with rain clouds). Here are some shots from just a few evenings ago.