Shameless Commerce Division: Help keep LOVESalem HQ Yardwork Free

Just posted this on Craigslist -- $150 takes it ($200 new):

Click on photo to see the Craigslist ad

Spinning a little history the other way

This is a good antidote to some of the irrational nonsense spun by the Tea Party crowds, which is very similar to the nonsense spun by the Religious Right (it's positively astounding how absolutely, unalterably certain they are that God hates exactly the same people that they personally hate and fear).

Tea Party types typically pick from among the Founders' many writings and statements to justify whatever policy position they personally adhere to, ignoring that "the Founders" were themselves quite divided on nearly all important questions. But, just as the Tea-flavored Kool-Aid drinkers get it wrong most of the time, so too do those who ignore the positions of the Anti-Federalists (probably history's most important example of how important naming is to having any chance of winning a political debate).

I understand these things fill up fast, so you might want to get there early if you want a seat.
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Willamette University’s U Think, a popular pub series featuring talks and discussions with university professors, will move to the second Wednesday of each month beginning Sept. 14. History professor Seth Cotlar will discuss the historical accuracy of Tea Party claims about America’s founders.

Beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Brown's Towne Lounge, the series features topics from the sciences and humanities. No background knowledge is necessary, and a question and answer session follows each presentation.

The venue is open to adults 21 and over, and it is in the heart of downtown Salem at 189 Liberty St. NE. Willamette U Think is free, so arrive early to eat, drink and ensure you get a seat.

The dead horse beating will continue some more

What would it take to cause Salem city officials to stop squandering money on a failed business model that will never be well again?

Memo
From: the flying public
To: Salem
Re: Salem airport

We're just not that into you. Now stop pretending that we need commercial service, privatize McNary Field so that it produces some tax revenue instead of wasting it, and get on with planning for transporting people and things in the new high-cost energy world.

For those in Portland next Monday afternoon/evening:

Image via WikipediaHead over to the White Stag block for an important talk about what is perhaps the most insidious, scary part of pumping millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere:  It makes the oceans into big vats of carbonic acid, acid that eats at the base of the food chain at the most vulnerable point.

Ocean Acidification Event in Portland

Learn more about our "other" carbon problem.

Care about the Pacific Northwest’s oceans? Worried our fossil-fuel addiction is jeopardizing our marine and shellfish industries? Learn more about ocean acidification in the Northwest at E2′s event, the Acid Test: Ocean Acidification and the Pacific Northwest.

Speakers will include Washington Representative Brian Baird, NRDC oceans attorney Leila Monroe, and commercial fisherman Amy Grondin. E2 will also screen NRDC’s new short film, Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification.

Where: White Stag Block, University of Oregon – Portland
When: Monday, September 12, 6:00-8:00 PM.

More info.
It’ll be a great, informative event about the Northwest’s “other” carbon problem.

Salem Progressive Film Series resumes with a bang

Another fine bit of Salem is the Salem Progressive Film Series, chiefly shepherded by the tireless Cindy Kimball. Launches another great year of important films with this gem tomorrow night:

Thursday, September 8, 2011
7 PM

The mining & burning of coal is at the epicenter of America’s struggle to balance its energy needs with environmental concerns. The BIG COAL industry detonates the explosive power of a Hiroshima bomb each & every week, shredding timeless landscape & leaving devastated communities & poisoned water. Oregon is at a turning point with the upcoming closure of the Boardman Coal Burning Plant, with opportunities for creating reliable, renewable sources of energy that will bring economic improvement, cleaner air and water. Stars Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Be there Wednesday evening

A very powerful demonstration and special feature for this upcoming First Wednesday -- a valuable reminder that those of us who struggle with keeping our weight down are not the only or most important people who struggle with food issues.

Free class on season extending

· What: Cold frame construction and use workshop.

· Who: Hosted by local enthusiast, Michael Taylor.

· Where: West Salem Boys & Girls Club Community Garden. 925 Gerth St. NW. Salem, OR.

· When: Saturday, September 10th, 10am –12pm.

· How: RSVP by September 7th. This event is free and open to the public.

About the workshop: This class is intended to introduce participants to cold frame construction and gardening while leaving individuals with a greater understanding of the techniques used to extend harvest seasons and establish earlier growing seasons. Class will cover concepts such as site selection, construction, heating and managing through seasons. This is a hands on class so intend to get a little dirty!

About the presenter: Michael Taylor holds a an M.S. in Environmental Education and was on the Board of Directors for the Garden Institute located in Camden, Maine. He has spent the majority of his life living in New England learning and practicing the techniques of cold weather gardening. Michael currently lives in Keizer, OR and works for the Greenhouse Catalog as their Education Coordinator and Customer Service representative.

RSVP to imcdonald@marionpolkfoodshare.org or call 503-581-3855 x329.

What we make now: hype

Sam Smith nails it yet again:

American Idol is a living metaphor of everything that we are now supposed to desire, buy, cheer and vote for. While there are still real artists, heroines, singers, and leaders, their role in American society has been largely eclipsed by fame factories that transmogrify the ordinary into something we are finally convinced is grand.

Perhaps the most startling example can be found in our politics. Bearing in mind the process, culture and style of American Idol, consider again the rise of our two last Democratic presidents – Clinton and Obama – or the current crop of GOP contenders.

Neither Clinton or Obama had any particular qualifications to be president.  But according to the media and the Randy Jacksons, Steve Tylers and Jennifer Lopez’s of their party they were incredibly magnificent (with a just few reservations for the sake of reality) . . . which is to say the contestants had the ambition while the American Political Idol show had the money, the moxie and the public relations manipulation to turn them into icons. And so on the same night that I watched Scott McCreery returning home to North Carolina and pitching to his old baseball buddies and Obama going to Ireland and playing ping pong with the British prime minister I felt like it was the same show.

Our political contestants have to prove themselves in the primaries just as Idol singers have to prove themselves in numerous weeks of competition, but in both cases the original choice of whom America will get to choose among has been made at the start of the season and largely out of sight of the public. Think of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as Scotty McCreary and Laura Alaina and you get the idea. The show’s producers would have been happy with either one, because they had created chosen and reconstructed both. And, while you’re at it, think of the trio of judges as panelists on Meet the Press and Ryan Seacrest as the show’s David Gregory, and it all begins to become clear.

Even this year’s undistinguished Republican crowd is reminiscent of the early season Idol shows. We know practically nothing about almost all of them, but months before the first actual primary, the inside selection process is already underway, witness the unexplained sudden departure of some.

The key part of the metaphor is that if you go back to the beginning of the season, you will find something much like that outlined in Wikipedia:

|||| Contestants go through three rigorous sets of cuts. The first is a brief audition with three other contestants in front of selectors which may include one of the show's producers. The number of auditioners can exceed 10,000 people each city, but only about 100–200 contestants in each city may make it past this round of preliminary auditions. Successful contestants are sent through to audition in front of producers. More contestants are cut in the producers round before they can proceed to audition in front of the judges, which is the only audition stage shown on the show. Those selected by the judges are sent to Hollywood. Between 10–60 people in each city may make it to Hollywood. At the end of the Hollywood week, 24–36 contestants were selected to move on to the semifinal stage.|||

In other words, though the illusion is that the American Idol is picked by tens of millions of viewers, this is far from the case. It all started in seven cities with 10,000 or more contestants in each. This was winnowed down to 24 to 36 before the public was brought in. The fame factory eliminated over 100,000 in its own manner and of its own choosing, before the public had a damn thing to say about it.

In other words, a pretty good analogy to American national politics. And to how we get to choose a lot of things in this land. . .long after many important choices have already been made.

Ravitch the Reformed Testmaniac

Diane Ravitch is a fascinating case, a highly educated and influential person who has a very rare trait: she is willing to admit a mistake, as when she now realizes that her support for the testmania was a tremendous error.  Her book "The Death and Life of the American School System" is tremendous.

In their embrace of testing, Sparks Middle School, Aspire Antonio Maria Lugo Academy and Wilmington Middle School reflect the data-driven approach to education that has dominated American schools since the No Child Left Behind Act was approved in 2001.

These schools swear by their system, but it’s a trend that many reformers decry, among them Diane Ravitch, the former assistant U.S. secretary of education. Ravitch, who initially supported No Child, now says the mandate for standardized testing is “part of the sickness of American education.” She chronicled her change of heart in The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education, a 2010 best-seller.

It’s not data that’s missing, Ravitch says. It’s vision. Testing should be used as a diagnostic tool, not to replace instruction. As she said in a recent interview with Miller-McCune, “You don’t spend your life to get a temperature of 98.6.”

“This heavy concentration on testing and scores distorts education,” Ravitch says. “The schools take time from the arts, history, foreign languages, civics and other important studies to get those scores up. Makes a school look better, but it has nothing to do with good education. … Are the kids in the school honest? Are they responsible? Are they willing to stand up to bullies and show courage?”

 That was from Miller-McCune magazine, a very interesting new magazine.  More on schools from their website:

Back-to-School Basics

For a look at what public schools are doing to repair themselves on the cheap, check out the education stories found in the September-October 2011 issue of Miller-McCune, and when they’ll be available on Miller-McCune.com:

Teacher Collaboration Gives Schools Better Results, August 22

What Would Diane Ravitch Say?, August 22

Chicago Charter Schools Aim to Lift Urban Education, August 23

Bad Teachers Improving With Help From Peers, August 24

Showing Where Community Colleges Pass, Fail, August 25

Bridging the Budget Gap with Stolen Lunch Money, August 25

Teaching Religious Literacy in California’s Bible Belt, August 26

Checking Consumerism at the School Door, August 26

And … an online exclusive:
The Real Cheating Scandal of Standardized Tests

Related articles

• Diane Ravitch on Democracy Now: "Poverty is the Problem" (seattleducation2010.wordpress.com)
• School Cred: How Much Time Have Ed. Reformers Actually Spent in the Classroom? (educationclearinghouse.wordpress.com)

At the American Journal of Public Health, experts examine the risks posed by peak petroleum | Energy Bulletin

http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2011-08-29/american-journal-public-health-experts-examine-risks-posed-peak-petroleum