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Monday, September 3, 2012
Salem Progressive Film Series -- 6 years young and stronger than ever!
One of the best things going keeps going another year:
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Saturday, September 1, 2012
RIP Gus
Gus, Gust-of-fur, Gus-Gus, Deiselpurr ... By any name, the sweetest cat we've ever loved, taken by aggressive lymphoma today, not even having reached his fourth birthday. Survived by two grieving peeps and his yin/yang all-black twin and big brother, rescue shelter mate Simon, who comforted Gus in his illness with baths and snuggling together.
Friday, August 31, 2012
WORD: We Just Don’t Get it -- Education Is All About the Teachers
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/10130-we-just-dont-get-it-education-is-all-about-the-teachers
When I got out of the Navy In 1989, I looked into teaching, as I had been a teacher through several stints in the Navy and was very good at it, and owed everything to a handful of teachers I'd run into along the way in k-12.
I quickly figured out that no matter how much you liked teaching, teaching in public schools was absurdly masochistic and unrewarding, kind of like the worst parts of the military ("it doesn't make sense, it's just our policy") only with the best parts removed, and at ridiculously low pay and zero prestige, and with the only opportunity for advancement being to leave the classroom.
The bottom line is that teaching, nursing, and social work were and essentially remain women's professions, which means that we used to cream the best of them because there were such limits on opportunities in other fields, even as we paid jack (note which three major professions require unpaid internships -- while paying tuition-- as a matter of course). As other fields opened up to women, the cream left in droves, and the salary scales have never adjusted, because we just fill from the bottom of the barrel.
Given the lack of respect that teachers get and the abysmal job of "parenting" so many folks do (while holding insane expectations for what the teachers are supposed to do, despite total nonsupport from those same folks), the question I have isn't how to get more good teachers, it's whether the demolition of the public schools isn't intentional on the part of the GOPsters, just another public good to be destroyed in order to create another profit center for business.
When I got out of the Navy In 1989, I looked into teaching, as I had been a teacher through several stints in the Navy and was very good at it, and owed everything to a handful of teachers I'd run into along the way in k-12.
I quickly figured out that no matter how much you liked teaching, teaching in public schools was absurdly masochistic and unrewarding, kind of like the worst parts of the military ("it doesn't make sense, it's just our policy") only with the best parts removed, and at ridiculously low pay and zero prestige, and with the only opportunity for advancement being to leave the classroom.
The bottom line is that teaching, nursing, and social work were and essentially remain women's professions, which means that we used to cream the best of them because there were such limits on opportunities in other fields, even as we paid jack (note which three major professions require unpaid internships -- while paying tuition-- as a matter of course). As other fields opened up to women, the cream left in droves, and the salary scales have never adjusted, because we just fill from the bottom of the barrel.
Given the lack of respect that teachers get and the abysmal job of "parenting" so many folks do (while holding insane expectations for what the teachers are supposed to do, despite total nonsupport from those same folks), the question I have isn't how to get more good teachers, it's whether the demolition of the public schools isn't intentional on the part of the GOPsters, just another public good to be destroyed in order to create another profit center for business.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
New Long-Term Care Insurance Claims Protections | The Lund Report
Hat tip to the invaluable Lund Report:
July
10, 2012 -- Oregonians who have long-term care insurance now have the
right to have their claims paid promptly and to appeal an insurance
company decision to deny benefits.
The
changes are due to a 2011 law that became effective for people who buy
new policies starting July 1, 2012. For those with existing policies,
the law is effective when their policy renews, meaning it will be phased
in over a year’s period.
“Consumers
with long-term care insurance policies have not had the same
protections as consumers with other health insurance claims, yet they
are some of the most vulnerable Oregonians,” Oregon Insurance
Commissioner Lou Savage said.
“Now,
people with long-term care insurance or their representatives can more
easily challenge claim denials or delays, which are the most typical
complaints we receive,” Savage added. . . . . (more)
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Have your say on Library Services
Salem's poor library -- an embattled treasure, constantly being cut back while the city squanders money on boondoggle fantasies of a third auto bridge and pouring money down the drain at the airport.
Speak up now! Tell the city you want more and better library services throughout Salem!
Speak up now! Tell the city you want more and better library services throughout Salem!
Salem Public Library is conducting a study to understand the needs of our community and our customers.
If you are also a Salem Public Library cardholder, you may have received a survey invitation from the Library recently. If you responded to it, we appreciate it. We are now conducting an online survey with community stakeholders to assess the direction of the library and better understand the needs for library services in our community. We invite you to participate in the survey by clicking on the link provided below.
On behalf of everyone at the Salem Public Library, we would like to thank you in advance for your willingness to share your thoughts and opinions with us to help make our Library better for the future.
Please click here to take the survey.
Note: The survey will close on Friday, September 7 at 11:59 PM.
Regards,
BJ Toewe
Library Administrator, Salem Public Library
The Silence on Global Warming | Common Dreams
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/07/09-0
People talk about how no one particular weather event can be tied to climate disruption as if admitting the limits of our understanding means that there IS no connection, rather than that our tools for discernment are weak in the face of such vast complexity. Smarter people than us would tread carefully in the face of such complexity, rather than acting like two year olds who assume that what they don't know can't hurt them.
People talk about how no one particular weather event can be tied to climate disruption as if admitting the limits of our understanding means that there IS no connection, rather than that our tools for discernment are weak in the face of such vast complexity. Smarter people than us would tread carefully in the face of such complexity, rather than acting like two year olds who assume that what they don't know can't hurt them.
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