SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - This video, produced at the request of parents fighting cuts to the education budget in California - is hilarious, and, unfortunately, right on target.
What a mess the schools are in, trying to deal with budget cuts, teacher layoffs and a never-ending string of new administrative solutions (read: ways to save the bureaucracy at the expense of every one else).
The portions about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are, well, you have to watch for yourself.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Save California State University! Set campuses free
SACRAMENTO, California, USA - The idea is simple, perhaps too simple.
Disband the California State University system and set the 23 campuses that make it up, free.
Let's say it again: Disband the California State University system and set the 23 campuses that make it up free.
At this point the question probably being asked is: Are you nuts?
No.
But the State of California - more specifically the state Legislature, the CSU administration and CSU Board of Trustees- clearly are nuts if they believe the current arrangement is acceptable to anyone (except perhaps them...).
There have been so many egregious things happen because of the hapless (and occasionally malevolent) central administration of the CSU (the Chancellor's Office and the Trustees) they are hard to even catalog.
No need here to rehash the Common Management System, the subject of a blistering report by the California State Auditor a few years ago. Or recently, the CSU's stated position that it will not put any limits on lodging costs for any of its world-traveling (and well-paid) executives. (This while student fees soar, enrollments are cut, faculty are taking pay reductions - and teaching more students in their classes.)
The Chancellor's Office needs to be shutdown, shuttered and perhaps its Long Beach building fumigated - or an exorcism performed - to banish the corruption, the bureaucratic thinking (and the anti-student & anti-faculty attitudes) to let ideas (and higher education) flourish again in the state.
Each of the 23 campuses should be set free to pursue their own destiny, freed from the bureaucracy of the central administration and the CSU Trustees.
What would that pursuit of destiny look like?
I don't know.
There are 23 campuses in 23 different geographic areas of the state with 23 different faculty, staff and students invested in the success of their campuses. And all 23 have spent years under the heel of an administration that treats all 23 campuses almost exactly the same, when they are clearly different.
And in that difference, in those 23 campuses filled with people who have a real stake in providing quality education (as opposed to simply protecting a bureaucracy) there are likely 23 models waiting to be revealed. Twenty-three!
It would be a beautiful thing to watch - and in which to participate.
But the idea is simple, perhaps too simple.
Disband the California State University system and set the 23 campuses that make it up, free.
Let's say it again: Disband the California State University system and set the 23 campuses that make it up free.
At this point the question probably being asked is: Are you nuts?
No.
But the State of California - more specifically the state Legislature, the CSU administration and CSU Board of Trustees- clearly are nuts if they believe the current arrangement is acceptable to anyone (except perhaps them...).
There have been so many egregious things happen because of the hapless (and occasionally malevolent) central administration of the CSU (the Chancellor's Office and the Trustees) they are hard to even catalog.
No need here to rehash the Common Management System, the subject of a blistering report by the California State Auditor a few years ago. Or recently, the CSU's stated position that it will not put any limits on lodging costs for any of its world-traveling (and well-paid) executives. (This while student fees soar, enrollments are cut, faculty are taking pay reductions - and teaching more students in their classes.)
The Chancellor's Office needs to be shutdown, shuttered and perhaps its Long Beach building fumigated - or an exorcism performed - to banish the corruption, the bureaucratic thinking (and the anti-student & anti-faculty attitudes) to let ideas (and higher education) flourish again in the state.
Each of the 23 campuses should be set free to pursue their own destiny, freed from the bureaucracy of the central administration and the CSU Trustees.
What would that pursuit of destiny look like?
I don't know.
There are 23 campuses in 23 different geographic areas of the state with 23 different faculty, staff and students invested in the success of their campuses. And all 23 have spent years under the heel of an administration that treats all 23 campuses almost exactly the same, when they are clearly different.
And in that difference, in those 23 campuses filled with people who have a real stake in providing quality education (as opposed to simply protecting a bureaucracy) there are likely 23 models waiting to be revealed. Twenty-three!
It would be a beautiful thing to watch - and in which to participate.
But the idea is simple, perhaps too simple.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Romans had lead pipes, we have cell phones
ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - The studies about how much lead in water pipes might have helped the Roman Empire collapse are mixed at best. Some scholars point to the fact that winemakers boiled wine in lead urns as part of the wine-making process.
And every high school student knows that lead melts easily. Not as low as 212 degrees Farenheit, but still.
That's history, of course, and is debated mostly by historians working with very sketchy evidence, though modern chemical companies keep up on such debates as they face lawsuits over the effects of their wares. No records of citizen lawsuits in Rome against water companies survived the ages.
Lead in more than pencils
At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, scientists are more and more worried about a non-chemical problem that might be as potent as any cup of wine slugged by a Roman Senator: cell phones.
Personally, I hate the damn things, even though like most people, I would never leave home without mine, in Mexico or the U.S.
But the studies about electromagnetic waves on the brain are chilling.
We are all lab rats, it seems
New, tiny cell phone
For years, as university politics got more and more ugly and nonsensical, I joked that there had to something bad lurking in the university's water fountains (and departmental coffee urns) that was driving faculty and staff (and students) to the brink of madness.
Perhaps it's was not the water after all. It might have been accumulated use of cell phones, Blackberrys, ITouchs and God-knows-what-else doing the trick.
It could explain how Arnold Schwarzenegger got elected governor of California. And maybe the popularity of Glenn Beck (and Sarah Palin)
OK. And Barbara Boxer...
Glenn Beck
Damn, I have to run and end this now. Sorry.
Yup, the Siren of the cell phone is calling me and I can't resist.
Siren of the cell phone
And every high school student knows that lead melts easily. Not as low as 212 degrees Farenheit, but still.
That's history, of course, and is debated mostly by historians working with very sketchy evidence, though modern chemical companies keep up on such debates as they face lawsuits over the effects of their wares. No records of citizen lawsuits in Rome against water companies survived the ages.
At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, scientists are more and more worried about a non-chemical problem that might be as potent as any cup of wine slugged by a Roman Senator: cell phones.
Personally, I hate the damn things, even though like most people, I would never leave home without mine, in Mexico or the U.S.
But the studies about electromagnetic waves on the brain are chilling.
New, tiny cell phone
For years, as university politics got more and more ugly and nonsensical, I joked that there had to something bad lurking in the university's water fountains (and departmental coffee urns) that was driving faculty and staff (and students) to the brink of madness.
Perhaps it's was not the water after all. It might have been accumulated use of cell phones, Blackberrys, ITouchs and God-knows-what-else doing the trick.
It could explain how Arnold Schwarzenegger got elected governor of California. And maybe the popularity of Glenn Beck (and Sarah Palin)
OK. And Barbara Boxer...
Glenn Beck
Damn, I have to run and end this now. Sorry.
Yup, the Siren of the cell phone is calling me and I can't resist.
Siren of the cell phone
Saturday, November 28, 2009
'Wicked' - new view of Wizard of Oz - and the wicked
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., USA - The stage show/musical Wicked is fabulous for a dozen reasons. Ironically the music might not be among them.
True, there are some catchy tunes, but except for Defying Gravity, none seems to have latched onto the collective musical consciousness like tunes from some musicals or the latest Susan Boyle CD. Maybe that's a good thing. How many tunes like Over the Rainbow (from the 1939 movie) can there be?
But musical likes aside, the tale told in Wicked is actually incredibly uplifting - in a different way from the movie starring Judy Garland. In that film, one lesson is 'there's no place like home.' Another, perhaps, is check to see if you are wearing magic shoes.
But the lesson in Wicked is, well, hold on just a minute ...
Right here I have to offer a disclaimer that this is a spoiler review. If you believe you are going to see Wicked in the theatre, read no further. Read no further because the punchline to the whole movie, is, well, a punchline and shocker/surprise. And I would hate to spoil it. So stop here.
Stop!
Still reading? Okay, proceed at your own risk through this enchanted forest, er, review.
Teal Wicks - as the 'Wicked' Witch of the West
Wicked is the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West from birth until the time Dorothy tosses a bucket of water on her, mistakenly believing she was putting out a fire, when in fact, she was melting the witch down to nothingness.
Or so you have thought ever since seeing Judy Garland and her little dog Toto taking on Margaret Hamilton (in the role of the witch) in that film.
In Wicked, the witch has a name - Elphaba - and a family, including a younger sister, a father and mother. And in Wicked, Elphaba grows up and goes away to school, where she has a roommate named Glinda - who is destined to be a good witch.
In Wicked, it becomes clear early in the play that distinguishing between good and evil can be complicated.
But complications aside, what was uncomplicated was a stunning singing and acting performance by Teal Wicks as Elphaba, who even though painted green - and wearing odd-looking glasses - was still drop-dead gorgeous from 20 rows back. Perhaps that shade of green might become the new tan for young women of the non-Oz set.
Elphaba at school
We are getting really close to the major spoiler part, so if you ignored earlier warnings, stop now.
Still there? Okay. This really is the point to turn back.
In the 1939 film, the climatic scene in the movie is when Margaret Hamilton gets hit full-on with a bucket of water and melts right down in front of Dorothy's eyes. "I'm melting, I'm melting," Hamilton shrieks. How many times when someone says they don't want to get wet, do people shoot off the rejoinder: Afraid you will melt? Har, Har!
Indeed, my pretty, indeed.
But in Wicked, it turns out the Wicked Witch of the West isn't wicked at all. In fact, she and her boyfriend (A witch with a boyfriend? What kind of play is this?), turn out to be the most virtuous people in the whole show, with the possible exception of Glinda, who learns late about honesty after getting caught up in some evil machinations. A good deal of those evil machinations were the work of the Wizard of Oz himself. In Wicked, he is not always the lovable, bumbling fellow from the 1939 film.
And the Wizard of Oz has a press secretary. Do I need to elaborate on that?
Patty Duke playing the Wizard's press secretary
Wicked Witch Elphaba, who as noted is really not wicked at all, gets labeled wicked as part of a Oz-style political plot. A fall guy - in this case, fall-witch - was needed and Elphaba was convenient. And being green, well, you just can't trust those people can you?
Fear and fear of 'the other,' was played convincingly enough that from the audience some parts were as painful to watch as the 6 o'clock news on any television station.
And yes, at the very end of the play, Dorothy makes a cameo guest appearance complete with water, and Elphaba appears to melt away after being doused.
But wait! She doesn't melt at all. It was trick. Witches don't melt when hit with water. That just an old witches' tale to make people feel less threatened.
Instead, Elphaba reappears and reunites with her boyfriend/love to head off, away from Oz, presumably to live happily ever after.
And the Wizard and his press secretary?
Well, it turns out Glinda the Good Witch could be good - but also mete out some good justice.
Glinda the good witch
Wicked is a stage play that I might want to see again - even knowing the punchline and how the story progresses over two music-filled acts.
It's like watching the 1942 film Casablanca (with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman) over and over and over.
In Casablanca, I keep waiting for a different ending. (I want Rick to get on the plane with Ilsa and run away.)
In Wicked, the ending - watching Elphaba head off to somewhere over the rainbow - is arguably the best part of the entire experience.
Elphaba sans
green makeup
True, there are some catchy tunes, but except for Defying Gravity, none seems to have latched onto the collective musical consciousness like tunes from some musicals or the latest Susan Boyle CD. Maybe that's a good thing. How many tunes like Over the Rainbow (from the 1939 movie) can there be?
But musical likes aside, the tale told in Wicked is actually incredibly uplifting - in a different way from the movie starring Judy Garland. In that film, one lesson is 'there's no place like home.' Another, perhaps, is check to see if you are wearing magic shoes.
But the lesson in Wicked is, well, hold on just a minute ...
Right here I have to offer a disclaimer that this is a spoiler review. If you believe you are going to see Wicked in the theatre, read no further. Read no further because the punchline to the whole movie, is, well, a punchline and shocker/surprise. And I would hate to spoil it. So stop here.
Stop!
Still reading? Okay, proceed at your own risk through this enchanted forest, er, review.
Teal Wicks - as the 'Wicked' Witch of the West
Wicked is the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West from birth until the time Dorothy tosses a bucket of water on her, mistakenly believing she was putting out a fire, when in fact, she was melting the witch down to nothingness.
Or so you have thought ever since seeing Judy Garland and her little dog Toto taking on Margaret Hamilton (in the role of the witch) in that film.
In Wicked, the witch has a name - Elphaba - and a family, including a younger sister, a father and mother. And in Wicked, Elphaba grows up and goes away to school, where she has a roommate named Glinda - who is destined to be a good witch.
In Wicked, it becomes clear early in the play that distinguishing between good and evil can be complicated.
But complications aside, what was uncomplicated was a stunning singing and acting performance by Teal Wicks as Elphaba, who even though painted green - and wearing odd-looking glasses - was still drop-dead gorgeous from 20 rows back. Perhaps that shade of green might become the new tan for young women of the non-Oz set.
Elphaba at school
We are getting really close to the major spoiler part, so if you ignored earlier warnings, stop now.
Still there? Okay. This really is the point to turn back.
In the 1939 film, the climatic scene in the movie is when Margaret Hamilton gets hit full-on with a bucket of water and melts right down in front of Dorothy's eyes. "I'm melting, I'm melting," Hamilton shrieks. How many times when someone says they don't want to get wet, do people shoot off the rejoinder: Afraid you will melt? Har, Har!
Indeed, my pretty, indeed.
But in Wicked, it turns out the Wicked Witch of the West isn't wicked at all. In fact, she and her boyfriend (A witch with a boyfriend? What kind of play is this?), turn out to be the most virtuous people in the whole show, with the possible exception of Glinda, who learns late about honesty after getting caught up in some evil machinations. A good deal of those evil machinations were the work of the Wizard of Oz himself. In Wicked, he is not always the lovable, bumbling fellow from the 1939 film.
And the Wizard of Oz has a press secretary. Do I need to elaborate on that?
Patty Duke playing the Wizard's press secretary
Wicked Witch Elphaba, who as noted is really not wicked at all, gets labeled wicked as part of a Oz-style political plot. A fall guy - in this case, fall-witch - was needed and Elphaba was convenient. And being green, well, you just can't trust those people can you?
Fear and fear of 'the other,' was played convincingly enough that from the audience some parts were as painful to watch as the 6 o'clock news on any television station.
And yes, at the very end of the play, Dorothy makes a cameo guest appearance complete with water, and Elphaba appears to melt away after being doused.
But wait! She doesn't melt at all. It was trick. Witches don't melt when hit with water. That just an old witches' tale to make people feel less threatened.
Instead, Elphaba reappears and reunites with her boyfriend/love to head off, away from Oz, presumably to live happily ever after.
And the Wizard and his press secretary?
Well, it turns out Glinda the Good Witch could be good - but also mete out some good justice.
Glinda the good witch
Wicked is a stage play that I might want to see again - even knowing the punchline and how the story progresses over two music-filled acts.
It's like watching the 1942 film Casablanca (with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman) over and over and over.
In Casablanca, I keep waiting for a different ending. (I want Rick to get on the plane with Ilsa and run away.)
In Wicked, the ending - watching Elphaba head off to somewhere over the rainbow - is arguably the best part of the entire experience.
Elphaba sans
green makeup
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