Pro-Coal and Pro-Nuclear Congressional Energy Bills on Crash Course with Environment, U.S. Economy and the Public
November 29, 2009
This may seem like blasphemy: the House Bill on energy known as The American Clean Energy Act is the most detrimental bill the House has passed since the Patriot Act. Like the Patriot Act, it is not what it says it is. It should never become law. It is not a clean energy bill.
Book Review: Capitalism’s Wicked Witch: Ayn Rand
November 29, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Allen Barra at The Daily Beast has posted a book review of two new biographies about the life of Ayn Rand: Ayn Rand and the World She Made by Anne C. Heller, and Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right by Jennifer Burns. Capitalism's Wicked Witch – The Daily
Good teachers will do damn near anything for their students
November 29, 2009
by David Safier Here's another comment from the teacher in Tempe whose comment I moved to the front a few days ago. He spotlights one of the ironies good teachers understand. They complain, rightly, about budget cuts and unnecessary restrictions. But when the students walk in the classroom, all that goes out the window and
More on using tests to rate teachers
November 28, 2009
by David Safier Commenters have been doing my work for me lately — and better than I do it in many instances. Here's a terrific comment by davewave64 on the subject of rating teachers based on student test scores. As you'll see, he's in the ed research profession. My favorite idea: his conclusion that one
Ti’s The Season
November 28, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Ti's the season for Billo the Clown and Faux News to light up its annual "War on Christmas" nonsense. And this year Arizona's Accidental Governor kicks off the festivities. Arizona Capitol Times » Brewer brings Christmas, Hanukkah back to Capitol displays “I believe in calling something what it is, and it is
“It’s their party and they’ll purge if they want to…”
November 27, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: My apologies to Lesley Gore for the caption. The Republican National Committee will hold its winter meeting in January in Honolulu, Hawaii. Honolulu? Isn't Hawaii dismissed by conservatives as being "some sort of foreign, exotic place" not quite part of the United States, despite being the 50th state admitted to the Union
How do you rate teachers whose students aren’t tested?
November 27, 2009
by David Safier As much as I've read about linking teacher salaries and retention to student testing, I've never found a satisfactory answer to this question: what about teachers in subjects that aren't tested? The trend toward tying everything to tests is accelerating. [New York's] Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said on Wednesday that New York
