Some of Paton’s Scarping is more fun that others
August 4, 2010
by David Safier I've dubbed Jonathan Paton's more amusing or swinging-wild newsletters and press releases "Scarps," after his press guy, Daniel Scarpinato, who used to write for the Star. The definition of Scarps: Attack dog, logic-challenged rants written for Paton by Daniel Scarpinato. The latest Scarp is a hoot. Apparently, Jesse Kelly has a poll
For profit education: a bad idea?
August 4, 2010
by David Safier You may have seen the recent articles about investigations into financial and educational abuses at for profit colleges. My question is, should we have the same concern about K-12 for-profit education? Arizona is one of the few states where for-profit charter schools are legal. But even in states which only allow nonprofit
Link to my endorsement of Penny Kotterman
August 4, 2010
by David Safier I posted Personal endorsement: Penny Kotterman for Education Superintendent last Friday afternoon. That's considered to be the worst time in the weekday news cycle, when everyone is thinking about the weekend and no one is paying attention. On top of that, the post was soon buried by other posts. For that reason,
Lies, etc. from Crusaders Against Babies
August 4, 2010
by David Safier Have you wondered, as I have, how those 19th century legislators could be so stupid? I mean, when they supported the 14th amendment, how could they completely ignore the fact that it would apply, not only to ex-slaves and their children, but to babies born to other folks in the country who
Alan Greenspan: Extending Bush tax cuts would be disastrous
August 4, 2010
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Better late than never I guess. Alan Greenspan could have stopped this disaster from occurring back in 2001. Now that the economy lies in the wreckage of failed faith based supply-side "trickle down" GOP economics, ol' Alan has suddenly seen the light and found religion. Greenspan Chides Republicans For Pushing To Extend Bush
The Arizona Daily Star is just like the Faux News Fraudcasting Network
August 3, 2010
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Tea Party Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Nevada, Sharron Angle, is so comfortable with softball questions in the protective cocoon of the conservative media bubble that when she appears on the Faux News Fraudcasting Network she believes that she is speaking just to like-minded individuals and that no one else is watching.
Angle unwittingly exposed the too-cozy relationship between Faux News and Republicans in this devastating disclosure to reporter Carl Cameron (at 2:35 mark). Angle tells Cameron that she should be asked prearranged questions that she submits in advance so that she can get in her talking points and, oh by the way, she should also be able to do fund raising appeals for her campaign when she appears on Faux News. (You mean that Republicans are not already doing this on Faux News?):
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Imagine Schools in the news, again (but not in Arizona)
August 3, 2010
by David Safier I haven't written about Imagine Schools for awhile. They're a huge, nationwide, for-profit corporation with over a dozen schools in Arizona. They've also been plagued with problems, which have gotten lots of press nationwide. I have a huge folder filled with articles about Imagine Schools problems from around the country, but few
Teachers cheating on standardized tests? Who woulda guessed?
August 3, 2010
by David Safier Let's see. Put enormous pressure on teachers to have their students score well on high stakes tests. Tell them their salary levels and their jobs are at stake. What might happen? Oh, maybe some teachers will fudge their students' scores a little bit. Investigators say more than 100 educators should face scrutiny
