from: Common Sense and Wonder
We keep hearing about this "Arab Street." And nothing ever seems to happen. What seems to worry the people in charge in Cairo and Riyadh more seems to be the possibility of a democracy in Iraq which will show that it is possible to live in the Arab world and be free at the same time.
Wednesday, August 28
from the FAQ for CanonicalTomes
Q: Isn't this whole notion of advocating certain books as the canonical tomes just a blatant attempt to force the world to conform to the male european hegemony of capitalist neo-fascism? How can you perpetuate the notion of one reference being 'better' or 'worse' than any other, given the utterly relativistic post-modern ethos which has so consistently shown itself to be The One True Path to Enlightenment?
A: Go away.
Q: Isn't this whole notion of advocating certain books as the canonical tomes just a blatant attempt to force the world to conform to the male european hegemony of capitalist neo-fascism? How can you perpetuate the notion of one reference being 'better' or 'worse' than any other, given the utterly relativistic post-modern ethos which has so consistently shown itself to be The One True Path to Enlightenment?
A: Go away.
from: The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
September 11: What Our Children Need to Know
In this report, with the help of 23 distinguished authors, we seek to provide answers to those questions and to suggest what U.S. schools and educators should teach their students so that they will better understand this event, its precursors and its aftermath and so that they will be better able to function as young citizens of a nation that has endured a wicked attack and is now engaged in a serious and protracted war.
Why is such advice needed? The short, unpleasant answer is because so much nonsense is circulating in the education world that we felt obliged to offer some sort of alternative, an objective rendering from the perspective of first-rate thinkers, scholars, analysts and educators who share our discomfort with what is fast becoming the conventional wisdom in education-land.
September 11: What Our Children Need to Know
In this report, with the help of 23 distinguished authors, we seek to provide answers to those questions and to suggest what U.S. schools and educators should teach their students so that they will better understand this event, its precursors and its aftermath and so that they will be better able to function as young citizens of a nation that has endured a wicked attack and is now engaged in a serious and protracted war.
Why is such advice needed? The short, unpleasant answer is because so much nonsense is circulating in the education world that we felt obliged to offer some sort of alternative, an objective rendering from the perspective of first-rate thinkers, scholars, analysts and educators who share our discomfort with what is fast becoming the conventional wisdom in education-land.
Monday, August 26
from Newsweek: Another Pose of Rectitude
George Orwell’s axiom about intellectuals—that some ideas are so silly that only intellectuals will embrace them—needs a corollary that covers U.S. senators: No international agreement is so grandiose in its ambitions and so unclear about the obligations it imposes that it cannot receive the support of many U.S. senators. Consider the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
George Orwell’s axiom about intellectuals—that some ideas are so silly that only intellectuals will embrace them—needs a corollary that covers U.S. senators: No international agreement is so grandiose in its ambitions and so unclear about the obligations it imposes that it cannot receive the support of many U.S. senators. Consider the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Sunday, August 25
from: Common Sense and Wonder
Check out this quote [NYTimes registration required] from Rep. Eddie Johnson, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, about Denise Majette, the African American woman who defeated Cynthia McKinney:
"If she comes here willing to work with us and is not skewed by the agenda of her supporters, of course we work with her, we all know we have to move past this."
Skewed by the agenda of her supporters? God forbid she actually listens to her constituents. Rep. Johnson also said:
"To have non-African-Americans from around the country putting millions into a race to unseat one of our leaders for expressing her right of free speech is definitely a problem."
Rep. Johnson really does need a lesson in democracy. Money doesn't unseat politicians, voting does. And democracy is all about voting for people you agree with and voting against those you don't agree with.
Check out this quote [NYTimes registration required] from Rep. Eddie Johnson, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, about Denise Majette, the African American woman who defeated Cynthia McKinney:
"If she comes here willing to work with us and is not skewed by the agenda of her supporters, of course we work with her, we all know we have to move past this."
Skewed by the agenda of her supporters? God forbid she actually listens to her constituents. Rep. Johnson also said:
"To have non-African-Americans from around the country putting millions into a race to unseat one of our leaders for expressing her right of free speech is definitely a problem."
Rep. Johnson really does need a lesson in democracy. Money doesn't unseat politicians, voting does. And democracy is all about voting for people you agree with and voting against those you don't agree with.
Thursday, August 22
I continue to be amazed by the beauty of this photograph, taken by Chris Ison at the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race last weekend. [ via Yahoo! News ]
Wednesday, August 21
CNN, CBS Say Money Didn't Go to Al Qaeda
CNN and CBS News both say they paid for videotape that depicts al Qaeda activities, but add that they're certain the money has not ended up in the hands of Osama bin Laden's terror network.
CNN, which scored a coup when it began running some of the footage Sunday night, beating out CBS, saw the focus of discussion shift from the tapes themselves to the question of whether the cable network had deliberately misled the New York Times and the Associated Press on the issue of payment for them.
CNN and CBS News both say they paid for videotape that depicts al Qaeda activities, but add that they're certain the money has not ended up in the hands of Osama bin Laden's terror network.
CNN, which scored a coup when it began running some of the footage Sunday night, beating out CBS, saw the focus of discussion shift from the tapes themselves to the question of whether the cable network had deliberately misled the New York Times and the Associated Press on the issue of payment for them.
Sony's new flat panel TV
Sony's new flat-panel television, Plasma Wega, is unveiled in Tokyo August 21, 2002. The world's largest audio-video electronics maker said the television's new microchips used Sony-only technology and predicted that the Wega brand will put the company back on the map in the market's fastest-growing sector. The new 50-inch Wega will go on sale October 20 with a price tag of about 1,100,000 yen (about $9,326).
Sony's new flat-panel television, Plasma Wega, is unveiled in Tokyo August 21, 2002. The world's largest audio-video electronics maker said the television's new microchips used Sony-only technology and predicted that the Wega brand will put the company back on the map in the market's fastest-growing sector. The new 50-inch Wega will go on sale October 20 with a price tag of about 1,100,000 yen (about $9,326).
Apple’s Final Cut Pro Wins Emmy Award
Final Cut Pro, Apple’s professional video and film editing software, will receive a 2002 Emmy Engineering Award for its impact on the television industry from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Final Cut Pro, Apple’s professional video and film editing software, will receive a 2002 Emmy Engineering Award for its impact on the television industry from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Tuesday, August 20
NEA plan for 9/11 not backed by teachers
Teachers nationwide say they will develop lesson plans about September 11 based on students' questions and will focus on the facts to correct any misconceptions children may have about the terrorist attacks.
Teachers nationwide say they will develop lesson plans about September 11 based on students' questions and will focus on the facts to correct any misconceptions children may have about the terrorist attacks.
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About Me
- Peter Svensk
- Microsoft web guy who used to drive the Calico Mine Train at Knott's Berry Farm in the late '70s.
