Public Education Getting Hijacked?

Talking with friends recently I was reminded again that I'm all alone when it comes to following the actions of the state legislators in Nashville. Not surprising when in years past thousands of bills are introduced. Efforts are underway to limit each member to 15 bills seems to hit their goal, with less than 1500 introduced this session.

But awareness of those 1500 is mighty small outside of political junkies such as I. And what I'm seeing is quite perplexing - actions to privatize public education alone should be getting attention statewide but the actions are swaddled in language that defies simple explanations. The rapid changes of recent years are also seldom understood by residents in general despite the massive alterations to how education systems work in the state.

One major change getting pushed is the "voucher" program, which aims to steadily allow education tax funds to get shifted to private schools though these schools ultimately will decide which students to take in.

A stark and plain rebuke of this plan was made recently by Rep. Joe Pitts, which you can see here.

He also speaks plainly in a recent interview:

"If you think about it, we made significant changes to public policy in education in 2010 as a part of our First to the Top agenda proposed by Gov Bredesen – a Democrat, followed by nightmarish changes to the teachers’ environment in 2011 by eliminating collective bargaining, tenure, and removing TEA from their seat at the table, all in the name of “reform.”

"On top of all that we approved virtual schools, unlimited charter schools, put undue pressure on teachers and principals by adopting an assessment tool that is unnecessarily bureaucratic, adopted the Common Core, and are preparing to implement a new assessment called PARRC. Now, we are attacking our teacher preparation programs by looking at putting artificial thresholds on ACT and SAT scores for students who wish to go through their respective College of Education. I’ve said it before; we are giving our education system whiplash with these rapid-fire changes and creating massive confusion. Who can blame more seasoned teachers from deciding to retire instead of continuing in a system that does not appreciate their significant achievement and experience in the classroom and will subject them to the latest reform experiment?

"Perhaps the corporate robber barons of the reform movement need to be asked to leave the room and let the education professionals do their jobs. I have complete faith in our school districts across our state if we can offer our help instead of the cram down policies that have little to no basis in fact or success."

Mash-Up of Odd Legislation Flows In Tennessee

Taking taxpayer funds from struggling schools and giving them as tuition fees to private schools seems a poorly thought idea. Republicans in the Tennessee legislature continue to push the idea anyway on a very fast track. 

Also moving quickly into law, the state is restricting the decisions of city and county governments in a wide range of areas: setting wages, naming local parks, school boards, etc etc.

Also there are efforts underway to require dog owners in Tennessee to purchase $25000 in liability insurance, or worse, to make the law apply only to certain breeds.

Another bill would bar teachers from talking to students about the problems or issues they might have and talk instead to clinical therapists who would be obligated to share the student's thoughts with parents ... But there are no plans to fund the cost of adding clinical professionals to a school's payroll.

Already approved is a law allowing gun permit holders to keep their guns in their cars - which certainly alerts criminals that they might be able to steal a gun by merely breaking into a vehicle.

Bad ideas and odd restrictions are flowing freely.

Secrecy, Paranoia and Daily Life

Last year a spy movie franchise based on Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne series hit movie watchers with a cornucopia of paranoia and high tech fears. Was it all fiction or perhaps just the edge of how vast and responsive surveillance and security can be?

The movie boasted scenes of drone attacks sending missiles at single individuals, embedded tracking chips, secret drug controlled assassins, a secret room with the tech crews to combine and search every camera on the planet, and on and on. And just last week the paranoia hit the US Senate as Senator Rand Paul took the floor and for 13 hours worried aloud about the abilities of drone programs run by the federal government.

Both Ludlum and Rand however are sadly out of date. Our nation has pushed past surveillance and civil liberty standards 12 years ago. Let's look at some basics of where we really are --

-- Right now it is county sheriffs and state police which are working to deploy drone surveillance, which easily by-passes federal laws or protections. The military-industrial research on Smart Dust is approaching reality and reduces the size of a drone to dust motes.

-- The creepy invasion of laptops and more by deviants who want to spy on girls and raid their personal files is surely shocking. And that same software was used by Syria recently to spy and oppose rebel forces' communications and battle plans.

-- A rise in commercial research into data acquisition in the last few decades now operates at stunning levels, and information is the endless edge of weaponry and surveillance, and many folks are happy to pay for the devices and apps that track them. Combine the info we are fairly sure we provide without thought with the info secretly acquired, and most details about you are easily found.

Returning to some previous world of less surveillance will simply not happen. The software that might be looking at you, though, can also look at the lookers.

Sen. Rand Paul Ignores 30 U.S. States Wanting Drones of their Own

Some faux drama brought out by Sen. Rand Paul wailing about the use of surveillance or armed drones ignored a basic fact - U.S. states want their own drone systems. That includes Tennessee.

"It's a race to see which state will be the first to pass legislation governing domestic drone use. Coming out of the gate first was Florida, which passed a bill through several committees in the Senate back in January. This is notable since the Florida legislature didn’t officially convene until March 5—they thought this issue was so important that they moved the bill during their committee organizing sessions. Then Montana pulled up from behind, passing two drones bills all the way through their Senate by mid-February. But, Virginia raced ahead, sending two bills to their governor’s desk by the beginning of March, where they currently await signature.

"Drone legislation has been proposed in at least 30 states so far. As part of my job working with ACLU affiliates nationwide to analyze and respond to the various proposals, I have read every single one of these bills, and I thought it would be useful to summarize what we’re seeing in this legislation.

The good news is that the vast majority of the bills require a probable cause warrant in order for law enforcement to use drones to collect information to use against someone in court."

The status of all such legislative action is here.

As for Sen. Paul, given that the Senate and House cannot even agree on creating the basic budgetary needs of the nation, perhaps other issues should prompt filibusters first.

Vouchers for Public School: Who Benefits?

Taking Tennessee taxpayer funds away from public schools and giving those funds to private schools - whether you call it "vouchers" or Opportunity Scholarships" - doesn't add up.

A good overview of the plans can be found here at Metropulse.

Other phrases being used in debates include "reform" and "choice" but the bottom line is - does this voucher plan aid students or private schools most?

State Democrats, via Roy Herron, offered the following this week:

"Tennessee is making gains in graduating high school students. Between 2002 and 2010, the state graduation rate went from 59.6 to 80.4 percent, gaining an average of 2.45 percent a year between 2006 and 2010. [Commercial Appeal, 2/25/13]

"And what are these “good schools” they’re talking about giving (with our tax dollars) “scholarships” to? They are private schools.

"Now, if it’s “school choice” you want, we’ve already got that in Tennessee. Nancy and I had the “choice” to send our children to any number of schools, including any number of public and private schools. That’s legal in Tennessee right now.

"We’ve got Governor’s Schools, Magnet Schools, STEM schools, public charters, private schools, and regular public schools like our three sons attended. And I know something about the quality of education they got—and so do their college professors."

TN House Leader Says No Debate for Legislation

Business owners in TN are facing new orders via the State - employees with handgun conceal permits are allowed to use their vehicles to store weapons on business property.

Any merits aside, TN House Speaker, Republican Beth Harwell banned comments on the bill from any who might be opposed.

"Republican leaders called a caucus meeting before this morning’s session to make sure lawmakers were with the program. Their basic message? Let’s do this fast before voters wake up and realize just how contemptible we are. Reporters, including Pith informant Andrea Zelinski, were allowed into the meeting and happily tweeted away as Speaker Beth Harwell made her case for minimizing media coverage and political fallout.

"The less you say the better. … Just stay quiet ..." Harwell told Republicans."

Rep. Harwell also limited this session the number of bills each member can introduced - though certainly keeping that number low seems laudable, it also limits business from state debate.

"Harwell's new 15-bill limit has reduced the number of bills filed this year, as compared to last, by about one-third. The speakers have set a goal of adjourning by April 19. Under the normal schedule of legislators working four days per week, there will be 28 more days to deal with almost 1,400 bills."

Mobile Apps Control Happiness?

A company called Apigee, which makes mobile apps and other APIs (application program interface), conducted a recent survey which boasts that people rate having apps above having water.

Not surprising an app company claims apps are All Important. But the results of their 760 person survey in Europe and the U.S. seem rather odd indeed. Full story from Apigee here.

Some highlights:

When asked the age at which it’s appropriate for a child to receive their first smartphone, 75% say somewhere between the ages of 12 and 16. However, 2% of Germans say a one-year-old child should have a smartphone, 8% of Americans say the right age is 10, and 6% of people in the U.S. and Spain say parents should wait until kids reach the age of 18 before giving them their first smartphone."

Other results:

-- 85% of respondents would rather give up drinking water than delete all of their mobile apps.

-- 82% cannot go a day without their critical mobile apps. In Spain, 93% cannot go a day without their apps.

-- 50% of Americans claim they cannot go four hours without mobile apps.

-- 48% would not be able to check email without mobile apps.

-- 32% claim they cannot wake up in the morning without an app.

-- 23% say they cannot feel happy without their mobile apps.

-- 19% would not be able to maintain their relationships without mobile apps.

Hooked: The Science of Corporate Foods

For many years I have offered this joke about food - "Food is addictive. I started eating at a very young age and I still do it, sometimes three times a day."

Seems the joke is on me.

This weekend, Pulitzer prize winning reporter Michael Moss will share an excerpt from his forthcoming book "Sugar Salt Fat: How The Food Giants Hooked Us" in the NYTimes Magazine. The intense scientific effort to create foods which never satisfy yet create constant cravings is laid bare in the book. This link offers the excerpt now. It is a harrowing account of science turned against us.

A very brief sample of the type of research food corps rely on:

"This contradiction is known as “sensory-specific satiety.” In lay terms, it is the tendency for big, distinct flavors to overwhelm the brain, which responds by depressing your desire to have more. Sensory-specific satiety also became a guiding principle for the processed-food industry. The biggest hits — be they Coca-Cola or Doritos — owe their success to complex formulas that pique the taste buds enough to be alluring but don’t have a distinct, overriding single flavor that tells the brain to stop eating."

Curl Up and Dye; or, Washington's Hair Cliff

A recent outrage du jour: the fiscal meltdown of the Senate haircut emporium, promoted by email and 'news' reports:

"Since 1997, the Senate Hair Care shop has consistently run deficits of about $340,000 annually, a taxpayer subsidy that is growing rather than shrinking.

"The Senate hair salon provides about 509 services a week — a range of haircuts, shampooing, coloring and waves, nail services, hair removal and shoe shines. It costs about $900,000 annually to operate."

Some say the salons are getting bailouts.

Confusing this tonsorial dilemma, the House has their hair salon while the Senate has their own, too. Last year the one for the House was cheered, though the year before it was demonized.

Exclusive hair salons, gyms, cafes, car rentals ... It certainly is not easy to remain a pretty politician - even tougher to make a good business model.

Valentine's Day Sewage Plant Tours Return

Valentine's Day tours of a sewage treatment plant were a massive hit with visitors last year, so romantics get more of the same this year too.

OK then.

Montana Zombies and Fashionable Fear

Someone hacked into local Emergency Broadcast Systems in Montana and Michigan to warn viewers that dead bodies were coming back to life as Zombies.

Not really surprising since Zombies are so fashionable these days. Not really surprising since Fear Itself is so fashionable these days too - we're pummeled with Fear at every turn.

Fashionable Fears arrive in a steady stream: schools aren't safe, guns are everywhere, not enough guns are available, snowstorms are named like hurricanes, nuclear weapons are everywhere, asteroids are zooming overhead, the world economy is collapsing, gay people are taking over, illegal immigrants are taking over, government-by-Obama is taking over, Obama was re-elected, drone strikes are targeting everyone, giant soft drink servings are illegal, diet soft drinks give you diabetes, there's no jobs, robots run factories, banks will rob you, the church is full of pedophiles, all sports are fixed, all athletes cheat, the wealthy are under attack, the poor are under attack, prisons are full, prisons are being emptied, the planet is melting, the planet is freezing, food is full of secret genetic mutations, water is poison, your phone/computer/identity has been hacked, you're being stalked by your ex, there's too much information, there's no information being shared, bullies are taking over, space aliens are taking over, you're too fat, you're too skinny, your neighbor is a doomsday prepper, Truth is out of style, you can't afford healthcare, everyone is addicted to prescription pills, radioactive tsunamis and mega-storms are being created by secret military weather machines .... the Apocalypse has begun ...

Fear is the fashion. Fear is a customizable brand.

Remain calm.

Remember, all you have to fear is Fear Itself.

Baracula and Lincolnstein

Inevitable?

What happens when you create a mash up of toys, presidents, and Hollywood monsters ...

Fake Fakery or Bold Boldness?

The daring legislature of Tennessee is pushing for a State Constitutional Amendment to ban a state income tax despite the fact the current constitution has a ban on a state income tax.

Call it pep rally legislation.

This is rather like the "bold" decision that Frito Lay, which created Doritos taco shells for Taco Bell, is now offering Taco Bell flavored chips which will taste like .... Doritos.

It's as if something were actually happening.

The Stench of He-Goats in Mtn. Dew

Some months ago I learned that food additives are beyond bizarre. And despite consumer labels on products we seldom know what we are actually ingesting.

My first surprise was Castoreum, which is a nice way to refer to the anal glands of beavers and is used to flavor cigarettes plus it is used to evoke the flavor of vanilla or other fruits. Products do not list Castoreum but merely say "natural flavoring".

Mmmmm. Tasty.

There's also shellac, which comes from crushed Indonesian beetles and is used to make candy, chocolate, and apples shiny.

The past week brought news that Gatorade was removing brominated vegetable oil as an ingredient. Bromine, a word whose Greek origins means "stench of he-goats", is used as a flame retardant and as a flavor enhancer for Mtn. Dew and orange sodas.

Thousands of additives are in use but items like crushed beetles and anal glands are typically called "natural flavors". Just wrap that odd item with bacon fat or sugar and happy eating!!

Go Hungry Says Sen. Campfield

Children in need are being threatened in legislation from Knoxville Senator Campfield. He wants to withhold food stamps from families if a child makes bad grades in school. Campfield wants kids in poverty to face more hardships, worse, face the prospect of going hungry, if they are also having problems with their studies.

Classy Campfield. Punishing kids is Ugly Government.

Another Tennessee government over-reach means lost jobs. The state wants to force private businesses to allow more weapons in the workplace. The massive investment and growth of the VW manufacturing complex in Chattanooga is in jeopardy thanks to this proposal.

More legislators, sadly including my new State Rep Tilman Goins, are refusing to allow funds for health care in the state from the Affordable Care Act go to those who might need it. Firstly, we've paid the taxes that create the funds and are obligated for the debt it creates too. The least we should expect in return is to receive the health care programs and expansions which would follow. Politics aside, even of the funds are turned away, other states will receive the funds, so why cut us out? The state's Federal representatives have made and are making calls for the repeal of the Act - but no go. Until or unless such a repeal takes place then don't let TN get less than their share. If the state refuses the money then residents will just have to find health insurance on their own.

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Two Dogs Skype With Each Other

Rep. Roe Wrong Again

Again my congressman, Dr. Phil Roe, and other congressmen are doing it wrong.

He has joined others in proposing a law that says if Congress does not pass a budget then they will refuse their pay. Here's the deal:

It's the fundamental job of Congress to pass a budget, job one. They've wiggled away from that and instead take a pose of pretension. They are supposed to be paid for doing their job - not vow and legislate to reject pay for failing to do their jobs.

And a simple online search shows the idea came from a blog rant last year.

Do your jobs - don't promise to not do it. Many elected officials have returned or refused pay without making laws about it. Deceptive poses may be pretty but they remain deceptive.

Farewell To A Fine Friend

I bring sad news today.

The only and official dog mascot for this blog, Sophie, has passed away. Full name, Sophie Belle Mooney, was rescued from a California animal shelter in the early days of this century by her devoted owner, aka The Editor, and was eventually brought to east Tennessee in 2005, when I was first introduced to her.

A few samples of the adventures she and I shared are part of this blog's history, and the image of her below has been seen and shared around the globe. The picture captures some of her inquisitive and sweet nature, and is emblematic of the deeply personal connection she could make.

I am but one of many uncles and other extended family members for Sophie and count myself enriched for such a connection. There are many tales I might tell, but decided to mention just one today.

On many occasions I took naps with Sophie and they were quite fantastic. Like many of us, I have often relaxed and reclined with dogs and cats but with Sophie there was this quality that what we were doing was linked to an ancient connection between humans and dogs, a wordless bond, a relationship which brought a greater quality of life to us both.

And you, dear reader, either know what I am talking about or you do not, and if not you need to seek out the experience and marvel at what it means.

I join with many, many others who both mourn her loss and celebrate her life. I know there is an inconsolable grief for The Editor now, and some joy for the time which was shared. Enormous thanks to The Editor for introducing us.

Peace dear Sophie. And thank you, too.

Fake Girlfriend, Media FAIL, Football and Being 'Catfished'

Moving at Internet speed yesterday, the Sports website Deadspin revealed Notre Dame's football hero Manti Te'o did not actually have a girlfriend whose romance and sudden death made international news.

The in-depth and riveting story on Deadspin prompted the college, Te'o and the nation's into a scramble of explanations.

The fact is every media outlet failed to confirm the stories they sold as inspirational - the New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, ESPN, CBS, and many more all got caught short.

The "Catfish" phenomena is growing.

Gun Myths Present And Past

I watched in amazement a C-Span coverage of a public hearing on gun violence aired this weekend recorded in Santa Rosa, CA.

For about 2 and a half hours a large number of half-truths and bizarre claims of impending doom and conspiracy were expressed by average folks - claims about secret CIA projects using laser mind control devices to create deranged killers who are used to promote gun restrictions was one such theory, and more were also offered.

Not all claims were so bizarre but often the comments were based on errors and emotions rather than reality.

A Tennessee man who claimed to be a "tactical security expert" got his gun permits revoked after posting a video online warning he'll kill folks who might seek ownership restrictions. Oh, his "training" isn't actually certified by anyone. Just another maniacal mythmaker.

Gun myths are common though the anger aimed at any who might challenge the myths uncommonly powerful.

Southern Beale points out a few of them, including the nature of some "training" classes:

"The classes I took taught me almost nothing about how to defend myself with a gun. One, taught by a man who said he refuses to get a carry permit because “I don’t think I have to get the government’s permission to exercise my right to bear arms,” packed about twenty minutes of useful instruction into four long evenings of platitudes, Obama jokes, and belligerent posturing. “The way crime is simply out of control, you can’t afford not to wear a gun all the time,” he told us on several occasions."

More mythical history pointed out here.

It will be ridiculously tough to enact common sense gun laws since it appears there is a stunning lack of reality among all the myths.