Democratic Transitions in Cuba?

Today’s editorial in the NY Times: the U.S. must help encourage a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba.

The editorial focuses on the need to lift age-old embargoes (ghosts of a different era) to encourage the free flow of ideas (“commerce is more likely than isolation to nurture positive political change”), which certainly sounds like a positive step forward.

But why is the Times stepping in for Bush here? I understand that they are criticizing his policies, but what about the bigger picture? Doesn’t this fall under that ambiguous and dangerous umbrella of “nation building”?

I’d say our track record ain’t so golden in that category today.

Obama 10, Clinton 0

An interesting clip from today’s NY Times.

clipped from www.nytimes.com As Mrs. Clinton was speaking, Mr. Obama appeared on stage at a rally in Texas, effectively cutting her off as cable television networks dropped her in midsentence, a telling sign of the showmanship power of a front-runner. “Houston, I think we achieved liftoff here,” Mr. Obama told a crowd of 20,000 people in that city as he hailed the voters of Wisconsin. “The change we seek is still months and miles away, and we need the good people of Texas to help us get there.”

This only makes sense if you know our nicknames…

Love it!

clipped from www.etsy.com Crochet Pattern- Baby Polar Bear Tony

Welcome to the Circus

The circus can wait. I hear the fiddles and cheers and lights a-going. It can wait. For now.

For now, let’s sit on the porch of the house in the field. Come on up, up to the house. I have some whiskey and a carton of cigarettes. THere, now, see – isn’t that refreshing? Warms the belly, it does.

Look out over the field. What do you see? Are you looking? Are you seeing? There’s the circus tent in the distance, the grand glow of innocence, the obscene acrobatics. What do you see? Are you looking? That’s good.

A foolish interruption…

A great blog entry on Tom Waits, along with a great live clip…

I find it very difficult to get Tom Waits down on paper. I mean, he’s so varied, so obtuse, yet so plain and in your face. He’s the late night piano man playing in the smoky basement bar, and he’s the quasi-religious ringmaster, instructing us to “come in, and see the show.”

It’s vaudeville. It’s grain alcohol and cigarettes. It’s a circus tent.

It’s piano sax guitar. It’s guttural screams and odd percussion.

It’s an invitation to come on up to the house, have a beer, and talk about life. We’ll go center ring later to watch the acrobats but, for now, let’s sit back and observe. Let’s look at what we see, and see what we look at.

Scarlett “Butcher of Waits” Johansen? (or, Waits and See)

Should we be worried? I, for one, never knew that ScarJo could sing (can she?), and I would hate to see Wait’s music butchered. He’s such a unique performer (and in my top three – all time – with Bruce and Pearl Jam) that I foresee problems capturing his sense of the sound.

But, ScarJo (what I great nickname, eh? I picked it up online somewhere these past few weeks) is popular (she is, right?) and may lend “street cred” to this music. Could this be a way to increase exposure to TW? Would the masses, if they like ScarJo’s take on things, be more or less likely to find the originals? Or, are they too damn apathetic to even try?

Hey, I’m the cynical optimist here.

Check out the tracklist.

More iPhone gimmicks?

You know, I missed the iPhone boat (would’ve sunk my wallet, if you’ll permit the really bad metaphor), and now I really want one, and not to be a follower – I am (finally?) starting to use my phone differently, and would love to have a device I can actually use with my MacBook (yes, I’m an Apple fan). My dinky free Verizon “new every two” upgrade is useless (except for making calls…uh…).

So, I would love to get me hands on an iPhone, but now I’m stuck in a two-year Verizon contract (I have nothing against Verizon – in fact, one stumbling block towards buying the iPhone was AT&T – I had a bad experience with them in the past), and I come across this article discussing a new patent Apple submitted for an “advanced multi-touch” touchpad. This evidently makes use of the “edge” of the pinky for certain functions (click the links to read the comments, if nothing else – they’re great. Like, “i can’t wait to use my thumb and four fingers to stroke my iPhone…You’d do that in public” or something like that).

The Campaign Jukebox

Didn’t know Dave Grohl was so political. This article discusses the Foo’s reactions to the 2004 election, and invokes the spirit of Bruce Springsteen vs. Ronald Reagan, circa 1984. Love it!

On a side not, I’m pissed that I didn’t get tickets for the show. Love the Foos, but Serj! I had no idea he was opening…damn!

And then from a distinctly partisan point of view: Why Do Republicans Always Steal Music to Push Their Hateful Ideology?

And, just for the hell of it, check out their website: AlterNet.org

The Candidates on Education?

As a teacher, I am concerned with what the ever-shrinking pool of candidates feels about the future course of education. What I know is this: NCLB was a colossal failure (let’s make lots of rules and then not provide for their enforcement – hmmm…sounds like my district). What I don’t know is what our government intends to do about it.

I found this entry on Education Election which captures my sentiments (and, I’m sure, other’s as well):  “Education just isn’t his issue. At least, not right now.”

This is scary. Education is a foundation of future generations. Forget about it, and you hold that future is question.

Worldwide views on “Education Delivery”

Just a sampling of educators’ views on “delivering education” (i.e. government agenda) en masse to our students. I find it quite interesting how the comments are so similar from so varied a population. Click the “clipped from” link to see all the comments…

clipped from newsvote.bbc.co.uk Your views on education ‘delivery’ Education, these days, has assumed the industrial role: produce to consume. It’s become wholly a commercial activity. Creating profitmongers, never caring for humane, moral values. With the result, we are having a race of “machine men”fillng the earth with dangerous, suiciding species. Qalandershah, Hyderabad, Pakistan Oh, well done!About time someone said this.When the educators are forced to use phrases such as”evidencing(sic)learning”,you realise that the rot has gone so far that the originators of this ghastly Orwellian Newspeak have no idea that such words aren’t snappy intellectual techno-terms,but,in fact, illiterate tripe. While we’re about it,let’s also stop misusing conceptual analysis! Jenny Austin, Thame,England Did he make those comments at a “workshop”? Peter Busby, Perth Australia If my old secondary school were in charge, this BBC News section would be called ‘Learning Development’ instead of ‘Education’. Joe Smith, Chelmsford, Essex, UK