"The planet has a fever"

The Great Goracle spoke to Congress today.

"There is a sense of hope in this country that this United States Congress will rise to the occasion and present meaningful solutions to this crisis," Gore said. "Our world faces a true planetary emergency. I know the phrase sounds shrill, and I know it's a challenge to the moral imagination." Read the fascinating article here.

With Slick Willy out of the White House, may as well invent another crisis.

Not so fast...

Study Finds One-Third in D.C. Illiterate

Monday, March 19, 2007

WASHINGTON — About one-third of the people living in the national's capital are functionally illiterate, compared with about one-fifth nationally, according to a report on the District of Columbia.

Adults are considered functionally illiterate if they have trouble doing such things as comprehending bus schedules, reading maps and filling out job applications.

The study by the State Education Agency, a quasi-governmental office created by the U.S. Department of Education to distribute federal funds for literacy services, was ordered by Mayor Anthony A. Williams in 2003 as part of his four-year, $4 million adult literacy initiative.

The growing number of Hispanic and Ethiopian immigrants who aren't proficient in English contributed to the city's high functional illiteracy level, which translated to 170,000 people, said Connie Spinner, director of the State Education Agency. The report says the district's functional illiteracy rate is 36 percent and the nation's 21 percent.

Adults age 65 and older had the lowest literacy score of any group, the report found.
The District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce, which contributed to the report, said the city lost up to $107 million in taxes annually between 2000 and 2005 because of a lack of qualified job applicants.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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I wonder if things are as good out East as they used to be...

Maybe if we throw more money at the problem. Hmmmm, let's try a Community Education Director. At least some people would feel good that we tried something, and that's what counts! It's not about success, it's about self-esteem.

Getting back to basics has a price

With the Spring election just over three weeks away, I expected to be inundated with political ads and mailings for the Baraboo School Board candidates by now. Remember last year? Haven't heard a peep from any of them on how they're going to mend fences in the community nor what plans candidates have to change the current misdirection of our school district. (even though the district was the beneficiary of a speaker that cost $6,000)

What I have heard is that the district has mysteriously found over $300,000 (probably from the district enrollment INCREASE we all heard was NOT going to happen because the last two referenda failed). To that end, our school board decided UNANIMOUSLY to spend those funds on six new reading specialists in the elementary schools and one reading specialist in the middle school. What they forgot to mention was that the Baraboo School District is also advertising for one reading specialist at the high school. Where did the money come from for that position? Did the board decide to cut the "Teen Cuisine" or "Horse of Course" classes to pay for it? Other expenditures include a new reading program for $200,000 and a "Community Education Director" position.

Now for some really dumb questions:

• If we hire all these reading specialists, when their jobs get eliminated because of the declining enrollment we heard so much about a year ago, will the change be portrayed as a cut?
• Why are teachers not held accountable for the reading skills of the children now? Don't they have an obligation to make sure their students know how to read anymore? Nope. There's no requirement for the teachers to hold kids back if they can't read. They can just pass them to the next grade...Problem solved! (for that teacher) It's tough luck for the student.
• What are the qualifications for applying for the "Community Education Director" position? Just go to the BSD website. You'll see it doesn't require candidates to be licensed or to even have a high school diploma, let alone any college. If you're good at sucking up to the community and well-connected, then BSD wants you! (Have your friends bring their wallets with them to the interview - you'll do fine.) They need a buffer between their holistic vision and the school haters that want the district to produce unintelligent graduates. They no longer have time to listen to the real world, not that they listened anyway. Our school board has minds to sculpt!

There's discussion of increasing the math and science requirements for high school graduation. At least one person in the community is already upset because the district doesn't have enough science or math teachers to go that direction. Their solution: Hire more math and science teachers - we have a shortage. Buzzzzzz! Wrong answer.

The correct answer needs some background. Over the past several years, the BSD has been hiring "generalist" teachers (my term). They are not expert teachers in science, math, etc. Rather, they know a little about everything and could teach a variety of courses. The district went this direction in their hiring practice because "generalist" teachers are more flexible and can be moved around if needed. You know what's coming next: another dumb question....

Why not have the instructors for Horse of Course, Teen Cuisine, Teen Clothing, and Ceramics 1 & 2 teach math and science courses? You're right. I must keep in mind that it's all about the kids. Far be it for anyone to squelch any opportunity for them to be all they can be.

Could someone please direct me to the college that offers a four-year degree in ceramics? If you can, what is the career outlook and what are the chances they'll return to good ol' Baraboo after college and bring some high paying jobs with them?

Indiana kids made it in shop class

Where's the sensitivity from Warren Township's school-age parents and their community? Why are they outraged? Are their expectations too high for their schools? Don't they understand that a school district sweeping any and all dirt under a rug is commonplace?

The Baraboo School District Administration is a leader in the sport/art of curling. Most play second position where the player throws their one stone, then sweeps for all other players.

Perhaps BSD Administators should consider taking their show on the road.

Teens smoking pot in CA "high" school

For those that want to legalize the use of pot, what say you about this?

WI Rep. Obey grinds on Libs

A proud Wisconsin moment thanks to U.S. House of Representatives' David Obey (D)-WI

Nutroots get an earful.

What type of constituent supports Obey? Sounds like he's proposing a sneaky legal way to impede the success of our troops.

Eco-friendly

We've heard by now that Algore is the biggest hypocrite of them all. With his $30k annual utility bills and toxic carbon jet-setting around the country, for him to receive ANY award from the Hollywould left for environmentalism is abomitable. Any conservative would have been drawn and quartered. Algore gets hugs, kisses, and a gold trophy for his "efforts" of being greener than the rest of us.

Well, I've had enough. I'm enrolling in Iowahawk's therapy program for ecologically insensitive people. That being said, it is with great pride that I post the following advertisements:

Now, I have some snow to plow with my 8.1L big block that gets 10 miles to the gallon that goes anywhere and beats the snot out of my rented Pirus in the quarter-mile.