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kraznayazvezda's comments:
on The Future of Journalism
I think it was great that the Oregonian published that DVD. Why wouldn't you want to learn more about the Islamist terrorist threat to this country, and to western civilization in general? You won't like it if the Taliban comes and stuffs you into a burka.
posted 3 years, 7 months ago
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on Referendum Signatures
Interesting, how many people are on this discussion under pseudonyms. They like their anonymity, but anonymity on petition signatures? Not so much...
posted 3 years, 8 months ago
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on March Show Suggestions
This article is based on a report from the National Academy of Sciences. It describes a disaster (a strong solar storm) that could knock out electrical power in this country for years.
It'd be nice to see this "go viral" to ensure that measures were taken to protect the electrical grid and prevent this disaster.
posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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on Measure 60: Teacher Pay
[i]It is hard to imagine that there could be a actual way for some administrator to decide who is doing well as a teacher or not.[/i]
Really? It's easy for me to imagine. The administrator observes the classroom and can see whether the teacher is working with energy, commitment, and talent. That's not allowed by current bureaucratic rules, but I think it's actually the [i]only[/i] way to actually make that determination.
Really? It's easy for me to imagine. The administrator observes the classroom and can see whether the teacher is working with energy, commitment, and talent. That's not allowed by current bureaucratic rules, but I think it's actually the [i]only[/i] way to actually make that determination.
posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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on Measure 60: Teacher Pay
[i]That said, the seniority system isn't perfect. There are teachers who have put in 20 plus years who are just plugging through the last ten to get their PERS retirement package. They are often disengaged, disillusioned with all the hoops they are made to jump through by constantly changing requirements, have hit their peak of good teaching and for many possible reasons started to just punch the clock. And there is something to be said for natural ability in teaching.[/i]
This is the point I keep trying to make. Perhaps Measure 60 isn't the way. But who else is proposing the necessary change? Certainly not the teachers' union or the school boards. And given that, frustration builds to the point where anything that's offered looks better than the status quo.
This is the point I keep trying to make. Perhaps Measure 60 isn't the way. But who else is proposing the necessary change? Certainly not the teachers' union or the school boards. And given that, frustration builds to the point where anything that's offered looks better than the status quo.
posted 4 years, 8 months ago
view in context
on Measure 60: Teacher Pay
I sympathize, and applaud your hard work. Society need to acknowledge that not all students arrive in class ready (or even able) to learn. It's not teachers' fault when that happens.
But I think it's [i]also[/i] really important to break the "iron rice bowl" enforced by teachers' unions. I think that principals need more authority to hire and fire. Sure, by doing this you open up the possibility of abuse by bad principals. But if you [i]don't[/i] do it, you allow the deadwood to accumulate. I'd like to see schools run more like startup companies and less like giant, inflexible bureaucracies.
In that tradeoff, my priority is to see the kids get what they need. Good principals aren't going to persecute good teachers. Bad principals will need to be weeded out, just like bad teachers should be.
But you've got to break the hold of bureaucratic rules and open up some space for the flexibility and creativity of human intelligence.
But I think it's [i]also[/i] really important to break the "iron rice bowl" enforced by teachers' unions. I think that principals need more authority to hire and fire. Sure, by doing this you open up the possibility of abuse by bad principals. But if you [i]don't[/i] do it, you allow the deadwood to accumulate. I'd like to see schools run more like startup companies and less like giant, inflexible bureaucracies.
In that tradeoff, my priority is to see the kids get what they need. Good principals aren't going to persecute good teachers. Bad principals will need to be weeded out, just like bad teachers should be.
But you've got to break the hold of bureaucratic rules and open up some space for the flexibility and creativity of human intelligence.
posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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on Measure 60: Teacher Pay
I'm not suggesting that "any change is better than no change." I'm suggesting that running schools as though they were car factories is not appropriate and produces the mediocre results that one might expect from applying the wrong tool to the job.
posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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on Discussing Race on Campus
Hanging that effigy was a destructive and nasty act of stupidity.
That said, programs like Act Six in particular, and affirmative action in general, generate negative feelings among white people who rightly feel that they're being discriminated against.
The civil rights movement's goal was supposed to be "Black and white together, we shall not be moved." Instead, sometime in the late 1960's, it morphed into "Now it's [i]your[/i] turn to be discriminated against, whitey."
It's unrealistic and wrong to expect white people to take abuse that no one would even [i]think[/i] about handing out to members of other groups.
That said, programs like Act Six in particular, and affirmative action in general, generate negative feelings among white people who rightly feel that they're being discriminated against.
The civil rights movement's goal was supposed to be "Black and white together, we shall not be moved." Instead, sometime in the late 1960's, it morphed into "Now it's [i]your[/i] turn to be discriminated against, whitey."
It's unrealistic and wrong to expect white people to take abuse that no one would even [i]think[/i] about handing out to members of other groups.
posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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on Measure 60: Teacher Pay
I'm a teacher. And what I know from almost 7 years of teaching is that teaching is a [i]talent[/i]. It's a person-to-person activity that is not easily measurable by some objective standard. Its [i]results[/i] are also not easily measurable.
But [i]people[/i] can tell. You can walk into a classroom and see if it's alive or dead. If there is a connection between the teacher and the students. If that connection is being used to do something useful.
Our current K-12 educational system is set up like a car manufacturer. Pay is based on seniority and coursework, neither of which can compensate for a lack of the basic talent. The system is set up to "stamp out" students, but too often stamps out human initiative and the joy of learning instead.
I don't know if Measure 60 is the right answer, but I'm inclined to vote for it because our current K-12 system is the wrong answer. We need something talent-based, not a giant bureacracy.
But [i]people[/i] can tell. You can walk into a classroom and see if it's alive or dead. If there is a connection between the teacher and the students. If that connection is being used to do something useful.
Our current K-12 educational system is set up like a car manufacturer. Pay is based on seniority and coursework, neither of which can compensate for a lack of the basic talent. The system is set up to "stamp out" students, but too often stamps out human initiative and the joy of learning instead.
I don't know if Measure 60 is the right answer, but I'm inclined to vote for it because our current K-12 system is the wrong answer. We need something talent-based, not a giant bureacracy.
posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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on Measure 65: Open Primary
How about this?
For some Multnomah County position, 10 D's and 2 R's run in the primary. The 10 D's split the (let's say) 70% of the voters in Multnomah County who are D's and each gets about 7% of the vote. The 2 R's split the 30% who are R's so they each get about 15%.
Come November, you get 2 R's running for the position in Multnomah County. The moaning, wailing, and rending of garments will be a sight to behold...
For some Multnomah County position, 10 D's and 2 R's run in the primary. The 10 D's split the (let's say) 70% of the voters in Multnomah County who are D's and each gets about 7% of the vote. The 2 R's split the 30% who are R's so they each get about 15%.
Come November, you get 2 R's running for the position in Multnomah County. The moaning, wailing, and rending of garments will be a sight to behold...
posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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on The White State
[i]Btw, one item i don't recall hearing on this mornings' program is how/why alot of Blacks seem to be condensed in NE Portland. And something about [that part] of the city being intentionally flooded back in the '50's...[/i]
You should learn some history before you start believing conspiracy theories. The Vanport flood [i]was not[/i] an intentional act.
You should learn some history before you start believing conspiracy theories. The Vanport flood [i]was not[/i] an intentional act.
posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context
on The White State
So why not go after the racists, and not indulge in statements (not you, necessarily but definitely some in this discussion) that "this is a racist society," "we're all racists," etc.
I've got no problem going after people who do racist acts. I've got a [i]huge[/i] problem being accused of that myself, even though I don't do any of that.
I've got no problem going after people who do racist acts. I've got a [i]huge[/i] problem being accused of that myself, even though I don't do any of that.
posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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on The White State
[i]I find that a lot of people are interested in my background, but what that means to me is that they are not interested in me as a person.[/i]
The problem is, there are probably more "people of color" who would be offended if their "color" was not paid attention to.
How's anyone supposed to know?
The problem is, there are probably more "people of color" who would be offended if their "color" was not paid attention to.
How's anyone supposed to know?
posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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on The White State
[i]When white folks start considering their own ethnicity instead of thinking of themselves as simply 'Americans', we might move this discussion forward.[/i]
Maybe when [i]everyone[/i] starts thinking of themselves as Americans we'll move forward. I'm from a religious minority background, which is my own personal thing. I don't need to impose it on everyone or have some effect on everyone because of it.
I'm an American.
Maybe when [i]everyone[/i] starts thinking of themselves as Americans we'll move forward. I'm from a religious minority background, which is my own personal thing. I don't need to impose it on everyone or have some effect on everyone because of it.
I'm an American.
posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context
on The White State
[i]I can't believe more people aren't annoyed by this insult. [/i]
I am. Too many victims of white guilt fall for this stuff.
There's a great book, [i]White Guilt[/i] by Shelby Steele (who is half black, half white -- and the fact that I have to mention this is proof of how toxic race relations are in this society). I highly recommend the book.
I am. Too many victims of white guilt fall for this stuff.
There's a great book, [i]White Guilt[/i] by Shelby Steele (who is half black, half white -- and the fact that I have to mention this is proof of how toxic race relations are in this society). I highly recommend the book.
posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context
on The White State
This is really sad. Here's a person who doesn't do bad things, but who feels "like a racist" and is worried about accidentally offending someone.
The racial atmosphere in this country has become poisonous, thanks in part to the acts of racial arsonists like Al Sharpton. It's time to straighten this all out.
To me, the word "racist" brings up images of Bull Connor attacking civil rights demonstrators with firehoses and attack dogs. Anyone wielding that word should have something to back up an attack like that. I think that terms like "institutional racism" are dishonest manipulations, designed to attach the emotions associated with Bull Connor, etc to entirely other things which do not deserve that association.
The racial atmosphere in this country has become poisonous, thanks in part to the acts of racial arsonists like Al Sharpton. It's time to straighten this all out.
To me, the word "racist" brings up images of Bull Connor attacking civil rights demonstrators with firehoses and attack dogs. Anyone wielding that word should have something to back up an attack like that. I think that terms like "institutional racism" are dishonest manipulations, designed to attach the emotions associated with Bull Connor, etc to entirely other things which do not deserve that association.
posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context
on The White State
This whole list comes down to [i]being a minority[/i]. When you're a minority, you're different from most of the other people around you by definition. You could be a different race, or a different religion, or whatever.
This whole "white privilege" thing is a manipulation. It's an attempt to make "everyone a minority." But everyone isn't, and that's just a fact about life.
It seems to me that there are more productive things to do than to cut-and-paste long lists like this into the discussion. If I'm willing to treat everyone I meet with initial kindness and respect, [i]that ought to be enough[/i].
What else do you want? Please reply with specificity. What do you want us to [i]do?[/i]
This whole "white privilege" thing is a manipulation. It's an attempt to make "everyone a minority." But everyone isn't, and that's just a fact about life.
It seems to me that there are more productive things to do than to cut-and-paste long lists like this into the discussion. If I'm willing to treat everyone I meet with initial kindness and respect, [i]that ought to be enough[/i].
What else do you want? Please reply with specificity. What do you want us to [i]do?[/i]
posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context
on The White State
Words like "white privilege" are a scam. They're part of a hyper-intellectual superstructure of racial theory designed to prey on white guilt.
I don't pick on people based on what color they are. I try to treat everyone I meet with respect and kindness. That's what I'm supposed to do, and I do it.
If that's not "enough," then too bad. I don't choose to be "drafted" into anyone's ideological project.
I don't pick on people based on what color they are. I try to treat everyone I meet with respect and kindness. That's what I'm supposed to do, and I do it.
If that's not "enough," then too bad. I don't choose to be "drafted" into anyone's ideological project.
posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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on The Race Has Just Begun
[i]I'm young. I don't proclaim to know a lot, or have a firm grasp of politics. But like it or not, my generation is going to be running to country someday, and growing up in the shadow of sex scandals, war, and corrupt leaders, we need hope.[/i]
Speaking as an older person who used to be younger, I would advise you that if all you have is "hope," you're more likely to change things in a [i]destructive[/i] way than in a [i]constructive[/i] way. Positive change requires, in addition to hope, [i]competence.[/i].
Be careful what you wish for. Social movements have gone wrong over and over again throughout history, even if they had positive motivations going in. Communism, for example. It didn't work out so well, to put it mildly.
When I was young, I was not into listening very carefully to those who were older than me. My generation thought it "knew better." We wasted a lot of opportunities because of that.
Your generation is going to be running the country someday. Try not to create a mess. Try to think about how [i]deadly serious[/i] all of this is. Try not to get swept up in the emotional waves that roll through society every now and then.
Watch out for meaningless but exciting rhetoric like "We are the change we've been waiting for."
Speaking as an older person who used to be younger, I would advise you that if all you have is "hope," you're more likely to change things in a [i]destructive[/i] way than in a [i]constructive[/i] way. Positive change requires, in addition to hope, [i]competence.[/i].
Be careful what you wish for. Social movements have gone wrong over and over again throughout history, even if they had positive motivations going in. Communism, for example. It didn't work out so well, to put it mildly.
When I was young, I was not into listening very carefully to those who were older than me. My generation thought it "knew better." We wasted a lot of opportunities because of that.
Your generation is going to be running the country someday. Try not to create a mess. Try to think about how [i]deadly serious[/i] all of this is. Try not to get swept up in the emotional waves that roll through society every now and then.
Watch out for meaningless but exciting rhetoric like "We are the change we've been waiting for."
posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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on The Race Has Just Begun
[i]One more thing: what is the story with this obama means change thing? What is that supposed to mean? What kind of change? Change what? How?[/i]
Again, remembering the '60s:
It was [i]exciting[/i] being part of the "new consciousness." It was fun. The other people were so [i]clueless[/i].
But it turned out that we didn't have what it took to change the entire society. We didn't have a [i]plan[/i], just a [i]feeling[/i].
Same thing with Obama and his followers. It's all a wave of emotion.
Obama's going to have to answer some questions this fall, like what exactly he wants to do. So far it's all airy rhetoric and the excitement of him being the first black nominee.
Again, remembering the '60s:
It was [i]exciting[/i] being part of the "new consciousness." It was fun. The other people were so [i]clueless[/i].
But it turned out that we didn't have what it took to change the entire society. We didn't have a [i]plan[/i], just a [i]feeling[/i].
Same thing with Obama and his followers. It's all a wave of emotion.
Obama's going to have to answer some questions this fall, like what exactly he wants to do. So far it's all airy rhetoric and the excitement of him being the first black nominee.
posted 4 years, 11 months ago
view in context
