Wrapping up self-esteem in grades is one thing. There’s at least the slight charade involving the love of learning. Paying students for grades is another thing altogether, and it is, at best, a half-assed band-aid for a critically hemorraging educational system.
That’s my heavy-handed metaphor of the week , inspired by a New York Times article (copied below).
Once I started down the path to becoming an unschooler, one of the things that really bugged me out about school was how it seemed to be a training ground for corporate labor. …

Someone thinks so.  I’m guessing the target audience would be People Who Can’t Google.  I shouldn’t be surprised as I’m sure someone has been dumb enough to pay the guy/girl.  Fools and their money are easily parted, a fact that has been exploited by many, many people throughout history.  Since the dynamic of the Internet has shifted strongly towards the free & open, I dunno how this person can compete with the laundry list of advice available via Google, but I suppose beer & pizza money isn’t a bad thing.

Judy Apicella is an idiot. She directed a documentary on childhood vaccinations, entitled, “Shoot ‘em Up, The Truth About Vaccines”. I saw her speak at a meeting last night, run by the local Holistic Mom’s Network, that aimed to give information on vaccination to parents. After sitting through 2 tortuous hours of the most unscientific information, I came to the conclusion that Judy Apicella should definitely not be a speaker for the anti-vaccine lobby. I’d imagine that if parents had attended who were sitting on …

I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I understand why people are prompted are to make them, with the hype surrounding New Year’s Eve, but I refuse to make them.
At least I refuse to make them around this time of year. Everyone should take time throughout the year to look deeper at their lives and make changes if needed. That’s a greater catalyst for change and growth than the gimmicky nature of many resolutions at the turn of the year.
And if you’re going to make change, …

I’d certainly hope so. You’re probably not, if you’re a wealthy corporate scion. Or hate gays. Or believe that freedom does not include the right to choose. Or are one of the 8 people not connected to the White House who still believe that invading Iraq actually had something to do with catching Bin Laden.
Here’s the headline from today’s New York Times (yes, that bastion of liberal media whose coverage of 2000′s election chicanery was pathetically not liberal):
Bush Is Prepared to Veto Bill to Expand Child Insurance
Apparently, …