07 June 2007

The "Grades" Are In...

As the largest school system (corporation) in Allen County, one would inherently think that it would be the BEST. With the greatest number of students (a lot more than all the others put together as well as private schools), one might also come to believe that it would have damn near everything a student could possibly need. In very many ways, this IS true. For it's size, FWCS has some of the best programs available to students.
It also has a plethora of problems.

In spite of the fact that FWCS is currently going through a remonstrance to postpone a $500 MILLION DOLLAR across the board building upgrade (elementary through senior high), and in spite of it's wealth of educators, programs, and resources, the school system finds that 33 of it's 52 schools are either under probation or watch status (as per the ranking system for ISTEP+). That is rather deplorable to say the least.

Other area school corporations are going the OTHER way. SACS (SW Allen Cty) has EVERY school in the "exemplary" rank, while NACS (NW Allen Cty) has only ONE of it's schools under "watch" status (all the rest are exemplary or commendable). And for those who have children in the EAST ALLEN COUNTY school system....your 18 schools have SEVEN in either the "watch" or "probation" rankings. Sorry for the "slight"...my "report card" picture didn't have enough room. I'd have to give EACS a solid *C* for their efforts.

This would be about the time when we can start pointing fingers. Well, considering the problems encountered with the educational system today (and it's not all about the schools per se), we may wind up pointing at the wrong things.

FWCS has the largest number of EASL students (English as 2nd language).
FWCS has the largest number of "spec-ed" kids.
FWCS has the largest number of kids at or below poverty level.
FWCS has the largest number of "free breakfast & lunch" recipients.
FWCS has the highest dropout rate.
FWCS has the largest number of minority students.

Paints an interesting picture, no?

SOoooooo....maybe it's not "all" the school system's fault that these kids are failing the state tests, right? If a school is failing, that means the STUDENTS are failing. And if the students are failing, it means, most likely that they aren't showing up for class. I never knew that many kids who were there EVERY day, and still didn't glean SOMETHING from a class.
Maybe it's just as much "nature" as "nurture" that's part of this problem. And by NATURE, I mean the student's home and environs. Think if what goes on when they're NOT in school that is causing so much of these issues.

The school cannot control WHO a student's mom might be shacking up with, what drugs she's into, or whether she's even treating the kids with the respect they should be getting. Nor can a school teach a welfare mom what the hell a box of cereal, milk, spoon and bowl are for when it comes to breakfast. A school cannot police the LAZY-ASSES of the world. Neither can a school enforce study habits at home, who a child "hangs" with and is influenced by, or keep a child from getting in with the wrong crowd after the last bell of the day. A school cannot be a mother, father, sister, brother, policeman, or priest to ANY student. It's simply not it's job.

All a school CAN do is educate a student in the subjects required. A school can teach by example. A school CAN mentor. A school can point a student to the door of opportunity, but it's the student that has to choose to either OPEN the door, or walk away from it.

As to all these "what can and cannot be done" items, one thing becomes painfully clear. It becomes a PARENTAL responsibility as well as the STUDENT'S responsibility in the long run. Anything less will produce more of the results of this latest ranking.

Now I don't think tossing $500 million at FWCS for building upgrades and repairs will amount to a hill of beans to RAISE these scores. I think a little more of the "board of education being applied to the seat of knowledge" is definitely in order.

If ANY school system is going to be held accountable (by the state) for the student's test scores, then something must be done to make the STUDENTS accountable not only to the schools, but also to THEMSELVES. And to ask ANY school system to attempt this undertaking is nothing sort of undermining the root of the educational system, which is to TEACH. All a school can do is tell students to be accountable...they cannot FORCE them to be as such (unfortunately). For example...it would be folly to tell the students on the first day of class that (because of current stats) about a THIRD of them will either NOT pass the course OR even make it to graduation, so they might as well quit now and save some time. They're not ASTRONAUTS, so they should STOP taking up SPACE! I know of NO educator that would even think of doing that (however TRUE it might be).

So, in the end, like MOST of our societal problems, it comes back to...(all together gang)...the PEOPLE! And nothing short of legislating some form of civic courses in personal responsibility and accountability will seem to suffice. It's not like the "old days" when people had plenty of self motivation to seek and pursue things for themselves in the way of education. Well, at least when you parents said LEARN...they weren't bull$hitting you. They meant business. SO you LEARNED...and were not the worse off because of it.

Anything that goes around, comes around (again). We can either sit back and wait for it to do so, or we can do something to reverse this trend. We DO have the power to enact change.

As always...it's OUR choice.

06 June 2007

Boys Will Be Boys (and Girls)....

Almost everyone has pulled a prank (or three) in their lifetimes, right? Those harmless things that bring notoriety, such as water balloon drops, toilet papering a house, or even the reknown whoopie cushion. And it was "all in fun"...no major problem.


But some students at Wayne High School saw fit to "kick it up a notch" with their "hijinks". They poured concrete in front of the doors,filled locks with grease, defaced a drawing of the mascot on the front of the building, stuck forks in the ground, and ran a t-shirt up the flagpole.

Now aside from the flagpole shirt...everything else is a form of VANDALISM, isn't it? One senior said that: "It was JUST a senior PRANK". NO...it was willful destruction of school property, asshole! You think THAT LITTLE of your school, and have SO LITTLE pride, that you felt the need to deface the building that is trying to make you more than the idiot you've (apparently) become?
And these students included the "Val", the "Sal", and other top students, so we can't blame it on the low-class people that barely made it out of there (with some axe to grind), can we? It's the smart-assed little bastards (that the city wants to remain here vis-a-vis the brain drain) causing all of this.

The students are to serve 30 hours of community service (that's frigging IT???). If it HAD been a bunch of "regular" students, they'd be slapped in cuffs and hauled to the hoosegow SO damn fast, it's make their heads spin! ]
I guess being "privileged" STILL does have it's advantages, eh?

In the WAYNE HIGH SCHOOL HANDBOOK:
http://wayne.fwcs.k12.in.us/handbook.htm

RULE 13 - Trespassing · 1st Offense: OSS · 2nd Offense: OSS with a request for expulsion or placement in an alternative program.

RULE 17 - Vandalism / Graffiti · 1st Offense: OSS / Expulsion · 2nd Offense: OSS with a request for expulsion or placement in an alternative program

RULE 26 - Group or Gang Involvement · 1st Offense: Detention / OSS / Alternative Program · 2nd Offense: OSS / Alternative Program / Expulsion · 3rd Offense: OSS with recommendation for expulsion or placement in an alternative program

RULE 34 - Illegal Conduct · 1st Offense: OSS with a recommendation for expulsion or enrollment in an alternative program · 2nd Offense: OSS with a recommendation for expulsion or enrollment in an alternative program

Maybe someone should have READ this to these little "rascals"???

But the students who committed the "pranks" (read crime) are not going to be ALLOWED to participate in commencement. Big frigging whoop! If it were me as the administrator, I'd withold the damn diplomas, too. Hell, I'd even go as far as to appoint a NEW valedictorian and salutatorian. That would make them think twice in the future. These kids are going into a much harsher world, and with the attitude they're already displaying, that doesn't bode well.

One mother became so distraught saying: "It's (the pranks) been going on for 30 years". Yeah, but I'll wager that HER daughter wasn't involved in them and not to THIS degree. Amazing how people bitch when the shoe is on THEIR foot for a change, isn't it? She claims it's "part of the senior thing". And what part of this "thing" are we talking about?
I'm sure Mrs. thumb-up-her-ass wouldn't like it one damn bit if her daughter (and compadres) would do the same to HER house and yard. THEN it WOULD be vandalism and not just "some senior thing", right?

Your kid screwed up, lady...and like too many Hoosiers LOVE to say...DEAL WITH IT!

Another example of parenting at it's "best"...yeah right.
***UPDATE - 5PM***
The students WILL be attending their commencement, BUT will NOT receive their diplomas until AFTER the comminuity service is completed.
(Wow, I guess some admins at FWCS must be reading this blog...who'da thunk...LOL!)
Sherman, Set The WAY-BACK Machine...


The year - 1944...the place - the beaches of Normandy, France.













It was on this day that allied forces stormed upon the French coast in an attempt to push back the nazi threat. Hours earlier, British and American paratroop forces were flown in to secure specified areas, disrupt German communication lines, and basically to wreak as much havoc as they could prior to the beach invasions at Omaha and Utah (along with British and Canadian forces at Gold, Sword and Juno beaches).

During just that day, the breakdown of US casualties was 1465 dead, 3184 wounded, 1928 missing and 26 captured. Of the total US figure, 2499 casualties were from the US airborne troops (238 of them being deaths). The casualties at Utah Beach were relatively light: 197, including 60 missing. The US 1st and 29th Divisions together suffered around 2000 casualties at Omaha Beach. And yes, I know that our war in Iraq has nowhere near those numbers (thankfully), but stop and think WHY we fight.

We fight to preserve democracy...to preserve freedom, and to allow those that do not enjoy such things the same accord. And we used to be able to accomplish it with a lot more help from our allies.

It's a whole other ballgame today. Many nations that we used to rely on to fight WITH us are suddenly against us. They claim it's not THEIR fight. Well, I suppose that fascism was OK back then, and we should have taken that NEUTRAL stance? Not likely. Modern day terrorism is just as insidious as nazism...and fascism, and communism. And it's just as willing to emcompass the globe. The problem today is that many folks don't "believe" it as such, or are not willing to admit to themselves that it is.

Hope they like learning Arabic.

And whether it's the radical Islamic terror cell, or even the gunman that holds up a local bank, terrorism IS terroism, plain and simple. We have to recognize it for what it really is...namely evil. We're not going to be able to erase evil from this world...that's a given. But we can make it a lot less profitable for them to operate. From the phone call to the local police for suspicious behavior up to and including heading in country to fight for what is right...it's all the same.

Every American owes it to themselves to step up and fight for what is right.It all becomes similar, whether it's on a neighborhood street, or on a beach in Normandy, France.

Take a few minutes today to reflect on what happened on those beaches 63 years ago.

Freedom is never without cost...yet the cause is always just.

05 June 2007

Rising Violent Crime - Part Deux...

We're smack in the middle of the SECOND year of this disturbingly upward surge. Many cities across the nation are seeing whatever progress they have made within the past decade all but disappear.

Gary, Indiana is again, as I have stated in previous posts (15 May - We're On The Same Page) trying desperately to reclaim it's title as "Murder Capital of the USA" with 32 homicides (so far) this year. Indianapolis isn't fairing much better with OVER FIFTY (which puts them in line for another year of near record numbers if things keep going the way they are).

Mayor Rudy Clay (of Gary) states that these homicides "are not gang-related...not drug-related". The POLICE, on the other hand have gone on record saying that at LEAST HALF of the homicides this year CAN be linked to DRUGS.

Someone ought to clue the mayor in on the fact that (in the words of Mark Twain): "DENIAL AIN'T JUST A RIVER IN EGYPT"! And denial won't make crimes like this just "go away",either.

Personally, I tend to believe the "grunts in the trench" faster than some paper-jockey behind some desk with gold braid on his shoulders. Same goes for politicians....the police would know more than some "suit" in his "Ivory Palace" regarding what happens on the streets of ANY city.

Similar situations like this are being mirrored across the nation, but the largest upsurges can be seen not only in America's largest cities (where one would EXPECT this to happen), but thanks to the "trickle down" effect, we're seeing it more and more in smaller cities, and especially in the places one would not normally think of (such as the Midwest).

Philadelphia has also seen it's share of rising gun violence and homicides, and has created a team with the acronym S.I.T.E. ( Strategic Intervention Tactical Enforcement) that has one role within the department:to serve as a specialized anti-crime task force in high-crime areas of the city.

Think of it as a "Metro Squad" for a BIG city.

It consists of about 40 officers, working past their duty shift, "off the radio" (not responding to regular calls), patrolling known "badlands" in certain districts, looking for anything or anyone appearing the slightest bit hinky. The team recruits officers specifically for their "aggressive policing style". Man, could we use them HERE in Fort Wayne!

Only in Philly, there's no grumbling from either the ACLU or the NAACP!
(psst...it's STILL called CRIMINAL profiling, people)

And it's working. But for every perp busted and every gun confiscated, more keep appearing. The PPD commissioner says that Philly has some of the least restrictive gun laws in the state. I would tend to disagree. But I would get one LEGALLY. And from years past, they had in both Philly AND Pittsburgh a thorough background check with a waiting period (used to be 3 days). Compared to Fort Wayne, that's strict.

Upstate PA doesn't have such regulatory restrictions. Then again, a lot of folks there are packing, and have GUN RACKS in their pickups...with fully-loaded rifles and shotguns in them....so you KNOW no one screws with THEM. I tend to believe (from past experience) that the number of guns in Philly come from elsewhere and NOT from Philly (proper). Hell, with all the straw purchasing going on, I wouldn't be surprised if guns used in Philly homicides come from Indiana! And that's only the guns that are "bought"...we're not talking about the stolen ones, or the black market firearms available. I was once offered a chance to get a TEC-9 w/30 round clips from a person I knew in NJ with "connections" to South Philly for $200...no questions asked...(I still kick myself for not following up on that). Yeah, if only....

Gary's new police chief is more street-wise, and has noticed that two thirds of the police force is behind a desk. That is changing. Chief Tom Houston feels the force is too "top-heavy". The mayor is also asking for the PUBLIC'S help in bringing the crime rate down. "People in Gary must get involved", he said.

OK then, mister mayor...got a proposal for 'ya. Why don't you DEPUTIZE any and all LAW-ABIDING citizens that legally OWN a gun, turn THEM loose and watch the crime rate FALL (like a lead balloon)...

It's just a thought.

And it DOES have the novelty of never having been tried (in at least 130 years).

04 June 2007

The Big Nap...Is Over

GM has announced that they are taking this global warming thing seriously...no really, they're not kidding this time...honest...they TRULY mean it. In fact, they're going so far as to pursue (with a renewed sense of brio) alternative fuel technologies.

That's what they want us to believe.

In fact they are chasing alternative fuels AS A DODGE to keep from making more fuel-efficient vehicles and meeting those stringent 2020 "guidelines" (sound's like some PIRATE CODE to me...LOL!) of 35 MPG...a forty percent increase from today's standards. Sounds like yet another "two-step" to me. They must figure that if they can make an electric vehicle or "hybrid" that gets about the SAME mileage today's cars get...all will be forgiven...and forgotten.

Wellllllll....we could give them the "lucky dog" pass...but we really shouldn't. We SHOULD hold their feet to the coals and DEMAND fuel-efficiency AND alternative sources of fuel. We have the technologies to DO BOTH, and unless we PURSUE BOTH, we'll be up to our eye-teeth in foreign imports that CAN perform in this manner. Then what will happen to all "our" car makers (and their employees)? I'm thinking either OUR auto manufacturers get their act together, or we won't HAVE any automakers that are entirely owned and operated in the USA. We've seen the situation when Ford bought into all those BRITISH companies (selling those companies off now to stay afloat), as well as the Daimler-Chrysler buyout (that is being "unbought" as we speak). Dodge/Chrysler has HAD a tie with Mitsubishi for decades (anyone recall the Dodge STEALTH/ Mitsubishi 2000...same car, different logo). And we know FORD and MAZDA have teamed up for over 10 years (the Ford Probe/Mazda 626 coupe...yep, same car). Hell, even GM and NISSAN have had their hands in each others pockets (don't EVEN want to know how happy that's making those people) for some time as well.

We're already seeing some "biological" fallout from using CORN as an alternative fuel...lack of rain is making corn crops less than "bumper" in nature (for this year), and we STILL have to feed the livestock (oh...and the PEOPLE as well). Rising costs of corn as a result will be impacting on this and many other aspects of our lives. Maybe if we didn't EXPORT all those MILLIONS OF BUSHELS OF CORN (each year) in the FIRST place, we'd have a tick more to go around...'ya think? We're relying a little too much on CORN while other crops can yield like results.

So why doesn't GM get together with this professor at Purdue I spoke about Friday and get on the stick with this WATER-ENGINE patent build it up into prototype form ASAP? Seems U.S. automakers could be sitting on the next best thing since sliced white bread ( but there's that "big oil" camaraderie that would suffer in the process...oh, drat).

Submitted for your approval..an interesting "scenario" for say...the year 2020.

China, second ONLY to the USA in oil CONSUMPTION (and at their present rate of growth will surpass us in a decade or so) requires an ever-growing amount of crude to fuel THEIR vehicles, factories, etc. Now take this nation of IRAN...that just so happens to have some oil to "sell". In comes China, and says "We have some (excess) nuclear material we could let you have for some oil". Now begins a match made in hell (perhaps as far as the 7th layer). Suddenly, we have a MAJOR "situation" on our hands, and America is looking a lot more "vulnerable" than in years past, especially since many nations have a mixed opinion of us already.


IRAN and CHINA...stranger bedfellows one could never imagine. China is not really all that "friendly" with RUSSIA as it is, so China has within it's grasp to become THE superpower with IRAN nicely in it's hip pocket. Iran can soon become THE nation that has OPEC under IT'S thumb (with China standing right behind them). Yeah, it's those damn communists again. And don't think CHINA is not even beyond kissing some ass in VENEZUELA either (Chavez might be joining that club). China does have the sheer capital alone to woo both of these nations' leaders for whatever they (China) want. The only flaw in China's armor would be their increasing "westernization". Their infrastructure can't handle what they already have in population (and they don't give a rat's ass about global warming...sound familiar?), so they "might" need room to expand (shades of Hitler - 1939).

Makes you think about those "estranged cousins" in our global nuclear family of nations in a whole new light.


And all that IRAN (or even China) would have to do is "accidently" detonate some (specified sized) device above America at roughly 400 (or so) miles, and PRESTO....all of our electronics are "crispy critters" thanks to that nice EMP produced by the device. They don't even have to come close to hitting us directly. All the tech we depend on goes AWOL....just like that!

No comms, no vehicles, no TV or radio, no ATMs, no computer systems, and no way to see what in the hell is going on elsewhere on the planet. Our economy soon becomes a shambles, riots and looting become commonplace, loss of innocent life rises to biblical proportions, and America becomes screwed, blued, and tattooed in the blink of an eye...without any DIRECT nuclear confrontation. The stage could be set for a type of "Red Dawn". Such can be said for any other nation as well....instant step back in time. Dig out the oil lamps and keep the shotgun handy.
This is some serious stuff, right?

But this is "ONLY" a fictitious worst-case "scenario"...and can't really happen. (Don't kid yourselves)
Certain parameters are already in place to produce just such a "fictitious" situation. We are only one or two "confrontations" from this happening. Let's face it, the hall's been rented, the band is engaged. All we have to do is pick the "song" we want to dance to.

This isn't fatalism...it's fact. Get used to it.

So when GM comes along with a "solution" to our energy woes....I'm not exactly ready to "sell the farm and move to town"...just yet. The car companies need to do a helluva lot better than tossing some "techno-crumbs" our way to fight over and go "yummy, yummy". IF (big if) ANY automaker can make that GIANT LEAP in technology (like this water-based fuel source from Purdue) to end our dependence on foreign oil, THEN I'll be willing to listen with both ears.

Until that happens, I'm keeping one ear to the ground...just in case.


01 June 2007

Tempus DOES Fugit...
OK...let's take inventory:

We've got a potential "immigration plan" that is a debacle waiting for a border to cross, violent crime rises for the SECOND year, the SMOKING BAN takes effect today (see 'ya in New Haven, folks), a mayoral candidate is being raked over the coals because someone can do it to him, Hillary Clinton wants to force SOCIALISM on us if she's elected, welfare checks should arrive today, the weather is more akin to AUGUST than June, the farmers are complaining about the lack of RAIN for their thirsty CORN crops, fuel prices hit RECORD highs, Wall street pulls a DITTO as well, the FWCS remonstrance drive takes off, Harrison Square kicks us in the wallet, and AWB's son drives an SUV (LOL)!

And it's only the FIRST of JUNE!

And for all my cynical pessimism, I think we're ready to "turn the corner". I like to believe we're making SOME progress...somewhere.

Yeah, for what it's worth...we MUST be doing OK somewhere.

The good news is that things can't get "too much" worse.
The bad news is...they probably WILL.

Take the Purdue professor that has an idea to make an engine that will run on WATER...you heard me right...plain old H2O! Problem is, with all our dependence on "big oil" and the HUGE profit margins they're making (thanks to US...the consumer), they're not exactly banging down the professor's door for this "new approach" to an alternative fuel source. Hell, they should be taking this guy to breakfast, lunch, AND dinner every day until they get this process up and working for all of us!

The "idea" the professor is working on deals with using water, aluminum, and gallium. Simple, huh? Drop aluminum into water...'ya got BUPKISS! But, if you mix the aluminum with gallium in the water...something wonderful happens...the water breaks down into OXYGEN...and HYDROGEN (I can see aluminum futures going through the roof). And if you recall, hydrogen gives a "better return on your investment" combustably-speaking. It's a better source of power than say....ETHANOL. And with NO PUMPING stations needed, this professor is onto something that could not ONLY wean us off of foreign oil dependency, but wean us off of oil COMPANIES altogether. How novel is THAT?


No wonder the government is dragging it's heels....this guy is a THREAT to big oil...(horrors)!!! Imagine not having to ever go into a filling station again...neat, huh? I wonder how long it will take the government to be cajoled by these oil moguls into BUYING this professor's patent, and then promptly SHELVING it (as they already have with other technologies in years past)? It's kind of like having the Ark of the Covenant in some warehouse...collecting dust.

Here's a chance for Indiana to be at the forefront of something BIG...I mean REALLY BIG. But I feel the Hoosier state will take the obligatory "pass" on this, because of all the corn crops (suffering from lack of water), which will drive prices even HIGHER. Another missed chance for redemption here in Indiana. Another "list" we here will most surely be near the top of again.

But I'm on board with the professor...if HE can come up with something better for everyone...let's bring it! And bring it ASAP! Maybe we're long overdue for some quantum leap in technology...and Purdue University might have within it's hallowed halls the ONE PERSON who can make this happen. Let's just give the professor a go at it.

We still have half the year to go...what the hell.

We don't have much to lose at this point...and everything to gain.