Arrggghhh… Time to write

Sure is dusty round here…

Scoble has posted a great interview with Irving Wladawsky-Berger.

The Pen is mightier

After the session adjourns Sine Die (supposedly April 20, 2007), I have some things to say.

Viral Video

Insider Higher Ed has an interesting piece on a post by an anthropology professor at Kansas State.

See the article here.

See the video here.

Worth your time.

College is not a democracy

The Chronicle has a column by Naomi Schaeffer Riley, a conservative writer whose credits include the WSJ and National Review, advising students that colleges do have rules.  Whether you are from the right or left — your freedoms end where the campus rules begin.   More to the point:

But by now, students, or at least their parents, should know better. Students on the right should realize that politically correct speech has been a campus requirement for a long time, regardless of whether administrations are willing to acknowledge it. And that many secular universities are unwelcoming, if not
downright hostile, toward strongly religious and politically conservative students. Meanwhile, the aspiring student activists on the left might do themselves a favor by finally noticing that universities are corporations
run by grown-ups, who have to think about budgets and alumni giving and public relations.

So students should follow the advice of consumer advocates and relationship counselors when it comes to picking a college. Read about the product before you (or your parents) hand over money for it. And don’t enter a relationship thinking you’re going to change it.

Judgements

If you have perused my posts, especially those dealing with policy and/or legislation, you will note that I make judgements on the intent of those promoting their policies.  Many times, I find that my initial judgements were ill informed.  Those times are the result of talking to the initiator, listening, then making an assessment of the policy intent.

I keep telling myself I will learn not to jump to conclusions, or at least, to wait until the advocate of a policy matter either clearly annunicates his or her position or proves to be without credibility.  Discourse is good.  Debate is honorable.  Losing is not bad.  Poor judgement, however, is devastating.

Dead poets and politicians

Actually, the way society respects each is diametrically opposed.  Dead poets, at least the good ones, rise in respect. Dead politicians (dead in the political realm, not corporeal), well, as a friend once said:

No one wastes goodbyes on  dead politicians

Anon

Blast from the past

Found the blog of a good high school friend…

She seems to have regressed to old english … but otherwise, she is dabbling with lots of Web 2.0 tools for her teaching.

Y2K - Ver 2.0

Time, or the measurement thereof, has been an important tool for the military and governments for centuries.  Congress in its infinite wisdom has decided to change the date for daylight savings time switching to March 11 — 4 weeks earlier than usual (this was done in 2005 — so don’t blame the new majority for this one).  Now business, and individuals, will bear the cost.

Call this Y2k v 2.0

Cost of Freedom

An editorial by the Augusta Chronicle is concerned about the costs to human freedom that may be incurred as a result of proposed abatement of global warming.

Why don’t they have the same concern when it comes to the proposed infringment on liberties created by our responses to terrorism?

If you were to calculate probabilities of being effected by either warming or terrorism — multiply that probability by the cost (or damage) incurred should such an event affect you — would there be any appreciable difference in the result?  Now, calculate the diminishing value of liberty as a result of the “solution” proposed for either event.  Which side of the balance sheet wins?

A question of (micro) management?

The Georgia Constitution has this to say about who governs the University System:

(b) The board of regents shall have the exclusive authority to create new public colleges, junior colleges, and universities in the State of Georgia, subject to approval by majority vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Such vote shall not be required to change the status of a college, institution or university existing on the effective date of this Constitution. The government, control, and management of the University System of Georgia and all of the institutions in said system shall be vested in the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. (Article VIII , Section IV(b))

Now, Look at the bills offered thus far regarding admissions, management of students, etc:

• HB 32 - Quality Basic Education Act; annual educational program; require

• HB 72 - Georgia Homeland Security in Education Act of 2007; create

• HB 131 – Georgia HERO Scholarship; surviving spouses; change definitions

• HB 154 – Intellectual Diversity in Higher Education Act

• SB 35 - Georgia, University System; students; home study program; authorize board of regents to promulgate rules/reg. regarding such admissions

• SB 74 - Returning Hero Education Act

So, how does all this legislation fit within a conservative philosophy of government?