NOW is the Time to Overhaul our Schools

Posted: July 8, 2020 by datechguy in economy
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There is a lot of talk about if and when schools reopen but there is a factor that is not being considered.

We have reached the logical conclusion from the removal of prayer in school. Three generations later we have a highly medicated student body that intimidates their teachers, requires police to keep them in line and is taught that America is the source of all the evil in the world despite all the evidence being to the contrary.

And I haven’t even touched on professional teachers claiming that saying 2+2=4 is a sign of white supremacy and colonialism.

Why on earth would you want to send your children back to that kind of mess? I wouldn’t.

But as the schools are closed and their reopening is iffy, we have an opportunity. NOW is the time to examine the curriculum that exist and compel a change.

Toss Howard Zinn into the dustbin of history that his ahistorical history belongs in and bring back actual history, actual science, actual math, actual reading focusing on developing and informing. Teach the basics you actually need. Get rid of excess administration and keep the focus on education rather than indoctrination.

If that isn’t possible push a voucher system and remove public schooling all together. Allow a free market loose on primary and secondary education and watch schools fight to provide the quality to attract those voucher dollars. Watch black education rates and grades soar, watch the trades come back. Watch the need for school police drop and yes, if a market exists for liberal indoctrination for kids even that will be available for the few parents who want it.

There will likely not be a better chance in my lifetime to get this done. Let’s do it!

The gentleman journalist

Posted: July 7, 2020 by chrisharper in media
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By Christopher Harper

Hugh Downs stood far above the self-absorbed bloviators who pawn themselves off today as journalists.

For nearly a decade, I worked with Hugh for ABC’s 20/20. He was the consummate gentleman and Renaissance man who treated everyone with respect.

Hugh referred to himself as “a champion dilettante,” who dabbled in music, art, and science. His 1986 memoir, “On Camera: My 10,000 Hours on Television,” was no idle boast: For years, he held the Guinness record for most hours on commercial network television until Regis Philbin eventually passed him.

Hugh was born and grew up in Ohio. His father worked as a salesman who struggled to make ends meet during the Depression. Hugh had to drop out of college to support the family as a radio announcer in Lima, Ohio.

In 1940, after serving in the Army, he joined the staff of WMAQ, the NBC radio station in Chicago. Later in the decade, he made the transition to television, working on “Kukla, Fran, and Ollie,” a popular puppet show.
Eventually, he would appear on “The Tonight Show,” “The Today Show,” “Concentration,” “20/20,” and others.

At the beginning of his career, Hugh said he suffered from stage fright. He recalled those days in “On Camera,” his memoir:

“At the end of a piece of music, when I was supposed to say something, my knees would shake uncontrollably. My pulse and respiration went up. Fortunately, the fear never showed in my delivery, but it did in my hands. If I had to hold copy, the paper would rattle. As a defense, I learned to lay copy out flat on the desk, or, if standing, to grab my lapels along with the copy, so the paper didn’t move with my hands.”

In 1978, Hugh received a call from Roone Arledge, the president of ABC News, asking him to take over the newsmagazine “20/20.” Its debut just a week earlier had been a disaster. Hugh was the sole host until 1984, when his former “Today” colleague Barbara Walters became his co-host. He remained with the program until retiring in 1999.
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In addition to his television work, Hugh was a composer. He wrote a prelude that was performed by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Hugh was an amateur guitarist and played for Andrés Segovia. He said he was pleased that Segovia did not leave the room.

Hugh also was a science buff and an adventurer. He piloted a 65-foot ketch across the Pacific and traveled to the South Pole.

During my time at “20/20,” I worked with Hugh on a project to create coral reefs near Miami. We had a great deal of fun, including the opportunity to blow up an old ship to start a reef.

But I truly appreciated Hugh’s fame when he was able to get a reservation for our team at Joe’s Stone Crabs in South Beach, where people lined up for hours to get inside in the usually first-come, first-serve restaurant.

Hugh died at the age of 99. I know he probably wanted to reach 100, but somehow 2020 seems more appropriate.

Funspot, Waitresses, False History , Indifferent Fans and another dead black kid whose life didn’t matter under the Fedora.

Posted: July 7, 2020 by datechguy in Uncategorized

Last week my son and I hit funspot arcade in NH the 1st day it opened. It was a bit of a rainy day and they had an OK crowd but even though we had a lot of pinball to play for some reason it just wasn’t as much fun as it had been. Both of us decided we wanted to leave early. Maybe it was the long drive day before to Manchester VT to Pastime Pinball but something about this Funspot trip wasn’t right.

That was very odd.

On the way back we hit a BBQ place KC’s Ribshack in Manchester that we hadn’t tried before. We were seated outside under a tent and the waitresses had to brave rain etc to get us served. The food was average but the service was outstanding.

I think there has been a real appreciation of the value of waitstaff by people. It’s one of the few positive side effects of the Cornoa/Wuhan/CCP virus.

It’s been rather amazing to hear people suddenly discover that history is not being taught in our classroom. The investment our enemies have made in our schools, particularly in pushing Howard Zinn who is a joke, have really paid off in terms of ignorance. If you want to know how history SHOULD be taught and referenced I suggest the opening chapters of this book by Albert Bushnell Hart about sources and how history should be taught.

I’m rapidly reaching the opinion that the closing of our schools is the 2nd silver lining from Covid 19.

Two months ago I was delighted at the prospect of MLB opening under quarantine and the games coming back.

However between the whining of players of all sports over risks that truckers and grocery clerks take daily and their homage to the BLM/democrat/media left cause I find I really don’t care anymore.

It will interesting to see what happens when these jocks discover that their large paydays are dependent on the public giving a damn.

Speaking of BLM I saw this at PJ media concerning the death of 11 year old Davon McNeal in DC on the 4th of July from his grandfather:

One of his grandfathers lamented black-on-black crime and criticized Black Lives Matter for ignoring it.

“Everybody’s just saying they’re just tired – tired of the shootings in the community,” John Ayala, McNeal’s paternal grandfather, told FOX 5. “Everybody’s running around here thinking they’re Uzi-toting, dope-sucking, psychopathic killing machines and they’re just destroying lives.”

“We’re protesting for months, for weeks, saying, ‘Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter.’ Black lives matter it seems like, only when a  police officer shoots a black person,” Ayala lamented, bitterly. “What about all the black-on-black crime that’s happening in the community?”

Mr. Ayala is almost right there. The shooter doesn’t have to be a Police Officer for a black life to matter to the media or left. If said shooter looked like or voted like me then I would not have heard about the killing of 11 year old Davon McNeal at PJ Media 1st.

As long as the black community gives their votes to the Democrat/BLM/Media left without question they will have no incentive to make this stop.

Report from Louisiana: Opening School

Posted: July 6, 2020 by Pat Austin in Uncategorized
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By:  Pat Austin

SHREVEPORT – We are about five weeks from opening school in Louisiana, and teachers are beginning to get anxious. Certainly parents and students are as well, but teachers are natural planners and we like to know the lay of the land with as much advance notice as possible.

Districts across the nation have started releasing tentative plans, but we all know that could change on a dime. Most look like hybrid plans – part virtual school, part in-person. There are also all-virtual options for parents who don’t feel comfortable sending their kids back to school just yet.

I see a lot of concern about masks; both teachers and students are generally going to be expected to wear masks to school. I see lots of concern about social distancing, about number of students in a classroom, and about spacing kids out on the bus.

What I don’t see a lot of is concern for the teacher. In discussion threads I’ve been reading, many parents can’t wait to get their kids back to school, for a variety of reasons, and many seem comfortable that their kids will be safe. After all, it’s older folks who are mostly catching COVID-19, not young kids. We haven’t seen a lot of outbreaks in day care centers, I’m told.

Teachers across the country have a great deal of anxiety about returning to the classroom. There are a great many teachers near retirement age, or that are currently eligible to retire but just haven’t wanted to. These are the teachers expressing the most concern right now; many of us are caring for elderly family members or are in an at-risk group ourselves. Some of us live with immunocompromised people. So yes, we are invested in being certain that school opens safely.

From ABC News:

Some teachers around the country say they are nervous about returning because of underlying health conditions or concerns about infecting family members. Others say they are frustrated by the lack of clear guidance from officials about what’s safe. And for some, it’s about child care if their own kids are only back at school for a handful of days during the week.

The result is an inevitable clash between leaders pushing aggressive reopening policies in states like Texas and Florida and teachers, some of whom say local officials need to think more about what they are asking teachers to do.

There is so much conflicting information, it is difficult to believe anything or to truly know what is safe and what isn’t. After months of social distancing and stay at home orders, how can we just return to school with any degree of certainty that things will be safe?

Overall, a combined 54 percent of American voters said they are somewhat uncomfortable or very uncomfortable with reopening K-12 schools for the beginning of the coming school year, according to the latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll that assessed the nation’s mood about students returning to day cares and schools shut down by the pandemic.

Some districts are offering either virtual learning or in-person learning that “almost totally” disregards CDC guidelines because social distancing won’t be possible and students might not be wearing masks, said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of a school superintendents association.

“A lot of states along the Southern belt are just planning to move ahead with, all students, all come, and to me, that is going to be a horror,” he said.

And on the issue of masks, many school districts are recommending them but can’t mandate them unless they supply them. Or can they? How is it different than a mandated dress code? And what if a student refuses? What about students with asthma or other concerns?

So many unknowns.

And yes, we still have a few weeks. Things can change very quickly as we all know.

But I worry.

I worry about bring this virus into my home. I worry about getting sick, myself. I worry about exposing so many more people to the virus by opening schools and all that brings.  So many surfaces to clean! Where will all those Lysol wipes come from!? This is certainly a logistical nightmare for district decision-makers on so many levels.

What are your thoughts on the new school year? Would you be comfortable sending your kids into a public school in five weeks?

Pat Austin blogs at And So it Goes in Shreveport and is the author of Cane River Bohemia: Cammie Henry and her Circle at Melrose Plantation. Follow her on Instagram @patbecker25 and Twitter @paustin110.

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