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Public Education's Death March

March 12th 2010 09:25

Public Education in the United States seems to be on a Death March that is worrisome. The most extreme of it is what is going on in the Kansas City School System. Over half the schools will be shut down as part of a "Right Sizing Plan" proposed by the city's School Board. This is a very unfortunate development that underscores the immense challenge being faced by all States in how to fund their public schools.

I have written extensively about it. I was moved enough to even generate a "Smart Schools" proposal to the New America Foundation to see how schools can be truly transformed. With what teachers in my local school district I see every day, I think there is indeed possiblities to transform. But, if there is a move to destroy in the name of reform, there may well not be a public school sector left. There is enough opposition to this wonderful experiment and the apparent policy objectives of the Obama Adminstration is fueling that fire. Investment in education will insure a better future. I have to wonder whether the systematic dimantling of public education by pushing charter schools and vouchers will be the answer to supposed mediocore performance by schools.

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, law, war

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Rachel Corrie's Plight & The Fight 4 Justice

March 12th 2010 06:43

Rachel Corrie was a young college student who decided to go to Gaza to fight for Palestinian rights. She stood in front of a house in Gaza to prevent it from being razed. She was crushed by an Israeli Army Bulldozer. After 7 years, the family has finally been able to bring a case against the Government of Israel. The family talked about it with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now:

This is again one of those underreported stories in the so-called mainstream press. The family is quite courageous to have taken on the Government of Israel. What I found quite shocking was how the U.S. Government brought pressure to bear to help with the case during the Bush Adminstration. This came out during the interview when the Adminstration pushed for reports to be given to the family as they prepared their case. This again shows a side of Israel that I think is not as well known as it should be. As I wrote about in KP's sister site, Smooth Political, about what One Israel and J Street are doing, this case is another example of what can happen in the pursuit of justice.

Israel's security paranoia is frankly well justified. But, for Israel to emerge from this semi-pariah of a nation-state that it is, it has to truly figure out who it is going to live in the 21st Century. The Corrie case shows what is truly possible in Israel. Although the trial has just started, the fact that such a trial has come to bear is cause for hope in and of itself.

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, women, law, war

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Iceland's Modern Media Initiatve (A Brief Update)

March 10th 2010 06:45

I wanted to provide an update on Iceland's Modern Media Initiatve. It is very, very exciting to see one country provide an infrastucture to truly resurrect a dying profession that has been on the attack from infotainment advocates for the longest time. This overview is quite amazing:

It is a development I would be watching with great interest.

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, women, law

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Iceland's Modern Media Initiative

March 9th 2010 07:51

Iceland is a country in crisis. It is trying to figure out how to pay back billions to the UK and Netherlands as its own banking system collapsed. Yet, it is also trying to figure out a way to create a haven for journalists. This provides a shield law so that they can hopefully live to be true journalists. If they are able to pull this off is another matter.

What is clear is that Journalism is changing. I have struggled with trying to undestand it as I have talked about our World and tried to fashion some centrist realistic response to it. The 4th Estate has to truly live up to be the conscious of the World. It has failed miserably. How it redeems itself is going to be challenging to say the least. Iceland is at least trying to do the right thing for the sake of us all.

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, law, war

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KP View (3/7/2010): The Quest For "Truth"

March 7th 2010 23:18

As a new media practitoner, I believe in free media and the free discourse of information. I also think that it is absolutely vital for us who have decided to take up this mantle to act responsibly. This is ever more so as we go through this spectre of change that continues to be as unprecendented as ever.

Cable News Networks have grown into a publiclity machine for lobbyists and Public Relations Consultants. What they regard as being "the truth" is not necessarily the case. All the majors are run by multinational conglomartes who have only thing in mind: profits. The Media Barons get very nervous when someone rises to challenge them. Fox and its' parent, News Corp, gets away with quite a bit becasue it has a loyal following who seem to think that whatever Fox and its' stars say is gospel. There is a war going on--the war for the real truth that no ones seems to want to accept

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, law, war

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KP Week-End II (3/7/2010): Tidbits From Britain

March 7th 2010 08:40

The British always seem to amaze me to no end. There is the UK War inquiry that I have written about. There is the National Health Service and of course, Queen Elizabeth and all she represents in tradiition and continuity. But, Britain is also a country that continues to be in transition especially in light of the financial implosion we have all been witness to.

Gordon Brown is in the fight for his political life. The reports I am seeing are that Labor is going to lose. Some say it might be a hung parliament. Some say that Conservatives will attain a simple enough majority to form the next Government. The Conservatives have the edge. They control a large percentage of local councils that will be able to mobilize votes to turn out. What will push it over the edge, though, are the debates. I will be quite keen to see who comes out ahead. Whenever I have had a chance to catch Prime Minister's Question Time, I have seen both Nick Clegg and David Cameron each Gordon Brown for lunch

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, law, war

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KP Week-End (3/6/2010): Ahmadinejad's Latest Folly

March 7th 2010 01:09

Iran's Ahmadinjead once again was at it the other day. He called 9/11 a big lie and questioned the justification of it, calling it an intelligence conspiracy. I can't understand how this man even gets away with such nonsense. But he seems to continue to have a go at it.

What is so hypocritical about this comment is the fact that he wanted to pay his respects at the 9/11 site and was refused. He also seems not to realize what actually happened. Just like those who question what happened to Kennedy, people who believe that the World is still flat and those who believe that Elvis is still alive, there will be those like this character who will continue to push this fiction of a lie on 9/11. It was a true WTF moment which shows how ignorant the man truly is

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, law, war

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A Ray of Hope For California

March 5th 2010 08:04

As I reported on the crisis of Education in California, I have also been assessing the status of one of the most powerful organizations in the State: The Peace Officers' Union. It has helped to elect two Republican and one Democratic Governor and has been behind the election of State Legislators. The legacy of the Union, though, is an overcrowded violence infested system that is under Federal Conservatorship.

What the current Govenor, Mr. Schwarzenegger, wants to do is to privatize a whole chunk of it to break the back of a Union that enjoys unprecendented power. Whether he succeeds remains to be seen. What does need to happen is for a profound change of priorities. I wrote about the concern expressed by Justice Anthony Kennedy of the US Supreme Court about the money the State of California spent on prisoners. I also commend Justice Kennedy for noting how "sick" it was that the Prison Officers' Union ha sponsored the three strikes law that has caused so much grief in California today

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, women, law, war

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KP View (3/4/2010): The Crisis In Education in California

March 4th 2010 08:58

The crisis in Public Education continues to mushroom and spiral out of control. Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County California has undertaken a concerted effort to balance its budget on the back of the teachers. This is as teachers are continuing on valiantly with their work and maintaining a standard of excellence that is among the top districts in Califronia. Moving up North to Los Angeles County, The Los Angeles Unified School District has announced intentions to lay off up to 5,000 teachers due to a 640 Million budget shortfall. I have to truly wonder how society will continue to survive if Public Education will be devastated as it is.

What has been happening in local school districts in California is just the tip of the iceberg. Governments have no money. They're going after the low-hanging fruit. When the stimulus runs out, budgets will also begin to be cut. I wrote about it in KP's sister site, Outsider Views. What Governments fail to understand that investment in education will yield rising prosperity so that everyone is uplifted in the process. The investment and new way of thinking has to be the key for future success

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, law, war

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Rush Limbaugh is a True Big Fat Idiot

March 3rd 2010 05:52

Rush Limbaugh went over the line in criticizing Nancy Pelosi's comments on ABC's This Week. The U.S. House Speaker noted that the people's business had to be done without regard for possible re-election. Rush did not like it and annoited The Speaker as Imam Nancy Bin Pelosi. He equated the Speaker with those so-called Imams that trained suicide bombers. My reaction was just simply this: OMG!!!

What is sad is that what this idiot says every day resonates with his so-called fans. What Rush needs to do is to a Fatwa issued by Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri. Mr. ul_Qadri is the head of the Minhaj ul-Quran religious and educational organisation. He came out with a 600-page edict in London noting that suicide bombers were destined for hell. Rush needs to really go and read before he speaks

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, law, war

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KP View: Climate Change

March 2nd 2010 10:01

I have been seeing in awe as the planet continues to go through a profound sense of change in its' climate. I also continue to watch in amazement as the sceptics seem to be having a field day trying to make the case that everything is OK. Just the past 48 hours saw France being hammered by storms unprecedented. California has seen rains as never before. I have to really wonder when will the sceptics come around and figure out that we have to do something drastic soon?

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, law, war

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KP Newsflash (3/2/2010): BBC's New "Blue Print"

March 2nd 2010 08:57

I eagerly await the rollout of a new BBC master plan by the BBC's Director General. The rumours are that it will see cutbacks in web presence and close downs of certain of its entitites. The World Service is exempt becasue I understand that it is funded by the British Government through the Foreign Office.

This apparent retrenchment is of profound concern to me. If this is in response to what James Murdoch said, it will quite tragic. James Murdoch is worried about independent media. If his definition of independent media is the trash he and his father push through Fox News in the U.S, my response is no thank you. This is also ever so with Murdoch Media Properties in the UK. Murdoch already has too much power and influence. This outright power grab should not be allowed because Mr. Murdoch needs to understand that he has to be held to account.

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, law, war

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KP Week-End (2/28/2010): Jim Bunning's Stunt

February 28th 2010 23:25

Jim Bunning is a United States Senator from the State of Kentucky. He is retiring after the current session. But, he is making quite a splash!!!

Right now, he has objected to a bill in the Senate to extend unemployment benefits. He says that he wants a way to pay for it. I see nothing wrong with that. What I have a problem with is that these are not ordinary times. When I visit the local Job Center, I overhear people all the time clammoring for and expecting unemployment benefits. People are depending on this meager stipend from the Government. The stories that Democratic Senators talked about was just tragic. Yet, this did not move Mr. Bunning

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Posted By: Mike Pouraryan - Category: politics, news, law, war

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