Today's Eternal Sadness

Just can't get enough.  Here's a list of the shootings (just the ones at schools) since  Sandy Hook in Dec2012:

#	Date	City	State	School Name	School Type
1.	1/08/2013	Fort Myers	FL	Apostolic Revival Center Christian School	K-12
2.	1/10/2013	Taft	CA	Taft Union High School	K-12
3.	1/15/2013	St. Louis	MO	Stevens Institute of Business & Arts	College/University
4.	1/15/2013	Hazard	KY	Hazard Community and Technical College	College/University
5.	1/16/2013	Chicago	IL	Chicago State University	College/University
6.	1/22/2013	Houston	TX	Lone Star College North Harris Campus	College/University
7.	1/31/2013	Atlanta	GA	Price Middle School	K-12
8.	2/1/2013	Atlanta	GA	Morehouse College	College/University
9.	2/7/2013	Fort Pierce	FL	Indian River St. College	College/University
10.	2/13/2013	San Leandro	CA	Hillside Elementary School	K-12
11.	2/27/2013	Atlanta	GA	Henry W. Grady HS	K-12
12.	3/18/2013	Orlando	FL	University of Central Florida	College/University
13.	3/21/2013	Southgate	MI	Davidson Middle School	K-12
14.	4/12/2013	Christianburg	VA	New River Community College	College/University
15.	4/13/2013	Elizabeth City	NC	Elizabeth City State University	College/University
16.	4/15/2013	Grambling	LA	Grambling State University	College/University
17.	4/16/2013	Tuscaloosa	AL	Stillman College	College/University
18.	4/29/2013	Cincinnati	OH	La Salle High School	K-12
19.	6/7/2013	Santa Monica	CA	Santa Monica College	College/University
20.	6/19/2013	W. Palm Beach	FL	Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts	K-12
21.	8/15/2013	Clarksville	TN	Northwest High School	K-12
22.	8/20/2013	Decatur	GA	Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy	K-12
23.	8/22/2013	Memphis	TN	Westside Elementary School	K-12
24.	8/23/2013	Sardis	MS	North Panola High School	K-12
25.	8/30/2013	Winston-Salem	NC	Carver High School	K-12
26.	9/21/2013	Savannah	GA	Savannah State University	College/University
27.	9/28/2013	Gray	ME	New Gloucester High School	K-12
28.	10/4/2013	Pine Hills	FL	Agape Christian Academy	K-12
29.	10/15/2013	Austin	TX	Lanier High School	K-12
30.	10/21/2013	Sparks	NV	Sparks Middle School	K-12
31.	11/1/2013	Algona	IA	Algona High/Middle School	K-12
32.	11/2/2013	Greensboro	NC	North Carolina A&T State University	College/University
33.	11/3/2013	Stone Mountain	GA	Stephenson High School	K-12
34.	11/21/2013	Rapid City	SD	South Dakota School of Mines & Technology	College/University
35.	12/4/2013	Winter Garden	FL	West Orange High School	K-12
36.	12/13/2013	Arapahoe County	CO	Arapahoe High School	K-12
37.	12/19/2013	Fresno	CA	Edison High School	K-12
38.	1/9/2014	Jackson	TN	Liberty Technology Magnet HS	K-12
39.	1/14/2014	Roswell	NM	Berrendo Middle School	K-12
40.	1/15/2014	Lancaster	PA	Martin Luther King Jr. ES	K-12
41.	1/17/2014	Philadelphia	PA	Delaware Valley Charter HS	K-12
42.	1/20/2014	Chester	PA	Widener University	College/University
43.	1/21/2014	West Lafayette	IN	Purdue University	College/University
44.	1/24/2014	Orangeburg	SC	South Carolina State University	College/University
45.	1/28/2014	Nashville	TN	Tennessee State University	College/University
46.	1/28/2014	Grambling	LA	Grambling State University	College/University
47.	1/30/2014	Palm Bay	FL	Eastern Florida State College	College/University
48.	1/31/2014	Phoenix	AZ	Cesar Chavez High School	K-12
49.	1/31/2014	Des Moines	IA	North High School	K-12
50.	2/7/2014	Bend	OR	Bend High School	K-12
51.	2/10/2014	Salisbury	NC	Salisbury High School	K-12
52.	2/11/2014	Lyndhurst	OH	Brush High School	K-12
53.	2/12/2014	Jackson	TN	Union University	College/University
54.	2/20/2014	Raytown	MO	Raytown Success Academy	K-12
55.	3/2/2014	Westminster	MD	McDaniel College	College/University
56.	3/7/2014	Tallulah	LA	Madison High School	K-12
57.	3/8/2014	Oshkosh	WI	University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh	College/University
58.	3/21/2014	Newark	DE	University of Delaware	College/University
59.	3/30/2014	Savannah	GA	Savannah State University	College/University
60.	4/3/2014	Kent	OH	Kent State University	College/University
61.	4/7/2014	Roswell	NM	Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell	College/University
62.	4/11/2014	Detroit	MI	East English Village Preparatory Academy	K-12
63.	4/21/2014	Griffith	IN	St. Mary Catholic School	K-12
64.	4/21/2014	Provo	UT	Provo High School	K-12
65.	4/26/2014	Council Bluffs	IA	Iowa Western Community College	College/University
66.	5/2/2014	Milwaukee	WI	Marquette University	College/University
67.	5/3/2014	Everett	WA	Horizon Elementary School	K-12
68.	5/4/2014	Augusta	GA	Paine College	College/University
69.	5/5/2014	Augusta	GA	Paine College	College/University
70.	5/8/2014	Georgetown	KY	Georgetown College	College/University
71.	5/8/2014	Lawrenceville	GA	Georgia Gwinnett College	College/University
72.	5/21/2014	Milwaukee	WI	Clark Street School	K-12
73.	6/5/2014	Seattle	WA	Seattle Pacific University	College/University
74.	6/10/2014	Troutdale	OR	Reynolds High School	K-12

74.  Seventy-fucking-four.  At schools.  Every 9 or 10 days.

everytown.org

This Business Of Teaching

Most 'conservatives' will say (ie: just repeat whatever they heard somebody say that they think sounded kinda smart) - anyway, they'll say they want a school (eg) to be run more like a business.  And then they usually go on to say a lot of things that leave most of us wondering if they have the first fucking clue about running any kind of anything that bears even the remotest resemblance to a business.  From what we've seen of American Management in the last 20 years or so, I'm not holding out lotsa hope for anything to improve any time soon.

Here's Curmudgucation on the subject of evaluating teachers:

Before you can judge teachers, you have to decide what you want them to do. That turns out to be really complicated and difficult and wildly varied from parent to taxpayer to administrators to bureaucrats. It even varies within families-- what I want you to accomplish with my oldest child may be way different from what I want you to accomplish with my youngest.

Because this is so hugely difficult, we mostly just don't do it. We collective wave our hands in the general directions of students and say, "I don't know. Go do teachy things." If you want to evaluate people on job performance, you have to decide what job you want them to perform.

And there ya go.  First things first.  What is it you want those teachers to do?  What are the benchmarks?  We have to stop stoopidly insisting that a job description can be "do the job I want you to do" and that's all it needs to say.

Accountability only works when it flows in both directions; it requires the boss to be accountable as well - for setting reasonable goals and expectations; for sticking with the plan until or unless changes are truly warranted by checking real results against those reasonable expectations; for not changing the plan in the middle of everything just because it's politically expedient for you to fuck over somebody's union, or because you need to get up over the next bonus hurdle to cover the down payment on your new boat, or because your 2nd cousin suddenly discovered his burning passion for student assessment and testing technologies that require a "quick and substantial investment of tax dollars in our children's future blah blah blah".

And gosh - it suddenly occurs to me that what we need the teachers to do is what teachers try to do every fucking day of their careers - assess needs, set goals, make plans, implement their plans, check each student's progress, measure their own effectiveness and tweak their plans as they go, etc etc etc.  And what we need the Admin to do is what the teachers try to do every fucking day of their careers.

I can read.  I can read a whole buncha stuff on education and teaching and all that, and I can make it sound like I know more than I actually know about almost anything - cuz I'm a good salesman.  But I'm not a school teacher, so I actually know exactly jack shit about what it takes to be a good school teacher.

Ya wanna know who does know something about being a good teacher?  Teachers.

Maybe we could find some of those teacher people - AND FUCKING LISTEN TO THEM.

Today's Genius In Marketing

Because we've been supremely successful at making you paranoid about being hip and accepted and not uncool, we can get you to buy pretty much any shit we tell you to buy.

And no - they're not kidding

Ah, Virginia

Hard to believe sometimes that Virginia is where America started; the birthplace of presidents; among the first places where 'commonwealth' was adopted as a governing philosophy.

4 out of the first 5 presidents of this amazing country were sons of Virginia, but lately, we've had Vaginal Bob McDonnell and Kenny the Kooch Cuccinelli and now - just so the Dems don't feel left out (and also too, so pundits and press poodles can propagate the "both sides" meme), we get Phil Puckett.

Former state Sen. Phillip P. Puckett, D-Russell, said Monday that his daughter’s future as a judge was a large reason behind his decision to resign.

Senate Republicans had balked at backing Puckett’s daughter, Martha P. Ketron, for a full six-year appointment to a juvenile court judgeship in Southwest Virginia, saying they oppose giving judicial appointments to family members of sitting legislators.

“She cannot be confirmed into the position permanently as long as I serve in the General Assembly,” Puckett said. “My colleagues on both sides of the aisle acknowledge that she is fully qualified for the position.

“At this point in my life, I feel that I cannot allow my political career to hamper my daughter’s future and her desire to serve the families and children of our area on the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.”

--and--

Puckett’s resignation ignited a firestorm by effectively giving the Republicans a 20-19 majority in the previously Democrat-controlled chamber. It altered the landscape of deadlocked negotiations over a new state budget and whether the spending plan will include Medicaid expansion.

A Quick Observation

Conservatives are sure of their facts in very much the same way drunk people are sure they're speaking softly and saying hilariously clever things.

Today's Pix

Also some Pawel Kuczynski:

And just to get you fired up and ready to go:

Professional Left Podcast

This week's episode (#235) from The Professional Left via Stitcher Radio:

If nobody can see you or hear you, then you can't be held to account.  It's the Invisible Man effect.

So if you insist on never looking back at even the very recent past - when (eg) you said something that directly contradicts what you're saying today - and you just keep on saying things like "listen to what I'm saying NOW, and never mind what I said (actually what those dirty libruls are saying I said) way back whenever" - eventually, the rubes catch the drift and assimilate the comforting techniques of deep denial, and they'll stay in line and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again.

Deny deny deny:

Saturday Nite

Cheap Sunglasses --ZZ Top




I Just Wanna Make Love To You --Foghat




Tell Mama --Savoy Brown




The End Is Not In Sight --The Amazing Rhythm Aces




Sneakin' Sally Thru The Alley --Robert Palmer




Let It Roll --Little Feat




and I'm out

The Ammosexuals

And if I stop for just short bit (to listen again to the part where Bill says it straight out), I begin to understand that Da Gubmint isn't going to do anything about our gun problem because they can't - we'll have to leave it all up to the ones who hold the real power in this country - The Corporations.