In the interests of expanded discussion of Minneapolis issues in what (hopefully) will be a productive atmosphere, I am giving the following web address. Caveats: (1) You must LIVE in Minneapolis and have a vote in its elections to be accepted; (2) Worse yet, Jim Mork examines every message and might well suggest alternate wording before posting the message. To those who cherish the wide-open traditions of Internet, this might seem like an outrage. But what I really MISS in cyberspace is real data and explicit, proposed solutions where problems exist. We have lots of groups trying for that, but it seems like no one is willing to put in the work to get there. Right now, I fancy I�m willing to do it. I could be dead wrong, but I�ll give it a shot. Internet was invented to further research, yet most of what it does now isn�t remotely like research. I want to make a valiant effort to create an oasis where knowledge and reason are triumphant again. And emotion (important as it is in the world) takes second chair. Maybe I�m so out of step this is a doomed effort (reason could be permanently demoted). But then call me The Man of La Mancha.
The URL is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mplscivicdiscuss/ Barbara Nelson: �Is someone working on getting the Mpls delegation to come together around getting the stadium in Minneapolis? Ditto for the Hennepin County delegation. This should be happening NOW. If so, who among the legislators is on board, who's leading the charge, etc.?� I would think not, Barbara. The voters have taken a strong stand AGAINST �getting it for Minneapolis�. What we want is for private business to prove that the Twins are a worthwhile investment by investing in them. If they can�t be persuaded, then it seems like its SOCIALISM to have the government bail out this failing enterprise. Susan Maricle: �A common criticism about race relations in fiction is that all whites are portrayed as villains, all blacks are portrayed as villains, whatever. In Brothers and Sisters, all of the characters, both black and white, are flawed to an extent. The flaw comes from some inner demon that won't let them realize happiness or their true potential. In that way, we are all brothers and sisters. � The �demon� is pride. I have an essay on this at http://www.usfamily.net/web/mirth/Pride.htm �> The word is "ambisinister", which means equally clumsy with both > hands� Does �ambiguious� mean trying to look equally like Apple and Windows??? Michael Atherton: �Dr. Erickson and I both have backgrounds in university teaching. I won't quibble about who's better prepares them to be a school board member. Both Dr. Erickson and I are attended/attend the Educational Psychology program at the U, but we seem to have radically different educational philosophies.� Probably <em>not</em> because of the program, though for all the specifics you mix into your posts, one wouldn�t know how to know how much of your �philosophy� comes from research and how much from lingering emotions. I�m waiting for you to clarify that, though the looming primary probably means it is too late to influence any votes. >From Michael�s website: �I believe that the issue of class size has been misrepresented to voters in Minneapolis. If you take all of the research on class size as a whole, there is little evidence that reducing class sizes has a significant effect on achievement for the majority of students. It does have an effect on achievement for some minority students, but only under certain conditions, none of which appear to have been met in Minneapolis. Class size reduction is probably the most costly of any of the options for improving educational quality and I believe that we should test other options, such as parental involvement programs, before resorting to such an expensive alternative. � Yeh, wouldn�t want to appropriate money for schools when there�s National Missile Defense to be paid for and we�r3e having a recession. Or is Michael against those unneeded and expensive options, too. The war on terrorism is costing $2 billion a month. Is that expensive alternative on his hit list? He tries here to play the �tax and spend� card in a sneaky way, but our radar doesn�t provide a free-fly zone, Michael. If expensive is a knockout for you, then there are <em>lots</em> of expensive things (stadiums, other business handouts) that you need to attack to be consistent. By the way, this is not to say I�m against a broad view of alternatives. I am. A lot of the kids doing well in basic skills were helped to excel primarily my energetic and involved parents. How about some programs that truly mine that option. And I don�t mean PTA attendance. How about workshops in tutoring you own? Something to give the less confident parents the feeling they really have something to contribute? How about getting some people who sloughed in school to come in and rap with the kids that they <em>should</em> put out the effort to succeed. I�m sure some of the celebs, despite their wealth, wish they�d been better students. Get them in. >From Michael�s position:� However, I believe that community schools must be run cost effectively. If it costs two to three times the amount to enroll a student in a community school compared to another type of school, then I would not be supportive. But, I do believe that innovative relationships between local business, neighborhood associations, and the District can manage schools for even less money than larger comprehensive grammar schools. As the curriculum becomes more complex and specialized as students get older (as in middle or high school), I do not see community schools as being an option� I went to a community high school. Worked great. The present system was a roundabout way to beat segregation. There may have been isolated successes, but look at any table of achievement by minorities and you will clearly SEE that busing did not close the gap. Time to stop polluting the atmosphere and look at other solutions. Might be better to subsidize housing so that minorities can LIVE where the good schools are. Less polluting. Less traffic. Less chance of accidents and injury. More chance for inter-racial understanding. Michael:� This core should include the basic fundamentals of reading, writing, and mathematics. In addition, students should leave high school with a complete understanding of the American political system, history, and literature. That is not to say that past and present injustices should be glossed over, rather students should be able to view controversial issues from multiple perspectives� Guess what. I agree. And I think public school teachers should prove they are <em>qualified</em> to do that. They should submit lesson plans and tactics for some of the twists such discussions might take. Jim Mork: Ward 9 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
