Mmm, Beer.

Finally, for now, in the interest of regionalism, I'll note that the Midwest Beer Festival is taking place in Covington today. 35 bucks gets you access to beer from 25 breweries, a buffet, and a souvenir glass.

On a related note, NPR recently discovered and reported on the best job ever. Try not to envy this guy too much.

Those crazy suburban schools...

I've been doing theater for a long time, and had no idea that Ten Little Indians had an alternative name other than "And Then There Were None". Apparently the NAACP in Butler County has other ideas-- this alternative name (that few knew existed) will incite racism. Who knew? So these kids put in hours of work on a show that has nothing to do with African Americans (or Native Americans, for that matter) and it's all taken away because one group holds so much sway over the Lakota board. Convenient that Gary Hines does "diversity training", isn't it? I'm all into diversity and equality, but we can't rewrite history. Let's clean up To Kill a Mockingbird and Native Son and sanitize the slurs used against African Americans; let's sanitize Night and remove references to violence that surrounded the Holocaust. This cleansing doesn't benefit kids, it merely renders them unable to comprehend reality in which some people are racist and violent. There is indeed life outside of West Chester. Hopefully, Lakota will wise up and let the show go on-- but I won't bet on it.

Antioch Appears to Have a Future

Antioch College in Yellow Springs has a potential new future. Administrators had announced the college would closed at the end of the current school year because of financial issues, but Alumni have come together to raise 12 million dollars to keep the school going.

Tarbell Running as Write-in Candidate

Former Vice-Mayor Jim Tarbell has registered as a write-in candidate for Cincinnati School Board. That seems like a bite of a long shot. Jim is running as a team with Anne Power and Sally Warner in what I imagine is a way to save expenses. Without money, they stand little chance. They need to buy TONS of advertisements or create multiple mass mailings letting people know they are write-in candidates and then educate people how to correctly write-in someone using the new voting system. They have a long way to go to actually win. I don't know the last time for anyone to ever win an election as a write-in candidate in Hamilton County. I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't happened before.

Blackwell Retireing from CPS

CPS superintendent Rosa Blackwell is retiring after the current school year. Her tenure has been one filled with budget woes. What type of candidate should the school board be looking for? What do the candidates for school board think?

Antioch College to Close in 2008

You don't hear of this often, but the Yellow Spring, Ohio college will close in 2008 in hopes of reopening in 2012. I will be surprised if it reopens in Yellow Springs.

Bronson's Choice: Jump Off a Cliff or Get Pushed Off

When ignorant people like Peter Bronson write about public eduction I get a very large twinge in my right temple from the wasted time I spent reading his columns. Yes, I get that every time I read one of his columns, but lets skip the red herring for today.

Bronson goes on and on about CPS. He does seem to understand how they can't turn a profit. Well, lets state the obvious first, the government is not in the profit business. I won't go worry about the anti-government insanity right now, and instead talk about the false choice Bronson is putting forth.

As many Conservatives do, Bronson likes to look at market competition and claim that it works. Well, it works when everyone has more than a choice of execution. The problem with Bronson's desire to create a market based education system is that he forgets about the law. He forgets that it is the law that every student age 5 to 16 is guaranteed the ability to go to school. In Bronson's world of privately run schools or charter schools he hides a small fact, those schools can turn kids away. How many privately run schools, religious schools, and charter schools are taking in special education children? Where do the behavioral problem students end up?

In Bronson's world the schools he champions can avoid all of the special needs students and stick with the rich or cheap kids and look like they are brilliant, when really they are just manipulators.

Education is a right. Public education is the way to make that right a reality and funding public schools is how this is done. Gimmicks don't work. Walling in the poor within the inner city schools doesn't do anything but make the poor-phobic feel "safer" in the suburban white schools. Cherry picking the smart inner city kids might make Bronson sleep better at night, but it doesn't provide speech therapy or wheel chair ramps to the inner city kid who doesn't get good grades.

Public Education has worked dating back before the Revolutionary War. Why not work on public education policies, instead of working to dismantle it?

Take Over CPS?

What is gained from the City take over of Cincinnati Public Schools? This idea feel flat back in 2005 when then State Senator Mallory broached the idea. What is worse about the schools? I don't see the City being able to do any better, and more likely would make CPS into more of political mess.

If Bortz thinks the CPS is being run poorly, why not call for the replacement of CPS Superintendent Rosa Blackwell? More importantly, why doesn't Bortz issue a listing of what specifically CPS is doing wrong and what needs to be changed? Reacting to news of layoffs and budget shortfalls with treats of a takeover isn't constructive, it is a political ploy.

Build Humans, Not Machines

The bottom line problem with the
drop off of school groups visiting the arts is the misguided education philosophy sweeping most school boards, administrators, and politicos. It is the belief that test scores are the only thing that matters. Being a well rounded student is not going to get grant money. This is not an new conflict, but one that is ugly and is the true sign of the death of culture in this country. Those in power in Ohio and Kentucky for last 10 plus years have the idea that schools are meant to turn out machines to fuel the economy. Schools are meant to turn out adult human beings and citizens who can think for themselves, reason, and express their views and ideas. The Arts are one of the best ways to do that. If schools fear time constraints, why not cut back on sports?