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[mao4269]

Israel, the Middle East, and Politics:
This afternoon a bus with nearly 60 Russian tourists crashed near Eilat (the southernmost part of Israel and a resort town).  They've already confirmed 25 people are dead.  I saw the helicopters with (some of) the wounded coming in to Beer Sheva's hospital on my way home from the university this evening.... It'

Comments

[paper_crystals]

Who would put Aryan Nation is their kid's name?! How totally offensive. I hope this guy's kids change their names when they grow up.

[rapta]

ditto.

Seriously, can CPS take these poor kids away on grounds of mentally unstable parents? Also, I love how the author specifically pointed out that these guys are leaching off of social security. If you have a bad back, why can't you work in a call center?

[mao4269]

Because there are way more people with bad backs (and in this case I'm assuming low levels of education are also a barrier to employment) than there are jobs in call centers in the U.S.?

[rapta]

You reply too quickly. I was going to edit that comment. I initially named call centers because I was thinking of a possible job that would probably 1) accommodate a bad back and 2) have a relatively low requirement for education and skill set. (Plus, to my knowledge, call centers are always looking for people due to high turnover - my brother-in-law used to work for one).

Granted, the article doesn't specify the severity of the problem and the author is likely biased, but I can't help think of my elementary school crossing guard who kept her paralyzed husband in her van with her as she worked.

[rapta]

So, what do you think about the two articles listed under 'other'. Do you like the idea of google getting faster internet service than anyone else? Do you think the 'gifted' designation is superfluous?

[mao4269]

The first I don't know enough about to say, really, though my initial response is that allowing big companies preferential access to "public resources" is a bad idea.

As for the second...it's complicated and boils down to the question of whether schools should be trying to level the playing field between students who get varying amounts of academic stimulation at home, trying to push each student to do hir best, or just trying to ensure that every student gets certain "fundamental" knowledge and skills.