Common Core Notes

The political opposition to Common Core is reaching critical mass. The PBS headlines a few days ago tell the story.  When children become mobilized to protest and parents urge them to "opt out" of the testing, the writing is on the wall. This most recent effort to pull American academic standards up is a lost cause.  A piece in Britain's Guardian says it all -- Anti-Intellectualism is Taking Over the US. 

The rise in academic book bannings and firings is compounded by the US's growing disregard for scholarship itself
• Political correctness really works! Sorry, conservatives, but science just said so • Texas school bans seven 'obscene' books in banned books week

My Facebook status as 2014 came to an end was this...
Common Core R.I.P.

NPR aired an end of the year piece including, among other developments, the demise of Common Core. After all the bi-partisan work, including governors as well as educational experts, the program seems to be on the way to the dumpster.

Too bad. My ideas about education are as off the wall as my politics, so I never expected any understanding of Mortimer Adler or Erik Erikson, but when I first looked at Common Core and compared it with the rest of he civilized world, then compared it with the dukes mixture of approaches to learning that litter the American educational landscape, I was (and still am) encouraged to think America might be on the way to national improvement. American public education is a global embarrassment and most Americans are blind to that reality.

But like so many other advances, ratcheting up our educational standards will wait for another day. Dedicated, organized opposition to Common Core will see to that. Many of our post-secondary schools are among the world's best. It's no accident that families from all over the world send college students to study in America. But the only foreigners with kids in primary and elementary school are those trapped here who can't afford to send them to private schools.

Meantime, the trend to private and charter schools, and home schooling will continue to skim the cream from the public education crop, leaving behind a student population from which the most promising peers (role models) have been removed, along with many of the best teachers and administrators. And we wonder what's wrong with public education...

I could drone on, but what's the use? I don't expect to see much change during the remaining years of my life. Part of the problem with Commonn Core was the name itself. Thanks to an already dumbed-down population most people don't even understand the meaning of the world "common."
It has two implications. Most people hear the word "common" and think "vulgar...ordinary...pedestrian." But the word also has a less subjective meaning. Common, in the case of Common Core, simply means "universal." It's too bad the program wasn't called Raising the Bar or some other sports-like phrase. Americans are more excited about improving their bodies than their minds. Too many people misunderstood "Common Core" to have it's worst possible interpretation.

Nine grades of meaning are listed for the word "common."  

The last of the series, #9, illustrates the point.

Getting Tired

I plan to refer to this Facebook status report as time passes.

Post by John Ballard.

Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)

Facebook asked "What's on your mind?"
This came out... 

In the Beating-a-dead-horse Department the Georgia Legislature is adding our state to the list of others passing a version of the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). It was declared unconstitutional soon after being signed into law by President Clinton, but continues to live on in some form or other thanks to the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment.

There are good reasons to have such legislation enacted. One reason for its original passage was to allow Native Americans to use peyote, an hallucinogenic controlled substance, in religious ceremonies. As a conscientious objector I was obliged to cite "religious training and belief" to justify my status. And I'm sure there are other compelling reasons as well. The Wikipedia article is full of links and a Web search yields over eight hundred thousand hits.

But I have a hunch that the current revival of interest has less to do with those arcane reasons and more to do with opposition to a string of politically-charged subjects -- namely opposition to marriage equality and other LBGTI rights, vaccinations, Common Core standards, immigrants, Muslims, contraceptives and abortion.  Discussions of science that stray into evolution or climate change can have a religious angle viewed through some religious kaleidoscopes, as well as any suggestion that America may not be a Christian nation. The very title of these bills -- Religious Freedom RESTORATION Act -- implies that somehow religious freedom has been abridged or restricted and therefor needs a legal remedy to have it "restored," despite the examples mentioned above and the widespread presence of every kind of religious group imaginable.

Mennonites, Rastifarians, snake handlers (not far from where I live), Colleges and Universities founded by religious communities, global TV networks with rivers of UNTAXED revenue funding lifestyles that rival those of the rich and famous in sports and entertainment -- all are testimony to the fact that religious freedom in America is as safe and widespread as firearms, baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.

And still we have righteous indignation memes wanting to mandate public displays of the Ten Commandments and huge crosses on otherwise natural landscapes. Every year cities and towns all over the country display elaborate Christmas decorations -- often including a Christmas tree in the middle of town (as well as Rockefeller Center) -- but we still have to hear about the War on Christmas and War on Religion. Say Happy Holidays to some of these people and prepare for a sideways glance and "Merry Christmas" through pursed lips.

That's what's on my mind this morning, Facebook friends and followers. Thanks for reading. I feel better now having put my gripes into words.

Post by John Ballard.

Advance Directives -- CABG

We all hope never to face the need for CABG -- Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery -- but this procedure is no longer the cutting edge procedure (no pun intended) that it once was. It does involve, however, several enabling surgical techniques that can be life-threatening as well as the life-extending benefits of a successful outcome. This from NIH is food for thought.

I'm not telling anyone what to do. I'm blessed to have lived past seventy never having to face heart problems. But my instinct is that one's age has a lot to do with whether or not this is appropriate. Twenty or thirty years ago I would have had little hesitation telling the doctors to go ahead. But now I'm not sure. And I feel confident saying that ten years from now I would say "Nope. Call the palliative care people, and tell me if I'm certified for hospice."   

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What To Expect After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Recovery in the Hospital

After surgery, you'll typically spend 1 or 2 days in an intensive care unit (ICU). Your heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels will be checked regularly during this time.

An intravenous line (IV) will likely be inserted into a vein in your arm. Through the IV line, you may get medicines to control blood circulation and blood pressure. You also will likely have a tube in your bladder to drain urine and a tube to drain fluid from your chest.

You may receive oxygen therapy (oxygen given through nasal prongs or a mask) and a temporary pacemaker while in the ICU. A pacemaker is a small device that's placed in the chest or abdomen to help control abnormal heart rhythms.

Your doctor may recommend that you wear compression stockings on your legs as well. These stockings are tight at the ankle and become looser as they go up the leg. This creates gentle pressure up the leg. The pressure keeps blood from pooling and clotting.

While in the ICU, you'll also have bandages on your chest incision (cut) and on the areas where an artery or vein was removed for grafting.

After you leave the ICU, you'll be moved to a less intensive care area of the hospital for 3 to 5 days before going home.

Recovery at Home

Your doctor will give you specific instructions for recovering at home, especially concerning:

• How to care for your healing incisions
• How to recognize signs of infection or other complications
• When to call the doctor right away
• When to make followup appointments

You also may get instructions on how to deal with common side effects from surgery. Side effects often go away within 4 to 6 weeks after surgery, but may include:

• Discomfort or itching from healing incisions
• Swelling of the area where an artery or vein was removed for grafting
• Muscle pain or tightness in the shoulders and upper back
• Fatigue (tiredness), mood swings, or depression
• Problems sleeping or loss of appetite
• Constipation
• Chest pain around the site of the chest bone incision (more frequent with traditional CABG)

Full recovery from traditional CABG may take 6 to 12 weeks or more. Less recovery time is needed for nontraditional CABG.

Your doctor will tell you when you can start physical activity again. It varies from person to person, but there are some typical timeframes. Most people can resume sexual activity within about 4 weeks and driving after 3 to 8 weeks.

Returning to work after 6 weeks is common unless your job involves specific and demanding physical activity. Some people may need to find less physically demanding types of work or work a reduced schedule at first.

Ongoing Care

Care after surgery may include periodic checkups with doctors. During these visits, tests may be done to see how your heart is working. Tests may include EKG (electrocardiogram),stress testing, echocardiography, and cardiac CT.

CABG is not a cure for coronary heart disease (CHD). You and your doctor may develop a treatment plan that includes lifestyle changes to help you stay healthy and reduce the chance of CHD getting worse.

Lifestyle changes may include making changes to your diet, quitting smoking, doing physical activity regularly, and lowering and managing stress.

Your doctor also may refer you to cardiac rehabilitation (rehab). Cardiac rehab is a medically supervised program that helps improve the health and well-being of people who have heart problems.

Rehab programs include exercise training, education on heart healthy living, and counseling to reduce stress and help you return to an active life. Doctors supervise these programs, which may be offered in hospitals and other community facilities. Talk to your doctor about whether cardiac rehab might benefit you.

Taking medicines as prescribed also is an important part of care after surgery. Your doctor may prescribe medicines to manage pain during recovery; lower cholesterol and blood pressure; reduce the risk of blood clots forming; manage diabetes; or treat depression.

Are Nuclear & Solar the KSA Plan B?

Memorandum of understanding on nuclear energy between Saudi Arabia and South KoreaWed Mar 4, 2015 9:38 am GMT

Saudi Arabia's King Salman during a
meeting in Riyadh, 24 January 2015,
(Reuters photograph of a representative)

[Google translate]

Al Khobar (Saudi Arabia) (Reuters) - Saudi Press Agency said that the Kingdom has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea on cooperation in the development of nuclear energy after a previous agreement signed by both parties in 2011.

The official said that the agency head of South Korea's Pak John Hay met with Saudi King Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday as part of an official visit.

South Korea's presidential office said in a statement that the MOU includes an invitation Korean companies to participate in the construction of at least two nuclear reactors from small or medium-sized in Saudi Arabia.

The statement said "in the case to proceed in the two units would amount to the cost of the contract (approximately) two billion dollars."

And Saudi Arabia aspires to possess nuclear energy of 17 gigawatts by 2032 and about 41 gigawatts of solar energy. The country does not produce oil exporting any nuclear power now.

The head of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, overseeing such projects, said in January that those plans are likely to take until 2040.

The Atomic Energy City said in a statement on Tuesday: "This note comes Based on what has been signed by the international joint agreement between Saudi Arabia and the State of South Korea, which emphasizes the common desire of both countries to expand and strengthen cooperation in the development and application of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes."

The agreement includes cooperation in research and development, construction and training.

Separately, Saudi Electricity Company signed four agreements in the field of energy on Tuesday with General Electric America Foundation and Korea Electric Power and with Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Bank of exports and imports.

It includes the Korean Energy Foundation cooperation agreement in the nuclear and renewable energy development.

Hassan Ghazi Ibrahim Shaker Company signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with LG Electronics of South Korea on cooperation in the cooling systems used in nuclear reactors.

The United Arab Emirates became the first Arab Gulf country begins to build a nuclear power station. In December 2009 the UAE has established a contract to build four reactors capacity of 1400 MW, led by Korea Electric Power Corporation group so as to meet the growing demand for electricity.

(Preparation Ahmed Inspirational Arab Bulletin - Edit Nadia Juweili)

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This interesting snip was at the site linking the one above.  I don't find any supporting data, but it seems the long-term vision is to get power from both nuclear and solar sources.
If and when KSA runs low on oil, they have even more energy potential from sunlight.