The Way Back Machine

As various politicians and pundits amuse themselves slinging mud at each other in an adult version of the playground wars, it becomes more and more clear how historical data saved somewhere in the cloud has become a powerful tool for the least empowered members of our society. No longer forced to pay large sums of money to Nexus-Lexus, nor to sit in libraries pouring through microfilms and micro-fiches, the average voter can, possibly for the first time, find out what was truly said, rather than rely on blanket statements of "He said, she said" from the chattering class. The power of memory seems to frighten those who live and work in DC - at least when it happens here, rather than Tahir Square, but for the rest of us-- we live in exciting times.
Here's the direct link - give it a try! http://archive.org/web/web.php

The Reverse Gender Gap

Ever since I plunged into the world of children's literature, shortly after the birth of my first child,  I've been struck by the absence of strong, positive, male role models in the stories that they most love to read. As a child, the moment I realized that my cousins had the Hardy Boys was when my copies of Nancy Drew went into the attic. Today's boys however, have the anti-hero: Artemis Fowl; or the hero in search of himself: Harry Potter; or the clueless hero: Percy Jackson. The really interesting books all involve groups of boys and girls: The Mysterious Benedict Society.

  Anecdotally, I've heard that it's easier for a young man to get into certain competitive colleges - even in stem disciplines.

And once you enter the work force, it's the young women who have pulled ahead. Citing higher motivation and better work ethic from young women, the NY Times points out the lack, at the top, of young men.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/us/14iht-letter14.html?_r=1&src=recg

What does this mean for my sons? For our society in general?

Leadership

http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2012/05/traits-of-effective-online-community.html

http://connectededucators.org/community/powerful-learning-practice/?interview=1

After Slow Food, slow reading

When the boys were in the early elementary school years, there was a program called DEAR - drop everything and read. They loved it. I did too, but often wondered why they were left to read whatever they want, and why their reading (in school) wasn't a bit more guided. Artemis Fowl, Deeper, ... are all interesting reads, but they are quite shallow. Since we have begun homeschooling, I have tried to focus DS2 a bit more on classical reading. In the last couple of months, for example, we have read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Time Machine, and A Christmas Carol. At first, I got a lot of blowback (complicated storylines, vocabulary, ...), but now I notice that he really likes to read the classics, and will turn to the popular paperbacks only when very tired and bored.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/03/a-slow-books-manifesto/254884/

Rue Copernic redux?

It was 30 years ago that a wave of brutal terrorism hit France. The first major bloodshed came from Paris, and just the names of the streets - rue des Rosiers, rue Copernic - are enough to remind everyone of what went on to be over 60 attacks during the course of the next 10 years. Interestingly enough, since the attacks were unsigned, and since the victims were Jewish, the assumption was made that the perpetrators were members of a fringe Neo-nazi group. Much of the police work that followed was based on that assumption, and it was not until 2011 that French justice conclusively identified Fatah (under Abu Nidal) as the perpetrator of these attacks.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusillade_de_la_rue_des_Rosiers

I read about the horror of the murders in Toulouse, and I wonder what will happen next?
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/72055f4c-7278-11e1-9c23-00144feab49a.html#axzz1pka6xs1t

The oh so liberal Dutch

I wonder what Stephen Hawking thinks about this.

Approximately 21 percent of the infant euthanasia deaths occurred without request or consent of parents. 

The Swamp is draining... maybe?

It appears that Solyndra was just the beginning.

Overall, the Post found that $3.9 billion in federal grants and financing flowed to 21 companies backed by firms with connections to five Obama administration staffers and advisers.