MLK Jr. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"

College, Inc.

Click HERE to go to College, Inc on PBS Frontline

Gatsby related news from a few years ago.

The "Buchanan" mansion at Land's End demolished.

john green on gatsby.

David Byrne interviews David Byrne

David Byrne at screening of "True Stories" on Texas landscape and culture

taped sideways and hard to hear, but .  . . hmmmmm.

From "The Onion." Two important stories for students about to take the "city of dreams" final.

Mother Still Searching For Preschool That Focuses Exclusively On Her Son

BOULDER, CO—Expressing frustration over the dearth of options that met her high standards, local mother Shannon Gail confirmed Monday that she was still looking for a preschool that would focus exclusively on her son. “I’ve been searching for months, but it’s been so difficult to find a program that devotes all its resources to my child, and only my child,” said Gail, who added that a shocking number of preschools in the area employed teachers who divide their attention between more than one student instead of dedicating all their time to the education, care, and positive mental stimulation of her son. “I think it’s my responsibility as a parent to choose a school with an educational philosophy that is personalized to the specific needs and interests of my child alone. I just don’t feel comfortable leaving my Skyler in a place where he is not the center of attention at every moment of every day.” Gail, who reiterated the importance of choosing a preschool that concentrated solely on her child, said the next few years would be incredibly formative in determining the kind of person he would grow up to be.

http://www.theonion.com/article/mother-still-searching-preschool-focuses-exclusive-50387


Pantene Releases New Complicated 1-In-2 Shampoo

NEWS IN BRIEF

May 12, 2015
VOL 51 ISSUE 19  
Business · Products · Lifestyle · Beauty

CINCINNATI—Touting it as its most challenging hair-care product to date, Procter & Gamble announced Monday a new complicated 1-in-2 version of its Pantene shampoo. “Our new Pro-V 1-in-2 line gives women the shiny, luxurious hair of the original Pantene but with a superfluous extra step added to the process,” spokeswoman Tiffany Piette said of the Pro-V 50-50 shampoo, which comes packaged in two separate tubes of solvent and glycol meant to be mixed together in a precise 5-to-3 ratio along with warm water. “Its added complexity allows you to get luxurious, salon-quality looks while also forcing you to spend an extra two minutes in the shower.” Piette added that an even more difficult-to-use conditioner was in the works, consisting of two bottles that would never be sold at the same store.

are you preparing for the AP exam?

College Board practice exams link HERE.

Create your college board account HERE.

A teacher in Colorado has some good materials HERE.

A Fine Line: The Art of the Clothesline (compelling photos for those thinking about the poem of spring break)

http://mcnyblog.org/2012/08/07/a-fine-line-the-art-of-the-clothesline/#comment-37108

Click the link above to see related photos and comment at the Museum of the City of New York Blog.

Do we diminish heroism--and suspend responsible critical thinking--when we call everybody in uniform a hero? (excerpt by D. Masciotra at Salon.com)

SUNDAY, NOV 9, 2014 03:59 AM PST

(image from a chevrolet commercial added by this blogger)

You don’t protect my freedom: Our childish insistence on calling soldiers heroes deadens real democracy 

It's been 70 years since we fought a war about freedom. Forced troop worship and compulsory patriotism must end 

DAVID MASCIOTRA

Put a man in uniform, preferably a white man, give him a gun, and Americans will worship him. It is a particularly childish trait, of a childlike culture, that insists on anointing all active military members and police officers as “heroes.” The rhetorical sloppiness and intellectual shallowness of affixing such a reverent label to everyone in the military or law enforcement betrays a frightening cultural streak of nationalism, chauvinism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism, but it also makes honest and serious conversations necessary for the maintenance and enhancement of a fragile democracy nearly impossible.

It has become impossible to go a week without reading a story about police brutality, abuse of power and misuse of authority. Michael Brown’s murder represents the tip of a body pile, and in just the past month, several videos have emerged of police assaulting people, including pregnant women, for reasons justifiable only to the insane.

It is equally challenging for anyone reasonable, and not drowning in the syrup of patriotic sentimentality, to stop saluting, and look at the servicemen of the American military with criticism and skepticism. There is a sexual assault epidemic in the military. In 2003, a Department of Defense study found that one-third of women seeking medical care in the VA system reported experiencing rape or sexual violence while in the military. Internal and external studies demonstrate that since the official study, numbers of sexual assaults within the military have only increased, especially with male victims. According to the Pentagon, 38 men are sexually assaulted every single day in the U.S. military. Given that rape and sexual assault are, traditionally, the most underreported crimes, the horrific statistics likely fail to capture the reality of the sexual dungeon that has become the United States military.

Continue reading at Salon.com

The Onion: Local Teen Would Choose Gun With Night Vision Laser Scope If He Joined Army

NEWS IN BRIEF • Local • Teenagers • Military • ISSUE 51•07 • Feb 16, 2015

ALLENTOWN, PA—Explaining how it would allow him to hunt terrorists from long distances in a variety of combat environments, local teen Alex Gibson informed reporters Monday that he would likely choose a gun with a night vision laser scope if he enlisted in the United States Army. “I used to think I’d want dual Uzis, but now I’m pretty sure I’d put that scope on an armor-piercing automatic rifle,” said the 15-year-old, adding that he would prefer his weapon also be fitted with a silencer and painted matte black to maximize his stealth during the special ops raids he elected to join. “It’s a good weapon for when I’m the demolition guy, but just in case I needed to snipe someone, I’d also want a backup .50-cal gun with an extra-long zoom lens. And obviously I thought about having a grenade launcher too, except in close quarters combat I’d much rather have a Glock with a customized grip.” Gibson added that he would also probably go through helicopter pilot training just in case he ever wants to fly an Apache during a mission.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/local-teen-would-choose-gun-with-night-vision-lase,38020/

68.9 cents of every dollar for war

 68.9% of every tax dollar you pay this April 15 that’s going to pay for America’s wars and its obsession with militarism.

No wonder our schools and universities, our parks, our roads, our once-vaunted global scientific leadership, our environment, our health and safety, our family budgets and even our life expectancy, have been going to hell! The only thing that’s really getting funded in this country is war.

--Dave Lindorff

click here to read the article

LBJ "Why we are in Vietnam" 1965

campaign ad nixon 1968

john kerry in 1971 (excerpt)

drones.