Sunday, September 5, 2010

Electric Light Orchestra - Hold on Tight

Founding member of ELO killed in freak accident as giant runaway hay bale smashes into his van

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 7:45 PM on 5th September 2010

A founding member of ELO has been killed following a freak accident involving a giant bale of hay.

Mike Edwards, 62, who played cello for the band for three years, died when the giant bale weighing 50 stone crashed down on top of his van.

Mr Edwards died instantly in the accident after the bale careered down the hill, and flipped over a hedge.

“How do I write so much, you ask? Well, glad you asked” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

“How do I write so much, you ask? Well, glad you asked”

by Larry Ferlazzo

How do I write so much, you ask? Well, glad you asked is the title of a blog post by Sebastian Marshall, and I think it’s worth reading by any blogger, or by any person who’s considering being a blogger.

He explains his strategy behind posting a lot. It’s worth reading his entire piece, but here’s an excerpt describing his understanding of what he says is an academic theory calle

Democurmudgeon: Walker: Fire all the Teachers! But Student Test Scores Wrong Way to Go.

Walker: Fire all the Teachers! But Student Test Scores Wrong Way to Go.

by Democurmudgeon

To hear governor candidate Scott Walker talk about it, teacher evaluations based on student tests is tough love, and another way to finally weed out freeloading union teachers. But why base anything on research when strict disciplinary remedies illicit stronger, more predictable voter reactions and outrage. From Upfront with Mike Gousha (Goo-shay):

UMass-Amherst struggles to draw in-state students - Boston.com

UMass-Amherst struggles to draw in-state students

September 5, 2010

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AMHERST, Mass.—The University of Massachusetts at Amherst is struggling to draw students from its own state.

The number of undergraduates from Massachusetts at the University of Connecticut has risen 70 percent in the past decade while the number of Connecticut students enrolled at UMass Amherst dropped by 5.5 percent.

Enrollment by Massachusetts students jumped 60 percent at the University of New Hampshire and 50 percent at the University of Vermont.

Sunday links. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links.

by preaprez

Chicago Teacher Union leader, Karen Lewis, shares her views of where we’re going on Democracy Now!

There is a lot that remains unsettled at Central Falls High in Rhode Island a year after the firing of 100 teachers. “Scapegoated,” say the students.

The Illinois governor’s race between the loony wing-nut and the hapless Democrat is

D.C. Wire - Rhee rallies voters for Fenty

Rhee rallies voters for Fenty

Hoping to help Mayor Adrian M. Fenty get reelected, Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee told a crowd of supporters Saturday morning at a rally that the District is a "different city" under his leadership and that improvements in the school system and in economic development cannot continue without him.

Rhee, limited in her political activity by a federal law, told the crowd at Broad Branch Market in Chevy Chase that she was speaking as a "private citizen."

The market is within walking distance of Chevy Chase Community Center, one of four satellite polling sites throughout the city that opened at 8:30 a.m. Saturday for early voting. Fenty led the crowd of supporters in a march to the community center. As of 9:30, 125 people had taken numbers to vote.

By 10 a.m., about 600 people had voted at all five polling sites, including the Board of Elections and Ethics headquarters at Judiciary Square, said Alysoun McLaughlin, elections board spokeswoman. The number was expected to continue to grow with steady streams of voters at Chevy Chase Community Center in Ward 3 and Turkey Thicket

The Orion - Pensions may cause budget problems

Pensions may cause budget problems

By Alexander Seymour

Published: Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Updated: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 20:08

Tyler Neumann

The Chico State registration portal is showing new scars − Chinese history, Middle-Eastern history, philosophy in social ethics and toxicology are all listed as “no sections available.”

This is a lasting product of the financial crisis and the 115 faculty members Chico State has lost since May 2009. Stopping the bleeding requires asking difficult questions, such as if the pensions of state employees and teachers are too generous?

When a university can no longer offer a sufficient ratio of teachers to students, large state employee benefits become a crippling liability to the California State University system. Since faculty and administration are paid by California, every penny used to provide a pension is a penny that can’t be used to provide a class.

There are two problems with California teachers’ pensions at the moment — one is rooted in the way pensions are

Teachers' pay: Is it enough? | battlecreekenquirer.com | The Enquirer

Teachers' pay: Is it enough?

Michigan ranks high, but some say still falls short

ANNIE MARTIN • THE ENQUIRER • SEPTEMBER 5, 2010

Michigan teachers are among the highest paid in the nation, but state and local union leaders say pay isn't keeping pace with the cost of living.

Michigan has the 11th-highest average teacher pay in the nation, according to the National Education Association. The average Michigan teacher is paid $56,096, though salaries vary significantly throughout the state.

California boasts the highest teacher pay at $65,808 and South Dakota has the lowest at $36,674.

Though Michigan's average teacher salary is higher than most, the state is losing ground, said Doug Pratt, director of public affairs for the Michigan Education Association, the state's largest teachers union.

In most local districts, first-year teachers earn in the low to mid

Leonie Haimson: Parents Across America demand to be heard

Leonie Haimson

Executive Director, Class Size Matters

Posted: September 4, 2010 02:04 PM

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Parents Across America demand to be heard

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Last spring, a new grassroots organization calledParents Across America wrote a letter to President Obama, pointing out how parents had been left out of the education discussion at the national level. From the administration's "Race to the Top" proposals to their proposed "Blueprint" for revising NCLB, parent input has been either dismissed or ignored.

We wrote an article for Education Week, calledShutting Out Parents, about how this conscious disregard of the parent perspective was unacceptable, and must be reversed.

We explained how we wanted to see a quite different set of reforms, focusing on strengthening neighborhood schools rather than closing them down, by providing smaller classes, more parent involvement, and a well-rounded curriculum. Moreover, we pointed out how these reforms are