A Video for Sunday

A classic from Carl Sagan which also highlights the insignificance of mankind and our planet in the greater scheme of the universe.

History in Egypt

Photo from TotallyCoolPix

It is an absolutely amazing thing to be sitting here and watching history unfold before our very eyes in Egypt. I have been on Twitter and Huffington Post all day following live updates of the events.  Some facts and thoughts:

• I don't watch cable news anymore because I don't get cable, but from the sounds of what others are saying, they are doing a pretty poor job of covering the unfolding events.  No surprise there.  I have always thought of cable news as the drunken, idiot uncle of journalism.
• If you are on Twitter, and you want to see really amazing updates of unfolding events, you should follow Democracy Now correspondent Sharif Kouddous.  I will look forward to what he has to say on Monday's broadcast of DN. 
• It is interesting to realize the type of relationship the United States and the Mubarak regime has had over these years.  While we periodically will criticize their government for not making enough democratic reforms, the truth is, no one has been a greater friend to United States in that part of the world (outside of Israel and possibly Saudi Arabia).  They help us "interrogate" suspected terrorists; we give them money, help them shut down the internet, and provide resources to combat protesters in the streets (scroll down to picture number 80 to see where their gas canisters are made).  I am happy with the peaceful relationship Egypt has had with Israel since Sadat, but that is the extent of my respect of Egyptian leadership.  I wonder if most Americans realize that one of the reasons Egypt is revolting against Mubarak is because of his relationship with us.  
• Then there is Vice President Joe Biden.  For the most part, I have always been a fan of his, and especially his take on foreign affairs.  I know that many people in Washington are privately sad Mubarak might be driven out of office, but I can't believe Biden has the balls to say this in an interview:

"Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things. And he's been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interest in the region, the Middle East peace efforts; the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing relationship with - with Israel. ... I would not refer to him as a dictator."

          Even for Joe Biden, that takes some cojones. 

• Finally, two things must be remembered.  One, a lot of people are being injured and killed in these protests over the past few days.  As exciting as these revolutionary events are to watch unfold, we must be mindful of the death and destruction that has taken place, and continues to take place.  My second concern is this: the people of Egypt are rallying to get rid of a dictator, and it does show that the United States does not need to intervene to bring change about in the Arab world.  But if Mubarak steps down, what will take his place?  Is it going to be another Mubarak-like dictator?  An Islamic fundamentalist regime?  A secular government that respects democracy and freedom of speech?  Or something entirely different?  All I can do is continue what I, and the rest of the world are doing: sit back, watch, and wait.

The Language of Special Education . . .

. . . as demonstrated by a cartoon.



It is important for parents to learn what special education language means.  It is also important for special education teachers, administrators, and other personnel to remember that parents are not always experts in the technical jargon of IEPs  Thank you Special Education Advisor for this cartoon!

The Upside of Virtual Classrooms and Online Learning

Recently, I featured a story about how the Miami-Dade County Public School System put over 7,000 students into virtual and online classes for core academic courses.  The reason so many students were put into these classes was to fulfill a Florida state quota that limited class size (by class, meaning a traditional classroom with a teacher rather than a facilitator in a computer lab).  Many students and parents did not approve of the move, and I discussed some of the downsides of virtual classrooms.  While I discussed the positives of using virtual classrooms for programs such as credit recovery, I mainly emphasized the negatives of such a program.

It just so happens that Lisa Nielsen, who I have recently had the pleasure of getting into a friendly debate over medication and ADHD (see here and here) has also written about this story.  She features several of the positives of classrooms via the computer.  Nielsen discusses them further in depth at Huffington Post, but I think it is important to highlight those positives to give balance to this topic.  She goes into more detail with each one in her post, but I will list what they are here:

1) Students can sleep in
2) Students can pursue their passion
3) Students can learn without distraction from their classmates
4) Students can learn at their own pace
5) No competition to share thoughts and ideas
6) More interesting class choices
7) Learn when the schedule meets the needs
8) Learning is possible despite health issues that get in the way in a traditional classroom
9) Easy communication with teacher
10) Easy communication with other students

It should be said that what Nielsen discusses is different than what is featured in the New York Times story on two counts.  First, this list primarily focuses on virtual learning outside of a school building, whereas the Times article primarily focuses on classes in a large computer lab with many of the features of a traditional school (same hours, surrounded by peers, etc).  Secondly, and more importantly, Miami never gave many students a choice is putting them in virtual classrooms.  As Nielsen discusses, there are many great benefits to this type of learning, and it is important to promotes those benefits.  However, parents and students should be given a choice in this matter (and I am not one who normally falls down on the side of what many consider to be "school choice" these days).

Thoughts on Hitchens

I first became familiar with Christopher Hitchens around 10 years ago or so. I watched him and read his material when he was more known because his support for the invasion of Iraq. While I was always against the invasion (and still think it was a monstrous mistake), I have always respected Hitchen's support to some extent because of his encounters with Kurds and others who were brutalized by the Sadaam Hussein regime. 

But it has been over the past year where I have become a big fan of his writings and thoughts.  Hitchens is one of the most famous atheists in the world.  He is, in fact, considered one of the Four Horsemen of Atheism with Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Sam Harris. I finally decided I was an atheist when I read The God Delusion by Professor Dawkins.  However, it has been the the words of Christopher Hitchens that has strengthen my convictions in non-belief just as much as any theorist, philosopher or writer has to this point. A wonderful sample of Hitchens debating the religious can be seen in this video appropriately titled "Christopher Hitchens-The Best of Hitchslapped":



I recently had the pleasure of listening to Hitch-22, Hitchen's memoir, on audio book.  It was the first book by him I have actually got the chance to read (well, listen to), and I can't wait to delve into more of his literary works in the future.

It was, of course, extremely disheartening when Hitchens announced his illness this past year.  One would think that being so close to death might make him become recluse, reconsider his non belief, and perhaps feel the need to seek out comfort in a spiritual manner.  But not Hitch.  In fact, rather than hide away from the world or turn to Jesus, he has continued to write, speak, and debate about the religious on the side of secularism and rationalism.  And he is still as good at it as anyone that is out there. 

Below is an interview that aired Sunday on C-SPAN's Q&A with Brian Lamb.  It is the first TV or public appearance from Hitchens that has taken place in several weeks.  It is very difficult to watch because it is clear how much his condition has deteriorated recently.  While Lamb asks Hitchens about the memoir, religion, and geo-politics, most of the conversation is about Hitchen's cancer, as well as life and death.  It is worth the watch if you have an hour to spare: 



Here is hoping that Mr. Hitchens is able to recover from his illness. He is an important voice that the world needs!

A Video for Sunday

Here is an awe-inspiring video that should be seen by as many people as possible.

It does showcase the man-made evil that is organized religion. But more importantly, the video showcases the absolutely phenomenal scope of the cosmos, and how insignificant (and yet, still special) we as humans being are in the grander scheme of our Universe.

What better way to celebrate the Sabbath?

Bill Maher to Tea Partiers: The Founding Fathers Would Not Like You

Here is last week's New Rules from the great Bill Maher.

Jan. 14, 2011 Clip - New Rule: Founding Fathers