The video archive of the NEA’s Cultural Workforce Forum, a day-long presentation of research by primarily East-coast academics, and short on front-line practitioners, is now available in its entirety. – Tommer

Here’s the link to the archive

If you’re looking for ways to get in the mood for Thanksgiving with your students, check out the links below.  Both will take you to a complete list of Thanksgiving lesson plans, activities, links and more.

From NEA:

Thanksgiving Ideas for the Classroom: Interdisciplinary lesson plans, activity ideas and other curriculum resources.

From Education World:

Thanksgiving Lesson Ideas: Find articles, lesson ideas, site reviews, books, crafts, clipart and more.

Are you teaching about Thanksgiving this week?  Leave a comment and share what you are doing with your colleagues.

Creative Commons image by eckerput.

nea black

Nea…the modest sister of LILY, is a slight and ornate pleasure object with a porcelain-like finish and deceptively powerful purr. Decorating the glossy exterior, pleasing to the eye as well as to the touch, are delicate floral motifs reminiscent of the Belle Époque. Ergonomically designed to accommodate all those special places, NEA is handy, rechargeable and exceedingly quiet. Comes included with gift box, charger, manual and a 1-year LELO warranty. Materials: ABS Size: 75 x 36 x 25 mm User time: up to 7 hours Interface: variable interface, 5 modes

Review

find it here

Probably prompted by the murder of Ivan Khutorskoy last week in Moscow NEA and RASH Berlin plan a information evening about the situation of the Antifa movement in Russia. A member of the Moscow Antifa will talk about the situation in Russia and about the possibilities to support their activities.

29. November, 20 Uhr, Projektraum Friedel54, Friedelstr. 54 (Neukölln)

For those that don’t know, I am a philosopher. In my studies, I have dedicated a huge portion of my time to reading about postmodernism, humanity, and ethics. Of those three, postmodernism has consumed most of my reading. Now, this isn’t because I’m postmodern, but instead because I see a threat and I want to know everything I can about postmodernism. I write all of that simply so I can point out that I am not opposed to reading books that oppose my viewpoint; instead, I think everyone should engage in such an activity.

At the same time, I am greatly concerned when the National Education Association (NEA) encourages teachers to read Saul Alinsky and to pass such knowledge onto their students. It is not a matter of, “Here is someone who influences a number of people today,” but instead, “Here is something you should read and put into practice.” Considering Alinsky was a liberal and hated conservatism, it is a blatant endorsement for liberalism. On top of all that, it’s a support for someone who proposes radical violence. As quoted from the NEA’s own website:

“The Radical may resort to the sword but when he does he is not filled with hatred against those individuals whom he attacks. He hates these individuals not as persons but as symbols representing ideas or interests which he believes to be inimical to the welfare of the people.”

Though there are certainly things worth fighting for and dying for, Alisnsky is calling for a war-like change that Lenin and Mao brought about. When the American colonists rose up against their oppressors, they did so for freedom. What Alinsky is supporting goes beyond an armed revolution in that it would requires the deaths of anyone who happens to be conservative. Not because of the person, but because of the ideology that the person represents. That is what the NEA wants teachers to read and to encourage students to read as well.

There is no denying the fact that this is extremely dangerous. Though I disagree with liberalism and Communism, so long as a person who is a liberal or communist didn’t threaten my life or the lives of those I love, I would see no need to engage in violence. This has typically been a conservative viewpoint (it should be noted that Bush and those who follow after him abandoned such a viewpoint). Alinsky, however, supports the idea that if his 13 Rules cannot beget change, then the sword is a viable option against all who disagree.

Certainly if the NEA was supporting other endeavors, this would be a different story. But I’m curious, why aren’t they supporting the reading of the classics, such as Aristotle, Cicero, Aurelius, Socrates, Seneca, or even the pre-Socratics? Why aren’t they advocating that teachers read Locke, Dafoe, Wilberforce, Paine, or Jefferson?

The reason is because the philosophies taught by all of these men, though various, still run counter to the philosophy of the NEA, which is liberalism. Every single one of the philosophers above taught in human significance and living a virtuous life in the hopes of obtaining the good life. The good life was not defined by material possessions either, but instead by living a life of justice (Christian philosophers believe the good life is the one that syncs up with God’s will for that individual). This was obtained generally through the Four Cardinal Virtues and by avoiding the Seven Vices.

The problem is this requires us to take responsibility for our actions and our lot in life. If we are poor and remain poor due to a lack of a work ethic, virtue ethics (which all the classical philosophers accepted) would teach that it is your own fault. If you won’t work, then you don’t eat (this is also a Biblical concept as well). Though it is possible to be a victim in reality, liberalism creates a victim out of people who have created their own mess. Mix this with Saul Alinksy, and you get people who want to save these self-created victims and kill any and all who are strongly opposed to such a sentiment.

The solution to this problem isn’t in voting Republican or voting for moderate Democrats. The solution is much more tenuous and difficult. It is in reaching out to our children ourselves and teaching them the virtues. It is teaching our children that hard work brings about what we want and that we can’t rely on other people. It is, sadly, countering much of what they learn in the classroom from teachers who buy into the NEA. Though going political can be a helpful solution, the ultimate solution is in reaching our own children and instilling values in them that simply cannot be overturned.

Hoyas 3-0! Yeah, buddy.

Speaking of which, it was nice to see our old homeboy Jeff Green on the court against the Wizards last night…

…Looking for an act of devotion in honor of the Solemnity of Christ the King?

Consider adding your e-signature to the Manhattan Declaration…

…After I finished high school, I got a job typing the reports of a company of local archaeologists.

The company specialized in pre-historic archaeology–that is, the study of artifacts produced by people who did not have writing.

In our area, you can discover a pre-historic artifact while you are out for a walk. There are still Algonquian arrowheads and potsherds lying on the surface of the earth.

Contrast this with archaeology in the Old City of Jerusalem. On Monday evening, we walked down four flights of steps from street level. We emerged into a cistern that was built to hold water for use in the Temple in the fifth century B.C.

Chiesa Nuova in Rome

There are books written about the building of that temple–they can be found in the Old Testament. My point is: In Jerusalem, archaelogists have dug and dug and dug, and they still have not gotten to the pre-historic level.

And here is some more perspective: In our day and age, since the beginning of the Digital/Organic Era (which began when Bill Gates’ net worth reached $1 trillion), “new” refers to something that came into being in the last half-nanosecond.

In Rome, there is a beautiful church called Chiesa Nuova, the “New Church.” It was completed in 1606.

In Jerusalem, the Nea, the “new” church in honor of Mary the Mother of God, has lay buried beneath the rubble of earthquake and Persian destruction for 1200 years.

Today is the day the Nea was dedicated in A.D. 543.

Our Lady was born in Jerusalem. She was among the girls who cared for the Temple paraphernalia.

When Mary brought the newborn Jesus to the Temple to present Him to the Father, she encountered the priest Simeon and the prophetess Anna. The three of them may already have known each other.

The above is a mosaic map of Christian Jerusalem. It is not easy to read. The Cardo, or main street, runs left to right through the middle of the city. The huge ancient basilica of the Holy Sepulcher is below the main street, the Nea is above it, to the right. There was an annual procession between the two churches.

…I am sorry that I allowed the following “Bests” list to get as stale as five-year-old granola bars. It is retired. An exciting new edition is available behind the Bests tab above.

SPECIAL “MY iPOD” EDITION

Best Rob Thomas Song: “Real World” (Matchbox 20)

(“I wish the real world would just stop hassling me” is not a bad motto.)

Best Paul Simon Song:
The Obvious Child

Best Radiohead Song:
Talk Show Host

Best Bruce Springsteen Song since 1979: Radio Nowhere

Best K.D. Lang Song: Constant Craving

Best Rock Band Alive Today: Switchfoot

Best B–n–d Ladies Song: Falling for the First Time

Best Cover Ever: The Boys of Summer by the Ataris

Best Nineties Band that No One Has Ever Heard Of: World Party

Best Taylor Swift Song: Teardrops on My Guitar

Nov 17, 2009 A NATIONAL Environment support officer persistently wanted to meet the mother of an underaged smoker in private and even texted her for sex, a district court heard.

The complainant, a woman in her 40s, reported Koh Hui Chong to the authority and a trap was laid when he turned up at her flat on May 6 last year.

The 43-year-old admitted to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau officers he had contacted the woman with the intention of having sex with her. He even brought along three condoms.

He had hoped that if the complainant had sex with him, he would then not take any form of action against her teenage son for smoking and littering.

The court heard that Koh had caught the woman’s 15-year-old son and another boy smoking in a prohibited area at a playground in Serangoon Central earlier on April 28. He obtained the boy’s details from his EZ-Link card and told him he would be booked for underaged smoking and other offences.

Koh, who pleaded guilty to trying to get sexual favours from the boy’s mother, is expected to be sentenced on Dec 1. He faces a fine of up to $100,000 and/or a jail term of up to five years.

17 November 2009 Two men have been charged, separately, with attempting to obtain sexual favours in return for turning a blind eye on smoking offenders.

One of them is 32-year-old Mohamed Rafi Abdul Alim who was employed by Certis-CISCO Security and attached to the National Environment Agency (NEA) as an enforcement officer.

Along with three other officers, he approached a girl whom he saw smoking with her friends at the basement carpark of Queensway Shopping Centre in March this year.

The girl and her friends were in school uniforms. The officers then took down the students’ particulars and gave them a verbal warning.

However, shortly after this, Mohamed Rafi allegedly sent the girl a text message asking for sexual services. It is believed that he promised not to refer her to the relevant authorities should she give in to his request.

42-year-old Koh Hui Chong, a former NEA officer, faced a similar charge. He noticed a boy in his school uniform smoking at a playground in late April last year.

Koh approached the student and informed him that he will be booked for under-aged smoking. He also asked the boy for his parents’ contact details so that he could speak to them about the matter.

However, the student gave him false information about his father. In response to this, it is believed that Koh approached the boy’s school to obtain the details even though he was not authorised to do so.

Koh then allegedly contacted the boy’s mother in early May last year, asking for sexual services in return for not taking action against her son.

If convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act, both men could each be jailed up to five years and fined a maximum of S$100,000.

On Friday, November 20, 2009, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will present a live webcast on www.arts.gov of a forum about America’s artists and other cultural workers who are part of this country’s real economy. Academics, foundation professionals, and service organization representatives will come together to discuss improving the collection and reporting of statistics about arts and cultural workers, and to develop future research agendas and approaches.

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November 18 is Education Support Professionals Day. ESPs bring years of experience and dedication to their jobs and directly affect student learning in and out of the classroom.

At HHS, support professionals include our bus drivers, cafeteria staff, paraprofessionals, our school nurse, the front office staff, our IT and network specialists, and our custodians. Why not take the time today (and every day!) to thank them for all the hard work they do for us?