continuing proofs America is wacko [2]

'Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light.'

Ok I admit thats all I know of it.

California community colleges board approves 15 pilot bachelor's degrees - The Sacramento Bee

Changing technology and educational expectations have driven employers in fields such as dental hygiene, respiratory therapy and automotive technology – which once required only two-year associate degrees – to seek workers with a baccalaureate.

Advocates of community college bachelor’s degrees, which already are in place in 21 other states, have pushed for their introduction in California to generate up to an additional 1 million degrees in the state workforce by 2025. Senate Bill 850 allowed for up to 15 pilot degrees in majors not offered by the University of California or California State University, with the aim of meeting demand for highly trained workers in technical fields.

The community college system’s “core mission of job training means we have to change to four-year degrees,” Sen. Marty Block, D-San Diego, who authored SB 850, said at a news conference following the vote. “California should never be behind the curve, and now we are no longer behind the curve.”

Because the proper response to the devaluation of the bachelor's degree is to drive its value even lower, clearly.

I get that this really isn't Cali's fault or the fault of community colleges in general, but that doesn't make the situation any less stupid and disgusting.  Four-year institutions are already under enough pressure to turn themselves into job training centers, which is gutting the educational mission that is supposed to be the point of college.  Giving community colleges the ability to grant four year degrees is almost certainly going to drive four-year colleges further down as well.  I've got nothing against the concept of community college, but they have a different purpose, even though plenty of people transfer from them to four-year schools.

Really though, this is what we get when as a society we spend half a century beating the idea that everyone needs to go to college into the minds of young people.  Even though half of all college students never graduate, and both they and the graduates are paying more money than ever for degrees that are worth less than they ever have been.  And the endless parade of careerism on campus gives you a generation of students who cry about having to take classes outside their major because they don't even realize that college is supposed to provide a balanced education and expand your horizons, not act as a fucking job orientation.  Though considering the way college interns are treated, you kinda have to be a little forgiving of students who end up thinking this way.

Fuck student loans.  Start promoting trade schools again.  And stop shitting on the liberal arts because "we need more STEM where are our STEM students STEM STEM STEM oh my god the Chinese will destroy us with STEM!"

I wholeheartedly agree with you on this, Eldo. I always thought, and it was always made clear to me, that a two-year degree was supposed to get you into a high-demand field quickly. Get you out the door with the essential knowledge and training you need to start a career. It's sad to see that is changing. Not everyone can make it in a four year program (due to cost concerns, educational fatigue, etc.), and I don't understand how subjects like "dental hygiene, respiratory therapy and automotive technology" could be stretched out over a four year period.

All they want to do is make things more difficult, and make people take out more loans. As far as I'm concerned, this isn't about education or job training, this is about the behemoth that is the post-secondary education system lining their purses and destroying America in the process.

The constant STEM circlejerk drives me nuts as well (one of the many reasons I hate reddit). I just hope in the near future that the job market will be flooded with STEM workers with few positions to fill. Let them have a taste of it.

I was reminded of the STEM jerk a few weeks ago when they had that "Code Day" to promote computer programming and coding. They had events at the White House and they were all talking about how everyone needs to know how to code, and blah blah blah, teach the children how to code. Yeah, well if they all know how to code, then no one is going to know how to code.

I totally agree that the trade school idea needs to be separate from liberal arts and even engineering, but the fact that computer coding is not even introduced in secondary school and usually not even a part of scientific/mathematic curriculums in college (engineering does better) has crippled our workforce who generally think computers don't go beyond word processing, spreadsheets, and games.

In my opinion the whole STEM deficit could be fixed by introducing coding earlier: then those who for example want to make realistic games would realize the key is physics and math in combination with understanding the guts of computers, and those who are interested would pursue it. Those who are not, would not. The wonderful thing about computer programming is it's wide open, allowing people to apply their creativity to do stuff they want. You don't need to bang everyone over the head, just give them the proper introduction and let nature takes its course for those so inclined.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/27916687/invitation-to-tour-non-existent-sharia-law-no-go-zones-in-minneapolis

Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison has sent an invitation to ultraconservative lobbyist Tony Perkins to visit Minneapolis, to debunk his claims the city is one of a few places in America with “no-go zones” where Sharia Law trumps state and federal laws.

Perkins is president of the Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group Family Research Council -- a “Christian public policy ministry” with a pro-life and anti same-sex marriage agenda.

“There are some areas in this country that, in effect, that has occurred,” Perkins said, referring to the concept of "no-go zones," in an interview with watchdog website Right Wing Watch. “Dearborn, Michigan is one of the places. There are some places in Minneapolis. I don't think it's as clear cut as what we've seen in Europe."

Rep. Ellison, whose 5th District covers Minneapolis, responded with an assurance that “this is not true,” and invited Perkins to visit the city and see that Minneapolis is “an inclusive and thriving city completely under the jurisdiction of local, state and federal laws.” Ellison offered to arrange meetings with local and federal law enforcement and community leaders to help Perkins take “an important step toward interfaith understanding.”

   .@tperkins: While there aren't any "Sharia no-go zones" in Minneapolis, I invite you to come and see for yourself. pic.twitter.com/DOrPwCd3WC
   — Rep. Keith Ellison (@keithellison) January 21, 2015

Fox had to make an on air apology to Birmingham and Paris for making the same accusation.
And now the Mayor of Paris is trying to sue Fox news for defamation of character!

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/20/paris-mayor-anne-hidalgo-muslim-no-go-zones

Fourth-grader says he has the One Ring, school suspends him for terrorist threat, dad says
By Owen S. Good on Feb 01, 2015 at 3:42p @owengood


A fourth-grader in west Texas has been suspended, his father says, because he pretended to have a ring like the One Ring from The Lord of the Rings canon, and said it could make a classmate disappear.

Dad Jason Steward said he was told his son's claim amounted to making a terrorist threat.

Steward took his story to the Odessa (Texas) American on Friday, saying the boy had seen The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies the preceding weekend. He brought a ring to class and told another kid it would make him vanish.

When Steward confronted the school principal to ask what was going on, he said he was told that threatening another child's safety — whether the threats are magical or otherwise -—are not tolerated.

Neither the principal nor the district's superintendent would comment on the matter to the Odessa American. The New York Daily News got wind of the story and followed up with the dad.

"I assure you my son lacks the magical powers necessary to threaten his friend's existence," Steward told the News. "If he did, I'm sure he'd bring him right back."

This isn't his son's first scrape with authority; the boy has been suspended three times already, once for calling a black classmate black, the other for bringing a book to school that had a drawing of a pregnant woman. The family moved to the school district six months ago.

http://www.polygon.com/2015/2/1/7960307/fourth-grader-suspended-lord-of-the-rings

"Steward took his story to the Odessa (Texas) American on Friday, saying the boy had seen The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies the preceding weekend."

Poor kid.

Wait, I thought Texas was supposed to be this great bastion of conservatism, yet here are what they would call a "namby pamby over the top liberal reaction" to something so minor.

http://news.yahoo.com/huckabee-compares-gay-marriage-alcohol-profanity-170533967--election.html

WTF is wrong with people in this country. And opinions like this are encouraged! I'd like to say they're on the way out. Maybe after my parent's or my generation has passed away. It seems like we still have a long way to go.

The best thing to do with Huckabee is just to remind yourself that stupidity isn't a crime in this country, then try to forget about him.

I'll only start worrying about the country if he starts getting anything more than fringe support.

I like that this thread is called "continuing proofs America is wacko", while it mostly evidences how level headed they can be. And exasperated by themselves, but still.

I originally started the thread as a celebration of how crazy America can be, so it shouldn't really be in the Big Bad Serious Forum.  I may have put it here because most of the posts are political, with the first one being a politician relating girl scout cookies to the radicalized liberal agenda.

I've come to expect this sort of thing from Huckabee. I'm more curious as to why he keeps going after Beyonce.

She's the poster child for everything he isn't: black, female, sexy, cool. There's others, but she leads the pack.

Aww, you mean secretly Huckabee wants to put a ring on it?

I have my suspicions....

He's Crazy in Love!

Or maybe just crazy.

You Americans are wacko.

Chris Christie visited London. I like this little pastiche that shows he was actually being polite.

https://screen.yahoo.com/chris-christie-snaps-reporter-typical-214950455.html

I have rather liked the guy, though I think bridgegate was partially his fault for setting a combative tone even if he wasn't directly involved, and recent unfortunate remarks about vaccines are a bit worrying.

I like that he's blunt and doesn't give a rat's ass about what anyone thinks of him. But I wouldn't necessarily want him to be president.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150204_TSA_jails_innocent_traveler_when_he_asks_to_file_a_complaint.html

Sorry the NABs probably can't see the Jon Stewart commentary on this, but you can see the original interchange:

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2015/02/when-texas-and-florida-fight-over-whos-the-crazy-state-jon-stewarts-the-only-winner.html/

Let's just say a Florida senator called Texas a crazy state, a Texas senator demanded an apology, and it just got better from there.

That was funny and all, but the Florida guy really was being an asshole (which is why it's so funny).

Yeah, I have to think there's some back story there. Kind of reminds me of one of these old men proudly continuing across the street after the light changes as horns honk and all: making a point that he'll do it just because he can and damn the complaints.