Vignesh Ram

Photo

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:37:19 -0800

"Cao’s a strong addition to the Asian Caucus. Regardless of party line, he is serious about..."

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:56:57 -0800

“Cao’s a strong addition to the Asian Caucus. Regardless of party line, he is serious about representing his constituents and bolstering economic recovery efforts in New Orleans, particularly for small businesses and minority communities… He’s the only Republican in a minority caucus.”

- California Rep. Mike Honda from my hometown district, on Rep. Joseph Cao earlier this year. According to The Huffington Post, immediately following Cao’s controversial vote for health care reform, Honda crossed the aisle to pat his friend on the back.

Our Kids Don't Need Less Time In School

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:37:52 -0800

cross-posted to http://www.feltonnewell.com

Just last week, the question of four-day school weeks entered the conversation in Los Angeles, as LAUSD Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines has begun studying various proposals to make-up part of the expected budget shortfall of at least $500 million for the 2010-11 academic year. If implemented, the district would use a combination of furlough days and shortening the school year to close the gap, as furlough days alone will not be sufficient.

We should be appalled. These proposals fly in the face of what America stands for. They would impede those with learning disabilities, who may not be able to retain information following a three day weekend. And they would disproportionately impact lower income families who may not be able to afford child care. According to Jörn-Steffen Pischke, of the London School of Economics, shorter school years invariably lead to increased grade repetition in primary school. Our inner city neighborhoods already foster environments where children are forced to the streets. How is this a viable solution?

Felton wants education to be considered a national security threat for just that reason. According to an op-ed in the New York Times by Nicholas Kristof, the amount we spend yearly on each soldier in Afghanistan could build 20 schools there. Imagine what we could do here in America, if only we had leaders in Congress with the common sense to put children first.

That is why when Felton is in Congress, he will make lengthening the school year a cornerstone of his agenda. In Australia, students spend 200 days per year in the classroom, and even our Canadian neighbors spend ten more days than the average student here. American high school graduates should not be disadvantaged going into the 21st century. We need more ingenuity and less excuses. We need leadership for a new time.

I hate waiting.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:56:00 -0800

I hate waiting.

Converge are this generation’s Black Flag. -Cosmo Lee,...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:52:00 -0800

Converge are this generation’s Black Flag.

-Cosmo Lee, Pitchfork Media (Sorry Matt!)

"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value."

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:03:40 -0800

“Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.”

- Albert Einstein

"…because Punk is the most conservative musical form there is. Even in Hardcore, there are so..."

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:21:01 -0800

“…because Punk is the most conservative musical form there is. Even in Hardcore, there are so many rules about what is and what is not acceptable, and that completely negates the whole spirit of the original idea.”

- Dennis Lyxzén / Refused.

sampura: Refused - The Shape of Punk To Come If I had a theme...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:42:34 -0800

sampura:

Refused - The Shape of Punk To Come

If I had a theme song… this would be it. Fucking party!

This drummer is my favorite drummer… and this record is (in my opinion) the best sounding record I own.

Mandatory reblog. If you get a chance, check out AC4. It’s Dennis Lyxzen and Refused’s drummer Dennis Sandstrom’s new band.

fenchurch: Brew + You Look at that happy heart.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:01:59 -0800

fenchurch:

Brew + You

Look at that happy heart.

Looks like Adobe’s putting the pressure on Apple to...

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:27:18 -0800

Looks like Adobe’s putting the pressure on Apple to support Flash. Let’s see if this pans out better than Palm’s attempt to open up iTunes support.

Racial disparity: All active ethics probes focus on black lawmakers

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:55:51 -0800

Racial disparity: All active ethics probes focus on black lawmakers:

ohhimark:

But we elected a black president, so we’re done with racism, right?

Good find, man. It’s also worth mentioning that all black federal lawmakers are Democrats.

orchard: ian and henry

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:05:23 -0800

orchard:

ian and henry

Matthew Yglesias: Tax Expenditures Are a Poor Way of Subsidizing Infrastructure Investment

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:31:56 -0800

Matthew Yglesias: Tax Expenditures Are a Poor Way of Subsidizing Infrastructure Investment

fouronesix: first it was obama with a lightsaber. now he’s...

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:44:26 -0800

fouronesix:

first it was obama with a lightsaber.

now he’s partying with chewie?

President - now with 100% more THE MAN.

They Deserve More

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:13:50 -0700

cross-posted to http://www.feltonnewell.com

Recently, Hawaii, like many other states, has been buckling under a $1 billion deficit. The state’s Department of Education has had to cut $468 million from its budget to compensate for the budget shortfalls. Public school teachers have been required to take a 7.9 percent pay cut and Governor Linda Lingle, with State Teachers Association, adopted a measure allowing 17 furlough days each for the next two years. Now students, who formerly spent 180 days in the classroom each year, will be spending only 163 days with underpaid teachers scrambling to make up the lost hours.

With our current budget crisis, California is not far from a similar situation. Already, the California State University, the largest system of senior higher education in the country, has been forced to adopt furlough days following a $584 million cut to the CSU’s general fund support for the 2009-10 academic year. The problems facing education are no longer local. From California to Michigan, schools across the country are falling short. We need federal action and innovative solutions to revitalize our education system now, before more states follow Hawaii’s path.

That’s why Felton’s platform centers around an education plan that focuses not on the special interests, but on children. When the focus is on those for whom the education system exists, it is the last place we go with the red marker. Felton has taken a stand that it is more urgent than ever that we increase education funding now, rather than kick the bucket down the road with expenses on prisons and social services. We cannot afford to compromise with four-day school weeks and salary cuts for teachers when our children deserve much more.

Photo

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:20:14 -0700

via friendlyatheist.com I know one too many people who fail to...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:34:52 -0700

via friendlyatheist.com

I know one too many people who fail to make this distinction. They’d rather spend all of their time negating God to prove their view than simply voicing that it’s not a pertinent question.

Why we need net neutrality.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:50:00 -0700

Why we need net neutrality.

Volcker's Advice

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:45:35 -0700

To the Editor: Re “Volcker’s Voice, Often Heeded, Fails to Sell a Bank Strategy” (front page, Oct. 21):

As another older banker and one who has experienced both the pre- and post-Glass-Steagall world, I would agree with Paul A. Volcker (and also Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England) that some kind of separation between institutions that deal primarily in the capital markets and those involved in more traditional deposit-taking and working-capital finance makes sense.

This, in conjunction with more demanding capital requirements, would go a long way toward building a more robust financial sector.

John S. Reed, New York, Oct. 21, 2009

The writer is retired chairman of Citigroup.

orchard: funeral diner Missed and appreciated.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:45:43 -0700

orchard:

funeral diner

Missed and appreciated.