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Dear Thom,
I still disagree with you about paying kids for learning. I called today on your show, Linda, from Missoula. I have found that it is common for youth to end up expecting to get paid for everything when money is used as a motivational tool from too young an age. When the only motivation is to get paid, when do children have a chance to develop their own potential, creativity, kindness, concern and altruism as motivation for life?
At the end of your show you were talking about the desire to live in a society that is more than consumer based…. Is that a contradiction when talking about paying children to do well in school? There are lots of ways to earn money as a kid and rewarding a good report card every few months is where I’ll compromise, but paying a child for ongoing study and learning is not the way we should be motivating our youth. I understand that it works sometimes. Money is motivating, but that is not the direction we need our society to go. The big money systems are falling because they are out of balance with natural law. Money is part of the world, it should not rule the world; it tried to for a while, and look at the mess we are in.
Right after I hung up the phone with you, a dear friend called and shared about his current wind generation projects he is helping to develop on Native lands as a means for sustainable energy and income for Native peoples in the PNW. He ended his story with “ If I don’t get paid a cent for this project I am grateful just to be part of it for the good of the whole.” We need more members of society to think like that, not how much will I get paid to get and A. I teach students to discover their personal potential. I urge you to examine your own thoughts on this as you influence so many Americans. Essentially you host a nation wide discussion in defining American values. Lets speak out to enhance the values of creativity, critical thought and empowering the human potential, not paying our kids to learn.
Thanks for the conversation,
Linda
Today Thom mentioned the idea of "Gross National Happiness" and credited it to the King of Nepal. Just a note to correct that point, the promotion of "Gross National Happiness" is the official policy of the King of Bhutan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/04/science/04happ.html?pagewanted=all
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness
Sing or sign?
Is Thom truly going to be SINGING his new book? If so, I hope there will be 4 part harmony. If not, perhaps someone should clear up the spelling on your website for the compulsive spellers among us.
ProgressiveMews
That's mews to me!
Of course, you're right of course. From now on, I'll consider having my jokes peer reviewed before posting them so that they can maintain the high level of accuracy that is the standard on this blog.
Quark
I agree that parenting is not the end all solution. Middle children, ages 6-11 are more influenced by their peer goups. Their devlopment in cognitive, emotional, and social acceptance comes from their peer groups: ie classmates or any other children that the child interacts with. Parenting in early infancy usually involves reward and punishment, a smile versus a frown. The reward and punishment does not need to be used forever. There are always exceptions. Parents still should be involved, but with both parents working to survive because of jerks like Ronnie and W it's tough for most parents today.
mathboy,
Today has an unusually high number of posts (over 60). That kind of volume is usually reserved for days on which the topic is gay rights or religion. Since most of the posts are from the regulars, it may be that people were posting at a frenetic pace and doing less proofreading.
I'm not in a position to criticize today, because I just discovered that my first post, question the Gaia theory began with "Yesterday, Tuesday, June 9, 2009", but today is Wednesday, June 8. Bad on me.
My observation about this blog is that the number of posts has gone up since they started selecting a "member of the day" and awarding that person a gift. That may be an argument in favor of paying children for good grades.
B Roll:
"Give them enough rope and they’ll hang themselves. Give them enough hemp and they’ll stone themselves."
Hemp does NOT have THC in it, at least not enough to get stoned, that's for SURE! It would be like trying to get high off smoking catnip, more likely to get a raging headache than anything else.
It's a different strain of the plant all together.
Campaign Finance Reform
Our "representative's" are beholden to the "power" of our corporations; be it in finance or healthcare. As best as I can tell, the "power" of our corporation's come's from their money, not from their ideas.
We need to figure out a way to level the playing field so that idea's reign, not how much money one has. Our political system, as it currently is, disenfranchises our vote.
Once we rectify this inequity, the 3/4th's of the american populous who desires a single-payer or "public option" healthcare system will have a fair chance at having their will heard.
It's amazing how, when the subject is education, we seem to get the worst spelling, punctuation and grammar in the comments. Just an observation.
To anyone interested in a MN progressive forum featuring info. on a variety of issues plus a political calendar of events, here's a great new website:
http://myaurora.org/aurorawiki/tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=8
The problem with our political system isn't that getting the Dems to do what their constituents want isn't like herding cats. The problem is that both parties are herded by the fat cats.
DRichards:
There are some incredible things hemp can be used for, and in unbelievable variety of ways too!
Thom often mentions he drinks hemp milk. Paper (the Constitution is on hemp paper), and rope as you mentioned as well as parachutes (the fabric) were made of hemp and used by our military up until it was made illegal too - because hemp is actually MUCH stronger than what we use today.
PLUS, the seeds can be used to make meal for bead (like wheat) and they also have oil in them that can be used for fuel (amongst other things)!!!
The list is almost endless:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp
Not sure, but I think there are two or three states where it's legal to grow it..
MN progressive forum featuring info. on a variety of issues plus a political calendar of events, here's a great new website:
http://myaurora.org/aurorawiki/tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=8
Anyone interested in a MN progressive forum featuring info. on a variety of issues plus a political calendar of events, here's a great new website:
http://myaurora.org/aurorawiki/tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=8
Further more...
If Corporate people have the same rights as Human People, then crimes against them and by them need to be treated the same as crimes by Human People against Human People are treated.
If a Human kills (bankrupts) a Corporation then that is Murder...
and if a Corporation OWNS another Corporation then that is Slavery and needs to be punished!
If a Corporation injures or harms or invades the rights of a Human then they need to be Prosecuted - You can't put a Corporation in jail, but you can say they and their executive can not do business of any sort for 5 years...
No more separate but equal Human People need to be treated as equals to Corporate people and vice versa
To anyone interested in a MN progressive forum featuring info. on a variety of issues plus a political calendar of events, here's a great new website:
http://myaurora.org/aurorawiki/tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=8
Baloney Detection Kit
Scientific American columnist Michael Shermer offers a ten point kit to tell BS from the real thing. It is a concise and comprehensive take on rational, skeptical thought. 'Might be a valuable resource in our schools:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUB4j0n2UDU&feature=player_embedded
brian a. hayes & Quark:
Censure seems to do very little, especially when you look at the last one that comes to my mind - Sanford. It appears to be little more than a slap on the hand!
I think an effort to push Congress to regulate the NYSE would be far more effective, as they are the ones now changing the rules to enable and protect Sachs' destructive behavior!
“Taibbi: NYSE ends transparency to protect Goldman Sachs”
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/07/04/taibbi-nyse-ends-transparency-to-...
Trevor
Good point!
And why are corporations not given the death sentence when they are responsible for killing people?
to fight corps and work to create a strong middle class this is the battle.
DRichards,
Give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves. Give them enough hemp and they'll stone themselves.
If the Coprporate people have the same rights as Human People then there should not be Limited liability Corporations or you should be able to give birth to a limited liability person...
ProgressiveMews & B Roll
Thanks! I learned something new.
That would explain why (if I am correct) one can not grow hemp for rope, ect. in this country.
to quark; right on, strong middle class is the key. the key for everthing poverty, education hunger....
B Roll,
Interesting take on Obama's "election email list." (I'm on it, too.) It certainly seems to explain his recent comments...