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The portal for all blogs academic is:

http://www.academicblogs.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Farewell Christiania

One of the longest lived anarchist communities: Christiania in Copenhagan Denmark is slowly being ceded over to the government.
See http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/harriet_riley/2007/09/farewell_to_freetown.html

FYI

There is a film on the Internet which raises some controversial issues:
Zeitgeist-The Movie

NYT Essay Contest

"College as America used to understand it is coming to an end." Rick Perlstein from "What's the Matter with College." (Full essay at nytimes.com/essay)
Respond to this essay in 1200 words by August 6th. Full details atnytimes.com/essay

Education: Flow not a Stock

The following Letter was published by the Scranton Times-Tribune on 8 June with reference to Sen. Robert Casey's record on early childhood education and its impact of society and democracy. What follows is a response authored by yours truly.

Original Letter

Solid investment

Editor: I was pleased to read about Sen. Bob Casey Jr.’s plan for increased preschool funding.

In a liberal arts literacy course, I researched the impact of pre-kindergarten education on literacy and related outcomes. The United States has been late to realize early education’s potential to shrink the socio-economic gap between students at various levels of privilege. In many countries, children as young as two years begin formal schooling. Research shows that French students who entered preschool at age three exhibited better behavior and higher academic achievement in the first and second grades. They were also less likely to be held back at later grade levels than students who started at age five.

Education is among a democracy’s most valuable assets and it should be available as early as possible — without cost. Mr. Casey’s work can make our nation aware of the unfortunate truth that some children are already “left behind” by age six. Hopefully his new legislation will motivate both Pennsylvania and the United States to adopt the new international norm for early childhood education.

REBECCA DOWD GEOFFROY

JERMYN

Response

Lifetime process

Editor: In supplement to Ms. Dowd-Geoffroy’s (June 8) letter referring to the importance of early childhood education as being a “valuable asset” to democracy, may I add one thought to bolster her (and Sen. Bob Casey’s) argument. Lest we forget, education should not be thought of as a stock as much as it should be considered a flow. Education — in all forms — must be present throughout one’s life to not only enrich our lives but also add to the social trust that makes American democracy and civil society the most unique and dynamic form of governance found around the world today.

The writer’s example of closing the corrosive “socio-economic gap” by strengthening democratic institutions is not simply the function of early childhood education efforts and increased budget lines as she (and Sen. Casey) may very well know. In order to cure the social ills that afflict this country and to preserve our national ideals for future generations, citizens must be in a constant educational process that fosters progress and a search for the truth.

With federal funding receding at all levels of education (the perennially endangered Pell Grants and Head Start programs come to mind) strong, viable democratic institutions are not only thwarted at a pre-kindergarten level, but downright undermined from a failing system at all levels — including higher education.

MICHAEL A. STERCHAK

FOREST CITY

For more on education, especially higher education, feel free to view / contribute to the Marist College Concerned Alumni Network (McCAN) Blog located here or visit the website (McCAN).

Richard Rorty

Richard Rorty one of the most influential contemporary thinkers died Friday June 8, 2007. He based his work on John Dewey, Nietzsche, Heidegger and Wittgenstein among others. He believed that philosopher was more than just thinking, it was doing.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/obituaries/11rorty.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

A Third Way?

Check out Unity08

Graduation

Congratulations to the latest college graduates...always remember to think critically and to make a difference

Getting Started

This is a space for us to continue critical political discussions and share thoughts past the end of the semester, and for some of you past your tenure at Marist.

You will have to email me with your e-mail address to be invited to post on this blog. You will also have to have a blogger account .

If there are links that you would like added to the sidebar, flag them for me, and I will oblige.

Keep on thinking, ciao, JAM