A few months ago, garbage from the so-called Empire State that wound up in Parrish, Alabama made the news.
Why don't we repay the favor?
How about an Alabama caravan of pickup trucks toting sacks of garbage to NYC? Who knows, we could even get the shit from the hazardous waste site at Emmele.
And, in the meantime, pass some laws making it a felony to transport garbage into Alabama from out of state sources.
The rule should be, if you make it, keep it. Or do time in an Alabama slammer.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Fraudulent Admissions Applications to Prestigious Universities
Here's a delicious scandal with a lot of the ingredients to give it legs; except sex, unfortunately. Last week the story broke that the whelps of prominent and wealthy individuals gained admission of big-name universities by fraudulent means: being given extra time on standardized tests, by having ringers take the test in their place, or even having their answers changed by test administrators! Also, some coaches were bribed to claim that key applicants had athletic talents but who never played the sport in question. Toss in a few actresses, and you get a heaping brew of schadenfreude.
Parents of these college aspirants paid big bucks for having this done. In some cases, as much as half a million dollars! Among the institutions named were USC, Stanford, Yale, Wake Forest, assorted California institutions, and others to be named.
I will admit a certain relief that Auburn was not named among the negligent institutions. We have vexations enough. And Shoals Community College, University of Alabama at Huntsville, or Athens State University were unnamed. As a matter of fact, there were zero opportunities for the lazy pattern of Alabama bashing so beloved by some people from elsewhere.
But, anyway, the universities involved apparently were lax in applying admissions criteria. And are due to get their lumps for this laxity. Well, university administrators and coaches do not take vows of poverty.
What to do with the students who gained admission through false means? Here we have the hoary old question: "What did he/she know; and when did she/he know it?" Were the students unaware of these back door advantages attached to their applications? Or were they unwitting dupes in this process?
It ain't easy.
And many universities have a finite number of spots in their freshman class. If under qualified candidates are let in, more deserving ones are necessarily passed over.
And what about the students whose patents took these extralegal means to ensure their being enrolled? Isn't there having done so a sign that their parents though little about their abilities to function on their own. Talk about a blow to their egos!
But there's the $64 question: what sort of bump goes with finishing at a more prestigious institution? It depends on what is going on. For example, I'm sure I'd be more likely to be hired if my degree read M.I.T. rather than Auburn. There's the admittance to hiring networks and contacts that goes with attendance at certain institutions. (Look at the curriculum vitae of the Supreme Court justices, for example.) And a big-name institution endeavors to capitalize on its brand* as much as possible.
*A common term used by people in academic recruitment and promotions. Think of the scent of burned cowhide.
Parents of these college aspirants paid big bucks for having this done. In some cases, as much as half a million dollars! Among the institutions named were USC, Stanford, Yale, Wake Forest, assorted California institutions, and others to be named.
I will admit a certain relief that Auburn was not named among the negligent institutions. We have vexations enough. And Shoals Community College, University of Alabama at Huntsville, or Athens State University were unnamed. As a matter of fact, there were zero opportunities for the lazy pattern of Alabama bashing so beloved by some people from elsewhere.
But, anyway, the universities involved apparently were lax in applying admissions criteria. And are due to get their lumps for this laxity. Well, university administrators and coaches do not take vows of poverty.
What to do with the students who gained admission through false means? Here we have the hoary old question: "What did he/she know; and when did she/he know it?" Were the students unaware of these back door advantages attached to their applications? Or were they unwitting dupes in this process?
It ain't easy.
And many universities have a finite number of spots in their freshman class. If under qualified candidates are let in, more deserving ones are necessarily passed over.
And what about the students whose patents took these extralegal means to ensure their being enrolled? Isn't there having done so a sign that their parents though little about their abilities to function on their own. Talk about a blow to their egos!
But there's the $64 question: what sort of bump goes with finishing at a more prestigious institution? It depends on what is going on. For example, I'm sure I'd be more likely to be hired if my degree read M.I.T. rather than Auburn. There's the admittance to hiring networks and contacts that goes with attendance at certain institutions. (Look at the curriculum vitae of the Supreme Court justices, for example.) And a big-name institution endeavors to capitalize on its brand* as much as possible.
*A common term used by people in academic recruitment and promotions. Think of the scent of burned cowhide.
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
The Boeing 737 Max
Several years ago John Talton of the Seattle Times wrote a column criticizing the choice of Mobile, Alabama as the site for the first Airbus plant in the United States. Well, Airbus is a going concern; and those nice salaries are going to southern Alabama employees rather than elsewhere.
Jon managed to fling some stereotypical buffalo chips our way; (Imagine that: Alabamians actually daring to build aircraft that people fly in!) I understand his leaning towards the home team: Boeing, in his case. Well, Boeing was riding a lot on the possible success of the 737 Max. This is the same plane that had two crashes recently, and is grounded in just about every country by now.
I'm disappointed that the U.S. was behind the curve in grounding those planes. Safety of passengers and crew should always be the prime consideration. Well, the U.S. has now grounded those planes too. American and Southwest were the major U.S. carriers using those planes.
I hope Boeing gets it all straightened out soon; but in the meantime, it's best to fly in other aircraft.
Jon managed to fling some stereotypical buffalo chips our way; (Imagine that: Alabamians actually daring to build aircraft that people fly in!) I understand his leaning towards the home team: Boeing, in his case. Well, Boeing was riding a lot on the possible success of the 737 Max. This is the same plane that had two crashes recently, and is grounded in just about every country by now.
I'm disappointed that the U.S. was behind the curve in grounding those planes. Safety of passengers and crew should always be the prime consideration. Well, the U.S. has now grounded those planes too. American and Southwest were the major U.S. carriers using those planes.
I hope Boeing gets it all straightened out soon; but in the meantime, it's best to fly in other aircraft.
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