Friday, March 28, 2014
Schedule for 2014Q2
Here is an outline of the themes that will be covered in the second quarter of 2014. Just like last quarter, we will announce the specific topic for the week's meeting on the blog
Local Government
Thursday, Apr. 3, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
While the Federal government seems to be in perpetual deadlock, real progress is being made at the local level, especially in large cities. Here is a TED Talk by Ben Barber, which suggests that some global problems are better solved by cooperating cities.
At an even more local level, there is a movement to enable cooperating citizens to fix the problems of their neighborhoods. Here is a TED Talk by Jennifer Pahlka which shows how free Open Source technology is being used to help local government.
------- Update 4/3/14 -------------
Links to the other videos shown at the meeting:
Lecture by Benjamin R. Barber "If mayors ruled the world?"
Catherine Bracy: Why good hackers make good citizens
While the Federal government seems to be in perpetual deadlock, real progress is being made at the local level, especially in large cities. Here is a TED Talk by Ben Barber, which suggests that some global problems are better solved by cooperating cities.
At an even more local level, there is a movement to enable cooperating citizens to fix the problems of their neighborhoods. Here is a TED Talk by Jennifer Pahlka which shows how free Open Source technology is being used to help local government.
------- Update 4/3/14 -------------
Links to the other videos shown at the meeting:
Lecture by Benjamin R. Barber "If mayors ruled the world?"
Catherine Bracy: Why good hackers make good citizens
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Why Do They Vote Against Their Own Best Interest
Thursday, Mar. 27, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
Even with all the money spent on political ads, it seems to be a mystery why so many of the working poor vote against their own best interest. In his book, Deer Hunting with Jesus, Joe Bageant explains that they are trapped in ignorance. They don't even realize what is their own best interest. Bageant was raised in that culture but was able to escape and is now a self proclaimed socialist. Yet he tells the story from the view of the people he grew up with. Here is an interview he gave about the book.
Even with all the money spent on political ads, it seems to be a mystery why so many of the working poor vote against their own best interest. In his book, Deer Hunting with Jesus, Joe Bageant explains that they are trapped in ignorance. They don't even realize what is their own best interest. Bageant was raised in that culture but was able to escape and is now a self proclaimed socialist. Yet he tells the story from the view of the people he grew up with. Here is an interview he gave about the book.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Campaign Finance
Thursday, Mar. 20, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
We will continue our discussion on democracy in crisis. Last week the issue of campaign finance, made more serious by Citizens United, was raised.
Here is a TED Talk by Lawrence Lessig which makes the case that campaign finance reform is the single most important issue. A longer version of this talk can be found HERE. The talk was based on Lessig's book Republic Lost.
We will continue our discussion on democracy in crisis. Last week the issue of campaign finance, made more serious by Citizens United, was raised.
Here is a TED Talk by Lawrence Lessig which makes the case that campaign finance reform is the single most important issue. A longer version of this talk can be found HERE. The talk was based on Lessig's book Republic Lost.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
A Republic, If You Can Keep It
Thursday, Mar. 6, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
Next meeting is on the first Thursday in March; so we will start a new theme, "A Republic, if you can keep it". Tim will be the theme discussion leader. His syllabus has been email. The first session will cover our Inalienable Rights. A good p;ace to start is our Bill of Rights. Here is a video that will provide a quick review.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
No Child Left Behind
Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)
In the last session on the theme of "Challenges of the Next Generation", we will zoom-in on the so called fix for the American education system, No Child Left Behind, and its successor, Common Core.
Here is a TED Talk critical on the concept of standardized education.
Here is a student letting his state legislator know what he thinks of Common Core.
Things look bleak for US education in a competitive world, but will the next generation succeed it spite of it? There is a poll on the upper right corner of this page. Please take time to add your option on the future prospects of the Millennials.
Update 2/27/14:
Here is a link which explains the Common Core standards.
Update 2/27/14:
Here is a link which explains the Common Core standards.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
World Education Competition
The Unites States spends more per student than any country in the world but is getting only mediocre results when compared to other countries. For the next meeting we will explore how US education compares with the rest of the world. We will use these talk by Amanda Ripley, the author of The Smartest Kids in the World, as the the starting point of the discussion:
The PISA test is used to rank the countries. Here is a TED Talk which will attest to the validity of these tests.
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