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All posts for the month April, 2017

Ravitch on Kucinich and Charter Schools

Published April 29, 2017 by Nan Mykel

Kucinich, who served 16 years in Congress, was Cleveland mayor in the late 1970s, and ran for president in 2004 and 2008, plans to hold town hall-style forums across the state in Centerville, Columbus, Parma, and Elyria Monday through Thursday. He kicked it off by talking to reporters at the Ohio statehouse.

“When state revenue for public schools decreases because of money which goes to private for-profit charters, public school officials must make up the difference by asking local property taxpayers for more money,” Kucinich said. “It represents a deliberate, destructive undermining of the public education of Ohio’s children. What is our educational philosophy today? Let for-profit corporations exploit the mass of children by controlling the state government?”

“With that last line, he was referring to state legislators “who have accepted millions of dollars in campaign contributions from charter-school operators, notably William Lager of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow and David Brennan of White Hat Management,” according to the Columbus Dispatch….

According to a report released in advance of DeVos’ visit, since the 2012-2013 school year, $3,744,988 in state funding originally meant for children attending Van Wert County’s local public schools “has instead gone to privately run brick-and-mortar and online charter schools.” In turn, said the report from Innovation Ohio, “local taxpayers in Van Wert…have had to subsidize these larger state payments to charter schools to the tune of $1.4 million—money that should have supplemented the larger state aid amount but is now being used to subsidize poorer performing, privately run charter schools.”

Excerpt from dianeravitch.com  4/29/07

Refreshing

Published April 19, 2017 by Nan Mykel

As I was cleaning out some genealogical papers, I came across one I had forgotten about, and in this day and age I found refreshing:

A notice from the Henry County Bulletin years ago:

The Poet for Councilman

To the Voters of the Town of Martinsville

Two years ago as you well know

The ticket bore my name

And if you scratched it off or not

I thanked you just the same

Again I ask for your support

Not that I claim to be

A better man than others are

For all of you know me

But promising to ever stand

For what is just and true

I will simply sign my name

And leave results with you.

Yours to serve,

J. L. Minter

The Shoe Maker

 

 

 

 

Guns and Roses

Published April 17, 2017 by Nan Mykel

Shannon took videos of the International Street Fair yesterday, in Athens, Ohio, for Public Access Television. I was asleep when she got back and she didn’t wake me, so I don’t know how it went. I saw in the paper today, however, that at the happy international festivities 5 out-of-towners visited the fair bearing unconcealed weapons and smiles.  A city policeman was on their heels the entire time.  The visitors  seemed to think that it was an act of overt goodwill and an opportunity for discussion, but I declare I wonder about their judgment.  I seriously wonder if men would be so attached to their guns if they were not phallic symbols? Maybe the entire hoo-haw relates back to castration anxiety?

 P.S. For some spooky reason, Word Press was slow to accept “guns” as a category.  (Maybe not so spooky, now that I think about it).

a sister’s love – a reblog by Survivor Road

Published April 15, 2017 by Nan Mykel

Stupendous. I can’t help wondering who damaged her. Thanks so much for sharing light on this little acknowledged area of child sexual abuse. I’m re-blogging.

survivor road

In silence she moves
the air itself doesn’t betray her presence
there is nothing to announce her arrival

She walks slowly
bulbous eyes locked on the floor
where, in the center
her prize awaits

She approaches the ball slowly
like a cat stalking it’s lunch
so does she move
Her eyes burning with the hunger
of her crazed desires

She reaches the boy
strokes his hair
her defensive hard shell strangely soft
her touch deceitfully gentle

He tightens against her presence
but she murmurs
almost purrs
as her eight legs begin to pry at him
unfolding his frame
until he lies before her, unable to move
held fast to the floor

Her fangs drip with the venom of her lust
and he closes his eyes,
wishing himself gone
as she bends down and begins her feast
taking what she wishes
leaving him filled with shame
humiliation
fear


For a…

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The Truth Shall Set You Free?

Published April 15, 2017 by Nan Mykel

I apologize.  I failed to include one truth from my book Fallout: A Survivor Talks to Incest Offenders and Others. I was afraid one piece of truth I came across might be destructive to victims of severe sexual abuse in childhood, and I didn’t want to depress them even further.  I have since realized that it may be important for those survivors to know and understand the full effects, which are reflected in the following:

“Child Sex Abuse Leaves Mark on the Brain,” by B. Bower, Science News of the Week, Vol. 147 June 3, 1995. “Two new brain-imaging studies, conducted independently, indicate that severe, repeated sexual abuse in childhood underlies damage to a brain structure that helps to orchestrate memory. This cerebral injury may predispose people to experience an altered state of consciousness known as dissociation and to develop symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)”….They had remarkably smaller hippocampal volume. Dr. Murray Stein’s brain-imaging studies at he Univ. of Cal. at San Diego was supported by J. Douglas Brenner of Yale University School of Medicine….Since I didn’t (don’t) consider myself an extreme case of incest, I overlooked the  article. Later in my research I came across even more recent findings about this. I realize now that, with so much discounting of the effects of child sexual abuse, bringing this information forward, instead of depressing survivors, may be experienced as validation for their current feelings.

I lost the reference, but Jamie Talan in Newsday reported that physical, behavioral change can result from sexual abuse during childhood, as well as high testosterone and stress hormone cortisol and an adrenal hormone. Severely sexually abused young girls tend to reach puberty a year or two before their peers. The abused girls have fewer friends, are disliked by teachers and have high  levels of depression and attention deficit disorder.  (Of course this finding may reflect the attention deficit disorder, which would not endear them to teachers either.)

I apologize for leaving the above out of my book.

During therapy, accepting and grieving the loss of what might have been is an important step.

POEM BEGINNINGS …

Published April 15, 2017 by Nan Mykel

Pulling your hair only hurts your head–

that’s what grandma always said.

 

If you can’t say something nice,

then tell the truth said cousin Ruth.

 

The parole

of the troll

who stole

the payroll

won’ last long.

 

Sticks and stones

may break my bones

said brother Jones,

but words can really

piss me off!

What about North Korea?

Published April 14, 2017 by Nan Mykel

Thanks for your time and skill to educate me. I’m re-blogging.

Imaginomix

Korean War Memorial Buffalo Sister City 2017 Exchange Student at Korean War Memorial at Canalside

At the risk of sounding like an alarmist, I’m alarmed.  For work and for curiosity, I’ve spent many years following Asia; politics, culture, history, I went so far as to teach myself Chinese so I could read their papers, I was put into the Korean language program at the Defense Language Institute.

I spent a short time, in Korea, reading breaking news in Chinese and Korean and telling my bosses what I thought it meant.  I don’t claim to be a great brain on Geo-politics, but I’ve followed it and macro-economics for several decades.  Given my background, unqualified as it is, I’m growing more dismayed daily.

Korea and American friends Buffalo Sister City Korean Exchange Students with Buffalo State Program Director’s Kid

In a nutshell, our President is taking us into schoolyard fights with the world’s biggest bullies.  Putin – Russia’s…

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