Lobby Day visits with Karen Fraser, Gary Alexander, and Kathy Haigh

On a drizzly Monday, several WEA members joined up to lobby area legislators, including Karen Fraser, Gary Alexander, and Kathy Haigh. What follows is a summary of the various Lobby Day conversations regarding WEA priorities. Not available: Brendan Williams and Sam Hunt. Not included: the conversations I wasn't a party to.

Sen. Karen Fraser, Democrat, 22nd Dist. (info)
The state wants more money. Where to get it? I know, says Chris Gregoire: public employees' pensions. Eliminating gainsharing, a practice where state workers receive additional benefits when state investments earn above a set interest point, would raise revenue for a state strapped for cash hungry for new outlays. Fraser is distressed that Gregoire and high-ranking legislators are trying to eviscerate the program. Her bill, a concession, would preserve gainsharing for teachers hired before July 1, 2007. After that, nothing.

(Want the in-depth impacts? Read the fiscal note. We're talking hundreds of millions of broken promises dollars--and this is just the compromise.)

Fraser said that gainsharing is "going down to the wire." Pressure from public employees might be the main obstacle to its elimination.


Rep. Gary Alexander, Republican, 20th Dist. (info)
Representative Alexander was glad to talk to us about compensation, and was sure to mention the issues he thinks get passed by in the ongoing conversation about ed reform: special needs and transportation. (He didn't go into much detail about the latter.) Alexander is against one-size-fits-all education, telling us how much he'd like to see stronger vocational education, but, paradoxically, not wanting to give a high school diploma to anyone who can't pass the WASL. Several times he mentioned how some students just aren't served by the current model, and yet he never acknowledged the contradiction in his support for the dubious exit exam.

When asked about gainsharing, Alexander was quick to mention HB 2116, a different sort of compromise. Right now, gainsharing kicks in when pension investments top a 10% rate of return. Under Alexander's proposal, the "trigger" would be raised to 14%, reducing the state's odds of liability by almost two thirds. (A 14% rate of return is 64% less likely. Read the whole fiscal note if you dare. Alexander noted that the legality of the proposition--having different gainsharing options for old and new hires--is under investigation.) I asked Alexander what would replace gainsharing as a recruiting tool if it were done away with. He didn't really have an answer.

One bill Alexander is sponsoring would allow students who pass the WASL to skip the "intermediate" step of their licensing [pdf], the time when they can drive only during limited hours and without young passengers. Another secondarily sponsored by Alexander would force the legislature to determine proper education funding before passing an omnibus appropriation--in essence, making education a priority not just in emphasis, but in time. (Alexander didn't talk about either bill during our chat.)

In all, Alexander offered tentative support for some WEA concerns, especially in the area of fully funding education.


Rep. Kathy Haigh, Democrat, 35th Dist. (info)
Kathy Haigh, chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, kept pulling out a copy of the budget whenever we'd ask about upcoming agenda items. She declared her support for smaller class sizes for K-3 classes, and said she wanted to commit $50 million in the upcoming session to fund all-day kindergarten, at least for free and reduced lunch students. She "totally support[s] the simple majority" for levies, which would give rural districts greater ability to fund classroom renovations and technological upgrades. (Last year she cosponsored a similar bill that passed the House only to fail in the Senate.)

When we brought up pensions, she admitted, "I don't know anything about gainsharing. I'm not in the middle of that fight."


Summary
It's a good year for state government, which means that everyone wants a piece of the lasagna.

"It's a lot harder when you have a bunch of money," says Victor Moore, the governor's budget director and former House Appropriations staff director. "When you don't have money, there is a simple response to why you're not giving them anything. When there's money, you have to make arguments about priorities, why this investment and not another. It's tough and everybody wants their little $10 million appropriation."

Today the WEA was another voice in a cacophony of concerns, requests, and demands. When dozens of interest groups descend on the Capitol in a day, it's easy for issues to get lost in the noise. Union members who want their needs met have to keep contacting their legislators beyond Lobby Day, to keep reminding them of their promises to constituents and their obligations to the state's "paramount duty."



Sidebar: Among the more colorful and obnoxious interest groups were the Where's the Math folks, parading kids around as political props and chanting on the Capitol steps. One middle-aged demonstrator sported a placard reading, "Less Words! More Numbers!"

That would be fewer words. If only they'd had a writing WASL thirty years ago.

you answer the call

A little while back I noted,

Ed asks his readers to give what they can to help Connie Lynn, who can't afford some pretty expensive medical equipment necessary for her survival.... You can donate directly via PayPal, or by purchasing books through Amazon via a link on the site.

Now, thanks to your efforts, Ed reports,

First, I want to thank everyone who helped us by donating for this cause. You generosity has been incredible and we're almost 50% of the way to what must be raised to pay for one year of treatment....

I'm looking in to a couple other fundraising possibilities as well, one of which is a benefit show at a comedy club (preferably in Lansing). One of my oldest and dearest friends in the business, Don Reese, has agreed to headline the show if we can make the arrangements. I hope to be able to put it together in the next few days. I'm even thinking that if that benefit show does happen, I might just come out of retirement for one night and do a set myself. Don and I used to have so much fun working together and he's been trying to convince me for years to do stand up again, it's almost too good an opportunity to pass up.

You can keep track of all of this, and can still donate if you wish, on Connie's webpage. Thanks again for the amazing outpouring of support and help.

Give what you can, buy a book, pass the word along, or, if you're in Ed Brayton's neighborhood and he gets that benefit together, go to the show. Convince him to do a set so you can heckle him in person for a good cause.

take no part in this nutritious breakfast

When I first heard about the peanut butter salmonella outbreak, I warned my wife to avoid food, period. "Especially organic food," I cautioned. "God knows what's in that stuff."

As always, I was 100% right. No food is safe. Not even " Earth's Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley Wholesome Breakfast baby food."

We are doomed.

lobby day for the WEA

Here are some things we'll be chatting about with the legislators this lovely Lobby Day. Via email:

Smaller class sizes will improve student achievement
Parents, teachers and students all know that small class sizes help students learn. Research shows it, too. With fewer students, teachers can give students the personal attention they need and deserve. For WEA's 80,000 members, smaller class sizes are among the top three priorities for this legislative session. Gov. Chris Gregoire proposed spending $90 million on new class-size-reduction programs. That's a good start, but nowhere near enough: Washington's class sizes are 47th in the nation (pdf). Yet some lawmakers reportedly want to spend even less than the governor proposed for smaller class sizes. That's a bad idea, and it will make it even harder for our state's students to meet high academic standards. In coming weeks, WEA members will be sending their legislators a clear message: Investing in smaller class sizes will improve student achievement. Invest more, not less, on smaller class sizes.

Protect gainsharing
The proposals to reduce educators’ pensions now have bill numbers.
House Bill 1771/Senate Bill 5779 eliminate gainsharing. Senate Bill 5668 and House Bill 2116 eliminate gainsharing for future school employees. WEA opposes all of the bills and any attempt to repeal gainsharing.

Gainsharing benefits education employees in retirement Plans 1 and 3 and increases their monthly pension checks. Gainsharing benefits about 50,000 WEA members, said Dave Scott, WEA vice president....

ESA bill would pay for experience
Education staff associates (ESAs) should get salary credit for their years in the private sector. ESAs include school counselors, nurses, psychologists and therapists -- people who are well-paid in the private sector. In most cases, though, they start at the lowest salary level when they join a school staff. State law doesn't recognize their private-sector experience as a factor in salary funding. That makes it more difficult to find people to fill those positions....

Fix and fully fund the so-called NCLB, teachers say
Two teachers testified this week about a memorial urging President Bush and Congress to fix and fully fund the ESEA, the so-called No Child Left Behind Act. It's up for reauthorization this year, but it's never been fully funded. It also has major policy flaws.

"You have the opportunity to use this legislation to send a message to Congress about education reform," Suzanne Mayer told the House Education Committee. Mayer is a middle school teacher from the Highline Education Association. Spokane EA member Idalia Apodaca also testified on House Joint Memorial 4012.

Keep the high standards, but fix the WASL
The WASL should not be used as a high-stakes test that prevents students from graduating, WEA representatives testified this week. WEA supports the state's high academic standards, said Mary Lindquist, but opposes using the WASL as a barrier to graduation. The WASL should be one of several assessments used to measure whether students should graduate, she told the Senate education committee.

Lindquist, Mercer Island EA president, testified about Senate Bill 5165, which would delay using the math WASL as a graduation requirement. She encouraged lawmakers to delay all sections of the WASL and to use the time for a complete review of the WASL-based assessment system. The state must also provide adequate school funding for smaller class sizes and other needs, she said. WEA supports Senate Bill 6023, which offers students additional assessment and instruction options after failing the WASL once. Lindquist said SB 6023 is good for students and gives them flexibility.

Status of the various efforts: every single bill listed above (go to http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature, choose "bill search" and type in the number) is in committee.

As I note on my other blog, I'll have the full report later.

some WEA issues on the lobby day agenda

Here are some things we'll be chatting about with the legislators this lovely Lobby Day. Via email:

Smaller class sizes will improve student achievement
Parents, teachers and students all know that small class sizes help students learn. Research shows it, too. With fewer students, teachers can give students the personal attention they need and deserve. For WEA's 80,000 members, smaller class sizes are among the top three priorities for this legislative session. Gov. Chris Gregoire proposed spending $90 million on new class-size-reduction programs. That's a good start, but nowhere near enough: Washington's class sizes are 47th in the nation (pdf). Yet some lawmakers reportedly want to spend even less than the governor proposed for smaller class sizes. That's a bad idea, and it will make it even harder for our state's students to meet high academic standards. In coming weeks, WEA members will be sending their legislators a clear message: Investing in smaller class sizes will improve student achievement. Invest more, not less, on smaller class sizes.

Protect gainsharing
The proposals to reduce educators’ pensions now have bill numbers.
House Bill 1771/Senate Bill 5779 eliminate gainsharing. Senate Bill 5668 and House Bill 2116 eliminate gainsharing for future school employees. WEA opposes all of the bills and any attempt to repeal gainsharing.

Gainsharing benefits education employees in retirement Plans 1 and 3 and increases their monthly pension checks. Gainsharing benefits about 50,000 WEA members, said Dave Scott, WEA vice president....

ESA bill would pay for experience
Education staff associates (ESAs) should get salary credit for their years in the private sector. ESAs include school counselors, nurses, psychologists and therapists -- people who are well-paid in the private sector. In most cases, though, they start at the lowest salary level when they join a school staff. State law doesn't recognize their private-sector experience as a factor in salary funding. That makes it more difficult to find people to fill those positions....

Fix and fully fund the so-called NCLB, teachers say
Two teachers testified this week about a memorial urging President Bush and Congress to fix and fully fund the ESEA, the so-called No Child Left Behind Act. It's up for reauthorization this year, but it's never been fully funded. It also has major policy flaws.

"You have the opportunity to use this legislation to send a message to Congress about education reform," Suzanne Mayer told the House Education Committee. Mayer is a middle school teacher from the Highline Education Association. Spokane EA member Idalia Apodaca also testified on House Joint Memorial 4012.

Keep the high standards, but fix the WASL
The WASL should not be used as a high-stakes test that prevents students from graduating, WEA representatives testified this week. WEA supports the state's high academic standards, said Mary Lindquist, but opposes using the WASL as a barrier to graduation. The WASL should be one of several assessments used to measure whether students should graduate, she told the Senate education committee.

Lindquist, Mercer Island EA president, testified about Senate Bill 5165, which would delay using the math WASL as a graduation requirement. She encouraged lawmakers to delay all sections of the WASL and to use the time for a complete review of the WASL-based assessment system. The state must also provide adequate school funding for smaller class sizes and other needs, she said. WEA supports Senate Bill 6023, which offers students additional assessment and instruction options after failing the WASL once. Lindquist said SB 6023 is good for students and gives them flexibility.

Status of the various efforts: every single bill listed above (go to http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature, choose "bill search" and type in the number) is in committee.

let's all go to the lobby day: part II

Part I: last year. Other locals and I spoke with Karen Fraser, Brendan Williams, and Sam Hunt.

This time, my wife is coming along. She gets fired up when anyone asks what it's like to be married to an English teacher. I just stand back and try to avoid shrapnel.

Full report later. I'll cross-post at my other blog, too.

join the dark side: become a principal

While we're talking "dream jobs that aren't," might as well mention the MSN puff piece about "surprising salaries."

School Principal

What they do: Supervise all areas of a school, including educational programs, disciplinary actions, administrative tasks, budgetary concerns, and managing relationships with faculty, students and students' parents.

The surprise: Although much has been made of teachers' low salaries (averages are in the $40,000 range), principals can earn double that. According to the BLS, the median annual salary for high school principals is $82,225.

We'll give TRP the rebuttal:

Reason #2: Every time I have a crazy parent who doesn't like my decision...and this year has actually been quite good; there has only been one...I say: "I'm sorry you're not happy with this decision. Feel free to contact our principals if you have any further questions." I don't want to have to take the next dozen phone calls from that crazy parent....

I love my classroom, and while I can see maybe wanting to do a career switch at some point (in another decade or so, perhaps), I just can't see anything drawing me into the main office. I'd just as soon retire after 28 more years of Gatsby and Hamlet and Things Fall Apart.

And you know what? That actually doesn't sound too shabby.

Nope. Not too shabby at all.

drug war cowboys

The next thing you know you're inside, clearing rooms like a SWAT team on "Cops," firing only at targets with odd numbers. The even-numbered targets could be the good guys, even children. Everyone shoots at the dog. It's covered with paintball splatters.

Buried in this yippee-ka-yay bust-the-tweaker/zombies piece is an uncomfortable statistic:

Since 2004, about 44 states have restricted over-the-counter sales of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products, which provide the basic ingredient in methamphetamine. While that's led to the significant drop in meth lab busts, almost 40 percent of local law-enforcement officials across the country still consider meth the greatest drug threat in their areas.

And, as our state's Rick Larsen points out, "There has been no drop in the use of meth."

The decline in lab busts--leading, hopefully, to a reduction in collateral damage--is the only bright spot in a war that has militarized police, dehumanized drug addicts, trampled all over civil liberties, and killed innocent bystanders.

the cash goes straight to your classroom

Welcome to the future of educational philanthropy:

Today, DonorsChoose has won several awards as the most innovative nonprofit in the United States. Best's brainchild was to create a market in teacher proposals, which are posted on donorschoose.org in informal, non-grants-proposal language by the teachers themselves. So for example, this week a teacher in Richton, Mo., posted a request for a $392 camcorder for her kids to act out stories they're reading; a teacher in New York City asked for a rug on which to read stories to kindergarteners ($474); and a teacher in a 100 percent low-income school in Los Angeles wants a $414 telescope to teach astronomy to her students. Donors scroll through the hundreds of proposals (searchable by region, subject, level of school poverty, etc.) and fund them in whole or in part with a couple of clicks. If there's no market for the proposal, it doesn't get funded, though most eventually do. DonorsChoose handles all of the discounted purchasing from vendors, so no money goes directly to the teacher.

The transaction is totally transparent: If you fund a proposal and want to see the bill of sale for the materials, you get it. A few weeks after buying something, you receive handwritten thank-you letters from the teacher and students telling you how they are using the gift. Many teachers write that it would have been impossible to obtain the materials from the district office. After years of writing checks to charities and not knowing if the money is going for the receptionist, the foundation executive's fancy lunch, or some meaningless paper-shuffling, donors find this a tremendously gratifying philanthropic experience. The recipients are poor kids—now numbering more than half a million—who are finally getting a little of the enrichment that children of the wealthy take for granted.

No grants needed. No budget too small. No bureaucracy in the way.

big plans for the Olympia waterfront

Yesterday my wife and I were wandering about the downtown as we are wont to do. This time, in search of urban hiking footwear (for her), we stopped at The Alpine Experience. As we exited, I looked around at the LOTT wastewater treatment plant, the abandoned gas pump, the rusting rail line, and all the other industrial detritus lining the ugly side of the downtown. "You know," I said to my wife, "I'd bet this is the part of the downtown the city wishes it could take back."

Their do-over starts here.

By late 2009, a new City Hall could stand along the shore of Budd Inlet's East Bay, anchoring a waterfront development that could also feature a hotel, a parking garage, a children's museum and mixed-use buildings.

City Manager Steve Hall will recommend to the City Council on Tuesday that the new City Hall be built at State and Jefferson streets on land now owned by the Port of Olympia.

"One of the things our City Council said is we want to be closer to the core downtown," Hall said. "Essentially, we've settled on the best site for moving City Hall and consolidating our operations."

Project Manager Rick Dougherty said the building, which might have 88,000 square feet and cost at least $25 million, could be finished by late 2009.

The implications are huge, say city leaders, who have kicked around the idea of relocating City Hall for two decades. A new building would consolidate city offices now scattered throughout at least 14 buildings.

Read the whole thing for the details, including projected costs and the (minimal?) problem of contamination cleanup.

Port Commissioner Bob Van Schoorl wants the development to be a gateway to the downtown. From this eastsider's perspective, it would certainly help. Right now it I've got the bus station, the backs of 4th Ave businesses and the vast industrial playground east of the inlet for my morning commute / welcome to downtown.

Another location the city should consider: the Ugly Building across from Capitol Lake and the fountain. It and its neighboring graffiti-stained abominations--tear those suckers down.

Update: And don't forget about Cliff Lee's vision for Griswold's, which is still in the planning stage.

Update II: Olyblog reader stevenl has a plan to deal with the inevitable revolt of the seas:

The best solution for a site? Have the city pull an eminent domain on Ralph's Thriftway and the solid high ground as an HQ.

The city does seem to be on an eminent domain kick these days.

around these parts: an ego trip

You'll notice some new links on the sidebar: WashBlog and Olympia Time, the former involving and the latter exclusive to Emmett O'Connell, a local blogger / activist. And, if I may indulge my ego for a moment, Mr. O'Connell calls this here blog "the best political blog I read." (I would call it "the best political blog in the universe," but there's a lot of competition, and I'm only about 99.2% certain.)

Also, we (Emmett and I) got noticed by WE Magazine, who quoted us on Gary Davenport.

What are you still doing here? Click the links.

MSN Careers' "Dream Jobs That Aren't": some astounding omissions

Not sure why they missed these ones.

The Dream Job: Astronaut
Floating above Earth in the absence of gravity, dangling from the mother ship by an umbilical cord, gasping at the wonder of Ma Nature, looking for the Great Wall (you can't really see it, sorry), shooting Imax movies, you are one lucky man / woman / chimp.

The Reality
Constant requisite exercise to ward off muscle atrophy. Adult diapers. Astronaut ice cream. Cabin fever.



The Dream Job: Big Game Hunter
Crouched in the jungle, the hunter lifts rifle to shoulder, taking aim at man's greatest fear. Heart pounds. Sweat beads. Time stands still. With a crash, the tiger springs, its claws extended. The hunter has become the hunted.

The Reality
Half the targets are banned, hiding out in nature preserves, shipped in from ranches in Montana, sporting ear tags placed by fervent biologists or carrying Greenpeace placards and chanting "Meat is murder." Your time has passed.



The Dream Job: High School English Teacher
We've all seen the movie: spunky, nontraditional, iconoclastic, poetry-spouting, witty, passion-filled, 24-something wins the hearts and minds of tough-talking, disaffected, disempowered punks / gangstas / goths / prep students. With a few well-timed journal prompts, everyone gets a haircut / goes to college / doesn't commit suicide / commits suicide.

The Reality
Actually, that's pretty much how it goes.

Habermas and the LD UN resolution

In a post that accidentally pertains to the current LD resolution, neighbor Helmut recycles a quotation by Jürgen Habermas.

The universal validity claim which binds the West to its 'basic political values,' that is, to the procedure of democratic self-determination and the vocabulary of human rights, must not be confused with the imperialist claim that the political form of life and the culture of a particular democracy - even the oldest one - is exemplary for all societies...

It was precisely American pragmatism that made insight into what is in each case equally good for all parties contingent on reciprocal perspective taking. The 'reason' of modern rational natural law is not instantiated by universal 'values' that one can own like goods, and distribute and export throughout the world. 'Values' - including those that can count on winning global recognition - do not float in mid-air, but acquire binding force only within the normative orders and practices of particular cultural forms of life.

Only through "reciprocal perspective taking" can the various actors on the world stage avoid repackaging particularist aims as universal goods. Habermas' latter observation (both are found in The Divided West) illuminates a line of argument that the Neg might consider: that the commodification of values and destruction of national sovereignty threatens diversity.

Habermas, however, argues that a "federal" form of world sovereignty (patterned after the United States' divided system) would preclude many fears of cultural homogenization, fears largely initiated by Immanuel Kant:

Kant's concern that in a highly complex world society general laws could only be enforced at the cost of a "soulless despotism" prefigures something akin to Foucault's fear of "normalization." Kant fears that a world republic, notwithstanding its federal structure, would inevitably lead to social and cultural uniformity. Behind this fear lurks the objection that a global state of nations would develop an inherent, irresistible tendency to degenerate into a "universal monarchy" for sheer functional reasons. Kant seems to be concerned that the alternative to the existing system of belligerent sovereign states would be the global domination of a single world power.

Kant's idea of a "league of nations," where none surrenders its sovereignty, mirrors the initial conceptions of the pre-Kofi Annan UN.

reporters may get shield; bloggers stick with dagger

Unanimously, the House has passed a bill to provide journalists the same confidentiality allowed only to spouses, lawyers, clergyfolks, and police. There is a crucial exception, though:

Washington’s proposed law would provide a more limited privilege on materials such as unpublished notes and tapes. Under its provisions, the media could be forced to disclose that information under certain circumstances, including when a judge finds it is necessary in a criminal or civil case and the material cannot be obtained elsewhere.

The bill would have to mesh with the version still stuck in the Senate, and then merit Governor Gregoire's signature, before passing. Not a sure thing, but closer than ever:

The measure overwhelmingly passed the House last year on a bipartisan 87-11 vote only to get stopped in the Senate, where it was never brought up for a floor vote. It had a public hearing in the Senate last month, was passed out of committee last week, and supporters there were more confident of its chances this year.

The law would apply only to professional journalists.

The bill defines a member of the media as anyone who earns a substantial portion of his or her income from publishing or broadcasting. Generally, authors of occasional opinion pieces or Internet bloggers would not be covered.

Someday, blogging friends. Someday.

red light cameras ticket wrong cars

When I first read that Lacey is adding red light cameras to reduce red-light-running (after installing useless and expensive "blue lights" that stop no one), I was skeptical. What's the rate of effectiveness? Are there false positives?

In today's paper, a Mike Carrington of Lacey bashes the decision.

Concerning the cameras at street corners, unfortunately, published articles have been devoid of facts citing the numbers of the dreaded T-bone accidents that the cameras are hoping to prevent. Exactly how many accidents of this nature have really occurred at these intersections and what was the total cost versus cost of new cameras and their maintenance and monitoring?

The powers that be seem willing to be led by the hands of the camera sellers and justify their positions with, “Everyone else is doing it.” That’s anemic rationale. The problem is with traffic control. Lights that stay red when no autos are coming are prevalent and should be remedied.

Commenting on the story, reader Do It writes,

Don't run the red light and you won't get your pic taken nor get a ticket. Run the red light and you get what you deserve. How simple is that!

But consider the problem Cleveland drivers have with the lights.

Bill and Sue Faber of Massillon said they haven't been in Cleveland for six months, but the city sent them a ticket.

"No way we could be in Cleveland," Faber said.

"Do you have witnesses for that?" Pohlman asked.

"Yes, we do," Faber said.

Yet Cleveland sent the ticket showing a car speeding, but the plate belongs to the Faber's truck.

Pohlman said you can't read the license in the picture at all. He said it appears Cleveland guessed and sent the ticket anyway.

"I always thought we were always innocent until proven guilty and now I find it's guilty until I can prove I'm innocent," Faber said.

After NewsChannel5 got involved, the city backed off, writing a letter informing the Fabers that the city made a mistake.

Think it's just the guilty who have to watch out? Think again.

Apophis given 1 in 45,000 chance

Great. One more thing to worry about while spooning out the morning gruel. An asteroid named Apophis has a .002% chance of striking Earth on Sunday, April 13, 2036, potentially triggering a tsunami that would wipe out the west coast. But don't worry: scientists are on it.

Lu's favoured option is called a gravitational tractor. It involves placing a relatively massive spacecraft near enough to an approaching asteroid to shift its trajectory using only the minuscule force of gravity between the two objects. Although the method requires significant lead time and will not work in all cases, it has the advantage of controlling a hazardous object "in one piece", say Lu.

According to Lu, Apophis is particularly amenable to this form of manoeuvring. Prior to its threatening approach in 2036, the asteroid will sweep past Earth in the spring of 2029. Any change in the asteroid's position before this will be greatly magnified by the 2029 encounter, which could, in turn, eliminate the chance of an impact in 2036.

Such a mission could succeed with a 1-metric-tonne spacecraft arriving at Apophis as late as 2027, says Schweickart, who envisions a protocol that would allow the UN to 'contract' the world's space agencies to remove the threat.

It's not nearly a sexy as a thermonuclear cleaver, but it'll have to do.

Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick Watch: Feb. 17

Last night Morrison (and the other rookies) got torched by the sophomore class, 155-114. The greenhorns allowed 74.7% shooting, which pretty much means they stood around with their hands on their temples, squinting and willing the ball into the basket, come-on-you-can-score-on-us. To his credit, Morrison scored 16.

Elsewhere, ESPN runs down Morrison's struggles on the road.

"It's a mental thing. I feel like everybody expects me to make
everything," Morrison said of playing at home. "The fans have been great, but some of the expectations and some of the stuff I hear when I'm going up and down the court at home, it feels like I'm on the road."

The numbers back him up. Morrison, who scored eight points on 3-for-5 shooting in Charlotte's 100-85 home win over Chicago on Wednesday, is averaging less than 11 points and shooting a little more than 33 percent in 26 home games. Morrison is averaging 14.3 points and shooting 41 percent in 26 road games....

Morrison, who averaged a nation-best 28.1 points a game last season at Gonzaga, has struggled with inconsistency. He has 10 games of 20 or more points, but has reached that total only once in the past 22 games. Morrison has failed to reach double figures in five of his past six games....

Bickerstaff thinks Morrison, listed at 205 pounds, is being hurtby a lack of upper-body strength.

"We've got to get him in the weight room. He needs to do that," Bickerstaff said. "He has the mental courage, but you've got to have something to back it up."

Morrison vows to get stronger in the summer, and he remains confident he'll be able to become the consistent scorer the Bobcats counted on when they drafted him.

As Morrison absorbed another loss and meditated on his prospects in the second act, Redick stayed home and played canasta, biding his time and chuckling ominously.

interjection collection, er, what's your predilection?

Not much for "meh," myself. But Ben Yagoda explains who is, and why, with a pronouncement:

Interjections are suitable for online writing, as I say, because of the way online writing mimics speech. But newspaper and magazine writers who spell out interjections and other vocalisms run the risk of coming off as cute—as in yucky ew rather than adorable awwa. Most egregiously abused are what linguists call "discourse markers"—short sounds (it seems a stretch to call them "words") that speakers use to register hesitation, agreement, encouragement, ambivalence, and other responses. Uh, er, and um, in particular, have been flagrantly overused by feature writers and columnists to signal an impending attempt at irony or humor; the maneuver is now well beyond cliché, somewhere in the neighborhood of desperation.

being deprived of hope is not despairing

So says Albert Camus, probably after reading this NewScientist piece reviving hopes for invisibility cloaks [sub. req.].

Many believe that building metamaterials and photonic crystals that can bend visible light in ways previously impossible is simply an engineering problem rather than a fundamental scientific challenge. Whether that will result in an optical invisibility shield, nobody is willing to say. What they will admit, though, is that the downright pessimism that reigned only five years ago is slowly being replaced by a cautious optimism.

True invisibility cloaks in two centuries, tops. Keep hope alive.

caculating student mobility

http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/22/55/9f.pdf