I heard that someone got trampled to death in a Black Friday mayhem last week up in New York. Are people that desperate for deals that it has come to this? What will likely result from this tragedy is that stores (on days like Black Friday) will have to simply organize themselves much like concerts do - and those who are in line first will get to go into the store in an orderly fashion.
These stores know that people are nutty - bad economy or not. Black Friday has turned into a spectacle of sales and deals which, in all seriousness, can easily be extended or duplicated on other days (and in many cases are). I hope Wal-Mart cuts this family a big check for their role in all of this.
At least if you buy online, the only thing you have to worry about is how fast your internet connection is and whether you have typed in the address correctly.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
It's a downstate football championship
Here's a kudos to the Henlopen Conference and downstate football: For the first time in a long time (if not ever), all four teams in the Division I and II football finals are not from New Castle County. Laurel will play Milford for the D2 final and CR will play Sussex Central for the D1 crown. Championships for both divisions will be at Delaware State University this year, so nobody downstate will have to travel very far. I will predict Sussex Central over CR and Milford over Laurel.
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Friday, November 21, 2008
Pope predicts economic collapse in 1985? I can do the same thing right now
This article made me laugh. According to the article, the paper, written by Pope Benedict XVI when he was just a cardinal, made a rather bold and general prediction: "German-born Ratzinger in 1985 presented a paper entitled 'Market Economy and Ethics' at a Rome event dedicated to the Church and the economy. The future pope said a decline in ethics 'can actually cause the laws of the market to collapse.'"
Well, there were crashes in 1987 and 2001 that arguably fall into this same category, so I guess his Nostradamus-type prediction was just as applicable then. I'm not questioning the paper, nor have I read it, but I cringe when I see organizations like Bloomberg latch onto articles like this to the point they actually make a real headline.
Here's a bold prediction: Sometime in the future, the market will be well above 14,000 again, and probably approaching 20,000. Economic crisis will occur and the market will go down. And again, sometime after that, the market will rebound and things will be great. And after another time of great economic prosperity, the economy will slow down and the wallets will tighten as the market experiences tumultuous turns. There also will be a presidential election in 2036, and again four years later. Mark my words. All of this will come true. Just remember you heard it hear first, in 2008.
Well, there were crashes in 1987 and 2001 that arguably fall into this same category, so I guess his Nostradamus-type prediction was just as applicable then. I'm not questioning the paper, nor have I read it, but I cringe when I see organizations like Bloomberg latch onto articles like this to the point they actually make a real headline.
Here's a bold prediction: Sometime in the future, the market will be well above 14,000 again, and probably approaching 20,000. Economic crisis will occur and the market will go down. And again, sometime after that, the market will rebound and things will be great. And after another time of great economic prosperity, the economy will slow down and the wallets will tighten as the market experiences tumultuous turns. There also will be a presidential election in 2036, and again four years later. Mark my words. All of this will come true. Just remember you heard it hear first, in 2008.
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Saturday, November 15, 2008
Follow up to Capital School District post: A second comment
Out of fairness of giving additional exposure to yesterday's less articulate comment, I thought this comment to my post about the new grading policy at one of the school districts downstate was particularly insightful, in large part because it is written by someone who is actually experiencing said grading policy change:
"Note: This is a fairly long comment, but it clears up some misconceptions that have been floating around various places (not to accuse anything of having incomplete information though)
I am a student in the Capital School District. The grading scale (i.e., A=94-100, B=85-93....) has been that way for at least 5 years, with the exception of 50% as the lowest possible score. On the other hand, the 50-below-is-a-50 policy only applies to each quarter's score. In addition, a formative/summative grading system has been adopted for grades 5-12. Formative assignments, such as homework (which has a newly updated policy and is not supposed to be "busy work") and classwork, are intended to be for when students are still learning the concepts, and make up 20% of the grade. Summative assessments, such as tests and projects, are designed to assess a student's knowledge, and are worth 80% of the grade. These percentages are approximate, and may vary by 5% if my understanding of the policy is correct.
The purpose of making marking period grades under 50% a 50% is so that a student does not dig him/herself so deep into a hole that it would be impossible for them to pass that course, while "still reflecting that a student has failed". Under the grading system, 280 points (out of 400, 100 for each of the four quarters), are required to pass a full-year course. If a student gets, say, a 10% in the first quarter, that student would have to get at least a 90% every subsequent quarter in order to pass. With the 50% system in place, that student would need a 77% per quarter, which may be much more realistic for that student.
The formative and summative policy, at least in my school, is rather unpopular. Some (including teachers) despise the policy, while others take a more moderate view, preferring a change to the scale (A=90, B=80....) or a rebalancing to 70-30%,, and one of my teachers actually commented that she previously did a 90-10% system. Under this policy, class participation is not graded, and no assignment is allowed to be worth more than 20%. This means that teachers are required to give four summative and one formative assignment per quarter. For students, this results in their grades hinging heavily on their performance on tests. Previously, each teacher would set the weighting of each category of assignment. That tended to work well due to individual differences in course content, and it left some room for the teacher to adjust grades to ensure an accurate measure of student's performance.
This new grading system does cause stress for some students. In Capital, progress reports are released roughly halfway through each quarter, and reflect the student's current grade. Students scoring poorly on a test early on the quarter do not always have a chance to boost that grade before the progress report, and since the test makes up most of the grade when there are few other summative assignments, the student's grade will be much lower than what it should be. While some teachers do offer "make-up tests", essentially a re-test, not all will. An extreme example, but still showing the point, is one of a classmate whose average dropped about 15 percentage points in the beginning of the quarter due to a failed test.
The system places an emphasis on test grades, and so those that perform well on tests (showing that they do understand the concepts) but don't always do their homework will benefit, at the cost of those that do not always do well on tests, but always do their homework. It has been said that this promotes laziness, since it is not necessary to do any formative assignments at all if the average summative grade is at least 88% (resulting in a 70.4% average). Those that do work hard, but that are not good test-takers, are penalized.
A semi-recent Dover Post news article stated that the Board was open to suggestions for the policy. Several parents were present at their meeting and did voice their concerns about the new system. Topics mentioned included changing the percentage of each, class rankings differing large amounts dependent on the use of a 80-20 or a 70-30 split, and the first marking period grade of seniors hoping for early admission that are still adjusting to changing standards.
Some people do support the new system though. One of my teachers has said that summative assessments actually should be making up the majority of the grade, since the point of a course is to gain knowledge in a subject and be able to use it. Another important argument is that colleges do not have formative grades, and most students are college-bound. I have heard that another school is piloting a summative-only program (failing to do homework results in a detention). As to whether or not we are better prepared for college because of it, we will not know for several years, and by then the policy may have changed again.
A Dover Post article from several weeks ago stated that the board had been monitoring the situation, and that several concerned parents had brought up some issues. A look at grades revealed that the number of grades that were lower compared to last year was only about 3% higher than the number that were higher. If I remember correctly, the board was also open to changes to the policy.
As for my opinion on the changes itself, I am largely undecided. My grades this year have largely been unchanged, although the summative category has caused some large drops in my average. While I do agree that the policy is better for college preparation, it is important that it is not college, which may have been the reason for the formative category. I personally would prefer either a change to the grading scale, or a change in the percentages to a 70-30%. As to whether this system will be modified or removed, we will just have to wait and see."
"Note: This is a fairly long comment, but it clears up some misconceptions that have been floating around various places (not to accuse anything of having incomplete information though)
I am a student in the Capital School District. The grading scale (i.e., A=94-100, B=85-93....) has been that way for at least 5 years, with the exception of 50% as the lowest possible score. On the other hand, the 50-below-is-a-50 policy only applies to each quarter's score. In addition, a formative/summative grading system has been adopted for grades 5-12. Formative assignments, such as homework (which has a newly updated policy and is not supposed to be "busy work") and classwork, are intended to be for when students are still learning the concepts, and make up 20% of the grade. Summative assessments, such as tests and projects, are designed to assess a student's knowledge, and are worth 80% of the grade. These percentages are approximate, and may vary by 5% if my understanding of the policy is correct.
The purpose of making marking period grades under 50% a 50% is so that a student does not dig him/herself so deep into a hole that it would be impossible for them to pass that course, while "still reflecting that a student has failed". Under the grading system, 280 points (out of 400, 100 for each of the four quarters), are required to pass a full-year course. If a student gets, say, a 10% in the first quarter, that student would have to get at least a 90% every subsequent quarter in order to pass. With the 50% system in place, that student would need a 77% per quarter, which may be much more realistic for that student.
The formative and summative policy, at least in my school, is rather unpopular. Some (including teachers) despise the policy, while others take a more moderate view, preferring a change to the scale (A=90, B=80....) or a rebalancing to 70-30%,, and one of my teachers actually commented that she previously did a 90-10% system. Under this policy, class participation is not graded, and no assignment is allowed to be worth more than 20%. This means that teachers are required to give four summative and one formative assignment per quarter. For students, this results in their grades hinging heavily on their performance on tests. Previously, each teacher would set the weighting of each category of assignment. That tended to work well due to individual differences in course content, and it left some room for the teacher to adjust grades to ensure an accurate measure of student's performance.
This new grading system does cause stress for some students. In Capital, progress reports are released roughly halfway through each quarter, and reflect the student's current grade. Students scoring poorly on a test early on the quarter do not always have a chance to boost that grade before the progress report, and since the test makes up most of the grade when there are few other summative assignments, the student's grade will be much lower than what it should be. While some teachers do offer "make-up tests", essentially a re-test, not all will. An extreme example, but still showing the point, is one of a classmate whose average dropped about 15 percentage points in the beginning of the quarter due to a failed test.
The system places an emphasis on test grades, and so those that perform well on tests (showing that they do understand the concepts) but don't always do their homework will benefit, at the cost of those that do not always do well on tests, but always do their homework. It has been said that this promotes laziness, since it is not necessary to do any formative assignments at all if the average summative grade is at least 88% (resulting in a 70.4% average). Those that do work hard, but that are not good test-takers, are penalized.
A semi-recent Dover Post news article stated that the Board was open to suggestions for the policy. Several parents were present at their meeting and did voice their concerns about the new system. Topics mentioned included changing the percentage of each, class rankings differing large amounts dependent on the use of a 80-20 or a 70-30 split, and the first marking period grade of seniors hoping for early admission that are still adjusting to changing standards.
Some people do support the new system though. One of my teachers has said that summative assessments actually should be making up the majority of the grade, since the point of a course is to gain knowledge in a subject and be able to use it. Another important argument is that colleges do not have formative grades, and most students are college-bound. I have heard that another school is piloting a summative-only program (failing to do homework results in a detention). As to whether or not we are better prepared for college because of it, we will not know for several years, and by then the policy may have changed again.
A Dover Post article from several weeks ago stated that the board had been monitoring the situation, and that several concerned parents had brought up some issues. A look at grades revealed that the number of grades that were lower compared to last year was only about 3% higher than the number that were higher. If I remember correctly, the board was also open to changes to the policy.
As for my opinion on the changes itself, I am largely undecided. My grades this year have largely been unchanged, although the summative category has caused some large drops in my average. While I do agree that the policy is better for college preparation, it is important that it is not college, which may have been the reason for the formative category. I personally would prefer either a change to the grading scale, or a change in the percentages to a 70-30%. As to whether this system will be modified or removed, we will just have to wait and see."
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
In response to a comment
Someone posted a comment on a post I had written a few months ago about a grading system change in the Capital School District. The comment, in its entirety (and unedited), speaks for itself. It reads:
"This is the most ridiculous argument for a flawed policy I have ever read. The process is designed to help pore students while penalizing the ones achieving beeter results. I have a student that regulary scores in the 80's and 90's she just recieved a b after achieving a 92 percent in english. This in most other scool districts in the country would be an A. He sister also earned a 75% and recieved a D again most otehr school districts in the US and many schools in Delaware this would have been a solid C. Yes, if she would have recieved a 10% on a test and was unfairly given a 50% she would have benefitted. Instead her lowest score was a 70% and is now unfairly saddled with a grade that does not reflect the national norm. How is this a good thing? How is this fair? How is this benifiting anyone other than the student who is failing."
I am going to start posting more frequently; for now life upstate has been interestingly busy and I will try and update over the weekend with some commentary on new news, as well as my post-election thoughts and prediction comparison.
"This is the most ridiculous argument for a flawed policy I have ever read. The process is designed to help pore students while penalizing the ones achieving beeter results. I have a student that regulary scores in the 80's and 90's she just recieved a b after achieving a 92 percent in english. This in most other scool districts in the country would be an A. He sister also earned a 75% and recieved a D again most otehr school districts in the US and many schools in Delaware this would have been a solid C. Yes, if she would have recieved a 10% on a test and was unfairly given a 50% she would have benefitted. Instead her lowest score was a 70% and is now unfairly saddled with a grade that does not reflect the national norm. How is this a good thing? How is this fair? How is this benifiting anyone other than the student who is failing."
I am going to start posting more frequently; for now life upstate has been interestingly busy and I will try and update over the weekend with some commentary on new news, as well as my post-election thoughts and prediction comparison.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Lines at voting only a few minutes wait
Watching the news, I am surprised that the other states can't get on board like Delaware and adopt some sort of electronic voting machine. You can watch updated results on CNN's website as well as the Department of Elections website. As of 8:38, nothing is up yet, although the networks have already concluded what I did a few weeks ago with much more precision. I'll figure out next week how close my actual prediction was.
The real question is whether any non-Delaware elected officials (presumably President Obama if it comes to that) will come to Return Day with Sen. Biden and the rest of the Delaware politicians to "bury the hatchet."
The real question is whether any non-Delaware elected officials (presumably President Obama if it comes to that) will come to Return Day with Sen. Biden and the rest of the Delaware politicians to "bury the hatchet."
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Sunday, November 2, 2008
After wednesday, one thing will be certain: 50% of America will be disappointed
This article is worth reading. My only addition would be that everybody needs to rally behind whoever gets elected so that our country can get back on track.
And all this talk of socialism from Sarah Palin is mildly amusing considering that her decision to reward the Alaskan taxpayers with a percentage of oil revenue "taken" from certain oil producers in that state has practically the same effect of "spreading the wealth around." Maybe after Tuesday these red herrings will simply go belly up.
And all this talk of socialism from Sarah Palin is mildly amusing considering that her decision to reward the Alaskan taxpayers with a percentage of oil revenue "taken" from certain oil producers in that state has practically the same effect of "spreading the wealth around." Maybe after Tuesday these red herrings will simply go belly up.
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