Memo from the RTC - Rhapsody Players Delight Saturday Night Crowd in Benefit Performance

Memo From the RTC:  Rhapsody Players Delight Saturday Night Crowd in Benefit Performance

By Norm Scott

Those lucky enough to attend the benefit performance of “The Rhapsody Players” (rhapsodyplayers.org) at the home of the Rockaway Theatre Company last Saturday night were treated to two hours of delightful entertainment by the seven member singing group, accompanied by an outstanding six piece band. This was the second time I had seen them and the harmony and the ability of each member to deliver a rock’n sock’n solo gave the audience the feeling they were at a top level show delivered by star pros. They were recently joined by our one of RTC’s major stars and voices, Renee Titus, whose voice can knock down walls – and practically did.

We were accompanied by David Bentley, a former colleague and friend of mine, who since his retirement from the NYCDOE reviews plays in various parts of the nation (https://thepeoplescritic.com/). David, invited us to dinner the night before at the famed Lamb’s Club, a social club in New York City for actors, songwriters, and others involved in the theater. It is America's oldest theatrical organization – since 1874 and we were treated to members performing various songs as we ate dinner – all with an accompaniest on the piano. All performers are members of the club, which over its 142 years has contained many famous members – oh that photo on the wall with a 25 year old Fred Astaire.  We told David about the RTC benefit and he decided to join us, expecting a nice performance by local amateur talent. Well, he was blown away and couldn’t believe The Rhapsody Players were not performing professionally. I agree and am only sorry that all RTC fans didn’t get to see it. Hopefully The Rhapsody Players will return to Rockaway soon.

Rockaway Café rehearsals heat up and RTC preps new courses

I’ve been added to the cast of the legendary RTC productions of The Rockaway Café, which returns after a few years layoff, on Nov. 3 for 10 performances over 3 weekends (and one Thursday). But fans shouldn’t fret – I can’t mess things up too badly since also joining the cast are Tony Homsey and Curtis Wanderer – also known as that dynamic duo – Tony Curtis.

The three of us will also be involved in a brand new course being taught by Tony – Basics of Theater Set Construction, beginning soon after Thanksgiving and running every Sunday for 8 weeks in two hour sessions. Basic use of the tools used, safety in using the tools will be covered in the first session. This is not a set design course but how to exercise the vision of the set designer and the director in the most feasible manner possible. One of the goals is to expand our set building crew so as to distribute the workload. One of the major projects in the course will be building the sets for the two children’s theater group’s plays in February and March.  If interested in joining us keep an eye out for more information in a few weeks.

Read Norm’s other column, School Scope and his blog at ednotesonline.com

Ken Burns' Vietnam War, Must See Despite Left Attacks

Burns has set himself up as a self-appointed national therapist for interpreting U.S. history. This is hard to take at times, but the subject matter he covers usually rises above his paternalistic liberalism.... Burns' series outlines the deep roots of deception involved in U.S. foreign policy that I imagine a younger generation will find shocking....... there also frustrating limits and omissions to Burns and Novick's series. In the first episode "Déjà vu," narrator Peter Coyote tells us that "America's involvement in Vietnam...was begun in good faith, by decent people, out of fateful misunderstandings." Yet the whole series proves the opposite at every turn.
.... in the first episode, I saw an extraordinary act of historical censorship. The U.S. plucked Ngo Dinh Diem out of obscurity in the mid-1950s and made him the president of the Republic of Vietnam, or "South Vietnam" as it was referred to. In all of the photos of the era, standing behind him clear as day, is the lanky figure of Edward Lansdale, the CIA's man in Saigon, the man who made Diem. Yet Lansdale is never identified....
Unfortunately, many people on the left in the U.S. seem to have watched only the first 20 minutes of this first episode. Disgusted by claims of "good faith" and "decent people," they didn't watch any further, though they did take to Facebook and Twitter to denounce it.
....... Socialist Worker, Joe Allen, author of Vietnam: The (Last) War the U.S. Lost.

The carping from the left began from the first frames of Ken Burns' documentary which for me exposed the entire lying and manipulative structure of the American power structure. Some if it was fair and some not --the SW review is very balanced:

The Vietnam War is a compelling, beautifully made and revealing documentary series. Burns and Novick have brought back the Vietnam War back to its proper place in our living history. Despite their limited critique of the war and their misplaced hostility toward the antiwar movement, this series should be watched and debated by all.

Burns exposes how history continues to repeat itself in Afghanistan. And it will never end. The dumb strategies in 'Nam and what we see today are similar. Clueless. The minute we are out of Afghanistan we know the script of what happens to puppet type governments. Does that mean we root for the Taliban to win? Hell no. Every alternative is worse than worse.

Also we see how the right wing and the admin went after anti-war protestors and blamed them for the losing war. And also how the soldiers turned against the war, which was the biggest threat to the war wing - which is why they so quickly went to an all volunteer army and killed the draft.

Also we saw how we destabilized an entire area with Cambodia and Laos being essentially undermined and destroyed, leading to the Kmer Rouge. We saw the same in the Middle East and the rise of ISIS due to our actions. (Oh what Saddam would have done to ISIS).

But some elements of the left want purism, as I saw on FB with commentary. Let's be clear that the documentary also exposes some of the brutal acts of the North Vietnamese, which is a no-no in some left circles. No one would pretend that the victory of the North Vietnamese (compare to what happened in Korea in 1950 which has influence over what happened in Nam.)

Allen makes this important point:

Throughout the series, the Vietnamese national struggle is one that Burns and Novick can't make up their minds about. Was it a civil war, a national struggle for independence or an example of Cold War Communist expansion? 

People on the left also have some issues. I imagine Trotskyists would condemn the North Vietnamese as Stalinist variations.

So reading the piece in this very fair assessment in the ISO newspaper is instructive in that it defends Burns while also pointing out the flaws. I won't get into the weeds of whether I agree or disagree at this point since I do want to write more about the series.

Thanks to Mike Schirtzer for pointing me to these articles.

An epic series with an Achilles' heel

https://socialistworker.org/2017/10/04/an-epic-series-with-an-achilles-heel

Allen's point here is important:

... the real Achilles' heel of The Vietnam War is Burns and Novick's disdain for the antiwar movement.
Veteran civil rights activist Bill Zimmerman is given a fair amount of screen time, but the movement against the draft is called a campaign of "self-interest" because the young men who could be drafted were at the core of it. When tens of thousands of antiwar activists attempt to shut down Washington, D.C., in one protest, Burns and Novick echo Nixon adviser Pat Buchanan in calling them the "crazies."
Barnard College antiwar activist Nancy Biberman makes a tearful apology: "It pains me to think of the things that I said, that we said. And I'm sorry."
What misplaced words could ever compare to the scale of murder, destruction and deception committed by the U.S. government? Yet what is now presented as excesses on the part of the antiwar movement is presented as co-equal. It should be pointed out that no government official ever apologizes for anything during the series.

Worth reading is:

Vietnam War Protesters have NOTHING to Apologize For | By | Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/09/27/vietnam-war-protesters-have-nothing-apologize

School Scope: Has di Blasio Done Anything Right? Oh, Say, Can You See at a Ranger game? - Norm in The WAVE

My latest in The WAVE - Pub. Oct. 13, 2017

School Scope:  Has di Blasio Done Anything Right? Oh, Say, Can You See at a Ranger game?

By Norm Scott

I took my umpteenth Rockaway ferry ride on Sunday. A friend dropped us off but we could easily have walked the two blocks from our house to get the free jitney to the ferry. We got off at Wall Street and waited less than 10 minutes for the Astoria ferry where we used the free transfer and got dropped off at 34^th Street after a 10-minute ride. Not bad for two bucks seventy five. And I didn’t have to even take my car keys. There has been no more relaxed way of traveling around the city – and even more routes are on the way. And I love how these fairly small boats maneuver in and out of the docks in a jiffy. Only once this summer did I fail to get on a ferry because it was overcrowded.

Finally seeing the NYC waterways being used effectively to move people around is a game changer for transportation in our city – if the schedules work for you and you have some extra time. And more routes are to come. So when it comes time to give credit to the mayor who made it possible, we see Rockawayites carping and grouching over what ultimately is minutia. Most of the time the boats are big enough and by next year they will have bigger boats when they need them. But most of the time they don’t.

And how about NYC Ferry and Hornblower, the San Francisco based company which blew into town as people complained about them when they were given the contract. Consider the time frame of hiring entire staffs, who have been very nice and courteous most of the time –  and making the boats run on time and building the boats? And how about the low fare after large city subsidies?

Funny how di Blasio is expected to win overwhelmingly, though is he so disliked even by people who support his policies – hell, I don’t like him. But add the fact he implemented a massive pre-k program for 4 year olds that has saved so many people so much child care money and is rolling out a program for 3 year olds, let’s give some credit where credit is due. In Rockaway it will be interesting so see the vote. We can predict that the west end will go against him overwhelmingly while the reverse will happen in the east end. As for the middle peninsula, I don’t have a clear picture. Probably somewhat mixed.

As for Erich Ulrich, our local city councilman who wouldn’t challenge di Blasio in this election but will most likely run in four years, I noticed he is supporting the constitution convention while trying to give himself some cover by saying he doesn’t support the anti-labor aspects. I don’t buy it. The people who are pushing the convention are not on the side of workers. They have something more up their sleeves.  I would like to see massive reform of our political system in the state. The convention is not the way to do it. I have a way to judge making these type of decisions. What groups are pushing it and when I look at the list I see a lot of enemies of working people on it. Too bad Ulrich has decided  to join them. But then again he has that Republican label on him, which means that ultimately he is aligned with a Party that wants to destroy labor unions and the hard won rights it took a half century to build.  Don’t get fooled by phony rhetoric. Ulrich also supports charter schools and Phil Goldfeder’s support of him doesn’t surprise me since Phil LOVED charters and pretty much any scheme that would help the privatization of the school system. I don’t love Democrats very much either and my own union, the UFT, seems to be supporting Ulrich despite their massive campaign for a NO vote on the convention. That leaves me scratching my head, but them again the UFT often leaves me scratching my head.                                     

Oh, Say, Can You See at a Ranger game?

The national anthem is in the news over protests in the NFL. There are claims that kneeling during the anthem is a form of disrespect and has that has become a race issue. Generally the people opposing the players have been white. So I was reminded of NY Ranger playoff hockey games I attended years ago with a pretty much white crowd. When the anthem began, people stood. In regular season games the last bars of the anthem were drowned out by crowd noise. But during playoffs, soon after the anthem began so did the noise – to the point that you couldn’t hear the anthem at all as the crescendo built after Oh Say Can You…..  Is there an analogy here between the national anthem at a hockey game and some of the protests at a football game during the anthem? I imagine white and black people on the whole might view things from a different perspective.

Norm is scratching his head as he tries to make his blog great again at ednotesonline.org.

Also read his Memo from the RTC columns in The WAVE.

Free Speech and Race – Left, Right, and Center By Norm Scott

My latest in The WAVE ---

School Scope:  Free Speech and Race – Left, Right, and Center

By Norm Scott

In this country race really matters – all the time. But then again we were born under the star of slavery, the consequences of which will never disappear.

Some people drape themselves in the flag. Some in the Declaration of Independence. Some in the Constitution. I am not a big flag guy though I have a few in my garden – my block has lots of flags and I want to fit in. I love the Declaration – “when in the course of human events” – and “all men are created equal” – unless you are black – or even one tenth black. Yes, race matters.

Along with people I have political differences with, I also love the Constitution – see we can agree on some things. I would love to drape myself in the Constitution – maybe even make a double breasted suit out of it. But there’s that little slavery thing – something about slaves being counted as 3/5 of a person for voting purposes by their masters. I can protest the 3/5 rule and maybe make my suit out of 2/5 of the Constitution. Patriots may cheer when I wear it, even if some parts of me will be left exposed.

Well, no biggie. Slavery was the thing in those times. If you didn’t own some slaves you just weren’t in. For some people lamenting the past, it may still be something they yearn for. Imagine the freedom to be able to whip people for not standing up during the anthem?

We are hearing a lot about free speech from all sides. But this is not new. Remember how hated Muhammad Ali was when he refused to go into the army because he didn’t want to go killing people of color in Vietnam when people of color had been so badly treated over the centuries in this country? If you haven’t seen the Ken Burns series on Vietnam it is a must see with so many similarities to the divisions of today. (I wonder how many protestors from the 60s are today screaming about the black athletes protesting?)

Some on the right are complaining that the left is trying to silence their voices through campus protests – A pushback against political correctness that forces people to temper their real thoughts played a role in the Trump victory . The libertarian in me is finding it hard to support people who want to suppress any free speech. Maybe an exception for Nazis.

The left has historically been a target of suppression – for well over a hundred years. Like if you said you were a communist you could go to jail. Is swearing allegiance to the United States of Capitalism a requirement? The accusations against Communism is that there is a lack of freedom and democracy and a one party system in Communist countries. There is no little irony that many of the same people who make these accusations are going nuts over athletes taking advantage of our “democratic” system and free speech, which supposedly gives them the right to kneel during the national anthem.

The right to organize labor unions has also been under attack, especially in states like Wisconsin. It began in the earliest years of the movement when police and the army were used to support the bosses from the late 19th century through the depression. One of the great things about FDR’s New Deal was the attempt to redress the balance by having the federal government support workers –good luck waiting for the states ¬¬– most of them are even easier to corrupt, believe it or not, than the feds, though the gap is closing – in the wrong direction. A word of warning to those who love the Republican health care law leaving things to the states.

What is ironic is that Democrats, ostensibly the party of labor, on the whole, has not done very much since FDR to help labor – remember how Harry Truman went after unions in steel, mines and railroads and the Taft-Harley Act (1947) which put controls over unions which were seen as growing too powerful. And Reagan’s destruction of the air traffic controllers union opened a Pandora’s box of attacks on unions to the point that their extinction is being predicted even before global warming puts us all under water.

We can only marvel at how a demonstration by one lone player – Colin Kaepernick – which has caused a lot of commentary – exploded after Trump’s comments into a full-fledged revolt by so many athletes in certain sports. (OK, not hockey – guess why?). Over 70% of pro-football athletes are black. And over 75% of the NBA are black and over 80%, people of color. And most of the white NBA players are from abroad. Interestingly, in baseball only 7% of the major league players are black, 27% Latino and over 60% white. That is why you will not see major protests in baseball but football and basketball will have protests exploding. Yet, even on the Yankees, baby bombers are Latino Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge, certainly part black (like Derrick Jeter). Judge was adopted by white parents (like Kaepernick was) when he was a day old. Jeter, Obama (and probably Judge) are half white. In this country that makes them black. Race matters in this country.

Trump called for fans to boycott football over the protests but not over the number of head injuries or the woman beaters allowed to play while Kaepernick is seemingly banned over his protest. Funny how both the left and right have been calling for people to boycott the NFL. (The left often meets the right at certain points). The best American female tennis players are black and the best American golfer in a generation was also black.

Trump needs to spend more time addressing the issue of the disappearing white American athlete so we can make sports great again.

Norm is trying to make his blog great again at ednotesonline.org. Also read his Memo from the RTC columns in The WAVE.

Is UFT Burning Money Pre-Janus?

Norm..
In regards to the welcome center balloons and Windex comment, who paid for the expensive plants? Who purchased the new wooden furniture? Who paid for the painted walls? Who paid for the IT labor? Who paid for the new lighting fixtures? Who paid for new plumbing and plumbing fixtures? Who paid for the water fridge? Who paid for the water cooler? Who paid for the high tech coffee machine? Who paid for the banner? Who paid for the wiring? Who paid for the computers? Who paid for the fancy water bottles? Who paid for the signage to be removed? Who's paying the staff to work the extra overtime to staff the center? Who paid for the customer service training courses? We haven't even touched on who's paying for the new conference center in excess of 3 to 4 million dollars? How does all of this justify promoting an incompetent events manager to a position of higher authority who appears to be at the center of all of this out of control spending? Many people are forced to staff the welcome center even when they voice objections they are they do not have a choice. I don't remember this being brought up at any delegate assembly. How does a union that represents workers rights treat it's own staff this way? There are people that interested in working in the center that have been rejected by the UFT because of their background....  Concerned About Spending

If you work at the UFT, leave comments - I don't track people who comment - nor can I.This is in reference to my post, of last week, Making Merry at the UFT Citywide Chapter Leader Meeting.

I strolled into the brand new Welcome Center in the back of the lobby which was staffed by some heavy hitters of UFT officialdom, who posed for some photos on the condition they appeared in Ed Notes. Someone told me "they spent $70,000 alone furnishing that space when a desk is available right next to security." The price of balloons has certainly been going up.

I was glad to see they look pretty happy.

Someone is apparently not so happy and sent me this complaint that they are "Pressuring UFT workers to staff the welcome center during regular work hours and extending work days without pay." I pointed out that people like David Hickey and Janella Hinds seem to be there but this insider claims the staffing is often from the lower paid employees and comes from "An operator from administrative services, MBO and membership staff, accounting staff, David Hickey's secretary, print shop staff, IT staff ---- the big wigs usually have the administrative staff cover for the shift assigned to them."

Which elicited these comments from someone defending the union:

the 70k figure is ridiculous. It cost nothing, except some windex and a few balloons.
Cafe 52 has been closed for at least 3 years.

Our anonymous commenter is concerned about out of control spending and seems to have a finger on the button.

By the way -- the new conference rooms on the 2nd floor of 50 Broadway which this person claims is costing 3-4 million, may have a source of revenue as Eterno points out:

ICEUFT Blog

PD THAT USED TO BE FREE ON SCHOOL TIME NOW COSTS $75 ON SATURDAY 
 

Daily Howler on Fatal Stabbing in NYC School - Asking deeper questions

....we were struck by the name of the school at which this unfortunate event had occurred. The high school in question is apparently called The Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation. We'll be honest. The name sounded a bit improbable, possibly even a bit high-fallutin', for a public high school in the Bronx. Question! How many public school kids in the Bronx, or anywhere else for that matter, are actually focused on wildlife conservation? 

Long ago, clueless elites fell in love with the high-fallutin' idea that low-income kids need to be challenged more at school. This reasoning has never exactly made sense: These under-served kids can't meet the traditional academic standards we already have—so we'll make the standards tougher? This unusual reasoning always sounds good—from a thousand miles away.

In truth, some low-income kids aren't being challenged enough at school—but many are perhaps being challenged too much, from their earliest years. We couldn't help wondering if that was occurring inside this unfortunate, oddly-named school.

The Howler, a former teacher, touches on some fundamental truths.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017

SCHOOL LIVES MATTER: Extremely low scores!

Posted: 04 Oct 2017 08:35 AM PDT

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017

Part 2—And a rather unusual name: Last Wednesday morning, a 15-year-old student was fatally stabbed during a class at his public high school in the Bronx.

On Thursday morning, Sarah Maslin Nir published the New York Times' first news report about the fatal stabbing. We were struck by an historical claim—and by the name of the school.

It had apparently been a long time since a student was killed in a New York City school. Headline included, here's the way Nir's report began:

NIR (10/28/17): Bronx High School Stabbing Leaves a Teenager Dead and Another One Wounded

A 15-year-old was fatally stabbed and a 16-year-old was critically wounded in their Bronx high school on Wednesday morning in what police say was apparently the culmination of weeks of conflict.

The killing, the first inside a city school building in more than two decades, according to the mayor, set off a lockdown that left hundreds of children cowering inside their classrooms, the older ones frantically texting parents for help. As word of the killing spread, parents desperate to see their children descended on the school building, which houses two schools—the elementary school P.S. 67 and the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation, serving students in grades 6 to 12.

According to Mayor de Blasio, it was the first killing inside a city school building in more than twenty years.

For ourselves, we were struck by the name of the school at which this unfortunate event had occurred. The high school in question is apparently called The Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation.

We'll be honest. The name sounded a bit improbable, possibly even a bit high-fallutin', for a public high school in the Bronx.

Question! How many public school kids in the Bronx, or anywhere else for that matter, are actually focused on wildlife conservation? We were struck by the name of the school—and especially so later on, when Nir offered a cursory academic profile of the students:

NIR: The Wildlife Conservation school was started in 2007 by the Urban Assembly, a nonprofit organization that runs 21 small schools across the city, serving primarily low-income and academically struggling students.

Student test scores are low: This year 13 percent of the middle school students passed the state reading tests, and 5 percent passed the state math tests. In 2016, the school's four-year high school graduation rate was 73 percent. More than half of the high school students were chronically absent that year, meaning they missed more than 10 percent of school days.

Say what? According to Nir, five percent of the school's students passed New York's statewide math test last year. A more impressive 13 percent passed the statewide test in reading.

Nir said that the students' test scores were "low;" they sound extremely low. Having said that, might we offer a quick observation?

Nir isn't an education reporter; there's no reason why she should be. That said, passing rates for individual schools should generally be placed in a wider statistical context.

The passing rates for this oddly-named school sound extremely low. That said, what were the passing rates for high school students in New York City as a whole? For the whole state of New York?

Absent such data, it's hard to know exactly how low those passing rates actually are. And no—there's no reason to assume that these statewide tests define a sensible standard for "passing." A reporter should always include the wider passing rates, just to provide basic context.

(What were the statewide passing rates? You'll have to go elsewhere for that. In the past decade, states have made it increasingly hard to access such basic information. We're tired of staging long, fruitless searches for such information, especially in a world where it's plain that no one actually cares about the school lives of students like the ones at issue.)

We were struck by the intersection between the high-fallutin' name of this school and its horrible sounding data. It sounded like the school's test scores were extremely low. Beyond that, its graduation rate was unimpressive, and it sounded like attendance problems were rampant.

Within this school, a killing occurred. We'll offer some observations, starting with a couple of questions:

Who the heck is the Urban Assembly and why is it running these schools? More specifically, why is it running a public high school which seems to be built around wildlife conservation, in the face of which its students refuse to attend?

We're prepared to admit that this sounded odd and unattractive. Quickly, we'll offer some thoughts:

The name of that school sounds wonderfully high-fallutin', in a way which tends to turn the heads of clueless, uncaring "meritocratic" elites. The capsule profile Nir provided had a different sound:

It sounded like the kids at this school might well need types of "remediation" more than they need to be concerned about what's occurring in the rain forest or on the plain. Might they possibly need types of help this school just isn't providing?

A quick bit of background:

Long ago, clueless elites fell in love with the high-fallutin' idea that low-income kids need to be challenged more at school. This reasoning has never exactly made sense:

These under-served kids can't meet the traditional academic standards we already have—so we'll make the standards tougher? This unusual reasoning always sounds good—from a thousand miles away.

In truth, some low-income kids aren't being challenged enough at school—but many are perhaps being challenged too much, from their earliest years. We couldn't help wondering if that was occurring inside this unfortunate, oddly-named school.

Nir was offering a capsule, first-day report about a deadly event. Absent the missing context for those test scores, she did a perfectly decent job. Eventually, she quoted the dean, Kevin Sampson. He explained what had occurred:

NIR: Shortly after they were released from the lockdown on Wednesday afternoon, Asia Johnson and Yanique Heatley, both 18, stood outside the high school at 2040 Mohegan Avenue in the West Farms neighborhood.

The two were friends with all three of the students involved, they said. Ms. Heatley described Mr. Cedeno as ''different from the other guys.''

''He likes Nicki Minaj, stuff from H&M. He likes Kylie Jenner,'' she said.

''This hurts,'' Ms. Johnson said. ''No one should experience bullying but there's a way to handle it.''

''It's really sad,'' Ms. Heatley added. ''Two boys might lose their lives and our friend will never see the outside again.''

Mr. Sampson, the school's dean, stood, visibly shaken, outside on Mohegan Avenue. He had performed CPR on Matthew, he said. ''Two of my students got stabbed and one of them died,'' Mr. Sampson said. ''It was about what it's always about—bullying.''

Dean Sampson said the killing had resulted from bullying. He said that's what such incidents are always about.

The next day, in a front-page news report, the Times described the types of bullying which had allegedly occurred. But Nir had already begun to describe the horrid conditions which allegedly obtained within this school. The next day's front-page report would describe these conditions in much greater detail.

Was bullying at the heart of this deadly incident, or might the problems have run deeper? Tomorrow, we'll review the gruesome conditions being attributed to the school, and we'll ask a simple question:

If schools lives actually matter, why didn't the New York Times report on this school long ago?

Tomorrow: What the parents said

Friday: Do school lives actually matter? The two-year-old, nationwide test scores which you've never seen

The Left, Center and Social Democracy

....social democratic parties acknowledged capitalism’s upsides and downsides. In contrast to Communists, center-left parties recognized that markets were the most effective engine for producing economic growth and prosperity. But in contrast to classical liberals and many conservatives, social democrats did not embrace markets wholeheartedly. Instead, the center-left insisted that it was possible — indeed, necessary — for governments to cushion markets’ most destabilizing effects. Capitalism would be kept subservient to the goals of social stability and solidarity, rather than the other way around.....

I guess at this point in my political evolution - or de-evolution --- the above pretty much describes where I stand today --- but check back with me tomorrow -- I may be either to the left - or right of that. My Marxist friends would say - no way - capitalism cannot survive under any conditions. And in fact the description of the decline of traditional SD may be a sign of the decline of capitalism itself.

Witness the attack on unions as being capitalism in crisis where it cannot handle the existence of unions and has to morph into a form of state capitalism.

Was FDR forced march into a version of social democracy?

This is an interesting point:

the left became dominated by two camps.

The first was epitomized by Tony Blair of Britain and Gerhard Schröder of Germany. These new center-left politicians celebrated the market’s upsides but ignored its downsides. They differed from classical liberals and conservatives by supporting a social safety net to buffer markets’ worst effects, but they didn’t offer a fundamental critique of capitalism or any sense that market forces should be redirected to protect social needs. When the financial crisis hit in 2008, this attitude repelled those who viewed globalization as the cause of their suffering and wanted not merely renewed growth, but also less inequality and instability.

Notice she doesn't include the Clintons and Obama - but she is talking about the European versions --- many term this version as neo-liberal which often works in tandem with the right.

Now take our own union -- founded by SDs - but right wing cold warriors who morphed into Neo-liberals of a sort. Our opposition forces over the years -- which was left or very left - mostly led by  versions of Marxists or left wing SDs -- brought up the fact that one of the major roles of our teacher union -- the AFT, UFT complex -- was to buck up capitalism and the war machine even if education suffered. Shanker took things in a new direction c. 1983 when he jumped onto the neo-liberal critique of education and took our union along with him. Standards, accountability, etc were uttered out of the mouths of our union leaders. So ignored in the article is the point that there are many flavors of SD and even of Marxism.

We see versions of all of this even in the microcosm of a small group like MORE.

There's a lot to chew on in this Monday NY Times op ed.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/opinion/europe-center-left-.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20171002&_r=0

The Disastrous Decline of the European Center-Left

By SHERI BERMANOCT. 2, 2017

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Among the many worrying outcomes of the recent German elections was the further collapse of the main center-left party, the Social Democrats, which received only 20.5 percent of the vote, its worst performance since World War II.

Across Europe, social democratic or center-left parties are in decline. In elections this year in France and the Netherlands, the socialist and labor parties did so poorly that many question their future existence. Even in Scandinavia, considered the world’s social democratic stronghold, long-dominant parties have been reduced to vote shares in the high 20s and low 30s.

Even if you don’t support the left, this should be cause for concern. Social democratic parties were crucial to rebuilding democracy in Western Europe after 1945. They remain essential to democracy on the Continent today.

During the postwar years, social democratic parties acknowledged capitalism’s upsides and downsides. In contrast to Communists, center-left parties recognized that markets were the most effective engine for producing economic growth and prosperity. But in contrast to classical liberals and many conservatives, social democrats did not embrace markets wholeheartedly. Instead, the center-left insisted that it was possible — indeed, necessary — for governments to cushion markets’ most destabilizing effects. 

Capitalism would be kept subservient to the goals of social stability and solidarity, rather than the other way around.

By the late 20th century, this distinctive message had been mostly discarded. Instead, the left became dominated by two camps.

The first was epitomized by Tony Blair of Britain and Gerhard Schröder of Germany. These new center-left politicians celebrated the market’s upsides but ignored its downsides. They differed from classical liberals and conservatives by supporting a social safety net to buffer markets’ worst effects, but they didn’t offer a fundamental critique of capitalism or any sense that market forces should be redirected to protect social needs. When the financial crisis hit in 2008, this attitude repelled those who viewed globalization as the cause of their suffering and wanted not merely renewed growth, but also less inequality and instability.

The second camp is an anti-globalization far left, represented by the Occupy movement, Jeremy Corbyn’s wing of Britain’s Labour Party and Syriza in Greece. This camp took seriously the market’s downsides but saw few upsides. Lacking a conviction that capitalism can and should be reformed, these parties generally offer an impractical mishmash of attacks on the wealthy, protectionism, increased welfare spending and high taxes. These policies may appeal to the angry and frustrated, but they turn off voters looking for viable policy and a progressive, rather than utopian, view of the future.

During the postwar decades, social democracy promoted solidarity and a sense of shared national purpose so as to avoid the fractures that undermined European democracy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In contrast to Communists, who exclusively focused on class conflict, the center-left built bridges between workers and others. And in contrast to the individualism of classical liberals and many conservatives, the center-left’s emphasis was on citizens’ obligations to one another and the government’s duty to promote the good of society.

By the late 20th century, however, this understanding of social democracy’s goals had been largely abandoned. Some failed to address concerns generated by social and cultural change, either out of lack of understanding or out of a hope that solving economic problems would make them disappear. Others uncritically embraced these changes, promoting both cosmopolitanism and the interests and cultural distinctiveness of minority groups. This camp became associated with the politically deadly idea that strong national identities were anachronistic, even dangerous, and citizens made uneasy by their erosion were bigots.

These attitudes have fragmented the left’s constituency and made it impossible to rebuild the social solidarity or sense of shared national purpose necessary to support high taxes, robust welfare programs and activist governments.

But the decline of the center-left has larger implications. Most obviously, it has created a space for a populist right whose commitment to liberalism, and even democracy, is questionable. In many European countries, now including Germany, these parties have succeeded in part by attracting groups that have historically supported the center-left, like workers and the uneducated, by forthrightly addressing the economic fears generated by globalization as well as those generated by social and cultural change.

During the postwar period, European politics was dominated by competition between a center-left and center-right that offered real policy differences but agreed on the basic framework of liberal, capitalist democracy. These parties were large enough to form governments, set agendas and get policies enacted. But as the outcome of the recent German elections makes clear, the center-left’s electoral demise has rendered it unable to form stable, coherent governments — which makes it more difficult to solve problems and leaves voters more frustrated with traditional parties and institutions.

This is one part of what has allowed populists to make inroads, as was clear during the German elections, where the far-right Alternative for Germany party promoted itself as the true “alternative” to the status quo. Even many within the Social Democrats acknowledged their party lacked a vision of where it wanted Germany to go.

If the Social Democrats and other center-left parties are unable once again to offer voters solutions to the challenges their countries face, their decline will continue, populism will flourish and democracy will decay.

Sheri Berman is a professor of political science at Barnard College and the author of the forthcoming “Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe: From the Ancien Regime to the Present Day.”

Puerto Rico Relief: Wonder Women Aixa and Jia Lead the Way

When Jia Lee told a group of people on FB she had bought a ticket to Puerto Rico with a return on the same day I said "WOW". Her intention was to bring supplies to our colleagues in the FMPR - a branch of the Teacher Union -- that has been ignored by the AFT. Aixa Rodriguez also tried to get on the flight. Jia had other commitments so Aixa took on the task and last Saturday delivered the goods to our good friend Mercedes Martinez, Pres of the FMPR who met her at the airport.

They are looking to do it again so so touch base with Jia and Aixa if interested in donating supplies.

Here is the gofundme link for donating money:
https://www.gofundme.com/solidaridad-victimas-huracan-maria

And some comments below are worth reading.

Bianca Tanis·

HV friends, two incredible NYC teachers, Jia Lee and Aixa Rodriguez just managed to collect and fly much needed supplies to Puerto Rico and hand deliver them to the FMPR, the Puerto Rico Teachers Association. I would like to help organize a similar effort from our neck of the words and support our fellow educators, many of whom have lost everything. Supplies being sent to the Island are horribly delayed due to the lack of a distribution system, ATMs are empty and few places are taking cards due to the lack of electricity. I'm looking for folks who may the availability to fly down, deliver supplies to the president of the FMPR, and turn right back around. I think we can easily crowd fund tickets for two people to go and fill 4 suitcases with batteries, flashlights, toiletries, personal hygiene items, etc. Would love for local unions to join the effort as well. What do you think? I may be able to travel but would prefer to go with someone.

Mercedes Martinez You guys are awesome. We love you guys and thank you deeply!!

Jia Lee Love you guys Mercedes Martinez! We're with you!! You are not alone! Many people are seeing this and asking how they can connect! People are beautiful!

Mercedes Martinez You have me in tears. Solidarity is just a beautiful thing. Words can't express how I feel. Thanks to all of you.

Patrick Sullivan, Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters to UFT Leaders: We will Address Concerns About Our Data

Funny how no one from the DOE, the City Council or the Comptroller's office have questioned our data or analysis, but if the UFT leadership or executive board would like to invite us to brief them on it, Patrick and I would be happy to do so.... Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters

If the UFT leadership questions the validity of Class Size Matters research, I'd like to hear more about their concerns. I'd be happy to speak to them in my capacity as board president of CSM... Patrick Sullivan, Pres of the Board, Class Size Matters

Comments above posted on NYCEducator blog:  Exec. Board September 25 Takeaway--The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

These comments were prompted by Arthur's post:

I presented research done by Class Size Matters and based on DOE stats. Schoor questioned its validity rather than addressing it. In a way, I don't blame him. Class size is out of control, and overcrowding is epidemic. UFT can form committees and study groups from now until Doomsday and the problems won't go away. It's nice that we placed class size into the contract half a century ago, but an update is long overdue. It behooves union leadership to address this crucial issue and they are failing utterly. (Schoor also claimed never to have heard of the 2014 law requiring de Blasio to pay rent for charters, which pretty much made my eyes roll to the back of my head.) .... Arthur Goldstein, NYC Educator

Arthur has written the following letter to Howard Schoor:

Dear Howard,

Patrick Sullivan, the Board President of Class Size Matters, has offered to address your concerns about the research they put forth. I trust you will invite him to our next meeting so that he can clear up any questions you may have.

I eagerly await your response.

Very truly yours,

Arthur Goldstein

Making Merry at the UFT Citywide Chapter Leader Meeting

This month is the 50th anniversary of my membership in the UFT -- I've paid so much dues I own a piece of 52 Broadway -- so when Unity people try to stop me from going upstairs I point this out. But that's a story for later.

Before I begin, I was saddened to hear that long-time union official Bob Astrowsky died. I knew Bob for over 40 years back to the 70s when we sparred with each other. In recent years Bob was in charge when we held election position drawings and we had a lot of laughs at those events or at vote counts. A man with a great sense of humor, we never failed to have a laugh over something when we ran into each other at DAs or conventions in other cities, especially if he was wearing a METS cap. Bob ran the Brooklyn office and was always available. Bob was a big man in size and in heart. There's a story about Bob in the NY Teacher, I believe on p. 14.

Now on to business.
Once a year, in September, the UFT/Unity Caucus leadership holds a chapter leader meeting -- Delegate Assemblies which actually have some rules attached - which Unity feels free to break at will but the process requires some kind of voting and that can be inconvenient - don't start until October -- late October. A CL meeting is more cozy -- Mulgrew can talk even longer than he does at DA's and then take a few questions.

This report is on what happened outside the meeting but my personal experiences on Wednesday provide some insight into what is good, bad and ugly in the UFT. You can read Arthur's report of the meeting here.

NYC Educator

Chapter Leader Citywide Meeting -

These are not very well attended meetings because most delegates don't come. But some do - and find that they are not allowed in -- to which I say - holy shit -- are you guys crazy? Half the room is empty, delegates made the trip down and are turned away? More on this idiocy later.

Well, anyway, I always show up to hand out something or other, either from Ed Notes, GEM (in the pre-MORE days), and MORE - when it has something to hand out that I think is worthwhile -- but more on MORE later in this report. I can't get into either CL or DA meetings because security is tight -- ISIS, you know, might try to sneak in.

I took the ferry from Rockaway - one of my favorite ways to travel nowadays. I was there early and the first people I ran into was a crew of retirees from New Action who had a fairly nice two-sided leaflet and a plan to ask CLs going in if they would distribute New Action materials in their schools. A Good idea -- a few years ago they signed up 200 CLs and during the election that helped get material into mail boxes. Why MORE doesn't have such a good idea is beyond me but many MOREs often have their heads in different places than a mundane UFT chapter leader meeting. You know I always had issues with New Action, not only because of the dirty deal they made with Unity for a dozen years but also because of the approach they took to Unity even before the deal - and even to some extent now -- but let's not get into all that -- we've had a good working relationship and are doing some joint projects. So I was glad to see they are still engaged, even if their most active people seem to be retirees.

New Welcome Center in back of lobby

Having some time, I strolled into the brand new Welcome Center in the back of the lobby which was staffed by some heavy hitters of UFT officialdom, who posed for some photos on the condition they appeared in Ed Notes. Someone told me "they spent $70,000 alone furnishing that space when a desk is available right next to security." The price of balloons has certainly been going up.

I was glad to see they look pretty happy.

Someone is apparently not so happy and sent me this complaint that they are "Pressuring UFT workers to staff the welcome center during regular work hours and extending work days without pay." I pointed out that people like David Hickey and Janella Hinds seem to be there but this insider claims the staffing is often from the lower paid employees and comes from "An operator from administrative services, MBO and membership staff, accounting staff, David Hickey's secretary, print shop staff, IT staff ---- the big wigs usually have the administrative staff cover for the shift assigned to them." I have no real knowledge of who is staffing and if readers know more leave a comment.

[I was also told that the union is spending a lot of money to set up more conference rooms next door at 50 Broadway. I asked David Hickey about that and he said the union needs more space because the activity level is so high and also that it had rented out some space next door so money was coming in.]

I kept running into people I knew so didn't get into the other lobby to the meetings where we give out lit and even have a table reserved for our lit. They always have someone by the steps checking cards and also someone by the elevators to make sure those ISIS people don't get upstairs to the 2nd floor. Visitors like me are supposed to go to the 19th floor, which is ridiculous.

When I entered the lobby there was an officious looking young fellow who told me all materials must be distributed outside. Now I've been told this before and always refuse to follow that rule and they Unity crew always end up backing down because I will sit down on the floor if I have to and force them to call security to have me removed. I have insisted on having a table for alt lit since they ban our materials from their tables. I pointed "our"table out to him and sat down.

A few other MOREs showed up to hand out whatever material MORE might have but nothing arrived so I sat with a delegate at the table waiting and nothing came so we chatted and greeted people. One lady came over upset over the fact they weren't lettign her in because she was "only" a para rep. She was pissed because she had shlepped down and her CL couldn't make it. She had to track down her district rep to get in.

I told the delegate from MORE to go up since her CL was there but she said she was told she wasn't allowed in. I was astounded. You could see that not a lot of the 1800 CLs were showing up and here they were keeping even elected union people out -- yeah, I get why people like me are kept out.

Finally, around 5PM with nothing to hand out I decided to take the elevator to the 2nd floor to use the bathroom, get a cup of coffee and watch the proceedings on TV -- which is what I do at every meeting even though I am supposed to go to the 19th floor. Fact is I go to the 2nd floor so I can socialize with people I know who work for the union and also some of the CLs I know. I think the 19th floor rule is stupid --

especially when you can see there are a lot of empty seats in the main hall. But I don't ever try to go in there anyway.Well I tell the delegate to come up with me and we can watch on TV and the Unity guy tries to stop me and I ignore him but the delegate says she doesn't want a confrontation and decides to go home --- imagine -- she schlepped to the meeting and can't get in and that pisses me off. I go up to the 2nd floor and someone asks me for my card and I say I ignore her. Down the hall they are giving out
convention lawn signs and low and behold, one of my former students, who has worked for the UFT for 20 years is there. Jessica shows me a photo of her baby whose dad is also a former student - sadly his brother who was also my student died this past summer at the age of 50. I also had Jessica's older brother in my class and her mom was one of my favorite parents (and not just because she was one of the most beautiful too).
By the way -- follow what Jessica and her pal are urging you to do ---


Well, anyway it turns out that the Unity guy had actually followed me and now wanted me to leave. I was astounded at how well this guy was following orders. I proceeded to give him a lecture on following stupid orders and why so many people will leave the union post-Janus due to this idiocy of not letting delegates into the chapter leader meeting- and also mindless order followers.

I ran into Amy Arundell who many of us who deal with her a lot happen to like and feel she is competent - I told her to kick ass in her new job running the Queens borough office which has been considered one of the worst. We had a very nice chat about lots of stuff.

I watched Mulgew's spiel and on TV he did seem to have vigor and verve and some passion. Arthur and I went out for a bite and he also felt that Mulgew at the EB meeting Monday and at this meeting was not bad - on the surface -- but if you scratch - esp about the ratings system for teachers ---well, read the commentary at Arthur's and at the ICE blog.

Now I have to run down to a hearing or a principal they are trying to fire--- usually I wouldn't give a shit but this one looks like a witch hunt. Maybe more on that later.

MORE EB Member Arthur Goldstein Sends Letter to UFT Leadership Asking for Office Space

Referencing this story from the Sept. 25, 2017 UFT EB meeting:

Unity Caucus at the Ex Bd Meeting: Tears of Woe Over Not Having Time to Think of Ways to Oppose Our Resos

Arthur Goldstein sends a letter to UFT leaders:

Dear LeRoy, Janella, and Howard,

Since you’ve decided to not allow us to bring resolutions without distributing them 30 minutes beforehand, we are at somewhat of a loss. Unlike you, we all teach full time. We are able to meet at the lobby at 52, but since we all teach we are often unable to get together earlier than 5 or 5:30. Furthermore, we are not allowed into the actual building until at or very close to 5:30.

Unlike all of you, we have no staff. We have no one to make copies.

Therefore I’m certain that you’ll have no issue giving us an office in which to meet whenever we need to, along with a copying machine. I’m certain you’ll have no issue granting us the use of staff to distribute whatever resolutions we come up with.

Thank you so much for your kind consideration.

Very sincerely,

Arthur Goldstein   

Let me point out once again -- that our tiny portion of Ex Bd people have been able to make the EB meetings a focal point of bringing the concerns of rank and file teachers to the attention of the leadership -- so many stories of them being ignored until our people have started working with them. Key to it all is Arthur's taking notes and publishing them with commentary on the blogs --- in other words, Unity would continue to ignore us, as they did New Action a (which did not publicize the outcomes of EB meetings) all those years they were on the board -- due of course to the support of Unity. Arthur Goldstein, who often works hand in hand with UFT officials, is also unsparing in his criticism when he feels it necessary.

Councilman Danny Dromm Hearing on Adult Ed Issues

Betty Gottfried—Adult Ed. ex CL—speaks of fight in adult ed., says union has given good attention. Says 12 teachers who were pushed out have testified, urges leaders to watch video. Says teachers were magnificent. Says Danny Drumm watched and complimented teachers. Says Sterling Roberson wants more input from adult ed. teachers and that is a very welcome statement.  Reads statement from 1992 as example of participating chapter, asks for return to that. Thanks Mulgrew for involvement. Says he listens..... Arthur Goldstein notes from Sept. 25 EB meeting

https://councilnyc.viebit.com/player.php?hash=gRZDhyRWzhjv
 
I like Betty. But she is being generous about the response of the UFT, which has put one of the worst reps in charge of Adult Ed. [I have another blog post coming with more details.] I seem to be one of the few who want to call out UFT people who fuck up -- the leadership joined the teacher "accountability" bandwagon -- they should be held to even stricter standards.

UFT leadership has refused to publicize adult ed issues until MORE and bloggers began to partner with them in getting the story out. Here is one more as the heat on the DOE rises.

MORE was sent this from an Adult Ed teacher re: the Dromm hearing:

Council Member Danny Dromm from Queens held a hearing on adult ed and our infamous superintendent Mills' boss, Laura Feijoo, was there. CM Dromm did an excellent job interrogating Ms. Feijoo and she and Mills' data guy, Vernon Kellman, were not equipped for the questions and confrontation.

We thought you might enjoy the hearing. We certainly did. 9 people came out publicly about the mismanagement of the OACE at the hands of Mills. And several more wrote anonymous written testimony to Dromm's office. We are hoping this is the beginning of some much needed changes within the OACE.

Thank you for all your support along the way. It was invaluable to us.

Please watch!

Hello you all, that was amazing!!! In case you haven't had enough, here is the video, fresh off the presses. Sorry everyone couldn't be there. I counted 14. Dromm said it's the most he's ever had. Thanks to EVERYONE who played a part in this. xoxox to you all and anyone who hasn't yet sent in testimony, you still have 5 days from today!

https://councilnyc.viebit.com/player.php?hash=gRZDhyRWzhjv

NYCC-PV-CH-CHA_170920-103022.mp4 councilnyc.viebit.com

Farina Tries to Cover Her Ass in Student Slaying in Bullying Incident; Elementary Parent Outrage at CoLoco

This is was co-located school that contained a high school and an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. This tragic event shows that co-locating high schools with elementary schools is a horrible concept. Just imagine if this stabbing incident took place in an area of the school where elementary students were and one of them got hurt. End co-locations of high and elementary schools now!...
.....Building not designed for a high school. Building not designed for collocation of elementary school with high school. Building does not have elevator. Building does not have scanners. Building is inaccessible for folks with disabilities. DOE gets an F for resource management.

.....The horrific tragedy is a direct consequence of the egregious mismanagement of facilities by the DOE, as in Superintendent Carmen Farina. As a senile sycophant retained from the Bloomberg era, she is a failure as a Superintendant.

...... One look at the arrested kid told me he was tormented for being gay. No one did anything. No metal detectors. No suspensions. No consequences for anything from anyone.

....... If there were metal detectors this wouldn't have happened. If there were suspensions the kid wouldn't have been constantly bullied. If the staff was trained to do anything to stop bullying this wouldn't have happened. This is all on the NYCDOE because it has made metal detectors optional, pulled them out, stopped suspensions and arrests and hasn't trained its staff on restorative justice or anti-bullying procedures.
.......Comments on the ICE blog, "FARINA'S EMAIL FOLLOWING BRONX SCHOOL TRAGEDY"

The safety of students and staff always comes first and we rely on our safety protocols, our staff, and our partnerships with students, parents, families, and communities to ensure the safety of all school buildings.

Principals and school staff should review information on the Principal’s Portal: http://intranet.nycboe.net/DOEPortal/Principals/SchoolSupport/SchoolOperations/SafetyDiscipline/default.htm

...... Carmen Farina

Is the email Farina sent out today to teachers and supervisors, an attempt at blame shifting?

81% teachers at school said order and safety not maintained.
Bullying a factor - did school intervene?

One response came in an email from a teacher:

.....and the DOE and the NYPD are working to conduct a thorough investigation.

......we rely on our safety protocols, our staff, and our partnerships with students, parents, families, and communities to ensure the safety of all school buildings.

This is a threat. This is a clear threat. This is a message saying to every staff member in the DoE that, if anything happens in one of the schools. they will bring the investigators and will assume the tragedy is the fault of the staff.

Please notice, they do NOT state that they rely on their own oversight nor on their $250 million worth of bloated Tweed bureaucrats to supervisor and ensure the schools are safe.

They rely only on school staff (thats' you and I) following all of their 'protocols'. The assumption here is that, if someone is hurt, then OF COURSE there was a protocol and AND COURSE the protocol wasn't followed by a member of the staff.

This is bullsh___