Commentary and analysis on American politics, culture, and national identity, U.S. foreign policy and international relations, and the state of education
- from a neoconservative perspective! - Keeping an eye on the communist-left so you don't have to!
I drove up for a book club pizza meetup in Long Beach at Noon. When I got on the freeway going home to Irvine it soon backed up around Lakewood Boulevard, and it was dead traffic for miles. A parking lot. The maps app on my phone showed the 405 in red and was trying to get me to take alternative routes, but the alternatives were so out of the way it was ridiculous. I just rode it out. Took me two hours to get home, in what is normally a 30 minute drive in the early afternoons.
Brought back so many memories. I was there at most (if not all) the skateparks and contests in the first third of the film. I skated with Tony Hawk many times. Not like friends. Just all the guys skating the same contest, same pool, practicing at the same time. He was just a kid, literally 10-years-old.
I'm a professor now, and I tell people, for a time I used the be the top amateur contest skater in SoCal (and then briefly pro) in the early 1980s. I say to folks, 'Oh, I used to skate with Tony Hawk," etc. I don't think folks realize the significance of that. They might've heard of him or played the old PlayStation Tony Hawk video games, but to know the real guy, and back then, to have no idea he'd go on to be the world's most important skateboarding icon of all time. Sheesh, who'da thunk it?!!
At the screenshot, the standings from early 1981.
You can see at top "Tony Hawk --- 12 and Under." My name is further down below. I was a first in the rankings in "Unsponsored Open." (17 and over; zoom in.) About 17-years-old at the time, I used to go by my middle name Kent.
That's me at the Upland Pipeline Skate ASPO Contest, about 1982, taking first place in the pool event. The move is a "layback." I'd never done one it that pool. It was twelve feet deep with straight vertical walls. Completely intimidating. Totally scary. But I wanted to win, and just went for it. What a memory. I was just a kid myself.
President Biden joined Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday night for a final campaign stop in Long Beach on the eve of the recall election, lending his firepower to fight against the governor’s possible ouster and underscoring the national importance of defeating the effort.
“California, I’m not sure you know it but if you didn’t know it, you should,” Biden said. “This is not hyperbole: The eyes of the nation are on California. Because the decision you’re about to make isn’t just going to have a huge impact on California, it’s going to reverberate around the nation. And quite frankly, it’s not a joke, around the world.“
The rally capped a long day in the West for the president, and a months-long campaign for Newsom and his opponents. Earlier in the day, Biden traveled to Boise, Idaho, and Sacramento to survey wildfire damage and discuss his administration’s response.
A pre-show lineup of mariachi music and dignitaries from across Democratic Party ranks — including Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks and state elected officeholders — rallied the crowd of more than 1,000 invited labor representatives, college students and other Democrats at Long Beach City College before the president and governor’s arrival shortly before 7 p.m.
The president’s stop in California marked the closing campaign act for Newsom, who has touted support from several high-profile Democrats in recent weeks, including former President Obama, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris returned to California to court voters on behalf of the governor.
In a 15-minute address, Biden praised Newsom’s handling of the pandemic and urged attendees to vote for the governor because of his support for reproductive rights and efforts to mitigate climate change.
“Folks, send a message to the nation: Courage matters, leadership matters, science matters. Vote to keep Gavin Newsom,” Biden said.
The Biden administration has a vested interest in the recall’s outcome. A Newsom victory could lift Democrats after a politically challenging several weeks for the president, whose popularity has taken a hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s resurgence and the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The election of a Republican governor could be devastating to Democrats nationwide, with the possibility that the new governor would appoint a replacement for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) should she retire and leave an open seat in theSenate.
On Monday, the president and governor pointedly attacked the recall as an effort led by Republicans supporting former President Trump. Biden likened conservative talk show host Larry Elder, the leading Republican candidate in the race, to Trump and told the audience “there’s too much at stake” to let him become governor.
“We may have defeated Donald Trump, but we have not defeated Trumpism,” Newsom said to the crowd before Biden took the stage. “Trumpism is still on the ballot in California and that’s why it’s so important, not just for all of us here 40 million Americans strong in the nation’s largest and most populous state, but also to send a statement, all across the United States of America, that Trumpism has no place here, and Trumpism will be defeated all across the United States of America, because we’re better than that.”
Recent polls suggest Newsom probably has little to worry about, after an early split among voters a few weeks ago developed into a strong showing of support for the first-term governor. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, cosponsored by the Los Angeles Times, released Friday showed that 60.1% of likely voters surveyed oppose recalling Newsom compared with 38.5% in favor of ousting the governor.
A crowd of pro-recall protesters gathered outside the Long Beach event Monday, chanting “Recall Newsom!”
“First Vice President Harris, now President Biden: it is baffling and insulting that Gavin Newsom would want either of them here campaigning to save his job while California children, women and families remain abandoned in Afghanistan by this Administration,” California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said in a statement following the event. “It’s clear protecting those they were elected to serve comes second to politics. Lucky for Californians, we have a chance tomorrow to recall Gavin Newsom and replace him with a leader who finally puts their needs first.”...
What does it take to make a BIG muscle car like the '70 Dodge Charger handle? Try dropping around 900lbs. Getting that much weight loss ain't easy without ending up looking like ShartKart... so Speedkore turned to Boeing-levels of weight loss tech, by going all carbon on the body. Wild.
My college's Pacific Coast Campus was on lockdown yesterday, although it turned out the weapon was a fake gun, I guess to be used in some kind of theater production.
Campus security sent out emergency notifications through email and text messaging around 11:00am or so. The college took this very seriously, which is good. I'd like more answers about why some theater production was having fake guns in use and there was no formal notification to the college beforehand?
My school's newspaper, the Viking, has the story. Turns out is was a theater professor himself who "stupidly" walked across campus carrying the fake weapon, without a bag or anything. You think people might freak out?
I went down to the Hoonigan shop yesterday afternoon to pick up some t-shirts. I wear Hoonigan gear all the time nowadays. I first picked up a Hoonigan shirt at Tilly's sportswear last year. I didn't know what it was. The shirt was cool, though, and it indicated that Hoonigan's was located in Long Beach, so I checked 'em out and the rest is history.
I am here today because I am very worried about the direction some of our urban and suburban schools are taking.
Over the past four to five years, there have been strong expectations to discipline students differently depending on their race. We were told that too many students of color were being suspended and this looked bad, especially in the case of African American boys. This was definitely the case in Minneapolis.
However well-intended, this policy actually disrespects a whole class of students by lowering the expectations for their behavior, their work ethic, and inevitably their academic progress. When students walk though my classroom door, I have high expectations for them—no matter what they look like.
Another great area of concern is that students are now increasingly emboldened to get together and collaborate to “get teachers in trouble.” Those teachers can lose their jobs and their entire careers. The teachers who tend to be targets are those who have a more traditional way of teaching. By this I mean holding all students to high expectations—such as punctuality, respectful behavior, teamwork, good work ethic, following school rules, politeness, meeting deadlines—and providing consequences for not reaching those high standards.
This has led, in my opinion, to a generation of teachers who are “walking on eggshells,” trying very hard to not say anything or do anything that might remotely get them reported. I believe that many teachers now turn a blind eye to school policies not popular with students: they inflate grades, ignore dress codes violations, don’t give deadlines for handing work in, and put up with bad behavior that would previously had prompted disciplinary action. It is a culmination of these “little expectations” that has led to an erosion of the overall school climate of academic rigor, as well as an erosion of student and staff safety. In addition, if there’s a student exhibiting significantly bad behavior, many teachers feel helpless because they know that a behavior referral will be fruitless; assistant principals will return that student to the same classroom that day or the next day. Order in the classroom deteriorates, and learning suffers.
When you have given twenty-five years to teaching city kids, it hurts to be called a racist, as I have been many times. It’s upsetting to be verbally abused on a daily or even hourly basis, and in some cases even physically abused.
What other profession has to tolerate this?
This is a key reason why we are losing great teachers.
I like to think I ran a pretty tight ship. I like to think that we got a lot of learning done in fifty minutes. I would teach up to two hundred students a day. I was the head varsity coach of two sports in my school. I was in the hallways every day, passing time, keeping order and greeting students. But under the current conditions, I cannot and will not teach any longer in Minneapolis.
African American students will never reach their full potential when they are getting conflicting messages from radical activists who tell them they are, and will be, victims of discrimination, who promote the ideology of white privilege (code for “you have no chance”), and who get them all riled up and angry in school so that they’re protesting at every opportunity. It is tough to learn when you are angry.
These students need to hear the same strong, uplifting, and positive message from teachers, parents, counselors, principals, and district administrators that they can achieve success with hard work, dedication, and determination...
He's right. This is the main problem with our schools. I deal with these things all the time. I'm lucky I'm not white. Seriously. I hate to do it, but I can turn the race card around on anyone who makes any issue about race. It's too easy for progressives to scream "racism." But I'll throw it back in their faces. Ideology has taken over public education. I'm fighting a tough battle, and sometimes I find myself going too easy on my students, because I get tired of playing campus cop all the time, 24/7. But unless you keep up a unified front, things happen, and it takes a cascade of disruptive behavior to remind you you've got to maintain high standards. You have no idea sometimes. (I'd like to retire, in fact, but it's just not happening any time soon, and it's for precisely these reasons).
My weather app said it was 105 degrees when I left work (in Long Beach) a little after 4:00pm today. But, frankly, it was dry heat, and didn't feel too bad. I even went back out to Barnes and Noble after I got home and changed into some shorts. I picked up a copy of Volker Ullrich, Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939.
I'm going to read some of the book right now, in fact. So, until later, here's CBS News 2 Los Angeles:
Seriously, this Michelle Obama Public Library in Long Beach is not even two miles from my college. So saying this "hits a little close to home" is putting it mildly. This is mind-boggling.
I haven't heard about any hateful incidents, but my college is joining other institutions around the country in creating "safe spaces" for students traumatized by the election of Donald Trump.
Across our country and throughout college campuses nationwide, people are processing the outcome of an unprecedented Presidential election. For many Americans, and indeed for many college students, this election has brought deep anxiety, discomfort, and uncertainty about the future. Undoubtedly, many of you have seen the responses in community and campus demonstrations, and statements by some that question the safety and rights of students from diverse backgrounds.
I feel compelled to address these concerns and reassure our students that Long Beach City College remains a safe, secure, and supportive environment for all of you. The diversity of our campus is one of our proudest and strongest qualities. We will continue to serve all of you and advocate on your behalf. Every single one of you belongs here and you are welcome on this campus – now and in the future.
While we are seeing some unrest within college and university campuses, we must remember that this unrest is an example of the unwavering rights we have in the United States to speak freely and engage in social action as a community. Our system remains strong and our campus will remain steadfast in its fair and equitable treatment for all students.
I encourage you, during this time of transition and uncertainty, to stay focused on your educational goals. Do not lose sight of what brought you to LBCC and the success that I know lies ahead for each and every one of you.
Campus resources are available to you, so please take advantage of these as you need them. Do not hesitate to contact LBCC’s Director of Student Health Services and Student Life Ginny DuRivage ... if you have any concerns or need to utilize student support resources.
For more information, please see this flyer for upcoming support group sessions, and this statement from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.
And it's not just the Ferguson effect. California's on the leading edge of the "de-incarceration" movement, with predicable results.
And remember, Long Beach is home to some of the most notorious gangstas anywhere in the country. Local hoodlums brag about their Long Beach creds. Snoop Dogg came out with "I'm From Long Beach" last year, apparently trying to capitalize on this city's hoodlum image:
After dark, no hooks, no marks, all Gs
Dip through the Funk House and I graduated with all Cs
So dope and I made bread
Never switching that's some real shit
Stayed down from the playground
And I always represent 20 crip...
Police Chief Robert Luna said his department has been concerned about the crime rate since it began rebounding from historic lows in recent years.
In 2014, the number of violent crimes committed in the city was the lowest in 42 years, but violent crime jumped up almost 20 percent in 2015. That included 36 murders, the highest number in six years.
‘KEEPING US UP AT NIGHT’
“To see numbers like this, I’ve got to be honest with you, was keeping us up at night trying to figure out what was going on,” Luna said.
As crime has increased, so have the number of calls the police department has to respond to, according to the chief.
“We’re working more overtime right now to keep up with the workload,” Luna said.
Overtime is often assigned to a specific location and at specific times to tamp down areas where police see crime trends, Luna said.
The chief also said recent changes in California law have made it harder for officers to do their jobs. For example, Proposition 36 softened California’s three-strikes law. Proposition 47 reclassified a swath of felonies, including many drug crimes, as misdemeanors. And AB 109, a prison downsizing bill known as realignment, put local law enforcement in charge of supervising lower-level parolees.
Luna said he couldn’t directly tie the rise in crime to those changes, but he said he’s “highly suspicious” that offenses started trending upward after they went into effect...
Oakley's a glitzy showman without a Ph.D. He acts like some big mover and shaker all the time. Meanwhile, the overall quality of our college demographic continues to fall, and there's very little programmatic support that improves the classroom experience.
Anyway, good for him. We get a new college president.
Professor Charlotte Joseph said in an email Sunday, June 5, she considers herself a “swing voter” and is supporting Clinton due to her vast experience in foreign and domestic policy. She said, “It is a fantastic opportunity whenever any candidate comes to our campus. It allows our students and the entire college community a chance to hear challenging ideas and to evaluate how these fit with their own beliefs.”
Joseph said, “It provides an educational opportunity that most people never get the chance to see. Most of us get our information from the television or the internet, in sound bites. We rarely have the opportunity to hear a speech from beginning to end. Hopefully, this will be the first of many such events at LBCC because of the uniqueness of our college and student body.”
Although he is registered to vote in the Republican primary, Professor Douglas said in an email Monday, June 6, just hours before Clinton’s speech that he doesn’t identify as Republican or Democrat.
Douglas said, “The 2016 election has generated tremendous excitement, more than usual, in my experience, especially in California, where our primary is expected to be decisive. So, it’s great that students can participate directly in the political process by attending a campaign rally. The event brings the campaign home to those who’re already interested and makes it a personal, potentially life-changing experience to see and hear their candidate close up.”
Douglas also said he expects Clinton to receive a lot of media coverage and believes if Clinton were to lose in California, then the Bernie Sanders campaign would receive “enormous momentum and could put pressure on the Democrat National Committee to weaken the rules of the party’s super delegates.”
The college just announced the Clinton visit on Friday, which was relatively short notice.
I wasn't all that thrilled about it, especially since the original announcement said that doors were open at 2:00pm (for a 4:00pm event), and that was going to cut into class time.
It turns out the timeline was pushed back two hours, with doors scheduled to open at 4:00pm (for a 6:00pm event). That wasn't too bad. My 12:45pm American politics class saw pretty much regular attendance. My 2:20pm international relations class was less than half attended, but no matter. I had a brief presentation planned anyway, and I distributed a handout last week, in any case.
Students elsewhere around campus were complaining, though. It was a big event that caused some distractions for students not interested in the campaign. They just wanted to study.
I don't see a report on the rally anywhere. Everyone's talking about the AP story announcing the Clinton's got the delegates to clinch the nomination.
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