Sunday, November 28, 2010

CM PRESS # 331

THE INSANITY VIRUS

Schizophrenia caused by a virus? LINK

We found this interesting because we have long believed that there are mechanisms of evolution--such as certain viruses and prions--that are not generally recognized as having such a function. 

This article, while not directly addressing this, does hint at it since the virus believed to cause schizophrenia--Human Endogenous Retrovirus W  (HERV-W) lives in DNA and is found on Chromosomes 6 and 7.
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Swiss Voters Approve Robust Deportation Plan For Illegals As Country Moves Right
Link
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Want A Version Of Arizona's Anti-Illegal Immigration SB 1070 In California? Here's How You Can Help
LINK
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GOP WEAK IN CALIFORNIA
Link
Our View: California GOP plays too much nerdy inside baseball and also fails to present a good image of what its values are (maybe because it doesn't know what its values are).  Also, there's no exciting big name Republican in the state right now.
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MESSAGE TO STEVE SMITH: IMPROVE THE WESTSIDE AND THE SCHOOLS WILL IMPROVE WITH ALMOST NO EFFORT

Steve Smith has a column in the DAILY PILOT (HERE) in which Smith writes about "the horrendous performance of some Westside Costa Mesa schools."  He also writes about the "neglect" of the Westside schools by the "educational establishment."  He then names Wilson, Whittier and Pomona  as falling in the horrendous category.

Of course, Smith is right about these schools (i.e. student scores) being horrendous, but he's a bit fuzzy about why and seems to fall into a false cause fallacy. 

Look folks, the SCHOOLS on the Westside of Costa Mesa--meaning the buildings, the facilities, the study materials, the money spent on them, the teachers and the administrators--are all as good as, or better, in some cases, than SCHOOLS in Newport Beach.

There's only one difference between the schools on the Westside of Costa Mesa and those in Newport Beach:  THE STUDENTS.

The Westside doesn't have lousy schools; it has lousy students (speaking here of average test scores of the whole school populations in the three schools mentioned).  Read this sentence again if you're as confused as the guy who wrote us before telling us that his kids are scoring high in Westside schools.

Here's the reality that many folks don't want to admit: When the Westside attracts more upwardly mobile people who put their kids in the schools, the schools will improve.

A school's ranking depends not on the buildings or the teachers or the administrators, but on the student test scores. If you have students who perform poorly, the school gets ranked low.

So, since Smith brought up three specific schools, let's dig a little below the surface to see if we can figure out why these three schools are doing so poorly and why similar schools in Newport Beach are doing so well. You can crunch the numbers for yourself at the schools' report cards (HERE).

WILSON---------96.72 % Latino-----------1.80 %  White (Not Hispanic)
WHITTIER-------96.72 % Latino-----------2.15 %  White  (Not Hispanic)
POMONA------- 94.58 % Latino-----------2.46 %  White  (Not Hispanic) 

And on the other side of the district in Newport Beach where the schools are all great, we see:

NEWPORT COAST----------1.42 % Latino--------82.05 % White (Not Hispanic)
HARBOR VIEW--------------5.19 % Latino--------90.12 %  White (Not Hispanic)
MARINERS-------------------6.18 % Latino--------87.36 %  White (Not Hispanic)

Say you're an upwardly mobile parent and you have young kids and you're moving to the area.  One of the first things you'll do (remember, you're upwardly mobile so you think like this) is to check how the schools are doing in the area. You do this because you want your kids to succeed in life and you know that success breeds success.

Looking at the above school results, do you think you're likely to buy a home on the Westside of Costa Mesa and put your kids in the schools there, or are you more likely (if you can afford it) to buy a home near one of the schools in Newport Beach?

Or, if you do buy a home on the Westside and if you are upwardly mobile and if you have young kids, you may, if possible, put them in Newport schools instead of the ones right in your own neighborhood.  And, that's what a lot of parents are doing.

So, how do we improve the schools on the Westside of Costa Mesa?  We attract more young upwardly mobile people to Westside neighborhoods.

How do we do that? We remove slums.  We drive down crime.  We remove the gangs.  We build homes or improve homes that will attract upwardly mobile people. We discourage charities from turning the Westside into a skid row. We promote the Westside's closeness to the ocean. (And, we build a marina as was once planned. Well, sorry, we had to throw that in, even though this may be far fetched these days.)

Now, maybe you're one of those squishy folks who doesn't like the above statistics.  Maybe they make you a little uncomfortable. Perhaps you'd rather believe that the NMUSD is giving all the money to schools in Newport Beach and sending the best teachers and study materials over there and the kids in Costa Mesa's Westside schools are sitting on dirt floors and are being taught by lousy teachers and that there are no school study materials.

Fine.  Do your own research. Then, send us examples of schools with similar demographics as Westside schools but which are performing like Newport Beach schools.

And, send us photos of the dirt floors in Westside schools.  Also, don't  forget to send us objective information about how lousy the teachers and administrators are in Westside schools, along with some figures showing that Westside schools are being shorted out on money and study materials.

We won't hold our breath.
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LIBERAL LA TIMES HAS A STORY ABOUT THE PROBLEMS IN MAYWOOD BUT DANCES AROUND THE REAL PROBLEM (whisper: Demographics)
Link
Maywood, Mexico  USA is 96% Latino and has named itself a Sanctuary City. Link
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ISRAEL FEARS BEING WIPED OUT FROM WITHIN BY ILLEGAL ALIENS
Link
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BIG PROTESTS IN IRELAND OVER AUSTERITY MEASURES
Link

It's not just in the U.S. that government has become too big and too expensive. And, it's not just in the U.S. that the banksters and the politicians are the ones being bailed out.
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2 comments:

  1. You hit the nail right on the head. People need to take their blinders off.

    Compassion is a wonderful thing as long as it doesn't harm our children.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CM Press,

    Please send this to Council Member Wendy Leece. She is oblivious as to what her "kindness" helps to perpetuate.

    ReplyDelete

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