Unpaid internships in journalism: Is this long-accepted rite closing the door on talented, lower-income students, making a journalism career a reality for only the privileged? Is the public losing an important minority voice as a result?
This is a thoughtful opinion piece from a Northwestern-trained journalist David Dennis in the Guardian that is worth a discussion. If not here, then in the newsroom water coolers nationwide:
"And therein lies the issue with unpaid internships. The practice of asking recent graduates to spend their days working for free while paying rent and living in a city like New York is a barrier for entry to students from mid- to lower-class backgrounds."
holyc: The lifeguard decision was emotional and political, and it won all three CC Commissioners some brownie points at a time when they all desperately need them.
Francine Reis, according to an audio recording of a meeting, does not have time to conduct a national search for Bill Barron's replacement. Mielke is talking about giving someone from within (I think he mentioned the Public Works Director) the job on an interim basis because the citizens may be voting for Home Rule Charter in November, making the job one that is elected.
That was probably the smartest thing I have heard Mielke suggest ever.
Craig Pridemore would love that elected county administrator job. :)
luvithere: You are the most talented "wingman" I have ever had on any Forum ever. :) Sorry I missed the fun last night. I was elsewhere.....
DeeLittle: Here is a New York Times short article about liberal bias in academia. I like it because it cites some actual studies (published in peer-reviewed journals) that might help explain why there are more Democrats who become professors than there are Republicans:
[link text][1]
If you remember, I qualified my statement about what I have observed over the years in public school as ANECDOTAL. That means that my opinion was based on personal observation only, my personal story. Not evidence-based science. Over a 30 year career span in four school districts, administrators I know have had to step in several times when teachers have broken Federal and state law with respect to church/state separation. These incidents have been more frequent in the past three years, in my experience. My observation. It concerns me.
It does not have to concern you.
You might be someone who thinks that it is OK for a public school elementary teacher to scrawl on the blackboard: "We pray to Jesus" when she knows she has two children whose families follow the Islamic faith. Or for a teacher to tell a mentally ill student hiding under the desk in a psychotic panic: "The devil is speaking to you" before she erupts in prayer, escalating the situation. Those are two of the more extreme examples and they don't necessarily reflect a trend: that is why I qualified my statement with the word ANECDOTAL.
Trend or not, they just are unacceptable to me personally.
Maybe you attended a graduate school with one radical professor who advocated for violence as a means of social change. That is your anecdotal evidence, and I won't dream of trying to take that observation away from you.
Diversity is important in our society and our lives are exposed to it more and more. We all just have to live within the laws of our country until they are changed. That goes for radical professors, as well as evangelical Christian public school teachers.
Speaking of Washington's Transportation revenue package, I read somewhere this weekend (I am trying to locate the source to cite) that our esteemed legislators MIGHT be thinking of taking a revenue proposal to the voters, rather than deciding for themselves.
The current package is woefully inadequate to fund infrastructure repair and REPLACEMENT. It barely covers maintenance.
Will the legislature come up with a new revenue package during this special session? Anyone willing to place bets? :)
Looks like punting to the voters may be their choice eventually? Then we can get blamed for the next bridge collapse or dam failure or ?????
Lots to study so that informed decisions can be made.
Cross-cut's excellent 4 part series by Douglas MacDonald, "Trans-poor-tation" should be mandatory reading for all Washington voters. It informed me more than anything of the "big picture" problems facing our state with regards to adequate infrastructure funding.
Because this series was published BEFORE the Skagit bridge collapse, it almost seems prescient in its relevance now.
I learned a lot from taking the time to read this and I hope you all do, too. Cross-cut is my go-to source for balanced reporting on all things Washington:
timerick: I am not against religion, either: whatever gets you through the night. Life is hard.
But, like you mention, it is the rigid thinking and absolute certainty (evident in many fundamentalist religions) that their way is the ONLY way that makes me uncomfortable and threatens individual freedom.
Give someone like that power, and look out: we all become "serfs" (I compliment you on your choice on noun).
FastNav technology exploits "high profile, low-incidence" events and the public fear that ensues.
I have very little patience with businesses that profit from tragedy.
By the way, I also recommend a calm and reasoned approach to the Skagit bridge collapse: keep emotion out of it, defer important decisions based on this incident, until the experts have had time to analyze and weigh in.
It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of the moment. I do it, too.
By the way, way back when, Madore was trying to give FastNav technology to the schools for free (the education pillar).
Law enforcement very wisely rejected it and I raised a stink with the City Council to be aware, very aware of this "gift" because it carried a lot of colorful strings attached.
Open forum, May 27-June 2
Clark County's Deputy Administrator to retire in July.
They are jumping ship en masse:
[link text][1]
[1]: http://blogs.columbian.com/all-politi...
May 29, 2013 at 4:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Open forum, May 27-June 2
The big 9.0 earthquake is overdue for Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver BC, according to scientists who study these things.....
Sandi Doughton, science writer for the Seattle Times, has published a book that describes the evidence and what-when's (as opposed to what-if's).
I think I will pick one up:
[link text][1]
[1]: http://www.indiebound.org/book/978157...
May 29, 2013 at 8:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Open forum, May 27-June 2
Unpaid internships in journalism: Is this long-accepted rite closing the door on talented, lower-income students, making a journalism career a reality for only the privileged? Is the public losing an important minority voice as a result?
This is a thoughtful opinion piece from a Northwestern-trained journalist David Dennis in the Guardian that is worth a discussion. If not here, then in the newsroom water coolers nationwide:
"And therein lies the issue with unpaid internships. The practice of asking recent graduates to spend their days working for free while paying rent and living in a city like New York is a barrier for entry to students from mid- to lower-class backgrounds."
Read the full article at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfr...
May 29, 2013 at 7:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Open forum, May 27-June 2
holyc: The lifeguard decision was emotional and political, and it won all three CC Commissioners some brownie points at a time when they all desperately need them.
Francine Reis, according to an audio recording of a meeting, does not have time to conduct a national search for Bill Barron's replacement. Mielke is talking about giving someone from within (I think he mentioned the Public Works Director) the job on an interim basis because the citizens may be voting for Home Rule Charter in November, making the job one that is elected.
That was probably the smartest thing I have heard Mielke suggest ever.
Craig Pridemore would love that elected county administrator job. :)
May 28, 2013 at 7:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Open forum, May 27-June 2
luvithere: You are the most talented "wingman" I have ever had on any Forum ever. :) Sorry I missed the fun last night. I was elsewhere.....
DeeLittle: Here is a New York Times short article about liberal bias in academia. I like it because it cites some actual studies (published in peer-reviewed journals) that might help explain why there are more Democrats who become professors than there are Republicans:
[link text][1]
If you remember, I qualified my statement about what I have observed over the years in public school as ANECDOTAL. That means that my opinion was based on personal observation only, my personal story. Not evidence-based science. Over a 30 year career span in four school districts, administrators I know have had to step in several times when teachers have broken Federal and state law with respect to church/state separation. These incidents have been more frequent in the past three years, in my experience. My observation. It concerns me.
It does not have to concern you.
You might be someone who thinks that it is OK for a public school elementary teacher to scrawl on the blackboard: "We pray to Jesus" when she knows she has two children whose families follow the Islamic faith. Or for a teacher to tell a mentally ill student hiding under the desk in a psychotic panic: "The devil is speaking to you" before she erupts in prayer, escalating the situation. Those are two of the more extreme examples and they don't necessarily reflect a trend: that is why I qualified my statement with the word ANECDOTAL.
Trend or not, they just are unacceptable to me personally.
Maybe you attended a graduate school with one radical professor who advocated for violence as a means of social change. That is your anecdotal evidence, and I won't dream of trying to take that observation away from you.
Diversity is important in our society and our lives are exposed to it more and more. We all just have to live within the laws of our country until they are changed. That goes for radical professors, as well as evangelical Christian public school teachers.
[1]: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/edu...
May 28, 2013 at 7:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Open forum, May 27-June 2
Speaking of Washington's Transportation revenue package, I read somewhere this weekend (I am trying to locate the source to cite) that our esteemed legislators MIGHT be thinking of taking a revenue proposal to the voters, rather than deciding for themselves.
The current package is woefully inadequate to fund infrastructure repair and REPLACEMENT. It barely covers maintenance.
Will the legislature come up with a new revenue package during this special session? Anyone willing to place bets? :)
Looks like punting to the voters may be their choice eventually? Then we can get blamed for the next bridge collapse or dam failure or ?????
Lots to study so that informed decisions can be made.
May 27, 2013 at 8:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Open forum, May 27-June 2
Cross-cut's excellent 4 part series by Douglas MacDonald, "Trans-poor-tation" should be mandatory reading for all Washington voters. It informed me more than anything of the "big picture" problems facing our state with regards to adequate infrastructure funding.
Because this series was published BEFORE the Skagit bridge collapse, it almost seems prescient in its relevance now.
I learned a lot from taking the time to read this and I hope you all do, too. Cross-cut is my go-to source for balanced reporting on all things Washington:
[link text][1]
[1]: http://crosscut.com/transportation/Tr...
May 27, 2013 at 7:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Open forum, May 20-26
timerick: I am not against religion, either: whatever gets you through the night. Life is hard.
But, like you mention, it is the rigid thinking and absolute certainty (evident in many fundamentalist religions) that their way is the ONLY way that makes me uncomfortable and threatens individual freedom.
Give someone like that power, and look out: we all become "serfs" (I compliment you on your choice on noun).
May 26, 2013 at 11:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Open forum, May 20-26
FastNav technology exploits "high profile, low-incidence" events and the public fear that ensues.
I have very little patience with businesses that profit from tragedy.
By the way, I also recommend a calm and reasoned approach to the Skagit bridge collapse: keep emotion out of it, defer important decisions based on this incident, until the experts have had time to analyze and weigh in.
It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of the moment. I do it, too.
May 26, 2013 at 11:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Open forum, May 20-26
By the way, way back when, Madore was trying to give FastNav technology to the schools for free (the education pillar).
Law enforcement very wisely rejected it and I raised a stink with the City Council to be aware, very aware of this "gift" because it carried a lot of colorful strings attached.
From a 2010 Columbian article:
[link text][1]
[1]: http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/no...
May 26, 2013 at 10:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )