Cigar Man Graph / Identity

Thanks to Cigar Man for sending me an email that suggested I produce the graph showing total enrollment figures for the University of Arizona and Pima Community College. The graph reflects the solid data that public institutions are mandated to submit to the Department of Education. The counts reflect real students taking courses for credit.

As you can see from the graph, Pima College enrollment is growing at a rate faster than that of the University of Arizona, and it is generally felt that the harsh economic climate is causing students to choose PCC over the university to save money, either settling for two year degrees or using PCC and then transferring.

Folks should understand that the growing enrollment is occurring as public funding for both institutions has been cut dramatically. The impact hits both institutions and students. Class sizes are increasing. Faculty are being stratified to include lower paid instructors and lecturers. Use of graduate students as fully accountable teachers operating with minimal supervision (or none) is climbing.

This is but one of the countless consequences of the Bush administration, which set up policies that funnel all wealth to the richest 1% of the nation. They get everything. The rest of us do without.

Speaking of Cigar Man, I've received more than a few inquiries on his identity. He has granted me permission to let people know that he is in education and has been involved with workforce development for many years. He has taught classes himself and understands the front lines of what it takes to teach and develop people in the real world. What he and I share is the interest in REALITY versus the bullshit of empty rhetoric and the circus we know as the Cloth.

When SAIAT started to really take off in 2005 and 2006, training thousands of people in hundreds of companies, the cloth components of workforce development and economic development went crazy. Someone started to actually do something on the stage where they enjoyed their do nothing jobs. I owe him a lot for warning me that my days were numbered. As far as I can remember, he has been 100% correct in everything he has said.

SAIAT is long gone, and Nina Trasoff is being paid $5000 to tell us about training. We know the difference it will make. Things are back to normal.

Paranormal Activity Truly Frightening

Paranormal Activity (2007) is one of the most genuinely frightening films I have ever experienced, and having reached middle (if not older middle) age and devoured a ridiculous volume of cinema, it takes a lot to scare me. The gore genre films such as Saw, Hostel, bore me, or worse (House of 1000 Corpses), are disgusting and unwatchable. While the more respectable Carpenter films (Halloween) and the best of the zombie films (Dawn of the Dead) are fun in a certain respect, they don't evoke the slightest fear at all. None.

Films that truly frighten, such as Friedkin's The Exorcist (1973), Scott's Alien (1979), Kubrick's The Shining (1980), The Blair Witch Project (1999), the Ring (2002), and The Descent (2005) provide far greater experiences. Nothing produces fear like an unknown, barely seen, and clearly not understood evil menace lurking from a place beyond one's grasp. Paranormal Activity successfully employs these elements in a way that patiently escalates a growing malevolence terrorizing and stalking a couple with clearly evil intent.

Shot for a song (about $15K), the film now has the distinction of generating the greatest return on investment in motion picture history. Yes, there will be a sequel probably as horrible as most sequels, but the original is indeed original and worth a watch. Afterward, you might find yourself sleeping with the lights on.

Wisdom and Ignorance

WISDOM

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
- ARTICLE XIV of the United States Constitution

Rights are not subject to a vote. The nine don't get to vote on the rights of the one. That's why it's called a right. The conservative "rights for white Christian heterosexuals only" crowd saw their self-righteous opinions fall flat against the rule of law, reason, and solid academic research. Regarding California's mean spirited Proposition 8, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker analyzed all of the legal issues, thoroughly examined the evidence and the arguments, and wrote a very careful and well written 136 page opinion.

1. Marriage is a fundamental right.
2. Gender roles are not specified in the institution of marriage.
3. Denying individuals the right to marry without cause is a direct violation of the Constitution.

There is NO CAUSE for denying rights to same gender couples.

Congrats to those fighting the fight for real equality under the law.

IGNORANCE

Speaking of the 14th Amendment, conservatives are choking on the first sentence after being whipped into a frenzy over the notion of anchor baby birth centers where the brown people conduct "baby drops."

Quantities, people. The few with enough sense to consider numbers are citing the Pew Hispanic Center (but not providing a link) that the TOTAL number of births to the illegal immigrant population is in the range of 300,000. Right wing SB1070 supporting FAIR puts the number at 425,000. It is no higher than that, and that's ALL births to families lacking papers, the vast majority having been here for years.

So how many are pulling the pop in, squeeze a pup, and pop out?

About 10,000 / year. MSNBC suggested about 8,000. Those on the right all fuming still only come up with 20,000 or a little more.

We are a nation of 310,000,000 people, and these characters want to modify the US Constitution to stop 10,000 baby drops, one drop per year for every 3.1 million people. That's TWO (yes, 2!!) baby drops in a state the size of Arizona. OK, fine, let's say Arizona gets TEN times the national rate.

20 babies.

OK, fine, let's say it's children of ALL illegal immigrants.

600 babies. Do you really think this is about 600 births a year in a state of 6 million people?

Even if the numbers above are off by 30 or even 100 percent, it's clear that this is not about the actual impact of the phenomenon. This is about the racism that has erupted like an ugly and hideous boil now that a certain set of white people are incensed that they have an African American President.

Said more accurately, this is about hate and fear mongering for financial or political gain now that a certain set of white people are sheep ripe for fleecing. It speaks volumes about the hypocrisy of both the shepherds and the sheep who profess with such energy their commitment to the US Constitution, until, of course, they see an opportunity to score a short term gain by throwing parts of the Constitution under the bus.