Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Worst Schools Ever
Six of every 10 Illinois public schools failed to meet federal test targets this year and risk federal sanctions as a result, according to information released Thursday by the Illinois State Board of Education. High schools fared the worst. Statewide, 656 of the 666 public high schools fell short of the proficiency standard on math…
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Occupy The Courts
Now this I have a problem with: Lawyers representing about 800 Occupy Wall Street protesters arrested in the past month demand that prosecutors drop the charges. If not, they say they won’t deal and will insist on going to trial – putting pressure on the already overloaded Manhattan criminal courts. “I’d like to suggest to…
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Residents Flee St. Louis
Does this sound familiar? St. Louis is losing residents, according to U.S. Census figures released Thursday, and the population decline goes deeper than being another blow to the proud city’s image. The drop will mean a financial loss that could cost the already cash-strapped Gateway City millions of dollars. Figures from the 2010 census were…
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CPS racial disparity grew under Daley
A study by two University of Illinois at Chicago professors Thursday dumped on the idea of a Chicago Public Schools “miracle’’ under Mayor Daley and pushed for an elected — rather than appointed — school board to move city schools forward. The disparities between black and white students, and between Latino and white students, have…
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Tomorrow’s Email Today
The following email is scheduled to go out at 5:00AM CT 02/09/2011 Dear Friends and Neighbors, I don’t like being over-dramatic but this may be one of the most important emails you’ll read this month. Please give me 1 min of your time on two topics concerning the upcoming aldermanic race. First Topic: Genita Robinson,…
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The Supreme Court Decision
I realize this is now old news but it is worth mentioning that the decision of the Illinois Supreme Court placing Rahm on the ballot is going to have far reaching consequences. Justices Freeman and Burke appear to be the only members of the court with any vision: Suffice it to say, therefore, that this…
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Yes it’s been a few days
Yes, I realize that it has been several days — and a lot has happened — since my last posting. About a week before snowpocalypse I ran into a buzz saw and I’m just getting caught-up. Everyone gets busy from time to time and this blog on occasion takes more time that it should. But…
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The Rahm Situation, Part II: The Sword
He who lives by the sword dies by the sword. — Matthew 26:52 Surely it is folly to suggest that Rahm is getting any less than he fully deserves. When you live your life in politics and have so playfully toyed with so many peoples lives as he has, things just have a way a…
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The Rahm Situation, Part I: Enforce the Law
The surest way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. — Abraham Lincoln While editorial boards, talking heads, and policy wonks from near and far are condemning the recent Appellate Court decision removing Rahm from the ballot based on emotion, there has been little discussion in the media as to what…
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Wall Street Partying in Davos, We Suffer
I realize this is not a local issue but I can’t help myself: JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s profits last year were the highest in the bank’s history, and Citigroup Inc. returned money to the U.S. Treasury and reported its first full- year profit since 2007. Governments have so far opted against breaking up or levying…
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