Open Thread – 5/1/2010

Today is International Workers’ Day, so it is fitting that we take a moment to honor those that earn or have earned their keep, rather that prey on our nation from corporate boardrooms.

Yesterday I actually caught up on comments and returning visits.  I hope to do more visiting today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:44.  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: The United States economy has expanded for three quarters in a row, the Commerce Department said on Friday, helped along by consumer spending. Now the question is, Will the jobs follow?

The broadest measure of the overall economy grew at an inflation-adjusted annual rate of 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2010, the Commerce Department reported. It had expanded 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 and 2.2 percent in the third quarter.

Jobs are always the last thing to turn.  This good news indicates that the economy has solidly changed direction from the downward spiral that Republican rule brought us and will again, if we are ever so foolish as to let them return to power.

From Think Progress: Today, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Arizona Department of Education “recently began telling school districts that teachers whose spoken English it deems to be heavily accented or ungrammatical must be removed from classes for students still learning English”.

Students do best when they can identify with the teacher.  I see this in my volunteer work, because being an ex-con that has made it gives me a level of credibility with prisoners and former prisoners that people who have never been there can’t have.  Using that same rationale, who could be better to teach an immigrant than another immigrant?  This is just one more example of rampant GOP racism in Arizona.

Cartoon:

Have a great weekend.