Open Thread May 9, 2023

Yesterday, as I usually do on Mondays, I slept even later tnan usual. When I got up, I did a few personal things, then turned to my email. and immediately saw that Grace Bumbry had died. I assure you thre are better ways to start a day. Of course, the loss of a diva (or a divo) whom I admired enough to buy vinyl of (and I was very picky when I was doing that) is just going to happen to me more and more. And, although she is gone, her achievements, including the trailblazing she did, remain and will continue to be built upon. But there sre still better ways to start a day. I did do the Name Drop, and it was someone I had heard of (it isn’t always), but I cetainly never would have known that from the first clue, as I had no idea he had served at the Battle of Lepanto, and on the way home been captured by pirates and held for five years, and the second clue was also obscure. But on the third clue I figured out the dude was from La Mancha (and it was the referenced musical which gave that away.) I’m really not a competetive person (except with myself – I always want to learn and improve) – and that’s why I’m drawn to Name Drop. I almost always learn something, even if it’s not terribly useful.  And if Cervantes was a veteran of one of the most important conflicts in history, and a POW, so to speak, for 5 years, that deserves to be remembered.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The 19th – Kimberlé Crenshaw’s work was cut from AP African American Studies. Now she’s fighting back
Quote – Crenshaw [led] the “Freedom to Learn” national day of action [last] Wednesday to protest rising censorship in schools. The day of demonstration includes rallies, book readings, teach-ins and live virtual events. The goal is to build a coalition — now including civil rights groups, Black Greek-letter organizations, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association — that advocates for inclusive learning….. The “Freedom to Learn” national day of action stems from an open letter that scholars and their allies sent to the College Board, urging it to preserve the integrity of AP African American Studies by not eliminating from the course “divisive concepts” and works by academics including Crenshaw, Roderick Ferguson and the late bell hooks. In April, the College Board announced that it would make changes to AP African American Studies over the next few months, but it is uncertain if it will restore the pilot curriculum.
Click through for article and interview. On the one hand, if anyone should be for education without political bias, it’s the College Board. On the other hand, exactly because it’s a private organization, little can be done to force it to live up to standards, even its own.

Fox 31 – Stolen Colorado tiny house found at Kansas grain elevator
Quote – Hamilton County Sheriff Michael Wilson said the Colorado State Patrol notified his office Sunday evening to be on the lookout for a tiny house and that it was possibly headed toward Coolidge. It had been taken from a farm in Otero County, Colorado…. The sheriff said the men also allegedly had a stolen trailer and a Bobcat. He said the suspects are being held in jail on suspicion of possession of stolen property. The tiny house is valued at $9,000. The sheriff said the $33,000 Bobcat was stolen out of Castle Rock, Colorado, and the $25,000 trailer is from Florida.
Click through for details. Yes, this is from a Fox affiliate. But the keywords are “affliate” and “local.” One of the most maddening things about Fox, IMO, is that the affiliates generally have sound news departments with accurate local news. Unfortunately, this tends to validate all of Fox in weak minds.

Food For Thought