Bethel Police cut costs at the price of our children's education

Yesterday's cover of the News Times gave tribute to a few stories which I found bothersome and in conflict with each other. I was drawn to the headline which read "Bethel ends DARE program in schools." But then to look a little to the left and find a picture of a happy cop and his new companion the drug sniffing German Sheppard. Granted the dog belongs to the Danbury precinct, I thought it was an ironic sequence of events. We cut programs educating our children on drug use, yet prepare ourselves to the fullest to apprehend and punish them when they DO become addicts and pushers.

The officer's name who ran the DARE program for 5th graders in Bethel for 21 years, is Ralph DeLuca. While DeLuca is disappointed, the commission chairman of the Bethel precinct feels that they would rather keep him around for other purposes during the 55 hours over a course of ten weeks he would have spent with students.

The remaining drug education that the children will receive is attached to their health course which focuses on "refusal skills." Whatever that means.

I, as a resident of Bethel, feel like it is important to get this word out and maybe raise funds that would support even a looser program which helps to host drug abuse seminars or even puts out pamphlets. Although it is obvious that the DARE program is not fully effective, it is the principle of the matter. Is the small amount of money saved in this situation (only 1,000 in supplies plus Officer DeLuca's pay) worth the risks of our children growing up without specific knowledge on the issue of Drug abuse and resistance?

At least when they do slip away, we'll be able to SNIFF them out

Can we keep up?

I have been paying close attention lately to the exposure WCSU has been getting for the increase in transfer students and the record breaking number of degrees West Conn has given out in 2010. In the stories I have read on the CSUS news room web site, the college is praised for providing a "great education and great value," and "excellent student support services," as proven by these recent increases. I am just wondering how any of these recent trends actually reflect the quality of the education that students are getting here? We require just a 2.0 GPA to get in with an acceptance rate of 62%, so I would be curious to find out how many people graduate with higher than a C-average.

The influx in transfers is most likely a direct result of the economic downturn. Regardless, I would be interested in finding out how the school is preparing to deal with such a dramatic increase in students, while also dealing with cuts in funding and growing energy costs. As reported by the Associated Press, according to National Conference of State Legislators (as of 2008,) 30 states face budget shortages, which heightens concerns of tightening budgets.

Both CSUS articles referenced a "recent survey" that shows 90% of seniors to be in favor of the education they have received, but I would be interested in what defines recent and by whom and where the survey took place.

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I don’t like this feeling of being at war with the school I attend, I don’t like to be such a cynic, but I can't give credit where it's not due and at the very least I would like to uncover the legitimacy of these statements, which were most likely written with the school's best interests in mind.



http://www.ct.edu/newsroom/releases/#releases

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26334415/

Technically you werent really on the radio

 Mr. President Shmotter has another 'great idea!' I am all for a radio show that introduces and shares the positive accomplishments of the professors here at WCSU, hey maybe Ill be convinced that WCSU can actually offer that "higher education" that Paul spoke of. It def could have been a little more effective to interview a professor who maybe wrote a book ,or lead some scientific breakthrough or something, rather than the school drug councilor and spokesperson to spout statistics about drug use on campus. That one may have been a miss. And I am still not convinced.

The Future of WCSU Website and More Blog Reflection

Reading Paul Steinmetz's blog for the first time, I must say that I do enjoy his wit and honesty. I did notice one thing in his Web Site blog that left me wondering. We have a clear agenda here from Mr. President Shmotter to redesign the page and make it easier for prospective students who may want to attend to find information. Everyone is enthralled with this idea, brilliant. I also noticed that durring the website brainstorm sessions it was brought up that information should be made available to people who dont attend but would like to check out events, I agree. I just hope that we dont completely forget about the people who alread pay tuition at WCSU and THEIR needs. I dont have any real complaints about the site right now, a little digging a little to find a transcript or a professor's email address never hurt anyone, but I would hate to see my library and email access hidden beneath public relations banners and fun quotes like " I have so much fun and get a great education here at WCSU"

Please try to write current students into your agenda

Soda Bottle Bombs makin a come back!

Just a little quickie:

In Tennessee, kids are making serious bombs out of draino and tin foil and stuffing them into plastic bottles. The combination, when aroused, creates a boiling hot explosion that will take off fingers and faces. I dont presume it is happening much any higher than the South, but just be weary of any strange bottle you find in your yard or mailbox.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp


Snopes proves it true

Crazy Pastor Pretends to Want to Burn Koran

This whole case is  interesting and infuriating to me for several reasons. I am a cinic by nature towards American media, and the first thing that comes to mind when I hear about this situation, is the rediculous ammount of media and world wide attention that this red-neck, bigot from Florida has gotten. But on a more intelligent note, there are several issues consequently arising, among them, the safety of our troops and the safety of Muslim civilians who warship peacefully in this country.

The glorification of this story in the Media has sparked unwarrented violence in Afrghanistan and has given the Taliban the fuel they need to further ignite a fire of hatred towards America and lead Muslims to  believe that America is further waging a war against Islam. Protests of thousands broke out throughout Afghanistan and as reported by the AP, pamphlets distributed by the Taliban read statements like "it is Americans who are doing this," and "this is the brutal policy of the enemy of Muslims."

Listening to NPR this morning I also learned that threats are being made against troops overseas and the Sgt. General, the man in charge of the safety of the men and women in service, was urging the pastor to call off his plans to try to give rest to this surge of violence and hatred.

On another note, this story (which reighns over the media hand and hand with the buildaing of a Mosque at ground zero,) sheds light on the problems we have in this country with fear and xzenophobia.

We live in a 'free country' where much of the white, christian American society are afraid of and look down on people with dissimilar beliefs. One fear people have of Islam is that they are trying to spread the teachings of the Koran by building Mosques and that it is a violent and irrational religion. But no one has ever questioned or tryed to stop the spread of christianity and the building of churches, and really have we even stopped to look history in the face and accept how christianity became the number one religion in America?! How we went about spreading our religion and our churches. I know a rational, non-hypocrytical stance on the violence we witness ONLY  through tedious selections by the media moguls is far from reality, but the truth is right there.

This is a counrty of laws and morals based on a constitution BASED on our Judeo/Christian beliefs. The religious implications which deny gay men the right to marry and deny us the right to buy booze on sunday and the sabbath. And we are accusing other religions of trying to spread their laws and beliefs. 

So when we give some guy, some bud in a can drinking, little boy fondling pastor from the south, the micrphone to spew things like 'radical islam,' and 'take over....enforce upon us...'  it sparks fear and in our vulnerable and neurotic state, the ball is in the hands of the terrorists.

Maybe thats what the media wants..... more fear... more war.... more money.. more oil... who knows. But really I am just sickened because everyone cares so fucking much about some joe shmo..... and little does ANYONE know.... people have already died because of him. And we STILL put him in the news.

"Is he gonna do it?".... "Nope he postponed it." ....."HES GONNA DO IT!"....."hes thinking about it asking god and preying on it."

Really people?

The Fire Scribe

This is my first blog ever. I have always been a simple observer, who likes a loud mouth anyways? I have always had an opinion but always stopped to consider all sides of a story. And maybe this is what has always stopped me from sharing what I think and how I feel, a lack of substance and confidence to my always dancing, molting, moving waves of thought. Kind of like fire, which can be beautiful and at the same time destructive, similar to opinion. So if I had to chose an outlet to voice my deep and most inner thoughts on things it would have to come purely from the fire inside me. Burn and blaze like fire, destroy and create like fire and make, at very least, a lasting impression.