The not so good, the bad, and the very ugly...

I'm sure Clint Eastwood wouldn't mind.

The not so good (but damned interesting)...

"Richter Science."

I make a point of noting I'm referring to the "science" because certainly the death toll in Japan personifies morbid. That being said, it's the science of this tragedy that I found fascinating and only serves to underscore the impact of what occurred.

Did you know this? In a story found HERE, scientists have determined that the quake was so powerful that it actually shortened the length of a day on planet earth.

From the story: "A new analysis of the 8.9-9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan has found that the intense temblor has accelerated Earth's spin, shortening the length of the 24-hour day by 1.8 microseconds, according to geophysicist Richard Gross at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif."

In addition, data suggests the earthquake moved Japan's main island about 8 feet (according to Kenneth Hudnut of the U.S. Geological Survey). The earthquake also shifted Earth's figure axis by about 6 1/2 inches.

That's just unbelievable. At first listen I thought perhaps I was being informed by George Norry. I mean this is the stiff of science fiction ... or the New Testament.

And it underscores the awesome, raw, incomprehensible power of nature. Making the idea that humans could cause or prevent things such as blizzards, heat waves, dust bowls, hurricanes, tsunamis, or even plain old weather, all the more ridiculous.

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The bad...

While reading your PA school budget post (& kudos to Mick for such a dedicated work ethic to his civic duties), something occurred to me. As is the case with all bureaucracies (especially of the government variety), for every problem they attempt to solve they create 3 more. It's what I call the "Gremlins Rule." Folks like Micheal Moore et al are running around claiming that America, and these various states, aren't broke at all. That the wealth is simply in the wrong hands. Moore even went so far as to suggest seizing the assets of the 399 most wealthy Americans (don't ask me how he arrived at that number) in order to pay for needed social programs (the man's gone from a half wit socialist to a hard core Stalinist). But for those of us attached to reality we know that raising taxes is not the solution, and given the damage to the greater economy it would cause, such a move would undoubtedly serve to worsen the budget crisis of states like PA and WI, not fix it. If you combine this with the idea that NCLB has become "burdensome", and that in a tax payer funded school system parents are going to be expected to supplement things like band, you quickly realize that in a pretzel logic way, Moore almost got it right - the problem isn't money. It's who spends the money. Namely, the bureaucracy. Did you know that New York, in a fiscal crisis itself, spends $14k annually per student?

Let me bring this into focus: what would eliminate 99.9% of issues such as budget shortfalls, class room sizes, extracurricular activities, etc, etc?

How about sending a voucher check for what the estimated per student amount is for the entire state, to each parent or legal guardian, and allow that parent to pick and choose where their child attends school within the Commonwealth of PA? This is what the uber wealthy do already. They shop around and find the most bang for their educational buck. They don't adhere to districting, they simply pick the best school for the best tuition rate, and send their child. Why shouldn't the average tax payer be afforded the same ability? I'd much rather have the money in the hands of discerning, shopping savvy mothers and fathers then (all due respect to your friend and my acquaintance), putting the burden on a single man siiting atop a fiscal beuracracy. The best schools would thrive and be flush with cash. The worst would shrivel and cease to exist. These arbitrary lines of districting, locking children into failing schools (often minorities to boot), is madness.

This works for the wealthy, for discerning college students. Hell, this sort of free market based model works in every aspect of our society. It's only when government steps in to subsidize failure do we get a Fannie Mae, or crumbling elementary school. I'd prefer to send my sons to private school. Now, I can't afford the annual $7k per child (to randomly pick a number) for Catholic school, but if I were getting the tax dollars back in a form of a voucher and it was say $4,500 here in Nevada, then I'd be able to close the gap. More and more quality schools would open up to service the vouchers as those unable to compete closed.

And just a personal anecdote ... when I was in 3rd grade at Sacred Heart, my teacher noticed I was reading at an advanced level. She called a nun in. They had a 5 minute discussion. And every day when we took to the reading and English hour the nun appeared and walked me down to the 4th grade class. I returned after. No forms to fill out. No proficiency tests, meetings with the principal, petitioning the education board. Just a 5 minute discussion. And that's the difference, in my opinion, between the current federal/state Ed Departments and what a voucher system would do. One's a 5 minute discussion to decide and apply what works ... and the other is filling out multi colored forms, in triplicate.

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The very ugly...

What was it? 27 injured? And 4 of those were Israeli commandos. The "Flotilla Raid" captured headlines and the world's attention for at least a week. So can someone tell me why THIS STORY isn't getting more coverage? Or any for that matter. . .

On Friday night March 11th, 2011 the Fogel Family, living in the Community of Itimar in Samaria, was fast asleep. Between the hours of 10:30pm and 11pm, local time, 2 Palestinians broke a window and entered the Fogel's home. The Palestinians soon appeared in the parent's bedroom where they stabbed the 36 year old father Udi Fogel, 34 year old mother Ruth, and their 3 month old baby girl Hadas, to death, in their beds. They then turn, proceed down the hall and enter the children's bedroom where two more of the Fogel's sons were sleeping. They quickly drew their blades and proceeded to murder Yoav, 11 years, and Elad, 4 years. But the horror isn't over. At 12:30a.m., with the heinous murderers just gone, 12 year old daughter Tamar returns home from a youth event to discover the bodies of her parents and 3 siblings. But there are 6 children in the Fogel family. She finds her 2 surviving siblings and calls for help.

A moving 3 minute 30 second video documenting the family and their murder can be found HERE.

Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency told Iranians that the attackers “managed to kill all the five Zionists who were in the house…. The Palestinian combatant has returned home safely after conducting his mission successfully... The operation was a natural response to the crimes of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people.”

Hamas stated, “According to the international law, Palestinian resistance factions have the full right to resist any kind of occupation on the land of Palestine, as well as the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people in West Bank and Gaza grant the Palestinian resistance factions to use all tools and means of resistance against the Israeli occupation forces and the armed Israeli settlers.”

A statement by PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad simply stated, "We are against violence and condemn it regardless of the circumstances, identity of the victims or the goals.” But he did not state that the PA would help search for the perpetrators whom are believed to be held up in the Palestinian village of Awarta.

These are Israel's "peace partners."