Yes, I'm using Torchwood to talk about Education.

_posted in education | tv | 04 September 2009

"LAUSD Shame On You"    photography credit: Daye Rogers

I am unequivocally and unabashedly a Torchwood fan. There are some episodes where the cheese levels exceeds what should be legally allowed in any country but that's what I love about it. Even amongst the 51st century pheromones of Captain Jack Harkness, the pansexuality and the campiness there are truly extraordinary well written moments- actually more than just a few well written moments. This mix of campy over the top and quiet moments is what makes Torchwood appealing to me. Somehow, even when life is at it's most ridiculous for these characters, it just happens to sometimes fall into the realm of the profound, and that's where Torchwood seems to excel.

With the five-day story arc that is season three, Children of Earth, they've upped the ante. Yes, there are tons of explosions, Ianto and Jack kiss, and there's the improbability of television science, but most importantly there's a tighter plot with some damn fine writing, acting and directing. Could this be because they've compressed the show down to a cohesive five episode arc? Or because it's the same director for all five episodes? Or maybe it's because there are only three scribes involved? Or could it be the addition of solid actors on the other side of the aisle from the Torchwood crew?

Whatever the reason, the ride is fast, hard and fun, just what I expect from my Torchwood. After two seasons and a lot of drama, death and sex, we can't forget the sex, it seems the Torchwood crew has finally developed into solid characters. Gwen has definitely come into her own. She's taken the lead and done it without any second thoughts or approval from Jack, who's darker than we've ever seen him, by the way. We finally get a see a Jack who was more compromising and willing to do questionable things, even if it is for the greater good. Added to that is a more contemporary version of the results of his life amongst us mortals and who knew Ianto even had a life before Torchwood?

It's the new players in the game that have made Torchwood less cheese and more sincere. Cush Jumbo's take on her character, Lois Habiba, a temp personal assistant who is thrown in the middle of political intrigue and an alien invasion is noteworthy. She's deft at balancing her fear, sense of responsibility and strength. Paul Copley takes us on a trip of lost innocence, consequences of our past and fear with such lovely acting, that I just wanted to gather the old fella into my arms and tell him it would be alright, that almost 45 years later he'll be able to rest easy. But it's Peter Capldi, who I crushed on seriously in Crow Road so many years ago, that takes the cheese out of the sails, as it were. He's exceptional as the reluctant, but too damn good at being a middleman, middleman. To watch him squirm at not at his own efficiency, but his willingness to betray the English public should make you hate him, but instead you feel sorry for the man. Watching his character's arc, you finally feel that a man who never truly took the lead in his career has finally done so and it's a poetic and sad ending.

We listen as this consummate middleman sits in a room with his fellow politicians deciding on how to carry out a master plan that reminds us that in realty we don't need aliens to steal and do horrible things to children. And this is where screenwriters Russell T. Davies, John Fay, James Moran (of Severance fame) and director Euros Lyn shine. Watching as a table of men and women decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of children of Great Britain is chilling. The most chilling, however, is listening to the only woman of power in the room justify their selection criteria of the doomed children.

On the one hand we've got the good schools and I don't just mean those producing graduates, I mean the pupils that will go on to staff our hospitals, our offices, our factories, the workforce of the future. We need them. Accepted, yes? So, set against that you've got the failing schools, full of the less able, the less socially useful, those destined to spend a lifetime on benefits, occupying places on the dole que and frankly the prisons. Now look, should we treat them equally? God knows we've tried and we've failed. And now, time has come to choose. And if we can't identify, the lowest achieving ten percent of this country's children, then what are the school league tables for?

I can't help but be in awe of the timeliness of that bit of honesty. I'm sure that resonated deeply with me because of my own view points about education and its current condition in the US. Various states have or are facing massive layoffs. The Los Angeles Unified School Board (LAUSD) has gone through rounds of layoffs, while the Pontiac School Board laid off all it's teachers. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. One can only feel that the United States is plunging head first into the death of public education or rather the birth of its privatization.

Either way, this scene hits on so many of the points I've read and the conversations I've had with teachers in the last few months. What's most telling is the character's implied assertion that it's the students fault that the schools are failing. After all, these are "less able" and "less socially useful" individuals. Too often I've heard and read comments on various news blogs that read like a laundry list of why black and brown poor kids are to blame for the subpar educational experience we're providing. And yes, that "we're" includes you and me. Instead of making our school district leaders or other elected officials accountable concerning public education, too often it's the students who are squarely attacked, either because they are poor or undocumented or of color. I've found myself enraged often after reading, yet another anonymous comment that students in LAUSD's failing schools are "criminals anyway." Is this, the best we can do, attack the students?

_illegals from los angeles writes

Get rid of the illegals. That will fix the problem in one action. Start requiring proof of citizenship each fall.

_rena b writes

Don't throw good money after bad. Obviously all the money in the world will not change the attitude of drop outs and their parents who don't care. An attitude adjustment is in place. impose a fee on each parent per child per semester and fine them if their kids fluff off and fail. Hold the kids back who don't do well until they can pass the grade, don't push them ahead.

The character mentions the "school league tables" which is akin to our system of ranking schools based on high stake testing. Sometimes it's nice to see that we're not alone in our struggles, but it doesn't make me feel better to know that public urban education in England, France, and other developed Western countries are struggling just as much as we are.

The fact that it's an adult science fiction television series that touches on what is usually of no interest in most prime time televisions shows, save the substantive season 4 of The Wire, is at the same time sad and exhilarating. It's not the focal point of the series but it's an important plot point and I appreciate the writers putting it on the table, for making us question the possibility that these tests could and are indeed used for a variety of purposes, maybe nefariously, even if it's for just a second.

And this is how I know Torchwood has stepped up it's game. It's rare that an episode of Torchwood ever stuck with me. Maybe a few lines of dialogue would stick, here and there, but nothing really resonated. It was always fun to watch and sexy. This season of Torchwood, however, has come to a great place in it's story. Like Joss Whedon, Russell T. Davies has excelled in killing off those indispensable characters, which really keeps the audience on their toes or infuriates them. If we're to see a season 4 of Torchwood, Davies and Co., have set up a nice clean slate to work with, hopefully they'll continue throwing in a little more realty with all that science fiction.

_vidcheck: j. michael straczynski: babylon 5

just in general...

_posted in dayedayerocks | education | smitten with | 07 March 2008

Currently Smitten With

Bedrich Smetana's Vltava (Die Moldau)
Engraved Moleskines
The Rubber Room
Pyrex Love
Mad About Mugs
Zakuski

This I Believe

Everyday I read a "This I Believe" essay. Everyday I learn something new, everyday something resonates within me. I've included one of Antero's kids "This I Believe." I may have not mentioned it but he's blogging for the LA Times now. I know, superstar. OH! And he got won a massive MacArthur Grant with Greg Niemeyer from UC Berkley!

_quote 1

I had big expectations of the students, but after my first day, I asked my sister about what was wrong with the people in my school. She told me that the people I expected to see go to different schools and I asked why hadn't she taken me there? She took the time to explain.
The first thing she asked me was: "Do you think segregation is only in Sudan?" I said no, but I don't think there is segregation in the U.S.
Berhanu: This I Believe

_quote 2

In sharing this story, I believe I can speak to someone who is where Catherine was: Someone who is valuable, who is worth while, and who is loved. I believe that in one moment of admirable strength, the chains and silence can be broken, if even with only a whisper that says, "I need some help."
Tiesha: A Moment of Admirable Strength

_quote 3

Family is defined by bonds much deeper than birth, or skin color, or genetics. Those of us lucky enough experience 'found' love know that family is defined only by the heart.
Stephanie: Family is Defined by Bonds Deeper Than Birth

_quote 4

For those that claim motherhood (or stepmother-hood) is a thankless job, I submit that all of us are nothing more or less than the sum of who we love. It doesn't matter whether your family is whole, divorced or divided, the only way to achieve any kind of happiness in this world is by loving a handful of people. I believe we are marked by the people who love us, whether we like it or not, for the rest of our short lives on earth.
Amy: The Best Kind of Grief is Gratitude

brown vs. board of education is dead.

_posted in education | news | 01 July 2007

i spent all day thursday at work creating a website for the supreme court's recent decision on voluntary integration. they struck down the seattle school district's use of race to to determine where a majority of students will attend school. this was their way of fighting segregation in their schools. it is no doubt a blow to brown vs. broad of education.

the "cruel irony" as justice stevens writes in his individual dissent, is for chief justice roberts to evoke brown vs. broad of ed. to justify his decision to strike down seattle's method of desegregating schools. roberts also stated, "the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."

i call bullshit. when you have schools that are 80-90% one race and 20-10% another race you have serious issues. how can our young people function in an ever changing world having never interacted with other races? the only white faces some of these kids see are teachers, who in their world are examples of power and dominance. they never interact with peers or families at their level from other races.

i've been doing my documentary at a school that is 80% latino and 20% black. from what im told there are about two white kids, and no asian students. this school has about 5,000 kids in a school meant for maybe 2,000 kids. needless to say these kids are at a disadvantage from day one. the resources at their school are sorely lacking. there is a clinic on campus that is about to be shut down due to lack of funds. so the students and teachers have to fundraise in order to keep it open. there are teachers who pay for books with their own money or who are regulars on donors choose.

brown vs. broad of education died a long time ago. and this week the supreme court put the final nail in that coffin. it rests quietly next to thurgood marshall at arlington national cemetary. a 5-4 split down party lines is just another example of how we still make decisions based on our belief in our party's ideologies, not our children's future. but the truth of the matter is how many of these justice's liberal or not, have kids in these schools effected by this decision; none. when people of power believe that all children can get the same education without needing the backing of our legal system then we as a country, and as citizens of the world, lose out.

so does moving from a race-based system to an economic-based system make things better? you'll still be on the race-based track. historically minorities have been the poorest in this country. either way, schools in neighborhoods where parent(s) are working two or three jobs are the losers in thursday's decision. neighborhoods where 50% of the students drop out of school,which by the way are the numbers nationwide for black and latino students, due to the lack of resources or even just decent resources are the losers. i'm not saying the majority of these kids who drop out will end of up the legal system, but remember, its cheaper to educate a child, than house an inmate. just something to think about.

_soundcheck: ahmad jamal: ahmad's blues

tipping the point...

_posted in education | news | the world | 08 June 2007

malcolm gladwell talking about genius

malcolm gladwell talks about genius at a new yorker conference. he starts off by suggesting that we "abandon our romantic notions of the importance of genius." that even within genius and its three steps; obsession, isolation and insight, there are two types of genius; premodern and modern. michael ventris is his example of premodern genius while andrew wiles is a "modern genius and problem solver we need now and in the future."

ventris is an ametur who has a gift who mastered a subject. he takes a huge amount of acquired knowledge and solves an unsolvable problem. he sequestered himself to achieve his goal.

wiles' insight is seen as modern since he has a social approach in his knowledge seeking. for ten years he focuses on this problem, researching other mathematicians and the collaborating with those working on various theorems. his approach is about "effort and training" and educating himself.

gladwell goes on to talk about the ten thousand hours rule which more or less means it would take about 10 years to obtain the special expertise to master a field. it really puts things into perspective. the process has always interested me when i come across the work of my favorite filmmakers, artists and writers. i always wonder how much time and effort it took for them to get to their present state, to master their craft.

he again uses wiles as the best example of genius and what makes him unique is his "willingness to set everything aside and focus on one specific problem." to find collaborators to reach his end goal. the one genius vs. thirteen smart guy problem; quantity over quality. a large number of smart people will solve a problem more easily than one genius. modern problems require persistence and stubbornness.

"are we actually selecting people for stubbornness?" are we taking the potential to do something vs. those who actually do something seriously?

gladwell touches on education and how we as a culture see genius. when thinking about our schools, we do push that idea and competitive nature of those high above the curve while leaving the majority behind. i remember high school being exactly like that. there were some of us treated really well due to our gpa and accomplishments, while the others were barely paid attention to, barely seen as viable; students or future problem solvers. it's the same at the university level as well.

when we begin realizing that educating a large number of people to be those stubborn problem solvers; to educate themselves in order to solve our various problems, to become social (collaborative) thinkers, we could actually find answers to a lot of our woes.

_soundcheck:andy palacio & the garifuna collective: watina

"i am the color god painted the universe with"

_posted in dayedayerocks | education | film | 06 February 2006

ive been really busy dealing with issues at work and taking over the responsibilities of our fired web guy until they find a replacement... and damn if im not at all impressed by the last two people who worked on our webservers. i have NEVER dealt with worse configuration, code or architecture design.

today however started out well... took the first 15 minutes of the day to make my massive to-do list and if i've gotten more than half of this list tackled in the first three hours of work, but i still hate mondays...

i love fridays and the weekend... this weekend i watched some of my favorite movies and holy shit i've found a new movie to add to my list of goodness... The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade aka marat/sade... talk about dialogue...talk about the grotesque... talk about directing... talk about acting... talk about not wanting to take my eyes off the tv or miss a word... its definitely a love it or hate it movie... and i heart it madly and want to have its dialogue-tinged babies...

this morning i listened to some podslamming and damn if it didnt add fuel to my determined-to-be-productive-fire... my fav... panama soweto's ring...

_soundcheck: midnite, let live

money does a soul some good...

_posted in dayedayerocks | education | news | 11 January 2006

last night i finally got this freelance check ive been waiting on for a minute... not just waiting on passively, but actively making LISTS of things to buy... i mean serious lists, people... not just random shit i've wanted for awhile, but a notepad file filled with links to specific items i didnt need until now, now that i have extra paper to burn...

it's funny how moving to l.a. and being on the edge of broke every month changed my need list. how things that were a mandatory at home; a new cell phone every year, comic books, gadgets and tons of magazines were the essentials. i can't remember the last magazine i bought, or book for that matter. sitting in the bookstore reading a magazine from cover to cover is not a shameful thing and hell what else is the research library for, but to check out all the books i thought i needed to buy.

and after opening that letter and seeing that check, i really dont want to spend any of it... but i know i have to, cause not having furniture is no longer an option... and my ikea short sofa is killing my fucking neck... so it's off to spend a chunk of change on furniture and other needs.

_in other news

i missed seeing jonathon kozol speak at antioch university, cause i was trying to pack for my trip home the night of the event back in november... i love this man on so many levels. if you havent read his essays or his books, you're missing a lot of great information. kozol is an amazing force when it comes to the commentary of america's educational system. his criticism of the educational system and his very honest dialogue of race in the system is very necessary for a bureaucracy that needs to be torn down completely and rebuilt from the ground up.

i found this great mp3 from a counterspin interview over at fair.org... take a LISTEN!

_soundcheck: michael rose & sly & robbie, x uhuru