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The cast is eclectic and experienced. Jack Weston is splendidly rotund and ridiculous, as a hypychondriac dentist wedded to the feisty Rita Moreno. Carol Burnett is just right as Alda's wife -- the most surprisingly modulated performance of the season, after Barbra Streisand's fine showing in "All Night Long." Len Cariou fares quite well as the "villain" of the bunch. Only Sandy Dennis seems out of her depth this time, giving a frantically mannered performance that climaxes in an embarrassing speech about a snake.
Alda himself is appealing, as usual, as the pivotal character. But the role suffers from his overeagerness to please: The script keeps insisting he has faults, like everyone else, but it turns out his worst failing is that when he's angry, he "analyzes" instead of blowing his top. The character, the movie, and Alda's artistry would all be in better shape if he had contented himself with a less saintly position in the lineup.
Education officials in Vermont are pretty fed up with standardized testing.
The state board of education has released a set of guiding principles for Vermont's use of standardized tests, but it could double as an attack on nearly everything about that method of gauging student learning.
"The way in which standardized tests have been used under federal law as almost the single measure of school quality has resulted in the frequent misuse of these instruments across the nation," the board's statement said. It calls on Congress to amend the No Child Left Behind Act to "reduce testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality, eschew the use of student test scores in evaluating educators, and allow flexibility that reflects the unique circumstances of all states."
While it is part of a state's obligation to report to the public on its schools' work, those reports should be on "a diverse and comprehensive set of school quality indicators in local school, faculty, and community communications," the board's principles say.
The Vermont board was sharply critical of the use of cutoff scores to make judgments about schools or students.
"While the federal government continues to require the use of subjectively determined, cut-off scores, employing such metrics lacks scientific foundation," the guidelines say. "The skills needed for success in society are rich and diverse. Consequently, there is no single point on a testing scale that has proven accurate in measuring the success of a school or in measuring the talents of an individual. Claims to the contrary are technically indefensible and their application would be unethical."
The board's action comes just weeks after new test results found nearly every school in Vermont failing to meet No Child Left Behind proficiency requirements. Those results prompted Vermont Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe to write a letter to parents and caregivers in which she blasted the "broken NCLB policy" that places standardized tests at the heart of judgments about schools.
The board wants Holcombe to lead the way to a new accountability system that would have a downsized role for standardized testing.
But Vermont is in a bit of a bind: It could have proposed a new kind of accountability system if it had obtained a waiver from No Child Left Behind. But it is one of the few states that chose not to seek a waiver, in part because it didn't want to be required to evaluate its teachers based on their students' test scores. So it's stuck with the accountability system enshrined in the 2002 NCLB law, which means it has to classify schools as failing if all their students don't meet proficiency targets.
It should be added, however, that even going the waiver route wouldn't have relieved Vermont of the obligation to test students annually. No state has been excused from that requirement; at least not yet.
With its statement, the Vermont board is trying hard to push the state in a new direction. It still plans to use the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium tests this spring, board chairman Stephan Morse told me. But clearly, it's looking down the line to see what it can do about measuring student learning differently, and holding itself accountable for student learning in different ways.
A memorial account has been set up for relatives of U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Schober, who died in Iraq during an ambush on his unit May 12 south of Baghdad.
A private funeral for Anthony is scheduled Thursday in Santa Rosa, Calif. Anthony and his mother had lived in Northern California previously, and both sets of Anthony’s grandparents still reside in the region.
Schober’s adopted father and stepmother, Edward and Virginia, work at the Wal-Mart in North Carson City. Coworkers have been collecting money to help them pay for a trip there.
“The last thing they need to worry about is money for a motel room or meals,” said Scott Yoder, store manager.
A memorial account also has been set up at the Greater Nevada Credit Union in Edward’s name, according to Yoder.
The account number is 874152. Make out checks to the credit union and also write that number on the memo line.
Edward said last week he planned to create some sort of memorial to Anthony, 23, who he adopted at age 5 after marrying Anthony’s mother, Roberta. She and Anthony’s two sisters, Rebecca and Jessica, also live in Carson. Edward and Roberta are divorced.
A local memorial gathering is being planned for next week at Mills Park, though details are still being worked out.
Anthony wanted to be buried near his grandparents, said Kathleen Spriggs, wife of Josh Spriggs, a friend of Anthony’s since the two attended Douglas High School.
Both young men went on to Job Corps, then in 2001 joined the U.S. Army and were stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y. Anthony was sent to Iraq as part of the 10th Mountain Division.
Three other members of Anthony’s unit and an Iraqi translator died in the insurgent attack. Additionally, three more members of the 10th Mountain Division are believed to have been captured. A group with ties to al-Qaida claims it carried out the ambush, according to The Associated Press.
The road to graduation has been a long one for Jen Hillyar.
Born in Austin, Texas, she lived for 18 years in Anchorage, Alaska, before moving to Carson City two years ago with her four children, ages 7, 10, 11 and 13.
Hillyar, 32, said she moved to Nevada to be nearer her sister, but a few months after her arrival, the sister moved to Florida.
Tired of lower-paying jobs and wanting to set an example for her children, the single mom enrolled at Western Nevada Community College and Tuesday picked up her Associate of Arts diploma at the Carson City Community Center.
Of the 204 graduates, Hillyar joined 110 in a sea of royal blue that paraded into the center to the strains of the Sierra Highlanders Pipe Band.
Her two younger children, Ari and Autumn, were there to cheer Mom on as she got her diploma.
Family support was evident in the community center as cheers and whistles, even congratulatory signs greeted each student as they received their diplomas. Parents, grandparents, children and other family members took photos and clutched flowers and balloons to give to their graduates.
Mothers carrying out crying babies was a common sight, with some families taking up a whole row of seats in the center. Video feeds were available outside the auditorium and were closely watched by the mothers and some latecomers.
Commencement speaker Bret Whipple, chairman of the Board of Regents, offered three pieces of advice in his address: Never be afraid to dream, never be afraid of failure and never be afraid to ask for help.
Jessica Lujetic, who earned her associate of arts degree and certificates of achievement in criminal justice and juvenile justice, praised her professor.
Lujetic will go on to UNR in the fall and plans to work in parole and probation.
Her parents, Joe and Bonnie Lujetic were there to cheer their daughter, with Dad taking lots of photos.
Hillyar studied graphic arts and would like to be a fashion designer. To that end, she will also enter the UNR in the fall.
It has also been her place of employment for the last year, working as a teaching assistant in the psychology department. Before that, she was an office manager.
Graduation day in Fallon was Monday, 393 students in both schools received associate degrees and certificates of achievement.
Graduates included teens and grandparents, singles and parents, first-time job seekers and career professionals. The oldest graduate was 70-year-old Patricia Bauer from Carson City and the youngest was 18-year-old Grace Strachen from Carson City. Many of the graduates plan to transfer to UNR to work toward bachelor’s degrees.
Wingfield Nevada Group Chairman Harvey Whittemore and former Regent Dr. Jill Talbot Derby received honorary associate degrees for their many contributions to the college. Whittemore got the biggest cheer as WNCC President Carol Lucey told the crowd of his contribution of $1 million for a new baseball field. WNCC’s team is heading for the Junior College World Series.
Stalley calls for a revolution in the video for his Honest Cowboy cut “Raise Your Weapons.” In honor of the late Nelson Mandela, the MMG signee debuts the powerful clip, directed by Abraham Vilchez-Moran and Jai Jamison. He shares the struggles of his generation and empowers the youth with his words, while a Confederate flag burns to the ground.
The Ohio MC is currently opening for Lupe Fiasco on his “Tetsuo & Youth Preview Tour,” which winds down December 15 in Baltimore.
It's not just a fridge, peopleit's an experience.
It's not just a fridge, peopleit's an experience. The Samsung HomePAD displays a list of the items stored inside and tells you when food is about to go bad. But wait, there's more! You can check your e-mail and watch TV on the HomePAD as well. We also hear it keeps your food cold.
Germany said Tuesday it had reduced emissions of greenhouse gases signficantly for the first time in five years in 2018, although it has already abandoned self-imposed targets for the end of this decade.
A storm lashing Lebanon left one person wounded and caused material damage in some areas on Sunday.
In the Keserwan town of Adma, a woman was injured after rainwaters invaded three apartments.
Tests have started on a farm in the Netherlands on the device which collects some of the 15 to 20 liters of urine that the average cow produces a day.
Mexico raised the warning level for the Popocatepetl volcano to one step shy of a red alert Thursday, after it repeatedly spewed ash, smoke and lava into the air.
Ocean heat hit a record high in 2018, the United Nations said Thursday, raising urgent new concerns about the threat global warming is posing to marine life.
Amid worsening relations between China and the United States over trade and defense issues, Vietnam becomes part of the complicated conflict over the South China Sea. This was exacerbated by the sudden and mysterious death of Vietnamese president Tran Dai Quang in September. Many have speculated over the cause of Quang’s death, whether it was from an illness or an unnatural cause brought about by political struggle.
Vietnam’s proximity to the South China Sea gives it an important strategic position and makes it an important player in disputes with China over territorial claims. Vietnam also fought a border war with China in 1979.
The meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Vietnam Communist Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong in the capital city of Hanoi on Oct. 16 aimed at strengthening ties between the United States and Vietnam, and countering China’s military assertiveness in the South China Sea.
Before Quang died, he disappeared from public view and his absence from important state events caused wide speculation. Many wondered if his disappearance was caused by a rare disease, from being toppled by political rival Party Secretary General Trong, or from being poisoned while he was on a state visit in China last year, Asia Times reported on Sept. 21.
The Vietnamese regime’s attitude towards the top leader’s death was highly unusual for the communist country. Less than two hours after Quang passed away, the VCP officials immediately announced his death and provided information about the state funeral over official media—this move was unprecedented as detailed information of top leaders was always considered top secret in the VCP’s history.
Quang’s illness was shrouded in mystery. The VCP did not disclose the type of illness, only that it was “incurable.” State news media quoted government doctor Nguyen Quoc Trieu saying that Quang was diagnosed with an unknown illness in July 2017 and he had received six treatments in Japan.
The Japanese media alluded to possible causes of death.
Quang was diagnosed with the mysterious illness right after a summit visit in China from May 11 to 15, 2017.
After the visit, Quang stayed away from the public for one month since July 25, 2017, which many suspect was due to a health problem or a political struggle, the Nikkei Asian Review reported on Aug. 28, 2017.
The VCP left some important questions unanswered. Quang was in good health before he was diagnosed with a fatal disease. How was it possible for Quang to catch a deadly illness after his visit to China? Why did Quang go to Japan for medical treatment instead of neighboring communist China? The VCP leaders of the past have set a precedent for seeking medical treatment from China.
After Quang’s death, Party Secretary General Trong, 74, was nominated as the president and is expected to be approved by the National Assembly.
Vietnam expert Carl Thayer wrote in January that Quang was likely to be selected as general secretary if Trong retired before the end of his five-year term, reported the New York Times on Sept. 21.
Quang was regarded as pro-America and Trong pro-China. If Quang had not died and took the general secretary position from Trong, Vietnam would likely join the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy and help curb the Chinese Communist Party’s expansion in the region.
The Indo-Pacific Strategy is a $113 million initiative for new technology, energy, and infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region and the economic pillar for the Trump administration. The South China Sea region is the core area of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, and Vietnam is located at strategic position.
The CCP is concerned that the Southeast Asian countries, such as India, Vietnam, and Taiwan, will join the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy to contain China’s growing influence. The purpose of the U.S. Defense Minister’s visits to Vietnam this year is to strengthen military cooperation between the United States and Vietnam. However, Quang’s death makes the South China Sea situation uncertain.
Epoch Times staff member He Jian contributed to this report.
Even the Mother of Dragons sometimes forgets her lines. Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones, made an appearance on Tuesday night’s episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers and revealed that she occasionally has to improvise when speaking in Dothraki on the HBO drama.
The 29-year-old actress told a story about launching into her own rendition of Hanson’s “MMMBop” in the made-up language while shooting a scene off-camera with one of her male costars. “It was a long day, and it was his close up, and I thought it’d be funny if I did [Hanson’s] ‘MMMBop’ in Dothraki, and that didn’t help him at all,” she said.
The Wikileaks founder said that within a year of being born, children are now known to ‘all major world powers’ thanks to their parents posting on social media.
‘This generation being born now ... is the last free generation,’ he told Russian state-funded network Ruptly. ‘You are born and either immediately or within say a year you are known globally.
“The capacity to collect and process information about people has been growing exponentially and will continue to grow fast," he stated. "With advancements in applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to big data, the next logical step is coming,” the site continued (full-interview video below. Note: Assange is a very interesting man).
In a nutshell, Assange said that the competition commercially and geo-politically in AI — between the United States and China and the states backing them, for example — would lead “to an uncontrollable desire for growth in AI capacity.” It would be the AI version of the nuclear-arms race — the difference being that ICBMs don’t think for themselves and autonomously decide to incinerate man for the good of machines.
So just imagine a Terminator-like scenario where a Skynet becomes “self-aware” and then resolves to exterminate the human infestation — except with one difference.
While warnings about totalitarian dystopias or usurpative machines have long been the stuff of fiction and futurists, the technology portrayed is generally quite primitive. For example, the book 1984 well depicted a hopeless future, but author Orwell didn’t foresee a possible time in which hundreds of nanorobots could be around you at any moment collecting information; or what’s already on the horizon, flying robots disguised as insects that could do the same. He couldn’t envision a day when a computer chip could be implanted in every newborn’s brain, controlling his behavior, rendering him a puppet of the state and hence obviating punishment.
The point, however, is not just that the future could be worse than predicted. It’s this: What don’t we foresee today? Futurists and doomsayers generally have a poor prognostication track record; after all, we can’t accurately know the future because it hasn’t happened yet (from our human perspective).
Thus, predictions about how there’d be mass world starvation by the late 20th-century (or earlier) came to nothing precisely because actual advances in technology weren’t foreseen. And is this surprising? As late author Michael Crichton pointed out brilliantly in a 2003 Caltech lecture, people in 1900 had no good concept of what the real problems would be a century hence.
Now here’s the real question: Do we?
The point is not that we shouldn’t ponder and prepare for the future, but that we should proceed with humility. Tomorrow could be worse than we think — or better.
Yet more tragic than assumptions about future technology we can’t wholly know is the ignoring of age-old truths we can. For they inform that the “something” Assange spoke of that destabilizes civilization has a name: sin.
Tools are just that, tools — they are used, or misused, by people. A gun in a good man’s hands will just facilitate goodness; when wielded by a barbarian it can become a murder weapon. This principle doesn’t change just because the technology becomes more formidable; it just means the misuse has greater consequences.
Now, are we moving closer to or further from being people “of temperate minds”? If we don’t master ourselves and tame the best within, we’ll invite masters from without. Yet because too many want the latitude to sin, this necessary self-mastery is out of style.
This is why moral relativism permeates society today: “Hey, it can’t be wrong — and I can’t be wrong — if everything is perspective!” Our primary mistake is making the main focus whether our fetters are forged low or hi-tech, instead of why they’re forged in the first place.
Moreover, if there’s no God and the material world is all that exists, we cannot have souls (which are spirits). We’re then nothing but some pounds of chemicals and water, organic robots. And what could be immoral about altering a robot’s software (social engineering) or wiring (genetic engineering)?
For that matter, what could be wrong with terminating a robot’s function — or that of a large population of robots? What’s the problem with their being replaced, in survival-of-the-fittest fashion, by stronger, more intelligent, more durable AI robots? “Do what thou wilt,” remember?
Having said this, it’s possible that only angels could responsibly wield the demigod-like power tomorrow’s technology may bring. But for sure is that technological rise and moral regression are a deadly combination — one that can put a brave new world in barbarian hands.
Taking advantage of a soon-to-be demolished three-story hotel in downtown Glendale, the city’s firefighters on Wednesday got a rare opportunity to hack into roofs and kick down doors.
Firefighters ran through a variety of training scenarios at the Golden Key Hotel, 123 W. Colorado St., putting on heavy gear and dealing with orders from supervisors.
From performing a fire attack to providing roof ventilation, firefighters practiced critical life-saving skills at the abandoned hotel.
The hotel was shuttered Dec. 31 following lengthy legal wrangling between its owner, Ray Patel, and Americana at Brand developer Rick Caruso.
Patel eventually settled last March with Caruso, who is looking to expand the outdoor mall, which is adjacent to the hotel, and replace the hotel with a building that will house a Nordstrom store.
Fire Training Officer Anthony Arellanes met with Caruso Affiliated representatives and city officials this week to discuss the Fire Department’s use of the building for training purposes.
“It’s a tremendous benefit for us,” he said, noting that such opportunities are extremely rare.
Being able to carry out firefighting maneuvers, which would otherwise be performed at a training facility, on a once-occupied building is “hard to come by these days,” Fire Capt. Bill Lynch said.
The Fire Department will share the building with Glendale police, whose Special Weapons and Tactics team are expected today to practice scenarios.
Firefighters are also expected to continue practicing today.
Candidates by any other name: Do they smell as sweet?
Striving to concoct a negative image for opponents, political partisans are playing the age-old Name Game for keeps as Wisconsin enters a big 2014 campaign season. In the governor's race, "Millionaire Mary" takes on "Governor Ultrasound."
By Dave Umhoefer. Published on Sunday, November 24th, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.
In his new memoir, Gov. Scott Walker recounts how he secretly crafted a plan "that gets rid of the unions and eliminates collective bargaining." He dwells on the state of state government’s finances prior to his election and argues for how much better they are now. And he takes a few pokes at President Obama’s Washington. We take a look at how Walker's claims -- new and old -- stack up on the Truth-O-Meter.

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