Three days ago I reported that draft, grade-by-grade, national curricular standards would soon be released by the Common Core State Standards Initiative. Yesterday, they were. (If you want to get a sense for what the proposed standards are follow the link to them. Don’t bother with the appendices, though, unless you really want to get into the weeds.) Naturally, in the coming days lots of people will be offering heaps of commentary about what the standards do or do not contain. That’s not my main concern (though reading through the English standards I am dubious that mastery of them could be easily or consistently assessed). You see, the content of the standards is largely irrelevant because the main problem isn’t what the standards are, but standardization itself. As I’ve blathered about on numerous occasions, it makes little sense to expect all kids to master all the same things at the same rates. All kids are different – they have different talents, desires, and abilities — and to impose one, “best” progression on them is simply illogical. Another problem with imposing a single standard nationwide — and yes, this will be imposed, unless states suddenly decide they don’t like getting their citizen’s tax dollars back from Uncle Sam – is that it prevents competition between curricula. And that, in turn, kills innovation, the lifeblood of progress. So unless these standards have achieved perfection — and I’m pretty sure they haven’t — it’s a very dangerous thing to make them the end-all and be-all. Finally, no matter how brilliant the draft standards, there is no reason to believe that they will drive meaningful educational improvement. Government schools will still be government schools, and the people employed by them will still have very little incentive to push kids to excellence, and every incentive to game the system to make the standards toothless. And no one yet has offered a decent proposal, other than school-choice supporters, for getting around that very inconvenient, public-schooling truth. All of these problems help to explain why there is no convincing empirical evidence that national standards drive superior educational outcomes. Unfortunately, most national-standards advocates will talk themselves blue in the face about what’s in the standards, but avoid at all costs the question of whether standardization makes sense in the first place.
II. FOXNEWS - Russia U.S. Arms Deal stalled
A high level Russian government source tells me an nuclear arms agreement to replace the expired START Treaty, (Strategic Reduction Arms Treaty) which was "weeks away" from being finalized in November, and "days away" from a final draft in Dcember, and "close to being finished" in January, is "still not done and not being done for a reason", "stalled", "threatened", and "going sideways" in March. The source says Russia is disappointed and frusturated with the Obama adminstration because it is "being run now by the hawks". Translation - those who want to reduce the nuclear stock piles of the two Nations, Russia and America have lost ground to those who mistrust Russia and don't want to lower the numbers of warheads and launch vehicles in America. The Russians are angry America is now talking about locating a missle defense shield in Romania and Bulgaria. And the source says Russia, now firmly see's nuclear talks and discussion of a missile defense shield firmly linked. A source on the America negotiation team confirms the Russia's have increasingly raised missile defense at nuclear arms talks in Geneva, even though originally the Russian's agreed to discuss nuclear warheads separately from the shield issue. What's changed? The Russian source tells me Russia had to hear about the missile defense shield proposal for Bulgaria and Romania from sources other than the Obama adminstration. "That is not resetting relations" said the source, referring to America promises to reset relations with Russia and rebuild trust. Bottom line - The Russians won't sign a new deal to replace START now (which expired in december) unless their concerns about missile defense are addressed. The two issues formerly delinked, are now married up and that means all the talking between American and Russian negotiators to lower nuclear warheads in both Countries won't produce a final agreement unless the Russian and American Presidents get involved and sort out the problem.
III. KATHIMERINI - US eyes solution in FYROM name dispute
Washington has informed Prime Minister George Papandreou that it will back an effort by Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to settle their name dispute by agreeing on “Northern Macedonia” as the new name for the Balkan country. According to sources, Papandreou, who is wrapping up a visit to the USA, was told by White House officials that if Athens and Skopje can agree to Northern Macedonia as a resolution to their disagreement, then Washington would immediately adopt this name in dealings with Greece’s neighbor. United Nations mediator Matthew Nimetz visited Skopje and Athens at the end of last month but did not make any official proposal, although it is thought that he favors “Northern Macedonia” as a solution. During his talks this week with President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Papandreou also touched on the issues of Greece’s relations with Turkey and the progress of reunification talks on Cyprus. Washington officials praised Papandreou’s for having taken the initiative to meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his first trip abroad. Meanwhile, it was revealed yesterday that Obama’s approval for Greece to be included in the US’s visa waiver program will be effective as of next month. Officials said that it would take about 30 days before Greeks who have a new passport fitted with a microchip can travel to the US without a visa and stay there for up to 90 days. “This is an exciting day for both the United States and Greece,” sad US Ambassador Daniel V. Speckhard. “A lot of hard work and cooperation by a lot of people in the US and Greek governments have made visa waiver a reality for Greek citizens.”
IV. RIANOVOSTI - EU welcomes Georgia's new South Ossetia, Abkhazia policy
The European Union welcomes Georgia's new policy on South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the EU foreign affairs chief said on Wednesday. Georgia's new strategy for the return of the two tiny republics stresses the need for "peaceful and diplomatic methods" and was approved by the government on January 28. Catherine Ashton also welcomed Tbilisi's intention to engage in talks with the two republics, which split away from Georgia during in the early 1990s and were both recognized by Russia in 2008. Russia's recognition followed an attack by Georgian forces on South Ossetia.
The European Union on Wednesday decided to extend its support to a proposed ban on the international trade from the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Malta was the only member of the 27-member European bloc to vote against the proposal, which will be presented at the forthcoming meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha, Qatar. Sweden and Austria also abstained from voting on the measure, while France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Cyprus had initially opposed the measure, changed their position on Wednesday to vote in favor of the ban. The EU move comes as bluefin tuna stocks in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean have shrunk nearly 60 percent from 1997 to 2007, mainly due to overfishing prompted by surging demand. It is estimated that the current bluefin tuna stocks across the globe is about 15% of its level before industrial fishing began. With Wednesday's decision, the European Union joins the United States in supporting the global ban on bluefin tuna trade. However, Japan, which is the largest consumer of the world's bluefin tuna catch, has indicated that it may opt out of CITES control. The EU member states also agreed to push for including elephants and polar bears, along with bluefin tuna, to the list of endangered species.
A UK court has released former Bosnian Vice President Ejup Ganic on a bail of 300,000 euros. Charged with war crimes, his extradition was formally requested by Serbia's Justice Ministry. The Court is yet to decide on whether or not to extradite him to Serbia, which had originally issued the warrant for his arrest. Ejup Ganic was arrested on the 1st of March at Heathrow airport in connection with an attack on a retreating Yugoslav army convoy in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, in 1992. Deputy Serbian war crimes prosecutor Bruno Vekaric said on Wednesday, March 10, that the collected evidence is very strong and the Serbian Prosecutor’s office has solid arguments against Ganic, who allegedly ordered an attack on retreating Yugoslav soldiers. Bosnia’s President Haris Silajdzic attended the bail hearing on Thursday in support of Ganic. Belgrade accuses Ejup Ganic, and 18 other persons involved, of plotting and carrying out armed raids on troops and defense facilities of the Yugoslav army. All the assaults were done in spring 1992, after the arrangements fot the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops from Bosnia and Herzegovina had been reached. Back then, armed Bosnian supporters attacked a military hospital, a house of the Yugoslav People’s Army in Sarajevo, a convoy of field ambulances and a convoy of troops leaving Sarajevo on a co-ordinated route. The latter tactical event was the most tragic. The Bosnian combatants killed 42 soldiers, left 72 wounded and took 215 soldiers and officers captive, who were later kept prisoners in violation of the international convention on POWs. The Hague Tribunal never investigated the Ejup Ganic because it lacked the recourses to do so, and therefore passed the decision to the national court. The Sarajevo court has been sitting on Ganic’s case for seven years already, without having taken any action to investigate the case whatsoever. The Serbian prosecutor’s office has long wanted to indict Ejup Ganic with war crimes against wounded Yugoslav soldiers and prisoners of war, and also with illicit methods of conducting war. If extradited to Serbia, Ejup Ganic would be the first high-ranking Bosnian Muslim official tried for war crimes.
VII. PRAVMIR - On the Sinners in the Gospels, and Other Sinners
When one looks upon the Gospel’s sinners, listens to them and sees their behavior, one unavoidably thinks, how good these sinners were basically compared to us and to the people of our time. Here is a crowd, enraged by a violation of a Divine commandment, approaching the Savior. It is dragging a woman "taken in adultery," and is ready to stone her. How reverently this crowd hears the wise and succinct response of the Savior to their question and how each of their consciences is directly moved by it. Is such a thing possible today? Overcome by the inner judgement of their conscience, these sinners go their own way. Could such a thing happen today? In the first place it is difficult to imagine that people today would be so upset, both religiously and sincerely, by the very idea of adultery. Such a sin today is celebrated, exalted in popular literature, plays and cinema. This is a subject of numerous repetitions, vainglory and special heroics. Would it be possible to see the manifestation of such a religious response to the sin that moved that Hebrew and pagan crowd in Jerusalem? One cannot imagine how people in whatever current social milieu, could express such fervent outrage towards a violation of Divine law and then experience such a profound shame on hearing the calm and meek words of the Divine Teacher. See how all of them begin to leave, prodded by their own consciences. Not too many social critics of their neighbor could project such moral sensitivity today. And the Gospel’s sinful Prodigal Son. How he stirs our consciousness with his subtle and profound repentance. What an incredible soul, in the humility of its feelings: "Father, I am not worthy to be Your son, accept me as one of Your hired hands." We also see those great Evangelical criminals, Ananias and Sapphira, who lied to the Holy Spirit. Suddenly dying, because they held back the proceeds from some of the goods that they voluntarily offered to God. Are they not innocent babes compared to the spiritual hypocrites of our times? How many Christians and even pastors today promise to give up their whole lives to the Lord God but give up only an insignificant part, holding back the rest for their own selfish needs. And the Publicans, contemporary with our Lord Jesus Christ, those tax gatherers, those first-century corrupt officials so despised by the Palestinian people, are they not innocent babes compared to many officials of our days, in all lands and among all nations of the world? Even the classical, frequently remembered Barabbas the robber, freed by Pilate instead of Christ, and who without doubt would kill someone on the way — how can we compare his crime with the methodical and consciously merciless destruction in our days of millions of innocent victims, with their wives and children "for the good of the State"? Look at Zaccheus the tax gatherer. How quickly he runs to the tree so he can climb it and see the Savior! How anxious is he to see the Savior! How he rejoices that he has seen the Savior! The Gospel teaches us not only through its righteous ones. It also leads us to repentance, towards God, through the images of its sinners, their humanity, their sensitivity towards the good. Here, they are carrying the costly alabaster jar with precious ointment and shatter it in order to anoint the Savior’s body. Here they weep bitterly after their renunciation. Here they stop on the road, as did Saul, blinded by the heavenly vision. All these things change their lives or, judging themselves upon their own cross, they beg the Lord to have mercy upon them. Where is our ointment? Where are our tears? Where is the perception of our conscience in exposing ourselves? We see none of this. We follow our own plans, projects, feelings, passions, and we overlook Christ’s gentle Truth that loves us. We have gone far astray not only from the Gospel but even from the Gospel’s sinners! The Lord has given His Word great power. The ancient sinners amaze us with their humanity, their humility, which shines through their sins. The Lord meant to enlighten us and comfort us with images of these sinners, void of our tendencies of self-satisfaction and self-admiration. Even we can become like those very human sinners if we find it impossible to love God. Perhaps the Lord wanted to bring us to tears, even bitter tears, when we compare our feelings with the experiences of those sinners in the Gospels. We can see very clearly what those sinners in the Gospel were like and what we – oh so civilized! – really are. Praising himself in Jerusalem’s temple, the ancient Pharisee is but a child when compared to the blatant and the veiled examples of self-aggrandizement of the numerous social, political and yes, even ecclesiastical personages in our times. Evangelical sinfulness is merely the sound of a "shepherd’s flute" compared to the importune, deafening and shameless symphony of sins of our times. Today people rise up against God’s Spirit not just individually but collectively. What is white is so insistently pushed in this world, but that which is white is really black. "Let the mountains fall upon us and let the hills cover us"! Who, these days, has the ability to whisper the Publican’s humble prayer? We all consider ourselves to be "successful" Publicans and view all our neighbors as Pharisees. We do not repent as Peter did nor do we give "half of our goods" to the poor as Zaccheus did after a simple glance from Jesus. If we could only forget the oil as did the foolish virgins. Or just bury the Talent into the sad ground, having accomplished nothing sinful with it. If only, even ignoring Truth itself, we could simply busy ourselves with our family activities or peacefully put our oxen to work. . . But, no. We participate in those iniquities, which come into the world under the guise of a special concern for people and nations. Even the Gospel’s greatest sinner, Judas, in his despair, saw his sin. And even if his repentance before God was not all that sincere, he still threw away his crime-stained money, the thirty pieces of silver, the price of his betrayal and, tormented by his conscience cried: "I betrayed innocent blood." And is it not so, in our days, that the wellbeing of people and nations is built upon the innocent suffering of many? Considering the sinfulness revealed to us in the Gospel and considering how we all live, can we not but be aware that the Last Judgement is already standing before the gates of the world? Illuminating us with the righteousness of its righteous ones, the Gospel also teaches us by the examples of its sinners, so that we might place all our hope upon the Truth of Christ and not on our own righteousness. And through the Lord’s mercy, enter into that Truth.