College Prep Story

 It is kinda funny.  A Fairfax County high school has come out and said it wants a program where in the school......college prep courses would ONLY be offered to Hispanic/black kids.  Asian and white kids?  No entry.

Gaming itself for a massive legal suit....where a couple of parents sue the school for racism and discriminating against their kids?  I would tend to suggest that.

The school?  Well....it's about five miles outside of Alexandria, and considered a 'magnet' school.....so only the bright public school kids would get an entry ticket there....normally.

Population related to Hispanics, Asian, etc?  If you did the local demographics....blacks make up around 21-percent of the city, Hispanics make up 17-percent, and whites make up around 51-percent.  To also be honest, at least in this Alexandria area.....there's simply a lot of singles in the area....employed in the DC area.

Every time this story is told....the school dynamics and demographics are left out.  It doesn't matter if you were within the school leadership, or the journalists telling the story.  This is a bit odd.

A 'magnet' school taking in poor performers?  Well....no.  That would defy the whole agenda of having such a school.   If I were guessing....I'd guess that 10-percent of the students are probably Asian, or Indian.  I'd also take a guess that the Hispanic kids in this school....make up less than 5-percent of population.  

If you ask me.....whatever college prep program they had before....will thin out to a half or less of what they had, and they can let a advisor or two go. 

Star Trek 'Discovery' Series To End

 Well....actually....it's not much of a shocker for me.  It'll end at season 5 (to be shown in early 2024).

If you count all of the series....especially the stuff in the past three years....we are up to 12 different series.  

I saw Discovery to be a fairly confusing series.  Episode 1 and 2 left you in a state of disorientation.  The remainder of season one probably fell into place, and most of season two made sense.  From that point on.....it was a lost cause.

The three key mistakes?  First, it was written to be a woke-series, with only women and gays filling the key storylines.  Second, unlike all previous series....there is no ongoing villain/bad guy.  Third, it felt more like a soap opera, than a science fiction series.  

Will I even watch the 5th season?  I'm beginning to ponder this.  

The Guy In The Middle Syndrome

 I saw this graphic today, and felt it said an awful lot about society in 2023. 

Prior to cable TV, most Americans got their news from newspapers, magazines like Time and Newsweak, radio (in spoonful segments), and from three networks.  

If you wanted in-depth political explanations....you went to the three networks and their Sunday morning 'drama'.  If you asked about people listening/watching the Sunday morning stuff.....I doubt if you could more than 2-percent of Americans who viewed it.

In the 1990s....things evolved, and at breakneck speed.  

Today?  The minute that the President finishes his State-of-the-Union speech....there's a minimum of forty shows with 'guests', and I would imagine at least 200 people want to interpret for you....what the President said (as if it were in French).

Oddly, some of these guests interpret things in such a way.....that they make you more confused about whatever was said.  

On CNN or Fox?  I'd take a guess that each spends a minimum of six hours a day....trying to interpret things for you.  

It's a waste of time, but it seems to fill air-time....that they'd have to tell you something new or fresh.....when there isn't that much.

My advice?  There a mute button on everything these days (even on my Audi.....there's a mute button).  Use it.  

Keeping Old Folks Around for House/Senate/Supreme Court 'Duty'

 I'm one of those folks who tends to believe....whether in government office or some commercial work job....by the time you turn age 65....you need to be headed out.  I hate to call it 'forced' retirement but that's probably the most accurate term to use.

I'd call for a simple five-part test:

1.  Walk a one-mile situation on a track in 24 minutes.  

2.  Ten-question math test that is normally given to a 5th grade class, with half the problems being word problems.  

3.  Hand a suit or dress to the individual, and have them dress for themselves in three minutes.....without help.

4.  Give each a 10-line piece of text to be read out loud (with their reading glasses).  Must be accomplished in three minutes.

5.  Hand them a 20-piece puzzle set and give them five minutes to complete.

This should be done yearly with all five components passed.  If you fail any part....you get 90 days to prepare for your retirement, and three months of full-pay as you exit.  

My Five Problems With The Tyre Nichols Case (Memphis)

 I'm going to assume you know the basic case.  My problems:

1.  As much as you dig around the past history of Nichols.....you just can't find any behavior or crime issues.  He was NOT a local guy in Memphis (from California), but he moved to Memphis for the FedEx job.  Healthwise?  Well....he had Crohns Disease....which is a pretty crap condition to deal with.  

He just seems like a regular guy....employed....paying taxes, and staying out of trouble.

2.  At least one of the cops knew Nichols because of a relationship between the cop's former GF and Nichols.  This opens up a whole other discussion.

3.  Four out of the five cops....had past reprimands for behavior or poor police attitude. 

4.  Based on reporting on how he was handled by the medical folks.....Nichols was treated like crap.  Maybe it's a local behavior thing, but if he'd had some decent care given....I think he'd still be alive.

5.  There's some serious chatter over the qualifications of the five officers, and the actions of the city police 'chief'.  If you look around now at urban centers.....nobody really wants the job....so you lessen qualifications and accept what you can get. If you want to blame anyone.....it goes back to the city council/mayor, and their desire to keep things in a relaxed situation.  

Finally....the insurance folks for the city of Memphis will pay out the money to the family (probably up into the $10-million range), and the cop with the GF issue....probably will end up 10 to 15 years in prison.  Rest might be lucky to get four to six years each.  Oddly, five empty billets....so they will go out and recruit five new idiots to fill the positions.  

Just my humble view....it's another case where driving after dark in a high urban area.....should be avoided.  

The Problem With Body-Cam Video

 Last year, I sat and reviewed a podcast piece (nothing to do with 6 Jan 2021)....which had looped around three different body-cam videos of the same incident....from 3 police (each having a different end of the action).

It did tell the story (maybe a positive)....but you needed a guy who could piece the prospective of three cops at a 'problem'....each dealing with differing issues.

So I will say two facts over body-cam.  First, it's not the great solution that people envisioned.  It simply tells a story, after the event.  Second, the more body-cam action you insert into a story....the more complicated the story becomes.

If you had some situation where 12 police are required to settle a ruckus, and six of them are carrying body-cam?  Well....if this drags into a court case later....you end up with probably 15 hours of usable video from the six guys.  

Then you drag the six cops into a court room and play the video....asking them what they thought they saw, and you get six differing perceptions.  

It's like playing a hour-long Bonanza episode and asking twenty viewers to give an interpretation of the script, the action, and the dilemma left to 'Little Joe' and 'Hoss'.

I'm not saying body-cam video is a failure.....it just simply adds to a confusion factor, and makes a story complicated in the end.  

Cameras of Value?

 Just something you notice.

If you look at the two cameras being used at the bottom of the screen....these are not $500-type cameras.

With the lens?  I'd take a guess they were in the $3,000 to $4,000 range (as a minimum)....not the type that a regular guy would lug around.

So it begs the question....getting the ten-odd people to stand there and pose.....with the right photographers on hand?  Planned ahead of time?  I would suggest that.