Like clockwork...the calendar turns over to Saturday, and my internal clock makes its regular adjustment so I awaken before daylight, feel energized and alert, and get out of bed ready to take on the day's challenges. If I could somehow get the calendar to go along with my plan to make every day a weekend day, I could be energized and productive all week long.
Chile's School Protests
I've been ignoring Chile for far too long. I had not been aware of the massive protests by secondary school students and their supporters until yesterday, when I took a dose of The Santiago Times. According to the newspaper, about 600,000 students and supporters took to the streets in protest of the country's ailing school system. They have already gone on strike once and are threatening another massive strike on June 5 is the government does not yield to their demands, which now include a total governmental takeover of the school system. The demands began with an insistence that the government provide reduced price or free transportation, both to and from school as well as at other times. Thanks in part to the government's failure to take their demands seriously, the students ratcheted up their demands to insist that university entrance exames (and retests) be free.
I'm inclined to say to the students, "enough is enough." While I am sure many of their demands are legitimate, the concept of nationalizing the school system is, in my view, horrible. Look at this country's feeble attempts to direct education through its "no child left alive" program. I would be especially wary of placing in the federal government's hands responsibility for curricula since it could be far too easily dumbed-down or, even worse, sterilized so as to discourage creative thought. For Chile, the students should step back and listen to rational voices. I'm all for giving people educational opportunities, but not at the expense of creativity, democracy, and ultimately, quality. I want Michelle Bachelet's presidency of Chile to go down in history as a supremely powerful success story; I hope she and her government successfully deal with the challenges of this strike.
Next Year, Moscow
A client association's European unit has, according to word I got yesterday, selected Moscow as the site of its 2007 meeting. If I continue to be expected to attend, that will mean a trip to Moscow next year. Interesting.
A Real Neighborhood Place
Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I had dinner at a place that bills itself as a real neighborhood joint...I think its boast is true. It's a restaurant that is attached to a gas station/convenience store a bit off the beaten path...right in the middle of a neighborhood that includes single family housing, apartments, a few other businesses, and some vacant land. The restaurant is a grill with limited indoor seating, but lots of outdoor seating on a couple of decks off the parking lot. The outdoors area is decorated with lots of old, rusty stuff like bicycles, lawnmowers, transmission cases, etc. that have been cleverly affixed to the walls or fences that define the space. It is a bring your own booze place. As we sat outdoors under a trellis-covered seating area (complete with outdoor ceiling fans), a troup of geezers and a grandbaby arrived and took over a large table near us. The geezers knew the asian woman who served as our waitress and they knew the name of her young child, who I would guess is about 4 years old. My guess is that the waitress' husband is the cook and maybe the owner. The geezers brought with them an enormous ice chest filled with beer. We overheard a comment that there is live entertainment on Saturday evenings, so we may check it out. The place is right across the street from a huge apartment complex, so my guess is that most of their business comes from there. It is really out of the way...quite a few blocks from the nearest street with any appreciable traffic. A neighborhood place that, maybe, I can learn to like.
Time to get that second cup of coffee and explore...maybe a long walk this morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment