American Civilization

Jerry Brown was inaugurated today as the new governor of California.  However, that wasn’t a new experience for him.  He also served for two terms as the governor of California 36 years ago.

In 1975, he was a 36 year old; today,  he’s 72.

Then, he was a bachelor; today he’s married.

But, there aren’t only these personal changes.  The state has changed dramatically from the one he successively governed before.  There are about 16 more million people in the state now.  The Hispanic population has increased by about 11 million.  The average price for a gallon of milk has more than doubled.  And, the state’s annual budget for general fund spending has jumped from $8.2 billion to $86.5 billion.

While that does sound like lots of money, Brown has multiple challenges before him, including major unemployment and a lack of revenue to pay for the services desired by the people of California.  His first task will be to create a workable budget – and that probably means tough decisions resulting in pain for all.  As he’s suggested, everyone’s belt will tighten.

Despite the obstacles ahead, he does seem to be approaching the task with a sense of humor.  During his swearing in, he had to repeat the words « I take this obligation freely. »Â  « Without any mental reservation. »Â  At that point laughter was heard in the audience and he responded, « Really! No mental reservation. »

And, then the laughter became even louder!!

Here’s a Lady Gaga’s version of the French Revolution!  Take a look!

This coming Thursday Americans will celebrate the holiday called Thanksgiving.  It’s a time for friends and family to join together for a big feast.

The first Thanksgiving feast was in 1621 when Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared a celebratory meal.  It was an autumn harvest festival.  The colonists were celebrating their survival and a bountiful harvest.  While most historical accounts do suggest the presence of native Americans at the feast, the degree of their participation is not clear.

It’s likely that the original meal included wild ducks and geese, not turkey which is traditional today as part of the meal.

My husband will brine our turkey for a couple of days and then roast it on the barbecue.  I know it will be delicious.

Berries were part of the original meal and for Americans today that means cranberries.  I’ll cook our cranberries with sugar and orange juice, but there are lots of variations for cranberries:  raw, cooked, canned, jellied, etc.

For our meal, we’ll also add some dishes for the vegetarians.  I’m planning to make a dish with quinoa (a grain from Peru) and pistachio nuts.

Traditional, too, is pumpkin pie for dessert – though, again, the colonists probably lacked flour, so there probably wasn’t pie for them.  They may have simply cooked pumpkin as a vegetable.  At our feast this Thursday we’ll be having sweet potato pie, a bit of a variation on the traditional pumpkin pie.

After that first meal in 1621, there wasn’t a repeat of the event for a while.  Not everyone agreed about the idea of having such a national holiday.  Finally, in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, President Abe Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to be held each November.

Today, most look forward to a secular holiday with its emphasis on family and food.  In some cases, perhaps, it’s more a celebration of gluttony than of thanks.

I just saw this news story; SNCF has issued an apology for its role in the deportation of Jews to Nazi death camps.  Check it out here.

Is this story in the French press?  What’s being said in France?  Just curious….

There has been another recent California story, but I’ve been fearful to write about just in case I brought bad luck to the San Francisco Giants.  This Bay Area team was playing against the Texas Rangers in the World Series, which is sort of like the World Cup for baseball in the U.S.  And, just moments ago, the Giants won game #4 (out of 7) which makes them the baseball champs for 2010.

These guys seem modest.  One of the players describes his team as « just a bunch of guys. »

Even non-baseball fans, like me, are excited by their victory.  GO GIANTS!

I am counting the days.  Only three days until the election and finally all of the commercials will stop.  Here’s a sample of what’s been on television.  And, just imagine a dozen or more of these kind of commercials in under an hour of television!

The first commercial refers to the race for governor of California.  The primary candidates are  Democratic candidate Jerry Brown and Republican candidate Meg Whitman.  This commercial makes reference to the current Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The second commercial refers to the race for the senator of California.  In this race the incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer is running against the Republican Carly Fiorina:

I will be so happy after November 2!

Some public school students in the U.S. are given what’s known as « extended time » on tests.   This practice is designed specifically to help students who are bright but may also possess some kind of a learning disability, such as problems with processing information.  Students do have to qualify to receive « extended time » for testing and it’s usually part of their IEP, Individualized Education Program.

Federal law does require public school teachers to follow an individual student’s IEP.  Most teachers are supportive of whatever will help their students to do better and do provide the opportunity for these identified students to have more time on tests.

But, today I heard of an interesting situation.  A colleague’s husband is a lawyer.  Recently, he had to fire an employee in his law firm because the person could not complete the required work in a timely fashion.  It turns out that this former employee had been given « extended time »Â  to complete tests and assignments in high school.  He wasn’t used to having to get something finished in a designated period of time.

So, here are my questions, colleagues and students.  I’d be really interested in what you have to say.
1.  Is there such a policy as « extended time » in France?
2.  If so, does one get « extended time »Â  for the BAC?
3.  Do you think the policy helps or hinders a student’s progress?

Looking forward to some responses….

First of all,  I’d like to apologize for my lack of posts.  Normally, I’m really interested in following the American political scene, but this year I’ve found it extremely difficult to remain interested. I’ve gotten increasingly tired of the strident attacks, the
extreme factionalism, the media predictions, the almost constant political advertisements, and the realization of how much money is being spent on ads by some candidates.  I’ve almost decided to boycott most news.  While I’m just one person, I fear that I may very well represent the typical American voter this year.

However, I do plan to vote in November – after I’ve had a chance to study
carefully the issues and the candidates.

I’m afraid, though, that I may be the exception.  It sounds like the real problem
this coming November will be a lack of voter participation.   Unlike the election in
2008 which saw much voter interest, this time so many people, it seems, are just giving up on the political process.

I may not really like the gloomy dark months, but I will definitely be happy when
this November has come and gone.

There still seems to be concern about the role SNCF took during World War II.  The latest controversy centers on a bid to build the first high speed rail tracks in the United States.  That bid is getting resistance from a group of Holocaust survivors in Florida. This group wants a formal apology about SNCF’s role in the Holocaust, as well as full access to its records and a willingness to make reparations.  Read more about the Florida situation here.

Meanwhile,  California is planning a host of high speed rail projects in the future, too,  and SNCF would  like to compete for the right to be part of those projects.  California lawmakers are anticipating a possible public reaction and have already passed a bill which would force companies who want those contracts to disclose whether they transported Holocaust victims.  SNCF representatives have said that they have no problems with that bill.

I learned  a new English language term today.  I found it in an article called « What’s Really Human?« Â Â  In the article author Sharon Begley observed that many psych experiments which have led to supposedly universal conclusions about human behavior are, in fact, NOT universal.  Why?  Because the subjects used in most psych experiments have been American undergrads.  And, they represent only a particular section of society.  Most subjects in psych experiments share the fact that they are WEIRD.  And, that’s the new term.  The acronym WEIRD stands for Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic.  So, there’s still much to learn about human nature.

BTW, I just got back from about a month in France.  How I love your country!!