My Wealth and Poverty students are taking a well-deserved week off. You should too! See you right here next Friday with more of my Wealth and Poverty class.
To all: Happy Ramadan, Easter, and Passover, and my wishes to all of you for an excellent weekend. (Heather and I will be doing our coffee klatch tomorrow morning, and on Sunday I'll be posting the Sunday caption contest drawing. Otherwise, I'm sleeping!)
We may rest, but the insanity doesn't. I just heard on the morning news that Musk wants to take over Twitter because "the future of civilization is at stake." Really ‽ He believes he's our savior ‽ Really! What a megalo!
Otherwise, "Shabbat Shalom" to you Dr Reich, and to all who honestly speak their minds here.
This used to piss my husband off so much. He played football at the university level when universities used to be able to brag about their academics. Then the day of the student-athlete crept in. Now though it’s all about the money, the Alumni clubs and how big the next stadium is going to be while the rest of the school is nothing now but a farm team feeder program. Disgusting situation all around.
I was in graduate school at UCLA during the time that Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) played basketball for the school and led the UCLA team on to championship after championship. But there was a big difference between then and now and that difference was personified by the basketball coach of the time, John Wooden. (He now sounds like a fictional coach but he was The Real Deal and insisted that all his players--including the star Lew Alcindor--were essentially students and were expected to complete degree programs and move on.) Most of them never saw the court as pros; they went into teaching or law or business after graduation. Alcindor also finished his degree right on time and went into the pro leagues where he excelled year after year. (This was due in part to Coach Wooden.) However, Alcindor knew very well that playing ball professionally was going to be a short-term job (no matter how well-paid or glamorous) so he developed into a fine writer, political and social commentator and activist and still makes his mark using his scholarly skills and experience. Things have changed now and, what with the emphasis on making big bucks in pro sports, most college athletes aim for The Big Leagues and end up contributing to their own well-being and no one else's and very few make it through college as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his generation did. Sports are now the end-goal of visiting college; sports were once the way for kids to afford college and attain a meaningful degree.
My late spouse played for another storied university you may have heard a little bit about; UNC-CH. Long, mostly sound traditions in sports but really excelled in scholarship before the call of $$$ got so insistent and pervasive.
Yes! Sports do matter more than academic research. And this is nothing new. In other countries, there are sports academies and institutes that prepare professor athletes but in the US the tendency is to use universities for such purposes and deprive students in fields such as nursing, education, pre-med, environmental studies, infrastructure of their chances. This somehow makes sense to a lot of people as sports generate a lot of income and revenue for the university which is plowed back in to the university so it can hire a brand-new football coach--or some such. What a great system!(?)
Maybe this will shed some light on the why. On this morning's broadcast news, they showed the picture of a window in the Ohio State University stadium. It's their signature "block O" done up in stained glass, like you'd see in a cathedral. Creepy. There's the light I promised to shed - filtered through stained glass.
Happy Easter weekend to all. Thank you Professor Reich for your wisdom and passion. Please everyone, remember the good citizens of Ukraine this weekend as they would enjoy a spring break too. Let's all pray for a miracle to end the horrific Putin war. This is a small planet and worth saving for 8 billion humans, animals and mammals. 1 by 1 we CAN make a difference. God Bless America. Happy Easter.
Professor, love your office in the background - I recently moved and for the first time in a long time I have most of my books in bookshelves instead of boxes! Such a pleasure to confront old favorites and sometimes break them open! I'm very curious about the partially exposed painting too - I hang a lot of art, mostly done by friends. I hope you have something of a break even though I know you have professional obligations that don't stop! Maybe take a nap or two!
Have a wonderful spring break too! Thank you for allowing all of us to join your class. I know that I have learned much from them and look forward to the next ones. Happy Passover to you and your loved ones.
Thank you all that you do. I am using this time to catch up on your lectures. I just finished watching the 3rd lecture. I am struck with how I, am not included, in your lectures. I am labeled disabled. Disabled in the SSI sense of not being able to engage in substantial productive work. I am poor, and sick. The lack of web of support that I find useful. Is it my "fault?" if I just tried harder, or perhaps was had more luck, would my life not be so hard? Should I feel ashamed of how badly my life has turned out? Those are the questions I struggle with. Thank you again
I am supposed to be retired but I haven't really figured out what that means. I am writing a second book on music performance during the pandemic; trying to find a publishing home for the first one on the role of music in my family and in various communities where I have lived and studied; preparing music pieces with my teacher and possibly with another musician; planning on future participation in music workshops; trying to stay involved with political action and the 1/ 6 committee (I am represented by a member, Zoe Lofgren); and, well, I started a small business (really small) selling music cross-stitch bookmarks and plaques to pay for music stuff, so I guess I'm busy too. I think that most students (actually most people) are over-worked (and underpaid) and many devote so much of their time to "have-tos" that they never get around to the "want-tos," that is the things we elect to do for our own pleasure/enjoyment/education/recreation. This has to have a deleterious effect on us as individuals and on our society. Too much work, stress, conflict, demand on us is going to create disharmony instead of the peace and harmony we need to keep learning and changing.
I feel warmed that you care about your students including us sitting in on the course. You are a beautiful human being. Virtually no one in the world cares as much as you do and you make the world a better place with your vitally important but so rare caring.
A quick heads up on two points. For those with more than a passing interest in Labor History, this Wednesday the 20th is the anniversary of the Ludlow, Colorado Mining Massacre of 1914 covered rather well by Wikipedia; and, Tues the 19th PBS is starting a "Frontline Series" on Big Oil that should be beyond interesting and most relevant to Global Warming-Climate Change-Climate Disasters.
Professor Michael Mann, an atmospheric scientist at Penn State, has a new book just out in late 2021 entitled THE NEW CLIMATE WAR. I'm about to order it. He has been highly visible on TV shows of substance like Amanpour and Co, et al. Time permitting, I'll do a short review of it.
To all: Happy Ramadan, Easter, and Passover, and my wishes to all of you for an excellent weekend. (Heather and I will be doing our coffee klatch tomorrow morning, and on Sunday I'll be posting the Sunday caption contest drawing. Otherwise, I'm sleeping!)
You enjoy the well-deserved rest, too, Professor Reich. Happy Passover 💐
Thanks for all you do Professor Reich, your work keeps us informed and motivated.
We may rest, but the insanity doesn't. I just heard on the morning news that Musk wants to take over Twitter because "the future of civilization is at stake." Really ‽ He believes he's our savior ‽ Really! What a megalo!
Otherwise, "Shabbat Shalom" to you Dr Reich, and to all who honestly speak their minds here.
(BTW: Congrats to the Ukes. Nice shot!)
I an still not sure why a football coach at Berkeley gets over $3m: does sport matter more than academic research in the US?
This used to piss my husband off so much. He played football at the university level when universities used to be able to brag about their academics. Then the day of the student-athlete crept in. Now though it’s all about the money, the Alumni clubs and how big the next stadium is going to be while the rest of the school is nothing now but a farm team feeder program. Disgusting situation all around.
I was in graduate school at UCLA during the time that Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) played basketball for the school and led the UCLA team on to championship after championship. But there was a big difference between then and now and that difference was personified by the basketball coach of the time, John Wooden. (He now sounds like a fictional coach but he was The Real Deal and insisted that all his players--including the star Lew Alcindor--were essentially students and were expected to complete degree programs and move on.) Most of them never saw the court as pros; they went into teaching or law or business after graduation. Alcindor also finished his degree right on time and went into the pro leagues where he excelled year after year. (This was due in part to Coach Wooden.) However, Alcindor knew very well that playing ball professionally was going to be a short-term job (no matter how well-paid or glamorous) so he developed into a fine writer, political and social commentator and activist and still makes his mark using his scholarly skills and experience. Things have changed now and, what with the emphasis on making big bucks in pro sports, most college athletes aim for The Big Leagues and end up contributing to their own well-being and no one else's and very few make it through college as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his generation did. Sports are now the end-goal of visiting college; sports were once the way for kids to afford college and attain a meaningful degree.
My late spouse played for another storied university you may have heard a little bit about; UNC-CH. Long, mostly sound traditions in sports but really excelled in scholarship before the call of $$$ got so insistent and pervasive.
Are we feeling free yet?
???
An oblique reference to the old brainwash: "money is freedom."
Yes! Sports do matter more than academic research. And this is nothing new. In other countries, there are sports academies and institutes that prepare professor athletes but in the US the tendency is to use universities for such purposes and deprive students in fields such as nursing, education, pre-med, environmental studies, infrastructure of their chances. This somehow makes sense to a lot of people as sports generate a lot of income and revenue for the university which is plowed back in to the university so it can hire a brand-new football coach--or some such. What a great system!(?)
Maybe this will shed some light on the why. On this morning's broadcast news, they showed the picture of a window in the Ohio State University stadium. It's their signature "block O" done up in stained glass, like you'd see in a cathedral. Creepy. There's the light I promised to shed - filtered through stained glass.
Like a religion!?
Right in 1 try!
Happy Easter weekend to all. Thank you Professor Reich for your wisdom and passion. Please everyone, remember the good citizens of Ukraine this weekend as they would enjoy a spring break too. Let's all pray for a miracle to end the horrific Putin war. This is a small planet and worth saving for 8 billion humans, animals and mammals. 1 by 1 we CAN make a difference. God Bless America. Happy Easter.
Professor, love your office in the background - I recently moved and for the first time in a long time I have most of my books in bookshelves instead of boxes! Such a pleasure to confront old favorites and sometimes break them open! I'm very curious about the partially exposed painting too - I hang a lot of art, mostly done by friends. I hope you have something of a break even though I know you have professional obligations that don't stop! Maybe take a nap or two!
Cheers,
Randal
Have a wonderful spring break too! Thank you for allowing all of us to join your class. I know that I have learned much from them and look forward to the next ones. Happy Passover to you and your loved ones.
Yay! Spring break! I hope you enjoy your break too, Dr. Reich!
Thank you all that you do. I am using this time to catch up on your lectures. I just finished watching the 3rd lecture. I am struck with how I, am not included, in your lectures. I am labeled disabled. Disabled in the SSI sense of not being able to engage in substantial productive work. I am poor, and sick. The lack of web of support that I find useful. Is it my "fault?" if I just tried harder, or perhaps was had more luck, would my life not be so hard? Should I feel ashamed of how badly my life has turned out? Those are the questions I struggle with. Thank you again
Thanks for all of the links in one place. We watch each class twice. Grateful to be part of the class up here in the NW tip of Washington State.
Oh. Ok. Sorry. Been a long day. Happy Easter or whatever.
Happy Spring!
I am supposed to be retired but I haven't really figured out what that means. I am writing a second book on music performance during the pandemic; trying to find a publishing home for the first one on the role of music in my family and in various communities where I have lived and studied; preparing music pieces with my teacher and possibly with another musician; planning on future participation in music workshops; trying to stay involved with political action and the 1/ 6 committee (I am represented by a member, Zoe Lofgren); and, well, I started a small business (really small) selling music cross-stitch bookmarks and plaques to pay for music stuff, so I guess I'm busy too. I think that most students (actually most people) are over-worked (and underpaid) and many devote so much of their time to "have-tos" that they never get around to the "want-tos," that is the things we elect to do for our own pleasure/enjoyment/education/recreation. This has to have a deleterious effect on us as individuals and on our society. Too much work, stress, conflict, demand on us is going to create disharmony instead of the peace and harmony we need to keep learning and changing.
Thank you for your thoughts and kind words.
I feel warmed that you care about your students including us sitting in on the course. You are a beautiful human being. Virtually no one in the world cares as much as you do and you make the world a better place with your vitally important but so rare caring.
A quick heads up on two points. For those with more than a passing interest in Labor History, this Wednesday the 20th is the anniversary of the Ludlow, Colorado Mining Massacre of 1914 covered rather well by Wikipedia; and, Tues the 19th PBS is starting a "Frontline Series" on Big Oil that should be beyond interesting and most relevant to Global Warming-Climate Change-Climate Disasters.
Professor Michael Mann, an atmospheric scientist at Penn State, has a new book just out in late 2021 entitled THE NEW CLIMATE WAR. I'm about to order it. He has been highly visible on TV shows of substance like Amanpour and Co, et al. Time permitting, I'll do a short review of it.
please cancel my contributions thank you. Susan Urang