Mystery photos for a Friday

I've been sifting through a stash of old family photographic negatives that my brother found in his garage. Yesterday,  I came across at least two mystery photos. The photo above was taken by my dad, with his old Retina Kodak,  in Germany in 1951. Dad can't recall the woman or the location. He acknowledges that he must've taken it (it was on a roll of other photos that, clearly, he took). As you can see, the photo is blurred by the unsteady hand of the photographer, so it's hard to make out the young lady's features. (Click on graphics to enlarge.)

A close-up. She'd be about 78-years-old now.
Soon after this photo, my folks met on the boat sailing from Germany to Canada.
You know, the girl above looks a lot like Rebel Girl!
UPDATE: talked to my dad. He now says the gal "could have been one of my girlfriends."
Dad used to have lots of photos of old girlfriends. One day (in maybe 1952 or '53), mom gathered up all those photos and saved one picture of each girlfriend. She threw out the rest. Then she informed dad of her editing. "That's the way it's gonna be," she said. "Here's what's left." (Something like that.)

I also found this photo of the interior of a restaurant, one of two photos. The scene is northwestern Germany. Dad was on the Rhine just before he sailed for Canada in late 1951. He says he has no idea whatsoever who the waitress is and why he took this pic. Maybe an acquaintance of a friend?

This is a photo of my mom, circa 1958, likely in Kitimat, British Columbia.  But what is she doing? Just posing, I guess. She says she doesn't remember the photo or the occasion, but she acknowledges that she and dad did fool around a lot with his camera. That's for sure. Some of that stuff is pretty racy.
Sister Annie would have been about 4 and I would have been about 3 at the time of this photo.

This one's no mystery. At some point (in 1957 or 1958), while in Kitimat, my folks bought a new washer and  refrigerator—both by Westinghouse. Boy were they proud. Mom says she had dad take these pics so she could send them to her sister in Germany.
"My sister has never been the same," says mom, mysteriously.
I love the daffy "Mad Men" style of these appliance photos.

It's modern!

My folks' vision isn't what it used to be. They scrutinized this one for some time and only came up with distinctly wrongish theories about what's depicted. It looks to me like the Southwestern desert. I Googled "Desert View Trading Post" and discovered that that is the name of a place near the Grand Canyon. After a little looking I discovered that the Grand Canyon DVTP, which still exists, looks very much like the building depicted here. Voila.
My dad took the pic in 1958, when we traversed Route 66 from near Niagara Falls to LA.

"I'm frustrated we're talking about dogs...."

Famous talking dog

     Jonathan Volzke of the Capistrano Dispatch joins the San Juan Capistrano Patch in reporting that SJC Councilman Derek Reeve has pulled his controversial anti-illegal immigration proposal. (See Anti-Illegal Immigration Policy Proposal in Capistrano Pulled after Plagiarism Allegations.)
     Volzke seems to view Reeve’s action as a consequence of recent plagiarism allegations made against him by the SJC Patch. A kind of strategic retreat, under a rock, I guess.
     Based on Jenna Chandler and the Patch’s reporting, it seems very clear that Reeve, a lawyer, a realtor, and a Saddleback College Poli Sci instructor, has blatantly plagiarized the works of various authors in recent months—on the Patch.
     Not sure if anyone’s checked any other publications yet.
     Mayor Sam Allevato said that Reeve’s plagiarism issue is distracting:

“I feel further discussion by the City Council (of the plagiarism allegations) is unwarranted as it does nothing to further the interests of the residents of San Juan Capistrano and is yet another distraction from the important work of this Council,” Allevato said. “Ultimately, Mr. Reeve will have to answer to the public and his employers regarding his actions.”

     —Gosh, I think Allevato is alluding to Concordia U and Saddleback College, where Reeve teaches. No?
     Another City Councilman, John Taylor, evidently worries that Reeve could mess up SJC's rosy rep:

“Members of an elected body are supposed to be leaders—plagiarism is against the law,” Taylor said in a written statement “This lack of character and leadership is a hindrance in his ability to govern the affairs of our City.”

"Distracted"

     I don't know about plagiarism being against the law; it does invite civil lawsuits. Surely it's unethical, scandalous.
     Another council member, Laura Freese, evidently a fan of absurd remarks, said: “I’m frustrated we’re talking about dogs, the right to gather and now plagiarism” (CD).
     I’ll bet. This fracas sure reminds me of the old Frogue/Board Majority days, when SOCCCD officials spent most of their time 'splainin' the board’s absurd actions and policies, many of which were clear instances of “red meat tossage” to the Board Four’s benighted right-wing constituency—you know, the people who, fifteen years later, sip tea and support Reeve.
     A former Councilman is urging others to take a good look at Reeve. Maybe he thinks there’s more to find under the rocks of SJC. Do you suppose?
     Meanwhile, Reeve ain’t talkin’. He won’t respond to his old buds at the SJC Patch, who want to know about this unseemly pattern of plagiarism that he saddled ‘em with. I bet they’re pissed. Are they gonna delete all that stuff?
     I wonder if Saddleback College’s Academic Senate is dusting off its "code of ethics"? I mean, what’s the point of having a code if you don’t do something when one of your own members violates it bigtime?
     For all I know, they're on the case right now. I can just imagine the discussion:

     "Well, he's obviously taken other writers' words and ideas and claimed them as his own! The rascal!"
     "Wait. The stuff on the Patch is written, right? Maybe his dog Muhammad peed on his submissions, messing 'em up?"
     "Never mind pee. Our code is about being honest with academic stuff. When he writes for the Patch blog, that's not academic stuff; it's political stuff."
     "Wait! Doesn't he teach politics here at the college? I'm so confused!"
     "Let me get this straight. If he goes on TV and announces that he wrote Huckleberry Finn, that's OK, cuz it's only TV?"
     "He'd better not say it on Saddleback TV. Nancy Padberg watches that shit, and I bet she hates Mark Twain. Have you ever read Letters from the Earth?"
     "Yeah. Gosh."

     I happen to know that they really do talk that way down at Saddleback. They're seriously serious down there, man.

And now for something completely different...

Rebel Girl is proud to report that IVC student Mary Carreon hss been awarded a coveted internship at the OC Weekly, where she will work under the direction of Gustavo Arellano, the Weekly's managing editor, award-winning writer, contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times Op/Ed pages, lecturer at Cal State Fullerton and perennial runner-up for IVC commencement speaker. (What's a guy gotta do?)

Here's a snippet from Carreon's first piece, coverage of author Sandra Cisneros' appearance last weekend:

OC Media
Sandra Cisneros Wows More than 200 at Libreria Martinez Reading
​Written by new OC Weekly intern Mary Carreon. Hola, Mary!

Beloved Mexican-American author Sandra Cisneros graced Libreria Martinez this past Saturday afternoon, with the legendary bookstore filled with over 250 Cisneros fans. Store owner Rueben Martinez stated that he had seen his store so full before, which was partly true: after all, the last time Cisneros came to do a booksigning for him, Martinez had to host the reading at the Orange County High School of the Performing Arts.

Cisneros is always a ball of energy, and she delighted the crowd by reading a short story from her new book, Have You Seen Marie? During a brief question-and-answer session, Cisneros stated she's currently writing several new books, including a collection of "lost" essays with the tentative title, Writing in My Pajamas; Have You Seen Marie?, an adult picture book; a children's book titled, Bravo, Bruno; and several other collaborative projects including a screenplay of her iconic The House on Mango Street.

To read the rest, click here.

Carreon will be covering local arts, cultural and sport events.

*

On Derek Reeve's failure to be honest

     As you know, controversial San Juan Capistrano City Councilman Derek Reeve is on the faculty of Saddleback College and he is enrolled at Claremont Graduate University, where he is seeking a doctorate.
     Recently, we learned that he's a plagiarist, one who offers others' words and ideas as though they are his own.
     According to his faculty profile at the Saddleback College website, Reeve expects to finish his doctorate in 2013:

CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY [CGU] – Doctorate of Philosophy, 2013 Major: Political Science;  Double Academic Emphasis: International Relations and American Politics;  Sub-emphasis: International Terrorism; U.S. Constitutional Law and Interpretation

     I checked, and, unsurprisingly, CGU has a policy on Academic Honesty, one that mentions plagiarism. According to the policy,

The ideal of academic honesty is crucial to the integrity of a college or university; conversely, academic dishonesty undermines the very basis upon which institutions of higher education are organized and function. All students at Claremont Graduate University are expected to meet the highest standards of honesty in the performance of their academic work….
. . .
The Standards of Academic Honesty proscribe (but are not limited to) the giving or receiving of unauthorized help in examinations or other assignments, plagiarism and other unacknowledged or undocumented use of source material, and forgery. [My emphases.*]

     Such standards are utterly familiar to any academic. CGU’s conception of “academic honesty” is typical. So is its rejection of plagiarism.
     CGU’s policy on Academic Integrity explains “plagiarism” as follows:

     Plagiarism is a serious academic offense, which will lead to disciplinary procedures when detected. ... Faculty members are required to report all cases of apparent plagiarism to the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Most plagiarism occurs unintentionally, due to ignorance of academic expectations on citing sources. However, ignorance is no defense in cases of plagiarism….
. . .
     Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic ethical standards….
. . .
     The range of definitions [of plagiarism] is illustrated by the following examples:

• "Plagiarism...means trying to pass off someone else's work as your own."
• "Plagiarism … means using another person's language or ideas without acknowledgement."
• "Plagiarism is defined as the attempt to fob off another's thought or language as one's own..."
• "Fundamentally, plagiarism is the offering of the words or ideas of another person as one's own.. . .

The key to avoiding plagiarism is documentation. When you take words, ideas or facts, which are not common knowledge from someone else, cite your source…. [My emphasis.]

     I doubt that one could find an institution of higher education in this country that did not have policies regarding academic honesty that are essentially similar to CGU’s. That is, throughout academia, students and professors are expected to be “academically honest,” and the most familiar element of any account of academic honesty is its rejection of plagiarism—i.e., its rejection of the passing off of others’ ideas and writing as one’s own.
     Naturally, CGU’s primary concern is with Reeve’s conduct as a student and as a scholar. One might suppose, therefore, that his conduct outside that realm—e.g., as a contributor to political blogs or newsletters—is of no relevance to them or to academia. That supposition is dubious, I think.
     Let’s return to Saddleback College, where Reeve has worked for six or seven years as an Associate Faculty. As it turns out, a dozen years ago, Saddleback College faculty adopted a “Faculty Code of Ethics and Professional Standards.” It quotes a familiar American Association of University Professors statement:

"Professors, guided by a deep conviction of the worth and dignity of the advancement of knowledge, recognize the special responsibilities placed upon them. Their primary responsibility to their subject is to seek and to state the truth as they see it. To this end professors devote their energies to developing and improving their scholarly competence. They accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending, and transmitting knowledge. They practice intellectual honesty…." (AAUP Statement, 1990) [My emphasis.]

The Saddleback “code” goes on to require that

Faculty exhibit intellectual honesty and integrity in all scholarly endeavors.

     The point I'm making is simple. Qua scholar and qua college faculty, Reeve is expected to be honest, and, obviously, one aspect of honesty is not passing off other’s writings and ideas as one’s own—even in less-than-scholarly settings. Jenna Chandler’s recent piece in the SJC Patch makes very clear that Mr. Reeve does exactly that—he passed off others’ ideas and writings as his own—and he has done so repeatedly. He cannot be trusted to argue honestly; he certainly cannot be trusted to instill academic honesty in his students.
     Who knows. Perhaps this will make him more attractive to his hooting Neanderthalic supporters—a loutish crew known for anti-intellectualism and a suspicion of science. But to academics, Reeve is a scholar and teacher who has failed to internalize or accept what is utterly central to academic life: honesty.**

*Tea Partiers, the word "emphases" is the plural form of the word "emphasis."
**Mr. Reeve is turning out to be quite the lout, what with his willingness to engage in juvenile taunts of Muslims and repeated intellectual theft. Why am I not surprised that he is also pious?

• Matt Coker has noticed the Reeve saga, including this latest chapter.
• The OC Reg's Frank Mickadeit updates: Did city councilman plagiarize?

…"Did City Councilman Plagiarize?" editor Jenna Chandler asked in the headline over her story. The weight of the evidence she presents combined with Reeve's lack of a credible response makes it difficult to reach any other conclusion….

Derek Reeve, plagiarist? (He's toast)

     —Two recent developments re Derek Reeve, the Saddleback College adjunct and SJC City Councilman who mirthfully informed the people of SJC that he had named one of his dogs "Muhammad."
     You'll recall that that action yielded the fellow much attention plus the designation "pinhead" from Bill O'Reilly.
     Now, the two developments:

1. Poll: No apology needed for Muhammad dog comment (OC Reg)

77% of 481 respondents to a Register online poll don’t think San Juan Capistrano Councilman Derek Reeve should apologize for his public remarks about naming his dog after the Muslim prophet. 

     Yeah, whatever. Reg readers are living up to their reputation.

2. Jenna Chandler of the San Juan Capistrano Patch weighs in with this: Did City Councilman Plagiarize?

     San Juan Capistrano Councilman Derek Reeve has published essays that are virtually identical to the words of other writers.
     He helps run the city, lectures at local colleges and practices law, but for the past few months, San Juan Capistrano City Councilman Derek Reeve has also blogged on Patch, opining on local issues and promoting some of his government proposals.
     He stopped blogging earlier this month after Patch questioned him about dozens of passages that appear to be lifted from other publications, word for word and without attribution.
     In one case, an entire post submitted by Reeve matched content from other publications. In others, as much as two-thirds of Reeve's essays were a patchwork of paragraphs identical to material written by newspaper columnists and reporters for such publications as The Oregonian and The Hill.... (continued)

     Oh my.
     Chandler has details in her article. They're devastating. Check 'em out.
     Tea Partiers, in academia, plagiarism is a VERY SERIOUS SIN. I know you won't be able to understand that. Nevertheless, it's true.
     Reeve might have a future as a Tea Partier, since tea people have no standards and seem attracted to jerks and morons. But, unless Chandler is making all of this stuff up, as an academic, Reeve is now toast.

The September 2011 board meeting—live and direct!

     (For a sunnier take on this meeting, see Tere's board meeting highlights.)
     It’s 6:05 down here in the Ronald Reagan room, and it’s time once again for the monthly meeting of the venerable SOCCCD board of trustees.
     The audience is the typical thin crowd thus far. No sign of the trustees. I’ll keep you posted.
. . .
     6:16: Two trustees have entered the room. A good sign!
. . .
     6:24: OMG! Don Wagner's in the room! He's jawin' with Tod Burnett.
     The trustees are fixin' to start up.
     6:27: Nancy Padberg opens the meeting.

     • No actions taken in closed session.

"Don Wagner is a leader among California Republicans."

     • Invocation: Marcia Milchiker asks for God's help.... Quotes Robert Lewis Stevenson. Then says "amen."
     • Pledge of allegiance: by Frank Meldau
     • Resolutions for Professors of the Year. Marcia reads each. This is gonna take a while. I miss Fuentes' contempt for faculty and for board opponents. All this worshipfulness and earnestness and reverence is about to make me puke.
   
Public comments:

     1. HAT LADY. A middle-aged lady in a hat and shades comes up to the podium. She indicate her interest in becoming Chancellor. Really. She lists her qualifications. She then indicates that she is preparing a lawsuit (against the district), something about a film or video class. I think I heard the mildly unpleasant sound of crinkling aluminum foil as she shifted her hat on her head. She's now left the podium. I catch Tere's eye. Her look is within the bounds of professionalism. I'm impressed.
     2. DON WAGNER, former SOCCCD trustee, present leader of the legislative anti-public education contingent, grandly steps up to the podium. He tells the story of his coming across Bill Hewitt on a plane to Sacramento years ago. He says: We had a long discussion. We didn't agree about everything. We've continued those discussions. I'm happy to report, says Don, that a friendship developed. When I heard that Bill was retiring, I started working on a certificate of recognition or appreciation or some dang thing. I discovered how much he's done. Wow. So, being a big shot Republican in Sacto, I had the State Legislature write a resolution. (He holds it up in the air. It's framed. It highlights some of Bill's accomplishments, which Don reads. The thing has a big green strip on it. It looks like something from an old cigarette ad.) Bill's real legacy: thousands of students who have benefitted from his work. On behalf of the people of Cal, thanks, Bill.
     Applause. Bill speaks: Acknowledges his "staff." Humbly explains that he could not have done all those magnificent things that he has done—he mentions some of 'em—without... yada yada.

Board reports:

     Bill Jay: no report
     Frank Meldau: thanks for the tour of SC, Tod, he says. Great football game and homecoming. Chili bowl cook-off was great, despite that pesky power outage.
     Marcia Milchiker: yes, no power for chili cook-off. Dang. But it was a great event. In the dark.
     T.J. Prendergast: Yeah, the homecoming game was great. I will be attending the water polo game.
     Nancy Padberg: yeah, I too went to the game. Saddleback's "Constitution Day" was wonderful, with a "big article in the paper."
     Dave Lang: Thanks IVC Prez Glenn Roquemore for something, don't recall what. It was a nice homecoming.
     Student trustee: puts tawdry crown on his head; then announces, "I won homecoming king!" He attended water polo games. (I think this kid hopes to be on TV one day.)
     Chancellor Gary Poertner: mentions accred follow-up report and strategic plan—two items tonight. They represent a "very huge effort." Thanked all of the people who worked so hard on the report, etc.

6:58: unanimous vote for consent calendar.

4.1 Presentation about Accred. follow-up reports:

     Roquemore introduces the team: IVC Senate Prez Lisa Davis Allen, Kathleen Werle, Saddleback Senate Prez Bob Cosgrove, VPI Don Busche.
     It's been a long journey. August 2010—we submitted self-study reports. January 2011: both colleges got warning status. Ouch.
     He thanks Gary Poertner for his crucial efforts.

     So here's the presentation:

It was like a dream or something

     Tod Burnett: it was an effective district-wide effort. Poertner put together a district steering committee. Yada Yada.
. . . (Trust me, you don't want the details)
(As you know, a camel is a horse designed by a committee...Just sayin') . . . (just how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Well, that's a very important question, of course. Let's see) . . . I do believe that I am in a coma now. I'm fairly certain that I'm drooling. I hear voices droning...
7:11 Kill me now....
I hear voices: ...we have found these delightful plastic forms. We have shoved turds into them, with great care. Behold the lovely product: remarkable things, aren't they? Behold their perfection. Wow we must be good.
I hear those voices again. We have been very diligent... Standards. Reports. Dedication. Excellence. Drool. .... Voices....
... I see trustee faces. Some are sleepy, bored. One seems pained, but that's probably about something else. The voices keep changing, droning. Drool....
It's 7:18. Kill me, kill me now.... We want to thank... I hear snoring. How many pinheads can angel on the head of a....? Constituent groups in the district.... Planning and decision-making.... Relevance...
Dysfunctional.... Tax-payers.... Werle handles that special recommendation....
College-wide discussion boards have been initiated.... Safe, transparent.... A policy on mutual respect.... Yeah, protect the worst faculty for decades..... respect.... Gotto have mutual respect....
The ACCJC Accred Teams will visit in November.
In January, the ACCJC board will meet, and they'll decide whether we should stay on warning....
We'll be notified in February....

The dream suddenly lifts.
Nancy: "thanks for a great report." Board members, any questions? NONE.

Next: district-wide strategic plan:

Poertner: very little difference between info item last time and what we have today, he says. Mentions one addition: establishment of a new DISTRICT facility between IVC and Saddleback College, a long-time desideratum. This may be the time to pursue that, what with the economy in the toilet.

Vote to accept plan: unanimous

Item 6.2: a cash-flow matter.... Borrowing money from ourselves....  They vote: unanimous.

Yada yada. I so miss Tom.

Too many notes, I think

6.5 Board Policy Revision....
     Lang has comment ... He offers suggestions re the wording of the code of ethics policy. Blah blah blah.
     Nancy P seems mighty peeved by this "wordsmithing." Wants to move things along. The sarcastic Nancy emerges. Marcia says, gosh, she likes all Dave's tiny changes. Well, ask to be recognized next time, snaps Nancy, the ruthless Nancy.
     Let's use "according" instead of "giving," says Dave.
     I think they're referring to this line:

Respectfully working with other Board members in the spirit of harmony and cooperation and giving each member courteous consideration of his or her opinion.

     Prendergast: maybe we should look up the word "according"; maybe the right word is "affording," says TJ. (He teaches P.E.) Nancy says, "affording" makes sense to her. Let's do that.
     (Good Lord. These people are in charge of colleges?)
     6.5 passes.

6.6 More revisions. Delegation of authority to the Chancellor. Discussion.
6.7 Resolution to rescind five grant-funded classified layoffs. Roll-call vote. Unanimous.
6.8 Academic personnel actions. Unanimously passes.
6.9 Classified personnel actions. Unanimously passes.

We miss you, Tom

Reports:

7.1 Notice to board of ceremony to be held at Disneyland Hotel.
7.2 Reassigned time and stipends. Info only.
7.3 Speakers. No comments/questions.
7.4 Basic Aid Report.
7.5 Facility plan status report. No questions.
7.6 Monthly financial status report. No questions.

Reports from constituency groups:

Bill Hewitt

Saddleback College Ac Senate: blah blah
Faculty Association: no report
IVC Ac Senate: no formal report
Peebles/ATEP: no report
Roquemore/IVC: congrats faculty of year. Robert Young's lecture: paradise at middle age. Exploration of OC from an urban development perspective. Blah, blah.
Burnett/SC: thanks Cosgrove and Busche. Also Claire C-S. Blather about homecoming. Blah blah.
(Will this never end?)
Bugay: nice to be in a district that remembers 9-11.
Fitzsimmons: (too many words, too quickly said)
Et al.

7:57 adjourned (in name of student who died in skateboard accident).

Music for this dreary moment

Well i'd like to think i'm the mess you'd wear with pride.

Like some empty dress on the bed you've layed out for tonight.

Maybe i'll tell you sometime.

Time.sometime.

And you were right.

Right.

You were right

Outside by your doorstep

In a worn out suit and tie

I'll wait

For you to come down

Where you'll find me

Where we'll shine

Oh

UC Muslim students guilty of disturbing speech (OC Register)
     A jury Thursday found 10 Muslim university students guilty of disrupting a speech by an Israeli diplomat at UC Irvine last year, in a case that focused on free speech.
UPDATE, SEPT. 23, 2:44 P.M.: sentencing:
     All 10 defendants have been sentenced to three years of informal probation, along with 56 hours of community service. If they complete the community service hours within one year, by Sept. 24, 2012, the probation period will be reduced to one year. Judge Peter Wilson told the court that since the students had clean records and the disruption was "motivated by beliefs" and "not for the sake of disruption," imprisonment was not warranted. (OC Weekly)

The agenda for Monday's BOT meeting

     The September meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees (BOT) will be on Monday (the 26th). So, as per usual, I went to the district website to download the agenda (the link for the agenda is on the bottom right of the opening page).
     But, right away, I ran into trouble. The download didn’t seem to be working; or it was terribly slow.

* * *

     (As you know, the Brown Act requires that the agenda be made available in various ways prior to the meeting.
     (What happens if you can't download the file? Well, the district provides info about “agenda posting locations.” Here’s the info:

     (I kid you not. That's it. I wonder where that lake is. Can anyone direct me to the guy with the tube? Garsh.)

* * *

     I contacted the district and let them know about the downloading problem. Meanwhile, I just left my computer alone to try to download the file. After twenty minutes or so, it succeeded.
     Meanwhile, somebody (or some thing) at the district contacted me to say:

     The current board agenda link for September appears to be corrupt and will be temporarily inaccessible. We are trying to resolve the issue and will notify you when the link on the District website is working. We apologize for any inconvenience.

     Is it me? Or does it appear that this message was written by a mechanism. Nobody's notified me yet, and it's 5:30 p.m.
     UPDATE: at 5:46, the mechanism got back to me:

 The problem has been resolved and the link to the September Board agenda is working. The current agenda link is now accessible on the District website. Thank you for your patience.

     Wow. I was expecting "does not compute."

 * * *

     I’ve only started to peruse the agenda. It did notice a couple of items about student travel: 5.2 and 5.14. Check ‘em out:

Students get $35 a day for meals, but faculty get $50. Gosh.

     Boy, that Phi Theta Kappa convention is mighty pricy: $1350 per Kappster. What could they possibly be doing in Nashville, anyway? Visiting the grave of Minnie Pearl? 

     Of course, Saddleback's "forensics tournament" is even pricier: $1400 per student (it's $1850 per faculty).

O'Reilly calls Reeve a "pinhead"

Tea Partiers, click on the big arrow/triangle

Meanwhile, the Farewell Tour continues: 
Former O.C. GOP boss Fuentes honored (OC Reg)

     Longtime former county Republican Party Chairman Tom Fuentes, who is in hospice care in his home and is dying of cancer, continued what is becoming a farewell tour on Saturday, when he made it to the California Republican Party convention in Los Angeles.
     Fuentes, 62, accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from the CRP and delivered a searing six-minute speech full of his characteristic criticism, encouragement and moralism….
     “Today I come to share with you a farewell,” Fuentes said Saturday before launching into the politics – starting with attacks on some fellow Republicans. Some excerpts:
. . .
     “California has become a failed place. The vulgarity and violence that pours out of Hollywood goes unchallenged by our civic leaders. Crime is rampant in the streets. The adulterous conduct of ranking elected officials is common place [sic]. Our children are without heroes and role models.” ….

They're making their own sauce

     EXCELLENCE, CONFERENCE-WISE. Today we noticed that Elise Blackwell’s recent piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education (The Word on Writers’ Conferences), which discusses the virtues and vices of the country’s major writers’ conferences, favorably refers to her experiences at The Community of Writers at Squaw Valley conferences in particular.
     As you know, our own Rebel Girl co-directs (along with Louis B. Jones) the Writers Workshop of the CWSV.
     Just sayin’.

* * *

Just add water

     SELF-DEFECATING RIGHT-WINGERS. The “I named my dog Muhammad” story first broke (I believe) on the estimable Voice of OC.
     Yesterday, VOC returned to it (San Juan Councilman Is Criticized, Applauded, for Muhammad Comments), noting events at Tuesday night’s meeting of the San Juan Capistrano City Council.
     VOC reminds us of the issue—that libertarian and conservative Derek Reeve, a City Councilman (and Saddleback College adjunct), announced, a few weeks ago, that he had named one of his dogs “Muhammad”—a prima facie act of ridicule of Islam and of Muslims, who traditionally regard dogs as unclean creatures.
     VOC then reports that “Councilman Larry Kramer called on Reeve to apologize for the comment and promise not to make remarks at public meeting[s] that are offensive to minorities.” But “Reeve refused to apologize, instead unleashing a diatribe on what he considers radical Muslim societies in other nations.”

The Bauer family, 1961: first visit to San Juan Capistrano

     By the way: yesterday, the OC Reg’s Frank Mickadeit noted that the two City Councilmen who have taken issue with Reeve’s remarks have the greatest right-wing cred:

     But, funny, the two council members most vocal about saying they too were offended by Reeve's comments, and who most strongly urged him to apologize, were [Sam] Allevato, a 30-year cop, and Kramer, a 30-year Navy officer, a sub boat captain. Not exactly your weak-livered liberal kowtowers….

     The VOC article ends thus:

     At the end of his speech, Reeve's supporters cheered and hooted. … Everyone who spoke on the issue during public comments backed Reeve and attacked what they said was the threat of radical Islam and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim organization that condemned Reeve's remark.
     "These radicals have one evil goal, and that is to gain total domination of this beautiful Christian nation and western civilization," said Vaughn Becht, a Westminster resident.  
     "We Christians will not succumb to their evil ways."

     BAUER-SPEAK. As I have mentioned previously, the Bauer family—especially during the era of my and my siblings’ childhood (from the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s)—always and compulsively played with the English language, which was actually a second language for my sister and me (we originally spoke German).
     In a situation like this (i.e., the spectacle of citizens making such remarks), a Bauer sibling—especially my little bro Ray, the master—would simply remark: “Just add water; it makes its own sauce,” a reference to those stupid commercials, now long forgotten. For some reason, such blatherings were constant objects of ridicule among us. And they became important vehicles of commentary and entertainment too. But that's another story.

1961: "Please don't ring bells."

* * *

     THOSE AMAZING FULLERTONIAN DOLTS. The Fullerton PD is certainly making its own sauce. That is, they have a scandal, an ever-deepening scandal, that is entirely of their own making. First came the incident itself—the murder of “schizophrenic drifter” Kelly Thomas, back in July. And then there’s everything they’ve done since: releasing no information, yada yada. The Fullerton PD looks like a bunch of assholes. Everything they do makes them look worse. They're making their own sauce—you only need to add water (that is, you don't need anything, I guess).
     Today, the OC Weekly’s Gustavo Arellano blogged about a new video about the Kelly Thomas case put out by Reason Magazine (see Reason Magazine's TV Outfit on the Kelly Thomas Murder and the Power of Citizen Media).
     From the beginning, we here at DtB understood that the Kelly Thomas case is important, but there was no particular reason for us to comment on it. The case has particular resonance for me because my own brother, Ray, was also a “schizophrenic drifter”—one who, ultimately, lived a tragic life and met a tragic end at age 39, though not one quite so horrific as Thomas’. (He died very suddenly in a construction accident.)
     I am very pleased to see that the Kelly Thomas story has gone big and that, contrary to expectations (for OC political/governmental culture is about as dismally unhealthy as OC cop culture), the OC DA is pursuing the case aggressively. I didn’t expect that.
     Arellano provides the Reason Magazine video, though he carps (justifiably, I think) that it fails to take into account the important work done by the blog Friends of Fullerton’s Future.
     Here’s the video. It emphasizes how the growth of this particular "story" illustrates a larger phenomenon: a replacing of traditional journalism with citizen efforts, fueled by technology and the internet.

See also: Kelly Thomas: O.C.'s thoughts on the charges (Wow. Virtually all of these Orange Countians seem to be more or less on the same page.)

 

With my dad, feeding a "swallow." 1961

Mom and friend, SJC, 1961

The Politics of the Mid-Year Student Fee Increase

Posy patrol

Members of the IVC community received good news from the college president this morning via email: Glenn happily informed us that Governor Brown had signed ABX1 32 into law, which will delay the anticipated and dreaded mid-year $10 student fee increase. Glenn proudly touted his own participation in the successful passage of this bill as he is a Commissioner on the Commission on Finance and Legislative Advocacy and represents our college. (See your inbox: "ABX1 32 Passes").

Okay.

Rebel Girl has long been interested in how people's personal politics can challenge the wellbeing of their workplace, particularly how this contradiction manifests in Orange County's higher education community. You know, conservative, anti-public education types working at public education institutions.

How does that work exactly?

You remember former SOCCCD trustee Don Wagner, now Assemblyman Wagner representing Aliso Viejo, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Newport Beach and Tustin. As a candidate, he was the recipient of much money and support from many in the SOCCCD, including IVC president, Glenn Roquemore. As a candidate, Don benefited from his service as a college trustee which helped to catapult him up to Sacramento.

So, how did former SOCCCD trustee now Assemblyman Wagner vote on ABX1 32?

Do you really have to ask?

Of course he voted no. Of course he did. Of course.

Along with 26 others, who, Rebel Girl would wager, are Republican members of the assembly. (To check the vote tallies, click here.)

Glenn would join them too, Rebel Girl would wager, were he a Republican member of the state assembly.

See?

He's sort of stuck, isn't he? What's a guy to do?

She just wonders how it all get reconciled, how it all works out. Of course, part of it is that these contradictions or inconsistencies are seldom pointed out. For example, Glenn's email didn't mention Don's lack of support.

Why would it? Then again, why shouldn't it?

I am saddened to report that former Trustee Wagner failed to support this important bill; fortunately however, enough Democrats saw the wisdom of it and the bill passed. Whew.

*

Plain old prejudice

     For what it’s worth, OC Reg columnist, Frank Mickadeit, isn’t buying Derek Reeve’s account of his now-notorious “named my dog Muhammad” story and his subsequent explanations. See Free speech, or plain old prejudice?
     The local GOP establishment doesn't seem to be circling the wagons around Reeve. On the other hand, Reeve does have the support of such local right-wingers as Barbara Coe. Yeah.

UPDATE: just posted:

• Muslim group wants official to apologize for dog Muhammad (OC Reg)
     Islamic Circle of North America’s Southern California chapter praises a council member’s criticism of Councilman Derek Reeve’s comment that he had named his dog Muhammad, after the Muslim prophet. The group says it won’t rule out a protest in San Juan Capistrano against the remark....

See also Offensive 'speech' in SJC poses problems

Also in the news...

• Universities now urging freshmen to consider studying the forgotten humanities (San Jose Mercury)
     On 21st century American campuses, is there room for Shakespeare, Sartre and Sondheim?
     A declining number of students think so – a trend that worries leaders at many top universities, where engineers often outnumber humanists.
     Seeking to reignite interest in the liberal arts, this week Stanford University is welcoming the Class of 2015 with a rich opening volley of literature, film and philosophy designed to elevate freshmen dreams beyond that cool job at Google….

• A Civilized Debate (Inside Higher Ed)
     Towson University is the latest battleground in a controversy over a student group whose presence is growing on college campuses.
     Youth for Western Civilization appeared on the scene in 2009 as a co-sponsor of the Conservative Political Action Conference, sparking the interest of students across the country to start university chapters of their own. It has grown from about eight college chapters in its first year to about 15 today, with Towson as one of its newest member institutions.
     The group has garnered a lot of attention for its stated standpoint – opposing “radical multiculturalism, political correctness, racial preferences, mass immigration, and socialism” – and particularly from hate-awareness groups saying it could have white nationalist ties. The group's leaders vigorously challenge such assertions….

Club Day at IVC (plus ye olde inexplicable medieval dude)

IRVINE. As you know, I'm on sabbatical, so I make a point of staying away from the college. But I've insisted that Rebel Girl take some pics, and so here's what she sent me today.
It was "Club Day" at Irvine Valley College, so the various clubs—there's a few goofy ones (stock market investment club?) among the usual suspects (Christian, cheerleading)—put up booths and provided the usual clubby things. No doubt there were blue and white balloons.  Check it out.

For some reason, an old guy in a vaguely Arthurian costume from "Medieval Times" was among the clubbers. Don't know why. At IVC, if you ask why, you don't get an answer. Or you get several, and they're all wrong.
Evidently, one of our sharp new hires wandered outside and saw this guy; she ran back into A200, yelling, "WTF! Did you see the Medieval Guy out there? What's up with that?!"
Everyone just stared. Hey, it's IVC.

Rebel Girl dropped by the MRC, the subject of much Sturm und Drang and gnashing of teeth in recent months. "It looked like the Playboy Club, but without the bunnies," said the Reb. It does seem to have a wealth of pizzazz—I mean, for a room at a freakin' college.

The MRC is a celebration of glass and, um, uselessness, I guess. Nobody seems to know quite what's going on with the MRC. It used to have students on computers.

An offensive trend among OC elected officials (louts)

     Derek Reeve, a San Juan Capistrano City Councilmen and an adjunct Poli Sci instructor at Saddleback College, received harsh criticism from some of his colleagues last night for his jocular remark, two weeks ago, that he had named his dog “Muhammad,” something highly offensive to Muslims, who regard dogs as “unclean.”
     Read all about it in the OC Reg.
     According to the Reg, at last night’s City Council meeting, Mayor Sam Allevato, alluding to Muslim citizens and city workers, declared that

"When you're up here on this dais, ...[Y]ou're an elected leader of the 37,000 people who we represent. We're here to represent everyone."

     Councilman Larry Kramer said

"As leaders we should be setting a higher standard of behavior ... We should be asking ourselves what is best for the people of San Juan Capistrano."

     According to the Reg, Reeve took offense to those remarks and “became emotional”:

     Reeve said he named his dog Muhammad to make a political statement against oppression in other societies regarding issues like this one. Reeve also objected to comments from Kramer regarding how he raises his children. "Mr. Kramer is criticizing me on how I raise my children," Reeve said. "To hell you say – I will teach them and educate them on these principles until the day I die."

     Oh my.
     Some citizens came in support of Reeve. They seemed to think that his First Amendment rights were being violated. Of course, they were not.
     Meanwhile,

     Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Greater Los Angeles Area office of [Council on American-Islamic Relations], wrote a statement expressing disappointment of what he called an offensive trend in Orange County: "It is unfortunate that we are witnessing a trend of local elected officials engaging in actions offensive to Muslims or promoting outright anti-Muslim bigotry. We want to remind these elected officials that our great nation was built on the values of respect, inclusivity and religious pluralism."

In education news:
What does the research [re online courses] show?

     Several recent research studies of online courses at community colleges have direct relevance for the high school experience. Underwritten by the Lumina Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a study released last summer that tracked community colleges in Washington State over a five-year period concluded that “students were more likely to fail or withdraw from online courses than from face-to-face courses.” A similar study in Virginia came to the same conclusion. As the Chronicle of Higher Education reported, “online students often have little training in how to navigate the online interfaces of their courses and struggle to manage their coursework without the grounding of weekly class meetings.” A study at a Texas community college found that students in online developmental classes (classes students must take before they are allowed to take college-level courses) had among the highest failure rates—around 60 percent.
                                                                       --(From EdSource)

Over the cliff we go!

Click on image to enlarge.

*

Closing Time

via Los Angeles Review of Books via Galley Cat - a photo taken by a reader identified as Jessers25 at a Borders going out of business sale.

In the photo (click to enlarge), a Thomas Jefferson quotation, "I cannot live without books," presides over a bare wall and dismantled bookcases, and discarded subject signs including "WORLD HISTORY."

Today is Borders' last in business.

Rebel Girl is busy using up all those old Borders gift cards she has lying around.

According to Galley Cat: "No matter what you think about mega-bookstores or Borders management, this is a sad year for everyone who loves books. If you want to help, the Help Ex-Borders Employees page is collecting resources for the thousands of booksellers looking for work."

*

I smacked myself upside the head

     So I went to my folks’ place for lunch, and they were yackin’ like they do. “What’s up?” asked my dad, and so I told ‘im I got caught up in some pissing contest with some bozo on my blog.
     But my folks were raised in Nazi Germany, and this sort of news always causes their wolf ears to stand up straight and their wolf eyes to narrow. Could be trouble….don’t make trouble…..
     They were concerned. “Is someone angry with you?” asked mom. She was thinkin’ of silent visits from the Gestapo in the night. That’s just the way she is. There’s nothing to be done about it. My dad isn’t too bad that way. But he’s definitely down on pointless squabblage. I think he thinks all squabblage is pointless. (I do believe he voted for Bush. Twice.)
     “Well, it’s like this, see” I began. Communicating with my folks is always tricky, unless you’re just saying “ouch” or “hey!” or you’re dropping to the floor or crashing through glass. With my folks, communication is all body language and movements and attitude—and almost no verbiage. In fact, words just get in the way, especially if you insist on using them carefully, articulately. Do that, and they stare, bewildered, at your mouth. Then they say (at your mouth), “Ach, you’re talking just like a lawyer!”*
     So, anyway, you’ve got to make adjustments when you tell my folks a story—especially if the story concerns abstractions. You’ve got to give ‘em a parable or something. Or maybe get some napkins and rubber bands and do a little puppet show. Everything must be exaggerated. Avoid distinctions. Keep it simple. Give one puppet a name like “Asshole” or “Adolf” just to be ultra-clear.
     “So it’s like this. In the last few years, all [note the word “all”] conservative political voices have been completely [again, take note] drowned out by LOUTS. That’s essentially what’s happened.”

     (I thought: “But what, dear boy, is a ‘lout’?”)
     I then said: “Now, a lout is a guy. He’s the kind of guy who’ll watch you trip and he’ll right away laugh, and he clearly doesn’t care if you crack your head open and die.”
     Mom produced a look of intense concern. “Nobody would do that,” she said.
     “Like a punk kid?” suggested my dad.
     “Yeah. Immaturity seems to be the core of loutishness. Dunno. So, a lout will listen to your thoughtful remark about, say, health care, and then he’ll look a little bewildered; then, he’ll grunt unpleasantly and say: ‘Fuckin’ LIB-TARD.’ He won’t make a point or offer an argument. It’s straight to ‘lib-tard’ or ‘fiberal.’ Or he’ll just start asserting things to the contrary of your beliefs.”
     “Like a jerk or a jackass,” offered my mom in her German accent. (She still had that look of concern.)
     “Not a jackass, more a jerk. Maybe an asshole or a yahoo,” offered my dad.
     “Yeah. This lout thing started a few years ago. You say something that sounds liberal or progressive—it might actually be the opposite—and then, suddenly, people—usually men—show up to basically heckle or sneer or call you names. And they think they’re debating! It’s like sitting down to dinner, prepared for some delightful repartee, and then some guy just lets out an enormous belch. Or worse! Imagine!”
     “That vould be awful!” said mom.
      Next, I told them about San Juan Capistrano City Councilman Derek Reeve, who recently made a point of telling the world that he named his dog “Muhammad.”
     I said: “That’s like finding a Jewish guy somewhere and then bringing ‘im a pig and saying, 'You're a Jew, right? Meet my pal Moses.'"
     My folks nodded.

Louts

     “So this Reeve is some kind of lout. But he’s a lout who’s working on his doctorate at Claremont.”
     “Claremont?” asked my dad.

     Uh-oh. Forty years ago, my folks took a philosophy class at Golden West, and they got to know the professor—he was a charismatic guy named Catanzaro (he once guested on the Tonight show cuz he resembled Carson)—who earned his degree at Claremont Graduate School. My dad being my dad, there is only one thing that can now occur. He must now state everything he “learned” about Claremont forty years ago. It will be a pointless recitation of great length; soon, it will be impossible for anyone to remember what we were talking about.
     —My dad began to speak. Ruthlessly, I cut him off.
     —“PLUS, he’s a lawyer and realtor in SJC. And now he’s on the City Council, and he’s making these rude noises—about guns, about Muslims—and he’s getting some attention. So I wrote about this ‘Muhammad the dog’ thing, mostly because Reeve is also a part-timer who teaches Poli Sci at Saddleback College. He’s one of our own!
     “Did you attack him?” asked my mom.
     “Claremont—” began my dad. (In my head, I heard: "Kumquats!")**
     “NOPE," I roared. "I mostly just laid out the facts and let ‘em speak for themselves. That’s always the best way. But the facts pretty much say, ‘Reeve is a lout.’”
     “A punk, an asshole,” said my dad.
     “So he’s now attacking you?” asked mom.
     “No. Some anonymous tea party louts have noticed the blog and they somehow detected its criticism of Reeve. So they’re leaving their so-called comments. It’s like they’re leaving farts.” Mom laughed. “Not vile v’ere eating!” she said.
     “It’s no big deal. It’s nothing,” I said. “Forget about it.” I smacked myself upside the head. That ended it.
     We ate lunch. I’ve been telling my mom that I’m on a strict diet, low carb. Naturally, she made a huge pile of grilled cheese sandwiches.
     “I love this, I really do, but I shouldn’t be eating it, you know,” I said.
     “Don’t be silly. It’s all healthy,” she replied. Later, she brought out a big bowl of fruit salad, comprising fresh fruit floating in a vast sea of canned peaches in syrup.
     "Wow, that's a lot of fruit," I said. "Fruit is healthy," she said. My dad then commenced lecturing us about the health benefits of eating fruit.
     It was no use. I said nothing.

*OK, I'm exaggerating just a tad. Love my folks. 

**A particularly hilarious scene from "It's a Gift" (1934). 

♥ For an account of my recent adventures with my folks in Europe, go to Pomeranian Pilgrimage