The Student Film/Channel 39 issue (tonight's hot issue)

As reported earlier, item 6.1 on the agenda of tonight’s meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees is a recommendation that our colleges’ TV channels only broadcast programming—including student film and TV shows—with a PG rating.

This would render all college TV broadcasting harmless and "sans edge."

Nancy Padberg seems to be the Puritan behind this thing.

As near as I can tell (as I explain later), despite the 6.1 verbiage (see immediately below), Saddleback College had in some sense been broadcasting student films and other programming that meet the less stringent criteria of PG-13.

Surely that standard is more realistic than PG. These kids are supposed to be learning real-world skills, not Ozzie Nelson skills.

Lemme explain. Let's start with item 6.1:

In September, Nancy Padberg requested reports on the Saddleback College “Communication Arts Program” and its “Film Program.” She seemed to have a bee in her bonnet.

On November 17, a report was made available (it was placed in a room for viewing). Don't know why they did that. It's a public document.

I’ve seen it.

Page 202 of the report covers “Television.” As you know, Saddleback College broadcasts channel 39 on basic cable (through Cox). IVC broadcasts the similar Channel 33 in Irvine.

The report explains Channel 39’s programming, which consists of the usual stuff—telecourses, board meetings, college promotional materials—and “Student Productions including student films [and] programs produced by TV Production classes….”

That's good.

The report explains that cable programming is different than broadcast television programming. For my purposes here, the main difference is that “since cable TV channels cannot be viewed by those (e.g., children) without the proper equipment [try to refrain from making a joke here], the FCC’s rules regarding acceptable content do not apply to cable TV networks, allowing greater freedom in the use of profanity, sex and violence.”

So premium cable channels can broadcast just about anything—even pornography. “Basic cable, on the other hand, has not traditionally been as loose with regard to content. …[M]any basic cable networks self-regulate their program content, particularly with regard to language and nudity.”

In recent years, however, basic cable stations have begun to broadcast R-rated movies, sans editing. According to the report, Saddleback’s Channel 39 is “similar to other cable channels ... in that, while we can freely air R rated content, we voluntarily self-regulate….”

The report explains that “student productions…generally receive several layers of screening prior to being aired,” but none constitutes censorship. They are “more of a check against poor quality….”

That makes sense.

Eventually, “Student productions deemed worthy of airing…and that meets our internal standards of decency…are then given to the department staff and [are] typically again screened and then programmed by Mark Kruhmin.”

This brings us to Channel 39’s internal [self-imposed] standards. In fact, the report states that the Channel uses the PG-13 standard, not PG:

You can find much of this history at Wikipedia.

Next, we are offered some “basic principles” regarding what constitutes PG-13:

If I understand the situation—that Mathur is recommending that the colleges apply, not the PG-13 standard, but the stricter (Puritan-friendly) PG standard—the board seems poised to make a change that could really hurt these programs. Students need to be allowed to pursue film and TV production as it is, not as Nancy Padberg wants it to be. If the TV stations have broadcast PG-13 programming, they should be allowed to continue to do so.

Or so it seems to me.

Well, we’ll see what happens tonight.

Below is an official statement of the PG and PG-13 standards.

Tomorrow's board meeting, part 3: Saddleback College to be rated "PG"

More on tomorrow's meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees.

Captain Kangaroo College. Item 6.1 is a recommendation to broadcast (on Saddleback's Channel 39) only PG programming.

I’m guessing this has something to do with trustee Nancy Padberg’s request a few months ago for reports on the “Communication Arts and Film Program.” Here are the details:



Gosh, isn't PG the kind of rating you stick on, say, Captain Kangaroo? (Well, actually, PG is "Parental Guidance Suggested — Some material may not be suitable for children")

USING YOUR EARS TO SPEAK. Item 5.11 is approval for honoraria for invited Saddleback College speakers. All of 'em seem to be part of the "Distinguished Emeritus Guest Lecture Series." Check 'em out:

If I have some time later, I'll check out these speakers. "Using Your Ears to Think." "Free Wheel Chair Mission." Gosh.

UPDATE: So far, this crew checks out to be pretty impressive. It turns out that Dr. Olivieri is in the UCI drama department. I'm impressed. Dr. Priya Ranjan is an Associate Professor, Department of Economics, UC Irvine. His research concerns International Trade and Economic Development. Dr. Harrington, however, teaches at Patten University, in Oakland. That place looks a bit hinky, but that doesn't mean Harrington isn't good. Dr. Ian G. Harris is currently an Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of California Irvine. Dr. Don Schoendorfer seems to have received significant recognition for his efforts at producing a cheap wheelchair. I've run out of time, but I've gotta say: so far, this appears to be an impressive list of speakers. I guess I should have more faith in people.

MYSTERY LEASE. Evidently, the district wants to scrape up some dough by leasing some of its property at or near Saddleback College. Item 5.13 concerns recent bidding and negotiations to get the lease. There's a highest bidder. The Chancellor recommends accepting that bid and leaving the details to him.

Yeah, but what are they leasing? Normally, we'd read "See exhibit A." This time, the agenda says "EXHIBIT A to be hand carried."

Don't you just love "open" government?

BECAUSE THEY'RE DEFIANT. Item 5.16 is an agreement for legal services with "Jones Day." It's for the "prayer" lawsuit. The hourly rate is $425. (Then there's "costs and expenses.") The district has already hired JD tentatively. This will make it official.

Tomorrow's board meeting, part 2: liberal busybodies everywhere!

Dissent the BlogItem 5.17 of the agenda of tomorrow’s meeting of the SOCCCD BOT is that nasty old “authorization of institutional memberships.”

District policy 3220 requires annual board approval of these memberships/expenditures.

You’ll recall that, a few years ago, trustee Don “the demagogue” Wagner led the way in discontinuing our colleges’ memberships in the American Library Association (ALA), the elephant-in-the-room of library clubs.

How come? Because, said Don, they are a bunch of “liberal busybodies”—LBs.

* * * * *

I checked out exhibit A for item 5.17 and found lots of curious factoids about where our “institutional memberships” dollars go (or will go, for surely this item will pass).

Between the district and its three campuses, we are members of eight different “chamber of commerce” organizations. (IVC pays $150 to Tustin’s chamber of commerce; ATEP seems to pay that group $30 more. What’s that about? I bet it’s a Mathur tax.)

The district (distinct from the colleges) will pay $75,000 on institutional memberships, including $36,000 to the Community College League of California (CCLC) and $17,000 to the Commission on Athletics.

Saddleback College will pay $115,000 a year, including $20,000 to WASC and $14,000 to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

Irvine Valley College will pay $50,000, including $16,000 to WASC and $8,000 to AACC.

ATEP will pay about $3,000.

All told, the district will pay about $243,000 in institutional memberships.

* * * * *

What I never understood about Don Wagner’s action regarding the ALA is why he stopped there. Why didn’t (doesn’t) the fellow go all the way? I mean, people whom he would designate as LBs can be found among lots of the groups of which we have been and will be members.

Lets just focus on library groups, just like Don!

Both Saddleback and Irvine Valley colleges are down as members of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). But ACRL is a division of the ALA. So if the ALA is a bunch of LBs, then wouldn’t the ACRL be a bunch too, albeit a smaller bunch?

Now, one of Mathur’s favorite groups is Educause, of which the district is a paying member (we pay ‘em about 3 grand a year). But Educause doesn’t seem to mind associating with the ALA. I noticed that Educause and ALA (actually, its division, ACRL) sponsored a forum together a couple of years ago. (New Modes of Info Delivery.)

I bet they’re “liberal busybodies” too. So pull the plug on Educause, I say. C'mon!

IVC is a member of the California Library Association, the CLA. But the CLA is a chapter of the ALA.

You know what that means. That's right!

But why stop there? I bet you can find butt-loads of LBs among the dozens of institutions that we associate with.

C’mon, Don. In for a penny, in for a pound! Let’s clear this joint until the only people left standing are Birthers and Tea Baggers!

CHECK 'EM OUT.
Here are some highly suspect organizations listed in item 5.17. I dunno if they’re all full of LBs, but you never know until you start infiltrating and investigating.

American Historical Association (If you love America, you don't air its dirty laundry)
Calif. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (Foreigner-lovers!)
Community College Humanities Association (Humanities = secular humanism = godless sh*t)
English Council of Cal. Two Year Colleges (English? Socialists)
Organization of American Historians (Puritans and Pilgrims fought for liberty and democracy, you pointy-headed creeps)
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (More foreigner-lovers. Ain't Americans good enough for 'em?)
College Art Association of America (Art = secular humanism + free love = hippie sh*t)
Theatre Communications Group (That’s not how Americans spell "theater." Plus they pronounce "lesbian" funny)
Calif. Community College Early Childhood Educators (Early liberal brain-washing, more like it. Liberal crap)
Health Services Assoc. of the Calif. Community Colleges (Health services = robbing the taxpayer!)
National Association of Education for Young Children (More thought-control and Kumbaya)
Consortium of Southern Cal. Colleges and Universities (Atheist, homo creeps think they're better than me)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (They deny Genesis and grind up fetuses)
National Science Teachers Assn. (They teach secularism and skeptical sh*t)
Broadcast Education Association (You been watching TV?)
Association of Performing Arts Presenters (Libertines!)
College Art Association of America (They should stick to the Three Rs)
National Council for Education of the Ceramic Arts (Clay is for kids)
Radio, TV, News Directors Association (Liberal media!)
Western Arts Alliance (Real Americans don't form alliances!)
Cal. Assoc. of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (A disease? They're weak and godless)
Cal. Assoc. of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Educators (They keep people stoned, y’know, to justify their jobs)
National Organization for Human Services Education (More gov’t give-aways!)
Society for Ecological Restoration—California (Restoration? Drill, baby, drill!)
Society (of) Conservation Biology (The Lord give us the world to use up and shoot up)
US Green Building Council (How come it’s been so cold lately, college boy?)
American Association of Women in Community Colleges (Some lesbian organization. Makes me sick)
California Community College Counselors Association (Whatever happened to the school of hard knocks?)
National Wheelchair Basketball Association (They want more access, I bet)
Health Services Assoc. for Calif. Community Colleges (aka giving away my money to lazy foreigners)
National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (Why do we invite Arabs? I don't get it)
National Association for the Education of Young Children (Liberal brainwashin’)

Tomorrow’s board meeting, part 1

Item 7.4 on the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees concerns “board requested reports.” Most of these, of course, spring from trustee Tom Fuentes' right-wing, anti-intellectual, union-bashing political agenda.

But two requests came from trustee Nancy Padberg in September. One concerned Saddleback College’s “Film Program”—that report was issued in November but was kept in a room somewhere:

The report…has been distributed as a separate item on the agenda. A copy of the report may be viewed in hard copy in room 334, Office of the Chancellor and Trustee Services. HSB, Saddleback College.

The other request concerned the college’s “Communication Arts Program.”

Oddly, though that report was set for release in November, January 25 (tomorrow) is also indicated.

One thing. Talk of a “communication arts” and a “film” program doesn’t add up. As near as I can tell, there is no “film” program at Saddleback College. Rather, there is a “communication arts” program that houses radio, TV, and film departments. Or are these sub-programs? Well, whatever.

The last time we looked into this, it appeared that Padberg was upset about a short film, created in the program, about an elderly gay woman “coming out” and going on a cruise. We never got confirmation about that. The film, of course, was utterly unobjectionable. But maybe Padberg had her sights on something else.

Maybe tomorrow we’ll find out.

Declaration from Independents (Red Emma)

RED EMMA

The only thing worse than a Republican is, well, two Republicans.

On those occasions that demand it, I find myself forced to embrace Keats’s theory of negative capability—about the ability to hold in one’s mind two contradictory ideas at the same time, which is easier than holding two Republicans in there I guess. So today I’ll offer that the other only thing worse than any Republicans at all is that weird and increasingly invasive species of political animal called the Independents.

—Yes, the Independence, er, Independents, those confused, silly, self-aggrandizing knuckleheads who can’t decide whether there is a difference between Democrats and Republicans, and who have flattered themselves into imagining that either all or nothing is at stake.

First, my newly-revised list of least favorite kinds of person:

1. People who bring a tray of Vons supermarket sushi or a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken to a faculty potluck dinner, the event having been conscientiously organized for weeks around a menu based on contributing, say, Mediterranean-themed food. Their engagement with the event began only as they drove to the party, so they might as easily have brought one of those plastic bags full of dog poop people carry around behind Fido.

2. People who put dog poop in plastic bags, then in the trash, which means bacteria AND plastic in the landfill and the aquifer. A twofer!

3. Trekkies.

4. Libertarians. (This might actually be the same category as above.)

5. Conspiracy theorists, including Truthers and Birthers and New Agers.

6. Men who wear Dockers.

7. Sports fans.

8. Ayn Rand devotees. (See Trekkies, probably wearing Dockers.)

9. Matt Miller, the “moderate” emcee guy in the center on NPR’s weekly radio show, “Left, Right and Center.”

And, of course:

10. People who create long lists of other people they can’t stand.
(I could go on.)

Let’s not confuse Centrists like Matthew in the Middle with Independents. A Centrist is intentionally ridiculous, and has an agenda: maintaining the status quo and his own power position in it. Independents are intentionally unintentional and don’t seem to even know it. Like a dog looking in a mirror, they wonder who that creature looking back at them could be. They have claimed a generic category and turned it into a kind of manifesto, but of nobody and nothing and for not very long.

What about the only Independent in the US Senate? you ask. Instructive case in point: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a hero of mine, a democratic Socialist. Because he does not belong to a political party, he gets the default label of “Independent” in the Senate. Here, of all places, the category actually means something, and he votes like a democratic Socialist because he is one. He uses Independent. It does not use him.

Meanwhile, the Independent voters, also lacking a party, lacking an imagination, imagine that the election is all about them, which sadly, ridiculously it has indeed become, a parade of pandering to know-nothingism, unsolidarity and ahistorical purposelessness all defined by The Spectacle, built on watching commercials, polling, celebrity candidates, and more polling.

The Irrational is a real place, friends, and plenty of people live there, including Independents. They want to play, but can’t make up their minds which token to choose. I speculate that they like the name, the actual word “independence” (sic), which is a dignified-sounding moniker that evokes for these silly individuals – always individuals, by definition never working with anybody but the System – proud ideas about autonomy and righteous purpose and the Fourth of July but is, of course, a construction built on maintaining the two-party stranglehold and elevating the least engaged among us, temporarily, to the pretense of power, temporary and, by definition, unorganizeable. At least the Tea Baggers mean something, however reactionary, nativist, racist or fascist, with the emphasis on mean. Compare their refreshingly vigorous hatred of themselves and others with the Independents, who don’t even know who they voted for because they don’t really vote for anybody except the corporate media. They hate themselves and us so much that they elect a reactionary (see nose, cut off to spite face) just to affirm that the system is watching them. They further their own long-term disenfranchisement by way of enjoying exactly one day, one TV news cycle in the spotlight.

And then, after the election, the Democrats gather round, telling the Indies how important they are, and that now they will be “reached out” to, while the Republicans gloat. The spotlight, which is really a klieg light, disappears with the eleven o’clock news crew and the Independents go back to answering public opinion survey questions about OctoMom, mocha latte and NASCAR. In other words, they, more than any other voter constituency, having put the very least (i.e., nothing) into the process, gain the most, by which I mean the very least: less than they or any of us had before by way of direct electoral democracy.
 

Sorry, I am not done yet. Absent any real involvement, engagement, participation the rest of the year, or any affiliation or commitment, the Independents possess only their big “I” for ego, and are encouraged to use it. Solipsism reigns in a political culture which is really an advertisement posing as a culture, which ignores organized, educated, committed people who can somehow find each other in a room or at a rally or at their union hall, and instead elevates voters who are purely and totally the temporary cast in a campaign season production, an advertising campaign really, a little skit about Harry and Louise, who are of course Independents, or likely Republicans posing as such.

And what must it be like for an Independent to wake up the day after an election and, finding the satisfaction and joy of having been nothing and done only a little more, to have to now go looking around for more opportunities to be nothing? And to be invisible? They wait and they endure, enjoying the delicious pain, counting the days for the next year, two years, four years, just waiting to once again NOT have a position, to not work with others, to not take a stand, to exercise their terrific independence from all the rest of us.

I wonder if Mr. Independent asks himself, “What can I be independent about today?” There is so much to choose from. He can be independent on the Supreme Court’s decision to empower corporations to spend all the money they want in politics. On the wars against the people of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. On restrictions on women’s reproductive health care.

Being Independent is better than being apathetic. At least unregistered nonvoting Americans don’t actually do anything. Independents actively do nothing. They are mad physicists, having in fact created a whole lot of nothing. They have checked the box indicating citizenship in disappearing ink, in a land where the glass of ink is not either half full or half empty, where it is not both half full and half empty, but where fullness and emptiness are exactly the same thing, and matter more than less. –RE RE ≠ BvT

Pics: Irvine, late this afternoon

Mud is Elemental

Modjeska Canyon Road, Thursday.

(photo by Glen Koenig, L.A. Times)


then today - snow!

Who'll Stop The Rain

Long as I remember
the rain been comin' down,
clouds of mystery pourin'
confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages
tryin' to find the sun,
and I wonder, still I wonder
who'll stop the rain

.