Category Archives: Massachusetts

I Thought the Commonwealth Was Smarter About Education Than This

Posted on March 26, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

I often sing Massachusetts’ praises when it comes to education, but whoever in the Department of Education decided that four to six year old kids would be tested repeatedly fell out of the goddamn stupid tree and hit every fucking … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Fucking Morons, Massachusetts | Comments Off on I Thought the Commonwealth Was Smarter About Education Than This

Give Me That Ol’ Time British–and Boston–Accent

Posted on March 25, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

While Boston is known as the home of the non-rhotic accent (“pahked the cah in Hahvahd Yahd”), the modern British accent, also known as Received Pronunciation, is also non-rhotic (the ‘twang’ is obviously different, but the “r’s” are often lessened … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Massachusetts | 1 Comment

Another Triumph For Campbell’s Law: Trapping Massachusetts Kids Behind “Data Walls”

Posted on February 27, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

“The more any quantitative social indicator (or even some qualitative indicator) is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | 4 Comments

Will the Massachusetts Democratic Party Experience Democracy?

Posted on February 25, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Probably not. With Governor Deval Patrick leaving office at the end of this term, Democrats are jockeying to replace him. What’s unfortunate is the selection process for the Democratic nominee (boldface mine): Any statewide candidate who wants to be listed … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Massachusetts | 3 Comments

Boston Public Schools to Get Whacked

Posted on February 7, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Platitudes and Lifetime channel movies notwithstanding, schools cost money to run (boldface mine): The possible cuts, which vary from school to school, include classroom aides and other positions, supplies and materials, and funding for specialized programs such as Playworks, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Education, Massachusetts | 1 Comment

Solidarity and Merit Pay: The Lee, MA Schools Edition

Posted on January 19, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

This is a fascinating letter by school teachers in Lee, MA, who decided that they would donate all of the merit pay they would have received from a private foundation to their school (boldface mine): The $8,700 that the Lee … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts, Unions | Comments Off on Solidarity and Merit Pay: The Lee, MA Schools Edition

Meeting the Massachusetts Standard

Posted on January 10, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

I’ve argued many times that a good start for real education reform, instead of reinventing a square wheel, would be for other states to clone Massachusetts’ educational system (in the spirit of No Child Left Behind and Race to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | 2 Comments

Dear NY Times Editorial Board, It’s A Lot Easier to Get to Massachusetts Than Finland

Posted on December 19, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

As erstwhile progressives are wont to do, the NY Times touts Finland as an educational model (boldface mine): Though it dropped several rankings in last year’s tests, Finland has for years been in the highest global ranks in literacy and … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | 4 Comments

The Good Ship HMS Beagle

Posted on December 1, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Observed in the Boston Public Library’s Map Room, a model of the HMS Beagle, the ship Darwin journeyed on to the Galapagos:

Posted in Boston, Libraries, Massachusetts | Comments Off on The Good Ship HMS Beagle

Whitey Bulger Was More Of an Existential Threat Than Most Terrorists Are

Posted on November 24, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Seriously. That’s not to say terrorists aren’t murdering bastards. But Judge Bruce Selya, Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeal for the First Circuit–which includes the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (God save it!)–began a recent opinion with the following … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Massachusetts, Run Ya Bastids!, Terrorism | Comments Off on Whitey Bulger Was More Of an Existential Threat Than Most Terrorists Are