Been a while since I have done one these, but the signs that the economy is bad are all around us. So let's see what's been going on these days.
Big news this week
- The big news in recent days is the college cheating scandal. Basically the big deal is not that they were doing it. It's that they got caught doing it in the most stupid and dumb way possible. Everyone knows if you make a big enough "donation" (wink, wink), your kids will get into that fancy pants university or college you desire. So apparently some admissions officials are having sudden existential questions about things like when to give a donor more or less leeway in order to keep that wonderful money coming into their campuses. You can read all about their ethical "dilemma" at Inside Higher Ed. A college student cited in the article summed it well: "I thought it was an open secret that wealthy parents paid universities all the time to get their kids in.”
Education news
- Turns out that those for-profit colleges and online schools spend the least of their money on actual instruction. Want to know where much of their money does go? Advertising. Via Salon.
- In tragic news, a story from The Atlantic about "The Death of an Adjunct" is making the rounds. Tragic as this is, I am having difficulty having a lot of sympathy since she DID land a tenure-track job, and then ". . . she was principled; so, in 2006, she left" due to various indignities. Granted, the racism was bad, but again, she had the tenure job; she had the damn job that so many others never get. Once she fell into the adjunct grinder, it was pretty much over for her. Still, stories like this will continue to surface as long as academia just keeps on exploiting adjuncts to save a buck.
- Matt Reed, at Inside Higher Ed, claims there is a student debt crisis. However, it is not what many of us think. He actually argues students should not be afraid of taking on loans if needed to complete their education. A real issue, which he does mention, are college dropouts, but the reality is drop out or not, a student loan can become a curse and a stone on your neck. There are plenty of reports on how student debt can keep graduates from doing things that Mr. Reed may take for granted like buying a home (via CNBC). In fact, 30% of student loan recipients find themselves unable to keep up with payments after 6 years (via CNBC). Student loan debt is a crisis (via The Atlanta Voice), and for anyone to be recommending or encouraging anyone to take out a college loan is irresponsible to be honest. But I suppose if you work in higher ed, you want that tuition income to come to you no matter what, and after they graduate, they are gone, not your problem. They can always go back to living with their parents (via MarketWatch).
- P.Z. Myers at Pharyngula comments on another article in The Atlantic about the exploitation of adjuncts in higher education.
- On an interesting piece out of Hyperallergic, an argument "Why Art Colleges and Universities Should Not Act Like For-Proft Galleries."
- Did you know that Kentucky school teacher salaries are worse now than they were 15 years ago? Yea, Kentucky pretty much treats their teachers like peons. Via Forward Kentucky.
Rural news
- Major newspapers are abandoning rural areas. Not too surprising. The issue according to the article is that it makes those areas vulnerable to partisan influence. According to the piece, "It helped conservative evangelicals establish themselves as news providers across rural America. And it helps explain why rural people’s understanding of their own self-interest may seem out of sync with what people who get their news in metro media hubs think it should be." I think we can say that in a lot of those areas they already gave in to their partisan influence and are quite proud of their willful ignorance as well. Sure their politics and "wholesome family values" means they usually vote against their interests but it's their choice to choose the Party of Stupid consistently. Via The Rural Blog.
- Meanwhile in Kentucky, changes to the SNAP food assistance program means more Kentuckians are going hungry. Another example of actions, namely voting for the party that said they could cut SNAP and other social service programs, having consequences. Maybe a little less whining that major news are "fake news" and worrying about "pwning the libtards" and a bit more paying attention to your actual needs and voting accordingly. Via Forward Kentucky.
- In what can only be described as hipster/bougie fuckery, apparently farm chic is now a thing, especially for home decor. This is a problem because thieves are now stealing planks of whole wood from barns and other older farm buildings to sell as "reclaimed wood," and those hispter/bougie fuckbagels are buying them in droves. Story via The Rural Blog.
In other news of the bad economy
- Learn about the "gay tax." Turns out that same sex couples get more discrimination in housing, especially when trying to get a mortgage. Via Telesur.
- Apologies in advance to my non-Spanish language friends. In news from back in the U.S. colony, Puerto Rico faces at this point their greatest decline in population according to the census. Story via Primera Hora.
- For many people in the bad economy, bankruptcy is a last resort, but at least it is a resort you can take if things get really, really bad. That is unless you have college loans, in which case you are truly fucked (thanks largely to finance lobbyists and Party of Stupid legislators, student loans cannot be discharged in bankruptcy). However, you get to be seriously truly screwed if you are so poor that you can't even afford to file for bankruptcy. Read about it via Pro Publica.
- Who knew? Turns out that show Shark Tank is not a real depiction of entrepreneurship. Read about it at Inc.
- P.Z. Myers, over at Pharyngula, reminds us how capitalism really works as he looks at why eyeglasses and prescription eye wear is so damn expensive. Having recently bought a new pair of eyeglasses, bifocals by the way (yea, I got a reminder I am getting older), and paying a king's ransom for them, I appreciated this story.
- Walmart is among the retailers rushing to put robots in their workplaces. This article claims to help you tell if your job will be given to a robot or not. Via The Conversation. Articles like this often say librarians are prime candidates for the robot overlords, but usually people who say that have no flipping clue what librarians actually do. This article places us in the "displaced" category, i.e. in the highest danger of being booted out by a robot. I'd like to see a robot try to do my job in areas like student consultation, teaching, and other skills and tasks that take things like creativity, empathy, and thinking on your feet among other things. My job is pretty secure at this point.
How are the uber rich doing this week
- These days a lot of the uber rich are concerned people may decide to actually get them to pay their fair share of taxes. However, they use their power, influence, and lobbyists to try to prevent that, and a lot of stupid voters fall for the bullshit that taxing the rich is bad, mainly because they see themselves as inconvenienced rich people. Yea, take a moment to laugh at the idea. And then you can read how Robert Reich explains and debunks the myths about taxing the rich.
- Wall Street firms keep on investing in private prisons, so apparently that industry is doing well for them. Via Latino Rebels.
- Apparently some thing or other is going on with that Game of Thrones show/fantasy soap opera so many people obsess about. I think I heard it is finally ending (good riddance). However, businesses left and right are trying to cash in on the show with products that license or just use GoT as a label or just in news stories trying to get attention, like this story on choosing fancy toilets so you can have a good throne. Via The Washington Blade.
Hustlin' in the Bad Economy
- Big retailers and big box stores may be declining in the bad economy. Malls are not doing any better. However, one small type of business is hustling in the bad economy, working hard to make a go of it, and doing well. What is this business? Your local witchy and/or metaphysical shop. Learn more via The Wild Hunt.
The "No shit, Sherlock" Award for Stating the Obvious
- Today's winner comes from the Harvard Business School. In research that tells us the obvious: people still prefer talking to an actual person than putting up with a fucking phone tree. "No shit, Sherlock!" Via Working Knowledge. Congratulations on your award and telling us all what we already know.
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