The school is a political plum from start to finish in Mayor John Street's corrupt, inept Philadelphia government (including the "independent" school board). To start with, with thousands of acres of land Street himself recognizes need to be cleared of decrepid former residences (many now crack houses), the Phila. politicos robbed precious Fairmount Park land for the school. So that's 8 acres less of green for the kids in the 44th & Girard Ave. area. There's a lesson for the kids.
Secondly, it remains to be proved that kids will learn the "hard" skills -- reading, writing, and arithmetic, playing with computers. Maybe it's just my pre-Boomer upbringing, but when I really want to study something off the web, I print it out first. The Internet is great for scanning material -- but for studying? Perhaps for truly interactive learning games, yes. More likely, as prior posters have noted, the kids will be kids, sending grammatically deficient, misspelled messages back and forth, or trolling porno or "celebrity" sites.
Thirdly, what is different about this school's environment that will shield any motivated student there from the typically deficient "home" and "community" from which they come? Is there any reason to expect that lax so-called discipline rampant in elsewhere in the public school system will be any different? Teachers FEAR their "students" -- and typically the only parents who show up at the teachers' doors are those outraged at any hint of discipline, with administrators cowering in their offices. The "community" "culture" of Black kids typically pushes kids to violence and drugs -- a "culture" many white kids emulate -- while ridiculing or threatening kids who study. So called "white" and Black parents alike fume at the "unfair" competition of Asian-origined students (you know, unfair because they tend to hit their books seriously). At least Black teachers can often dodge the charge of "racism" that Black parents hurl at non-Black teachers. But real racism, and the Phila. teachers union, protect incompetent teachers from discharge.
The school is pandering to Microsoft. The kids are being cheated, again.
Go easy on the loans. They're addictive and dangerous!
What rate are you paying now? How does that compare to, say, the 5.15% (rate starting 7/28) FDIC-insured no minimum, no fee EmigrantDirect "American Dream" savings account (just one example of Internet bank savings accounts)?
If you insist on going to stocks, consider, for part of your funds, investing in a low expense index mutual fund from a fund company whose profits go to its account holders; e.g., Vanguard S&P 500 index fund. And be prepared for volatility.
Slashdot Mirror
Corrupt at the base...
The school is a political plum from start to finish in Mayor John Street's corrupt, inept Philadelphia government (including the "independent" school board). To start with, with thousands of acres of land Street himself recognizes need to be cleared of decrepid former residences (many now crack houses), the Phila. politicos robbed precious Fairmount Park land for the school. So that's 8 acres less of green for the kids in the 44th & Girard Ave. area. There's a lesson for the kids.
Secondly, it remains to be proved that kids will learn the "hard" skills -- reading, writing, and arithmetic, playing with computers. Maybe it's just my pre-Boomer upbringing, but when I really want to study something off the web, I print it out first. The Internet is great for scanning material -- but for studying? Perhaps for truly interactive learning games, yes. More likely, as prior posters have noted, the kids will be kids, sending grammatically deficient, misspelled messages back and forth, or trolling porno or "celebrity" sites.
Thirdly, what is different about this school's environment that will shield any motivated student there from the typically deficient "home" and "community" from which they come? Is there any reason to expect that lax so-called discipline rampant in elsewhere in the public school system will be any different? Teachers FEAR their "students" -- and typically the only parents who show up at the teachers' doors are those outraged at any hint of discipline, with administrators cowering in their offices. The "community" "culture" of Black kids typically pushes kids to violence and drugs -- a "culture" many white kids emulate -- while ridiculing or threatening kids who study. So called "white" and Black parents alike fume at the "unfair" competition of Asian-origined students (you know, unfair because they tend to hit their books seriously). At least Black teachers can often dodge the charge of "racism" that Black parents hurl at non-Black teachers. But real racism, and the Phila. teachers union, protect incompetent teachers from discharge.
The school is pandering to Microsoft. The kids are being cheated, again.
Go easy on the loans. They're addictive and dangerous!
What rate are you paying now? How does that compare to, say, the 5.15% (rate starting 7/28) FDIC-insured no minimum, no fee EmigrantDirect "American Dream" savings account (just one example of Internet bank savings accounts)?
If you insist on going to stocks, consider, for part of your funds, investing in a low expense index mutual fund from a fund company whose profits go to its account holders; e.g., Vanguard S&P 500 index fund. And be prepared for volatility.