Recently in New Orleans Stuff Category
NOLA-disu's post on the behavior of the criminal organization known as Tulane's chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha brought me back to memories of being in a fraternity at University of New Orleans.
I'm a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, initiated in December of 1976 at UNO. We were (and still are) the only fraternity to own a house. Since it was off-campus, we didn't have any sort of obligations to the university or monitoring from them. It was up to us to maintain standards of proper behavior at social functions and in daily life around the house. Sometimes we succeeded, sometimes we failed. Still, we never crossed the line to criminal. Of course, most of us were local boys, not out of town kids with no ties/roots in the city.
The pikes are one of the reasons we rarely went to uptown bars back in the day. We'd go to Bruno's on Thursday nights because one of our fraternity brothers had a gig spinning oldies there, but that was about it. I never set foot in "The Boot" until I was something like 26 years old, mainly because it would be like going into a pub near White Hart Lane in London with an Arsenal shirt on. What scares me is that the current crop of pikes aren't just guilty of "high spirits" as they call it in English public schools, they appear to be pathologically violent:
In terms of the current hazing incidents, we see a clear example of why stupid white boys from the Middle Colonies shouldn't be allowed near Creole cuisine:
Crab boil? These boys are idiots. That stuff is so concentrated that it stings when it comes into contact with the skin. And it got in the eyes and on the genitals of those pledges? Incredible.
Still, I'm guilty of the one thing that the rest of the fraternities and sororities bemoan when incidents like this happen, focusing on the negative. I like this quote from a guy in ZBT:
So true. I enjoyed my fraternity experience and am proud to be a Lambda Chi. My first born (a sophomore at the Georgia Institute of Technology) isn't a fraternity kid, but that's OK. The oldest kiddo of one of my best friends is a Theta Xi at UL and is loving it. We have to chalk up the pikes in the "shit happens" category. Hopefully Tulane will flush this shit down the toilet and pipe it back to New Jersey.
I'm a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, initiated in December of 1976 at UNO. We were (and still are) the only fraternity to own a house. Since it was off-campus, we didn't have any sort of obligations to the university or monitoring from them. It was up to us to maintain standards of proper behavior at social functions and in daily life around the house. Sometimes we succeeded, sometimes we failed. Still, we never crossed the line to criminal. Of course, most of us were local boys, not out of town kids with no ties/roots in the city.
The pikes are one of the reasons we rarely went to uptown bars back in the day. We'd go to Bruno's on Thursday nights because one of our fraternity brothers had a gig spinning oldies there, but that was about it. I never set foot in "The Boot" until I was something like 26 years old, mainly because it would be like going into a pub near White Hart Lane in London with an Arsenal shirt on. What scares me is that the current crop of pikes aren't just guilty of "high spirits" as they call it in English public schools, they appear to be pathologically violent:
One of the alleged assailants in the hazing incident, Kevin Dunn, has a previous battery conviction. Dunn and another man were booked on charges of second-degree battery and negligent injuring in March 2006 after kicking and punching another student after they got into an argument, according to court records.
In terms of the current hazing incidents, we see a clear example of why stupid white boys from the Middle Colonies shouldn't be allowed near Creole cuisine:
The fraternity, commonly called PIKE, now faces allegations that members poured boiling water on the bodies of pledges and caked them with flour, crab boil, vinegar, cayenne peppers and wasabi sauce. The victims were treated at a local hospital with second- and third-degree burns, according to New Orleans police.
Crab boil? These boys are idiots. That stuff is so concentrated that it stings when it comes into contact with the skin. And it got in the eyes and on the genitals of those pledges? Incredible.
Still, I'm guilty of the one thing that the rest of the fraternities and sororities bemoan when incidents like this happen, focusing on the negative. I like this quote from a guy in ZBT:
Gibson, sitting on his fraternity house's stoop Wednesday afternoon, likened fraternity life to an airport. "Planes land and take off all the time, but only the crashes get magnified," he said.
So true. I enjoyed my fraternity experience and am proud to be a Lambda Chi. My first born (a sophomore at the Georgia Institute of Technology) isn't a fraternity kid, but that's OK. The oldest kiddo of one of my best friends is a Theta Xi at UL and is loving it. We have to chalk up the pikes in the "shit happens" category. Hopefully Tulane will flush this shit down the toilet and pipe it back to New Jersey.
From the N to the O to the L to the A, Renard Poche's CD, "4U 4ME" is simply incredible. I was humming "Same Old Thing" by the Meters the other day when LisaPal told everyone on Twitter to check out the website and give the tunes a listen.
Old-school funk is where I well and truly reveal that I'm a musical mutant. i went to Brother Martin in the early-mid 1970s. One of my debate team partners introduced me to War, in between us listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. The Meters actually played a BMHS homecoming dance, a big gig for them (over 1,000 people). Hanging around the basketball team (I was a sports statistician) turned me on to the Brothers Johnson, Parliament, and the Ohio Players. Then I'd go home and listen to Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Total schizo. 30+ years later, however, I'm more likely to queue up a bunch of those old-school funk tunes. My son's a big part of why that happens. My 13-year old bone player's band does a lot of old school music. In fact, he told me today the BMHS band will be playing "Apache" by Sugar Hill Gang next football season. This on top of the Gap Band, Funkadelic, EWF, and DAZZ band stuff they already play.
But I digress as I listen to "Tumba." It's one thing to re-live the music of one's youth; it's another altogether to discover that someone has run with that music, updating it, kept it fresh, recharged the funk. The mixture of old school, a little of rap, classic jazz rhythms, and oh so much love and soul blend together as only a New Orleanian can make them.
The "intro" surprised me, because usually a commercial CD puts its best musical foot forward on the first track. I grabbed "4U 4ME" as a digital release, and the approach there is different. The intro is the teaser to get you to buy the other tunes. It worked on me, you can just hear the promise of good tracks in the background.
And Renard delivers, first with "Funk 4U," bringing me back to riding the basketball team bus, voice box and all. "I Thought" and its smooth sax combined with a bit of rap goes good with a Hubig's pie. The groove is definitely in full session by "Flavr," and ready to march down the street in "We R"
If "4U 4ME" was a dining experience, it would be a platonic meal.
Support NOLA musicians. Buy these tunes.
When going to JazzFest, I always park in the 100-200 block of Canal Blvd., right next to Greenwood Cemetery. No meters, usually not parked up at all. From there, cross into the neutral ground and catch the Esplanade bus line. Get off near the Mystery Street entrance to the Fair Grounds.
Reverse this on the way out.
Happy Festing!
Reverse this on the way out.
Happy Festing!
Dear Mr. Morial.
Shut up.
Please. You're embarassing yourself when you try to act as an elder statesman and spokesman for your family.
Your credibility in this town is so poor that, yes, the Convention Center wants to downplay the Morial name because the first thing people associate with that name isn't your father's legacy.
It's YOUR reputation they think of when they hear "Morial," and that plays into the whole New Orleans-is-corrupt meme.
Your associates have been convicted of federal crimes, are cooperating with federal investigations that still may lead to your indictment, and some are already in federal prison. Corrupt activities on the part of your closest advisers have even brought down one of the city's best leaders and most promising politicians.
Your activities and those of your associates have resulted in your own brother becoming a federal felon.
In the wake of the storm, you've abandoned the city to live in New York City. When your name comes up, it's usually in either that context or within the context of criminal activity.
You're an embarassment to us, sir. Please just stop talking.
Sincerely,
YatPundit
Shut up.
Please. You're embarassing yourself when you try to act as an elder statesman and spokesman for your family.
Your credibility in this town is so poor that, yes, the Convention Center wants to downplay the Morial name because the first thing people associate with that name isn't your father's legacy.
It's YOUR reputation they think of when they hear "Morial," and that plays into the whole New Orleans-is-corrupt meme.
Your associates have been convicted of federal crimes, are cooperating with federal investigations that still may lead to your indictment, and some are already in federal prison. Corrupt activities on the part of your closest advisers have even brought down one of the city's best leaders and most promising politicians.
Your activities and those of your associates have resulted in your own brother becoming a federal felon.
In the wake of the storm, you've abandoned the city to live in New York City. When your name comes up, it's usually in either that context or within the context of criminal activity.
You're an embarassment to us, sir. Please just stop talking.
Sincerely,
YatPundit
Doctor Daisy and I were tweeting about Sacred Heart on St. Charles, when I was reminded of a paragraph from the school's "history" page:
Where to begin in terms of dissecting this oh-so-bigoted paragraph? The only yardstick by which one could argue that the Quarter was "in decline" in the late 19th century would be the one where you measure how many "original Creole" families were still left in the neighborhood. The reason the "established French, Catholic families" bailed from Da Quarters was because the Italians began living there in larger numbers. Just as the French Quarter really became the "Spanish Quarter" after the fire of 1788, by the 1880s, it had become the "Italian Quarter." Our Lady of Victory, located on Rue Chartres next to the Old Ursuline Convent, became known as "St. Mary's Italian" church as the Italian community grew in the area.
The problem with Sacred Heart being in the Quarter was that the young women who went there might have to associate themselves with the Italian boys and girls in the neighborhood, and that disturbed the parents. Better for them to move Uptown, where they would be closer to the folks who lived in the Garden District and Faubourg Bouligny, who were more "their kind."
I never dated any girls from l'Academie, but I did date Holy Angels girls. From where I sit, I'm very glad the French families bailed. :-)
In the late 19th century, the French Quarter was in decline. Most importantly, the established French, Catholic families from the Quarter and Esplanade Ridge, whose daughters were the mainstay of the student body, were moving across town into what was the American sector. In addition, second generation English and Irish families, who were already uptown, were seeking for their daughters a school that provided the same type of education that the religious had been providing downtown. It was therefore no surprise that the religious sought refuge from their deteriorating urban environment and turned their attention upriver. Demographically, the nuns and the city were moving in the same direction.
Where to begin in terms of dissecting this oh-so-bigoted paragraph? The only yardstick by which one could argue that the Quarter was "in decline" in the late 19th century would be the one where you measure how many "original Creole" families were still left in the neighborhood. The reason the "established French, Catholic families" bailed from Da Quarters was because the Italians began living there in larger numbers. Just as the French Quarter really became the "Spanish Quarter" after the fire of 1788, by the 1880s, it had become the "Italian Quarter." Our Lady of Victory, located on Rue Chartres next to the Old Ursuline Convent, became known as "St. Mary's Italian" church as the Italian community grew in the area.
The problem with Sacred Heart being in the Quarter was that the young women who went there might have to associate themselves with the Italian boys and girls in the neighborhood, and that disturbed the parents. Better for them to move Uptown, where they would be closer to the folks who lived in the Garden District and Faubourg Bouligny, who were more "their kind."
I never dated any girls from l'Academie, but I did date Holy Angels girls. From where I sit, I'm very glad the French families bailed. :-)
Since Saintseester went out to her town's AA ballpark yesterday, I thought I'd toss in some local sports trivia that involves both the Saints and baseball.
We got the Zephyrs because, prior to moving to New Orleans, the team was the "Denver Zephyrs." The AAA-club was forced to move because the city had just been awarded a MLB franchise, the Colorado Rockies. The team had to find a new home, and New Orleans was a prime target.
The city's last dalliance with minor league baseball was the last incarnation of the New Orleans Pelicans, a AAA club that played in Da Dome. Problem was, like with the New Orleans Jazz, Da Dome isn't economical to use as a venue for events that don't regularly pull in 40K+ paying customers. The team's bottom line was a disaster, and they went through the whole thing about suburbanites not wanting to go downtown for night games. The team folded, and, at some point, Tom Benson bought the rights to the Pelicans name.
At the same time the Z's were negotiating with the city, Benson had a fit of pique that someone other than him might own a sports franchise in the city. The Z's had some things to iron out, particularly the commitment from the state to build the new ballpark (which was done under the auspices of the Superdome Commission and using the hotel-motel tax). In that timeframe, Benson went out and bought a AA team and announced he was going to move it immediately to New Orleans. Thinking he had squatter's rights on the city, Benson thought it was a done deal.
But that's not how baseball works. If The Show trumped AAA ball in Denver, then AAA ball can trump a AA club in New Orleans. The MLB commissioner refused to approve the Benson deal, because the Z's were the bigger/higher club. Not one for following tradition or really giving a shit about the city, Benson actually sued Major League Baseball. arguing restraint of trade and such. The courts summarily tossed the suit, because The Show has so many exemptions built into the law that the owners can pretty much do whatever the heck they want.
All this led to some serious bad blood between the Benson and the Zephyrs organization. I hesitate to say bad blood between the Saints organization and the Z's, because I don't think the people that work for the old man truly dislike the baseball folks. Still, when the team's move was approved and the deal to build the park was firmed up, the baseball club was hoping to acquire the Pelicans name from Benson. He steadfastly refused, and also proved to be a minor annoyance to the club over the ballpark, because his training facility and team office complex is next door on Airline Dr. When someone pointed out to the baseball folks that the "Zephyr" was the big roller coaster at Pontchartrain Beach, that was it, there was a local connection, and we got our Z's.
Originally, the Zephyrs were affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers, which is why they started with a blue uniform. That blue became more of an indigo over time, so the teams colors could look like purple-green-gold for carnival. The mutual animosity betwee Benson and the Zephyrs was so bad that the Z's kept their blue colors even when they became part of the Astros farm system. Usually a team will adopt the colors of their MLB club, which is why you have teams like the Iowa Cubs and the Louisville Redbirds. The Z's steadfastly refused to switch to the Astros' livery.
The Astros' colors? Black and Gold.
We got the Zephyrs because, prior to moving to New Orleans, the team was the "Denver Zephyrs." The AAA-club was forced to move because the city had just been awarded a MLB franchise, the Colorado Rockies. The team had to find a new home, and New Orleans was a prime target.
The city's last dalliance with minor league baseball was the last incarnation of the New Orleans Pelicans, a AAA club that played in Da Dome. Problem was, like with the New Orleans Jazz, Da Dome isn't economical to use as a venue for events that don't regularly pull in 40K+ paying customers. The team's bottom line was a disaster, and they went through the whole thing about suburbanites not wanting to go downtown for night games. The team folded, and, at some point, Tom Benson bought the rights to the Pelicans name.
At the same time the Z's were negotiating with the city, Benson had a fit of pique that someone other than him might own a sports franchise in the city. The Z's had some things to iron out, particularly the commitment from the state to build the new ballpark (which was done under the auspices of the Superdome Commission and using the hotel-motel tax). In that timeframe, Benson went out and bought a AA team and announced he was going to move it immediately to New Orleans. Thinking he had squatter's rights on the city, Benson thought it was a done deal.
But that's not how baseball works. If The Show trumped AAA ball in Denver, then AAA ball can trump a AA club in New Orleans. The MLB commissioner refused to approve the Benson deal, because the Z's were the bigger/higher club. Not one for following tradition or really giving a shit about the city, Benson actually sued Major League Baseball. arguing restraint of trade and such. The courts summarily tossed the suit, because The Show has so many exemptions built into the law that the owners can pretty much do whatever the heck they want.
All this led to some serious bad blood between the Benson and the Zephyrs organization. I hesitate to say bad blood between the Saints organization and the Z's, because I don't think the people that work for the old man truly dislike the baseball folks. Still, when the team's move was approved and the deal to build the park was firmed up, the baseball club was hoping to acquire the Pelicans name from Benson. He steadfastly refused, and also proved to be a minor annoyance to the club over the ballpark, because his training facility and team office complex is next door on Airline Dr. When someone pointed out to the baseball folks that the "Zephyr" was the big roller coaster at Pontchartrain Beach, that was it, there was a local connection, and we got our Z's.
Originally, the Zephyrs were affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers, which is why they started with a blue uniform. That blue became more of an indigo over time, so the teams colors could look like purple-green-gold for carnival. The mutual animosity betwee Benson and the Zephyrs was so bad that the Z's kept their blue colors even when they became part of the Astros farm system. Usually a team will adopt the colors of their MLB club, which is why you have teams like the Iowa Cubs and the Louisville Redbirds. The Z's steadfastly refused to switch to the Astros' livery.
The Astros' colors? Black and Gold.
just noticed that Google Maps still identifies the UNO East Campus (the part from Franklin to the Industrial Canal, more or less) as "Camp Leroy Johnson." It was an army base by that name until the 1960s. I remember going through the unmanned security gates at the Franklin Ave. entrance with my dad as a kid.
Google Maps also identifies the traffic circle at the end of Elysian Fields Ave. by the lake as "Pontchartrain Beach." :-)
Google Maps also identifies the traffic circle at the end of Elysian Fields Ave. by the lake as "Pontchartrain Beach." :-)
Greta "Princess of Positive" Perry of Kiss My Gumbo and YatPundit
After going to Orleans Parish Juvenile Court to pay a two-year old traffic fine for my now-19 year old son (how does an attorney not send you trial notices for a year and a half??), I hung out downtown for the rest of the morning, because I had a lunch date with Greta from Kiss My Gumbo (and nola.com). She was chaperoning a field trip for her son's 6th grade class at House of Blues.
If I may digress for a moment, any of you who have elementary-school-aged kiddos should take a look at Greta's story about the field trip. I had no idea that HoB had that robust an education program. The cost was reasonable, and it sounds like the kids enjoyed the heck out of the morning. the other thing I really like about this sort of outing is that it put a busload of kids from the north shore into Da Quarters for a morning.
Anyway, back to lunch. Since the group was at HoB, I thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce Greta to Napoleon House. It was a lovely day, and fortunately we were able to sit outside on the courtyard. Like many buildings in the Vieux Carre, Napoleon House is built around a central courtyard. I haven't dined outside at NH in years, mainly because the courtyard was their smoking section for a long time. I'm no rabid anti-smoker, but I also don't like being in smoking sections. The smoke and tobacco smell is just too concentrated to properly enjoy a meal.
I ordered my usual, half a muff. Greta had a tuna sandwich that had olives on it. It looked yummy, and has inspired me to do something soon at home with grilled tuna and olive salad. Washing down a muffuletta with an Abita Amber on a gorgeous spring day while chatting up a hottie. I thank goddess for living a charmed life!
Our lunchtime chat focused on two cities, New Orleans and Boston. Sticking to the old Southern rule of not discussing politics, sex, or religion in polite company is often a good idea when someone as liberal as I am is getting to know a conservative blogger. When it comes to politics, there's not much upon which m'lady Princess and I agree. Sex was pretty much off the list of discussion topics, given that her son was in attendance, but we did talk a bit of religion, since both of us were born in metro Boston.
But our New Orleans chatting was a good reality-check for me. I believe in and work for social justice daily, but I refuse to wake up and go to bed angry.
So, I had to go to OP Juvie court to pay a traffic fine for my firstborn. That saga is an epic in itself, but no matter, the deed's done. I'm in the elevator lobby of the 2nd floor of the CDC building on Loyola Ave., downtown. I turn one way and it's all the courtrooms for city court. I see a NOPD Major in the lobby talking to another guy, and I ask them if they could point me to room 210.
I'm wearing my very-crimson Brother Martin High School "band parent" polo shirt today, so the cop points to the shield on the shirt, and says, smiling, "I don't know about helping out someone from Brother Martin."
The jibe had the intended effect, because it took me aback. He immediately started laughing out loud and pointed around the corner to give me directions.
I smiled back and just said, "Friggin Purple Knights."
:-)
I'm wearing my very-crimson Brother Martin High School "band parent" polo shirt today, so the cop points to the shield on the shirt, and says, smiling, "I don't know about helping out someone from Brother Martin."
The jibe had the intended effect, because it took me aback. He immediately started laughing out loud and pointed around the corner to give me directions.
I smiled back and just said, "Friggin Purple Knights."
:-)
When I'm not traveling, I usually do the morning carpool for my son and his friend who lives down the street. They're 8th graders at Brother Martin High School, a Catholic high school with a long tradition of educating young men in New Orleans. On the drive in, one of the interesting post-storm sights we see are school recruiting posters on the neutral grounds of city streets. The posters are trying to draw drivers' attention to new charter schools opening in the city. There are 40 charter schools operating in Orleans Parish this school year, with another seven slated to open next fall.
One series of signs along the road advertise "Sci Academy," the nickname for the New Orleans Science & Mathmetics High School. While there are many critics of the charter school concept, if we use the pre-storm failures of the city's public schools as a baseline, even the charter schools look good. I propose to make lemonade with the charter school lemons and open my own school: The New Orleans High School for Visionary Thinking, better known as Blog Academy.
The notion of a school that focuses on developing math and science skills makes a lot of sense at first glance. Improving the global position of American students in those subjects has been a goal of educators since the Eisenhower administration. In the late 1950s, the fear was that the evil red menace of communism was going to overrun us with slide rule-wielding Russian engineers. Ironically, the engineers and programmers overrunning us now are from the world's largest democracy, India.
We got to the moon. We bankrupted the Soviet economy. Americans invented the Personal Computer. We're always going to be overrun by others in terms of numbers. We need to think not in terms of a new generation of scientists but rather a new generation of visionaries who will then get all those engineers and programmers to work on projects of their creation.
That's where Blog Academy comes in.
Don't worry, we'll come up with a much cooler name for the school, so kids will wear their senior rings and letterman jackets (earned for activities like debate or Academic Games) with pride.
The hallmark of most math/science schools is the notion that the school will eschew athletics in favor of more scholarly extracurricular activities. That way there are no distractions from the mission of producing kids who can pass the Calculus A/B advanced placement test in their senior year. All math, all the time. I'd rather see the kids writing than calculating, frankly. Let's put aside the fact that the developers of Sci Academy's website can't even spell "privilege," since that's not a fair indicator. I want kids reading and writing as much as possible.
The best way to do that is not to make them write essays by hand, but to give them blogs. Each student will be required to participate in at least three writing projects: A personal journal, a daily blog whose content goes beyond that of the personal journal, and a community/team project. The personal journal is the student's first-person narrative. The content blog is where they will write their assignments for class, as well as any comments on politics, sports, lifestyle, celebrity gossip, whatever is on their minds. Team projects will vary, since it's important that these be more grassroots in nature.
All this blogging is going to require technical support. OLPC-style computers will be provided to each student. Tech-savvy kids will be recruited to mentor their classmates. The school will have a data center where servers will be installed and maintained by students. Those who are interested in working on the back-end technology will have ample opportunity to do so. Most likely, their blogs will be filled with geeky goodness as they work out problems with various platforms at various levels. Even the geeks will have to write. They'll get the foundation they need to continue geeking at the college level, including the biology and chemistry that will get them a BS degree. They'll learn the physics behind the electronics they geek with in the data center. And they'll get daily doses of the math that is the foundation of it all.
And the non-geeks will have to learn tech. They'll all learn enough math to at least understand their checking accounts and what carrying a credit card balance at 1.5% a month means. Those that want more will get more.
But they all will read and write. They'll be challenged to think, not to just calculate.
Because we will continue to produce visionaries.
One series of signs along the road advertise "Sci Academy," the nickname for the New Orleans Science & Mathmetics High School. While there are many critics of the charter school concept, if we use the pre-storm failures of the city's public schools as a baseline, even the charter schools look good. I propose to make lemonade with the charter school lemons and open my own school: The New Orleans High School for Visionary Thinking, better known as Blog Academy.
The notion of a school that focuses on developing math and science skills makes a lot of sense at first glance. Improving the global position of American students in those subjects has been a goal of educators since the Eisenhower administration. In the late 1950s, the fear was that the evil red menace of communism was going to overrun us with slide rule-wielding Russian engineers. Ironically, the engineers and programmers overrunning us now are from the world's largest democracy, India.
We got to the moon. We bankrupted the Soviet economy. Americans invented the Personal Computer. We're always going to be overrun by others in terms of numbers. We need to think not in terms of a new generation of scientists but rather a new generation of visionaries who will then get all those engineers and programmers to work on projects of their creation.
That's where Blog Academy comes in.
Don't worry, we'll come up with a much cooler name for the school, so kids will wear their senior rings and letterman jackets (earned for activities like debate or Academic Games) with pride.
The hallmark of most math/science schools is the notion that the school will eschew athletics in favor of more scholarly extracurricular activities. That way there are no distractions from the mission of producing kids who can pass the Calculus A/B advanced placement test in their senior year. All math, all the time. I'd rather see the kids writing than calculating, frankly. Let's put aside the fact that the developers of Sci Academy's website can't even spell "privilege," since that's not a fair indicator. I want kids reading and writing as much as possible.
The best way to do that is not to make them write essays by hand, but to give them blogs. Each student will be required to participate in at least three writing projects: A personal journal, a daily blog whose content goes beyond that of the personal journal, and a community/team project. The personal journal is the student's first-person narrative. The content blog is where they will write their assignments for class, as well as any comments on politics, sports, lifestyle, celebrity gossip, whatever is on their minds. Team projects will vary, since it's important that these be more grassroots in nature.
All this blogging is going to require technical support. OLPC-style computers will be provided to each student. Tech-savvy kids will be recruited to mentor their classmates. The school will have a data center where servers will be installed and maintained by students. Those who are interested in working on the back-end technology will have ample opportunity to do so. Most likely, their blogs will be filled with geeky goodness as they work out problems with various platforms at various levels. Even the geeks will have to write. They'll get the foundation they need to continue geeking at the college level, including the biology and chemistry that will get them a BS degree. They'll learn the physics behind the electronics they geek with in the data center. And they'll get daily doses of the math that is the foundation of it all.
And the non-geeks will have to learn tech. They'll all learn enough math to at least understand their checking accounts and what carrying a credit card balance at 1.5% a month means. Those that want more will get more.
But they all will read and write. They'll be challenged to think, not to just calculate.
Because we will continue to produce visionaries.
