In the Mission Today
6 A.M. 46° and overcast; cool but no rain expected.
OK, we all know it’s April Fool’s Day and Maundy Thursday. But did you know it was also National Fun at Work Day? It’s also St. Stupid’s Day which makes sense if you intend to have fun at work.
A Curious Summer
City College shut down? No jobs? Check this out: Acurious.org has announced it’s upcoming program: A Curious Summer, aimed at “inducing wonder and sparking enthusiasm for the world around us.” Said to be a program for “your child”, but the course descriptions look better than most university offerings. If a workshop is designed for ages 4 and up — how high up?
A Curious Bolivian
Jamie Escalante, the math teacher immortalized by the film “Stand and Deliver,” and satirized in “Stand and Deliver Pizza”, has died of cancer. A colorful and controversial character, Escalante’s death has resonated through the blogosphere. Surprisingly there is little mention of the past decade he spent teaching at the Universidad del Valle en Cochabamba in Bolivia.
Although the Morales government noted Escalante’s death and conferred an honorary title posthumously, we would have expected to see more about his attitude toward the changes in Bolivia and the success or lack thereof of his teaching methods in a revolutionary context. Any info along those lines would be much appreciated.
Alternative Interests
Looking for an alternative to predatory or non-existent lending practices of BofA and Chase? We noted yesterday SF Appeal’s report on bike loans available from the Mission SF Federal Credit Union. But, the Credit Union also offers payday loans at rates 20 to 40 percent below our local usurers and 15 ATM withdrawals a month without charge. 20 to 40 times less expensive than traditional payday lenders)
What a Long Strange Trip (Volume 4)
For more archival pix (like the one above) of Cesar Chavez, without the funny looking dude on his left, our right, go here.
I am sad to hear the death of jamie escalente ther wasn’t much said about him i guess because he espose the schools failure teaching since s.f, is one of the worse in ca. since i was inspired by his teachingand love for his students too bad now i don’t see that anymore maybe that why the kids today are not learning anymore i also believed its start at home since today times many childrens are being raise from a single parent i was raise by a single parent but those times were diffent not as bad as today times also more people/and presure on family i hope we get back to the old fashion roots of getting quality teachers such as mr. jamie escalentes and more minority teachers they can relate more to the kids today.