Monday, December 25, 2006

UK: Millions 'cannot read well enough for karaoke'

Millions of adults have such poor reading skills that they will struggle to keep up with karaoke lyrics at Christmas parties this year, government research has found.

Research for the Department for Education's Get On campaign found classic songs like Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" require the reading skills expected of an 11-year-old, lacked by more than 5.2 million adults. Other karaoke hits, such as "Angels" by Robbie Williams, pose a harder challenge, which nearly 18 million adults will fail.

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HOT FRIED CHICKEN NEEDED SOON?

An MIT professor is reportedly threatening to "die defiantly" in a hunger strike outside the provost's office, if that's what it takes, to overturn a university decision denying him tenure. Dr. James Sherley, a professor of biological engineering at MIT who is black, contends "racist attitudes" on the part of his department colleagues were a key factor in the rejection of his bid to become a permanent member of the university's faculty. MIT denies Sherley's charges.

Now Sherley, who has already voiced his concerns to the local media, is preparing to ramp up his protests in a bid to both win tenure and force the resignation of Provost Robert Brown

In an open letter to fellow MIT professors that was posted on an Internet blog, Sherley is threatening to go forth with a planned hunger strike on Feb. 5 outside the provost's office unless his demands are met. Sherley, who could not be reached for comment, is inviting fellow MIT colleagues to accompany him for moral support. The letter, corroborated by one source, was first reported online by the Boston Business Journal. "I will either see the Provost resign and my hard-earned tenure granted at MIT, or I will die defiantly right outside his office," Sherley writes. "This is the strength of my conviction that racism in America must end."

A university spokeswoman declined comment on the letter, but released a statement responding to Sherley's claims of being unfairly denied tenure. "MIT has a well-established procedure for reviewing and granting tenure to faculty," the statement read. "`The process is thorough and extensive and we are confident it was followed with integrity in this case."

In his letter, Sherley cites examples of alleged racism at MIT. He contends he was deliberately denied his own "independent" lab space due to his race, even though the same privilege was granted to all his white colleagues. And he contends that racist motives prompted department superiors to deliberately mispresent his research.

Source

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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL schools should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the poor and minimal regulation.

The NEA and similar unions worldwide believe that children should be thoroughly indoctrinated with Green/Left, feminist/homosexual ideology but the "3 R's" are something that kids should just be allowed to "discover"


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