Wednesday Wonk

I ADMIT to being a bit of a political wonk (unless it requires truly extensive research, because I also admit that I’m not that energetic about providing enlightenment for free). So when the following crossed my “desk” this morning, it triggered a memory.

NOT that I get a lot of MAGA traffic here, but while this is critical of Trump’s tenure as President, it’s policy, not personally, focused. (There’s plenty of the latter out there, and if you’re not already convinced, nothing I or anyone else can say will move you off 5^th Avenue.) Just a tidbit to file away, if you want.

THE move to make LEDs the primary form of lighting in homes and businesses is shaping up to be huge when it comes to energy efficiency. In 2005, a typical commercial building spent 40 percent of its electricity just lighting the place; today it’s 6-8 percent. An incandescent bulb gets 17 lumens of light per watt, while your typical equivalent LED is looking at 70 lumens per watt.… Lighting accounts for 15 percent of global power consumption.... Switching to more efficient lighting not only reduces the costs of light, but also makes it more available worldwide without damaging the atmosphere. (Source: Vox via Numlock)

TRUMP made a lot of noise (because that was his primary focus and outcome across the board) about his battle to undo federal rules (started under George W. Bush in 2007, btw, but accelerated under Obama) on light bulbs. In late December, 2019, the Trump administration announced it would block a rule designed to phase out older incandescent bulbs and require Americans to use energy-efficient light bulbs. 

REFLEXIVE opposition to anything progressive (or somehow connected to the Obama administration) was not only a hallmark of the Trump administration, but also now of the Republican Party, regardless of what positive effects those policies, rules,or attitudes might have. Never mind that LEDs help save both money and the environment. Not that there's a problem with climate change, of course, but $$$....

Nostalgia

It’s that time of year, proud parents posting their annual pix of their kids getting ready to start a new school year, some even a new school or stage of life. Schools publicize themselves with pep rallies, back to school videos and pictures, kick-off events, etc.

So it’s only natural that I nostalgically look back on a long and fulfilling career and start to think, “God, I’m glad I got out when I did.”

Didn’t see that coming, did you? The first year away from my profession was hard because I left behind a group of kids and teaching team of whom I was genuinely fond, even loved, but during the opening weeks of that first year or retirement, I recognized that, for once in my life, my timing was right on target. I could have kept going, of course, relying on experience and a lifetime of accumulated skills to compensate for diminished energy and enthusiasm, but it wouldn’t have been fair to anyone, not my kids, not my colleagues, not my family, not me.

So keep those pictures and posts coming, stay proud of your kids (whether your own or those you have the privilege to teach or work with), keep supporting your schools and teachers (you do make a difference and you do make your school better by being a part of the solution). I’ll be sitting at home, rooting you on and every once in a while summon the strength to stand up and cheer!

Cruise Diary 2014: Day 8, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is clearly several steps ahead of its Central American neighbors. It is a stable democracy with a higher standard of living than any we have seen. Free public education, K-12, is probably the backbone of its progress. Spanish and English are the required languages in school.

Let me digress here for a minute. I confess that the constant drumbeat of negativity towards education and teachers in the U.S. has discouraged me. But I’m starting to wonder where the symphony is coming from, because I have yet to meet, on these cruises, and we’re not talking the hoi polloi, or in my interactions with parents in any school with which I’ve been associated over the last 40+ years, almost anyone who has less than respect and admiration for teachers. Who are the politicians playing, to, exactly, besides themselves and a few well-heeled anti-public education donors? The election results on Proposition 3, which carried exactly zero (0, none, zilch, nada, etc.) counties across the state, indicate at least widespread general support for schools and teachers. Stand tall, my colleagues who continue the battle, and don’t get believe the negative propaganda.

Costa Rica was, and still is, way ahead of the curve on environmental issues. Recycling containers are everywhere, the country generates no carbon-based electricity, they work to protect their environment, and the people seem committed to the process. Who figured this out so far in advance of the rest deserves a medal.

They are proud of the fact that they abolished their army in 1948. I’m guessing they’re counting on us to defend them should someone get frisky, but that cost would almost certainly be less than what we’ve spent on some of the other hot spots in Central America over the past decades.

Costa Ricans also brag about their socialized medicine. If you’re sick, if you need medical attention, you get it. Built into those costs are a pension system. Now I have not done a lot of research, don’t know if it’s sustainable, but it seems as if the country is happy with its direction, and has probably generated fewer protests and riots than even our own.

Their taxes are not low, exactly, but seemingly are lower than Europe and perhaps even ours, in some places. If the information was accurate, you don’t pay income tax until you hit $70,000, and the minimum wage is based on two-weeks wages, about $600, not an hourly minimum. Our guide was stunned when I shared with him McDonald’s advice to its full-time employees: “You’re going to need another job to make a living wage.” Oh, and Wal-Mart is definitely here, but in disguise, running stores under different names.

Draw your own conclusions. I’m not suggesting a utopia – most of the houses, even those that are obviously less than affluent, have bars on the windows and doors to keep out thieves and robbers. But that, at least according to our guide, is generally the extent of crime in the country.

Our excursion was to an active volcano. There are nine of them in Costa Rica, all interconnected as part of the Ring of Fire (not the Johnny Cash song). Only one is conical; not the one we saw. These volcanoes don’t spew lava, like Hawaii and other places, but do emit gasses and even stones when they erupt. Geothermal energy provides about 10% of Costa Rica’s electricity. Lots of earthquakes and tremors, about 500 per year, on average. But a beautiful country.

The last couple pictures show the creativity of their wood-carving artisans. The first is the world’s largest oxcart, beautifully painted and decorated. The last, well, just whimsy on their part and mine.