American students will not learn from foods (Home Ec) and welding classes. They will learn from advanced European history and contemporary literature. They will learn from mandatory physics and calculus courses. Food and welding skills can be learned easily on the side.

It is remarkable that the world’s most advanced nation cannot even compete with developing or undeveloped countries when it comes to geography (it is also known that students here are losing in math and sciences as well).

The country’s education system is the future. Our high schools and middle schools are the cultivators of our future leaders. And in today’s global society, those that cannot even locate large countries (such as the U.S. and India) on a map will undoubtedly fail.

Tipping Scales?
Peeking for Corporate Interest?
Accepting Bribes?
Knee Deep in Exxon Oil?
Allowing Human Life as Exxon’s Collateral Damage?

To view Lady Justice:
http://www.silenceinthesound.com/valdez-oil-spill-workers-vs-exxon.shtml

An investigative study needs to be conducted into the thousands of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) workers’ health issues, and acknowledged as Exxon’s negligence; not left as Exxon’s Collateral Damage.

This letter is released in the hope of informing the media, public and anyone who is concerned about human interest stories relating to the present oil and gas issues. Exxon has been fighting an Alaska jury’s verdict for 14 years, contending that the $3.5 billion it already has spent following the worst oil spill in U.S. history is enough. The Alaska jury initially awarded $5 billion to 33,000 commercial fishermen, Native Alaskans, landowners, businesses and local governments.

After 19 years, and only four months of deliberating, on July 25, 2008 the US Supreme Court Justices announced their decision. They cut the punitive damages yet again. When that amount is divided by Alaska’s plaintiff’s lives that were destroyed by the oil spill; is $15,000 the Supreme Court’s price of life? Exxon has still not accepted full responsibility for the tragic EVOS alleged cleanup of 1989. Yet, Exxon continues to boast of profits each year and along with other oil companies raise prices at the gasoline pumps.

Here is the rest of the story: In 1989 while media and public attention focused on the thousands of oil-coated and dead seabirds, otters, and other wildlife, little attention was given to the harm done to the cleanup workers.
As workers blasted oiled beaches with hot seawater from high pressure hoses, they were engulfed in toxic fumes containing aerosolized crude oil—benzene and other volatile compounds, oil mist, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. View photos at: http://www.silenceinthesound.com/gallery.shtml

It is a major concern that the cleanup workers from the 1989 EVOS are suffering from long-term health problems resulting from toxic chemical exposures. A significant number of the workers have died. Some of the illnesses include neurological impairment, chronic respiratory disease, leukemia, lymphoma, brain tumors, liver damage, and blood diseases. View stories at: http://www.silenceinthesound.com/stories.shtml

Dr. Riki Ott has written two books; Sound Truth & Corporate Myth$ and Not One Drop. http://www.soundtruth.info
Dr. Riki Ott has investigated, studied the oil spill spraying, and quotes numerous reports on the toxic chemicals used during the 1989 Prince William Sound oily beach cleanup in her books.
Riki Ott, PhD, phone: 907-424-3915; email: info@soundtruth.info

Submitted by: Merle (Bailey) Savage, General Foreman during the (EVOS) cleanup attempt of 1989. Phone:702-367-2224; http://www.silenceinthesound.com email: msavage12@cox.net

When you hit a certain age, you usually say, “nothing surprises me any more”.
Well, there is something that still amazes me at the age of 50.
The lack of motivation to excel in what you’re doing and the lack of shame
for doing a lousy job.

If I were an elected official and my state ranks almost at the end of the list in quality
Education , with a high percentage of high school drop outs, below the national average
on test scores (to name a few), I would be ashamed to continue to receive a paycheck every month.

When is someone going to actually sit down at the table and review our education system. Why are we so arrogant that we continue to say ” We are the USA and
we are the best country in the world” Well, I hate to break it to you, but there are third
world countries that have a better education system then ours. Maybe someone should
take the time to explore this avenue. We spend so much money on stupid things, why
don’t we put together a team and have them study and compare education in other
countries. Extract the good ideas and implement them here.

The first thing that should be done is make High School mandatory, yes you heard it,
High School should be mandatory. You would be doing, not only the child a favor, but also the parent and the community a favor. You would stop of the cycle of uneducated parents with uneducated children.

Second, you should seriously look at what these kids are learning in High School…..
Home Ec, how to sew a pillow, how to make chocolate chip cookies????
Single survival? Photography ? Carpentry, how to build a bird house ? Are you kidding
me. This is so ridiculous, it’s embarrassing.

I went to High School in Argentina…just to give you an example. High School education consists of 5 years and you have 13 subjects every year. High School is divided in 3 different majors. You can choose Business/Accounting, Humanities or Technical High School. All three have a different curriculum. You would pick the first if you are interested in business, or even just working in an office since they teach you short hand, typing, clerical duties, etc. This will find you a job even if you might decide not to pursue a college degree. You would choose Humanities if you are interested in being a teacher, doctor, lawyer, etc. Technical High School if you are interested in being and engineer, architect or even an electrician.

Now, all three have (of course) reading, writing, math, history, geography and science
every year. The other classes emphasize on your major. And yes, there is also
a language, usually English, and PE. Kids don’t have electives, that does not exist. That’s
one of the problems you have here…kids have electives and they pick Home Ec and then
come home with a pair of boxer shorts that took them a whole semester to sew.

This is just one country to compare with, just imagine what Japan, Switzerland, Canada,
England or France might have to offer.

When you leave office, wouldn’t you be proud if your state ranked in the top 10 ten of the
smartest states in the country instead of the dumbest ?

Sandra Sperzagni

Boycott Exxon!!!! Make them pay. Make them pay. Make them pay!

It sucks to live in a society like this - you used to think the court would at least stick up for the little guy, but no, even they are politicians and are not immune to bribery.