Doranwen

The other day I happened to be looking at a documentary I own (and have seen before), about the history of modern schooling. For anyone interested in the this subject (particularly as it relates to the USA - which copied the Prussian method as did most other countries at the time), these quotes may prove enlightening:

The U.S. Bureau of Education referred to "the problem of educational schooling", decrying the fact that "inculcating knowledge" enables the masses to be able to "perceive and calculate their grievances… Such an enabling is bound to retard the growth of industry."

Rockefeller General Education Board: "In our dreams, we have limitless resources and the people yield themselves with perfect docility to our molding hands. The present education conventions fade from their minds, and unhampered by tradition, we work our own good will upon a grateful and responsive rural folk. We shall not try to make these people or any of their children into philosophers or men of learning, or men of science. We have not to raise up from among them authors, editors, poets or men of letters. We shall not search for embryo great artists, painters, musicians nor lawyers, doctors, preachers, politicians, statesmen, of whom we have an ample supply."

U.S. Commissioner of Education (from 1889-1906): "99 students out of a hundred are automata, careful to walk in prescribed paths, careful to follow the prescribed custom. This is not an accident but the result of substantial education, which, scientifically defined, is the subsumption of the individual."

Bertrand Russell: "Education in a scientific society, may, I think, be best conceived after the analogy of the education provided by the Jesuits… In like manner, the scientific rulers will provide one kind of education for ordinary men and women, and another for those who are to become holders of scientific power… Ordinary men and women will be expected to be docile, industrious, punctual, thoughtless, and contented. Of these qualities probably contentment will be considered the most important. In order to produce it, all the researches of psycho-analysis, behaviourism, and biochemistry will be brought into play…"

The NEA publications of (1911, 1917, 1918) criticized the traditional American "bookish curricula" which were "responsible for leading tens of thousands of boys and girls away from pursuits for which they are adapted." (They also called for replacing History classes with Social Studies - and the results as far as American high school and university students go is that the vast majority don't even know the basic facts of history.)

Frederick Winslow Taylor: "In the past, man has been first. In the future the system must be first… What I demand of the worker is not to produce any longer by his own initiative, but to execute punctiliously the orders given down to their minutest details."

From the latest on copyfightblog:

"Fair use hasn't gone missing. It got jumped, dragged into a dark alley and curb-stomped until it bled nearly to death. At the moment it's on life support."

*snickers* So true.

I tried to visit a page, and came up with this error message, which amused me:

Ah, the ubiquitous 404 Error: you've tried to access something that isn't there. Statistically speaking, this would have to be about the most common of all errors on the Internet. In fact, the 404 Not Found error is something of an icon on the Net to the point where people register domains called 404error.com and musical groups called '404 Not Found'. It's likely that pretty soon many webmasters and web-enthusiasts who don't get enough sun will start describing real-world objects as '404' (that's 'four-oh-four') - it will become a newly-coined adjective for 'absent'. Strange, really. But the Internet is an especially strange place, as you either know already or are quickly learning from this friendly error message.

Perhaps the link was mistyped, or perhaps you've tried to visit a page which was once here but isn't any longer because someone's moved. Or disappeared. Or maybe it's meant to be there one day but hasn't been put in place as yet. Check the spelling on the filename, delete the filename and start from the directory level perhaps.

Hit the Back button on your browser to continue.

Web-related comments can be addressed to The Webmaster. Have a nice day. :)

I really like this quote:

"Other people become (...) 'mysterious', not in so far as we fail to understand them, but rather in so far as, in lovingly relating to them, we succeed in doing so." --Nicholas Lash

Can't seem to get this passage from Alone, by The Die Hard, out of my head lately . . . bolded the line that keeps running around . . .

( Full understanding of SV storyline not necessary )

Over the years, as he had pondered what it was he lacked that made his father so displeased with him, Faramir had often wished for his brother's easy temper, or his uncle's charm and grace. In Éowyn, he saw a swiftness of passion so different from the deliberations of his own heart that it drew the breath from him. But, love, loyalty, patience – these were Faramir's gifts, and when he chose to give them, they were returned, and in abundance. Save once.

--The Lost, by Altariel

"Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt." --- Abraham Lincoln

Quote from a book that I saw on a letter somewhere:

"A self-defeating statement is one that fails to meet its own standard...
The statement 'there is no truth' claims to be true and thus defeats itself.
It's like saying, 'I can't speak a word of English.'"