Non-Weed-Related Roundup

Happy 420! But just to be contrary, here's what else is up, besides national support for the end to blanket federal cannabis prohibition:

Item 1: Walter Isaacson, who comes off to me as quite a smart man, penned this solid op-ed piece on American education for Time Magazine. As a recent product of the American educational system through college at a top-tier institution, I can attest to the fact that the lack of actual learning and skills-gaining by students in our schools is apalling and frightening.

I just spent four years at one of the nation's best universities, and let me tell you, those four years were a hell of a lot easier than the four that I spent at a small, private high school in Florida - not a state renowned for educational rigor. Is that how it's supposed to be? Each student more or less gets the basics and then the advantaged ones party through college and make "connections" while the rest struggle to catch up, keep up, and then be competitive when the job interviews come around? Is that what keeps America competitive - the strength of her students' connections? I think not.

In fact, tangentially, the whole importance of personal connections in our economy both fascinates and disgusts me. Sure, there's no problem with getting your brother's girlfriend's sister some low-level internship or some job that doesn't really require special thought or skill (especially when said person possesses very little special thought or skill), but honestly, when important jobs start getting handed out on the basis of "connections," harm is done not only to the specific candidates and company involved, but to the country on a broader level.

Just look at the Bush administration - how many inept, incompetent people were on the government payroll over the course of the last eight years because they had worked on Bush's campaign or because they knew some Republican power-broker? How did that work out? Take even a quick glance at Wall Street firms right now (and as someone familiar with a good many brand new business school grads, I can say this with confidence) and I bet you'll notice a distinct air of what-the-hell-are-we-doing-my-dad-got-me-this-job-and-told-me-it-would-be-easy-ness. In other words, connections should not be the sort of automatic job-getter they are in way too many industries and important companies these days.

But I digress. Isaacson's call for national education standards is much-needed and long-delayed. And you know it's serious if the president of the nation's biggest teacher's union, one Ms. Randi Weingarten, is openly and loudly agreeing with him. As the prez sez, this is a key priority for our country. Do what you can to make it happen.

Item 2: Finally, the other side of the piracy story is coming out. Before touching on that, let me just say that the mainstream media's infatuation with piracy is ridiculous. I should not have all my major news outlets focusing on one fucking boat captain and his exploits against a motley crew of Somalians. I mean, that was probably the most interesting part of this whole running meme, and it's still not news! Take a look at the relative statistics, people - piracy accounts for less than one percent of ANYTHING.

It's a completely insignificant proportion of overall international trade that gets disrupted. Well, it's only significant to the commercial fishermen who raid Somalia's wide open, plentiful waters and the Europeans who routinely ship toxic, nuclear waste down there and offer it up (down?) to Davy Jones. On the brighter side, maybe this sad fact will actually get some airtime now that the issue is being examined in somewhat more thorough and adult ways. I do have to give credit to Johann Hari, who brought up the unmentioned side of this story even in its infancy (on the blogosphere, of course). I mean, MSM, if you're going to waste time examining this issue on the national news, at least do it journalistic justice and spend five seconds explaining that the pirates have a purpose and a grievance and a history - maybe do that instead of whatever lame-ass piracy joke you had planned?

Item 3: Happy 420! Oh, did I, like, say that already or something?