The news always tends to elevate "bad news," as I have often mentioned in this blog. Some of the bad news is based on speculation and fear of the unknown, and some is clearly and objectively bad (see children slaughtered, Ukrainians butchered, etc.).
But there is news of legislation in the U.S. Senate that might nibble a bit at the issue of gun safety, and (shock!) it appears at least ten Republican senators are on board. It won't be enough, but it's a step forward, should it pass.
The NRA and the rest of the American cult of the gun resists ANY compromise. They are afraid of anything being done to improve gun laws in the country, and those of us NOT in the cult should pay attention to what our opponents fear. They fear that one reform will lead to another reform.
They are right to fear the "slippery slope" that can result from even a small change, IMHO. Rational Americans should embrace this, and then continue organizing and arguing for even more important safety measures.
The Jan. 6 hearings featured day 2 testimony, and the former president again comes off as ignoring facts and logic and the best advice of those around him. No, many Americans will remain blissfully unaware of this, but perhaps a few, just around the edges, can still be persuaded.
That at least allows for the possibility of change in future votes, and I am taking my victories when I can find them, no matter how vague and minor they may be.
On a personal level, the four-week summer course I taught for CSU ended Sunday at midnight, so all I need to do is assess the 25 final papers, listen to the final 25 video presentations, and upload grades. That must be a clear victory, right?
But at least five of the students have begged for me to reopen the last two assignments. One student moaned that he missed the midnight deadline by one hour... plus he claimed to be proud of his work... oh, and he wants to graduate in a few weeks. That was my favorite plea, with most simply being some version of "I ran out of time" and "I throw myself on the mercy of the instructor."
Unsurprisingly, I reopened the assignments, and sent an Announcement to all students that I did that. There will be some penalty points deducted from late work and I always reason that I prefer to assess based on what students DO rather than what they don't do... though I know being late for work at some point leads to being fired.
Or perhaps I just don't care enough (or believe deeply enough) in the Sunday night deadlines. After all, why not have the deadline be something like Monday by 7 a.m.? I will not jump into grading after midnight, preferring to sleep. So a few more hours to accommodate night owls doesn't affect me at all. Those midnight deadlines seem the definition of arbitrary.
I did not create the course, and all of us teaching various sections have been instructed to NOT make major changes in anything on the Canvas course, including adding writing assignments or adjusting the grading scale.
This writing class features two exams, midterm and final, accounting for 200 of the 850 total points. They are multiple choice and the system even grades the exams. That is not something I would advocate for. I prefer actual writing assignments being the overwhelming evidence in proving writing skill. But that's not my call.
I just cash the giant checks.
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