Just How Effective are On-Line Schools?

I am sure it was a simple coincidence that these two stories appeared next to each other on the ASCD Smart Brief.

You be the judge about the efficacy of "on-line schools" as these are the links to the two stories:

Online school aims to keep at-risk students from dropping out

Online school says too many students slacking off

~j

Chinese Proverb

My sister just sent me this e-mail:

ABOUT MONEY
WITH MONEY YOU CAN'T BUY A HOUSE, BUT NOT A HOME.
WITH MONEY YOU CAN'T BUY A CLOCK, BUT NOT TIME.
WITH MONEY YOU CAN'T BUY A BED, BUT NOT SLEEP.
WITH MONEY YOU CAN'T BUY A BOOK, BUT NOT KNOWLEDGE.
WITH MONEY YOU CAN'T SEE A DOCTOR, BUT NOT GOOD HEALTH.
WITH MONEY YOU CAN'T BUY A POSITION, BUT NOT RESPECT.
WITH MONEY YOU CAN'T BUY BLOOD, BUT NOT LIFE.
WITH MONEY YOU CAN'T BUY SEX, BUT NOT LOVE.
THIS CHINESE PROVERB BRINGS LUCK. IT ORIGINATED FROM THE NETHERLANDS.
THIS PROVERB HAS GONE AROUNDTHE WORLD 8 TIMES.NOW IT IS YOUR TURN TO HAVE GOOD LUCKONCE YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT.
THIS IS NOT A JOKE YOUR LUCK WILL ARRIVE BY MAIL OR VIA THE INTERNET
SEND A COPY TO THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY NEED LUCK. DO NOT SEND MONEY, BECAUSE YOU CANNOT BUY LUCK, AND DO NOT KEEP IT FOR MORE THAN 4 DAYS.
ONE MAN, GOT HIS FIRST COPY OF THE PROVERB IN 1953 AND ASKEDHIS SECRETARY TO MAKE HIM 20 COPIES.NINE HOURS LATER HE WON $99 MILLION IN THE LOTTERY IN HIS COUNTRY.
AN EMPLOYEE OF HIS RECEIVED THE SAME CARD, BUT DID NOT FORWARD IT. A FEW DAYS LATER HE LOST HIS JOB.AFTER THAT, HE CHANGED HIS MIND, SENT IT, AND BECAME RICH.
IN 1967, ANOTHER MAN GOT THE PROVERB; HE LAUGHED ABOUT IT AND DISCARDED IT. A FEW DAYS LATER HIS SON GOT SICK. THE MAN LOOKED FOR THE NOTE, MADE 20 COPIES, AND SENT THEM. NINE DAYS LATER, HE GOT GOOD NEWS: HIS SON WAS SAFE AND SOUND.
THIS CARD HAS BEEN SENT BY ANTHONY DE CROUD, A MISSIONARY IN SOUTH AFRICA.
BEFORE 96 HOURS PASS YOU BY, YOU SHOULD FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO 20 OTHER PEOPLE.
YOUR LUCK WILL COME WITHIN 4 DAYS FROM THE MOMENT YOU RECEIVED THE MESSAGE.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE? THIS CARD HAS JUST BEEN SENT TO YOU FOR GOOD LUCK. NOW LUCK IS FINALLY AT YOUR DOOR.
SEND 20 COPIES TO ACQUAINTANCES, FRIENDS, AND FAMILY. ONE DAY LATER YOU WILL GET GOOD NEWS OR A NICE SURPRISE.
I SENT THIS CARD EXPECTING IT TO GO AROUND THE WORLD.
SEND ONLY 20 COPIES AND EXPECT GOOD TIDINGS TO ARRIVE IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT MODIFY THE TEXT THAT I SENT YOU. FORWARD IT EXACTLY THE WAY YOU GOT IT.
GOOD LUCK!

Here is what (some - not all) people are saying about it on the web:

There is no Anthony de Croud. The e-mail is SPAM.

Is it too good to be true?

pet peeve of the week: chain letters

Blogs about: Chain Letters

Το άτιμο το χρήμα

MIT GELD

Note I don't know what the last two have to say, but I get a sense that "hoax" is an international concept.

Sorry, sis.

~j

PS: If I win that $99 mill, you'll all the the first to know.

Suspicious Letter

So this e-mail (see image above) appears in my mail client this morning "LETTER FOR BRANDT."

Yeah?

In recent weeks I have reported in my other blog about a serious and under-reported security breech in Adobe Acrobat's Reader and Professional application. While there has reportedly been no actual viruses released this way, I have, as per the recommendations posted in the various articles I've read, turned off some of the features of both applications until Adobe gets around and comes up with a patch. I was able to update to Acrobat Reader this past weekend, but the patch for Acrobat Professional (v 8) was not out yet. See security info on Adobe site

The other thing the articles recommended was to be very cautious of unsolicited PDFs showing up in your mailbox.

So my "threat level" flag just went up and I ain't opening this critter. I re-scanned my computer with Norton and have deleted the e-mail and flushed it down the can (emptied the trash).

Beware the Ides of March? Or, a little green man (with a strange name) on St. Paddy's Day.

~jeb

Back to Brooklyn

A couple of dozen years ago one of my old campers wrote a song and made a video about going back to Brooklyn. It is an experience all ex-patriot-brooklynites have to do from time to time. Sorta like "returning the to scene of the crime."

The purpose this time was a college reunion which will be blogged separately. Here are the warm-up photos of the Old Hood - Clinton Hill. Enjoy.

~j

We begin with some landmarks...

Grand Army Plaza, looking north from PPW and Carroll St.

The Giant Phalus of Brooklyn

This needs no explanation to any Brooklynite.

The Corner. There used to be mailboxes on this corner that we sat on to "discuss philopsophy."

My block.

My building...looks pretty ratty now, don't it

This was my dentist's office....he, The Butcher of Brooklyn has long since departed, but there is still a dentist in that location...a good one I'm sure.