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I have it: 33 I had it: 14 I want it: 118
Designers » R S » S-Perfume Leather « Groups
I have it: 33 I had it: 14 I want it: 118
S-ex was launched in 2004. as an unusual unisex blend of notes of oxygen, salt, camellia, willow, white leather, skin musk, strawberry, baroque musk, black leather and malt. Available in bottles of 60 ml. The nose behind this fragrance is Christophe Laudamiel.
Perfume rating: 3.55 out of 5 with 67 votes.
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long lasting | 4 | |
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"Minimalistic Musk" ***
Protected sex : this is it.
Although you have nowadays condoms with flavors and so on and so on, this one is a very old kind of condom's smell.
The problem is that body odors are captured by this kind of smell remaining above all others.
Do you like it? At least you are safe.
S-ex opens as a rather mild sort of heavily synthetic musk-leather scent on the "bright" vinyl side, unexpectedly quite much similar to Etienne Aigner Black, just a bit more sweet and flowery. That same sort of plastic leather-musk-violet blend with a mainstream feel (which means partially "cheap", partially "crowd-pleasing"). Smoky, spicy, smooth and gentle but "masculine" as regards of the mood, as much pleasant as frankly uninspired for me, easily lost among dozens of similar cheap synthetic leather scents – as I said, by mentioning leather I mean "polished", PU-like leather, so don't think of any Knize and similar (rather as I said, think of Aigner Black if you know it; this is really, really similar to it for me – except for the strength and the price, and guess who's cheaper and less pretentious). I honestly don't get half of the notes listed, to me this is just a crippled, barely enjoyable mixture of leather aromachemicals plus musky-floral ones and spices, and that's it. A smooth skin scent lacking in pretty much anything you could expect, with an intolerably short persistence. The whiff of synthetic breezy "ozone" surely echoes Comme des Garçons offerings as well, just with way less creativity and interest. I can't see reason to own this, but give it a try (be reminded to be really quick).
If you can get past the initial blast of bitter calone, this smells exactly like skin after it has been cleansed with one of those wheat-bran exfoliation creams; Soft, smooth and milky, with hints of some indistinct floral, a sandy cereal note and traces of salt water.
I don't smell anything else listed.
It's pleasant, gentle and intimate, but it's so faint I can only smell it if I hold my wrist to my nose. For the price I'd sooner just buy some body scrub and achieve the exact same effect.
First sniff - nothing at all. I thought that something was wrong with my nose.
Second sniff - got some pleasant but vague sweetish-leathery notes with some milky-melony hues. I thought that probably I came across something highly unusual and even worth splurging on in the future.
Third sniff - a very strong association with a smell in a cheap taxicab: nauseating petrol, sweaty driver, clingy car air-freshener. Even felt something like car sickness.
Don't want any more sniffs.
Hard to imagine a perfume that smells less like sex-or less sexy-than this one.
It's a bergamot and strawberry soap opening, with a childish flavored lip gloss edge. No, wait-I have it! It smells of chewable vitamins, the ones that come in pink, purple and orange flavors.
There's nothing adult about this fragrance, let alone musky or musty or seamy or sensual.
Like the reviewer below me, when I first sprayed this, I got nothing. I actually wondered if my sample was a dud. But I left it on and about an hour later I checked my wrists again and I got a faint whiff of what I can only describe as mothballs.
There was a slightly sweet edge, but for me, it was mostly musty mothballs. It smells a bit like a charity shop. The only culprit for this I can think of is the "skin musk" listed here as the other accords in this all usually work well on my skin.
It was almost a scrubber, but I left it on because the smell is so faint it wasn't bothering me - you can literally only smell this if you push your wrist to your nose and inhale deeply.
Sprayed on a card, it smelled fresher, but still very faint.
Longevity on me was about 4 hours, sillage next to nothing.
Not full bottle worthy for me.
First off, I have to thank one very awesome and gorgeous Fragrantica member for sending me a sample of this one. I was intrigued from the get go and finally put some on this afternoon.
First impressions were pretty damn confusing to say the least. At first, I can honestly say the first 3 words that popped into my head were "What The ****?!". And the reason those three words popped into my head was because I literally smelled nothing LOL.
However, I've had this on for around an hour now and I can smell something subtle - and it's actually really nice. I won't lie, I am not getting ANY Strawberry in this and that's more than OK as that is one note in perfume that has never worked with my body chemistry. What I do get though is Salt, Wheat (Definitely wheat - I knew I was smelling that before I even searched for this perfume here) and Musk. I do KIND OF get a tiny little waft of Patchouli every now and then but it's very, very faint.
When I say this is subtle...I mean it. I asked my husband what he thought and he's really impressed with this one...he says it smells fresh and very sexy...from across the room!??! I wish I had his nose because I really need to smell my wrist several times before I can get a decent whiff of this!
This is weird. Very subtle (to me anyway) - but I love it somehow?! I think it's the fact that this perfume has taken me by surprise in the sense that I can't easily smell it but obviously others can...and to me that's just plain clever! I will update again when I have another go with this sample...this is just so quirky and I'm digging it :)
Closest I've found to smelling like Swedish Dream Sea Salt Soap (with actual sea salt in it) which is one of the greatest smells of any sort, ever. The smell of the soap is better but it's nice that a perfume approaches it.
Absolutely nothing special; complete lack of originality. Reminds me of so many things invented way before 2004 (when S-ex was launched).
And I'm sooooo surprised that in the book "Perfumes. The guide" Luca Turin has rated this fragrance as a masterpiece!!! Seriously?
bleh. salty and clinical; makes me imagine what might have spawned the blood type perfumes. Not nauseating but i cant really see anything great about smelling salty. May be i can see why as an 'art' project this would seem interesting for a half a second in fitting in with a trend or something, but 'striking' or 'real' are not the vibe i get as if its creator forgot to give it a heart.
Tried yesterday and I was very dissapointed because I could hardly smell anything.
S-ex is pop-art. Just like Basquiat, Lichtenstein or even Andy Warhol.
Where brands such as Comme Des Garcons create their own language by introducing alien smells, "environmental odors" and abstraction, Se-x achives a similar result by taking a couple of perfumery pillars and pairing them together for an unexpectedly interesting result. On one side we have the hyper-classic floral-leather structure. On the other, the polarizing, generic, department store-reminiscent and emblem of the 90s: Calone. In this context, Laudamiel is just like Warhol who used to take very popular icons to transform them into "pieces" of art. If you prefer a musical analogy, just think about those musical mash-ups that used to take famous pop-songs and pair them with electronic/avant-garde bases. Among the most successful there was Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody (RIP), layered with Computer World by the Kraftwerk, or the amazing revisitation by Boards Of Canada of the classic Midas Touch by Midnight Star.
S-ex it's just like those mash-ups: it pairs the sacred with the profane. The aristocratic and "cultured" language, with the slang. The dirty animalic notes with the laundered age. What comes out is a destabilizing yet fascinating concoction of sweet/salty plastic-smoky leather, juxtaposed to a fresh marine, fruity/floral vibe that will appeal to anyone who's into the most daring fragrances by Comme Des Garcons and the likes. S-ex stays quite close to the skin, revealing a nice musky quality especially during the drydown. Modern, slightly weird and perfect for metropolitan parties in the most avant-garde clubs around the world. Minimal techno with a tad of pop! The smell fo Berghain.
One of a kind.
Rating: 8.5/10
This one's declared unisex, but that doesn't mean in can be worn by anyone. In principle I don't like the idea of wearing fragrances only on special occasions - if a scent suits you, then wear it. But in this case, things are different.
Men should wear it only if they feel really sexy. Women should wear it on days they feel really androgynous. In either case, your looks should (i) match and be (ii) 100% perfect. On such occasions, this perfume is the cherry on the top. On any other occasion, don't even think about it.
a very woooffffff one - thx christophe ---
i find it very allylcyclohexyle propionate
This is a very salty, musky, futuristic, wet space leather...best way I can describe it! I like how it mixes with my own natural scent...very sexy to me, indeed. Definitely unisex and I don't get the strawberries at all. Longevity on me is about 4-6 hours. Glad I got it, but I think the $90 pricetag is a little much for what it is..
This is subtle and pretty, and not a leather a la Bandit (which smells like new car leather on me)but one that is easy to wear. I smell something fresh(oxygen?)strawberries which aren't overly sweet and the scent of clean skin. Reminds me of Aura which CL also created- without the jasmine. Soft but present,very comforting and not dirty at all. A very up-close scent which lasts but won't disturb those in your vicinity..nicely done!
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blueskies | Feb 3 2013, 01:41 AM |
oh Brandon, you were stupid getting taken in by Sami, but the two of you were adorable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc4-jieIx10 edit: added better version edit2: and i admit, i'm still holding out for Brandon; he's so my #1; but actually i take that back, Sami doesn't deserve him. Edited by blueskies, Feb 3 2013, 01:53 AM.
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This week we have a familiar face with us, Mr. Marxel Rios. Marxel, for those of you unaware of Marxel's reputation, is 27 years old and from Ft. Lauderdale. A definite fan favorite, Marxel is going to help us welcome a new face to the circle Jacobey London. Jacobey is 20 years old and from Virginia. They say Virginia is for lovers, but as far as we know that's hearsay. We're from Florida-we'll need proof! The holidays are fast approaching and we wondered what these two would wish for in their stocking. Jacobey is going to need a rather large stocking to fit the Range Rover he'd like. We think that's what he said; while Marxel would want tons of $100 bills wrapped up in a nice wad. Well the holidays aren't all about receiving, they're also about being thankful for the things you do. Marxel is very proud and thankful for his Cybersocket nomination as Best Newcomer for the 2013 Awards. Jacobey is thankful for his...uhh, roommate.
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Jun 28, 2010
Merman Monday + GOALS!
Good morning, sewers from all my favorite continents!
We have a very special guest at MPB this morning -- Miss Ethel Merman! Ethel's a big fan of Male Pattern Boldness and I told her she could come and watch this morning as long as she didn't break anything.
I hope everyone is feeling bright and chipper and ready to stitch today; I know I am. There's so much to do. My little McCall's Twenties frock is still hanging on its body form unsewn. I seem to be experiencing a mild case of chiffon-itis -- it can creep up on you when you least expect it, apparently.
But I am excited to see how it turns out: based on your comments Cathy will look like either Louise Brooks or Estelle Getty, may she rest in peace. Of course I'm hoping for the latter since it won't be long before Cathy is sharing a condominium with three septuagenarians herself.
With no further delay, a brief review of the past week:
1. I bought fabric for my Twenties dress. And then again. And then again. And then a little bit more. Let's just leave it at that.
2. I drafted a decent top, Lesson 4 in my pattern drafting book. Next up is Lesson 5 - Overblouse (otherwise known as a shirt). This lesson gets us into sleeves and collars, so should be quite a thrill ride. I discussed some of my shoulder and back issues with Michael, who teaches the Alexander Technique, and he assured me that, rather than fuss with alterations to my sloper, I could have him teach me how to improve my posture quite easily. After nearly eight years don't you think he might have addressed that already? Better late than never!
3. Even more exciting than my posture, however: savvy sewist and blogger extraordinaire Mikhaela has given birth to a lovely baby girl! It seemed like she was pregnant for about three years, but the results are so worth it. Please visit Mikhaela at Polka Dot Overload and see lovely Cartoonist Baby "Z." (Here's hoping that "Z" stands for Zoe and not Zsa Zsa.)
But enough about Mikhaela, what will I be giving birth to this week?
1. Must. Finish. Twenties. Dress.
2. More Pattern Drafting (I'm trying to use different sheets to keep it interesting for you.)
3. Friends, how's this for lazy: I think I'm going to turn my self-drafted pants into shorts after all. I never did get around to making myself shorts last week and that stretchy faille, or whatever strange fabric it was I made the pants out of, has a maddening tendency to twist below my knee in that ugly way that puts the inseam 180 degrees west. Not pretty and not easily tamed.
4. I have two weeks before my Fire Island trip and two complete resort wardrobes to create. And that's just for the dogs. Seriously, it's time to make my first Cath-kini!
And what of you? Did you create any new life this past week? (Keep it clean please.)
Mom2five: How's the shirt coming along? LauraD: Is your sewing machine out of the shop yet? Toby: Congratulations on your navy skirt -- and the chicken tractor -- but don't get complacent. Ruth: Any quilt updates to provide? Sewforward: When do we get to see the "Shorts! Shorts! Shorts!"? Melanie Jade: Are you almost done with the wedding gown? Is the groom wearing anything? Shona (In the Heyday): How is that Hawaiian dress is coming along? Can't wait to see it!
I'm actually very happy with your progress, folks, or maybe it's just the coffee kicking in or Mikhaela's new baby; I am experiencing one of those rare moments of peace. Life is good and sewing makes it better.
Have a great day everybody and don't forget to say hi to Ethel on your way out; it means a lot to her still.
And what's on your sew-genda this week?
19 comments:
Ah Ethel... I'm afraid that no number of musicals or films will replace what pops into my mind whenever I hear her name:
War is hell indeed. ;)
I haven't finished my projects, as mission 4H has overtaken me. I tried to resist, but I couldn't allow my daughter's 4H leader to help her embellish her shirt for fashion review. She started talking about ric rac and yoyos, and I had to step in!Morning, Peter and Ethel (are you sharing your lung capacity around, Ethel?) - Peter, I did not get complacent. I made a new blouse out of a 1957 'outfitter' pattern I got. I'm so tickled with it, I'm going to make another one before I tackle the 'button up the ankle' slacks from the same pattern.
ReplyDeleteYes it is! And if you live anywhere near Mableton, GA (it's a long drive out there for me) and have a machine that needs work take it to Kirby Sew and Vac. They're really, really good. And I learned that 3 in 1 oil is not a good thing to oil your machine with. Which is why it locked up. And he fixed my tension issues, too!
So since I got it back Friday, I've made a sailor dress, complete with matching hat and panties and a jumper dress with matching onesie for my brand new niece, and a pair of pajamas for my nephew. This week, (today and tomorrow hopefully) I'm making a sundress and a romper for the new baby and hopefully cutting out a layette for her.
I've posted pictures of this weekend's work over on my LJ, and I'll probably be reviewing them later this week.Can't wait to see your twenties dress! I was about to finish one of the new Vogue patterns for the spring (the Michael Kors one with the bow) but I tried to make it with a stretch linen but didn't go over so well, so I'm going for a sure thing and going to wonder into making the sencha blouse from Colette.
ReplyDeleteSew-genda! Love. It.
Anyway, finished my denim skirt, but not thrilled... it's actually too big, and too something else. I wore it anyway. Almost finished a mod knit top, but will in the next 30 minutes.
This week, a dress for a 4th of July party. The fabric is in the dryer as I type, and I'm hoping I won't look like my mom's floral couch. It's a BIG print.Baby Z is very cute, I hope that my soon to arrive progeny is just as cute! With that said, all my sewing these days centres around items for them. I started quilting the 2nd quilt that I am making for this baby (lucky thing..!). I found that sewing too quickly (oh the eagerness to finish is sometimes too much), my walking foot just wasn't coping and I ended up with thread from the top gathering on the underside. So, after I picked it all out, and did it properly, it is going much better. Should get most of the major quilting done on it by this weekend.
ReplyDeleteWell, Peter (and Ethel), I am on to week two of my own sewing blog and currently welcoming some lovely new knits to the stash (Michael Miller knits - so pretty!). My goals for the week are to tame the fabric inventory, complete the precut projects, visit Mary Jo's cloth store (Happy Birthday to me!) and Ikea, and cut in to some of those lovely new knits.
ReplyDeletePencil Skirt. I started it yesterday actually. Palmer/Pletsch style: pin fitting, pulling, drawing on it cutting it, more pin fitting, add more tissue, cut off more tissue, rinse repeat. Now its time for the fabric!
I actually came home and worked on it. Before I ate, even. I am usually so wiped out after work that I can do little more than work out, eat and blog surf.
So I lay the squarely on you, Mr. Fancy Pants and your infectious happiness and inspirational blog!
(Oh - I also blame my sudden need for polka dot fabric on you, too.)Peter - I discovered MPB via Elaine. I just started sewing again after a decades long hiatus and your blog is my first stop. Taking a class here in Chicago - I am attempting Vogue 8621. So far I have sewn the muslin, half backwards and cut some of the buttonholes before they were bound! All fixed now - and I am proud of 3 of the 4 buttonholes.


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Claire is an official CPDcast contributor and contributes to the following podcasts:
Claire Staddon acts and advises in contentious and potentially contentious matters general Chancery matters, company and commercial law and insolvency.
Claire's general Chancery practice includes a wide range of land-related disputes including issues of ownership, public and private rights, wills, intestacy, estates and Court of Protection matters, contractual disputes, disputes regarding sale of businesses and shares, partnership and forgery, fraud and undue influence.
Her company and commercial practice including directors' abuse of position and breach of duty, directors' disqualification, receiverships, shareholders' disputes, shareholders' agreements, unfair prejudice and members' winding-up, and a wide variety of commercial contracts and dealings.
Claire's insolvency work including winding-up, bankruptcy and administrations and challenges to transactions after insolvency.
Her work includes acting as a junior before a House of Lords Committee in relation to a proposed Parliamentary Bill to allow a Local Authority to use Lincoln's Inn Fields for private functions, in a number of local public inquiries relating to part of the South Downs Way and in a number of Administrative Court actions.
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Pharrell's hat makes it big
Musician Pharrell Williams arrives at the 56th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California January 26, 2014. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok
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Of all the big things to happen at the Grammys on Sunday, the biggest may have been Pharrell's hat. Literally.
The rapper immersed himself into all ten gallons of his head wear, making a splash across the Internet and creating a huge wave of comments across the Twittersphere.
Below are some of he highlights that generated the most mirth.


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"Wagner in Switzerland" is shot at unique historical sites and explores Richard Wagner's life at Tribschen: Concerts at the composer's villa are complemented by documentary elements offer insight into Wagner's life at Tribschen. It features soloists of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra performing his "Siegfried Idyll" at the very place where he premiered it on the staircase in 1870 as a birthday present to his wife Cosima.
A special treat will be mezzo-soprano Elisabeth Kulman and pianist Eduard Kutrowatz interpreting the "Wesendonck Songs" in the original version for female voice and piano in the villa's salon.
Richard Wagner
Siegfried Idyll
Elisabeth Kulman and Soloists of Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Genre: | Concert |
Year of production: | 2013 |
Duration: | 43:48 |
Recording Date: | 03.03. – 06.03.2013 |
Status: | completed |
Production company: | ACCENTUS Music |
Co-Production Company: | ZDF |
Associated Production Company: | ZDF/Arte |
Producer: | Maria Stodtmeier |
Distribution TV: | C Major Entertainment GmbH |
Director: | Michael Beyer, Steffen Herrmann |


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Is a promotion offering discounts to customers who bring in a "current church bulletin" discriminatory or unfair to people who aren't religious? One Pennyslvania restaurant won't remove or re-word their 10% off promotion for churchgoers, saying that it's helped business on Sundays. It has, but it also got the attention of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
State Says Restaurant's Church Bulletin Discount On Sundays Isn't Discriminatory, But Needs Work
Pennsylvania Man Headed To Trial Might Regret Swiping $1.50 From Church Collection Jar
There's apparently no crime too small for a court of law, as a 31-year-old Pennsylvania man is finding out. He allegedly swiped a whopping $1.50 from a a church collection jar and now could be headed to trial. His arrest and subsequent charges of felony counts of burglary and criminal trespass were a result of the church installing security cameras to catch thieves. [More]
What Would You Do For Free Gas?
Reuters has a wrap-up of some of the wackier gas-related stories of recent weeks, including the Nevada Brothel's free-gas-card offer, a church that's holding a weekly $50 gas card drawing during mass, and an Orlando father who pledged to name his baby after local radio hosts in order to collect a $100 gas card. There's also some gas thieves in Mesquite, Texas, who are siphoning from church vehicles, but that's not so much a "wacky stunt" as a type of criminal "preemptive charity." (""All he had to do was come and ask us and we would have bought him a tank of gas," said the pastor of one church.)
After Further Review, NFL Decides Churches Will Be Allowed To Host SuperBowl Parties
The league has said that organizations that host public viewings of its games on television screens larger than 55 inches violate its copyright. Sports bars are exempted. Last year, the league sent letters to two churches advising them of the policy.
Life 360: Twirl Around And Head Away From Christ!
Our pale blue brethren over at Kotaku, raspily wheezing through collapsed rib cages, have called our attention to this fascinating Christian rip-off of the X-Box 360 logo, happily plagiarized by a local church.


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In truth I would willingly now abandon this charge about the statues, to have you
admit to me, what would be most honourable to you, that the agriculturists
contributed this money for a statue to do you honour, of their own free will. Grant
me this. In a moment you cut from under your feet the principal part of your
defence. For then you will not be able to say that the agriculturists were angry
with and enemies to you. O singular cause; O miserable and ruinous defence; for the
defendant, and he too a defendant who has been praetor in Sicily, to be unwilling to receive an admission from
his accuser that the agriculturists erected him a statue of their own free will,
that they have a good opinion of him, that they are his friends, that they desire
his safety! He is afraid of your believing this, for he is overwhelmed with the
evidence given against him by the agriculturists.
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The micro brand also known as The Row envisioned by the famous style icon twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen grant us with a brand new and big ticket collection presented in the Elizabeth and James Spring 2011 Lookbook. The ensembles echoing a French chic allure would definitely steal the heart of Boho chic junkies who long for bulky and breezy textures for the next season.
Celebrities often surprise us with either their collaboration with
various fashion houses or their unique and complete collection. In
the case of the style guru twins Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen it was
just a matter of time when they come up with their own line and
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The Elizabeth and James Spring 2011 Lookbook under the company
established by the sisters and named The Row offers us a deep
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Those who are lusting after a wardrobe that offers a front row
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how polish our look and enjoy the summer breeze by adopting a comfy
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Sheer and soft fabrics were used in prominence during the creative
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various textures. Those who wish to dive into the depth of this
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Moreover in the concept of making these outfits both comfortable
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Grown up neutrals as well as the classy black all dominate the
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business as well as street chic appropriate attires.
Steal the style presented by the various models or pick your
favorite pieces and envision your unique outfit that would have
some of the Bohemian allure the Elizabeth and James spring 2011
collection radiates. Top your look with the fabulous and
super-flattering accessories as sunnies and hat you can also find
included into the offer of the Olsen sisters. Define your purpose
with your look whether it is to set the perfect blueprint for a
textbook style Hobo couture apparel or you only wish to enjoy the
skin stroking effect of the loose and stylish style pieces.
Upgrade your wardrobe with the latest trends and must have style items
inspired by the SS 2011designer collections. The cute shorts paired
with 'too cool to miss' socks and heels or wedges would provide you
with the best secret weapon to make an overwhelming visual
Challenge your styling skills and come up with authentic and
versatile ideas on how to mix/match the various elements and sport
a brand new look. Silky cardigans and knits will keep you warm
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casual chic apparel.
In order to enjoy the generous offer of Mary Kate and Ashley who
decided to make the collection even more pocket-friendly it is
worth knowing that the price of the clothes start from $155 up to
See the complete collection at:


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Rating The aliveness, vitality, sincerity, expression, and lightness of this articulate, humorous, and interesting treasure of a man are such a pleasure to listen to at any time that you feel like connecting to shades of yourself that you want to revisit. No matter what is your state of mind, from ecstatic to bleak, you will come home and find a welcome on the hearth. I live in an unfamiliar third world country and know no better way to find depth than to listen to my friend John.
No matter what life has dealt you, I am so sure that he will talk to you directly.(Posted on 1/24/2016)
- Provoking, beauty, thought, Review by John P.
Rating A provoking talk about the beauty of life.... Our inner thoughts are brought to life in an almost mystic way as we trod the path of life so greatley illuminated by John. A must listen to, for us, when we are at the crossroads of life. Uplifting, in the bold way it brings us back to our Celtic Roots and allows an inner freedom to flow through the veins of life....
(Posted on 8/4/2015)
- Review for The Complete John O'Donohue Audio Collection Review by Evan Davis
Rating I found listening to -Anam Cara a great comfort driving to my medical practice in Washington,DC. I've read 2 of his books and draw passages to quote from w my family and friends. And recently were blessed to visit his grave site. He has provided a gift that touches the soul.
(Posted on 7/28/2014)
- Review for The Complete John O'Donohue Audio Collection Review by Mark Friendship
Rating The programs and discussions on these disk have been blessed by the divine. I have read some of the publications by Jon O,Donohue and found them to be wonderfully inspiring but I would have to say Jon's oration trumps the written word.
(Posted on 6/2/2012)
- Review for The Complete John O'Donohue Audio Collection Review by margaret harvey
Rating Wonderful, thank you
(Posted on 11/17/2011)
- Review for The Complete John O'Donohue Audio Collection Review by Joan Moren
Rating The Audio collection has given me the greatest pleasure. Everybody should listen to it.
I had read the books and loved them, but to hear his voice is inspirational.
Than you for making these recordings available to me.
God bless you.
Joan Moren Sweden.(Posted on 3/12/2010)
6 Item(s)
Contents 25 CDs (1665 minutes) Date Published November 30, 2007 Dimensions 5 x 5 inches Product Code AP00283 Audio Download
Contents 4 Audio downloads (27 hours, 45 minutes) Filetypes M4B, MP3, PDF, ZIP Date Published February 17, 2011 Product Code AP02326


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Learn about this topic in these articles:
...style with open arches and four minarets, is regarded as the supreme achievement of the Quṭb Shāhī period. It formed the centrepiece around which the city was planned. The
Mecca Mosque, which was built later, can accommodate 10,000 people. The mosque was the site of a bombing attack in 2007 that killed several Muslims and injured many others. The incident aggravated...


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Friday, September 28. 2012Control Principal photography completedWednesday, September 12. 2012Shooting in progressSaturday, April 28. 2012H ProjectsSunday, January 22. 2012Happy New Year of the DragonSaturday, February 19. 2011Berlin International Film FestivalThursday, September 9. 2010THE REAL GIRLS of GIRL$Wednesday, September 8. 2010GIRL$ CLIMBING AT THE BOX OFFICEWednesday, September 1. 2010GIRL$ OPENS SEPTEMBER 2, 2010Sunday, August 29. 2010GIRL$ GALA PREMIERESunday, May 2. 2010MY SHORT FILM - LIVE ON INTERPRETATIONS SITEThursday, January 14. 2010THE DRUMMER DVD RELEASED IN USSunday, January 3. 2010FOLLOW US ON TWITTERFriday, January 1. 2010THE DRUMMER in PITTSBURGH |
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Collecting the quartet of gruesome satires of Buffy, Twilight, True Blood and Dexter!
BLEEDING COOL: Writer's commentary - Mark Rahner on Dejah of Mars 4. READ IT.
REVIEW: "Twilight Zone Annual 2014 lives up to its moniker, giving you tales you'll love even while they make you cringe." Read it HERE.
REVIEW: "Writer Mark Rahner ... tries to capture the spirit of Serling's genius, which he does in spades." Read it HERE.
INTERVIEW: David Liss interviews me about The Twilight Zone HERE.
REVIEW: "If you want horror that does not depend on monsters and gore - a more cerebral horror, then this is what you want." HERE.
AIN'T IT COOL NEWS: "This was a great issue that I could share with my friends whether they love comics or not." HERE.
REVIEW: "If you loved the TV series, you will love this adaptation - don't miss it!" HERE.
INTERVIEW: Troy Brownfield interviews me about TZ for Bleeding Cool HERE.
INTERVIEW AT BLEEDING COOL: Ruthlessly and Recklessly Kicking Over the Martian Card Table - Mark Rahner Talks Dejah of Mars. HERE.
BLEEDING COOL: Writer Commentary - Mark Rahner on Dejah of Mars #1 HERE.
REVIEW: "Mark Rahner offers a strong script." HERE.
REVIEW: "Dejah isn't the one-dimensional heroine that we usually get." HERE.
REVIEW: "Mark Rahner and Jethro Morales have done an excellent job ... I highly recommend this mini-series." HERE.
I'll be a guest at Crypticon Seattle, Memorial Weekend, May 23-25. Visit the website for details HERE!
The big milestone issue, with stories by Nelson, Napton and me. My story, "Stay," is a prologue to the upcoming miniseries, DEJAH OF MARS!
A "literary master"? Hey, why argue with a glowing REVIEW?
"A fan boy's delight!" Another nice review HERE!
"A+" SciFi Pulse. HERE!


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1565 Quail Ave
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TechKnowHow offers fun and enriching Computer and LEGO® Summer Day Camps for students, ages 6-14, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our classes include Game Design and 3D Modeling, LEGO® and KNEX® projects with motors, and Robotics. Classes feature high-interest, age-appropriate projects which teach technology and science skills.
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Menopause |
Does it matter when you start HRT therapy?08/14/2006 |
I haven`t had a period for 15 months. For a time the hot flashes and inability to sleep subsided, however no they have come back with a vengance. It is difficult for me to funtion at work because I`m tired from lack of sleep and the frequent hot flashes are exhausting. I am ready to try HRT therapy. If I do will it cause me to begin my period again?
Hormone therapy often causes periods to return if it is given in a cyclic method. Taking hormone therapy in a very low dose in a continuous method frequently succeeds in preventing the return of periods.
Margery Gass, MD Formely, Professor, Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |


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ViewsWatchers |
Contained Places
Franklin County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population was 31,704. Its county seat is Russellville. Its name is in honor of Benjamin Franklin, famous , scientist, and printer. It is a dry county, although the city of Russellville is wet.
[edit] History
Franklin County was established on February 6, 1818. [edit] Colbert CountyColbert County was originally established on February 6, 1867 after it split from Franklin County over political issues after the American Civil War. It was abolished eight months later by an Alabama constitutional convention and then reestablished on February 24, 1870. [edit] Musical HistoryMany musicians and songwriters are from Franklin County including Billy Sherrill, Tammy Wynette, Ricky Pierce, Eddie Martin, Kerry Gilbert, and many others. [edit] Timeline
[edit] Population History
[edit] CemeteriesCemeteries of Franklin County, Alabama, United States [edit] Research Tips


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[02/24/2008] Phoenix Wright is gone. Long live Apollo Justice!
Still chugging away at Lost Odyssey. I think I'm pretty close to the end, so expect a staff review up sometime this week, hopefully more than one assuming some of my comrades in arms (well, controllers anyways) finish the game as well.
Today we have reviews for Legaia 2: Duel Saga, Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom, Pokémon Snap, and Mazes of Fate DS. Enjoy!
Now Playing: Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice, Lost Odyssey, and World of Warcraft
· Useful Stuff · Submission Guide · Review FAQs · Scoring Definitions · Reviewless Games · Challenges Page · Chat With Us
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Richmond Enquirer, 11/25/61a |
From the Richmond Enquirer, 11/25/1861
DIED IN PRISON. - The following prisoners of war died at
the Confederate States prison during the last week: The deceased prisoners were all decently interred in the burial ground reserved for that purpose by the Government. Page last updated on 07/14/2008 |
Copyright © 2008 Civil War Richmond Inc. |


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Austrian Airlines' off-the-shelf PPM creates efficiencies
Austrian Airlines moved to packaged Project Portfolio Management (PPM) software when its highly-bespoke system could no longer cope
Austrian Airlines moved to packaged Project Portfolio Management (PPM) software from Compuware/Changepoint when its bespoke system could no longer cope with the volume of IT and business projects it faced.
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In 1997, the airline was using Excel spreadsheets to manage projects. In 2002, it moved to a bespoke XML-based system designed specifically for it but when that no longer met the requirement, it went to market in 2009.
It wanted a holistic view of projects and a user-friendly interface that could be interpreted by project managers and the IT department.
Austrian Airlines has 74 aircraft – 10 of which are for long-haul flights – and runs commercial flights to 130 destinations in 66 countries every day. It has 6,000 staff, including 120 in IT, none of which is outsourced.
Its turnover is over €2bn.
Ulrich Aigner, director of corporate project management, at Austrian Airlines, said that by 2009 this system was no longer fit for purpose.
"We had a system, but it had a lot of failures. For example, the new program wasn't able to be managed internally. We also wanted to implement resource management and enhance PPM, so we had to change to a new tool."
Read more:
Today, Austrian Airlines usually has about 90 projects ongoing at any time, with 80% of these IT. These range from migrating customer-facing systems, virtualising servers, upgrading memory, and conceptualising the use of tablets by on-board staff.
The IT department at Austrian Airlines faced a growing queue of major IT initiatives. The largest projects involved upgrading the airline's systems for booking flights and checking in passengers, a system that affects millions of users. This migration was initiated when the system provided by Lufthansa was at the end of its life. The project is expected to be finished next year. It has already migrated its ticketing and inventory systems.
In 2009, Austrian Airlines went to the market to find a replacement. It wanted a system from a major supplier that would encompass the whole life-project cycle. It also wanted it to be intuitive enough to be handled by project managers and the PMO, require minimal administration and provide a modern graphical user interface (GUI). It is now in the early stages of using Changepoint's PPM.
Aigner said the company now has a better overview of all the projects going on and can better manage the resources available.
"The biggest challenge for us was getting a holistic view of out projects and understanding interdependencies," he said.
"The old tool was XML-based so the usability was very limited," said Aigner. "With Changepoint, we plan to compare projects with each other using bubble charts, new parameters and other features. Changepoint can make a big improvement in our decision-making process."
The latest figures from Gartner indicate that the PPM market grew by 11% last year, compared with 2011, reaching a global value of $1.65bn with the major suppliers continuing to expand their portfolios and move into emerging markets.
Gartner also noted that as well as customers using PPM to help drive growth, there was also more of a focus from suppliers to develop different ways of delivering products, with SaaS [software-as-a-service] becoming a popular option.
"In 2012, the PPM software market had strong growth for the third consecutive year despite, or perhaps because of, slow economic growth, tight IT budgets and merger and acquisition activity," said Laurie Wurster, research director at Gartner.
Enjoy the benefits of CW+ membership, learn more and join.


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Sportfishermen do not come in Cadzand empty-handed at home! It could be fished from a boat at sea or from the beach. Every angler finds a suitable place. And the fish bites well. Eel, perch or trout, but also whiting, dab or sole are richely present in the water.
Sport fishing is connected to certain regulations. To float into the water you need next to the rural sport angling permit, depending on the kind of fishing water and the administrator, a permit: http://www.sportvisserijnederland.nl/vispas/english/.
Sea fishery is free. In the fishing zone, the coastal waters and the sea area you need for fishing with rods no fishing permit. In the coastal waters there is a limitation of (maximum) two fishing rods. Fishing with a bob or smelt rig is in the coastal water also free, provided that the fishing law is rested with the state. If someone else owns the fishing law than a permit for bob or smelt rig is obliged.
Beach fishing is permitted in the months of September to June.
At the beach it is forbidden to fish, in the dedicated part for bathers and swimmers of the sea, in the period June to September between 10.00 and 18.00.
You could buy fishing maps of the aquatic sports areas in local tourist offices. You could find a lot of useful information about sports fishing in these.
Here you will find a comprehensive overview of all fishing locations: http://www.visplanner.nl/


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Boston Massachusetts
Traditional Elegance
Sara' Glam Squad
Alvina Valenta Bari Jay Lazaro
Happy, happy Friday, SMPers! We know that many of you are gearing up for a fab.u.lous New Year's celebration and we couldn't think of a more perfect way to jump start the festivities than with this uber-stunning Boston affair by Allegro Photography. We are loving the traditional meets modern vibe of this fantastic fête… and from the dazzling purple color palette to the breathtaking blooms by Winston Flowers to those sparkly (plus AMAZING) Kate Spade shoes, we are most certainly in the celebrating mood. So, join us in the gallery for even more pretty, pretty inspiration and then have yourselves a Happy New Year, lovelies! See you in 2012!
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
From the Bride… To say that my wedding was a dream come true is an understatement. From start to finish, it was a reflection of us, our values, our style, and our love. And it turned out better than I could have imagined.
Greg and I wanted a unique, glamorous, modern, romantic wedding that celebrated love and family. After months of looking at venues in New York (where we live), we still hadn't found the right location. At the urging of my mom, we decided to look at venues in Boston (where I'm from), so we would be sure that my side of the family could attend. Cue the Liberty Hotel. The juxtaposition of old and new, the sexy atmosphere, the amazing food, and phenomenal architecture sealed the deal. It was perfect.
At the end of the day, we wanted our wedding to reflect us and our family. Greg's beautiful daughter Liv served as my junior bridesmaid, a role she took on with much enthusiasm and pride. My absolute favorite part of the day was during our ceremony when Greg and I presented her with a necklace with three interlocking circles – a complete surprise to her and all of our guests – that signifies our unending bond as a family. Another of my favorite moments was taking pictures with my 91-year-old grandparents. Just seeing their excitement and knowing the effort it took for them to be there made my heart practically explode. Ultimately, family was at the core of what made our wedding incredible.
I also can't help but mention our dream team of vendors. Taylor Creative provided most of our furniture, which laid the gleaming foundation for the whole event. Sara Faella brought major glam to my wedding party – my VIP women and I all felt totally fabulous. Go Against the Grain provided our custom invitation design – it helped to set the tone in a unique way. After a negative experience with a Connecticut-based florist, we had to switch gears with only a few months to spare. Winston Flowers saved the day and worked with us to create a truly spectacular vision for the wedding. And of course, Allegro Photography was beyond wonderful from day one.
My advice for brides-to-be is to always go back to what your wedding is really about: marrying the person you love most in the world. Wedding planning may be a roller coaster, but remember to stay positive and keep focused on you as a couple, your families, and the love you share. Liv's advice, in case you were wondering, is to have great music, lots of dancing, and tons of fun!
Wedding Photography: Allegro Photography / Wedding Venue: The Liberty Hotel / Hair + Make-up: Sara Faella + Sara's Glam Squad / Bride's Gown: Lazaro via Kleinfeld / Bride's + Bridesmaids' Earrings: TEJANI / Custom Gown Hanger: Suspended Moments by Dawn Hill Creations / Bridesmaid Dresses: Alvina Valenta via Here Comes the Bridesmaid / Junior Bridesmaid Dress: Bari Jay via Bridal Reflections / Groom's Attire: Men's Wearhouse / Floral Design: Winston Flowers / Furniture Rentals: Taylor Creative / Dance Floor + Linen Rentals: Rentals Unlimited / Lighting Design: Swank AV / Cake & Cupcakes: I Dream of Jeanne Cakes / Custom Cake Topper: Crystal Celebration / Ceremony Music: La Bella Musica / DJ: Seth Isaacs of Beat Train Productions / Officiant: Gary D. Fine / Invitation Design: Go Against the Grain / Invitation Printing: Lion in the Sun


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Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Coffee Chat!
While you're gathering around, I'll take your order for coffee, tea, etc. So let me know what you'd like.
For our topic today, I checked another conversation starter website. They offered "Would you Rather..." questions, and I thought we'd have fun with that! So please jump right in.
This one cracked me up and seemed perfect for The Cafe...
Would you rather eat a stick of butter or snort a tablespoon of salt?
LOL! And since that one will take us five seconds to discuss, I wanted to add another one.
Would you rather have your flight delayed by 8 hours or lose your luggage?
Have at it!
15 comments:
Hmmm, I think I'll take the butter...providing I have a week or two to eat it...
I've never lost my luggage, but I would hate having that happen. So unless I was going somewhere I needed to be in a hurry (important appointment, family emergency) I'd rather do the flight delay - as long as I have my Kindle along!- AnonymousFebruary 29, 2012 at 7:38 AM
butter if I can put it on something like a potato or popcorn and easy on the flight - I'll take the delay and read while I wait!
Susanna Yeah, I think I'd have to eat the butter, too. I'd just have to melt it and pour it over something. Or dip crab or lobster into it. :)
My luggage has been lost before--on our honeymoon! It's awful. (Not fun to arrive in Barbados without a swim suit and have it not show up for 3 days!) So I'd definitely rather have a delay.Missy, I'm heading for my grain mill and mixer...you've got me craving homemade bread all over the place. It'll go great with tonight's soup.
And if you soften the butter and mix in about 1/3 cup honey, you have the PERFECT topping for that bread :)
So...bread and soup for supper, Ruthy's broccoli salad for lunch, and a spinach omelet for breakfast. Is this a healthy pre-Speedbo day or what?I think I'm in agreement with everyone here--the butter. I have a hard enough time with nasal sprays. My nose hurts just thinking about snorting salt.
As for the plane, I've been in both courts. It would definitely depend who I was traveling with and the occasion. If my kids are with, I'll risk losing my luggage. I've learned to carry the necessities in my carry on.Plenty of tables in the cafe for Speedbo! We ordered ergonomic chairs just for the lot o' youse! ;)
Butter, definitely, but now I want the homemade bread to go with it. And honey. Or maple syrup. Why do all the REALLY good things have to be bad????
Paula Deen. I love her. And yes I use her recipes, I just don't eat like that all the time. And I don't fry lasagne.
Why would I do that when good lasagne tastes PERFECT the way it is?
Like Tina, I don't mind delays. Gives me scope for the imagination!
Mary C, the garden's just beginning to sprout, but your view also includes the swamp pond and the spring peepers should be filling our nights with frog song soon!
For us northern writers, we've got to wait a smidge. If we sit overlooking the garden, the best we'll see is mud and rotting wood chips.
Yum.Y'all just come on down here. Our daffodils have been blooming like crazy and are about gone. The pear trees and redbuds are starting to bloom. My tulip tree (Japanese magnolia) tried to bloom and got frostbitten. It looks pretty rough right now but has some buds that hadn't opened yet that are trying to bloom now. It should be a nice spring!


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Brazil Retail Sales Surprise With Biggest Drop Since 2012
David Biller and Peter MillardBrazil's retail sales fell the most in more than two years in June, surprising analysts who forecast an increase. Swap rates declined.
Sales fell 0.7 percent after a revised 0.3 percent increase the prior month, the national statistics agency said today in Rio de Janeiro. That was below the median forecast for a 0.4 percent increase from 29 economists surveyed by Bloomberg, and below all but one analyst estimate.
Sales in June fell for the first time since April as Brazil began hosting the World Cup soccer tournament. Inflation breached the government's target range in June after the central bank concluded the world's longest rate-raising cycle. Analysts forecast the economy this year will post its slowest growth since the recession of 2009.
"Some World Cup effect is exacerbating the drop, but I think if we exclude the World Cup effect what you would see is that consumption is slowing," Luciano Rostagno, chief strategist at Banco Mizuho do Brasil SA, said by telephone from Sao Paulo. "We weren't expecting retail sales would be that weak. This reveals that consumption is losing steam in Brazil."
Swap rates on the contract due January 2017 declined four basis points to 11.64 percent at 10:02 a.m. local time. The real appreciated 0.5 percent to 2.2712 per U.S. dollar.
Appliances, Food
Sales of appliances and furniture fell 2 percent, reversing 1 percent growth the prior month. Office equipment and materials slipped 4.2 percent after a 1.5 percent gain in May. Sales of food, beverages and tobacco at hypermarkets and supermarkets rose 0.6 percent after a revised 0.1 percent decline in May.
Policy makers boosted benchmark borrowing costs by 3.75 percentage points in the 12 months through April to damp consumer price increases. Today's data will temper expectations of "aggressive" rate increases next year, according to Neil Shearing, chief emerging-market economist at Capital Economics Ltd.
"We could see a shift toward more dovish policy, or certainly more dovish language, from the central bank given that inflation has probably peaked now," Shearing said by phone from London. "There's a small possibility that they may cut rates at the next monetary policy meeting."
Consumer Prices
Consumer prices rose 6.52 percent in the year through June, breaching the ceiling of the government's target range, before moderating to 6.5 percent in July. The central bank targets inflation of 4.5 percent plus or minus two percentage points. The central bank's next interest rate decision is Sept. 3.
Companies such as Whirlpool Corp. suffered as the monthlong soccer tournament distracted consumers, company President Michael Todman said on an earnings call July 23. The impact of the games plus October elections caused Todman to reduce his outlook for industry growth in the region this year. He said he is more optimistic in the longer run.
"We continue to believe that the macroeconomic indicators in Brazil points to long-term, healthy demand growth, as unemployment is at historically low levels," Todman said.
Brazil's unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in April, a record low for the month and the most recent data as a strike at the statistics institute impeded release of May and June data. The institute's union agreed this week to end its strike.
Retail Sales
Retail sales in June rose 0.8 percent from last year, versus a median forecast for a 3.5 percent expansion. The broader retail index, which includes cars and construction materials, fell 6.1 percent from a year ago, versus a median estimate of a 2 percent decline.
"There's an exhaustion of the consumption-based growth model," Jankiel Santos, chief economist at Banco Espirito Santo de Investimento SA, said by phone from Sao Paulo. "We already saw this fluctuation in broader retail data, with car sales weighing heavily. Now we're seeing it in the headline retail data."
While Brazil's government in July began phasing out IPI excise tax cuts for appliance sales, it extended through year-end the reduction for the purchase of vehicles. That preceded the central bank's decision to reduce reserve requirements to free up an estimated 45 billion reais ($20 billion) for lending.
Brazil's consumer confidence as measured by the Getulio Vargas Foundation rose in June for the first time this year, jumping again in July. By contrast, industrial confidence continued its slide to the lowest level ever recorded by the National Industry Confederation.
'Technical Recession'
Economists surveyed by the central bank Aug. 8 reduced their 2014 growth forecast for the 11th straight week, to 0.81 percent. That would be less than one-third the 2.5 percent expansion posted last year.
Brazil is scheduled to release second-quarter growth figures at the end of this month, and today's data increases the odds of a contraction, according to Banco Mizuho's Rostagno.
"We have a real chance to see a technical recession in Brazil already in the second quarter," he said. "If it doesn't happen -- let's say we don't have a downward revision for the first quarter -- weak retail figures from June create bad momentum for the economy in the third quarter."


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From: | Olivier LE GUEN |
Subject: | bug#9931: Remove a non empty directory |
Date: | Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:55:47 +0100 |
Hello, I use Putty to connect my ReadyNas Ultra2 in SSH mode. My problem is I can't remove a non empty directory because there's no "-r" option in "rmdir". How can I have a recursive function ? Thanks, Best regards, Olivier
[Prev in Thread] | Current Thread | [Next in Thread] |


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Because Helen Mirren is only the second most fanciable englishwoman over 60. ...and then there's Julie Christie.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
ZARDOZ - Charlotte Rampling
Because the thing I remember about Zardoz the movie wasn't Sir Sean prancing around in an orange loincloth or the giant flying stone head ( though that's pretty cool ) , it was Charlotte Rampling...
charlotte rampling,
Simon Fraser,
8 comments:
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A couple of weeks ago Recon released the Nike x Stash AF-X Mid Pack, which consisted of the sneakers and a bunch of accessories. The pack was very limited, overall only 3 were released. Now they released the sneaker as well, without the accessories.The Tier 0 sneaker comes in ballistic nylon, which features a camouflage pattern created by Stash.
The sneakers are now available online and go for 150 USD.
Stash x Nike AF-X Available
What To Read Next


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Project by woodrookieII | posted 01-06-2013 03:45 AM | 2061 views | 1 time favorited | 7 comments |
Got Mrs. WoodrookieII a new sewing machine for Christmas. It's called the Singer 160 and is modeled after their early 1900s machines, only it's all electronic but it's black and decorated with all the gold filigree of the old machines. However, she was going to need a table to put it on.
Found an old rusty Singer treadle base, had it sandblasted and then powdered coated a satin black. Handpainted the side decorations, rebuilt the wood (yes wood!) pitman arm that connects the treadle to the flywheel and then hand painted the Singer name in the middle.
The top is repurposed quartersawn white oak from an old cabinet that just couldn't be saved. Salvaged what wood I could, cleaned it up, glued it up, planed it down, routered the edges, sanded it all smooth, stained it with English Chestnut and then applied 3 coats of gloss poly. So it has a new life. (You can see some of it's old life in the bottom left corner of he photo of the top itself.)
So there's some new math for you: Old + Older = New
(Oh yeah, she loved it!!)
7 comments so far
#1 posted 01-06-2013 03:54 AM |
Looks super nice work -- http://artisticwoodstudio.com Custom furniture |
#2 posted 01-06-2013 04:26 AM |
Nice work! I'd like to do something like this to use with a belt driven scroll saw, and/or hand crank grinder -- Mos - Twin Cities, MN - http://www.youtube.com/MosquitoMods - http://www.TheModsquito.com |
#3 posted 01-06-2013 12:14 PM |
I'm not surprised it is great -- Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
#4 posted 01-06-2013 02:18 PM |
lookk good bet i have done 10 of those… -- IF YOUR NOT MAKING DUST...YOU ARE COLLECTING IT! SOUTH CAROLINA. |
#5 posted 01-06-2013 04:38 PM |
Great job. I love that top. -- Emmett, from Georgia |
#6 posted 01-06-2013 04:54 PM |
Nice job! We have 2 of those bases, use 'em for end tables in the living room. One was the wife's great-grandmothers ( we actually have the head for that one) and the other has the original cabinet on it. I bought it at a yard sale about 35 years ago and refinished it. -- Perform A Random Act Of Kindness Today ... Pay It Forward |
#7 posted 01-06-2013 09:43 PM |
great looking restoration. Both the base and refinished QSWO top look great. -- Peter, Woodbridge, Ontario |
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The role of unions in technological change
October 23, 2010 at 8:47 am 28 comments
Greg Wilson pointed me to the O'Reilly site this last week, which has a series of blogs on how the solutions to our educational problems lie in tablets, and what's preventing us from reaching this educational nirvana are teachers' unions.
The poster child for the digital classroom is tablet computing. Tablets are traditionally seen as replacements for textbooks, but they can go much further than that: They're musical instruments, design tools, personal trainers and art canvases. Tablet prices have dropped dramatically as well. When you add up the cost of a year's textbooks, a tablet is often cheaper.
Tablets connect all of the stakeholders in a child's education: parents, teachers, tutors and counsellors. But most importantly, tablets are two-way. When a student uses a tablet, the tablet can collect data: What's read carefully and what's glossed over; how long a student spends on certain topics; what works best and worst; and so on. In other words, when you learn from a tablet, it learns from you.
This is where my research went off the rails. Because a tablet is the perfect collector, it allows us to analyze learning patterns, identify root causes and compare students. What if the conclusion it reaches is that your teacher is simply awful? That Freakonomics piece pointed out that only 13 percent of eighth grade math teachers in New York City get 80 percent of their students to proficiency by the end of the year. Data acquired through a tablet is likely to point toward a bad conclusion for some number of teachers.
There's a group that protects teachers from that kind of scrutiny and accountability: the teachers' unions. In the U.S., teachers' unions are the single largest political contributors. Teachers have a unionization rate that's much higher than that of other industries. They have consistently opposed using student performance to rank teachers, despite extensive research showing that student performance is the most significant indicator of teacher competence. They've lobbied legislators to refuse donations to charter schools. It takes years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to dismiss a bad teacher. As a result, despite a lack of teaching ability, 99 percent of teachers get satisfactory ratings from their administrators.
via Tablets, education, and unions – O'Reilly Radar.
It's a series of foaming, not well-argued blog posts imbibed with faith that technology bestows silicon grace. Tablets are the answer because…well, MIT OpenCourseware exists! And Unions are the problem because…well, we can get three pundits to say so! I haven't seen such faith in the power of technology to change education since Edison said much the same things about motion pictures (re: Larry Cuban).
I was simply going to ignore the posts, until The New York Times came out with an article yesterday defending teacher's unions!
A combative labor leader who does not shrink from the spotlight, Ms. Weingarten has been fighting back. She issued a written rebuttal to "Waiting for Superman," and she has publicly debated the film's director, Davis Guggenheim, arguing that teachers have been made scapegoats. More to the point, the portrait of Ms. Weingarten as a demonic opponent of change — albeit one more likely to appear in a business suit and cashmere V-neck sweater, with a Cartier Tank watch and a red kabbalah string around her wrist — is out of date, according to many education experts.
In the past year, for example, she has led her members — sometimes against internal resistance — to embrace innovations that were once unthinkable. She has acted out of a fear that teachers' unions could end up on the wrong side of a historic and inevitable wave of change.
"She has shrewdly recognized that teachers' unions need to be part of the reform," said Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, an education research group.
via Despite Image, Union Leader Backs School Change.
The solution to any educational problem is complex — you're trying to change a system. I completely believe that tablets could bring a lot of benefits to classrooms. I am also quite sure that it would be hard and expensive to bring tablets into the classroom in a large way, and it could easily go wrong (e.g., teachers not taught how to use them well, lousy software), and then it's just a waste of money. It may very well be that unions are inhibiting reform — but given my battles with faculty, public sector education administrators, and school board bureaucracy, I don't see that unions have the trump card here.
The corner of education that I focus on is computing education. (Not "computer education" 🙂 And in that small corner, I don't think that we know how to make everything work right, even if we had a magic wand to waive and "fix" the system all at once. Is the new AP class "Computer Science: Principles" going to get really good computer science into 10,000 high schools? That's not even a well-formed question, since there are at least five different takes on that course now. We'll have to see, and measure what's happening, and change strategies and tactics to fix problems we discover as we go along. I'm pretty sure that dumping more tablet computers on classrooms will not make computing education much better.
Entry filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: computing education, public policy, teachers.
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And how long would a tablet live in the average student backpack? "I forgot my tablet at home" would be a bit more serious that "I forgot my book". Teachers always have a spare book. No school because the wireless went down? Education tech gurus are always good for a chuckle.
My wife teaches at a public school. This year she got a 0.5% raise negotiated by the union. With the cost of living increase and the increase in her insurance premiums her overall raise was a loss of about $6000 per year. Let's hear it for the unions.
If students (particularly middle-school students) got a tablet with all their textbooks downloaded onto it, it would be good thing, as they are currently expected to carry 30 lbs or more of books and papers. Since students aren't supposed to markup borrowed textbooks anyway, the poor annotation capabilities of e-books are not a serious limitation for this application. Wireless is not needed for accessing texts, and a tablet in a proper case has a better chance of surviving if there aren't 30 lbs of books in the backpack.
I don't understand the segue in the original quote from tablets to teachers' unions: the two are only linked in the most tenuous ways. Was there a big chunk cut out, or did the original quote really have such an awkward juxtaposition?
Click the link in the article and find out.
I think he's gunning at the teachers' unions because, looking at it as a technologist, the slow rate of technology adoption in public education can only be explained by a conspiracy, and unions are a favorite source of conspiracies for libertarian minded people.
I say this as a Libertarian. His argument resonates with me. But I think he's off the mark. I also think the people who look at the true complexity of the infrastructure involved are off the mark, although it's a much more believable.
The tablet argument is a distraction. At the core, he's arguing that individually tailored education is what works, and that technology is a key enabler in making individually tailored education economically feasible.
Our current public education system more-or-less assumes everyone in a given classroom is more-or-less the same. I'm not saying anyone really believes this. I'm saying it's a core simplifying assumption that the system has been built around. Shifting to an individual centered approach would shake the system to its core. I think it would present all sorts of non-technology issues that would be very, very difficult to handle.
Why? Because it would accentuate the differences between people. A substantial majority would benefit, but those most able to learn with minimal human guidance, and/or who receive significant educational support at home (and thus human guidance), would benefit the most.
Ignoring politics, the increased diversity in the classroom would make teaching more of a challenge. Think about even basic things. How do you assign grades if every student is at a different place? Who's doing better, the student who's ahead on subject matter but just meeting threshold to advance, or the student who is conscientiously obtaining perfect scores but progressing slowly? I'm sure these questions can be answered, or the existing techniques replaced, but it takes time. And not only to teachers and administrators need to accept it, parents have to accept it, too.
Now bring in the politics and widely differing, and often conflicting, objectives people hold for education. Watch the system revert back to its old ways.
I strongly believe in individualized education. I strongly believe technology is a critical enabler. But we have a big system with lots of inertia that's riddled with politics.
We might not know how to make everything work, but we have a pretty got idea what works reasonably well and should take care not to break it. I don't know whether AP Computer Science Principles is going to get really good computer science into 10,000 schools, but I do know that the College Board's discontinuing AP CS AB exams will take away pretty good computer science out of 500 schools and validate lower standards for first-year CS offerings in many colleges.
"Working reasonably well" has to include economics and demographics. The AP CS AB didn't break even for the College Board, so they canned it. The system includes costs. As Ben says, the AB was almost entirely white/Asian male. The system includes a breadth of population. Sure, the College Board could have given it more time, and the trends on the AB were positive. But for some value of "working," the AB was not.
It is true, of course, that the College Board worries about the bottom line. At the same time, with some pressure from the industry and a small NSF grant and/or contribution from the industry, the AB exam could continue. If I am not mistaken, NSF gave $2 million to the College Board just to to "explore" AP Computer Science Principles (a.k.a. CS-0?).
Ibelieve it is a dangerous idea that curricula in technical fields should take "desired" demographics into consideration. If you want to attract disinterested or underprepared minorities into a field, invest in making them more interested and better prepared.
Gary Litvin
"Invest in making them more interested and better prepared." I think that that's exactly what "AP Computer Science: Principles" is trying to do.
Not if it comes in the wake of the cancelled AP CS AB, threatens to force out AP CS A, and encourages colleges to teach Scratch, admittedly a nice teaching tool, but originally intended for elementary and middle school kids.
GL: If you want to attract disinterested or underprepared minorities into a field, invest in making them more interested and better prepared.
Mark Guzdial: I think that that's exactly what "AP Computer Science: Principles" is trying to do.
Mark, if what you are saying is true, it is an admission of a sad reality: instead of pulling up underrepresented minorities to the previously established and acceptable level, we are lowering the bar for everybody.
Gary, entrance to undergraduate is not the finish line. It's the starting line. You're right that, without Level AB, we will have fewer students entering undergraduate without already learning content like dynamic data structures. The new AP CS:P is not going to correct that problem. However, I hope that you agree that undergraduate computer science takes students beyond Level AB data structures. Students in Level AB don't tend to graduate with their Bachelors degrees knowing a lot more computer science than students who don't have Level AB, e.g., students who have AP credit skip out of some classes or get credit, so they graduate early, or take more classes in something (not necessarily more CS). Thus, entering with AP credit, or not, doesn't change the "bar" — if the goal is having more people graduate with undergraduate-level CS. The AP CS:P may get more people to the starting line. Yes, they won't know as much entering their undergraduate years. That's okay. It's more important to get more kids in the game.
The AP CS exams (both Level A and Level AB) have admirable track records of students going on for more CS — Trevor said that at last year's faculty colloquium. AP Bio students, for example, are less likely to go on for more Bio. For relatively few students is the AP CS the last CS they'll ever see. The AP CS is about getting students started, and we're better off the more students who take it. The "sad reality" is that our high school infrastructure can't currently support Level AB. I hope it will one day. The right goal for high school is to get more kids into CS at the undergraduate level — that's the "bar" that matters.
My gut reaction is the same as Litvin. It's also true that what was working reasonably well with the AB exam, and first-year CS offerings in general, was working much better with specific demographics versus others. If we want to tackle problems of that nature, you're right to say it's going to take a lot more than magic tablets or convenient scapegoats.
"The AP CS:P may get more people to the starting line. Yes, they won't know as much entering their undergraduate years. That's okay. It's more important to get more kids in the game."
My concern is that AP CS:P is not a college-level class. It is a high-school level class. I don't like seeing college credit for high-school level math or science, and AP has resisted that so far (though many community colleges and state universities give college credit for high-school level work in both—the most common math class in college is "college algebra", which is really high-school algebra).
Do we really want to give college credit for CS:P? (Probably, since even first-rank universities are giving college credit for this level of class, though the courses generally don't count towards the major in any computer-related field.)
I figured I'd chime in here since you're all speculating on what I meant. Hopefully you can bear with my foaming, not-well-argued responses. 😉
First, let me be the first to admit that I know very little about the life of an urban public schoolteacher. I tried in the post (and ensuing comments) to respond in kind to many of the comments, and I was surprised at how polarizing the article was. The O'Reilly piece was a summary of the much longer, four-part post I wrote on Human 2.0 (http://www.human20.com/tablets-unions-and-education-part-one/) so if you're curious about the full background (@gasstation), please feel free to look that over. While I talked to several teachers, and spent considerable time reading and learning about the problem, I don't claim to know the answers, and I can only hope to learn from the discussion as I have so far.
The tablets in the title of that piece were a bit of a red herring. I see tablet computing as a catalyst for the widespread move to a "digital classroom", for the reasons I've explained — cheaper access to data, interactivity, and so on. @Garth, I agree that there are technical hurdles to cross; but somehow Haitian children keep their OLPC notebooks working (I've bought two for Haiti) and conditions there aren't generally good for electronic devices.
Now, what I do know about is analytics. I spend a lot of time understanding how we can track and optimize things when we have enough information. And tablets (or the "digital classroom", or the "school of one", or whatever you want to call it) are amazing at collecting information on student behavior.
You can slice that information in many ways: by student, by subject, by learning style, by time of day, and so on. You'll likely get good insights from such analysis. In many cases, it could be used to defend a good teacher, rather than to pinpoint a bad one.
I think it's unfair to characterize my arguments as "tablets are the answer because…well, MIT OpenCourseware exists!" In fact, I went to great lengths to say that it's not the presence of content — but the interactivity and analyze-ability of digital learning — that makes this a game changer to which unions have to adjust.
Similarly, I don't think unions are the problem because three pundits say so. I think that some unions have a history of trying to prevent the disclosure of student performance, and of making it very hard to identify and correct bad teaching. And those unions, when faced with a technology that shines the bright light of data on students, will resist it.
@Erik: you're spot on: "individually tailored education is what works". I am arguing that individually tailored education can only be efficiently delivered through digital means; and that digital delivery means personal data collection; and that personal data collection means analytics and transparency.
If you're really interested in the subject, I suggest you look at the four posts in the original piece, and in particular, the last of them — which considers how complex the system is and how the role of educators needs to change as we move to digital learning.
Alistair, there are some things that we don't do in the name of science. If we hooked kids up to feeding tubes and had them live their lives on treadmills, we'd improve our understanding of metabolic rates and could perhaps solve some problems of childhood obesity — but that would be cruel. Linguists talk about The Forbidden Experiment, raising a child without language to see how he thinks. We don't risk our children's education, health, or happiness just to measure them. "First, do no harm!"
If we had evidence that education with tablets was better than the status quo, then getting analytics too would be wonderful. Adding tablets just to get analytics, when the tablet-based education could be worse is unethical. There are lots of places in the world where the status quo is probably worse than tablets. Not clear that's true in the US. If MIT Open Courseware was terrific, then that would be one of your stronger arguments for "digital education." The ITS folks got it right. First, they showed that they could teach markedly better with their tutors than traditional. Then, they started mining the analytics to tailor and make it even better. If your strongest argument is that "the interactivity and analyze-ability of digital learning…makes this a game changer to which unions have to adjust," then I don't think you have a convincing argument.
I understand that you think that unions are getting in the way. The NYTimes suggests otherwise.
I do agree that @Erik has it right — what we're after is successful individually-tailored education. But if books are better than tablets for learning, then I'd rather stick with books rather than choose an inferior medium just to get the analytics and individual tailoring. I am personally very interested in making educational technology that is better than books. In the meantime, while books are better, I'd rather take advantage of the fact that there are lots of books out there, and choose to "tailor" by having a good parent, teacher, or librarian suggest the best books for a given child. It's not worth giving our kids worse just to measure them.
I was one of the commenters on the original post (I had lots of criticisms). I think there are numerous problems with the article, although at its core there is something useful which is the question: "can we, and if so, *how* can we use analytic tools to assess and aid students learning new concepts, techniques, etc." The article makes a leap akin to a prediction that all the promises of AI are suddenly around the corner (obviously not so). I think unions and tablets are both basically beside the point (unions are a red herring and tablets are an as-yet unimportant implemenation detail).
Teachers assess student all the time. My wife is a reading coach and she regularly assesses students hand-written assignments. If it is feasible to have students type those assignements into a web form, we might get good immediate feedback (as long as the assessment formula can be expressed algorithmically). It's really a content-creation challenge (and a huge one) — how do we create the exercises, what sort of responses are we looking for, etc (what's the algorithm). I think you could definitely do the multiple-choice test one better. The idea that we'll get anything like accurate assessments based on arbitrary web-based content reading/scanning patterns strike me as unrealistic in the extreme.
Complex analytics that are going to allow you to really gauge all sorts of things about the user (and a child in the process of learning is a *hugely* complicated subject of study) would surely be a goldmine for advertisers of online merchants. I always say — look at those whose bottom-line drives them to perfect these ideas/challenges. That's where you'll find the leading edge. Indeed, we see folks like Amazon doing incredible things, as are other folks (Google, Bing, Pandora(?), others?). It's not like your going to do a heck of a lot better than those folks. Why not take solid, proved, current-state-of-the-art techniques and see if can, in little ways, apply them to education. It won't be magic and it won't be transformational, but it might help a bit.
Peter, this is already happening. The Intelligent Tutoring System folks are now collecting enough high-quality data that data mining techniques are being used to analyze the data. The KDD Cup this year was based on a student-data analytics challenge: http://www.kdd.org/kdd2010/kddcup.shtml
What's missing from your summary that was one of Alistair's key points is that computer driven assessment of students could be used to assess teachers as well. Today this is done in a really crude way with big standardized tests. Individual assessments of students could provide a clearer picture. Unions may object to such a detailed peak into what individual teachers achieve. Or they may welcome moving beyond today's crude methods. I don't really know.But I think you're right that it will be a long time before we have effective automated grading and feedback for more free form questions and assignments. There currently is no good substitute for a teacher reading an essay and critiquing it. I think we'll get there eventually, but it will be a while.
You (and Alistair) accept the deeply flawed assumption that the "problem" with public education is bad teachers. Again, it is with incredible hubris that number-crunchers speculate that they are going to come in and accurately assess whether an individual is a "good" or "bad" teacher. Those judgements are best left to peers, principles, teaching coaches, etc. The number of variables at play are far too great, and the nuances of individual sitiations are too complex and subtle. My wife is a teacher/reading specialist/teaching coach. Assessing teacher performance is a v. important part of her job and she brings 20 years of experience to bear on this task. You guys seem to think that schools had never thought of this or are not meeting this challenge head on. You say "Unions may object to such a detailed peak [sic] into what individual teachers achieve." As if it is a forgone conclusion that accurate output measures are even possible! This is what teachers and unions are objecting to: we are being sold snake-oil by folks who claim to be doing "accurate" assessment. Secondly, assessment with the goal of improving outcomes would be welcome. Again, if my wife identifies problem with a teacher in some aspect of their performance — and there are *many* aspects of the teacher's role to consider — she works with them to improve that aspect. The current hysteria seems to suggest a "do better or get canned" attitude. It's just really, really insane. No other profession would stand for it.
I think you're mis-reading my comments, and probably Alistair's as well. Let me take a step back with an example from industry.Recently the sponsor of an R&D project I'm working dropped into one of our meetings, and the following exchange between him and our chief architect ensued (more or less):
Sponsor: Have you verified that your design meets your requirements?
Chief Architect: Of course it meets the requirements! Don't you trust us? If you don't trust us we might as well stop now.
Sponsor: Of course I trust you. If I didn't trust you I wouldn't being funding you. I just want to see some evidence.I'll call this a "trust but verify" attitude. It's quite healthy.
You seem to be asserting that we need to trust the teachers and administrators in our education system, because it's complicated. I'll point out that we continue to send millions of children and billions of taxpayer dollars through the system. The ultimate measure of trust is still there.
But the only evidence we have says our educational system is failing miserably, and has been for a long time. At a system level that trust seems to be grossly misplaced.
We need to see some evidence that the trust is not misplaced, that genuine progress is being made. The suggestions being made may or may not be a good idea. If the suggestions really are so objectionable, I would suggest coming up with alternate suggestions, rather than repeating the "trust us" mantra.
You say:
The current hysteria seems to suggest a "do better or get canned" attitude. It's just really, really insane. No other profession would stand for it.Other professions most certainly stand for such an attitude. Most high performers I know find failures to follow through with such an attitude to be immensely frustrating and ultimately highly destructive to the overall performance of an organization.
While I think that there is common agreement (among teachers as well as policy wonks) that the US education system is not working as well as it should, I don't think that there is agreement on what the system should be doing, nor where the failures are coming from.
This lack of clarity, both with what we want to accomplish and why the current system doesn't accomplish it, makes debugging the system very difficult. Everyone is doing what our beginning programming students do when they debug: making random changes in the hope that they will magically cause the problem to go away.
The standards movement is a (somewhat feeble) attempt to define what we want the system to do, in a measurable way. There is pretty wide agreement among teachers that the government standards do a poor job of specifying what we want schools to accomplish, as they focus on the most measurable, rather than the most important aspects of education.
The anti-union movement is just that, anti-union, with arguments created simply to attack unions without any need to base the argument on sound data. Treating the difficulty with education as a labor-management issue does not get at any of the real problems of education, but it plays well politically for both pro-labor and anti-labor politicians. It also requires no thought from politicians about the real problems, and so is doubly attractive.
Read "gasstationwithoutpumps: reply. I agree wholeheartedly with him. A few points: I'd like to see data that our "education system is failing miserably" — it's a canard that is endlessly repeated and is simply not true. Our society is failing our children (esp. in lower socio-economic classes), but to blame schools for that is simply poor (lazy) analysis. As I've said before (in reply to Alistair's article) — go spend some time in public schools. Go to "rich" and "poor" schools, and see what goes on there. See the challenges, successes, and failures. You will see with much greater clarity how poorly directed the current "conversation" is.
Secondly, that thought that you can draw up a set of "requirements" that, when "met" indicates success is quite questionable. Good system development requires tight iteration loops, and requirements generally evolve as the specifics of a particular project are better understood by all involved. Often, even the definition of "success" changes." I'm not suggesting we don't need measures of success, I'm saying it's a v. hard problem and should be treated with nuance and sophistication. Likewise, what makes a good software developer? I've managed enough to have a good sense of that, and I can assure it is a very, very difficult to judge their effectiveness without a deep knowledge of and extensive experience in development oneself. The current craze for teacher assessment is akin to someone with very little knowledge of programming coming in and judging programmers based on the lines of code they produce. As I said, the profession would never stand for it.
"Trust but verify" is fine — treat the challenge with the sophistication it requires. The ideas presented in Alistairs article smell of hubris. simple-mindedness, paternalism, disrespect, and techno-utopianism.
You're points about programmers are well taken, and I'll point out that people are constantly struggling to come up with better ways to measure programmers, or at least qualitatively judge them. Many programmers are obsessed with it!Of course on a wide scale the results aren't too good, but I think there are numerous pockets of success. The problem is it's hard, both to come up with good measures and then even more work to actually make the measurements. Some companies care enough to do this, most don't.
So where in public view are informed discussions about measuring teacher performance taking place? Do you have any links? It seems research on measuring students is relatively easy to find. Perhaps the research on measuring teachers is just a little more obscure but there none-the-less?
Thanks for asking. I'm going to see if I can talk my wife into writing something up. It's an important part of what she does, and you are right — we outside the profession don't really have a very good sense of it.
For now, she's given me a short list of folks — researchers and practitioners that have written extensively about teaching practices (esp. in reading, since that is my wife's area). Her role is both to coach teachers in these best practices and also assess the teachers in how well they apply best practices. Not included here are works about basic classroom management, which is also a hugely important part of effectivie teaching (and which figures largely in her assessments).
Regie Routman (http://www.regieroutman.com/) esp. "Reading Essentials" and "Teaching Essentials"
Stephanie Harvey (http://www.heinemann.com/authors/2471.aspx) esp. "Strategies that Work"
Timothy Rasinski (http://www.timrasinski.com/) esp. work on fluency and Readers Theater
John Seidlitz (http://www.johnseidlitz.net/) esp. student engagement strategies
Fountas & Pinnell (http://www.fountasandpinnellleveledbooks.com/) esp. "Guiding Readers and Wrtiers"
Richard Allington (http://www.teachersread.net/about-dr-allington) esp. "what Really Matters for Struggling Readers"
Isabel Beck (http://www.education.pitt.edu/people/IsabelBeck/index.aspx?page=publications)
I'm no expert myself, but from hearing her, these folks seem to be the "Steve McConnell, Brian Kernighan, Kent Beck, Ward Cunningham, Robert Martin, etc." of the teaching profession. Just like we'd expect someone judging/assessing a programmer's work to be familiar with those authors, these educators and researchers are the folks someone judging teachers ought to be familiar with.
Ah — just came across this (again): http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000070.html
It's perhaps the most insightful piece I have read on why our current approach to "improving" public schools is doomed. -
Hi Erik-
Not sure why wordpress is not accepting my comment :(. I've put a copy here meanwhile: http://simplenotepad.appspot.com/text/assessing-teachers
Thanks. I have a follow up question.It sounds like assessment is really dependent on expert judgement based on direct interaction. Honestly, that doesn't really surprise me.
How do you make that scale?
Decisions about education seem to be increasingly centralized in higher-and-higher authorities. The advantage of objective data is that it can be aggregated. Used properly it can become more powerful at larger scales. Subjective assessment tends to be the reverse. It can be very effective at a localized level, but aggregating it up from a "command and control" perspective is extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Good question. The education reformers that I read and really respect recognize the importance of more localized assessment — it is one of the reason they say that involving the community, not just school or govt officials, is crtitically important.
I'd also say that as in most things, recognizing the "problem" is the first step in the battle. The idea that teacher assessment doesn't scale is a really important fact-on-the-ground (I'd like to know *any* profession which requres a comparable amout of creativitiy for which assessment *does* scale!). With that as a given, a more fruitful discussion can begin. It's really a matter of degree, though. I personally would not abolish all the sorts of testing we do now — I think the approach may have merit if used as one of many measures that are considered. From my wife's perspective, she sees the "drill-and-kill" teach-to-the-test approach suffocating schools (esp. the schools in poorer district) and tying the hands of truly effective & creative teachers. But she admits that the attention it brings to education and the light it shines on the challenges therein is a good thing in many ways.
I'd also say that teachers are often the most exacting judges of other teachers. A third-grade teacher who gets a classroom of kids that had a poor second-grade teacher is going to have a much tougher time (and the reverse is true as well — teachers really know when the class had a great teacher the previous year). But what do you do with "under-performers"? That's my wife's job and it is a crucial one for building a good school — "mentor" teachers, good reading & math specialists (who play the role of teaching "coach"), good professional development programs, etc. Frankly, it's just not that different from how you build a good software development team. I suspect, though, that there is a wider set of skills that comes into play in teaching as opposed to software development, i.e. the "profile" of a good teacher is probably harder to arrive at than the "profile" of a good software developer.
How does one build a good software team? That's a hard task and one of the things I love about this profession is that we think/write/talk about it quite a lot. I'd love to see that in the teaching profession, but we are not anywhere near the point that the profession is respected enough that such conversations can flourish. A much, much meatier conversation needs to take place. It's why talk of "union-busting tablets" strike me as a ludicrous waste of time & energy. I'd add that while we don't spend *all* of our time talking about assessing programmers and "weeding out the lemons," neither should we spend all of our time talking about that in education (again — it is a matter of degree). Where is the Marco & Lister (Peopleware) in the education realm? That's exactly where the conversation should begin (i.e., "this is the environment w/in which good teaching happens…"). Then we can start building out from there to figure out what it takes to build the public education system we'd all like to see.
"Decisions about education seem to be increasingly centralized in higher-and-higher authorities." This may, in fact, be the problem. There is no evidence of economy of scale in education, but people insist on applying factory-management techniques to it.
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