Category: BIG WEENIE AWARDEES

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what ya got against the weather?

censorlocallySmall papers are often buffeted by the desire to please their major advertisers and provide news… all the while selling papers… which of course — for many –is what it is all about.

However, over the years I have noticed and heard from others how subtle the censorship can be. Most of us have witnessed large stories going uncovered, but if you write a letter to the editor, you may find yourself edited for the darnest things. My wife wrote a tongue-in-cheek letter that with all the editing came out more serious in tone than intended. Laura was responding to a series of letters that bashed one political party or another.

Her letter related the research from the Pew folks, a decidedly left-of-center group that reported –oddly enough — that in their survey Republicans ‘liked the weather better.’ Now, this doesn’t sound inflammatory to me … but this harmlessly looking phrase – like many others – was removed.

It does get one to wonder not why newspapers censor… but why they do so selectively.

In the marketplace of ideas, real free speech is important.

Roger Freberg

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cal poly and looking in the mirror

"when you look in the mirror, it's nice to like what you see"
"when you look in the mirror, it's nice to like what you see"

In a local  web site and in  Cal Poly’s student newspaper , each reported that the proposed joint venture between Cal Poly and Saudi Arabia failed – in as much as a contract was never signed. This was a project that was doomed as soon as it went public and the real question is why it took so long to die?

The Cal Poly student newspaper gave no apology or admission of wrong doing by the administration … the only thing really reported was of the project contract’s failure to be signed. Admitting one’s mistake is the first step to ensuring it won’t happen again…. or is it they just regret being caught?

“Noori’s assistant, Jo Ernest, stated that “the agreement was not signed by all the parties,” and consequently did not come to fruition.

Dean Noori was unavailable comment on the apparent end to the collaborative effort.”

I am not convinced that the project is dead, I think it has merely gone underground and time will tell if it resurrects itself in some form or fashion. I do not feel like gloating as far too many whistle blowers risked their careers to bring this information to the public eye and for that many of us thank them sincerely.

Hopefully, Cal Poly will begin the process of looking in the mirror and making the necessary changes until they like what the rest of us want to see…. and this — IMHO — starts at the top.

Roger Freberg

Here’s one of  my last posts on the subject with links for those who missed all the fun

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behind cal poly’s green door?

behidthegreendoor

We may never know what goes on behind Cal Poly’s very secretive ‘green door.’

I was saddened to learn that our Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a California Bill that would close the secrecy loop hole that our public educational institutions have in hiding many of the things they do. Although business in places like the Cal Poly foundation are done , not in Arnold’s smoke filled rooms, but with folks sucking down mineral water and munching crispy creams… it’s all done without the public’s knowledge. The cat has been left in charge of the canary.

In addition, the  Cal Poly foundation — being private — does not have to abide by many of those archaic fairness rules that public institutions must follow. The foundation has a virtual monopoly in campus food service and virtually every other economic activity on the Cal Poly campus. Don’t try to have a charitable tamale fundraiser on campus… they won’t allow the ‘competition.’  By the way, there are no ‘bargains’ on campus… the foundations pricing policies are greedy from a pricey used textbook at the book store ( which they buy back for virtually nothing) to buying a cup of coffee anywhere on campus. They even operate a store in town, so much for not competing with the private sector.

BTW, having been involved in retail pricing and marketing on college campuses, let’s just say that the foundation has a sweet deal with no competition! And in my humble opinion, somebody is making a lot of money…. a lot of money on the backs of students and employees.

So… how is this money being made and where is that money going? Well, thanks to Arnold, we may never know.

Roger Freberg

By the way, for some reason Google likes Cal Poly and this post will not be found there… however, it will be searchable on Twitter,Yahoo and Bing

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where stupidity is an artform – Cal Poly

YourFuzziness

When I am not blogging about things I love, I throw a few well deserved bricks at Cal Poly. Over the years, Cal Poly has received much well deserved national attention as a leader in squashing student rights that are clearly protected by the constitution. However, when it comes to throwing students out of school for rioting, drugs and such … they show a remarkable tolerance.

Nothing so clearly demonstrates the collision of cultures better than a recent story about a young underage male coming to the rescue of his underage alcohol boozing roommate only to get arrested himself… and then having the additional problem of possession of cocaine. Interestingly enough, the youngins didn’t understand ‘the problem.’ Oh yes, we have had the rioting and excessive partying completing the full academic experience.

Cal Poly has had a couple of deaths this academic year I believe, maybe more, I haven’t kept score, from ‘alcohol related instances’ as they call them. Local hospitals report an alarming number of college age youth coming in severely ‘impaired.’ Nothing of this is a surprise and — from what I can see — nothing is happening at Cal Poly… or likely will ever be.

I remember on one site that discussed colleges, one experienced allegedly Cal Poly student wrote,” Cal Poly is a great choice because school won’t interfere with your social life.” I wonder how many parents would be thrilled to read this?

This overt behavior can be addressed, but it takes the ‘will’ to stop it… and it takes more than a Cal Poly ‘wink.’ It takes a real commitment to excellence.

The world is a lot more serious and competitive place now, it’s time that Cal Poly grows up and face it.

Roger Freberg

Here’s a link to one very sad event.

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what is making America fatter? you may be surprised

one will probably make you fatter faster!
one will probably make you fatter faster!

Do you ever wonder why you eat the same things as you have always eaten, but somehow you are getting fatter? At first you might be thinking,”I am getting older and the old metabolism is slowing down, so the calories are just sticking around.” Although this may be true to some point, the latest research points to something that may be far more disturbing.

Interestingly enough, if you compare when America started going into the ‘plus sizes’ and the advent of high fructose corn syrup becoming universally accepted in the food industry, there is a correlation. Although correlations do not prove causality, this is far and away an ‘early warning sign’ that can’t be ignored. Check your pantry and see what doesn’t have HFCS in it and you will be surprised! It was even in my prized RICE KRISPIES!

Laura wrote a post a while ago with a link to a site that demonstrates that in two sets of animals given identical calorie diets, those fed high fructose corn syrup got obese and those with plain sugar did not. Here’s part of Laura’s enlightening blog:

American Like Their SweetsAmerican Like Their Sweets

In 2005, the average American consumed nearly 30 kg (66 pounds) of HFCS, as corn is heavily subsidized by the federal government, making corn products unusually cheap. In addition to being suspected of  contributing to America’s obesity epidemic, products containing HFCS also have high levels of reactive carbonyls not found in table sugar. Carbonyls have been implicated in tissue damage, such as nerve damage and foot ulcers, in diabetes.

Thank you , Laura… as someone struggling with diabetes and ‘drug free’… staying away from HFCS is more than a choice, it is a necessity.

Fortunately food marketers are starting to get the message, in part, and as the comparison between two popular maple syrups attests… one contains HFCS and the other does not. Guess which one I am buying now and they were both on my shelf!

Good luck and good dieting to all! Oh yeah, let me plug  Jenny Craig... it worked for me!

Roger Freberg