On this day, May 5, 1903, James Beard, US culinary expert, author (Delights & Prejudices), was born in Portland, Ore.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, A Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing Mrs. Elsie Mitchell, the pregnant wife of a minister, and five children after they attempted to drag it out the woods in Lakeview, Oregon. The balloon was armed, and exploded soon after they began tampering with it. They became the 1st and only known American civilians to be killed in the continental US during World War II.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, Bly minister Archie Mitchell, his pregnant wife Elsie, and five children from Mitchell's Sunday school class were on a Saturday morning picnic. Thirteen miles northeast of Bly, or about sixty miles northeast of Klamath Falls, Mitchell parked the car, and Elsie and the children headed to Leonard Creek. Mitchell later remembered: "As I got out of the car to bring the lunch, the others were not far away and called to me they had found something that looked like a balloon. I heard of Japanese balloons so I shouted a warning not to touch it. But just then there was a big explosion. I ran up there--and they were all dead." It was a Japanese balloon bomb. They were 70 feet tall with a 33-foot diameter paper canopy connected to the main device by shroud lines. Balloons inflated with hydrogen followed the jet stream at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
Once again, Oregon is internationally famous, and not in a good way
Fox News covered the story -- also reprinted in
the New York Post -- and provided a video clip, saying, "Gov. Kate Brown, the Oregon Democrat,
signed a bill last month with little fanfare that drops the requirement that high school students prove proficiency in reading, writing or math before graduation."
Across the pond, the
UK's Daily Mail extensively reported the bill signing, underscoring the racial component.
"The state of Oregon will no longer require its students to demonstrate proficiency in math, reading and writing in order to earn a high school diploma in a bid to bolster minority students.
"Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill late last month suspending the state's 'essential skills' requirement for graduation for the next three years while its Department of Education seeks alternative graduation requirements.
"The bill extended a suspension of the requirements that was put in place during the coronavirus pandemic.
The
Associated Press chimed in -- again, picking up on the racial aspect -- with this:
Rashelle Chase, founder of Mxm Bloc, an advocacy group led by Black women and focused on education and other social justice issues, said certain children struggle with exams and had been hurt by the testing requirements.
“Under the best of circumstances, in totally normal times with no pandemic, there are a number of children who don’t test well,†Chase said, including children of color, those in need of special education, low-income students and early language learners. She added that it’s “not a deficit on the part of those children.â€
But others say testing is an important tool to assess students’ learning and that eliminating the requirement could be hurtful.
Greg Gutfeld also criticized the Democrat Governor on his Fox News national show.
--Bruce Armstrong| Post Date: 2021-08-15 06:44:59 | Last Update: 2021-08-15 11:52:36 |
