text:
Town Square
Minority students face college-readiness gap
Original post made on Dec 14, 2013
Read the full story here Web Link posted Saturday, December 14, 2013, 6:39 PM
Comments (55)
on Dec 14, 2013 at 9:10 pm
"90.8 percent at Gunn High School and 79.6 percent at Palo Alto High School."
Score another one for Gunn Counseling!
on Dec 15, 2013 at 6:27 am
It would be helpful to know what the demographic differences are between the two high schools. For starters, do they have the same percentage of Tinsley students from East Palo Alto?
on Dec 15, 2013 at 8:00 am
Why are you republishing a story that was already published and has an existing thread on TS?
And by the way, yes, there are demographic differences between the schools. If you want to know why Paly minority kids lag Gunn minority kids in A-G readiness, you have to read the Paly math letter. There are more kids from more disadvantaged backgrounds at Paly than Gunn, and the teachers are more hostile to teaching children of disadvantage. It has nothing to do with counseling and everything to do with the despicable Math Letter and the attitudes it revealed. There was no accountability for that letter, even though it is now on the powerpoint slides of every Professor of Education who teaches about closing the achievement gap in every college in America as exhibit A of what is wrong with teachers in America. Jonathan Kozol could write a new book about the letter.
Don't kid yourself into thinking it is just Paly. If the students who are at Paly were suddenly sent to Gunn they would receive the same or worse treatment. This is a city wide virus not a local outbreak.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 8:08 am
Demographics don't explain why Gunn outperforms Paly on a-g completion 91% vs. 80%.
English Learners: 7%/Gunn and 2%/Paly
Low-income: 8%/Gunn and 9%/Paly
Disabled: 10%/Gunn and 12%/Paly
African American & Latino: 11%/Gunn and 14%/Paly
PAUSD VTP seniors last year: 3%
This was under Gunn's old guidance system, before the new hires were hired and before changes to make Gunn guidance comparable to Paly were made.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 8:20 am
Attending college: 99%/Gunn. 90%/Paly.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 8:29 am
Why would you expect accountability from the superintendent? Have you seen an example of this in six years? I haven't. What were the most agenda items at last week's board meeting. Extra money for everyone, including the superintendent. No one is going to get fired. Quite the opposite. And you're right about the virus. From the disproportionate number of Latino and African-American kindergartners whose Palo Alto teachers decide by fall that they should repeat kindergarten to high school teachers protecting students of color from rigorous math and the Silcon Valley value of trying and failing and trying again, students of color, especially Latinos and African-American students, are often treated differently and with lower expectations. It can be overcome by the student and family, but please don't blame it on a culture, or at least the stereotype that you are basing the culture. Each culture is diverse in itself.
But here's why it doesn't matter. You've got a superintendent who no one can figure out. His supporters blame the critics and his critics sometimes take cheap shots at his personality or demeanor. Here's a quote from the latest Weekly Comminication from the superintendent:
"Going to these meetings is good therapy for all of us as we have a chance to engage in gallows humor and share our challenges. This group also does some excellent work, including an annual college promotion event for Latino students in the county. At this week's meeting we discussed suicide awareness programs and policies, implementation of AB1266, and bullying prevention. It seems districts are in various places regarding how they handle bullying issues."
I can't really explain why, but these four sentences are disturbing. Gallows humor and suicides and bullying, with a bit about the good work this group does with one event with Latinos, I believe these sentences speak volumes about the leadership of our superintendent. It's so disjointed, it appears to answer critics here in the Town Square, and the gallows humor was offensive, especially so close to suicides. The PR person is paid a hefty sum for unimportant work, work that has nothing to do with kids, and you would think that the superintendent would send his Weekly Communicstion to her before publishing. He may very well have done so, which would not bode well of the PR person.
We need a new suoeriintendent, folks.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 8:53 am
@From the Inside
Thanks for your comments. Can you clarify which meeting Skelly was referring to in his memo?
I too have observed a long time pattern of disjointed, and often contradictory, thoughts from him. My sense is that these contradictions reflect the conflicts between an apparently affable, and even compassionate, personality on a personal level much of the time and a pride in being at the center of an "elitist" institution driving him toward defensive actions that are counter to the broader success that we could achieve within PAUSD.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 8:59 am
How do the statistics of the VTP students in the sequoia high school district compare to PAUSD?
on Dec 15, 2013 at 9:12 am
"Demographics don't explain why Gunn outperforms Paly on a-g completion 91% vs. 80%.
English Learners: 7%/Gunn and 2%/Paly
Low-income: 8%/Gunn and 9%/Paly
Disabled: 10%/Gunn and 12%/Paly
African American & Latino: 11%/Gunn and 14%/Paly "
The Paly Math could account for some of the difference when combined with 3% more African American & Latino students at Paly. These students were the "slackers" that the department suggested were not worth serving a regular standard Algebra 2 class, for fear of the school losing status in regional Math olympiads.
However, demographics could also be a factor. For starters, the high number of English learners at Gunn are from Asia or children of Stanford professors from other parts of the world. Both of these groups are usually not struggling with A-G.
While a German English learner who happens to be low income and a Math olympian is a minority, that demographic is likely to not have problems with A-G.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 9:16 am
Go Gunn!
"90.8 percent at Gunn High School and 79.6 percent at Palo Alto High School."
Score another one for Gunn Counseling!
These numbers could have nothing to do with Counseling.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 9:46 am
From the outside,
"these contradictions reflect the conflicts between an apparently affable, and even compassionate, personality on a personal level much of the time and a pride in being at the center of an "elitist" institution driving him toward defensive actions that are counter to the broader success that we could achieve within PAUSD."
Wow, you summarized it in a nutshell. Unfortunately, with some exceptions, this could describe a whole lot of people in charge of the "broader success that we could achieve within PAUSD."
Surely there will be someone posting it's the parents fault, it's the students, it's, it's, it's.........
on Dec 15, 2013 at 10:04 am
It's all spelled out in last week's school board info packet.
English, not math, is the class that most seniors were missing.
131 students did NOT satisfy a-g:
CSTs: 62 of them scored below proficient in elementary/middle school math
CSTs: 61 scored below proficient in elementary/middle school English
Largest race: 56 White students
Disabled: 47 students
Parents w/o a college degree: 37 students
Low-income: 23 students.
VTP students: 14 students
English learners: 13 students
on Dec 15, 2013 at 10:10 am
Talk about being born on third and thought you hit a triple. The Gunn counseling department has little or nothing to do with the gap in college-going minority students between Gunn and Paly. Paly's minority students generally have many more disadvantages. The overlapping and intersecting disadvantages of poverty, especially the grinding, relentless, extreme variety, crime, lack of neighborhood supports and so forth combine to make them much more disadvantaged group. That by no means suggests that they can't learn or can't go to college. It means that the Gunn teachers are getting an easier job and now the Gunn counseling staff is publicly taking credit for the happy fact that Gunn minority students are generally not as economically disadvantaged as their Paly counterparts. That is all it means. Each school is getting all of its middle class white kids to college. Each school is struggling with disadvantaged students. Paly has a greater number of truly disadvantaged kids. That's all these numbers mean.
Anyone else remember 2011, when Kevin Skelly told the board not to worry because 2012's numbers for African American a-g were going to be a lot better than the abysmal 2011 15%? Well they did go up (due to a very talented and well-to-do cohort of black students), but then fell again when that cohort graduated and everyone looked away after the high-fives were over.
The problem is the attitude in the Paly Math letter. Everyone in America knows this. That letter is a giant, racist, red flag on our schools. The lack of accountability for Toma and his ilk makes it worse. But what can we expect from a district that promoted the Terman principal who failed so miserably to control disability bullying at her school and gave Charles Young an 8% raise after he failed to investigate rape culture at Paly.
So long as the Asian kids keep us on top score-wise, that's all anyone in this sick town thinks about.
Gallows humor and suicide indeed. That comment alone should have been enough to get him fired. But this is the same guy who said in one of his first acts as superintendent that it was impossible to close the achievement gap.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 10:40 am
"English, not math, is the class that most seniors were missing."
A recent survey has alumnae reporting suggestions to improve English, not a surprise then that it is holding back minority students from A-G. Paly eliminated the English Honors class, and there are only two lanes now - AP English or regular English. Unclear why, but I would think two lanes alone will make it even harder for struggling students.
English is a high school graduation requirement though, how could seniors be missing English?
The Daubers have promoted some change (attention if nothing else) to the counseling equity among schools, and the issues with Math at Paly; I recall they also promoted some changes on Science too. If they are not too worn out, maybe they could look at English.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 10:49 am
> Each school is getting all of its middle class white kids to college.
This poster, and her ilk, seem to have completely written the families of these kids out of the picture. The schools don't raise children. The schools don't feed them. The schools don't nurture them from the cradle to adulthood--the parents do.
This poster has dismissed the (doubtless) millions of hours of partental care, concern, guidance, and persperation of these parents--in order to press home what seems to be a tired, overly lame, statist agenda about the centrality of the state-run schools in our lives, and particularly in the lives of our children.
It's very difficult to listen to people trying to flog the schools as racist when it's clear that the the families of every student have a huge part to play in the intellectual growth, as well as the physiscal growth, of their children.
The schools can only do so much. Some people posting on this topic seem to want us to believe that the schools have some sort of womb-to-tomb obligation to provide for every want, and need, of every child. That is simply not so!
on Dec 15, 2013 at 10:50 am
Fire Radu Toma,
Not defending the Paly Math letter at all, but if the real problem is to be solved, and Math is not the subject holding students back from A-G, best to move on and see if the same attitude is what is causing the English problem.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 11:31 am
Math is missing for a great many students. English is an issue as well -- you are correct. That does require attention but based on the presentation to the board, math is missing for nearly as many students and probably it is the same students who are missing both english and math, because the same students are given up on simultaneously by everyone. Just a guess - you are right it is an empirical question whether or not students are being actively deterred from advanced English as with math or whether they are failing it, or what is happening. The CST scores should illuminate some of this. You could sent Ken Dauber an email email@example.com and ask him to perform that analysis.
One issue that separates math and english is that it is easier to tutor and teach writing than math. If a student has missed several years of math instruction and key concepts you are not going to get them doing quadratic equations in one semester. If they enter 10th grade working at a 5th grade level in math, that is going to be very very difficult if not impossible to remediate in the time remaining. This is of course particularly true where the kids have been told point blank that they can just stop trying because they can never do it, courtesy of Radu Toma and his racially problematic letter. Language skills are more tractable.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 11:33 am
@From the inside - You quoted the Superintendent. Your quote and questions relates nicely to the quotes I collected way back from the documents that were released after the PA Weekly exercised the Brown Act.
One of the Superintendent's quotes I picked then, and posted several times was:
" As I often say, the community and staff take their cues from us in terms of how they relate to each other " 9/2010
I think that all we learned adds up to the expectations of the cues which the community and staff are to take in terms of how to relate to each other.
It seems to me that this quote adds up nicely to the recent "Teachers too"'s comment addressing the teachers, which ended " they are the people we pay to care for our kids, and they are all part of the problem. Until they recognize that and stop playing the game of silence, then only then will we be on the way to improvement. "
Web Link
on Dec 15, 2013 at 12:45 pm
Fire Radu Toma,
"One issue that separates math and english is that it is easier to tutor and teach writing than math."
This is kind of shocking to hear - that outsourcing English to private tutors is easier to do than Math, and therefore it's less of a problem. I think you may be rationalizing on behalf of parents who can either tutor their own children in English, or can afford to hire tutors. How does one even find a tutor for English when you don't speak English?
I would argue it's worst to quit on a student in English because that will prevent them from getting ahead in all other subjects. You need English in Social Studies, Science, even Math, not to mention applying to college or even aspiring to college. That both Math and English are holding students back from A-G is of course a double whammy.
"Some people posting on this topic seem to want us to believe that the schools have some sort of womb-to-tomb obligation to provide for every want, and need, of every child. That is simply not so!"
Womb-to-tomb obligation?
I't K-12. and English and Math are not exactly "every want, and need, of every child"
on Dec 15, 2013 at 1:02 pm
I don't at all mean to minimize the difficulty of learning ELA especially for ELL students. By tutoring i was not at all referring to private tutoring but to school-based tutoring and teaching (I said tutor or teach) to get students to A-G. I The math required for a-g is sequential and you either know it or you don't. If you are doing 6th grade math in 10th grade it is just really hard to see how we are going to get you a C or better in Algebra 2 or geometry by graduation.
However, maybe I am wrong. Maybe the district is just screwing these poor and minority kids in all their basic subjects and they are just as screwed in English as in Math. I think math is harder but maybe that's just my experience with my children. I haven't seen the Paly English Letter yet but maybe it's just as foul.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 1:18 pm
Nothing bothers me more than unfair attacks on teachers who cannot defend themselves here.
Mr. Toma NEVER said that the "slackers" were African-American or Hispanic. NEVER. The persons who tie the word slacker to certain ethnic minorities are only some anonymous posters here. Re-read the letter, you'll see. It is not even implied at all in the letter. The slackers can be from any ethnic or socio-economic background whatsoever. And slackers and socio-economically disadvantaged students don't have to be one and the same, contrary to your assumptions. The ones making it a racism issue are not the math teachers at Paly, it's you here. Note, by the way, that all Paly math teachers signed the letter (except one now retired teacher). So, you want to fire them all?
I'll add that Mr Toma only teaches AP Calc BC now at Paly, the very top math class. I can guarantee you that all his students just love him. So, I see no reason to fire him. He's a truly outstanding teacher. Firing him would only hurt the students who have him at Paly. Since those are the very top students, I suppose maybe some people posting here would not care. I'd call that reverse discrimination.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 1:24 pm
Regarding students who are not college ready because of English, some people here wonder how that can possibly be since 4 years of English are required to graduate from PAUSD.
It's simple. A D- is a passing grade in PAUSD (yes a D-!), while most colleges (and certainly UC 'a-g's) require a grade of C- or above in all required a-g classes, including English, in order for a student to be eligible.
So, if you have one D in English from PAUSD high schools you graduate but are not a-g eligible.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 1:34 pm
Some perspective:
The 131 students missing English were a subset of the senior class.
Almost half of them, 61, were weak in English in elementary school. Others undoubtedly came to Palo Alto while they were in high school so could not fit 4 years of English in in the few years they were here. Many did not want to take 4 years of English, perhaps because they planned to attend culinary or another vocational school. Some had disabilities that made reading, processing, and writing almost impossible and took other classes that better fit their interests and abilities.
This is fitting with PAUSD's new graduation requirements which use a-g as the default graduation requirements but allow students to devise their own, unique academic path to graduation.
Last year, 83% of non-a-g seniors still attended college leaving 22 out of 876 seniors who did something different like took a gap year, got a job rather than a loan to help pay for college, or opted to get specialized training. Of those remaining 22 students, which is 3% of the senior class, 8 were minority students and 3 were low-income.
There is nothing in this data that suggests that it is the high schools' fault that 131 students did not satisfy a-g or that it is evidence of racial determinism by PAUSD teachers and staff.
It also does not follow that the 131 students are emblematic of Paly and Gunn "quitting on a student."
on Dec 15, 2013 at 1:45 pm
Some perspective:
The 96 students missing English were a subset of the 876 students in the senior class.
61 seniors not graduating with a-g were weak in English in elementary school. Others undoubtedly came to Palo Alto while they were in high school so could not fit 4 years of English in in the few years they were here. Many did not want to take 4 years of English, perhaps because they planned to attend culinary or another vocational school. Some had disabilities that made reading, processing, and writing almost impossible and took other classes that better fit their interests and abilities.
This is fitting with PAUSD's new graduation requirements which use a-g as the default graduation requirements but allow students to devise their own, unique academic path to graduation.
Last year, 83% of non-a-g seniors still attended college leaving 22 non a-g seniors in a senior class of 876 students who did something different like took a gap year, got a job rather than a loan to help pay for college, or opted to get specialized training. Of those 22 students, which is 3% of the senior class, 8 were minority students and 3 were low-income.
There is nothing in this data that suggests that it is the high schools' fault that 131 students did not satisfy a-g or that it is evidence of racial determinism by PAUSD teachers and staff.
It also does not follow that the 131 students are emblematic of Paly and Gunn "quitting on a student."
on Dec 15, 2013 at 1:56 pm
@poor -- thank you thank our for giving me the chance to revisit the actual words of the Paly Math Letter. I downloaded this copy from the blog of a teacher who was so offended by it that he featured it as an example of how teachers hurt their students: Web Link His conclusion: "If I were a parent of one of those students, this determinism would probably drive me out of my mind."
Here it is -- it just keeps getting better with age:
"We are concerned about others who, for reasons that are often objective (poor math background, lack of support at home, low retention rate, lack of maturity etc.) CAN'T PASS OUR REGULAR LANE ALGEBRA 2 COURSE. MANY OF THESE ARE VTP STUDENTS OR UNDER-REPRESENTED MINORITIES."
He goes on in this vein for some time and then concludes that it we had to help all these kids (who are "objectively" not capable of passing a class my 7th grader is currently passing with ease by the way -- it's algebra 2 not particle physics) to pass this class and go to college, (instead of "community college and jobs" where they belong, the ingrates) then we would have to "dilute" our "standards" and "harm our district's reputation."
I think the last person we should take tips about protecting the district's "reputation" from is Radu Toma. Wow.
And as to the rest of the signers, yes, send them all packing as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure they thought they had to sign because the IS was pressuring them, but if that's the integrity they have then they all can either go to racial sensitivity camp or find jobs elsewhere. [Portion removed.] Honestly, if they had written that about white students -- saying that they can't learn compared to Asian students, for example -- they would all already be teaching in Merced.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 2:15 pm
"Almost half of them, 61, were weak in English in elementary school. Others undoubtedly came to Palo Alto while they were in high school so could not fit 4 years of English in in the few years they were here. Many did not want to take 4 years of English, perhaps because they planned to attend culinary or another vocational school. Some had disabilities that made reading, processing, and writing almost impossible and took other classes that better fit their interests and abilities."
The 61 weak in English in elementary, is this information known in 9th grade or after graduation? There are 7 years from elementary to avert the sea of D's in senior year. If there is no room for improvement and the explanation is simply student circumstances, somebody needs to officially wave the white flag so we can stop talking about this. I suspect it would not hurt to get a clearer explanation of what Gunn is doing better, including if their student circumstances are easier than Paly.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 2:52 pm
"There is nothing in this data that suggests that it is the high schools' fault that 131 students did not satisfy a-g or that it is evidence of racial determinism by PAUSD teachers and staff."
I guess the same could be said about the news in this story. That there in nothing to suggest that the 10% increase in district-wide college-readiness from 2008 was the school's doing. If the numbers improve even further it may be miraculous.
Gunn is pretty high up there though, they deserve credit.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 3:01 pm
Here is a link related to the math teachers letter - Web Link
(I was "short memory?", wondering, then).
Sadly, this letter does keep getting better with age.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 7:03 pm
@ Fire... and Village Fool
I love it how you link to only bits and pieces of the letter, and not the full letter. Why not? Well, because if you link the whole letter, you'll see that NOWHERE in the letter, it is said that slackers and minority students are one and the same.
Mr Toma makes the case that some students from various backgrounds or with various levels of motivations are not well-equipped to succeed in math for lack of motivation or because they are not well prepared or supported enough, for a variety of reasons again. And guess what? He is right!
I rest my case.
on Dec 15, 2013 at 8:09 pm
@ Fire Radu Toma "[Portion removed.] Honestly, if they had written that about white students -- saying that they can't learn compared to Asian students, for example -- they would all already be teaching in Merced." I don't understand this comment - care to explain?
on Dec 15, 2013 at 8:10 pm
I don't think one can find any insight for a solution if the school just produces statistics based on racial, income and similar social factors. None of these factors can be changed by the school. A more useful approach is to correlate factors like student effort, attendance, attention, subject areas, friends, teaching methods, etc. to the performance of students. These factors are under the control of the school, students and their families. The solutions can be found with such data and not the old tired racial/social profiling.
on Dec 16, 2013 at 8:38 am
Thank you thank you thank you for asking me to post this entire letter. I am always thrilled to have an opportunity to introduce readers who may not have yet had the pleasure of reading it to its marvelously elitist and Orwellian dimensions:
Web Link
A great line in here is this one: "MOST of our students are fortunate enough to come from families where education matters . . .not ALL of them." Those students who lack those families "where education matters"? Many of them are "vtp or underrepresented minorities." They don't come from "families where education matters" and they "can't pass our regular lane Alegbra 2 class" unless we "dilute our standards."
We could of course make the "regular lane Algebra 2 class" possible for them to pass by teaching at, rather than above the state standard, but that would mean that we would "hurt our district's reputation." He then nauseatingly rambles on about math awards and competitions. This is clearly a teacher who derives a lot of his own self-worth and ego from the achievements of his students on math competitions and he's not about to let some minority families who don't 'care about education' get in the way of another pitiful line on his resume about how many 5's were scored on AP tests by the people in his classes.
Maybe in Romania, the top achieving students can be creamed to pad the teacher's resume and everyone else can "go to community college and jobs." This is America and educational opportunity is a core value. If you don't share it, perhaps you would be happier elsewhere.
@school. Let's take the letter and change some of the words around and see if you can spot the problem:
"We life in a [predominantly Asian] community. Most of our students are fortunate to come from families where education matters and parents have the means and the will to support and guide their children in tandem with us, their teachers. Not all of them. . . .We are concerned about the others who, for reasons that are often objective (poor math background, [culture not placing proper value on education and homework], lack of support at home) can't pass our [BC lane calculus class]. Many of these are [white, middle class] students.
The alternative, diluting the standards in our regular lane to basic benchmarks which might allow [white middle class] students to pass BC Calculus would end up hurting our district's reputation and, implicitly, all our students."
What if it was true (and there is some evidence for it, perusing the lists of names of National Merit and other winners of prizes at our high schools) that some racially identifiable groups of students are able to excel at math for whatever reason. What if boys are able to excel more than girls or Asian students more than whites -- if for no other reason than teachers have encouraged boys and Asian students more than girls or white students throughout their time here. Would it be reasonable or responsible for teachers to urge that girls or white students are holding back the greatness of the school's reputation and they should not be required to take a class because that would force the entire class to slow down for them?
If you are a Gunn parent then you know of what I speak.
Is this right? Is it appropriate? Or would a teacher who advocated not having to include white or female students in a hard math class for fear of diminishing the school's reputation be censured and even fired?
Only racist preconceptions about what black children are capable of and invidious stereotypes about black families allowed this man to walk away from this with zero consequences. He should have been removed from his position as IS at minimum.
on Dec 16, 2013 at 9:23 am
It is a well-known fact that the children of Stanford profs go to Gunn, if not to a private school. That makes a big difference in a lot of areas, not least of which is the number of grads who go on to college.
It is also a well-known fact that many teachers turn up their noses at teaching disadvantaged kids, as do the administrators.
Keep in mind that disadvantaged and minority kids often have socio-economic issues at home that we so not see: Parents working two or three jobs to support them , thus not being present after school; parents too undereducated to help with homework; many disadvantaged kids have to work or care for siblings after school, leaving NO time for homework; parents who are disengaged, with mental health issues, health issues, or addiction issues; many disadvantaged and minority students have health or nutritional issues, being unable to see dentists or doctors regularly or when needed (MediCal no longer covers dentistry).
It is a well-known fact that neither Kevin Skelly or Radu Toma are well-endowed in the compassion department.
on Dec 16, 2013 at 11:20 am
There are a lot of colleges out there who do not require the A-G course curriculum. To say that the ONLY kids who are ready to go to college are the ones who take the UC requirements is very short sighted. Many of the kids who go on to prestigious Art Colleges (like RISD) cannot take the whole A-G curriculum if they want to get their portfolio ready to apply. And the board was told that by Skelly when this subject came up.
It would be interesting to look at how many of the non A-G kids go on to further their education and skills either in college or other programs. Right now high school is only preparing kids for college. Shouldn't they be preparing kids for life, or to pursue their dream, no matter what it is?
on Dec 16, 2013 at 11:45 am
Russlynn Ali, former Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights, was one of the early proponents of a-g for all in California. She repeatedly called a-g preparation for college and career, for college and life. In the current economy, a student who not math literate through Algebra 2 has virtually no chance of obtaining a decent job of any kind. Look at the struggles of minimum wage workers to obtain a wage that will bring them up to poverty. Look at the abuse of workers by Wal-Mart. Students who do not have a-g are not prepared for life in the 21st century, let alone college.
It is outrageous for Toma to contend that the students who he feels "can't pass our regular lane Algebra 2 class" can "go to jobs". What jobs? What world is this man in? Why is he a public school teacher?
Here's a statement Assistant Secretary Ali made about it in 2004:
Web Link
Should students be excluded from every having a hope of even working at the poverty level in this economy because Radu Toma wants to put another gold star on his own forehead for having more Mathletes win more prizes and trophies than anyone else? Is this what public schools in America are for -- to help people who fantasize themselves as fancy amateur professors to burnish their legends? Meanwhile, students at the bottom can't afford to eat or live because they were miseducated by the richest district in the state? I applaud Kevin Skelly for ignoring the math department and pressing ahead for a-g but I wonder why is Radu Toma still the IS of that department?
on Dec 16, 2013 at 11:50 am
Is there any way teachers who require that kids work together to learn upper level math (BC calc track) could require that English is the language of choice in the classroom? My student is at a table of all Chinese speakers and they will not speak English with him, but student interaction is required for learning. The teacher seems to be closing their eyes to this phenomenon. Can't figure out if the teacher is loving it, trying to be PC or unaware. What is the department, school and district policy? Are teachers obligated to put at least two native English speakers at each table? Should this be mandated? I think so!
on Dec 16, 2013 at 1:46 pm
This Gunn vs Paly competition is counter-productive at best. It needs to stop!
Also, English is indeed being overlooked in favor of math and math sciences. My daughter has had similar problems with Asian students who refuse to speak English to other students, even in class. This is in no one's best interest. The Asian kids will find it hard to keep a job if their English is not good enough, especially if they cannot write well in English.
My own employer has had to lay off a couple of Asian employees recently; one, encaustic her family would not allow her to speak English at home. She spoke well enough during college, but afterward, when she moved back,in with her family, her English skills deteriorated rapidly. Clients refused to talk to her, and absolutely no one could understand what she wrote, not even the proof readers could turn it Into reasonable prose. it cost her a well-paying job
on Dec 16, 2013 at 4:57 pm
Thanks anti-Asian Palo Altans for illustrating my point on acceptable versus unacceptable racial biases. Biases that limit the chances of poor underrepresented minorities to be treated equally to whites are fine. Biases that limit the chances of white students to be treated equally with Asians are not fine.
Usually one does not get such a fine illustration so quickly but I knew if I primed that particular pump we'd see the needle jump.
on Dec 16, 2013 at 8:29 pm
Well done.
on Dec 16, 2013 at 9:33 pm
on Dec 16, 2013 at 10:16 pm
And the Asian-bashing and Math-Department-Bashing continues.
I have to say, you did an *excellent* job twisting the wording and taking phrases out of context in your parody of the math department letter.
on Dec 16, 2013 at 11:44 pm
> It is outrageous for Toma to contend that the students who he feels
> "can't pass our regular lane Algebra 2 class" can "go to jobs".
> What jobs? What world is this man in?
> Why is he a public school teacher?
California no longer requiring eighth graders to take Algebra:
Web Link
California will no longer require eighth-graders to take algebra a move that is line with the Common Core standards being adopted by most states, but that may leave students unprepared for college.
Last month, California formally shifted to the Common Core mathematics standards, which recommend that students delay taking algebra if they aren't ready for it. Previously, algebra class was a requirement for all eighth-graders in the state.
And what world does "Fire-Radu-Toma" live in? The California Legislature, in all its radiant glory, has decided that 8th graders don't need Algebra, so why is this person so livid with Toma, and silent about the acts of the Legislature relative to Algebra?
Algebra is not as useful as understanding technology these days. Yet, we don't have classes in our schools about the Internet, or a host of other new technologies that don't require as much mathematical reasoning, but are none-the-less more valuable in the real world.
> Walmart abuses its workers.
God! What drivel!! It's not hard to see that many of Walmart's employees are immigrants who did not go to school in the US. Moreover, they would not be paid more even if they could pass an Algrebra II test--since stocking, and operating a cash register are low skilled jobs, that are not worth much to any employer--be that employer Walmart, or some other outfit.
on Dec 16, 2013 at 11:57 pm
This discussion is long overdue.
Does anyone know who kept the letter out of the public eye? Why?
on Dec 17, 2013 at 9:15 am
My understanding (perhaps the Weekly could do some reporting on this -- a PRA for all the email communications of the teachers and administrators regarding the Math Letter would surely be highly informative -- Kevin Skelly received the letter of the Math Department and then stuck it in a drawer and never gave it to the Board of Education, thinking (wisely) that it was pretty ill-advised, but also thinking (unwisely) that somehow if he stuck it in his bottom drawer it would no longer be a public record. A parent obtained it and shared it with other members of the parent community who were (wisely) outraged. They went to the board of education which (unwisely) went mute. They did say that they had never seen the letter before, even though it was addressed to them. Thus, the bottom drawer was excavated. There were also prior and subsequent drafts -- evidently they received a later draft that contained "data" of which rumors were heard but no copy ever emerged. No reporting was done so no other documents ever surfaced.
There is no way you can get 20 people to sign something without an extensive email chain. 20 fingers just pressed the delete key, but email is forever.
on Dec 17, 2013 at 9:16 am
village fool.
"This discussion is long overdue."
??? you're kidding, the discussion on the Toma letter has been rehashed plenty. Start a new thread to just talk about the letter, see you many hits you get.
Fire Radu Toma,
As a Math IS, I agree Toma wrote a lame letter. But if the district accepted the letter, it's past Toma, he obviously has not been fired, and not sure he can even be fired, ask the union. You've highlighted the double standard on biases in the community, that's not really news though.
News today is that English holds back more minority students from A-G than Math, that Gunn does better than Paly with ELL and college readiness, and that there has been an improvement since 2008 back when the Superintendent said the achievement gap was a hopeless task because of the tutoring and stuff that goes on. Skelly was right about the tutoring!
Not sure if the overall gap has improved, but the fact that college readiness is improving is a big deal.
on Dec 17, 2013 at 9:28 am
Your comments seem to be consistent with the main issue here, which is that minority student college readiness and job success could be improved by focusing on English.
PAUSD is notorious for its Math wars and every Tom, Dick and Harry has a Math platform. At a policy level, these wars all add up to how many pass Algebra 2 (or used to - now its common core). Somebody needs to figure out what the Algebra 2 equivalent is for English and move on from the old Math fights.
on Dec 17, 2013 at 10:27 am
"But the college-readiness rate for "underrepresented subgroups" remains unacceptable, Wilmot said, at only 46 percent for socio-economically disadvantaged students; 52 percent for English learners; 44 percent for special education students..."
Special Education students are at risk because PAUSD can say they are not capable of meeting academic requirements to graduate or to attend college, and is allowed to modify testing to lower standards. PAUSD is allowed to give up on certain groups of students. It goes unnoticed because they can show fabulous high school test scores for other students.
Special Education students are defined only as students on an Individual Education Plan (IEP). But Special Education office tries to reduce the number of students on IEPs, so they don't get reported. There are many students with disabilities who can't get help because of this.
For the students who are still on IEPs, it is no surprise they are not being educated equally, seeing the rush to say PAUSD fully achieved "full inclusion from Day 1," into only mainstream classrooms. Special Education did this by 1)removing kids from Special Education to say they are no longer disabled students and not their responsibility 2) putting more disabled students in classes while depriving teachers appropriate help and services to educate disabled students. Parents and the Board of Education are told teachers now must teach many different different methods to a class at once, that all teachers were trained in inclusion over summer, that for the last 3 yeas push-in services were provided to help all students in a classroom, when OT and SLP were decreased or barely exist at all at some schools, that all classrooms have trained TOSAs who co-teach all the time. Maybe this is happening in a few classrooms somewhere at a few middle schools to trot out for the Board and press, but appropriate services are not provided at most schools or classes. Think about it, it would take an enormous expansion in resources to do what they said they've done, and that doesn't exist. Money is poorly spent and uncoordinated, with part time and contract professionals providing disjointed and duplicate services without talking to each other or seeing if the student needs it.
Teachers don't have 8 hands to teach differently all at once. We see Special Education kids who are brilliant but different now failing, angry teachers, Special Education nowhere to be found to help, except to say full inclusion has been achieved and that academics improved and students now feel happy. They have no actual PAUSD data to back up their miraculous claims of success in a few months, just cute anecdotes and results of studies done elsewhere. But why bother supporting claims, if you look at data it may show problems. Just say you have succeeded, the Board believes everything Special Education says and teachers and parents are expected to also. That way there is no need to provide the help taxpayers think they are paying for to educate all students to succeed in life.
on Dec 17, 2013 at 11:51 am
What's wrong with being inclusive? Refusing to speak English in an English-speaking school is not inclusive but exclusive when the non-English speakers have the upper hand as they do in my son's math class. This district has made a policy of being inclusive. That's all we are asking.
Remember "You can't say,'You can't play?" We just want our kids at Gunn to be included in the math activities and have the teachers give them an equal opportunity.
on Dec 17, 2013 at 12:09 pm
@help - "What's wrong with being inclusive?" Nothing. It should be that way.
The problem is real inclusion is not taking place without teacher training and student supports which we are told are fully in place, but they are not.
on Dec 17, 2013 at 12:11 pm
@ fire radu toma
what does radu toma have to do with gunn high school? also, who said that students who need algebra 1 in high school should not have an appropriate class? not this poster. you are confused.
on Dec 17, 2013 at 12:40 pm
@ subgroups
no argument here, we need to be looking at kevin skelly and holly wade to resolve that issue. and getting some clarification from parents who lobbied with all their hearts for inclusion for some spec ed kids totally ignoring the needs of others.
on Dec 17, 2013 at 12:49 pm
[Post removed.]
on Dec 17, 2013 at 1:15 pm
@help - Or get District to manage Special Education better. Less duplication of services, less inappropriate services that don't help, less repeating material already learned, fewer payments to contractors for services that aren't measured or don't work, fewer unqualified contractors and para's used to replace credentialed teachers and qualified specialists. How about a policy to teach kids to read instead of paying for them to sit in a class unable to read their whole school career, and paying specialists to help them do their work since they weren't taught to read. Intervene appropriately when kids are not succeeding so it won't end up as expensive emergency later. And get Board of Education to provided oversight.
on Dec 17, 2013 at 1:34 pm
Subgroups, you have my vote.
on Dec 18, 2013 at 3:44 pm
[Post removed.]
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text:
ruin of Shimotsuke Yakushiji temple
von Hiroky OGAWA
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Panorama-Foto von: Hiroky OGAWA Fotografiert: 08:21, 04/08/2011 - Views
ruin of Shimotsuke Yakushiji temple
地産地消イベント!ポター(陶芸)の街でポタリング(自転車散策)! 町乗り・里乗り・山乗り、女性初心者の方にも安心な優しいコース スイーツラン・ランチもついちゃう、益子の食と風景で、心もお腹も満たされる ...
地産地消イベント!ポター(陶芸)の街でポタリング(自転車散策)! 町乗り・里乗り・山乗り、女性初心者の方にも安心な優しいコース スイーツラン・ランチもついちゃう、益子の食と風景で、心もお腹も満たされる ...
The late Edo period, between the secular clan Hitati country Kasama Ka (Kasama now) began to be bui...
The park has more than 1,000 azaleas and 300 cherry trees, and spectacular views from around early Ma...
Oya stone was produced from this place before. After it became an abandoned mine, rice and sake were ...
The eight islands of Japan sprang into existence through Divine Intervention.
The first two gods who came into existence were Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto, the Exalted Male and Exalted Female. It was their job to make the land for people to live on.
They went to the bridge between heaven and earth and, using a jewel-encrusted halberd, Izanagi and Izanami churned up the sea into a frothy foam. As salty drips of water fell from the tip of the halberd the first island was formed. Its name was Onogoro.
So far, so good. But when Izanagi and Izanami first met on their island, Izanami spoke to Isanagi without being spoken to first. Since she was the female, and this was improper, their first union created badly-formed offspring who were sent off into the sea in boats.
The next time they met, Izanagi was sure to speak first, ensuring the proper rules were followed, and this time they produced eight children, which became the islands of Japan.
I'm sure you did not fail to miss the significance of this myth for the establishment of Japanese formal society.
At present, Japan is the financial capital of Asia. It has the second largest economy in the world and the largest metropolitan area (Tokyo.)
Technically there are three thousand islands making up the Japanese archipelago. Izanagi and Izanami must have been busy little devils with their jewelled halberd...
Japan's culture is highly technical and organized. Everything sparkles and swooshes on silent, miniaturized mechanisms.
They're a world leader in robotics, and the Japanese have the longest life-expectancy on earth.
Text by Steve Smith.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Host/Owner: Leon and Betty Hutcheson Inn History: Situated high on Jenkins Mountain in beautiful Rappahannock County, with magnificent views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sunset Hills Farm is a secluded getaway for adult guests. Just minutes from gourmet restaurants (including the world renowned Inn at Little Washington). An active orchard, flower nursery and processing farm, Sunset Hills offers experiences for sight, scent and educational enjoyment. Peaches are the specialty here. Inn Notes: One of a kind new stone contemporary home, situated on Jenkins's Mountain and crafted in the tradition of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Breathtaking view of the Blue Ridge Mountains heralded as the most spectacular in the county. Close proximity to fine dining compliment your experience. Farm Store. Featured in the Fauquier Magazine.
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The Braves have come out of the gates a little slow this spring, dropping their first three exhibition matchups. Fortunately for the club, most of the struggles have come in the later innings once the organizational filler guys get their shot on the mound and in the field.
And, hey, it's not like these games really mean anything.
On Sunday, Jason Heyward hit a bomb to center field for his first long ball of the year. Heyward joined Evan Gattis and Joey Terdoslavich as the only other Braves to hit a homer during the opening weekend of spring training. Other than that, not a whole lot happened in a 9-2 loss to the Pirates. B.J. Upton went 2-for-3 with a double to record his first unofficial hit as a Brave.
In another bit of good news, both Julio Teheran and Sean Gilmartin impressed in two innings apiece. Neither pitcher gave up a run, and other than a walk and single, Pittsburgh didn't get much of anything going in the first four frames.
Teheran would have to completely collapse for him to lose out on the fifth spot in the rotation, but it is good to see Gilmartin throwing the ball well early in the spring.
Now to the links...
GM Frank Wren: Braves improved since 94-win '12 campaign | braves.com: News
Last year's Atlanta Braves finished with 94 wins. That number was not enough to win the NL East, but Frank Wren believes this year's team is capable of more.
Prospects Teheran, Gilmartin strong in spring debut | braves.com: News
Julio Teheran is the prohibitive favorite to begin the season as the fifth starter in Atlanta's rotation. But the ever-steady Sean Gilmartin will spend the next month attempting to show the Braves he could fill that role if Teheran stumbles.
Teheran confident; Schafer has big day | www.ajc.com
When he gave up six homers in two wind-blown innings against Detroit in his 2012 spring debut, Julio Teheran was competing with three others for a spot in the Braves starting rotation.
Heyward, B.J. Upton each record first hit of spring | braves.com: News
It did not take Jason Heyward and B.J. Upton long to avoid the possibility of experiencing a frustrating drought at the beginning of spring. Heyward hit his first home run of the Grapefruit League season and Upton recorded his first hit in a Braves uniform during Sunday's 9-2 loss to the Pirates at McKechnie Field.
MLB - Ranking the strength of early-season National League schedules - ESPN
The Braves should get a good jump out of the gate with plenty of early meetings against Chicago, Miami, Colorado and the LOLMets.
Evan Gattis Impresses Braves Brass - Minor League Ball
Some evaluators really don't like Gattis, focusing on his age (he turns 27 in August) and defensive limitations. I understand that position, but there are things to like about Gattis that we should not overlook.


text:
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Cost of part-time courses frozen in North Yorkshire (From The Northern Echo)
For details on how to contact our editorial and commercial departments, click here
Cost of part-time courses frozen in North Yorkshire
6:17pm Wednesday 9th January 2013 in News By Janet Gleeson
North Yorkshire County Council has frozen the cost of part time courses at centres across the county for the New Year.
Over 700 courses are on offer from educational to fitness and hobbies.
A prospectus has been produced and information is available online.
Popular courses include embroidery and sewing, jewellery making, cookery - including sugar craft and cake decorating, zumba and yoga.
People looking to gain professional qualifications can also apply for accredited courses in business administration, bookkeeping and finance, computers, digital media design, health and social care, childcare and teacher training.
Arthur Barker, North Yorkshire's Executive Member for Adult Learning said: "We all take stock at this time of year and starting a new activity, continuing with an old one or learning new skills is an excellent way of making a fresh beginning and developing our interests further."For a full list of courses, taster classes, course information and to enrol and pay online visit www.northyorks.gov.uk/adultlearning
Comments are closed on this article.


text:
The wait is over! Download the BeerAdvocate app on iTunes or Google Play now.
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Staropramen Lager - Pivovary Staropramen
Displayed for educational use only; do not reuse.
Ratings: 639 | Reviews: 302 | Display Reviews Only:
Reviews by Ljoreilly:
3.25/5 rDev -3%
03-11-2013 14:18:52 | More by Ljoreilly
More User Reviews:
North Carolina
3.55/5 rDev +6%
Pours a nice deeper golden with a thinner then expected head even with a rough pour very clean no lacing at all,aroma was a little skunky (green bottle)with a hint of sweet grain.Noticed a little smokiness in flavor off the bat with a touch of toasted grain and iron not much hop presence though for a Czech lager/pilsner just light zip in the finish.Taste is on the drier side and goes down well in the summer here,I would drink this over any domestic or Canadian macro when I want a easy drinking lager but those green bottles scare me.
08-28-2004 21:48:19 | More by oberon
Ontario (Canada)
2.93/5 rDev -12.5%
Appearance: 500ml green bottle. A golden, carbonated pour with a fizzy white head. Looks like gingerale.
Smell: The nose is very subtle. Lightly hoppy. It seems very floral with vegetable hints.
Taste: Medium hoppiness. Corn and grain-like qualities. Somehwat chalky and dry. There was a little maltiness to back up the weak body. Bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Bubbly and dry.
Drinkablility: I would only drink this beer again if there was nothing else available. Probably wouldn't buy this one again.
06-13-2003 16:09:21 | More by Popsinc
2.38/5 rDev -29%
Appearance Light yellow in color with a tinge of orange and a smallish head.
Smell Light citrusy hops with some sweetish malts that felt off-style.
Taste The big citrus and sweet, orangish malt made this one off-style.
Mouthfeel This was light-bodied, which is OK, but the nice, fluffy mouthfeel was absent.
Sinkability This one didnt cut the mustard.
01-12-2004 01:11:20 | More by RoyalT
Newfoundland (Canada)
3.75/5 rDev +11.9%
09-29-2013 03:15:50 | More by cam477
3.5/5 rDev +4.5%
08-14-2012 01:36:25 | More by Zakk
3/5 rDev -10.4%
05-28-2014 00:09:28 | More by BeerDreadz
2.83/5 rDev -15.5%
My green bottle looks slightly different than the one pictured. It pours a clear pale yellow with a two inch offwhite head. Head collapses quickly into patchy lacing. Aroma has some Euro skunked cardboard which masks some hints of lemon. Mouthfeel is light bodied and fizzy with carbonation. Taste is mostly hop bitterness, just a hint of sweet malt. Very one dimensional with this lack of malt balance. Finishes bitter, and astringency detracts greatly from drinkability.
01-31-2004 03:20:40 | More by merlin48
3.75/5 rDev +11.9%
11-09-2012 03:21:48 | More by Guinnsslvr
Ontario (Canada)
3.53/5 rDev +5.4%
Pours a medium golden colour, with about an inch and a half of thick, foamy head. Recedes quickly in little piles, almost like seafoam. Good lacing.
The smell is nothing too interesting. Hoppy, a bit of straw. Neither good nor bad.
Tastes like an above-average inexpensive pilsner, a little bit sweet, juicy hops, some bread. For a couple of bucks a can, it's pretty good, but not the best Czech pilsner I can get.
Unfortunately, this can languished for a bit longer in my fridge (I went on a couple of brewery tours since purchasing this and it got lost in the chaos). It's a bit flat, but I've had this one before and I know the carbonation is moderate. Not too thin for a mouthfeel.
All and all, this is a fairly good pilsner, and for the cost, it's not bad having one or two on hand (just make sure you get to them!). I prefer Urquell, but it's not bad to pick this one up. Not bad, but it won't blow you away.
12-08-2009 04:36:13 | More by JohnnyBarman
3.65/5 rDev +9%
Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Pilsner glass.
Appearance: Slightly pale but rich gold with thin white head and intermittent lacing.
Smell: Very grassy and spicy, with a light malt profile underneath. Smells pretty dry overall. Also, happy that it smells fairly fresh despite the green bottle.
Taste: Light malt profile with grass, hay and apple; only a slight sweetness. Turns slightly spicy and bitter at the end, but only slightly.
Feel: Moderately high carbonation, medium-light body (more medium for a Pils as expected for the Czech style), dry finish.
Drinkability: Easy drinking lager that is better than most of the international lagers it competes against, but probably only average in terms of Czech Pilsners.
09-17-2009 18:35:03 | More by bsp77
4/5 rDev +19.4%
09-02-2012 14:40:48 | More by innominat
New York
3.5/5 rDev +4.5%
01-22-2012 02:33:51 | More by Milkysunshine
2.75/5 rDev -17.9%
06-03-2012 23:31:37 | More by fionn13
United Kingdom (England)
3.08/5 rDev -8.1%
A 330ml green glass bottle with a BB of May 2013.
Poured into a straight pint glass. A clear golden-yellow colour with light carbonation. Yields a huge head of creamy white foam that lasts for quite a while before reducing to a surface layer. Aroma of light malt with hints of cardboard/wet grain, stewed malt and a faint metallic note.
Tastes of light malt with a crisp bitter finish. Notes of stewed hops and mild noble hop aroma. A restrained bitterness upon swallowing, with a hint of solvent. Mouthfeel is light, tingly and dry. Reasonable body for the style, with mild astringency. Aftertaste of stewed hops.
A pretty standard lager - taste and aroma are OK but don't stand out from the crowd. The dryness is quite pleasing. Not the greatest Czech pilsner, but drinkable enough - grab some for a warm day.
08-03-2012 21:54:02 | More by jazzyjeff13
3.5/5 rDev +4.5%
03-09-2014 01:33:36 | More by GOBLIN
3.5/5 rDev +4.5%
06-09-2014 19:51:41 | More by HoppySeb
3.45/5 rDev +3%
Green bottle, straw faint yellow beer inside, soapy head, flimsy retention. Nice skunky aroma, me likee.
Taste, hopping good, light, maybe EKG hops, lots of carbonation, light lemon lime mouthfeel to it. Metallic at times, although somewhat complimentary, bitterness existent and satisfying for style. Derive nothing from pale/crystal malt here or the yeast.
Wish these were a little more available, they aren't bad in July/August, but they are a little pricey for what you get.
06-29-2011 20:13:15 | More by Beerandraiderfan
2.85/5 rDev -14.9%
Clear pale gold color, big-bubbled white head of 1/2 an inch. Slightly skunked aroma. Sweet malty flavor with a decided wet canvas impression that's re-inforced by the aroma. Slight watery sense before a mild hoppy finish mid-mouth. Carbonation is medium, perhaps this beer's best quality. OK in drinkability but nothing special is going on in this brew, some similarities to Heineken et al....
10-16-2002 06:02:09 | More by ADR
West Virginia
3.8/5 rDev +13.4%
Label says best before end of Nov 9 2012, wow that's a shelf life for a green bottled Euro pils I don't wanna drink this same bottle next fall. Bright golden crystal clear color with an eggshell white head forming thick and billowing above the sides of my glass, visually very appealling so far. Aroma has some sweet bready grains with herbal slightly skunked hops, pleasant lime/grassy notes from the noble Saaz. Flavor has a muted malt sweetness with a tart/bitter zing from the hops almost with a lime zest note to it. Mouthfeel is crsip finishes nice and dry with residual bready malts left on the palate not a bad beer whatsoever. Not the best pils I have ever had but up there with some of the imported versions very drinkable the 16.9 ounce bottles don't last very long the type of beer that I'm sure appeals to the masses in Praha. Staropramen, I'm guessing "star of Prague".
01-29-2012 15:51:45 | More by WVbeergeek
3.5/5 rDev +4.5%
02-25-2012 21:49:28 | More by valkyre65
3.03/5 rDev -9.6%
Poured from a chilled 500ml bottle into a 330ml glass at a restaurant (obviously, had to pour it twice).
Light golden amber appearance with two and a half (of my thin) finger(s) head, with an aroma that initially yields many citrus notes that give way to a more "crackery" scent as the head disappears.
Taste is faintly herbal with an even fainter citrus but somehow doesn't break through that "faint" level of flavour, until when swallowed it does, for but a millisecond, give a hint of that hops taste, before giving way to a generic carbonation aftertaste. Interestingly, I did notice a boozy hint of vanilla that I expect in liquor, but this only happened on a couple sips somewhere in the middle of the whole experience; it's kind of odd that it never really replicated itself. Mouthfeel is okay, without much to notice; it's very difficult to say there is much smoothness or roughness going on with the carbonation, either way. This in a way serves to pinpoint the problem with this beer.
I think the elements of this beverage which make it a beer are fighting to the death with carbonated water for dominance over the flavour instead of working together; right now the water has the upper hand. It's not bad, but strikes me as nothing more than the export-quality macro brew one would expect to find among the foreign beers in Bulgaria these days. I really would have liked it more if there were more hops; for me, it would have gone from "okay" to "nice."
08-17-2013 14:55:33 | More by Thracian_Hops
3/5 rDev -10.4%
09-15-2013 13:47:51 | More by stereosforgeeks
3.25/5 rDev -3%
09-11-2013 08:58:55 | More by Sinedd
2.5/5 rDev -25.4%
02-03-2012 02:39:07 | More by melodicnoise
Staropramen Lager from Pivovary Staropramen
77 out of 100 based on 639 ratings.


text:
The Redskins allowed John Beck to throw the ball 47 times on Sunday, presumably because they believe he is Tom Brady or something. Beck managed to spin 254 yards and a touchdown out of those attempts, finally finding the end zone on Washington's final possession of the game. Still, not much to see here. These are not stats that are going to win a fantasy football championship for anyone.
If you're a fantasy owner and starting John Beck, you're probably not a happy camper in general. You should try fantasy hockey, maybe. If you're dead set on football however, please avoid John Beck, for your own sake. The Redskins' second choice at quarterback in the beginning of the season (he lost out to Rex Grossman), Beck has shown a capability to run, but also the wherewithal necessary to quarterback Mike Shanahan's first career shutout. Like I said, try hockey, guy.
For updates on Beck and the Redskins' Week 9 matchup with the 49ers, visit 'Skins blog Hogs Haven and SB Nation's 49ers blog, Niners Nation.


text:
PRO CAREER: Has appeared in 101 games (49 starts) in eight seasons with the Indianapolis Colts (2005-10), Atlanta Falcons (2011) and Chicago Bears (2012)... Collected 345 tackles (269 solo), 12 INTs, 44 PBUs, 4 FFs, 6 FRs and 28 special teams stops... Has 4 defensive return TDs (3 INT and 1 fumble) in regular season, tied for 17th most in NFL since 2005... In 10 postseason contests with 5 starts, has gathered 29 tackles, 3 INTs, 4 PBUs, 1 FF, 4 special teams stops and a 56-yard INT-return TD in Super Bowl XLI... 3 postseason INTs (all with Indianapolis, which are tied for 4th in franchise history) are tied for fifth in the NFL since 2005.
CAREER TRANSACTIONS: Selected in the second round (60th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft by Indianapolis… Signed a four-year contract with the Colts (7/28/05)... Signed a 5-year contract with Indianpolis (2/18/09)... Released by the Colts (7/31/11)... Signed 1-year contract with Atlanta (9/1/11)... Singed 1-year contract with Chicago (4/9/12)... Signed 1-year contract with Chicago (3/26/13). SIGNED through 2013
2012 SEASON: Played in 16 contests with 2 starts for Chicago... Recorded 40 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PBUs, 4 opponent fumble recoveries and 3 special teams stops... 4 opponent fumble recoveries were tied for most in the NFL... Started Games 13-14. GAMES PLAYED-STARTED 16-2
PREVIOUS SEASONS: 2011 - Played in 8 contests with 1 start for the Atlanta Falcons... Recorded 20 tackles, 2 INTs, 4 PBUs, 1 TFL and 3 special teams stops... Inactive Weeks 12-16 due to toe injury before being placed on IR (12/27/11). 2010 - Started all 11 games played for Indianapolis, gathering 61 tackles, 2 INTs, 8 PBUs, 1 FF and and 2 INT return TDs... Missed final 5 games and playoffs due to neck injury. 2009 - Started 8 of 9 games played, recording 50 tackles, 1 INT and 5 PBUs... Started all 3 postseason contests, finishing second on the team with 18 tackles, adding 1 INT, 1 FF and 2 PBUs. 2008 - Started all 10 games played, collecting 42 tackles, 3 interceptions, a career-high 12 pass break ups, 1 forced fumble and 1 INT return TD... 3 INTs tied a career-high, established a year earlier... Started Colts lone postseason contest, recording 2 tackles. 2007 - Set a career-high in games played (16), contests started (16), tackles (83) and forced fumbles (2), while adding 3 INTs, 10 PBUs and 1 FR... Colts pass defense was second in the NFL allowing 172.8 ypg... Led team in PBUs and solo tackles and finished third in total tackles... Started Indy's lone playoff contest, registering 3 tackles, 1 INT and a PBU. 2006 - Appeared in 15 contests with 1 start, registering 31 tackles, 1 PBU, a fumble return TD and 8 special teams tackles... Appeared in all four of Colts postseason contests, racking up 6 tackles, a PBU, and an INT... Also added 3 special teams stops... Had 56-yard INT-return TD in Super Bowl XLI. 2005 - Saw action in all 16 contests, gathering 18 defensive stops and 1 PBU... Added a career-high 14 special teams tackles... Appeared in Colts Divisional playoff game, recording 1 special teams tackle.
COLLEGE: Two-year letterwinner at Illinois (2003-04), starting 19 of 21 contests... Moved to cornerback from wide receiver as a senior... Had 71 tackles (41 solo), 4 INTs (tied for most in Big Ten), 6 PBUs, 1 FF, 1 blocked kick... Had 52 receptions for 592 yards, 3 TDs as a junior... Majored in speech communications... Two-time all-conference and all-region choice at Joliet Junior College... First-Team All-America honors, NJCAA National Offensive Player of the Year, conference Player of the Year and MVP of 2002 Junior College National Championship Game.
PERSONAL: Attended Hubbard High School in Chicago... Four-year all-conference selection... Had 792 total yards despite missing 7 games as a senior... Totaled 2,315 yards and 33 TDs rushing as a junior.... Played QB as a sophomore and had 21 TD passes and 7 TDs rushing... Led team and finished second in state with 10 INTs as freshman DB... Two-time city league track champion in 55- and 200-meters indoors and 100- and 200-meters outdoors.
Senior writer Larry Mayer reports from the second day of practice in Bourbonnais.
Cornerback Kelvin Hayden addresses the media after forcing two turnovers at practice.
Highlights of the Bears re-signed cornerback, Kelvin Hayden.
The Chicago Bears hit the practice field for the first time in training camp.


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Happy Birthday, Jessie CaveActor Birthdays
May 05, 2009, 11:18 AM
Happy Birthday wishes go out today to actress Jessie Cave, who is set to play the character of Lavender Brown in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film. Miss Cave is celebrating her 22nd birthday today. Cheers to you, Jessie!


text:
Licensing Information
Applicable Forms
Table of Contents
Authorizing Act: Section 1758.8 of the California Insurance Code reads, in part:
A rental car agent licensee and/or endorsee is a person authorized to offer or sell those types of insurance as specified in Section 1758.85 of the California Insurance Code, in connection with and incidental to rental agreements, on behalf of any insurer authorized to write those types of insurance in this state.
Qualifications - Employer
Qualifications - Employee
Fees - Individual Residents or Non-Resident and Business Entity:
License filing - two year term $383 (effective 3/17/2014 this fee will be $421).
License Term:
The term of the first license begins the date the license is issued and ends the last day of that same calendar month two years later. All additional licenses are issued for the balance of the established term.
Renewal of License:
Financial Security Requirements for Limited Liability Companies
Additional Information:
To obtain insurance licensing forms by mail, send an e-mail request to: Producer Licensing Bureau.
To obtain Rental Car insurance licensing information, you may phone the Producer Licensing Bureau's Business Entity unit at (916) 492-3069.
All fees mailed to the Department must be addressed to: Department of Insurance, P.O. Box 1139, Sacramento CA 95812-1139.
Pursuant to Section 1751.5, all filing fees submitted are not refundable, whether or not the application is acted upon or an examination taken.
LIC 642-A (Rev 04/2013)


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Sometimes technology gets a bad rap. Our high-tech world can isolate us, shorten our attention spans, and leave us wanting more. But technology can also build communities and bring us together — as with geocaching. The activity, in which teams of people use GPS and their smartphones to locate hidden caches, is a global treasure hunt for the digital age. When… Read More
Geeky study: Yes, Geocaching can help you lose weight
When you think about geocaching, the first thing that probably comes to mind are GPS-enabled nerds walking around the woods or city streets in search of hidden treasure. Well, that's in part true. But there's actually more to the hobby then meets the eye — or the waist line for that matter. A new study… Read More
Milestone: Geocaching.com approaches 2M geocaches
Wow — this is a lot of canisters, log sheets and trackables. Geocaching.com, the database of record for the worldwide geocaching community, is poised to reach a major milestone in a matter of days: 2 million active geocaches. The online service, maintained by Seattle-based Groundspeak, expects to cross the 2 million mark sometime this Saturday,… Read More
Launch Pads: Groundspeak, center of the geocache universe
It's a big month for Groundspeak, the Seattle company in the middle of the geocaching boom. On Saturday Aug. 18, a little more than a week from now, geocachers from around the world will descend on Groundspeak's home in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood for the 2012 Geocaching Block Party, on International Geocaching Day. Geocaching is a… Read More
GeekWire Radio: High-tech football, T-Mobile's future, inside the world of geocaching
This week on the GeekWire radio show and podcast, we talk about the UW football team's use of high-tech cameras to gain a competitive edge; the Justice Department's move to block the AT&T/T-Mobile merger; Amazon.com's new Kindle feature for asking authors questions from inside books; and the second life for the HP TouchPad. Our guest… Read More
Release your inner geek: Weekend events offer something for the dork in all of us
Geek levels will be absolutely off the charts on Saturday in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood as a series of events promise everything from interactive bingo to geocaching to an outdoor version of the popular Ignite talks. Things will get rolling at 11 a.m. with the Geocaching Block Party, with more than 1,400 location-hunting geeks from around… Read More


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Information ForAlumni, Current Students, Faculty & Staff, Incoming Freshmen, Parents, Visitors
AcademicsColleges & Departments, Distance Learning, Graduate Programs, Libraries, Majors & Programs, Regional Campuses
AdmissionsFinancial Aid, Graduate, Request Info, Transfer, Tuition & Fees, Undergraduate
Around CampusAthletics, WKU Store, Health & Wellness, Housing, Visit WKU, Virtual Tour, WKU Map
ResearchCenter for Research & Development, Sponsored Programs, Research Foundation
International Reach
Chinese Flagship, Confucius Institute, International Students, Study Abroad,
中国留学生, معلومات للطلبة العرب
After two years of massive renovations, WKU's Downing Student Union is almost ready to open to the public. Amy Bingham looks at the dramatic transformation in this week's View from the Hill.
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text:
by ABC6 Chief Political Reporter Mark Curtis
(Providence, Rhode Island) – Lots going on in the world of politics this week. Here's a look at some of the more interesting items:
"Missed Opportunities" – It now turns out that Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev was on an FBI watch list – not once, as first reported – but twice. And his mother was also added as someone with militant views against the United States. Despite this, Tamerlan was interviewed by the FBI, and then given a pass. Does this sound familiar? Remember back in 2011, two FBI agents – one in Phoenix and one in Minneapolis – each independently received tips about students at local flight schools who, oddly enough, wanted to learn to fly planes but weren't interested in learning take-offs and landings. We all know how that played out on September 11, 2001. Once again, opportunities were missed. Why do these leads continually fall through the cracks?
"The Greatest Nation" – Many Americans probably just took for granted an amazing event that took place Thursday. All five living U.S. Presidents gathered in Texas for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Museum. And in the process, we saw three Democrats – Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and, yes, even Jimmy Carter – say nice things about "Bush 43." They praised him on how he handled certain issues, though all had been critical of other Bush policies over the years. You see in the U.S. an effort to circle the wagons and stand together at times, something we see in particular at times of crisis such as the Boston bombings and 9/11. In many respects what happened Thursday was more of a tribute to the office of the Presidency and our form of government, than it was a tribute to once single person. It's this show of unity, strength and freedom that drives the radical jihadists crazy. It's one of the many reasons why they can't defeat us.
"The Bomber's Widow" – The buzz continues here in Rhode Island over Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, the North Kingston woman who is the widow of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Her lawyers held a brief news conference to maintain her innocence on Thursday. But questions continue to swirl about what she did, and did not know, of her husband's activities and radical Islamic beliefs. For where it stands now, she may have had nothing to do with any of the Boston violence. But here's what federal investigators are looking for: 1) Did she call her husband and brother-in-law after seeing their photos on TV the day before they were killed or captured. If the FBI finds evidence to that effect, she could be charged with aiding and abetting fleeing felons; 2) Did she (and her parents) turn over all computers and phone records that the FBI may want to examine? If not, she could be charged with obstruction of justice. Again, let's be very clear - she enjoys the complete presumption of innocence, but these are the two key areas of investigation.
"Same-Sex Marriage" – Last Wednesday Rhode Island became the tenth state in the nation to approve same-sex marriage (photo above). The State Senate vote was 26 to 12. Some minor differences with the House bill are to be worked out this week, and Governor Chafee will sign it into law this week. No matter where you stand on the marriage issue, many people on both sides of the debate feel it is ultimately a "states' rights" issue for each individual state to decide, without the federal government being involved. Twenty-five other states have enacted bans on same-sex marriage either by law or by constitutional amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court could decide by the end of June whether same-sex marriage is a federal civil rights issue, or a states' rights issue of self-determination. It continues to be an interesting debate.
"Marriage Rights?" – One of the more fascinating aspects of the gay marriage debate is where a lot of the opposition originates. Here in Rhode Island, the clear majority of people who came out to vocally oppose same-sex unions were Hispanic-American or African-American. To them it is a religious issue, not one of civil rights. State Senator Harold Metts, (D-Rhode Island), a prominent African-American lawmaker spoke to me this week. Senator Metts said, "God's word, Matthew 19 is very clear, marriage is supposed to be between one man and one woman. It's in Scripture, so for me, they trivialize the Word of God." Proponents of same-sex marriage claim it is a civil right, yet the two groups who in recent history that have benefited the most from civil rights legislation, are largely opposed to same-gender unions. I'm not saying I agree or disagree, just that the irony is worth noting.
As always let me hear from you. Just click the comments button at www.MarkCurtisMedia.com.
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text:
From WikiFur, the furry encyclopedia.
(Redirected from Karri Aronen)
Donotsue is the fandom alias of Finnish artist and animator Karri Aronen. He is best known in the fandom for his infamous Teeny Toons comics, which were a raunchy spoof of Warner Brothers' Tiny Toon Adventures.
Donotsue is a long-time member of the Crush Yiff Destroy forum, and created CYD's mascot: Rankin, the barfing raccoon. He has also had work published in Genus.
|This stub about a person could be expanded.
External links[edit]
- Donotsue's galleries on VCL (not work safe)
- Donotsue's Furnation Website
- Donotsue's Website


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Culture Shock
Valentine's Day Card Contest
For seven years now, we've entreated you to send us your valentines—bloody, funny and otherwise. And every year we're amazed at what can be expressed by doilies, cardboard and what we hope is fake blood. Can't say Alibi readers are lacking in creativity.
Gallery Review
A Day at the Museum
Albuquerque Now: Winter
It's Sunday, the opening of Albuquerque Now: Winter, and the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History is alive. A tiny girl in black-and-white stripes reaches for John G. Garrett's "Now Net," a suspended Technicolor waterfall of aluminum wire, plastic cable and recycled picnic ware, among other found elements. Her mother, in turn, reaches for her, saying, "No, love. Touch with your eyes." A dapper young man exclaims to his girlfriend, "Can you [adverb beginning with 'f'] believe that all of these artists are from Albuquerque!" And an older woman, relying on her cane for support, sweetly greets her friend with, "We so need art to get us through these times."
Book Review
'Til Death, Probably
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
Today's Events
The Soundtrack of Our Lives at UNM SUB Ballrooms
The Lobo Anime Club meets to screen and talk about anime music videos and more.
AZ/NM Connection at The Talking Fountain
Smut Trivia at TannexMore Recommented Events ››
International Legends Cup • 9.13.2014
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text: Originally "A Orz Day's Night" was an illustration on a 80x80cm canvas, inspired by the cover of "A Hard Day's Night" by The Beatles. It contains 80 drawings of the two most beloved characters of the author, Orz and Bamboly. Here you will find all of these illustrations in a lovely black square format. With the outsanding print quality of Blurb, of course.


text:
Welcome to the OSU College of Education and Human Ecology (EHE) People and Groups Web Space. This web site lists individual EHE faculty and staff pages as well as EHE group pages. The People and Groups buttons on the right lead to directories of individual EHE faculty and staff pages as well as EHE group pages. These web sites reflect their particular interests, research, academic courses, and programs. Visitors are welcome and invited to become more acquainted with them.
EHE faculty and staff members may create and maintain their own blog/web site by logging in on this page using their EHE username and password. EHE groups may request a group blog/web site by sending a request to the Service Desk at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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4 Tablespoons Tahini ( sesame butter available at health food stores)
4 tablespoons plain yogurt
4 cloves garlic
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 roasted jalapeno's, seeded
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
2 cans chick peas/ garbanzo beans
Combine first 7 ingredients in a food processor and pulse 3-4 times. Add chickpeas and process until smooth. This dip can be made the night before and chilled. Serve at room temperature with grilled pita bread, and chips. Also make a nice sandwich spead.
105 West Ferguson Street
Tyler, TX 75702
FCC Public File
EEO Report
Closed Captioning


text:
The wait is over! Download the BeerAdvocate app on iTunes or Google Play now.
Get 12 issues / year of BeerAdvocate magazine for only $9.99!
Bison Organic Golden Bock - Bison Brewing
Displayed for educational use only; do not reuse.
Ratings: 24 | Reviews: 23 | Display Reviews Only:
Reviews by baos:
4.6/5 rDev +27.1%
22 oz into bicentennial Mason jar.
A: Very nice looking translucent light-blonde-copper. 2 finger head dies dawn to a nice half finger sheet with a patch of froth in the middle. Lacing look very nice. Love the color of this brew very nice to kick of the coming warmer weather.
S: Awesome pure clover honey with a touch of hop spice. One of the best smelling beers I'm sampled in a time.
T: Smells sweet but the flavor is beeswax, the smallest hint of clover flower and a nice spicy hop finish.
M: Medium top full bodied. Nice carbonation.
D: I wish I would have bought more bottles, but for $5.99 me can't 'ford too much der sir baoseth.
04-10-2008 21:51:03 | More by baos
More User Reviews:
North Carolina
3.58/5 rDev -1.1%
Poured into my Pilsner Urquell Czeck glass a dull honey-gold with a white one finger head that decent lasting power.Very clean aromas for a pale bock just a hint of honey and some toasted grain there,not a rich full flavored bock more of a lighter but flavorful one,at first sips I picked up some real sweetness like honey and caramel it melds more into a drier toaty finish.The noble hops in the aroma and flavor the beer proclaims doesnt really show thru much just a touch of leaf on the palate.Eh its not bad not really true to style but it was an easier drinker for the style.
04-26-2008 21:07:03 | More by oberon
4/5 rDev +10.5%
12-14-2011 15:19:44 | More by Tabni
3.03/5 rDev -16.3%
Pours a bright golden-amber hue topped by about an inch of creamy, stark-white head. Nice lacing on the glass. Fairly weak aroma of pale and caramel malts, with a touch of noble hops. Palate is also a bit muted - pale malt and noble hops, with a good bit of astringency towards the finish. Body is a little thin, especially for a stronger beer. A touch of creaminess throughout, with some alcohol warming emerging on the finish. Didn't know what to expect from a "golden" bock, but whatever it is, it's rather average.
11-07-2006 07:04:10 | More by ElGordo
4.55/5 rDev +25.7%
Had this in NC,
Poured an effervescent amber with 2+ fingers of cream colored head.
S: Some grainyness & fruittyness
T: Huge breadyness & honey malt, plus some herbal hops up front. Lemony hops, a little straw & metallic hop notes in the middle. Finishes cakey with loads of hop snap (herbal & floral) & a hint of boozeyness
MF: Chewy with low carbonation & perfect balance
Drinks great for the abv. One of the best maibocks I've tasted
08-09-2007 03:51:33 | More by russpowell
2.98/5 rDev -17.7%
New in town. Aroma is malty with light perfume and apple notes. The body of the beer is a rich golden color, but its head is a miserable bubbly affair that never quite gets itself together. Fore has some alcohol, malt, grains and some strange malt liquor tasting moments. Middle to finish is strong with burning alcohol, fruit and grains. Like the head the flavor never really gets it together and comes off much hotter tasting than the 7.5% alcohol needs to be.
08-24-2006 10:38:35 | More by Jredner
3.23/5 rDev -10.8%
Amber with a small head that quickly recedes. No lacings.
Aroma is some apple juice, few floral hops.
Taste is pretty bitterly hopped followed by a prominent alcohol taste. Like someone poured half a shot glass of vodka in my glass while I wasn't looking. Some maltiness, breads.
Mouthfeel was alright for the style. Drinkability is a bit below average due to the obvious alcohol taste. If you don't mind plenty of alcohol in a otherwise light bodied beer, give this a try. It cetainly warmed me up!
12-31-2008 00:13:05 | More by Spikester
3.1/5 rDev -14.4%
Appearance- Poured slightly hazy light honey color with a huge, frothy, head. The head had tons of staying powerand left behind a sticky lacing.
Smell- The aroma is quite subdued. A very mild, lemony malt sweetness. Maybe the barest shred of some noble hops.
Taste- Lots of breadiness and a tinge of honey malt. The hops are very floral, without being very bitter or overly "hoppy". Doesn't really taadte much like a bock, but it's very nice all the same.
Mouthfeel- Medium body, with a nice level of carbonation that pushes the hops to the fore-front.
Drinkability- Worth a try. Not a great example of a bock, not sessionable, but well worth a try.
01-24-2008 22:33:23 | More by theopholis
3.63/5 rDev +0.3%
Clear golden colored beer with a small white head and a slight chill haze.
Smells malty and sweet with a strong honey scent and a strong smell of hay. Additional scents of chocolate and almonds.
Starts out sweet and strong with the honey flavor. Hop bite is in the back of the throat and is strongly herbal and grassy. A bit of Carmel and mildly stout in bittering, this is nice but almost a sweet beer.
Mouthfeel is OK; the sweetness makes me think Syrup though.
An OK beer but a bit one the sweet side with a big honey flavor.
07-22-2009 02:42:21 | More by Zorro
3.03/5 rDev -16.3%
22 oz bomber, paid $3.99 for this.
In appearance its a good enough looking lager. Deep golden with a nice small splotchy white head.
Aroma is average mainlly slightly malty, but not as much as I expect a bock to have. Some hop aroma too.
Taste is at first quite fruity and nice then it turns rather harsh at the back of the tongue and alcohol is very evident. The harsh bitterness continues on into the after taste.
Ok on the palate until the last of the mouthful then it becomes bitter and sticky, almost cloying.
This is an odd beer..like LBB before me this appears in reality to be a regular Pale lager with a touch more hops..maybe even a hoppy malt liquor.
Not a terrible beer, but not worth the money.
07-05-2006 18:46:23 | More by Reidrover
North Carolina
3.93/5 rDev +8.6%
Very pure dark gold with a thin head, but excellent retention. Smell of a fresh lager with a few hops mixed in and a pleasant smokiness. Smooth in the taste with a light smoky finish. Exceptionally crisp and refreshing. Another underrated and under-the-radar brew by Bison.
04-22-2007 19:07:00 | More by Neehan
North Carolina
3.85/5 rDev +6.4%
Golden pour with a small white head which doesn't last very long. Caramel scent but not very heavy. Malt and hop flavors are there, but hard to separate, you get hit by them simultaneously. Refreshing and not very heavy. Not a bad beer for this time of year. Alcohol is not too obvious but I imagine I'll feel it after 22 oz. Not a beer I'd go out of my way to find, but I would drink it again if I came across it.
07-07-2007 02:51:29 | More by kwakwhore
3.5/5 rDev -3.3%
This organic beer comes in a brown bomber. No freshness dating, but some pretty good information on the label.
As advertised, it is gold with an off-white head.
The nose has more hops than I expected. It there is also some grains and a bit of dough.
The taste is sweet with subtle spicing. The 7.5 percent is well hidden. There is some toasted malts and some hard candy in the background.
The mouth is solidly above average. Drinkablity is tougher. Good beer but it is a one per night beer for me.
07-30-2007 18:15:08 | More by Redrover
3.25/5 rDev -10.2%
Poured from 22oz bomber, clear and golden with a a white 2 finger head. Looks tasty.
Nice malty aroma, light toast, and just a hint of caramel and some noble hops.
Big mouthfeel, slightly creamy but slick toward the end. Slight warming.
Malty taste with a spicy hop note. Fairly clean but does have a bite of alchohol flavor and a slighly bitter finish. A good beer but flavor and mouthfeel not as smooth as some of the other bocks I enjoy.
07-18-2006 00:46:42 | More by kgotcher
New York
3.65/5 rDev +0.8%
The beer pours a dark golden color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a nice malty scent that boasts of pale, Munich, and bisquit malts. It smells sweet with a slight alcohol edge. The taste is decent. It has a smooth pale and Munich malt flavor that goes down easy and finishes dry with a slight metallic off flavor. It's rich with a bunch of Munich malt sweetness. The alcohol is present in the taste, but it doesn't really warm much. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a pretty good drinking beer. It doesn't blow me away, but it's a solid offering.
02-05-2008 01:16:52 | More by WesWes
2.93/5 rDev -19.1%
Presentation: 22oz Bomber, picked up for $3.79 at Hi-Times. Simple Bison logo on the black crown cap. Main label is typical of many of the Bison brews; this one has a typical Bison generic layout with a golden colored frontage set against a black background. To the top right of the front portion there is some text below a USDA Organic logo. The main label lists the beer as Bison Organic Golden Bock Lager Beer. Listed at 7.5%. No freshness date but again the Website states that this was brewed June-August 2005.
The blurb states Our golden bock has a rich full body with a mild toasted malt flavor and spicy noble hop aroma. A long cold aging process makes this lager extremely drinkable. Store our fresh perishable product in a cool place.
Appearance: Copper golden body with some polished brass. Incredibly clear with a resilient off-white head which is ably supported by a generous hard dissolved conditioning. The head bolsters up and thickens with each gentle movement of this brew in the glass. The sparkling clear body is milked with the simplest of action and a vibrant sheen of swirling dissolved lifeblood. Presentation is there.
Nose: Toasted malts lurch from sharp to soggy inset into a stodgy nose which suffers from a sweaty aroma ..that reminds me I must do my laundry and stop turning my socks inside out for work. Damp hops and a feisty cellar dampness do not exactly lend an enticing aspect to the nose.
Taste: Clean start tends to depreciate and break down into a mildy hopped weak amber ale with all the attraction of a watery blonde. Toasted malts with a powder coated sweaty sock burn. Copper based alloys fill the back end with a Nickel laden metallic finish. Not a fan of this one!
Mouthfeel: The tastes seem to falter but the Mouthfeel is always consistent. Biscuit feel with a digestive texture seems to lend an oatmeal background which has a grotesque balance when set against the soggy cardboard hops. Slack and tardy.
Drinkability: Average to say the best and there I am being polite perhaps. I found the sweaty aspects of this one to be off-putting, and I did not enjoy the metallic finish either.
Overall: Im not convinced that this one really works, or even that it is a Bock, it feels more like a bog-standard Lager punctuated with some West Coast hops which add a little clarity to the tastes but a funky smelly aspect to the nose and finish. Confusing to say the least. Ill be really interested to see what others think, but my thoughts are that this is more of a Golden Shower than a Golden Bock.
06-14-2006 07:50:56 | More by TheLongBeachBum
3.7/5 rDev +2.2%
22 oz'er with label espousing organic recipe. 7.5% ABV.
Pours with a solid vitreous golden clear straw topped with a frothy spumescent ivory cap leaving drippy lace foamed up.
Brisk honeyish nose. A tad Earthy.
First swigs: Toasted grain with a sweet sugary near maple syrup. Toasted grain imparts a vanilla cake. Middle flavor circles around a Golden Grahams cereal.
Full bodied for the bock style. Clean finish with an easy caramel aftertaste.
Last swigs: A lager that seems llike an ale.
11-28-2006 04:08:15 | More by blitheringidiot
3.63/5 rDev +0.3%
Slightly hazy gold, amber highlight , few thin streams of small bubbles leave an interesting design on the surface of the brew, no head whatsoever.
Buttery malt body carries a thin spicy aroma. Hints of coriander, tobacco and liccorice rise through a buttery toffee core.
As above the flavors follow the aroma, combining the sweetness of the malt with the hop and yeast bite yeilding an interesting root-beer like flavor.
Fairly thin yet smooth, coating the tongue, slightly biting at the edges.
Take it easy, this one slides down a faster than most.
03-31-2007 19:22:16 | More by cbn
2.75/5 rDev -24%
22 ounce bottle from Cooke's shared with my dad
Golden yellow pour with a pretty thick head that stuck around for a while
Taste was OK, a little hint of sweetness and not too hoppy
Could not really drink much of these even though they are light
Pretty cool that it is an organic beer though
09-12-2007 18:05:52 | More by Floydster
4.4/5 rDev +21.5%
Appearance- Pours a one and a half finger head. Beneath the foam lies a great hazey honey drenhced amber with some transluscent copper tones. You can still see some of of the bubbles through this viscous looking lager.
Smell- One of the creamiest smelling bock's I've ever had. Lots of medium strength malts hit the nostrils with this one. Sometimes I think of cream soda.
Taste- The creaminess holds true throughout the entire tasting of this beer. I love it. This would be so seesionable if it wasn't for the abv. %.
12-07-2006 05:39:16 | More by scruffwhor
North Carolina
4.22/5 rDev +16.6%
Poured a nice hazy pale orange with a decent frothy head. The aroma was nice and malty with some honey and a slight hint of earthy hops. The taste was nice and sweet with caramel malts. There was also a good earthy hops backbone providing a good balance for a bock. The beer was slightly heavy and lowly carbonated. There was a slight alcohol presence, but nothing intolerable. This is a very enjoyable bock.
03-30-2007 04:55:04 | More by atsprings
4.1/5 rDev +13.3%
Deep cloudy golden, a bit light for the style but great head retention and nice lacing for a bock.
Smells more like a Belgian Blond than a bock, but good buttery sour fruit and yeast aroma, nonetheless.
Wow. The sweetness in the aroma is cut with a nutty, roasty flavor that balances nicely. Tiny bit of bitterness in the back from the hops.
I like the nice low carbonation in this beer, especially since most bocks go a lot higher. Makes it very smooth.
I'd drink more of this for sure. The only problem is that Bison has so many other good offerings; it's hard to choose!
11-10-2007 00:54:14 | More by bboven
3.9/5 rDev +7.7%
From the 22 oz bomber with no evident freshness date into my Sam Adams glass (thanks, guys!), its a hazed apricot color with a tiny amount of precipitating carbonation. Thick merrangue cap fades slowly leaving lots of clingy lace. Nose of sweet malt with hints of lemony citrus and bready yeast, not too impressive but not bad. Tastes of semi-sweet malt with a citrus hops twang, good malt-hops balance. A bit of alcohol evident. Mouth is semi-creamy and rich with low carbonation profile. Slightly crisp, slick and wet; quenching. Drinkability is solid; this is a tasty and enjoyable brew that can be quaffed in volume, though the 7.5% ABV sneaks up on you.
Overall: A solid bock/strong ale, worth a try.
09-28-2007 23:17:02 | More by jettjon
3.43/5 rDev -5.2%
This is fairly good but not great and is very similar to a richer, more interesting, better-quality Steel Reserve.
It's hazy brownish gold-amber with almost no head that immediately goes to a thin ring.
The aroma is meaty, pungent, dark fruity wine, old grapes, ripe grain, and a little bread crust.
The taste is as above, a lot of overripe apple juice that's gone alcoholic, overripe grapes, a meaty alcoholic character, a faint flowery element and some light bread and cracker qualities. It's not bad and is better warmer and without food. With food, the rough alcoholic element takes over and well colder, it is more one-dimensional and boring.
09-23-2008 18:28:41 | More by Offa
Bison Organic Golden Bock from Bison Brewing
82 out of 100 based on 24 ratings.