Egypt

Twenty four hours ago I thought we might be headed for a Tianeman square situation.  The good news?  A hundred thousand anti-government protesters were able to repel 10,000 armed anti-government protesters. With that failed tactic, the new Prime Minister came on today to say they will investigate who did this.  And in other news the fox has vowed to investigate who ate the chickens.  He also promised that the peaceful protesters will be protected.  (This is encouraging.  They know they lost the battle on the ground and the battle of public opinion throughout the world with what happened last night.)

This evening the new Vice President reiterated many of the same remarks.  He basically blamed Al Jazeera and foreign governments for keeping the riots going.  He also lied about already being in talks with the opposition.  Al Jazeera contacted many leaders and asked, "Has the VP been in contact with you?"  None have.

Again, overall things are better than they were 24 hours ago... but here's what is scary:  They are continuing to round up journalists.  The Washington Post has reporters detained.  Nicholas Kristof has tweeted about the police going through the hotels trying to round journalists.  

The bottom line:  This is a government making its last grasp on power.  They pretend they care about the people but are using every maneuver they can to hold on... they want to establish the new constitution so that they can retain power under a different name.

"Make your man surrender"

Kraft - the makers of the cheese that can last a thousand years - ran an ad on my blog.

Kraft seems to have been watching Mad Men - the show about advertising in the sixties.  The show presents how sexist/misogynistic the world of marketing was back then.  The lesson Kraft seemed to learn?  We can run ads like that in the Middle East!

You can see the link from that ad by clicking here.

The ad line, "Make your man surrender" was interesting enough.  The thought of highly processed cheese going into my system may well generate a white flag, but I don't think that's their point.

Now watch the short videos they produced to go along with it.  They are in Arabic with English subtitles.

I have spent some time looking on the Kraft US website.  I can't find "Make your man surrender."  Let me know if you've heard of this ad campaign.

Egypt

I was watching Al Jazeera's live coverage with an Egyptian friend as the violence broke out.  I am just sick.  What a horrible, horrible man.  For over 2 years I have heard of how bad Mubarek is... I didn't doubt these stories but I also know the ability to exaggerate here is pretty high.  Now I realize there was no exaggeration.  He is every bit as bad as I've heard.

What I'm following:
Al Jazeera has had fantastic coverage:
http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times made his mark in 1989 covering Tiananmen Square.  His tweets are worth reading.
http://twitter.com/nickkristof

And in case you missed it:  Anderson Cooper of CNN was attacked.

My apologies, Mr. President

On Thursday, January 30, the handwriting on the wall was clear:  There would be mass protests until Mubarek was out.  Yet, Vice President Biden went on PBS' The Newshour that night to say Mubarek should stay in power... and refused to allow Mubarek to be called a dictator.  

On the Sunday talk shows Secretary of State Clinton was a bit more forceful but said the US would not support his being ousted.  The Administration first signaled they would cut aid if he stayed and then walked that back, reinforcing that aid would continue even if Mubarek stayed.

So when I heard Mubarek's outrageous speech last night I thought he might well have had received a green light from Washington to give that speech.

Instead, it's clear he was flipping the bird at his people and the US... and given the comments by the President immediately after the White House finally knows the bastard they are dealing with... 

Behind the curve

Now that is clear to everyone in the world that Mubarek will not be able to remain in power the White House has publicly asked him not to run again in September.

Huh?  September?  There's no chance this guy will be president through September.  Everyone except someone in the White House and the yes-men reporting to Mubarek knows that.

It strikes me that the White House has been two steps behind facts on the ground each and every day of this crisis.  I hope - as both a Democrat and an American - that we learn in the next couple of weeks that they've been more pro-active behind the scenes.

Update:  Please, please tell me the Obama White House and Secretary of State Clinton didn't tell Mubarek, "Just say you won't run again in September.  Yeah, that will work."

Anniversaries

In a ten day period we are in the middle of right now there are a couple of anniversaries of things I follow closely:

Apple:

• The Mac introduced on January 24, 1984.  (So what you say - I have a computer using Windows?  Before the Mac there were no graphics.  The screen you are looking at is a descendant of that first Mac.)
• The iPad introduced on January 27, 2010.  Wall Street's reaction was to yawn.  Apple shares were down 10% after the announcement.  I agreed; the iPad seemed underwhelming in so many ways.  A year later is has become the fastest adopted product on the planet. (The stock has almost doubled since then.)

Space:

• Space Shuttle Challenger blew up on January 28, 1986.  It's hard to believe it's been 25 years.  I was a junior in HS and my mother called me at school to let me know.
• Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on reentry on February 1, 2003.  I had taken a group of Sigma Nu's to a regional training conference in Peoria and was so stunned it was difficult to concentrate.

Weather:

• The longest/coldest prolonged weather in Eastern Iowa - February 2-4, 1996.  If memory serves the highs were -15 and the lows were -26, -26, -21 (the lows are verifiable because they were record lows).  It was an interesting time to be working in weather.

Which brings me to what could be a new record/anniversary:  The National Weather Service predicts SE Iowa could receive the highest snowfall over a two-three day period in history.  

My sympathies go out to all Iowans shoveling out for the next few days.  If it is any consolation, the weather has been very blustery with boring sand storms for the past couple of days.  It's also begun to warm up.  Tonight I ran the air conditioner for the first time in two months.  

I'm not mocking you, really!  In a few weeks the snow in Iowa will have melted and the temperatures here will be in the 90's.  In another few weeks they'll be in the 100's+ for six months straight.  

Lucky? Yes and No

Today I tried to book a ticket to Nepal.  I got to the last step - putting in the credit card information - and discovered that my credit card had expired.  Given the airline's policies I can't simply use a friend's card.  The bank is open tomorrow and I hope to get this cleared up.

While I'm bummed and thinking, "Only you, Steve, only you..."  I have to say I am feeling lucky:  I was originally supposed to be in Egypt by now.  Even though the region I was going to be in does not have the rioting the news that the internet and cell phones have been cut is scary.  My friend Gwenn is flying there on Monday.  If I were stupid brave I'd join her.  

I'll keep trying for Nepal.

Joyce and me

From late November to late February every year there is a giant flea market in Dubai called Global Village.  A couple dozen countries bring their merchandise to peddle.  Last year I loved this Kenyan salesperson and the sandstone coasters and bowls she sold.  (None of that stuff is in the picture.)  I was happy to see her back again this year.

I found out her name is Joyce.  "That's a name I'll remember," I told her.  "It is my mother's name."  Either she's a really good salesperson or she was genuinely shocked to learn she shares a name with an American mother but she seemed to be touched.  Perhaps a bit of both.

No minimum wage + abundant workers equals?

Pay of $176 per month.

Laborers put in 10 hour days, six days per week.  That's at least 250 hours per month which comes out to 70 cents per hour.

These are not the wages in a tragically poor country.  These are wages paid here in the UAE.

It's makes the shiny city of Dubai less glitzy to think of how much of it was built on slave-like labor.

Vacation travel plans

Note:  I deleted the half-written post that was up earlier today.  Just forget about it... which should be easy enough.

*****
For the past two months I've considered three options for this break:
1.  Egypt
2.  Beirut (Ann & Mike loved it there.)
3.  Back to Nepal

Last week's fall of the Tunisian government has Arab leaders across the spectrum concerned, no place more so than Egypt.  Thousands have flooded the streets in protest and some wonder if this is the start of a revolution.  Last week I told one of my former (Egyptian) students that I planned to go to Luxor, Egypt, during the break.  Yesterday he contacted me and said, "Please don't go."

OK.

Here's today's headline on Beirut, "Business as usual despite riots across Lebanon..."

That leaves Nepal.  I may or may not go.  I have use-it-or-lose-it credit with a budget airline so I very much want to get out of the country even if it is only for a few days.

Tales of cheating - Part II

Imagine a student scoring 40% on a quiz, 40% on the final yet was only one of two to score a perfect 100 on another quiz.  Hmm, hard to believe, isn't it?

The good news is that the guy was only rewarded with a D+.  That disqualifies him from majoring in the college of business.

The bad news is that the quiz he cheated on was one where I had thought I had security down:  Online, random multiple choice questions and they were no allowed to go back once a question was answered.  I've double checked everything I know and I can't figure out how he did it.  I'm meeting with an expert of the online tests next week to get his opinion.

That's assuming I don't go anywhere.  

Tales of cheating

 It's 3:49 AM.  I've had no real sleep in 26 hours.  I just discovered a student who clearly cheated on at least a quiz or two but ended up with only a D+ in the class because of the security measures on the midterm and final outlined in the post below.  

Had I discovered this earlier the D+ would have been an F.  How did I uncover this?  He had the balls to ask me to explain his grade.  When I looked there is no explanation.  Details tomorrow.

Ugh.

End of semester thoughts

In the past 24 hours I have driven to the Dubai airport twice - taking friends there to start their vacation.  I'm a little punchy from too much caffeine and not enough sleep...

*****
This has been my most stressful semester since dealing with the cheating in my first semester... and most of that stress was self-imposed.  If I could learn to adapt to this culture I would have had a great semester.  When things like the internship system don't work I'd get stressed out, yet all I needed to do was say, "There's no problem here.  Everything is fantastic!"  It's what they want to hear and as long as everyone plays along with the charade everyone is happy. 


*****
I received surprisingly little begging this semester and even less response to the grades.  I had a class where 50% of the class received a C/C+.  I know a good chunk of them expected a higher grade and I was waiting for the onslaught of "But, sir!"  Only one student asked for a breakdown of points.  Not a single complaint.  Nice, but almost scary.  


*****
A former student contacted me on FaceBook to say he's angry because a professor sold test questions to a student.  He seemed more upset that someone else had the questions than he was about the cheating.  Rumors like this fly around the university.  I have no idea, of course, if this specific allegation is true and I'm glad the prof he was accusing is not in my department or anyone I know.  I have, however, seen cheating here that blows away anything I have seen anywhere else.  This semester's lesson:  A 2 hour final is plenty of time for a good student to answer an entire final for at least 2 or 3 of his friends.  How?  Some give short tests.  I proctored a test where the final was 35 multiple choice questions.  I noticed that a couple of students hadn't answered a single question 30 minutes into the exam.  Why?  The guy next to them was dutifully taking the test and when done would exchange and answer his questions for him. This isn't staring at your neighbor's paper.  This is writing your name on the test and handing it to your neighbor to answer it for you.

I've asked former students, "How common is this?"  I received a smiling, non-verbal response.  After the pause I asked, "Really?  It's that common?"  I was basically told "1. Some profs know we are doing this and look the other way and, 2.  It is simply the way things are done here."

But it's not the way things are done here for everyone.  In the same class where I am sure there was test swapping going on there was another part of the class where some students sat isolated and struggled through the test all on their own.  I felt bad for them - "If it is a group effort for some it should be a group effort for all."

Also, I wonder why students want to take classes with me.

• My average grades are 2.4 - 2.7, meaning my average student gets a C+.  I'm not giving away grades.
• There's no chance I'm going to switch mid-lecture into Arabic to make it easier for them to understand.
• I give assigned seating on the midterm and final.  I grade them in order of where they sat and it is easy to see patterns and I fail them.  Nobody else gives assigned seating.
• This semester I added:  "Take out your cell phone and put it on the front of the table.  If you touch it during the test you are done."
• A test with 60 multiple choice questions, 4 essays and a case study is too long to do "the swap."  
• During the test I walk around.  I don't sit up front with my head buried.
• And, of course, multiple versions.

In other words, I have made it much harder to cheat and many still want to take my classes.  I'm just not sure why.  Yes, it's nice to get the e-mail like the one below but I'd be seriously delusional if I thought more than 5% of my students were like her.

E-mail of the day

This is not only one of the nicest e-mails I've ever received, it's also one of the best written:

Dear Dr. Steven:

I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your class this year i can't thank you enough for what you have done for us in this course to make our lives easier. I learned a lot about Supply Chain Management and i loved every second of it. Thank you alot for always being patient and in a good mood. I always looked forward to your class and I can honestly say that it was the most enjoyable class I took this Academic year. You have a way of making dry subjects really interesting and out of all the professors I came across here at UAE University, you have help me learn better, not just about the course itself but as well as how to be an excellent student. You have influenced me to be a better student and how to take on the role of a responsible business person when I enter the corporate world. Once again, I want to say Thank You from the bottom of my heart.

Have a great break.

Regards,

I'm glad a student found the supply chain (operations management) class interesting.  She's right; it is boring material.  Trying to make it interesting is work and I am happy someone appreciates that!

*****
No, I do not call myself "Dr. Steven" and this e-mail came after grades were posted.  This wasn't a suck-up for a better grade.

History lesson: Plan to take Canada?

I took a break from grading finals to join Canadian friends for dinner.  Here is a post-dinner conversation.

Canadian #1:  It's your fault we have the French.

Me:  Huh?

Canadian #1:  We were about to kick them out in the 1800's but we needed their numbers to keep the Americans out.

Me:  Really?  In our history books I don't recall us ever planning to invade Canada.

Canadian #2:  Hello?  Manifest destiny.

Me:  OK, I know we used manifest destiny to take the southwest from Mexico but I've never heard of a plan to take anything from Canada.

Canadian #2:  After we burned down your White House in 1812, we were pretty sure you were going to invade us.

Me:  Umm, wasn't it the British that burned down the White House?

Canadian #1:  Canada was Britain back then.  It was Canadians that burned down the White House.

Canadian #2:  But if you guys believe it was the British that's great!  Blame them!

BTW, the French slight was a little tongue-in-cheek; my hosts have part French blood. 

Tales from grading finals

I appreciate that English is not easy and that my students are pretty much all non-native English speakers.  Words are very often written phonetically.  Today I came across a word that baffles me.  It's in an answer to Type A/B personality:

Type A pattern - idintifining examption, edoviteraork thinking about deadline and time construction no relixed in the life

Besides the rest of the word salad, I am trying to figure out "edoviteraork."

Negotiating... win?

I ran the events of the past two weeks by my Dean.  His response:  "I'm glad you declined.  The offer was too low even if you didn't have to develop the course.  If the medical dean complains to me I'll tell him he is too cheap."

That was exactly what I wanted to hear.  If my Dean had said, "Well, it would help relations between the colleges..." I would have felt compelled to do it.

This morning my contact at the medical college responded to my e-mail by writing, "What a pity.  Is there anyone you can recommend who would be willing to teach it?"

I'm going to take the weekend to decide how or even if I will respond.  Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.

Negotiating 101 fail (continued)

Last week I agreed to develop a short course for the College of Medicine and teach it.  I failed in negotiating by not insisting on any money to develop the course.  It will likely take 20 hours to prepare the course on top of teaching it for 3 days.

Today I received a cheery e-mail from the coordinator that he good news:  His Dean has approved everything and they will happily pay me 25% less than what was offered last week!

Here was my polite reply:

Dear Ian –

 Considering the amount of prep work to develop this course and deliver it, I am not willing to do it for Dh 4200.  I was uncomfortable when I left your office that there was no compensation for the development work.  Now that I have an offer of Dh 4200 it makes my life easier; I can comfortably say I decline.

 Feel free to use the outline we worked on.

 Steve

Dh 4200 = $1100

Here's what I wanted to write:

Dear Ian -

Imagine the situation were reversed:  The College of Business has asked a member of the Medical faculty to develop a 2 credit hour course and deliver it for Dh 4200.  Your faculty would consider it an insult.  While I am not claiming my time is as valuable as a medical doctor I am, nonetheless, insulted.

Steve

I'd also have to liked to have included one of my favorite Spellmanisms...

Obama approval ratings

Two new polls show the President's approval ratings over 50% and the highest they've been in over a year.  The change has not come from Democrats or Republicans; they love or hate him about as much as they have in the past.  The change is with independents where his approval is up 15%.

There's no question this is in response to his response to the Tucson shooting.  He was decidedly cool, calm and non-partisan which appeals to independents.

Good for him.  I've never been terribly concerned about his reelection and while two years is eternity +1 in politics, his in pretty good shape.

I wish, however, he hadn't been quite so "presidential."  This incident screams for attention that it will not get:

• Gun control - A person kicked out of college for being mentally disturbed should not be able to get a gun... or at the very least there should be some sort of check.  Also, why should any normal, law-abiding citizen be able to purchase a gun with a rapid-fire clip?
• Treatment of the mentally ill - Many in the US can't pay for treatment for physical illnesses and many more cannot pay for treating mental illness.  

If Obama were the partisan I wish he was he'd hit these two topics head on.  If we can't talk about them now we'll never be able to talk about them.  For too long my party has seen both of these topics as political losers... and they are right:  The majority of the country does not agree with us...  But that's because we haven't tried to argue our side in at least 15 years.

In oh, so many ways Obama has turned into Clinton 2.0.  More, I think, than Hillary would have.

The moon

Geek alert!

I was taking out the trash at 11:30 tonight and I noticed the moon directly overhead.  I have never seen the moon exactly above me.  It was awe-inspiring!

Another amazing  treat (for a weather geek) was seeing some low level clouds moving north while a haze layer that was much higher moving east.  

This is has to be near the top in two categories  1. You had to be there, and 2.  You have to be a weather geek.

Update:  Now the lower level clouds are also moving east.  I've never spent 30 minutes watching the moon.  I'm not sure if it's really that exciting or if I really, really don't want to grade my finals.

Also, of interest - a large villa is almost completely built across the street.  Tonight there are two people sitting in the middle of the driveway watching a large TV at midnight.  Huh?