Arizona became an early adopter in the privatization/"education reform" movement almost a quarter century ago when it opened its first charter schools.

From the beginning, the Republicans pushing charter schools had two overlapping goals: open as many charters as possible, and regulate them as little as possible. They're fine using taxpayer money to fund the schools, but their mantra has always been, "Keep your government hands off my charters!" They've kept rules and regulations as few and as toothless as possible.

As a result Arizona has the highest number of charter schools per capita in the country, though other states are catching up. We also have some of the worst examples of unchecked profiteering and what can only be described as legal corruption in the charter school sector you're going to find anywhere.

I'll get to the most recent example of profiteering and corruption involving State Representative Eddie Farnsworth (R, LD-12) in a minute, but first let me make one thing absolutely clear. Republicans have had plenty of opportunities to increase transparency and tighten financial rules on charter schools. The media has written articles about problems for years. Democratic legislators have proposed legislation to put a check on some of charter school operators' worst practices. Republicans have purposely ignored the media warnings and shot down Democratic legislation at every turn. If they retain their control over the legislature and the governor's office, nothing is going to change. You can bet money on it. However, if Democrats increase their power November 6, there's a good chance we'll see increased transparency and tighter regulation, which will, ironically, improve the quality of the charter schools Republicans hold so dear.

Now, to Rep. Farnsworth, who has figured out a way to turn charter schools into a multimillion dollar goldmine.

Eminem's song “Lucky You” on his new album Kamikaze, featuring Joyner Lucas, is the rapper’s first No.  1 debut on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart. Four songs from Kamikaze are in the top 10 of Streaming Songs List including “Lucky”, then “The Ringer” as No. 5, “Fall” as No .7 and the title track as No. 8. The rapper previously ruled the chart with “The Monster” featuring Rihanna in January 2014. “Lucky” is the seventh song to debut on Streaming Songs in 2018 and the first since Drake’s “Nonstop” on the July 14-dated list. Also, “Lucky” leads the On-demand Streaming Songs ranking with 31 million streams.

Eminem had never before debuted in the top 10 Streaming Songs. His closest was No. 11 “Headlights,” featuring Nate Ruess in May 2014. Kamikaze earns Eminem his ninth No. 1 album on Billboard 200 chart. The track gained 42.2 million streams in the week ending Sept. 6, after the album was released Aug. 31.

Eminem’s 10 most popular songs as of March 2018:
1. River ft. Ed Sheeran
2. Walk on Water ft. Beyoncé
3. Campaign Speech
4. Untouchable
5. Infinite (F.B.T. Remix)
6. Love the Way You Lie ft. Rihanna
7. The Monster ft. Rihanna
8. Lose Yourself
9. 2 Pac- Till I Die (ft. Eminem)
10. Rap God 

Apple is notorious for introducing its technological advancements and new products to its users in September. Well, for all of you who have been waiting, it's finally here.

If you're on Twitter, you may have already watched the live event, but for those who didn't, let's catch you up:

Apple Series 4 Apple Watch:

Jeff Williams, Apple's COO, took the stage to release the new series of Apple Watches and said the new product's three core values are connectivity, fitness, and health. The first thing he discussed was the new display, it is now 30 percent larger with an edge-to-edge screen but is now thinner according to Williams. It is made with black ceramic making sound waves and cellular service travel better. The sound is now 50 percent louder and the watch can now detect when you fall. This detections feature gives the user the option to call emergency services if the fall was serious. If there is no response from the user within one minute, emergency services are called automatically.

The heart rate alert that has been on the previous series now has three new features:

The new model has a low heart rate alarm that will notify the user of signs of atrial fibrillation-a condition of having an irregular heartbeat. What's more, there is now an electrocardiogram feature, making it the first ECG feature available over the counter.

The Series 4 Apple Watch with GPS will be available for $399 while the one that includes cellular will be $499. It comes in three colors, space grey, silver and gold. It can be preordered this Friday, Sept. 14 and can be received as early as Friday, Sept. 21.

iPhone Xs and Xs Max:
The event also included the announcements of new iPhone models. The iPhone Xs has a 5.8 inch super retina display with an all screen front display, while the iPhone Xs Max is 6.5 inches, Apple's biggest phone yet. Both phones have an LCD screen and are waterproof in up to two meters of water for 30 minutes. Better yet, it's orange juice, wine, and beer proof.

They now come with the all new A-12 Bionic chip, a neural engine with machine learning, expanding the way users experience photos, gaming and more. The camera, even better than before, has dual lenses at 12MP with an improved portrait mode making it possible to adjust the level of blur in your photos.

The iPhone Xs is said to last 30 minutes longer than the X, while the iPhone Xs Max lasts 90 minutes longer. They will be available in the same three colors as before, silver, space gray and gold. With storage options of 64, 128 and 512 GB. The new additions still do not have a home button and will rely on facial recognition. They include wireless charging but can still be charged with a lightning cable.

The iPhone Xs starts at $999 while the iPhone Xs Max starts at $1,099. They will be available for purchase on Friday, Sept. 14.

iPhone Xr:

With a 6.1 inch display, liquid retina and the most advanced LCD a phone has ever had, Apple made an effort to make sure this new product would not disappoint. The camera is the same as the two other new releases, 12 MP, but only contains one lens. It is only waterproof for 30 minutes up to 1 meter. It will also include facial recognition and wireless charging. It also comes in a wider range of colors which include the following: yellow, white, blue, black, coral and red. The storage options are 64, 128, and 264 GB.

The iPhone Xr starts at $749 and will be available for purchase on Friday, Sept. 14.

I've never used emoticons before, but these angry little guys may be just what I need right now.

"Read my emoticon. Damn right I'm mad! I plan to stay mad through November 6. After that, we'll see."

Republicans are doing everything they can to tell Arizona educators to calm down, there's really nothing to be upset about. It's your own fault the Invest in Ed initiative isn't on the ballot. As for your salary problems, blame your school district, not the legislature or the governor. You educators shouldn't bother your pretty, pedantic little heads about all this complicated governing stuff. Just stay in to your classrooms where you belong. After you vote us back into office, don't worry, everything will be fine.

Republicans hate it when their opponents get mad. Oh, they love to rile up their own base. The Tea Party named itself after a bunch of colonists in Boston who were so pissed about taxes, they threw a shipload of tea in the harbor. Our Liar in Chief inflames his base with a steady diet of hate directed at his growing list of enemies. They know it works.They know it brings their supporters out to the polls.

Which is why they want the opposition to stay calm and quiet. Get sad, not mad. Lose gracefully.

I was surprised to find myself featured in an op ed by Jonathan Hoffman in Sunday's Star. I was the poster child and whipping boy for every educator who is angry at Republican elected officials and their fat cat donors and plans to vote them out of office. Hoffman was complaining about a quote from one of my recent posts, Don't Get Sad. Get Mad!:

“We need to be Red-hot angry over the decision by Ducey’s Supreme Court, backed by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, to take the Invest in Education initiative off the ballot.”

Hoffman hated that "Red-hot angry" phrase so much, he repeated it four times. If anyone missed the point about how dangerous it is to be that angry, he warned teachers they're turning into "Antifa thugs" instead of quiet, staid "college-educated professionals."

Your problems are your own fault, he said.

"You created the problems with the Invest in Ed initiative, not the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the Arizona Supreme Court. So, be professional, own the screw-up, and do it right next time."

Take the blame. Slink away quietly. Lick your wounds. You can try again two years from now.

Our hometown campus has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings as one of the top academic institutions in the country. Go 'Cats!

The University of Arizona came in at number 46 in the 2019 Best Public Colleges category, which is 14 spots higher than it ranked last year. Out of all universities, including both public and private institutions, the UA ranked number 106, 18 spots higher than last year and the best ranking that the UA has achieved in almost 10 years.

UA President Robert Robbins commented on the ranking:

It is our intention to equip our students with the skills necessary to compete and contribute in the increasingly challenging global economy. We are stressing a student-centric approach that focuses greatly on the necessary humanistic and adaptive skills required to excel in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We embrace this broad mission and will work tirelessly to advance our influence on behalf the students and the university. At the same time, we remain proud of our status as a land-grant university and a member of the Association of American Universities. The University of Arizona welcomed 31 percent of this year's incoming freshman class as first-generation college students.

The UA also placed on other lists compiled by the U.S. News & World Report, including coming in number 97 on the Best Value Schools list and appearing on the list of A+ Schools for B Students.

The management information systems program at the UA Eller College of Management placed number one out of public universities. Out of public and private universities, the program placed third, only trailing behind MIT and Carnegie Mellon University.

The UA College of Engineering also popped up on the list, ending tied for 55th place overall, and 16th among public universities for doctoral programs.

U.S. World & News Report ranks colleges and universities annually based on 16 measures of academic quality. Find the full U.S. World & News Report rankings here. 

Who knew? Certainly not Attorney General Mark Brnovich. "I can't believe it's not a crime!" he said when he found out that charter school operators were pocketing and investing millions of dollars the state pays them to educate our children. "I'm not only shocked, but I'm disappointed."

Brnovich must be new to the concept of privatizing government and profiting handsomely from public funding. For instance, he probably doesn't know much about the Arizona's conservative/libertarian Goldwater Institute, which advocates for privatization and deregulation. Wait, check that. He was Director of the Goldwater Institute's Center for Constitutional Government. OK, so maybe he doesn't have any real world experience with for-profit businesses which make big money by performing government services. Wait, check that too. He was Senior Director for the Corrections Corporation of America, the private prison company.

I guess it's possible Brnovich hasn't read or seen the many news stories about charter schools misusing state funds during his years in Arizona, or heard the topic mentioned in the halls of government. Possible, but not likely.

So why this sudden concern about charter schools ripping off the public and his call for "a mechanism . . . to make sure that charter schools . . . are not enriching themselves at the expense of students"? Here are four good reasons.

1. He's running for office in a year Democrats look like they have a shot at winning statewide races.
2. He has an able, hard working Democratic challenger, January Contreras, who has a strong record of serving and protecting Arizonans.
3. Education is the top issue for most Arizonans.
4. He's one of 20 attorneys general who signed onto a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act. If they're successful, insurance companies can refuse to cover people with preexisting conditions. He'd rather talk about how much he loves children and education than how he's working to deny people health coverage.

The first three reasons are self explanatory. Number four deserves more explanation.

Across the country, teachers give up some of their earning power when they decide to enter their noble profession. Arizona tops the list in earning losses: 36.4 percent.

We're Number 1!   We're Number 1!   We're Number . . .   Oh wait, that's not a good thing.

According to an analysis in the Money section of Time, on average, teachers earn 18.7 percent less than other college grads working full time, factoring in education, age and years of experience. If you consider teacher's benefits, which are higher than in the private sector, the gap goes down to 11.1 percent.

But all pay gaps are not created equal, as we learn in the article's "Teacher Pay Penalty, State-By-State" chart. Scroll way, way down to the bottom, past Oklahoma, past North Carolina, and you get to Arizona, where teachers earn 36.4 percent less than people of similar education, age and experience.

Do you teach in Arizona? If so, slash a-third-plus-3-percent off your earning power.

Saturday I was a guest on the John C. Scott radio show. John and I were discussing the push to arm teachers, which I find abhorrent. A caller wanted to let me know how wrong I was. Here's what she said.

"There was a massacre in 1974 in Israel called Ma'alot. There were 31 children and 4 teachers killed and 115 people wounded. The next day the military moved into the school, and they taught the teachers how to protect the children with guns. Since 1974 there has never been another school shooting in Israel."

It's a perfect story. Children harmed, teachers armed, children safe. Perfect. Too perfect.

It's a safe bet, stories this neat and tidy are either complete lies or they leave out important details. That's why as I listened, my Bullshit Detector was maxed out at eleven, lights were flashing and sirens were blaring. But what could I do? I'd never heard of the incident, so I couldn't tell the caller she was wrong. Yet I was damned if I was going to leave what sounded like a perfect fabrication hanging there without a response.

If she was lying, or if she was retelling an inaccurate story she believed, any chance of us carrying on a reasonable discussion was gone. For people to talk about something with the purpose of understanding the issues and arriving at conclusions, not just winning, both sides have to play fair. Otherwise, it's just a question of who's better at fighting dirty.

My sense was, purposely or not, she was fighting dirty. But was the Ma'alot story she told incorrect? I couldn't be sure.

The one card I had to play was my knowledge of how restrictive gun laws are in Israel. It's much harder to get guns there than in the U.S., so the notion that their schools would be filled with gun-toting teachers doesn't make sense. Did the caller know anything about Israeli gun laws, I wondered, or was she just repeating a story she heard?

When she finished talking, I asked, "Do you know anything about how difficult it is to get a gun in Israel?" Silence. Either she knew nothing, or she had already hung up.

I took a chance, figuring the odds were with me.

After I explained how difficult it is to own a gun in Israel, I said, "With all due respect, I'm going to look this up after the show is over, but I don't believe teachers are armed in Israel's schools. I think that's a bogus argument."

After the show, I looked it up. I was right. The thrust of her argument and most of the details were wrong.

Supporters of education should be seeing Red right now.

We need to be Red-hot angry over the decision by Ducey's Supreme Court, backed by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, to take the Invest in Education initiative off the ballot.

We need to be more #RedforEd than ever.

We need to rid Arizona of Red/Republican politicians who vote in lockstep with their rich backers, ignoring the needs of our children. Throw The Sons Of Bitches Out! To paraphrase a slogan Republicans loved in the 60s: "Arizona: Love its children or Leave office." Don't let the Capitol door hit your asses on the way out.

If we can't campaign for Invest in Ed, then we campaign hard for candidates who promote a progressive education agenda: David Garcia for Governor, Kathy Hoffman for Superintendent of Public Instruction and all the other state and local Democrats who are facing uphill electoral battles. It doesn't matter if they were your first choice in the primary. They're your first choice now. The future of Arizona education — hell, the future of Arizona — is hanging in the balance.

Don't get sad. Get mad! And do something about it.