A blast from the past (1996) that I just couldn't resist..

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Chip, Aug 6, 2013.

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  1. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    Long time posters will remember how much Sheila Danzig got ridiculed for her various attempts at unwonderful schools, the most sophisticated of which was MIGS (which has its own forum here at degreeinfo.

    One of the other constant sources of amusement having to do with Sheila's escapades was the free Macarena lessons on her website.

    Welll... it turns out the Macarena lessons are alive and well
     
  2. Damnation

    Damnation New Member

    I vote to "SHOOT" Chip...

    Sigh.. now i have the stupid tune running around my head.....
     
  3. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    16 steps?! Did Deselsms write the guide?? :poke: I found salsa to be simpler to learn than that, and with salsa you actually have to move your feet more than once per minute. Sheesh.
     
  4. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I'm aware of Sheila Danzig's past history, the source of her "doctorate" and all the kerfuffle about MIGS and a certain former doctoral distance student there, who left and (justifiably) denounced the place, then completed his degree at an RA school. I'm also aware of another Ph.D., a fine and cogent writer, whose very occasional forum-posts I love to read. I believe that gentleman was sued by MIGS and/or its operator(s) - basically for calling the "School" a "mill". It undoubtedly was a "mill," for the suit was spectacularly unsuccessful. Somewhere on the Internet, this Ph. D.'s really juicy letter regarding MIGS and the lawsuit is still available - and is a fine read today, with MIGS long-gone into dust. :smile:

    With this in mind, I visited Sheila Danzig's site a while ago. I believe she bought the old "Degreeboard" site and closed the forum. I downloaded two free PDF books. One was a very legit-appearing guide to seeking credit at the Big 3, and the other dealt with open courseware from well-known universities and other totally honest sources of free learning.

    Yes - I was surprised. And I missed the "Macarena" part. Just as well - I hate the song. I remember getting the Lambada song stuck in my head a few years before the Macarena. A while ago, I was reading an account of Roma (Gypsy) life in Albania, and apparently in 1992, Lambada was the number one song for Roma bands, there - because people would always pay them to play it. A waste of their time and talent but...they gotta eat!

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 6, 2013
  5. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    If I'm not mistaken, when I looked at Sheila's guide to seeking credit at the big 3, it was a blatant ripoff of the chapter of Bears' Guide. She'd changed the wording just enough that it wasn't exact, but it was very clear that she'd basically taken everything he said, in pretty much the same order, and made minor changes in it. Typical of Sheila's mindset. I'm guessing it's probably still the same, but haven't actually checked.

    btw, do you have a link to the Levicoff vs MIGS content? I have it backed up somewhere but if you have a link to it, I'd love to add that to the MIGS forum. I was reading through some of the posts and I'd forgotten just how hilarious the whole thing was.
     
  6. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I'm sure it probably is. I was too surprised to see the material appeared legit to check if it was stolen... :smile:

    As I'm sure you know, Chip, the original Levicoff vs. MIGS (and vice-versa) sites on Angelfire and Tripod have gone. I believe they may have been taken down at Dr. Levicoff's request. I found another site - here - that contains some of Dr. Steve's lively missives to Enrique Serna, MIGS attorney:

    https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.education.distance/S43nzVEVj7Y

    I'll get back if I can find the whole thing. Lots of places to look. I've seen quotes in forums at times. Still digging.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 6, 2013
  7. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Members may not have noticed but the original degreinfo MIGS forum has been ressurected from the archives and activated. Scroll to the end of the forum list. I believe it sits at 80 threads. Lots of good history. Lots of old member names. I'm betting that a lot of the original Levicoff content is embedded. Levicoff is very smart, very bold, always funny and stay on his good side. Too bad he doesn't post on these boards anymore.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 7, 2013
  8. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    I checked web.archive.org to see if the Angelfire or Tripod sites were archived there but so far no luck. Steve did, in fact, take the original down, but only because it was the *only* thing he agreed to do to settle the lawsuit... but he also gave notice before doing so, with the clear wink-and-nod that someone could scrape it and mirror it, and I'm sure it exists somewhere. I know I have a copy on an old backup, it's just a matter of finding it, and if it's online, it will save me the trouble ;)

    Some of the original content is in the MIGS forum, but unfortunately some of the most entertaining pieces -- specifically, the letters, emails, and legal filings from Enrique Serna (MIGS less-than-brilliant attorney) -- I don't think we have posted. It would be fun if we could find those :)
     
  9. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I looked and there are indeed posts from Dr. Steve - including the letter to Enrique Serna, copies to the MIGS Boardmembers - the one I linked to. Unfortunately, I was not able to find more of the correspondence there. I'm still searching "crooks and nannies" of the web.

    Yes, he is - and we should all do exactly that - If not, he can fricassee anyone he wants to, with his giant twin flamethrowers - wit and intellect. Or maybe they'd suddenly develop tire-marks from his 18-wheeler! :smile:

    True words. He's watching us, though... I know he is. :smile:

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 7, 2013
  10. JustAnotherPoorSlo

    JustAnotherPoorSlo New Member

    Wow, I remember that mess (I was, at the time, posting under an older account--I've lost the email account and can't get my 1990s account back). I feel old...
     

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