Tell Harry Reid: Don't let the Baucus bill kill the public option

Tell Harry Reid: Don't let the Baucus bill kill the public option:

"On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee, led by Senator Max Baucus, passed a health care reform bill without provisions for a public health insurance option.

This opens the door to procedural shenanigans that could prevent the public option from ever being considered on the floor of the Senate, which would make it much harder for the public option to be included in the final bill that lands on the president's desk."

We can't sit back and let the public option die. Tell Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make sure a public option is included in the health care reform bill that goes to the floor of the Senate.

As the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid will lead a process to merge the Baucus bill with another health care reform bill passed by the Senate HELP Committee, which does include a public option. The product of this merger will go to the floor of the Senate for a vote.

Besides President Obama, there is nobody in a position to effectively oppose Senator Reid's decision should he choose to include provisions for a public option. But if Senator Reid does not include a public option in the merged bill, it will be difficult to insert the public option at a later stage of the process.

We have the votes to pass a public option in health care reform. We have to make sure the public option is not abandoned before a full Senate vote even takes place.

Join us in asking Senator Reid to keep the public option alive by including it in the bill that comes to the floor of the Senate.

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:

"First District Advisory Committee (DAC) General meeting

October 20, 2009

For complete Meeting Information go to:
DAC Chair Update & News A Message from Wanda

Special Guests to include:
Mr. Jonathan Raymond, New SCUSD Superintendent
Dr. Geni Boyer, the Director of Cambridge Academies/California Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC)"

Recovery.gov

Recovery.gov:

"Recovery.gov is the U.S. government’s official website providing easy access to data
related to Recovery Act spending and allows for the reporting of potential fraud, waste, and abuse."


On February 13, 2009, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Four days later, the President signed the legislation into law. The Recovery Act’s three main goals are to:

Create and save jobs

Spur economic activity and invest in long-term economic growth

Foster unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency in government spending

This $787 billion Recovery plan includes federal tax cuts and incentives, an expansion of unemployment benefits, and other spending on social entitlement programs. In addition, federal agencies are using Recovery funds to award contracts, grants, and loans around the country.

The Recovery Act’s longer-term economic investment goals include:

Initiating a process to computerize health records to reduce medical errors and save on health care costs

Investing in the domestic renewable energy industry

Weatherizing 75 percent of federal buildings and more than one million homes

Increasing college affordability for seven million students by funding the shortfall in Pell Grants, raising the maximum grant level by $500, and providing a higher education tax cut to nearly four million students

Cutting taxes for 129 million working households by providing an $800 Making Work Pay tax credit

Expanding the Child Tax Credit

The Recovery Act was intended to jumpstart the economy but many of the projects funded by Recovery money, especially those involving infrastructure improvements, are expected to contribute to economic growth for many years.

To view the full bill, click here.

NJ gubernatorial candidates highlight differences | AP | 10/16/2009

NJ gubernatorial candidates highlight differences AP 10/16/2009:

"The three touched on issues from how to lower taxes (cut spending, encourage shared services, cap municipal spending) to whether to allow gay marriage. (Corzine and Daggett approve; Christie favors civil unions.) But the issue of education reform typified their respective lines of attack.

Christie accused the Corzine administration of failing urban children and promised reforms including more charter schools and school vouchers. Corzine defended himself, saying New Jersey schools are among the best-performing in the country and saying he would continue to push for universal pre-kindergarten. Daggett stressed his credentials , both he and his lieutenant governor candidate, Frank Esposito, have doctorates in education , and said he's got the most know-how of the three to achieve a major educational overhaul.

The debate also featured novel moments. Corzine acknowledged that his failed plan to fund highway projects through massive toll increases was 'too much, too fast.' And Christie responded to a Corzine ad that accuses him of 'throwing his weight around,' by saying, 'I think tonight would be a good night to let everyone in on a little secret. ... I'm slightly overweight.''"

1 in 8 female students at Chicago High School ‘pregnant’

1 in 8 female students at Chicago High School ‘pregnant’:

"Washington, Oct 17 (ANI): One in eight of Chicago High School’s female students are pregnant, it has been revealed.

CBS2Chicago.com has reported that out of the 800 female students at Paul Robeson High School in Chicago, Ill., 115 are expectant mothers.

Principal Gerald Morrow said that the staggering number can be attributed to various factors inside the home, not the school.

“It can be a lot of things that are happening in the home or not happening in the home, if you will,” Fox News quoted Morrow as telling the network.
Morrow said that ‘absentee fathers’ are another factor in the school’s high number of teen pregnancies.

According to a March 18 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, the birth rate for teens ages 15 to 19 increased 5 percent from 2005 to 2007. (ANI)"

Dissident Voice : Code Words and Green Dot’s Pandering to Westside Racism

Dissident Voice : Code Words and Green Dot’s Pandering to Westside Racism:

"There’s nothing the matter with teachers that a little less unionization and more COMPETITION couldn’t cure.
– Ann Coulter (racist reactionary right wing pundit)

It would force the district to learn how to run great schools by forcing them to COMPETE.
– Ben Austin (Executive Director LAPU/PR)

Several Emerson Middle School parents, activists, and teachers recently contacted me. They informed me LAPU/Parent (counter)Revolution has an “organizer” going door-to-door gathering signatures to privatize their school, this despite the fact Emerson isn’t on LAUSD Superintendent Cortines’ current privatization list. I asked them to describe the “organizer,” expecting LAPU/PR to have committed one of their most experienced employees, Shirley Ford or Mary Najara, to a project so ideologically important to chief privatizer Ben Austin."
The person gathering signatures they described, while initially unexpected, made complete sense in the context of the class character and demographics of where the canvassing is occurring. We’ll get back to this shortly.

Anyone over the age of 30 should recall phrases including “school choice” were the clarion call of segregationists and southern dixiecrats. It’s no small irony that one of Ben Austin’s Georgetown University Law School predecessors, Milton Korman, argued on the Jim Crow side of Brown vs. Board of Education. While the context of modern white flight isn’t directly comparable to that of the segregationists, its character and motivations are the same. Let’s look at the subtle, insidious racism that fuels the charter/voucher movement.

Maine voters asked to reverse K-12 school mergers - Fosters

Maine voters asked to reverse K-12 school mergers - Fosters:

"PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Dozens of school districts across the state have merged with the goal of cutting administrative costs under Maine's school district consolidation law. Voters will be asked to decide on Election Day whether to undo the whole thing.

Consolidation supporters say that scuttling the law would make a mess of things, not to mention eliminate millions of dollars in savings. Critics of the law, including House Speaker Hannah Pingree and Senate President Libby Mitchell, say it should be repealed.

'We're not against consolidation. We're against mandatory consolidation — especially if it doesn't make sense,' said Skip Greenlaw, whose Maine Coalition to Save Schools is leading the repeal effort.

School consolidation supporters point to an analysis by the Maine Legislature's Office of Fiscal and Program Review that says repealing the law would cost $37 million a year. But critics say there's no way to quantify those numbers and that the consolidation may be costly in the long run."

PR-USA.net - Applebatch.com is Helping Teachers to Proactively Manage Their Careers

PR-USA.net - Applebatch.com is Helping Teachers to Proactively Manage Their Careers:

"Applebatch.com, a Chicago-based K-12 professional community, is teaching teachers how to network like business professionals. Applebatch connects over 3,400 teachers online and is hosting their first K-12 networking event on Oct. 22nd at Martini Park in downtown Chicago. The event, Ed Cocktail, will enable teachers to network with other teachers, principals and administrators.

“Teaching has been viewed as a job with no career path and many schools don’t utilize best practices from the business world to connect, mentor and retain their employees,” said George Hammer, CEO of Applebatch.com. “Therefore, teachers lack the support network to be successful in their current jobs and the career assistance to help them find new jobs.”

Over 75% of teachers change jobs at Chicago Public Schools in the first two years. And, 70% education majors graduated school in 2009 and are still looking for teaching jobs. Applebatch is hosting Ed Cocktail to help teachers find the job they want through tapping a diverse network. In fact, 80% of the best openings are never published until a principal already has a candidate to fill the role. Teachers need to learn how to network and get the inside track to finding a job."

2,100 volunteers to give H1N1 shots | Cincinnati.com | The Cincinnati Enquirer

2,100 volunteers to give H1N1 shots Cincinnati.com The Cincinnati Enquirer:

"Volunteer nurses, doctors, pharmacists and regular folks will give a massive H1N1 flu vaccination campaign a shot in the arm."

The Tristate Medical Reserve Corps, which includes some 2,100 volunteers, has been called up to help get the vaccinations to everyone who wants one.

The volunteers will help health departments at large-scale vaccination clinics at schools and other sites.

If necessary, they will also staff alternate care sites set up to handle overflow from local hospitals or to help determine which patients need emergency medical care, said Jared Warner, regional director of the Tristate Medical Corps.

Some health departments just don't have enough qualified employees to quickly vaccinate the tens of thousands of people who might want the vaccine.

Television Has Less Effect On Climate Change Education Than Other Media - Science News - redOrbit

Television Has Less Effect On Climate Change Education Than Other Media - Science News - redOrbit:

"Worried about climate change and want to learn more? You probably aren't watching television then. A new study by George Mason University Communication Professor Xiaoquan Zhao suggests that watching television has no significant impact on viewers' knowledge about the issue of climate change. Reading newspapers and using the web, however, seem to contribute to people's knowledge about this issue.

The study, 'Media Use and Global Warming Perceptions: A Snapshot of the Reinforcing Spirals', looked at the relationship between media use and people's perceptions of global warming. The study asked participants how often they watch TV, surf the Web, and read newspapers. They were also asked about their concern and knowledge of global warming and specifically its impact on the polar regions."

Dallas Program Helps Kids With Jailed Parents - cbs11tv.com

Dallas Program Helps Kids With Jailed Parents - cbs11tv.com:

The term 'Amachi' is a Nigerian word meaning 'who knows what God has brought us through this child.' It's also the mantra and name of a newly adopted mentorship program by the Dallas Bar Association.

The program pairs Dallas attorneys with children whose parents are serving time in jail and aims to change young lives.

Eight year old Déjà and attorney Katie Bandy are strangers bounded by a newfound friendship."

"We go to the flight museum and to the restaurants," Déjà said of her mentor and the special connection they share.

"The best thing that we've done is getting to meet each other," Déjà said. Bandy is Déjà's mentor, friend and positive role model.

"It's just great to be able to expose someone else to a life I've really enjoyed," Bandy said.

It's the fundamental belief behind the Dallas Bar Association's involvement with Amachi. The program strives to support the needs of young children whose parents are absent, either serving time in jail or recently out of the system.

Amachi History

The word Amachi is a Nigerian word that means, “Who knows what God has brought us through this child?”

The Amachi program dates to 2001 and was the result of a collaborative think tank which included the University of Pennsylvania, Pew Charitable Trust, Public Private Ventures, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Then, as now, the mission was/is to break the intergenerational cycle of crime and incarceration and give a forgotten (invisible) group of children the chance to reach their highest potential.

Dr. W. Wilson Goode, Sr., a former two-term mayor of Philadelphia, took the mission to heart and implemented it successfully in Philadelphia and across the country.

PR-CANADA.net - Experts Summarize State of the Science in Autism Disorders

PR-CANADA.net - Experts Summarize State of the Science in Autism Disorders:

"Some recurrent themes of the review are the expanding knowledge of early brain development, and the importance of early diagnosis of ASDs, accompanied by intensive early treatment. The researchers also recognize the important role of parent involvement in early recognition of ASDs and in reinforcing their child's behavioral treatments at home. They also endorse research on methods for supporting families to reduce parental stress.

As evidenced by a long history of family and twin studies, ASDs are the neuropsychiatric disorder most affected by genetic factors. The authors review recent studies performed with the help of sophisticated gene-analyzing tools, and cite the finding earlier this year that a significant percentage of ASD patients have DNA alterations in a genetic area that affects how neurons interconnect in the brain. Combined with other studies of brain anatomy and function, the authors say, 'genetic and neurobiological evidence point to a good causal model of this disorder--namely, genetically mediated abnormal findings of synaptic maturation and connectivity.'"

Flu cases rapidly rising in region - Redlands Daily Facts

Flu cases rapidly rising in region - Redlands Daily Facts:

"A national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of people hospitalized with H1N1 found the number of deaths was highest (39 percent) among people between 25 and 49.

'This week and last have been some the busiest days of the past four or five months,' said Dr. Rodney Borger, ER medical director at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.
Borger said that if someone is showing signs of the flu now, the odds are better than 80 percent that it is the H1N1 virus."

Union Leaders Press D.C. Council to Probe Rhee's Layoffs - washingtonpost.com

Union Leaders Press D.C. Council to Probe Rhee's Layoffs - washingtonpost.com:

"Union leaders asked the D.C. Council on Friday for an investigation into the layoffs of 266 teachers and staff members, including an independent audit of the school system's decision to hire 934 educators this spring and summer.

Officials of unions representing teachers, principals and other public school personnel assailed the Oct. 2 dismissals as an attempt by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee to winnow veteran instructors from the system. They said the 934 hires were far in excess of what was necessary to fill job openings and were used to create a budget crisis to justify the firings."

s'COOL FOOD Initiative

Our Mission
The mission of the s’COOL FOOD Initiative is to create a community of healthy children across Santa Barbara County who make educated food choices throughout their lives.

Footage from Culinary Boot Camp 2009

Footage from Culinary Boot Camp 2009

Study Finds Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup

No Lunch Left Behind by Alice Waters and Katrina Heron

s'Cool Food Visits Santa Maria Farms and Friends

Listen to Chef Ann Cooper and Chef Kate Adamick's Latest Podcast

http://www.scoolfood.org/initiative/initiative.cfm?section=initiative

Daily Sound — School menus fill with local fare

Daily Sound — School menus fill with local fare:

"When students in the Goleta Union School District head through the lunch line next week, they’ll have the chance to snag a locally grown, organic apple as part of their meal.

While perhaps not spectacular on the surface, that fact is indicative of a dramatic shift taking place in school cafeterias along the South Coast — a move from highly processed and prepared foods to healthy, from-scratch cooking using local produce.

Spurred on by the Orfalea Fund s’Cool Food Initiative, local school nutrition directors have been tossing out the prepackaged menu items and swapping in freshly prepared meals that frequently include fruits and veggies grown nearby.

“We’re definitely moving in that direction in a major way,” said Sharon Baird, food service director for the Goleta school district."

Comprehensive immigration reform vital to U.S. interests | LoHud.com | The Journal News

Comprehensive immigration reform vital to U.S. interests LoHud.com The Journal News:

"Now is the time to take a stand for comprehensive immigration reform. There is a key window of opportunity to join in and lead our business communities, labor unions, universities, faith-based organizations, law enforcement agencies, civil rights groups and neighbors to speak out for positive solutions. It is time to stand up for the values of our nation and demand a humane, workable immigration system.

There is a growing bipartisan effort, supported by the majority of Americans, many members of Congress and President Barack Obama, mobilizing in favor of effective immigration reform. Indeed, this past Tuesday, thousands of people gathered in Washington and across the country, including at a community vigil in Carmel, to take part in a 'National Procession, Rally and Lobby Day' for comprehensive immigration reform. These actions coincided with U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., announcing principles for an upcoming reform bill."

Schools' zero tolerance policies short on common sense | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Columnist James Ragland | Dallas-Fort Worth News

Schools' zero tolerance policies short on common sense News for Dallas, Texas Dallas Morning News Columnist James Ragland Dallas-Fort Worth News:

"I've never been a fan of so-called zero tolerance policies in our nation's schools.

In my book, the practical translation of these theoretically pure postulations often leads to a much more intolerable reality – zero thinking.

Examples are easy to find, such as the recent case of the Delaware first-grader who took his camping knife to school.

Little Zachary, at the ripe age of 6, soon learned a hard and bitter lesson from zero-thinking school officials who initially subjected him to 45 days in an alternative school for troublemakers.

Innocently enough, Zachary was going to use the combo spoon/fork/knife camping tool to eat his lunch. Can't you just imagine how excited the fresh-faced Cub Scout must've been to show it off?"

United Teachers Los Angeles: Absent from reform -- latimes.com

United Teachers Los Angeles: Absent from reform -- latimes.com:

"It's easy to see why United Teachers Los Angeles doesn't like the new Public School Choice policy at L.A. Unified, which allows outside groups to apply to take over about 250 new or underperforming schools. Those groups are likely to include a large number of charter school operators that would hire their own teachers rather than sign a contract with the teachers union.

What's less understandable is why UTLA would minimize its chances of keeping some of the schools within the district, along with their union jobs. Yet that's what appears to be happening. A rift has developed within the union's leadership over whether to allow more so-called pilot schools, and if so, how many and under what conditions. Pilot schools are similar to charter schools, except that they remain within L.A. Unified, staffed by the district's union employees. The staff is given more independence to make instructional and budgeting decisions in exchange for greater accountability and 'thin contracts,' which contain fewer of the prescriptive work rules that can stultify progress."

Public forum on new Phila. charter policy Tuesday | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/17/2009

Public forum on new Phila. charter policy Tuesday Philadelphia Inquirer 10/17/2009:

"The Philadelphia School Reform Commission and Superintendent Arlene Ackerman will hold a public forum Tuesday evening to hear comments on a controversial proposed policy on charter school expansions.

The amendment drafted by the district would allow charter schools to apply to add grades and expand enrollment only when their operating charter is up for renewal - generally every five years.

Currently, the commission considers requests from charters on an ad hoc basis and has no policy for evaluating them. The commission has approved changes before a charter is up for renewal.

The district's proposal would require charter schools seeking expansion to demonstrate strong academic performance, successful management, and good financial track records. The charters would also have to show that their facilities could accommodate the requested changes.

The proposal has galvanized opposition from the city's charter community."