Saturday, November 12, 2011

by Ellen Brown

Henry Ford said, “It is well enough that the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.”

We are beginning to understand, and Occupy Wall Street looks like the beginning of the revolution.

We are beginning to understand that our money is created, not by the government, but by banks. Many authorities have confirmed this, including the Federal Reserve itself. The only money the government creates today are coins, which compose less than one ten-thousandth of the money supply. Federal Reserve Notes, or dollar bills, are issued by Federal Reserve Banks, all twelve of which are owned by the private banks in their district. Most of our money comes into circulation as bank loans, and it comes with an interest charge attached.

According to Margrit Kennedy, a German researcher who has studied this issue extensively, interest now composes 40% of the cost of everything we

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts #ows #edreform

Head of First 5 LA resigns following critical audit | California Watch

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 36 minutes ago

Head of First 5 LA resigns following critical audit | California Watch:Head of First 5 LA resigns following critical auditJoanna Linfirst5la.orgEvelyn MartinezEvelyn Martinez, chief executive officer of First 5 LA, resigned late yesterday, less than three weeks after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors started the legal process to take over the independent agency that uses tobacco taxes to fund early childhood development programs.The Board of Supervisors' 4-1 vote Oct. 25 asking the county counsel to initiate the process ... more »

Occupy teachers/profs: end 1%’s criminal wars by teaching war laws, war facts | Dailycensored.com #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 36 minutes ago

Occupy teachers/profs: end 1%’s criminal wars by teaching war laws, war facts | Dailycensored.com:Occupy teachers/profs: end 1%’s criminal wars by teaching war laws, war factsWritten by Carl_HermanPolitics, War and PeaceNov 11, 20110diggShareOf all the laws to know, when war is lawful or criminal is arguably the most important.Of all the lessons of history, the sacrifices of all our families through two world wars for the legal victory that strictly limits nations’ use of war is arguably the most important.Teachers and ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Guyland's Got It

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 36 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: Guyland's Got It:Guyland's Got Itby DukeNow we're talking:Across Long Island, there is growing concern about the direction being taken by the New York State Education Department. In breathtaking speed, State Education officials have made sweeping changes to how our schools operate, how our teachers and principals are evaluated and how our students are assessed.As building principals, we applaud efforts aimed towards excellence for all of our students. We cannot, however, stand by while untested practices are put in ... more »

Dear Gwinnett County Schools: While you thumb your noses, we’ll take the high road.

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Dear Gwinnett County Schools: While you thumb your noses, we’ll take the high road.:Dear Gwinnett County Schools: While you thumb your noses, we’ll take the high road.NOVEMBER 11, 2011 in PARENTING,PUBLIC EDUCATIONI have been working very hard at getting our nonprofit ready for the launch of its Saturday Arts program. Our board is meeting Sunday to review the budget so that we can start planning programming, renting space, and booking artists to share their talents with our kids, in fun ... more »

Schools Matter: Who is asking for standards for K-2 & grade 12?

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Schools Matter: Who is asking for standards for K-2 grade 12?:Who is asking for standards for K-2 grade 12?by skrashenPARCC is now creating content frameworks for grades K-2 and grade 12.From the Curriculum Matters Blog, by Catherine Gewertz, in Ed Week:“The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, has released its final content frameworks for the common standards. And the newsiest thing about the document is this: The consortium is going to create content frameworks for ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Schools Matter: Former KIPP Teachers: Share Your StoryBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-1 hour agoSchools Matter: Former KIPP Teachers: Share Your Story:Former KIPP Teachers: Share Your Storyby Jim HornFirst posted in May, 2011:I am very much interested in talking with former KIPP teachers who may want to take part in an interview research study on the KIPP teaching experience. All participants are guaranteed complete anonymity, and no names, locations, or other information will be used that may intrude upon ... more »

Direct Action Training | OccupyWallSt.org #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Direct Action Training | OccupyWallSt.org:Direct Action Trainingby OccupyWallStAction Preparation Training for November 17th, November 30th and Beyond. Direct Action Trainings: build affinity team, train to do actions and civil disobediences, meet new allies and friends and have some fun with us.Monday Nov. 14 and Tuesday Nov. 15 1:30-3:30 and 4:30-6:30. Meet at the Red CubeWednesday Nov. 16 5:30-7:30 UFT 52 Broadway 6th Floorwww.occupydaysofaction.com

THE SUCCESS OF FOX NEWS IS A LIVING TESTAMENT TO FAILED LAUSD PUBLIC EDUCATION - Perdaily.com

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THE SUCCESS OF FOX NEWS IS A LIVING TESTAMENT TO FAILED LAUSD PUBLIC EDUCATION - Perdaily.com:THE SUCCESS OF FOX NEWS IS A LIVING TESTAMENT TO FAILED LAUSD PUBLIC EDUCATIONby Leonard Isenberg(Mensaje se repite en Español)(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)Teachers Paid to Just Sit in a Room Doing Nothing?: MyFoxLA.comWhile it requires only a rudimentary education to spot the daily blatant distortions that Fox News KTTV 11 puts out in lieu ... more »

SAT Wars: EXPOSING NEW EVIDENCE OF FLAWS IN STANDARDIZED TESTS

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4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: SAT Wars: EXPOSING NEW EVIDENCE OF FLAWS IN STANDARDIZED TESTS:SAT Wars: EXPOSING NEW EVIDENCE OF FLAWS IN STANDARDIZED TESTSSAT WARS: EXPOSING NEW EVIDENCE OF FLAWS IN STANDARDIZED TESTS SOURCE:WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY |HTTP://BIT.LY/VFKJ4ONewswise — (Winston-Salem, N.C. – November 3, 2011) – In a revealing look at high-stakes standardized admissions tests, a new book called SAT Wars: The Case for Test-Optional Admissions, demonstrates the far-reaching and mostly negative impact of the tests on ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Why Do They Say What They Say?

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Jersey Jazzman: Why Do They Say What They Say?:Why Do They Say What They Say?by DukeMatt DiCarlo has another important post up today about Value-Added Modeling (VAM), the error-ridden statistics tool promoted by the corporate reformers as the solution to the "problem" of teacher evaluation (a "problem" I still contend no one has shown to be an actual problem).Matt does what he does best: debunk think-tanky reforminess with actual research. In this case, he raises some important cautions about VAM's ... more »

Parents Across America’s Position on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) | Dailycensored.com

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Parents Across America’s Position on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) | Dailycensored.com:Action v. Inaction: The Scholar-Teacher Imperativeby Paul ThomasIf the disturbing details surrounding Jerry Sandusky and Penn State University’s football program prove to be true, little room will exist for debating the culpability of Sandusky’s role in breaking a sacred trust with the rights and basic human dignity of children. But surrounding this inexcusable act is a swirling debate about the culpability of [...]Parents Across America’s Position on ... more »

Remarks by the President on Veterans Day | The White House

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Remarks by the President on Veterans Day | The White House:Remarks by the President on Veterans Dayby The White HouseRelease Time: For Immediate ReleaseLocation: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia11:40 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Ric Shinseki, for your extraordinary service to our country and your tireless commitment to our veterans; to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; to Chairman Dempsey and Mrs. Dempsey; to our wonderful veterans service organizations for the extraordinary work that you do for our nation’s heroes; ... more »

#UCDavis Faculty Association Endorses Occupy Cal’s Call for Strike « occupy california

#UC Davis Faculty Association Endorses Occupy Cal’s Call for Strike « occupy california:

UC Davis Faculty Association Endorses Occupy Cal’s Call for Strike

By *

DAVIS, California – The UC Davis Faculty Association has endorsedthe call for a system wide strike that was initially called for by students at UC Berkeley on Wednesday night following a string of brutality by police. The strike is scheduled for November 15th, next Tuesday.

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Carl Campanile Of The New York Post Questions The Integrity Of Mona Davids

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Carl Campanile Of The New York Post Questions The Integrity Of Mona Davids:

Carl Campanile Of The New York Post Questions The Integrity Of Mona Davids

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

So here I am yesterday giving the students busy work as I read that veritable bastion of journalistic integrity, The New York Post. Haha, only kidding. That entire first sentence was a lie. Let me start again.

So here I am yesterday afternoon cleaning up the hair balls that my cat had spewed forth whilst cleaning it up with that rag, The New York Post. As those hair balls are being collected I see an article entitled, "New parent group all $nug with UFT,"written by a "journalist" Carl Campanile. Upon further reading I spit out my

This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”

by Larry Ferlazzo

I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time constraints, have not gotten around to doing. Instead of letting that backlog grow bigger, I regularly grab a few and list them here with a minimal description. It forces me to look through these older links, and help me organize them for my own use. I hope others will find them helpful, too. These are resources that I didn’t include in my “Best Tweets” feature because I had planned to post about them, or because I didn’t even get around to sending a tweet sharing them.

Here are This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”:

Israel & Palestinians: Neighbors in conflict is an Associated Press interactive.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Head of First 5 LA resigns following critical audit | California Watch

Head of First 5 LA resigns following critical audit | California Watch:

Head of First 5 LA resigns following critical audit

Joanna Lin

first5la.orgEvelyn Martinez

Evelyn Martinez, chief executive officer of First 5 LA, resigned late yesterday, less than three weeks after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors started the legal process to take over the independent agency that uses tobacco taxes to fund early childhood development programs.

The Board of Supervisors' 4-1 vote Oct. 25 asking the county counsel to initiate the process followed an independent audit of First 5 LA that found the agency lacked oversight of its expenditures, was overstaffed and failed to adequately monitor its contracts.

The agency's board of commissioners, which is chaired by county Supervisor Michael Antonovich and includes five members appointed by the Board of Supervisors, met in a closed session yesterday and "decided that it was

Occupy teachers/profs: end 1%’s criminal wars by teaching war laws, war facts | Dailycensored.com #ows

Occupy teachers/profs: end 1%’s criminal wars by teaching war laws, war facts | Dailycensored.com:

Occupy teachers/profs: end 1%’s criminal wars by teaching war laws, war facts

Written by Carl_HermanPolitics, War and PeaceNov 11, 2011

0digg

Of all the laws to know, when war is lawful or criminal is arguably the most important.

Of all the lessons of history, the sacrifices of all our families through two world wars for the legal victory that strictly limits nations’ use of war is arguably the most important.

Teachers and professors could end criminal US wars by teaching the 99% this one law and this one history lesson.

War law only allows for self-defense; similar to the law for you and me on the street. This article and podcast walks you through this one simple law, and the facts of current US wars that prove they are not even close to lawful. It also shows that we now know all “reasons” for war were known to be lies as they were told. The law embodies the history that legally ended war, a victory the 99% can reclaim through enforcement of existing law.

This article provides expert testimony that current US wars are not close to

Jersey Jazzman: Guyland's Got It

Jersey Jazzman: Guyland's Got It:

Guyland's Got It

by Duke

Now we're talking:

Across Long Island, there is growing concern about the direction being taken by the New York State Education Department. In breathtaking speed, State Education officials have made sweeping changes to how our schools operate, how our teachers and principals are evaluated and how our students are assessed.

As building principals, we applaud efforts aimed towards excellence for all of our students. We cannot, however, stand by while untested practices are put in place without any meaningful discussion or proven research. This is why we have prepared an Open Letter of