My Beauty Best Teacher

In the The Moor Next Door:

The spectacle of 24 September is that a world of misery will go without any meaningful attention from Western presses, leaders or diplomats and it will have been the fault of everyone involved that serious issues were ignored in favor of continual stupidity and bluster. While the rich may laugh, in rewording Qadhafi for his despotism, murder and gas, Western states have ensured that many peoples’ plight will go without advocacy. Dominated by Libya, Africans will not be heard. As miserable as many African leader may be, few in the biggest and most important states come as close to Mr. Qadhafi in their vulgarity and destructiveness.

Two days of protests by DC students in response to unfair teacher layoffs. Students held protests on September 28 at the DCPS central office and at Duke Ellington High School for the arts on September 29 at lunch time. These videos say it all. Our students are following the lead of the rank and file teacher rally held on last Thursday, September 24. What a tribute to DC teachers. You have taught them well !






Video courtesy of Fox channel five news and WJLA.

Posted by The Washington Teacher featuring Candi Peterson, Blogger in residence

"And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me"- Exodus 20

Several months ago I wrote a post called The First Commandment in which I observed this about our society:

I am surprised at how far our society has strayed from this simple commandment. Most public schools teach students to worship reason and logic, and they teach students to not worship God. Schools are increasingly becoming anti-God, and are finding new ways to prevent students and staff from worshipping him in order to follow some perverted interpretation of the 1st Amendment.

Schools and the larger society are increasingly breaking this commandment, and that bothers me, because if you don't believe in God, and if you don't worship him and follow his rules, what is next? Worshipping false gods? The failure to follow the first commandment is a sign that our society is not going to follow the other commandments.

Trust Africa seeks to secure the conditions for democracy and development throughout the continent.
A history of Nigeria's Coup Culture by Max Siollun
The contours of an aid alternative: An abrupt rupture?-Samir Amin
The ICC: Is Kenya a Failed State?-African Executive
Education and Finance in Africa by Shanta Devarajan

McKinley Technology Senior High School located in NE DC was disrupted today as students unexpectedly protested teacher layoffs at the DCPS central headquarters near the Capitol today. I interviewed a student this evening named Tasha via telephone from McKinley . Tasha's real name has been changed to protect her confidentiality. Tasha stated that as many as 130 students went to the DCPS central office in order to protest the imminent layoffs of DC teachers in an act of civil disobedience. She estimated that approximately eighty percent of the students were from McKinley High. Other inside sources revealed that students also came from other schools including Woodson, Anacostia, and Dunbar. Students reportedly called for Fenty and Rhee to go. When Tasha was asked what did they mean by this, Tasha stated "it is time for Rhee's job to be over."

Certainly imminent layoffs of our teacher work force will create larger class sizes for many students and are likely to have an adverse IMPACT on student achievement. At a time when DC teachers are absorbed by their own worries about whether they will still have a job, some DC students are guiding the way by protesting unfair layoffs and telling Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee in the words of an old school Gladys Knight song : "your time is up." Their matter of fact message is one that I am on board with.

Correction: I was able to confirm today that it was 130 students at the rally.
Posted by The Washington Teacher featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence

"...Baobabconnections is a non-profit internet based media project of Both-ENDS. We encourage youth from across the world to get together on our website and exchange ideas about globalisation and sustainable development..."
A recent project of theirs is a film by Petna Ndaliko Katondolo,Mad-ia:

Several months ago I wrote in a post called Rick Snyder- Do Not Support that I didn't think people should support Rick Snyder in his race to be Governor of the state of Michigan because "he supports using human embryos to create stem cells for medical research, he promotes gay marriage, and that he supports race and gender preferences," because he donates his money to "socially progressive moderate candidates and John Dingell," and because he "is inexperienced." Click on the post above to see my sources.

I stand by those comments, but now have new reasons why I think people should not support Rick Synder for Governor of Michigan- because he paid college students to come to the Mackinac Policy Conference and then blackmailed them into voting for him in the straw poll.

The Detroit News reports today that Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Rick Snyder took first place in an exclusive Detroit News and WJR News/Talk 760 AM poll conducted this weekend at the Republican leadership conference on Mackinac Island. Out of 1244 votes cast, Snyder received 386, and his margin of victory over current Attorney General Mike Cox was 86 and over Oakland County Sheriff Micheal Bouchard was 88. That margin of victory was likely earned due to his underhanded and shady dealings with his paid help at the island.

This story is an exclusive and you won't read about it anywhere else on the web, but I heard the same story separately, unprompted, from over a dozen of Synder's own supporters on the Island, and then on the boat ride back to Mackinac City another dozen supporters verified the story when I asked them about it. And here is the story.

Synder paid his supporters to come up to Mackinac Island to support him and make it seem as if there was a groundswell of support for him in this state. Whereas most of the supporters for Cox, Bouchard, or even Congressman Pete Hoekstra were volunteers, Synder's were almost all paid supporters, who walked around the island trying to encourage people to vote for him in the straw poll. There was some sort of point system as well, where the more stuff they passed out the more points these young people would earn for some sort of prizes. This is bad, but is not the worse part.

But the worse part about Synder's behavior this weekend that was revealed to me was that Synder blackmailed his paid supporters into voting for him in the straw poll, threatening to kick them out of the street and out of their hotel rooms unless they voted for him.

Before these college and high school kids could get their room key after they had traveled up to Mackinac Island, they needed to show one of Synder's people a stamped and certified ballot that showed that they had voted for Synder. After these young people proved that they had voted for Synder in the straw poll, they would be allowed to have a room key and stay on the island. If they did not vote for him, they would be forced to purchase their own rooms at very high prices or sleep outside.

This was an organized underhand effort to win the straw poll through underhanded methods, and this type of behavior is deplorable, especially for a guy that is pretending to not be a typical politician and pretends to be above the usual partisan politics. This sort of behavior is underhanded, and was very demeaning and disrespectful to these young people who were just trying to earn a dollar.

These kids were disgusted with Michigan Governor-hopeful Rick Synder, and I am too- he should be ashamed of his behavior and how he treated these young people, and voters should not support his candidacy for office.

UPDATE: Although many people are trying to make me out to be some sort of slanderous extremist for my above post, I would just like to remind readers that I didn't go looking for this story- it found me. I'm just reporting what I was told separately by over a dozen Synder people. That's not to say though that my post totally captures Synder's behavior at the Mackinac Conference. In light of that, I would like to record some comments from Synder people who emailed me.

Apparently, the Rick for Michigan campaign did not pay its supporters to be there. The campaign covered the $100 registration for the conference and the $200/night hotel expenses, nothing more, nothing less. I'm not sure, but some of the other campaigns may also have done the same for their volunteers.

Synder's people did not treat everyone the same way with the voting. Some of his people received their hotel keys before they voted. They told us that we had to vote for Rick, but there were no threats to throw them out of the street if they voted the wrong way. The campaign relied on the honor system.

According to Synder's people, the point system that I described as being "bad" is actually an impressive use of technology. His website has more about it, and it does sound like an innovative way to use technology to track people and evaluate the performance of employees- but these were 'volunteers' and tracking people like sheep makes me a little leery of what view he has for the people of our great state.

UPDATE II: Via Red State comes this little interesting bit of information from The Oakland Press:

The following memo reached (Tim Skubick's) desk in which the Snyder folks look like their learned how to play politics in Chicago's Cook County which is notorious for questionable activity. In it Snyder supporters are advised that "you are in no way required to vote for any candidate, disclose or show your ballot to anyone."All nice and proper, with no gripes yet.

But read on: "However, in order to remain eligible for Rick for Michigan receptions, ferry's (to and from the island) and hotel room, you must show your ballot to Rick's official representative at the ballot box…." And just to make sure none of the volunteers for Ricky didn't miss the point, they were asked to sign a document that was blunt: "I have read and understand that by staying in a Rick for Michigan sponsored hotel room and traveling on a Rick for Michigan ferry is contingent upon voting for Rick Snyder in the straw poll."

What does one make of the 'The Gentlemen of Bakongo 'from the Congo? A misplaced sense of consumption without production or as they contend, 'The Importance of Being Elegant'.Dylan Jones writes in the Guardian:

As with all dress, the Sapeur style is a form of self-aggrandisement, the cult of appearance. To them, to be well-dressed is to be successful, which is not just the essence of bling, it is a cri de coeur. But they do look extraordinary. They wouldn't look out of place strolling down Savile Row, resplendent in their multicoloured finery, carrying canes and cigars, putting one white buckskin loafer in front of the other and smiling as though they haven't a care in the world.

What does one make of the 'The Gentlemen of Bakongo 'from the Congo? A misplaced sense of consumption without production or as they contend, 'The Importance of Being Elegant'.Dylan Jones writes in the Guardian:

As with all dress, the Sapeur style is a form of self-aggrandisement, the cult of appearance. To them, to be well-dressed is to be successful, which is not just the essence of bling, it is a cri de coeur. But they do look extraordinary. They wouldn't look out of place strolling down Savile Row, resplendent in their multicoloured finery, carrying canes and cigars, putting one white buckskin loafer in front of the other and smiling as though they haven't a care in the world.

In typical Washington Post style they cover up the news rather than report the news. Bill Turque who attended our rank and file teacher rally wrote a story for The Post and it appeared on line on Thursday evening. As is customary, the WaPo article generally appears in the on-line version and then appears in the Wash. Post the next day. This time that did not happen. Surprising ? No. I suspect that now that Chancellor Rhee and Mayor Fenty are losing favor with many in this city we will see little to none of Turque's article. The only coverage that appeared in their paper was a photo from our teacher rally featuring our very own Sheila Gill, WTU Executive Board member and school counselor holding a rally sign.



Well if the Post won't report their news I certainly will. Here is our story that should have been printed in The Washington Post.



D.C. Teachers Rally Against Rhee, Union Head

By Bill Turque, Washington Post Staff Writer

September 24, 2009 7:41 PM



"A small but vocal band of District teachers, angry about impending layoffs, rallied against Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and their own union president in front of the school system's central offices early Thursday evening.



"Our teachers are running scared right now, because they're not sure they'll have a job," said Malvery Smith, a second grade teacher at Turner Elementary School@Green in Southeast. Smith, who has taught in the city for 14 years, was one of about 60 District educators in the plaza in front of school headquarters on North Capitol Street.



They were joined by supporters and community activists. Teachers protested Rhee's Sept. 16 announcement of a still-unspecified number of layoffs. It came more than three weeks into the school year and nearly seven weeks after the D.C. Council sliced $20.7 million from the 2010 DCPS budget. The cuts, which also hit other city agencies, were triggered by a continued decline in tax revenue.



Teachers who will lose their jobs are expected to be notified by Sept. 30. Word of the layoffs followed a spring and summer when the school system filled 900 teaching vacancies. Rhee said she did not expect the council's cuts, which were approved July 31. She waited until mid-September, she said, so that the staff reductions could be done in tandem with the annual "equalization" process, which shifts teachers at under-enrolled schools to others in need of more educators.



But teachers scoffed at that explanation Thursday, contending that Rhee is seeking another way to oust veteran instructors. "That doesn't hold water," said Willie Brewer, an instrumental music teacher at Marshall Elementary in Northeast who has worked in District public schools for 26 years.



Jerome Brocks, a veteran special education teacher said there was only one reason Rhee is pursuing the cuts. "It's to get rid of veteran teachers of color," said Brocks, who is black.



Rhee has denied targeting teachers because of age or race. Washington Teachers Union President George Parker did not attend the rally, which was organized in part by two of his most outspoken critics, union board of trustees member Candi Peterson and its general vice president, Nathan Saunders. They have denounced Parker for weak leadership and aligning himself too closely with Rhee in contract talks that have lasted nearly two years.



The District's 4,000 union members have been without a contract for three years. "Our union leadership has led us to this point," said Tom O'Rourke, a social studies teacher at Roosevelt High School. "Management knows they can wait us out and pick us off one by one."



Parker said the union didn't endorse the rally because it was "hastily and loosely organized. "It did very little to serve the interests of our members, although it may do a lot to serve the political interests of Candi Peterson and Nathan Saunders," he said.



Parker said the teachers union will hold a rally Oct. 8. It has been a turbulent first few weeks of the new school year for D.C. teachers, who have been trying to adjust to a series of changes made by Rhee.



In addition to the impending layoffs, the District has unveiled a new, rigorous evaluation system that will include improvement in standardized test scores as part of the criteria for assessing some instructors. It is linked to a deeply detailed new set of teaching guidelines and strategies that cover everything from classroom presentation to checking for student understanding to instilling the belief that hard work leads to success.



School officials have also introduced a revised version of the student disciplinary code that is intended to de-emphasize suspensions and push teachers to work harder at keeping misbehaving students in the classroom."



Posted by The Washington Teacher featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence, article courtesy of the WaPo

Yesterday at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference I went to a workshop called GOPAC- 15 Keys for a Candidate to Win in 2010, featuring David Avella. It was interesting, and for anyone out there thinking about running for office or helping someone run for office, there were some good pieces of advice.

One piece of advice for people running for office is to think about the difference between issues and vote-deciding issues, and then focus on vote-deciding issues. There are real issues out there- like 2nd amendment, water quality, etc- but what voters want to hear from you is where you stand on vote-deciding issues, like the economy and jobs.

Another piece of advice from David Avella is that candidates must be the ones who communicate the message and raise money. All other functions can be taken care of by others, but it is the candidate who must be the point person and the main focus for communicating the message of their campaign, and they must be the person who is raising money.

Realize that what voters are voting for on election day is you- your vision and your message. The reason why Obama won the last election is that voters liked his vision and his message, and they bought that, and now many would like a refund because the product doesn't measure up to what they were sold. But they did buy it, and if you run for office, you need to learn how to sell your message and vision to voters.

Another piece of advice was that to win elections you need to understand what makes your opponent vulnerable and then put a contrast in front of voters- point to where your opponent's record is out of line with his or her districts. This doesn't mean run a negative campaign, but if your Congressman works in a district that is heavy in manufacturing and voted for the cap-and-tax bill, then your Congressman needs to be hammered on that.

Last piece of advice is that a party that ignores minorities will be a minority party. The Republican party can not afford to ignore minority groups- African Americans, Latinos, women, union workers, Ron Paul supporters- anyone who wants to promote life, liberty, and the protection of property needs to be welcomed with open arms into our party. Think big, and big results will follow.

I hope that these pieces of advice are helpful!

This is a reprint from the DC Wire by Bill Turque. Seems like everyone is getting RIF'd off as we proceed with layoffs of DC teachers and school based personnel. Aona Jefferson, President of the Council of School Officers stands up for DC principals.

D.C. Principals' Union Rips Layoffs

"The president of the union that represents DCPS principals accused Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee Friday of unfairly leaving school administrators to take the heat for the upcoming round of teacher layoffs, creating "the very real potential of subjecting our members to physical harm and unsafe working conditions."Aona H. Jefferson, president of the Council of School Officers Local 4, said Rhee has created the misimpression that principals are calling the shots on the reduction in force (RIF) necessitated, the chancellor announced last week, by spending cuts that could reach $40million."The principals do not set their budgets, nor do they have any authority to do this. DCPS controls every aspect of the budgetary process, including final determinations that must be made with respect to job cuts for financial reasons," wrote Jefferson, the former principal of H.D. Woodson High School, whose local represents 653 principals, assistant principals, and other managers and specialists."If you are going to claim that there is a budgetary shortfall and cuts are necessary, we do not want our principals to be scapegoats. The ultimate responsibility for these cuts is yours and not that of our hard-working principals," Jefferson wrote. She demanded that adequate security be provided."It is reasonable to expect that RIF decisions will be met with an emotional response from some individuals," she said. Rhee said she had not formally received the letter from the union and would wait to do so before commenting."

Posted by The Washington Teacher featuring Candi Peterson, Blogger in residence,
article courtesy of the DC Wire

The Ujima Project is a new experiment in journalistic transparency. The Web site offers African journalists, nongovernmental organizations and others seeking factual data access to information that is not readily available in many African countries. The project operates on the premise of reverse transparency, taking database, documents and other information from donor countries -- The United States, European Union, for example -- and providing it in an easily seachable manner. Want to know what NGOs are doing in your country? The Ujima Project can provide some of the answers. Want to know how much your government is spending to influence policy in the United States or to promote its image abroad? The Ujima Project can assist with that as well.

The Ujima Project is a new experiment in journalistic transparency. The Web site offers African journalists, nongovernmental organizations and others seeking factual data access to information that is not readily available in many African countries. The project operates on the premise of reverse transparency, taking database, documents and other information from donor countries -- The United States, European Union, for example -- and providing it in an easily seachable manner. Want to know what NGOs are doing in your country? The Ujima Project can provide some of the answers. Want to know how much your government is spending to influence policy in the United States or to promote its image abroad? The Ujima Project can assist with that as well.

Every other year the Republican Party in Michigan meets up at Mackinac Island to talk about policy and leadership. This year over 2000 Republicans came to this beautiful island to improve their communication skills, talk about the most important issues facing our state and nation today, and evaluate potential candidates for office. It is an exciting event, and I am lucky to be there.

One workshop that I went to was called "Pundits and Pollsters," and was a panel discussion focusing on what the data from recent surveys and polls is saying and how Republicans can take advantage of it. I know that some people who read this blog are not Republicans and might think that this is just a cynical process, but this is what a republic is about- the people communicate and people interpret the results and try to do what the people want.

And the results are actually favorable to Republicans- the people are mad and are not going to take it any more. The people want change, but are very upset about the change that they voted for last year. The people want bipartisanship, real leadership, and a government that will make things better for the future- and although President Obama campaigned on these and many Congressman talked about these, in reality what they have given voters is more of what they didn't want and given them a more bitter, partisan, opaque government that is piling up debt and throwing personal insults at its opponents.

The panel had several great speakers on it- Dave Doyle, Ari Fleischer, John Fund, Alex Gage, Anne Hathaway, Frank Luntz, and Steve Mitchell.

Ari Fleisher had a good line- he emphasized how Republicans can also be the party of change- the kind of change that voters really want.

Alex Gage advanced the theory that Republicans lost the 2008 elections because they didn't turn out to vote, not because voters rejected their ideology and agenda, and his best line was "the question facing America remains the same as always- what is the proper role of government in our society"- and he predicted that voters are going to reject the Democrat's answer to that question next election.

Alex also pointed out the very real threat to Republicans of redistricting and reapportionment- with the Democrats controlling the Census Bureau and the Justice Department and determined to politicize the process, there is a very real possibility that districts drawn at the state level could establish permanent seats for Democrats and that Republicans could lose seats at every level of government. That is why it is so important to be active and vote at every level of government- your state Representatives and Senators draw those lines on the map, and if they are Democrat, Republicans will lose out.

Anne Hathaway pointed out that now is an opportunity in the Republican party for true leaders to step up and begin to become more active. The American public does not want Republicans or Democrats, but true leaders, and if that is you, the Republican party wants you and wants you to be active.

Steve Mitchell runs a research firm and has recently done a lot of polling about the upcoming election here in Michigan. According to his research, the data is pointing towards a Cox vs Cherry matchup for Governor of Michigan, with Cox winning big. For Secretary of State, the projection is Bishop vs Whitmer, with Bishop winning.

Keep your eye on my blog all weekend for updates from this conference.

Creative African Network profiles Patterns Beyond Traces

This mixed-abled dance theatre piece is set up in the emotional field outlined between tradition and urbanity: in a world between worlds. Tradition, belief, ritual and ritualised daily grind - five dancers with and without physical disabilities explore what has been passed on to them and reflect it within the ways of their own daily life.

Creative African Network profiles Patterns Beyond Traces

This mixed-abled dance theatre piece is set up in the emotional field outlined between tradition and urbanity: in a world between worlds. Tradition, belief, ritual and ritualised daily grind - five dancers with and without physical disabilities explore what has been passed on to them and reflect it within the ways of their own daily life.

At least it felt that way to me. ;--)






I thank all the teachers and related school personnel who came out to show support for our rank and file rally today. I especially thank our WTU Executive Board members who agreed to initiate this action on behalf of DC teachers. They are Willie Brewer, Agnes Dyson, Sheila Gill, Pablo Giro'n, Nathan Saunders, Diane Terrell and myself. We also had participation from the American Federation of Government Employees, the Teamsters and the taxi cab drivers. Parents, community activists and students attended as well. All the reporters were out in full force and effect as well as an independent film maker while AFT representative Jody Easley lurked in the background the entire time acting as though he didn't want to be seen. Jason Kamras, a 2005 teacher of the year turned Rhee staffer also tree boxed our event.

I must say dating back to my involvement with the Coalition To Save Our Neighborhood Schools (CSONS) -I don't think we ever drew as large a crowd to most of our rallies. Given the refusal by our WTU union president, George Parker to support our rank & file rally and his last minute effort to run interference by the use of a Wednesday night robo call and follow up email to members - I am surprised we garnered the support we did. I have trouble understanding why all of us can't work together to support teachers and protest unfair layoffs and the new IMPACT evaluation. Certainly I plan to support the October rally that the WTU/AFT will sponsor next month.

Our speakers were absolutely wonderful and made suggestions of acts of civil disobedience to right this terrible wrong. First and foremost let me give thanks to our teacher leaders who willingly spoke including Thomas O'Rourke, Jerome Brocks and Jeff Canady. Emily Washington, a longtime educator was on the list to speak but was a no show for the event. Also amongst our lineup were parents and community activists including Cherita Whiting, Robert Brannum, Roger Newell, Maria Jones, Debra Daniels, Leo Alexander, candidate for DC mayor, as well as Ernest Johnson who is another candidate for DC mayor, Reverend Graylan Hagler and Nathan Saunders. Bravo all for a job well done.

As Caesar Chavez said that to teach our children what it means to be fully man or woman requires each of us to use our lives to show the way. How are we doing so far ?

Posted by The Washington Teacher with Candi Peterson as Blogger in Residence

An education without any values is of no value to our students, and today in public schools across the nation, students are being subjected to an education that is increasingly without values.

In one of my classes, the students are learning about ancient civilizations, and someone asked me how ancient civilizations passed down knowledge. I talked to them about stories around the campfire, stories that not only would convey the history of a people, but also would convey the values on which that society was based. Learning about the hero's and gods of the past would teach students of the future how to act and behave and how to live as a people.

After I was done explaining this, I asked the student if he remembered any good tales or stories from camping trips, fishing trips, or campfires that he had been to. He got a wistful look on his face and said 'no'- this boy had grown up to be a man without ever hearing any stories about the past or hearing any fables that convey values. And if he isn't hearing about the values of the past, there is no possibility that he is reading about them in his textbooks at school- the textbooks that are used in class around the nation are sucked dry of anything controversial, including any talk about values or meaning.

The books and lessons that students receive have no values to them and lack meaning. They are simply facts, dates, people, and events, separated from any larger context and severed from any sort of connection to reality. Great men are not examples to follow or avoid- they are simply dead people from the past. Turning points in history are not to be analyzed and judged, but rather studied and dissected like a bug. Inventions and discoveries are not to be marveled at and inspire, but rather to memorized and filed away. The education that students are receiving is devoid of inspiration, honor, horror, surprise, shock, sadness, love, bravery, marvel, courage, or other values- it is simply information.

A society with a valueless education system and a country raised on textbooks and lessons without meaning is not going to be a successful country in the future.

I can only imagine what Africa must seem like to the outside observer, with stories of war, poverty, illness and so on constantly portrayed in the media. But to me and numerous other African entrepreneurs born into post-colonial Africa, these issues are merely a challenge that we must overcome in order to succeed.
Africa’s Cheetah Generation is ready to take the continent to the next level. We seek opportunities in commerce, industry, education, health and other sectors where we can actively and gainfully engage the rest of the world. We believe the days of aid are over, and are eager to prove our worth to our counterparts in other parts of the world.

I can only imagine what Africa must seem like to the outside observer, with stories of war, poverty, illness and so on constantly portrayed in the media. But to me and numerous other African entrepreneurs born into post-colonial Africa, these issues are merely a challenge that we must overcome in order to succeed.
Africa’s Cheetah Generation is ready to take the continent to the next level. We seek opportunities in commerce, industry, education, health and other sectors where we can actively and gainfully engage the rest of the world. We believe the days of aid are over, and are eager to prove our worth to our counterparts in other parts of the world.

Last weekend my friends and I met for our annual fishing weekend on the Muskegon River, Michigan. The guys that go on this trip have to be some of the best Americans there are, and so every year I ask them to dig into their pockets a little bit and contribute something to a charity that I favor- The Baghdad Anglers Club and Fly Fishing School.

The Baghdad Angler's Club and School of Fly Fishing is an organized fishing group of our military men and women. It was started in 2005 as a way to motivate our troops in Iraq and have them try something new. The club provides fishing equipment for service members who want to step out of the battle for a bit and just focus on catching fish. The club also has begun sponsoring a tournament, which is yet another fun way for our service members to be rewarded for their service to our nation.

I know what you are thinking- fishing, in Iraq? Although it is a place where few would think to fish, there are rivers, streams, and ponds that have many varieties of excellent fish in them. The last tournament that the club held had soldiers fishing in the ponds that surrounded Saddam Hussein's former palaces, from which the winner of the tourney pulled out a nice sized carp.

This group reminds me that even in the bleakest conditions, the American spirit will find a way to manifest itself and bring light and life into even the darkest corners of the world. The brave men and women of our military are once again finding ways to bring humanity to their mission, and remember who they are in situations where it would be understandable for them to forget.

Ray Combs, who reported on Operation Catch Fish - Baghdad this year, understands how important things like this are:

I am struck by the power and community found in the primordial act of pulling a fish from water. Fishing seems like a simple, subtle thing, until I filmed it on the other side of the world in a former dictator's palace with a bunch of soldiers. I leave Iraq with the knowledge that fishing is so much more than simply baiting a hook and tossing in a line. It's a sport that inspires passion, courage, and camaraderie no matter where it's done.

Nkwazi Mhango writes in the African Executive:

Though Africa is more democratic than it was 40 years ago, its future has nary treaded water with me. How can it make sense if it still has stinking legacy of having dictators that ruined their countries for over 40 years such as Gadaffi, Omar Bongo, Gnassigbe Eyadema and other that have been in power for over thirty years?
How can Africa make it democratically if all we see is the coming back of ruling dynasties hell bent to prolong and extend their stays in power in order to conceal their dirty linens-by the way of passing the batons over to their kids or cronies?

Nkwazi Mhango writes in the African Executive:

Though Africa is more democratic than it was 40 years ago, its future has nary treaded water with me. How can it make sense if it still has stinking legacy of having dictators that ruined their countries for over 40 years such as Gadaffi, Omar Bongo, Gnassigbe Eyadema and other that have been in power for over thirty years?
How can Africa make it democratically if all we see is the coming back of ruling dynasties hell bent to prolong and extend their stays in power in order to conceal their dirty linens-by the way of passing the batons over to their kids or cronies?

Posted here first on The Washington Teacher blog !



On September 18, Jesus Aguirre of the Chancellor's office sent a 17 page memo with attachments to DC principals about the reduction in force guidelines as established by the Rhee administration. Here is a first look see at the memo in its entirety.

Link: http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3TIobK_N4nvODM4NTFiOGEtY2ZlNi00ZmFjLThlYzUtOTgwYmIyZWUwNWUy&hl=en

Here are some of your comments about the RIF guidelines:

Anonymous said...
First impressions -- an enormous amount of time is required for principals and central office staff to carry out this RIF, if done according to these guidelines, and principals couldn’t possibly know enough about new hires to rate them according to such detailed criteria

Veteran Teacher said...
OMG, Candi, you have really outdone yourself this time. This RIF manual is really amazing and it's even more amazing how you got a copy for all of us to see. Good luck to all the teacher readers out there in the schools, worried that you may get the ax in this so very unfair RIF. Thanks again to Candi.

Anonymous said...
This is unbelievable. Where is the WTU. Most of the principals do not know their employees (new and old). Another bit of info, it appears that Instructional Coordinators will be used to evaluate teachers due to the shortage of the so-called master teachers. They will be sent out to other schools so teachers will not know they are not master teachers. BEWARE!!!

Anonymous said...
Interesting that the examples provided uses a brand new teacher for the exceptional example. How predictable!

Anonymous said...
How do principals know what professional development programs teachers participated in over the summer? My principal has no idea what most of the staff did this summer.Besides, the examples they provided were a bit over the top. Earning a law degree???? Come on!

No Name Today said...
I'm not surprised about instructional coaches being sent out as so-called master teachers to conduct teacher evaluations, which they now call teacher assessments under this dreaded IMPACT. In my area of certification, there are supposed to be 2 master teachers. They've only hired one. So there are around 200-300 teachers this master teacher would have to observe, twice. Would they do 4 a day, running to schools, 2 in the AM and 2 in the PM? Everyone is dreading this, looking at the door to see who may be coming in to ruin our careers. IMPACT is so punitive, provided we survive the RIF.

concrete ideas said...
"principals couldn’t possibly know enough about new hires to rate them according to such detailed criteria"My first impression was that new hires have an advantage if another employee got an unsatisfactory rating last year. With such a rating, that person will automatically be RIF'd and the new hires don't even have to go through the competitive levels process.

Anonymous said...
I am a new hire and my subject matter is clearly over the head of the principal and assistant principals. I don't think any of them have any training in the sciences and have a tendency to refer to science as "engagement". If I am RIFFED it will be because of those stupid unit boards and the fact that I have two SEVERELY disturbed kids who should not be in a regular class.....I haven't sent them to the office these kids walk out on a daily basis and I have to call security. They usually start yelling at the top of their lungs profanity on the way to class..

lodesterre said...
Extra points for the "employee who completed a law degree to IMPROVE his ability to teach government and drew on the experience of law school to conduct lessons." Ummm, if I go to law school right now I think I wouldn't stay in teaching. Just me, maybe, but after paying all that money for such a degree I would want to be able to pay back the students loans.Cmon, who do we think that one is aimed at? Really.

Pointing out media bias is like finding half-truths and partial-truths in an Obama speech, but even still, I think the media needs to be called out when they are covering up or hiding information for a purpose. Today, Hassan Nemazee was indicted for defrauding Bank of America, HSBC and Citigroup out of more than $US290 million in loan proceeds, US prosecutors said.

According to the AP, Nemazee is "a wealthy fundraiser for Hillary Rodham Clinton and other top Democrats". But according to News Digital Media, Nemazee is "a fund-raiser for Barack Obama" and in the last Presidential election supported Hillary Clinton's opponent, Barack Obama, by being listed as one of the top "bundlers" of contributions to Mr Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, according to OpenSecrets.org.

So, the President's top fundraiser is going to jail for fraud and his top organizing group ACORN should be sending many more to jail for intending to support an underage prostitution ring. The Presidnet's former friend Bill Ayers has been hidden away, and the President's former pastor has been thrown under the bus. Last election, I wondered how America could have elected Obama- increasingly the evidence is that he was elected using fraud, deception, and help from questionable friends.

I wonder though, why Larry Neumeister writing for the AP choose to not mention that Nemazee was a top fundraiser to President Obama, and instead wrote that he was a top fundraiser for Obama's main opponent, Hillary Clinton. It is shockingly easy to research Nemazee and find out who he donated money to, and yet, AP reporter Neumeister got it wrong- not because he didn't do his research, but because he wanted you the reader to arrive at a conclusion that he wanted you to arrive at.

Corruption and fraud was committed by a Democrat and the chief beneficiary was the President of the United States- and it wasn't a small sum either. To me, that is a story that shouldn't be reported wrongly and buried deep in the newspaper.

UPDATE: Out of curiosity, I decided to search "Bush fundraiser Fraud" in yahoo. After looking through the first several pages of results, I saw nothing about Bush or McCain fundraisers being accused of fraud and yet see many stories about Obama or Clinton fundraisers being accused of fraud. It is almost as if the Democrats, who were yelling loudly about the culture of corruption and buying of votes, were in fact the corrupt ones who were buying votes.

Don't forget about former top Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, who pleaded guilty in federal court to charges he cheated investors out of at least $20 million in a massive Ponzi scheme, benefiting primarily Hillary Clinton. In fact, for some reason this story seemed bigger than the one I am writing about today, when somebody committed 10 times more fraud and was successful in helping elect President Obama. The media buried one story and promoted another.

UPDATE II: Some reader reminded me about another top Democratic fundraiser who supported Obama with money and votes- Antoin "Tony" Rezko, the Chicago real estate developer who helped launch Barack Obama's political career. He is also in jail right now for fraud. The evidence is starting to pile up.

UPDATE III: Not sure if anyone wants to do anything about this- if you do let me know- but Michigan Senator Carl Levin accepted campaign contributions from Nemazee. This contributions were probably fraudulent, and Levin should return or renounce this money. To contact him, click here.

Cheikh Seck reports on the work of Mamadou Tall Diedhiou:

Senegal: Recycled Art from Humanwire on Vimeo.

Cheikh Seck reports on the work of Mamadou Tall Diedhiou:

Senegal: Recycled Art from Humanwire on Vimeo.

Charges of racism are not a joking matter and are the kind of vile charge that should only be leveled on someone if you can clearly make a case that the reason why someone opposes something or supports something is because of the race of the person. If you were for something for many years, and then an African-American stood up and said it and you suddenly were against it, that's most likely be racism. If you were against something for many years, and then an African-American stood up and said it and you were still against it, that would not be racism. Racism is best seen in the contradictory and inconsistent policies of the Jim Crow era.

And yet, in spite of electing a President who has promised to raise our nation above the race debate, in spite of electing a President who many said would end racism, accusations of racism are skyrocketing and our nation is being divided even more bitterly along racial lines. It is almost as if the election of Obama represents the opposite of what he promised- the candidate who was elected promising less racial tensions has led to more. This should not be shocking- it is the same candidate who promised to be bipartisan and is the most partisan and who promised to bring change but who proposes ideas long since discarded and who has promised not to raise taxes but has raised taxes and who promised to not make raise above the rancor of Washington but makes the most personal attacks.

Racism is not a joking manner, but the way that the liberals in Congress are treating it, it is getting sadly and bitterly funny. As MISSOURAH.com put it "It’s pretty exhausting trying to keep track of what is legitimate criticism of President Obama and what is racial hatred. That’s why (he) developed this handy flow chart:"

As our speedboat casts off from Yenagoa, in the heart of the Niger Delta, I feel as if I am being propelled into a more welcoming world. A bracing wind replaces the humid closeness of the town, a monument to disorder clustered around a single, thunderous main road. The foliage on either side of the water is thick and lush, with oil palms peeping over the top of the tree line. The river traffic – mainly canoes loaded with goods such as fish, wood and plantains – clings to the banks to avoid being capsized by our wake.
I am traveling with a few guides and a fellow journalist, Glenn ­McKenzie, in search of the Niger Delta’s main militant movement: the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or Mend. The organisation had attacked oil installations and kidnapped dozens of oil workers, prompting the big companies to send non-essential staff home and shut down hundreds of thousands of barrels a day of production.

As our speedboat casts off from Yenagoa, in the heart of the Niger Delta, I feel as if I am being propelled into a more welcoming world. A bracing wind replaces the humid closeness of the town, a monument to disorder clustered around a single, thunderous main road. The foliage on either side of the water is thick and lush, with oil palms peeping over the top of the tree line. The river traffic – mainly canoes loaded with goods such as fish, wood and plantains – clings to the banks to avoid being capsized by our wake.
I am traveling with a few guides and a fellow journalist, Glenn ­McKenzie, in search of the Niger Delta’s main militant movement: the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or Mend. The organisation had attacked oil installations and kidnapped dozens of oil workers, prompting the big companies to send non-essential staff home and shut down hundreds of thousands of barrels a day of production.

Ken Saro Wiwa Jr," son of murdered writer and Ogoni activist talks about his father, Ken Saro Wiwa, and his work with the Nigerian government."

Part 1

Part 2

Ken Saro Wiwa Jr," son of murdered writer and Ogoni activist talks about his father, Ken Saro Wiwa, and his work with the Nigerian government."

Part 1

Part 2

At the San Francisco California Airport, travelers can now purchase carbon offsets to make you feel less guilty about flying. You simply type in how long your flight is, and then the kiosk will calculate how big of a carbon footprint you will be making and match it to the cost of carbon credits, and then you can pay the price and feel less guilty about the flight. I'm not exactly sure where the money goes or what you are paying for, but some people are okay just paying money so they don't have to feel guilty any more.

The interesting thing is that although the government is ever-watchful of gas station owners who may charge too much, and the government has held many Congressional hearings about oil companies that make too much profit, but yet the government seems to be okay with and actually supportive of a carbon offset purchase kiosk that is charging 60 times the going rate for carbon offsets.

According to the Chicago Climate Exchange, carbon offsets are about 20 cents per ton, and yet the kiosk at the San Francisco Airport is charging $12.24 per ton. That's a big difference- I suppose that this amount is simply the waste and fraud and overhead that is so evil in healthcare companies and oil companies but is perfectly okay in a green machine?

To be perfectly honest, I don't understand this carbon offset shell game that the government is going to be creating and running. Democrats in the US Congress are trying to pass a cap-and-trade bill that will take our nation closer to a carbon offset market, and like most government run schemes, you can expect the system the liberals in government are creating to do accomplish very little and profit a few elite people with political connections.

Questions should be asked- who runs these carbon offset kiosks? Are they paying the same price for the space to set up their machines as the Coke vendors or other businesses at the airport? Is there similar government oversight that would caution consumers about buying nothing that is real at excessive prices? This is a government encouraged scam, and should not be tolerated.

Thanks to TigerHawk for first spotting this.

UPDATE: One of my valuable readers has informed me that the SFO charges 60 times the cost of purchasing a carbon offset because they take that 99% overhead that they charge and use that money to buy wind turbines, solar panels, and other green energy producing sources. I imagine that these are installed using union labor paid at the prevailing living wage, and that there needs to be extensive management costs associated with this whole enterprise. I imagine everyone connected with this has great health care and retirement, and assured jobs for life.

In short, rather than alluding to this carbon offset system being a government racket, I know shall point out that the reason why the government is charging 60x the cost of something is because they are price-gouging the customers and using that money to pad their own pockets in a government-endorsed extortion scheme. All the liberals who go hysterical over insurance companies having too much 'overhead' are more than willing to have considerably more for their own useless projects.

Thanks again for the emails, valuable readers. I agree- after more critical thought, this whole story stinks even more like corruption than it did at first glance.