YK project's ewaBAMJO is:
...A bi-annual international festival for interdisciplinary arts, specially dedicated to throwing glamour on the city of Lagos and establishing relationship through DANCE, CIRCUS, COMEDY, MUSIC, DRAMA, SPOKEN WORD and other interdisciplinary art forms, under one dance umbrella, that brings about conferences, debates, film screening and shows around the theme: HOME AND ABROAD
Jack McHugh put together a stunning list. Maybe you are old enough to remember back when every aspect of your life or business wasn't taxed. Or maybe you remember starting your own business, without getting a license from the government. Maybe, but I don't remember those days. I have grown up in tyranny and seen it only increase as I have gotten older. This is no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. Our Founding Fathers fought and died for less than this.
Here is a list of 55 Taxes On You and 116 Licensure Mandates for those who want to start a business in Michigan. First, here are all the taxes that government has slapped on us to steal our money: Accounts Receivable Tax, Business income tax, Business Gross Receipts Tax, Business Tool and Equipment Property Tax, Building Permit Tax, CDL license Tax. Cigarette Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Dog License Tax, Excise Taxes, Federal Income Tax, Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA), Fishing License Tax, Food License Tax, Fuel Permit Tax, Gasoline Tax, Hunting License Tax, Inheritance Tax, Inventory Tax, IRS Interest Charges, IRS Penalties, Liquor Tax, Luxury Taxes, Marriage License Tax, Medicare Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Transfer Tax, Service Charge Tax....
Seriously, are you still reading this list of taxes? Do you think the government taxes all these for the money, or is it just to control us and do a little social engineering? You know, pick winners and losers like government is God or something?
Here are more taxes: Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax, Sales Tax, Recreational Vehicle Tax, School Tax, State Income Tax, State Unemployment Tax (SUTA), Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax, Telephone Federal/State/Local Surcharge Taxes, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Use Tax, Utility Taxes, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, and Workers Compensation Tax...
As if those aren't enough taxes, the Democrats and Obama are proposing two new giant taxes- Cap and Trade and taxing employer provided health care benefits.
I'm not going to go through all the license requirements here- you get the picture. Check them all out though if you want, and email me and let me know which license requirement you think is the most insulting. Personally, I'm a little surprised that you can't clean out a sewage tank without paying the government money for a license (Sewer Pipe Cleaners License). Oh well.
Kind of makes you look longingly at the days of a Stamp Tax, doesn't it?
Despite what Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's termination letters stated that DC teachers were evaluated by their local school principal, some DC teachers were fired without ever being evaluated as we heard on WJLA, channel 7 yesterday on the 5 p.m. news.
When Rhee signed off on the terminations of 21 teachers @ Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC) given the standardized test scores as reported on The WaPo site- it leaves me wondering whether Principal Maria Tukeva ever cheated in some back room. How is it that the entire middle school teaching staff at CHEC were all ineffective ? Based on The Washington Post's 'Fixing DC Schools' report on line, there were only approximately 32 teachers in total at the middle school level.
How is that the entire special education department at Ludlow Taylor elementary school where Carolyn Cobbs is principal were terminated ? Was the whole department ineffective ? Stories like these and many others defy probability and reason and suggest to me that it's not about removing ineffective teachers.
Some of us are determined to ensure that due process of law occurs. A committee is being formed now to secure representation for many of our DC teachers who have been wronged. We are in search of of an experienced labor attorney willing to represent a class of DC teachers pro bono.
If you can help in any way, please contact: savedcteachers@gmail.com
(posted by The Washington Teacher)Video courtesy of wjla.com
Democracy in Dakar a film by Nomadic Wax bridges the gap between hip-hop activism, video journalism and documentary film and explores the role of youth and musical activism on the political process.via Society HaeAfrican Underground: Democracy in Dakar - Episode # 1 from Nomadic Wax on Vimeo.
Aikins Adusei rails against the complicity and complacency of the Western Media when it comes to the acquired loot deposited in Western Institutions:
Corruption is rife in Africa because there are banking institutions in Europe especially Switzerland, France, Jersey Island, Britain, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Austria, US and many others who accept money from African leaders without questioning the source of the money. According to the UN around $148 billion are stolen from the continent by the political leaders, the business elite and civil servants every year with collusion and connivance of banking industries in Europe and North America.More here
Even though it is a common knowledge western banks are acting as safe havens for looted funds from Africa, very little attention is received from the western media to expose them. The media tend to focus their energies on the corrupt leaders with little or no mention at all as to where the monies they have stolen are being kept. There has not been any concrete effort to expose the banks that collude and connive with these corrupt leaders who are impoverishing the people. No effort has been made by the political elite in Europe and America to force the banks to return these stolen monies to the poorest of the poor because they are often the shareholders and beneficiaries of profits made by these banks.
Yahoo Finance carried an article from the Wall Street Journal called "Retailers Head for Exits in Detroit.' The story details how there are no more big box stores or major retailers left inside the city limits of Detroit- not a single major car dealership, no Borders, no Starbucks, no chain grocery stores, no outlets to sell fresh produce and meat, and no Home Depots or Lowes.
The city of Detroit has been hammered by years of liberal Democrat rule (it is getting increasingly tough to blame all this on Bush in Detroit), and now there are very very people buying goods- the city's has a 22.8% unemployment rate among the highest in the U.S. and 30% of residents are on food stamps- and there are fewer people selling goods now. High taxes, high regulation, easy access to welfare, poor crime fighting, government handouts, and government directed building projects- the very platform of Obama- have destroyed capitalism in the city of Detroit, and now its residents have to travel to the suburbs (which are still run by Republicans) to buy goods and services.
How did Detroit get in this mess? Buried in the middle of this article, we discover the real reason why residents of Detroit are unable to buy food and consumer goods- GOVERNMENT. The barrier to a better life is government. The thing that stands in the way of eating good food for cheap prices is government. The people of Detroit can only blame themselves, because they elected liberal Democrats on a message of hope and change, and now live poor and solitary and brutal lives as a result.
After the usual 'it's the white people in the suburbs fault' line, the real reason why Detroit is suffering comes out- the reason why there are no stores in Detroit is because the city is inept and negligent in keeping track of who ones what property and now there are hundreds of buildings were left vacant with unclear property ownership. The other reason that residents of Detroit have to travel twice as far to get food is because zoning rules and other red tape to develop land for big-box stores that might cater to a low-income clientele is daunting.
What is the solution? One approach is to go green, and start village gardens and markets and revert back to the middle ages. Another approach is to tax the pants off any rich person the government can get its hands on, and squeeze more blood out of rocks. Another approach is to spend tax money trying to talk people into relocating their businesses to Detroit. These are all bad ideas though.
The solution is for residents of Detroit, Wayne County, Oakland County, the State of Michigan, and the United States of America to vote straight ticket Republican next election. That is the easiest way to affect positive change and restore hope for Detroit. Do it.
UPDATE: I want to respond to some of you who emailed me because you don't like my solution (vote Republican). First, government is power, and it is very important who is in power, and the best way to affect government is by voting. Voting is the easiest way. Voting is the most direct way. Voting is the quickest way. So voting is the best solution. As to voting Republican, Republican politicians usually are closer to the advocating the correct policy decisions than Democrats, and if you vote Republican you have a much better chance of voting for conservatives than if you vote Democrat. And voting independent or third party is an utter waste of a vote because we have a two party system.
So that's why I just suggest voting straight-ticket Republican. That is the easiest, quickest, and most direct way to change our nation for the better. Keep that in mind next election when there are Congressman and State Senators up for election- it is because of people like you who didn't vote straight ticket Republican that our country is in this mess.
Dee Does the District responds: "Thank you, but this issue is bigger than just me. There are six other teachers that were terminated from Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School by Carolyn Cobbs (Principal). These individuals range from probationary teachers to veterans in the District. One teacher in particular was told her job was safe, only to receive a certified letter stating her termination yesterday. I want others to know that they are not alone in this! We need to band together and fight for ourselves and fight for the current and future teachers of the District. What happened to us is not right and it is not fair and although this will be a long, arduous task, we will win this."
250 DC Teachers Terminated As Reported by The WaPo
No official confirmation from Chancellor Rhee's office
I decided to post the story of Dee's termination, a fellow education blogger right here in DC. Dee features the story of her own termination on her blog @ Dee Does The District
This one's for you Dee ! It ain't over till its over. The Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) has pending litigation with respect to last year's probationary teachers who were terminated unfairly. One of the first cases involving a probationary teacher had over 30 contractual violations for starters. By the way, last years terminated probationary teachers had meets and exceeds expectations performance evaluations.
Here's what Union Prez Parker said in today's Post article by Bill Turque: "Parker said the union disagrees with the school system about the status of probationary teachers. The union contends that if a teacher on probation receives a satisfactory evaluation, he or she should be hired permanently. Last year's firings of probationary teachers are the subject of a court fight, and Parker said he intends to pursue a similar remedy this year. "
I Was Terminated by Dee Does The District
"I was terminated yesterday."
Just two quick thoughts before I go to bed for the evening:
1. Michelle Rhee has acknowledged how terrible she was as a first-year teacher; this is hardly different for the majority of of first- and second-year teachers (traditional or alt-cert) as we are all trying to navigate our classrooms and our schools. But according to her, she was able to come back for two more years and make significant gains -- why aren't all of the probationary teachers who were terminated allowed to make the same progress after a rough (or smooth...) first year in the classroom?
2. Rhee has also acknowledged that the PPEP form is a bad document that allows for administrators to arbitrarily put down negative scores based on whims, fancies, and personal vendettas. This acknowledgement has been translated into a new evaluation system for the upcoming school year that will bring in impartial, expert teachers to ensure fairness in the process -- we are in fact, dealing with people's careers and lives here. Alas, despite recognizing the inherent flaws in the process, a single administrator was still allowed to make the final ruling on a teacher's employment status. It seems that these two things are in direct conflict with one another.
No, I'm not mad or upset with Rhee -- I'm just disappointed that she failed to terminate the right person. " (Courtesy of Dee Does the District) quote courtesy of The Washington Post.