AT&T Dubbed Worst Phone Carrier Of 2012 By Consumer Reports

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AT&T has done it again.

For the third year in a row, the telecommunications company was named the worst major cell phone service provider in Consumer Reports' annual ranking, released on Nov. 29. AT&T "received 'middling to low marks' in voice and text service quality," giving it the lowest overall score among carriers, according to Gizmodo.

But AT&T wasn't the only carrier customers hated on. According to NBC News, "none of the big four national carriers had an overall satisfaction score above 72 percent," making this year's marks lower than in past surveys.

Among the four major U.S. carriers -- AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile -- Verizon was listed as the top-rated provider (again), receiving praise for its voice and data service quality. Engadget notes the results were based on a poll taken by over 63,250 subscribers through the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

AT&T still does have other companies beat with one service. Consumer Reports ranked its 4G LTE network the best option on the market. So... cheers to that AT&T!

The full results of the survey will be available in Consumer Reports' January 2013 issue. (Subscription is required to access them online.)

Joe Jackson Father Of MJ Has Stroke

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Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, reports celebrity website X17 Online. Michael Jackson's controversial dad, 83, is at a Las Vegas hospital, though his spokeswoman says he's doing fine and could be home tomorrow, reports AP. “The good thing is that he was taken immediately to the hospital as he was with a couple of people at the time," a family friend tells Fox News. Estranged wife Katherine was reportedly on her way to visit.

Manning Finally Testifies: I Felt Stuck in 'Animal Cage'

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Bradley Manning acknowledges that heacted weirdly in detention—but that was thanks to "sheer out-of-my-mind boredom," he said yesterday in a pretrial hearing. The soldier accused of passing volumes of classified material to WikiLeaks gave his first testimony yesterday after being held for more than 900 days. As he spoke, he smiled, twisted his swivel chair, and occasionally interrupted his lawyer, the Los Angeles Times reports. His lawyers are hoping for a dismissal of charges on the grounds that he was confined under illegal conditions.

At first, Manning was held in a small cell on a US base in Kuwait: "I thought I was going to die in that cage," he said. "And that's how I saw it, as an animal cage." The hearing addressed Manning's pretend sword-fights and his habit of making faces in the mirror; as for whether he licked the bars of his cell, he said he didn't remember doing so. Called a danger to himself, Manning had to spend some nights naked; he once got stuck in a suicide-prevention smock and had to ask guards for help, he said. But a psychiatrist who assessed him testified that he had not been a threat to himself. The judge at yesterday's hearing approved the possibility of a guilty plea to lesser charges(eight of the 22 he faces). That could land Manning in prison for 16 years rather than the 72 years those eight charges carry—but such a plea wouldn't necessarily halt prosecution of the larger chargers, reports the AP.

Polar Ice Sheets Melting Faster

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The most expansive study yet is helping to clarify long-held uncertainties about polar ice. The melting of polar ice sheets has sped up since 1992, raising sea levels 11.1mm—a fifth of their total rise since then. And while the melting ice sheets accounted for 10% of the sea level rise in the 1990s, the process now accounts for closer to 30%. Greenland has lost more permanent ice to melting than has Antarctica, the Wall Street Journal notes, thanks to warmer air and ocean currents.

"If you extrapolate these results, Greenland is going to be a serious contributor to global sea-level rise," says an expert. "Its contribution, relative to other sources, is becoming greater and greater." Ice loss there is now occurring nearly five times faster than it was in the mid-1990s. Scientists' difficult task is to measure "mass balance," the difference between a year's snowfall on the permanent ice sheets and the amount of ice that breaks or melts off. The latest study offers twice the accuracy of previous work. The role of man-made climate change in the melting remains unclear, but nature can't account for all of it, says a study author. He adds that while there's no "immediate threat" from rising sea levels, the study calls for further investigation.

US Birth Rate Lowest Ever

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The US birthrate last year was the lowest since records began in 1920, dropping to 63.2 per 1,000 women, Pew data shows. Between 2007 and 2010, the rate fell 8% among all women aged 15 to 44. It fell 14% among foreign-born women, compared to 6% among women born in the US. And among Mexican immigrant women, it dropped 23%. The recession appears to have played a major role: Foreign-born women were deeply affected by the downturn, and Hispanic women born in the US and abroad have seen household wealth drop more than any other group since 2007.

"Latinos have been hit particularly hard by the recession, and the downturn in births is especially sharp for immigrants," says a study author. Latino women's increased access to contraception may also have been a factor, analysts say. Another factor: Immigration from Mexico hit a net zero in 2010, the Wall Street Journalnotes, meaning that the number of Mexicans moving here matched the number returning to Mexico. Some 3.95 million babies were born in the US last year, the data shows. The birth rate peaked in 1957, at 122.7 per 1,000 women, the BBC notes.

Extending Unemployment Insurance Would Create 300,000 Jobs Next Year

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While Washington obsesses over the so-called “fiscal cliff” — the set of tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take place at the end of the year — America’s unemployed are facing a cliff of a different kind. In January, the expanded federal unemployment insurance program will expire, cutting off benefits for millions of Americans.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, extending unemployment insurance won’t just help those Americans struggling to find work in a still-sluggish economy. It will also help create 300,000 jobs:

For the three options involving extensions for an entire year—Options 1, 2, and 4—economic output would be $1.10 higher per dollar of budgetary cost, on average, in 2013, CBO estimates, and employment would be increased by six years of full-time-equivalent employment per million dollars of budgetary cost (see figure below). 

Under Option 1 [a full, year-long extension], for example, which extends the benefits provided under the current EUC and EB programs at a total budgetary cost of $30 billion, CBO estimates that gross domestic product adjusted for inflation would be 0.2 percent higher in the fourth quarter of 2013 and that full-time-equivalent employment would be 0.3 million higher at that time than it would be under current law.

Unemployment insurance kept 2.3 million people out of poverty last year, despite America’s system being one of the stingiest in the developed world. Already, 500,000 Americans have lost benefits due to the program’s faulty design and Congress restricting eligibility. (HT: Matt O’Brien)

Mississippi’s Only Abortion Clinic Could Be Forced To Close In January

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Jackson Women’s Health Organization — the only abortion clinic in the entire state of Mississippi — has been fighting to remain open after Republican legislators, aiming to force the clinic to close, passed a restrictive regulation requiring its doctors to secure hospital admitting privileges. A Bush-appointed federal judge temporarily blocked the measure in July to give the clinic’s doctors more time to apply for privileges at area hospitals, but that order expires in early January. And so far, all seven hospitals in the area have denied privileges to the doctors.

The Center for Reproductive Rights filed a motion Wednesday asking a judge to stop the law from being implemented — and forcing the clinic to stop providing abortion care — before January 6, 2013. If it closes, women in Mississippi will no longer have access to abortion in the state:

“This unconstitutional law has essentially handed over the fate of Mississippi women’s reproductive health care to hospital administrators,” said Michelle Movahed, staff attorney at the Center [for Reproductive Rights]. 

Betty Thompson, a spokesperson for the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, told The Huffington Post that the clinic’s staffers are “on pins and needles” waiting for the court’s decision. She said the clinic served about 2,000 patients in 2011 and that the majority of its clients are low-income and teenage women. The next nearest clinic for Mississippi residents is approximately three hours away and over the state line, and most neighboring states require women to make a second visit to the abortion clinic after a 24-hour waiting period in order to receive services. 

“Mississippi women have the same constitutional rights as any other women in the United States,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights. “They deserve far better than to be forced to travel hundreds of miles to another state to get a safe, legal medical procedure.”

Hospitals reportedly denied privileges to clinic doctors because the fact that they provide abortion services “is inconsistent with this Hospital’s policies and practices as concerns abortion and, in particular, elective abortions.” Mississippi has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, as well as the lowest abortion rate.

Black Friday Gun Sales Hit Record High

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Gun sales reached an all-time high on a record Black Friday shopping day, fresh off an election where conservatives claimed Obama harbors a secret plot to take away guns.

Firearm dealers swamped the FBI with 155,000 required background checks on Friday, 20 percent more than last year. The reasons why, dealers say, include a growing number of women buyers, as well as fears — promoted by the NRA during the campaign — that Obama may call for stricter gun laws in his second term, such as a renewed assault weapon ban. Though the NRA feared the same during Obama’s first term, he has yet to take action after several mass shootings. Obama has even weakened some gun regulation.

Since Election Day, Big Oil Lobby Dropped $3 Million On Ads To Protect Its Tax Loopholes

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On election night, polluter-backed candidates lost in some of the most expensive races targeted by polluters, despite outside ad spending that tallied to $270 million.

The American Petroleum Institute already has 2014 in its sights, and it is spending aggressively to protect the oil industry’s multi-billion-dollar tax breaks. Three weeks since election day, API has spent $3 million on TV ads, according to a ThinkProgress analysis of Kantar Media’s CMAG data. That is already $1 million more than what API spent in the final two months of the election, as part of its “I’m an Energy Voter” campaign.

A bulk of the spending, $600,000, targets specific senators over Big Oil’s $4 billion annual tax breaks, all of whom are up for reelection in 2014. All but two voted in March to end oil subsidies, a vote blocked by 47 senators who have taken more than $23.5 million from the oil and gas industry.

Here is an example of one ad directed at Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA):


NARRATOR: America spoke loudly. Clearly, we want a commonsense plan to help people succeed. Senator Mark Warner can make energy a big part of improving our economy. He can choose economic growth and American jobs, not slow them with job-killing energy taxes.Let’s take advantage of America’s energy resources to power growth. American energy – not higher taxes on energy – will create jobs. Let’s get to work.

                            


Ending the industry’s tax breaks would not affect Americans’ gas prices, or kill jobs. Factcheck.org writes that “nonpartisan congressional analysts and industry experts say higher taxes would have little or no effect on gasoline prices.” And at the same time oil enjoyed low tax rates and earned high profits, Exxon, Shell, and BP still shed 17,500 jobs.

ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips have paid federal tax rates well below the 35 percent top corporate rate. ExxonMobil, for instance, paid a 13 percent tax rate in 2011, after drilling deductions and benefits, and 14 percent on average between 2008 and 2010.

Since November 6, the states seeing at least $20,000 worth of API ads have either a senator or governor up for reelection in 2014:


Pennsylvania: $228,530
Ohio: $203,960
*North Carolina: $165,400
*Colorado: $154,020
New York: $127,960
*Arkansas: $106,920
*Louisiana: $101,100
Michigan: $100,760
*Virginia: $74,250
Texas: $68,070
*New Mexico: 29,520
*Alaska: $19,040

*Ads specifically mention senators by name.

SAT, ACT No Longer Required For Admission To 800 U.S. Colleges And Universities

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A growing number of colleges are stepping away from the standardized exams traditionally required of admissions applicants. More than 800 colleges and universities across the country no longer mandate score submissions from SAT or ACT college admissions exams, according to the latest survey by the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, otherwise known as FairTest and a longtime critic of the SAT.

The number of test-optional institutions grew after the most recent revision of the SAT and ACT, in 2005. Of those schools, some exempt applicants who meet GAP or class-rank criteria while others require scores only for course placement purposes or for internal research.

"[Colleges and universities] recognize that neither the SAT nor ACT measures what students most need to succeed in higher education," FairTest Public Education Director Bob Schaeffer said in a statement Wednesday. "Even the tests' sponsors admit that an applicant's high school record remains a better predictor of college performance than either exam is."

(See a slideshow of "top-tier" schools with test-optional policies below.)

Among the test-optional schools are Middlebury College and Bowdoin College, both of which were ranked in U.S. News & World Report's top 10 liberal arts colleges in America. Nearly 150 institutions with test-optional admissions rank in the "top tier" of their respective academic categories, Schaeffer said.

Wake Forest University, for example, also found that dropping the SAT requirement further diversified its student body.

“We expect the ACT/SAT optional list to continue growing as more institutions recognize that the tests remain biased, coachable, educationally damaging and irrelevant to sound admissions practices,” Schaeffer said.

Even so, the vast majority of college-seeking teens are still taking the exams. The Louisiana Department of Education, for example, has launched a new initiative thatrequires all high school juniors to take the ACT.

For the first time ever, the ACT proved more popular this year among test takers than the SAT -- by a narrow margin of less than 2,000 test-takers out of 1.65 million who took each.

The FairTest survey results also come as the two companies that administer the tests, the College Board and ACT Inc., recently implemented stricter security measures to curb cheating following the discovery last fall of a cheating scandal among 20 students from Great Neck, N.Y..

Even as exam officials point to the scores as basic numerical indicators of college readiness, FairTest officials maintain SAT and ACT scores are not well-rounded predictors of college success. Student scores on the tests, either fell slightly or remained stagnant this year, indicating stalled achievement and large likelihood of merely average achievement in a student's first year of college.

The Top 4 Whoppers Norquist Tells To Keep Republicans From Defecting

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Grover Norquist has launched a wide-ranging media campaign to combat the perception that Republicans are abandoning his pledge to never raise taxes as they work on a plan to avert the fiscal cliff.

The anti-tax zealot uses his ubiquitous presence on cable TV, radio, and in print to publicly pressure Republicans from compromising on a balanced measure that includes increased revenue and spending cuts, using various scare tactics to keep the GOP in line. But his claims — which he dutifully reiterates in every media appearance — are often divorced from reality. Here are Norquist’s top 4 whoppers:


1) “[F]or four years President Obama has not reined in spending. Done nothing useful on entitlement reform.” Federal spending is actually lower now than it was when President Obama took office. In January 2009, before President Obama had even taken the oath of office, annual spending was set to total 24.9 percent of gross domestic product. Total spending this year, fiscal year 2012, is expected to top out at 23.4 percent of GDP. By 2017, spending will come down to 22 percent of the GDP. In actual dollars, government spending dropped from 2009 to 2010. In fact, Obama has the lowest spending record of any recent president. He has also significantly reformed Medicare — and extended its solvency — through the Affordable Care Act.

2) “That’s where we were with Reagan tax rates and that’s where we were with lower marginal tax rates and with — with reasonable economic growth. We’ve got revenues of 18.5 percent of GDP…. If we had grown at Reagan rates of growth instead of Obama rates of growth, 11 million Americans would be at work today.” Reagan’s tax cuts did little for economic growth. As Reagan administration economist Bruce Bartlett has noted: “Real gross domestic product growth was about the same after the 1986 act took effect in 1987 as it was before…By the mid-1990s, it was the consensus view of economists that the Tax Reform Act of 1986 had little, if any, impact on growth.” Other studies came to the same conclusion.

3) “When [Bush] cut marginal tax rates on capital gains and dividends from 2002, there was four years of strong economic growth from ’03 to ’07.” Numerous studies have found that cutting tax rates for the wealthiest Americans did not spur economic growth or job creation. In fact, since Republicans began instituting supply-side policies under President Reagan, growth has lagged and income inequality has surged, as the wealthiest Americans make more money while paying less in taxes. Under Bush, the nation experienced the worst economic growth of the post-war period.

4) “George Herbert Walker Bush managed the collapse of the Soviet Union, kicked Iraq out of Kuwait, had a 90% approval rating, however he agreed to a tax-increase deal [consisting of] two dollars of spending cuts for every one dollar of taxes. And he lost the presidency.” As the Washington Post points out, Bush lost re-election because of voter discontent about the economy. His flip flop on taxes ranked low on the list of voter concerns.

A growing number of Republican senators are at least rhetorically backing away from Norquist’s pledge, a sign of his weakened influence in the aftermath of the 2012 elections. Some 16 incumbent Republicans and one incumbent Senator who signed the document lost on election night. In total, 56 Republican House incumbents or candidates who endorsed the pledge and 24 Republican Senators or hopefuls lost.

Hackers' New Target: Hotel Room Locks

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Forbes has a story sure to make travelers' paranoid: It seems that burglars have begun taking advantage of a bug in the keycard locks used on hotel room doors. Several burglaries using the technique took place at the Houston Hyatt in September, and more are suspected at other Texas hotels, writes Andy Greenberg. Security experts expect more to follow given that the model of lock in question, made by Onity, is used in about 4 million hotel rooms worldwide.

This all started in July when Mozilla software developer Cody Brocious made the flaw public at the Black Hat hacker conference. His intent was to publicize it so hotels and Onity could fix the problem, but that didn't happen, even though Greenberg wrote about it at the time. Instead, Brocious' technique seems to have been refined by burglars, who can build what amounts to their own master key for about $50. The Houston Hyatt has filled a hole in the vulnerable locks with glue, but a longer-term fix remains unclear. It will be expensive, and there's a dispute over whether Onity or the hotels using its locks must pay for the upgrade. Read Greenberg's full story here.

CEOs Looking To ‘Fix The Debt’ By Cutting Social Security Sit On Huge Retirement Accounts

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Several CEOs — under the guise of a campaign known as “Fix the Debt” — have recently called for cuts to Social Security and other entitlements. Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, for instance, said that “there will be things that, you know, the retirement age has to be changed, maybe some of the benefits have to be affected, maybe some of the inflation adjustments have to be revised.” “The solutions [to the fiscal cliff] are – it’s the retirement age; means testing Social Security and Medicare,” said Aetna CEO Mark Berolino. “We just need to get leadership.”

Of course, these CEOs have little cause for concern if government retirement assistance is cut, as they have millions of dollars squirreled away in their personal retirement accounts:

– The 71 Fix the Debt CEOs of public companies have average retirement assets of $9.1 million. Of these 71 CEOs, 54 participate in their company‘s retirement programs and have collective pension assets of $649 million, or more than $12 million per CEO — enough to generate a $65,873 pension check each month for life. In contrast, the average monthly Social Security check for retired workers is $1,237. 

– A dozen of the Fix the Debt executives have more than $20 million in their individual company retirement accounts. If each of these CEOs converted their assets to an annuity when they turned 65, they would receive a monthly check for at least $110,000 for life.

Blankfein has nearly $12 million in retirement assets, while Bertolini has $1.5 million. Adding insult to injury, many of the CEOs calling for cuts to the social safety net areunderfunding their workers’ retirement accounts:

Of the 71 publicly held Fix the Debt member companies, 41 provide employee pension funds for their workers. Of these, only two have sufficient assets in their pension funds to meet their expected obligations. The rest have underfunded their worker pension funds by $103 billion, or about $2.5 billion on average.

Since 1985, 84,000 pension plans have been eliminated. And now these CEOs are coming after the government programs upon which the elderly, and many others, depend.

GOP Senator: If Immigrants Want A Path To Citizenship, They Can Just Marry Americans

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Lawmakers from both parties have expressed new interest in comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants, after Latino voters overwhelmingly supported President Obama in the presidential election. But the bill introduced on Tuesday by retiring Republican Sens. Jon Kyl (AZ) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), dubbed the ACHIEVE Act, is nothing more than a watered-down version of the bipartisan DREAM Act without a clear path to citizenship for those who would qualify under the measure.

Hutchison emphasized that the measure, which would require applicants to apply for three different visa programs over several years, does not offer a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. “It doesn’t allow them to cut in line in front of people who have come and abided by the rules of our laws today,” she said during a press conference. “It doesn’t keep them from applying under the rules today, but it doesn’t give them a special preference.”

Kyl sought to dismiss the necessity of providing immigrants with a path to citizenship by suggesting that they should — unlawfully — marry U.S. citizens for immigration purposes:


KYL: Realistically, young people frequently get married. In this country, the biggest marriage pool are U.S. citizens. A U.S. citizen can petition for a spouse to become a citizen in a very short time…so I don’t think it’s any big secret that a lot of people who might participate in this program are going to have a very quick path to citizenship, if that’s the path they choose.

Watch it here:

                            

The senators admitted during a press conference that it is unlikely they will make much progress on this bill while they are still in the Senate. They said they wanted to begin the process and let other senators take up the effort after the lame duck session. The ACHIEVE Act is reportedly based on Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) working draft of a GOP alternative to the DREAM Act, an idea he floated last summer. So far Rubio is not a co-sponsor of this bill.

GOP Congressman: House Republicans Should Join Hands With Obama On Tax Bill

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A Republican Congressman is urging the GOP to support legislation extending President Bush’s tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans that will expire if Congress does not act before the end of the year, Politico reports. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) told colleagues on Tuesday that by agreeing to President Obama’s approach and providing tax relief for the majority of Americans, the party could honor Grover Norquist’s no-tax pledge and still push for extending the tax breaks for the richest 2 percent of income earners:

At a meeting of the House GOP whip team earlier in the day, he made the case that Republicans would strengthen their position by joining hands with President Barack Obama now to give most taxpayers what he calls “an early Christmas present” of ensuring their taxes don’t go up on Jan. 1. 

Cole’s position is striking because he’s hardly a “squish” — Norquist’s term for a weak-kneed lawmaker — when it comes to Republican orthodoxy. Cole served as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and in other official posts within the party. [...] 

“I think we ought to take the 98 percent deal right now,” he said of freezing income tax rates for all but the top 2 percent of earners. “It doesn’t mean I agree with raising the top 2. I don’t. Instead, he told POLITICO, Republicans should fight the president over tax rates for the top earners after everyone else is taken care of.

The Senate passed legislation maintaining Bush’s tax cuts for all but the top 2 percent of income earners in July and Obama has urged the GOP-controlled House to support the bill.

'Fixed' News Abruptly Ends Interview After Guest Calls Out The Network For Hyping Benghazi Scandal (Fox News Eeks Bye Again, Just Barely Dodging Reality! MUST SEE)

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Tom Ricks, author and Pulitzer prize winner who has reported for the Washington Post, lambasted Fox News’s coverage of the Benghazi attacks in an interview with the conservative network on Monday. Ricks, who has written extensively on the American military, called the Fox an “operating as a wing of Republican Party” that “hyped” the Benghazi attack as a faux-scandal.

During the interview, which lasted only a minute and 45 seconds, Ricks responded to a loaded question with a remark that surprised the anchor:

JON SCOTT (HOST): Senator John McCain said in the past he would block any attempt to nominate Susan Rice to become U.N. — I’m sorry, Secretary of State. She’s currently the U.N. ambassador. He seems to be backing away from that. What do you make of it?

RICKS: I think that Benghazi generally was hyped, by this network especially, and that now that the campaign is over, I think he’s backing off a little bit. They’re not going to stop Susan Rice from being secretary of state.

After Ricks called Fox the “operating wing” of the GOP, Scott ended the interview.

Watch it:

           

Ricks’ assessment of Fox’s role in what they themselves dubbed “Benghazi-gate” is accurate. Since the Sept. 11 attack that killed four U.S. citizens, Fox has pushed a constant stream of conspiracy theories and easily countered “facts” claiming that the Obama administration lied to the public in their response. Even Fox’s own personalities have had trouble accepting the push at times, but Ricks’ blunt statements caught the network off-guard.

The interview apparently didn’t sit well with Fox: a “news staffer” told Ricks that he was rude while he was on air. Ricks’ segment, according to an interview he gave with the New York Times, was about “half as long as planned.”

“I had told the producer before I went on that I thought the Benghazi story had been hyped. So it should have been no surprise when I said it and the anchor pushed back that I defended my view,” Ricks told Politico. Ricks also told the New York Times that he was going to discuss the “lack of combat readiness of some Army units” but henever got the opportunity,. “They seemed to lose interest in that,” he said.

Lawrence Guyot Dead: Civil Rights Leader Dies At 73

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WASHINGTON -- Lawrence Guyot, a civil rights leader who survived jailhouse beatings in the Deep South in the 1960s and went on to encourage generations to get involved, has died. He was 73.

Guyot had a history of heart problems and suffered from diabetes, and died at home in Mount Rainier, Md., his daughter Julie Guyot-Diangone said late Saturday. She said he died sometime Thursday night; other media reported he passed away Friday.

A Mississippi native, Guyot (pronounced GHEE-ott) worked for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and served as director of the 1964 Freedom Summer Project, which brought thousands of young people to the state to register blacks to vote despite a history of violence and intimidation by authorities. He also chaired the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which sought to have blacks included among the state's delegates to the 1964 Democratic National Convention. The bid was rejected, but another civil rights activist, Fannie Lou Hamer, addressed the convention during a nationally televised appearance.


Guyot was severely beaten several times, including at the notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary known as Parchman Farm. He continued to speak on voting rights until his death, including encouraging people to cast ballots for President Barack Obama.

"He was a civil rights field worker right up to the end," Guyot-Diangone said.

Guyot participated in the 40th anniversary of the Freedom Summer Project to make sure a new generation could learn about the civil rights movement.

"There is nothing like having risked your life with people over something immensely important to you," he told The Clarion-Ledger in 2004. "As Churchill said, there's nothing more exhilarating than to have been shot at – and missed."

His daughter said she recently saw him on a bus encouraging people to register to vote and asking about their political views. She said he was an early backer of gay marriage, noting that when he married a white woman, interracial marriage was illegal in some states. He met his wife Monica while they both worked for racial equality.

"He followed justice," his daughter said. "He followed what was consistent with his values, not what was fashionable. He just pushed people along with him."

Susan Glisson, executive director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi, called Guyot "a towering figure, a real warrior for freedom and justice."

"He loved to mentor young people. That's how I met him," she said.

When she attended Ole Miss, students reached out to civil rights activists and Guyot responded.

"He was very opinionated," she said. "But always – he always backed up his opinions with detailed facts. He always pushed you to think more deeply and to be more strategic. It could be long days of debate about the way forward. But once the path was set, there was nobody more committed to the path."

Glisson said Guyot's efforts helped lay the groundwork for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

"Mississippi has more black elected officials than any other state in the country, and that's a direct tribute to his work," she said.

Guyot was born in Pass Christian, Miss., on July 17, 1939. He became active in civil rights while attending Tougaloo College in Mississippi, and graduated in 1963. Guyot received a law degree in 1971 from Rutgers University, and then moved to Washington, where he worked to elect fellow Mississippian and civil rights activist Marion Barry as mayor in 1978.

"When he came to Washington, he continued his revolutionary zeal," Barry told The Washington Post on Friday. "He was always busy working for the people."

Guyot worked for the District of Columbia government in various capacities and as a neighborhood advisory commissioner.

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton told The Post in 2007 that she first met Guyot within days of his beating at a jail in Winona, Miss. "Because of Larry Guyot, I understood what it meant to live with terror and to walk straight into it," she told the newspaper. On Friday, she called Guyot "an unsung hero" of the civil rights movement.

"Very few Mississippians were willing to risk their lives at that time," she said. "But Guyot did."

In recent months, his daughter said he was concerned about what he said were Republican efforts to limit access to the polls. As his health was failing, he voted early because he wanted to make sure his vote was counted, he told the AFRO newspaper.

Funeral services are pending.

Fox Host: People Who Died In Walmart Factory Fire Were Thankful For Their Jobs

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The 129 Bangladeshis who died in a fire caused by poor fire safety conditions in their garment factory should be thankful for their jobs, according to Fox Business host Charles Payne. Speaking with Neil Cavuto on Fox News this Monday, Payne excused this Sunday’s fire as a rare event and labelled all critics of the unsafe conditions that contributed to the tragedy as anti-Capitalist:

PAYNE: It is tragic. I don’t think something like this will happen again.Don’t think that the people in Bangladesh who perished didn’t want or need those jobs, as well. I know we like to victimize everyone in this country, particularly when it comes to for-profit motivation, which is being assaulted. But, you know, it is a tragedy but I think it is a stretch, an amazing stretch, to sort of try to pin this on Walmart but, of course, the unions in this country are desperate.

Watch it:


             


The Bangladeshi factory in question, Tazreen Factories, had no functioning extinguishers, locked the exits, and employed managers who told factory workers to go back to their stations when the fire alarm went off. Since 2006, over 200 people have died in Bangladeshi garment factories as a consequence of the substandard safety precautions prevalent in their factory. Some believe companies like Walmart — whose brands were found in the burnt factory — would move if production at the faculty were more expensive; that is, if things like basic safety precautions were implemented.

During his defense of the factory, Payne referred to himself as “a spokesman for capitalism and the American Dream” and said “for a lot of people, this [Walmart business practice] is a step in the right direction.”

Arafat's Remains Exhumed

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Yasser Arafat was exhumed from his West Bank grave today so experts can seek clues to his death, the AP reports. The Palestinian leader died in Paris 2004 and France opened a murder investigation earlier this year amid reports that highly radioactive polonium was found on his personal effects. French, Swiss and Russian experts will test samples from Arafat's bones, though since polonium decomposes rapidly, his death may remain a mystery.

Mississippi County Jails Kids For School Dress Code Violations, Tardiness, DOJ Alleges

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In Meridian, Miss., it is school officials – not police – who determine who should be arrested. Schools seeking to discipline students call the police, and police policy is to arrest all children referred to the agency, according to a Department of Justice lawsuit. The result is a perverse system that funnels children as young as ten who merely misbehave in class into juvenile detention centers without basic constitutional procedures. The lawsuit, which follows unsuccessful attempts to negotiate with the county, challenges the constitutionality of punishing children “so arbitrarily and severely as to shock the conscience” and alleging that the city’s police department acts as a de facto “taxi service” in shuttling students from school to juvenile detention centers. Colorlines explains:

Once those children are in the juvenile justice system, they are denied basic constitutional rights. They are handcuffed and incarcerated for days without any hearing and subsequently warehoused without understanding their alleged probation violations.

To illustrate how this system works, Colorlines provides the example of Cedrico Green. When he was in eighth grade, he was put on probation for getting in a fight. After that one incident, every subsequent offense was deemed a probation violation — from wearing the wrong color socks, to talking back to a teacher – and the consequence was a return to juvenile detention. He couldn’t even remember how many times he had been back in detention, but guessed 30 times – time when he wasn’t in school, fell behind in his schoolwork and subsequently failed several classes, even though he said he liked school.

The phenomenon of disciplining kids through the criminal justice system is known as the “school-to-prison pipeline” – a process that paves the way for some kids accused of minor disciplinary violations to spend less time in school, and more time getting exposure to the criminal justice system. Colorlines explains:

A 2010 study by Russell Skiba, a professor of education policy at Indiana University, looked at four decades of data from 9,000 of the nation’s 16,000 middle schools. It found that black boys were three times as likely to be suspended as white boys and that black girls were four times as likely to be suspended as white girls. It is a serious, endemic issue. […] 

Research shows that if the intent behind zero-tolerance policies is to discourage misbehavior and foster good learning environments, they don’t do the job. A sweeping 2006 study (PDF) conducted by the American Psychological Association found that zero-tolerance policies don’t actually make schools safer, and in fact can work to push students away from school. If, however, the intent is to push students of color out of school, away from their educational futures and into the criminal justice system, there is also a body of evidence that suggests that zero-tolerance policies are rather effective instruments.

Questions not asked

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Here is a contributed piece. The author of this post, while ruminating over current affairs, uncovers questions yet not asked or not asked well enough. We invite you to get to know the elephants in the room...

---

Questions Not Asked !
by Anonymous

It is refreshing and comforting to note that the editors and the commentators of this blog permit and also analyze all entries and comments. At the same time, it is extremely saddening and frustrating to observe that the school has so far not bothered to give its version of things to contest, refute, accept or discuss these issues. It is not just the ‘fee hike’. We would be wrong to assume that this fee hike, if reverted, solves all the problems. Far from it. There have been many surveys. Most of them came with some very clear verdicts. Even assuming that only 10 to 15 % of the stakeholders seemed to dissent and disapprove, is it not in the interest of the school to get into a discussion on those?

[We thrive on hope. The unshakeable GIIS/GIF culture of non co-operation and non-responsiveness is by now well understood and well documented -Ed].

Those calling for ‘concrete evidence’ and ‘absolute proof’ fail to understand the gravity of the situation. There are certain limits to which the blog authors can go. They are not immune from attacks or discrimination or slander either. Nor would they like to place the children’s future/education at peril. With so many big names and advisors in the team, GIF and GIIS can get away with quite a lot. Infact, they already have gotten away with quite a lot ! And there is only so much that any one, or two, or three individuals can do. It is up to people like us to discern, form/re-form our opinions, discuss and debate, enlighten, make decisions, speak out as needed, and exercise our options and rights.

It is, in fact, quite amusing to note so many comments on account sheets, the amount of money that made the profit etc. Nothing wrong with it ! But I would have been happier, had there been an equal number of comments on the letter from the Bhavan. As parents of young children, we should look at the ethics and the values that govern the acts of individuals, families and institutions. Money can be made and lost. We should ensure that money is ‘made’ the right way and ‘spent’ for the right purposes. But, as elders, if we fail to stand up for what is just, honest, ethical and fair, we would be failing badly.

Now, all of us know that the school and its management have not, till date, told us why we are no longer a Bhavan’s school. There was not even a terse one liner saying that we are no longer ‘that’ and will henceforth be ‘ this’.

Two, we know that teachers are poorly paid and that many of those 'once loyal', good and experienced teachers (who any school will love to employ) have left. This is not to say that those who haven't left are not good ! But let us not shy away from telling the truth. A few have been retained, after they submitted their resignation and after prolonged bargaining. This meant paying them 1.8 to 2.5 times their previous salary, thus creating further divide among the teaching fraternity.

Three, a simple back of the envelope calculation will tell us, without depending upon the so-called "unreliable" documentary exposures (2006, 2005), that the school has been making huge profits not just on the tuition fee and registration fee but also through bus fee, sale of books and so forth. Nothing wrong in it either, as long as GIIS calls itself a ‘for profit’ enterprise and gently asks Gandhi to take a walk! Parents like us, then, can decide what to do. After all, some of our own brothers and sisters have their children studying in International Schools in Singapore which are ‘expressedly for profit’! But then GIIS, in such a case, will have to exhibit and put on evidence professionalism and corporate behaviour. It should not take shelter behind ‘Gandhian’ frock. If you decide to walk the ramp, be dressed for it! It can’t be Gandhian for the purpose of attracting big souls and parents, and Hritik Roshan while selecting cars, business suits, hotel rooms and prime time ZEE TV!

Four, the status of the washrooms (which have not increased in number in keeping with the increase in numbers), the equipping of laboratories, the sports facilities, the coach to learner ratio for CCA and ECA, the teacher to pupil ratio, the results of std X of CBSE, (the undisclosed) results of the IB Diploma… none of these have shown any sign of improvement. In fact, there has been a marked deterioration in the case of some, both in absolute terms and in comparative terms.

So, are we not entitled to ask questions like these ? ‘Why increase the number of students? Why launch more schools from the money earned through just one? Why fly in and host more number of these advisors, at school’s cost, when we see no direct impact of these advisors on schooling of our children? If you have problems – of money, human resource, space, technology, whatever- why not take us in to confidence, ahead of introducing a new plan (fee hike, change of head, new campus...) instead of delivering it to us as fait accompli ? What is your real motive? Do you want to run a good school? Or run 'also ran' schools in every country that has more than 5000 Indians? Or make a network of "well known" schools, [We call it "building the brand" at our expense -Ed] meaning well advertised and not necessarily well run, and sell them off at some point of time to a good bidder or settle for an IPO ?

Let us ask, gentlemen, ASK. But ask intelligently and politely. Ask with focus and with purpose. Ask without hurting but don't fail to point out.

---

[Readers, we welcome your thoughts and comments.
We welcome well-thought out and well-written pieces. If you feel passionately about something, write for us, and share it with others!
-Ed]

Place for Students' issues

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[Dear Students, We have noted the contents of the comments posted by 'Infernus' on this blog, and the sentiments expressed therein. We had to then delete the actual text of your comments, mainly due to the "linguistic style" employed ;)

We certainly understand that, as students, you do have -
1. your own issues and concerns to resolve, and,
2. your own views you wish to air and discuss.

As regards the first (your burning issues), please bring them to the attention of your parents or teachers. Your goal should be to convince your parents to take up these issues on your behalf, and try to get them solved! As for the second part, the best way to air your views and discuss them with other students is by setting up your own blog. If you set up one and provide us the link, we will review and consider placing a link to your blog from this site.

We really don't mind an occasional direct contribution from students if it shows grasp and maturity (age is not the bar... but the developmental stage at which your faculties are, might be! But we also realize that there is no better way to develop than by expressing your ideas and engaging in discussions). As parents, we will only be proud to see a well-thought-through and well-expressed comment that eschews street language, on any topic that is of interest to the general parent community.

Remember, that our intention is never to smother your views. -Ed]

---

Issues Posted by Infernus:

(NEW: Restored sanitised summary, 04/05/2008).
1. Korean students are being allowed the use of a mobile phone but Indian students who need to reach home as late as 8 PM are held to the no-mobile policy. IB students are given privileges, and are allowed to tuck their shirt out, etc. This is discrimination.
2. Principal Mr GSS Rao is generally rude/unfair (towards students),etc.

---

Some friendly parental advice on how to raise your issues and get them the attention they deserve:
1. Please avoid personal attacks and instead, focus on the issue you want to draw attention to. Focus more on the 'what' and less on the 'who'.
2. Please avoid repeated use of adjectives such as 'stupid' which, all things considered, do not mean a thing and might turn people off and make them ignore you.
3. Please think it out in your head, before you start writing or presenting your issues.
[Dear Infernus, please bring your issues to your parents' attention. -Ed].
Good Luck!

Teachers' Salary - Survey Results

To contact us Click HERE
We have now, a better idea of GIIS's pay scales for teachers, based on typical salaries paid to surveyed teachers. (Based on informal contact with several ex-teachers. Teachers holding EP (Employment Pass) were not approached for this survey).

What we find:

The seniority of the teacher (number of years of experience) makes some difference within each band, but salary generally fits into certain bands or ranges based on the level taught, i.e., KG / Primary / Secondary.

Monthly Salary Ranges (includes employee's CPF)
KG Teachers: ranges from $1250 to $1450. Typical figure is: $1300
Primary Teachers: ranges from $1500 to $1700
Secondary Teachers: ranges from $1600 to $1900, rarely touching $2000
Std XI, XII Teachers: ranges from $1800 to $2200, rarely touching $2500

Variable Pay: Additional to above, is variable pay = 20% of monthly salary.
20% of monthly pay is deducted as Variable Pay.
[Thanks to the ex-teacher, comment #3, for pointing it out the -20% and included CPF contribution]

[It is rumoured that a $50 pm salary raise was given to all teachers recently. If it is correct, it is only a 2 to 4% salary raise. These percentages are nowhere near the employee-related cost rises claimed by Kaustubh Bodhankar's high-handed fee hike announcement. -Ed.]

Dear Parents: How can we expect the school to recruit good teachers, or retain the better ones, if we pay only that much ?

Teachers' Day Wishes

To contact us Click HERE
A very happy teachers' day to all GIIS Teachers !

On behalf of all parents, we are happy to extend our Best Wishes to all teachers of GIIS Queenstown, East Coast and Balestier campuses.

Parents appreciate the many excellent and dedicated teachers who teach at GIIS. Parents and students are forever indebted to these teachers. As parents, we have very limited opportunities to express our deep appreciation to the best teachers.

Dear Parents, let us use this opportunity to write down here, our best wishes and commendations to those individual teachers who have made a difference to our child's education. (Click on the "comments" link at the bottom to add your appreciation messages -- please take care not to let out the name of the teacher).

(Please do not let out the name of the teacher whom we want to appreciate, due to the high risk involved as rival schools are on the look out for good teachers. It is OK to write: "The physics teacher of class 9C is doing a wonderful job" or "KG teacher M.S. has encouraged my child a lot" etc. Thank you for your kind co-operation in this regard).

Clarification on Indian Press Reports and GIF's email

To contact us Click HERE
This is a clarification regarding certain recent press reports from India (Mumbai Mirror of 15 April 2010 etc) and email sent by GIF (info@globalindian.org.sg) on 19 April 2010 with the same contents.

As you know, this blog was established as a forum for and by parents in Singapore. Comments are disabled until the matters that are sub-judice in the Singapore Civil Courts, are resolved.

The parent who was referred to (in the above email and press reports) wishes to clarify that certain falsehoods are stated and/or suggested in these reports.

The following is the true fact according to him:

This is to clarify that I have NOT implicated

• any other parent, or
  
• any current or former employee of GIIS, or
• any current or former student of GIIS,
  

in any affidavit filed in the Singapore Courts.

So if you have posted anything on this blog, you should know that I have not implicated you in any way.

Disclaimer: FOR AVOIDANCE OF ALL DOUBT, PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS BLOG IS NOT AFFILIATED TO GLOBAL INDIAN FOUNDATION (GIF) OR ANY OF THEIR SCHOOLS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, GLOBAL INDIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (GIIS), MYGIIS, GLOBAL SCHOOL OR MYGLOBALSCHOOL OR ANY OTHER SCHOOL CONNECTED WITH GIIS OR GIF. To go to their web sites, click: About Foundation, GIIS Singapore, mygiis.

Tomorrow!! NFASG Meeting 2-12-12 Advocates Arsenal - IEP Tips and Strategies the Regulations Don't Tell You

To contact us Click HERE

FYI – Wrap up snuggly warm and come join me as I speak tomorrow on “IEP Tips and Strategies the Regulations Don't Tell You” at the 2/12/12 NFASG meeting below.  Not too late to make your reservations to DebbieDobbs@comcast.net .  Information to help you advocate for our precious babies!!

Please share with other parents, professionals and disability groups!!

Advocacy & Consulting Services - IEPadvocate4you
Carol Sadler, Special Education Consultant/Advocate
GA Advocacy Office PLSP I Graduate
770-442-8357
1105 Rock Pointe Look
Woodstock, GA 30188
CarolSadler@bellsouth.net
www.IEPadvocate4You.com
http://iepadvocate4you.blogspot.com

IEPadvocate4you also now on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter

https://www.facebook.com/pages/IEPadvocate4you-Carol-Sadler-Special-Education-ConsultantAdvocate/139597000964  

http://www.linkedin.com/in/carolsadleriepadvocate4you

 

Attachment(s) from Debbie Dobbs

2 of 2 File(s)

Meeting Announcement 2-12.pdf

__._,_.___

To contact us Click HERE

Father files $10.5M suit over Roswell student's death

http://www.ajc.com/news/north-fulton/father-files-10-5m-1369099.html

 

I met and had lunch with Mr. Hatcher at AW’s Due Process Hearing.  This is another very sad and tragic story of abuse and neglect in Fulton County Schools.  Parents must stand together and hold the School District accountable……….

 

Advocacy & Consulting Services - IEPadvocate4you
Carol Sadler, Special Education Consultant/Advocate
GA Advocacy Office PLSP I Graduate
770-442-8357
1105 Rock Pointe Look
Woodstock, GA 30188
CarolSadler@bellsouth.net
www.IEPadvocate4You.com
http://iepadvocate4you.blogspot.com

IEPadvocate4you also now on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter

https://www.facebook.com/pages/IEPadvocate4you-Carol-Sadler-Special-Education-ConsultantAdvocate/139597000964  

http://www.linkedin.com/in/carolsadleriepadvocate4you

 

"There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people." ---- Thomas Jefferson

“Refrain from Restraining, Secluding and Corporal Punishment & Aversives are Abusive and Dehumanizing” ---- Carol Sadler, Advocate

GNET=GetNoEducation/Therapy=PsychoNOed=Jail without Jury or Trial=Imprisonment without Legal Representation

 

CONFIDENTIAL AND PRIVILEGED
Information contained in this communication is confidential and privileged. It is not meant to represent legal or medical advice, but rather advice given based on my knowledge as a trained Parent Advocate by the GA Advocacy Office, Council of Parent Advocates & Attorneys, CHADD, LDA, the GA DOE Parent Mentor program as an invited guest and the special education attorneys that I often work with on educational matters. Please do not forward without my permission.

 

Trenton 9-year-old's death investigation

To contact us Click HERE
Guthrie, KY. (Todd County)


On Friday, February 4, 2011, at approximately 10:20 p.m., the Kentucky State Police Post 2 Madisonville received a call from the Todd County Sheriff’s Department requesting assistance in locating a missing 9-year-old female. The location of the missing child was Dogwood Road between Guthrie and Trenton.


On Saturday, February 05, 2011, at approximately 12:21 a.m., KSP Post 2 was contacted again by Todd County advising that the 9-year-old female had been located deceased. The Todd County Coroner, Bob Whittlesey, pronounced the victim dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for today at the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville. At the present time, no other information is available.


The investigation is continuing by the Kentucky State Police. Anyone with information concerning this investigation is urged to contact the Kentucky State Police at 1-270-676-3313 or toll-free in Kentucky at 1-800-222-5555. Callers may remain anonymous. The Todd County Sheriff’s Department, Todd County Rescue/EMS, Todd County EMA, the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wild Life, the Trenton Police Department, and the Todd County Coroner’s Office assisted at the scene.

Trenton 9-year-old's death, brother indicted.

To contact us Click HERE
Garrett Thomas Dye, 17, of Trenton has been indicted for the murder of his 9-year-old adopted sister and cousin, Amy R. Dye.

The Grand Jury indicted Garrett Dye today (Feb. 18) for murder, resisting arrest and tampering with physical evidence. Documents show he has admitted to killing his sister.

Also, the rumor that Dye allegedly used a shovel was wrong. The indictment said it was a hydraulic jack handle.

Look for more on the story in next week's Todd County Standard.

Listen to Gov. Beshear's speech about child abuse files

To contact us Click HERE
Gov. Steve Beshear today (Nov. 29) has directed the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to open the records of cases in which child abuse or neglect resulted in a child fatality or near fatality.

This is a big win for all of those that wondered if there would ever be any light through the darkness of red tape and secrecy in the Cabinet.

Here is the mp3 of the speech:

A video, taken by David Thompson of the Kentucky Press Association can been seen here:
See this week's Standard for a full story and analysis.

Teachers' Day Wishes

To contact us Click HERE
A very happy teachers' day to all GIIS Teachers !

On behalf of all parents, we are happy to extend our Best Wishes to all teachers of GIIS Queenstown, East Coast and Balestier campuses.

Parents appreciate the many excellent and dedicated teachers who teach at GIIS. Parents and students are forever indebted to these teachers. As parents, we have very limited opportunities to express our deep appreciation to the best teachers.

Dear Parents, let us use this opportunity to write down here, our best wishes and commendations to those individual teachers who have made a difference to our child's education. (Click on the "comments" link at the bottom to add your appreciation messages -- please take care not to let out the name of the teacher).

(Please do not let out the name of the teacher whom we want to appreciate, due to the high risk involved as rival schools are on the look out for good teachers. It is OK to write: "The physics teacher of class 9C is doing a wonderful job" or "KG teacher M.S. has encouraged my child a lot" etc. Thank you for your kind co-operation in this regard).

Clarification on Indian Press Reports and GIF's email

To contact us Click HERE
This is a clarification regarding certain recent press reports from India (Mumbai Mirror of 15 April 2010 etc) and email sent by GIF (info@globalindian.org.sg) on 19 April 2010 with the same contents.

As you know, this blog was established as a forum for and by parents in Singapore. Comments are disabled until the matters that are sub-judice in the Singapore Civil Courts, are resolved.

The parent who was referred to (in the above email and press reports) wishes to clarify that certain falsehoods are stated and/or suggested in these reports.

The following is the true fact according to him:

This is to clarify that I have NOT implicated

• any other parent, or
  
• any current or former employee of GIIS, or
• any current or former student of GIIS,
  

in any affidavit filed in the Singapore Courts.

So if you have posted anything on this blog, you should know that I have not implicated you in any way.

Disclaimer: FOR AVOIDANCE OF ALL DOUBT, PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS BLOG IS NOT AFFILIATED TO GLOBAL INDIAN FOUNDATION (GIF) OR ANY OF THEIR SCHOOLS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, GLOBAL INDIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (GIIS), MYGIIS, GLOBAL SCHOOL OR MYGLOBALSCHOOL OR ANY OTHER SCHOOL CONNECTED WITH GIIS OR GIF. To go to their web sites, click: About Foundation, GIIS Singapore, mygiis.

Trenton 9-year-old's death investigation

To contact us Click HERE
Guthrie, KY. (Todd County)


On Friday, February 4, 2011, at approximately 10:20 p.m., the Kentucky State Police Post 2 Madisonville received a call from the Todd County Sheriff’s Department requesting assistance in locating a missing 9-year-old female. The location of the missing child was Dogwood Road between Guthrie and Trenton.


On Saturday, February 05, 2011, at approximately 12:21 a.m., KSP Post 2 was contacted again by Todd County advising that the 9-year-old female had been located deceased. The Todd County Coroner, Bob Whittlesey, pronounced the victim dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for today at the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville. At the present time, no other information is available.


The investigation is continuing by the Kentucky State Police. Anyone with information concerning this investigation is urged to contact the Kentucky State Police at 1-270-676-3313 or toll-free in Kentucky at 1-800-222-5555. Callers may remain anonymous. The Todd County Sheriff’s Department, Todd County Rescue/EMS, Todd County EMA, the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wild Life, the Trenton Police Department, and the Todd County Coroner’s Office assisted at the scene.

Trenton 9-year-old's death, brother indicted.

To contact us Click HERE
Garrett Thomas Dye, 17, of Trenton has been indicted for the murder of his 9-year-old adopted sister and cousin, Amy R. Dye.

The Grand Jury indicted Garrett Dye today (Feb. 18) for murder, resisting arrest and tampering with physical evidence. Documents show he has admitted to killing his sister.

Also, the rumor that Dye allegedly used a shovel was wrong. The indictment said it was a hydraulic jack handle.

Look for more on the story in next week's Todd County Standard.

Listen to Gov. Beshear's speech about child abuse files

To contact us Click HERE
Gov. Steve Beshear today (Nov. 29) has directed the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to open the records of cases in which child abuse or neglect resulted in a child fatality or near fatality.

This is a big win for all of those that wondered if there would ever be any light through the darkness of red tape and secrecy in the Cabinet.

Here is the mp3 of the speech:

A video, taken by David Thompson of the Kentucky Press Association can been seen here:
See this week's Standard for a full story and analysis.

To contact us Click HERE

Father files $10.5M suit over Roswell student's death

http://www.ajc.com/news/north-fulton/father-files-10-5m-1369099.html

 

I met and had lunch with Mr. Hatcher at AW’s Due Process Hearing.  This is another very sad and tragic story of abuse and neglect in Fulton County Schools.  Parents must stand together and hold the School District accountable……….

 

Advocacy & Consulting Services - IEPadvocate4you
Carol Sadler, Special Education Consultant/Advocate
GA Advocacy Office PLSP I Graduate
770-442-8357
1105 Rock Pointe Look
Woodstock, GA 30188
CarolSadler@bellsouth.net
www.IEPadvocate4You.com
http://iepadvocate4you.blogspot.com

IEPadvocate4you also now on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter

https://www.facebook.com/pages/IEPadvocate4you-Carol-Sadler-Special-Education-ConsultantAdvocate/139597000964  

http://www.linkedin.com/in/carolsadleriepadvocate4you

 

"There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people." ---- Thomas Jefferson

“Refrain from Restraining, Secluding and Corporal Punishment & Aversives are Abusive and Dehumanizing” ---- Carol Sadler, Advocate

GNET=GetNoEducation/Therapy=PsychoNOed=Jail without Jury or Trial=Imprisonment without Legal Representation

 

CONFIDENTIAL AND PRIVILEGED
Information contained in this communication is confidential and privileged. It is not meant to represent legal or medical advice, but rather advice given based on my knowledge as a trained Parent Advocate by the GA Advocacy Office, Council of Parent Advocates & Attorneys, CHADD, LDA, the GA DOE Parent Mentor program as an invited guest and the special education attorneys that I often work with on educational matters. Please do not forward without my permission.