Cup of Coffee
17 Questions for Hawaii in 2007 by local Hawaii blogger Disappeared News saved me typing time and helped remind me I am not alone in wondering these very things about this beautiful and special place I love to call home. This is a great top notch post and a great eyeopener if you have wondered if life in Paradise has a share of craziness.
Crystal Clear it DOES.
Last week Wesley J Smith posted news Robert Schindler (the belated Terri Schiavo's father) had suffered a stroke and was in an ICU. I didn't get around to posting it but have checked back to learn of his condition. I am so relieved and glad to see he posted an optimistic Update on Robert Schindler's Condition. Bobby shares the cards they have received have meant a great deal to Bob and all of the family. I am guessing Terri would be pleased and touched we all continue to reach out to her family. Send cards to
Robert Schindler,
c/o The Terri Schiavo Foundation
5562 Central Ave. # 2
St. Petersburg. FL 33707
God bless him and his entire family.
I know this may fall on ears covered with ear muffs but we are just wrapping up a cold front here 
in Hawaii. Cold enough I actually wore long sleeves and long pants today. By the end of the afternoon it was warming up but I have to say I couldn't really believe yesterday what a difference 10 degrees can make...Whereas it usually is in the mid 80s here, when I drove home yesterday it was 74 degrees. This felt a lot colder than 74 degrees! We actually turned off the fans last night, closed the windows, and used ...stop the clock...BLANKETS...
I absolutely have not lived here long enough to miss cold weather. I never liked it in Mexifornia but it was tolerable. Here the consistency of warm weather has led to me though pretty regularly forgetting what season we are in or what month it actually is. The other day a girl at the beach cafe here remarked about "Winter" hours compared to when more kids and moms were around in the summer and I had to kind of do a double take because it , to me, really is an endless summer here.
Despite the disarray since we moved in, we have been getting down the street to the beach about 3-4 times a week over the past month. The constant disarray has become an increasingly awful situation and it needs to change...so I can enjoy the beach more when we do get down there and not feel guilty there is still so much to do...
Frankly I don't find this quote found over at Democracy Now! very helpful or encouraging:
IMAM OMAR SHAHIN: This is -- to be honest, this hurt me the most. It’s [inaudible] the federal law is a crime nowadays. I asked for an extension. But as you see, I don't need to explain myself more. So I need an extension belt. And supposedly I asked for a not necessary extension, but what’s wrong with that if I can get to the plane twenty of these seatbelts and nobody can ask me why you carry all of these things?
I also think it raises a great deal of concern regarding his and the other Imam's judgement. So here is hoping their publicity stunt wreaks the havoc it should on THEM...Unfortunately the whole story will not likely spread across the world...
Brazil Mourns as Anorexia Claims Another Model's Life:
In September, Spain caused a storm in the fashion world when Madrid barred models below a certain weight from its top fashion show. Models with a body-mass-index (BMI), which takes into account height and weight, of less than 18 were banned.
I find that encouraging...
and this
In order to fulfill the somewhat of a hassle requirement to have 2 regular posts between Blogitive posts I have found I can go back and look through my drafts to see what I never published or never had time to finish. One I found I had back from August 2, 2006 is Lebanon: Myths and Facts. Although things are only at what I and many feel is a temporary break, you might want to take a moment to head on over there and take a look at the site. It has always seemed to me there was not balanced coverage of this issue as there is so much emotion and history involved. It also seems to me that minds are hardly changed on this issue. I felt this way when I was younger and didn't know as much. Even though I eventually took the time and made the effort to gather more information beyond my memories of the atrocities of the terrorist Arafat, it clearly didn't change my position.
As we sat here in the semi-dark which quickly became pitch dark on Sunday night after the quake with the candles flickering, each of us with our own flashlight nearby (Nethan's- was a cute little one from the movie Cars,
Bryceton's was the mammoth yellow one we use for camping, and mine-the long black heavy one cops can't carry anylonger ) and as we ate our P&J sandwiches, it was Bryceton who brought up how he wish he had night vision goggles to guide him on his trek down the long dark hallway to the bathroom or spy on some bad guys should the need every arise.
With Halloween around the corner and after all the hoopla in Hawaii regarding how Hawaiian Electric, referred to as HECO here, was such a disappointment at handling the power outage, you gotta wonder how soon there is going to be a run on these- fright goggles to Nethan but highly "cool" to Bryceton...Night Goggles! A dream of his in fact to have his own pair of night goggles. I suppose I should be glad he wants the pair above and not the N NVG-7 Gen 3 SELA 64-73 lp/mm Night Vision Goggle, ATN Select Alpha Grade NVD at $2995!!!!( I kid you not and that is $500 off regular price but they do ship it UPS for free :-) )..Fortunately they also have an amazing Holiday Gift Guide that’ll help you pick a sure-to-be-talked-about gift this holiday season at a wide variety of prices.
Word of Blog.net has built a database of online political ads (or "badges")...nifty and smart...
hat tip: Uncooperative Blogger
Although I am 2 for 2 in getting letters to the Editor published here in Hawaii, I wanted to post the one I just dashed off regarding this one in The Honolulu Advertiser by a local candidate here.
This guy running for State House of Representatives against the highly popular incumbent (R) Kym Pine just opened his mouth and stuck a big ol' slippa in it... You see here in Ewa, there has been an extremely long term traffic problem. The problem was long before I moved here and although I gather people have talked a lot of story about what should be done and could be done to alleviate the ridiculously long (yes even with my Ca perspective they seem long) commute to town, nothing has moved forward over the years besides more and more development and thus more and more commuters making travel time longer and more dangerous. This was also a safety concern for me even before Sunday's quake because the Ewa community has literally only one way into town and one way out. In the event of a catastrophe such as a Tsunami, I know we'd basically be up a creek without a paddle.
Enter Kym, a first term (R) Rep. who comes onto a largely (D) scene and with a great deal of collabortive work is able to get more funds for traffic relief for Ewa than ever before! Recognizing this great achievement among others, the Honolulu Advertiser endorsed Pine in the upcoming election. Now enter the challenger who doesn't have many avenues (tee hee) to drive up and if you want read his article or just my letter to the Editor:
Regarding R. Scott Belford's arrogant letter to the editor (Oct 17)questioning the Advertiser's endorsement of Rep. Pine and his condescending comment, "Voters are too tired to spend time checking facts. We count on the media for this...", I am greatly disappointed and shocked a man running for office would think so little of his constituents let alone so publicly display his own poor judgement for all to read. I can only surmise in making such grossly false statements and accusations regarding voters'knowledge and recognition of facts he can allow himself to ignore our genuine appreciation for the exemplary service of Rep. Pine for her district and people of Hawai'i.
I mean politics can and does often unfortunatley mean candidate attacking candidate...but what kind of mind, what kind of political servant mind sees his constituents as too tired ( read lazy? stupid? uninformed? lackadaisical?) to know facts let alone check them? Ya gotta wonder once you stop laughing.
We had spent the night in Waikiki at my parent's condo to pick up their fishie and some food as they are on the mainland for a few months. So we weren't at home. My first thought honestly was this could not be an earthquake, I must be dreaming. I was in Sant Monica during the Northridge quake of 94 and still have nighmares regarding it. I only think of Hawaii having earthquakes of the little type that you never actually feel. So as I came to awareness, both boys were asking "What's THAT?" and it kept going. I thought EARTHQUAKE? and then seriously wondered if it was an explosion in the building or nutso N Korea… my last guess would have been an earthquake. The second one left little doubt in my mind it was an earthquake. I would have pegged it as a 4.5- 4.8 direct experience so not surprised it was the 6.7 on Hawaii they are reporting now.After fighting with the boys to get their clothes on as they were pretty freaked out…and needed tons of reassurance the building wasn’t going to come tumbling down, we headed down 15 flights of stairs. Nethan was fussing and absolutely refused to walk so I carried him down the 15 floors. To add to the adventure element we also had RAIN. Heavy rain. We then proceeded to spend the most money I have ever spent on an awful breakfast at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. 26$ for coffee, 2 milks, donuts, and bran muffin. Not to mention it understandably took over an hour of standing in line to get it… Then as we were finishing, there was some muffled Charlie Brown’s teacher voice on the intercom.The worst part was we couldn't’ tell whether they said because of the size there was or WASN’T a tsunami warning. Of all the times to have rain…and it was still pouring... after finishing breakfast I decided although I really didn't think there was a chance of tsunami ,figuring it would have hit soon after the quake, and we were already at 3-4 hours post quake, but figuring we’d be better off on the 15th floor than on lobby level or in Ewa if there was a tsunami and it was raining so with no traffic lights it was kind of silly to head back to Ewa right then..so back up 15 flights of stairs. Bryceton was especially AWFUL the entire day. Whether it was the boredom or the anxiety about the earthquake… he was horrendous when he is usually such a great helper. My dad had one of those lamp/lantern/TV/Radio and so we were able to hear what was and wasn't going on. After several hours of just maintaining in the condo and hearing power was being slowly restored over the island I made the decision to head back home to Ewa around 2pm since I knew we had more food at home than in the condo… Our place in Ewa was still standing but some stuff, silly stuff had fallen over. Shortly after arriving home, Bryceton was trying to open something and sliced under his thumb a good one. If it hadn’t been an earthquake day, I would have taken him to the ER. This morning we were surprised we didn't have power back. The school has power...strange. So now I am here at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf which has wifi. My main reflection as a Cal girl is that I thought it was very very strange there was some strange paid for TV show on but there wasn’t a single TV station available to present information as it came available. What's with THAT??? So the greatest difficulties were with regard to getting information and the power outage. I don't think it should be acceptable to have a TV show available and not have information on it. Even though it wasn't much, the radio station did an excellent job at sharing what they knew and didn't know. Great reminder even though we are coming to the end of Hurricaine season to be prepared for these things...they don't come with warnings... You are supposed to use this as the warning.
Cao has some very disturbing news this evening. Seems Jack Idema and Brent may not make it through the night. She's quoted a very recent and very chilling email from Jack where he spells things out the way they are...
Karzai and the US has finally ordered them to use weapons against us, the new General Sadiqi , has said that he was given orders to shoot to kill if we resisted.
Ya' know it just isn't right for Americans to be held illegally in any foreign land which has signed agreements to uphold our laws and still to be killed. Even more insulting when you realize how much blathering on there has been lately about the Geneva Convention and the rights of terrorists.
Although Jack's story has been doubted and called into question by many...his life has clearly never been a dull moment. Here's praying a brighter morning comes for all and justice follows...swiftly.
Interesting an initial google news search this morning brought up nothing about "Dog" the infamous bounty hunter and his trio waiting to hear if they would be extradited to Mexico. The three are currently in federal custody here in Hawaii on charges of illegal detention and conspiracy stemming from their 2003 capture of Max Factor heir and convicted rapist Andrew Luster in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The convicted rapist had eluded capture until "Dog"Chapman tracked him and snatched him in Puerto Vallarta. As usual for warped Mexican system, a streetside confrontation was reported to local police, who later arrested the Chapmans and their camera crew on kidnapping charges. The Chapmans were released on bail, but failed to show up at a scheduled hearing. My guess, Luster had successfully been paying off locals and the "Dog" forgot to spread some cash around before he departed.
UPDATE: Seems the "Dog"and his crew have been released on bail with monitoring devices...further google searches lead me to believe it wasn't just the "Dog" not licking some palms before leaving Mexico. Seems there are also some other very concerned jealous bounty hunter(s) who feel the "Dog" are giving an inappropriate impression about their work.
Many thanks to Stop the ACLU for the Friday Free for All
Over at Blogger News Network I found this:Criminal Neglect Hits New Low which led me to this...I am disturbed by this on so many levels...I just can't wrap my mind around this one and am just hoping ...which will sound odd when I write it.. but I am hoping upon hope there was more neglect than this mother not taking her son to the dentist...I am hoping they just didn't print all the particulars and there are some huge glaring issues of neglect...Cause I have to tell you...being placed in a foster home while his mom is locked up even for a DAY is going to screw up his life a whole lot more than losing his teeth...
Luck, in the form of an immigration lottery, brought Sophia B. Addo to the United States from Ghana in 1996: a teacher of schoolchildren in Africa, she decided to take a chance and come to New York to further her own education. But getting into school here was not as uncomplicated as winning a lottery. She had her working papers, and landed a succession of housekeeping jobs while she improved her English. Already having passed an oral exam, she was due to take a written test on Sept. 12 to see if she was entitled to a G.E.D. certificate and college eligibility.
"She wanted to learn how to pronounce the language so she could express herself better in interviews," said her husband of 15 months, Joseph Ameyaw. Ms. Addo's aim was a career in teaching or nursing. In the interim, the 36-year-old tidied Windows on the World, commuting from their Bronx apartment. "She liked to read her Bible; she was a person who would comfort you, and when you were unhappy with life, she would use the word of God to make you happy," said Joseph. "To me, she was justice." Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on October 4, 2001.
This Guestbook says more than I could ever begin to try to say...God bless you Sophia
Part-Time Pundit's Bush Admits to Nonexistent “High Crimes”; Will be Impeached in 2007 - by John Bambenek puts out there what few of us can really doubt any longer. Definitely caused me to tilt my head and shake it with a look more of disdain than chagrin....
A story in need of telling...
Hat Tip: Cao’s Blog: Disavowed.
Jay of Stop The ACLU
has an amazing and highly time sensitive piece I encourage you to read it and take action. You will not be alone.
Link: Jerusalem on Line.
Adding to the other side of things we can watch this daily and even subscribe for the videos to be sent to your email box.
Crystal Clear great minds think alike and some are better at html than others so I submit for you
from Danny Carlton -- alias "Jack Lewis":
If you want people to know where you stand concerning the current effort on the part of Israel to defend herself from the terrorist group Hezbollah, I've whipped up a corner banner you can display.
It is Crystal Clear to me there is little I can add or want to add to the discussion in the blogosphere on this issue...a flag of support says all I have to say at this moment... and continuous prayers for the complete disarmament.
Here is a Crystal Clear way to send a message to Washington to let them know you want a comprehensive border security plan including:
Just please don't buy the brick at Casa Depot.
HatTip: Kender of Kenders' Musings
Technorati Tags: Illegal immigration, Border Control, Coalition Against Illegal Immigration
__________________________________________________________________________
This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to
participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email Brian and let him know at what level you would like to participate.
For those who this was not enough to see what has been happening... or this or this.... or this ...will they be able to put it together with this and finally say "Enough is Enough" or are they waiting for the invaders to demand the United States of America be re-named Mexamerica?
Democrats recruiting the Invaders...
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This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email Brian and let him know at what level you would like to participate.
Viva Los Minutos Honbres! They are just patriots doing the job that the president will not let the border patrol do.As caught on Freeper
Pat Kelly of the Star Bulletin said it far better but hey- my letter to the Editor dashed off in a flash last week was published in the Honolulu Advertiser yesterday.
I don't know if it bears saying, but the homeless here in Hawaii really are a bit different. At least different in that there does indeed seem to be a larger segment of women and families with kids than my experiences in Mexifornia.
Through grad school I worked at two different homeless shelters. The overwhelming majority of the clients in treatment had families &/or friends they could have stayed with but who chose not to for various reasons. The common themes were too many rules or they just didn't want to stay where they were offered or they had burned too many bridges with substance abuse, illegal behaviors, and violence. As they were shelters for women and men with dual diagnosis, the people I knew there had lost their own places mostly on account of substance abuse.
However, here in Hawaii, although the mentally ill and those with substance abuse issues still in my best guess would fit in that same framework, there is a very large looming potential for many women, children, and families here to end up homeless rather quickly and find it very difficult to get back into a home. Even with a job, a mixture of bad credit, astronomical rents, and a lack of available places to rent leaves way too many homeless. Those stories break my heart and hit very close to uhmmm ...home.
We would, without my parent's condo in Waikiki as a safety net, be homeless very quickly should I lose my job. Shoot, I myself was close to homelessness back in 1991 when I was going through a divorce, attending graduate school full-time, and working 4 part time jobs. If it wouldn't have been for a college friend who let me sleep on her couch for 7 months, I would have had to move back to Phoenix with my parents. As it ended up, when my friend said I had to leave, I ran out of student loan money and couldn't afford rent in LA even with the four jobs, I chose to risk going back to my rat-bastard ex-husband in Hong Kong for the rest of the year.
Nevertheless, it is Crystal Clear, the homeless and squatters had overtaken Ala Moana Beach Park and frankly ruined it for millions of visitors and residents. As wrenching and touching as the stories of the homeless are, Ala Moana Beach Park does not belong to them.In the long or even short run, there are much better things ahead for them if they can see this as an opportunity and not another example of their having been wrongfully harmed.
Around the time I wrote my post about the anniversary of the murder of Terri Schindler-Schiavo ,
which was soon after published as a letter to the editor of the Honolulu Star Bulletin, I thought about a Terri blogburst to commemorate the thirteen days the world watched in horror and the legacy she has left behind. Unfortunately, as I went here and there on the list of Blogs for Terri,
I was disappointed to learn so many bloggers, who had so passionately written and acted on behalf of Terri and her loving family, were no longer blogging at all. I hope this Blogburst in Memory of Terri will spread far and wide and inspire them to return and for many others to join us. Please make certain you let us know you are participating and feel free to copy any and all of my posts during that time. Please also plan on annually honoring the memory of Terri with "Terri's Day" ,
a celebration of the "Culture of Life" as well as celebrating the woman who sacraficed her life for this cause.
Technorati Tags: Terri Schiavo
So I get another chance to blog about my Ceres hero, Chief Art De Werk, again. I told you he knew what he was doing and did it properly after the murder of Sgt. Stevenson by Andres Raya.
Claims for damages against the city and the Stanislaus County Sheriff's
Department were filed in an attempted shakedown on June 29. Officers and the Police were accused of illegal searches,
roughing up some residents, threatening to kill one family's dog and
generally harassing some residents with frequent contacts.
Chalk one up for the good guys doing a very hard job made even harder by the likes of the ACLU.
No time to link and trackback the posts where I lauded Police Chief Art De Werk and his officers for their excellence in service and protection of Ceres but thought this article just nicely confirmed what I sensed all along about this man...I told you he got "it"....
Let's get this straight. This is good news. Also, according to military researchers, it isn't surprising because there is a new screening program for returning soldiers and the military is encouraging soldiers to reach out early to prevent more serious problems from developing. Thus results from this study can't truly be compared to earlier wars.
To add some Crystal Clear...clarity: I would truly be most concerned about soldiers who don't seek help or express some distress or residual from participating in combat. The severity of the experience(s) would seem to necessitate processing, normalization, validation, and support. Folks who don't have nightmares or other symptoms would seem to be in my opinion possibly lacking in conscience or be in serious denial.
Experiences from 9/11, other traumatic situations, and PTSD have taught us the earlier the intervention the better the prognosis...even in those exhibiting no initial symptomatology. Additionally, and I am not sure I can present data or research to back me up on this next statement but definitely comes from years of experience in the treatment of PTSD and reading tons of literature and talking with other clinicians:
Those long term difficult cases the media likes to present, the folks who lose their lives and marriages and end up in dire dire dire straights or suicide... ,are not uncommon to have pre-existing or underlying untreated mental health issues or characterological traits that were/are exacerbated by trauma.
PTSD is highly amenable to treatment. The majority of individuals are highly likely to be able to put the experience(s) into a meaningful context and actually become better and stronger individuals. Yes, meaningful context is a great part of the equation in thriving versus surviving. Those who undermine, disparage, and pathologize the seeking and finding of a meaning by those who served, are the true never-ending nightmare.
Relevant:
Blogs:Nurses Corner
Amazon: PTSD & Treatment
President Bush says the ports deal will stand . 
I have to say I am not crazy about the idea and certainly don't embrace it completely ,although Dubai is certainly my favorite UAE country...but my first thoughts were the quote "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer."
Then I thought you know he sees no problem with this because he doesn't see the invasion of illegal immigrants from south of the border and our lack of control as a threat to our security. He doesn't "get" it...This bizarre happening fits right in with that line of thinking...I have to hope those wire taps are going so well he knows something we don't....
The anniversary of the murder of Terri Schiavo. Scuttlebutt has it a book by Mikey and another by the Schindler family are slated for release around the end of March. So the media will be allover it allover again...
It will appear to come into the spotlight and fade away but for many it has never truly gone away and truly never will.
Not a day passes I don't think about Terri Schaivo and feel sick to my stomach about all the different issues and all the lies that still float around to this day. It disturbs me greatly people think or use it in terms of people feeling politicians were using it for party gain. It bothers me people are more upset about the government interfering than a disabled woman being starved to death by order of Schiavo and Greer who had no moral or true legal standing. It bothers me people don't have a complete picture of all the wrongdoings and mishandling of the case. It enfuriates me to see Greer and Schiavo recognized with awards by organizations thus having their actions appear laudable and legitimate.
I feel terrible I haven't done more over this past year with regards to taking action by writing letters and blogging. When it has come up in conversations people often step back when I tell them it was more of a watershed moment for me than 9/11. It truly was. There may never be a satisfactory end to the Terri Schiavo story in my eyes, but as long as I can type and speak there will be no end to the story.
Thanks to Outside the Beltway for another chance to link to this post
This one warrants a snicker...The cowardice the MSM and many others have exhibited regarding the publishing of the "offensive" cartoons is no laughing matter...
Now we need one with Mohammad eating a Danish.
My strong contemptuous feelings about Villaraigosa should be no surprise to any regular reader. Nevertheless, something that smacks of everyday Crystal Clear brilliance such as his banning Rush-Hour road construction needs to not only be recognized but emulated by those in any position in all cities to do so.
Doesn't it also strike you as comical though that something that should be commonsense and so obvious is newsworthy? After nodding my head in agreement to this move, I had to chuckle that in reality Rush Hour in Los Angeles is 24/7...
Not comic at all but a chance for the blogosphere and you to help a small clinic receive some PR.
It's a tiny ad, but what helps them, helps Chris's sis
Via:
Cotillion: That Clik4Cathy button and Sisu
I really blew it on this one...I had a group of three millibloggers I was supposed to profile on my blog today but the computer that had the list of the three is on the fritz...Nevertheless let me share with you this fantastic post that leads you to an amazing group of bloggers..
Over at Jackson's Junction: July 4th - Independence Day.
Cry Freedom with Monday's Round the Reader
Pirate's Cove who not only has some great graphics but graciously shared amazing ones with the Cotillion...
One of my favorite posts today and a most definite MUST READ by Maxed Out Mama: Independence Day
Happy Birthday, America ! by La Shawn Barber
Independence Day, 2005 at Cathouse Chat
The quality and quantity of posts today are inspiring but for now I am going to go spend sometime with my family...More specifically today is another learning opportunity for Bryceton. His previous public school was not especially strong on patriotism...
Sometimes I wonder where the heck I have been when I learn about things like Take Back The Memorial. Just relieved it appears there is still time for New York to do the right thing. Please visit the site and sign the petition. I most definitely will be following developments.
Proving yet again you can take a terrorist out of a Muslim country but you can't take the Muslim out of a terrorist, Rusty of The Jawa Report has some great coverage regarding Iran's latest local terrorist to make good.
And although over at Hapht I have to smirk when I read Iran's Leader Had No Role, I most definitely wish the Terrorist-Elect would have been 100% correct when at the time he said, according to his aide, Meisan Rowhani,
"I believed that if we did that, the world would swallow us"
Further Crystal Clear Clarity:
From The Washington Times,Student bodies hit 49 million, which actually does the most fair job at recognizing and acknowledging the huge increase in numbers actually comes more from immigration than the 'baby boomer echo':
There is no analysis in the Education Department report showing a direct correlation between immigrant children's low English proficiency and the success of schools in meeting the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act. But the report's statistics show Hispanic children trailing other minorities in reading and math progress.
Here in California, the clueless and naive taxpayers are about to foot the bill for a court case because: 10 School Districts Sue State of California for Unfair Testing of English Learners :
Of the 1.6 million affected students, 85 percent speak Spanish as their primary language, according to the suit.
...The plaintiffs, which include the Oxnard Elementary School District in Ventura County and the Sweetwater Union High School and Chula Vista Elementary School districts in San Diego County, contend their students "have been labeled educational failures on the basis of unreliable data," and that districts have been unfairly sanctioned as a result.
Just take a look at these numbers:
Sixty percent of the students in that district [Tulare County]are limited-English-speaking or English-language learners, with 22 percent eligible to receive service through migrant education, the suit states.
...Of the Coachella district's 15,000 students, 82 percent are English-language learners and 21 percent are migrants.
Sheesh...of all the states for this to be happening...Mexifornia...
California, in contrast to 14 other states, including Texas, New Mexico and New York, tests limited-English proficient children for academic knowledge in English only -- whether they understand it or not. As a result, school districts with large numbers of English Learners are failing NCLB accountability standards unjustifiably and sinking deeper and deeper into more severe sanctions.
...Spanish is the primary language for 85 percent of California's English Learner students, yet California requires that they be tested in English only and refuses to reword the tests to reduce the language complexity to make them comprehensible to English Learners.
I completely agree Mexifornia seems to be deliberately violating Federal Law...Crystal Clear, the next question would seem to be "Why?"
Why would a state with one of the largest inflows of illegal aliens and legal immigrants not use appropriate and accurate methods to measure academic knowledge?
With fatigue about to claim me as I am not up to writing this type of post again..., I fear I will have to leave you pondering this paradox until I can get back to it...My first hint...Somebodies don't like NCLB and are acting out a bit of passive aggressiveness...
And your thoughts can help to spur my thinking onwards...Please be gentle...remember I haven't been writing this type of post for quite a while....
From the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding Yom Hazikaron:
...this celebration is devoted to the memory of those who gave their lives for the achievement of the country's independence and its continued existence. On Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day, which will begin on Tuesday evening, May 10, the entire nation remembers its debt and expresses eternal gratitude to its sons and daughters who gave their lives for the achievement of the country's independence and its continued existence. It is a day of collective and personal anguish mingled with awe and honor for the fallen.
and from Israel's Memorial Day:
Yom Hazikaron is a somber day throughout Israel. Israelis don't listen to music, and many attend memorial ceremonies for relatives and friends who died in combat. Air raid sirens are played throughout the country in the evening and again in the morning (days in the Jewish calendar begin in the evening). Upon hearing the sirens, Israelis stand in silence. Drivers stop their cars and stand as well. The date chosen for Yom Hazikaron was 4 Iyar, the day before Israel's national independence day. Some Israelis found it awkward to put a sad day next to a celebratory holiday, but by doing so the government made it clear: without the soldiers who gave their lives, there would be no Israeli independence to celebrate.
Over at Aish .com we can read what Yom Hazikaron means on a very real and personal level to Israelis. All of the pieces are moving and striking in their appreciation for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. However in Through the Eyes of a Soldier , the following struck me most:
Yes the Palestinians are suffering; no one denies that fact. But the question as to why they are suffering also has an unequivocal, simple answer. Their leadership and government have chosen terrorism and violence as form of conflict resolution. Their society has chosen to grant idol or martyr status to terrorists who have tried or succeeded in murdering innocent men, women, and children. The choice of terrorism -- or in Islamic fundamentalists terms, Jihad -- has distorted the murdering of innocents into holy acts. The next time the world media parades pictures of Palestinian suffering, consider the reasons why. Their society has chosen violence and destruction, and we have every right and duty to defend ourselves from it.
In the collective psyche of cultures and nations we find villains and heroes. Crystal Clear, in my opinion, the right and duty to defend Israel remains as valid today as it did on its first Independence day. As a proud American, who unequivocally supports our own troops, I pause in reflection and honor of your heroes who have fought and died for your independence.
Continue reading "Jewish Blogburst-What the Heck is Yom Hazikaron & Why is it Important?" »
With the Schindler family's appearance on Fox's "Hannity & Colmes" show this evening, I realized if I ever wrote a book about the judicial system and the Terri Shiavo case I think I would consider naming it "One Finder of Fact". The claim of 19 judges involved in the case is so very tiresome and exasperating when it comes down to the reality on this planet in this lifetime it was Judge George Greer as the One Finder of Fact.
With the days on the calendar passing and drawing us closer to the results of Terri's autopsy, the 'special justice' award to Greer last evening, tonight's interview with the Schindler family, and the upcoming June release of Mark Fuhrman's book Silent Witness : The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo's Death, I do believe we are on the edge of the next phase in the pursuit of justice. I know I am as ready as I am ever going to be. E-mail conversations with several readers also lead me to believe I am not alone in my choice to not 'let it go'. Letting this murder and crime against humanity "go" without pursuing justice are just not in my psychological or spiritual DNA makeup. Crystal Clear, there continues to be a number and I am hoping a large number for which this is true as well.
I was struck by a number of things as I watched the Schindler family. Their genuineness is striking to me and I find them very human and largely believeable. I was relieved and very proud of them for their minimal hedging when it came to questions about domestic abuse and Michael's part in Terri's initial collapse. I imagine it must be very hard to answer those types of questions in a legal and PC appropriate manner. Furthermore,to my eyes, their predicament and their humanness was very evident in those exact moments. They seemed to show the understandable and yet useless guilt of the infamous "woulda, coulda, shoulda" known. I guess I am also writing this coming from the years of experience as a family therapist who watches for and picks up on various things. I know I absolutely could have imagined myself asking them several questions that would have taken the conversation in a different direction.
As I close this post, I find myself hedging on a few concluding statements. Why the hedging when this is my blog? Actually that is part of the hedging. I am hesitant to go further into it because it is late and I need to get up in hours to begin the first of a few Aloha Mexifornia! sales. I guess what I want to say and/or call my readers' attention to is that the Terri Schindler-Schiavo story has the potential at times (seems more so all the time) to become an extremely sensitive subject to me on my blog. It is a subject I guess I am saying that leaves virtually no room for counter discussions with me. In my "real life" there has been no problem at all surrounding this issue. On my blog and in my email, this has not been true. Generally, I believe, or like to believe at least!, that I can handle points of view that differ from mine. I have worked quite genuinely and been quite successful I believe in developing an atmosphere on my blog that encourages discussion and ,at least on my part, learns from 'the other side of an issue'. When it comes to Terri, I believe most people who regularly read my blog are highly aware of the facts and issues and have come to their own points of view with considerable thought and contemplation...even if they disagree with my point of view. Thus it seems like disagreement at this point is not useful or productive. I respect your right to differ in opinion. However, I would prefer, on the subject of Terri, and at this point Terri is the ONLY topic I am saying this about,....if you are a valued regular reader with a differing point of view concerning Terri, you give an extra moment of thought before you compose and send your comment. Most any other topic... go for it... compose a comment snarky or otherwise..., share your thoughts, and we shall engage. With Terri...I am very very human and just don't value going down that road with you. I guess I am saying I value the relationship I have with you, (readers who have different points of view regarding this and other topics-trolls can just move on along), enough to not jeopardize our relationship over this topic. I hope you value our relationship enough to extend me this courtesy on my blog.
