To contact us Click HERE
The Atlantic
By Jordan Weissmann
Jun 21 2012, 10:18 AM ET
Hunger is high. Overpayments are low. The economy is weak, and food stamps are a strong stimulus. What exactly is the problem the GOP is trying to solve?
Here is a fact that should disturb everyone, regardless of their politics: Today, about one out of every seven Americans receives food stamps. That's a population of 45 million people -- roughly the size of Spain -- who rely on government help to feed themselves.
There are two ways to interpret this number. On the one hand, you could take it as evidence of just how crucial the social safety net has become in the wake of the Great Recession, as families are quite literally struggling to put food on the table. On the other, you could just read it as an example of government welfare run amok.
Guess which view is popular among conservatives these days.
read the full article...
- Jordan Weissmann is an associate editor at The Atlantic. He has written for a number of publications, including The Washington Post and The National Law Journal.
27 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba
Fuel Up School Breakfast Grants
To contact us Click HERE
From the Fuel Up to Play 60 website:
The Fuel Up Breakfast Grants program is sponsored by General Mills Foodservice as part of a partnership effort with National Dairy Council® to help improve student access to high-quality, nutritious foods at school. This grant specifically targets breakfast, providing funds to help schools improve or expand their breakfast programs with an emphasis on alternative breakfast options that are sustainable.
Eligibility Criteria:
To be considered for the Fuel Up Breakfast Grant schools must:
Click here to apply today!
The Fuel Up Breakfast Grants program is sponsored by General Mills Foodservice as part of a partnership effort with National Dairy Council® to help improve student access to high-quality, nutritious foods at school. This grant specifically targets breakfast, providing funds to help schools improve or expand their breakfast programs with an emphasis on alternative breakfast options that are sustainable.
Eligibility Criteria:
To be considered for the Fuel Up Breakfast Grant schools must:
- Complete and submit an accurate online grant application.
- Participate in the National School Breakfast Program.
- Be enrolled in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program for the 2012-13 school year and agree to participate fully by displaying the Fuel Up to Play 60 Activation Kit materials and encouraging students to track their healthy eating and physical activity online. (Note: program enrollment is free of charge and schools can enroll online at www.FuelUpToPlay60.com).
- Have support/backing from the school principal, district school nutrition director, and school nutrition manager.
- Have school enrollment of at least 500 students.
- Have opportunity to raise breakfast participation (current participation is < 40%).
Click here to apply today!
June 2012 Food Stamp e-News Available
To contact us Click HERE
Check out Hunger Solutions New York's latest electronic newsletter covering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the new name for the Food Stamp Program in NYS.
In this newest edition you will find:
In this newest edition you will find:
- NYS Food Stamp Program gets a new name
- Updated NYSNIP resources including an article, forms, desk guide and more...
- NYS Announces Fresh Connect Program including a list of funded projects
- Senate Farm Bill Passes
- Tools to Promote EBT use at NYS Farmers Markets
- New Proposed Regulations to End Finger-Imaging for Food Stamps in NYS
Christine Quinn Sneaks in to Fund Rasier Gay Marriage Celebration Thru Back Door Tony Simone Ex Goldman Sach Current NYC Gov Quinn-ster Shouts F.CK Donny Moss A Quinn Protestor!
To contact us Click HERE
http://christine-quinn-sold-out.blogspot.com/2011/07/christine-quinn-dream-nightmare.htmlClick on link and scroll down to bottom photo to see Quinn and her F bomb dropping Quin-ster Tony Simone!
Wow Tony Simone an ex.. Goldman Sach worker now a Christine Quinn-ster at NYC gov. better have been off the clock when he dropped the F Bomb and shouted Fu/k Donny Moss as he walked past our long line of protestors! Quinn did not want to make the perp walk so she snuck in the back way through the entrance for hauling out garbage! How appropriate since she is selling her self as a gay hero and she is not Harvey Milk. She is embroiled in slush scandals, she approved Sullivan and Cromwell, the same high priced attorneys specializing in White Collar crime that Goldman Sachs uses. Maybe Tony Simone suggested them because Quinn approved Sullivan and Cromwell for her staff.
There is Donny Moss and he does effective powerful work unmasking Quinn’s corruption as documented in "Christine Quinn: Behind the Smile” . That is Allan Roskoff to the right but he is not a Republican. He and Donny are holding a “Jim Owles Liberal Democrat” banner.
There I am in my Christine Quinn Slushgate shirt holding Christine Quinn Slush Fund liar poster.
It was so celebrate marriage equality but low and behold Quinn is not what she appears to be -- she is no gay hero but a corrupt sell-out.
Louis Flores with “Call Me Speaker,TraitorSell OutLiarPut Please don’t call me Ma’am!
http://christinequinnmbminime.blogspot.com/
Christine Quinn wash Tony Simone’s mouth out with soap! Is it appropriate for Christine Quinn’s Community Outreach representative to be shouting F-ck Donny Moss in front of all the protestors and people passing by.
http://christine-quinn-sold-out.blogspot.com/2011/07/christine-quinn-dream-nightmare.htmlClick on link and scroll down to bottom photo to see Quinn and her F bomb dropping Quin-ster Tony Simone!
MONDAY, JULY 11, 2011
Christine Quinn Sneaks in to Fund Rasier Gay Marriage Celebration Thru Back Door Tony Simone Ex Goldman Sach Current NYC Gov Quinn-ster Shouts F.CK Donny Moss A Quinn Protestor!
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tony-simone/31/47/82bWow Tony Simone an ex.. Goldman Sach worker now a Christine Quinn-ster at NYC gov. better have been off the clock when he dropped the F Bomb and shouted Fu/k Donny Moss as he walked past our long line of protestors! Quinn did not want to make the perp walk so she snuck in the back way through the entrance for hauling out garbage! How appropriate since she is selling her self as a gay hero and she is not Harvey Milk. She is embroiled in slush scandals, she approved Sullivan and Cromwell, the same high priced attorneys specializing in White Collar crime that Goldman Sachs uses. Maybe Tony Simone suggested them because Quinn approved Sullivan and Cromwell for her staff.
There is Donny Moss and he does effective powerful work unmasking Quinn’s corruption as documented in "Christine Quinn: Behind the Smile” . That is Allan Roskoff to the right but he is not a Republican. He and Donny are holding a “Jim Owles Liberal Democrat” banner.There I am in my Christine Quinn Slushgate shirt holding Christine Quinn Slush Fund liar poster.fund raiser and it was 11 dollars so we joked why didn’t we just pay and go inside.Dream Downtown 363 West 16th Street Hotel
It was so celebrate marriage equality but low and behold Quinn is not what she appears to be -- she is no gay hero but a corrupt sell-out.
Louis Flores with “Call Me Speaker,TraitorSell OutLiarPut Please don’t call me Ma’am!
http://christinequinnmbminime.blogspot.com/
Corrupt Christine Quinn 4 mill for war chest but only mayoral candidate with cowardly back door entrance!
To contact us Click HERE
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/07/13/2011-07-13_one_mighty_war_chest_quinns_4m_leads_mayoral_wannabes.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDdLBc-d-CQ&sns=em video response. Quinn may lead but only mayoral candidate to sneak in back door used for throwing out garbage than enter front door past protestors including mecat 11 $ fund raiser celebrating Gay Marriage. Quinn is no Harvey Milk. Her nyc gov community out reach guy Tony Simone cursed protestor using F word. Was he on company time? Is that Quinn's idea of community outreach? He hails from Goldman Sachs so he is expert on community or Fbomb?
http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2011/07/christine-quinn-for-mayor-not-ever-not.htmlDid Tony the f bomber get Goldman Sachs to give Quinn gold.
She confuses tax payer money with being an investment bank. Explains her bailing out rich and letting a hospital close in the Wrst Village.
Rudin family big campaign donators.
Is Mitchell Moss working on her campaign or just schilling for NYU and Rudin family his bread and butter?
Reminder John Sexton a greedy monster real estate magnate head for NYU has crushed our communities and ran down to testify Mike Bloomberg must have a 3rd term and Mitchell Moss, Sexton, Rudin family and even the owners of the newspapers want Mike’s mini-me in office to protect their investments hence expect the same Bloomberg media treatment for Quinn silencing opposition and special treatment and Quinn is a crook.
p.s. Thanks for not asking Mitchell Moss the big time shoveler for Mike Bloomberg and his mini-me Christine Quinn for his insight since he either works on their campaigns or has a vested interest since his bread and butter is NYU and the Rudin family. Check out the video on Quinn entering her own fund raiser at a hotel cowardly thru back door for garbage because she didn’t want to face protestor. Some leader. Figures her F-bombing dropping community outreach nyc gov. worker hails from Goldman Sachs. Rudin, NYU and GS people making donations to protect their interests and that is not the People of NYC but their own greed and Quinn is the perfect puppet. Vote Quinn if u want Mike for a 4th term from the golf course.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/07/13/2011-07-13_one_mighty_war_chest_quinns_4m_leads_mayoral_wannabes.html#ixzz1RyvDyiUv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDdLBc-d-CQ&sns=em video response. Quinn may lead but only mayoral candidate to sneak in back door used for throwing out garbage than enter front door past protestors including mecat 11 $ fund raiser celebrating Gay Marriage. Quinn is no Harvey Milk. Her nyc gov community out reach guy Tony Simone cursed protestor using F word. Was he on company time? Is that Quinn's idea of community outreach? He hails from Goldman Sachs so he is expert on community or Fbomb?
http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2011/07/christine-quinn-for-mayor-not-ever-not.htmlDid Tony the f bomber get Goldman Sachs to give Quinn gold.
She confuses tax payer money with being an investment bank. Explains her bailing out rich and letting a hospital close in the Wrst Village.
Rudin family big campaign donators.
Is Mitchell Moss working on her campaign or just schilling for NYU and Rudin family his bread and butter?
Reminder John Sexton a greedy monster real estate magnate head for NYU has crushed our communities and ran down to testify Mike Bloomberg must have a 3rd term and Mitchell Moss, Sexton, Rudin family and even the owners of the newspapers want Mike’s mini-me in office to protect their investments hence expect the same Bloomberg media treatment for Quinn silencing opposition and special treatment and Quinn is a crook.
p.s. Thanks for not asking Mitchell Moss the big time shoveler for Mike Bloomberg and his mini-me Christine Quinn for his insight since he either works on their campaigns or has a vested interest since his bread and butter is NYU and the Rudin family. Check out the video on Quinn entering her own fund raiser at a hotel cowardly thru back door for garbage because she didn’t want to face protestor. Some leader. Figures her F-bombing dropping community outreach nyc gov. worker hails from Goldman Sachs. Rudin, NYU and GS people making donations to protect their interests and that is not the People of NYC but their own greed and Quinn is the perfect puppet. Vote Quinn if u want Mike for a 4th term from the golf course.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/07/13/2011-07-13_one_mighty_war_chest_quinns_4m_leads_mayoral_wannabes.html#ixzz1RyvDyiUv
25 Haziran 2012 Pazartesi
The NY Post Slush Abuse! FYI Christine Quinn Ms. Slush & Intimidation!
To contact us Click HERE
Seabrook’s case is coming up finally but how many others are guilty of being “slush puppies” and puppies is a kind word. I can think of another word.Mike Bloomberg and Christine Quinn gave slush to city council members that sold their souls and the People of NYC in pursuit of a third term and denied the People of NYC a referendum. Christine Quinn Ms. Slush and Intimidation...Bloomberg’s puppet is already using slush money to attempt to win Mike’s 4th term with her as mayor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNNgQX9whKg&feature=youtu.be
By the way, can we have a current total of what is Christine Quinn’s burden to the tax payers for her legal bills and the staff member’s name for those that she approved Sullivan and Cromwell, the same firm Goldman Sach uses and the firm is very high priced and specializes in White Collar Crime.How about an App and a running ticker on NYC gov website for how much NYC politicians and staff cost tax payers in legal fees?
FYI: We were told a rumor that Christine Quinn was going to announce she was running for her mayor at this fund raiser for her but she didn’t and maybe that was because she had to sneak in the back door of the hotel where they take out garbage?
http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2011/07/christine-quinn-sneaks-in-to-fund.htmlHer community outreach guy Tony Simone from Goldman Sachs...hmmm, what a surprise dropped the F-bomb at protestors honing in on Donny Moss who made the YouTube: Christine Quinn: Behind the Smile which happens to mention slush fund abuse.
Tony Simone is Christine Quinn’s community outreach guy. He curses protestors, sure hope he wasn’t on NYC. government time when he did so and maybe his community work involves getting money for Christine Quinn’s campaign which is breaking campaign laws so we sure hope that isn’t so.
By the way, can we have a current total of what is Christine Quinn’s burden to the tax payers for her legal bills and the staff member’s name for those that she approved Sullivan and Cromwell, the same firm Goldman Sach uses and the firm is very high priced and specializes in White Collar Crime.How about an App and a running ticker on NYC gov website for how much NYC politicians and staff cost tax payers in legal fees?
FYI: We were told a rumor that Christine Quinn was going to announce she was running for her mayor at this fund raiser for her but she didn’t and maybe that was because she had to sneak in the back door of the hotel where they take out garbage?
http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2011/07/christine-quinn-sneaks-in-to-fund.htmlHer community outreach guy Tony Simone from Goldman Sachs...hmmm, what a surprise dropped the F-bomb at protestors honing in on Donny Moss who made the YouTube: Christine Quinn: Behind the Smile which happens to mention slush fund abuse.
Tony Simone is Christine Quinn’s community outreach guy. He curses protestors, sure hope he wasn’t on NYC. government time when he did so and maybe his community work involves getting money for Christine Quinn’s campaign which is breaking campaign laws so we sure hope that isn’t so.
Jon Bon Jovi Ignorant of NYC Politics Gives Christine Quinn the Most Money possible!
To contact us Click HERE
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/07/17/2011-07-17_2mayor17m.htmlJon Bon Jovi has no idea that Mike Bloomberg and his mini-me are among the most despised New Yorkers for denying the People of NYC a referendum and selling the lie we needed Mike for a 3rd term to help us with the economy.
Did Mike Bloomberg and Christine Quinn help you with the economy?
Jon Bon Jovi wake-up. Christine Quinn sold the great lie we needed Mike Bloomberg to help us with the economy so therefore it was okay to deny us a referendum! Bon Jovi did Christine Quinn help you with the economy? She sure did not help the New Yorkers that bought your music and made you so rich but Bon Jovi like Matt Damon is most likely not declaring NYC as his home because he does not want to pay NY taxes! Why do celebrities that refuse to pay NY taxes support Mike Bloomberg and Christine Quinn who happen to have the legacy of flushing democracy down the toilet and being embroiled in the largest White Collar Crime in NYC gov. history. Lucky for Christine Quinn that is not front page news! She brushed aside 2 investigation by Tish James on CityTime!
http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2011/07/christine-quinn-to-announce-mayoral-run.html
Did Mike Bloomberg and Christine Quinn help you with the economy?
Jon Bon Jovi wake-up. Christine Quinn sold the great lie we needed Mike Bloomberg to help us with the economy so therefore it was okay to deny us a referendum! Bon Jovi did Christine Quinn help you with the economy? She sure did not help the New Yorkers that bought your music and made you so rich but Bon Jovi like Matt Damon is most likely not declaring NYC as his home because he does not want to pay NY taxes! Why do celebrities that refuse to pay NY taxes support Mike Bloomberg and Christine Quinn who happen to have the legacy of flushing democracy down the toilet and being embroiled in the largest White Collar Crime in NYC gov. history. Lucky for Christine Quinn that is not front page news! She brushed aside 2 investigation by Tish James on CityTime!
http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2011/07/christine-quinn-to-announce-mayoral-run.html
Bloomberg & Rudy’s Good Pals SAIC Busted! Pentagon Audit on SAIC!!!!!!! How about RICO charges Preet?
To contact us Click HERE
http://www.nypostonline.com/p/news/local/citytime_firm_hit_in_audit_10yPLVj5TFdUTKEt5UK54M
Look hard at Josh Margolin’s article and read the scathing news that confirms my belief that SAIC is guilty of racketeering charges and they were up to abuse/fraud of tax payer money way before Gerard Denault came in to play. Listen to what I have to say in my YouTube as to why and a reminder the FBI was robbed and raped by SAIC as well before CityTime was brought in by mayor Rudy Giuliani.Don’t forget the corrupt SAIC MTA that almost was and Peter Powers, Rudy’s best friend and even deputy mayor was the lobbyist for SAIC on that deal. Another Rudy crony is also a big time lobbyist on CityTime and also the 911 tech system! Surprise!
http://www.outsourcing-law.com/2011/07/bribery-fraud-saic-citytime-debacle-in-new-york-city/Thanks to the law firm that posted this article on why we could apply RICO!!!!!!
Preet Bharara when are we getting arrests at City Hall, SAIC and other sub-contractors not even mentioned in the news yet? What happen to Jelly Bean referred to in the whistle blowing CNN Ireport?
http://youtu.be/DPm4rkM_elQJessica Dewberry in front of SAIC asking for our money back pointing out CityTime does not work!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny4PhPqCTc4Jessica with other NYC workers last year on the steps of City Hall stating CityTime does not work!!!!
May 27, 2010 with no law degree, business degree I figured out in a couple of hours we should not renew with SAIC and I made my 1st YouTube that said no renewal, we need a full investigation. I dubbed CityTime the tax payers Titanic!http://youtu.be/_Tz4eMcP2LU
My dream come true. Standing in front of SAIC NYC’s offices with my art work, Mayor Bloomberg King of New York, No Third Term, Is Democracy for Sale?” poster and toilet paper post-it that said : Ex-king of OutSourcing demanding 1 billion in damages x 3 for RICO for the People of NYC.
This is the largest White Collar Crime in NYC gov. ever and we have the biggest pay-out for NYC tax payers coming our way.................................
unless the 911 System aka ECTP is proven to be a bigger fraud with a 2 billion dollar tax payer price tag!
p.s. I love this YouTube filmed by Louis Flores because you can see my friend holding up my Mayor Bloomberg King of New York which was and is a brilliant political art poster lampooning Mike Bloomberg that got zero coverage by the media almost like CityTime, the biggest white collar crime has gotten so little notice and so much more the media hesitates to report or just refuses to report!
Bloomberg & Rudy’s Good Pals SAIC Busted! Pentagon Audit on SAIC!!!!!!! How about RICO charges Preet?
http://www.nypostonline.com/p/news/local/citytime_firm_hit_in_audit_10yPLVj5TFdUTKEt5UK54M
Look hard at Josh Margolin’s article and read the scathing news that confirms my belief that SAIC is guilty of racketeering charges and they were up to abuse/fraud of tax payer money way before Gerard Denault came in to play. Listen to what I have to say in my YouTube as to why and a reminder the FBI was robbed and raped by SAIC as well before CityTime was brought in by mayor Rudy Giuliani.Don’t forget the corrupt SAIC MTA that almost was and Peter Powers, Rudy’s best friend and even deputy mayor was the lobbyist for SAIC on that deal. Another Rudy crony is also a big time lobbyist on CityTime and also the 911 tech system! Surprise!
http://www.outsourcing-law.com/2011/07/bribery-fraud-saic-citytime-debacle-in-new-york-city/Thanks to the law firm that posted this article on why we could apply RICO!!!!!!
Preet Bharara when are we getting arrests at City Hall, SAIC and other sub-contractors not even mentioned in the news yet? What happen to Jelly Bean referred to in the whistle blowing CNN Ireport?
http://youtu.be/DPm4rkM_elQJessica Dewberry in front of SAIC asking for our money back pointing out CityTime does not work!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny4PhPqCTc4Jessica with other NYC workers last year on the steps of City Hall stating CityTime does not work!!!!
May 27, 2010 with no law degree, business degree I figured out in a couple of hours we should not renew with SAIC and I made my 1st YouTube that said no renewal, we need a full investigation. I dubbed CityTime the tax payers Titanic!http://youtu.be/_Tz4eMcP2LU
My dream come true. Standing in front of SAIC NYC’s offices with my art work, Mayor Bloomberg King of New York, No Third Term, Is Democracy for Sale?” poster and toilet paper post-it that said : Ex-king of OutSourcing demanding 1 billion in damages x 3 for RICO for the People of NYC.
This is the largest White Collar Crime in NYC gov. ever and we have the biggest pay-out for NYC tax payers coming our way.................................
unless the 911 System aka ECTP is proven to be a bigger fraud with a 2 billion dollar tax payer price tag!
p.s. I love this YouTube filmed by Louis Flores because you can see my friend holding up my Mayor Bloomberg King of New York which was and is a brilliant political art poster lampooning Mike Bloomberg that got zero coverage by the media almost like CityTime, the biggest white collar crime has gotten so little notice and so much more the media hesitates to report or just refuses to report!
Bloomberg Mired In Corruption Protected By Media SAIC CityTime Covered Up More Than Written About
To contact us Click HERE
Bloomberg more than protected by the media in sharp contrast to Koch’s 3rd term.
Bloomberg’s mini me -- Christine Quinn is protected as well because they protect real estate greed including NYU that with co-sponsor, a little corrupt rag the villager hosted debate between Quinn and her opponents for Quinn's seat. Quinn had her butt kicked by Yetta Kurland and Derr the 3rd wheel has been rumored to have gotten an appointment from Quinn.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wires/2009/08/13/public-press-barred-from-_ws_259303.htmlHuffington picked up the Public being barred by NYU and the villager that happened to endorse Christine Quinn, Mike Bloomberg’s puppet and real estate whore. Reminder John Sexton, who earns close to 2 million a year not including perks to over see the most corrupt real estate land grabs and air space deals ran down to testify Mike Bloomberg must have a third term. He backs Quinn as well because they will aid him in continued corrupt destructive land grabs and compensated by the tax payers who don’t want it. Tax payers are even paying for the infrastructure expansion for NYU and Cooper Union and Columbia U although New Yorkers don’t want them crushing their communities. The fix is in!!!
Some opponent Derr turned out to be helping Quinn to beat Kurland. NYU and the villager turned away NY1, City Hall News and seniors not Quinn supporters but all Quinn supporters got in. Go to YouTube type NYU the villager.
Whether it is SAIC or other big contractors where the fix was in as in no competitive bids are considered just like the over all media and ditto for politics like pushing through a 3rd term again with corrupt Christine Quinn making sure the public was denied a referendum with the help of city council corrupt cronies....
sure seems like the fix was in!
They are all kinds of behind the scenes deals that the newspaper/media wanted protected including by their owners.
Here is a short editorial from the Rockway Newspaper called The Wave that compares Koch's corrupt 3rd term with Mike's with mega-historic White Collar crime but the media is not giving him hell. Below also link on website exposing SAIC NYC scandal and includes my newest YouTube.http://m.rockawave.com/node/122713 http://www.evri.com/organization/saic-0x4e87e
Same question applies to Bloomberg and where are arrests City Hall and SAIC. For me - 2 words cover up,
Heard on the street: more law chimes in on SAIC, ....how many times must SAIC get scolded and skirt/twist around laws before being told to cease operations. http://www.natlawreview.com/article/dc-circuit-rejects-collective-knowledge-shines-spotlight-processes n United States v. Science Applications International Corporation, SAIC entered into a contract with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) to provide technical assistance and expert analysis. The contract included strict provisions on conflicts of interest, including a requirement that SAIC seek NRC’s prior written approval if it had reason to believe that a proposed arrangement may raise a conflict of interest. SAIC subsequently entered into two contracts that potentially conflicted with its NRC work. SAIC had a computerized compliance system, but it did not capture all of SAIC’s business relationships and did not adequately associate keywords with descriptions of work. The descriptions were also incomplete. SAIC did not disclose the new contracts to the NRC. The NRC eventually learned about SAIC’s other work from a member of the public and terminated SAIC’s contract. The government then sued SAIC under the False Claims Act. blah...blah...blah then... Contractors would be wise to use every internal investigation, in particular the raft of internal investigations prompted by the mandatory disclosure requirements imposed by FAR 52.203-13, as an opportunity not only to reverse the monetary consequences of improper conduct and to punish those responsible, but to implement internal process improvements designed to prevent a recurrence of the problem. Improvements will not only demonstrate a lack of recklessness, but they will also catch issues before they become FCA concerns.
Bloomberg’s mini me -- Christine Quinn is protected as well because they protect real estate greed including NYU that with co-sponsor, a little corrupt rag the villager hosted debate between Quinn and her opponents for Quinn's seat. Quinn had her butt kicked by Yetta Kurland and Derr the 3rd wheel has been rumored to have gotten an appointment from Quinn.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wires/2009/08/13/public-press-barred-from-_ws_259303.htmlHuffington picked up the Public being barred by NYU and the villager that happened to endorse Christine Quinn, Mike Bloomberg’s puppet and real estate whore. Reminder John Sexton, who earns close to 2 million a year not including perks to over see the most corrupt real estate land grabs and air space deals ran down to testify Mike Bloomberg must have a third term. He backs Quinn as well because they will aid him in continued corrupt destructive land grabs and compensated by the tax payers who don’t want it. Tax payers are even paying for the infrastructure expansion for NYU and Cooper Union and Columbia U although New Yorkers don’t want them crushing their communities. The fix is in!!!
Some opponent Derr turned out to be helping Quinn to beat Kurland. NYU and the villager turned away NY1, City Hall News and seniors not Quinn supporters but all Quinn supporters got in. Go to YouTube type NYU the villager.
Whether it is SAIC or other big contractors where the fix was in as in no competitive bids are considered just like the over all media and ditto for politics like pushing through a 3rd term again with corrupt Christine Quinn making sure the public was denied a referendum with the help of city council corrupt cronies....
sure seems like the fix was in!
They are all kinds of behind the scenes deals that the newspaper/media wanted protected including by their owners.
Here is a short editorial from the Rockway Newspaper called The Wave that compares Koch's corrupt 3rd term with Mike's with mega-historic White Collar crime but the media is not giving him hell. Below also link on website exposing SAIC NYC scandal and includes my newest YouTube.http://m.rockawave.com/node/122713 http://www.evri.com/organization/saic-0x4e87e
Same question applies to Bloomberg and where are arrests City Hall and SAIC. For me - 2 words cover up,
Heard on the street: more law chimes in on SAIC, ....how many times must SAIC get scolded and skirt/twist around laws before being told to cease operations. http://www.natlawreview.com/article/dc-circuit-rejects-collective-knowledge-shines-spotlight-processes n United States v. Science Applications International Corporation, SAIC entered into a contract with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) to provide technical assistance and expert analysis. The contract included strict provisions on conflicts of interest, including a requirement that SAIC seek NRC’s prior written approval if it had reason to believe that a proposed arrangement may raise a conflict of interest. SAIC subsequently entered into two contracts that potentially conflicted with its NRC work. SAIC had a computerized compliance system, but it did not capture all of SAIC’s business relationships and did not adequately associate keywords with descriptions of work. The descriptions were also incomplete. SAIC did not disclose the new contracts to the NRC. The NRC eventually learned about SAIC’s other work from a member of the public and terminated SAIC’s contract. The government then sued SAIC under the False Claims Act. blah...blah...blah then... Contractors would be wise to use every internal investigation, in particular the raft of internal investigations prompted by the mandatory disclosure requirements imposed by FAR 52.203-13, as an opportunity not only to reverse the monetary consequences of improper conduct and to punish those responsible, but to implement internal process improvements designed to prevent a recurrence of the problem. Improvements will not only demonstrate a lack of recklessness, but they will also catch issues before they become FCA concerns.
SAIC CityTime: What is this not Front Page News? Cover-Ups Continue for SAIC & NYC Gov. Officials
To contact us Click HERE
Where are the arrests at City Hall?
Jay Walder before you say Sayonara I want Preet Bharara to ask you and your co-workers what they know about the MTA SAIC deal that almost was.
http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2011/07/jay-walder-mta-head-bye-bye-did-you.htmlRudy Giuliani brought in this scam CityTime to replace a payroll system that city workers created and ran that worked called AutoTime. Rudy threw it out and brought in CityTime which I dubbed The Tax Payers Titanic! Rudy brought in SAIC and the rest is history. CityTime was a lemon and SAIC knew this but billed us obscene amounts of money. SAIC won the Dwight Eisenhower Award for helping small business specifically sub-contractors and guess what they were stealing as well....it was a hierarchy of theft.
TechnoDyne owner, a major sub-contractor won the Ernst Young award http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/29/idUS144663+29-Jun-2010+BW20100629 which I reported way before Jim Dwyer of The New York Times!
Mike Bloomberg said we would get all of the 80 million the Spherion consultants stole back.
Last time I heard anything we had only gotten aprox. 27 million dollars back.
Is Mike going to make up the difference? http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/390855/couple_charged_massive_nyc_software_project_scam/Than there are the Allens who via their company TechnoDyne who mystically and magically were able to get on an airplane to India and vanish....making the third in the ever expanding CityTime (pay roll system fraud) to escape to a country that we do not have an extradition agreement with! http://www.businessinsider.com/reddy-padma-allen-citytime-2011-6
We have spent more than a billion dollars if you include throwing away payroll systems that worked including Mike Bloomberg in concert with SAIC rushing to expand after Sept. 28 forcing many NYC gov. divisions transfer over to CityTime a system that is not worth the money and will not start saving the City of New York money for at least 100 years.
We want our money back plus damages and RICO charges applied to SAIC who continues to plead ignorance but that is laughable. SAIC did the same thing to the FBI way before Gerard Denault started working for them.
SAIC has and had auditors and Gerard Denault had bosses! SAIC knew SAIC was a lemon before Gerard Denault came in to the picture and just look at how the MTA and SAIC aggressively pushed a deal that we fought because it going to be another set-up to gauge the tax payers of NYC. The MTA, SAIC and NYC gov. made a deal as exposed by Greg Mocker of WPIX that if SAIC went over budget the bill would go to NYC gov.
Preet Bharara have Jay Walder, Mike Bloomberg, Mark Page and Rose Gill Hearn explain that deal along with how a lot more that remains unanswered like Mike Bloomberg and Rose Gill Hearns informercials I call flat out lies that CityTime works! If so why is NYC gov looking at new pay roll systems?
Give us our money back plus damages x 3!
http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2011/07/saic-rico-citytime-triple-pay-back.html
Jay Walder before you say Sayonara I want Preet Bharara to ask you and your co-workers what they know about the MTA SAIC deal that almost was.
http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2011/07/jay-walder-mta-head-bye-bye-did-you.htmlRudy Giuliani brought in this scam CityTime to replace a payroll system that city workers created and ran that worked called AutoTime. Rudy threw it out and brought in CityTime which I dubbed The Tax Payers Titanic! Rudy brought in SAIC and the rest is history. CityTime was a lemon and SAIC knew this but billed us obscene amounts of money. SAIC won the Dwight Eisenhower Award for helping small business specifically sub-contractors and guess what they were stealing as well....it was a hierarchy of theft.
TechnoDyne owner, a major sub-contractor won the Ernst Young award http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/29/idUS144663+29-Jun-2010+BW20100629 which I reported way before Jim Dwyer of The New York Times!
Mike Bloomberg said we would get all of the 80 million the Spherion consultants stole back.
Last time I heard anything we had only gotten aprox. 27 million dollars back.
Is Mike going to make up the difference? http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/390855/couple_charged_massive_nyc_software_project_scam/Than there are the Allens who via their company TechnoDyne who mystically and magically were able to get on an airplane to India and vanish....making the third in the ever expanding CityTime (pay roll system fraud) to escape to a country that we do not have an extradition agreement with! http://www.businessinsider.com/reddy-padma-allen-citytime-2011-6
We have spent more than a billion dollars if you include throwing away payroll systems that worked including Mike Bloomberg in concert with SAIC rushing to expand after Sept. 28 forcing many NYC gov. divisions transfer over to CityTime a system that is not worth the money and will not start saving the City of New York money for at least 100 years.
We want our money back plus damages and RICO charges applied to SAIC who continues to plead ignorance but that is laughable. SAIC did the same thing to the FBI way before Gerard Denault started working for them.
SAIC has and had auditors and Gerard Denault had bosses! SAIC knew SAIC was a lemon before Gerard Denault came in to the picture and just look at how the MTA and SAIC aggressively pushed a deal that we fought because it going to be another set-up to gauge the tax payers of NYC. The MTA, SAIC and NYC gov. made a deal as exposed by Greg Mocker of WPIX that if SAIC went over budget the bill would go to NYC gov.
Preet Bharara have Jay Walder, Mike Bloomberg, Mark Page and Rose Gill Hearn explain that deal along with how a lot more that remains unanswered like Mike Bloomberg and Rose Gill Hearns informercials I call flat out lies that CityTime works! If so why is NYC gov looking at new pay roll systems?
Give us our money back plus damages x 3!
http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2011/07/saic-rico-citytime-triple-pay-back.html
24 Haziran 2012 Pazar
C. Peter Timmer receives Leontief Prize at Tufts
To contact us Click HERE
C. Peter Timmer and Michael Lipton today receive the annual Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought from the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University. The 1983 book Food Policy Analysis by Timmer, Walter Falcon, and Scott Pearson influenced a generation of researchers in my field.
Timmer and Lipton will be honored today, April 3, at 3:30 pm on the Tufts Medford Campus. Timmer will give a Friedman School Seminar tomorrow, April 4, at the Jaharis Building on the Tufts Boston Campus.
Timmer and Lipton will be honored today, April 3, at 3:30 pm on the Tufts Medford Campus. Timmer will give a Friedman School Seminar tomorrow, April 4, at the Jaharis Building on the Tufts Boston Campus.
USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass
To contact us Click HERE
USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food website consolidates information from a wide variety of less-well-known programs that support farmers' markets and other local food infrastructure, facilitate local meat and poultry, promote local food sales to institutions such as schools and hospitals, and more.
Rather than duplicate existing work with yet another layer of program authority, the website compiles information from a breadth of USDA agencies with their own separate budgets and chains of command. This simple inexpensive effort makes a powerful impression, articulating a sense of shared purpose for what might otherwise seem like a scattershot collection of tiny stand-alone projects. For a Department that sometimes suffers from accusations of serving only large-scale industrial farmers, the Know Your Farmer program humanizes a large bureaucracy and generates an outsized improvement in public reputation.
For an alternative view, the coverage at Forbes seems to complain simultaneously that the Know Your Farmer program is underfunded and covers the same topics as existing programs. With a churlish spin, Forbes shares the same facts I just described above.
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Merrigan this year launched the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass, with a link-heavy report and an interactive map, publicizing all sorts of local food activities supported by USDA. Because U.S. agricultural politics are local politics, the simple act of collecting small program data points by geography has a big communication impact.
Rather than duplicate existing work with yet another layer of program authority, the website compiles information from a breadth of USDA agencies with their own separate budgets and chains of command. This simple inexpensive effort makes a powerful impression, articulating a sense of shared purpose for what might otherwise seem like a scattershot collection of tiny stand-alone projects. For a Department that sometimes suffers from accusations of serving only large-scale industrial farmers, the Know Your Farmer program humanizes a large bureaucracy and generates an outsized improvement in public reputation.
For an alternative view, the coverage at Forbes seems to complain simultaneously that the Know Your Farmer program is underfunded and covers the same topics as existing programs. With a churlish spin, Forbes shares the same facts I just described above.
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Merrigan this year launched the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass, with a link-heavy report and an interactive map, publicizing all sorts of local food activities supported by USDA. Because U.S. agricultural politics are local politics, the simple act of collecting small program data points by geography has a big communication impact.
Food aid reforms would be like money back on your grocery bill
To contact us Click HERE
Oxfam America and the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) explain here how much money could be saved -- and how many more hungry people could be fed -- if the United States reformed its food aid programs. Some of the key reforms include eliminating a rule that most food must be sourced from the United States and shipped in U.S. ships.
For more detail on such issues, the best book is Food Aid After Fifty Years, by Chris Barrett at Cornell and my colleague Dan Maxwell here at the Friedman School at Tufts. A good recent report comes from the GAO: Local and Regional Procurement Can Enhance the Efficiency of U.S. Food Aid, but Challenges May Constrain Its Implementation.
For more detail on such issues, the best book is Food Aid After Fifty Years, by Chris Barrett at Cornell and my colleague Dan Maxwell here at the Friedman School at Tufts. A good recent report comes from the GAO: Local and Regional Procurement Can Enhance the Efficiency of U.S. Food Aid, but Challenges May Constrain Its Implementation.
Imidacloprid linked to bee colony collapse
To contact us Click HERE
Harvard scientists recently tested the effects of the pesticide imidacloprid on bee colonies in situ, meaning out in the field instead of in a laboratory. At each site, four hives were treated with four different amounts of the pesticide. Beginning with the hives that received the highest doses, and continuing to the hives that received low doses, the bees died in a fashion symptomatic of colony collapse disorder (CCD).
Reactions: The scientists say their findings show that even low doses of imdacloprid, similar to those used in real agriculture, can cause CCD. The pesticide's manufacturer, Bayer, says the low doses used in the study remained too high to be realistic. The EPA still considers CCD to result from a mix of factors, possibly including pesticide exposure as just one factor. That may still be a reasonable summary of the balance of current evidence, but the new study strengthens the case that pesticides -- imidacloprid in particular -- have a big role.
I follow this issue in part because my father-in-law is a retired scientist and a beekeeper. He tracked the decline and later half-hearted recovery of his hives in lab notebooks. In 2010, when I took a cross-country drive, visiting sites of food and agricultural interest all along the way, my starting point was his hives in Carlisle, MA. After reading the Boston Globe article on the recent Harvard Study, he wrote a letter to the editor, which was published this week:
Reactions: The scientists say their findings show that even low doses of imdacloprid, similar to those used in real agriculture, can cause CCD. The pesticide's manufacturer, Bayer, says the low doses used in the study remained too high to be realistic. The EPA still considers CCD to result from a mix of factors, possibly including pesticide exposure as just one factor. That may still be a reasonable summary of the balance of current evidence, but the new study strengthens the case that pesticides -- imidacloprid in particular -- have a big role.
I follow this issue in part because my father-in-law is a retired scientist and a beekeeper. He tracked the decline and later half-hearted recovery of his hives in lab notebooks. In 2010, when I took a cross-country drive, visiting sites of food and agricultural interest all along the way, my starting point was his hives in Carlisle, MA. After reading the Boston Globe article on the recent Harvard Study, he wrote a letter to the editor, which was published this week:
ONE THING we can all do is to put pressure on our elected leaders to have the Environmental Protection Agency do a better job of regulation (“Study links pesticide to bee deaths; Harvard scientists make case,’’ Metro, April 6).
The EPA does not test for the low-level chronic effects of pesticides such as those addressed in the recent studies. It also does not test for interactions between pesticides and other agricultural chemicals - and yet it is known that there are powerful synergies between some of these chemicals.
Furthermore, the EPA farms out its testing to the very companies that are producing the pesticides - kind of like the fox guarding the chicken coop.
Farm Bill update
To contact us Click HERE
The Senate is debating the 2012 Farm Bill, which reauthorizes agriculture, conservation, and nutrition assistance programs for another five years. You can read coverage at Politico, the Washington Post, the Food Politics blog, and Roll Call.
Overall, the Farm Bill is likely to save some taxpayer money by replacing some agricultural subsidies with new crop insurance programs. These government subsidized crop insurance programs are likely to cover "shallow losses" -- comparatively modest losses that don't meet the threshold for serious losses already covered. These new crop insurance subsidies may be a little less expensive than the crop subsidies they replace, but they still reflect the agriculture industry's capture of legislators, who can be persuaded to do the industry's bidding, rather than representing sound policy.
Senate leaders agreed to consider a list of 73 amendments. You can follow the specific votes on the Senate website. If I understand correctly, an amendment to approve a compromise between the egg industry and animal welfare organizations regarding treatment of chickens was not on the list of amendments for consideration, perhaps because it was blocked by hardliners in other meat industries who oppose such compromises. An amendment to protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from medium-sized cuts failed (it would have saved the money by reining in the new crop insurance subsidies). An amendment to limit the size of payments in a marketing loan subsidy program passed.
The DeMint amendment that I discussed recently failed. DeMint (R-SC) noted that checkoff programs claim to have enthusiastic support from producers. If this were true, surely a voluntary contribution would be sufficient, right? Yet, only 20 Senators, all Republicans, backed DeMint's effort to make the contributions voluntary. My skeptical view of checkoff programs seems to have more friends at the Heritage Foundation than among the progressive Senators who ought to speak up for good governance and a coherent federal government message on this public health issue.
Overall, the Farm Bill is likely to save some taxpayer money by replacing some agricultural subsidies with new crop insurance programs. These government subsidized crop insurance programs are likely to cover "shallow losses" -- comparatively modest losses that don't meet the threshold for serious losses already covered. These new crop insurance subsidies may be a little less expensive than the crop subsidies they replace, but they still reflect the agriculture industry's capture of legislators, who can be persuaded to do the industry's bidding, rather than representing sound policy.
Senate leaders agreed to consider a list of 73 amendments. You can follow the specific votes on the Senate website. If I understand correctly, an amendment to approve a compromise between the egg industry and animal welfare organizations regarding treatment of chickens was not on the list of amendments for consideration, perhaps because it was blocked by hardliners in other meat industries who oppose such compromises. An amendment to protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from medium-sized cuts failed (it would have saved the money by reining in the new crop insurance subsidies). An amendment to limit the size of payments in a marketing loan subsidy program passed.
The DeMint amendment that I discussed recently failed. DeMint (R-SC) noted that checkoff programs claim to have enthusiastic support from producers. If this were true, surely a voluntary contribution would be sufficient, right? Yet, only 20 Senators, all Republicans, backed DeMint's effort to make the contributions voluntary. My skeptical view of checkoff programs seems to have more friends at the Heritage Foundation than among the progressive Senators who ought to speak up for good governance and a coherent federal government message on this public health issue.
23 Haziran 2012 Cumartesi
NYSED Commissioner King: "We Must Be Ambitious"
To contact us Click HERE
In a letter to New York teachers yesterday, NYSED Commissioner John King said the following about the new Common Core-aligned test questions for elementary and middle schools:
Ambitious?
I'd say it's quite ambitious to put out a new slate of state and local tests aligned to a new curriculum that is completely untested anywhere and not backed by any research and develop a whole new teacher evaluation system tied to those tests using an untested value-added measurement with an unknown margin of error and an unknown stability standard and fire teachers who come up short on that measurement.
That sure is "ambitious," all right.
Especially when Dr. King couldn't put out the 4th-8th ELA and math tests this year without a plethora (Common Core word!) of errors that undermined the validity of the testing system and the confidence students, parents and teachers have in the system.
Even more so when the NYCDOE couldn't put out a few foreign language exams without a bunch of embarrassing errors as well.
And the cherry on top comes with the development of the value-added measurement these geniuses at the NYSED plan to use on NY State teachers.
They haven't developed that measurement yet, but the VAM the city used on 4th-8th grade teachers had very large margins of error (maximum MOE of 87%) and wide swings in stability.
Since the tests and the VAM have yet to be developed fully and will not be piloted before a statewide roll-out, you can be sure there will be more than a few hiccups in this system.
Yes, these sure are ambitious plans Dr. King, Regents Chancellor Tisch and Governor Cuomo have in mind.
That's life in modern America these days - our corporate overlords and their functionaries like Dr. King are all about ambition and the rest of us - in this case the students, teachers, and schools on the front lines of the education reform battle - pay the price when they fail (as they mostly do.)
"The items are ambitious, but not unattainable...We must be ambitious."
Ambitious?
I'd say it's quite ambitious to put out a new slate of state and local tests aligned to a new curriculum that is completely untested anywhere and not backed by any research and develop a whole new teacher evaluation system tied to those tests using an untested value-added measurement with an unknown margin of error and an unknown stability standard and fire teachers who come up short on that measurement.
That sure is "ambitious," all right.
Especially when Dr. King couldn't put out the 4th-8th ELA and math tests this year without a plethora (Common Core word!) of errors that undermined the validity of the testing system and the confidence students, parents and teachers have in the system.
Even more so when the NYCDOE couldn't put out a few foreign language exams without a bunch of embarrassing errors as well.
And the cherry on top comes with the development of the value-added measurement these geniuses at the NYSED plan to use on NY State teachers.
They haven't developed that measurement yet, but the VAM the city used on 4th-8th grade teachers had very large margins of error (maximum MOE of 87%) and wide swings in stability.
Since the tests and the VAM have yet to be developed fully and will not be piloted before a statewide roll-out, you can be sure there will be more than a few hiccups in this system.
Yes, these sure are ambitious plans Dr. King, Regents Chancellor Tisch and Governor Cuomo have in mind.
That's life in modern America these days - our corporate overlords and their functionaries like Dr. King are all about ambition and the rest of us - in this case the students, teachers, and schools on the front lines of the education reform battle - pay the price when they fail (as they mostly do.)
Mayor Bloomberg: Your Kids Will Take High Stakes Standardized Tests In 100 Degree Classrooms And Like It
To contact us Click HERE
The arrogance of this man:
I proctored an exam in a room without air conditioning yesterday.
It was brutal.
I am sure students would have done better had they been in a room with air conditioning.
I am sure students who took the test in a room with air conditioning did perform better.
Certainly students who took the test in a room with air conditioning were given more advantageous circumstances in which to take their test.
But clearly Bloomberg doesn't care about this or even consider it a big deal.
The heat is "dangerous" for everyone else, but for kids and teachers in schools without air conditioning, it's just fine - shut up and take your test!
Now that the only thing that matters in Bloomberg's New York (indeed, in Obama's America!) is test scores, I wonder if a student cannot sue over these adverse conditions where they're forced to take a high stakes test in a room that is 100+ degrees when other students are allowed to take their tests in air conditioned rooms?
And now that teacher evaluations are based in part on student test scores and some students are forced to take tests under adverse circumstances (like a 100 degree heat), I wonder if a teacher whose students are forced to take a test in a room without air conditioning on a day declared a "heat emergency" cannot sue the city over the validity of his/her evaluation based upon those test scores?
Is it fair to compare teachers using test scores from students who took tests in differing conditions?
I dunno, but once the vaunted new Cuomo/Tisch/King teacher evaluation system comes into being, I am telling you, I intend to find out.
Finally, you'll note the lack of empathy Mayor Bloomberg shows for students and teachers in adverse conditions, indeed, you'll note the lack of rationality too.
He says "Nobody is asking them to do something in 110-degree heat inside" when indeed, that is exactly what he is asking them to do.
Or is trying to pass a high stakes geometry test on a 100 degree day when temperatures are closer to a 110 inside a hot building with windows that do not open not asking them to do something?
As New Yorkers were urged to stay cool on a record-breaking day of intense heat and humidity, Mayor Bloomberg expressed little sympathy toward public school students taking exams in sweltering classrooms.
"Nobody is asking them to do something in 110-degree heat inside," Bloomberg said during a news conference at a senior center Wednesday afternoon. "I'm sure they're a lot more worried about passing their exams than the temperature."
The mayor made the remarks during a question-and-answer session after a news conference at the Bronx Works Senior Center, one of several designated cooling centers across the city. He was there with other officials to warn the public about the "dangerous" heat conditions and to urge vulnerable demographic groups to take proper precautions.
When a reporter pointed out the seemingly contradictory messages Bloomberg was sending about how the young and the old should be responding to hot conditions indoors, he became irritated.
"I don't know quite how to answer your question," he said. "Life is full of challenges, and we don't have everything we want. We can't afford everything we want. And I suspect if you talk to everyone in this room, not one of them went to a school where they had air conditioning."
When the reporter tried to follow up, Bloomberg interrupted, "Miss, I've answered your question. There's nothing unsafe about it."
He continued, "It may be a tiny bit uncomfortable, and these are young, strong people, and we're not going to ask anyone to stay in a building where we think it becomes dangerous, whether they are taking a test or not."
"Once their safety, their health is OK, yes, they have to take the test," he added. "That's what life is all about. If they can't pass these tests, they're not going to pass life's tests and then they are really going to be in trouble."
New York City's 1.1 million public school students are still in session for another week, and just 64 percent of classrooms are air-conditioned.
I proctored an exam in a room without air conditioning yesterday.
It was brutal.
I am sure students would have done better had they been in a room with air conditioning.
I am sure students who took the test in a room with air conditioning did perform better.
Certainly students who took the test in a room with air conditioning were given more advantageous circumstances in which to take their test.
But clearly Bloomberg doesn't care about this or even consider it a big deal.
The heat is "dangerous" for everyone else, but for kids and teachers in schools without air conditioning, it's just fine - shut up and take your test!
Now that the only thing that matters in Bloomberg's New York (indeed, in Obama's America!) is test scores, I wonder if a student cannot sue over these adverse conditions where they're forced to take a high stakes test in a room that is 100+ degrees when other students are allowed to take their tests in air conditioned rooms?
And now that teacher evaluations are based in part on student test scores and some students are forced to take tests under adverse circumstances (like a 100 degree heat), I wonder if a teacher whose students are forced to take a test in a room without air conditioning on a day declared a "heat emergency" cannot sue the city over the validity of his/her evaluation based upon those test scores?
Is it fair to compare teachers using test scores from students who took tests in differing conditions?
I dunno, but once the vaunted new Cuomo/Tisch/King teacher evaluation system comes into being, I am telling you, I intend to find out.
Finally, you'll note the lack of empathy Mayor Bloomberg shows for students and teachers in adverse conditions, indeed, you'll note the lack of rationality too.
He says "Nobody is asking them to do something in 110-degree heat inside" when indeed, that is exactly what he is asking them to do.
Or is trying to pass a high stakes geometry test on a 100 degree day when temperatures are closer to a 110 inside a hot building with windows that do not open not asking them to do something?
Cuomo Declares Teacher Evaluation Bill "Cherry" On Top Of Best Legislative Session In Modern Political History
To contact us Click HERE
No ego here:
ALBANY — Siding with teachers’ unions over the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the state Legislature on Thursday approved a plan to limit the public disclosure of teacher evaluations.
Under the plan, unveiled by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo shortly before midnight on Monday, parents will be allowed to see the evaluations of their children’s current teachers, but the public will only be allowed to see evaluation data after the names of teachers are removed.
The approval of the measure, on the final scheduled day of this year’s legislative session, came three months after lawmakers approved a new statewide teacher evaluation system. School districts are required to put the evaluation system in place by January.
...
Mr. Cuomo released a statement saying that his proposal “strikes the right balance between protecting teacher privacy and a parent’s right to know.”
“This bill," he added, "is the metaphorical cherry on the cake to the end of what I believe is one of the most successful and broad- ranging legislative sessions in modern political history.”
Wow - what an arrogant, egotistical man Andrew Cuomo is.
Forget whether you think the evaluation bill is a good one or not.
For Cuomo to frame this thing as "the metaphorical cherry on the cake to the end of what I believe is one of the most successful and broad- ranging legislative sessions in modern political history” really says something about the delusion this guy exists in.
I'll deal with why I think this the evaluation law and disclosure agreement will be a nightmare in years to come, will do little to improve education quality but will help move tens of thousands of good teachers out of the system in a future post.
For now, I just want to bask in the all-encompassing ego that is Andrew Cuomo.
Albany Pols Know This Teacher Evaluation System Is Unworkable
To contact us Click HERE
Governor Cuomo patted himself on the back for completing what he called the best legislative session in modern political history by forcing a teacher evaluation disclosure plan through the Assembly and the State Senate yesterday.
The plan hides the names of individual teachers from media and public scrutiny, but allows parents to see the evaluations of their children's teachers with names attached.
Everybody else can see the teacher evaluations for each school without the names attached.
As has been his wont throughout his tenure as governor, Cuomo bullied his way through this, putting out a plan that he said pols could take or leave. He refused to negotiate any details after Monday.
So members of the Assembly and the State Senate passed Cuomo's plan - but not without dissent or a desire to revise it in the future:
Even some Senate Republicans know this teacher evaluation plan of Cuomo's is a sham:
Cuomo may have “no intention of revisiting the bill in six months or a year," but he's going to have to because the way the evaluations will now play out is exactly the way Mr. McLaughlin says they will.
Don't be surprised to see some astroturf "parent group" funded by the hedge fund managers/education reformers put up such a site and begin to collect "data" and names from all New York City schools, all in the interest of "public disclosure."
And don't be surprised to see some semblance of NY1, the Daily News, the Post, the Wall Street Journal and the NY Times publish the data with names attached as part of some story about the overall effectiveness of the teacher evaluation law and the existence of the "parent-created data sites."
As Mr. McLaughlin says, they've got it out for teachers and the teaching profession and the plan passed in Albany isn't going to stop Murdoch, Zuckerman, and the corporate education reform movement from demonizing as many teachers as they can next year.
But here's the crux of this issue - while the media fights for full disclosure of the names and data and Cuomo strikes his "balance" between disclosure and privacy, no one is looking at the integrity of the system itself.
The tests are a mess. The ones we've seen so far, developed by both the state and the city, have been error-riddled embarrassments.
Does anybody really think Dr. John King, who couldn't put out the 4th-8th grade math or ELA tests this year without major mistakes, or the city, which couldn't put out a few foreign language exams without major mistakes, are going to be able to put out all the state and local exams for all the subjects - ELA, math, social studies, science, art, music, foreign language and physical education - in all grades year after year without making a mess of it?
And does anybody think Dr. King, the same genius who first defended Pearson's Pineapple and Hare passage as excellent test material, can develop a value-added measurement of teachers that is fair and workable?
In the best of circumstances, value-added measurements of individuals have high margins of error and wide swings in stability.
Add error-riddled tests to the equation and a circus-like atmosphere around the disclosure of the evaluation data and names and you have a recipe for disaster.
I spoke to someone in a State Senator's office who told me that most Albany pols in both parties know that the teacher evaluation and state testing systems are unworkable and will have to be revised in coming years.
This person said she thought once parents saw the sheer insanity of a system that forces students to take 35+ tests a year to grade their teachers, they'll balk over it and force changes.
This person also said parents aren't go to like to find out that teachers now have to "compete" with each other on a state-developed value-added bell curve and will force changes to that too.
Now Governor Cuomo, who is of course infallible and the smartest person ever, who just capped this legislative session by saying “This bill is the metaphorical cherry on the cake to the end of what I believe is one of the most successful and broad- ranging legislative sessions in modern political history" is not going to want to revise this teacher evaluation system.
But the politicians in Albany of BOTH parties know what has been put into law is totally unworkable and once the consequences of the system become clear to their constituents - from the 35+ standardized tests a year students will take simply to grade their teachers to the terrible quality of the tests themselves to the insanity of making teachers compete against each other for their evaluations along the value-added bell curve - this system will be revised whether Governor Cuomo likes it or not.
Unfortunately there will be a lot of damage done to students, teachers, schools and public education before that happens.
The plan hides the names of individual teachers from media and public scrutiny, but allows parents to see the evaluations of their children's teachers with names attached.
Everybody else can see the teacher evaluations for each school without the names attached.
As has been his wont throughout his tenure as governor, Cuomo bullied his way through this, putting out a plan that he said pols could take or leave. He refused to negotiate any details after Monday.
So members of the Assembly and the State Senate passed Cuomo's plan - but not without dissent or a desire to revise it in the future:
In the Assembly, discussion lasted nearly three hours, touching on everything from complaints about the federal No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top programs to concerns over testing and fairness. It passed, 118-17, though many said they voted “yea” reluctantly.
For many, the choice came down to accepting a bill that generally maintains teacher privacy, or doing nothing — the latter option would have meant that instructors could be identified publicly along with their evaluations, as happened in the city earlier this year when scores were published in newspapers.
“This particular path we’re on is a mistake, and we need to rethink what we’re doing here; but clearly we don’t want a repeat of last February’s or March’s media disaster,” said Assemblyman James Brennan (D-Brooklyn) in voting “yes.”
...
Several lawmakers said they voted for the bill with the desire to make changes in the future — but Cuomo quickly said he has “no intention of revisiting the bill in six months or a year.”
Even some Senate Republicans know this teacher evaluation plan of Cuomo's is a sham:
Assemblyman Steven F. McLaughlin, a Republican from the capital region whose wife is a kindergarten teacher, predicted that parents would post the teacher data they receive on the Internet for all to see.
“I already went to GoDaddy.com — you can get teacherscores.org or .net, that’s available, you can grab that,” Mr. McLaughlin said. He added, “It seems like we’ve got the torches and the pitchforks and we’re coming after the teaching profession.”
Cuomo may have “no intention of revisiting the bill in six months or a year," but he's going to have to because the way the evaluations will now play out is exactly the way Mr. McLaughlin says they will.
Don't be surprised to see some astroturf "parent group" funded by the hedge fund managers/education reformers put up such a site and begin to collect "data" and names from all New York City schools, all in the interest of "public disclosure."
And don't be surprised to see some semblance of NY1, the Daily News, the Post, the Wall Street Journal and the NY Times publish the data with names attached as part of some story about the overall effectiveness of the teacher evaluation law and the existence of the "parent-created data sites."
As Mr. McLaughlin says, they've got it out for teachers and the teaching profession and the plan passed in Albany isn't going to stop Murdoch, Zuckerman, and the corporate education reform movement from demonizing as many teachers as they can next year.
But here's the crux of this issue - while the media fights for full disclosure of the names and data and Cuomo strikes his "balance" between disclosure and privacy, no one is looking at the integrity of the system itself.
The tests are a mess. The ones we've seen so far, developed by both the state and the city, have been error-riddled embarrassments.
Does anybody really think Dr. John King, who couldn't put out the 4th-8th grade math or ELA tests this year without major mistakes, or the city, which couldn't put out a few foreign language exams without major mistakes, are going to be able to put out all the state and local exams for all the subjects - ELA, math, social studies, science, art, music, foreign language and physical education - in all grades year after year without making a mess of it?
And does anybody think Dr. King, the same genius who first defended Pearson's Pineapple and Hare passage as excellent test material, can develop a value-added measurement of teachers that is fair and workable?
In the best of circumstances, value-added measurements of individuals have high margins of error and wide swings in stability.
Add error-riddled tests to the equation and a circus-like atmosphere around the disclosure of the evaluation data and names and you have a recipe for disaster.
I spoke to someone in a State Senator's office who told me that most Albany pols in both parties know that the teacher evaluation and state testing systems are unworkable and will have to be revised in coming years.
This person said she thought once parents saw the sheer insanity of a system that forces students to take 35+ tests a year to grade their teachers, they'll balk over it and force changes.
This person also said parents aren't go to like to find out that teachers now have to "compete" with each other on a state-developed value-added bell curve and will force changes to that too.
Now Governor Cuomo, who is of course infallible and the smartest person ever, who just capped this legislative session by saying “This bill is the metaphorical cherry on the cake to the end of what I believe is one of the most successful and broad- ranging legislative sessions in modern political history" is not going to want to revise this teacher evaluation system.
But the politicians in Albany of BOTH parties know what has been put into law is totally unworkable and once the consequences of the system become clear to their constituents - from the 35+ standardized tests a year students will take simply to grade their teachers to the terrible quality of the tests themselves to the insanity of making teachers compete against each other for their evaluations along the value-added bell curve - this system will be revised whether Governor Cuomo likes it or not.
Unfortunately there will be a lot of damage done to students, teachers, schools and public education before that happens.
Tell It To The SIG Teachers
To contact us Click HERE
The Mayor of Money on WOR today:
That's some quote from the Mayor of Money.
Tell the teachers let go from the SIG schools that the union protects teachers no matter what.
They would beg to differ.
Frankly, I've seen the union throw many an innocent teacher under the bus for political expediency.
So I don't believe they protect "perverts" and "criminals".
That said, the quote really does give insight into how Bloomberg feels about unionized teachers, doesn't it?
“No matter where they’re good or bad, the union is not there to help our students. Don’t ever think that,” he said on the air. “The union is there for its members. To protect them. When they’re sex offenders, they protect them. When they’re criminals, they protect them. They do anything to protect then. They don’t do anything for the students. They just use the students as a ploy.”
That's some quote from the Mayor of Money.
Tell the teachers let go from the SIG schools that the union protects teachers no matter what.
They would beg to differ.
Frankly, I've seen the union throw many an innocent teacher under the bus for political expediency.
So I don't believe they protect "perverts" and "criminals".
That said, the quote really does give insight into how Bloomberg feels about unionized teachers, doesn't it?
20 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba
July 10 SFSP Conference Call: Keep Children Coming
To contact us Click HERE
From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC):
"Register now for the next Summer Meals Matter conference call:
Keep Children Coming -- Tuesday, July 10, at 1:00 pm EST
The next Summer Meals Matter call will be about maintaining participation throughout the summer in your summer meals program. We will discuss strategies for engaging children in your program beyond the healthy meal you are serving them. We will hear about fun and interesting activities to incorporate into your programming that have been found to be effective by other program operators. Additionally, we will hear from programs that operate all summer long and what tactics they use to do so. Please join us as we learn how to make our summer programs more than just a meal for the children we serve!
We encourage you to sign-up early for the upcoming call to ensure your reservation."
Register on the FRAC website.
"Register now for the next Summer Meals Matter conference call:
Keep Children Coming -- Tuesday, July 10, at 1:00 pm EST
The next Summer Meals Matter call will be about maintaining participation throughout the summer in your summer meals program. We will discuss strategies for engaging children in your program beyond the healthy meal you are serving them. We will hear about fun and interesting activities to incorporate into your programming that have been found to be effective by other program operators. Additionally, we will hear from programs that operate all summer long and what tactics they use to do so. Please join us as we learn how to make our summer programs more than just a meal for the children we serve!
We encourage you to sign-up early for the upcoming call to ensure your reservation."
Register on the FRAC website.
FRAC Releases 2012 Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation Report
To contact us Click HERE
From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC):
"Fewer low-income children participated in the nation’s summer nutrition programs in July 2011 than a year earlier, according to Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation, an analysis by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Only one in seven of the low-income students who depended on the National School Lunch Program during the regular 2010-2011 school year received summer meals in July 2011."
Read more from the press release and view a map with state rankings of participation and how New York State compares to others.
According to the report, New York ranks high in the nation for connecting children with summer nutrition; for every 100 students eating free or reduced-price school lunch, 23.1 students ate summer lunch with the Summer Food Service Program. Yet, this still means that a tremendous number of low-income students may be experiencing a nutrition void over the summer.
"Fewer low-income children participated in the nation’s summer nutrition programs in July 2011 than a year earlier, according to Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation, an analysis by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Only one in seven of the low-income students who depended on the National School Lunch Program during the regular 2010-2011 school year received summer meals in July 2011."
Read more from the press release and view a map with state rankings of participation and how New York State compares to others.
According to the report, New York ranks high in the nation for connecting children with summer nutrition; for every 100 students eating free or reduced-price school lunch, 23.1 students ate summer lunch with the Summer Food Service Program. Yet, this still means that a tremendous number of low-income students may be experiencing a nutrition void over the summer.
USDA's 2nd Annual National SFSP Kick-Off Week!
To contact us Click HERE
From the USDA:
Todaymarks the 2nd annual National Summer FoodService Program Kick Off Week (June 11-15)! During theschool year, more than 21 million children receive free and reduced-pricebreakfast and lunch through the SchoolBreakfast and NationalSchool Lunch Programs. But when school is out, many low-incomekids relying on these school meals, go hungry. To close that gap,USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) helpschildren get the nutritious meals they need during the summer months so they’reready to learn when they return to school in the fall.
Thisweek, we’ll be sharing SFSP information through Twitter (@USDANutrition),blogs (http://blogs.usda.gov/),and a variety of National Summer Food Service Program kick-off eventsthroughout the country.
Helpus raise awareness of this program and connect children and families to summermeal sites in their community! Here are some ways you can help!
Todaymarks the 2nd annual National Summer FoodService Program Kick Off Week (June 11-15)! During theschool year, more than 21 million children receive free and reduced-pricebreakfast and lunch through the SchoolBreakfast and NationalSchool Lunch Programs. But when school is out, many low-incomekids relying on these school meals, go hungry. To close that gap,USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) helpschildren get the nutritious meals they need during the summer months so they’reready to learn when they return to school in the fall.
Thisweek, we’ll be sharing SFSP information through Twitter (@USDANutrition),blogs (http://blogs.usda.gov/),and a variety of National Summer Food Service Program kick-off eventsthroughout the country.
Helpus raise awareness of this program and connect children and families to summermeal sites in their community! Here are some ways you can help!
- Help promote the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-Hungry or 1-877-8-HAMBRE. The Hotline staff can provide families, parents and children with information on where summer meal sites are in their community in addition to other food help resources. It’s a free call, available in both English and Spanish.
- Get your local radio station to run a SFSP Public Service Announcement (PSA). Download the PSAs and provide them to your local radio station to play for free. They are available in English and Spanish: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm#PSA
- Conduct outreach and distribute outreach materials to children and families, free customizable and downloadable materials are included in our USDA SFSP Outreach Toolkit, such as doorhangers, fliers with site information, brochures, letters to parents to send home from school, and much more! http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
- Use your social media sites to spread the word! Retweet @USDANutrition tweets, repost our SFSP blog posts, share your summer stories and outreach tips!
Attention Schools: Community Eligibility Option
To contact us Click HERE
New for school year 2012-2013, schools with a certain percentage of students directly certified for free school meals can serve universally free meals to all students. Also referred to as Provision 4, Community Eligibility Option (CEO) is a new meal claiming option for schools.
NY was selected as oneof a few in the nation to pilot this effort. Instead of collectingindividual free and reduced-price meal applications and claiming meals at theindividual student level, with CEO, certain schools can serve free meals to all studentswithout the need for applications and reimbursement on the number ofstudents directly certified for free meals.
Of the schools in other pilot statesalready using CEO (IL, KY, MI), there has been overall positive response.
Learn more about CEO on our website, with materials from the Food Research and Action Center and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Includes a new resource for schools all about CEO, benefits, meal revenue, and a Q&A.
New for school year 2012-2013, schools with a certain percentage of students directly certified for free school meals can serve universally free meals to all students. Also referred to as Provision 4, Community Eligibility Option (CEO) is a new meal claiming option for schools.
NY was selected as oneof a few in the nation to pilot this effort. Instead of collectingindividual free and reduced-price meal applications and claiming meals at theindividual student level, with CEO, certain schools can serve free meals to all studentswithout the need for applications and reimbursement on the number ofstudents directly certified for free meals.
Of the schools in other pilot statesalready using CEO (IL, KY, MI), there has been overall positive response.
Learn more about CEO on our website, with materials from the Food Research and Action Center and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Includes a new resource for schools all about CEO, benefits, meal revenue, and a Q&A.
Kaydol:
Kayıtlar (Atom)