60,000 Teacher Jobs Restored with Stimulus, Educators Say It's Not Enough
New America Media, News Report, Rupa Dev and Aaron Glantz, Posted: Oct 24, 2009
More than 60,000 of the 250,000 education jobs saved nationally by President Barack Obama's stimulus package were in California, according to data released this week by the California Department of Education.
Community activists expressed relief over the saved jobs, but Fred Glass, spokesperson for the California Federation of Teachers, cautioned that while the stimulus package "stopped some of the bleeding," the state still had to lay off an estimated 10,000 teachers.
"It's slightly better than we thought it would be," Glass said. "But that's because most of the districts depleted their reserves or found other ways to keep cuts away from the classroom ... They cut back on supplies, gardeners, school support secretaries, and food service workers."
"You can't have a functional school without all that," he said.
The $4.9 billion in education funding that California received under the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act partially offset deep cuts to classrooms that were made by politicians in Sacramento. Rather than resulting in new teachers being hired, the stimulus package caused fewer teachers to be laid off.
The UK government has launched a new campaign to highlight the effects of driving whilst under the influence of illegal drugs.
A fifth of drivers killed on Britain's roads have drugs in their system according to the transport secretary Lord Adonis.
A new £2.3 million campaign from the department of transport shows how police can spot a driver under the influence of drugs because of their dilated pupils. Ecstasy in particular has this effect.
According to government surveys of young people, attitudes towards drugs driving are not the same as towards drink driving which is deemed to be socially unacceptable after decades of campaigns. Police want drivers to know that the penalties for driving whilst unfit through drink and through drugs are the same.The UK government has launched a new campaign to highlight the effects of driving... more
Lord Hector Diono originally wrote this song for R.Kelly in 2006, but music insiders failed to provide him with the contact information needed to submit music and song lyrics to the R&B Icon. Later that same year Lord Hector Diono joined the Songwriters Guild Of America,he then contacted his long time friend and confidant Andre"South Kak" Scott of Kore Houze Entertainment Atlanta GA, where they arranged a date to record Hector croonig the lyrics to his self titled track, " In The Mirror". Hector never scheduled a release date for the song because the intent was to shop the song through the writer's guild; now, three and half years later, the rapper decided to release the song online for the world to review and vibe to in this videosrteam.Lord Hector Diono's his motivation behind the online video releases came weeks after the former boxing champion Vernon " The Viper" Forrest was shot and killed during robbery and attempted carjacking in Atlanta Saturday night July 25, 2009
at a Chevron gas station while putting air in the tires of his vehichle. Hector, a resident of Decatur Georgia calls the violence senseless and upsetting. The song is called "In The Mirror" a piano piece wrtten and performed by the rapper who uses extremely strong language through out the song, discretion is advised.Lord Hector Diono originally wrote this song for R.Kelly in 2006, but music insiders... more
Scientists have revealed they have decoded the entire genetic structure of HIV-1, the main type of HIV infection in humans. The vast majority of HIV infections globally are HIV-1, another strain called HIV-2 occurs mainly in West Africa.
Decoding all this information will help scientists understand more about the virus and help in the creation of further drugs treatments. With all the genetic information available, scientists will be able to look at information buried deep inside the complex virus.
HIV along with the influenza virus and Hepatitis C carries its information as single strand RNA as opposed to double strand like most other things. Whilst information encoded in DNA is usually rather sinple, in single strand RNA this is more complex. This is because RNA is able to fold into intricate patterns and structures. By opening this up scientists will have access to information that was previously unavailable.
Scientists are hoping to make small changes to the virus using this information. "If it doesn't grow as well when you disrupt the virus with mutations, then you know you've mutated or affected something that was important to the virus," says Ron Swanstrom, professor of microbiology and immunology. "We are also beginning to understand tricks the genome uses to help the virus escape detection by the human host" he added.
HIV-1 is the most transmittable form of the disease around the world and is highly virulent. It is the virus that leads to AIDS eventually after it wears down the immune system. The single most effective way to avoid infection is to use condoms and avoid sharing needles for any reason. 0.6 per cent of the worlds population is infected with HIV and it killed nearly 3 million people last year, mainly in Africa and the developing world.Scientists have revealed they have decoded the entire genetic structure of HIV-1, the... more
Some of the worlds biggest cancer scientists have come together to announce that sun beds are as carcinogenic as smoking tobacco.
For many years members of the tanning industry have claimed that there are health benefits to using sun beds but now the group of leading scientists claims there is no evidence of this.
The Department of Health has said "Sunbeds can be dangerous – we must ensure that people who use them do so safely. If necessary we will look at new laws to protect young people."
"The use of UV-emitting tanning devices is widespread in many developed countries, especially among young women. A comprehensive meta-analysis concluded that the risk of skin melanoma is increased by 75% when use of tanning devices starts before 30 years of age." Several studies had also linked sunbed use to a greater likelihood of developing a rare eye cancer called ocular melanoma.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has now put sun beds in its highest risk category.Some of the worlds biggest cancer scientists have come together to announce that sun... more
The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility.
The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with Saudi colleagues. The reports were denied by Saudi officials.
“The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israeli air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia,” a diplomatic source said last week.
Although the countries have no formal diplomatic relations, an Israeli defence source confirmed that Mossad maintained “working relations” with the Saudis.
John BoltSaudis give nod to Israeli raid on Iran
Saudis give nod to Israeli raid on... more
Roosevelt wanted the Arabs to allow thousands of Jews from Europe to immigrate to Palestine to which Ibn Saud responded, “Arabs would choose to die rather ...
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The Two-State To Nowhere: Another Futile Attempt At Appeasement
By Alex Grobman
Dr. Grobman is a Hebrew University trained historian. His is the author of a number of books including Nations United How The UN Undermines Israel and The West and a forthcoming book on Israel's moral and legal right to exist as a Jewish State.
“There is reason to believe that [the president] cherished the illusion that presumably he, and he alone, as head of the United States, could bring about a settlement –if not a reconciliation—between Arabs and Jews. I remember muttering to myself as I left the White House after hearing the President discourse in rambling fashion about Middle Eastern Affairs, ‘I‘ve read of men who .........Roosevelt wanted the Arabs to allow thousands of Jews from Europe to immigrate to... more
I imagine the best good any of us can do at this time is be a like a gnat in the eye, a mosquito on the neck, a thorn in the side and a voice of conscience that speaks truth to power, for words can be the most powerful weaponsIndependence, Interdependence And Humanity
By Eileen Fleming... more
Prof Chris Knight who is Chair of the University and College Lecturers Union (UCU) at the University of East London has been suspended from work for "gross professional misconduct". His crime was to proceed with organising the Alternative G20 Summit despite the University managements decision to close down the University at the last moment. Chris now facing likely dismissal on July 10Chris Knight Suspended For Organising
Alternative G20 Summit
By Pat Corcoran... more
Much can be said to explain, or even justify Hamas’ recent political concessions, where its top leaders in Gaza and Damascus agreed in principle with a political settlement on the basis of the two-state solutionHamas’ Political Impasse:
Between Principle And Necessity
By Ramzy Baroud... more
The Obama administration has ordered the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2 MEB) into a potentially bloody offensive in the southern province of Helmand. The objective is the suppression of the ethnic Pashtun population, which is overwhelmingly hostile to the seven-and-a-half year US and NATO occupation of the country and rejects the legitimacy of the Afghan puppet government headed by President Hamid KarzaiObama Sends Marines To Suppress
Population Of Southern Afghanistan
Obama... more
I have no doubt whatsoever that Shimon Peres, the President of the criminal state of Israel , would be the main winner in any international championship for the worlds worst liar and hypocrite.
This week, Peres participated in an interfaith conference in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan , where he had the audacity to lecture delegates representing the worlds major religions on peace, human dignity, moral ethics and religious tolerance.
During his speech, Peres, whose country carried out a virtual genocide in Gaza only six months ago, urged believers to show respect toward those who differ with them.
He also called on the King of Saudi Arabia to meet with him in occupied Jerusalem , in Riyadh or in any other place "in order to fulfill his prayer for peace among all people, without differences of religion."
Peres was making his sanctimonious statements about peace with Arabs only a few hours after the Israeli government decided to build additional hundreds of Jewish settler units outside the Adam colony in the West Bank, in utter defiance of calls by the international community, including Israels guardian-ally, the United States, for a freeze on Jewish settlement expansion activities.
So, Peres wants to make peace with the Saudis,July 2, 2009
I have no doubt whatsoever that Shimon Peres, the President of the... more
Three huge granite stones rest comfortably on the top of Midbar Sinai Street, in Givat Havatzim, Jerusalem's northernmost district. Cut to specification, the imposing stones represent one of several preparations by the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movements to erect a Third Temple on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. Since the Islamic Wafq owns and controls all the property on the Haram al-Sharif, by what means can these stones be transferred to the Temple Mount and how can a Temple be constructed there? Not by any legal means. The stones are a provocation, which the Israel government refuses to halt. Neglect and passivity lead to a belief that an eventual Muslim reaction to the increasing provocations will give Israel an excuse to seize total control of the Holy Basin the ultimate of the properties that Israel intends to incorporate into a greater Jerusalem.
For decades, Israeli authorities have spoken of a united Jerusalem - suggesting a spiritual qThree huge granite stones rest comfortably on the top of Midbar Sinai Street, in Givat... more
The Israeli prison guards are denying the right for Mairead to access her medicine. Continue to email and call Mark Regev and Shlomo Dror and express your outrage over the treatment of the FreeGaza21 while they are imprisoned. The women have no access to their luggage or their clothing.
Mairead is fasting, not just for her friends incarcerated along with her, but for the 11,000 Palestinians also thrown into jail, many without benefit of trial.
Hear her eloquent interview with Al Jazeera.....click above.The Israeli prison guards are denying the right for Mairead to access her medicine.... more
The Launching of U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM).
Offensive Operations in Cyberspace
By Tom Burghardt
Ostensibly launched to protect military networks against malicious cyberattacks, the command's offensive nature is underlined by its role as STRATCOM's operational cyber wing. In addition to a defensive brief to "harden" the "dot-mil" domain, the Pentagon plan calls for an offensive capacity, one that will deploy cyber weapons against imperialism's adversaries.Offensive Operations in Cyberspace
Offensive Operations in Cyberspace... more
The capture by the Israeli navy of the boat "The Spirit of Humanity" in international waters adds piracy to the list of crimes perpetrated by the rogue Zionist state
The capture by the Israeli navy of the boat "The Spirit of Humanity" in international waters adds piracy to the list of crimes perpetrated by the rogue Zionist state.The capture by the Israeli navy of the boat "The Spirit of Humanity" in international... more
A photo satire of Emma Harrison who owns A4e, an infamous private sector company who run the taxpayer funded New Deal program for the long-term unemployed in the UK. A4e are noted for their greed for profits, overcrowding, lack of facilities and non-existent training courses, not to mention torturing the unemployed for 13 weeks with boredoom. Most recently they have been rocked by the uncovering of fraud at their Hull office (July 2009).A photo satire of Emma Harrison who owns A4e, an infamous private sector company who... more
It is fitting that today’s deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq’s cities coincides with a meeting in Baghdad to auction off some of the country’s largest oil fields to companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron and British Petroleum. It is a reminder of the real motives for the 2003 invasion and in whose interests over one million Iraqis and 4,634 American and other Western troops have been killed. The Iraq war was, and continues to be, an imperialist war waged by the American ruling elite for control of oil and geo-strategic advantageOil And The Iraq “Withdrawal”
By James Cogan... more
Robert Fisk's World: The jury is out on the Iranian model of religion and politics
So what of the famous revolution? Was it a return to the basic values of Shia Islam?
Saturday, 27 June 2009
The most nauseous photograph to come out of the Iran tragedy was not the bloodied demonstrators in Tehran, but a Reuters picture of former Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, "fighting back tears" in Washington as he declared that Neda Agha Sultan, the young woman shot dead by Ahmadinejad's thugs a week ago, "was now for ever in my pocket". I bet she is, by God! "I have added her to the list of my daughters," the son of the brutal and merciless late Shah, told the world.Robert Fisk's World: The jury is out on the Iranian model of religion and politics
So... more
This is a clip from an Israeli paper....they lie and lie and lie some more.
Israel rejected as "scandalous" a highly critical report released by the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday marking six months since Operation Cast Lead, saying it was inconceivable that the document would chastise Israel for the situation in Gaza while ignoring the continued detention of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit or the "intransigent belligerence" of Hamas.
According to the report, residents of the Strip are "living in desperation" due to their "daily struggle for existence."
"Gazans still cannot rebuild their lives," the report reads. "Most people struggle to make ends meet. Seriously ill patients face great difficulty obtaining the treatment they need. Many children suffer from deep psychological problems. Civilians whose homes and belongings were destroyed during the conflict are unable to recover," the ICRC maintained.
"During the 22 days of the Israeli military operation, nowhere in Gaza was safe for civilians. Hospitals were overwhelmed with casualties, including small children, women and elderly people. Medical personnel showed incredible courage and determination, working around the clock to save lives in extremely difficult circumstancesJerusalem blasts Red Cross for report
This is a clip from an Israeli... more
