John Oliver on the Negative Effects of Too Much Standardized Testing on Our Children and Our Public Schools (VIDEO)

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

JohnOliverTesting

By Elaine Magliaro

School reformers have claimed for years that our public schools and our public school teachers are failing our children. In Washington, policies put in place to help reform our schools have brought us the disastrous No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top programs—both of which have put an emphasis on standardized testing.

School reformers say that the best way to evaluate students’ academic progress and teacher effectiveness is through high-stakes testing. There is nothing wrong with administering a reasonable amount of standardized tests to children in order to help educators evaluate what their students have learned. Unfortunately, our children today spend an inordinate amount of their school time prepping for and taking high-stakes tests. Unfortunately, teachers usually receive students’ test scores months after administration of the tests—and often after their students have gone on to the next grade level.

Our public schools should be places of real learning, places of discovery, places where our children’s minds can be opened up to the sciences and arts and quality literature. They should not be test prep institutions.

Last Sunday night, John Oliver provided an in-depth look at the negative impact that too much standardized testing has on students, teachers, and schools. He also focused on one educational publisher in particular—Pearson. Pearson produces approximately 40% of the standardized assessment tests and educational materials that are used across this country at many different levels. Oliver said that Pearson was “the educational equivalent of Time Warner Cable: Either you’ve never had an interaction with them and don’t care, or they’ve ruined your fucking life.”

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Posted in Dept. of Education, Education, Government, Humor, Short Video, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Vagina Vigilantes Strike Again!: Republican Members of the House of Representatives Vote to Strike Down D.C. Law That Bans Reproductive Discrimination

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro

Aaron C. Davis of The Washington Post reported last Thursday that the House of Representatives had “voted along party lines late Thursday to strike down a D.C. law on ideological grounds for the first time in almost 35 years.” The Republican opponents of the D.C. law, “which bans discrimination over employees’ reproductive decisions,” claimed that it “constituted a liberal attack on antiabortion groups in the nation’s capital.”

Davis said that the effort to strike down the law was initiated “by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) in the days before he launched his presidential campaign.” Davis said it “sparked a fierce debate on the floor of the House late Thursday, with Democrats blasting the Republican move as an outrageous infringement on women’s reproductive rights and privacy.”

RepublicaninVaginaBut why should our Republican lawmakers in Washington care about something as unimportant as infringing on women’s privacy and their right to reproductive freedom? After all, women lack a Y- chromosome and, therefore, can’t always think clearly. They should not be allowed to make certain kinds of decisions for themselves.

Cristina Marcos of The Hill said the D.C. law, “which is known as the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act, prohibits employers from discriminating against workers, their spouses or dependents for obtaining contraception or family planning services. The law further bans employees from retaliation for having abortions.”

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Posted in Christianity, Civil Liberties, Conservatives, Constitutional Law, Democracy, Equal Rights, Fundamentalism, Government, Health Care, Health Care Insurance, Jurisprudence, Local Government, Pharmaceuticals, Political Science, Politics, Religion, Reproductive Rights, United States, Women's Rights | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Activists Voice Concern That the Enforcement of Baltimore Curfew Has Been Targeting Poor Black Communities Unevenly

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

BaltimorePoliceBy Elaine Magliaro

Late last night, Kevin Rector of The Baltimore Sun reported that a group of “about 50 mostly white protesters stood on a corner in Hampden on Saturday just as the citywide 10 p.m. curfew went into effect.” The protesters said they were there because “they knew they’d be treated differently than black protesters in poorer parts of the city.” Rector said that the organizers of the event–“which took place at the corner of 33rd Street and Keswick Road and was promoted on social media under the hashtag #breakthecurfew”–refused to provide their names.

“Media: We are not talking. Please reach out to Black led organizing for analysis on racism/white supremacy in Baltimore,” a sign read.

Raya Jalabi of The Guardian reported early this morning that legal observers and medical volunteers “were among the roughly 50 people arrested in Baltimore on Saturday night, as another evening of protests ended in yet more clashes as protesters attempted to defy curfew restrictions.” Jalabi said that The Guardian witnessed the arrest of two volunteers who “identified themselves as belonging to the National Lawyers Guild.” The legal observers were reportedly “arrested alongside four street medics outside the Baltimore City Correctional Center.”

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Posted in Civil Liberties, Democracy, Equal Rights, Law Enforcement, Local Government, Media, Racism, Society, United States | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

WHBQ-TV Uses A Fake Photo of “Baltimore in Flames” to Illustrate Its Coverage of Civil Unrest in the City

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

By Elaine Magliaro

Gawker has an interesting article about fake Baltimore photos that went viral last week.

Here’s one photo of particular interest:

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The above fake photograph of “Baltimore” was widely circulated. As you can see, it shows “an enormous fire silhouetting a McDonald’s sign.” Gawker said the image was “so striking that Memphis’ WHBQ-TV used it to illustrate their Baltimore coverage.” Gawker said it wasn’t completely clear where the photo–which had previously been attributed to Venezuela’s 2014 riots–came from. Gawker added that the photo “pre-dates the unrest in Baltimore by over a year.”

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 34 Comments

Picture of the Day for May 2, 2015 and The Blondes of Fox News with a Special Focus on Megyn Kelly and Freddie Gray (VIDEO)

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

Posted by Elaine Magliaro

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While we’re on the subject of pretty blondes employed by Faux News, yesterday Megan Kelly interviewed an unidentified police officer who gave her “the dirt” on Freddie Gray: Megan Kelly lets anonymous cop call Freddie Gray a snitch and ‘guess’ that drugs caused arrest. (Raw Story)

Excerpt from the Raw Story article:

Fox News’ Megyn Kelly protected the identity of a guest claiming to be a Baltimore police officer who then smeared 25-year-old Freddie Gray — the unarmed black man whose death touched off the latest round of protests regarding police use of force — by painting him as a “snitch” for the department.

The guest also said he “guessed” that Gray was taken in for dealing drugs, even though police officially issued him a summons for possessing a switchblade — which turned out to be a knife that Gray was allowed to carry under state law.

Check out the video of Kelly interviewing the anonymous Baltimore police officer below the fold.

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Posted in Crime, Criminal Law, Equal Rights, Jurisprudence, Justice, Law Enforcement, Local Government, Media, Murder, Police, Propaganda, Short Video, United States | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Picture of the Day for May 2, 2015 and The Blondes of Fox News with a Special Focus on Megyn Kelly and Freddie Gray (VIDEO)

BREAKING NEWS: Homicide Charges in Baltimore

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Gene Howington

scales_of_justice1submitted by Gene Howington

The Huffington Post is reporting the following:

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby gave an update on the investigation into the death of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old who died after suffering a spinal cord injury while in police custody in April, calling his death a homicide.

“We have probable cause to file criminal charges,” Mosby said in a press conference Friday.

Charges including second degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and assault, among others, will be filed against the officers involved in Gray’s arrest, Mosby said. [. . .]

Mosby noted that “no crime had been committed by Mr. Gray.” Police had said Gray was arrested for possessing a switchblade, but Mosby said Friday the knife in Gray’s possession was not a switchblade and was lawful, and said officers “illegally arrested” Gray.

“We are very much committed to pursuing justice,” Mosby said.

Mosby went into detail about Gray’s arrest, noting he was not secured by a seatbelt while traveling in a police van after his arrest. Investigators found Gray suffered an injury in the van that ultimately led to his death. Mosby also noted Gray told police he couldn’t breathe “at least twice” as he was taken into custody and requested a medic, which officers did not provide.

Mosby also noted officers were “willfully negligent” when they stopped the police van Gray was riding in to pick up another suspect despite Gray’s pleas for medical help. Mosby said Gray was “no longer breathing” when removed from the police van.

Mosby said her office’s conclusions about Gray’s arrest came from information obtained both by Baltimore police and through an independent investigation conducted by her office.

Mosby addressed the protesters who’ve been calling for accountability in Gray’s death.

“Accountability… you’re getting it today,” she said.

More on this as the story develops . . .

Posted in Big Brother, Civil Liberties, Corruption, Crime, Criminal Law, Equal Rights, Jurisprudence, Justice, Law Enforcement, Local Government, Murder, Police, United States | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

This Just In: Hillary Clinton Is Opposed to a Critical Piece of the Obama Administration’s Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

9147K0hpBnL._SL1500_By Elaine Magliaro

Zach Carter, Amanda Terkel, and Ryan Grim of Huffington Post reported today that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is opposed to a critical part of the Obama administration’s Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), “which would give corporations the right to sue sovereign nations over laws or regulations that could potentially curb their profits.” They said that her policy position is included in her book Hard Choices. Carter, Terkel, and Grim said it “was confirmed to HuffPost by a spokesperson for her presidential campaign.”

The three authors of the HuffPo article noted that Obama and congressional Democrats have been “locked in a bitter public feud over TPP — a deal between 12 Pacific nations — with much of the controversy derived from concerns it will undermine regulatory standards.”

They included the following excerpt from Clinton’s book Hard Choices in their HuffPo piece:

Currently the United States is negotiating comprehensive agreements with eleven countries in Asia and in North and South America, and with the European Union. We should be focused on ending currency manipulation, environmental destruction, and miserable working conditions in developing countries, as well as harmonizing regulations with the EU. And we should avoid some of the provisions sought by business interests, including our own, like giving them or their investors the power to sue foreign governments to weaken their environmental and public health rules, as Philip Morris is already trying to do in Australia. The United States should be advocating a level and fair playing field, not special favors. (Emphasis added.)

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Posted in Barack Obama, Courts, Economics, Government, Oligarchy, Politics, Presidents, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and Larry Wilmore of The Nightly Show Weigh in on the News Media and the Situation in Baltimore

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

Posted by Elaine Magliaro

The Daily Show – Baltimore on Fire

The Nightly Show – What a Riot – Questionable Coverage from CNN and Fox News

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Posted in Humor, Law Enforcement, Media, Police, Racism, Short Video, Society, Television, United States | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and Larry Wilmore of The Nightly Show Weigh in on the News Media and the Situation in Baltimore

“INCIDENT”: A Poem by Countee Cullen for the Last Day of National Poetry Month (VIDEO)

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

NationalPoetryMonthLogoPosted by Elaine Magliaro

The Poetry Foundation has said that poet Countee Cullen (1903-1946) “was perhaps the most representative voice of the Harlem Renaissance.”

Countee Cullen

Countee Cullen

INCIDENT
By Countee Cullen

Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, “Nigger.”

I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That’s all that I remember.

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Posted in Art, Literature, Poetry, Racism, Society, United States | Tagged , | 4 Comments

In the Case of Freddie Gray: Washington Post Report on Leaked Police Document Claiming That Gray Had Banged Against the Walls of the Police Van and Tried to Injure Himself Disputed

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

BaltimorePoliceBy Elaine Magliaro

Peter Hermann of The Washington Post reported last night that–according to a police document that the paper had obtained–a prisoner who had shared the police transport vehicle with Freddie Gray told investigators that he could hear Gray “banging against the walls” of the vehicle and believed that he “was intentionally trying to injure himself.”

Freddie Gray

Freddie Gray

Hermann said that the prisoner, “who is currently in jail, was separated from Gray by a metal partition and could not see him.” Hermann added that the prisoner’s statement “is contained in an application for a search warrant, which is sealed by the court.” The Washington Post was reportedly “given the document under the condition that the prisoner not be named because the person who provided it feared for the inmate’s safety.”

Hermann:

The document, written by a Baltimore police investigator, offers the first glimpse of what might have happened inside the van. It is not clear whether any additional evidence backs up the prisoner’s version, which is just one piece of a much larger probe.

Gray was found unconscious in the wagon when it arrived at a police station on April 12. The 25-year-old had suffered a spinal injury and died a week later…”

But Andrew Hart of Huffington Post reported early this morning that the “initial shock of the report quickly transitioned to uncertainty and skepticism after questions were raised over the details.”

Last night, Jayne Miller of WBAL told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes that the story in the Post was “inconsistent” with what her outlet has reported. Miller said, “We have reported for some time that by the time that prisoner is loaded into that van, Freddie Gray was unresponsive. Secondly we have no medical evidence that Freddie Gray suffered any injury that would indicate that he had injured himself.” In addition, Miller noted that Gray had only been in the police van with the other prisoner “for the final five minutes of the ride.”

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Posted in Civil Liberties, Equal Rights, Justice, Law Enforcement, Local Government, Police, Racism, Society, United States | Tagged , | 6 Comments