RandySF
RandySF's JournalOakland City Council may reduce seats to cut meeting access
Oakland City Administrator Deanna Santana is proposing to sharply reduce public access to City Council meetings in an effort to avoid disruptions such as one last week, when demonstrations over a fatal police shooting prompted the council to shut its meeting down.
The most dramatic change would eliminate nearly half the 214 seats in the council's City Hall chambers by prohibiting people from sitting in the upstairs galleries.
Santana's plan would also bar people from standing in the chambers or congregating in the hallway outside. Both have been common practice for years, allowing scores of additional people to attend the council's meetings.
The proposed rules were the subject of two meetings involving Santana and other high-level city staffers over the past week, several sources said. Karen Boyd, a spokeswoman for the city, said Thursday that the changes are still under consideration but would be finalized in time for the next scheduled council meeting, on Tuesday.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-council-may-cut-meeting-access-3901020.php#ixzz27k4z6gdJ
Is my kid the only non-genius?
After years of talking to other parents, I feel like mine is the only kid who hasn't read War and Peace and written a math textbook by the end of first grade. Ever get that feeling?
Nikki Haley put 14 year old daughter on state payroll
Gov. Nikki Haley’s 14-year-old daughter having a summer job at the State House gift shop is a tad more unusual than some may have thought.
Haley’s daughter was, in fact, the only 14-year-old to hold a state job as of July 2012. And no 14-year-olds were employed by the state in either July 2011 or July 2010, according to data from the State Budget and Control Board.
However, assuming young Haley once again is employed by the state next summer – when she is 15 – she should find more company her age.
In 2012, the state employed four 15-year-olds. It also employed that same number in 2011 and 2010, according to the budget board, which provided the information in response to a request under the state’s open records law. (The budget board did not specify which state agency the teens worked for or what duties they performed.)
Haley’s daughter worked part-time at the gift shop this summer, helping customers and stocking shelves. The shop is run by the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. That agency’s director is appointed by and reports to Haley.
http://www.thestate.com/2012/09/23/2453013/the-buzz-about-sc-politics.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy
Attorney wants to inspect liquid found in L. Brooks Patterson's car.
A defense attorney said in court Tuesday that he wants to inspect a bottle containing a liquid found in a bag following a traffic crash that seriously injured Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.
But Auburn Hills Police Deputy Director Thomas Hardesty said in a phone interview later that the bottle appeared to contain mouthwash. Officers found no alcohol in either vehicle, he said.
Attorney Joshua Nucian argued the bottle and other information he requested could assist in his defense of Anthony Prainito of Royal Oak, who is accused of causing the Aug. 10 crash in Auburn Hills that injured Patterson and two others.
Nucian said during the court hearing Tuesday that he filed motions seeking more details about the charges, 911 caller ID records that could help identify an eyewitness to the crash and medical records of those injured.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120925/NEWS03/120925095/Atttorney-wants-inspect-liquid-found-L-Brooks-Patterson-s-car-police-say-mouthwash
My election forecasts...pulled straight out of you-know-where.
As of September 25, I see Barack Obama being re-elected with 287 to 316 electoral votes depending on how Florida goes. Obama will lose Indiana and North Carolina and, as I suggested, Florida could go either way. More forecasts:
- We make significant gains in the House but fall short of a majority. Boehner will be gone as Speaker.
- In the Senate, we lose Nebraska, North Dakota and Montana but take Massachusetts and Nevada.
- Marriage equality wins at the ballot in Washington, Maine and Minnesota but loses in Maryland.
- Democrats take control of the Minnesota legislature.
- Tammy Duckworth ends the worthless career of Joe Walsh.
- Democrats lose governorships in Washington and North Carolina.
- Allen West is retired.
- In CA, prop 30 passes, the death penalty is finally abolished, Democrats pick up 2 to 3 Congressional seats and 2/3 of the legislature.
- Paul Ryan will quietly write his version of what went wrong to anyone in the GOP who will listen and begin running for president.
- Hillary steps down and Sec. of State but decides she is just too old to make another run for POTUS. Accepts the next appointment to Supreme Court.
- Biden also passes on another run for POTUS.
-John Kerry will retire form the Senate and replace Hillary at State.
Feel free to add your thoughts.
Poll: US Trust In Washington’s Ability To Handle Foreign Policy Hits Decade High
Americans trust the federal government to handle international affairs more than at almost any point in nearly a decade, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday. The poll, conducted from Sept. 6-9 as part of Gallup's annual Governance survey, showed that 66 percent of the 1,017 polled have a "great deal" or a "fair amount" of trust in the federal government's ability to handle international problems, higher than at any point since mid-2003. Only 33 percent claimed that their faith in Washington's ability to handle foreign affairs was "not very much" or "none."
Views on the US's ability to handle international affairs featured a starkly partisan divide -- 80 percent of Democrats supported the US's foreign policy chops, while only 52 percent of Republicans felt the same way.
The PollTracker Average of President Obama's job approval on foreign policy shows 50.8 percent of Americans approve, while 41.3 percent disapprove.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/poll-us-trust-in-washingtons-foreign-policy-abilities
It occurs to me what American schools really need to do.
I like to call my first-grade son is a genius, but I know it's probably not true. To be honest, he is already doing second grade math, but he needs a LOT of work keeping up in language arts. He got great help in language arts, but he was so sharp that last year, he would finish with math work before everyone else and was assigned the task of watering plants. I knew a girl in his kindergarten class who was not only at the top of math, but started reading at the 3rd grade level. As a matter of fact, if you talked to her, you would swear she was 10, not 6. She would get so obviously bored in class that the teacher cited her for disciplinary issues a number of times. Despite her parents' pleas, they refused to promote her to the 2nd grade. There was a third child, a son of Chinese immigrants, was stuck in ESL even though he was bright and fluent in English. And resources were wasted on him that could have gone to a child who really needed the help.
If public schools have a problem, I think it is that we try to impose a one-size-fits all on every school, classroom and child. At my son's new school, he continues to get the help he needs in language arts, but he is able to move on in math without waited for anyone to catch up. He and his classmates are closely tracked to see where they need help and teachers are able to break the kids down into groups and focus on those areas. So we need two things: To help schools become more flexible with different groups of students and give them the funding to do so.
Romney: "If the parent shows up, then the child is going to be just fine."
Oh, so that's all we need? Then let's get rid of the teachers.
Republicans will NOT moderate if Willard loses the election.
John is a great guy, but let's be honest, our heart was not with him so much as it was into defeating George W. Bush in 2004 and look how that turned out. So after we lost, we decided "to hell with it", and looked for someone we were passionate about (For half the party, it was barack Obama. For the other half, Hillary Clinton). Right now the Republicans are having their 2004. They got behind Mitt Romney early because they hate Barack Obama so much they entered a marriage of convenience. If he loses, they will go with THEIR hearts in 2016 and get behind someone like a Rand Paul or Rick Santorum. So if you think the GOP is crazy now, just wait until next year.
Ann Romney Melts Down and Tells the GOP They are Lucky To Have Mitt
In a full blown meltdown, Ann Romney lashed out the Republican Party and told them that they were lucky to have her husband as their nominee.
In an interview with Radio Iowa, Ann Romney took a blowtorch and burned all the Romney bridges with GOP.
Mrs. Romney explained how “hard” campaigning was for her, “If you love someone, you see them maligned, attacked, all these things that happen in a campaign, you get very defensive.”.....
Ann Romney then launched into an attack on the Republican Party, “Stop it. This is hard. You want to try it? Get in the ring. This is hard and, you know, it’s an important thing that we’re doing right now and it’s an important election and it is time for all Americans to realize how significant this election is and how lucky we are to have someone with Mitt’s qualifications and experience and know-how to be able to have the opportunity to run this country.”
http://www.politicususa.com/ann-romney-melts-tells-gop-lucky-mitt.html
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Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit Area, MI
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Current location: San Francisco, CA
Member since: Wed Oct 29, 2008, 02:53 PM
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