Dear Friends,
A week ago, Governor Chris Christie’s choice to run the Department of Children and Families stepped down. Acting Commissioner Janet Rosenzweig was, by any yardstick, one of the most radical appointees New Jersey has ever seen. She served as the Executive Director of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. The kindest thing I can say about this group is that it is not known for supporting a traditional moral viewpoint.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/liberal_nominee_for_chief_of_n.html
Rosenzweig’s nomination was blocked largely through the efforts of a relatively new organization – the New Jersey Conservative Republican Leadership Committee. When other social conservative leaders were too afraid of the Governor’s office to mount an opposition, NJCRLC’s leaders (former Senator Richard LaRossa and Eagle Forum’s Carolee Adams) testified against this poor choice to head Children and Families. They lobbied individual Senators and provided the information to the full Senate that sent her nomination back to the Senate Judiciary Committee – something that almost never happens.
The vacancy created by Acting Commissioner Rosenzweig’s resignation is a great opportunity for New Jersey taxpayers. Her department was a creation of Governor Jim McGreevey’s administration. Republican legislators have talked about the savings that could be found by combining this bureaucracy with the Department of Human Services. In fact, Governor Christie’s own transition team recommended doing this just a few months ago, but for some reason, his budget team didn’t take this recommendation.
Americans for Prosperity’s Taxpayers’ Budget and Governor Christie’s transition team agree that the taxpayers of New Jersey could save at least $35 million in administrative costs by consolidating the Department of Children and Families into the Department of Human Services. The money saved could be used to help provide badly needed property tax relief to New Jersey’s taxpayers.
Call the members of the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees and ask them to act on this recommendation so that the money saved can be used to help relieve the property tax burden on New Jersey taxpayers.
For a full contact list of Senators and Assembly members, go to http://www.njcrlc.org./
On to Victory,
Steven Lonegan
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
SEC chairman says no timing link between Goldman fraud suit and overhaul legislation
Goldman charges not linked to bill: SEC boss
WASHINGTON — The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission says there was no connection between the timing of the agency’s fraud charges against Goldman Sachs and efforts in the Senate to speed passage of sweeping legislation overhauling financial regulation.
SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro was speaking Wednesday to a Senate panel weighing the agency’s budget request. Some Republicans have accused the SEC of timing the April 16 announcement of civil fraud charges against Goldman to bolster prospects for the legislation, now at a critical stage in the Senate.
Schapiro, asked if there was a connection, said “absolutely not. We don’t time our enforcement actions by the legislative calendar.”
WASHINGTON — The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission says there was no connection between the timing of the agency’s fraud charges against Goldman Sachs and efforts in the Senate to speed passage of sweeping legislation overhauling financial regulation.
SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro was speaking Wednesday to a Senate panel weighing the agency’s budget request. Some Republicans have accused the SEC of timing the April 16 announcement of civil fraud charges against Goldman to bolster prospects for the legislation, now at a critical stage in the Senate.
Schapiro, asked if there was a connection, said “absolutely not. We don’t time our enforcement actions by the legislative calendar.”
Laura Bush book: Car wrecks, poisonings and petty politics
By Thomas Hart,
Laura Bush killed a guy. That’s one of the biggest stories in the new Laura Bush book, “Spoken from the Heart.” Laura Bush killed a guy in a car crash when she was 17, but it wasn’t her fault. Laura Bush, her husband President George W. Bush and their entourage got sick during a visit to Germany, and guess what? They were poisoned. The Laura Bush book also lets the world know that the former president’s wife is deeply hurt by Democrats calling her husband names.
Laura Bush pay day
The Laura Bush book, in the patented shift-the-blame, paranoid style popular among certain hard-right conservatives, is billed by amazon.com as an “intimate portrait of the first lady.” “Spoken from the Heart” is due to be released in early May, but the New York Times managed to score a copy from a bookstore. Laura Bush is the latest of many people involved in the Bush Administration to cash in on book deals. Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Inc., outbid several publishers in an auction for rights to her story. The Huffington Post reports that rival publishers doubted the information Bush wants to share is the same that the public wants to read; they also question whether her advance matched the $8 million in instant cash Hillary Clinton scooped up for “Living History.”
Laura Bush killed a guy
The New York Times review said the Laura Bush book devotes considerable pages to a car wreck that killed a star athlete at her high school. In a world where Vietnam war veterans are Swift-boated and candidates–even Republicans–are slandered with lies about fathering illegitimate black children, it’s a wonder that journalists who must have known about Laura Bush’s fatal car accident long ago never reported it. In November 1963, she ran a stop sign with her dad’s Chevy Impala and killed Michael Douglas.
Laura Bush book details car accident
In the Laura Bush book the New York Times said the former first lady said she was troubled with guilt after the crash. But she didn’t reach out to the Douglas family or attend his funeral because her parents didn’t want her to. She also said it was dark, the stop sign was too small and the victim was driving an unsafe car: “It was sporty and sleek, and it was also the car that Ralph Nader made famous in his book Unsafe at Any Speed,” according to the Laura Bush book.
Laura Bush book: red meat for Republicans
The Laura Bush book throws red meat to the Republican base by calling out Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, for calling George W. Bush “an incompetent leader.” She also reacts to comments about W by Harry Reid, the Democratic leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, who is quoted in the Laura Bush book calling her husband a “loser” and a “liar.” Considering the current belligerent stance of the Republican party, she comes across as somewhat of a hypocritical whiner:
“The comments were uncalled for and graceless,” she writes. “While a president’s political opponents, as well as his supporters, are entitled to make what they see as legitimate criticisms, and while our national debates should be spirited, these particular worlds revealed the petty and parochial nature of some who serve in Congress.”
Laura Bush book: best of
Other tidbits in the Laura Bush book the New York Times considered worth noting include her suggestion that W’s universally ridiculed fly-over of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina was in the best interests of the victims and aid workers on the ground. Any GOP true believer will get out the credit card to read her revelation of the insidious plot to poison the president. On a trip to Germany for a G8 Summit, everyone got sick and W was bedridden. The Secret Service investigated the possibility they were poisoned, she writes, but doctors could only blame a virus.
Laura Bush killed a guy. That’s one of the biggest stories in the new Laura Bush book, “Spoken from the Heart.” Laura Bush killed a guy in a car crash when she was 17, but it wasn’t her fault. Laura Bush, her husband President George W. Bush and their entourage got sick during a visit to Germany, and guess what? They were poisoned. The Laura Bush book also lets the world know that the former president’s wife is deeply hurt by Democrats calling her husband names.
Laura Bush pay day
The Laura Bush book, in the patented shift-the-blame, paranoid style popular among certain hard-right conservatives, is billed by amazon.com as an “intimate portrait of the first lady.” “Spoken from the Heart” is due to be released in early May, but the New York Times managed to score a copy from a bookstore. Laura Bush is the latest of many people involved in the Bush Administration to cash in on book deals. Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Inc., outbid several publishers in an auction for rights to her story. The Huffington Post reports that rival publishers doubted the information Bush wants to share is the same that the public wants to read; they also question whether her advance matched the $8 million in instant cash Hillary Clinton scooped up for “Living History.”
Laura Bush killed a guy
The New York Times review said the Laura Bush book devotes considerable pages to a car wreck that killed a star athlete at her high school. In a world where Vietnam war veterans are Swift-boated and candidates–even Republicans–are slandered with lies about fathering illegitimate black children, it’s a wonder that journalists who must have known about Laura Bush’s fatal car accident long ago never reported it. In November 1963, she ran a stop sign with her dad’s Chevy Impala and killed Michael Douglas.
Laura Bush book details car accident
In the Laura Bush book the New York Times said the former first lady said she was troubled with guilt after the crash. But she didn’t reach out to the Douglas family or attend his funeral because her parents didn’t want her to. She also said it was dark, the stop sign was too small and the victim was driving an unsafe car: “It was sporty and sleek, and it was also the car that Ralph Nader made famous in his book Unsafe at Any Speed,” according to the Laura Bush book.
Laura Bush book: red meat for Republicans
The Laura Bush book throws red meat to the Republican base by calling out Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, for calling George W. Bush “an incompetent leader.” She also reacts to comments about W by Harry Reid, the Democratic leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, who is quoted in the Laura Bush book calling her husband a “loser” and a “liar.” Considering the current belligerent stance of the Republican party, she comes across as somewhat of a hypocritical whiner:
“The comments were uncalled for and graceless,” she writes. “While a president’s political opponents, as well as his supporters, are entitled to make what they see as legitimate criticisms, and while our national debates should be spirited, these particular worlds revealed the petty and parochial nature of some who serve in Congress.”
Laura Bush book: best of
Other tidbits in the Laura Bush book the New York Times considered worth noting include her suggestion that W’s universally ridiculed fly-over of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina was in the best interests of the victims and aid workers on the ground. Any GOP true believer will get out the credit card to read her revelation of the insidious plot to poison the president. On a trip to Germany for a G8 Summit, everyone got sick and W was bedridden. The Secret Service investigated the possibility they were poisoned, she writes, but doctors could only blame a virus.
Will Republicans Cave on Wall Street Reform Today? *No*
by mcjoan
The next vote to see if the Senate can continue debate over whether they'll agree to allow Wall Street reform forward starts at 12:20 eastern today, and there are some hints that the Republicans have played out the game. TPM's Brian Beutler reports:
Now that both sides acknowledge that a grand deal is not in the offing, Republicans are inching toward breaking their filibuster. This morning on the Senate floor, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, sounding resigned to the fact that the Democrats outlasted him, dropped all talk of allowing negotiations to continue, and turned his attention to measures in the Democrats' bill he wants to see fixed.
"[T]his has been a very useful exercise," McConnell said. "By giving people time to actually look at this bill and study the details for themselves, we've enabled them to assess not only the potential impact of the actual text of the bill itself, but also some of the unintended consequences it could have."
That could be the result of yesterday's blistering Levin hearings with Goldman Sachs. After that spectacle, it would be harder for the GOP to justify blocking this effort. It could also be because yesterday Sen. George Voinovich signalled that he was tired of this and would inevitably switch his vote. Whether that's today is the unknown until they actually vote. For instance, Politico reads the tea leaves and finds that the Republicans are still obstinate.
They also find divergent stories: Harry Reid says there is no more negotiating, and Chris Dodd says that he and Shelby are still talking, and that "they had come very close to a compromise on "too big to fail" provisions and were now working through the details on derivatives and a federal consumer protection agency." Which would mean that there are two shots at the strongest too big to fail and CFPA provisions--through amendments or in conference with the House.
Today's other soon-to-be-resolved mystery is what Ben Nelson will do if he doesn't have Republican cover to vote no. If a Republican switches, is he going to be the vote to keep blocking the bill? He has as many as 6 million reasons to do so.
April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Ben Nelson, who supported an exemption to proposed derivatives rules sought by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., [which was stripped from the bill] owned as much as $6 million worth of stock with his wife in the Omaha, Nebraska-based company, financial disclosures show.
A Nebraska Democrat, Nelson reported last year that he owned between $500,000 and $1 million of stock in Berkshire in 2008, and his wife owned between $1 million and $5 million. Senators report their holdings each year in broad ranges. New financial disclosure reports are due May 15.
If Nebraska voters were pissed at Nelson over the Cornhusker Kickback, how are they going to react to the news that he has two constituents: Warren Buffett and his own portfolio? We'll find out soon, if not today.
Update: Snowe, Corker, Brown (MA), Collins all early "no" votes. If Voinovich switches, he'll have to switch alone.
Update 2: Doesn't look like it's happening today. Ben Nelson just voted "no" again.
Update 3: That seals it for today. Voinovich is a "no."
Update 4: And Harry Reid just switched his vote to "no" so that he can bring the bill back up again tomorrow.
Update 5: Fail 56-42. Robert Byrd was not there to vote, hence the loss of one "aye" from the previous votes.
The next vote to see if the Senate can continue debate over whether they'll agree to allow Wall Street reform forward starts at 12:20 eastern today, and there are some hints that the Republicans have played out the game. TPM's Brian Beutler reports:
Now that both sides acknowledge that a grand deal is not in the offing, Republicans are inching toward breaking their filibuster. This morning on the Senate floor, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, sounding resigned to the fact that the Democrats outlasted him, dropped all talk of allowing negotiations to continue, and turned his attention to measures in the Democrats' bill he wants to see fixed.
"[T]his has been a very useful exercise," McConnell said. "By giving people time to actually look at this bill and study the details for themselves, we've enabled them to assess not only the potential impact of the actual text of the bill itself, but also some of the unintended consequences it could have."
That could be the result of yesterday's blistering Levin hearings with Goldman Sachs. After that spectacle, it would be harder for the GOP to justify blocking this effort. It could also be because yesterday Sen. George Voinovich signalled that he was tired of this and would inevitably switch his vote. Whether that's today is the unknown until they actually vote. For instance, Politico reads the tea leaves and finds that the Republicans are still obstinate.
They also find divergent stories: Harry Reid says there is no more negotiating, and Chris Dodd says that he and Shelby are still talking, and that "they had come very close to a compromise on "too big to fail" provisions and were now working through the details on derivatives and a federal consumer protection agency." Which would mean that there are two shots at the strongest too big to fail and CFPA provisions--through amendments or in conference with the House.
Today's other soon-to-be-resolved mystery is what Ben Nelson will do if he doesn't have Republican cover to vote no. If a Republican switches, is he going to be the vote to keep blocking the bill? He has as many as 6 million reasons to do so.
April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Ben Nelson, who supported an exemption to proposed derivatives rules sought by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., [which was stripped from the bill] owned as much as $6 million worth of stock with his wife in the Omaha, Nebraska-based company, financial disclosures show.
A Nebraska Democrat, Nelson reported last year that he owned between $500,000 and $1 million of stock in Berkshire in 2008, and his wife owned between $1 million and $5 million. Senators report their holdings each year in broad ranges. New financial disclosure reports are due May 15.
If Nebraska voters were pissed at Nelson over the Cornhusker Kickback, how are they going to react to the news that he has two constituents: Warren Buffett and his own portfolio? We'll find out soon, if not today.
Update: Snowe, Corker, Brown (MA), Collins all early "no" votes. If Voinovich switches, he'll have to switch alone.
Update 2: Doesn't look like it's happening today. Ben Nelson just voted "no" again.
Update 3: That seals it for today. Voinovich is a "no."
Update 4: And Harry Reid just switched his vote to "no" so that he can bring the bill back up again tomorrow.
Update 5: Fail 56-42. Robert Byrd was not there to vote, hence the loss of one "aye" from the previous votes.
Apple Buys Siri, A Mobile Assistant App, As War With Google Heats Up
Apple has acquired Siri, a mobile "assistant" app maker, a Siri representative has confirmed.
This puts Apple in even closer competition with Google, as we believe that mobile assistant apps are one of the many ways that search will look on mobile platforms.
So, in a sense, Apple just got into the search business. (More on that topic here.)
Here's how Siri describes itself: "You can ask Siri to find a romantic place for dinner, tell you what’s playing at a local jazz club or get tickets to a movie for Saturday night."
Basically, you type stuff into your phone, and it connects to APIs across the Web to bring you a result.
Sure sounds like search. (Without having to scrape and index the web, build a formal search engine, etc.)
How much did Apple spend? Siri reps wouldn't comment, but given how early the company sold, and how much money it raised -- $24 million -- we assume that somewhere between $100 million to $200 million could be possible. However, Google only spent $50 million on Aardvark, whose software solves a sorta-similar problem.
Siri's exec team -- CEO Dag Kittlaus, VP of Engineering Adam Cheyer, CTO Tom Gruber, and VP Product Gummi Hafsteinsson -- includes veterans of the telecom, mobile, artificial intelligence, and semantic technologies. Hafsteinsson used to work at Google. (Wonder how long it'll take before the BlackBerry on their website goes away.)
The acquisition was listed in a Federal Trade Commission document (PDF) as a deal granted early termination under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.
We first read about the deal in a tweet from Robert Scoble.
Siri's investors include Menlo Ventures, Morgenthaler Ventures, The Li Ka Shing Foundation, and SRI International.
This puts Apple in even closer competition with Google, as we believe that mobile assistant apps are one of the many ways that search will look on mobile platforms.
So, in a sense, Apple just got into the search business. (More on that topic here.)
Here's how Siri describes itself: "You can ask Siri to find a romantic place for dinner, tell you what’s playing at a local jazz club or get tickets to a movie for Saturday night."
Basically, you type stuff into your phone, and it connects to APIs across the Web to bring you a result.
Sure sounds like search. (Without having to scrape and index the web, build a formal search engine, etc.)
How much did Apple spend? Siri reps wouldn't comment, but given how early the company sold, and how much money it raised -- $24 million -- we assume that somewhere between $100 million to $200 million could be possible. However, Google only spent $50 million on Aardvark, whose software solves a sorta-similar problem.
Siri's exec team -- CEO Dag Kittlaus, VP of Engineering Adam Cheyer, CTO Tom Gruber, and VP Product Gummi Hafsteinsson -- includes veterans of the telecom, mobile, artificial intelligence, and semantic technologies. Hafsteinsson used to work at Google. (Wonder how long it'll take before the BlackBerry on their website goes away.)
The acquisition was listed in a Federal Trade Commission document (PDF) as a deal granted early termination under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.
We first read about the deal in a tweet from Robert Scoble.
Siri's investors include Menlo Ventures, Morgenthaler Ventures, The Li Ka Shing Foundation, and SRI International.
Reports: Crist will create three-way U.S. Senate race in Florida
by Michael C. Bender
April 28th, 2010
Gov. Charlie Crist will announce tomorrow he’s running as an independent for the U.S. Senate, according to FOX News and the St. Petersburg Times. Campaign officials are denying Crist has made his decision.
While it would be huge news — many say this gives Florida the most interesting Senate race in the country — it would not be a major surprise. Crist recently has been signaling this could be his direction.
What is surprising is that both reports came this afternoon within minutes of Crist denying to the state capital press corps that he had made up his mind.
Asked, at 12:29 p.m., if he risked appearing dishonest if ran as an independent, Crist told Tallahassee reporters, “If I were to, I’d say what I said the other day: Things change.”
Asked if could explain what changed, he said, “Later. If it did.”
At 1 p.m., FOX News cited “Crist allies” as their source. The Times, Crist’s hometown paper, reported at 1:11 p.m. that Crist already is informing key financial backers.
April 28th, 2010
Gov. Charlie Crist will announce tomorrow he’s running as an independent for the U.S. Senate, according to FOX News and the St. Petersburg Times. Campaign officials are denying Crist has made his decision.
While it would be huge news — many say this gives Florida the most interesting Senate race in the country — it would not be a major surprise. Crist recently has been signaling this could be his direction.
What is surprising is that both reports came this afternoon within minutes of Crist denying to the state capital press corps that he had made up his mind.
Asked, at 12:29 p.m., if he risked appearing dishonest if ran as an independent, Crist told Tallahassee reporters, “If I were to, I’d say what I said the other day: Things change.”
Asked if could explain what changed, he said, “Later. If it did.”
At 1 p.m., FOX News cited “Crist allies” as their source. The Times, Crist’s hometown paper, reported at 1:11 p.m. that Crist already is informing key financial backers.
Bill Clinton on Goldman Sachs & SEC
C-SPAN coverage of former President Bill Clinton comments on Goldman Sachs and the SEC while speaking at the Peter G. Peterson Foundation in Washington, DC. Clinton says, "I'm not at all sure they violated the law...but I do believe that there was no underlying merit to the transaction."
Tiki ‘Booted’ By NBC; Wife Laments ‘Low-Balling’
Emily Smith and Dan Mangan of the NEW YORK POST report today that Tiki Barber, amidst charges from “heavily pregnant” wife Ginny that he’s “low-balling” her on child support, has been dumped by NBC’s “Today” show:A source told The Post that the “Today” show has booted Tiki as a high-priced correspondent amid fallout from the scandal.
Representatives for both NBC and Tiki refused to comment on that claim.
Since the news broke of his alleged affair with former 23-year-old NBC intern Traci Lynn Johnson, the Post reports the former NFL star, “was running around town with his young mistress — while his pregnant wife spent a week in the hospital.“
The Manhattan divorce suit cites Barber’s “adultery”, with wife Ginny “also outraged that Tiki has been low-balling her in out-of-court negotiations over financial support, a family friend said.”
“Tiki refused to give her anything close to what she needs,” the friend said. “The reason she filed is that settlement talks didn’t work.”
The 35-year-old Barber first began his reported affair with Johnson while she was still a student in college, and the two now live together in a midtown Manhattan apartment - where Barber was spotted on Monday.
Traci’s torrid romance began even before Ginny, a former fashion publicist, became pregnant with twins last summer, and that Tiki has lavished Johnson with expensive gifts, clothes and dinners.
A Barber spokesman refused to answer whether Tiki had visited Ginny in the hospital last week.
What I find most appalling about this situation, if true, is that Barber’s is conducting the affair while his wife is about to give birth to their twins. It’s one thing to not be there for the wife of your unborn twins, it’s another to cause her undue stress by carrying out a highly-publicized extramarital affair just before she gives birth.
Christian archeologists claim they've found Noah's Ark:
HONG KONG (AFP) – A group of Chinese and Turkish evangelical explorers said Monday they believe they may have found Noah's Ark -- four thousand metres up a mountain in Turkey.
The team say they recovered wooden specimens from a structure on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey that carbon dating proved was 4,800 years old, around the same time the ark is said to have been afloat.
"It's not 100 percent that it is Noah's Ark but we think it is 99.9 percent that this is it," Yeung Wing-cheung, a Hong Kong documentary filmmaker and member of the 15-strong team from Noah's Ark Ministries International told AFP.
The structure had several compartments, some with wooden beams, which were believed to house animals, he said.The group of evangelical archaeologists ruled out an established human settlement on the grounds that one had never been found above 3,500 metres in the vicinity, Yeung said.
Local Turkish officials will ask the central government in Ankara to apply for UNESCO World Heritage status so the site can be protected while a major archaeological dig is conducted, Yeung added.The biblical story says God decided to flood the earth after seeing how corrupt it had become, and told Noah to build an ark and fill it with two of every animal species.
After the flood waters receded, the Bible says, the ark came to rest on a mountain. Many believe that Mount Ararat, the highest point in the region, is where the ark and her inhabitants came aground.
The team say they recovered wooden specimens from a structure on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey that carbon dating proved was 4,800 years old, around the same time the ark is said to have been afloat.
"It's not 100 percent that it is Noah's Ark but we think it is 99.9 percent that this is it," Yeung Wing-cheung, a Hong Kong documentary filmmaker and member of the 15-strong team from Noah's Ark Ministries International told AFP.
The structure had several compartments, some with wooden beams, which were believed to house animals, he said.The group of evangelical archaeologists ruled out an established human settlement on the grounds that one had never been found above 3,500 metres in the vicinity, Yeung said.
Local Turkish officials will ask the central government in Ankara to apply for UNESCO World Heritage status so the site can be protected while a major archaeological dig is conducted, Yeung added.The biblical story says God decided to flood the earth after seeing how corrupt it had become, and told Noah to build an ark and fill it with two of every animal species.
After the flood waters receded, the Bible says, the ark came to rest on a mountain. Many believe that Mount Ararat, the highest point in the region, is where the ark and her inhabitants came aground.
Facebook Used to Organize N.J. High School Student Protests Over Budget Cuts
Associated PressHigh school students across New Jersey walked out of class Tuesday to protest proposed budget cuts
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J.-- High school students across New Jersey walked out of class Tuesday to protest proposed budget cuts.
Walkouts, organized on Facebook, were reported from Rancocas Valley High School in Mount Holly to West Orange High School, with more planned throughout the day. Students in Newark were planning to leave class and march to the district offices.
It wasn't clear how many of the state's roughly 400,000 public high school students would join the walkout, but a Facebook page used to organize the protest had some 17,000 fans by Tuesday.
Organizer Michelle Lauto, who graduated last year from Old Tappan High School in Bergen County and is now a student at Pace University in New York, said she wanted to join the cause because her mother is a teacher and her sister is a school secretary.
"What we want to do is get attention to the issue and show primarily that the youth is not apathetic to the issue," said Lauto, 18, an actress who's especially concerned that arts programs could be eliminated.
The protest comes one week after voters in 59 percent of the state's school districts rejected property tax levies to pay for schools, leaving municipal governing bodies to make cuts.
It was the first time in 34 years that the majority of budgets were defeated.
The battle over school funding has been especially acrimonious this year since Gov. Chris Christie's budget proposal last month called for schools to see their combined direct state and federal aid decreased by about 11 percent on average -- with many districts getting bigger reductions that that.
Most of the state's school districts planned teacher layoffs and tax increases to make up for the lost aid.
Christie says layoffs can be avoided, though, if school employees agree to one-year salary freezes and to start paying 1.5 percent of their salaries toward their health insurance premiums.
Most of the state's teachers unions have balked at the notion, though, saying Christie is unfairly trying to balance the state's budget at their expense. Christie has been unapologetic, consistently criticizing the leaders of the New Jersey Education Association for being selfish.
The NJEA says students are "engaging in civil disobedience" but shouldn't walk out of classes.
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J.-- High school students across New Jersey walked out of class Tuesday to protest proposed budget cuts.
Walkouts, organized on Facebook, were reported from Rancocas Valley High School in Mount Holly to West Orange High School, with more planned throughout the day. Students in Newark were planning to leave class and march to the district offices.
It wasn't clear how many of the state's roughly 400,000 public high school students would join the walkout, but a Facebook page used to organize the protest had some 17,000 fans by Tuesday.
Organizer Michelle Lauto, who graduated last year from Old Tappan High School in Bergen County and is now a student at Pace University in New York, said she wanted to join the cause because her mother is a teacher and her sister is a school secretary.
"What we want to do is get attention to the issue and show primarily that the youth is not apathetic to the issue," said Lauto, 18, an actress who's especially concerned that arts programs could be eliminated.
The protest comes one week after voters in 59 percent of the state's school districts rejected property tax levies to pay for schools, leaving municipal governing bodies to make cuts.
It was the first time in 34 years that the majority of budgets were defeated.
The battle over school funding has been especially acrimonious this year since Gov. Chris Christie's budget proposal last month called for schools to see their combined direct state and federal aid decreased by about 11 percent on average -- with many districts getting bigger reductions that that.
Most of the state's school districts planned teacher layoffs and tax increases to make up for the lost aid.
Christie says layoffs can be avoided, though, if school employees agree to one-year salary freezes and to start paying 1.5 percent of their salaries toward their health insurance premiums.
Most of the state's teachers unions have balked at the notion, though, saying Christie is unfairly trying to balance the state's budget at their expense. Christie has been unapologetic, consistently criticizing the leaders of the New Jersey Education Association for being selfish.
The NJEA says students are "engaging in civil disobedience" but shouldn't walk out of classes.
Newark High School Students Stage Walkout In Response To Christie Budget Cuts
Some of the thousands of Newark students protesting also went outside the headquarters of Newark Public Schools at 2 Cedar Street to voice their concerns. In protest of Governor Christie’s budget cuts thousands of high school students across the state are scheduled to walk-out of school tomorrow between 8am and 4pm.
Story here
Story here
I hate to sound callous, but seriously, students in Newark staging a walk-out because of budget cuts is like Michael Moore threatening to not finish his 4 year gym membership if they cut out the spinning classes. Moore wouldn’t last 4 years if they upgraded to the gold-plated treadmills. He doesn’t value exercise. It’s that simple.
Do you know what the drop-out rate is in Newark? If all 11,750 high school students showed up to protest, 5400 of those protesters will drop out before graduation day, and that has nothing to do with how much money you fling down that money pit. That drop-out rate is an embarrassment, and I blame progressives.
Teachers can’t be fired no matter how horrible or uncaring they are. Too much money is taken from students to pay for administration and make-work jobs to repay cronies and union members for delivering elections for liberals. It’s a cycle that would never end, until possibly now, with Governor Christie.
And what’s the liberal response? Get the students who, statistics say, have a good chance of not even being in the school when the budget goes up, to protest for more money, as if they really care.
This is preposterous. Money is not the answer, a cultural change is, one that values the power of education. That doesn’t exist in Newark, and more money is not going to change that.
by BigFurHat -
Jumar D. Henry accused of decapitating his mother, Jennifer Renee-Henry Ling then dumping her head in the garbage
A Florida man is accused of decapitation his mother then tossing her head in the garbage before going to church Sunday morning, Jacksonville police confirmed.
Around 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, relatives of Jennifer Renee-Henry Ling called police after finding the 43-year-old woman’s headless body in her home. It is believed that earlier that day, church-goers also called police after noticing Ling’s 21-year-old son, Jumar D. Henry with scratches on his face and blood under his fingernails.
Authorities say Jumar killed his mother in her home Saturday night then chopped her head off before dumping it three blocks away.
Neighbors who saw Jumar walking to a grassy area with the garbage bag found the head and then called police.
Around 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, relatives of Jennifer Renee-Henry Ling called police after finding the 43-year-old woman’s headless body in her home. It is believed that earlier that day, church-goers also called police after noticing Ling’s 21-year-old son, Jumar D. Henry with scratches on his face and blood under his fingernails.
Authorities say Jumar killed his mother in her home Saturday night then chopped her head off before dumping it three blocks away.
Neighbors who saw Jumar walking to a grassy area with the garbage bag found the head and then called police.
It is believed that relatives were able to convinced Jumar to turn himself in to authorities, and while he was being questioned by police he decided to force his way out of the detective’s office.
There are reports that Jumar’s father saw him shortly after midnight on Sunday with the scratches on his face and when questioned about the bruises, Jumar allegedly told him he had gotten into a fight with a group of men.
It is unclear why Jumar killed his mother, and if she was already dead before he decapitated her.
Mexico warns citizens about travel to Arizona following new state immigration law
Mexico issues travel alert over new Arizona law
MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government warned its citizens Tuesday to use extreme caution if visiting Arizona because of a tough new law that requires all immigrants and visitors to carry U.S.-issued documents or risk arrest.
President Barack Obama also criticized the law, saying it could lead to harassment of Hispanics, and he called for bipartisan support to fix America’s broken immigration system. Two senior officials in his government said the Arizona law may face a legal challenge by federal authorities.
“Now suddenly if you don’t have your papers, and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re going to get harassed — that’s something that could potentially happen,” the U.S. president said of the measure. “That’s not the right way to go.”
Arizona’s law — slated to take effect in late July or early August — makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and allows police to question anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Lawmakers said the legislation, which has sparked huge protests and litigation, was needed because the Obama administration is failing to enforce existing federal laws.
Mexico’s Foreign Ministry issued a travel alert for Arizona after the law was signed, warning that its passage shows “an adverse political atmosphere for migrant communities and for all Mexican visitors.”
The alert said that once the law takes effect, foreigners can be questioned at any moment and detained if they fail to carry immigration documents. And it warns that the law will also make it illegal to hire or be hired from a vehicle stopped on the street.
A Mexican government-affiliated agency that supports Mexicans living and working in the United States called for boycotts of Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Phoenix Suns until those organizations rebuke the law.
“We are making a strong call to the Arizona government to retract this regressive and racist law that’s impacting not only residents of Arizona, but people in all 50 states and in Mexico as well,” said Raul Murillo, who works with the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, an autonomous agency of Mexico’s Foreign Ministry.
US Airways spokesman Jim Olson said “we have had absolutely no customers who have canceled flights” as a result of the controversy. Calls to the Diamondbacks and the Suns were not immediately returned.
In Washington, Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano criticized the law, with Holder saying the federal government may challenge it.
A number of options are under consideration, including “the possibility of a court challenge,” Holder said.
A citizen effort to repeal the law also is expected. Jon Garrido, who produces a Hispanic website and ran unsuccessfully last year for the Phoenix City Council, said he plans to begin gathering signatures next week to get a repeal referendum on the November ballot. If successful, the effort would block the law from taking effect until the vote.
Obama said Tuesday that “poorly conceived” measures such as Arizona’s can be halted if the federal government fixes the U.S. immigration system for good.
Obama pledged to bring his own party along, pleading with Republicans to join in as the only realistic hope to solve a politically volatile problem and get an immigration deal done.
“I will bring the majority of Democrats to the table in getting this done,” Obama said in response to a question at a town hall in south-central Iowa. “But I’ve got to have some help from the other side.”
U.S. politicians also weighed in on the growing controversy, with election season looming.
In California, Meg Whitman, the Republican front-runner in the California gubernatorial primary, said Arizona is taking the wrong approach.
“I think there’s just better ways to solve this problem,” Whitman said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
California state Sen. President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said the law attempts to legalize racial profiling and called on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to review the state’s contracts with Arizona and cancel them if legally possible.
Schwarzenegger has not yet replied, but told reporters that immigration matters are the responsibility of the federal government.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, seeking re-election, told CBS’s “The Early Show” that his state needed such a law because the Obama administration has failed to secure the borders, resulting in drugs pouring into the southwestern United States from Mexico.
Each day, more than 65,000 Mexican residents are in Arizona to work, visit friends and relatives and shop, according to a University of Arizona study sponsored by the Arizona Office of Tourism. While there, the Mexican visitors spend more than $7.35 million daily in Arizona’s stores, restaurants, hotels and other businesses, the researchers found.
Bimbo Bakeries, one of many Mexican companies operating in Arizona, said Tuesday it doesn’t expect Arizona’s new immigration law to affect its employees.
“We carefully screen all associates to ensure they are authorized to work in the United States,” Bimbo spokesman David Margulies said.
At the Mexico City airport Tuesday, Mexicans heading for the U.S. said they were very troubled by the new law.
“It’s humiliating,” said Modesto Perez, who lives in Illinois. “It’s really ugly.”
Associated Press Writer Jonathan Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.
MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government warned its citizens Tuesday to use extreme caution if visiting Arizona because of a tough new law that requires all immigrants and visitors to carry U.S.-issued documents or risk arrest.
President Barack Obama also criticized the law, saying it could lead to harassment of Hispanics, and he called for bipartisan support to fix America’s broken immigration system. Two senior officials in his government said the Arizona law may face a legal challenge by federal authorities.
“Now suddenly if you don’t have your papers, and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re going to get harassed — that’s something that could potentially happen,” the U.S. president said of the measure. “That’s not the right way to go.”
Arizona’s law — slated to take effect in late July or early August — makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and allows police to question anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Lawmakers said the legislation, which has sparked huge protests and litigation, was needed because the Obama administration is failing to enforce existing federal laws.
Mexico’s Foreign Ministry issued a travel alert for Arizona after the law was signed, warning that its passage shows “an adverse political atmosphere for migrant communities and for all Mexican visitors.”
The alert said that once the law takes effect, foreigners can be questioned at any moment and detained if they fail to carry immigration documents. And it warns that the law will also make it illegal to hire or be hired from a vehicle stopped on the street.
A Mexican government-affiliated agency that supports Mexicans living and working in the United States called for boycotts of Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Phoenix Suns until those organizations rebuke the law.
“We are making a strong call to the Arizona government to retract this regressive and racist law that’s impacting not only residents of Arizona, but people in all 50 states and in Mexico as well,” said Raul Murillo, who works with the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, an autonomous agency of Mexico’s Foreign Ministry.
US Airways spokesman Jim Olson said “we have had absolutely no customers who have canceled flights” as a result of the controversy. Calls to the Diamondbacks and the Suns were not immediately returned.
In Washington, Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano criticized the law, with Holder saying the federal government may challenge it.
A number of options are under consideration, including “the possibility of a court challenge,” Holder said.
A citizen effort to repeal the law also is expected. Jon Garrido, who produces a Hispanic website and ran unsuccessfully last year for the Phoenix City Council, said he plans to begin gathering signatures next week to get a repeal referendum on the November ballot. If successful, the effort would block the law from taking effect until the vote.
Obama said Tuesday that “poorly conceived” measures such as Arizona’s can be halted if the federal government fixes the U.S. immigration system for good.
Obama pledged to bring his own party along, pleading with Republicans to join in as the only realistic hope to solve a politically volatile problem and get an immigration deal done.
“I will bring the majority of Democrats to the table in getting this done,” Obama said in response to a question at a town hall in south-central Iowa. “But I’ve got to have some help from the other side.”
U.S. politicians also weighed in on the growing controversy, with election season looming.
In California, Meg Whitman, the Republican front-runner in the California gubernatorial primary, said Arizona is taking the wrong approach.
“I think there’s just better ways to solve this problem,” Whitman said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
California state Sen. President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said the law attempts to legalize racial profiling and called on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to review the state’s contracts with Arizona and cancel them if legally possible.
Schwarzenegger has not yet replied, but told reporters that immigration matters are the responsibility of the federal government.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, seeking re-election, told CBS’s “The Early Show” that his state needed such a law because the Obama administration has failed to secure the borders, resulting in drugs pouring into the southwestern United States from Mexico.
Each day, more than 65,000 Mexican residents are in Arizona to work, visit friends and relatives and shop, according to a University of Arizona study sponsored by the Arizona Office of Tourism. While there, the Mexican visitors spend more than $7.35 million daily in Arizona’s stores, restaurants, hotels and other businesses, the researchers found.
Bimbo Bakeries, one of many Mexican companies operating in Arizona, said Tuesday it doesn’t expect Arizona’s new immigration law to affect its employees.
“We carefully screen all associates to ensure they are authorized to work in the United States,” Bimbo spokesman David Margulies said.
At the Mexico City airport Tuesday, Mexicans heading for the U.S. said they were very troubled by the new law.
“It’s humiliating,” said Modesto Perez, who lives in Illinois. “It’s really ugly.”
Associated Press Writer Jonathan Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.
Celtics eliminate Heat, advance to play Cavs
Charles Krupa
Boston’s Ray Allen (middle) sliced through Miami’s Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley on Tuesday night in Boston. More News
Cavaliers win series despite aching LeBron Celtics eliminate Heat, advance to play Cavs NBA Playoff leaders NBA summaries NBA Sixth Man Award NBA playoff schedule Orlando brings out brooms in sweep of Charlotte NBA summaries NBA Playoff Efficiency Ratings NBA playoff schedule Heat’s Wade has hot hand with 46 points NBA playoff schedule NBA summaries At age 29, Collison the older and wiser Thunder player Oklahoma City gets even with LA Lakers Pierce’s shot lifts Celtics past Heat NBA summaries NBA playoff schedule Chicago beats Cleveland 108-106 NBA playoff schedule BOSTON
The Celtics said goodbye to the Heat. Now they’ll say hello to LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
Ray Allen scored 24 points, including five three-pointers in the second half, and Boston eliminated Miami 96-86 in game five of its first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
With Heat star Dwyane Wade expected to become a free agent — along with James — it could be an eventful summer in Miami.
Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals thanks to 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists from Rajon Rondo.
Wade scored 31 points — far short of the franchise-postseason-record 46 he scored Sunday, helping Miami stave off elimination.
Now the Celtics will turn their attention to No. 1 seed Cleveland and their big star.
“I think it’s a great matchup. It’s great for basketball — such a classic series,” said Paul Pierce, who scored 21 points on Tuesday. “They’re the team to beat right now. They showed it through the course of the season the way they played.
“We know this is going to be a tough series, another really, really tough series.”
Boston hooked up with James and the Cavaliers for seven games in the conference semis in 2008 on the way to the Celtics’ NBA-record 17th championship.
On Tuesday, the Celtics led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter before Miami scored 16 of the next 18 points and made it 69-62. Wade scored 13 in what turned into a 24-6 run, cutting the deficit to 73-70 on his three-point play with a little more than 10 minutes left.
Wade scored 20 in the second half in all; he also finished with 10 assists and eight rebounds. But he was just 10-for-24 shooting and two for seven from three-point range in the game. He missed all three of his three-point tries in the fourth quarter as the Heat tried to eat away at the remainder of the Celtics’ big lead.
Boston’s Ray Allen (middle) sliced through Miami’s Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley on Tuesday night in Boston. More News
Cavaliers win series despite aching LeBron Celtics eliminate Heat, advance to play Cavs NBA Playoff leaders NBA summaries NBA Sixth Man Award NBA playoff schedule Orlando brings out brooms in sweep of Charlotte NBA summaries NBA Playoff Efficiency Ratings NBA playoff schedule Heat’s Wade has hot hand with 46 points NBA playoff schedule NBA summaries At age 29, Collison the older and wiser Thunder player Oklahoma City gets even with LA Lakers Pierce’s shot lifts Celtics past Heat NBA summaries NBA playoff schedule Chicago beats Cleveland 108-106 NBA playoff schedule BOSTON
The Celtics said goodbye to the Heat. Now they’ll say hello to LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
Ray Allen scored 24 points, including five three-pointers in the second half, and Boston eliminated Miami 96-86 in game five of its first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
With Heat star Dwyane Wade expected to become a free agent — along with James — it could be an eventful summer in Miami.
Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals thanks to 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists from Rajon Rondo.
Wade scored 31 points — far short of the franchise-postseason-record 46 he scored Sunday, helping Miami stave off elimination.
Now the Celtics will turn their attention to No. 1 seed Cleveland and their big star.
“I think it’s a great matchup. It’s great for basketball — such a classic series,” said Paul Pierce, who scored 21 points on Tuesday. “They’re the team to beat right now. They showed it through the course of the season the way they played.
“We know this is going to be a tough series, another really, really tough series.”
Boston hooked up with James and the Cavaliers for seven games in the conference semis in 2008 on the way to the Celtics’ NBA-record 17th championship.
On Tuesday, the Celtics led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter before Miami scored 16 of the next 18 points and made it 69-62. Wade scored 13 in what turned into a 24-6 run, cutting the deficit to 73-70 on his three-point play with a little more than 10 minutes left.
Wade scored 20 in the second half in all; he also finished with 10 assists and eight rebounds. But he was just 10-for-24 shooting and two for seven from three-point range in the game. He missed all three of his three-point tries in the fourth quarter as the Heat tried to eat away at the remainder of the Celtics’ big lead.
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