Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, September 26, 2016

Class Action Allowed in Walmart Mexican Bribery Case | deutsch29

Class Action Allowed in Walmart Mexican Bribery Case | deutsch29:

Class Action Allowed in Walmart Mexican Bribery Case

Image result for i'm shocked
Estoy sorprendido. ¡Conmocionado! Bueno, no es impactado.

 According to Forbes, the Walton family is the richest family in America, with seven family members worth a combined $130 billion.

Their wealth is derived from their superstore chain, Walmart– and from unethical business practices such as the bribing of Mexican officials and keeping the issue to themselves for several years until the April 2012 New York Times revealed the bribery scheme– the internal knowledge of which had originated in 2005:
The Times obtained hundreds of internal company documents tracing the evolution of Wal-Mart’s 2005 Mexico investigation. The documents show Wal-Mart’s leadership immediately recognized the seriousness of the allegations. Working in secrecy, a small group of executives, including several current members of Wal-Mart’s senior management, kept close tabs on the inquiry. …
The Times examination included more than 15 hours of interviews with the former executive, Sergio Cicero Zapata, who resigned from Wal-Mart de Mexico in 2004 after nearly a decade in the company’s real estate department.
In the interviews, Mr. Cicero recounted how he had helped organize years of payoffs. He described personally dispatching two trusted outside lawyers to deliver envelopes of cash to government officials. They targeted mayors and city council members, obscure urban planners, low-level bureaucrats who issued permits — anyone with the power to thwart Wal-Mart’s growth. The bribes, he said, bought zoning approvals, reductions in environmental impact fees and the allegiance of neighborhood leaders.
He called it working “the dark side of the moon.”
The Times also reviewed thousands of government documents related to permit requests for stores across Mexico. The examination found many instances where permits were given within weeks or even days of Wal-Mart de Mexico’s payments to the two lawyers. Again and again, The Times found, legal and bureaucratic obstacles melted away after payments were made.
Not only did bribery benefit the Waltons with their Mexico operations; by keeping the bribery issues a secret for years, the Waltons were able for those years to inflate the Class Action Allowed in Walmart Mexican Bribery Case | deutsch29:

BRIDGEGATE– Seven steps to closing an interstate crossing, but without bloodshed |

BRIDGEGATE– Seven steps to closing an interstate crossing, but without bloodshed |:

BRIDGEGATE– Seven steps to closing an interstate crossing, but without bloodshed



What a guy, that David Wildstein. A helluva guy. Why, he had the power to shut down entrance lanes to the George Washington Bridge in a way that would not only create a massive traffic jam for but also would have increased the dangers of motor vehicle sideswipes and collisions at the entrance of the nation’s busiest interstate crossing.
But, did he do it? No—not our guy Dave. He’s got heart.
He was careful just to shut down just enough lanes to the bridge in just the right way to stop traffic in Fort Lee, impede emergency vehicles, make thousands late for work and strand school children on buses.
Just like his boss, Gov. Chris Christie—David Wilstein was always thinking of us little guys down here below.
“I could not go from three lanes to zero,” Wildstein told a federal jury in Newark. “There would be accidents.”
Wildstein, testifying against two other allies of the governor, showed just what state government is in the era of Christopher Christie, the self-proclaimed Jersey guy. He showed how far you could go to punish political enemies with a lot of imagination, a willingness to break the rules, and the absence of any scruples whatsoever. Wildstein, a boyhood chum of Christie, is a self-admitted dirty trickster whoBRIDGEGATE– Seven steps to closing an interstate crossing, but without bloodshed |: 


Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie's Lying, Incoherent Letter to Teachers

Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie's Lying, Incoherent Letter to Teachers:

Chris Christie's Lying, Incoherent Letter to Teachers

Image result for big education ape Christie


By now, most teachers in New Jersey have received a copy of a letter, sent at taxpayer expense, from governor Chris Christie. I got mine on Friday, and I've posted it below. After reading it, I thought the same thing I've been thinking while following the Bridgegate trial:

It's impossible to choose between whether Chris Christie and his staff are liars or are incompetent -- they're both.

Of course, Christie has a history of sending teachers letters where he flat-out lies to our faces: back in 2009, during his first campaign, he told us: "I will protect your pensions. Nothing about your pension is going to change when I am governor." But the first chance he got, he jacked up our contributions, gutted cost-of-living increases, made us pay much more for our health care without the benefit of negotiation, refused to follow his own lawand make the pension payments he said he would make.

To make things worse, he then said he had no idea the pension problem was as bad as it was, even though literally everyone who had the slightest interest in the topic knew New Jersey's pensions were headed for disaster. It's incredible a man who ran for governor during the Great Recession would claim he had no clue the pensions were a serious problem for the state.

Again: Chris Christie's not just a liar, and he's not just incompetent. He's both.

Which brings us to his latest, utterly ridiculous letter. How many ways is Christie and whoever wrote this completely lying and/or clueless?

- Christie says the New Jersey Education Association (the state's largest teachers union) has acted "irresponsibly" toward
Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie's Lying, Incoherent Letter to Teachers:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/26/16

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/26/16



Featured Post

Teacher signs strike vote in hospital bed, a day after baby born | Chicago Sun-Times






Education Activists Converge on Presidential Debate – Cloaking Inequity
Education Activists Converge on Presidential Debate – Cloaking Inequity : Education Activists Converge on Presidential Debate Today, in response to a nationwide attack on public education, supporters of high-quality, democratically controlled, neighborhood public schools are holding events at the first presidential debate in New York, demanding that the candidates respond to concerns about school
Why "Grading" Schools is Wrong - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom
Why "Grading" Schools is Wrong - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom : Why “Grading” Schools is Wrong One of my favorite edu-parent-bloggers, Bill Ferriter, of The Tempered Radical , recently wrote about the North Carolina’s decision to assign letter grades to individual schools based on nothing more than test scores, a practice which I believe should be illegal. It’s high time we
CURMUDGUCATION: Center for Ed Reform All In on Privatizing
CURMUDGUCATION: Center for Ed Reform All In on Privatizing : Center for Ed Reform All In on Privatizing The Center for Education Reform, Jeanne Allen's charter-and-choice advocacy group, is having a senior moment. Under the breathless headline, "Nation's Most Senior Education Reform Group Relaunches," CER has issued a press release about "its complete refocus on the changing landsc
Schools Matter: Retired Teacher's Thoughts on Union Misleadership
Schools Matter: Retired Teacher's Thoughts on Union Misleadership : Retired Teacher's Thoughts on Union Misleadership Denis Ian served for 34 years as a high school teacher. by Denis Ian Teacher unions are being destroyed from within and without. And it’s been happening for a long while. The same “reform" forces that wormed their way into the the curriculum discussions and redesigns also use
Two Years After a Night of Horror, Mexican Students Seek Answers - The New York Times
Two Years After a Night of Horror, Mexican Students Seek Answers - The New York Times : Two Years After a Night of Horror, Mexican Students Seek Answers Edgar AndrĂ©s Vargas, 21, survived a night of violence in September 2014 in which 43 Mexican college students were kidnapped. He was shot in the face and has had six surgeries. Credit Meghan Dhaliwal for The New York Times MEXICO CITY — Two years
Wisc. Congressional Rep. Mark Pocan on School Vouchers | Educate All Students: Larry Miller's Blog
Wisc. Congressional Rep. Mark Pocan on School Vouchers | Educate All Students: Larry Miller's Blog : Wisc. Congressional Rep. Mark Pocan on School Vouchers (Photo: Tim Brinton) When I first came to Congress, I called on the Government Accountability Office to study taxpayer-funded school voucher programs across the country. Wisconsin is home to the nation’s first and largest taxpayer-funded vouch
New Mexico Lawsuit Update | VAMboozled!
New Mexico Lawsuit Update | VAMboozled! : New Mexico Lawsuit Update As you all likely recall, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), joined by the Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF), last fall, filed a “ Lawsuit in New Mexico Challenging [the] State’s Teacher Evaluation System .” Plaintiffs charged that the state’s teacher evaluation system, imposed on the state in 2012 by the state’s curr
Are you ready to vote? Are your family and friends? It's time! - Lily's Blackboard
Are you ready to vote? Are your family and friends? It's time! - Lily's Blackboard : Are you ready to vote? Are your family and friends? It's time! September 27 is National Voter Registration Day , and across the nation, nonprofit groups and volunteers are hitting the streets to register voters. In 2002, the National Association of Secretaries of State first established September as National Vote
New Website Vote LAUSD
Vote LAUSD | Vote LAUSD : Vote LAUSD Vote LAUSD | Vote LAUSD : VoteLAUSD’s Goals: Engage the Community in Healthy Discussion & Debate Bring everyone together for the good of our kids, while making it useful and fun Learn from Each Other Stay open to learning new ideas and new perspectives Get More People to Vote Educate and motivate people to vote for the good of our kids. VoteLAUSD brings el
Is it pure stupidity or political expediency that led the legislature to cut its oversight of the Malloy administration? - Wait What?
Is it pure stupidity or political expediency that led the legislature to cut its oversight of the Malloy administration? - Wait What? : Is it pure stupidity or political expediency that led the legislature to cut its oversight of the Malloy administration? CT Newsjunkie columnist Sara Darer Littman digs deeper into the incredible decision by Connecticut’s legislative leaders to dump the professio
Michigan Mom: Mandatory (a)Musings: M-Stepping those Results Right into the Trashcan
Mandatory (a)Musings: M-Stepping those Results Right into the Trashcan : M-Stepping those Results Right into the Trashcan I received my daughter's 4th grade M-Step results in the mail yesterday. I had not seen the results report before; two years ago, I opted her out. But last year, in a co-parenting compromise with my ex-husband, I allowed my daughter to take the test. You will be happy to know
Brown vetoes bill intended to place more emphasis on test scores | EdSource
Brown vetoes bill intended to place more emphasis on test scores | EdSource : Brown vetoes bill intended to place more emphasis on test scores Sending a strong message endorsing the school accountability system adopted by the State Board of Education, Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have placed more emphasis on standardized test scores in measuring school and district performance. I
Texas school warns teachers might be armed | NOLA.com
Texas school warns teachers might be armed | NOLA.com : Texas school warns teachers might be armed The sign is large and unabashedly direct, like the state's collective attitude. It's white, nailed to two sturdy wooden posts, and offers a bold-lettered warning. This year, our teachers might be packing heat, it says, and they're not afraid to use it. In this town, in this state, in 2016, it still
Arne Duncan talk at Smith College draws anti-charter school protesters
Arne Duncan talk at Smith College draws anti-charter school protesters : Arne Duncan talk at Smith College draws anti-charter school protesters NORTHAMPTON — Former U.S. education chief Arne Duncan was greeted by a packed auditorium Wednesday evening, as well as opponents of a question on the Nov. 8 ballot that would lift the state’s cap on charter schools. Duncan, who resigned in January after s
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES : WEEKEND QUOTABLES CTU members Maria Cosme, left, and Nancy Serrano count ballots (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune) CTU Pres. Karen Jennings Lewis on CTU's strike vote "But here's the deal — and this is the truth, period, the end — I don't have to work under this contract. They do. So it seems like, to me, that the people that have to work und
With A Brooklyn Accent: R.I.P Arnold Palmer and Jose Fernandez- Great Athletes Who Perfomed with JOY.
With A Brooklyn Accent: R.I.P Arnold Palmer and Jose Fernandez- Great Athletes Who Perfomed with JOY. : R.I.P Arnold Palmer and Jose Fernandez- Great Athletes Who Perfomed with JOY. Today, for the seond day in a row, I woke up with tears in my eyes. I just learned that the great golfer, Arnold Palmer, age 87 had passed away. On the face of it, Arnold Palmer would seem to have little in common wit
Gov. Nathan Deal’s Georgia Opportunity School District Will NOT Expand Learning Opportunity | janresseger
Gov. Nathan Deal’s Georgia Opportunity School District Will NOT Expand Learning Opportunity | janresseger : Gov. Nathan Deal’s Georgia Opportunity School District Will NOT Expand Learning Opportunity Georgia Governor Nathan Deal’s statewide Opportunity School District, a state takeover plan for so-called “failing” schools, will appear before Georgia’s voters in November. His plan will become part
BRIDGEGATE: How Chris Christie turned the relics of 9/11 pain into “goody bags” |
BRIDGEGATE: How Chris Christie turned the relics of 9/11 pain into “goody bags” | : BRIDGEGATE: How Chris Christie turned the relics of 9/11 pain into “goody bags” How Chris Christie abused the sacred relics of 9/11 site to advance his ambition and splatter himself and his toadies with the profanity of indifference to incalculable, unimaginable pain . What happened on September 11, 2001 happened
David Coleman: Promising to Address SAT Problems When Cornered | deutsch29
David Coleman: Promising to Address SAT Problems When Cornered | deutsch29 : David Coleman: Promising to Address SAT Problems When Cornered Reuters has been releasing articles related to the newly-designed SAT ever since someone anonymously sent over 400 SAT questions to the news agency on August 03, 2016. Reuters has since reported on the August 26, 2016, FBI raid of former SAT exec Manuel Alfar
Election 2016: What Teachers Can and Cannot Do | Huffington Post
Election 2016: What Teachers Can and Cannot Do | Huffington Post : Election 2016: What Teachers Can and Cannot Do A little enforced New York City regulation requires that teachers remain politically neutral when performing official duties. In 2008, Mayor Michael Bloomberg ruled that public school teachers could not wear political buttons in the classroom. The teachers’ union challenged the ban bu
Nearly all Ohio middle schools flunk 8th-grade reading test | The Columbus Dispatch
Nearly all Ohio middle schools flunk 8th-grade reading test | The Columbus Dispatch : Nearly all Ohio middle schools flunk 8th-grade reading test Under a new system that was designed to raise the bar to ensure that kids are prepared for college and jobs when they graduate, Ohio apparently is experiencing a middle-school reading crisis. Almost 96 percent of Ohio’s traditional public schools and mo
L.A. Magnets Outscore Charters on 2016 Tests - On California - Education Week
L.A. Magnets Outscore Charters on 2016 Tests - On California - Education Week : L.A. Magnets Outscore Charters on 2016 Tests Both magnets and charters are schools of choice, and it is more appropriate to compare these schools than to compare charters to Los Angeles Unified School District traditional neighborhood schools. When these schools of choice are compared, magnets outperformed charters by
Teacher signs strike vote in hospital bed, a day after baby born | Chicago Sun-Times
Teacher signs strike vote in hospital bed, a day after baby born | Chicago Sun-Times : Teacher signs strike vote in hospital bed, a day after baby born Erin Franzinger Barrett, a CTU member and teacher at Telpochcalli Elementary School, casts her strike vote from her hospital bed a day after giving birth via C-section to her premature baby daughter. | Provided photo Some teachers complained about

YESTERDAY

Special Late Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/25/16
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/25/16 Featured Post ALEC is Excited About the New Testing Provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), so is iNACOL | Seattle Education Do Americans Hate Teachers, Or are 

Top Posts This Week