District of Columbia
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The Atlantic is reporting Komen’s top public health official, Mollie Williams, resigned in protest immediately following the board’s decision to cut off Planned Parenthood. The news comes hours after Komen.org was temporarily hacked and as Planned Parenthood is announcing they’re experiencing a surge in donations. “For the few that accessed the site around 12:30AM on Thursday, they were r...
The Zaftig Redhead - Thu 4:05 p.m. - 9 clicks 
Won't you please join me along with members of Empower DC, parents, teachers and community as we fight the displacement of our students and the privatization of our public schools. I have featured a guest post by Liane Scott which outlines the plan to expose DC's Equation for Displacement. Hope to see you this Saturday @ 11 am. Details listed below. Spread the word. ...
The Washington Teacher - Wed 7:28 p.m. - 11 clicks
Written by Candi Peterson Join Empower DC's Exposing DC's Equation for Displacement: Info on DCPS closings & plan of action Saturday, Feb. 4 @ 11 am -1:30pm @ 1419 V St NW The headlines from today's top education stories reads: "Many public schools in D.C.’s poorest area should be transformed or shut, study says; more charters recommended" written by Bi...
The Washington Teacher - Jan 26 - 9 clicks
This is probably the least interesting (because it should be so self-evident) and yet most important paragraph in a must-read Cory Doctorow essay: In short, [proponents of more aggressive copyright enforcement] made unrealistic demands on reality and reality did not oblige them. Copying only got easier following the passage of these laws—copying will only ever [...]...
Notes from the Lounge - Jan 25 - 6 clicks
Here's a video I shot of this angry belligerent man at the Occupy Congress event outside the U.S. Capitol Building on January 17. As this guy was yelling and screaming his pants dropped, revealing his boxer shorts. He even took off his shirt even though it's winter. He threatened one of the protesters with beating him up until he resembled a box of crayons. It's a miracle that no punches were th...
DailyKos (DC) - Jan 21
Dear Washington Teacher blog readers: I want to thank many of my loyal readers who continue to check out The Washington Teacher blog regularly. As you may have noticed, I have taken a short-term break from blogging. After writing this blog for three years, while maintaining my full-time job at DCPS- I felt the need for a little R & R (rest and relaxation.) It is my intention...
The Washington Teacher - Jan 18 - 8 clicks
As some regular DKE folks may know, I am a (lonely) advocate for retrocession as the solution to the reprehensible disenfranchisement of the District of Columbia. I attend university just miles into Prince George's County across the state line; I currently work part-time in downtown Washington, D.C. To my way of thinking, D.C. is just too small to be a state, but it's too big and too integral to...
DailyKos (DC) - Jan 13
With Ron Paul’s now-infamous newsletters once again making headlines, I mulled whether I ought to revisit the issue, but ultimately decided that there wasn’t much to add to the long piece Dave Weigel and I wrote for Reason back in 2008, especially since I’d already elaborated in a couple blog postscripts written shortly after that [...]...
Notes from the Lounge - Dec 27
Jessie and I are shipping down to Washington DC on a bus right now. By the time most of you read this, we will have arrived. "We're blessed with idiots for enemies," says Jessie as we pass through Annapolis. "If you can afford a yacht, then you can afford slightly higher taxes than the rest of it. I don't want to hear you whining about how you can only afford a 100 footer instead of a 15...
DailyKos (DC) - Dec 15 - 16 clicks
This is an op-ed piece published in the N.Y. Times newspaper. It is a must read. Who better to tell the story of school reform than a DC middle-class parent who has lived the nightmare under the direction of education deformers Rhee, Fenty and now Henderson? deformer: (n.) One who deforms. December 4, 2011 Why School Choice Fails By NATALIE HOPK...
The Washington Teacher - Dec 14 - 14 clicks
So, today’s big action at Take Back the Capital was the visiting of Congress. It was the chance for the people to go and try to talk to their representatives and let them know how the votes they take are affecting the real people of the nation. 99 Senators and Representatives were targeted (a few were Blue Dog Dems, most were Republicans) for a visit. I decided that I would tag along wit...
DailyKos (DC) - Dec 6
There have been so many that they're all blurring together. And I periodically am surprised to hear there was another one. Eg the CNN-Heritage Foundation Debate in DC's Constitution Hall, where the radio stations that afternoon were all discussing serious traffic delays due to an "event", but I only found out much later that night that it was because there was a debate. That's probably because t...
DailyKos (DC) - Dec 3
I’ll lay off Occupy and turn to the exponentially more objectionable treatment of them by authorities after this, but this is sort of what I was talking about in the previous post: Authorities removed protesters Saturday evening from an abandoned school in downtown Washington that had been entered by members or sympathizers of the Occupy [...]...
Notes from the Lounge - Nov 21
By Candi Peterson In the midst of upcoming contract negotiations, there are big plans ahead to close our traditional public schools. Never in our history has been there been a greater need for teachers and school personnel to have an effective union. Our very future as educators and the future of our students will be determined by how vigorously we, alongside parents an...
The Washington Teacher - Nov 7
By Candi Peterson Empower DC , a well respected community grassroots organization hosted a gathering on Thursday evening, November 3 at the Dorothy Height Library to discuss DC's plans to close more traditional public schools. People assembled from all walks of life including Ward 7 residents, parents, teachers, former principals, nurses, representatives of Teamsters-local 639, ...
The Washington Teacher - Nov 3
DC GOVERNMENT IS PLANNING ON CLOSING MORE SCHOOLS! Did you know that the Deputy Mayor for Education (De’Shawn Wright) has hired a Chicago based firm to do a study on how DC neighborhoods are served by the public school system ? (traditional, public and charter) ...
The Washington Teacher - Oct 31
See bottom for explanation. I'm a Facebook fan of one of my favorite radio stations, and this afternoon they posted a tornado warning for a few counties in the DC area. This piqued my interest (what a surprise), so I went to the radar to look. No warnings. Not even any rotation. I checked the NWS and a few other sources. No warnings. I looked at the warning archive. No warnings sin...
DailyKos (DC) - Oct 26
I finally got around to editing the videos I shot at the Occupy DC protest on October 8. To make viewing easier on you, I paired it down into three separate videos. ...
DailyKos (DC) - Oct 23
I made the rare weekday appearance at the Occupy DC site in McPherson Square, where they held a noonday action against the Bank of America. There weren't as many people hanging around as on the weekend but they were pretty dedicated, even though it was cold and windy. ...
DailyKos (DC) - Oct 23
I made another attempt to check out the new Occupy movement that has sprung up all over the country that is actively challenging the status quo. All of the various Occupy movements all over the world attempted to have a global day of resistance . In New York, this led to arrests as the protesters converged on Times Square . In Rome it was far worse— the protests turned violent . ...
DailyKos (DC) - Oct 23
On October 8 I celebrated my increasingly good health by finally making an appearance at the Occupy DC protest at McPherson Square. I started my day by doing my hip exercises then preparing for the trip. I packed my laptop, my smartphone, and my iPod Touch. I also decided to carry a portable folding chair that I purchased for $9.99 at Wal-Mart a few months ago because I wasn't sure if the park w...
DailyKos (DC) - Oct 23
I had the pleasure of doing an interview with DC journalist, Pete Tucker who writes the FightBack blog and covers local news stories the main stream media shys away from. We were streaming live from Occupy DC. I hope you will read his article (below) and check out my interview @ http://thefightback.org/ Thanks, Candi Silencing Dissent:...
The Washington Teacher - Oct 22
Update: The tornado threat for the immediate DC area has diminished for now, but there is still a tornado watch in effect for parts of Northern VA, Maryland, DC and Delaware for the next few hours. There are still some rotating thunderstorms down near Spotsylvania VA moving north, roughly parallel with I-95. The DC suburbs should keep an eye on them, and they'll start posing an issue in another...
DailyKos (DC) - Oct 13
Dear supporters of the Occupy movement: We in DC are facing the challenge of supporting two squares worth of folks from the very beginning of an occupation--in other words, we are trying to get twice as many people and logistics off the ground simultaneously. We are also facing the challenge that some people do not want to support both groups. So I'm going to post separate appeals on a fai...
DailyKos (DC) - Oct 11
I have heard from a member of OccupyDC that they are in urgent need of food (vegetarian) for the next couple of days. Apparently, there is some difficulty with the livestream and setting up pizza delivery, part of which is due to MacPherson Sq having crummy cellular coverage. So definitely for the next few days, we in the DC area need to come together and bring our community food. I...
DailyKos (DC) - Oct 10
It’s no coincidence that the rise of the American chain restaurant coincides pretty neatly with the automobile’s shift from an aristocratic toy to a mass means of transportation. As society grew more mobile, a novel problem arose: As you found yourself routinely passing through areas you didn’t know intimately, how could you know where to [...]...
Notes from the Lounge - Oct 6
Written by Candi Peterson It's official, I have been ousted from my elected position within the Washington Teachers' Union, AFL-CIO, Local 6 on September 19, 2011 by WTU President Nathan Saunders. Get this, the revocation of my leave of absence from DCPS, was authored by none other than Nathan Saunders and co-signed by Jason Kamras, Deputy Chancellor of the District of Columb...
The Washington Teacher - Sep 19
Hiya Kossacks! Okay so I am finally an East Coaster and ready to meet up with any and all of the fellow Kossacks in the DC- Baltimore area! Who is interested? Where should we meet? When should we meet? These are all the questions that need to answered before we can actually meet! I am now living in Damascus MD, and that is pretty much the same distance from the Capitol as it is from Baltim...
DailyKos (DC) - Sep 14
My son Jackson Hamilton, who has put in more time as a progressive activist at age 19 than most liberals do in a lifetime, decided his journey to liberal Evergreen State College on the left coast from South Carolina should be "Epic." On Sunday night, a deliberately chosen September 11th., he boarded the Amtrak Silver Meteor in Charleston, SC to begin a 3000 mile, four day railroad Odyssey from...
DailyKos (DC) - Sep 13
Tahlequah, OK, USA – Perhaps hoping for the sort of instant notoriety gained last year by Quran-burning Florida pastor Terry Jones, a little-known clergyman in the Ozark Mountain foothills says, “God has changed my heart: I now do believe that the Almighty does use disasters to punish the sinful and ungodly.” For decades, The Rev. Martin Thrasher had dismissed the likes of Jerry Falwell and Pa...
DailyKos (DC) - Aug 29
Thankfully, there were no fatalities reported as a result of yesterday's 5.9 magnitude earthquake that rocked the east coast. Yet, ten years after 9/11 and after countless dollars spent "securing the nation's capital," D.C. was still thrown into chaos after the quake. The Washington Post reports on the quake evidence the lack of preparedness: It was not a killer quake, nor even a par...
DailyKos (DC) - Aug 24
Disclaimer: I am not writing in my official capacity as WTU General Vice President, but rather as an announced candidate in the 2013 WTU elections and WTU member. Candi Peterson Michelle Rhee is refusing to talk to USA Today reporters about the testing cheating scandal that occurred on her watch while she was DC Public Schools Chancellor (2007-10). Hmmmm inquiring minds...
The Washington Teacher - Aug 24
A recent New York Times profile of several young male trend setting DC journalists known as the "Brat Pack" inspired Good Magazine Executive Editor Ann Friedman to write a piece on the "DC Lady Journo Mafia." Friedman recounted a meeting composed of several female journalists to discuss barriers that women journalists face in the industry. “Everyone’s gotten a little bit older and a little...
DailyKos (DC) - Aug 22
and affecting the Canadian stock market adversely, meaning my investments, registered retirement plan, spending by Canadians and jobs. Damage to our economy, caused by your problems, will hurt our social fabric and it will be your fault. This is the second time a US problem (first, insufficient oversight of finanical institutions and now a combination - of profligacy, foreign wars for n...
DailyKos (DC) - Aug 22
Written by Candi Peterson So it seems that there was another round of DC teacher positions eliminated by the District of Columbia Public Schools. Inside sources report that ten teachers were excessed on July 16, 2011 from the DCPS Mentor Teacher program (formerly known as the Helping Teachers program).This leaves approximately fifteen DCPS teachers to men...
The Washington Teacher - Jul 24 - 4 clicks
Your view: Transgender bill is about dignity, not child safety is a heart-warming letter to the editor of SouthCoast Today by Albert Hess of New Bedford. I most whole-heartedly ask you to read it. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and talks like a duck where should the duck go to the bathroom? ... The outrage and injustice here is the imposition of outdated sexual more...
DailyKos (DC) - Jul 22 - 5 clicks
Written by Candi Peterson DC Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson issued “You’re fired letters" this past week to 206 DC teachers. Before DC teachers knew of their own fate, the mainstream media had received a lengthy DCPS press packet on Friday, July 15 from the Office of the Chancellor ( OOC ) lauding teacher terminations and celebr...
The Washington Teacher - Jul 17 - 4 clicks
Please Join Washington Teachers' Union for a Special Event! Saturday, June 18, 2011 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm Premiere Screening & Panel Discussion Benning Public Library 3935 Benning Road, NE Washington, DC 20019 Please join WTU President Nathan Saunders, General Vice President Candi Peterson, community ...
The Washington Teacher - Jun 15 - 3 clicks
Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) has learned that DC Public Schools will be holding a Transfer Fair, tomorrow, June 2nd. The details are below. Elementary School/Early Childhood Educators, Social Workers, and Special Education Teachers DCPS Educators interested in transferring schools and excessed teachers interested in interviewing for a teaching position for School Year 2011-2012 are invi...
The Washington Teacher - Jun 1
It is Memorial Day Weekend, and that means hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists will come to the Washington, DC area to have a nice party. A nice party for them, and another peaceful Memorial Day ruined for thousands of residents and visitors, who are forced to endure the hammeringly loud pipes and stinking fumes which have enveloped the city on this weekend for over 20 years. Here is a form...
DailyKos (DC) - May 27 - 3 clicks
In one fell swoop. Watch the beautiful, almost ballet-like coordination you'll see. Video below the squiggldyjibbet. ...
DailyKos (DC) - May 23 - 4 clicks
The execrable Joe Scarborough , on President Obama's decision to bring Osama bin Laden to justice: Here, you know, I think Republicans should stand up and certainly salute Barack Obama for making some—again, for making some very tough choices that his own base did not want him to make . That takes courage, that takes leadership, and we saw the results of that courage and leadership saying n...
DailyKos (DC) - May 2
April 27, 2011 - COLUMBIA HEIGHTS - Many Languages One Voice (MLOV) and the DC Language Access Coaltion (DCLAC) presented a film screening Wednesday night to promote and raise funds for "Communities in Translation," a film by documentarian Robert Winn about language barriers during the Mount Pleasant fire of 2008. The screening included short clips from eight documentary films about immigrant ...
DailyKos (DC) - Apr 29 - 4 clicks
I think that if more mainstream papers actually try to report on stories that actually connect to people of color, the poor, the working class, those who work in less glamorous jobs, etc., then maybe those papers would actually get people to care enough to purchase an actual newspaper instead of reading it for free on the Internet. Case in point: I saw this story published on the front page ...
DailyKos (DC) - Apr 18
Written By Candi Peterson Approximately 300 teachers, school personnel, city workers, union and community members protested outside The Washington Post building on Friday, April 15. This day was selected because it coincided with a day-off furlough for DCPS employees and DC government workers. The protest was organized by the Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) against the Post due to their b...
The Washington Teacher - Apr 16 - 3 clicks
Death and taxes are the only certainties in life. And these days, they go hand in hand. While our fiscal woes have led Congress to slash food aid this year to the world’s poor -- rest assured, fellow Americans -- the U.S. government will keep using your tax dollars to kill them. For while John Boehner and Barack Obama might disagree on some things, there's one area they can agree on: War. An...
DailyKos (DC) - Apr 14
WA RAGE EQPROFITS " DETAILS WHAT: WTU Furlough Day Rally WHEN: April 15, 2011, 10:30 am WHERE: Washington Post Building, 1150 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC WHY: The Washington Post has buried the truth about education reform in DC! T...
The Washington Teacher - Apr 13
Politico has named Washington, DC as the biggest loser in the government shutdown farce. As a long-time DC resident, I am tired of being tread upon. I think it's time to take concrete steps to seize our freedom. Therefore, I have drafted a Constitutional amendment (below) to secure our sovereignty. The amendment is designed to address some of the usual political obstacles to the DC stateho...
DailyKos (DC) - Apr 9
The government may shut down, but the bars in Washington will be hopping with thousands of furloughed federal workers with extra time on their hands and reason to drink. It’ll be a great place to meet someone new. So, for all you “non-essentials” out there, here are the top 10 “government shutdown pick-up Lines,” courtesy of Twitter’s finest. WARNING: Cringe-inducing puns ahead. If you get half ...
The Zaftig Redhead - Apr 8
by Candi Peterson Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Remember back in 2008, OSSE (Office of the State Superintendent of Education in DC) requested that McGraw Hill Testing Company conduct an erasure analysis due to abnormally high (statistically improbable) proficiency rates on standardized tests conducted in Washington, DC during April 2008? This computerized analysis reveale...
The Washington Teacher - Apr 3
Live in DC and want to join me on Monday night at GWU for some truth about what Wal-Mart creates for workers from actual workers in the supply chain to the stores? Here's a little teaser about the SweatFree Communities tour: The tour will raise awareness about the deliberate system created by Walmart -- the world's biggest company -- that keeps workers in a cycle of low wages, no voice on th...
Women Unions - Mar 30 - 3 clicks
Petula Dvorak of the Washington Post asks " Where are the Angels? " It's a good question and one that deserves more of an answer than Jeanne Connolly FONA foundation head gave her in her letter to the editor . ...
DailyKos (DC) - Mar 16 - 2 clicks
cross-posted from Sum of Change WASHINGTON, DC: Demonstrations were planned in over 60 U.S. cities today to show solidarity with workers in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and wherever workers' rights are under attack. I stopped in at the Rally to Save the American Dream here in DC, at Dupont Circle, where we heard from a number of speakers, including Van Jones. ...
DailyKos (DC) - Mar 16 - 3 clicks
By Candi Peterson In 2008, approximately 75 probationary teachers were fired at the direction of then Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson. In 2008, Henderson sent an email to DC Public Schools principals indicating that if they wanted to get rid of probationary teachers they could simply click on a link listing the names of teachers from their schools. On March 10, 2011 - some of these ...
The Washington Teacher - Mar 11
The USA PATRIOT Act: We railed against it when Bush was in office. We rightly mock the Tea Party members who say they love the Constitution but vote to keep it around. But in less than 90 days, Congress stands to reauthorize surveillance powers of the Patriot Act. Right about now seems a good time to protest. When: Saturday, March 12. Noon to 2 pm. Where: West sid...
DailyKos (DC) - Mar 9
Last Saturday a protest expressing solidarity with the one in Madison, Wisconsin called “The Rally To Save the American Dream” occurred at DuPont Circle in Washington, DC. The protest was short, beginning at 12:00 Noon and ending at roughly 1:30 PM. It was organized by a coalition of progressive organizations including Move-on and Democracy for America. Union representation was also strong and i...
DailyKos (DC) - Mar 5
By Candi Peterson Kaya Henderson, Interim Chancellor of DC Public Schools recently delivered remarks at the Teach for America (TFA) 20th Anniversary Summit. Hosted by Teach for America founder and CEO, the event drew what was referred to as an "all-star lineup of education, government, and social justice leaders," including TFA alum, Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor of DC Public Schools. ...
The Washington Teacher - Mar 2
Friends, I'm sure you have also been watching the events as they unfold in Wisconsin. It's democracy at work, and much is at stake. I am so frustrated, because the unions have agreed to the benefit cuts so long as they can keep their collective bargaining rights. However, the new asshat of a governor has said he will not negotiate. How crazy. That's not democracy, and he's not a dictator. Other r...
The Zaftig Redhead - Feb 22 - 4 clicks
Friday, February 18, 2011 Mayor Vincent C. Gray Government of the District of Columbia Executive Office of the Mayor 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 316 Washington, DC 20004 RE: Alternatives to Furloughs SENT BY MAIL Dea...
The Washington Teacher - Feb 19
Nigeria’s Reform Candidate Pat Utomi (Reform Party candidate) Meets DC Media Feb. 16-18 to discuss Jobs, Reform, Security, Energy, Investments and many will ask questions of the Top Presidential Candidate’s Agenda. We (InterNet Ways n Means) are co-sponsors of the Nigerian Business Summitt Feb. 17, 2011. As reported by Eagle View Capital Strategies Dr. Utomi keynotes a unique business develo...
DailyKos (DC) - Feb 15 - 3 clicks
. . . and by "best," we generally mean "most amusing to those of us who don't believe that Barack Obama is a Kenyan communist dedicated to melting all guns and gold owned by Americans for metal to forge a 2 mile tall statue of Stokely Carmichael beheading Ronald Reagan." Although I live just a mile or so from the Marriott Wardman Park, where the CPACkers flock to buy insane crap and listen t...
DailyKos (DC) - Feb 14 - 4 clicks
By Candi Peterson The Balanced Budget Furlough Emergency Act of 2011 which calls for furloughs of DC government employees has caught the attention of all of us. Budget cuts have been no stranger to the District of Columbia public schools (DCPS). Teachers, school personnel and students have often had to bear the brunt of administrator over-spending. In fiscal year 2010, under the R...
The Washington Teacher - Feb 13
By Candi Peterson, WTU General Vice President Furloughs without pay are on the horizon for District government employees. Exempt from the furloughs are police officers and fire fighters as their furloughs would impair public health and/or public safety , in addition to, a handful of independent District agencies . Vincent Gray, although exempt from the furlough days a...
The Washington Teacher - Feb 6
By Candi Peterson, WTU General Vice President For the first time ever, the Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) sponsored an Education Transition Summit on Tuesday, January 25 at the Kellogg Conference Center. Of late, teacher turnout has been low at union sponsored events due to what amounts in my opinion to a disenfranchised membership. I arrived at the event shortly before it started and could...
The Washington Teacher - Jan 27
As promised, Washington Teachers' Union will host a meeting on Wednesday, January 26 from 4:15- 6:30 pm at: Peoples Congregational Church 4704 13th St NW, Washington, DC 20011 WTU Legal Counsel will be present to answer Rif'd teachers questions about the upcoming court case scheduled before Judge Bartnoff on January 28. ...
The Washington Teacher - Jan 25
So, this is the banner that greeted everyone this morning at McPherson Metro station, and I can't agree more! I was thinking the other day about growing up before Fox. There were lots of incidents of violence like the 68 Riots in Chicago, Kent State, even the air traffic controllers who were handcuffed and lead away in clear view of cameras. There were incidents, yes, but the stomping of th...
Women Unions - Oct 27
U.S. employment is expected to go up 10 percent in the next decade, but there are some professions that are expected to see their ranks shrink. The reasons vary –- from outsourcing, to technology and the economy. As high school seniors start scoping out colleges and thinking about what they want to be when they grow up, it’s a good idea to take a look at the broader jobs landscape –- what the F...
The Zaftig Redhead - Oct 9
