Buy This Photo

“;
aryZooms[imgCounter] = “javascript: NewWindow(870,625,window.document.location+’?Template=photosimg=”+imgCounter+”‘)”;
var match = /The Record/.test(“CALIXTRO ROMIAS/The Record”);
if (match==false || “CALIXTRO ROMIAS/The Record”==”"){
document.getElementById(‘purchasePhoto’).style.display = “none”;
}
bolImages=true;

“; aryZooms[imgCounter] = “javascript: NewWindow(870,625,window.document.location+’?Template=photosimg=”+imgCounter+”‘)”;

LODI – Edilia Delgadillo sat with her son, Carlos, at Heritage Primary School and spoke about how much effort it takes the mother of four to keep her children away from the gang lifestyle.

Delgadillo, 29, lives in east Lodi off the Center Street corridor where rival Latino gang members are known to clash.

“It’s scary. I don’t like to walk down the street anymore,” Delgadillo said of the rise in Lodi gang activity. “I have to be on top of it. I have to know his friends’ parents or he doesn’t get to hang out with them.”

Delgadillo is rightly vigilant, Lodi Police gang detectives said at a community forum for Heritage sixth-graders and their parents last week. Gang activity is on the rise in Lodi, and Carlos, a 12-year-old boy who has family friends and neighbors who are involved in gangs, is a prime candidate to be a recruit.

Delgadillo adds that he has a learning disability, and was kicked out of one school before attending Heritage, where he has thrived because of dedicated teachers, she said. But prior poor school performance, in addition to peer pressure, put her son at risk.

And that risk is higher than ever in Lodi where gang activity is more prevalent and violent than ever and children being recruited are younger than ever, Maria Cervantes said, offering up evidence from one writing assignment asking for opinions on gangs from a sixth-grade class at her school:

“I think being in a gang is a good thing because it looks like you and you get more respect. Also, you don’t have to worry about anything,” the anonymous child wrote. “I would want to drop out of school because when I try on tests I get a bad score. If I drop out, I’d watch TV and play games.”

It’s the exact student officials want to reach.

“If we don’t reach them by junior high, we’re probably not going to reach them,” Police Chief Mark Helms said.

Gang activity in Lodi is decidedly less than that in larger cities, such as Stockton or Sacramento, but the problem is real and growing, according to a city analysis:

» The number of documented gang members in Lodi has hit an all-time high of 217;

» One-hundred documented gang members in Lodi are juveniles;

» There were 253 gang-related crimes in 2011, from 203 in 2010;

» Violent gang crimes, such as shootings and stabbings, increased from 42 in 2010 to 63 in 2011;

» There was a near four-fold increase in gun-related charges among gang members in 2011. There were eight in 2010, 30 in 2012.

City leaders and police officials are making a concerted effort to curb rising gang violence among the Norteños and Sureños gangs in a one-square-mile radius bounded by Locust Street, Kettleman Lane, Cherokee Lane and Sacramento Street.

Gang violence on the east side resulted in the city’s only two homicides in 2011, and an uptick in documented gang members and weapons arrests has city leaders on edge.

Mayor Joanne Mounce, an east side resident who has seen the violence overtake parts of her own neighborhood, declared gang suppression as one of her top priorities this year. Helms expanded his gang unit by two officers and he is actively searching for resources, such as grants, to help add more prevention measures.

Article source: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120206/A_NEWS/202060318/-1/NEWSMAP

On Feb. 11 you can support the local 4-H kids at their Sweetheart Dinner and Dessert Auction. The event begins at 5 p.m. at the McCay Hall in Catheys Valley. The adult meal costs $8; kids 12 and younger eat for $5. For more information, call Julie at (209) 966-2432.

Also on Feb. 11, the Lincoln Day Dinner will be held at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds, just south of town on Highway 49. Shawn Steel, Republican National Committee member, is scheduled to speak. Cocktails will be served at 5:30 p.m. and dinner is at 6. Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased at Happy Burger Diner or Trent’s Styling for His and Hers. For more information, call Dotty Ducret at (209) 742-6467 or Rich Westfall at (209) 966-6276.

The American Association of University Women is sponsoring its annual AAUW-CA Eleanor Stem Allen Memorial Speech Trek Competition. The Mariposa Branch of AAUW invites all local high school students to participate by drafting a five-minute speech addressing the topic, “Bullying: So What?” With close to 50 percent of school students admitting to being bullied, and 25 percent of school students no longer feeling safe at school, community leaders, teachers, parents and others believe awareness of this issue needs to be raised.

Mountain Crisis Services and the Ethos Youth Center are working with AAUW and Mariposa’s Project Respect coordinator, Aaron Marcus. Representatives from these organizations will be on hand to film the speeches and provide additional resources for anyone interested.

The speech contest will be held at Mariposa County High School on Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top 10 competitors. The student placing first will advance to the state semifinals in Sacramento.

For details about the competition, call Kris Casto at (209) 377-8203 or visit online at www.aauwmariposa.com. For more information about Project Respect, visit www.mariposarespect.org, or email Marcus at aaron@mcs4you.org.

January is over and there’s a lot to do to connect with neighbors and get ready for spring. Days like this are too good to be wasted indoors, so I think I’ll step outside to work in the yard and soak up some sunshine.

Debbie Croft writes about life in the foothill communities. She can be reached at composed@tds.net.

Article source: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/02/04/2217302/debbie-croft-plenty-to-do-before.html

If you live in either California or Oklahoma, your tax dollars have recently been used in attempt to ban “violent video games”. Here’s the latest tax wasting, first amendment violating, laws that have tried to been passed in the respective states.

California
Back in 2005, Senator Leland Yee and his peace loving buddy Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (you know, that guy from the children’s movie The Terminator) introduced and signed bill AB1179, which banned the sale of “violent” video games to anyone under 18. Anyone caught, no matter if it was knowingly or unknowingly, would be fined $1,000 for each video game sold. The ESA and the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) fought to have the bill overturned. 

During the court hearings in 2007, Schwarzenegger stated that he intended to  ”vigorously defend this law” and that California has  ”a responsibility to our kids and our communities to protect against the effects of games that depict ultra-violent actions.” To our knowledge, he hasn’t spoke out against his violent movies, which feature the same or in some cases more violence and gore than the video games he was so desperate to “protect” kids from. Later in 2007, the court ruled at the law obviously violated the First Amendment.

The judgement was appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court but was affirmed in 2009. Undeterred, Schwarzenegger once again decided to waste tax dollars and decided to appeal the case to the Supreme Court in May 2009. A few years later in 2011, the Supreme Court ruled the law as unconstitutional on the basis of both the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

In January of this year, the bankrupt state of California had to agree to pay the Entertainment Software Association $950,000 in legal fees from the supreme court case. This is on top of the legal reimbursements from the 2008 case against video games, bringing the total California has paid the ESA to $1,327,000. The ESA has plans to donate some of the money to “develop after-school educational programs for undeserved communities in Oakland and Sacramento”, where that money should have went in the first place instead of being used to fight against people’s rights. The money paid to the ESA is just the beginning, California also has to front the costs of the resources wasted during the cases. which is likely more than what they had to pay to the ESA.

Oklahoma
Apparently someone didn’t get the memo from the California cases. Oklahoma State Representative Will Fourkiller (and apparent Geo Cities user) has introduced bill HB2696, which proposes an excise tax of 1% on “violent video games”. The bill defines “violent” video games as anything with a ESRB rating of Teen or higher. This means games such as Guitar Hero, The Sims and many gambling games would be placed on the same “violence” level as say Manhunt or Postal. 

The bill states that proceeds from the tax would go into new funds dedicated to childhood outdoor education and preventing bullying. While that’s a good cause, the money should be taken from the funds and Fourkiller’s own salary that will be, and all ready has been, wasted on the mere drafting and proposal of this bill, not a tax on our rights.

In a statement to Ars Technica, Fourkiller stated ”Not everybody is going to react the same, but I believe after hours and hours of watching the screen, playing the video game, being that person and taking on that role, people get desensitized.” Ars has asked Fourkiller for clarification on his statement, but has not yet responded.

The best part of this bill is that Fourkiller has introduced it under the emergency rules clause. Fourkiller’s reason for this is because  it is ”immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety.” The bill is scheduled to be read on the House floor next week.

–

These two states are not the first to introduce tax wasting laws and apparently won’t be the last. If you live in the United States, please stop voting for people like Leland Yee, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Will Fourkiller. The only way they’ll learn is when they are unable to spend anymore of your hard-earned tax dollars on useless laws that will never be passed.

Sources: ESA, Joystiq, Ars Technica

Article source: http://www.rockstarwatch.net/news/1188/Your-tax-dollars-at-waste/

With programs dealing with health care, financial literacy, electrical safety, water awareness, smoking prevention, recycling, wise energy use, renewable energy, nutrition, bullying prevention, and more – NTC is proof that theatre can educate even as it entertains. Its outreach programs are entirely underwritten by corporate, non-profit and governmental sponsors who want to be associated with delivering healthy-living messages to students and their families. Some of these sponsors include Duke Energy, AEP, Bank of the West, TVA, American Water and more. NTC performs over 7,000 times a year throughout the country, actively engaging 2.8 million students and parents through its programming. And that number is rising.

“We are thrilled to have David and Maureen at NTC,” Bob Beverage, Vice President of NTC, said. “They bring extensive experience in building relationships with corporate sponsors. As we look to grow our business, David and Maureen will be the foundation of our business for years to come.”

Maureen joins NTC after many years working in the television industry as the Vice President and Sales Manager at Avery Knodel and SelTel in NYC. She also served on the Board of Directors and has an extensive background as a professional volunteer in schools coordinating programs such as Destination ImagiNation and Curtain Call Club. As a Director of Business Development in Health and Wellness at NTC, Maureen will be responsible for developing client relationships for touring programs in the areas of obesity prevention, personal hygiene, smoking prevention and bullying-prevention (among others).

Prior to joining NTC, David spent over 20 years in the promotional marketing and financial industries. He enjoyed roles of increasing responsibility, leading to Vice President, Sales positions. He was instrumental in the rapid growth of Young America Corporation by contributing thought leadership and adding major national accounts, such as Walgreens, PG, Sears, Lexmark and OfficeMax, to the company’s portfolio of clients. As Director, Business Development for Financial Education, David will focus his efforts on developing sponsorships for NTC’s financial literacy and investor education programs.

“NTC’s mission is ‘Helping you reach the future,’ and we measure everything we do against creating success for our clients and the communities they serve,” stated Eddie Eames, Manager, Sales and Marketing. In the last few years alone, NTC has almost doubled revenue, significantly increasing employee headcount and number of actors on the road. “We are expanding, hiring new talent and developing new platforms and media to connect with students and families. It’s a way to help our sponsors grow their businesses as well as our own,” says Eames.

About NTC

NTC works with organizations that have a mission, goal or mandate to make a real difference in their communities by delivering entertaining and engaging educational programs designed to motivate families, students and educators. Our turn-key, multiplatform programming utilizes a combination of live events, print curriculum, Internet and television to impact your key stakeholders at the local, regional and/or national level. We focus on current societal issues that are important to a company, encouraging audiences to undertake specific actions that will benefit them and their community. Founded in 1978, NTC’s success is built around delivering high quality, entertaining and educational professional theatre to K-12 students throughout the country – and through those students, actively engage parents, families and their communities, at large. We strive to improve the future through our children. For more information, please visit the NTC Web site at www.ntccorporate.com or call 1-800-858-3999.

For more information: Katie Miesen, Director of Sales Marketing, kmiesen@ntccorporate.com or 612-677-2802

SOURCE NTC

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/03/4237416/ntc-creates-new-department-to.html

BBC director-general Mark Thompson said “a campaign of bullying and harassment” against the broadcaster had worsened in recent months.

Thompson said in a blog post that last week the sister of a BBC Persian staff member was detained and held in solitary confinement in a Tehran prison. She has since been released.

He said it was one of several occasions on which employees’ relatives have been detained and “urged to get their relatives in London to either stop working for the BBC, or to ‘cooperate’ with Iranian intelligence officials.”

Thompson said staff members’ email and Facebook accounts had been hacked, and they had faced false accusations of sexual assault, drug trafficking and financial crimes in official Iranian media outlets.

Diplomatic relations between Britain and Iran have deteriorated as tensions mount over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

Britain downgraded ties with Iran following a major attack on its embassy in Tehran in November, which it insists was sanctioned by the Islamic republic’s ruling elite.

After the attack, Britain pulled all of its diplomats out of Iran and expelled Iranian diplomats from U.K. soil.

Iran has repeatedly jammed the broadcasts of BBC’s Persian-language service and other international broadcasters, and last month Britain’s broadcast regulator revoked the license of state-owned Iranian channel Press TV. It insisted the move was not politically motivated.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said Iran’s harassment was part of a wave of arrests against journalists and bloggers ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for next month.

“Detaining a BBC reporter’s relative seems to be part of a wider campaign to harass Iranian journalists by putting pressure on them and their families,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, the group’s Middle East director.

“The recent wave of arrests, especially against relatives of journalists working abroad, is a reprehensible escalation in the current campaign to stifle freedom of information in Iran.”

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/03/4236794/bbc-accuses-iran-of-intimidating.html

For many parents, one of the main attractions of a small high school just east of Rosemont is what it doesn’t have.

“We do not have fights. We do not have theft,” said Allegra Alessandri, principal of George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science.

The Rancho Cordova school, the first-ever Waldorf-inspired public high school in the nation, is one of the Sacramento City Unified School District’s five small high schools. Alessandri said the school’s students get a mix of practical and theoretical education, and its teachers “help students develop as good, strong human beings.”

George Washington Carver replaced America’s Choice High School, one of the small high schools the district built with grant money that included a $4 million grant in 2001 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Alessandri described that school as “failing,” and said only one teacher from that era still teaches at George Washington Carver.

Two weeks ago, parents and prospective students toured the campus, sitting in on classes and looking over the colorful, hand-drawn textbooks students create each year.

Sheri Bethoney, a parent of two Albert Einstein Middle School students, attended the tour and said she’s leaning toward the Waldorf-inspired high school for her kids.

“It’s a smaller school and I think there will be more attention paid to the students than in a larger school system, where the kids get lost,” Bethoney said, adding that her kids have had problems with bullying at Einstein.

Carver’s enrollment from Rosemont has risen

The Sacramento City Unified School District’s open enrollment window is currently open, and many parents are in the process of deciding where their kids will attend school next year. George Washington Carver has drawn more Rosemont students each year in the four years it’s been open, according to district stats.

During the 2009-10 school year, 85 students living in Rosemont attended George Washington Carver, while 1,352 attended Rosemont High School. In the 2010-11 school year, Carver drew 108 from the Rosemont area while Rosemont High School drew 1,302.

By design, Carver is a much smaller school–Alessandri estimates its current enrollment at about 290 students–and the principals of both schools say they aren’t in competition for students.

“I think it fits the kind of students who want to see a smaller school with more of a Waldorf focus to it,” Rosemont High School Principal Leise Martinez said in an interview in September. “The high school experience is sort of quintessential Americana, but realistically it’s not for everyone.”

Alessandri agreed, saying that students who will attend Carver are often the type who don’t fit in well at a large, traditional high school.

“I think kids have to be interested in an alternative approach to learning, which includes creativity (and) hands-on learning,” she said in October.

During the parent tour of Carver two weeks ago, many prospective students came from Waldorf-style or other non-traditional schools, but some came from Einstein as well.

“Each year we have a huge group of students who come from Einstein,” Alessandri said.

Kenneth Reeser, whose daughter is an eighth-grader at the Rosemont middle school, said Einstein has “terrible academics” and poor communication between the staff and parents.

Albert Einstein Principal Garrett Kirkland, in his first year at the school, has said he’s working to improve that middle school. Last spring, Einstein’s Academic Performance Index scores were the third best of the district’s middle schools.

Donna Hager, a College-Glen resident whose daughter attends Bradshaw Christian School, said the smaller size of Carver seemed like it would be “a little less stressful than a regular public school.”

“Rosemont High School wouldn’t even be an option,” Hager said, saying she’s concerned about violence at that campus.

Note: A story on violence at Rosemont and Einstein is forthcoming on Rosemont Patch.

While Alessandri was quick to tout Carver’s strong points during the tour–math requirements that exceed University of California entry standards, a seventh-period “Waldorf Wheel” class of rotating electives, art that plays a major role in the classroom–she also encouraged parents to decide whether the school was “the right kind of community (and) mood” for their kids.

If they decide it’s the right school for them, the prospective students will have to apply by turning in something describing themselves. But in what can be characterized as typical style for the Waldorf-inspired school, students’ applications have included essays, poems, songs, plays, a quilt or a batch of homemade baklava.

–

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science is located at 10101 Systems Parkway in Rancho Cordova. More information is available at http://www.carverartsandscience.org/.

–

Related:

• Stats: Where Do Rosemont Kids Attend High School?

Note: This is the second part in a series about enrollment at Rosemont High School and Albert Einstein Middle School. Click here to read part one. Next: Some parents say they’re concerned about violence at Einstein and Rosemont. Is there actually more violence at those campuses?

Article source: http://rosemont.patch.com/articles/many-in-rosemont-consider-waldorf-style-school

“First, we applaud the U.S. Forest Service for following the law and allowing the memorial to remain,” said Jeff Mateer, General Counsel for Liberty Institute. “Second, We stand firmly at the ready to defend our client against the bullying tactics of groups hostile to our client’s private religious speech.  The First Amendment prohibits government discrimination against this private historic veterans memorial simply because of its religious viewpoint.”

Liberty Institute is a non-profit legal firm that works to restore and defend religious freedoms in schools, churches and the public arena. The group also represented over 4 million veterans from organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The American Legion, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart in a case to protect the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial from being torn down by the ACLU, winning a huge victory at the U.S. Supreme Court. Visit www.LibertyInstitute.org for more information.

SOURCE Liberty Institute

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/01/4231470/liberty-institute-ready-to-defend.html

While most eyes are on Mitt Romney’s tax returns or Facebook’s IPO, a month-old legislative session under downtown Sacramento’s Capitol dome is currently churning out brand-new bills every day—hundreds since session began on January 4—in addition to making over old bills.

Some of these bills don’t have the buzz worthiness of single-payer health care or the budget, but are still living and breathing and out there. For now. Here are a noteworthy 10—some vital, some divisive, some doomed to failure, some just kinda out there—that may or may not make the cut and get inked into law.

Ride the lightning, err, gondola

On the lighter side of the Capitol push-and-pull: gondola rides. That’s right: Senate Bill 346 argues that gondolas should be treated like hot-air balloons and limousines—which means people should be able to get drunk, or at least sip the booze, while enjoying a gondola ride. Additionally, the bill would define what a gondola is. Finally!

Apparently, there are at least a half-dozen companies in Southern California that offer romantic gondola cruises. They, of course, support the bill. S.B. 346 hasn’t seen any serious action since April 2011, however; in July and August, Harman canceled the last two hearings in Assembly appropriations. But this could be the year, because, as they say in Venice, “Mangia e bevi che la vita un lampo”—or, “Eat and drink, because life is a lightning flash.”

No raises for UC heads

Every time UC regents or trustees raise student fees or their own salaries, Facebook and college campuses go nuts with news stories on the apparent double standard. Introduced last month, Senate Bill 967 would prevent trustees from doling out pay raises or bonuses within two fiscal years of any statewide fee increase or cut to funding.

This recently introduced bill stops short of requiring the same of UC regents—it simply asks that they “refrain” from such practices—so perhaps students will take this into their own hands?

I wanna to sext you up

From Weinergate to grade-school bullying, “sexting” is one of those digital-era issues many people don’t know how to actually do, let alone legislate.

But kids know how to sext. And so, Senate Bill 919 would both define “sexting” and also grant authority to public schools to expel or suspend students caught doing it.

Bill author, state Sen. Ted Lieu, says that students may suffer long-term distress from being subjected to sexting. But the American Civil Liberties Union is fighting the “Sexting Bill,” arguing that its definition is too broad and would allow schools to infringe on students’ civil rights. They also say the bill is redundant with existing regulations already in place that allow schools to address inappropriate behavior.

The bill, which was introduced in 2011, enjoys bipartisan support and zero opposition. Yet the appropriations committee is holding S.B. 919 until it can decide how much implementing the proposed law would cost.

Meanwhile, nearly one-in-four teens have sent nude or semi-nude photos of themselves in a text, according to Lieu’s office.

No broccoli for you

It’s important to note that cuts to public education also extend to bills that never make it through the Capitol high jinks, due to a freeze on laws that have a fiscal impact. That’s even when the law would surely benefit California students. Assembly Bill 909, the “Farm to School Bill,” is one of those victims: If made law, it would reimburse districts that obtain 80 percent of its school-lunch produce from California farms. The bill, penned by a Salinas Valley Assembly member, is currently being held “under submission” while legislators lunch at one of Midtown’s excellent slow-food, farm-to-table eateries.

What would Banksy do?

Cleaning up unwanted graffiti is costly. Just ask Sacramento’s Midtown Business Association, which has spent upward of $80,000 in a year to remove some 10,000 tags.

Enter Assembly Bill 498, which would create a graffiti-abatement fund in the state treasury. How might this work? Someone who is convicted of graffiti vandalism would have to pay a $30 fine, on top of all other fines, jail time, restitution, community service, possible imprisonment and driver’s license suspension.

Analysis from the streets includes: “Think of Keith Haring, man.” Or, “What’s next, a Skateboarding Abatement Fund to pay for grinding damages?” And “Sure, and why not a Rainy Day Yarn Bombing Endowment?”

Something fishy

Another one floundering its way upstream: Assembly Bill 88, which zeroes in on genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

The bill, which failed to make it out of committee again in January, would require genetically modified fish products to include a label that prominently displays to consumers its scientific origin. Republicans, who oppose the bill, apparently don’t care what they eat. Additionally, the biotech industry opposes the bill.

Both, in fact, question whether or not consumers actually have the right to know how their food is developed, arguing that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration already regulates food safety and that a label would falsely imply a product is dangerous.

But bill author, Assemblyman Jared Huffman, says the California salmon industry is suffering because consumers are reluctant to by products without appropriate labeling. Plus, there are a school of complaints: Thousands of fishing jobs have been lost due to GMO salmon; the ecosystem is endangered by escaped GMO fish; there are health concerns, such as the food allergies; religious groups adamantly oppose eating GMO meat products.

In the meantime: red fish, teal fish, fake fish, real fish?

Dirty dog

The proverbial Capitol red tape might extend to your pup or kittens’ stylist if recently introduced Senate Bill 969 becomes law. The bill proposes that pet groomers acquire a license and be regulated by the Veterinary Medical Board. This could be a good thing—surely all pet owners have encountered a less-than-ideal grooming experience—but it might also price out independent-business owners in favor of the Petco and PetSmarts of the world. A ruff call, for sure.

Show me your ID

File this under bills that are unlikely to ever see the light of day: Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s Assembly Bill 266, which would allow students to participate in sex-segregated school programs (such as gym class and team sports) based on their gender identity, not the gender listed on their records. Ammiano pulled the bill last week before its hearing in the education committee, perhaps because of pressure from right-wing groups such as the California Family Council.

What’s up, quack?

Let’s not get into a debate over the safety and efficacy of naturopathic medicine. Let’s simply note that Senate Bill 667, by Republican state Sen. Sharon Runner, would expand said doctors authority by giving a medical committee under the Osteopathic Medical Board of California the right to license and regulate naturopathic doctors. And the bill, which was recently held back from committee vote by the author, would also allow naturopaths to prescribe hormones, such as epinephrine, the same chemical that is released in response to stressful and situations. Such as BASE jumping off of a bridge, or sky diving. Adrenaline junky, anyone?

No helmet, no problem

Last year in New York, a motorcyclist died from a head injury—while protesting the state’s new mandatory-helmet law. This year, a Republican Assembly member’s 2011 leftover bill, Assembly Bill 695, is back and would allow persons over the age of 21 to die from head trauma caused by a crash during an anti-helmet protest. Err, it would reverse existing state law and allow anyone over 21 to not wear a safety helmet. Sexting while biking, however, would remain illegal.

Article source: http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/there-oughta-be-a-law/content?oid=5045913

California already has several laws in place to protect children from being bullied, including the California Safe Place to Learn Act located in the California Education Code §234(b) which ensures “local educational agencies continue to work to reduce discrimination, harassment, violence, intimidation, and bullying”. The current laws will be strengthened by two new laws aimed to further prevent bullying in schools.

Previously, the California Education Code §§ 32261, 32265, 32270, and 48900 defined bullying of pupils to include bullying committed by means of an electronic act, and authorizes school officials to suspend or recommend for expulsion pupils who engage in bullying. Assembly Bill 746 Ch. 72, which took effect January 1, 2012, amended §32261, to include social networking sites. The code now states “bullying, including bullying committed personally or by means of an electronic act, which includes the posting of messages on a social network Internet Website…”. Common Sense Media has developed helpful tips for parents to help combat cyber bullying.

Another new law, Assembly Bill 9 Ch. 723, sometimes referred to as Seth’s Law is set to go into effect July 1, 2012. Seth’s Law strengthens existing policies in California schools by requiring that all schools have an anti-bullying policy and more importantly, the law enacts a timeline that school officials must follow when investigating student claims of bullying.

The California Department of Education has created Frequently Asked Questions, that provide information for educators, students, families, and community safety partners who wish to educate themselves and others about effective measures to prevent bullying and respond to it. They have also created sample policies that your institution can use to implement a no bullying policy.

For more information on this and other “Everyday Law” subjects, visit the Sacramento County Public Law Library, “Providing Free Public Access to Legal Information for over 100 years.”

By Robyn M. Moltzen, Public Services Librarian
 

Article source: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/63047/Everyday_Law_New_Bullying_Laws_in_California

Voting Opens Today – February 1, National Girls Women in Sports Day

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Since 2006, Julie Foudy has been teaching girls to be leaders not only on the field, but in life through The Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy (JFSLA). Today, Foudy is excited to announce that voting is open for the first JFSLA Choose to Matter Contest. JFSLA and the new Choose to Matter initiative empower young female athletes to confidently choose to make a difference in the lives and communities around them. The innovative contest celebrates young women who are passionate leaders and change makers in their communities.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120131/DC45462)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120131/DC45462LOGO)

Participants from the three JFSLA academies and partner organization, Girl Talk, were invited to create and implement community service leadership projects during 2011 and enter their projects online on the Choose to Matter Contest website. Starting today, America will vote on these projects and select four young women to experience an opportunity of a lifetime—an all-expense paid trip to the London 2012 Olympic Games to join McDonald’s as Youth Ambassadors for McDonald’s Champions of Play program.  The Contest is made possible, in part, due to the generosity of McDonald’s and The Century Council. Second and third place prizes include sports apparel and more information can be found at contest.juliefoudyleadership.com.

“We created the Choose to Matter contest, like the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy, with one idea in mind: we believe sports give girls the tools to unlock their potential for greatness, both on the field and in life,” said Julie Foudy, former Captain and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team. “Through sports, girls build self-confidence, and they hone problem solving skills—both key attributes of strong leaders. We’ve opened the vote today— National Girls and Women in Sports Day—because we know one girl can make a positive difference. These wonderful projects prove we all can make a difference. I am so proud of these young women for taking the initiative to create a positive change in their communities, and I invite America to choose to matter by voting today!”

Watch a video message from Julie

Girls Making a Difference

At the end of last year, participants from the 2011 JFSLA programs and girls from JFSLA partner program, Girl Talk, developed and implemented community service leadership projects in their communities and entered them online for the Choose to Matter Contest. All applicants drew upon causes they are passionate about to create projects that include fighting breast cancer, anti-bullying rallies, scoring hunger ending goals, disaster relief, and other incredible causes. This year’s inaugural contest features projects developed by girls from around the country—as well as projects submitted by girls from the poorest areas of Mumbai, India, who were participants of the JFSLA program through the organization Magic Bus. Magic Bus is the first nonprofit in India to deliver high-impact programs using a sport-based curriculum for community development. To see the full line-up of more than 70 projects entered in the contest, visit contest.juliefoudyleadership.com/projects.  

Online voting opens today, February 1, 2012 and runs through February 21, 2012. The public can vote for their favorite project in four different categories: three JFSLA locations (California, Illinois and New Jersey) and the Girl Talk category. The project with the most votes per category will win the package to London. JFSLA will unveil the four winners on March 6, 2012.  Additional prizes include a $500 and $250 sports apparel shopping spree. Please visit contest.juliefoudyleadership.com for more information.

Choose to Matter and VOTE!

America can get involved and support our future young leaders by voting for the young woman they think should join Julie and McDonald’s in London. To vote, visit the Choose to Matter Contest website at contest.juliefoudyleadership.com, and cast your vote for your favorite project from each of the four categories!  On March 6, the four young women (one from each category) whose projects garner the most votes will each receive an all-expense paid trip to the London 2012 Olympic Games—and will also become junior leaders for the McDonald’s Champions of Play program. 

Choose to Matter by Spreading the News

JFSLA offers Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other ways to help rally support for these incredible young women and their projects. Become a fan of the Choose to Matter Contest as well as “Like” your favorite project on Facebook. Join the conversation by tweeting about the projects, and get the latest on the girls and the contest from Julie Foudy on the JFSLA website and YouTube.

About McDonald’s Champions of Play Program

McDonald’s recently renewed its Worldwide Sponsorship of the Olympic Games and pledged its commitment to champion generations of happy, active kids.  The company is launching the McDonald’s Champions of Play program, which focuses on balanced eating and fun play and will bring kids from around the world together for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Up to 200 children and their guardians will be selected to see the Games first-hand, and have the exclusive privilege of playing with athletes at the Olympic venues. Children are recruited through grassroots programs that will kick-off over the next few months.  The program features a Champions of Play website where Olympic athletes will inspire kids to get active and track their physical activities online through a series of engaging challenges.  In addition, special Happy Meal packaging and in-restaurant materials, such as Champions of Play Playbooks and Fun Times Magazine, will include information and tips to encourage balanced eating and fun play. McDonald’s long-standing support of sports initiatives for kids extends beyond the 17 days of the Games to include programs that promote physical activity at the local, national and global levels through partnerships with thousands of sporting associations. 

About Julie Foudy and The Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy

Foudy’s soccer laurels date back to her time as a Stanford student-athlete, where she was named a four-time All-American and Soccer America Player of the Year in 1991. During her 18-year career as a midfielder for the U.S. national team, the U.S. women won two FIFA World Cup Titles (1991, 1999) and two Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004). Foudy, the former captain, was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in August 2007. Since her retirement in 2004, Foudy has remained close to the sport as the lead television voice for ESPN and ESPN2′s coverage of the quadrennial FIFA Women’s World Cups. In 2006, Julie Foudy launched the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy for girls ages 12-18. The aim of the JFSLA is to expose students to Julie’s great passion: the concept of not just being a leader on the field but a leader in life.

For more information about the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy, visit http://www.juliefoudyleadership.com. Follow us on Facebook at “Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy” and Twitter, @JulieFoudy.

Editor’s Note:  Digital images are available; Interviews upon request.

Media Contacts:JFSLA: Jennifer Hwang and Dana Young, duo@aha-ink.com, 415-420-3259, 415-378-7998

McDonald’s: Melissa Daly, melissa.daly@us.mcd.com, 630-623-8653

The Century Council: Leslie Kimball, KimballL@centurycouncil.org, 202-637-0077

GirlTalk: Jennifer Grizzle, jennifer@theprstudio.com, 770-409-1152, www.desiretoinspire.org

SOURCE The Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/01/4230356/julie-foudy-and-the-julie-foudy.html