Thursday, August 26, 2010

Celebrate Women's Equality Day Today!

19th AmendmentImage via Wikipedia
Let's all celebrate Women's Equality Day Today. August 26th marks the 90th anniversary.   I ask others to join me in paying tribute to those women then and women and many others of today who continue to take a stand and fight for women's rights.  Click on the link below to see President Obama's Presidential Proclamation and links to other related articles.

Presidential Proclamation--Women's Equality Day, 2010 | The White House


Related articles:

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Stop Bullying Now - (Give Me Your Feedback on this issue)

Click the Stop Bullying Now graphic on my home page to watch animated short stories to learn how KB, Josh, Milton and their friends deal with kids who bully at their school. After watching the Webisodes, use the discussion questions to talk through how you can Stop Bullying Now!


With the start of a new school year right around the corner, now is the time to inform yourselves and your children how to handle the potential problems of bullying.  These webisodes may become very helpful for your young family during the upcoming school year.  


You may have read in a previous post that I said "A special note to all other students who had to deal with bullying during their school year or years, it is your strength that will bring you through the coming years. You don't need to change for them. Never give up on yourself. You are a very important person, no matter what your obstacles may be, don't forget that. Accomplish your goals and dreams despite their actions." This was said because my son was being subjected to bullying at school and on the school bus last year, and I will do what I can to help him and other families deal with an unnecessary problem many schools overlook or downplay the seriousness of bullying. 


What you can Do: 
     In order to reduce bullying, it is important to change the social climate of the school and the social norms with regards to bullying as Stop Bullying Now stated. I say you do not have to handle bullying in silence.  Speak out about it.  Talk about bullying at your PTA meeting and with the principal.  Don't stop there, tell teachers, other administrators, counselors, protect yourself and your child by your notifying the school nurses, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and other parents.  Do not rely on the principal to do this for you, they want to keep it hushed up.  Notify the school bus company and driver, and have a meeting with them about the situation.  Have the bus tapes pulled so that the school can view the bullying.  Keep on top of the school, and do not accept the answer they didn't view the tape, they had problems viewing it, or they didn't receive it.  You only have a limited amount of hours (each district may be different) to view the tapes.  These other answers are used only to run down your time to prove there is a problem, and then when the time expires, there is no video to support your claim, hence they do not have to do anything about it.  Don't back down.  Unfortunately you have to do their job for them in certain situations to protect your child.  If a punishment is to occur when a bullying incident is found, follow up on it; and Never accept the answer from any school personnel or administrator, "that boys will be boys", or "it's a phase they go through" or "I think he or she likes your child and that's why they are doing this", this will tell you loud and clear that it is now your mission to rectify the problem, for if they said that to you, they are allowing it to happen and it will only continue to happen.  Also do not accept the answer "we didn't have these problems last year, so therefore we did not have any assemblies on it".  Bullying is an ongoing problem, and as Stop Bullying Now states, "there should be no 'end date' for bullying prevention activities. Bullying prevention should be continued over time and woven into the fabric of the school environment.  Anti-bullying messages also can be incorporated throughout the school curriculum.


Fight for your childs' rights.  Don't always trust and believe what the school is telling you, they have a special knack for using very descriptive language for an incident that was not even close to what they told you, because they have to protect themselves at all costs.  Listen to your child and truly listen to what is and is not said to you by the school.  Your child has a better insight than those trying not to get sued and they will always try to blame the parent to take the light off of them and what they did not do to prevent it.


     As a parent, I wanted the bullying to end, but I also wanted the bully to learn about themselves and why they are bullying in order for them to evolve as a person, punishment by the school alone is only half of it as far as I'm concerned.  My wife recommended that peer mediation be done with a twist, that the principal or administrator who handles these issues, be present to facilitate the mediation, to help and assist with the verbal back and forth, and for apologies to happen, showing both are human beings with feelings and they are equal because of it.  Recommend peer mediation with adult intervention at school, also recommend bullying prevention assemblies at school. Don't let the school tell you they can't do that, or they don't see this as a big scale problem, they can do it if they truly want to prevent bullying they should be doing more in preventing it.  Zero children should be bullied and my child had enough self-esteem and it still happened.  


    School rules should be enforced to protect the victim not the bully.  We also suggested more adult supervision on the playground and actually have them watching, watching the hallways and stairwells, and the lines.   Children should feel safe in school not fear going to it. 


  1. Intervene consistently and appropriately when you see bullying. Observed or suspected bullying should never be ignored by adults. All school staff should learn effective strategies to intervene on-the-spot to stop bullying. Staff members also should be designated to hold sensitive follow-up meetings with students who are bullied and (separately) with students who bully. Staff members should involve parents whenever possible.
  2. Devote some class time to bullying prevention. Students can benefit if teachers set aside a regular period of time (e.g., 20-30 minutes each week or every other week) to discuss bullying and improving peer relations. These meetings can help teachers to keep their fingers on the pulse of students' concerns, allow time for discussions about bullying and the harms that it can cause, and provide tools for students to address bullying problems. 
I feel that New York needs to follow Texas by passing a law allowing students who are bullied to be able to transfer to another school or school district.  I would also want the law to require school districts to address the problem in their discipline plan using specific language that prohibits bullying in the code of conduct. What is the school and district going to do to prevent it from happening.  Specific language also needs to be put in the code of conduct for when individual responsibilities not performed by any and all school personnel, administrators and teachers is considered unacceptable and/or their behavior is considered unacceptable and specific language set in place for appropriate disciplinary actions to happen against them.  We would like the District’s code to be revised so that maybe concern with the welfare of the individual and the school community as a whole was truly recognized; and to make a reality promoting a close working relationship between parents, the school and the school district staff; for the school to be able to truly distinguish between minor and serious offenses as well as between first time and repeat offenders of students; to provide timely action on an issue and timely disciplinary responses for staff, administrators, teachers and students, that are fair and appropriate to all of their misbehaviors; to truly have consistency and fairness to both student and parents by school personnel; and to truly have the schools comply with the provisions of Federal, State and Local law; and also to implement new provisions for the Safe Schools Against Violence Act, not just incident reporting.

Click this link to read more information on bullying and what you can do http://www.eyesonbullying.org/pdfs/toolkit.pdf

Information obtained from Stop Bullying Now
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Absentee Ballots - Military Voting - Federal Voting

Qualifications to Vote by Absentee Ballot

  • absent from your county or, if a resident of the city of New York absent from said city, on Election Day;
  • unable to appear at the polls due to illness or disability;
  • a patient in a Veterans’ Administration Hospital;
  • detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony
  • How to Vote by Absentee Ballot
  • Applications for Absentee Ballots are available at your county board of elections.
  • You may also click this link of the New York State Absentee Ballot Application Form http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/download/voting/Absentee06152010.pdf
  • Upon completion, applications must be mailed to your county board no later than the seventh day before the election or delivered in person no later than the day before the election.
  • You may also request an Absentee Ballot by sending a letter to your county board of elections. The letter must be received by your county board no earlier than 30 days and no later than seven days before the election.
  •  The letter must contain the following information:  the address where you are registered; an address where the ballot is to be sent; the reason for the request, and the signature of the voter.
  • An application form will be mailed with your ballot. The application form must be completed and returned with your ballot.
  • If you cannot pick up your ballot, or will not be able to receive it through the mail, you have the right to designate someone to pick it up for you. Only that person designated on your application may pick up and deliver your ballot.
  • If you are permanently ill or disabled, you have the right to receive an Absentee Ballot for each subsequent election without further application. Simply file an application with your board of elections containing a statement which describes the particulars of your illness or disability. The Board will review the facts stated, and if satisfied, will mark your registration record. You will then automatically receive an absentee ballot for every election until your registration is canceled.
Military Voting
  • Persons serving in the military may vote from their designated 'home of record', regardless of where they may be stationed or for how long.
  • If that 'home of record' is in New York, you may register and vote in local, state and federal elections by completing an application and sending it to the board of elections in your 'home of record' county.
  • Your application will register you and also serve as your absentee ballot application, and will be valid for 2 federal elections.
  • Applications are available from your Voting Assistance Officer on base, or you can visit http://www.fvap.gov/ for forms and information.
  • Always be sure to share any change of address information with your Board of Elections http://www.elections.state.ny.us/CountyBoards.html 
  • Questions? Call the State Board of Elections at 518-473-5086 or the Federal Voter Assistance Program at 1-800-438-8683, or contact your Voting Assistance Officer or US Embassy office.
Federal Voting
United States citizens living outside of the United States are entitled to vote from their last United States address.  If that address was in New York, your completed application should be sent to the board of elections in the county in which you lived, prior to moving overseas.http://www.elections.state.ny.us/CountyBoards.html 
  • Your application will register you and also serve as your absentee ballot application.
  • You may vote for federal offices:
    • President/Vice President
    • United States Senate
    • Congressional representatives
    In years in which presidential conventions are held, you may also be eligible to vote for those convention delegates. Once registered, you will receive ballots by mail for each of these elections in which you are eligible to vote.
  • Your application will be valid for 2 federal elections.
  • Once registered, you will receive forms directly from your board of elections, on which you must update your overseas address. Always be sure to share any change of address information with your Board of Elections http://www.elections.state.ny.us/CountyBoards.html
  • If you move back to the US, contact your board of elections, to have your registration reflect that change.
  • Visit http://www.fvap.gov/ for forms and information.
  • Questions? Call the State Board of Elections at 518-473-5086 or the Federal Voter Assistance Program at 1-800-438-8683, or your United States Embassy office.
Information obtained from the New York State Board of Elections

Voter Registration and Change of Address Deadlines

Registering to vote!Image by Brande Jackson via Flickr
2010 PRIMARY ELECTION DEADLINES
MAIL REGISTRATION - Application must be postmarked not later than August 20th and received by a board of elections not later than August 25th to be eligible to vote in the Primary Election.

IN PERSON REGISTRATION - You may register at your local board of elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act, on any business day throughout the year but, to be eligible to vote in the Fall primary, your application must be received no later than August 20th.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS - Notices of change of address from registered voters received by August 25th by a county board of elections must be processed and entered in the records in time for the primary election.
2010 GENERAL ELECTION DEADLINES
MAIL REGISTRATION - Applications must be postmarked not later than October 8th and received by a board of elections not later than October 13th to be eligible to vote in the General Election.

IN PERSON REGISTRATION - You may register at your local board of elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act, on any business day throughout the year but, to be eligible to vote in the November general election, your application must be received no later than October 8th except, if you have been honorably discharged from the military or have become a naturalized citizen since October 8th, you may register in person at the board of elections up until October 22nd.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS - Notices of change of address from registered voters received by October 13th by a county board of elections must be processed and entered in the records in time for the general election.



NYS Voter Registration Forms


English
http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/download/voting/voteform.pdf

Spanish
http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/download/voting/spanishvoteform.pdf

Once they are filled out completely, print it out, and drop it off in person (by dates specified above) or mail it in (by dates specified above) to your local Board of Elections.  Click this link to find the right one in your area.  http://www.elections.state.ny.us/CountyBoards.html

You may apply to register to vote in person at these New York State Agency offices:
Department of Motor Vehicles
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services
City Universities of New York(CUNY)
Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities
Department of Health - WIC Program
Department of Labor
Department of Social Services
Department of State
Division of Veterans’ Affairs
Military Recruiting Offices
Office for the Aging
Office of Mental Health
Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
State Universities of New York(SUNY)
Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities
Workers’ Compensation Board
and at your local board of elections in your area:
http://www.elections.state.ny.us/CountyBoards.html


Information obtained from the New York State Board of Elections
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Monday, August 2, 2010

Visit our New Mobile Site

iphoneImage via Wikipedia
Just Added  You can now visit our site from your iPhone or Android phone
The address is:

http://m.wbx.me/mobile-site-benzie
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Sunday, August 1, 2010

SeeClickFix: Albany : Loitering, Littering and ignoring the No Tresspass signs

New Orleans: Inscription on side of building i...Image via Wikipedia
SeeClickFix: Albany : Loitering, Littering and ignoring the No Tresspass signs


See two closed issues that I resolved on SeeClickFix.





Click the above link, then click on the "Find Issue" tab, next look for the heading "Squatting" Click and Read. 


Also look for the heading:
"Alleyway being used as a landfill/drug stash area" Click and Read.


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