Command the Raven

From Koinonia House

**IMPORTANT NEWS HEADLINES**

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Rotten DC Teachers Hard To Fire - November 10, 2009
A new national report card on educational innovation contends that principals in Maryland and the District of Columbia face too many barriers to ousting bad teachers. The study examined survey data from the National Center for Education Statistics on obstacles principals face when they try to get rid of “poor-performing or incompetent” teachers. More often than peers nationwide, principals in Maryland and the District reported that personnel policies, paperwork and teachers unions were barriers to teacher removal, according to the study.

Fort Hood Suspect Warned Against Deploying Muslim US Soldiers - November 10, 2009
The Army psychiatrist believed to have killed 13 people at Fort Hood warned a roomful of senior Army physicians a year and a half ago that to avoid “adverse events,” the military should allow Muslim soldiers to be released as conscientious objectors instead of fighting in wars against other Muslims. Hasan spent six years at Walter Reed as an intern, resident and fellow beginning in 2003. He was transferred to Fort Hood as a practicing psychiatrist in July and was set to leave soon for Afghanistan. According to a relative, he had asked not to be deployed. It is not known whether he ever sought conscientious-objector status. The Washington Post

Kids In India Run Their Own Bank - October 23, 2009
To find a bank still readily giving loans during the financial crisis, you need only look as far as a Delhi train station. There you’ll find a child sitting at a ramshackle post. Despite his unkempt appearance, he’s branch manager. Expertly trained by the people at Butterflies, a Delhi-based children’s charity, he diligently takes deposits and marks them down in his client’s passbook. Like many banks, there’s fine-print. All clients must be below the age of 18. The Huffington Post

Do Americans Even Need Health Care Reform? - September 25, 2009
Numerous polls indicate that most Americans are very happy with the health care that they receive. Specifically, nearly 90 percent of Americans responded to a poll sponsored by ABC News, USA Today and the Kaiser Family Foundation saying that they were satisfied with the health care coverage that they already have. Such solid information stands in stark contrast to the media hype about the necessity for health care reform and the hysteria promoted by the White House about the dire health care circumstances facing Americans. Concerned Women for America