http://tomficklin.blogspot.com/2014/11/coming-out-from-under-stereotype.html

Was thinking that this free mind meld and sharing opportunity could produce real fruit- all are welcome, Belated Happy Thanksgiving to all.

The information in the blog below, starting with the topic: Charter Schools Suspend, etc., was taken in its entirety from an article written by James Vaznis in the Boston Globe, dated Nov. 19, 2014.  His email contact information is at the end of the post.  The article raises several salient questions for parents, education administrators and teachers.  Importantly, it requires us…

http://tomficklin.blogspot.com/2014/11/national-conference-for-white-people-on.html

Please join us for an important call to engage more white people in racial justice work in the aftermath of the Grand Jury in Ferguson. We will be discussing state violence and the impact it has in all of our communities, specifically communities of color. We will share strategies for engaging…

To All Readers Far and Wide -

The first snowfall at Grove Street Cemetery is a one of a mirific vista - to be enjoyed by all. It is a really nice stroll to view the…

Former Police Officer Kevin Ewing shares some really sobering comments and reflections replete with insight re the ongoing intersectionality of law versus justice. http://tomficklin.blogspot.com/2014/11/thank-you-kevin-for-this-dead-serious.html

Why don't CEO's have term limits like boards? Really, why don't they?

And, why am I asking? Because the Wall Street Journal noted today that the Anti-Defamation League has announced a replacement for its longtime national director who is leaving after almost a half century working for the Jewish nonprofit. The New York-based organization on Thursday said Jonathan Greenblatt will take the helm when 74-year-old Abraham Foxman steps down in July 2015.

If I'm doing my math…

In the Nov. 21, 2014 New Haven Independent we read an article titled: No On Called 911.

“Help! Help!” Bret Bird screamed. A dozen or more bystanders could see him being attacked. They could hear him. The article began.  It is written by Paul Bass; the article is extensive, and as is often the case deals with many more issues than just a…

On Tuesday, November 25 at 10:30 AM in City Hall, Mayor Toni N. Harp and other notable public officials will promote small business in the city by proclaiming Saturday, November 29, 2014 as “Small Business Day” in New Haven.  After the press event, the public will be invited to join her and other public officials on a guided walk across the Green, down Chapel Street, and then up York Street to Broadway to call attention to a number of new retailers that recently have opened their businesses…

The Office-of-the-Child-Advocate Makes Its Report, Nov. 21, 2014.

Agency Report: Schools Helped Lanza's Mom 'Appease' Him”

"The state Agency Report also provocatively asks whether a family that was not white or as affluent as the Lanzas would have been given the same leeway to manage treatment for their troubled child."  In…

Have you received a “Medicare & You 2015 Handbook?  It is the official US Government Medicare Handbook and provides clear guidelines to all aspects of Medicare health coverage.  If you have not received a copy, visit:

http://www.medicare.gov/medicare-and-you/medicare-and-you.html

It contains…

Today's Wall Street Journal article on corporate branding as a source of revenue for children's musuems introduces some great nonprofit board policy questions. Making policy to inform day-to-day decisions is part of a nonprofit board's fiduciary duty of care. Policy also reduces the need for a nonprofit's management to need board action on every single decision.

According to the article, corporate branding can play a significant role in the sustainability of a nonprofit. Children's…

The Sign-Up dates for 2015 ACA coverage are Nov. 15, 2014 through Feb. 15, 2015.

The Penalty for not having health insurance coverage in 2015 will be $325!

The Cost Penalty for not having health insurance coverage in 2014 was $95, or one percent of your taxable household income, whichever is greater.  In 2016 the penalty…

Activist, filmmaker and writer, Crystal Emery has written a very insightful and thought-provoking article in the New Haven Independent. It is an article we should all read.

In the NHI Article titled:  “Who Is Raising Our Children” Ms Emery wrote the following:

“Truth be told, if we are not around, there is no way of knowing what kind of unhealthy world view and moral code our kids…

“She Hugged Her Son When She Got Home” is the title of a Nov. 7, 2014 article in the New Haven Independent. The article is honoring Sgt. Elisa Tuozzoli as Cop of The Week.  As is so often the case with articles written by Paul Bass-- this article is filled with the type of information that forces readers to think carefully and broadly.

In one story about a…

What happens when all the lines of governance and ownership and family and program and action and, well just about everything, get entangled with "issues"? The following story about a Charter School and its "arm".

MARTHA WOODALL, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

When Imhotep Institute Charter High School opened its new building in East Germantown five years ago, officials dubbed the $10 million facility "the Miracle on 21st Street."

Now, as the school with an African-centered…

Nearly 29.1 million Americans have Diabetes; it is a serious and costly disease in which blood glucose (blood sugar) levels are above normal. Most people with diabetes have type 2, which used to be called adult-onset diabetes.   In years past type 2 diabetes was seen mostly in people over age 45.  Now in 2014 more young people, even children, have the disease because many are overweight or obese.  Many…

The New York Times recently published a “Room for Debate” column featuring four different perspectives on the topic “Wages for Housework.” The premise of the debate: that housework – including child care – is generally unpaid labor, except when others are hired to perform it. A professional child care provider…

With Blacks being 33 percent, and Hispanics/Latinos being 27 percent (for a total of 60 percent) of New Haven residents, it is only logical that the NHPD new police officers should look more like the residents.  The class of 37 new police recruits will start their training on Nov. 10, 2014. This is one leg of an extensive hurdle for the NHPD —finding Black and Latino officers. With this…