The effort to create CIRM was launched after President Bush’s August 2001 restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell studies because the process requires the destruction of human embryos.
SB 1565 was sponsored by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a Santa Monica Democrat, and George Runner, a Republican from Antelope Valley. It had breezed through the Assembly and the Senate since its introduction Feb. 22.
Kuehl has long pressed CIRM for increased accountability and to codify — beyond CIRM’s policy — that stem cell therapies and diagnostics funded by the agency be affordable and accessible to uninsured Californians.
Runner has been an avowed opponent of embryonic stem cell research. His amendment would have allowed CIRM’s scientific and medical research funding working group — which includes 15 scientists who review, score, rank grant and loan applications — to allow a simple majority vote to push forward non-embryonic stem cell research.
That research already can receive federal funding. But adult stem cell research has picked up support over the past year, after Shinya Yamanaka, now a part-time researcher at the J. David Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, and others induced some adult skin cells to change into embryonic-like stem cells.
Runner’s amendment also may have made it easier for researchers at Stanford University, the University of California, San Francisco, the Gladstone Institutes and the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute to land more funding for their efforts to manipulate adult stem cells into embryonic-like stem cells or work with umbilical cord blood cells.
One of SB 1565’s aims already is coming to pass, though. The Little Hoover Commission, an independent, bipartisan state oversight commission, said Sept. 25 that it will study CIRM .
Source
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Governor vetoes California stem cell bill
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 1565, aimed at making stem cell therapies and diagnostics funded by California’s multibillion-dollar stem cell research agency affordable and accessible.
The bill also would have made it easier for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to fund research beyond politically charged embryonic stem cells.
In vetoing the bill Saturday, Schwarzenegger said SB 1565 would have undermined “the express intent of Proposition 71,” which California voters approved in 2004, setting up a $3 billion agency with state bonds.
Schwarzenegger said the bill would have eliminated the priority for funding human embryonic stem cell research and would have placed restrictions on CIRM’s oversight committee to adopt intellectual property policies that balance patient need and medical research.
“More than 7 million voters were very clear when they passed Proposition 71 in 2004,” Schwarzenegger said. “They wanted to fund embryonic stem cell research that the federal government wouldn’t. They also wanted to make sure that California receives a return for its historic investment in medical research. Both of these important goals are already being accomplished.
“This bill does nothing to advance the will of over 7 million voters. For this reason, I am unable to sign this bill.”Continued...
The bill also would have made it easier for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to fund research beyond politically charged embryonic stem cells.
In vetoing the bill Saturday, Schwarzenegger said SB 1565 would have undermined “the express intent of Proposition 71,” which California voters approved in 2004, setting up a $3 billion agency with state bonds.
Schwarzenegger said the bill would have eliminated the priority for funding human embryonic stem cell research and would have placed restrictions on CIRM’s oversight committee to adopt intellectual property policies that balance patient need and medical research.
“More than 7 million voters were very clear when they passed Proposition 71 in 2004,” Schwarzenegger said. “They wanted to fund embryonic stem cell research that the federal government wouldn’t. They also wanted to make sure that California receives a return for its historic investment in medical research. Both of these important goals are already being accomplished.
“This bill does nothing to advance the will of over 7 million voters. For this reason, I am unable to sign this bill.”Continued...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
California Curriculum Commission Recommends Pearson's Six Innovative
2. Pearson California Language Central (grades K-6), a component for intensive English-language development. Instruction is built from Grant Wiggins's Understanding by Design concepts. Instructional support for English learners of various proficiency levels includes: an explicit and efficient path to the Reading Street curriculum; frontloading of language and literacy skills; and connections of common unit and weekly concepts of Pearson Reading Street for California and Pearson calle de la lectura.
3. Pearson Calle de la Lectura (grades K-3), a parallel Spanish version of Pearson Reading Street for California. A comprehensive, research-based program developed specifically to support the teaching and learning of California Spanish-Language Arts Content Standards, with differentiated instruction for struggling readers, grade level readers and advanced readers.
4. Pearson Literature California Reading and Language (middle/high school) is a comprehensive literature program developed specifically for California and based on the most recent reading research. Organized around Big Questions and the Understanding by Design model of Grant Wiggins, the program also provides differentiated instruction for struggling readers, English learners, and advanced learners, making the program curriculum accessible to all students and ensuring that all students have the opportunity to master the State's English-Language Arts Content Standards. A corresponding online program provides an unprecedented level of interactive digital content, providing a natural and motivating learning tool to empower today's tech-savvy secondary students.
5. Pearson California Language Central (grades 6-8). Customized to meet California's rigorous standards, this program provides students with an additional one hour of instruction each day to help ensure that English learners acquire proficiency in English as quickly, efficiently and effectively as possible. Pearson California Language Central is directly aligned with Pearson Literature California Reading and Language and focuses on common units and lesson concepts and is consistent with its scope and sequence.
6. Pearson Longman Keystone, a stand-alone, multi-level intervention program for struggling readers and English learners whose academic achievement is two or more years below grade level, blends rigorous, research-based reading and language skills instruction together with a balance of content-area readings and age-appropriate, high-interest literature. The program incorporates the instructional principles of Understanding by Design, with the goal of equipping students with the key transferable academic skills necessary to transition successfully into mainstream basal programs.
Pearson's programs are complemented by SuccessMaker Enterprise, digital courseware providing a diagnostic and individualized 21st Century approach toward learning to meet the needs of different learning styles -- including students who are gifted, at-risk, or English language learners and those served by special education. With a proven record of improving student success for California students, SuccessMaker Enterprise addresses the full range of learner abilities through standards-based, targeted curriculum.
"Seeing is believing, so we are looking forward to showcasing the benefits of our programs next month at CRA," said Bush, who added the company will be displaying the curriculum as part of an elaborate street fair theme at the conference.
In a related announcement, Bush said that Pearson also plans to sponsor the Nov. 20 meeting in Sacramento of Californians Together, a statewide coalition of parents, teachers, education advocates and civil rights groups committed to securing equal access to quality education for all children.
Source
3. Pearson Calle de la Lectura (grades K-3), a parallel Spanish version of Pearson Reading Street for California. A comprehensive, research-based program developed specifically to support the teaching and learning of California Spanish-Language Arts Content Standards, with differentiated instruction for struggling readers, grade level readers and advanced readers.
4. Pearson Literature California Reading and Language (middle/high school) is a comprehensive literature program developed specifically for California and based on the most recent reading research. Organized around Big Questions and the Understanding by Design model of Grant Wiggins, the program also provides differentiated instruction for struggling readers, English learners, and advanced learners, making the program curriculum accessible to all students and ensuring that all students have the opportunity to master the State's English-Language Arts Content Standards. A corresponding online program provides an unprecedented level of interactive digital content, providing a natural and motivating learning tool to empower today's tech-savvy secondary students.
5. Pearson California Language Central (grades 6-8). Customized to meet California's rigorous standards, this program provides students with an additional one hour of instruction each day to help ensure that English learners acquire proficiency in English as quickly, efficiently and effectively as possible. Pearson California Language Central is directly aligned with Pearson Literature California Reading and Language and focuses on common units and lesson concepts and is consistent with its scope and sequence.
6. Pearson Longman Keystone, a stand-alone, multi-level intervention program for struggling readers and English learners whose academic achievement is two or more years below grade level, blends rigorous, research-based reading and language skills instruction together with a balance of content-area readings and age-appropriate, high-interest literature. The program incorporates the instructional principles of Understanding by Design, with the goal of equipping students with the key transferable academic skills necessary to transition successfully into mainstream basal programs.
Pearson's programs are complemented by SuccessMaker Enterprise, digital courseware providing a diagnostic and individualized 21st Century approach toward learning to meet the needs of different learning styles -- including students who are gifted, at-risk, or English language learners and those served by special education. With a proven record of improving student success for California students, SuccessMaker Enterprise addresses the full range of learner abilities through standards-based, targeted curriculum.
"Seeing is believing, so we are looking forward to showcasing the benefits of our programs next month at CRA," said Bush, who added the company will be displaying the curriculum as part of an elaborate street fair theme at the conference.
In a related announcement, Bush said that Pearson also plans to sponsor the Nov. 20 meeting in Sacramento of Californians Together, a statewide coalition of parents, teachers, education advocates and civil rights groups committed to securing equal access to quality education for all children.
Source
Monday, October 13, 2008
California Curriculum Commission Recommends Pearson's Six Innovative
The publisher's research-based customizations for California meet new state requirements while addressing the realities of 21st century learning in the nation's most diverse state. Bush noted that Pearson's programs have been infused with new material and concepts specifically relevant for California, contributed by nationally renowned experts who are co-authors for the programs. Among these noted academics are:
-- Dr. Grant Wiggins, whose renowned leadership in curriculum design is
revolutionizing learning.
-- Dr. Donald Leu, the leading expert in the "new literacies," and how
educators must meet the iPod generation on their turf -- including
effective use of the Internet, techniques for reading online, and projects
to bring students around the globe together to communicate and learn from
each other.
-- Dr. Sharroky Hollie from California State University, the leading
expert on urban literacy whose contribution includes a focus on embedding
relevant materials into curriculum programs that recognize the cultural
differences among California's diverse student population.
-- Dr. Jim Cummins, who leads the Pearson team in ensuring that English
learners receive the same high quality education programs as their peers,
provides his expertise in literacy development in multilingual school
contexts, as well as on the potential roles of technology in promoting
language and literacy development.
-- Dr. Connie Juel, professor of education at Stanford University, and
expert in the powerful role vocabulary plays in reading comprehension, and
in closing the achievement gap.
-- Jon Scieszka, the award-winning children's writer and recently-named
Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress, has
focused on the needs of boy readers, who as a group are in a crisis and
falling behind girls in reading performance.
"Our authors comprise a prestigious list of reading experts and have been instrumental in solidifying our reputation as the leader in reading," said Bush.
As the adoption process reaches its final phase, the California Curriculum Commission today recommended the following Pearson programs to the State Board of Education, which is expected to give final approval in November for the books to be listed and available to schools in California:
1. Pearson Reading Street for California (grades K-6), a customized curriculum steeped in five years of research and development to create the Scott Foresman Reading Street program. The top-selling reading curriculum in the U.S last year, the program has been enhanced and customized for California, adding a visually-engaging and entertaining digital path and including California authors and literature. Continued...
-- Dr. Grant Wiggins, whose renowned leadership in curriculum design is
revolutionizing learning.
-- Dr. Donald Leu, the leading expert in the "new literacies," and how
educators must meet the iPod generation on their turf -- including
effective use of the Internet, techniques for reading online, and projects
to bring students around the globe together to communicate and learn from
each other.
-- Dr. Sharroky Hollie from California State University, the leading
expert on urban literacy whose contribution includes a focus on embedding
relevant materials into curriculum programs that recognize the cultural
differences among California's diverse student population.
-- Dr. Jim Cummins, who leads the Pearson team in ensuring that English
learners receive the same high quality education programs as their peers,
provides his expertise in literacy development in multilingual school
contexts, as well as on the potential roles of technology in promoting
language and literacy development.
-- Dr. Connie Juel, professor of education at Stanford University, and
expert in the powerful role vocabulary plays in reading comprehension, and
in closing the achievement gap.
-- Jon Scieszka, the award-winning children's writer and recently-named
Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress, has
focused on the needs of boy readers, who as a group are in a crisis and
falling behind girls in reading performance.
"Our authors comprise a prestigious list of reading experts and have been instrumental in solidifying our reputation as the leader in reading," said Bush.
As the adoption process reaches its final phase, the California Curriculum Commission today recommended the following Pearson programs to the State Board of Education, which is expected to give final approval in November for the books to be listed and available to schools in California:
1. Pearson Reading Street for California (grades K-6), a customized curriculum steeped in five years of research and development to create the Scott Foresman Reading Street program. The top-selling reading curriculum in the U.S last year, the program has been enhanced and customized for California, adding a visually-engaging and entertaining digital path and including California authors and literature. Continued...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
California Curriculum Commission Recommends Pearson's Six Innovative Reading Programs for State Adoption
Publisher Announces Plans to Showcase Curriculum at the California Reading Association's 42nd Annual Conference
With comprehensive instruction that includes emphasis on diverse cultures, English learners and reading in the Digital Age, Pearson's revolutionary new school reading programs moved one step closer to the classroom today as the California Curriculum Commission voted to recommend all six submissions to the State Board of Education for final approval in November.
Pearson today also announced plans to showcase its programs at the California Reading Association's (CRA) annual meeting in Sacramento next month, where the conference theme is 'Comprehension... A Key to Many Doors.'
"Our reading programs are indeed aimed at boosting comprehension," said Vicky Bush, Pearson's Vice President for California. "In fact, Pearson's curriculum has been designed specifically to ensure that the state's teachers possess all the keys they need to open those doors that will build the next generation of readers."
Bush noted that Pearson, the world's premier educational company, is the only publisher whose materials are being recommended in all curriculum categories and that "our deep bench of authors is second to none."
The six comprehensive K-12 programs address a wide range of critical reading issues confronting the state's schools, she said. Pearson's customized programs represent a continuum of curriculum aligned to California standards from kindergarten through high school. The recommended submissions include an integrated array of instructional materials with embedded intervention and assessment, and digital media, all aligned to Reading First requirements and revised State standards.
The offerings are published in identical formats in Spanish and include professional development for teachers.
"We are the only publisher with such a unified and seamless approach to the learning and instruction of reading in California," said Bush. "All the programs easily and naturally connect with one another."Continued...
With comprehensive instruction that includes emphasis on diverse cultures, English learners and reading in the Digital Age, Pearson's revolutionary new school reading programs moved one step closer to the classroom today as the California Curriculum Commission voted to recommend all six submissions to the State Board of Education for final approval in November.
Pearson today also announced plans to showcase its programs at the California Reading Association's (CRA) annual meeting in Sacramento next month, where the conference theme is 'Comprehension... A Key to Many Doors.'
"Our reading programs are indeed aimed at boosting comprehension," said Vicky Bush, Pearson's Vice President for California. "In fact, Pearson's curriculum has been designed specifically to ensure that the state's teachers possess all the keys they need to open those doors that will build the next generation of readers."
Bush noted that Pearson, the world's premier educational company, is the only publisher whose materials are being recommended in all curriculum categories and that "our deep bench of authors is second to none."
The six comprehensive K-12 programs address a wide range of critical reading issues confronting the state's schools, she said. Pearson's customized programs represent a continuum of curriculum aligned to California standards from kindergarten through high school. The recommended submissions include an integrated array of instructional materials with embedded intervention and assessment, and digital media, all aligned to Reading First requirements and revised State standards.
The offerings are published in identical formats in Spanish and include professional development for teachers.
"We are the only publisher with such a unified and seamless approach to the learning and instruction of reading in California," said Bush. "All the programs easily and naturally connect with one another."Continued...
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Grid power: Sysadmin discovers 13-million-digit prime number
A grid of 75 computers at UCLA has found the largest prime number known to man
A systems administrator -- not a mathematician -- used a grid of computers supplied by volunteers at the University of California, Los Angeles, to find the world's largest known prime number. The immense number is made up of nearly 13 million digits.
The discovery is part of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS), a 12-year-old project that uses the computers of volunteers to find larger and larger prime numbers. The volunteer project has been focused on finding the first prime number with more than 10 million digits.
As a prize, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is handing out $100,000, with half going to the winner and half going to charity.
A prime number is a whole number that can be divided only by one and itself. Mersenne prime numbers are a class of primes named after Marin Mersenne, a 17th century French monk who studied the rare numbers 300 years ago. Edson Smith, the systems administrator at UCLA who found the largest Mersenne prime, explained that primes and even Mersenne primes are easy to find in the lower numbers, like 3 and 5, but become much more difficult to find when the numbers become long and intricate.
The prime that Smith and his team at UCLA found was 12,978,189 digits long. It's such a large number that if you printed it out, it would run 30 miles long, according to Smith, who said he believes that if you tried to read it out loud, you couldn't finish it during your lifetime.
"It's really cool for everybody involved," Smith told Computerworld. "This is an excellent demonstration of the power of the grid."
Smith explained that the GIMPS project leaders hand out potential prime numbers to teams of volunteers, such as that at UCLA, whose computers run software designed to test the number.
The UCLA team used 75 Dell desktop computers running Microsoft Windows XP. Smith noted that if they had had only one computer running the program, the job would likely have taken longer than his lifetime.
"There are so few of this-large prime numbers," said smith. "They're very rare and can only be discovered through computing power. It's really about the power of the grid. In a certain sense, I'm a lottery winner. There are thousands [of people] looking with tens of thousands of computers and it just happened to be us."
This isn't the first prime number to be discovered at UCLA; it's the eighth, according to the university. In 1952, UCLA professor Raphael Robinson discovered five different Mersenne primes -- reportedly the first ones to be found using computers.
GIMPS founder George Woltman said in a press release that the organization next will offer up a $150,000 award for the first person or group to find the first 100-million-digit prime number.
Source
A systems administrator -- not a mathematician -- used a grid of computers supplied by volunteers at the University of California, Los Angeles, to find the world's largest known prime number. The immense number is made up of nearly 13 million digits.
The discovery is part of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS), a 12-year-old project that uses the computers of volunteers to find larger and larger prime numbers. The volunteer project has been focused on finding the first prime number with more than 10 million digits.
As a prize, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is handing out $100,000, with half going to the winner and half going to charity.
A prime number is a whole number that can be divided only by one and itself. Mersenne prime numbers are a class of primes named after Marin Mersenne, a 17th century French monk who studied the rare numbers 300 years ago. Edson Smith, the systems administrator at UCLA who found the largest Mersenne prime, explained that primes and even Mersenne primes are easy to find in the lower numbers, like 3 and 5, but become much more difficult to find when the numbers become long and intricate.
The prime that Smith and his team at UCLA found was 12,978,189 digits long. It's such a large number that if you printed it out, it would run 30 miles long, according to Smith, who said he believes that if you tried to read it out loud, you couldn't finish it during your lifetime.
"It's really cool for everybody involved," Smith told Computerworld. "This is an excellent demonstration of the power of the grid."
Smith explained that the GIMPS project leaders hand out potential prime numbers to teams of volunteers, such as that at UCLA, whose computers run software designed to test the number.
The UCLA team used 75 Dell desktop computers running Microsoft Windows XP. Smith noted that if they had had only one computer running the program, the job would likely have taken longer than his lifetime.
"There are so few of this-large prime numbers," said smith. "They're very rare and can only be discovered through computing power. It's really about the power of the grid. In a certain sense, I'm a lottery winner. There are thousands [of people] looking with tens of thousands of computers and it just happened to be us."
This isn't the first prime number to be discovered at UCLA; it's the eighth, according to the university. In 1952, UCLA professor Raphael Robinson discovered five different Mersenne primes -- reportedly the first ones to be found using computers.
GIMPS founder George Woltman said in a press release that the organization next will offer up a $150,000 award for the first person or group to find the first 100-million-digit prime number.
Source
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Republicans Against 8 Launch Response to Yes on 8 Ads
GOP Group Focuses on Party's Legacy of Expanding Rights
A group of California Republicans unveiled a sixty-second video response to the multimillion-dollar ad campaign launched Monday by the Yes on 8 Campaign.
The Republicans Against 8 video targets Republican women by focusing on the GOP's history of expanding rights for all Americans, not taking them away. "Republicans Against 8 are giving a voice to the more than one million Republicans who believe our party should stand for freedom and limited government. Our party shouldn't be trying to take away people's rights," said Republicans Against 8 campaign manager Scott Schmidt.
The video highlights the GOP's historical accomplishments promoting equal treatment for women -- from women's suffrage to Richard Nixon signing Title IX granting equal access to athletic scholarships for college women, and Ronald Reagan appointing the first woman to the Supreme Court.
The video ends with a dual message to Republican voters in November: "It will take a Republican to put a woman in the White House," and "The Republican Party is the party of freedom, not taking it away." The group is asking voters to reject Proposition 8, the California Initiative Constitutional Amendment which would eliminate the right to marry for same-sex couples.
"Just a century ago, women had fewer rights than gays and lesbians have today," said Schmidt. "It took Republican leadership to make progress in expanding rights for women. Members of our party should not turn their backs on that Grand Old legacy of promoting fairness and freedom."
The video, "Freedom is a Republican Value," can be seen as the Featured Video at www.RepublicansAgainst8.com and on the Republicans Against 8 YouTube Channel.
Republicans Against 8 is a Campaign Committee of concerned California Republicans working to defeat Proposition 8.
I am a woman and I also promote women equality. I support this campaign.
Source
A group of California Republicans unveiled a sixty-second video response to the multimillion-dollar ad campaign launched Monday by the Yes on 8 Campaign.
The Republicans Against 8 video targets Republican women by focusing on the GOP's history of expanding rights for all Americans, not taking them away. "Republicans Against 8 are giving a voice to the more than one million Republicans who believe our party should stand for freedom and limited government. Our party shouldn't be trying to take away people's rights," said Republicans Against 8 campaign manager Scott Schmidt.
The video highlights the GOP's historical accomplishments promoting equal treatment for women -- from women's suffrage to Richard Nixon signing Title IX granting equal access to athletic scholarships for college women, and Ronald Reagan appointing the first woman to the Supreme Court.
The video ends with a dual message to Republican voters in November: "It will take a Republican to put a woman in the White House," and "The Republican Party is the party of freedom, not taking it away." The group is asking voters to reject Proposition 8, the California Initiative Constitutional Amendment which would eliminate the right to marry for same-sex couples.
"Just a century ago, women had fewer rights than gays and lesbians have today," said Schmidt. "It took Republican leadership to make progress in expanding rights for women. Members of our party should not turn their backs on that Grand Old legacy of promoting fairness and freedom."
The video, "Freedom is a Republican Value," can be seen as the Featured Video at www.RepublicansAgainst8.com and on the Republicans Against 8 YouTube Channel.
Republicans Against 8 is a Campaign Committee of concerned California Republicans working to defeat Proposition 8.
I am a woman and I also promote women equality. I support this campaign.
Source
Sunday, October 5, 2008
More than 1,100 arrested throughout California in immigration raids
By Denis C. Theriault
In one case, ICE agents apprehended a Fremont woman who had been ordered deported after convictions for voluntary manslaughter and threatening a witness. The onetime legal resident, whom authorities did not identify, was sent back to her native Portugal shortly after her arrest, officials said.
Many of those arrested did not have criminal backgrounds. But it is ICE policy to check the residency status of everyone inside targeted residences. In this month's operation, that meant scores of illegal immigrants without deportation orders or criminal convictions were also taken into custody.
The sweep marked the first large-scale operation for ICE's months-old San Jose team, one of a handful added this year in California, as ICE continues its five-year crackdown against immigrants who ignore deportation orders. In patrolling Northern California, it joins two teams in San Francisco and one each in Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield.
"It spreads us out a little more, gives us a little more reach," Meyer said of the new South Bay crew. "They know the area better and they can get out there quicker and be on the ground more often."
Nationwide, there are now 95 teams in operation, ICE officials said, with more than 100 expected by the end of the year. In 2003, when ICE's Fugitive Operations Program was created, only 17 teams were in place.
That expansion, along with the establishment of a federal investigation center in Vermont, has led to a surge in arrests. Last year there were 30,407 arrests nationwide, nearly double the year before. This year, ICE agents are well on their way to topping that number, with 26,945 arrests logged as of Aug. 1.
The crackdown has continued to cut into the number of immigrants nationwide who have standing deportation orders. In 2007, for the first time, the suspected number of fugitive immigrants in the United States declined. The backlog is now down to fewer than 560,000, about 34,000 fewer than on Oct. 1, 2007.
But for Basil Robledo, director of programs for the Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) in San Jose, the latest arrests are one more step on a disturbing path following last year's failure by Congress to reform the nation's immigration laws.
He said federal officials have instead turned to heavy-handed enforcement — a strategy that Robledo says has led to fear, confusion and broken families.
"It is a scary situation for folks in the community," he said. "People keep their kids home from school. It creates less of a willingness to talk to police. They see ICE agents and they see a uniformed person, and that blends into all of law enforcement."
Meyer acknowledged the complaints his agency receives, particularly those concerning children and families, and took care to rebuff them, stressing that "when children are involved, we're very careful with that."
Still, he said, "these are the laws that are in place. And we're just following through, doing our job."
It is just right to impose the law.
Source
In one case, ICE agents apprehended a Fremont woman who had been ordered deported after convictions for voluntary manslaughter and threatening a witness. The onetime legal resident, whom authorities did not identify, was sent back to her native Portugal shortly after her arrest, officials said.
Many of those arrested did not have criminal backgrounds. But it is ICE policy to check the residency status of everyone inside targeted residences. In this month's operation, that meant scores of illegal immigrants without deportation orders or criminal convictions were also taken into custody.
The sweep marked the first large-scale operation for ICE's months-old San Jose team, one of a handful added this year in California, as ICE continues its five-year crackdown against immigrants who ignore deportation orders. In patrolling Northern California, it joins two teams in San Francisco and one each in Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield.
"It spreads us out a little more, gives us a little more reach," Meyer said of the new South Bay crew. "They know the area better and they can get out there quicker and be on the ground more often."
Nationwide, there are now 95 teams in operation, ICE officials said, with more than 100 expected by the end of the year. In 2003, when ICE's Fugitive Operations Program was created, only 17 teams were in place.
That expansion, along with the establishment of a federal investigation center in Vermont, has led to a surge in arrests. Last year there were 30,407 arrests nationwide, nearly double the year before. This year, ICE agents are well on their way to topping that number, with 26,945 arrests logged as of Aug. 1.
The crackdown has continued to cut into the number of immigrants nationwide who have standing deportation orders. In 2007, for the first time, the suspected number of fugitive immigrants in the United States declined. The backlog is now down to fewer than 560,000, about 34,000 fewer than on Oct. 1, 2007.
But for Basil Robledo, director of programs for the Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) in San Jose, the latest arrests are one more step on a disturbing path following last year's failure by Congress to reform the nation's immigration laws.
He said federal officials have instead turned to heavy-handed enforcement — a strategy that Robledo says has led to fear, confusion and broken families.
"It is a scary situation for folks in the community," he said. "People keep their kids home from school. It creates less of a willingness to talk to police. They see ICE agents and they see a uniformed person, and that blends into all of law enforcement."
Meyer acknowledged the complaints his agency receives, particularly those concerning children and families, and took care to rebuff them, stressing that "when children are involved, we're very careful with that."
Still, he said, "these are the laws that are in place. And we're just following through, doing our job."
It is just right to impose the law.
Source
Friday, October 3, 2008
More than 1,100 arrested throughout California in immigration raids
By Denis C. Theriault
Billing a series of raids as the largest sweep of its kind in California, federal immigration authorities Monday announced more than 1,100 arrests throughout the state this month, part of a three-week effort that saw teams from San Jose and beyond knocking on doors in search of fugitive immigrants.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested 1,157 men and women — 436 in Northern California — in the latest splash in a five-year push targeting immigrants who have ignored deportation orders or returned to the United States illegally after being deported. The sweep, which concluded Saturday, also produced 420 arrests in the Los Angeles area and 301 in the San Diego area. Those arrested came from 34 countries.
And although ICE officials hailed the sweep as a success, particularly because of the number of arrests, they said it was only the scale of the effort that was remarkable.
"This is something we do on a daily basis," said Craig Meyer, ICE's assistant field office director in San Francisco. "This was just a big surge to get as many boots on the ground as we could."
Teams from Northern and Southern California worked together to rove the state, turning up 595 immigrants with outstanding deportation orders and 346 with criminal convictions. In Northern California, which includes the Bay Area, 185 were fugitives and 92 had criminal convictions, ranging from petty theft to more serious crimes.
A breakdown of arrests by municipality and county was not available, Meyer said. Continued...
Billing a series of raids as the largest sweep of its kind in California, federal immigration authorities Monday announced more than 1,100 arrests throughout the state this month, part of a three-week effort that saw teams from San Jose and beyond knocking on doors in search of fugitive immigrants.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested 1,157 men and women — 436 in Northern California — in the latest splash in a five-year push targeting immigrants who have ignored deportation orders or returned to the United States illegally after being deported. The sweep, which concluded Saturday, also produced 420 arrests in the Los Angeles area and 301 in the San Diego area. Those arrested came from 34 countries.
And although ICE officials hailed the sweep as a success, particularly because of the number of arrests, they said it was only the scale of the effort that was remarkable.
"This is something we do on a daily basis," said Craig Meyer, ICE's assistant field office director in San Francisco. "This was just a big surge to get as many boots on the ground as we could."
Teams from Northern and Southern California worked together to rove the state, turning up 595 immigrants with outstanding deportation orders and 346 with criminal convictions. In Northern California, which includes the Bay Area, 185 were fugitives and 92 had criminal convictions, ranging from petty theft to more serious crimes.
A breakdown of arrests by municipality and county was not available, Meyer said. Continued...
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
McAfee to pay $465 million for Secure Computing
By Jim Finkle
Jefferies & Co. analyst Katherine Egbert said that while Secure Computing has great technology for protecting computer networks from hackers, it has a reputation for being difficult to use.
"Strategically the deal makes a lot of sense," Egbert said. "But the challenge is going to be getting their products ready for mass distribution."
Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. analyst Daniel Ives said that the deal makes sense for Secure Computing, which began as a unit of Honeywell in 1984 and developed technology to protect computer systems at the U.S. National Security Agency. It was spun off as an independent company in 1989.
The company had struggled over the past year as it replaced its chief executive and its stock languished, losing more than half its value in 2008, versus a 14 percent decline in the Nasdaq Composite Index.
Ives called the McAfee deal "a better choice (for Secure Computer) than continuing to embark down a bumpy road in a tough macro environment."
The companies expect the transaction to close at the end of the fourth quarter of this year.
DeWalt said the acquisition will either have no impact on McAfee's 2009 profit or slightly boost profit for the year.
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Jefferies & Co. analyst Katherine Egbert said that while Secure Computing has great technology for protecting computer networks from hackers, it has a reputation for being difficult to use.
"Strategically the deal makes a lot of sense," Egbert said. "But the challenge is going to be getting their products ready for mass distribution."
Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. analyst Daniel Ives said that the deal makes sense for Secure Computing, which began as a unit of Honeywell in 1984 and developed technology to protect computer systems at the U.S. National Security Agency. It was spun off as an independent company in 1989.
The company had struggled over the past year as it replaced its chief executive and its stock languished, losing more than half its value in 2008, versus a 14 percent decline in the Nasdaq Composite Index.
Ives called the McAfee deal "a better choice (for Secure Computer) than continuing to embark down a bumpy road in a tough macro environment."
The companies expect the transaction to close at the end of the fourth quarter of this year.
DeWalt said the acquisition will either have no impact on McAfee's 2009 profit or slightly boost profit for the year.
Source
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