The Grass in Hampden Park

Currently the grass is being cut in Hampden Park. I'm happy to report that my blog site seems to be effective. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Did You Know KEITH STAMM at one time was a Democrat

Keith Stamm became a Republican when Ronald Reagan ran for president. Mr. Reagan ran against President Carter

POLITICS AND WHAT MOTIVATES

I want to encourage any student to help at the polls on election day. The first time i worked the polls was when Ross Perot was a candidate. The first time i became interested in politics was when Ronald Reagan was a candidate for President of the United States.

Please contact me if you have any interest at all in politics, or would like to know what is involved in working at the polls

GRASS AT HAMPDEN PARK

Keith Stamm reported a bad situation today at Hampden Park. The grass is approximately 2 feet long. This land was donated by the city and given to the school district. I'm concerned about the image this gives the school district.

Stamm Questions Bid

Why did we only receive one bid for electric and air conditioning work at Riverside Elementary School? This work was for over $1,000,000! I will question everyone until they tell me why!!!

Stamm Asks Why???

Keith asked why the administration requested bids when we have (5) HVAC personnel. With a recent vote on May 24, 5-4 administration asked for bids to hire an outside company to tell us what type of air conditioning equipment we have. Stamm, Cinfici, Storch and McCree voted no against doing this.

THE POWER OF A CAMERA

Stamm recently achieved something he tried to accomplish in a period of over two years.

I took pictures of several cracks in pavement on the north side of high school. Then I e-mailed them to our superintendent.

The other place that I took pictures was on the exterior of 13th & Green. Brown and green English ivy was running from ground level to the roof. I'm now proud to say the problem has been corrected.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY

I want the residents of READING, PA to know that i will continue to print articles.

These articles might not always be popular with liberals. They are in no way intended to hurt or defame anyone. I just want both sides of the story given to the public. Thankyou for reading my blog. I enjoy seeing that even though some liberals are bothered by me they continue to look at this site.

THE BIG PICTURE

Why do liberals always think its ok to spend when the money comes from grants or the federal government? Who may i ask is the federal government? This article is in response to an attack on my BLOG. An unhinged liberal I guess!!!

The Goggle Works

The Reading School District continues to support the Goggle Works. $47,000 has been waived in school taxes and now an additional $10,305 has been paid out for art classes. I feel these classes should have been given for free considering we waived payment of school taxes.

When You Think It's Bad in Reading, Read The Article Below

Detroit Schools May Get Ex-cops

A $600,000 proposal would hire 25-48 laid-off city police part time to fight district violence.

It's the latest in a string of efforts aimed at tackling violence in the district. On Wednesday, an elementary teacher was robbed in her building after she arrived in the morning, and last week a school janitor was shot in the leg and robbed during a morning smoke break.

We are treating this as a state of emergency, said Superintendent William Coleman III. This is something we need to do right now.

The gang violence is just out of control. Coleman also said he is taking other steps at tightening security, such as suspending students or firing emloyees who illegally let a person into a school and making sure all metal detectors are working.

Illegal Aliens Political Correctness Are Known As Undocumented Workers

The hidden costs of illegal immigrations (ID theft)

Do a Yahoo or Google search for THE RED TAPE CHRONICLES and read all about it. You will be surprised at what is pushing ID theft throughout the country.

Press Release

Gregory A. White, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that a two-count information was filed charging former Toledo City Council Member-at-Large Robert A. McCloskey, age 60, of 2137 Valentine Street, Toledo, Ohio with bribery in violation of the Hobbs Act.

Count 1 of the information alleges that on March 22, 2006, McCloskey accepted a $3,000 bribe from an unnamed Toledo businessman who was cooperating with the FBI. Count 2 of the Information alleges that he accepted a second $2,000 bribe from the same businessman on April 12, 2006.

If convicted, the defendant's sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant's prior criminal record, if any, the defendant's role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ann C. Rowland following investigation initiated by the Toledo Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2005.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Letter in Response to Will Cinfici on Haring

Dear Will:
The Executive Committee on May 9 concurred that we have an obligation to protect children from obscene images. The Catalogue that was displayed on the second floor Haring exhibit has been removed and all books sold in the gift shop carry a message that alerts people that they may be objectionable. I hope this action is satisfactory and thank you for your concern.

Mike Ehlerman

False Fire Alarms Cost School District

We have been charged $4,275 so far this year for students creating false alarms.

The fire company responded 7 times to the high school, 6 times to Northwest Middle School, 4 times to Southwest Middle School, 2 times to Northeast Middle School, and 4 times to the Tyson Shoener Elementary School.

Chicago Vacation Expenses Continue

Board President, Pierre V. Cooper - $199.19 for cab fare and miscellaneous expenses at School Board Convention.

Feeding at the Trough

Box lunches ordered by the curriculum office for coaching initiative meeting cost $454.40.

Currently we spend $83 per school board meeting including committee meetings for school board members who wish to eat. We normally have at least 5 meetings per month.

This comes to $415 per month and $4980 per year.

Sometimes school district attorneys and other employees also eat on the taxpayers money.

PLEASE CHECK ARCHIVES

Scroll screen while looking on left side.Just click on the month and year.

There is plenty to read and comment on.

March on Penn Street Affects School Attendance 5/1/06

ATTENDANCE PERCENTAGES BY BUILDING

10th & Green-down 7.88%
13th & Green-down 9.42%
12th & Marion-down 12.84%
13th & Union-down 6.93%
Riverside-down 7.26%
Glenside-down 3.69%
Northwest Elem.-down 11.19%
Lauers Park-down 5.86%
Thomas Ford-down 3.37%
Tyson Schoener-up 1.28%
Amanda Stout-down 9.75%
16th & Haak-down .07%
Millmont-down 1.86%
10th & Penn-down 9.25%
Southern Middle-down 7%
Northwest Middle-down 10.56%
Northeast Middle-down 14.5%
Southwest Middle-down 14.12%
Reading High-down 8.82%

For Your Information

Department of Justice

Flooring Contractor Admits Bribing Paterson School Official

NEWARK - The owner of Newark-based commercial flooring business which performed flooring and construction services for the Paterson Public School District pleaded guilty today to making concealed payments to a school district official in exchange for facilitating the receipt of contracting work and the renewal of contracts, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

Richard Costabile, 45, of Bedminster, president of the Ironbound Floor Covering Company, Inc., admitted providing more than $5,000 in flooring materials and installation services to a school district official, in the form of work to a home the school official was building in Sussex County, according to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard E. Constable III and Jeffrey S. Chiesa.

The district-wide flooring contract Ironbound had with Paterson School District was valued at more than $200,000 annually. Costabile provided the more than $5000 in materials and labor to the school official after receiving an annually renewable contract to perform flooring work for the school district.

Costabile pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares to a one-count information charging him with making corrupt payments (bribery), which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Judge Linares scheduled Costabile's sentencing for June 28. Costabile is free on a $100,000 unsecured bond pending sentencing.

Costabile admitted that he installed flooring at the district official's home. Further, Costabile admitted that he performed the work, free of charge, in exchange for ensuring receipt of future work and for prompt payment of invoices submitted by Ironbound.

The school official who received the bribe was not specifically identified in court nor in court documents, but was described by Costabile as the Director of Facilities for the school district.

Today was Costabile's first appearance in court in connection with the corruption investigation, which is continuing, Christie said.

Christie credited Special Agents of the FBI's Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Leslie Wiser, Jr., with developing the case against Costabile.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard E. Constable, III and Jeffrey S. Chisa of the U.S. Attorney's Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Cinfici's Response to the Ron Roth Letter

Mr. P. Michael Ehlerman
Chairman, Foundation for the Reading Public Museum

Dear Mike:

On April 28, I received a copy of Reading Public Museum Director and Chief Executive Officer Ronald C. Roth's April 13, 2006 letter to you. I write to respond to the numerous mischaracterizations and inaccuracies contained therein.

Mr. Roth writes that he refuses to "comply with (my) demands". I note that I never made any demands; I merely asked the Museum to address my concerns. Indeed, I did so only after you offered to me in a telephone conversation prior to my April 11 e-mail to you to address these concerns. You made the offer in return for accepting my offer to intercede on the Museum's behalf with State Senator David "Chip" Brightbill in order to secure a grant for the proper storage of the Museum's holdings, a project of obvious worthiness.

Mr. Roth claims that I am demanding "further" censorship. There has been no censorship. Therefore, the use of the word "further" is inaccurate.

Mr. Roth questions the origin of my "authority...to impose (my) personal views on what is appropriate to be sold in our Museum Shop, or displayed in our galleries". He goes on to write, "In my opinion, (emphasis added) this is censorship pure and simple, and threatens the intellectual freedom and scholorship that is at the core of our Museum's integrity". In other words, Mr. Roth displays the typical liberal double standard in objecting to the advancement of the beliefs of someone with whom he disagrees, while demanding the acceptance by all others of the advancement of his own personal beliefs.

I respect Mr. Roth's jealous guarding of the Museum's prerogatives, but he ought to demonstrate some respect for my fulfillment of my duty as an elected School Director to safeguard our schoolchildren from obscenity. Mr. Roth's concerns about the Museum's prerogatives are such a personal priority of his - even over the welfare of children - that he appears to be refusing to comply with my requests simply because he was asked to do so. Indeed, his rebuke of me for exercising my freedom of speech to ask for appropriate safeguards for our schoolchildren, according to his own reasoning, is itself a form of censorship.

Mr. Roth doubts that my views represent a majority of the Reading School Board. I note that there has yet to be one single vote taken by the Board directly on the Keith Haring issue. Four of the nine members of the Board have publicly expressed support for protecting our schoolchildren from such indecency. In addition, our Board Vice President publicly agreed that younger children, at least, should not see the images in the books in the Museum gift shop. He has repeatedly encouraged me to ask the Museum to address his concern. Therefore, Mr. Roth's calculation of the majority of the School Board is itself dubious.

Mr. Roth writes that the "finds" it hard to believe (Sen. Brightbill's) support is contingent on Mr. Cinfici's approval". Mr. Roth is correct; Sen. Brightbill's support is contingent upon his own opinion, not mine. It happens to be the case that I agree with Sen. Brightbill, but his opinion is what matters in regard to the grant. As you know, I have never implied otherwise.

I suspect that Mr. Roth is upset because Sen. Brightbill is proving the criticism of Mr. Roth's decision in regard to the Haring books to be valid. I regret to inform you that I am aware that numerous people have indicated to me that they are not patronizing the Museum, renewing their membership or attending the gala because of it. I challenge Mr. Roth, if he has not already done so, to report to the Museum Foundation at one of its stated meetings of the remarks of all the individuals who have written the Museum to cancel their membership because of the Haring matter.

Finally, it is necessary to examine the issue of censorship. It is obvious that Mr. Roth and his liberal comrades, with all due respect to them, have continued to cry "censorship" as a knee-jerk reaction without ever having looked up the word in the dictionary, let alone a law dictionary.

Censorship would have occurred if a law had forbidden the exhibition of art on private property that is not obscene. But the Museum is publicly owned and supported, at least in part, with public funds, including from the Reading School District. Furthermore, the Museum is seeking Sen. Brightbill's support for a grant from the state for more public money, a request I note is inconsistent with the expectation of maintaining the independence of the Museum.

Moreover, obscenity, as defined by community standards, is not a protected form of expression, according to numerous rulings of both the United States and Pennsylvania Supreme Courts. It is a matter of settled law that minors may particularly be protected from exposure to obscenity. It is important to note that community standards are defined by reasonable people, and not necessarily by artists, art experts or even art aficionados like myself. There are exemptions under Pennsylvania's Obscenity Act for certain museums, but the current sale of the Museum's Haring Catalogue at Borders, for example, could violate this act. Nevertheless, the Museum is obligated to follow the Smithsonian ethical guidelines, which forbid obscenity.

The definition of obscenity under the law is less subjective than it's supporters often attempt to portray it. It not necessary for me to render my opinion as to whether the images in the Haring books available in the Museum Gift Shop meet the definition. It is sufficient to quote from the books themselves. Dr. M. Rachel Arauz, Co-Curator of the Haring Exhibit, refers on Page 11 of the Museum Catalogue to the "graphic sexual imagery" of Haring's art on that appears therein (See enclosures. Warning: graphic images). Jonathan Weinberg, referring to Mickey Mouse, observes on Page 25 of the Catalogue that he "lewdly masturbates" in another one of the images in that book (See enclosures. Warning: graphic images), and on Page 29, Weinberg refer to the "sometimes-obscene antics" of the figures in Haring's artwork. Even the book entitled Haring, by Alexandra Kolossa, co-published by the Haring estate, acknowledges the inappropriateness for children of Haring's depiction of Pinocchio masturbating: "Keith Haring's version of the Pinocchio figure comes across as anything but child-friendly" (See enclosures. Warning: graphic images).

Keith Haring himself recognized the need to prevent children from viewing these images. Jonathan Weinberg writes on Page 29 of the Museum Catalogue, "He effectively censored himself when he carefully omitted explicitly sexual material from his subway drawings and outdoor murals, thus rendering much of his work "kid friendly". Ironically, I daresay that I am being more true to Keith Haring's wishes than Mr. Roth is.

I remain eager to try to address this issue in order to produce a favorable result for both our school children and the Museum. I look forward to continuing to work with you toward that end.

Very truly yours,


William Cinfici

CORRUPTION IN READING

I feel like I'm on the tip of an iceberg. Pieces of the corrupt puzzle are coming to me. Please do not be afraid to contact me at stamk @aol.com. All information I recieve will be held in confidence.

CHICAGO COSTS CONTINUE

Charges for cab fair $184.24

RESPONSE TO RON ROTH / BY WILL CINFICI

Response to Ron Roth will appear here by May 9th, 2006

Haring Debate Continues/Please Read Below

April 13, 2006

Mr. P. Michael Ehlerman

Dear Mike:
I have read with great concern the e-mail sent to you by Mr. Cinfici on April 11. With respect, I do not plan to comply with Mr. Cinfici's demands for further censorship of books and information at the Reading Public Museum in return for Senator Brightbill's presumed support for the Museum.

I think it is a fair question to ask by what authority has Mr. Cinfici been empowered to impose his personal views on that is appropriate to be sold in our Museum Shop, or displayed in our galleries? As far as I know, his views do not represent those of the Board of the Museum foundation, nor am I aware they represent the majority view of the Board of the Reading Public Schools.

In my opinion, this is censorship pure and simple, and threatens the intellectual freedom and scholorship that is at the core of our Museum's integrity.

I also wonder if Senator Brightbill is aware of this arrangement as Mr. Cinfici characterizes it, that one these "safeguards" are implemented "the entire issue will be resolved and the Majority Leader and everyone else will be happy", to quote his e-mail to you. I have great respect for Senator Brightbill, and find it hard to believe his support for the Museum is contingent on Mr. Cinfici's approval.

I am sure the Senator is aware of the hundreds of school children, teachers and parents in his district that have been inspired and delighted by our exhibition on Keith Haring, and the nearly 400 high school students in Berks County who collaborated on our Keith Haring subway mural and whose names are proudly listed in the galleries. He may also be interested in knowing that over 14,000 visitors have viewd the Keith Haring Exhibition since it's opening, none of whom to my knowledge have registered any objections to the exhibition catalogue in the gallery or the Haring books we have on sale.

I am sending a copy of this letter to the Museum Foundation's Board of Directors. I want the Board to be clear on my position: I will not comply with Mr. Cinfici's requests unless the Board of the Museum Foundation votes in favor of his requests, and that the Board provides me with a written directive to comply. In deference to your privacy, in my mailing to the rest of the Board, I will not include a copy of the e-mail of April 11 you gave me that you received from Mr. Cinfici which discusses this arrangement. I hope you will make a copy of it available to members of our Board, so that they know what we know and can come to their own conclusions on the situation.

Mike, I think you know how much I respect you and your efforts on the Museum's behalf. I hope you understand how seriously I believe this situation is and the threat it represents to the Museum's future freedom of expression.

With all best regards,


Ronald C. Roth
Director and CEO

MARCH ON PENN ST.READING,PA

Vaughn Spencer, Current president of Readings city council spoke at the Illegal Alein parade.

STAMM GIVES SUPERINTENDENT A SENIOR PROJECT

Keith Stamm left a senior project idea for Dr. Thomas Chapman. I suggest a physics student figure out how many kilowatts are being used for the lights on his Christmas tree . The lights were on while no one was in his office.

STAMM GIVES FORMAL REQUEST FOR PHONE RECORDS

MAY 2nd, 2006 School Director KEITH STAMM made a formal request to see phone records.
Keith asked for long distance phone records at Reading High School and at Northeast Middle School.

ILLEGAL ALIENS MARCH ON PENN STREET

Yesterday over 1,000 Illegals marched on Penn St. in Reading , PA

School Director ( Yvonne Stroman) was reported as an advocate for the illegal children to miss school. Keep in mind that my colleagues opinion is her own. I think it is a tragedy that these children were not in school.

FORMAL REQUEST FOR PHONE RECORDS

Keith Stamm made a formal request today for long distance phone records.

I requested this public information from the Reading High School and
Northeast Middle school.