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Skip to comments.Romney Aide Admonishes Rude Reporters, NBC Treats It as a Gaffe
Posted on 07/31/2012 8:32:27 PM PDT by Kaslin
On Tuesday's NBC Today, campaign correspondent Peter Alexander attempted to spin bad behavior by reporters covering Mitt Romney's trip to Poland as a new controversy for the presidential campaign: "This morning, after reporters tried to shout questions to Romney while he left a plaza near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier....A campaign spokesman angrily intervened....The spokesman later called reporters to apologize." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
The report featured a clip of one female reporter screaming at Romney: "Governor Romney, do you feel that your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip?!" A campaign aide chastised: "This is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect." He could be heard saying: "Shove it. Shove it." That same aide reportedly also said "Kiss my ass," but NBC did not include that in its coverage.
Romney Aides Admonish Rude Reporters, NBC Treats it as a Gaffe
Alexander began the report by highlighting supposed gaffes made by Romney during the overseas trip: "Mitt Romney, after accidentally offending the Brits and then angering Palestinians, just finished up a foreign policy speech here in Poland, where he tried to project the image of a leader who is ready for the big stage."
After detailing Romney's stop in Poland, Alexander hyped some of the Republican candidate's comments in Israel "that largely overshadowed his visit": "He told Jewish donors in an off-camera fundraiser that Israeli culture is part of what's enabled Israel to be more economically productive than its Palestinian neighbors....Some Palestinian leaders were outraged."
In later news brief, anchor Natalie Morales declared: "The controversy from Romney's visit to Israel is spilling over, where Palestinians say his choice of words to praise Israel was racist."
Alexander did briefly cite push-back from the Romney campaign on the issue: "The Romney campaign called the reporting of the comments a 'gross mischaracterization.' Their top strategist said, 'This was not in any way an attempt to slight the Palestinians, and everyone knows that.'"
On Monday night, all three network evening newscasts manufactured controversy around Romney's Israel comments.
Here is a full transcript of Alexander's July 31 report:
NATALIE MORALES: Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is in Poland today, but he is still feeling the heat from his trip to Israel. NBC's Peter Alexander has the latest now from Warsaw. Good day to you, Peter.
PETER ALEXANDER: Natalie, good morning to you. Mitt Romney, after accidentally offending the Brits and then angering Palestinians, just finished up a foreign policy speech here in Poland, where he tried to project the image of a leader who is ready for the big stage.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Mitt Romney in Poland; GOP Presidential Hopeful Fighting Palestinian Backlash]
With a solemn visit to Poland's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a meeting with the country's president...
MITT ROMNEY: Friendship between our nations is one which-
ALEXANDER: ...Mitt Romney has used this trip to try to contrast himself with President Obama, who Romney says has neglected this eastern European ally.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN [REPORTER]: Governor Romney, do you feel that your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip?!
ALEXANDER: But this morning, after reporters tried to shout questions to Romney while he left a plaza near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
DENTIFIED MAN B [ROMNEY CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN]: Shove it. Shove it. Really.
ALEXANDER: The spokesman later called reporters to apologize.
Romney began the week in Israel with a comment that largely overshadowed his visit. He told Jewish donors in an off-camera fundraiser that Israeli culture is part of what's enabled Israel to be more economically productive than its Palestinian neighbors. He said the same holds true for other neighboring countries like the U.S. and Mexico. "Culture makes all the difference," he said. "I look out over the city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things."
Some Palestinian leaders were outraged. The Romney campaign called the reporting of the comments a "gross mischaracterization." Their top strategist said, "This was not in any way an attempt to slight the Palestinians, and everyone knows that."
And this visit to Poland is in part designed to help Mitt Romney try to win over support from Polish Americans and Catholics back in the United States. Mitt Romney does head home a little bit later today. Natalie.
MORALES: Peter Alexander in Warsaw, Poland. Thanks so much.
Love how they list "angering the Palestinians" as a big gaffe.
He did so by saying a culture of freedom and democracy leads to the best results.
And, to a report, fail to mention Obama took the same position when a candidate visiting Israel in 2008. These aren't objective journalists, they're two-faced, propagandist bastards.
In your frenzy to create a negative narrative about my visit here, you have callously disrespected this unknown soldier's grave. Please take a moment to learn something about this important site and what it means to the people here. It might make a good news story.
—Love how they list angering the Palestinians as a big gaffe.—
NPR was doing it this afternoon as well. Frankly, I don't think his remarks about the olympics or his Palestinian remarks were gaffes.
Tijuana and San Diego share an almost identical climate and geography. One is 'America's finest city' and the other a hellhole beyond description. What made the difference?
Pete Wilson governor of California did it this way,
"They can kiss my rear end, if they can leap that high." (1993)
Romney spoke the truth on multiple occasions.
All the right people got outraged:
- leftist Brits, Palestinians, Iranian mullahs, and the liberal Press.
So the press calls these "gaffes"... when in fact, Mitt is actually getting his cohones on and saying something truthful.
"He did so by saying a culture of freedom and democracy leads to the best results."
palestinian economy bites because of their culture. So palestinians whine about 'racism' when the truth is told because they want to play the victim card.
If Romney says "Good morning gentlemen" it will be called a "gaffe" by the MSM. Moochelle says "All this fuss for a piece of cloth" (referring to the American flag) and gets a pass. Hussein says "my Muslim faith" and gets a pass. It's too bad not enough Americans seem to be wise to their double standard.
Hell, he said it to the Egyptian foreign minister, who repeated it to media -- and still got a pass. In fact, I don't think the remark was widely reported (i.e. it was suppressed in media) or discussed. It would be a huge development if it's true -- especially since the statement was made in the middle of his big Middle Eastern 2009 visit -- and even epochal. But the media screened it.
The media's been trying to create a negative Romney meme for a while but so far, nothing's stuck. I think they're trying out "Romney's gaffe-prone" now and they'll portray everything he says as a gaffe to try to get that one to stick.
If the Romney guy said it that way, you would never have heard about it.
"These aren't objective journalists, they're two-faced, propagandist bastards."
Not to mention incognito politburo scu*bags masquerading as "journalists" in America.
I posted your comment to me in the Texas state board, and someone made an interesting reply.
Thanks, I went to the board and read it. It seems improbable, unlikely, if not impossible, because of everything we've been taught in school and through the media, all the PC indoctrination, but I can't ignore what my own eyes are seeing. I bet most of the white South Africans didn't foresee the terror that be unleashed upon them either when apartheid fell. Where is the world now that white South Africans are being genocided out of South Africa, and all the good they brought to that country? (Schools, first world healthcare, lower infant mortality, more than adequate food supply, well maintained infrastructure, charities of all kinds). They are being repaid with terror and tyranny and the world ignores their plight.
If the white parents of that school don't loudly and publicly protest, even remove their children from that school, I don't know how much hope there is.
Well, "they deserve it" -- for being white, and for having been on the receiving end of a worldwide Communist hate-a-thon for what, 40 years? before the Boer government fell.
And in addition, it's a well-established principle of "socialism" that doers never get credit -- "See, that's where you're wrong. It isn't your lunch money, it's everybody's lunch money!"
Everything they did for 100 years and more has now been "socialized" to the black masses, and as their marginal utility wanes in a country where people would rather do without than admit that "settlers" have brought or accomplished anything, their residual value to the majority is mostly the entertainment value in watching them die badly under the machetes.
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AA President Edmund King has said that the results of an appeal to cyclists and motorists by The Times to identify Britain's most hazardous junctions demonstrate that cycllists believe that much of the country's road network is "not fit for purpose." The findings have been published on the same day that the newspaper's editor appears alongside government ministers to give evidence to a committee of MPs on cycle safety.
Some 10,000 people responded to the newspaper's invitation to use an interactive map to highlight dangerous roundabouts, junctions and other sections of road as part of its Cities Fit For Cycling campaign, launched in February.
The Elephant & Castle gyratory system in South London – described late last year by Mayor Boris Johnson as "perfectly negotiable" by cyclists – emerged as the location flagged up by most people on The Times' interactive map.
The newspaper says that "4,010 junctions, 2,778 stretches of badly designed road, 1,453 poorly built cycle lanes and 1,360 roads afflicted by dangerous pot holes" were highlighted by people who use them.
Seven of the most complained about locations were in London, with King's Cross/York Way, site of the death of cyclist Deep Lee last year, in second place.
However, junctions and roads across the UK in cities including in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast were also regularly nominated, says The Times.
It added that suggestions to improve them included allowing cyclists to benefit from a head start at traffic lights, one of the changes Transport for London is proposing at the Bow Roundabout, site of the death of two cyclists last autumn.
Commenting on the results, AA President Mr King, himself a cyclist, said: "It would be fair to say from these findings from 10,000 people that in many cyclists' view the roads are not fit for purpose.
"Many of the things highlighted in the survey show that particularly on major roads in and around urban areas we need a fundamental review of road design and junction layout," he added.
Chris Peck, policy co-ordinator at national cyclists' organisation CTC, said: "It's time for the Government to get to work on a national cycling action plan with enough funding to begin to rectify some of these appalling places for cycling."
Martin Gibbs, British Cycling's policy and legal affairs director, added: "This is valuable data that the Department for Transport should use immediately to start remedial works. We need a total shift in policy. We should never have got into this situation and the government must now commit to putting cycle safety into road and junction designs before they are built.
"This is a dramatic policy failure and transport ministers should be highly uncomfortable that a national newspaper is leading this process."
Today, Times editor James Harding will join broadcaster Jon Snow, who is also President of CTC, and transport ministers Norman Baker and Mike Penning, in giving evidence to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee.
Today's session forms the conclusion of the oral evidence phase of the committee's inquiry into the government's road safety strategy, and focuses specifically on cycling.
In an unusual step, and one perhaps reflecting the way that the issue of cycling has moved up the political agenda in recent months, the committee had last week invited members of the public to submit via Twitter questions that could be put to ministers today.
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.

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SHERMAN, TX -- There's a unique way for parents to earn money -- selling their children's old items.
Just Between Friends is taking place this weekend. Nicolette Schleisman found out what's its all about -- and how the event is also helping local charities.
"The economy is not in good shape and they are doing everything they can to make ends meet. And this is just a good way to do that," said Jayme Maxwell.
Jayme Maxwell is the owner of Just Between Friends in Sherman and Denison. A group where parents can sell their children's old and outgrown clothes and toys.
"It's a way that stay at home moms moms with young kids that can make money. Kids rarely use up their clothes, they just use them a little while and then they out grow them and there's tons of things left over," said Maxwell.
That is something Michelle Ramey understands.
"I have two kids, a 3-year-old and a 15-month-old. And I save a ton of money shopping at JBF versus shopping locally at the big box stores for their clothing," said Ramey.
Ramey says times are tough. But, with the help of Just Between Friends, she has been able to still bring gently used clothes and toys home. As well as some extra money.
"I save money. And by selling my kids old items, I make money. Even though I buy at the sale. I still bring in income to my family. So it helps a lot," said Ramey.
Just Between Friends opens to the public this Friday, and runs through Sunday at the expo hall in Sherman's Midway Mall. The cost Friday is $4. But it is free to get in on Saturday and Sunday. The money raised from cover on Friday will go to two charities.
"We work with the Grayson Shelter and the Pregnancy Care Center. And so they take in tons of merchandise away at the end in donations and then that helps them out in the end too," said Maxwell.


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I couldn't understand it when national handle figures kept rising each month this winter despite less than stellar racing in New York, even by winter standards, and a perceived decline of this year's product at Tampa Bay Downs.
True, things were looking up at Santa Anita, where there was no horseplayer boycott this time, and at Gulfstream Park, which had a season reminiscent of racing's glory days when champions routinely showed up in mid-week money-allowances.
Still, given the continued contraction of racing dates at tracks that were hemorrhaging money and those that hosted abbreviated race cards to accommodate a declining horse population, how could this be?
Then came the scandalous takeout story at the New York Racing Association; the sensational treatment the New York Times gave a "disreputable industry" and an on-going raceday medication controversy that has fair-minded practitioners lining up on opposing sides.
Despite all this, betting volume continued to rise this month when Churchill Downs posted double-digit gains on Derby weekend, a trend that continued in Baltimore on Saturday where Preakness business rose for a third consecutive year and a new attendance mark of 121,309 was set.
But from the Derby came stories that raised questions, making casual fans aware of the winning trainer's checkered past. Further, the ink on the Preakness chart was hardly dry when a Louisville Courier-Journal story told how the owner of the colt that stands on the precipice of racing history had his company branded by the California Attorney General two years ago as a high-interest lender resorting to "loan-shark tactics."
There are a number of sure bets to be cashed during the three week run-up to the Belmont Stakes. The woes of the event's host will be recounted, again, as will Doug O'Neill's milkshaking travails, again, as well as the strong-armed tactics of Paul Reddam's company.
The one aspect of the NYRA situation likely to be unreported is the unwitting role that the state played in all this. Several of its regulatory agencies in an oversight role failed to detect the accounting error in a timely fashion. Despite that, the state took temporary control of the NYRA on Tuesday by altering the makeup of its Board of Trustees, an arrangement that will remain in place through Governor Andrew Cuomo's term of office.
Sadly, all of what is to come will prove a distraction to the historical matter at hand because other agenda unflattering to racing are at work here. The industry deserves much of what it gets from critics, but not all of it all the time.
Thoroughbred racing has been waiting for a moment like this to come to fruition for 34 years now and the organization charged with putting on the show is rudderless. It doesn't have a best face to put forward; that face was fired weeks ago.
The faces responsible for moving the show along now are the trainer of a fun bunch surrounding a gifted, gritty and unflappable colt, and his humble from-out-of-the-blue jockey who allows his mount to do the talking despite giving two brilliant tactical performances under the glare of racing's biggest spotlight.
On June 9, the huge ballpark on Long Island, a racetrack whose size has become anachronistic, will play host to 100,000 history-starved sports fans that will fill every corner of the behemoth track.
The noise these fans will make at Belmont Park if I'll Have Another is in winning position at the beginning of a stretch run that begins in one county and ends in another will be positively scary.
The roar will shake the building to its foundation as yet another Thoroughbred attempts to boldly go where only 11 have gone before, and where 11 since 1979 have failed to tread.
For two and a half minutes, the only thing that will matter is who finishes first. If that horse happens to be I'll Have Another, human warts and all, it will remove the bad taste left when a troubled Big Brown was pulled up with a quarter-mile left to run.
Smarty Jones and Funny Cide also shipped into Gotham with the same chance to make history but both were defeated, one via questionable riding tactics and home cooking, the other by the suitably pedigreed betting favorite. At least both were beaten on the square.
Even in victory, the chances are that I'll Have Another won't be racing's savior. Last year, a study conducted by the austere Jockey Club found that the general public does not hold racing in the esteem it once did so who knows how long the afterglow will last.
The recent Times series added to racing's current undesirable categorization and there is concern that an historic victory might advance this adverse perception of horse racing in this country because of the possible increase of negativity in mainstream media.
But all year the sporting crowd has been voting with their dollars so that any negative perceptions that exist are trending otherwise thus far. So is it an improved economy, increased and improved network television coverage, or is it something else?
Could it be that what makes horse racing great is that a society that has been tethered to the Thoroughbred since racing began over five centuries ago on the Plains of Hempstead, not far from Belmont Park, has and will remain loyal indefinitely?
Are we learning that the game might be bullet proof after all?


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Is Monday Night Raw killing SmackDown?
This is not about merging brands or do some shitty idea with one single title or whatever. It's a legit question since Raw moved up to three hours, and maybe even before that when HHH declared that Raw would be from now forward a "Supershow" with the brands being mixed up in the Monday Night Shows. Some loved the idea, others hated it but the fact of the matter is that the idea is still being used, and now even more with the third hour added to Raw.
As many of you may have seen SmackDown scored last Tuesday a 1.54 television rating, and that is one of their lowest in a long time. I know that Tuesday was election day and everybody was paying attention to Obama and Romney but we can't just forget that SmackDown is losing a lot of viewers per week, it has been a downhill spiral since Raw moved up to three hours and the SmackDown quality as really reached to the bottom of the pit, I mean they give us good pro-wrestling shows but the storylines are very very weak, with them being more built at Raw than on SmackDown.
So is the B-Show dying? I still watch it, but a lot of people just stopped to watch it because they can see what is really going on by watching only Raw and I kinda start to agree with them. SmackDown has four matches, maybe five if you put a squash in the middle, and two/three backstage segments and that's it, the same formula over and over again. The title isn't even defended in their show, Raw does not even hypes it anymore so, once again is SmackDown dying?
Please feel free to give your opinion and answer to the poll. If you don't watch SmackDown say the reasons and if you do, say what moves you to watch it.
I don't give a damn what they are, they're all on the list,
and that's Stone Cold's list, and I'm fixing to start running through all of 'em.
The 1.54 rating is a little better than their last Live Smackdown. I thought it would of been a lot worse considering it was election night. The Orton/Christian cage match and the Henry/Bryan title match were the two times where live smackdown drew better ratings. The rest of the Live Smackdown shows drew lower ratings than what they usually do on Friday nights. They seemed to have built an audience that is used to watching Smackdown on Friday.
I still watch both, but yes the 3 hour Raw's are killing Smackdown. They are not doing much from a storyline standpoint on SD lately. They keep repeating matches and ideas too. Depite being good matches, I have no interest in seeing Barrett vs Orton or Sheamus at a PPV. I have seen it plenty of times on tv lately. They just repeated the same thing that PTP/Sin Cara & Mysterio did on SD with The Rhodes Scholars and Team Hell No on Raw. It does make it tough to watch if you watch both shows.
It will make both shows better if Raw goes back to 2 hours. Hopefully, they will give Smackdown some fresh new angles.
I don't watch Smackdown most of the time. In fact I can barely watch Raw and Impact as it is because there's just too much (dull) wrestling on TV and so little time.
They need to become interesting again and they need to drop the number of shows they have per week and I'm not even talking about dropping Raw back to 2 hours.
Even if the wrestling is good on Smackdown (don't know if it is) I can't get myself to watch it most of the time because it's either a reharsh or Raw or it will be reharsh on the next Raw.
If they want people to watch Smackdown they need to enforce the split and make it so that you see certain wrestler ONLY if you watch the show they are on. They should also think about switching Cena to Smackdown so I will not have to see him and the people who really want to see him will switch to Smackdown! and it would increase the rating of Smackdown.
The problem with SmackDown! is that the focal point of the show is the World Heavyweight Title. There is dwindling interest in Randy Orton's shtick, seeing Alberto Del Rio come up short, and seeing Big Show act as a monster heel for the millionth time. What else is there to be interested in on SmackDown? A RAW recap?
Shrinking SD! ratings also give you a glimpse into where the WWE would be without CM Punk or John Cena at this point.
Monday Night Raw is basically just SmackDown right now. Besides the CM Punk, John Cena and Brad Maddox stuff everything else is a SmackDown storyline. Team Rhodes Scholars, PTP, Rey & Cara, Team Hell, 3MB and all the other tag teams are made up of SmackDown Superstars. The Intercontinental title is a SmackDown championship and the US title is held by a SmackDown Superstar. The Divas title storyline belongs to SmackDown(As well do most of the Divas). Orton, Berrate, Sheamus, Show and Del Rio? I mean come on. If anything, Raw isn't killing SmackDown, SmackDown is saving Raw.
Firstly, yes I watch both weekly. Secondly, I like to watch smackdown because it can actually be entertaining and it kills a good 2 hours, which you have nothing else to do with. The problem for smackdown is that it's the B show nowadays. It's been that way since 2006 to now and it isnt good for smackdown. If they continue to bury smackdown and its title, then smackdown is going to die a slow death.
They treat the world title as it were the b title, which isn't good because it makes stars like Sheamus, big show and orton look weak. They need to keep pushing the Sheamus/big show storyline. The world title picture should be going strong in early 2013, with Dolph Ziggler cashing In the mitb briefcase soon enough. Also orton and Sheamus, wade Barrett winning the world title.
The smackdown picture should be heating up soon enough.
Not removing until the Road to WrestleMania begins!
It sounds as though you don't really follow the ratings SD! usually does and just happened to really pay attention this one particular time because of a bad rating.
On Friday nights, SmackDown! always averages in the high 1s and low 2s for ratings. the SD! for this past Friday drew a 1.94 Nielsen Rating with 2,878,000 viewers according to tvbythenumbers.com. The previous SD! drew a 1.96 Nielsen Rating with 2,820,000 viewers. The one before that drew a 2.04 and over 2,900,000 viewers.
SmackDown! is doing just fine. Even on what could be considered "slow night" in terms of ratings for the show, it draws around 2.7 million viewers.
I very much expected SD! this Tuesday to draw a poor rating. Election Night is the reason why. According to the same site, the broadcast networks of NBC, ABC, CBS & Fox drew a combined total of roughly 34,260,000 viewers. When you factor in all the numbers the various cable news channels did on the same night, you come up with about the same number, maybe a bit more and maybe a bit less. So, all in all, that's somewhere around 70,000,000 people watching election coverage. Even Tuesday night powerhouse shows like Sons of Anarchy took a pretty solid hit in the ratings department.
With the exception of the first Super SmackDown! specials on Tuesday, the showings on Friday have always equaled or exceeded the other specials of the show. That's why SD! hasn't gone live on Tuesdays. About this time a year ago, there was major talk of taking the blue brand live every Tuesday, those live SD! specials were a test to see how the show did on Friday. Since the show has better results being shown on Fridays, and taped for that matter, the WWE has kept it on Fridays and kept it taped. It's cheaper than running a live show.
Why Vince wanted to have a SD! this past Tuesday, I'll never know. He had to know the show would get creamed in the ratings. On top of it all, this Super SmackDown! wasn't even live as it'd been taped in Birmingham, England.
These numbers aren't anything to worry about. If the show had been pulling this numbers for a while on Friday while taped, then it'd be something for WWE to worry about.
I watch both shows each week. The fact that not as many people don't watch SD! of Friday as Raw on Monday doesn't surprise me. Friday is the end of the work week for tons of people and Friday is statistically the night when more people go out than any other night of the week. On cable televsion, SD! is pretty frequently the #1 show on cable television on Friday nights. Even on the nights it isn't, it's almost always at least in the top 3 or 4.
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I don't think it's killing Smackdown. Smackdown has always been the b show and will be treated as such. Smackdown being more wrestling based isn't really anything new. Over the history of Smackdown it has seemingly had better wrestling than Raw tends to have. Raw tends to be the more storyline driven show.
I wouldn't look too much into the Tuesday rating. People were likely watching the election coverage, didn't remember that there was a live special or will watch tonight.
I will say though I get annoyed that they have so many Raw recaps. There are times where I think about skipping Raw for the week because I know they'll show the recap on Smackdown anyway.
One of the big problems with SmackDown is that its not positioned as an equal to RAW in any way. RAW is called the "SuperShow", its 3 hours, and its the place where all the major angles go down. In the earlier days of the brand split (2002-2004 approximately), SmackDown was pushed as more of an equal to RAW, with its own distinct feel. The brands were perceived as being on the same level. Now, SmackDown is clearly perceived as the B-Show while RAW is the "flagship" and ultimately this hurts SmackDown and further cheapens the already highly cheapened brand split concept. Basically, there's no point to watching SmackDown other than seeing some wrestling matches with lesser stars, because nothing of major importance to a main storyline is likely to occur there...and as I've said before, the angles are what draw, not the matches. If the brand split were to be ended completely, and you had stars like Cena and Punk appearing on both RAW and SmackDown, you used RAW to promote SmackDown more, and there was more of a fluent storyline connection between RAW and SmackDown overall, you would likely see a SmackDown ratings increase. Yes, the 1.5 rating from Tuesday was because of the election coverage no doubt, but the current average SmackDown ratings around 1.9 are still not that great and could realistically be increased to the lower-mid 2s on a regular basis. SmackDown will never do RAW numbers, but it can definitely do better than what it's doing currently.
Last edited by Sexcellence of Sexecution : 11-09-2012 at 04:00 PM.
Well not to sound like some "smart-mark" jerk but the very title is ironic & completely impossible since Smackdown wouldn't exist without RAW but I see your point. RAW was already the "flagship" program for WWE then they change it to RAW Supershow & eventually the 3-hour RAW Supershow!!
So yeah it has became a little overwhelmingly obvious that Smackdown is the ugly step-child now since ECW on SciFi is no more. But overall Smackdown could realisitcally be on par with RAW. They are known for usually having better & longer matches & I think their overall roster especially in the main event picture is much better.
I watch both RAW & Smackdown online & only watch the parts I want to, sometimes watching just as much Smackdown as RAW. I think the problem stems from 1 main reason & that is the lack of care & passion put into the Smackdown product from the likes of VKM that translates to the writers & producers of Smackdown. Because the things that they drop the ball on the most on Smackdown IMO is repeating something too much or dropping something they were running with. WWE acts like Smackdwon is just the RAW post-show & it usally features the same stories from RAW rehashed or some pointless macth or segment that has nothing to do with anything. And the only story that is almost fully Smackdowns like Show/Sheamus or Sheamus/DelRio the SD creative team either shows a huge lack of creativity & interest or RAW capitalizes on the feud.
They are heading in the right direction with the Orton/DelRIo Last Man Standing Match that was only on SD & taping it Live. Those are the things that make SD important. They need to keep up making the audience believe what happens on Smackdown matters & will impact RAW, PPV's, & the rest of the WWE product.
Last edited by HBKistheHOF : 11-09-2012 at 07:11 PM.
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Fresh green beans tossed in an Asian inspired dressing and sprinkled with nutty, toasted sesame seeds.
The dressing has a pungent, salty bite to it with raw garlic and ginger, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Strong flavors that meld together to make something special. A dressing so good I could drink it.
Green beans are one of my favorite summertime eats. So abundant in our garden, they grow like weeds faster than we can pick them.
If you find yourself in the same situation you can make a big batch of these green beans to have on hand.
They're good hot, at room temperature or cold and they go with just about anything you want to pair them with especially grilled meat and chicken.
Fresh green beans tossed in an Asian inspired dressing and sprinkled with nutty, toasted sesame seeds.
- Steam green beans until tender. Toast sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Meanwhile whisk together the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and oil in a large bowl.
- When green beans are tender add them to the bowl and toss. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve hot or cold.
- Add beans and toss. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.
- Serve hot, at room temperature or chilled.
Adapted from Epicurious


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The lights are on
The industry has seen an influx of games based on comic properties the past few years – usually coinciding with a big-screen movie debut. Game Informer plays home to more than one comic book aficionado, and as such, we decided to play make-believe with a few unlikely comic properties that could – with the right team and a bit of magic – be translated into stellar games. Superheroes in capes are overdone. Check out our list of improbable comic-to-game candidates below.
PreacherCreator: Garth EnnisArtist: Steve Dillon Publisher: Vertigo Publication Date: 1995-2000
The Pitch: The way we see it, there are dozens of reasons Preacher would translate into an action-packed game. A nominee and recipient of several Eisner Awards for best writer, Garth Ennis fleshed out a story like nothing we've read before. The cast of colorful characters (the understatement of the century) includes Jesse Custer – a reverend who makes it his personal mission to extract revenge on God, Tulip O'Hare – Custer's longtime love interest and gun fanatic, and Cassidy – the pair's shady drug addict friend who happens to be a vampire. But, that only addresses the three main protagonists. The supporting cast includes the Saint of Killers, Arseface, Herr Starr, the Duke, and even God himself, all of whom would provide diverse gameplay and fascinating dialogue.
Key Features: The most difficult task would be maintaining Ennis' superb storytelling and carefully crafted narrative with unapologetically violent action. Gunplay would be the bulk of combat, pitting Custer and his companions against The Grail. Custer could also use the Word of God to manipulate people to his advantage. We'd be remiss not to include a Saint of Killers segment – blasting away foes with his Walker Colt revolvers would be a thrill. The fairly linear narrative would be punctuated with flashbacks to flesh out character history and their subsequent motivations – a large part of what made Ennis' characters so remarkable. The game would unfold through heaven, hell, and the earthly plain, all tied together by stylized Western movie influences. Sound good, Pilgrim?
Developer: Rockstar North has proven their willingness to take on controversial topics and their ability to tie together sprawling worlds with a surprisingly personal narrative. Considering the violent, sexually gratuitous, and at times disturbing nature of Preacher, we'd be hard pressed to find anyone else capable of pulling it off.


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The year after Myron Scholes won the Nobel prize, his hedge fund crashed
But still people continued to apply his methods.
"The equation is based on the idea that big movements are actually very, very rare. The problem is that real markets have these big changes much more often that this model predicts," says Stewart. "And the other problem is that everyone's following the same mathematical principles, so they're all going to get the same answer."
Really? So some bright spark comes up with a method of predicting financial movements based on THE ASSUMPTION that big swells almost never happen and ignored the fact that if the entire global economy uses his model it pretty much guarantees big swells?
If you suspect a man, don't employ him.


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May 14, 2011
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - UC Irvine's bullpen held UC Santa Barbara to one hit and no runs over the final six innings on Saturday as the 18th-ranked Anteaters (33-13 overall, 12-5 Big West) came from behind to defeat the Gauchos (21-23, 6-11) 7-4 in the second game of a three-game series in Santa Barbara.
Irvine starter Matt Whitehouse entered Saturday's game against UCSB with a record of 3-0 and an earned run average of 1.69. The Gauchos, however, were able to get to Whitehouse for four runs and six hits in three innings. The final blow came on a two-run home run by first baseman Joe Wallace with no outs in the fourth inning to give his team 4-3 lead and chase the Anteater starter.
That's when the Irvine bullpen took over. Andrew Thurman (3-3) tossed 4.1 innings, allowing just one hit and hitting a batter. Left handed Jimmy Litchfield entered the game in the eighth and retired all five batters for his second save of the season.
UCSB starter Matt Vedo (4-6) had an up-and-down outing. He went 4.2 innings, allowing eight hits, six runs, five of which were earned, walking three and hitting a pair of batters.
The Gauchos jumped on top 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Derek Eligio led the game off with a triple to deep right center field and scored one out later on a sacrifice fly by Sean Williams. Back-to-back-to-back singles by Mark Haddow, Ryan Palermo and Wallace scored the second run.
The score was still 2-0 when Irvine got on the board in the third. With out out D.J. Crumlich singled to center. Vedo then hurt himself by hitting Sean Madigan on a 1-2 pitch. Brian Hernandez then lined a single to left field and the ball slipped under the glove of a charging Eligio. By the time the ball was relayed back to the infield, two runs had scored and Hernandez was on second base. One out later, Hernandez scored on a single up the middle by Jordan Fox making the score 3-2 Anteaters.
UCSB reclaimed the lead on Wallace's two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, but Irvine responded with three more in the top of the fifth.
Hernandez began in the inning with a single to left field. After Hillman walked, Fox was hit by a Vedo offering to lead the bases. Christian Ramirez popped out to shortstop Steven Moon and Jordan Leyland struck out and the bases remained loaded. The Gauchos, however, couldn't get the third out as Ronnie Shaeffer singled to center, plating a pair, and Tommy Reyes singled up the middle to score another, making it 6-4 Anteaters.
Irvine scored its final run in the top of the eighth when Reyes walked and went to third on a two-base throwing error by UCSB reliever Bryce Uhrig. He scored on a suicide squeeze by Crumlich.
The Gauchos and Anteaters will play the final game of the three game series on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. Tickets are available at UCSBgauchos.com or at the stadium one hour prior to game time.


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Each day we bring you one stunning little glimpse of history in the form of a historical photograph. Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Shoe Shine in Savannah
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Shoe Shine Boy
Shoe shining is pretty much a thing of the past, which is too bad. Back when I was growing up, you could always make a little money by shining your parents shoes, and if you were a little more energetic, you could take your little box to a public place. I rarely see shoe shine stands any more.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Boy and his Chickens
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Mystery Man
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
First Hunt
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Mystery Person
Friday, September 18, 2009
Jackson Square
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Western Union Messenger Boy
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
New Orleans Newsboys
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
French Market
Monday, September 14, 2009
Old Sailor
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Street Corner
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Shaking Things Up
Friday, September 11, 2009
Chicago Ferris Wheel
OK, in my earlier post I might have left the impression that I did not like Chicago because of the airport. I should clarify, I do not like Chicago for MANY reasons. Here is an example. I had to go to a meeting in Chicago. When I left the hotel, there was a terrible snow storm. It was like a complete white out. It was freezing cold. Then I walk into the meeting half frozen, with my hand stuck to my briefcase and I say, "Wow, that is some snow storm". Then they tell me that it is not snowing, that that is "Lake Effect". They said it as if I had not really seen 6 cars that morning off the road and stuck in the ditch, or a semi truck turned over and on fire. They acted as if it was my imagination that the ends of my appendages were turning black from frostbite, and the end of my nose had icicles, or that my eyes were frozen open. Nope, none of that was happening, it was all just lake effect. Now, I am not saying you should not like Chicago. I am not calling for a boycott of Chicago, I am just saying I am happy I will never have to go there again.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Chicago Columbian Exposition
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
A & P Market in Chicago
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Chicago Board of Trade
Monday, September 7, 2009
Chicago Stockyards
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Mystery Person
DOMESTIC UPDATE: Well I have some major news for you all. I have a new peacock. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you Mr. Handsome Jack, pictured below. For now, Handsome Jack is staying in the backyard of the Peacock Palace, while Lovie and the Chickies are living inside the Peacock Palace. I did not want to throw them all together at once. I wanted to get Handsome Jack settled into his new surroundings first, lessening the chance of some sort of barnyard catastrophe.
I should add that Handsome Jack actually is the Papa of the Chickies. When the lady gave us Lovie and the babies, she was just thinning out her peacocks. She called last week, and said she had fallen and broken her hip, and needed to get rid of all the peacocks. She said we could come and get Lovies' old flame, and father of the Chickies. So, the whole family is back together again. Now, if you want a mini-trivia contest . . . what fictional character did I name the new Peacock after. To make sure you know the answer, you have to answer this question. What was Handsome Jack looking for in the swamp?
Lovie and the Chickies are living inside. The Chickies are growing up fast.


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LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Ky. Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell's job approval ranks among the lowest of all U.S. Senators, according to a new poll from Public Policy Polling. 37% of Kentucky voters approve of McConnell's work in the Senate. 55% disapprove of McConnell's performance.
Despite McConnell's low approval among voters, the polls shows he would beat any of several possible Democratic contenders. McConnell would outperform actress Ashley Judd, Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson and Attorney General Jack Conway by the same margin, 47% to 43%. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer trails McConnell, 46% to 41%. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes holds a 7-point deficit, 47% to 40%.
"Kentucky is a tough state for Democrats," said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling, in a release. "But given how unpopular McConnell is and how few opportunities there are for them to play offense in 2014, this should be one of the most hotly contested races in the country."
The poll showed Democratic voters' top pick to challenge McConnell for re-election in 2014 is Judd. 29% of those surveyed said they would support her over other possible Democratic candidates.
Abramson received the support of 16% of Democrats surveyed, then Conway at 15%, Grimes and Congressman John Yarmuth at 9%, Fischer at 5%, and state auditor Adam Edelen at 2%.
Among Republicans, 50% wish to see McConnell as the party's nominee for Senate in 2014, but 35% of surveyed Republicans said a "more conservative" candidate is preferable.
The Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling firm conducted the poll Dec. 7 to Dec. 9. The survey included 1,266 Kentucky voters, including 585 Democratic voters and 395 Republican voters. The margin of error for the overall survey is +/-2.8%.


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I have create several websites but now I am looking to restrict certain areas of my website and I am also looking to redirect a user to a certain area based on their password. I would also like to have the option to let people retrieve lost passwords. Below are a few examples of some software that I found:
I know some people may tell me to just buy those but I am looking for a secure and trustworthy open source program. If anyone can let me know what they use I would greatly appreciate it.


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Username wrote:Aliencat wrote:I wonder what you base this on. Of course we can't tell for sure yet if there will be a new Castle line in 2009, but with everything we've been seeing and reading (including on Euroleaks), I myself am 99% sure there will be a bunch of new castle sets halfway through 2009.
It's against the ToS of Classic-Castle to link to leaked information or to provide details of leaked information. If you want to find it, you'll have to go looking yourself.
Here's a link to the policy (scroll down to the last post by Bruce N H).


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It took 113 days but the NHL and their players agreed to a new 10-year CBA early this morning. There is an opt-out clause after eight years, so the best news is that we won't have to go through this until the summer of 2020, mainly because I don't trust either side to not use the opt-out clause. Either way, it is great that NHL hockey is back.
So what happens now?
Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Justin Schultz will not be in the lineup this afternoon for the OKC Barons. They will arrive in Edmonton as soon as they pack up their stuff, most likely on Monday. Ales Hemsky, Sam Gagner, Corey Potter and Lennart Petrell will need to get here from Europe, so depending on flights they will arrive Monday or Tuesday.
The Oilers, like the rest of the NHL, will have an abbreviated training camp and most teams will likely have 14-15 forwards, 8 D-men and either 2 or 3 goalies depending on injuries.
Hall, Eberle, Hemsky, Gagner, Petrell, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, Ryan Smyth, Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Jones, Ben Eager, Eric Belanger and Darcy Hordichuk will be there.
J.Schultz, Potter, Ladislav Smid, Ryan Whitney, Nick Schultz, Jeff Petry and Theo Peckham will suit up on Thursday or Friday while Devan Dubnyk and Nikolai Khabibulin will tend the twine.
Teemu Hartikainen and Colten Tuebert will be coming to camp as well. They will play today in OKC and then be recalled once the CBA is officially ratified.
Hartikainen has been very consistent in OKC and I expect he will be on the Oiler's opening night roster. The Oilers might recall one other forward to make it five even lines, but whether that is Anton Lander, Marc Arcobello or Magnus Paajarvi they will only be here for a brief time. None of them will make the final roster, unless there is an injury in training camp.
As for signing a veteran D-man to replace the injured Andy Sutton, the Oilers will look at that, but none of the free agents like Chris Campoli, Kurtis Foster, Brett Clark or Kurt Sauer are very enticing. I wonder if Campoli's appearance as one of the figureheads of the NHLPA will hinder him from getting a contract.
It sounds like Khabibulin will be cleared to practice during training camp, but the Oilers will rely heavily on Devan Dubnyk. This is his year to show he can be a reliable and consistent starting goalie.
Why are some Canadians so quick to avoid saying we are the best at anything?
There is nothing wrong with stating the truth. That isn't arrogance, it is a fact. Canada is still the best hockey Nation in the world. Period. Cam Cole is one of my favourite writers of all time, and he could write circles around any of my articles, but his column after Canada's 5-1 loss to the USA at the World Junior Championships illustrated how Canadians SHOULDN'T think.
He stated we need to accept that hockey isn't OUR game anymore.
A loss in a big game at any level — junior, world, Olympic — should no longer come as a shock. It's not even a 50/50 proposition to win an elite international tournament now, it's more like 1-in-4. And more than any other threat to Canada's predominance as the fount of professional talent, it's the United States, with its 22 NHL teams and mushrooming participation numbers and college programs that prize speed and skill over blow-up hits, that may well be passing us within a decade.
Why are some Canadians wired to downplay our accomplishments and admit defeat, rather than hold our head up high after a loss and recognize that we are still the best?
Cole, and many other media and fans, suggested that the same United States program that didn't even qualify for the playoffs at last year's WJC is now suddenly poised to pass us in the next decade. Please. We just finished a stretch with 14 consecutive medals, yet now we are on the verge of losing out title as the best?
Wake the hell up!
I can understand the Americans wanting to believe this. They know that Canada is better than them at hockey, and they love it when they can upset the champion. Make no mistake we are still the best, and not grabbing a medal at the WJC for the first time in 15 years doesn't change that.
What Canada needs to do is keep improving. It is hard to stay at the top, but we've done it for the last century, so there is no point just stoping now..
Yes, the USA and the other countries are improving, and yes there is no guarantee we will win every big tournament, especially in a sudden-death format, but to just roll over and say it isn't OUR game is ludicrous and unacceptable.
Stop thinking that it is bad to proudly state we are the best hockey nation in the world. It's a fact. Every stat proves it.
Being the best isn't just about winning, it's about always having a chance to win.
Let's look at the WJC since 2000. There have been 14 tournaments and here are the medal totals.
Canada 13: 5 Gold, 5 Silver and 3 Bronze.
Russia 11: 3 Gold, 5 Silver and 3 Bronze.
USA 5: 3 Gold and 2 Bronze.
Sweden 5: 1Gold, 3 Silver and 1 Bronze.
Czech 3: 2 Gold and 1 Bronze.
Finland 4: 4 Bronze
The Czechs won Gold in 2000 and 2001. Back then everyone said they were the new world power, combined with their 1998 Olympic Gold medal. Does anyone believe that now? The Czech junior program is in shambles, and they are producing fewer elite players every year.
Canada has played for Gold ten times in the 2000s, Russia did eight times, Sweden four and the USA three. I would suggest that being the best means you are in the hunt for the gold every year, and Canada is always right there. We haven't won the Gold in four years, despite going 21-4 in those tournaments. So can we please stop with suggestions that we aren't the best.
It hurts to lose, especially for those kids who play, but can we please stop being so bloody insecure and start believing that we aren't the best.
Canada still produces the majority of the best players in the world.
In 2012, Canada had 10 of the top-20 scorers in the NHL.
In 2011, Canada had 11 of the top-20 scorers in the NHL.
It is true the other countries are getting better, but rather than relinquish our title as "Best in the World" why don't we focus on keeping it?
Canada won five consecutive gold medals from 1993-1997. During the "dark years" of 1998-2004 many suggested, and sadly most were from Canada, that we had lost our spot a top the hockey rankings. They were wrong because we won five straight gold medals again from 2005-2009.
I'd expect the Americans, Swedes and Russians to believe and say they are taking over, but for Canadians, especially some media members, to think it and write about it shows me that they are the ones who lack true character, not the players on the ice.
It's okay to say Canada is the best, because it is true.


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Jet Space - Retro-style shoot'em up
Hello everybody!
I'm developing a new shoot'em up game called Jet Space.
The game is based on a cool and simple ideas similar to oldskool shoot'em up games, such as Scramble or River Raid but also include our own tricks and inventions.
Moreover, this game is an endless type game with on-screen upgrades, collecting money and in-game shop to spend them.
We hope to provide really involving space action, exciting speed rides and some destruction inside alien cosmic base...
This game is still under development so you are very welcome to share your opinions or impressions.
Last edited by ntx; 01-21-2013 at 09:45 AM. Reason: new game trailer


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|". . . When the Soviet Union was new . . ."
I did play Yellow Version for a bit. (It is, by far, the superlative version of the game.) I even got as far as the Safari Zone, where I began running into so many random Exeggcute encounters that I quit the game and made myself an omelet, imagining those filthy, oblong buggers screaming out in 8-bit pain as they slowly sizzled to death. Exeggcute omelets: possibly one of the most cathartic daydreams one could ever have.
|#102 Exeggcute. Best served sunny side up.
I haven't picked it back since.
Looking back, I often wonder why I never went on to beat the Final Four, capture Mewtwo, and then proceed with the logical ambition to capture every Pokémon in Kanto. As I began another game and launched another futile expedition into the tall grass, which is clearly out of compliance with Kanto's Lawn Ordinance (wherein grass may not exceed a general height of twelve inches), I realized why.
Pokémon's tagline is "Gotta Catch'Em All!" I ask: "Why do I need to 'Catch'Em all'?" You really don't need to.
Now, there are (presently) seventeen types of Pokémon in the universe, correct? The types give not only variety but serve as an instrumental game mechanic: one type of Pokémon may be not very effective at fighting another, while a different one may be super effective at the same job. Because different gym leaders use all sorts of different breeds of Pokémon: electric, water, ground, etc., you really need to have a couple of each type—unless you intend to handicap yourself tremendously.
(This is disregarding Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, where obtaining a Kadabra all but broke the game. Psychics were so overpowered.)
That's around forty-ish. Forty. And I'm sure you could get by with fewer. (I should note that if you are playing FireRed or its twin, you need a prerequisite of sixty or so to enter Mewtwo's Cave or such other nonsense.)
However, this brings up a question: what is the point of Pokémon? It seems to me that the rest of the game is just virtual stamp collecting. You can capture a Diglett, but besides the occasional dig, he's just You can collect a Jynx if you wanted to, but . . . okay, that's a poor example. No one cares about Jynx.
I'm all about story, which is why I enjoy completing side quests in RPG's. Even the little bitty ones. This is because, for the most part, they add to the narrative of the game. Doing a side quest for a person may reveal something about them that you previously were unaware, furthering their characterization (I'm reminded of the Kafei and Anju quest in Majora's Mask. Another example? Play Baldur's Gate II.) Another may change your perception of a certain faction, such as Mass Effect's Cerberus, a radical pro-human collective.
Yes, some quests are simply filler, put there for no other purpose but to lengthen the game. I do not support those. And, as such, I do not endorse the idea of capturing every Pokémon. I have better things to do . . . such as getting "S" ranks on every level of Bullet Heaven.
|This is actually one of the easy bosses.
Maybe I'm blind to the spirit of the game. Maybe I'm not the type of person who goes through a game, unlocking every single secret and finding every easter egg and unlockable there is. If it suits you, fine. I, myself collect coins. To each his own.
Thanks for reading.


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"I don't try to put my best foot forward when we're down."
(Davey Johnson, via MASN/postgame comments, 9/30/2012)
Cardinals 10, Nationals 4: No clinch today. Captain Hook didn't have a quick enough hook for an awful Ross Detwiler, handed the game to Chien Ming Wang. Det N' Wang combined line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 2 HR, 2 wild pitches.
And after a four-spot in the fourth courtesy of Harper, Desmond, and Espi, Davey inexplicably let Wang hit for himself with Kurt Suzuki on and the tying run in the on deck circle. Also, there was nobody warming in the bullpen.
And, yes, we're piling on Davey Johnson, likely NL Manager of the Year and the man who has nearly delivered the Nats to the promised land.
Well, it'll be a lot more fun clinching at home against the Phillies than on the road anyway. So thank you, Davey. Hopefully we'll be thanking you on Clinchmas tomorrow.
(*Not sure who first coined the term "Clinchmas" but we saw it all over the place on Twitter, and it is awesome.)
(Screencap via MASN/TV)


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I hope it has ponies on it.
Mind you it is a bit of a cash grab but I have found software that has the sticker has a tendency to run better in windows.
It's a wash. I've found software that has that sticker tends to work worse - or not at all - in Linux.
Of course this will not happen anytime soon. Microsoft is in the business of selling software, so a midrange PC bought today will run Vista just fine.
Wasn't there something on User Friendly recently... about power supplies?
Sorry, I'm just too lazy to search...
I realize you're probably being facetious here, but just in case: Can you point me to where this might be true? The notion that "hordes of Linux users" are threatening MS' domination of the desktop seems rather far-fetched to me.
There's nearly a year to go before Vista's release to consumers - so I'm pretty sure that pretty much all low-end machines with Vista will be 'Vista Capable' then (i.e. usually adding an extra 256mb RAM).
Minimum system requirements will not be known until summer 2006 at the earliest. However, these guidelines provide useful estimates:
" 512 megabytes (MB) or more of RAM
A dedicated graphics card with DirectX® 9.0 support
A modern, Intel Pentium- or AMD Athlon-based PC."
Intel: http://www.intel.com/business/bss/products/client
AMD: http://www.amd.com/windowsvista [amd.com]
VIA: http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/vista/cpu.jsp [via.com.tw]
My problem is with the consistently mediocre reporting, when just a little bit more effort would get to primary sources, rather than this persistent blog banality culture.
It's always been my experience that you need more than 128MB RAM to run Windows XP. It uses a fair chunk of your 128MB RAM before you even do anything, and as soon as you try to run any non-trivial app it'll decend into a big swap-fest. This is made worse by the fact that the manufacturers that will sell people Windows XP machines with far too little RAM are the sort to also bundle a really slow, noisy disk. The main problem with these cheap machines isn't any one skimp but that they've skimped on everythin
I assume that Vista has a Win2K mode, that cuts away all the Aero Glass crap and lets me work. Is that was this "Vista-Compatible" certification is? ie. It runs the low quality mode, but not the Toys-R-Us look? In that case, pretty much every machine with 256MB ram and a Pentium 4/ AMD Socket A proc will work
Well, with respect, I don't think that anything will ever play Duke Nukem Forever.
So by then we will have seen the fading out of of 256mb machines and gone to 512mb. (Even the cheapest Dell now has that already) Wich is happily the recommended minimum. In fact many Dells already come with 1 gig as do a lot of "cheapo" white brand PC's.
As for CPU. Well thanks to the move to Dual core's in 1 year I think single core machines will be rare. Why go single when a dual costs only 10 bucks extra?
The only real problem may be with the 3D card needed for the new gui. Except that I have been led to believe that it is optional and you can still use the old gui wich does not require a 3D card.
So basically, any halfway decent machine will do but as always you need lots of ram.
So what else is new? This has been true for opensource as well. You are not going to run KDE with all the options on a 486 with 16mb memory.
What I want is a sticker that says wether the hardware is DRM ready. That is the thing I am intrested in for Windows Vista.
Not in the way MS/Intel/etc wants. Just so I know wich products to avoid like the plague.
A nice shiny sticker "Big Brother Ready" so we can let them rot on the shops shelves.
I use W2K, XP, and OS X. OS X has some pretty graphics effects -- the translucency and all -- and OS X has its advocates, but I don't see it doing anything that makes me dissatisfied with my XP screen displays. Aero is supposed to be ultra-cool, but I will believe it when I see it that it applications can have new feature
Personally, I think this marks the beginning of the end for Microsoft - at least from the point of view of regular OS releases. I've been a Windows user right since 3.x days (fortunately Linux is now my prime OS) but each time I've upgraded to a new MS OS, I have seen less and less reason to do that upgrade in the first place - I've only used XP for the past year now (used Windows 2000 before) and only really used XP because it came on a new PC I bought and I discovered I could ditch the terrible Windows XP UI for the classic Windows 2000 one. But I can't say i've noticed much difference with using it - I found Windows 2000 pretty stable for general desktop use and XP is no different.
From the perspective of Joe Average, I don't see he has any reason to upgrade to Vista. The PC games market is quite clearly slowing down as games producers focus more on consoles and it's not going to be for around 2 years after Vista is released that we'll see "Vista only" games. You only need to look at the rise in Internet gaming to see that the future of PC games is a subscription model where gamers will be paying once for a game that will be something they will play possibly for several years - as opposed to buying a new game every few weeks or so. And if there's only a small Vista user base, games and apps producers will continue to support XP.
I'm sure that businesses will upgrade slowly (because of the licensing lock-in MS has with them) but those of us in IT have all seen the adoption of new OSes by businesses slow down also. Because Vista will end up breaking a lot of existing apps, the business migration is bound to be very slow.
I'm sure MS know all of this - which is why the marketing around Vista seems to be a lot more now than for any other OS they've released. But I really do think that this time, they're going to have real trouble getting this on the same number of desktops as they did with XP.
Think about it?
1: It hard to be compatable with a wider variety of less capable machines and still provide the best performance on the latest+greatest hardware. It's also very expensive to maintain multiple, incompatible versions (e.g. 32- and 64-bit versions).
2: How many people with older machines are going to pop out another $200-$300 to run Vista slowly on their existing h/w, have to load it and activate it themselves, and break compatability with existing programs -- when for $600 you'll be able to have a faster machine with enough memory, a bigger harddrive, 64-bit processor, AND Vista preloaded?
3: Why is Microsoft worried if you can't run Vista on less capable machines? I don't think they are. You're still going to uh...buy XP from them anyway. They get you coming or going.
Intel finally loves Microsoft again because, for the first time in years, people are going to really have to buy new hardware, mostly with Intel processors and chip-sets, to run the newest killer application.
I doubt that a 32-bit Vista will survive long, given that it ever see the light of day anyway. And if it does, it will be crippled compared to a 64-bit version. I expect most 64-bit processors probably meet the minimum Vista requirement, and those are the people who will be running it.
Will 32-bit systems even still be being sold at the time of this latest slip to January 2007? Will even single core processors be common in new machines?
I've got a bad feeling about this.


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When I was browsing eBay aimlessly (which is my no. 1 procrastination technique) I spotted this Kiss Me mascara product, a tiny sub range they have called Cache Cache. I believe it only contains this product, a lash base and primer, and a mascara remover (I think) but no actual mascaras.
I actually thought this curl memorizer was a mascara until I opened it! Whoops!
When it comes to mascara base and primer products, most of them are useless on my super straight Asian lashes as they will not hold curl. The white coloured ones are the worst for my lashes, the gel type fair just slightly better. My favourite lash primer ever is by Shiseido but they went and discontinued the brilliant old formula (see a comparison here).
I actually have a primer called Curl Lash Fixer from Elegance, the super duper luxury range from Japan which I see in all the Japanese beauty magazines but I think is a bit pants (not even reviewed it yet) so I had lost faith with these kinds of products!
The Cache Cache colour scheme reminds me of Wimbledon:
The product is a gel – and I am sure there are little black fibers in it! It reminds me of a Tiffa Primer which also has small black fibers in it (which they also discontinued). It's a clear gel so you can't always see where you are applying it, I just do a good few coats.
Now to do this experiment, I have chosen a heavy mascara which I know would never ever hold curl, Boots No. 17 Falsifyeye Mascara! Might as well make this a joint review! Boots No. 17 Falsifyeye mascara is for the false lash effect. I love the packaging, it is the Jordan of mascaras, but also hideously big and annoying to carry around.
The brush is terrible, it's like a jumbo sausage! If you like fat brushes you are in heaven but I hate them, they don't work great for my tiny lashes and get everywhere:
In regards to the mascara; I actually think after using it it's pretty decent! For to ti give more volume I think it needs to be more of a body building and wet mascara; I found mine quite dry and therefore more of a lengthening mascara.
Here is the No 17 mascara on it's own. Those gifted with long curly lashes will like it, for me it's just yet another one of those nothing mascaras. (Excuse my brows I was testing a coloured Palty brow gel – review of that coming up).
As you can see there is barely any hold with the No. 17 mascara on it's own. This is with the lashes being curled in advance.
This is with a layer of the Cache Cache Curl Memorizer Primer and 2 coats of the No. 17 mascara:
Yup – that's quite a big difference. I curled both sides exactly the same (as mentioned earlier my brows are a different colour because I tested a brow gel on one side only). No irritation either and I didn't have to wait for the primer to dry for it to work. Lovely!
My lashes have been extra unruly lately, and curls have been dropping out easily but I am so pleased I found this Cache Cache product which was affordable and really holds curl so well! Means I can use any old mascara with it and finish some of the ones I've only used once. Also I have found lash perms (after having numerous treatments) somewhat harsh on my lashes and eyes so am avoiding them.


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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
"Gooooooo Raaaaaaaaiders!"
Texas Tech had just defeated Oklahoma on the last play of the game in Lubbock. In the tunnel after the game, Fox Sports Net was attempting to interview a Sooner player - "attempt" being the key word. Turns out, an apparently drunk (we hope) fan of the Red Raiders had other ideas...
(HT: SixDegreesOfBowden)
Note: For some reason, YouTube has flagged this video as potentially inappropriate. However, it's totally safe for work.
11 comments:
Yep, that about sums up Tech's fanbase. Loud, obnoxious, little brothers of the big 12.
- June 27, 2006 4:20 AM
That is hilarious!!!! I paid to get into that thar game I can say whatever I want. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO RAAAAAAAAAAIDERS!!!! HAHA the fact that he kept going was classy in itself but to have such a great and well thought out plan makes this guy my hero.
- June 27, 2006 8:09 AM
- The King said...
The OU player was pretty classy considering the way that they got jobbed out of that game. That was one of the lousiest calls I've ever seen end a game.
- June 27, 2006 10:55 AM
- slipknut85 said...
classic, that guy rules!
- June 27, 2006 12:21 PM
- Benny Friedman said...
The thing I love about this, and what proves that it's funny, is that despite being pissed about losing the game, both the Oklahoma player and Chuck Long their offensive coordinator, are laughing about it when you know they felt like crap.
- June 27, 2006 12:34 PM
- OSU45 said...
That is nothing. Come to the shoe and watch the interviews. I be thrownin shit and yelling mad f bombs. In 98 I threw coke on the band form the upper deck and nut tagged three M players as we stormed the field. The best thing about that game was that Bellasari owned you on special teams. I got major blunted and smashed two windows and dropped crazy science on some fools from up north. I was checking my athlon and saw all those second rate ohio players on our roster. No wonder you loose, you take the guys that could'nt cut it for JT. Your name is Kirby? You must hate our uncledaddy and sister cousin for naming ou that. Oh well I guess ou prolly make more then me as you did find a pretty good gay porn name. Yost on the other hand is becoming reallly whack with his smack. Come correct Yost. Im bout to start sonin you like I was your father. Speaking of fathers, Yost your pappy Sag McTitties(LLLLOYD) is looking like he needs a bro or a sweatervest with some support in it.
Anway I got to get back to hittin switches and bangin bitches. Till next november nefew, when the game will not matter again b/c you will no doubt have 3 losses already..
Stay up against South West Mizzouri St. or who ever the hell you are playing as tune ups, er, measuring sticks.
JAI EUGENE One love.
Heard a rumor Prescunt didn't come to OSU b/c Maurice was bangin his bitch, but we know it isn't true. He was just waiting on his pillow biting friend Mario to show up and play biscuit with.
- June 27, 2006 3:51 PM
OSU45, you are so hopelessly pathetic.
No really, i can't believe that you interrupt your library masturbation to post such drivel.
Fuck off and die.
- June 27, 2006 6:18 PM
Go Raiders
- June 27, 2006 9:40 PM
- Sean said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- June 28, 2006 10:47 AM
- Sean said...
Don't forget about the Texas Tech "bellringer".
- June 28, 2006 10:53 AM
Osu45 - you ROCK man. Best shit ever. Keep on eatin' the "inbread" baby!
- June 28, 2006 7:26 PM


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Developing A White Pages Service with LDAP and JNDI
Pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Public LDAP Servers
There are several public LDAP servers you can use over the Internet; the popular of these is probably BigFoot's (ldap://ldap.bigfoot.com); others include ldap://ldap.four11.com and ldap://ldap.InfoSpace.com.
A number of universities in the US also provides LDAP service to search for students or staff members. For a list of university public LDAP services, see eMailman's Public LDAP Servers.
Choosing an LDAP Server
Your organization may already run a directory service, especially if its very large. If not, you probably need to do some research before deciding on one.
The most popular LDAP server today is iPlanet's Directory Server. Others include Novell's NDS eDirectory, Critical Path's Global Directory Server, Computer Associates' eTrust Directory, Siemens' DirX, and Oracle's Oracle Internet Directory. Deciding the one which is best for your situation is often tricky.
NetworkWorld Fusion published a good article last year which compares the performance of many LDAP servers. If it's to be believed, iPlanet is the best performer and also the fastest; it concludes that iPlanet's Directory Server is the best choice for commercial use.
If you only need an LDAP server for testing, you probably want to use something else. Downloads for the latest version of iPlanet's Directory Server (version 5.0 beta) range from 53 MB to 78 MB, depending on your operating system. For the project in this article, I chose the much slimmer LDAP server from OpenLDAP. Even though not the fastest, theis free product is only a 1.52 MB download. OpenLDAP's products are only available for Linux; but once you have seeded it with entries, you can use this article's project code to access any LDAP server on any operating system.
Installing OpenLDAP
You can download OpenLDAP from the project's site. The LDAP server is called slapd (a stand-alone LDAP server). The latest version of slapd is 2.0.7. Other programs downloadable from the Web site are the replication server, some libraries, and a variety of tools.
To install slapd, you first need to download
openldap-2_0_7.tgz into the
directory of a Linux system. You can use another directory but you'll
need to do some adjustment to the following instructions.
Installation takes the following steps:
Extract the files --
gunzip -c openldap-2_0_7.tgz | tar xvfB -
-- into a subdirectory,
openldap-2.0.7. If you are using a different version, this subdirectory is called
Assuming that your current working directory is
/usr/local, run
cd openldap-2.0.7
Next, run
Then the following commands:
make depend make make test
If everything goes smoothly, you are now ready to install, for which you'll need root access. Run
su root -c 'make install'


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University of Houston
UH at a Glance
Founded in 1927, the University of Houston is the leading public research university in the vibrant international city of Houston. Each year, we educate more than 40,750 students in more than 300 undergraduate and graduate academic programs, on campus and online. UH awards more than 8,000 degrees annually, with more than 230,000 alumni.
UH is located in Houston, Texas, the nation's fourth-largest city and the energy capital of the world. Our students regularly test their skills through internships with national and international companies based here, and our faculty routinely partner with businesses and government agencies through research.
Programs of Study
Our undergraduates choose from 120 majors and minors. At the graduate level, we offer 139 master's, 54 doctoral, and three professional degree programs. You may study online through our Distance Education program, or take noncredit courses through Continuing Education. Many of our academic programs rank among the nation's best.
Our faculty and students conduct research through 25 research centers and in every academic department. UH research regularly breaks new ground and opens doors to new ways of understanding the world.
University of Houston faculty are renowned scholars with real-world experience who work closely with each student. From the Tony Award to the Nobel Peace Prize and back to the classroom, UH faculty makes things happen on campus and around the world.
The University of Houston is the second most ethnically diverse major research university in the United States. Students come to UH from more than 137 nations and from across the world. Our student body comprises 40,914 undergraduate and graduate students. [More about our student population]
Student Life
With more than 500 student organizations and 16 intercollegiate sports teams, life at UH is active and lively. About 6,000 students live on campus in residence halls, apartments and townhouses.
UH alumni total 224,000. Of that number, 63 percent live in the Houston area and 75 percent live in the state of Texas. [More about University of Houston alumni]
The University of Houston is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's, professional and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of the University of Houston.
In addition, the University is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States, the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools, the National Commission on Accrediting, the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, the Association of American State Colleges and Universities, the Association of American Colleges, the Association of Urban Universities, and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. UH colleges, programs and professional associations also hold memberships and accreditations by additional agencies.
Course Offered
- Architecture
- Business
- Education
- Engineering
- Honors
- Hotel & Restaurant Mangement
- Law
- Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
- Natural Sciences & Mathematics
- Optometry
- Pharmacy
- Social Work
- Technology


text:
Little Card. Big Benefits
If you love holidays, then you'll love the BIG4 Loyalty Club. Being a BIG4 Member means you'll not only get savings on BIG4 accommodation but also access to hundreds of holiday benefits at a wide variety of local, national, and international services and attractions.
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Earn credits for each stay and be upgraded to Gold Member status
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Find member benefits near you or for your next trip
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If your business would like to partner with BIG4 and become a BIG4 Member Benefit Partner, please email firstname.lastname@example.com with your interest.
Gold Gold benefits available to only to gold card holders
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To receive these Member Benefits you must present your valid BIG4 Membership Card at the time of purchase or booking. If you are not a BIG4 Member, you can join at any BIG4 Holiday Park, by calling 1300 738 044 or join now.
Disclaimer: BIG4 Holiday Parks Of Australia Pty Ltd accepts no liability in the event of any failure by such BIG4 Holiday Parks or Member Benefits Partners to offer or otherwise provide the BIG4 Club Membership Discount or otherwise comply with these conditions. Accordingly, you acknowledge and agree that you have no right to bring any claim against BIG4 Holiday Parks Of Australia Pty Ltd in relation to any failure by a BIG4 Holiday Parks or Member Benefits Partner to honour a BIG4 Club Membership Discount or these conditions.


text:
Producer/cinematograher Elam Stoltzfus answered the call of the wild to go deep into the Big Cypress Swamp along with fine-art photographer Clyde Butcher and musician Sammy Tedder. During the journey Elam joined with many other public land managers, local experts, hunters, orchid lovers, artists, and a great many other people. The expedition across the swamp in airboats, hiking, mucking about, aerial, canoes, and swamp buggies gave the HD video crew ample opportunities to capture breathtaking images. BIG CYPRESS SWAMP: The Western Everglades documentary is a collection of stories of how the Big Cypress almost didn't happen, how the lands are currently managed, an overview of animal behaviors, stunning landscape scenes and a cacophony of stunning sounds blended into a musical score. Clyde Butcher is the host and it is narrated by Peter Thomas.
Visit the Website: http://www.bigcypressswamp.org/
Length: 57 minutes


text:
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- Colder weather is on the way to Alabama, and forecasters say things could turn wintry early next week. A blast of cold air is supposed to move across the state today, bringing low temperatures in the 20s and 30s, and highs in the 40s and 50s tomorrow.
MOULTON, Ala. (AP) -- Authorities in north Alabama have charged a Florida man in a killing that occurred nearly eight years ago.
Lawrence County Sheriff Gene Mitchell said investigators in Santa Rosa County, Fla., uncovered information that led to an arrest. He said 59-year-old Garry Ray Lindsey was arrested Thursday at his home in Milton, Fla. He's charged with murder in the shooting death of Roy Oliver at his home in Moulton in February 2006.
Lindsey waived extradition to Alabama and has been booked into the Lawrence County Jail on Friday. Court records don't indicate if he has an attorney yet.
The sheriff said Lindsey was a suspect early in the case, but there wasn't evidence to charge him then. He said Lawrence County worked with Santa Rosa County authorities for the last five months.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- South Florida authorities say a 14-month-old child is in critical condition after a family member accidentally backed over him with a car.
Boynton Beach Police spokeswoman Stephanie Slater says the child was struck by the car being backed out a driveway Saturday morning by a 24-year-old family member.
Slater says a 5-year-old boy playing with the toddler pulled him from beneath the car. The family member then drove the toddler to a hospital.
The names of the child and the driver were not released. Slater says charges may be pending.
MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) -- A giraffe at a central Florida zoo has been euthanized after suffering "chronic lameness" for more than two years.
Duncan was the tallest giraffe at the Brevard Zoo. The 18-foot-tall reticulated giraffe was 11 years old.
Zoo officials tell Florida Today (http://on.flatoday.com/IlIIIF ) that Duncan's illness affected his front legs and was life-threatening. It was treated with anti-inflammatory medications and rest, but officials say Duncan's condition had become worse recently with abnormal hoof growth.
On Wednesday, Duncan collapsed after a procedure in a "restraining chute." Officials say they determined the animal was suffering from a stress-related condition that destroys muscle tissue, and that Duncan would not recover.
The giraffe was euthanized.
SILVER SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) -- The National Park Service plans to label Florida's iconic Silver Springs as threatened in an upcoming report on the country's natural landmarks.
U.S. Department of the Interior spokesman Mike Litterst says it's the first time the park service has needed to call attention to the springs' decline.
An inspector with the National Natural Landmarks program tells the Ocala Star-Banner (http://bit.ly/IbqDh9 ) that her findings of elevated levels of contaminants and depleted water flow in the springs won't be a surprise to local and state environmental regulators, water managers, geologists and engineers.
Carolyn Davis says the designation as threatened "says you've got something very important, so let's see if we can turn this around."
Budget cuts have made such inspections infrequent. Silver Springs had not been inspected since the early 1990s.
MIAMI (AP) -- Authorities say a 10-year-old boy was shot and killed during a robbery at a Miami nail salon.
According to Miami-Dade Police, two armed suspects entered the salon Friday night and shots were fired.
Hai Vu and his son Aaron were struck by the bullets. Both were taken to a hospital, where the 10-year-old died.
Police are searching for the suspects, who may have fled in a black Dodge Ram pickup truck.
MIAMI (AP) -- An elderly South Florida woman in a wheelchair has been shot and wounded inside her own home.
The Miami Police Department said the 70-year-old woman was watching television Friday morning when a gunman appeared outside her door and began shooting into the house. Police say the woman was hit several times.
The woman's 26-year-old granddaughter was also in the home and was also wounded by gunfire.
Both women were being treated at a local hospital. Their names were not immediately released. The elderly woman was listed Friday afternoon in serious condition and her granddaughter was in stable condition.
Police say the older woman was not the target of the shooting but they released no other details
SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. (AP) -- Two veterans from Florida will receive special honors for fighting alongside France in World War II.
The French Consulate will award the veterans the insignia of the "Knight in the National Order of the Legion of Honor," the highest distinction that can be bestowed upon a French citizen or foreigner.
The ceremony will take place Saturday in Safety Harbor.
The Legion was founded in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. Philippe Letrilliart, the Consul General of France in Miami, said during a Veterans Day ceremony that France decided about a decade ago to grant the honor to all the U.S. veterans who fought on the French side.
Notable Americans who have received the award include: Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Dwight D. Eisenhower and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- From the outset, U.S. Rep. Trey Radel has been a darling of the political right determined to make a name for himself. But just 10 months after being sworn in, the Republican pleaded guilty to cocaine possession, took a leave of absence from politics and checked into a rehabilitation center.
It was his cocaine purchase from an undercover officer last month that caused it all to unravel. He became the first sitting member of Congress charged with a drug offense in more than three decades.
The unseemly distinction has derailed a promising career and divided his Florida district, a quiet stretch of golf courses and retirement communities. Newspapers and a growing number of Republican leaders are demanding his resignation, and potential challengers are openly weighing primary bids.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) -- An attempt to fry a turkey got out of hand in Savannah.
WTOC-TV reports that the owner of a house on Nottingham Drive was trying to deep fry a turkey about 3 p.m. Saturday when he took a walk down the street. Then neighbors and his wife heard an explosion. Two vehicles near the turkey fryer caught fire and exploded. A nearby shed also caught fire.
Savannah firefights extinguished the blaze.
TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (AP) -- City officials on Tybee Island want to know where their tourists are coming from, precisely when they arrive and how long they stay at the beach getaway near Savannah.
But some say the island city is going too far with plans to spend nearly $29,000 on a pair of computer-linked cameras designed to read and record the license plate number of every car and truck that comes and goes on the island. Barry Brown, the only member of Tybee's City Council who voted against installing the car tag scanners Nov. 14, says it invades the privacy of residents and tourists.
Tybee Island Mayor Jason Buelterman (BELL-tuhr-man) says the city government mostly wants car tag data for a tourism study to help secure state and federal funding for beach maintenance projects.


text:
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In the face of public-school bureaucracies, parents in Canada are asserting their rights to be the prime educators of their children.
BY Steve Weatherbe
BURNABY, British Columbia — A Catholic civil-rights group in Canada has published a parental-rights declaration as a way to assist parents in their struggles with school bureaucracies intent on normalizing homosexuality.
Canada legalized same-sex "marriage" in 2005.
Sean Murphy, British Columbia director of the Canadian Catholic Civil Rights League, published the "Declaration on the Authority of Parents and Guardians in the Education of their Children" on July 6 and distributed it to parents' groups around the world, several of whom have published it.
Murphy's move was triggered when parents failed to stop a British Columbia public-school district policy promoting homosexuality as a behavior that is as acceptable to heterosexuality. The school board condemned what it called "heterosexism."
"Our specific concern is public schools will force children to learn morally objectionable material," Murphy said. And while public schools pay lip service to the notion that parents are the primary educators of their children, "they increasingly behave as if they can overrule parental authority whenever they see fit."
The declaration argues that procreation itself places on parents an obligation under natural law to rear and educate their children in their best spiritual, moral and physical interests, and with this "natural obligation comes a primordial and inalienable authority to educate their own children that is neither dependent upon nor derived from the broader community or the state."
Public schools have long delivered accepted values, including religious ones, on behalf of society, but lately, said Murphy, they have become ostensibly secular and actually teaching a new morality that is in conflict with the morality and spirituality of many religious people.
Gordon World, spokesman for Parents' Voice in Burnaby, B.C., welcomed the Canadian Catholic Civil Rights League declaration as he planned his campaign to get on the Burnaby school board and reverse the newly passed Policy 5.45.
World said Policy 5.45 is disguised as an anti-bullying measure but is actually an expression of the homosexual-rights lobby in British Columbia.
In the past, British Columbia's homosexual-rights activists have gone to the Canadian Supreme Court to force a neighboring school district in Burnaby to put homosexual readers in school libraries (such as Priscilla Galloway's Jennifer Has Two Daddies, aimed at 7- to 10-year-olds), to make the federal government pay spousal pension benefits to homosexual partners, and have the provincial Human Rights Tribunal make the provincial government put positive homosexual material in the public-school curriculum, as well as a social-justice course promoting diversity and tolerance. In the last case, the government did not wait for a ruling but agreed to these demands in a settlement.
'Sit Down and Shut Up'
It was this "Corren settlement" (named after the plaintiffs, an activist homosexual couple) — followed up by homosexual-pressure groups — that led to Burnaby's Policy 5.45. World says the policy is itself hostile to an identifiable group, namely religious believers.
"5.45 is not neutral," said World. "It basically favors a certain segment of society; it places them on a pedestal and forces the rest of society to sit down and shut up."
According to World, the program content accompanying Policy 5.45 extols the homosexual lifestyle as normal. It also ignores the downside of the lifestyle, such as the shorter life expectancy and other health risks.
The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, recently affirmed that a majority of all new HIV infections are among homosexual men, even though they make up a small part of the population. "Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for just 2% of the U.S. population but represent more than half of all new infections in the United States," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, during a June 2 ceremony commemorating 30 years since the discovery of the AIDS disease.
In Burnaby, however, any student who raises moral objections to the teaching that homosexuality is normal will be sanctioned by the school, says World. And children will be sent home with values opposed to those of their parents.
Parents' Voice has urged parents to write formal requests to their children's principals requesting "accommodation" — leave to miss classes when objectionable lessons are taught.
But Burnaby assistant superintendent Kevin Kaardal states that parents with concerns about content have been invited to speak to school principals. But World is skeptical of the outcome, since Kaardal has also stated that any accommodation cannot stand in the way of "curricular outcomes" set by the provincial Ministry of Education.
For example, says Kaardal, students can be absent from a biology class where animals are dissected, but they still must perform the dissection by computer or using a model.
Kaardal added: "The board does not ask parents or families to abandon or change their religious or moral commitments. Rather, it respects the rights of families to their own beliefs. The board's focus is on ensuring that all of its communities are respected and valued."
The policy, at one point, defines "heterosexism" as "the mistaken assumption that all people are heterosexual and that heterosexuality is superior and the norm by which all other sexual orientation and gender identities are measured."
But World already has received a reply to his request from the district saying that "the curricular outcomes" desired by the provincial Ministry of Education must still be achieved by the students, even if they miss a particular lesson.
World said Parents' Voice is considering taking the school district to the Human Rights Council, asserting their children's religious and free-speech rights are being violated.
World is also contesting a seat on the school board in the fall elections and hopes other Parents' Voice parents will join him.
Elsewhere in Canada, the issue has also arisen in Catholic schools. In Ontario, Canada's largest province, and one whose Catholic school system is fully taxpayer-supported, the Halton board ran into public disapproval in January when it banned "gay-straight alliance clubs," which the province's public boards had adopted to meet government requirements for diversity. A storm of criticism from homosexual-rights groups led the board to reconsider its ban, but this sparked another storm of protest, this time from Catholic parents, who complained such clubs would flout Catholic doctrine. The board resolved the dilemma by creating clubs to bring students from many different backgrounds together. The dispute led to many pundits questioning the existence of the tax-supported Catholic system, but Catholics, many of whom are bloc-voting, recently arrived immigrants, have daunting political clout.
In Alberta, where Catholic schools are also fully funded by taxpayers, the Catholic system has also incurred public displeasure for modifying ministry of education teaching goals to fit Church teachings.
Quebec Catholic parents have also resisted the provincial government's ethics curriculum, which they claim teaches a relativistic worldview. But Catholic observance in Quebec is the lowest in Canada, giving Catholic parents less political clout than in other provinces against a more aggressively secular government.
Steve Weatherbe writes from Victoria, British Columbia.