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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - It's no surprise the Indian street wants faster, harsher justice for sexual crimes after a horrific gang rape that rocked the nation, but some activists worry the government will trample fundamental rights in its rush to be in tune with popular rage.
Last month's rape of a physiotherapy student on a moving bus and her death on December 28 in hospital triggered a national debate about how to better protect women in India, where official data shows one rape is reported on average every 20 minutes.
Many women's rights groups are cautiously hopeful the protests and outrage that followed the crime can be channeled into real change - fast-track courts for sexual offences and a plan to hire 2,500 new women police in Delhi are measures already in the works.
But legal experts and some feminists are worried that calls to make rape punishable with death and other draconian penalties will cramp civil liberties and are unconstitutional. They say India needs better policing and prosecutions, not new laws.
"If there are not enough convictions, it is not because of an insufficiency of law, but it is the insufficiency of material to base the conviction on," said retired Delhi High Court judge R.S. Sodhi.
Five men have been charged with the student's rape and murder and will appear before a New Delhi court later on Monday. They are due to be tried in a newly formed fast-track court in the next few weeks. A teenager also accused will likely be tried in a juvenile court.
Ahead of Monday's court appearance the five still had no defense lawyers - despite extensive interrogations by the police, who have said they have recorded confessions - after members of the bar association in the South Delhi district where the case is being heard vowed not to represent them.
The men will be assigned lawyers by the court before the trial begins, but their lack of representation so far could give grounds for appeal later should they be found guilty - similar cases have resulted in acquittals years after convictions.
"The accused has a right to a lawyer from point of arrest - the investigations are going on, statements being taken, it is totally illegal," said Colin Gonsalves, a senior Supreme Court advocate and director of Delhi's Human Rights Law Network.
Senior leaders of most states on Friday came out in support of a plan to lower to 16 the age that minors can be tried as adults - in response to fury that the maximum penalty the accused youth could face is three years detention.
A government panel is considering suggestions to make the death penalty mandatory for rape and introducing forms of chemical castration for the guilty. It is due to make its recommendations by January 23.
"The more you strengthen the powers of the state against the people, the more the possibility you create a draconian regime," said Sehjo Singh, Programme and Policy Director with ActionAid in India and an expert on Indian women's social movements.
"We want to raise the bar of human rights in India, we want to raise the standards, not lower them."
The Indian Express newspaper warned against "knee-jerk" reaction and said any change to the juvenile law "must come after rigorous and considered debate. It cannot be a reaction to a fraught moment".
Courts are swamped with a backlog of cases in the country of 1.2 billion people and trials often take more than five years to complete, so the launch by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir of six fast-track courts in the capital to deal with sexual offences was widely greeted as a welcome move.
Several other states including Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are now looking at following Delhi's example.
But Gonsalves says while the courts are a good idea on paper, similar tribunals in the past delivered dubious verdicts and put financial pressure on the rest of the justice system.
India set up 1,700 fast-track courts in 2004, but stopped funding them last year because they turned out to be costly. The courts typically work six days a week and try to reduce adjournments that lead to long delays in cases.
"The record of the fast-track courts is mixed," Gonsalves said. Conviction rates rose, he said, but due process was sometimes rushed, leading to convictions being overturned.
"Fast-track courts were in many ways were fast-track injustice," he said.
The real problem lie with bad policing and a shortage of judges, Gonsalves said. India has about a fifth of the number of judges per capita that the United States has.
Indian police are often poorly trained and underpaid, and have sometimes been implicated in organized crime. Rights groups complain the mostly male officers are insensitive to victims of sexual crimes.
Resources for, and expertise in, forensic science is limited in most of the country's police forces and confessions are often extracted under duress. The judiciary complains it is hard to convict offenders because of faulty evidence.
Human Rights Watch said reforms to laws and procedures covering rape and other sexual crimes should focus on protection of witnesses and modernizing support for victims at police stations and hospitals.
The rights organization has documented the continued use of archaic practices such as the "finger test" used by some doctors on rape victims to allegedly determine if they had regular sex.
"Reforms in the rape laws - these are needed. But not in terms of enhancing punishment," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director of Human Rights Watch.
"Why they are not investigated, why there are not enough convictions, those are the things that need to be addressed."
Additional reporting by Satarupa Bhattacharjya, Shashank Chouhan and Annie Banerji; Editing by Alex Richardson


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MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) Velton Jones scored 22 points and Robert Morris tallied 60 points in the second half to rout Duquesne 91-69 Saturday night.
The Colonials (7-4), leading 31-30 at halftime, outscored the Dukes 60-39 after the break.
Jones, who led three other Colonials in double figures, was 6 for 10 from the floor and 4 of 6 on 3-pointers. He made all six of his free throws, and helped give Robert Morris an enormous shooting edge.
The Colonials were 34 of 67 from the field (50.7 percent). They sizzled in the second half, hitting 21 of 32 field goal attempts, 9 of 14 treys and 9 of 11 free throws.
Robert Morris forced Duquesne into 25 turnovers while committing 10. The Colonials outscored Duquesne 31-11 on points off turnovers.
Coron Williams (16 points), Mike McFadden (12) and Lucky Jones (10) finished in double figures.
Andre Marhold led Duquesne with 11 points.

subset: commoncrawl


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Jerk chicken with rice & peas
The Jamaican marinade has many versions, but John Torode likes his super spicy with a dash of soy and served with coconut basmati
Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal757
- fat43g
- saturates18g
- carbs48g
- sugars14g
- fibre6g
- protein38g
- salt2.6g
- 12 chicken thighs, bone in
- 1 lime, halved
The same shape, but smaller than…
- hot sauce, to serve (optional)
For the marinade
- 1 big bunch spring onions, roughly chopped
Spring onionsp-ring un-yun
Also known as scallions or green onions, spring onions are in fact very young onions, harvested…
- thumb-sized piece ginger, roughly chopped
Mainly grown in Jamaica, Africa, India, China and Australia, ginger is the root of the plant. It…
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ a small onion
Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…
- 3 scotch bonnet chillies, deseeded if you want less heat
- ½ tsp dried thyme, or 1 tbsp thyme leaves
This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…
- 1 lime, juiced
The same shape, but smaller than…
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
Soy saucesoy sor-s
An Asian condiment and ingredient that comes in a variety of of varieties ranging from light to…
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground allspice
For the rice & peas
- 200g basmati rice
- 400g can coconut milk
Coconut milkko-ko-nut mill-k
Coconut milk is not the slightly opaque liquid that flows from a freshly opened coconut –…
- 1 bunch spring onions, sliced
Spring onionsp-ring un-yun
Also known as scallions or green onions, spring onions are in fact very young onions, harvested…
- 2 large thyme sprigs
This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 2 x 410g cans kidney beans, drained
Kidney beanskid-nee beenz
Native to the Americas, kidney beans are so called because of their shape and come in very…
To make the jerk marinade, combine the spring onions, ginger, garlic, onion, scotch bonnet chillies, dried thyme, lime juice, soy sauce, vegetable oil, brown sugar and ground allspice in a food processor along with 1 tsp salt, and blend to a purée. If you're having trouble getting it to blend, just keep turning off the blender, stirring the mixture, and trying again. Eventually it will start to blend up – don't be tempted to add water, as you want a thick paste.
Taste the jerk mixture for seasoning – it should taste pretty salty, but not unpleasantly, puckering salty. You can now throw in more chillies if it's not spicy enough for you. If it tastes too salty and sour, try adding in a bit more brown sugar until the mixture tastes well balanced.
Make a few slashes in 12 chicken thighs and pour the marinade over the meat, rubbing it into all the crevices. Cover and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
If you want to barbecue your chicken, get the coals burning 1 hr or so before you're ready to cook. Authentic jerked meats are not exactly grilled as we think of grilling, but sort of smoke-grilled. To get a more authentic jerk experience, add some wood chips to your barbecue, and cook your chicken over slow, indirect heat for 30 mins.
To cook in the oven, heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the chicken pieces in a roasting tin with the halved lime and cook for 45 mins until tender and cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rice & peas. Rinse the basmati rice in plenty of cold water, then tip it into a large saucepan. Add the coconut milk, spring onions, thyme sprigs, garlic and ground allspice.
Season with salt, add 300ml cold water and set over a high heat. Once the rice begins to boil, turn it down to a medium heat, cover and cook for 10 mins. Add the kidney beans to the rice, then cover with a lid. Leave off the heat for 5 mins until all the liquid is absorbed.
Squeeze the roasted lime over the chicken and serve with the rice & peas, and some hot sauce if you like it really spicy.


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Russet potatoes, with their low moisture and high starch content, are excellent potatoes for mashing. But other types of potatoes, such as Yukon gold potatoes and round white or round red potatoes, will work too but will make a stickier mash.
In a large stockpot, cover the potatoes with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes thoroughly and return to the stockpot.
In a small saucepan, cover the garlic with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the garlic.
In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic and milk. Puree until smooth. Add the pureed garlic and the margarine to the potatoes. Mash to desired consistency. Season with black pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
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DIRECTV partners with the top names in phone and Internet services in Wheeling, and nationwide, to bring you the ultimate triple play bundles. Not only that—by bundling your phone and Internet with DIRECTV in Wheeling, you can save up to $120 on already great DIRECTV deals!1View All Packages
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All programming subject to change at any time.
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At DIRECTV, we don't just offer satellite TV in Wheeling – we offer the best TV entertainment experience nationwide. Choose another city in WV to learn more about phone and internet service partners, local channels, and regional sports networks DIRECTV offers near you.


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If you think the Republican presidential nomination race is getting ugly, just wait until the campaign on the proposed new tobacco taxes gets under way.
The nasty messages are likely to make the presidential stuff look like child's play.
At stake is the fate of the California Cancer Research Act, a statewide ballot initiative on the ballot in the June 5 primary election. The proposition seeks to increase cigarette taxes by one dollar per pack. If passed, the act would raise about $855 million annually in new tobacco taxes, an outcome that tobacco companies will do their best to prevent.
At 87 cents per pack, California ranks 32nd among the 50 states in tobacco taxes. As of 2010, New York was first at $4.35 and Missouri was dead last at 17 cents. The tobacco tax in California last increased in 1999, when the voters approved a 50 cent bump to the current 87 cent level. Now, looking for new revenues in a revenue-challenged political environment, anti-tobacco advocates are seeking to raise the tax.
In some respects, the ballot proposal is a weaker version of a similar proposition placed before the voters in 2006. On that occasion, sponsors asked the voters to pass a tax increase of $2.60 per pack.
The money, projected at $2.1 billion annually, was dedicated to supporting children's health and tobacco-related programs.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Four months before the election, voters favored the proposal by a solid two-to-one margin.
By the time that the tobacco industry finished its $65 million opposition campaign, the voters were convinced the money would be spent on hospital bureaucrats, fat cat doctors and wasteful tests. They narrowly turned down the proposal.
With an adult smoking rate of 12.9 percent, California is well below the national average of 20.6 percent.
Of course, the election is not simply about smokers versus non-smokers. It's about a tax increase in what has become an anti-tax state. Whether the voters are willing to put that collective disposition aside in the name of health remains to be seen. One fact is clear: before all is said and done, the tobacco industry will make sure that its side is heard.


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Coming down the escalator into the baggage claim area at SLC airport, it's hard not to feel like a nobody—there is an army of drivers holding up all manner of signs for everybody...except you.
Milling about the airport waiting for some shuttle and… Oh, look, it's Tom McCarthy, that character actor whose name you don't know, despite the fact that he wrote and directed the great indie film "The Station Agent," which won three awards at the 2003 Sundance. He's back this year with "Win Win," starring Paul Giamatti as a lawyer/wrestling coach.
And, hello, America Ferrera, who is almost unrecognizable without her "Ugly Betty" get-up (it took guts for a woman that hot to play Betty—hats off, America). She's in town to serve as U.S. Dramatic juror. She looks vaguely lost—not like "sad, pathetic lost," but "What is going on? lost."
Ten of us pile into a van for the ride from SLC to the hotel (about 40 minutes). Our driver for the journey is Paul, an older gentleman who is retired and does this for a little extra money. Paul gleefully regales with all manner of arcana: "This is my sixth trip today...I'll probably do two more"; "We haul about 1,000 people every day from SLC to Park City during the festival"; "See those houses up there? That's where (notorious polygamist) Warren Jeffs lived"; "Us drivers, we call that Moose Mountain, cuz you can always see moose up there--they look like rocks"; "Cougars only attack from behind" (this elicits immature giggling from everyone in the van); and as we roll down SR-224 at the Park City limits, "I grew up here and I can remember when this was a two-lane dirt road."
After dropping off your gear at your hotel (are there really people cross-country skiing past the window?), the next stop is Sundance HQ at the Park City Marriott, where the front door is flanked by quaintly amusing bowls of flame, no doubt a vestige of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Inside, volunteers, filmmakers, journalists and industry people swarm about.
The amount of furious texting going on is comical. It's a wonder some surgeon specializing in carpal tunnel syndrome doesn't occupy one of the pop-up stores along Main Street; it would be a cash cow.
U.S. & World
Main Street is a mixture of shops (the likes of which might sell a squirrel carved from drift by Len Tukwilla), ad hoc nightclubs from the folks at Bing, The Sundance Channel and Hewlett-Packard (?) and a number of other real bars and restaurants, most of them overflowing with humanity. It's been estimated that $100 million will be poured into the town thanks to the festival.
But if you make it toward the bottom of the strip, and hang a left on 7th, you'll find yourself walking directly toward the High West Distillery and Saloon, where the crush isn't nearly as pitched, the house-made double rye is delicious and the bartender Michael is a wee coy about the Sundance crowd.
"A lot of the local people who live here will leave, they feel like it's gotten too big. There's not any parking, there isn't anything available for them to do. It's just very, very busy up here—it can be a little frustrating. They kind of turn their town over to Sundance, in a way. There's approximately 250,000 rooms up here available, and they're full, so that's a lot of people up here right now."
The quarter-million seems impossible when you consider the town has a year-round population that hovers south of 10,000. But whatever, there's a ton of people in town for the festival, and they can strain the bounds of even the friendliest bartender's patience.
"Sundance people, they're, ah, Hollywood people. We look forward to seeing them, they generate a lot of good energy and they create a buzz that's good for business. Every once in a while you have to click on autopilot, but that kinda comes with the territory."
A seasoned veteran of the service industry, Michael's smile doesn't falter once. But you can see the effort required.
If you're wondering how the Mormons feel about all the drinking, know that across the top of the menu at the High West is a warning that Utah law says you're only allowed to have two drinks in front of you at one time, which seems reasonable enough. And if you're wondering how the festival attendees feel about drinking, know that the shuttle bus drivers will shout out, unprompted, if they're making a stop near a liquor store. "People ask," the driver shrugs, when asked why he was telling us.
Riding around town on one of the many free shuttle buses, it's the one place where locals, skiers and festivalgoers all come together in an uneasy truce. The former are trying to keep their smiles from devolving into grimaces, while the latter camps eye each other suspiciously. Ironically, folks will tell you that the 10 days of Sundance are maybe the best for skiing as the slopes are empty. Apparently the ski community gets priced out by the film folk. If you can swing it, it just may be worth the extra money on lodging.


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Idols 69
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Came across a new blog by Mrs. Orr - Cardigans & Curriculum. She had a GREAT idea on managing unwanted blurts!
She made a Blurts poster with velcro dots and every time a student blurts out, they put a blurt next to their name on the poster. She makes a note of the students who have went all day/week without a blurt for an extra prize. I especially like it because it makes the students aware of their blurts (number of blurts) and it worked so well that Mrs. Orr said she didn't have to use it after the first 6-8 weeks. Click on the pictures below for more information from her blog!


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The aim of this process is to resolve all customer issues or concerns as quickly as possible. In the majority of cases we hope that any issues can be resolved quickly and amicably to customers' satisfaction at branch level.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- He toiled in California's farm fields alongside his Mexican migrant worker parents and didn't learn English until he was 12. Now Jose Hernandez, NASA astronaut, is about to rocket into orbit.
His parents will be in Florida next week for space shuttle Discovery's launch, as will his two older brothers and sister, who also worked the cucumber, sugar beet and tomato fields back in the 1960s and 1970s."A lot of kids loved summer vacation," Hernandez said in a recent interview. "We dreaded it because we knew what that meant. That meant we were going to be working seven days a week in the fields."
Hernandez, 47, vividly recalls being dusty, sweaty and tired in the back seat of the family's car after a hard day of labor. Before starting the engine, his father would look back at his children and tell them, "Remember this feeling because if you guys don't do well in school, this is your future."
"That was pretty powerful," Hernandez recalled.
All four took it to heart. Each graduated from high school, "a moral victory" for third-grade educated Salvador and Julia Hernandez, now 71 and 67 years old, respectively. Each went to college, "the icing on the cake," according to their youngest child.
"And of course now being an astronaut, to them that's just unbelievable," said the soon-to-be spaceman. "I think they're higher in orbit than we're going to be in."
Discovery is scheduled to blast off in the wee hours of Tuesday. Seven astronauts will be on board for the space station supply run, including two Mexican-Americans, as it turns out, and a Swede.
Those who deal with migrant farm workers also are soaring.
"When we see an example like Jose, we are so happy," said Matthew Sheaff, a spokesman for the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs in Washington. "It's an example that anybody can break the cycle of poverty that they live in."
"It's a great model for these farm worker kids" just now heading home after picking crops this summer, Sheaff added.
Children are, in fact, Hernandez's focus.
He's formed a "Reaching for the Stars" foundation in Stockton, Calif., his hometown, to inspire local youngsters to excel in math, science, engineering and technology.
Whenever he gives motivational talks, "I say, 'Look, I can trade poor stories with the best of you here, and I'll tell you that I'll probably be coming out on the shorter end of the stick than you will."
Each year, the Hernandez family would make the two-day car trip from La Piedad de Cavadas in the central Mexican state of Michoacan to California in March, working their way northward with the crops, until November. Then it was back to Mexico until the next March. The parents insisted their children always attend school.
Hernandez, who was born in French Camp, Calif., remembers asking his second-grade teacher for a couple months' worth of homework when it came time for the family's annual pilgrimage back to Mexico. The teacher urged his parents to set down roots; his father eventually started a trucking business in Stockton.
Two things pointed Hernandez toward space.
During the Apollo moon landings, Hernandez would hold the rabbit ears steady on the family's old black and white TV for good reception. He likes to kid "it's through osmosis that I got to become an astronaut."
Then, during his senior year, he learned of NASA's first Hispanic astronaut, Franklin Chang-Diaz, who was born in Costa Rica.
"I said, 'Hey, if he came from poor, humble beginnings and he became an astronaut, if he can do it, why can't I do it?' " Hernandez said. He gravitated toward math and science because of his English limitations.
Hernandez ended up getting bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering and, in 1987, went to work for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. He became an expert in X-ray physics, helping to develop the first full-field digital mammography system. And during a stint at the Department of Energy, he helped with the disposal of Russian nuclear materials.
He moved to Houston in 2001 to work at Johnson Space Center as an engineer, working his way up to branch chief. He was selected as an astronaut in 2004, after 12 years of trying.
Hernandez now has five children of his own, ages 6 to 14. Wife Adela runs a Mexican restaurant just outside the Johnson gates, aptly called Tierra Luna Grill, Spanish for Earth Moon Grill.
By coincidence, another Mexican-American will be aboard Discovery, third-generation Danny Olivas, who grew up in El Paso, Texas. It will be the first time two Hispanics fly together in space.
NASA's first bilingual Twittering astronaut, Hernandez -- Astro--Jose -- plans to file tweets from space. During the 13-day flight, he will help three of his crewmates suit up for spacewalks and haul thousands of pounds of supplies over from the shuttle.
His space shuttle commander, Rick Sturckow, is as inspired as anybody by Hernandez's story. He, too, grew up in California, on a turkey and cattle farm.
With his language skills and personal history, Sturckow said, Hernandez is "attracting a new audience to NASA that we might not normally reach otherwise."
--The Associated Press


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42nd Street is the song and dance, American dream fable of Broadway, featuring the iconic songs 42nd Street, We're in the Money, Lullaby of Broadway, Shuffle Off To Buffalo, Dames and I Only Have Eyes For You. With the West End's biggest cast, this is a musical like no other, entertainment doesn't get bigger than this.
***** (5 stars)
'The mother of all show-biz musicals'
Daily Telegraph
Young Peggy Sawyer is fresh off the bus from small-town America and just another face in the chorus line on Broadway's newest show. But when the leading lady gets injured, Peggy might just have the shot at stardom she's always dreamed of.
'A wow factor revival of one of the greatest musicals of all. You'll leave happy. Perfection.
The Times
Bonnie Langford joins the cast to play legendary diva 'Dorothy Brock' alongside Tom Lister as 'Julian Marsh', Clare Halse as 'Peggy Sawyer' and Ashley Day as 'Billy Lawlor'. Mark Bramble, co-author of the book for the original Broadway and West End productions of 42nd Street and director of the 2001 Tony Award winning revival, directs.
You now have the option to print your tickets at home free of charge! Whether they are a treat for yourself or a gift for someone else, there will be no more waiting for the postman to deliver. Your e-ticket will arrive as part of your confirmation email.
42nd Street is not available to book, please sign up to our newsletter for updates and offers on forthcoming and available shows.
Find out more about the venue for your show: Directions, Transport options and facilities.
(5mins) Go right on Long Acre; turn right into Bow Street and after 100 metres it will be on your left in Russell Street/Catherine Street.


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On June 17, 2011, Gov. Haley signed H. 3295 into law to authorize a homeowners association to hold a state license to sell alcoholic liquors. The Department of Revenue had ruled last year that a homeowners association was not qualified to hold a license, and so H. 3295 was necessary to make clear that it was.
That was important for Sun City Hilton Head, since its restaurants sell alcohol under authority of permits that are held by its homeowners association. If H. 3295 had not been signed into law, those restaurants (the British Open Pub and the Hidden Cypress Grill) would have had to stop serving alcoholic drinks, and the permit application for the Argent Lakes Golf Course would not have been issued.
You would have thought that getting H. 3295 passed would be easy, but nothing is easy in Columbia. State senators from the Upstate, who have a disproportionately large number of constituents who are socially conservative, view any change in our state's liquor laws with suspicion, and I wasn't able to get this bill across the finish line until the next-to-last day of the regular legislative session.
Your emails, letters and phone calls in support of H. 3295 helped me get the job done in the Senate (and also helped Rep. Bill Herbkersman get it passed in the House.) I would like to call upon you again for assistance when legislation important to our community is being considered. Please consider contacting me via email at email@example.com so that I can keep you updated.


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In her recent article The Case for Curiosity (Educational Leadership, February 2013), Susan Engel asserts that "curiosity is essential to learning, but in scarce supply in most schools." One of the major points of the article is that students should be encouraged to ask as many questions as possible. While this might first appear to be a rather pedestrian outcome, we should reflect on whether our instructional choices foster curiosity within our students. Engel wants us to make questioning a goal:
Think of question asking as the goal of an educational activity, rather than a happy by-product. Develop activities that invite or require students to figure out what they want to know and then seek answers.
Unfortunately, sometimes questions are seen as, at-best, an accidental outcome; at worst, they are a disruption to the teacher's flow. Like most things, curiosity within our students will only be nurtured and developed through purposeful thought & action. What would the outcome be if we examined each lesson through the lens of curiosity? That is, what if we asked ourselves how curious will my students become as a result of this lesson?
There is no question that this is easier said then done. Undoubtedly the pressures to cover content, meet outcomes and standards, and prepare students for year-end exams leaves many of us wondering about where we might find the time. That said, why do we always try to leave time for questions or squeeze a few questions in at the end. Why don't we start with questions?
Why don't we ask our students what they're curious about? Would it change anything for you if your students told you what they wondered about the solar system, the industrial revolution, statistics, or poetry? Would your students develop a deeper level of engagement if you paused for one moment, right in the middle of a lesson, and asked the students what they're thinking. When we pause and ask, are there any questions, we're usually are met with silence; follow that with now, what are you thinking and you're likely to be surprised at how much is on their minds.
Your move to emphasizing curiosity doesn't have to be epic. Just begin by keeping curiosity at the forefront of your mind as you develop your usual lesson sequences. Eventually, it will become a natural routine; then a habit.
Fostering curiosity will take some time; time for you to shift your focus and time for the students to develop new, habitual ways of reflection. However, by shifting our instructional mindset to one that makes nurturing curiosity a priority, the same content you've taught for years can be transformed into the means that drives an unprecedented level of motivation and engagement.


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Waino's streak ends - early
CHICAGO — Anthony Rizzo wasted little time in getting to Adam Wainwright.
Rizzo hit a two-run single in the first that ended Wainwright's scoreless streak at 25 innings, and the Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 Friday for their third win in four games.
"I'm not trying to do too much," Rizzo said. "See the ball and hit it, really try to swing at the pitches I want to hit, not pitcher's pitches. Especially with Wainwright, his stuff is so good he's going to eat you alive."
Wainwright (5-2) had allowed six runs in 45 innings coming in, but the Cubs matched the runs total in just five innings against the St. Louis ace, who gave up 10 hits. His ERA rose from 1.20 to 2.16.
"They did a nice job of spoiling some pitches," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said of his batters. "You've got to give them all the credit. They grinded out some at-bats today and reaped some benefits."
Wainwright had been 6-0 in 12 previous starts and five relief appearances at Wrigley Field.
"There were certain pitches today I didn't have good command over," he said. "My curveball was kind of sporadic in the zone and out of the zone, which is pretty rare for me. It's a funny game. Today was not my day. I accept that and take responsibility for today and move on."
The scoreless streak was one inning shy of the career high for Wainwright, who had not allowed an extra-base hit since April 12 against the Cubs in St. Louis.
"He's been incredibly consistent through this season so far. … You can see pitches were just on the edge and not where he wanted them or weren't getting called," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "It's a frustrating day when he knows our guys put some offense up for him and we just can't stop them. He limited the damage and figured out ways to keep us in it. We had some chances."
Rizzo added a leadoff home run in the fifth that put Chicago ahead 6-3. Welington Castillo had three doubles for Chicago, which sent the skidding Cardinals to their 10th loss in 16 games.
Travis Wood (2-3) gave up three runs — two earned — and six hits in seven innings but allowed just one runner in his final three innings. Justin Grimm gave up Jhonny Peralta's two-run homer in the eighth, Hector Rondon pitched a perfect ninth for his second save.
Cubs centerfielder Ryan Sweeney made a catch on the run in the eighth on a drive to right-center by Allen Craig. Sweeney injured his right hamstring and was replaced by Emilio Bonifacio, who moved from second.
"It was great determination," Renteria said. "Hammys hurt."
St. Louis overcame its early deficit, tying the game in the third when Matt Carpenter singled in a run and scored on Peralta's double.
Chicago loaded the bases in the bottom half on a pair of walks around Starlin Castro's single. Ryan Sweeney drove in the go-ahead run with a weak grounder to second that allowed Rizzo to score from third, and Castillo followed with a two-out, two-run double.
Castro's throwing error from shortstop on Randal Grichuk's grounder allowed Yadier Molina to score from third and cut the deficit to 5-3 in the fourth.
NOTES: Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said RHP Jose Veras (left oblique strain) will begin his rehab assignment at Double-A Tennessee and pitch at some point in the next few days, depending on how he feels. … Cubs prospect OF Jorge Soler (hamstring) is progressing at the team's facility in Mesa, Arizona. Hoyer said "the reports have been good" and he hopes Soler will join Tennessee soon. … RHP Jack Arrieta is to make his big league season debut for the Cubs when he starts Saturday. RHP Michael Wacha (2-2) is slated to slart for St. Louis.


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MIAMI (AP) Nick Saban returned to his former NFL home and insisted he's not looking for another one.
The Alabama coach was back at Sun Life Stadium - where he coached the Miami Dolphins in 2005 and 2006 - for the BCS title game media day event Saturday. The second-ranked Crimson Tide (12-1) faces No. 1 Notre Dame (12-0) on Monday night there for the national title.
Saban said he wasn't feeling nostalgic by being back on the Dolphins' turf, further adding that a return to the NFL is not tempting to him.
``I don't have any unfinished business in the NFL,'' Saban said. ``I have a job right now and I want to do the best job that I possibly can for this team, right now. ... That's not something that I'm concerned about. It's not something I'm thinking about; it's not even something that I want to do. I want to be a college coach.''
Of course, Saban sometimes changes his mind.
And nowhere has that been more chronicled than Miami.
It was Dec. 21, 2006, when Saban spoke at the Dolphins' facility after his team practiced and, after weeks of trying to denounce reports that Alabama intrigued him as ``rumor and innuendo,'' he offered his most emphatic denial of the entire process.
``I guess I have to say it. I'm not going to be the Alabama coach,'' Saban said that day, an oft-repeated quote.
Less than two weeks later, Saban was the Alabama coach.
So when he returned Saturday - the first time he was on the field at Sun Life in a working capacity since Christmas 2006 - Saban was predictably all about what's looming for Alabama on Monday night.
``I'm kind of excited for the opportunity that our team has,'' Saban said. ``It's really about our team and this game. We're always happy to come back to South Florida. We have some great relationships here and some very fond memories of being here. But right now, we've recruited and worked to develop this team for a long, long time, and it's really a lot more about them being here ... than it is anything that's happened in my past.''
Saban walked onto the field about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, not even seeming to take a look around at the facility where he went 9-7 in home games with the Dolphins. He walked down the visitors' sideline to his assigned booth, shook a couple hands with game staff and spoke with reporters for an hour.
``It's good to be back,'' said Alabama assistant coach Jeff Stoutland, a former coach at the University of Miami - which also uses Sun Life as its home field. ``But it's a business trip for us. We've got a schedule and we're sticking to that schedule.''
The Dolphins went 6-10 in Saban's final season in Miami, the only sub-.500 record that one of his teams has posted in his 19 seasons as a head coach. He lost 17 games in two seasons with the Dolphins; he's lost 13 in nearly six full seasons with the Crimson Tide and is now trying for his third BCS national title in four seasons.
``I'm not looking for new challenges,'' Saban said. ``I'm just trying to take advantage of helping the challenging situation that we have and continue to be successful.''


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|STS-133 Shuttle Mission Imagery
high res (1.0 M) low res (95 K)
|JSC2011-E-006292 (24 Jan. 2011) --- NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, STS-133 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of her duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Curator: JSC PAO Web Team | Responsible NASA Official: Amiko Kauderer | Updated: 11/13/2012


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Irina (ID: 11734)
Date of birth:August 04, 1984
Height:5' 6" (170 cm)
Weight:114 lb (52 kg)
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Girl, interrupted: Hoffman: 'I was just too young'
The lip rings are gone. So are the dreadlocks, although her hair is Parisian black again following a blonde whirl. At 26, musician and songwriter Lauren Hoffman has returned to her native Charlottesville, like a prodigal daughter, after an odyssey of self-discovery, picking up near where she left off three years ago when she announced she was leaving the music business for good.
By 23, Hoffman had already survived a meteoric ride on the rocket of rock fame. Counting Dave Matthews among her early fans (Hoffman's father, Ross, nurtured Matthews' early career), she'd signed a six-album deal with Virgin Records while still in her teens and released her 1997 album Megiddo to rave reviews, performed on the first Lilith Fair tour, and founded her own music label, Free Union Records.
But despite critical praise (The New Yorker declared her "the real thing"), Hoffman got lost in the shuffle of young, rebellious girl songwriters in the late 1990s. Realizing Virgin was letting her album languish without promotion, she cut her ties.
"It was just a bad situation, bad timing, and bad luck. Then I tried to do the Indie thing, and I just got burnt out by trying to do too much." says Hoffman, adding, "and also I was just too young."
So she quit in 2000, opting to remain in Europe after her final tour in France. She marked her departure with piercings, tattoos, and dreadlocks.
"It was partly to distance myself from what had come before," Hoffman reflects. "I also felt like it was an adolescent expression I hadn't allowed myself. I always hedged my bets as a teenager because I'd always wanted to be a good girl."
After traveling to England, India, and Israel, Hoffman returned to the U.S. to study dance at VCU. "Being a freshman in college and being like everyone else," she says, "was just what I needed."
But after a year came a revelation: "At one point, I noticed how the other dancers would come in on their free time and work on things, and I thought, 'I don't feel that way about this.'" Suddenly aware that her passion remained music, Hoffman moved back to Charlottesville.
"I think the break made her hungry for it again," says her friend Andy Deane, who fronts the noted Goth band Bella Morte.
Hoffman is once more writing songs, having formed a new band called The Lilas (Karmen Buttler on acoustic guitar, Mark Goldstein on bass, and Stuart Gunter on drums). Regarding her lyrics, she says, "They're expressions of things I don't allow myself in the social strata. It's almost like Tourrette's syndrome.
"I feel alive again," she smiles, after listing the band's upcoming gigs. "Getting back to music is the best thing."Read more on: lauren hoffman


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America Marks 6 Months since Newtown Massacre; Victims' Families Restart Gun Control Push
The families of the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, 2012, gathered in Washington D.C., six months after the tragedy to meet with White House officials, restarting the push for stricter gun control laws in America.
"We commend the families' courage and perseverance in continuing to press for commonsense legislation to reduce gun violence," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Thursday at a press briefing.
"And we want them to know that, as we approach the six-month anniversary of that terrible day, we will never forget and we will continue to fight alongside them."
The families met with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday at the White House, asking for a renewed push for gun control, after a bipartisan amendment on gun laws that would have expanded background checks for gun purchases at gun shows and online failed to get enough votes in the Senate on April 17.
In December, 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza stormed into Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, killing 20 children and six adults, including the school's principal, before he took his own life. Earlier on the same day, he also killed his own mother, Nancy Lanza, who was described by a later investigation as a gun enthusiast who trained her son to use guns at a shooting range close to their home.
The tragedy prompted President Obama and many concerned citizens around America to call for a change to the nation's gun laws, though the National Rifle Association has opposed such measures and argued that gun control is not the way to tackle the problem. As a solution, the organization has proposed tighter security at schools and other public places.
"If it's crazy to call for putting police and armed security in our school to protect our children, then call me crazy," said Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the NRA. "I think the American people think it's crazy not to do it. It's the one thing that would keep people safe."
Carney told reporters at a previous press briefing on Wednesday that both Obama and Biden remain fully committed to reducing gun violence.
"The president made clear his deep disappointment with the decision of the minority of senators to flout the will of the vast majority of the American people – the majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents – in states across the country," Carney added.
Nicole Hockey, whose six-year-old son Dylan was among the victims at Sandy Hook, described the last six months both as the longest and shortest in her life at a press conference on Wednesday.
"Getting to this six month mark, it also just – we are committed, completely committed, to seeing this through... And the more time that goes by, in some respects, the stronger we're getting," Hockey said, according to CBS News.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that the gun control fight is not over, and that "it's only just beginning."
"The writing is on the wall. Background checks will pass the United States Senate. The only question is when," Reid offered.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), one of the authors of the background checks bill that failed at the Senate, met some of the Newtown families on Wednesday, and promised them that the issue will remain "on a front burner."
"As you meet with our fellow senators and anybody who might not have supported the bill in the past, if there is something we can do to clarify the language to make it better understood, to make clear of what our intent would be – if they will communicate that with you, it would help immensely," Manchin said, adding that he has asked for gun control legislation to be put up for a vote unattached to any other bills.


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Winchester Super-X 3 20 gauge, 3
Guns International #: 100620892 Seller's Inventory #:
Category: Winchester Shotguns - Semi-Auto - Winchester Shotguns
Seller's Information
When emailing or calling sellers direct, please mention that you saw their listing on GunsInternational.com
Seller: United Sportsmen's Company
Company: United Sportsmen's Company
Member Since: 5/4/11
First Name: Brendan
Last Name: Walsh
State: Illinois
Zip: 61032
Country: United States
Phone: (815) 599-5690
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Number of Active Listings: 1017
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Please note: the price reflects a 3% discount for cash, money order, or cashier check. For credit/debit cards please add 3% to the total. We accept the following: VISA, MASTERCARD, and DISCOVER. Sales Tax will be charged to IL sales (6.75%) All payments are due within 7 days.
Buyer pays a fixed S/H/I rate. Shipping price is quoted for the lower 48 States. Alaska and Hawaii pays actual S/H/I cost. Packages are sent via UPS (all long guns) or USPS (all handguns).
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[Sergio] Santos, 28, and the White Sox agreed on a three-year, $8.25 million deal, with club options for 2015-17. Under the terms of the agreement, Santos will earn $1 million in 2012, $2.75 million in 2013 and $3.75 million in 2014. The club option for 2015 stands at $6 million, with an $8 million option for 2016 and an $8.75 million option in 2017. If any of the three club options are declined, then Santos receives a $750,000 buyout.
The deal covers Santos' final pre-arbitration year and the first two arbitration years. The three 1-year options cover the final arbitration year and the first two free-agent years. That's a very good deal for the Sox. Fangraphs says Sergio was worth $7.3 million this year. Sergio must stay away from Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, and Jake Peavy. Kenny did good.


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Campaigning against the influence of creationism in the UK Science Classroom
Moderator: Moderators
a_haworthroberts wrote:Email as just sent including to Bob:
And the dogmatic rubbish keeps coming from other young earth creationists who are keen on Ken Ham and detest Bill Nye:
https://stormbringer005.blogspot.co.uk/ ... m=facebook
Bill Nye used outdated and inaccurate science claims, and also underhanded tactics in the debate with Ken Ham".
No he did not. (Which is why you don't elaborate further beyond moaning about 'elephant hurling'.)
The bigoted right wing lying propagandist Sorensen hates Nye but whilst he accuses Nye of using 'selective citing', 'blatant falsehoods' and 'bad science', it is NOT even clear that Sorensen has actually viewed 'Bill Nye: Science Guy' (nor have I). But I have sent many emails identifying specific blatant falsehoods by Sorensen. By contrast when he accuses somebody else of blatant falsehood normally he FAILS to identify ANY of them. And I note that the Answers in Genesis article flagged by liar Sorensen does NOT accuse Nye in the new film of selective citing or blatant falsehoods and fails to identify any specific bad science from Nye (beyond complaining about science being purely naturalistic). These are I strongly suspect made-up false (and malicious) accusations that are being by the hateful 'Christian' Sorensen (who refuses all meaningful debate and censors all critics at his facebook pages).
a_haworthroberts wrote:This new gushing article by Eric Hovind is also flagged:
"It was frustrating to see Bill Nye trotting out all the old evolutionary clichés which have been answered a hundred times over. His refusal to listen and respond to Ken made the debate feel more like two separate lectures." I did not notice Ham listening remotely to what Nye had to say at the 2014 debate. "Now don't get me wrong. Evidence is awesome! As a Creationist, I LOVE evidence." No you don't even if you think you do, Eric. You love "adherence to Scripture over Evidence". You just told us that. And young earth creationists reject and ignore evidence whenever it cannot be made to comply with and verify Genesis. Whilst pretending that other evidence 'confirms' a recent global flood when it does no such thing.
a_haworthroberts wrote:Sorensen's hatred of scientists (and thus science ie knowledge gained by investigation) on public display again:
https://stormbringer005.blogspot.co.uk/ ... aired.html
a_haworthroberts wrote:And this creationist supports those who pathologically lie about global warming as well (conveniently ignoring eg that 2016 broke records for warmth):
Sorensen prefers Rush Limbaugh to scientific facts:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa ... d-globally
a_haworthroberts wrote:And the lying continues here:
http://www.piltdownsuperman.com/2017/10 ... ution.html
"There are numerous citations from evolutionists who have admitted over the years that there are still no transitional forms. They also admit that evolutionary paleontologists engage in circular reasoning." References required. But he will fail to supply them. Because he doesn't have them. (All he has is allusions to comments reportedly by Charles Darwin which - through no fault of his - are now massively out-of-date: see here https://en-gb.facebook.com/Piltdown.Superman/)
a_haworthroberts wrote:Wide circulation email as just sent:
Sorensen (the person who told four falsehoods about Homo naledi which I called out on Facebook) has been flagging another tirade of his at his secondary Facebook page:
http://www.cowboybobsorensen.com/2017/1 ... m=facebook
"Blaming Me for Someone Else's Reprimands
There is a tinhorn that I call Haywire the Stalker who hates biblical creationists, and especially this hombre, with a passion. (I should add that he is passionate about supporting another pseudoscience, a kissin' cousin of evolution, and that's global climate change.) He is unable or unwilling to discern the difference between lying and disagreement or error, and any evidence presented against evolution is "lying". He seeks glory and validation on forums and on Fazebook. However, Fazebook gave him a suspension, and he is weeping that he is a victim that is persecuted for telling the "truth". No, he's a mentally unstable demoniac who got a mild slap. He sowed, now he reaps, and I ain't taking the blame. Haywire should drink a nice, tall glass of dihydrogen monoxide and settle down a bit."
Sorensen is a hate-filled serial liar (even if he and his administration sidekick Curtis Long had nothing to do with the unjust suspension by Facebook against me and Long has not denied involvement). I indeed told the truth concerning the four falsehoods posted by Sorensen recently concerning Homo naledi. All he does in return is launch yet another venomous personal attack (my censored posts at Facebook did not include a personal attack).
a_haworthroberts wrote:Whilst totally ignoring the substance of my posts at 1.14 and 2.50 am here on 5 October:
As I stated on 5 October:
"Sorensen blocks my email but his sidekick Long (and possibly another sidekick named Gordons) may well try to dispute the accuracy of this email, either by reply or on Sorensen's Facebook pages. They will fail in their attempt if so."
My account is accurate - and my 30 day suspension by Facebook is totally unjust and unfair.
I have nothing against Christians. I have plenty against lying young earth creationists.
"Featured Post: "Time to Bury H. Naledi"
Evolutionists had high hopes that H. naledi would be listed as one of our evolutionary ancestors. Like creationists predicted, it turned out to be a dead end."
In his comments dated 1 August (which did not contain lies) he was flagging this (which does contain lies and made-up 'facts'):
http://www.piltdownsuperman.com/2017/08 ... m=facebook
Homo naledi has added to our knowledge of Earth's biological past. But all people like Sorensen do is go on the attack and try to 'bury' everything that might threaten their brand of fundamentalist Bible Christianity.
I am still waiting for Facebook to demonstrate precisely how I violated their Community Standards. Based on what has happened before they will never tell me.
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Pre Steeped: Two weeks or longer
Ratio: 80vg/20pg
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including formaldehyde, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer, and nicotine, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm . For more information go to https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/


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If it sounds like the above could be the title of a horror flick, well, you're not far off. I came across the following bit of clever repartee between Mick LaSalle, our often irreverent film critic, and a loyal reader in our local paper this Sunday and was suddenly loaded for bear.
I feel obliged to point out that the column was brought to my attention by my husband, who enjoys a good rant as much as any of us. Stay tuned, but first check this:
Dear Mick LaSalle: I just saw "Aberdeen" (2000), featuring an actress new to me: Lena Headey. I looked up what else she has done, only to find that since "Aberdeen" she has made, for the most part, a series of second-rate horror flicks. What happens in a case like this? Poor management? A really bad agent? Blacklisting? Frank Flynn, Eureka
Dear Frank Flynn: No, it's worse: two X chromosomes. Welcome to my world, Frank. Every year, I see actresses do great work in films and then disappear. In another generation, a studio would have nurtured them, and in other countries, filmmakers would build films around their talents. Not in the English-speaking world. Even established stars, such as Naomi Watts, Halle Berry and Ashley Judd, can go five years without getting a role worthy of their talents. In another country, they'd have two or three strong roles a year. What's Catherine McCormack doing these days? Or Claire Forlani, Chad Morgan, Natasha McElhone, N'Bushe Wright, Bai Ling, Natasha Gregson Wagner or Alison Elliott? All of them have shown exceptional ability or charm or both onscreen, working in major films. All are still working, but much of that work is under the radar. Headey is doing better than most, in that she starred in a major action movie ("300"). Basically, women in Hollywood need to look convincing swinging a mace – and attractive with bloody fangs. Then they'll never starve.
Okay. I have never seen Aberdeen, and I confess I don't know Lena Headey. (Wait. Did I just make La Salle's point?) But Naomi Watts, Halle Berry and Ashley Judd? Ready to put out to pasture as either deranged ex-wives or district attorneys? (Note what's happened to former sexpot Sharon Stone on CSI: Special Victims Unit.)
For years we have decried the fact that the fat guy always gets the cute girl in the movies. We have for years ranted: about the schlubby guys on TV who have the slim trim wives; about the loser guys who end up with, you know, Katherine Heigl; about the sweet young things who are wooed by the guys old enough to be their grandpas. (That movie with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones as the love interests? Stop me before I poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick.)
What we want to know first is why do we pay money to watch this junk. Unless I'm living in an alternate universe, it's not believable. Or very entertaining, either. Last I checked, most sane women are not pining after some pudgy dude with a receding hairline and a bad choice of pants. Right?
But the real question is why this stuff gets made, and why women — at least as far as American media are concerned — are considered washed up by the time they get the first intimations of crow's feet. Yeah, yeah, we know: Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren are still star quality and hooray for them. In every possible way. But are they the exceptions that prove the rule?
I think the answer may have something to do with gender parity, and here's what we journalist types would call the nutgraf — somewhat buried, in this case — or the big picture stuff. In 2009, the Hollywood Writers Report by the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW), found that women and minorities had not made any significant hiring gains since 2005, with women writers making up roughly one quarter of the field. Repeat: one quarter. The report states:
"Women, who account for slightly more than 50 percent of the U.S. population, remain underrepresented in television employment by 2 to 1 and in film employment by nearly 3 to 1. Their salaries, too, show a discrepancy: white men, $98,875 versus women, $57,151 for a whopping wage gap of $41,724.
Are you kidding me? Read it again. Is it any wonder that we're made to believe that the old guy gets the girl? Of course, that's just the movies. Hollywood fantasies. But look at the damage those ridiculous media images have done to women's self-image. Our conception of ourselves. Ugh, right?
But now, let's use movies as metaphor: What happens when women are relegated to one quarter of other segments of our society — like government, boardrooms, the offices down the hall where policy is made? Think about it.
As in movies, so in life. And ain't that the curse of the double-X.


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HR 3408 - Authorizes Development of Oil Shale Resources - National Key Vote
Jesse Jackson, Jr. voted Nay (Passage) on this Legislation.
Read statements Jesse Jackson, Jr. made in this general time period.
- House Bill Passed
- Feb. 16, 2012
- Introduced
- Nov. 14, 2011
Related Issues
Stage Details
See How Your Politicians Voted
Title: Authorizes Development of Oil Shale Resources
Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to pass a bill that authorizes the exploration and development of oil shale and tar sand resources in certain areas.
- Specifies that the statements regarding oil shale and tar sands resource management published by the Bureau of Land Management on November 17 and 18, 2008, satisfy all legal and procedural requirements under any law and do not require any other administrative action (Sec. 2).
- Requires the Secretary of the Interior to hold a commercial lease sale within 180 days after the enactment date of this bill and offer an additional 10 parcels of federally-owned oil shale and tar sands resources that are located on federal lands, including oil shale resources underlying non-federal surfaces, for exploration and development (Sec. 3).
- Requires the Secretary of the Interior to hold at least 5 separate commercial lease sales by January 1, 2016, of the following areas (Sec. 3):
- Areas that are deemed by the Secretary to have the most potential for oil shale development;
- Areas that are composed of at least 25,000 acres; and
- Areas nominated by public comment.
Title: Authorizes Development of Oil Shale Resources


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Jesse James will sit down with "Nightline" for his first TV interview since splitting with Sandra Bullock, ABC News announced on Wednesday.
The interview will air Tuesday, May 25 at 11:35 PM, and feature the reality star discussing his recent stint in rehab and the allegations of cheating that led to the Oscar winner filing for divorce.
Jesse will also address the former couple's adoption of baby Louis, whom he has since ceded his custody of.
Though he has avoided interviews, Jesse has released a number of statements since the cheating allegations first made headlines in March.
"My whole life has been full of hard decisions," Jesse said in a statement to People in April. "The decision to let my wife end our marriage, and continue the adoption of Louis on her own, has been the hardest. The love I have for Louis cannot be put to words. Not having him around to love and to hold has left a huge hole in my heart."
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Sandra Bullock: America's Leading Rom-Com Queen
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Jesse James' Lost Dog Reunion!
PLAY IT NOW: Sandra Bullock On Jesse James' Infidelity: 'I Had No Idea'
PLAY IT NOW: Sandra Bullock Shocker: Her Divorce & Secret Adoption!
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Jesse James - Sandra Bullock - Divorces - Parenthood - TV


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5100 El Campo Fort Worth, TX 76107
Fort Worth, Texas – The Fort Worth ISD will close for Spring Break from March 11 through March 15, 2019. All schools will be closed as will the Central Administration Building.
All students, teachers and staff will return to class on Monday, March 18, 2019.
Athletic events will continue during the break. Check the Athletic Department website for complete details.
And don't forget to turn your clocks forward one hour for the return of Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, March 10, 2019.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and the Fort Worth ISD Mobile App for the latest information


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ALBANY, NY — New York health clubs are required by law to have emergency medical equipment to respond quickly to a heart attack, but two-thirds of the gyms across the state lack cardiopulmonary resuscitation equipment such as gloves and breathing masks, according to a recent survey by the New York Attorney General's Office.
Thirty-five out of the 231 clubs that were surveyed had CPR equipment, but more than 80 percent of the clubs with more than 500 members reported that they complied with the law to have defibrillators and trained operators on site.
The percent of people surveyed who said that most of their members have their body composition or metabolic rate measured to gauge weight loss or gain. Twenty four percent do testing to monitor their general health, 4 percent test to improve athletic performance and 4 percent have other reasons for testing.
Source: Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro online poll


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From seventy-five years ago comes the words of the greatest statesman of the Twentieth Century. Winston S. Churchill rallied the British Commonwealth and eventually the entire freedom-loving world to fight the evils of totalitarian Nazi fascism.
The present time and the 1930s share many similarities. Then the world faced the growing Nazi menace. Today, we face the menace of rising radical Islam. The world was asleep to Nazism in the 1930s just as we are asleep to the growth of radical Islam today. The Nazis taught the myth of the Master Race, just as radical Islam is now teaching Muslim superiority. Anti-Semitism was a growing cancer then as it is now (Notice how those who deny the Holocaust of the 1940s are even now preparing to bring about the next one). Neville Chamberlain sold out Europe to Germany for a promise from Herr Hitler to have "peace in our time." Barak Hussain Obama has sold out America and the West for illusory promises of multiculturalism and political correctness.
Into this moral wilderness stepped Winston Churchill in the late 1930s. He rallied the British people to resist Nazi values and aggression. Winston had a strong moral compass which he never compromised. Listen to his words of defiance here:
"The Americans will always do the right thing…after they've exhausted the alternatives."
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile – hoping it will eat him last."
"If you are going to go through hell, keep going."
"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing great or small, large or petty-never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense."
"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so-bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will stil say, 'This was their finest hour'."
"We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields, and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender."
"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival."
"One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!"
"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without blood shed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."
Pay particular attention to the last three quotes, especially the last one. Western Culture is under an unrelenting attack from Islamofascism and ultra-Left wing ideology. This is a battle we must win. If we are defeated a horrible new Dark Age will descend on our world and everything we cherish. Perhaps, just perhaps, there is a Churchill waiting in the wings to inspire us toward Victory.
Never, never, never surrender!
Greg Hamilton
Wonderful quotes. Always timely. I love the last one especially. The grim truth of that is drawing closer by the day.
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Order on Amazon.or Amazon UK.
Order from Amazon or Amazon UK today!
Amazon donates to World Encounter Institute Inc when you shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/56-2572448. #AmazonSmile #StartWithaSmile


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SkullJewelry.com sells to movie and TV production studios worldwide who are looking for period correct jewelry and clothing items. Our jewelry is seen in museums, on stage in live plays and owned by collectors worldwide.
While we are not in the business of trying to offend anyone we do see that there are organizations, people and businesses for various reasons who are looking for items like these.
We live in a time when it seems like everyone is offended by someone.
We sell cross jewelry which offends some non Christians.
We sell skull jewelry who (I guess) offend people who don't have a skull.
As you can see you can be offended by anyone. If you do not like these items please just go to one of our other collections of items.
On sale $ 49.95 $ 29.73
On sale $ 29.95 $ 22.88


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Joy Liddicoat
Publisher: www.derechoshumanoseninternet.org 26 July 2012
2012 is barely halfway over but already it seems as if the number of internet rights violations have already surpassed those recorded in 2011. This post outlines some of the emerging trends some of our APC members and networks are seeing, how we make the connection between our online and offline freedoms and the strategies some are using to combat threats and take positive action.
While many reacted with surprise and shock when governments in North Africa and the Middle East shut down the internet and mobile phone networks in early 2011, in fact numerous such shut downs had happened before. Along with censorship and surveillance, interference with internet freedoms is becoming more frequent. Examples include censorship of online content; criminalisation of online expression; blocking, control and manipulation of internet content; interference with privacy and data protection; unlawful surveillance, and restrictions or limitations on internet access. APC works with groups that experience these threats on a regular basis.
A significant development in 2012 has been the clear emergence of repressive measures and overt attempts to interfere with free and democratic participation by more liberal regimes. In April, the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation seized the email server of one of the oldest and most progressive internet service providers , cutting off email access to hundreds of civil society groups and sending a chilling message to human rights defenders, corporate whistle-blowers and democracy activists who need the cover of anonymity to operate securely and speak out against human rights violations. In the United Kingdom proposals to enable law enforcement to eavesdrop on emails have been strongly resisted, but may yet go ahead . Women's human rights defenders also face threats. In a recent raid on an Ugandan sex workers' organisation police officers seized computers and demanded employees' passwords .
From the use of social media to highlight corruption or lack of accurate media reporting in China, to prisoners in Argentina using the internet to highlight inhumane prison conditions and violations of inmates' human rights. Mobilising for a free media in Tanzania to combat media and political suppression following the Mbagala bombings or documenting torture and reporting human rights violations in West Papua, Indonesia.
Democracy activists and human rights defenders we work with have a single, simple message: we must all connect our rights by linking online and offline human rights advocacy strategies.
Since 2011 APC has been working with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UN HRC) with a simple strategy: hold governments accountable by bringing the voices of those who advocate on internet related human rights issues (particularly women's human rights defenders) into this global advocacy space. The most surprising part of this work has been the absence of internet freedom advocacy within the UN HRC, despite growing awareness about internet rights issues.
It is hard to believe that only in 2011 were issues of the internet and freedom of expression brought before the United Nations Human Rights Council for the first time. 2011 was also the first year that national human rights institutions at the United Nations noted the importance of the internet to their role on promoting and protecting human rights. The newly mandated Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association, issued a questionnaire in late 2011 on the current state of freedom of association. Again for the first time, human rights defenders were able to detail the links between the internet, democracy and freedom of association.
In 2012, again for the first time, the UN HRC convened an expert panel on freedom of expression and the internet, partly in response to the lack of thematic examination of internet related human rights issues. The panel provided a critical nexus between not only human rights mechanisms, but also other bodies (both within and outside the United Nations) dealing with internet governance and critical internet resources.
While these steps are significant and follow up is important, it remains vital that more groups working on human rights take up internet issues. Action to resist the growing threats to internet freedoms is needed but to be effective we must work together. Participation and leadership from developing countries is vital and is growing and can be seen, for example, in the growing innovative use of the internet and ICTs by grassroots activists to campaign for their rights and freedoms. Governments, too, need to connect the rights of their citizens.
Civil society efforts to demand this must be strengthened. This month APC members from Ecuador, Brazil, India, South Africa and the Philippines will be participating in the Universal Periodic reviews of their countries. Local human rights defenders and women's human rights defenders will meet in Geneva to call on governments to take specific action on internet rights issues.
You can find out more at http://rights.apc.org
This article was originally writen for www.derechoshumanoseninternet.org, and it was published in spanish .


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The costs of being a homeowner, and other Friday ruminations
I have had a busy day. The dishwasher sprang a leak that was, thankfully, easy to repair: the repairman put in a new seal and the leak was over. He was here for about 20 minutes and put in one 6-foot-long seal. Thankfully, we have appliance insurance, because he said that, without the insurance, the repair would have cost $250.00 for parts and service. Yikes!
The dishwasher wasn't the only thing leaking. The upstairs bathtub was leaking into the garage. We had one plumber out yesterday who diagnosed a tub waste overflow and said it would cost $700 to fix. We politely sent him away. I called around and another guy said that he thought it would take an hour to fix, at a cost of $250 per hour for labor, plus $100 for the part — but it might be more, and could come up close to $700. Better, but not good enough.
I called around one more time, and got a guy who said that he'd do it for a flat fee of $350 based on my say-so.
I asked, surprised, "So you're going to base the price just on what I said?"
He answered with another question, stated in a friendly voice. "Are you lying to me?"
"Gosh, no," I said. "But I'm just telling you what the other guy said. I didn't actually see it myself."
He thought about that for a minute and then said, "Why don't I just come by tomorrow [Friday] and check it out?"
That sounded like a plan. He came by, he checked it out, and he announced that it was a simple fix that he could do right away — for $135. When he was done, he told me, "I'm going to give you a bill, but don't pay it now. Keep an eye on things until Monday. If it's still good, put a check in the mail. If it's not, I'll come out again, but I won't charge any more than $350 if we have to replace the tub waste overflow part."
So far, despite shower use, there's been no further leaking.
For those of you who live in Marin County, if you'd like this honest paragon's name, send me an email and I'll give you the information. You can probably find him on Yelp: He's the guy with 102 five-star recommendations, all saying the same thing: incredibly reliable, honest, and good at what he does. I can't argue with that. In fact, I'll be the 103rd five-star recommendation if all continues to go well.
The plumber had scarcely left when the landscape guys showed up. Our pool, which was the delight of the neighborhood children, is now a dysfunctional swamp. Built 45 years ago, despite our best efforts to keep it going, it finally gave up the ghost this summer. As is always the case, once we decided we needed to redo the pool, we realized we also needed to redo the cement surround . . . and, hey, if we're doing that, maybe we'd better smarten up the whole place. We hired a landscape designer who came up with a lovely idea that was more expensive than we wanted. We've worked with him, though, and seem to have come up with a plan in our price range. The only sticking point now is whether the Marin drought will make the whole process impossible.
Droughts make me very, very unhappy. I was in high school when the big drought hit at the end of the 1970s. Despite living most of my life in semi-arid climates, I love water and I especially love rain. Not having rain makes me feel emotionally dried-up inside. I also hate water rationing. I don't know what we'd have to do this time around, but I'm sure I won't like it. Back in the 1970s, we bathed in two inches of water, and then saved the water in buckets so as to flush the toilets. My mom captured the rinse load from the washing machine to use to water her garden, but all the plants died anyway. Everything looked dead and barren — and the toilets smelled bad. I bet many of you remember "When it's yellow let it mellow; when it's brown, flush it down"? I really hated that.
I know that drought here is a cyclical thing. It's happened before and it will happen again, and it will probably be followed by winters with such heavy rains that everything floods. The floods make for miserable driving, and periodically destroy vast swathes of homes, but I still prefer a wet winter to a drought.
This is just another reminder, as if we need one, that Nature likes to let us know that we are as nothing before her. We can try to minimize her impact, but we cannot control her.
Anyway, that's why I haven't read anything or written anything today.
Thinking about that last statement, it's not quite accurate. Oyster Books, which advertises unlimited books (the Netflix of books) is offering a one month free trial. I thought that sounded interesting, so I signed up, remembered to calendar the date by which I have to cancel if I don't want to continue with the service, and started reading. Thanks to this temporary membership, between visits from repairmen, landscape designers, and plumbers, I am reading 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement, a delightful social history of New York's Lower East Side as seen through the food different immigrant groups ate. I love this kind of book (one of my favorites is No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting), and 97 Orchard is well written.
And that's all. I've a small mountain of bills to pay, so that too will keep me away from my beloved blog. So it goes. At least I finished my legal brief, which got filed today. I think it's a winner, but one never knows what those judges are going to do….


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DNF isn't gone, its just suspended, kinda like it has been for 12 years. LOL
While Duke Nukem Forever may be gone at least we'll still have Serious Sam Forever to look forward to.
oh and serious sam III which is a different title i believe.
"I'm like a lion on the prowl after prey"
DNF isn't gone, its just suspended, kinda like it has been for 12 years. LOL
I'll never hold my breath for this game, but "if" it comes out, I still look forward to playing it. For the purpose of its sense of off-color humor and social commentary, the first one was a barrel of laughs.
MORNING WOOD Lumber Company
Guinness for Strength!!!
Anyone who was holding their breath for DNF has long since expired.
I still have some of the old text games that came on 5 1/2 floppies. I don't know what to do with them but I still have them.
I remember playing Duke Nukem 1 + 2. Most people who were waiting for Duke Nukem Forever were high school kids. Those high school kids now have high school kids of their own probably, heh. They'll see their kids playing it on Xbox and be like .... the ****.
Release Date is set for May3rd North American and May6th World Wide!!!
[ link ]
If it gets pushed back again I'll laugh.
The torrent of the Xbox360 version leaked online yesterday lol I swear when will these companies learn to do better security on a file that is that huge!
Anyways.. got mine pre-ordered from a month back and awaiting the release to Steam next tuesday while all the Euro peps get it first on the 10th!!
Hearing bad reviews, not from review sites, but from actual people I know that have the game. Kinda expected it to be badish but hoped to be surprised.
The releasing it in the UK 4 days earlier than here in NA really pissed me off though..doesn't seem fair but at least it does give some to review REVIEWS and decide to cancel or not.


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Adapted from a recent online discussion.
Pick your battles carefully with stepdaughter's clothing choices
Q: My stepdaughter lives with my husband and me pretty much most of the time, seeing her mother a few weekends a month and occasionally longer visits when school is out. Our differences in parenting are obvious at every step.
Since we make most of the decisions, it hasn't been a huge problem, but the little details are starting to cause a stink now. For instance, her mother thinks makeup, midriff-baring shirts and high-heeled shoes are appropriate for a 7-year-old, while I get nervous when her shorts are too short.
The mother's decisions seem beyond wrong to me, but I'm sure she thinks I'm some crazy conservative who's not letting our daughter express herself. I know you have boys, but have you seen some of the stuff they sell for little girls? My husband tends to agree with me, but will point out when I'm making a bigger deal than he thinks I should. Before I was on the scene, he drew lines with his ex-wife about makeup and hair color (?!?!), but never saw too much in the clothes.
I'm wondering if I'm putting some of my own self-esteem and feminist issues onto my daughter and thinking too much about her shorts. Can we refer to something to help her mother understand? I don't think her mother dresses appropriately (yes, I hear how judgmental that is) and yes, I look like I stepped out of a J. Crew world with a slight chance of Polo.
Thank Heaven for Little Girls
A: I agree a lot of girls' clothing is disturbingly sexualized.
There's another interest here that you must take seriously, though: not undermining the mother. When a child's two homes have different rules, there are times when one household has to take a stand against another — but I don't think short-shorts are among the battles worth choosing. You can instead be your modest self, send your message of modesty through your various choices in life, and save your objections for her most over-the-top clothes.
If she wants to play with makeup, then treat that as a natural impulse; if she wants to wear it to school, then you can say, no, not in this house till you're XX years old — "and you're prettiest just as you are, why cover that up?"
Because there's a tug-of-war emerging, consider talking to a good family therapist. Establish a relationship where you can set up a time to talk whenever things like this crop up.
Still — as primary caregivers, you will be the primary influence. If you press for more influence, particularly by undermining her mother, then you'll force your stepdaughter to "defend" her mother by adopting her style (and rubbing it in your face).
If instead you grant her as much leeway as you can stand to try on her two personas — she's going to, just accept that — you'll empower her. An empowered girl chooses clothes she likes, not clothes that beg for attention.
That's not guaranteed, of course, but if she does go all in for provocative clothes, then there will be only so much you can do to stop her once she hits her teens. Trying to stop her anyway will fail — at a steep cost to any precious good will you've banked.