text:
Friday, February 29, 2008
Because Fairfield County is the World's Most Dangerous Suburb
"I realized that I couldn't be at home without a Taser," she said. "It becomes something similar to your cell phone. If I leave the house without it, I go into panic mode. It's that safety blanket."
This one was thrown in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Fun fact about Fairfield: it's the fifth-wealthiest county (per capita) in America.
No doubt Tasers come in handy when Fairfield's women are confronted by menaces as horrifying as a 2003 Michael Kors clutch, un-pedicured toes, and arrivistes from Westchester.
John McCain gets down with the White Kids
"My friends, when I get lonely and I'm sure I've had enough; she sends her comfort comin' in from above. We don't need no letter at all; we've got a thing that's called Radar Love"
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
$15 Billion a month!
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of members of neighborhood police units have stopped work in one of Iraq's most dangerous provinces, Iraqi and U.S. military officials said on Friday.
The mainly Sunni Arab units, widely known as concerned local citizens, or "CLCs," said they had disbanded altogether which would represent a major blow to U.S. and Iraqi efforts to pacify Diyala province.
All you need to know
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
"Ah ain't never heard me of no $4 dollar a gallon gas. That's ridiculous, those stories come from the ridiculousaters"
Meawhile, in reality:
(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
And also meanwhile...
Oil prices surpassed $103 a barrel for the first time Friday as persistent weakness in the U.S. dollar and the prospect of lower interest rates attracted fresh money to the oil market.
Prices were supported by comments Thursday from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who said the American economy is not immediately threatened with stagflation, a combination of economic weakness and rising inflation.
For anyone that discloses the Bush is violating international treaties or the civil rights of Americans themselves, it is treason.
Not that you'll see this pointed out anywhere but on the internet.
I guess that's what it means to rock Mark Halperin's world.
Yes, ewww is te right reaction.
There are times when some people
The blogging world is full of prima donnas, divas, egoists, and vane dopes.
But nobody with an ounce of sanity (so sorry Atlas Shrugs) comes close to Sullivan.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
So, things are getting better? Really?
Iraq journalist union head dies after gun attack
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The head of Iraq's biggest journalist organization died on Wednesday, colleagues said, four days after being seriously wounded by gunmen who opened fire on his car in Baghdad.
Shihab al-Tamimi, 74, was an independent journalist working for many local newspapers. He was known for his outspoken views against the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the continued presence of U.S. troops on Iraqi soil.
He was also a stern critic of Iraq's sectarian violence.
"Shihab al-Tamimi died ... in hospital after being shot on Saturday," said Jabbar Tarrad, Tamimi's deputy at the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate.Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had ordered that Tamimi be flown to Amman in Jordan for treatment, but doctors said he was too ill for the flight, another syndicate official said. Tamimi was shot in the face, chest and shoulder when gunmen opened fire on his car, relatives and colleagues said.
The New-York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called the Iraq war the deadliest conflict for journalists in recent history, with 126 journalists and 50 support workers killed since 2003. That figure does not include Tamimi. The CPJ said on its Web site that 32 journalists were killed in Iraq in 2007 alone. It had one recorded death so far for 2008, an Iraqi cameraman killed in a roadside bomb north of Baghdad in January.
Yes, its working just fine, right?
Good or Bad?
Linda Greenhouse, who has covered the Supreme Court for The New York Times for 30 years, said Wednesday that she has accepted a buyout package from the newspaper.Greenhouse joined the Times in 1968 and started covering the court in 1978, making her career there longer than any of the current justices except John Paul Stevens, who came on in 1975.
So is this good or bad for NYT coverage of the Supremes?
Racism Alive and Well in South Africa
A historically conservative, white Afrikaans-speaking campus in South Africa is in an uproar this week after a video circulated online of black, female cleaning-staff members being subjected to degrading treatment by four white male students.
The video comes at a time when the University of the Free State, in Bloemfontein, has been grappling with racial integration in student dormitories.
In the video, which appeared Tuesday, the students are shown preparing a concoction of what looks like dog food and garlic, then urinating into the mixture and serving it to the apparently unknowing women, who are kneeling on the ground, as part of an "initiation" rite. The video ends with one of the students commenting, in Afrikaans: "That, at the end of the day, is what we think of integration."
Meet the new South Afrikaner college student...
Its Present Precision
"...[A]s long as McCarthyism fixes its goal with its present precision, it is a movement around which men of goodwill and stern morality can close ranks."
--William F. Buckley, 1954
Sorry, Bill: you were wrong (neither for the first nor the last time). Men of goodwill and morality (stern and otherwise) disagreed; and not only becaise your condition precedent was synonymous with "demented pipe dream." Credit where credit is due, though: you seem to have at least anticipated the Coulters you'd unleash on the rest of us. Too bad you never did a damn thing to discourage them. Thanks for that.
By the way, people: the NYT published its original reviews of God and Man at Yale and Up From Liberalism yesterday. They're fascinating little time capsules. It's amazing how little the Conservative schtick has changed since the 1950s. Or is it?
John McCain gets down with the White Kids
"Hello, Hello, Hello, How low? With the Lights out, It's less dangerous, here we are now, entertain us, I feel stupid and contagious, here we are now entertain us"
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
And later, don't miss Cindy McCain's musical salute to Liz Phair!
"You act like you're fourteen years old, Everything you say is so, Obnoxious, funny, rude and mean, I want to be your..."
Dammit, "Office 2007" sucks
Not only did they "conveniently lose" all those emails.
Condi lost her "Nobody could have anticipated" macro.
Iraq's three-man presidency council Wednesday announced that it's vetoed legislation that U.S. officials two weeks ago hailed as significant political progress...
Cue the Michael O'Hanlon fainting couch.
The rejected bill, which sets out the political structure for Iraq's provincial governments and establishes a basis for elections in October, was only the second of 18 U.S.-set political benchmarks that the war-tore nation needs to reach.
Parliament considered it in a bundle with two other bills, a general amnesty and a budget, and approved it on Feb. 12 in what was welcomed in Washington as an example of good government, compromise and progress toward national unity.
Now the question is whether parliament is willing to revise the measure.
"It was a package deal. Now that package is broken," said Joost Hiltermann, an Iraq expert at the International Crisis Group in Amman, Jordan.
One cannot misunderestimate the importance of the appearance of a "package" to the Bush Administration.
Dammit, that progress was reported?
Who besides the generally reliable McClatchy will report the evaporation?
The unreported costs
Not only is Iraq an non-winning, murderous clusterfuck, it's a financially ruinous disastrous clusterfuck.
A complete unmitigated disaster.
When McCain starts saying Obama wants the wave the white flag, it's not only preposterous strategically, even if it were true we could not afford the white flags.
When U.S. troops invaded Iraq in March 2003, the Bush administration predicted that the war would be self-financing and that rebuilding the nation would cost less than $2 billion.
Coming up on the fifth anniversary of the invasion, a Nobel laureate now estimates that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are costing America more than $3 trillion...
The book, co-authored with Harvard University professor Linda Bilmes, builds on previous research that was published in January 2006. The two argued then and now that the cost to America of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is wildly underestimated.
When other factors are added — such as interest on debt, future borrowing for war expenses, the cost of a continued military presence in Iraq and lifetime health-care and counseling for veterans — they think that the wars' costs range from $5 trillion to $7 trillion.
"I think we really have learned that the long-term costs of taking care of the wounded and injured in this war and the long-term costs of rebuilding the military to its previous strength is going to far eclipse the cost of waging this war," Bilmes said in an interview.
The book and its estimates are the subject of a hearing Thursday by the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.
Naturally, this leads the Bush Administration to proclaim a Nobel Prize winning economist is nothing but a traitorous, lilly-livered, terrorist-lover:
"People like Joe Stiglitz lack the courage to consider the cost of doing nothing and the cost of failure. One can't even begin to put a price tag on the cost to this nation of the attacks of 9-11," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto, conceding that the costs of the war on terrorism are high while questioning the premise of Stiglitz's research.
"It is also an investment in the future safety and security of Americans and our vital national interests. $3 trillion? What price does Joe Stiglitz put on attacks on the homeland that have already been prevented? Or doesn't his slide rule work that way?"
Jeebus, why not just do the ol' "I'm rubber and you're glue" Tony? Thanks for not answering.
I look forward to John McCain NOT being asked about this by Michael Scherer and the rest of his harem of press agents.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
On the Ground in Ohio
I can only offer one person's perspective. Anyway, here it is...
It is interesting, I have avoided the usual political smearing -- my candidate is bigger than your candidate garbage --that is happening here in Ohio. Oh yes, we get the flyers (when did these things have to become laminated), the phone calls, the reporters covering important policy issues like crowd size and enthusiasm. Forget what they say (or not). Who has the posters and signs? Where are they? And let's not forget the only question that matters to the TeeVee crowd... how big are the crowds? Ah the media, avoiding their job as they always do.
Alright, local news coverage... Wow, Obama has some rocking music in his commercials. He has mastered the art of the upbeat campaign commercial. You watch it, you smile. Hillary Clinton wants to show us how hard she works. Um, not very inspiring. I already work too hard. Why do I want to see her sitting at her desk at night? How is that going to inspire me? I already assume she works hard.
Crowd size in Ohio. McCain drawing very small crowds, not much bigger than Huck's gaggle. Doesn't that seem odd to anyone? But the story here is clear: Obama is drawing huge crowds. And the people are excited. Really, truly excited. They will go out and vote on Tuesday. Maybe crowd size does tell us something about general interest, but does it tell us what people will do -- how deep is their support for a candidate?
So we must acknowledge that a rally is more than mere crowd size (sorry, Faux Newz). What's the interaction? What is the candidate saying? Obama seems to be talking more specifics and vision. He is clearly demonstrating some command of the issues. And now that we see McCain for the wee Bush wanna be and Obama's willingness to show him the door, Obama's very large crowds are only going to get bigger and more enthusiastic. Not good for any of his rivals, especially the Republican ones. Aw, too bad (should there be more sarcasm here?)!
It is interesting living in Ohio. At least politically, right now. I drive around several main roads, interstate highways, and cities... and I do not see signs for McCain or Huckabeegee. The signs here are for Ron Paul. Yup, RP has the interstate, several city streets, and county roads all sown up. Whatever good that will do him.
Obama posters and signs though are going up. All over. I wonder what that means?
Musician Worth Listening To
Miranda Lambert.
Here's why:
"I always say that Nashville Star saved me from five more years in the honky-tonks. But I was still scared to death to sign that recording contract. I was afraid they'd change me. I was worried they'd take my songs that didn't sound like anyone else's and produce them just like the next record down the street. I did not want it to be the typical Nashville record. I have my own
style. I want to be my own person. There are a million blonde chicks who can sing. I've always wanted to be different. We had a meeting. All the Sony people were there. I sat down at the head of the table, crossed my hands and said, 'OK, this is who I am.' And I just laid it out. 'I'm from Texas. I write my own stuff. I have something to say. I'll never dance around on stage in a
halter-top. I will always play my guitar. Now, if I can't make a record that reflects me honestly, I'd rather just go home and play in Texas like I was. So please tell me now if you're going to be bossing me around.'"
She said Sony told her, "You go make your record," and left her alone.
"I don't want my music to be taken as something you just hum along with. No matter what I'm singing, I want to say something that makes people think. I want people to hear my songs and feel something. I want to be appreciated as someone whose music is real. I want to be thought of as a true artist, not just as an 'entertainer.'"
By Request
He was a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, a red baiter, and in Gore Vidal's words a "cryptofascist".*
And yet, compared to the people who took over his masthead, all class.
The Funeral will be scheduled as follows:
Friday 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Private Viewing
Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Public Viewing
Saturday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Peggy Noonan Displaying (and rutting)
*He did moderate and admit error on some of these things later in life...after he'd been demolished on them. At least the guy could admit error, albeit belatedly -- puts him one up on his succeeding generation.
About Names
It's an awesome post...something to send to your relatives who keep sending your these abysmal emails.
A majority of Israelis think their government should hold talks with Hamas for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of a captured soldier, according to a poll in a leading Israeli newspaper Wednesday.
The poll, published in the liberal newspaper Haaretz, found 64 percent of Israelis in favor of a dialog with the Islamist movement.
Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist, and is considered a terrorist organization by the West.
Until recently, the Israeli public had opposed such talks, the newspaper said.
Thanks for Harshing my Mellow Seth Rogan!
But more importantly before I could do so.
*Just play along, my family will tell you it is best to just do so.
Two-and-a-Half Men in a Room
In a major victory for Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his party, a Democratic assemblyman won a stunning upset in a State Senate election on Tuesday in a district that has been in Republican hands for a century.That's five pieces of great news in two short paragraphs: (1) Spitzy wins; (2) Democratic upset (although The Albany Project says it doesn't really qualify as an upset); (3) 100+ year Republican district goes Dem; (4) Republican majority reduced to one; (5) Bruno under pressure.
The win reduces the Republicans' majority to one seat and will intensify pressure on the majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, as he tries to maintain his party's grip on the Senate, which it has controlled for more than 40 years.
I like No. 5 best. Upstate New York is not NYC, people. It's Wingnuttia. And Joe Bruno is its king. He's one of Albany's "Three Men in a Room," two of whom have had had a stranglehold on on New York politics for way too long. I doubt that Bruno's going to have an enjoyable election day this November. About time. Now if the city could just do its part and send Sheldon Silver packing.
Well the first one is the 'Citizen Kane' of Brilliantly Stupid Comedies
Check it out about 2:08
Wouldn't all of us
Like to play that insipid "gotcha" game with Russert where we hold up his various platitudinous statements about journalism...
Followed by clips of transcripts of statements of this:
Flashed on the courtroom computer screens were her notes from 2004 about how Cheney could respond to allegations that the Bush administration had played fast and loose with evidence of Iraq's nuclear ambitions. Option 1: "MTP-VP," she wrote, then listed the pros and cons of a vice presidential appearance on the Sunday show. Under "pro," she wrote: "control message."
"I suggested we put the vice president on 'Meet the Press,' which was a tactic we often used," Martin testified. "It's our best format."
But he is, of course, a man of blue collar roots...just let him tell you in a completely inappropriate forum.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
- Microsoft Office 2007
- Joe Scarborough
- Guitar Hero (can't even believe I know what it is)
- Meetings at work
- Rep. Patrick McHenry (R- NC)
- Worry
- Manhattan -- Seventh Avenue from 30th to 50th Street
- Andrew Sullivan
- Cauliflower
- Pretentiousness
You owe each and every American an apology
The truth is that political reconciliation in Iraq is going better there than it is here at home because of better security.
622 dead Iraqis in political violence this month and climbing. That's the equivalent of 6,000 Americans killed in political violence in one month. Deaths have spiked in February -- not that you've heard about it from the media.
1. I don't recall the Capital complex in D.C. being shelled the last 192 years. The Green Zone is shelled regularly.
2. I don't recall Canada invading us since the War of 1812, that's happening repeatedly on Iraq's Northern Border.
3. I don't recall all of us waiting with baited breath over whether Nancy Pelosi was going to call off a cease-fire.
4. I don't recall us paying off Protestants lately not to kill Catholics, as we're doing with Sunni insurgents.
5. I don't recall us being completely propped up by Mexicans lately (though Lou Dobbs may differ)
And those are just the first things that come to mind
Well, at least they don't have to falsely claim someone's a Muslim Lindsay so there's that.
I'm no political analyst
But, again, it appears that I'm about as qualified as most of the blogs that claim experience in this stuff -- as are most of you.
It's quite clear now, whether it's me...the admitted non-professional analyst or the self-proclaimed professional tea leaf readers we all spew bullshit about equally on the "qualitative side".
But, admittedly, I'm severely lacking in the pure, unadulterated amount of bullshit that gets spewed by the self-proclaimers.
I'm not owed $2 million or more for my expertise (in fact, I'm pretty confident I owe people pain & suffering for my services here) but I think it's fair to sum up the Democratic Primary Campaign Thusly:
-- Two evenly matched candidates that people generally feel favorably disposed toward will see the person who goes the most negative suffer.
-- If you are the candidate with higher negatives in an intraparty struggle, you should try to avoid going overtly negative.
-- Don't treat your opponent with contempt -- and that goes double for your highly paid, and purportedly skilled campaign staff.
-- Politely slapping down attacks quickly -- but being polite about it -- will always trump faux anger.
-- A good organization matched with a charismatic candidate is one hell of a force to be dealt with.
-- Change is a powerful force
-- Stay out of a land war in Asia
And I predict he'll be clapping in joy over shiny objects
Yeah, uh-huh:
President Bush predicted Monday that voters will replace him with a Republican president who will "keep up the fight" in Iraq. "I'm confident we'll hold the White House in 2008," Bush told donors at the Republican Governors Association annual dinner, which raised a record $10.6 million for GOP gubernatorial candidates.
Bush is always confident and perpetually "not anticipating".
Picture from what Bush undoubtedly described as a "White House Round Table Discussion".
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
In follow up to the last post
I would much rather drink a person's malt. Malts are much tastier.
Therefore, "I drink your Malt"
Monday, February 25, 2008
I Know Exactly How He Feels
"He's just a great guy. I had to kiss someone. I kissed my wife, and in the interest of parity, I kissed George." ... He chose the Michael Clayton actor because "George has been there for me"...(Adding that in the Italian-American family in which I was raised, males would kiss each other "Hello" or "Goodbye" and not give it a second thought. It's nice to see Daniel Day-Lewis give George Clooney a friendly peck on the cheek at an emotional moment in front of zillions of people. Time to grow the hell up, America.)
Photo: Associated Press
Underreporting the Undertaking
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise... um, no not really. Is anyone out there shocked by this??? That's what I thought.
Speaking of False Patriotism
He has a link to view the story for those of you who missed it.
And here is something that in a "fair & balanced" world would kick this story up another notch:
Off the Air in Alabama
I am now hearing from readers all across Northern Alabama—from Decatur to Huntsville and considerably on down—that a mysterious "service interruption" blocked the broadcast of only the Siegelman segment of 60 Minutes this evening. The broadcaster is Channel 19 WHNT, which serves Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee. This station was noteworthy for its hostility to Siegelman and support for his Republican adversary. The station ran a trailer stating "We apologize that you missed the first segment of 60 Minutes tonight featuring 'The Prosecution of Don Siegelman.' It was a techincal problem with CBS out of New York." I contacted CBS News in New York and was told that "there is no delicate way to put this: the WHNT claim is not true. There were no transmission difficulties. The problems were peculiar to Channel 19, which had the signal and had functioning transmitters." I was told that the decision to blacken screens across Northern Alabama "could only have been an editorial call." Channel 19 is owned by Oak Hill Capital Partners, who can be contacted through Rhonda Barnat, 212-371-5999 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Oak Hill Partners represents interests of the Bass family, which contribute heavily to the Republican Party. Viewers displeased about the channel's decision to censor the broadcast should express their views directly to the station management or to the owners.
Email or circulate this link as much as you can.
How dare they!
I'm here at home watching probably my favorite show (and clearly my dog's favorite) 'Sunrise Earth'.
They are in Costa Rica this morning.
What happened to their patriotism?
I mean, clearly the right-wing bloggers and CNN & MSNBC, and, of course, Nedra Pickler have demonstrated that this is very treasonous.
No matter what science and the secular humanist factoratis tell you.
Yep, another fuck up:
Six years after the US and Britain "freed" Afghan women from the oppressive Taliban regime, a new report proves that life is just as bad for most, and worse in some cases.
Projects started in the optimistic days of 2002 have begun to wane as the UK and its Nato allies fail to treat women's rights as a priority, workers in the country insist...
...Grinding poverty and the escalating war is driving an increasing number of Afghan families to sell their daughters into forced marriages.
Girls as young as six are being married into a life of slavery and rape, often by multiple members of their new relatives. Banned from seeing their own parents or siblings, they are also prohibited from going to school. With little recognition of the illegality of the situation or any effective recourse, many of the victims are driven to self-immolation – burning themselves to death – or severe self-harm.
(via AmericaBlog)
If you don't love America, the Flag Pin made in China Gets it
Honestly, if there is anything that is going to unleash an unholy torrent of swearing and invective against right-wing lunatics its this slander about someone's patriotism. Especially the patriotism of the empty gesture. So pardon me with this more reserved...
Thank you.
It's all they're going to have against Obama...and of course, they'll find a way to slander Clinton's patriotism too if necessary -- even if via an unholy and traitorous pantsuit.
But let's just lay this out on the table and what they really mean...as Bill Kristol goes and implies today by adding Michelle Obama. Black people just aren't as patriotic as whites -- is what they mean to say. It's another non-racial way to go after the black guy.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Deus Ex American Idol
Once upon a time, there was a myth upon the land.
This story was laid that there would come a television show borrowed from the realm of Britannia where great music talent was going overlooked. Overlooked and unappreciated because the mighty corporate behemoths locked away in their best last defense against the great stain of evil brought by the many unwashed college students blighting the land with their demands for digital downloads.
The need for a show that would bring the great unknown talent forth was heard and American Idol was sprung upon the land. "Yea is good," sayeth the Fox masterminds, this show will shower us with popularity and advertising dollars. It will also bring great new talent forth and in cooperation with the production company, Clive Davis, and once famous musicians... many riches shall spring forth.
New undiscovered talent will be given the fairest of chances to delight an audience of Americans. And in so doing, new talent, television, music, and all will be delighted and enriched.
Bullshit. It is all unmitigated bullshit. (apologies to the kids, but the myth of American Idol is revealed in absolute stark terms this season for all to see, if we just open our eyes to it)
We all know the myth: American Idol is supposed to be a show about giving the unknown and undiscovered singers, wannabes, and the occasional musician a fair chance to be heard by millions of Americans. With the tantalizing offer of a record contract, professional development, promotion, opportunities to appear on television in front of a large audience (and I am sure much more).
As Lyndsey Parker, makes all to clear on her Reality Rocks blog, it is all untrue. The myth is nothing more than an illusion. The hopefuls this year are not undiscovered at all. Several of them have had records released, been signed to record labels, been in popular regional bands. The illusion that new and imaginative or just simply plain old undiscovered talent is being uncovered by American Idol is false!
In fact, some of the most popular "singers" thus far in the "competition" are distorting and misrepresenting their backgrounds. Some of them are scrubbing and cleaning the Internet of past information about themselves and their careers. Several competitors who did not get to "Hollywood" were actually undiscovered but repeatedly these individuals were cast aside for folks who already had records, contracts to record, toured, made videos, and more... and in some cases all too close relationships with the production company that runs American Idol with an iron hand. And perhaps, iron ears.
As Parker points out: Undiscovered apparently does not mean the same thing to those us outside of FOX and American Idol:
As in, artists who have not had record deals yet. Artists who need a show like this to GET a record deal in the first place. Artists who have not already had major labels waste millions of dollars unsuccessfully trying to mold them into next big things.
What's my point? Well, last night the visa-challenged Irish artist formerly known as Carly Hennessy--but now conveniently going under her new married name, Carly Smithson--made it into American Idol's top 24, despite having had a flop album out on MCA Records nearly seven years ago. An album that sold only hundreds of copies, despite the fact that MCA spent millions of dollars trying to promote it.
It gets better when Parker describes Hennessy's career:
"Ultimate High was released in stores nationwide three months ago. So far, it has sold only 378 copies--amounting to about $4,900 at its suggested retail price....The story of MCA and Ms. Hennessy shows the dysfunctional economics of the music industry at work. MCA, one of Universal Music's major labels, initially hooked up with the spunky teenager three years ago because it was trying to get a piece of the great success competitors enjoyed with young pop artists like Britney Spears and 'N Sync. Ms. Hennessy, a native of Dublin, had released her debut musical effort, Carly's Christmas Album, in Ireland at age 10, after performing all over Europe as Little Cosette in Les Miserables. At 13, she was named the Irish national spokesmodel for the Denny sausage brand. Soon, she and her family began hoping for much more, and Ms. Hennessy dropped out of high school....
Does this sound like an undiscovered singer to anyone? Anyone?
You can check out her videos on YouTube.
It even gets better.
As the folks at Vote for the Worst makes clear, Carly Hennessy is not the only American Idol contestant with industry connections and actual careers:
Thanks to sources like JoesPlace, Vote for the Worst has been checking out the contestants who have allegedly made it to the top 24 of American Idol 7 and there's a disturbing trend. To try to combat Sanjaya fever from last year, American Idol producers have gone out of their way to place people into the top 24 who already had a shot at stardom in the past.
It seems like a good idea at first- they're stacking the deck with professionals to try to prevent a Vote for the Worst takeover. But then you realize- if these people didn't make it big before, it's highly unlikely that people will care any more about them now. And if all of these people with industry connections made it to the top 50, what about the average Joes who are looking for their shot at stardom? Were they just cast aside this year to make way for the plants?
It's likely that if you tried out for the show and failed, or if a friend with an amazing voice tried out and was turned away, it was to make room for the established professionals. This is not to say that these ringers are any less deserving of stardom, or any less decent or nice, but that the days of everyday people becoming the next American Idol are over.
The days of the myth -- if anyone really believed them -- are over. American Idol is a sham. Tell it to all of your friends around the water cooler who want to talk about how cool American Idol is or how it really is a "contest" among "unknowns." Let everyone know it is not real, perhaps never has been in the first place. One has to wonder if this is false advertising? But in the end all of the created excitement and purpose of the show...
'Tis a lie.
Pop Quiz!
Meanwhile, a different kind of propaganda war was being waged on the streets. __________ has relatively conservative attitudes toward homosexuality, and all autumn long __________ was blanketed with tens of thousands of leaflets saying that Mr. _______'s liberal, pro-__________ opposition party, the __________, ardently favored gay rights and employed canvassers with AIDS. Neither was true.Then read the article from which the above is excerpted and ponder who is aping whose techniques.
The leaflets often included the name and phone number of a leader of the party's regional candidate slate, __________. Some had condoms attached and announced offers to send supporters to a gay-pride event in __________....
The party was refused advertising space on everything from billboards to newspapers to television. When Mr. __________ tried to campaign in __________ in the fall, no one would rent him a hall. In November, the party headquarters were ransacked and spray-painted with profanities and graffiti that called it the "Party of Gays."
American Supplied Weapon on American Supplied Weapon Violence
Turkey's military said Sunday that eight more soldiers were killed in combat during its cross-border ground operation in northern Iraq, raising the death toll to 15.
The military said in a statement posted on its Web site that a helicopter also went down on the Turkish-Iraqi border for unknown reasons. Earlier, Kurdish rebels has said they shot down a Turkish military helicopter near the Turkish border.
Oh, what a lovely reduction in violence to 2005's nightmareish levels!
A suicide bomber struck Shiite pilgrims as they were resting Sunday during a days-long walk to a Shiite shrine, killing at least 25 people and wounding 35.
The attack in Iskandariyah, south of Baghdad, was the second of the day against pilgrims traveling to the holy city of Karbala. The pilgrimage marks Arbaeen, the 40th day following the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, one of two revered Shiite figures buried there.
The suicide bomber detonated at a tent where pilgrims stop to eat and drink, police said.
Earlier, extremists attacked another group of pilgrims in the predominantly Sunni Baghdad neighborhood of Dora, killing three and wounding 36, police said.
Why you know the man never bought a yellow ribbon car magnet. IN A TIME OF WAR!
When was the last time ANY Republican faced this question?
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Why do people hate Hillary Clinton?
Because she is smart.
Yes, I have been wondering this question for quite some time: Why do people hate Hillary Clinton?. What is it about her that motivates so many -- and not just the usual nut wing crowd -- to dislike her?
In offices all around this country, people enjoy the BS Bob and Tom Redneck attacks on Senator Clinton. Need a new leader in Cuba? Send Hillary. Or at least so goes an awful joke on the syndicated Bob and Tom radio show. Of course, my GOD! This Bob and Tom stuff is idiocy on a high level (trying really hard to be charitable!!)
While having a conversation with Rising Hegemon pal, Mysteria, we were both bothered by people who seem to hate Bill and Hillary Clinton with an intensity that is normally saved for life decisions. Yet these yahoos embrace the absolute inarticulate idiocy of George W. Bush.
We just don't get it. Why do people hate -- not simply dislike -- but hate her. We came to the conclusion that it is because she is smart, articulate, accomplished. She knows facts and figures. She is a policy wonk. Yes, in the end, people hate Hillary for the same reason that they distrust intellectuals, professors, writers, and other thinkers: the fact that they think at all.
When Lying is an Occupational Hazard
In this political season, where lying is part of being the Republican candidate for president - we see that music reviewers bend and distort the truth to serve their purposes as well.
DrJ of the SchoolofRock Blog and Internet radio show -- in the interest of disclosure several of us from this blog call in to that show -- points out the hypocrisy in a Maxim review of the soon to be released new Black Crowes record. A review that is based on never hearing the record. Not one note. I may not be a paid music reviewer, Atta J. Turk runs a tight ship don't you know, but even I only write about music that I have heard. Otherwise, how would you know what it sounds like?
Calling McCheat a Cheat
Consortiumnews.com is also seeing -- and calling -- John "straight talk" McCain what he is -- a lie and a cheat.
While McCheat may have for the moment fended off the cacophony of allegations and suspicions that he had an affair with a lobbyist to whom he had been quite close. Apparently way too close. One has to wonder if this is what caused Cindy's problems with the pills?
But McCheat's bleating blanket denials about doing favors for the clients of the lobbyist, Iseman, are being proven to be lies. Yes, we can all hear it now, right? "My friends the actions I took were not favors, I was simply doing my job!" Yes, but who's work were you doing there McCheat?
The evidence keeps mounting that the nearly ticket in hand presumptive Rethglican presidential nominee does not deserve his reputation and accolades given to him by the mainstream media as a reformer or a straight-talker.
Hmmm... reminds me of a song: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
DeDurkheim's Outrage of the Day
[imagine and insert several compound and occasionally irregular profane statements and swear words] Damn it, damn it, damn it... damn it! I am way past this homophobic you are not like us so we have to hurt you bullshit!
When is this county going to get past this crap?
As I said yesterday
Muqtada al-Sadr extended his freeze on militia activities of the Mahdi Army through August.
Since the US is finishing off his hard line Sunni Arab enemies for him, and is restoring discipline to the Sadr Movement by arresting rogue elements not loyal to Muqtada, it is hard to see what the down side is for him in accepting to renew the Mahdi Army freeze.
Friday, February 22, 2008
McCheat Flips and Flops
The self described enemy of lobbyists and special interests defends his close relationship with them, including having several lobbyists as close campaign advisors.
Sen. John McCain said Friday that while lobbyists serve as close advisers to his presidential campaign, they are honorable and he is not influenced by corruption in the system.
McCain, who has styled himself as an enemy of special interests, defended having lobbyists working for his campaign. He is the expected Republican presidential nominee.
"These people have honorable records, and they're honorable people, and I'm proud to have them as part of my team," McCain told reporters following a town hall meeting in Indianapolis.
So, which is it McCheat? Are you a friend to lobbyists or are you against special interests? Because you cannot be both.
I, for one, await your response.
A Blog Too Far?
Over at Terra Sigillata, the pharmacologist who blogs as Abel Pharmboy has live-blogged a most personal experience: his vasectomy.
Oh dear reader, decency, delicacy, and a general gagging reflex simply prevents us from repeating many of the details and medical particulars here, but Mr. Pharmboy includes such details as "smell burning flesh from cauterization" and "total elapsed time from prep to finish: 20:48."
Is this a blog entry gone too far?
SNUGGLER of Kathryn Harris...from June 2005 and the vaults.
One-time Tammy Faye Baker impersonator, Katherine Harris announced that she is running for Senate in Florida, challenging Bill Nelson. I know the GOP feels a debt to Harris. She was important in putting our Chimperor and Savior into the White House in 2000. This gives her a lot of clout in the party. Enough clout by the way, for the married Harris to snuggle up on the House floor with married fellow Republican Arizona's Rick Renzi. I imagine video of their "political bukkake" tape will be in high demand in Florida next year:
Whispering and putting her hand in unknown places...
Checking out "Mr. Happy"
Renzi, undoubtedly talking about his wife and twelve children and her marriage.
Discussing whether there are other "boxes" to stuff besides ballot boxes.
Thanks to Kos commenter, Randym77.
I believe you can still get the full video here as a bit torrent.
Corporate Dumbing Down in Colorado
Sadly, the University of Colorado has just made an unspeakable mistake in appointing a highly partisan global warming denying oil executive Bruce Benson as president of the university. Benson has no real qualifications for the position. He's less educated than 99% of the college presidents in America -- Benson only has a BA and no previous experience with higher education -- and has a track record of attacking the very foundations of higher education, tenure and academic freedom.
Most of his "qualifications" appear to arise from three things: being an executive, successful fundraiser for right wing causes, and name recognition from a failed effort to become governor in Colorado.
Benson's allies are on the far right. He is aligned with the ACTA which is involved in efforts to help CEOs and Business leaders become high placed academic administrators. He was a co-founder of the Trailhead group whose sole purpose appears to be attacking Democrats and Progressive political candidates. His friends and associates include the likes of David Horowitz and Pete Coors.
His ultimate goal seems pretty clearly to replace critical thinking in education with training from a corporate point of view.
Fits in perfectly with a BushCheneyMcCheat world, doesn't it?
Leave it to FoxNews
Who does Usama bin Laden want to be the next president? More people think the terrorist leader wants Obama to win (30 percent) than think he wants Clinton (22 percent) or McCain (10 percent). Another 18 percent says it doesn't matter to bin Laden and 20 percent are unsure
I fail to see how bin Laden wouldn't want the highly effective (for Al Qaeda) policies of the Bush Administration -- invading where he isn't -- and avoiding where he is [the McCain policy] to continue.
But, one thing is certain, FoxNews remains as classy as ever.
McCain's Corruption: Let's Hear it for McCheat!
As many of us now know, John "My Friends" McCain, has violated federal elections law by using possible public financing as collateral for loans (directly and indirectly).
The NYT have at least demonstrated that the focus on ethics is a lie. Of course, in the Bush era - ethics are whatever someone says, not what they do. NPR has reported on the story of McCain breaking federal campaign finance laws yesterday - and it is worth reading - since he is constantly mentioning his supposed efforts to reform campaign finance laws:
What is not so straight forward is McCain's own stance. He rejected public funds for the primaries. Just like Obama and Clinton, he did not want to get trapped in a system that provided taxpayer funds, but restricted total spending to $50 million — all the way to the conventions.
Then, McCain's campaign fell on hard times. He applied for the primary-season matching funds. The Federal Election Commission approved the application, but McCain never cashed in his certificates.
Instead, McCain went to a bank and received a line of credit. As Potter notes, McCain did not put up the public-financing certificates as collateral.
But then the McCain campaign renegotiated for a bigger line of credit. The loan documents said that if McCain lost the New Hampshire primary and finished more than 10 points behind the winner, then he would have to stay in the race and reapply for public funds, which would become the new collateral.
Lawyer Cleta Mitchell has long criticized McCain's role in overhauling campaign-finance laws. Pointing to the terms of the loan, she accuses McCain of gaming the system.
"They got another million dollars with, really, no additional collateral, other than a promise that if he didn't do well, they'd go get it from the federal government," Mitchell says.
And what will the mainstream do with this story? Will they ask the hard questions? Will they point out that so-called straight talk maverick is as dirty as they come? Will they acknowledge that McCain is playing the system? Probably not.
And while nothing will come of the obvious corruption and lies because the Federal Elections Commission is not fully staffed due to Rethuglican efforts to staff it with their cronies. We need to remember that McCain is not the person he pretends to be. And perhaps, never has been. After all he was a member of the infamous Keating Five.
We must now christen him, McCheat.
Again and again, we see that the straight-talk express is rolling through the same muck as all of the other Republican crooks and liars. McCheat is part of the same lying, cheating, anything to win and do what I want crowd that we have had for the past eight years (and possibly longer if you look past the Clinton years).
McCheat's new slogan: Lying talk since 1989!
A person cannot write comedy this good
Can we start calling her "Bonesaw"?
What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas - especially if you're the wife of a presidential candidate. Just ask Janet Huckabee, who attended a middleweight prize fight this past weekend in Las Vegas - where she stayed at the Hooters Casino Hotel.
Shockingly, she was NOT a participant in the match...nor, thank goodness, was she a Hooters' waitress [and really when is Hooters just going topless?]
[I apologize in advance]
Next up for Janet Huckabee, attending a cock fight, I hear they taste like chicken. I've emailed Larry Craig about this but I never hear back from him.
Meanwhile, in other actual news
Turkish troops have launched a ground incursion across the border into Iraq in pursuit of separatist Kurdish rebels, the military said Friday — a move that dramatically escalates Turkey's conflict with the militants.
10,000 of them. Not good.
At least there is some good news, in a way:
Powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr extended his Mehdi Army militia ceasefire by around six months on Friday, according to a statement read out on his behalf in a mosque in Baghdad.
But ultimately, this good news reflects the real failure of America's blow shit up and it'll work out alright in the end policy.
Five years, nearly 4,000 Americans and tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Iraqi dead -- and who knows how many wounded; $600 billion spent and $12 billion a month more down the shitter constantly; our international reputation in tatters; Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib; waterboarding; Osama still walking the earth, etc.
And the whole operation is dependent on the whims of ONE GUY, who four years ago we were trying to arrest and/or kill.
If you want to see a winner out of this whole debacle, it isn't any American, it's Moqtada al-Sadr, now the so important he is flippin' untouchable and completely necessary to our policy in Iraq. And he also hates our fucking guts.
The Wisdom of Greenboy
Let's make sure to convince our enemies to sign an agreement that when they attack us, they will:1) Use only bus-sized or larger missiles
2) Give us the path & trajectory information 90 days in advance
3) Not take any defensive counter measures
4) Send only a single missile at a time, with no multiple warheads
Then it should work like a charm every time!
And as a commenter there mentioned:
5) Wait to attack us until the weather is clear.
And I don't regret it.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say without looking...
Daily Kossacks have overwhelming declared Barack the Winner!
Most of MyDD has declared Hillary the Winner!
I'm going to guess anything classy from Senator Clinton was proclaimed by pundits to be like she was "saying goodbye" -- because that's the theme.
Of course, if she was combative, she was proclaimed "desperate".
If Obama was combative, he was "un-Presidential" or "inexperienced"
If he was classy he was "Too Smooth" or "Coasting".
Let me proclaim, my feelings...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
On Tuesday they were "cult leaders";
On Wednesday they were Communists;
And today, they're Nazis;
I anxiously await tomorrow's 'Space Alien' report.
Well, I guess there's at least variety for the Obamas.
The Clintons get no variety at all, its just being unfairly called a "Horndog" & "Bitch" by someone on the right, or the media, every damn day.
I don't know if that's the greatest argument in the world but I'm not sure any of the three remaining candidates have that much administrative experience other than via osmosis. Also, though the story got way overplayed and didn't hurt him much, Axelrod as his chosen campaign manager didn't exactly do a bang up job on not repeating himself in writing speeches -- though he's been fantastic on other matters.
Nevertheless, if how campaigns are run is at all reflective of how you Administrate, then Obama is one hell of an Administrator if you look at January.
Obama: Raised $36.1 million, spent $30.5 million.
Clinton: Raised $13.9 million, spent $28.5 million
In other words, Obama operated in January on a surplus budget, raising $5.6 million more than he spent, while Clinton operated in January on a deficit budget, spending $14.6 million more than she raised.
The Clinton figure does not include the $5 million dollar loan she made to her campaign, for which she reportedly charged interest and, contrary to some press reports earlier this month, has not been paid back.
And, of course, McCain though the media originally reported it as a slam on Obama, is actually the one wanking on public financing, he appears to have completely fucked up in how he managed his finances and may be royally fucked financially for some time to come.
Ladies and Gentlemen
(he broke the medal he received in the prior post...I shit thee not)
Is anybody really proud?
REUTERS/Jason Reed
Obsolete Skills?
I know that discussion of The Obsolete Skills Wiki is making the rounds on some blogs and webbies. The OS Wiki created by Brad Kellet is worth taking a gander at because it is fun to make a list of skills that apparently are no longer relevant. Especially for some of us old Crone's who remember these skills. Ah, hand coding... I hardly used ye.
We can use this idea, my friends (oops, sorry I slipped into John "Bob Dole" McCain mode). Think of all of the obsolete so-called skills of the current regime here in the good ol' U.S. of A. I wonder when we can add "decider" to the list? Or "architect of Iraq war?"
Do we have any skills to list from ol' BushCheneyCo that will be washed away by the Democratic flood that is coming?
"It's about making somebody else die for their country"
I don't remember Patton opening with a gigantic dumbass as well as a cast member from road company of "The Lion King".
(AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)
Utah's New Slogan: State of Death
A bill approved by a Utah legislative committee would codify licensed concealed-weapons holders' ability to carry loaded guns openly in almost any publicly owned space in Utah, including university campuses, public schools, sports arenas, and hospitals, reports the Salt Lake Tribune.
What's next? Public shoot outs?
The greatest paragraph of all
"Unless he gives you special treatment or takes legislative action against his own views, I don't think his personal and social relationships matter," said Charles Black, a friend and campaign adviser who has previously lobbied the senator for aviation, broadcasting and tobacco concerns.
In two sentences tells you everything.
Yet how many other media types will notice?
Well this one's rather obvious
Suggests pitching regular hissy fits, rubbing bald guys and vetoing every fucking thing in sight.
Asks him how he stays so popular.
Value wise it's almost up there with Iraq
Hillary Clinton's campaign owes Mark Penn more than $2 million for his services.
Given the "magic" he's worked for her, it has to be a lot of fun to think it has cost you that much.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
But, of course
The U.S. military said Wednesday that two women used as suicide bombers in attacks earlier this month had undergone psychiatric treatment but there is no indication they had Down syndrome as Iraqi and U.S. officials initially had claimed.
The act of strapping yourself up with explosives and then self-detonating in a crowd of innocent people is abhorrent enough. To add that special touch of extra malevolence to it just to gain some sort of PR battle points at home about how were dealing with 'monsters' is not necessary and, well, also sick.
And the bottom-line is, when it was a asserted a few weeks ago when this explosion occurred I doubted it because we've been lied to so many times before, or had ridiculous assertions tossed out at us with the seeming purpose of giving right-wing blogs something to spew about.
And now, here we are seing it happen yet again.
"Life Coaches" Unmasked
Thanks to the terrific folks at The Onion!
Each morning, I wake up with a smile on my face and a renewed sense of vigor, because this day is unlike any other, and it is full of potential. There's a phrase in Latin that summarizes my philosophy of life: Carpe diem. Seize the day. While that may seem a little extreme to some, mark my words, it is a recipe for success. Provided you take into consideration the accelerated depreciation your assets will accrue over time, as marked by said day being seized.
Now I know that there are some naysayers out there who think that you can't be too careful, but I say throw caution to the wind! Life's too short not to make the most of every day. If making the most of every day means that you have to work Saturday to make sure you meet your fiduciary duties that have been established in advance, I say, live it up!
Are you listening Dr. Phil? No, I didn't think so!
Beware the School Taco
Of course, we all always knew it was never filled with yummy goodness, no matter what the lunch lady said.
Floridians move their education into the 2oth Century
Florida's state board of education today approved science standards that for the first time refer specifically to the theory of evolution, and give what many supporters say is a more coherent and concise treatment to important topics across science.
Now, isn't that special? Of course, the language of the standard is that evolution is a theory that continues to generate controversy and be debated. Hmmm... I thought that the scientific community put this idea to rest a long time ago.
Because Health Care Matters
Take a look at this side by side comparison of health care plans from Obama and Clinton from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Unlike John - Bob Dole - McCain, both democrats have interesting plans that would -- at least -- help provide health insurance and decent coverage for most Americans. Which is a far sight more than the right wing can provide or has even tried to provide!
Yeah, compassionate conservatism, right...
"Say, my Hutu friend, you ever been to Iraq?"
"The place is full of nothing but Tootsies and some Fingersies too."
REUTERS/Jason Reed (RWANDA)
"This is SO awesome, I've never had such an awesome bong before. Wait until I show mom."
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Jordin Sparx has a chance to sing in front of someone more pilled out of their mind than Paula and more venal and petty than Simon.
And thus ends my last bit of 'American Idol' snark...probably ever.
REUTERS/Jason Reed (GHANA)
Now what?
I'm no political analyst, but unlike media-world or blog-world the people who take part in these primaries in the real-world LIKE BOTH OF THESE PEOPLE. But the one who goes "GOP-style" on a Democrat is clearly going to be the one that is punished.
Nevertheless, I bet they double-down in Texas and Ohio.
And, indeed, it appears that they will indeed do just that: (caveat emptor, it's Howie Fineman for goodness sakes)
Remarkably, in the wake of this loss, Howard Fineman was reporting on MSNBC earlier that the Clinton team was spinning it actually as vindication of their Wisconsin strategy since Clinton did better here than she did in the Potomac primaries, where she lost by 29% and 23% in Virginia and Maryland respectively.
This is sad, it's downright, Kirk Watson-level sad. By the way Kirk, try here.
Although Mr. Watson is not actually a highly-paid self-proclaimed genius -- like Mark Penn & Howard Wolfman.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Just so you know
Visit and cheer him up, and give him some Pay Pal love if you can.
And Now a Message form John McCain
Dear Greatest Generation,
My friends, make that Second Greatest.
John McCain
Speaking to about 500 party faithful at the Outagamie County Lincoln Day Dinner, McCain said the war in Iraq was part of the fight against Islamic extremism, "the greatest evil, probably, that this nation has ever faced."
At a LINCOLN DAY DINNER...because Ol' Abe had it easy with the Civil "fucking" War which only killed 600,000 out of a population of a little over 30 million -- about 1 out of every 15 males of fighting age.
And, of course, the Greatest Generation is really lame, what with their Defeat of the Nazis.
And the Soviets, what a bunch o' pussies compared to Osama and his moronic band of cave dwellers, a bunch ONLY George Bush & John McCain could manage to make stronger.
To all those who circulate...
To those family members, spammers, distant friends, cousins, acquaintances who do not know how to use the delete button properly, people I have never heard of except for the fact you are sending me these worthless emails and -- oh yes -- those supposedly patriotic idiots who support Bush's war in Iraq and Afghanistan:
Stop sending me your stupid "acts of patriotism" stories about war veterans in the airports, "coming home but shipping back out" stories, "bravely going to fight in Iraq" stories, etc... etc... etc... damn etc!
And why are these stories always in bold or italics and/or in bright colors? And what is wrong with all these people who spread these wastes of bandwidth?! Yes, I always send jingoistic messages to everyone I know... Whaaaa? Sheesh, this takes fear mongering and personal attacks to a whole new level! Which is all inescapable except but for the blessed delivery of the delete key!!
Stop cluttering my email inbox with your unbelievably nationalist war mongering clap trap. Leave the BS among yourselves. Keep the urban legends to other idiots like you because I don't need them.
Nope, none for me. Thanks.
Now, maybe we need to start spreading messages about how amazing Clinton and Obama are... how unbelievably cool they were in an airport, or how they brought a small crowd to tears by their genuine compassion for someone, or ... Why is it that the only story crap that is circulated is the usual far right pseudo propaganda?
Go see, or buy
And I haven't.
She's even on a book tour.
And I'm not.
She's written other books before.
And I haven't, did I mention that?
She's an excellent writer.
I do "quality" MS-Paint stuff.
"Cover our Ass"
I mean, c'mon:
Wisconsin 2/15-16: Clinton 49% Obama 43%
Today: Clinton 42% Obama 52%
Swings like that don't happen unless you want to cover all your basis.
We're waiting for the GOP Chapter 11 filing for morality
Robert Somma (a Bush Appointed Bankruptcy Judge to the 1st Circuit)... was arrested on the DUI charge, wearing a black cocktail dress and fishnet stockings.
Thanks to recent legislation, the GOP will not be able to easily keep their house.
Reality Check
I guess this means Paris Hilton will have to keep up and release a bukkake tape or something.
Castro sort of retires
Of course, he's being replaced by his younger brother
Raul is generally believed to be a bit more practical, pragmatic and less dogmatic than his brother. And also substantially less charismatic. And, of course, old -- older than McCain. If McCain gets elected President somehow, he and Raul can waive their replaced hip-joints at each other. Maybe they could settle things in match-play -- Raul will be the one that blends into the fairway.
I'm sure Cuban emigres all over South Florida will be out half-heartedly waiving their Cuban flags with Gloria Estefan's picture on them this evening and cursing the undoubtedly oppressive dictatorship that still managed to export physicians throughout Central America.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Truth or No?
With the rise of Guitar Hero and the soon to be released Aerosmith version of the game, is it true that the youth of America refuse to be swayed by the American band that just will not die... (from our friends at the Onion)
The beginning of Blog Rights?
There probably are lots of workers who would love to create Web sites dedicated to getting their bosses fired.
But the very real likelihood of losing their jobs provides a big incentive for employees not to post their negative thoughts about The Man (or The Woman) in cyberspace.
Generally, employers have the legal right to prevent workers from using personal Web sites, or blogs, to malign supervisors and co-workers, or damage an employer's business reputation.
But a recent state Court of Appeals decision, which reinstated a Detroit police officer who was fired for keeping a personal blog his boss didn't like, should give employers pause. Officer John Bennett didn't much care for Jerry Oliver, the city's police chief at the time, so he created the site, firejerryo.com, in 2002.
Bennett first was suspended and then fired in 2003 because Oliver claimed the site contained negative racial overtones, damaged the reputation of the Detroit Police Department and compromised public safety.
In a Dec. 4 ruling, the state Court of Appeals disagreed and ordered Bennett reinstated with back pay.
The court rejected the city's claims the site damaged the police department or harmed public safety.
It did note the site "included some comic relief and 'edgy' criticism of department officials."
The ruling isn't directly applicable to private-sector employers because it dealt mainly with alleged violations of the state public employment relations act. But here's the part that could make business employers sweat: The appellate court said Bennett's blog constituted "concerted activity" protected by state law.
In other words, Bennett wasn't on a one-man mission to get Oliver fired. The court said his blog was protected because it provided a forum for other officers to express their concerns about working conditions in the department and induced group activity "for the mutual aid and protection of fellow police officers ..."
Since Bill Kristol brought up Kipling
Once there was The People - Terror gave it birth;
Once there was The People, and it made a hell of earth!
Earth arose and crushed it. Listen, oh, ye slain!
Once there was The People - it shall never be again!
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A suicide car bomber targeting a Canadian military convoy killed 35 civilians at a busy market in southern Afghanistan, a police official said.
At least 28 people were wounded in the attack in Spin Boldak, a town in Kandahar province near the border with Pakistan, said Abdul Razeq, the Spin Boldak border police chief. Three Canadian soldiers were lightly wounded, he said.
Started out as a Good Idea
President's Day.
It started out honoring Washington & Lincoln exclusively.
Now it includes good Presidents, but also includes Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Warren Harding, Richard Nixon ... and soon George W. Bush.
We are the mediocre presidents.
You won't find our faces on dollars or on cents!
There's Taylor, there's Tyler, there's Fillmore and there's Hayes.
There's William Henry Harrison, ``I died in thirty days!''
We... are... the... adequate, forgettable, occasionally regrettable
Caretaker presidents of the U-S-A!
Can you imagine Disney World when they add the animatronic Bush and for the first time, the robot is smarter, more eloquent and less stubborn than the original?
(caveat -- apparently it is already there, I find the "Hall of Presidents" concept the creepiest thing in the universe - I hear Animatronic John Tyler has wondering hands)


text:
BERLIN — Berlin's first outdoor wedding show is planned for Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
The event will feature approximately 25 vendors, offering demonstrations, fashion shows, gifts, prizes, custom registries, culinary venues, entertainment, products, services and more.
A vintage fashion show will be held at 11 a.m. at the Atlantic Hotel, following by a Trousseau Fashion Show at the Globe at 1 p.m., a Bridal Fashion Show on Main Street at 3 p.m. and a grooms event at the Waystead Inn that will include beer from Burley Oak and cigars from Johns Premium Cigars as well as horseshoes on the lawn. The cost for the grooms event is $25 at the door with a limit of 25 participants and includes one cigar and two beers as well as some light fare.
For more information or to register to attend online, see www.berlinweddingevents.com

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
In addition to running a successful family medicine practice for 34 years, Dr. Dworkin is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa and received his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal.
He is host of the evidence-based medical show House Calls, now in its twentieth year, every Sunday morning from 11AM to 12 PM on News Talk 580 CFRA.
He wrote a weekly column in the Ottawa Citizen's Health Section from 2000 to 2005 and a column in the "Treating Teens" section of The Medical Post.
Listen to Dr. Dworkin on 580 CFRA every weekday morning at 6:50 a.m. on The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll where we add perspective to the media hype in our Medical Mythbusting segment.
Dr. Dworkin is based in Ottawa, where he lives with his family. His interests include cycling, 3-D printing, and martial arts, where he currently holds a 4th degree black belt.
* The advice, clinical studies and recommendations presented in audio and written articles on this website are for general educational purposes and not diagnosis. You should consult your physician or other health professional directly before beginning or changing a course of health treatment.


text:
Baccarat is really a classic card game and which is said so you can get originated in Italy. Pores and skin casino games baccarat is considered easiest games to learn and run. This is one game which is surrounded by an aura of wealth, prestige and splendor. In casinos in Las Vegas or Monte Carlo tuxedo clad gentleman with stylishly dressed ladies can remain visible crowding baccarat gaming tables. It is this aura of riches that makes baccarat so trendy with ladies. The game being easy to master has also led to the immense popularity. Most people play baccarat because they find it fun perform and also for its whimsical the natural wolrd.
You will play with a virtual banker, may deal with eight decks of cards for a person bet via. You and your fellow online players will then draw out two- or three-card fretting hand. If you drew a card hand with the sum totaling closest to nine as compared to the banker, it is a good day anyone personally.
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Our Internet filter requires daily authentication on iPads and other non-Windows devices. If you are having trouble using a program or accessing the App Store, please open a browser (Safari for iPads), go to a website (any website) and an Internet Usage Policy Login page will be displayed. Then just login with your district computer login credentials. You will have to do this at least once a day, every day.
Again, if there is an app or program not working, the first thing to check should be opening your browser to see if you can connect to the internet or if it asks you to login. If you previously had Safari open to a website you will need to go to a different website before the filter will prompt you to login. Please contact the Help Desk if you have any questions about this process.


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Posts Tagged '500 acres'
Crystal Fire: April 4 (Update)
Update 5 p.m., Larimer County Sheriff's Office Firefighters put in good effort today building containment lines around the fire. An updated containment percentage and total number of acres will not be available until tomorrow morning after crews finish updating information tonight. The latest information is available on the U.S. Forest Service's Incident Information website at www.inciweb.org/incident/2161. Mapping continued today and we expect more accurate figures on the acreage. The ... Full Story


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Rise 'n Shine Cafe We Are Open: Mon. - Sat., 7:30am 2:00pm; Sunday, 9am-2pm Located at: Merrimon Square 640 Merrimon Ave Asheville, NC 28804 828-254-4122 click here for a google map |
Rise 'n Shine is a locally owned and operated small business who use local and organic products to make a wide selection of breakfast dishes, sandwiches, fresh juices, and smoothies. Free range eggs and chicken, organic carrots, organic greens, organic milk and organic yogurt are all featured on the menu. Dynamite Coffee Roasters supply a shade-raised and fair-trade organic Sumatra coffee. Humanely harvested meats always served and free range eggs are always cooked in real butter; local honey is provided by Haw Creek Honey. Our Menu The Rise 'n Shine Cafe supports sustainable, ethical and environmental practices in food production. We purchase from regional producers and seek to be an outlet for locals to support other locals. We strive to offer a fresh tasting, creative menu, and to employ staff who are educated and enthusiastic about the food we serve. |
©2008 All Rights Reserved • Rise 'n Shine Cafe


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On May 23 and 25, police in the Delmas district of Port-au-Prince destroyed camps where people homeless since the January 2010 earthquake have taken up shelter. During the raids, police and other municipal workers arrested and beat some of those living within the camps.
On May 23 and 25, police in the Delmas district of Port-au-Prince destroyed camps where people homeless since the January 2010 earthquake have taken up shelter. During the raids, police and other municipal workers arrested and beat some of those living within the camps. The mayor of Delmas announced that this is part of a new campaign to evict internally displaced persons [IDPs] from public spaces.
Those whose lodging was destroyed were amongst the million-plus people who have lived for 16 months under tents, lean-to's of shredded tarps, or whatever repurposed materials they could scrounge, from blankets to tin. Neither the Haitian government nor the international community has offered any large-scale resettlement options.
Camps Destroyed
On the morning of May 23, two truckloads of police from Delmas, a self-governed district within the metropolitan capital, plus other armed men wearing T-shirts reading "the Delmas mayor's office in action," arrived at three camps rimming the intersection of Delmas Road and Airport Road. The security forces and two bulldozers smashed an estimated 100 to 200 families' tents and all their contents, creating heaps of detritus. Trucks from the mayor's office hauled away the remains of the disaster survivors' only possessions.
During the offensive, the Delmas employees arrested three camp residents and beat three community activists who tried to protect the camps, according to eyewitnesses.
On May 25, police turned out at two other IDP camps on Delmas routes 3 and 5 and destroyed tents and belongings there.
Immediately after the destruction, Patrice Florvilus, an attorney with the non-profit group Defenders of the Oppressed, and Reyneld Sanon, an organizer with the right-to-housing coalition Force for Reflection and Action on Housing [FRAKKA] and the U.S.-based economic justice group Other Worlds, held a press conference on the scene. Delmas police and workers from the district's garbage collection office came at the two men with shovels, machetes, and knives. Camp residents formed a security cordon and successfully protected Florvilus and Sanon.
Mayoral Campaign to "Clean" Public Spaces
In an interview with the newspaper Le Nouvelliste after the May 23 operation, Mayor Wilson Jeudi of Delmas said, "This is a public place… It can't remain privatized by a group of people." In the context of a hyper-concentrated city, much of it still uninhabitable due to rubble from the earthquake, with desperate survivors lodging themselves in virtually any open space, Jeudi offered a new definition of "privatize." He went on to announce that all public spaces are going to be emptied of residents, leaving them "clean."
Jeudi called the camps "disorderly" and claimed that many of those in the tents did not actually live there. "They just come to do their commercial activities [thievery and prostitution] and go back to their homes in the evening."
The mayor said that no compensation would be offered to those ousted from their temporary shelter. "We were all victims of the earthquake," he added.
Protest over Illegal Evictions Grows
In Washington on May 25, four U.S. representatives expressed alarm at the illegal expulsions. "Facing hostile conditions, including adverse weather, violence, and disease, shelter and work are the priorities for every displaced Haitian and must not be compromised," said a statement by Representatives Donald M. Payne, Yvette Clark, Fredericka Wilson, and Maxine Waters.
In Haiti, grassroots organizations and camp committees are sponsoring a week of actions to support IDP's right to permanent housing and to protection from eviction. The coalition will sponsor a sit-in in front of the national parliament today, May 27, to denounce Mayor Jeudi. On May 30, they will hold a press conference, and on May 31 they will file a legal complaint against the expulsions with the Ministry of Justice. On June 1, the group will hold a demonstration to demand rights for those living in temporary shelter.
Two days before the Delmas camp demolitions began, several hundred displaced people rallied against evictions in Camp Karade. The event was part of the International Forum on the Housing Crisis, held May 19 – 21 and attended by hundreds. More than 40 grassroots and Haitian non-governmental organizations from throughout the capital region and five other towns, as well as 35 displacement camp committees, were represented. In the first broad-based gathering led by impacted people since last year's disaster, Haitians strategized with each other and with housing activists from elsewhere in the Americas about how to win their guaranteed right to housing.
Sanon from FRAKKA, the main organizing group of the forum, said in the opening address, "The right to housing is a debt that the government has toward the poor for the responsibility it never took on housing that caused so many people to die." The toll from the earthquake, an estimated 225,000 to 300,000, was in large part this high because so many inferior quality houses collapsed.
The final declaration of the forum read in part, "We ask: [1] for the authorities to stop the violence that is accompanying evictions…; [2] for the authorities to arrest and bring to justice all those engaged in violence against those living in camps; [and 3] for them to take all measures to help people find permanent housing so they can relocate out of camps."
Marie Hélène René, a participant of the forum who lost her home in the earthquake and now lives in a camp, said, "We're so vulnerable. We don't have anything to stop the flooding now [that the rainy season has arrived]. We don't know what to do. We congratulate all those who are looking for housing, because we're really desperate."
Protection from Eviction a Legal Right
Displaced persons are protected by both Haitian and international law. Article 22 of the 1987 Haitian constitution guarantees "decent housing" for everyone. Article 25 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees every individual a "standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including… housing." Many sections of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs declare protection from displacement, notably for victims of disasters. In a ruling last November, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights directed the Haitian government to stop evicting IDPs unless it provided them safe alternative shelter.
Interviewed by phone on May 26, attorney Florvilus said, "The president [Michel Martelly] who just came to power must take up his historic responsibility. He promised people [in his inaugural address] he would take them out of the tents in the camps in six months. He must now clarify if this was the formula he had in mind for accomplishing that end. Was the mayor the only one behind this attack?"
Florvilus said, "The government will have to face the nation and the justice system, if not today, then tomorrow."
Beverly Bell has worked with Haitian social movements for over 30 years. She is also author of the book Walking on Fire: Haitian Women's Stories of Survival and Resistance. She coordinates Other Worlds, www.otherworldsarepossible.org, which promotes social and economic alternatives. She is also associate fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies.


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Our stuff often says a lot about us, whether we own a hybrid car or a station wagon, a MacBook Pro or an ancient desktop. And this is no less true of our smart phones, sold on a sharply divided market between iPhones, Androids, and Blackberries.
Among other things, cell phone brands say something about socio-economics – it takes a lot of money to buy a new iPhone 5 (and even more money to keep up with the latest models that come out faster than plan upgrades do). Consider, then, this map of Washington, D.C., which uses geolocated tweets, and the cell phone metadata attached to them, to illustrate who in town is using iPhones (red dots) and who's using Androids (green dots):
That picture comes from a new series of navigable maps visualizing some three billion global, geotagged tweets sent since September of 2011, developed by Gnip, MapBox and dataviz guru Eric Fischer.* They've converted all of that data from the Twitter firehose (this is just a small fraction of all tweets, most of which have no geolocation data) into a series of maps illustrating worldwide patterns in language and device use, as well as between people who appear to be tourists and locals in any given city.
The locals and tourists map scales up a beautiful earlier project from Fischer. You could kill a few hours playing with all of these tools, built on the same dataset. But we particularly liked looking at the geography of smart phone devices. As in Washington, above, iPhones are often more prominent in upper-income parts of cities (and central business districts), while Androids appear to be the dominant device in lower-income areas.
These maps are also a blank canvas with nothing on them other than tweets. To the extent that you can easily make out the Washington Beltway above, or plenty of other roadway networks throughout the rest of these maps, that means people are tweeting while driving (or, preferably, sitting in the passenger seat).
Here is New York City, which has a smattering of Blackberries in Manhattan (yes, it's possible to tweet from a Blackberry). That green patch to the left is Newark:
Here is Chicago:
And Houston:
Los Angeles:
And one place that really loves Blackberries? Jakarta.
Correction: This article initially misspelled Eric Fischer's name.
All images courtesy of MapBox, Gnip and Eric Fischer.


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Three Levels Of Planning
You Choose The Level That Fits Your Family
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Personalized Service And Fees
We have priced our planning for you at the intersection of affordability and effectiveness.
Depending on what you need, our fees range from around $2,000 for those not worried about keeping family out of court, up to $8,000 for an extensive plan that provides significant asset protection after death and maximum protection for your assets from inadvertent loss to the state department of unclaimed property or the court process.
If you are looking for the cheapest planning you can find, you may as well read up and do it yourself because you will get the same quality of planning online as you will with any lawyer who is charging fees less than what we offer here.
When we meet for your Family Wealth Planning Session, we will review our three planning levels with you, and you will choose your own fee based on your budget and the planning options that are most important to you and your family.
Thank You
Thanks for your interest. I know you have a lot of options when it comes to legal planning. Eréndira Castillo, A Law Practice PLLC has been the trusted partner of Tucson area residents. I look forward to meeting with you. Schedule today!
Helping You Throughout All Stages In Life
We represent families throughout varying stages of life:
We Help You Ensure Your Plan Is Current
Your plan needs to evolve with you as your life changes and as the law changes.
We have designed unique annual membership programs to ensure your plan continues to work throughout your lifetime, that your assets are always owned in the right way and that you are able to feel confident calling us with any legal issue without ever worrying about receiving a bill in the mail for hourly fees.
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We often serve the whole family and multiple generations of the same family.
From free estate checkups for elderly parents to basic planning documents for young adult children, become part of our client family and feel how much we care.
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MP3 refers to compressed digital audio data. The MP3 format is a widely-used standard for compressing digital audio files. With the same sound quality, MP3 files occupy roughly one tenth of the memory space of an audio CD. MP3 stands for MPEG 1 Audio Layer 3. MPEG is a method developed by the "Motion Picture Experts Group" for compressing digital video and audio data.
To reproduce MP3 files, an MP3-compatible playback device is required, such as SEAT provides in most cars.


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Giveaway With Shoreside Chic!
Oooh my goodness, you guys, I found the most beautiful shop on Etsy the other day. It's called "Shoreside Chic", and it's filled with elegant, nautical rings, earrings, necklaces, cuffs, and even a box or two to put them in. It's run by a beautiful lady named Kate who lives in Maine and grew up being on the beach her whole life.
I love nautical jewelry of any kind, but you know, some of it can be a little cheesy and I'm not sure I would really wear it. (Although it's cute on Paige!) But that's definitely not the case with this shop. I think I would wear literally anything in it!


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Find peace of mind. Be Insured.
The feeling of safety as you board your flight is of utmost importance to us at Royal Brunei Airlines. The travel insurance policy provides coverage in cases of unforeseen circumstances, for instance but not limited to, emergency medical treatment or cancellation or shorten your trip, as well as coverage for the loss or delay of your baggage.
Travel Insurance can be purchased at the same time of purchasing your flight itinerary on Royal Brunei Airlines.


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If you often feel bloated after a meal, don't be too quick to blame high-fiber foods. The real culprit might surprise you.
Your gut may be rebelling because you're eating too much salt, a new study suggests.
"Sodium reduction is an important dietary intervention to reduce bloating symptoms and could be used to enhance compliance with healthful high-fiber diets," said study researcher Noel Mueller, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
He and his research colleagues looked at data from a large clinical trial conducted in the late 1990s known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension-Sodium, or DASH-Sodium for short.
Their conclusion: Consuming a lot of salt increases bloating, as does a healthy, high-fiber diet.
Although it's not clear exactly how salt contributes, Mueller suspects fluid retention may be the key. Eating more salt can promote water retention and make digestion less efficient, which can lead to gas and bloating, he said.
Studies in mice have shown that dietary salt can alter the makeup of gut bacteria. And that, in turn, can affect gas production in the colon, Mueller said.
"Our study suggests that selecting foods with lower sodium content, such as those that are not ultra-processed, may help relieve bloating in some people," he said.
Bloating affects as many as a third of Americans, including more than 90% of those with irritable bowel syndrome. It's a painful buildup of excess gas created as gut bacteria break down fiber during digestion.
For the current study, the researchers used findings from a 1998-1999 trial. In that trial, the DASH diet -- one low in fat and high in fiber, fruits, nuts and veggies -- was compared with a low-fiber eating regimen. The trial's goal was to learn how salt and other factors affected high blood pressure.
The new review found that about 41% on the high-fiber diet reported bloating, and men had a bigger problem with it than women. And diets high in salt increased the odds of bloating by 27%.
"We found that in both diets, reducing sodium intake reduced bloating symptoms," Mueller said.
The upshot is that reducing sodium can be an effective way to prevent gas -- and may help people maintain a healthy, high-fiber eating regimen.
Many things can cause bloating -- lactose intolerance, celiac disease, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, infection or other conditions, said Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Langone Health.
"If someone is experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating on an ongoing basis, they should see their health care practitioner to see if the cause can be pinned down," said Heller, who wasn't involved with the study. "This way they will know how to manage the issue."
Occasional bloating is not uncommon, she added.
To help you avoid excess gas and bloating, Heller offered these tips:
The report was published recently in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
More information
Johns Hopkins University offers tips on how to prevent bloating.


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Oscar Mayer Changes Slogan, Abandons Wiener Name
Written by Frank N. Beans Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Due to continuing backlash caused by the online sexual exploits of former House Representative Anthony Weiner and current New York City mayoral candidate, processed-meat giant Oscar Mayer has unceremoniously dropped the word wiener, which is spelled differently but pronounced the same, from its products and slogans.
"Thanks to one sleazy politician, the word wiener has been tarnished to the point that we can't associate with it anymore," said company spokesperson Beau Lonie. "Now all you hear is 'Weiner sucks' or 'that Weiner is disgusting,' and that's not in line with Oscar Mayer products."
To help prevent small children or juvenile men from giggling at every mention of wiener, the hot dog's famous jingle has been changed to incorporate the product's new name:
I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Penis-Shaped Meat
That is what I'd truly like to be
'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer Penis-Shaped Meat
Everyone would be in love with me.
"We feel that Oscar Mayer Penis-Shaped Meat is more dignified than the now-maligned wiener name," added Louie. "We think it's going to help re-establish our brand as being pro-children and not attached to sexuality."
Oscar Mayer Penis-Shaped Meat will continue to be sold by schools, ballparks, street vendors and grocery stores, and the company is encouraging all of its distributors to use the new marketing immediately to "cleanse the stain of the wiener name."
Beleaguered candidate Weiner was reached for comment and responded with incredulity.
"Are you kidding me?" he stated. "That name and slogan got me made fun of for decades. It damned near ruined my childhood. But did I change my name? No. I didn't even change the pronunciation to Whiner. I stuck with being called Weiner my whole life, and now I'm the one ruining the name? That's just great..."


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Brink & Campman Atelier Twill 49206
Brink & Campman's range is extraordinary, being able to produce distinctly varied inspired works in order to satisfy any type of space. With strong European influences they bring together quality, style and contemporary design to present annual collections to add that touch of personality to your floor.
- Material: Wool
- Pile Height: 12mm
- Construction: Hand Woven
- Brand: Brink & Campman
- Origin: Made in India
IMPORTANT TIP: We recommend that an anti-slip pad such as Total Grip is used underneath rugs to prevent slippage between the rug and the surface it is placed on.
Please Note: This item cannot be delivered to a PO Box address.
Allow for a slight variation of colours depending on monitor settings.


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The Importance of Learning English
Discover 5 reasons why learning English is important for your career and profil.
In today's world, multilingualism is becoming more and more important. In addition to opening up employment opportunities, being able to speak a foreign language helps to make a real connection with people and to know more about diverse cultures, places and lifestyles. The more proficient you are, the better you can express yourself.
Out of the 6 500 spoken languages in the world today, why choose to learn English? As the third most widely spoken language in the world, English is widely spoken and taught in over 118 countries and is commonly used around the world as a trade language or diplomatic language. It is the language of science, aviation, computers, diplomacy and tourism. Last but not least, it is the language of international communication, the media and the internet.
Whether it is for professional or personal reasons, understanding the importance of English will help you reach your goals. Here are a few reasons why you should keep learning and practising your English language skills.
1. English is the Language of International Communication
Although English is not the most spoken language in the world, it is the official language in 53 countries and is spoken as a first language by around 400 million people worldwide. But that's not all, it is also the most common second language in the world. According to the British Council, by 2020 about two billion people in the world will be studying English.
Therefore, it is highly likely that if you meet someone from another country, you will both be able to speak English. It gives you an open door to the world and helps you communicate with global citizens.
2. English gives access to more entertainment and more access to the Internet
Nowadays, many films, TV shows, books and music are published and produced in English. By understanding English, you won't need to rely on translations and subtitles anymore. By accessing these media, you will also continuously improve your English listening and reading skills.
English is currently the language of the internet. An estimated of 565 million people use the internet every day and about 52% of the world's most visited websites are displayed in English. Therefore, learning this language gives access to over half the content of the internet, which might not be available otherwise. Whether it is for fun or for work, if you understand English, you will be able to exchange information with more people online and use many more materials.
3. English makes it easier to travel
As highlighted before, since English is spoken as a first language in 53 countries and as a second language in over 118 countries, learning the language makes it much easier to travel anywhere. Indeed, airport announcements, train timetables, emergency information and street signs are often available in English, including in countries where the native language uses a different type of alphabet. It goes without saying that, when travelling to a country where you don't speak the language, you are practically guaranteed to find someone who understands at least some English.
4. English can make you 'smarter'
Learning a foreign language enhances your cognitive and analytical abilities. Learning a new language can be difficult and it involves a lot of mental exercises. Research from a 2012 Swiss Study shows that learning a new language changes the brain structures, impacting the parts of the brain responsible for memory, conscious thought and it can make you more creative. In the long term, bilingualism can keep the brain strong and healthy into old age and supports concentration and memory skills. On an individual level, it improves personality and increases sense of self-worth. In simple words, learning a foreign language makes the brain stronger and more versatile.
Learning English is not only useful, but it also gives a lot of satisfaction and making progress will make you feel great. Why not make it even more tangible by taking a standardised test to certify your proficiency!
If you feel sufficiently confident and if you want to evaluate your English language proficiency, just register for a TOEIC® test.