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Compiled by Lora Roberts
It gestated at the first-ever conference on Women in the Mystery, put together by BJ Rahn at Hunter College in March 1986. Sara Paretsky spoke on the growing use of graphic sadism against women in mysteries. "Remarks I made at the conference set off a firestorm around the mystery world," founding mother Sara recalls. "Women began calling me from all over the country with their personal histories of treatment/mistreatment."
The rising tide of activism among women mystery writers was boosted by Phyllis Whitney's famous letter to Mystery Writers of America, pointing out that women authors weren't being nominated for awards. By the time Bouchercon rolled around in October, the ball was rolling. "I convened the initial meeting of interested women at the Baltimore Bouchercon in October 1986," Sara says. At that meeting, she noted that books by woman mystery writers also weren't being reviewed at a percentage equal to their participation in the field.
At the annual Edgars Week in 1987, interested women writers were invited to Sandra Scoppettone's SoHo loft for breakfast, to meet each other and discuss the situation. At that meeting, Sisters in Crime was formed.
Initial steering committee members were Charlotte MacLeod, Kate Mattes, Betty Francis, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Sara Paretsky, Nancy Pickard and Susan Dunlap. A newsletter was in the works. Information on publicizing books was being put together. The review project was under consideration. And the mission statement had been formalized: "Sisters in Crime is committed to helping women who write, review, buy, or sell crime fiction. Our ultimate goal is to become a service organization to address issues of concern to everyone involved in the mystery field."
"The first two years of Sisters I ran everything out of my eight by ten office, with stamps sent by Margaret Maron and a generous contribution from Jane Langton," Sara says. "Dorothy Salisbury Davis' support proved crucial—she was so respected by MWA members that she persuaded women like Mary Higgins Clark to join and she damped down some of the hostile fire we were getting from the mystery press (Nancy Pickard and I used to be routinely attacked in the 'zines for crimes too numerous to iterate.)"
"I remember being scared at the start," Nancy Pickard says. "Our very first organizing meeting, I remember Sara at the front of the room, how brave she was, and how smart. It was exciting, fun, a little frightening. I remember thinking, 'In our funny little world of mystery writers, we have come late to the woman's movement, but here we are, at last.'"
Although all Sisters consider Sara their founding mother, Nancy was the first elected president. "I had to work up my nerve to call Margaret Maron to ask her to be my vice president—she said yes, and boy, was I ever the luckiest president ever! Besides being a wonderful writer, Margaret is the world's best organizer, correspondent, and paper-keeper; she deserves all the credit for keeping the organizational part of SinC alive and functioning that year. That was the beginning of one of my most treasured friendships. Thanks for saying yes, Margaret! I was delighted to hand her the gavel at the end of my year. I have felt proud, ever since, to be able to add to my resume, 'Founding member and former president, Sisters In Crime.'"
Margaret Maron recalls, "After Phyllis Whitney's letter to MWA and what many considered their dismissive response, Sara Paretsky sent a letter to every mystery writing woman she could find, asking if we were interested in forming a networking group. I thought it was great for someone of her caliber to take this on for all women; and although she hadn't asked for money, I sent her a roll of stamps to help with mailing costs."
Why SinC instead of SIC? "Several women wanted SIC, as in 'Let's sic 'em!'" Margaret says, "but I knew we were less about hostility than about working together in sync, so I used SinC in all my correspondence and official letters. By the end of my term, SinC had become the standard abbreviation."
According to Margaret, in the early days, everyone on the board worked hard to bring things to life. "Linda Grant laid out the first Shameless Promotion for Brazen Hussies on her dining room table. During those early days, whenever someone called or wrote with a 'Why doesn't someone—?' the steering committee would say, 'Why don't YOU?' Linda's inspired booklet embodied that philosophy."
Starting Sisters' famous mailing list was Carolyn Hart's early mission. "She collected and collated the names and addresses of almost every bookstore and library in the country and put them into a database that became our first mailing list for our SinC on the Shelf," Margaret says. "Sharyn McCrumb introduced us to Gavin Faulkner, who was responsible for the layout and mailing of our first newsletters. Together, they designed many of the early bookmarks and postcards and other pieces of publicity material. Some of my best memories are of the true support that grew from nothing to a nationwide network."
Margaret, who became the third president, tells the story of the mystery of the Official Seal of Office. "In the summer before I was to turn over our presidential seal to Susan Dunlap at the London Bouchercon in 1990, I found a large white stuffed seal pup on sale at a Raleigh toy store. I thought it would be fun to tie the embossing seal around its neck with a red ribbon and, taking liberties with the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, I included a note that read 'The Sisters in Crime Official Seal of Office. Accept no substitutes.' I had planned to take it to London and give the two seals to Sue there, but at the last minute took pity on her suitcase space and mailed them to her instead. That's the last time anyone remembers seeing the metal seal...It amuses me no end that the stuffed seal is still being passed along at each Bouchercon while the real seal has disappeared into the mists of memory."
Mary Lou Wright, long-time treasurer, recalls, "When Sue Dunlap was president, she asked for volunteers at an annual SinC meeting. There was no show of hands for treasurer and I thought: I can do this, it's just like my daytime job (then a business manager). My first task was renting a post office box in Lawrence, KS, where I lived. As we know, this has now become our permanent address. The treasury had very little money. When Carolyn Hart became president, she thought she was going to have to pay the printing bill out of her pocket. I realized that we weren't charging dues annually, and once we got that process in place, the organization could operate somewhat smoothly, pay our bills and fund the new exciting projects that came along. Following a suggestion from Sara Paretsky, I presented the idea of hiring an executive secretary to the board and even suggested Beth Wasson, a neighbor who had recently quit a very time-consuming job in retail." Sisters has been blessed by Beth's calm good sense and attention ever since. "With all due modesty," Mary Lou says, "my suggestion of Beth Wasson was brilliant."
Linda Grant became president during 1993-1994. "I can't resist reflecting on how much things have changed in the ten years that have passed," she says. "In December of 1993, I wrote, 'We are hot. We are a trend.' I don't think that most of us feel 'hot' anymore. In 1993-94, we were still worried about garnering equal review space in newspapers and combating gender bias. The death of the midlist was not on our radar." Linda goes on to say, "Most of our best projects were initiated by members who had a good idea and were willing to contribute the time and effort to bring it to fruition. When I think of the many, many hours of time that members contributed to creating and managing various projects, I am awed by the creativity and dedication of our members."
"One of the things I loved the most about serving as an officer in Sisters," she continues, "was the sense of mutual support and community. We were friends as well as colleagues, and whenever there was a problem, there were people anxious to help. Whenever I faced a difficult problem or an important decision, I talked to Barb D'Amato, my veep, and Pat Carlson, the former president. In effect, the leadership of the organization was a kind of triumvirate consisting of the past, present and future presidents."
The hard work of the officers is a constant theme when former board members talk about Sisters in Crime. "One of our great strengths is that the office of president is not honorary, but is worked up to through service to the organization," Barb D'Amato says. "As a result, the president comes into office knowing a lot about the organization."
In 1996, a large SinC project was undertaken by then-president Elaine Raco Chase: to hold a writing retreat in Houston. "It did a great deal to make SinC more visible than it had been before," Barb says, "and added to the impression that we weren't going to go away."
Elaine mentions, "Sisters in Crime was called 'ubiquitous' by Publishers Weekly that year. I had to look that one up and found it wasn't a shooting offense but 'that we were everywhere'—and we were—and we were being imitated."
During Annette Meyers' year of being president, she undertook to get the same benefit for Sisters that other organizations of writers were enjoying: contributions from the Authors Coalition. "Participation depends on the number of published authors in the organizations that belong, so there was no reason for us to be denied membership. I enlisted the aid of Paul Aiken, Executive Director of the Authors Guild, and within a few months, we were on board. The income that has come in steadily from our membership in the Authors Coalition has kept Sisters in Crime well in the black." As an alumnus of Douglass College (class of '55), Annette also arranged to create a Sisters in Crime archive for our considerable stash of printed material at the Mabel Smith Douglass Library.
Medora Sale's presidency focused on the health of the many SinC chapters springing up all over the country. "By then, many chapters not only had bylaws," she says, "but were facing or had survived minor constitutional crises, as well as organizing and carrying out some extraordinary events and long-term projects, and we at National were occupied in fine-tuning a role to assist without smothering—although when I say National, I really ought to say Beth Wasson, who knew everything that was being planned, what it needed and how to help in the most clear-headed, useful way."
The late Barbara Burnett Smith, who is sorely missed, served as president in 1999-2000 and accomplished something that author members of SinC had long wanted: she sponsored a survey that asked our writers frank questions about money, publicity, and other arcane details. "I believed then and still do that we need information in order to improve our lot as writers," she said. "We have to know what authors are being paid, what publishers are providing in the way of support, etc. At the time, no one except agents and publishers knew what a 'typical' mystery might bring in advance money—I actually got some flack from members who didn't think this project was a good idea, but I had many more supporters. People like Joan Lowry Nixon and Joan Hess and Margaret Maron felt we could make a difference. If nothing else, we know the odds for making a good living with our writing."
"On looking back at 2001-2002," Eve Sandstrom says, "the first thing that popped into my mind was 'Publishers Weekly ad.' That was the year the board decided to take the cover and first four pages of Publishers Weekly's mystery emphasis edition. It was a tremendous amount of money. We celebrated SinC's 15th anniversary at both our membership meetings that year."
Kate Flora remembers, "As part of our 15th anniversary celebration, we began to take a closer look at statistics such as those coming back from the review project. One thing we realized was that we still weren't getting good solid information for a lot of publications that we could use when we went back to them to inform them about their track records and suggest reform. Under Taylor Smith's brilliant guidance, the review project is getting four quarters of data for nearly 35 different publications.
"As long as I've been involved with Sisters in Crime," Kate says, "I've felt that we needed a national press kit to present our message in a unified way, so that everyone who did an event under the Sisters in Crime banner was on the same page about who we are and what we're here for. I began working on our public profile to find a way to speak in a bigger voice."
Any organization where the leadership turns over every year has the right to be proud when it survives and thrives for so long. Sisters in Crime is blessed with the kind of talented membership it takes to produce leaders of this quality. As Mary Lou Wright noted, "What a fantastic group of creative, giving people."
"Most of all," Margaret Maron says, "I remember the excitement and pride of being so involved with something important—the feeling we all had that we could make a difference, that we could make things better for our sister writers and strengthen the field for our sister readers."
Sisters in Crime Breakfast at Malice Domestic - Spring 2007
Sisters in Crime capped off its 20th anniversary celebrations with a song written by Parnell Hall. Read the lyrics and find the link to the recording here.
Remember Me
9/18/2020Lori-Rader Day's inSinC Letter
9/1/2020SinCLinks-September 2020
10/3/2020LIVE WEBINAR - SinC Into Great Writing: Creating Authentic Characters
10/7/2020LIVE Webinar - Slay NaNoWriMo: Two Converts Share Their Secrets with Gigi Pandian & Rachael Herron
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subset: commoncrawl


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10 years after 9/11: The mission of the cop on the beat
American law enforcement agencies are out front in domestic counterterrorism — street cops are the first to perceive changes that might evolve into a terrorist threat
My job description was rewritten ten years ago. On September 11, 2001, just like every other cop in America, I added homeland security to my responsibilities as a cop. Police officers keenly felt the responsibility to prevent another 9/11 with the identification of each of the 72 law enforcement officers killed in the attacks. Protecting my community and watching the backs of my brother and sister officers became more intensely personal.
Within a few months, I knew more than I wanted to know about the risks of anhydrous ammonia. The 2002 Winter Olympics followed right on the heels of 9/11. Suddenly protecting the refrigerant for the luge track became an issue of national security. A terrorist attack on the anhydrous ammonia tanks used for the cooling of the track could have killed countless thousands. Not long after, I learned why my department should be concerned about an order placed for 10 gallons of hydrogen peroxide at a beautician supply house by a man who seemed to have no connection to a beauty salon.
After 9/11, such issues became important for the cop on the beat.
Eyes and Ears of Public Safety
Street cops have a homeland security mission, whether as part of a formal agency strategy, a particular duty assignment, or simply a new facet to our perpetual role as the first line of protection for our communities. Some of the most significant post-9/11 changes to law enforcement are seen in the developing role of the street cop as a homeland security protector. No longer could intelligence gathering be a task limited to part of the detective division.
Beat cops are the eyes and the ears of public safety on the street. Beat cops secure their communities against terrorists by "looking beyond the license plate" in traffic and field interrogation stops, building relationships with local businesses that may be targets or may be suppliers of materials that terrorists need to construct bombs, applying their unique knowledge of the local area to assessing intelligence reports from other sources, assisting outside agencies in local surveillance and by developing and maintaining a broad network of confidential sources.
September 11th brought fusion centers to the police world. Most agencies are connected to a regional fusion center by intelligence liaison officers (ILOs) who collect intel within the department and pass it on to the fusion center. Information gathered by street cops becomes puzzle pieces fitted and analyzed by fusion center analysts and pattern recognition experts. At another level, intelligence flows in to Joint Terrorism Task Forces located around the country.
All of this intelligence gathering on the street brought another significant change in the law enforcement world. The globalization of terrorism forced the line between domestic intelligence and foreign intelligence to become much fuzzier. ILOs and fusion centers had to become more efficient at collecting and sifting intel. Otherwise, information overload could bog down the delivery of real-time intelligence.
Success of New Anti-Terror Legislation
The most profound post-9/11 change to the United States' legal landscape was the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act. The PATRIOT Act, an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism, was later supplemented with the Protect America Act of 2007 amendments to the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Both laws have been the targets of much criticism and abundant misinformation.
The PATRIOT Act was intended to facilitate information sharing within the FBI, and with the local law enforcement. To that end, it has largely succeeded. One particularly chilling example is the successful identification of six Yemeni-Americans from New York who received terrorist basic training at an al Qaeda base in Afghanistan. Under former rules of engagement, the FBI would have had to wall off investigators looking at the so-called Lacawanna Six's alleged drug trafficking from other investigators examining the group's affiliation with al Qaeda. The PATRIOT Act provided for seamless information sharing between investigators, ultimately leading to criminal convictions and incarceration before the group could carry out terror missions on United States soil.
Similar high-profile successes — due in part to the information sharing provisions of the PATRIOT Act — include detection of the Portland Seven, men who attempted to travel to Afghanistan to join al Qaeda combatants, a plot by a former Latino gang member turned al Qaeda terrorist to detonate a "dirty" nuclear bomb, and detection and capture of six Islamist terrorists planning to attack Fort Dix, New Jersey, and massacre U.S. soldiers. To date, over 40 terrorist attacks against the United States have been thwarted, due largely to enhanced information sharing and intelligence gathering permitted by the PATRIOT Act.
Some critics claim that the United States law enforcement community overreacted to 9/11, and built a security plan that was too unwieldy. Newsweek's editorial writer Fareed Zakaria argues that the nation overbuilt its complex antiterrorism system.
Perhaps the strongest argument to the contrary is the lack of successful terror attacks on U.S. soil. Our counterterrorism efforts have not only thwarted al Qaeda plots, but also ferreted out home-grown would-be terrorists such as the Lackawanna Six, the Portland Seven and those behind the Fort Dix plot. Alert local cops captured members of Jam'yyat Al-Islam Al-Saheeh, a radical Islamist group born in a U.S. prison. Cell members were committing armed robberies to fund terror activities and lifestyles.
A particularly relevant, though complex, question is whether the nation is at risk from Islamist terrorists radicalized in the United States through association with gateway groups. The NYPD published an insightful study of the home-grown threat, available here.
Many myths about the PATRIOT Act swirl in the popular mainstream media.
For example, some have claimed that the FBI uses its authority to review library patronage and other business records on a broad scale. The Act places a federal judge as the gatekeeper to obtaining such records. The Justice Department must report all uses of section 215 of the PATRIOT Act (the provision for obtaining such records) to Congress. The House Judiciary Committee reviews the individual cases and has consistently reported that federal law enforcement officials are using this authority carefully and judiciously. The ACLU has claimed that the PATRIOT Act significantly modified Fourth Amendment jurisprudence by permitting delayed notification of the execution of a search warrant.
Though rarely used, that option is consistent with established Fourth Amendment law. The United States Supreme Court so held over 30 years ago in Dalia v. United States, 441 U.S. 238 (1979).
The 9/11 attacks sped the law enforcement transformation to intelligence-led policing, sometimes referred to as data-driven policing. Community policing gains a new value when used to gather intelligence upon which operational priorities are based. Information collection and collation has become part of the culture of forward-thinking police agencies. The best police agencies create actionable intelligence though their intelligence-led policing architecture. Examples of results include targeting of identified repeat offenders, intensified enforcement in hot spots and zones with high frequency of traffic violations and proactive prevention strategies formulated from solid intelligence analysis.
Where Do We Go Next?
What lies ahead for the street cop? There are more than three quarters of a million cops on the streets of the United States. Those are cops who can fight terrorism one day at a time by seeing and acting upon incidents of heightened suspicion. Police agencies must do a better job at training cops to recognize and evaluate suspicious circumstances that could relate to a terror threat. For example, by knowing the deadly potential of an anhydrous ammonia leak, I'm in a much better position to assess the threat of a suspicious person at the local chemical supply center.
The street cop who knows the beauty supply store manager who passes on information about unusual purchases of hydrogen peroxide can be the early detection tool against a peroxide-based bomb hidden in a backpack and placed in a busy shopping center. Street cops are on the street — street cops are the first to perceive changes that might evolve into a terrorist threat.
American law enforcement agencies are the ultimate first responders. We're the ones with boots on the ground now, communication systems deployed and operational 24/7 and we have the ability to rapidly rally back up. Our ability to make quick decisions and take prompt action means that local law enforcement agencies can and must be a solid line of defense against terrorist attacks on our communities. We still have progress to make in converging decades of street cop experience and counter-terror fighting skills, but we're well on track.
For some of us, 9/11 brought personal changes. Some of us lost friends in the attacks. Whether cops in Pennsylvania, New York, or at the Pentagon, we all felt the loss. At the time of the attacks, I was assigned to our state police academy. I saw a marked increase in highly-desirable police recruits. Competition for law enforcement jobs became fierce.
September 11th became personal to me when my son announced that he was enlisting in the military. He heard the same call of a great nation that summoned many excellent young men and women to service in the armed forces and in the police service. After his time in the enlisted ranks, he opted to pursue officer rank in the National Guard, now serving in a military police unit, and a career as a federal special agent. Later, his younger sister followed his example and became a deputy sheriff.
I never intended for either of my kids to be cops. It was theirs to choose. Perhaps this noble profession of arms chose them. They continue a tradition of police service in our family that dates to just after the Civil War, when President Ulysses S. Grant appointed an Army subordinate, my great-great grandfather, as a deputy United States Marshal.
I did not suggest or choose their paths but make no mistake, I could not be prouder than I was when each of my kids pinned on the badge and covenanted to defend the Constitution of the United States and the people who live here. They each signed that same check that you signed — payable in an amount up to and including their own lives — for the safety and security of the United States of America and the community that they serve.
To my kids, now grown up and tough and resilient cops, I remind you that the terrorists brought the fight to us once. Don't let it happen again. Never, never again.
September 11, 2001, inalterably changed the mission of the cop on the beat. You're the eyes and ears, and the first line of righteous violence, against those who would bring terror to the land of the free. In the panoply of the United States' anti-terror strategies, you, all of my brother and sister cops on the street, are the ones I'm betting on. I'll be right there with you.
God bless the United States of America and every man and woman in her service, whether abroad or at home.


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Gerald Coles: Education in Obama's Second Term: What Lies Ahead?
Guest post by Gerald Coles.
I wish President Obama's comments on education, in his second inaugural speech, had not brought to mind the lines from Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues: "Look Out Kid, They Keep It All Hid... Look Out Kid, You're Gonna Get Hit." While a surface reading of the remarks suggest a concern for schooling and children, particularly poor children, to anyone who has followed the president's words and policies during the last four years, these remarks are familiar and disturbing. Regrettably, they embrace an intention to continue to support and promote the corporate-influenced assumptions and policies of his first term.
Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train our workers.
This first of the president's comments on education puts the purposes of schooling within the context of the nation's economic needs. Putting aside the question of who the "we" were, the remark conceives of education as schooling that historically had been aimed at providing the skills to serve business interests. This is a view comparable to today's expressed goal in Obama's "Race to the Top" educational legislation focused on educating students to serve and "compete in the global economy." It is legislation that emphasizes job training , not thinking -- certainly not thinking critically about the "global economy." The emphasis is on "STEM" education, i.e., "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics," presumably the pathway to the good life. In contrast, critical thinking, creativity, intellectual enrichment, thinking and acting as informed citizens are, at best, minimal in the curriculum for competing in the global economy.
Yes, there is much discussion about an emphasis on "critical thinking" within the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), seen as a necessary ingredient for competing for a Race to the Top grant. However, in CCSS, "critical thinking" exists within constrained boundaries that do not challenge fundamental assumptions about the "global economy" and all related to it, particularly the full meaning and ramifications of "competing" in it. It is not thinking that nurtures concern for a moral, caring, sharing society and world.
There is nothing new here, of course. Schooling of the past did, to use the president's example, provide many students (those lucky enough to be in school) with training that would serve railroad interests. However, their uncritical learning did not include study of the railroad/robber barons of the time, such as Jay Gould and Collis Potter Huntington, who amassed fortunes and obtained favorable railroad legislation through illegal power, corruption, control of media, bribes of politicians, indifference to the exploitation and deaths of railroad workers, particularly Chinese and Irish laborers, labor strikes, the destruction of other businesses.
With the Obama inauguration occurring on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, it is worth noting that the education promoted in the president's first term was not guided by King's definition of the purposes of education. Dr. King described these purposes as: "To save [people] from the mass of propaganda [and half truths and prejudices], in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction. The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically."
collective action . . . to train all the math and science teacher's we'll need to equip our children for the future.
The president's second remark, including the call for "collective action," signals the need for greater government spending for education; to his credit, he has tried to increase education spending, but the Republicans have blocked it. However, funding is just one part of what must be parsed in this statement. Again, Obama raises the banner of STEM education for competing and winning jobs in the global economy, and this is the reason for the exclusive call for math and science teachers, a call that is part of the administration-supported corporate attack on public schools. For anyone concerned about the need to educate the upcoming generation for life in a world filled with vast inequities and suffering, and a grim global warming threat to all life on Earth, it is, frankly, a deplorable vision of the aim of "collective action" for the future. Elsewhere, I have discussed how this form of education promotes a form of idiot savantism. It is a corporate driven education that aims to create perfect employees, that is, "perfect" as aptly described in Tom Lehrer's song about a leading scientist: "Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?/ That's not my department, says Wernher von Braun."
We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else....
The president's third comment on education was implicit in this "bleakest poverty" comment. Although the remark leaves unstated how the "same chance to succeed" will occur, his previous term has made clear that the primary means will be education. In this respect the first Obama term has been in sync with the ideology of philanthrocapitalism, such as in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as with the ideology of right-wing think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation: schooling is regarded as the chief vehicle for lifting children out of poverty, even the bleakest poverty. This equation has, of course, a long history in U.S. ideology.
Surely the president's comment was meant to suggest some kind of commitment to poor children, but when appraising the remark we must first seriously ask, does the president really believe that a child "born into the bleakest poverty" can have "the same chance to succeed as anybody else"? Surely some children in the bleakest poverty do overcome its effects and succeed, but is the president truly not aware of the horrific difficulties a child in these circumstances encounters and the low odds of "succeeding" (whatever that means). Is the president unaware of the considerable research documenting the stark disadvantage of "bleak poverty" both for schooling and life outcomes compared with children born into more materially rich circumstances? Why, it is reasonable to ask, did Obama not speak instead about his dedication to eliminate that "bleakest poverty" so that no child would have to grow up in it?
The president's line could have come from the speech Bill Gates gave at the National Urban League in 2011. Insisting that a child's success should not depend on race or family income, he advised that "improving education [i.e., "market solutions"] is the best way to solve poverty." Yes, "poverty is a terrible obstacle, but we can't let it be an excuse." Gates neglected to note the lack of evidence supporting charters and similar privatization alternatives, his favorite method for "improving education" (for example, see my discussion of KIPP schools).
Callously ignored in this equation is the mountain of research documenting the dire educational effects of poverty and the odds against doing well within that poverty. Stanford professor Sean Reardon found, for example, that social class influences -- i.e., whether a student lives in an economically affluent or a low-income family -- has a greater influence on educational achievement than does race. Since the 1960s, the difference in test scores between these student groupings has grown about 40 percent and is now double the test score difference between black and white students.
Similarly, researchers Greg J. Duncan and Katherine Magnuson conclude, based on their research and that of others, that family income is especially correlated with educational development when children enter kindergarten and these educational differences do not narrow appreciably as the children progress through later grades. However, as a critical step for overcoming these differences, they underscored that the "weight of the evidence suggests that increases in income in poor families are causally related to improvements in children's outcomes." Sadly, none of these findings found their way into the president's assurance that the "bleakest poverty" would not harm the little girl's chances to succeed.
new ideas and technology to . . . reform our schools . . . to empower . . . our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, reach higher
The president's fourth and final remark about education leaves vague what the "new ideas" will be, but the comment about empowering "citizens . . . to work harder" does contain a strong association to school success and failure.
"Work harder"? Does the president really not know that, measured by the continued rise in productivity during the last 30+ years, Americans already have been working harder and harder? And does he really not know that while Americans have been working harder and thereby contributing to a steep rise in productivity, the top 1% has grown even richer, but the wages of working Americans have stayed flat?
"Working harder" includes not just productivity but the number of hours worked per week. For example, over the last 30 years, an increasing proportion of middle-income and professional women and men have had to extend their working hours to 50 hours or more per week, resulting in increased family stress and reduced parenting time.
The Next Four Years
In the president's inaugural speech, the few signs of his thinking about education and poverty offer no hope that policy in the next four years will differ from the last four. Bleak poverty will continue, education will be constrained within the boundaries of educating to "compete in the global economy," the curriculum will be narrowly crafted toward that goal, corporate attacks on the public schools will be promoted through more support of privatized alternatives, and the president will continue to regard charter schools as "incubators of innovation". It will be in stark contrast to the schooling that Martin Luther King, Jr. would have worked to achieve.
What do you think of where President Obama is leading our schools?
Gerald Coles is a full-time researcher, writer, and lecturer on the psychology and politics of literacy and education. Before devoting himself to full-time research and writing, he was on the faculties of the Department of Psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and the Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the University of Rochester. He is an active member of the Coalition for Justice in Education in Rochester, NY. He can be reached at [email protected]


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Lea Michele in a White Hoody Goes Grocery Shopping in Brentwood 11/02/2018
Fans of the musical comedy TV series Glee came to know Lea Michele as the talented Rachel Berry. The role earned her nominations for multiple Golden Globe Awards. In 2015, she was cast as Hester in the FOX horror/comedy series Scream Queens.
Lea Michele Age
34 years (August 29, 1986)
Zodiac Sign
Related celebs
Zandy Reich
In July 2017, Lea Michele had begun dating the president of clothing brand AYR, Zandy Reich. On April 28, 2018, Lea Michele announced her engagement to Reich on Instagram. Michele and Reich married on March 9, 2019.
2016 - 2016
Robert Buckley
In 2016 Lea Michele briefly dated Robert Buckley.
2014 - 2015
Matthew Paetz
Lea Michele dated Matthew Paetz from 2014 to 2015.
2012 - 2013
Cory Monteith
Lea Michele began working with actor Cory Monteith in 2008, when they were cast as love interests on Glee.In February 2012, the media reported that they had begun dating. They remained together until his death in July 2013.
2005 - 2006
Matthew Morrison
Lea Michele briefly dated Matthew Morrison from 2005 to 2006.


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kaufDA, a team in Germany, has started an initiative called "Make it green" whose goal is to reduce carbon emissions worldwide. One aspect of the program is to offset the carbon footprint resulting from the use of the Internet by both raising public awareness about protecting the environment and by planting more trees. Working with the Arbor Day Foundation, kaufDA will plant one tree in the Plumas National Forest in Northern California for every participating blog.
If you have a blog, you can have a tree planted in your honor by spreading the word about the program. See the kaufDA website for more details.
About Carbon Emissions and Global Warming
The climate change phenomenon known as global warming is a result of increased carbon emissions from driving cars, home energy use, and the energy used to produce all of the products and services we consume. The steady upward trend in temperatures has, and will continue to have, a drastic effect on the planet and its inhabitants. For example, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has predicted a loss of two-thirds of the world's polar bears by 2050 due to declines in ice habitats. According to a Climactic Change journal report by the World Wildlife Fund, by 2070, the sea levels near Bangladesh will rise 11 inches, submerging 96% of the Bengal tiger habitat. Many animals will be threatened by the change and loss of habitat due to global warming.
About Planting Trees
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) assumes a yearly absorption of one tree to be approximately 10kg (20lb.) of carbon dioxide emissions. The Arbor Day Foundation is working to plant more trees in the Plumas National Forest in Northern California, which lost 88,000 acres of forest due to fires in 2007.
Aside from planting trees, you can help curb global warming by reducing your carbon emissions. This includes walking or taking public transportation instead of driving, using energy saver appliances and light bulbs, buying locally grown produce, recycling, and more.


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About this blog
FLEFF Intern Voices
The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival from the interns' point of view
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Happy FLEFF!
In no particular order, here are the top 5 events at Cinemapolis not to miss:
1) Dear President Obama
On Saturday at 1:00pm environmental documentary filmmaker and professional adventurer, Jon Bowermaster will be at a screening of his film Dear President Obama. Personally, my hype...
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Engaging in spaces where environment and political landscapes react due to activism and policy, is where Dr. Thomas Shevory's work exists to critically examine the functions of influential moments in environmental history, like the 2015 Paris People's Global Climate March, where Dr. Shevory attended and
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Blog posting by Kayla Reopelle, Documentary Studies and Production '14, FLEFF Blogger, Roy, WA
This is my first and last year as a staffer for FLEFF.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Blog Posting by Alexis Lanza, Film, Photography and Visual Arts '15, FLEFF Blogger, Enfield, CT
On Sunday, April 6, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology presented a showcase of work from the multimedia lab, moderated by
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
They squawk to their friends. They hop across the forest floor. They puff their feathers to attract a mate.
The birds shown in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology showcase were so comical they could have been cartoon characters. In How Nature Works: Barrier Island Foraging Strategies FLEFF goers got the inside close-up...
Friday, March 28, 2014
Blog post written by Haley Stearns, Still Photography '15, FLEFF Blogger, Buffalo, New York
The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Video Showcase is playing at 4:00 on Sunday, April 6th in Cinemapolis. During this showcase, six films will be shown and chronicle the work that the CLO has...
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Blog post by Haley Stearns, Still Photography '15, FLEFF Blogger, Buffalo, New York
Tom Swartwout has worked in The Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the past five years. Working on science and conservation films in the multimedia production group led Tom to become the director for the film
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Only 12 days left until FLEFF!
With less than 2 weeks until the festival starts, it's time to start planning your FLEFF schedule. Both the list of the films being screened on campus as well the list of the films being screened downtown at Cinemapolis have been posted! Here are my top 5 recommendations of films to see at Cinemapolis:...
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Blog Post by Alexis Lanza, Film, Photography, and Visual Arts '15, FLEFF Blogger, Enfield, CT
Ms. Karen Rodriguez, the curator for the Upstate Filmmaker's Showcase screening, has worked with the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival for three years. Over the phone, she discussed her involvement with FLEFF,...


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The Idyllwild Town Crier is published weekly and covers the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains from Twin Pines to Anza to Pinyon.
The Idyllwild Town Crier offers many ways to advertise your business or service. The information below is an overview of our services. For more detailed information contact one of the following Town Crier staff members.
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[email protected] or (951) 659-2145 ext. 13
Classifieds, Idyllwild Service Directory & Legal Advertising
Special Publications
PDF editions of our special publications can be found on our website at idyllwildtowncrier.com/special-publications.


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Here are some of the new releases from popular authors that are coming out in April. Reserve your favorites today!
Stephen Coonts – Pirate Alley
Clive Cussler – Zero Hour
Janet Dailey – Bannon Brothers: Triumph
Richard Paul Evans – A Step of Faith
Gail Godwin – Flora
Charlene Harris – Dead Ever After
Khaled Hosseini – And the Mountains Echoed
Dean Koontz – Deeply Odd
John Le Carre – A Delicate Truth
John Lescroart – Ophelia Cut
Mary Monroe – Lost Daughters
John Sandford – Silken Prey
Jeff Shaara – A Chain of Thunder
Fay Weldon – Long Live the King
For more new titles, be sure to check out Upcoming Releases on the Davenport Public Library webpage!


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I am loving her the Heatherette dress with jeans. She is fire and she didn't even drop an album yet! Keep looking out for her she is gona be (already is) huge!
-Doe Chee$e
Friday, September 14, 2007
Teyana Taylor in TRACE MAG
Posted by Doe Cheese at 11:56 AM
Labels: teyana taylor, trace mag
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text: My 16 year old son switched to the new model (black) standard Pure Drive a couple of months ago. He has a really bad habit of banging the frame on the ground after a bad point, and yesterday in a match he had pieces of the flimsy bumper guard loose and hanging off the frame. My question: is the replacement bumper guard / grommet set the same for all the assorted standard Pure Drives? I was about to order some replacements, but some were listed for the GT, or Lite, and I wanted to make sure the frame grommet system had remained the same for the newest model frame before ordering something that won't work. Thanks for any input.


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Illinois Trophy Bowhunters: "Where Whitetail Dreams Come True"
When it comes to Illinois Trophy Bowhunters, Inc. (ITB), making the perfect whitetail hunt possible for any and all bow hunters is literally their mission, not just a slogan. ITB is one of those companies that has fine-tuned every aspect of the deer hunt in order to maximize the chances of bow hunting success for all their visitors.
Since ITB is 100% fair chase, a buck cannot be guaranteed, but when looking for elite service and guides who have a long experience in the bow hunting realm, the opportunities to land a trophy whitetail deer are extremely high with ITB. Managed for trophy quality deer (125" P&Y or better), ITB's archery hunts are a full 6 days of hunting; unlike 4 or 5, which are offered by most other Illinois deer hunting outfitters. This extra day in the field can mean a great deal for the hunter if the weather has not cooperated during the week in the great state of Illinois. Coming together to increase your personal opportunity for success, ITB is a proven combination of trophy managed land, longer hunts, hunting the rut, experienced bow hunting guides, and fewer hunters to deal with.
For almost 25 years, Illinois Trophy Bowhunters, Inc. has provided unmatched bow hunting experiences. Founder Steve Phelps, back in 1991, wanted to share his passion for whitetail deer hunting with others, thus sparking the creation of ITB. The original concept was to control approximately 5000 acres in Pike County, Illinois, to judge just how good bow hunting could get if managed the correct way. Guided deer hunts would only be allowed during the rut – just three weeks out of the entire year. This made the land ITB managed more of a refuge for the remaining part of the year, which means more bucks were available when those three weeks of hunting came into play.
Detailed plans were made: ITB determined the exact spots where stands should be placed, and the approach to the stands based on various wind conditions. Shooting lanes were then also developed that would not exceed 25 yards in order to minimize wound rates and increase kill percentage. With all the professional work, research, and thought put into the plans, Illinois Trophy Bowhunters, Inc. reaped the rewards from early on and grew to become a highly respected Illinois deer outfitter, with guided deer hunts that are more popular than ever in 2017.
Each year, the best buck ITB takes, scores in the 190 – 200 inch range. The ITB hunting camp success rates can be as high as 90% for shot opportunity and 70% for kill rates! The stage is most definitely always set for the opportunity to achieve these numbers on any day during the three weeks bow hunting is practiced.
One of the most important achievements – not to mention a true compliment for ITB – is the fact that bow hunters return for 5 to 10 years in a row after their first booking. Rebooking rates have averaged around 70% for the last 10 years because hunters know that the next day they spend in the woods with ITB guides could have them scoring the best buck of their life. Thousands of satisfied deer hunters praise Illinois Trophy Bowhunters, Inc. for the work they do that goes above and beyond the call of most outfitters, which is why they book their guided tours with them – whether it be for family and friends or business events.
A guided deer hunt is a dream hunt for many and can be an awesome trip. For many, the hunt in Illinois becomes an annual journey they look forward to and a tradition that might last for several years in a row. However, if the wrong Illinois outfitter is chosen, dream hunts can end up being nightmares. The right choice is made by choosing a company with almost 25 years in the industry that is filled with experienced guides and plans to get the job done right by supplying all avid bow hunters with the unforgettable experience of coming face-to-face with those Midwest monster bucks.
In other words…when that excitement builds for the bow hunt, and the dreams grow bigger to bag that unforgettable whitetail, look no further than Illinois Trophy Bowhunters!
Source: Sportsmans Lifestyle


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VERNON, N.J. (AP) — Republicans accused New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie of getting too cozy with President Barack Obama after Superstorm Sandy.
But during a visit Friday to a Republican stronghold for one of his regular town hall meetings, the governor went out of his way to put some distance between himself and the Democratic president.
Before taking questions from the public, Christie spoke about the problems in Washington, appearing to place most of the blame on Obama.
"We look at Washington, D.C., and we shake our heads in wonder at a president who can't figure out how to lead, at a Congress that only 11 percent of the people in the last poll I saw approve of the job they're doing," he said.
Referring further to those low approval ratings, Christie said "that's what happens when you don't have a leader at the top."
"That's what happens when you have someone in the executive office who is more concerned about being right than he's concerned about getting things done, and I'm not going to be that kind of leader of New Jersey."
When former Vernon Mayor Sally Rinker thanked Christie for the way he worked with Obama after Sandy and referred to the criticism he took for it, the governor cut her off.
He said he disagreed with Obama "probably 95 percent of the time" and hadn't voted for him either time.
"I don't want him to be president but it wasn't my choice," said Christie, a potential candidate for the presidency in 2016 who had criticized Obama's leadership on previous occasions.
At the same time, he said there's only one president at a time, and he dismissed criticism he received for the praise he gave Obama for the government's response to Sandy.
"And when the storm hits the state and the president of the United States calls you and says, 'I want to come and see it and I want to help,' and he actually follows through on the promises that he made, then you have to say that on that part of it he did a good job," Christie said. "That doesn't mean I like Obamacare, that doesn't mean I like what he's doing on taxes or spending or anything else."
"For the folks who are critical of that, let me just ask them, 'What would you have me do, exactly?' ... The president calls and says I want to come and visit and see it for myself so I can help you and I say, 'Yeah, no. I'm for Mitt Romney, I don't want you to come.' Or would you have me wear my Romney sweatshirt while I was walking around with him? You know, I mean, this is ridiculous stuff."


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Critic's Choice: Neighborhood pizza pros
Some 30 years after Wolfgang Puck introduced a wood-burning oven and his sophisticated pizza at the original Spago, we're enjoying a pizza renaissance. And many of the newer pizzerie and restaurants are turning out pies better than typical neighborhood joints in Italy — and by a long shot. Though Pizzeria Mozza gets the lion's share of attention and remains one of the toughest reservations in town, there are plenty of other chefs making great pies at places that are easier to get into at the spur of the moment — Steve Samson and Zach Pollack at Sotto, Jeff Mahin at Stella Rossa Pizza Bar in Santa Monica, Travis Lett at Gjelina and Gjelina Take Away and Nicola Mastronardi at Pizzeria il Fico. But there are other simpler places to find exceptional pizza too. Here are a few that fly under the radar, but maybe not for long.
Mother Dough
The purists' choice. Bez Compani is so devoted to his dough that he doesn't let anybody else touch it — or the sourdough mother he saves back to feed the next day's dough. Compani, an Iranian who was raised in London and trained in pizza in Naples, turns out classic Neapolitan pizza from a massive wood-burning oven at the back of this bare-bones Los Feliz space. The oven works at such a high temperature that pizzas — just a half dozen are on offer — cook in about a minute. Margherita is perfection with pools of molten bufala mozzarella (the only type he uses), San Marzano tomato sauce and a few heroic leaves of basil. Another made with oven-roasted vine tomatoes is fabulous with the bufala. His zucchini pie is a good bet too. Just don't expect much in the way of antipasti or sides. At Mother Dough, it's pizza all the way.
4648 Hollywood Blvd. (near Vermont Avenue), Los Feliz, (323) 644-2885, https://www.motherdoughpizza.com. Pizzas, $15 to $19. Closed Mondays.
Giuseppe Musso sold his stake in Amarone on Sunset Strip and opened this Koreatown Italian (not to be confused with the now-shuttered al'Angelo) a year or so ago. Like Angelini Osteria's Gino Angelini, Musso comes from Rimini in Romagna on the Adriatic coast. And his pies, which can be ordered in three sizes, really taste like Italy. All the ingredients are imported, and though his background is high-end restaurants, at this modest strip mall place, he's keeping his prices neighborhood-friendly. Try the thin-crusted capricciosa with artichoke hearts, supple ham, olives and mushrooms. He makes most of the classics but also with the pizza bianca (no tomato) category, the "Emiliana" topped with mozzarella, prosciutto, Parmigiano, arugula and a drizzle of aceto balsamico. There's calzone too, stuffed with mozzarella and fontina cheese, ham, mushroom and spinach. And he makes a mean rigatoni all' Amatriciana too. If this is your neighborhood, you're in luck.
4050 W. 3rd St. (at South Ardmore Avenue), Koreatown, (213) 368-7888, https://www.allangolopizza.com. Pizzas, $7 to $16.
Here's one pizzeria that has appealing antipasti: fire-roasted shishito peppers, a mix of olives marinated in garlic and fresh herbs, and a fine baby spinach salad with feta and roasted grapes. Owner and chef Brad Kent ferments his dough slowly for maximum flavor and bakes it in an oven fired with olive and almond wood. His pies are thin-crusted and crisp. I love the "Margherita plus," made with creamy fresh burrata embroidered with basil-infused olive oil. I'm also partial to the eggplant Parmesan pizza. If you like truffled cheese, get the wild mushroom and crispy prosciutto pizza. The mushrooms are meaty pieces of porcini. The more unconventional "Hawaiian" pie makes its mark with fresh roasted pineapple and smoked ham from Italy's Alto Adige. And for dessert, you can't beat the warm apple crisp from the wood-burning oven. The fact that you can enjoy your pizza outside at a handful of sidewalk tables is another plus.
8075 W. 3rd St. (at Crescent Heights Boulevard), Los Angeles, (323) 930-9490, https://www.pizzeriaolio.com. Pizzas, $11 to $16.
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So It Rained And It Blew In New York – Tell That To The People Of Bangladesh. That's A Real Storm Story
Julia Gillard Reposition Australia On World Stage
How the great woman intends to succeed in this is not clear, certainly not from reading Australia In The Asian Century, a 312-page paper she's been promoting here.
Hurricane Sandy and the Obama administration
Don't get me wrong, I'm not some hurricane denier and I won't dispute the fact that Sandy is real and has caused some serious anxiety among the folks living along the US East Coast. Mr Obama got loads of free publicity, having taken on Sandy all himself, while his rival, who naturally had to cancel his election effort as well, to avoid criticism for ignoring people's suffering, was left on the sidelines.
You Know What Britain Needs? A Damning Book About 13 Years Of Labour In Power
|Tony Blair 10 Downing St Cartoon
The left-wing hypocrites are doing everything they can to conceal the sad truth that communist and socialist regimes have murdered nearly 200 million people in the 20th century alone, denying millions their civil rights and liberties.
Emeli Sande – Our Version Of Events
|New Albums: Emeli Sande – Our Version Of Events (Special Edition)
Not much was known about Emeli Sande in early 2012 but she'd been quietly working away for several years in the build up to her solo singing career to follow. She'd won songwriting competitions and gone on to write songs for the likes of Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle and Cher Lloyd.
Voters in America who dont like Obama nor Romney
Why is it that there's never a credible third independent candidate in the US presidential elections, for people to vote for as an alternative?
Savile scandal turned into comedy sitcom
Let's face it, it does sound surreal that one man had supposedly run a paedophile network at the BBC for around fifty years, with pretty much everyone being aware of it but too afraid to spill the beans.
Halloween recession is damping the spirits
Anton Goryunov writes from Paris: Have you heard the news? Singapore has had its first 'zombie walk' over the weekend with around a hundred people dressed up as zombies walking around the city and scaring passers-by.
A vast industry has emerged that is making money on the occult and black magic. Just look at the way Harry Potter was transferred into a huge merchandise operation. Stupid parents allowed retailers to plug that crap to their children with no objections, buying vampire books and DVDs and dolls.
Stirring Trouble Internationally - A humorous take on news and current affairs.
Related articles
- First zombie walk in Singapore (telegraph.co.uk)
- 15 Halloween Fun Facts (oddandstrange.blogspot.com)
- Torontonians Crave Brains at 10th annual Toronto Zombie Walk (aestheticmagazinetoronto.com)
- It's a Halloween Extravaganza! [Sundays Are For Procrastination] (collegecandy.com)
- Zombies will walk through downtown trick-or-treating event in Bangor on Saturday (bangordailynews.com)
- AP PHOTOS: Spooky and kooky Halloween costumes (utsandiego.com)
- 13 Terrifyingly Realistic Halloween Makeup Jobs [PICS] (mashable.com)
Nothing's Wrong With Chinese Premier Making A Buck
According to the NYT, Wen's relatives' held shares in property, insurance and construction companies, all areas that were under the direct control of 'Grandpa Wen'.In China no businessman can succeed in anything until he gets the nod from the local comrades. And the more senior the comrades are, the bigger the thank you that they get.The Chinese government reacted swiftly and blocked the NYT websites, in English and in Chinese.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the NYT had 'ulterior motives' when publishing the report about Wen.
Corruption in any communist state and China is no exception, is endemic and goes to the very top, as it is the main glue that keeps the regime together.In USSR the once mighty Communist Party fell apart in a matter of four days. Yes, four days. So there is every chance that the Chinese comrades will follow the same path.
Related articles
- China blocks New York Times over Wen Jiaboa wealth claims(theweek.co.uk)
- wealth of comrades (telegraphindia.com)
- Family of Chinese PM has hidden fortune: NYT (straitstimes.com)
Why Is News Reporting So Boring And Stupid?
How come news is so boring and stupid?
Talking heads produce unbearable bulls..t on the box and scribblers write such pathetic trash that it's a mystery that anyone even bothers to start reading it, let alone finish or get to the middle part.
Berlusconi's Prison Sentence Must Have Sent A Shudder Down The Spines Of Politicians
R.F.Wilson writes from Rome: Would it be too bold to assume that many of the former political leaders in Europe and beyond had a shiver run down their spines when they heard the news that I bet some of them thought: what if I go down like Silvio?
Americans Think The Economy Matters More Than Spreading Democracy All Over The World
The Republican contender, Mitt Romney, said something along similar lines. Make America stronger and fix the world whatever it takes, he said.
The Pew Research Centre polls during the past four weeks have detected that few Americans see the benefits of a global reach foreign policy. All this is more or less what America was saying after the 1914-1918 war into whichPresident Wilson led them into a conflict without reason nor benefit and then refused to endorse his own plan for the League of Nations that was one consequence of war.
A further example of America's electorate having more than a superficial grasp of foreign affairs than imagined, is the poling that shows the majority of Americans don't think that the so-called Arab Spring has delivered anything good for the Arabs. Noticeably, Romney agrees with Obama that it was right to get rid of America's strongest and trusted ally, Mubarak.
It is in this example that we see the economic-military-politico pull-together. Protecting Israeli and the Middle East protects the vital interest of the US – oil.
But now we have through the Pew Research Center this month evidence that almost 70 per cent of the US electorate believe Washington should keep out of leadership changes in the Middle East. That same poll suggested 57 per cent believe the Middle East should have stable governments without much emphasis on democracy.
In other words, neither Democrats nor Republicans have the candidates they want. For that reason alone it is better that Obama stays on and then the whole choosing process for both parties will be better placed to begin the 2016 election with a clean sheet. A post made earlier today over on Stirring Trouble Internationally – A humorous take on news and current affairs.
Related articlesCandidates Avoid Hard Argument for Democracy (washingtonmonthly.com)
Most Americans want less foreign involvement, polls show (stripes.com)
It Wasn't Just an Apology Tour, It Was a Condemnation Tour! (rushlimbaugh.com)
Barack Obama: His Achilles Heel Is Not Egypt, It's Libya (valuewalk.com)
Latin America gets short shrift in US election (kansascity.com)
The BBC Is Worried The Savile Scandal Will Damage Public Trust In It. What Trust Would That Be?
Related articles
- BBC heads 'are on the block over Jimmy Savile' (standard.co.uk)
- Jimmy Savile crisis: BBC chairman 'expects resignations' (guardian.co.uk)
- we are looking at is a conspiracy to cover-up paedophile and other crimes (21stcenturywire.com)
- Miliband calls for independent Savile inquiry (yorkshirepost.co.uk)
- Ed Miliband backs BBC chief over Jimmy Savile scandal (telegraph.co.uk)
- BBC probe 'two more Saviles' (thesun.co.uk)
President Obama Has Achieved Something Of A Miracle By Running Neck-In-Neck With A Non-Hoper
That's no mean feat, considering that Mr Obama has been running his campaign since, like, spring last year and has had all the advantages of an incumbent president who was getting loads of free promotion on a daily basis, not to mention his huge campaign donations.
Mr Obama and his aides and advisers seem to be missing one important point: the more frantic the campaign of the sitting president becomes before the election, the more people realise that he was not very good at his job. Because, let's face it, if the Commander-in-Chief is popular among his fellow Americans then why would he be so desperate to convince them that he is the best choice for them days before the vote.
Oh, some might say, but Mr Romney has a lot of money at his disposal and he can influence lots of voters by running endless adverts that show the President in a bad light. Yes, sure, I would say to that, but let's not forget that the Republican candidate is an underdog that was selected by his own party for the simple reason that no heavyweights wanted to stand. Not forgetting the thorny issue of his Mormonism that the Bible belt would find hard to stomach. It would be really weird if Romney wins. It would go against all the odds and even against common sense. But then again, President Obama has only himself to blame for spending too much time enjoying the trappings of high office and not really tucking into the problems of the day. Turns out that cool cat he ain't. A post made earlier today over on Stirring Trouble Internationally – A humorous take on news and current affairs.
Related articles
- Barack Obama is "Master of His Own Domain"…as it were(goodolewoody.wordpress.com)
- Mitt Romney, Barack Obama neck-and-neck ahead of Lynn University debate – Newsday (newsday.com)
- Obama on attack in foreign policy debate, but Romney steady – Reuters(reuters.com)
- Obama and Romney in final push (bbc.co.uk)
Britain's Economy Is Growing. So Say People Who Say They Know
Ted Obvious writes from London: have you heard the good news? The British economy grew by 1 per cent in the third quarter of 2012.
And if you believe that you might just as well believe that the BBC is an impartial broadcaster that spends most of its £3.6 billion budget on making quality programmes and entertaining shows.The Office of National Statistics that has delivered that figure of 1 per cent growth of GDP is an agency that is funded, wait for it, by the government. And we might safely assume that its bosses have received a couple of calls in advance of today's presentation, with people on other end of the line reminding them who pays them and what their prospects were as regards hounours and future employment.
The coalition would now be boasting that the latest figures prove that its policies are benefitting the nation. Nothing will be mentioned of the fact that the Bank of England has pumped another astronomical amount of taxpayers' money into the banking system this year that failed to pass these funds to the real economy. A post made earlier today over on Stirring Trouble Internationally – A humorous take on news and current affairs.
Most People Have No Idea What The Hell's Going
Adam Lovejoy writes from London: Have you heard about the latest opinion poll conducted in North Korea?
It registered that 98 per cent of North Koreans have absolutely no idea what the hell's going on.
The High Expectations Of Sponsors That Pushes Atletes To Use Drugs
|Lance Armstrong peace drug test
It don't stop there: the evidence against Armstrong runs into hundreds of pages and so everyone from his shoe sponsors to the guys who supply his wrap-around sun-glasses is dumping him. The latest plug-pulling comes from a Texas insurance company demanding the return of $7.5 million worth of bonuses.
Spare A Thought For TV Stars Who Like Jimmy
|George Enwistle
And then there's the abysmal appearance of the BBC Director General George Entwistle in parliament yesterday. All paedophiles were hoping that Mr Entwisle would come out fighting on their behalf, ridiculing any idea that under-age lovers have something to be ashamed of. But no, the silly man condemn these practices and was only thinking of protecting his own job, denying that he knew about Savile and his antics. It turned out that in his 22 years at the BBC Mr Entwistle has never shown any interest in anything, apart from having his lunch on time and leaving work in time to catch the latest episode of Eastenders.
Jimmy was a lonerMind you, the paedophile community at the BBC is feeling the support of the wider left-wing liberal establishment that has been doing its best to play down the Savile sex abuse scandal and distract the nation's attention from this disgraceful saga. The Savile affair is presented as a one-man operation, with the rest of the vast Corporation watching in horror how that despicable man sexually abused young girls, not daring to speak up for fear of retribution. These are just snippets of a post made earlier today over on Stirring Trouble Internationally - (A humorous take on news and current affairs).
The BBC coat of arms (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Related articles
- BBC emails spark civil war over Jimmy Savile (guardian.co.uk)
- ELITE CONNECTIONS: Truth About Savile and Pedophile Ring Was Hidden Because of Savile's Royal Connections (21stcenturywire.com)
- Jimmy Savile: Nine BBC workers in sex probe (express.co.uk)
- BBC chief George Entwistle admits: we let Jimmy Savile get away with abuse (standard.co.uk)
New Albums from Goyte and The Ting Tings
Gotye has a musical masterpiece but for The Ting Tings I'm afraid, it's pure musical madness.
How About That Olympic Legacy, Eh? That Was Twelve Billion Quid Well Spent
How about that Olympic legacy? Makes Brits proud of blowing billions on the Games.
The Communist Party of China Needs The Private Sector
China and the private sector
China is at a crossroads. The private sector is capable of expanding rapidly. Is this in the interests of the Party?
Silversun Pickups – Neck Of The Woods
Silversun Pickups – Neck Of The Woods
Carnavas was the debut album back in 2006 and two songs spring to mind whenever that fabulous album is mentioned, Lazy Eye and Future Foe Scenarios. Lazy Eye is still hugely popular, even 6 years later for the at that time unknown band and it's also played on many US alternative radio stations to date.
President Obama Won The Second Presidential Debate. Well, Sort Of Won. Not That It Matters Much
China Is Slowing Down. And That Spells Trouble For The New Boys On The Block
Gu Suhua writes from Beijing: The latest data on Chinese economic growth reveal what everyone knows: China is slowing down. Officially the Gross Domestic Product, also known as GDP, expanded by 7.4 per cent in the third quarter compared to last year. No one takes these numbers seriously though. Statistics are collated by adding up numbers submitted by the provinces and self-governing municipalities. No one expects them to understate their performance. So what is the real number? Probably just over 6 per cent. Until recently the idea was that growth below 8 per cent would trigger social unrest in China. That myth has been laid to rest.
Take the steel industry, for example. The aggregate profit of the steel industry dropped 96 per cent to $379 billion in the first half of this year compared to last year. Almost every company has said results will be worse than forecast. A Chinese source declared that the steel industry was the 'main disaster zone' of the national downturn. Coal production now exceeds demand and trouble is looming.
The slowdown could not have come at a worse time for the Communist Party of China. The 18th Congress begins on November 8 and the once in a decade changing of the guard will take place. An estimated 70 per cent of the Politburo Standing Committee, the wider Politburo, government ministers and members of the Central Military Commission will be replaced. This massive change of officials appears to have been agreed at the top. However, there may be some surprises when all the new comrades are presented to the Chinese people in mid-November. Xi Jinping, the present Vice President, is expected to become President, Secretary General of the Party and Chair of the Central Military Commission. It remains to be seen if he assumes all these offices simultaneously. If he does, he would be the supreme leader.
A slowing economy would be only one of Xi's many problems. Political and economic reforms are urgently needed as well. So say the outgoing leaders, President Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, the Prime Minister. Hu is regarded as a very cautious leader who did not risk reform because of its uncertain consequences. The state sector of the economy – dominated by banking, energy and communications – is inefficient and needs to be opened up to competition. Private companies are excluded at present from these branches of the economy. Corruption is prevalent in these monopolies. There are huge social problems looming. Rapid economic growth has widened the gulf between the haves and have nots. There are an estimated 200 million migrant workers who have no permanent home. The hukou system requires workers to be registered for social benefits and the education of their children. Local authorities do not want to register them as they then become responsible for them.
The taxation system needs to be overhauled to respond to the increase in personal incomes. Local authorities need more revenue to cope with the ever expanding social demands of the citizens.
The greatest problem of all is to change the Chinese model of development. Traditionally economic growth has been investment driven. This has increased exports but their growth is slowing as the world economy encounters difficulties. The task now is to make economic growth consumer driven. In other words, the living standards of the Chinese should rise.
Another problem for Xi is that he is no Mao. He cannot do as he likes. He has to satisfy powerful vested interests groups to achieve change. It might prove too tough to handle. And then its downhill all the way.
China Is Slowing Down. And That Spells Trouble For The New Boys On The Block A post originally shared by Alexander first published over on Stirring Trouble Internationally. Stirring Trouble Internationally is a current affairs website with news about music, entertainment, politics and world news. Stirring Trouble Internationally - A humorous take on news and current affairs http://www.stirringtroubleinternationally.com http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/StirringTroubleInternationally/~3/3-ekrNQuiVg/ October 20, 2012 at 01:16AM
New Albums: Feeder – Generation Freakshow
New Albums: Feeder – Generation Freakshow
Freddie Matthews writes from London: Feeder are Britain's answer to the USA's Foo Fighters and ironically both bands have been on the music scene since 1994. Eight albums later, unlike Foo Fighters' 7, Feeder the band from Newport in Wales are still waiting for their invitation to the rock elite. Seven of the 8 albums have been UK top 10, and 20 of their singles achieved top 40 single status. That's not too shabby a performance for a band still on the verge of greatness.
Generation Freakshow is a showcase for feel good factor, expertly penned and rousing arena anthems. Frontman Grant Nicholas initiates the writing process with just his acoustic guitar, around the not so rock 'n' roll normality of family life, while in his living room and always with a guitar to hand.
The song that Feeder are best known for is their 2001 UK top 5 single 'Buck Rogers', taken from their 3rd studio album Echo Park. Originally Grant didn't write the song for his band only for producer Gil Norten (Foo Fighters, Pixies, Counting Crows) and the A&R staff to persuade Feeder to record the song instead of giving it away.
Of Feeders 8 albums the most successful to date was Comfort In Sound. The album the band released shortly after the suicide of their drummer John Lee. It went on to sell over half a million copies in the UK alone.
Now some 18 years later Feeder have returned with Generation Freakshow. It may be album number 8 but Feeder are still impressively on form. As with the last album, Generation Freakshow is self released on Feeder's Big Teeth Records label and is one of only a handful of albums to achieve a UK album chart top 20 placing for a self-release album. I actually know Grant Nicholas personally and have ensured this record label information is as accurate as possible, having got rather confused in a recent article ref Matt Cardle's record deal situation (there were reasons but far too long winded to go into here, apologies).
It's difficult to imagine Feeder gaining many new fans in this day and age as they no longer get the radio play they used to but that shouldn't take anything away from this polished and well produced album. The standout tracks are the catchy Borders, the speedy Headstrong, the sensitive Children Of The Sun and the banging title track Generation Freakshow. Grant Nicholas has a writing formula and he's stuck to it for quite some time. It's what he knows and why should he change it while life is comfortable? There's something unique and distinctive about the way Grant strums his acoustic guitar that screams Feeder, Feeder, Feeder. I just wish he'd step away from the comfort zone and write another Comfort In Sound.
Feeder are energetic and enthusiastic live. They're cracking musicians, they write gritty, honest music and maybe they've just grown up and ever so slightly out of their once former cool rock genre.
Maybe, just maybe Feeder have a final classic album somewhere in waiting, something up their sleeve to save our future generation from turning into a complete freakshow.
New Albums: Feeder – Generation Freakshow A post originally shared by Alexander first published over on Stirring Trouble Internationally. Stirring Trouble Internationally is a current affairs website with news about music, entertainment, politics and world news. Stirring Trouble Internationally - A humorous take on news and current affairs http://www.stirringtroubleinternationally.com http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/StirringTroubleInternationally/~3/SRAGXvoiYhA/ October 20, 2012 at 12:03AM


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How To Install Fping on CentOS 7
Sep, 16
What is Fping? How To Install Fping? Fping is a small program that uses ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) echo request that the target host is responding like ping command in Linux. It's totally different from ping command as it use to ping number of specified hosts on the command line or specify file having list of IP address to ping. For example, we can specify the complete network Fping like (192.168.0.1/24 Class 'C' Network). It will send Fping request to host and move to...


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These Times | CD
Incl. VAT, Excluding Shipping
More Information
Track Listing:
- The Way In
- Put Some Miles On
- Black Light
- Bullet Holes
- Still Here Now
- Speedway
- Recovery Mode
- The Whole World's Watching
- Space Age
- Treading Water Underneath The Stars
This purchase includes a digital download of the single "Black Light" as well as the entire album. You will be emailed a link to access "Black Light" shortly after purchase. You will be emailed a link to access the full album download on the release date.


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surrogate mother ivf process
What Is IVF Surrogacy? - Process, Success Rates & Cost
IVF surrogacy requires a surrogate that agrees to sign a contract with the intended parents stating her intention to carry a baby for them. She will then undergo a procedure called "embryo transfer" using embryos created through IVF with the eggs and sperm of the intended parents or donors, if needed. Read more


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Choose a venue to book your party
It's the most wonderful time of the year and we think it is never too early to organise your Christmas party.
We have a range of packages to choose from to make your night a success, and a variety of little festive extra's including mini bottles of prosecco, six shot paddles and jagerbomb rally's to give it that personal touch. Fancy treating yourself to something extra special? Why not book in for a cocktail masterclass? An evening full of fun, laughter and plenty of cocktails. There is no better way to get your night started than the with us.
Remember 'tis the season to sparkle, so don't miss out – book your party today!


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Hearing to be held for serial rapist convicted in 1988
One of Florida's most notorious criminals could walk free in just a matter of days.
Convicted serial rapist Tommie Lee Andrews was locked up in 1988 in the first conviction using DNA, and after more than 20 years behind bars, he could get out for good behavior.
In the civil commitment hearing, Andrews walked into courtroom 19D of the Orange County courthouse acting as his own attorney.
Andrews could go free or be committed to a controversial treatment facility.
During a WESH 2 NEWS special in 2008, Andrews and a one of his victims broke their silence. Andrews said he was innocent.
The victim, Karen Monroe, never saw Andrews' face during the attack, but he left behind an indisputable clue -- his DNA.
Andrews will have served 24 years by the end of the month, and the prosecution is forcing Andrews to go through a special hearing to determine if he's still a threat to society.
Made possible through the Jimmy Ryce Act, a jury will hear from doctors, victims and Andrews. If the jury decides he is too dangerous to be set free, he'll be locked up in a special treatment facility the Florida Civil Commitment Center in Arcadia.
The Florida Civil Commitment Center is considered by some to be understaffed and underfunded.
The hearing is expected to last two and a half days.


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Addicting Info posted an article several months ago regarding Ron Paul and his ties to white supremacy, and we were barraged with pleas and "stories" to win us over. In honor of Ron Paul's obsessive fans we're publishing the following article, showing his history of discrimination.
As anyone with a blog, YouTube account, MySpace page, or web site knows Ron Paul supporters are everywhere! The internet is filled with them. The frightening thing that I have witnessed is that many liberal voters are giving some credence to Ron Paul's campaign and message. He somehow comes across as different or better than the run of the mill conservatives filling the Republican ticket.
I do not support Ron Paul at all, and I find his Congressional record and policies to be, at times, even scarier than his counterparts. The only thing that I have found to agree with him on is the fact that he does not support the war in Iraq. After extensive research I have compiled a list of 10 reasons NOT to vote for Ron Paul!
1. Ron Paul does not value equal rights for minorities. Ron Paul has sponsored legislation that would repeal affirmative action, keep the IRS from investigating private schools who may have used race as a factor in denying entrance, thus losing their tax exempt status, would limit the scope of Brown versus Board of Education, and would deny citizenship for those born in the US if their parents are not citizens. Here are links to these bills: H.R.3863, H.R.5909, H.J.RES.46, and H.J.RES.42.
2. Ron Paul would deny women control of their bodies and reproductive rights.Ron Paul makes it very clear that one of his aims is to repeal Roe v. Wade. He has also co sponsored 4 separate bills to "To provide that human life shall be deemed to exist from conception." This, of course, goes against current medical and scientific information as well as our existing laws and precedents. Please see these links: H.R.2597 and H.R.392
3. Ron Paul would be disastrous for the working class. He supports abolishing the Federal minimum wage, has twice introduced legislation to repeal OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Act and would deal devastating blows to Social Security including repealing the act that makes it mandatory for employees of nonprofits, to make "coverage completely optional for both present and future workers", and would "freeze benefit levels". He has also twice sponsored legislation seeking to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act and the Copeland Act which among other things provide that contractors for the federal government must provide the prevailing wage and prohibits corporate "kick backs." Here are the related legislative links: H.R.2030, H.R.4604, H.R.736, and H.R.2720
4. Ron Paul's tax plan is unfair to lower earners and would greatly benefit those with the highest incomes.He has repeatedly submitted amendments to the tax code that would get rid of the estate and gift taxes, tax all earners at 10%, disallow income tax credits to individuals who are not corporations, repeal the elderly tax credit, child care credit, earned income credit, and other common credits for working class citizens. Please see this link for more information: H.R.05484 Summary
5. Ron Paul's policies would cause irreparable damage to our already strained environment. Among other travesties he supports off shore drilling, building more oil refineries, mining on federal lands, no taxes on the production of fuel, and would stop conservation efforts that could be a "Federal obstacle" to building and maintaining refineries. He has also sought to amend the Clean Air Act, repeal the Soil and Water Conservation Act of 1977, and to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to "restrict the jurisdiction of the United States over the discharge of dredged or fill material to discharges into waters". To see for yourself the possible extent of the damage to the environment that would happen under a Paul administration please follow these links: H.R.2504, H.R.7079, H.R.7245, H.R.2415, H.R.393, H.R.4639, H.R.5293, and H.R.6936
6. A Ron Paul administration would continue to proliferate the negative image of the US among other nations. Ron Paul supports withdrawing the US from the UN, when that has not happened he has fought to at least have the US withdrawn from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. He has introduced legislation to keep the US from giving any funds to the UN. He also submitted that the US funds should not be used in any UN peacekeeping mission or any UN program at all. He has sponsored a bill calling for us to "terminate all participation by the United States in the United Nations, and to remove all privileges, exemptions, and immunities of the United Nations."Ron Paul twice supported stopping the destruction of intercontinental ballistic missile silos in the United States. He also would continue with Bush's plan of ignoring international laws by maintaining an insistence that the International Criminal Court does not apply to the US, despite President Clinton's signature on the original treaty. The International Criminal Court is used for, among other things, prosecution of war crimes. Please see the following links: H.R.3891, H.AMDT.191, H.AMDT.190, H.R.3769, H.R.1665, H.CON.RES.23, and H.R.1154
7. Ron Paul discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation and would not provide equal rights and protections to glbt citizens. This is an issue that Paul sort of dances around. He has been praised for stating that the federal government should not regulate who a person marries. This has been construed by some to mean that he is somewhat open to the idea of same sex marriage, he is not. Paul was an original co sponsor of the Marriage Protection Act in the House in 2004. Among other things this discriminatory piece of legislation placed a prohibition on the recognition of a same sex marriage across state borders. He said in 2004 that if he was in the Texas legislature he would not allow judges to come up with "new definitions" of marriage. Paul is a very religious conservative and though he is careful with his words his record shows that he is not a supporter of same sex marriage. In 1980 he introduced a particularly bigoted bill entitled "A bill to strengthen the American family and promote the virtues of family life." or H.R.7955 A direct quote from the legislation "Prohibits the expenditure of Federal funds to any organization which presents male or female homosexuality as an acceptable alternative life style or which suggest that it can be an acceptable life style." shows that he is unequivocally opposed to lifestyles other than heterosexual.
8. Ron Paul has an unnatural obsession with guns. One of Paul's loudest gripes is that the second amendment of the constitution is being eroded. In fact, he believes that September 11 would not have happened if that wasn't true. He advocates for there to be no restrictions on personal ownership of semi-automatic weaponry or large capacity ammunition feeding devices, would repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act (because we all know our schools are just missing more guns), wants guns to be allowed in our National Parks, and repeal the Gun Control Act of 1968. Now, I'm pretty damn certain that when the Constitution was written our founding fathers never intended for people to be walking around the streets with AK47?s and "large capacity ammunition feeding devices." (That just sounds scary.) Throughout the years our Constitution has been amended and is indeed a living document needing changes to stay relevant in our society. Paul has no problem changing the Constitution when it fits his needs, such as no longer allowing those born in the US to be citizens if their parents are not. On the gun issue though he is no holds barred. I know he's from Texas but really, common sense tells us that the amendments he is seeking to repeal have their place. In fact, the gun control act was put into place after the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert Kennedy. Please view the following links: H.R.2424, H.R.1897, H.R.1096, H.R.407, H.R.1147, and H.R.3892.
9. Ron Paul would butcher our already sad educational system. The fact is that Ron Paul wants to privatize everything and that includes education. Where we run into problems is that it has been shown (think our current health care system) that this doesn't work so well in practice. Ron Paul has introduced legislation that would keep the Federal Government "from planning, developing, implementing, or administering any national teacher test or method of certification and from withholding funds from States or local educational agencies that fail to adopt a specific method of teacher certification." In a separate piece of legislation he seeks to "prohibit the payment of Federal Education assistance in States which require the licensing or certification of private schools or private school teachers." So basically the federal government can't regulate teaching credentials and if states opt to require them for private schools they get no aid. That sounds like a marvelous idea teachers with no certification teaching in private schools that are allowed to discriminate on the basis of race. He is certainly moving forward with these proposals!Remember his "bill to strengthen the American family and promote the virtues of family life." or H.R.7955? Guess what? He basically advocates for segregation in schools once again. It "Forbids any court of the United States from requiring the attendance at a particular school of any student because of race, color, creed, or sex." Without thinking about this statement it doesn't sound bad at all. But remember, when desegregating schools that this is done by having children go to different schools, often after a court decision as in Brown Vs. Board of Education. If this were a bill that passed, schools would no longer be compelled to comply and the schools would go back to segregation based on their locations. Ron Paul is really starting to look like a pretty bigoted guy don't you think?
10. Ron Paul is opposed to the separation of church and state. This reason is probably behind every other thing that I disagree with in regards to Paul's positions. Ron Paul is among those who believes that there is a war on religion, he stated "Through perverse court decisions and years of cultural indoctrination, the elitist, secular Left has managed to convince many in our nation that religion must be driven from public view." (( Koyaanisqatsi Blog: Wrong Paul Why I Do Not Want Ron Paul to be My President )) Though he talks a good talk, at times, Ron Paul can't get away from his far right, conservative views. He would support "alternative views" to evolution taught in public schools (i.e. Intelligent Design.) We've already taken a look at his "bill to strengthen the American family and promote the virtues of family life." or H.R.7955Besides hating the gays he takes a very religious stance on many other things. He is attempting to force his beliefs on the rest of America, exactly what he would do as president.
So there you have it, my 10 reasons not to vote for Ron Paul. Please take the time to thoroughly review the records of the people running for office so you know where they really stand. Ron Paul has good rhetoric and he opposes the war but he's not a good man in the human rights sense of the phrase. He is pretty much like every other Republican but more insidious. Here is a video that you should watch after reading this article. Really listen to what he says and how he says it. Watch out for the sneaky ones and RESEARCH! ((Orcinus: Ron Paul's Record in Congress ))


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Message Board
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A Royal Mission
Lance Grayson rescues Victoria Rockford from her kidnappers, and takes her to a safehouse to recover. He must inform Victoria that the reason she was kidnapped is that she is royalty (her mother had an affair with the king). Victoria falls in love with Lance, but he keeps his distance, feeling unworthy of a princess. Together, they try to discover Victoria's kidnappers, and prevent further attempts on her life....