text:
We liberals are adept at pointing out the hypocrisies of Trump, but we should also address our own hypocrisy in terrain we govern, such as most universities: Too often, we embrace diversity of all kinds except for ideological. Repeated studies have found that about 10 percent of professors in the social sciences or the humanities are Republicans.Bravo to Kristof for recognizing and writing about what a liberal bubble colleges have become. The answer isn't a hiring quota for conservatives, but for university hiring committees to keep a more open mind when it comes to interviewing applicants. It would also mean creating a more welcome atmosphere when conservatives come to speak on campus. Too often, conservative speakers are shouted down by students and the administration simply weakly chastises the students for their intolerance but actually ends up acquiescing to such a hecklers' veto. There are stronger actions that universities that could take to make sure that conservative ideas get a respectful hearing. It is one thing to protest outside a hall where a conservative has been invited to speak and quite another to allow loud, rude student audiences make it impossible for the speaker to be heard. What if an administrator announced that any student who disrupted a speaker to the degree that it was impossible for the speech to continue would be suspended for a semester. I'm not a constitutional scholar, but I don't believe that there is a First Amendment right to disrupt the academic mission of an educational entity and having a variety of ideologies able to speak on campus should be part of that academic mission. I bet that such a promised punishment would help students understand what it means to give a respectful hearing to views they despise. Suddenly, screaming obscenities at a speaker would not be a punishment-free decision to make. And perhaps they might even learn something if they listened to the message and then asked polite questions challenging that with which they disagree. Of course, few college administrators have the guts to take such a tough line. And so the insularity of college campuses will continue. I would like to see more administrators follow the model of the University of Chicago which sent out a letter to all incoming freshmen that they might have to sometimes hear things that they might dislike or not agree with, but that is what academic freedom is all about.
We champion tolerance, except for conservatives and evangelical Christians. We want to be inclusive of people who don't look like us — so long as they think like us.
I fear that liberal outrage at Trump's presidency will exacerbate the problem of liberal echo chambers, by creating a more hostile environment for conservatives and evangelicals. Already, the lack of ideological diversity on campuses is a disservice to the students and to liberalism itself, with liberalism collapsing on some campuses into self-parody....
Some of you are saying that it's O.K. to be intolerant of intolerance, to discriminate against bigots who acquiesce in Trump's record of racism and misogyny. By all means, stand up to the bigots. But do we really want to caricature half of Americans, some of whom voted for President Obama twice, as racist bigots? Maybe if we knew more Trump voters we'd be less inclined to stereotype them.
Whatever our politics, inhabiting a bubble makes us more shrill. Cass Sunstein, a Harvard professor, conducted a fascinating study of how groupthink shapes federal judges when they are randomly assigned to three-judge panels.
When liberal judges happened to be temporarily put on a panel with other liberals, they usually swung leftward. Conversely, conservative judges usually moved rightward when randomly grouped with other conservatives.
It's the judicial equivalent of a mob mentality. And if this happens to judges, imagine what happens to you and me.
Sunstein, a liberal and a Democrat who worked in the Obama administration, concluded that the best judicial decisions arose from divided panels, where judges had to confront counterarguments.
Yet universities are often the equivalent of three-judge liberal panels, and the traditional Democratic dominance has greatly increased since the mid-1990s — apparently because of a combination of discrimination and self-selection. Half of academics in some fields said in a survey that they would discriminate in hiring decisions against an evangelical.
The weakest argument against intellectual diversity is that conservatives or evangelicals have nothing to add to the conversation. "The idea that conservative ideas are dumb is so preposterous that you have to live in an echo chamber to think of it," Sunstein told me.
Of course, we shouldn't empower racists and misogynists on campuses. But whatever some liberals think, "conservative" and "bigot" are not synonyms.
Jonathan Adler adds,
I would suggest taking ideological and viewpoint diversity more seriously is also in the more immediate self-interest of academic institutions, state schools in particular. As events in Wisconsin show, state legislatures are taking a harder look at the financial support they provide universities. I would not be surprised if the Trump administration or Congress considers this question as well. If universities are so ideologically insular and unrepresentative, they might ask, why are they worthy of government support? Why should taxpayers in red states pay to support ideological islands of blue? Economic arguments about the value of education only go so far.
Mike Spivey, a professor of mathematics at the University of Puget Sound, writes about his experiences being a moderate conservative on college campuses where the assumption is that everyone there is a correct-thinking liberal who despises Republicans.
Not too long after I took my first tenure-track position in the fall of 2004, I was invited to a party by one of my colleagues. I had assumed it was just a friendly get-together. Most of the evening, however, was spent bashing President Bush. The critiques were more visceral than intellectual, and I saw none of the nuance that I expected from academics. In hindsight, I realize that much of what the guests were doing was signaling to each other their membership in a community, as well as venting frustrations, and they had assumed the party was a space where they could do that.I've had similar experiences when I'm in a crowd of teachers. I just returned from a conference of the national organization of Social Studies teachers and there were countless little digs at Trump and the election results. I remember attending a teacher workshop the day after the 1994 congressional elections when the Republicans took the House and Senate. The presenter went on a rant about how terrible this was. She didn't even seem to think that there might be a Republican in the room. I can remember sitting in a faculty meeting about 12 years ago and our principal reiterated that teachers should not be expressing their political opinions in classes. And one teacher said, "Oh, I guess that means I should stop telling jokes about Bush in class." He just assumed that every teacher in there would find that amusing because, of course, we all agreed with his view of Bush. I think my school does a particularly good job trying to maintain an open and respectful environment for all views. I was impressed when our principal said, at the beginning of the school year, that we wanted to make the Trump supporters among our students feel comfortable talking about their views as well as those students who were frightened about what a Trump presidency might portend.
For unrelated reasons, I took a position at my current university -- a very different institution, in a very different part of the country -- the following year. Here, I have repeatedly found myself in situations where someone makes assumptions about everyone in the room, assumptions that I don't share. The culprit has always been my Southernness, or my small-town background, or my Christian faith, or my lack of progressivism.
I remember the awkward silence that briefly followed when one of my students asked me outside of class whether I am religious, and I told him I am a Christian. I remember the snide comment about Texas at a faculty workshop. I remember a colleague's casual dismissal of Fox News and the people who watch it. My mother watches Fox News. She's one of most giving and selfless people I know -- someone who dropped everything to do disaster relief work in south Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
I remember others' stories, too. I remember the two conservative students who vented in my office for half an hour, thankful that somebody was willing to listen to them. I remember the conservative colleague who told me that he's tired of being a target and so he just keeps his head down now. I remember the alumnus who told me that he would never have dared to be out as a Christian on our campus because then he wouldn't have had any friends.
Spivey continues,
Every institution has a culture and a set of shared norms, and an academic institution is no different. Those sacred values don't come from the institution's mission statement but arise from the shared set of beliefs held by the people who are part of it. A newcomer to a college may not ever be able to articulate that college's norms, but he internalizes them every time an idea is praised with no countervailing opinion expressed. She internalizes them every time a group is criticized, and no one comes to that group's defense. Over time the in ideas and out groups become part of the assumptions that people make. You don't even think about them anymore. They're like the oxygen in the air.He talks about being the token conservative to participate on a post-election panel. He spoke up saying that he didn't support Trump and hadn't voted for him, but he's glad that Hillary Clinton lost.
Where does that place you when you don't share many of those norms? Sometimes you find yourself bewildered. On the literal level, the discussion is about Donald Trump or Barack Obama or George W. Bush or racism or transgender rights or environmental policy. But really the conversation is often about sacred values. When you don't share the group norms, you feel shut out of the conversation because its very framing assumes the group norms. People don't listen to the stories you use to explain your views because your stories are tied up with your norms -- not theirs -- and they don't have a good mental place to connect them to. As a result, your stories get explained away.
You can always try to go deeper, of course. However, trying to get the group to look hard at its assumptions and then trying to explain why you don't share them is difficult and exhausting. And even when you do have the energy, it's easy to transgress some norm that you didn't see and then face an unexpected blast directed at you. That makes you want to engage even less.
Besides, there are much easier options. You can become cynical. You can become angry. You can start hating the group. You can nurture your pain and envision yourself as a beleaguered minority. You can start throwing rhetorical explosives, which sure feels good -- at first. You can find another group. I've been tempted by most of these possible actions and have committed several of them.
The story that I'm telling here is about me at a progressive liberal arts college and slowly identifying more over time as conservative. It could also be the story of the white working class at the national level.
"Hillary Clinton called my people 'deplorable.' She said we were 'irredeemable.' Our current president, who I think sees the world similarly, said that my people are bitter clingers who hold on to guns and religion because we don't have anything else worthwhile in our lives. Why would I want to support someone like that? Someone who talks that way about my people is not going to do a good job representing me. I'm glad she lost. I've got some concerns about Trump, but I'm glad Hillary Clinton lost.The response he got was that he received after speaking up at the panel was that a lot of people thought like he did and were glad that he'd expressed their thoughts. Or they were glad to hear to simply hear a different point of view and it made them think. Good for him. Tenure or not, I don't think I would have the guts to speak up like that. Maybe it's because I don't come from that background so that Obama's comments about clinging to guns and religion don't characterize my family's history.
"To understand this election, you have to understand that to be white working class means that you have almost no power. Not economic. Not cultural. Neither do you have the power that comes from moral authority, unlike most other victimized groups.
"To a large degree, Trump represents the revolt of the white working class. The revolt is partly economic. The cultural aspect is that they're tired of being, in their minds, looked down on and condescended to by the people who run the country.
"I'll hypothesize that, in some respects, the more Trump is mocked for his hair, his language, his racism, his sexism, his bigotry, the more the white working class says, 'That's how I've been treated, too. Trump is like me. Trump is one of us.'"
I will say that I've read more about the concerns of white, working class since Trump's victory than I ever had before. Some journalists are looking to get beyond the simplistic explanation that they're just racists and that is why they voted for Trump. This is all to the good. When blacks take to the streets to protest against police, there is a serious effort to understand why they think that way. It is time that other groups' concerns get a similar sympathetic look without looking through the liberal template of thinking that white racism explains everything about such citizens. I have also had a lot to learn since none of my friends fit that profile so their worries just hadn't been very high on my radar. Clearly, there are a lot of people who feel that the country isn't working for them. Just because they aren't racial minorities, doesn't mean that their concerns aren't important.
Amazon's Twelve Days of Deals
Gift Cards
Deals on Amazon Devices
Photos and Prints Gift Ideas at Amazon
And this is the state of dating in 2016.
But now, new dating websites are cropping up to take the guesswork out of pinning down political leanings.I guess it makes sense, but it is a sad commentary. If I were young and single and using online dating sites, I wouldn't use a site like TrumpSingles, but I sure wouldn't want to date someone who put up that they would never date someone who supported Trump either. That seems like pretentious virtue-signaling, but perhaps it saves everyone a lot of time to get that out of the way. I do find it quite funny that there is no equivalent site for Hillary supporters.
One site, TrumpSingles.com specifically caters to fans of the divisive real estate billionaire.
Adored by millions of Americans, Trump is reviled by at least as many, some of whom are still mourning his election last month as America's next president and the defeat of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
A similar site was set up for supporters of Bernie Sanders, the tousle-haired Vermont senator whose fiery rhetoric and embrace of environmental causes earned him a fervent and loyal following among liberals and voters under the age of 30.
TrumpSingles says it has registered 12,000 people with a goal of "Making Dating Great Again" -- a riff on Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan.
Unlike conventional dating sites such as Match.com and OKCupid, the site screens its users to ensure they are not trolls seeking to make trouble, but truly supporters of the president-elect, who takes the oath of office next month.
"I thought it was actually a nice idea because I've heard so many stories of people going on dates and everything is going fun and the political talk starts and kills any chance of a relationship happening," TrumpSingles creator David Goss says.
Some 15 percent of Americans use online dating sites, mostly singles under the age of 24, according to the Pew Research Center.
Many have no interest in hooking up with those who support Trump, whose retrograde views on immigrants and women are widely rejected.
"No Trump supporters" has even become a common refrain on Tinder, Happn and other dating apps.
But some subscribers to the TrumpSingles website can be loud and proud in their support for the billionaire businessman.
Others may be "in the closet" over expressing support for Trump, perhaps after years of voting for Democrats or because they live in Democratic cities such as Philadelphia.
Kimberley Strassel makes the federalism argument in favor of Trump's nomination of Oklahoma's Attorney General, Scott Pruitt, to head the EPA. Environmentalists have been apoplectic about the choice claiming that he's "an untrained anti-environmentalist. He's a polluter. He's a fossil-fuel fanatic, a lobbyist-lover, a climate crazy." Strassel responds,
Mr. Pruitt is not any of those things. Here's what he in fact is, and the real reason the left is frustrated: He's a constitutional scholar, a federalist (and a lawyer). And for those reasons he is a sublime choice to knock down the biggest conceit of the Obama era—arrogant, overweening (and illegal) Washington rule.Pruitt has been working to trim back the overreach of the administrative state by the EPA. And he's been successful in making his argument in courts. And that is what they can't forgive.
We've lived so many years under the Obama reign that many Americans forget we are a federal republic, composed of 50 states. There isn't a major statute on the books that doesn't recognize this reality and acknowledge that the states are partners with—and often superior to—the federal government. That is absolutely the case with major environmental statues, from the Clean Air Act to the Clean Water Act to the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Congress specifically understood in crafting each of these laws that one-size-fits all solutions were detrimental to the environment. Federal bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency traditionally and properly existed to set minimum standards, provide technical support, and engage in occasional enforcement. States, with their unique knowledge of local problems, economies and concerns, were free to innovate their own solutions.
But President Obama never held much with laws, because he failed at making them. After his first two years in office, he never could convince the Congress to pass another signature initiative. His response—and the enduring theme of his presidency—was therefore to ignore Congress and statutes, go around the partnership framework, and give his agencies authority to dictate policy from Washington. The states were demoted from partners to indentured servants. So too were any rival federal agencies that got in the EPA's way. Example: The EPA's pre-emptive veto of Alaska's proposed Pebble Mine, in which it usurped Army Corps of Engineers authority.
Much of Mr. Pruitt's tenure as Oklahoma's AG was about trying to stuff federal agencies back into their legal boxes. Most of the press either never understood this, or never wanted to. When the media wrote about state lawsuits against ObamaCare or the Clean Power Plan or the Water of the United States rule, the suggestion usually was that this litigation was ideologically motivated, and a naked attempt to do what a Republican Congress could not—tank the president's agenda.As Strassel argues, there is a real value in having someone with such an understanding of federalism and the Constitution head up the EPA.
The basis of nearly every one of these lawsuits was in fact violations of states' constitutional and statutory rights—and it is why so many of the cases were successful. It was all a valiant attempt to force the federal government to follow the law. And it has been a singular Pruitt pursuit.
. The agency doesn't need a technically trained environmentalist at its head, since it is already bubbling over with green regulations. It doesn't need a climate warrior, as Congress has never passed a climate law, and so the EPA has no mandate to meddle there. What it needs is a lawyer, one with the knowledge of how to cut the agency back to its proper role—restoring not just an appropriate legal partnership with the states, but also with other federal bodies. One who reminds agency staff that the EPA was not created to oppose growth and development.
If Mr. Pruitt does this successfully, and on the way crushes the current president's legacy, Mr. Obama will have only himself to blame. His abuse of federal power helped elect a new generation of state attorneys general and Washington Republicans passionately devoted to a states' rights agenda. They'll be advising Mr. Trump not just on environmental policy, but on health care, labor policy, entitlement reform. Say hello to the federalist revival.
Sean Davis mocks the 10 things that Donald Trump has just made cool again. As he writes, these are things that were cool when Bush was president and abruptly stopping be cool with the inauguration of Barack Obama. Remember how the media marveled how difficult it was to make jokes about Obama. Well, forget about that with Trump as president. The media will now find gridlock and obstruction much more responsible than they did when it was Republicans blocking the Democrats.
When George W. Bush was president — stop me if you can already see where this is heading — Democrats loved obstruction. They absolutely loved it. In 2005, the New York Times wrote how essential it was to preserve the filibuster in order to safeguard democracy. Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said at the time that the Senate had zero obligation to consider any of the president's judicial nominations. Obama changed all that. And Trump is going to change it right back again.Democrats are suddenly discovering the virtue of limiting executive power. Where have they been for the past eight years? Davis reminds us how widespread anti-war protests were when Bush was president but they disappeared when Obama became president. Expect to see them make a reappearance now that Trump is commander-in-chief. And dissent will, once again, be seen as the highest form of patriotism. When the Tea Party was protesting Obamacare, that was simply racist know-nothingness. Dissent against the Trump administration will be seen as righteous and just. Expect reporters to suddenly discover the importance of investigative journalism. Despite scandals like Fast and Furious, the VA treatment of vets, the IRS scandal, and Benghazi, reporters parroted Obama's claim to have had a "scandal-free" administration.
Good luck finding many elected Democrats in Washington who will be rushing to confirm any of Trump's Supreme Court nominations. Good luck finding Democrats who won't put up a fight when Republicans move to repeal Obamacare, or to undo the Iranian nuclear deal. Thanks to Trump, the filibuster's about to be back, baby!
Shop Amazon's Holiday Toy List - Kid Picks
Shop Amazon's Holiday Toy List - Tech Toys
Shop Amazon - New DxO One Miniaturized Pro Quality Camera
Yes, it was terrible that the Russians intervened in our elections and that Trump seems to turn a blind eye to any evidence of Russia's involvement in hacking Democrats' emails. And the silence from many Republicans and the pushback from Trump are shameful. Is he going to ignore intelligence reports that he finds that don't conform to his worldview when he's president? You know, rather like the Obama administration ignored intelligence reports about the growth of ISIS because it didn't conform to his conclusion that he'd defeated Osama bin Laden so it was all downhill from there? Or that 50 intelligence analysts have formally complained that their reports on ISIS and al Qaeda in Syria were altered by senior officials in order to fit a narrative that politicized intelligence. And with all the Democratic outrage, let's never forget how their liberal icon, Teddy Kennedy, actually solicited Soviet help in defeating Ronald Reagan.
Earlier this week, 47 Republican senators published an open letter informing the leaders of Iran that any nuclear deal with the United States that failed to be approved by the Senate would likely expire in 2017, once President Barack Obama's term ended. You can read the full letter here.Here is Teddy Kennedy's letter.
The letter enraged progressives, who immediately began accusing the senators of treason for having the audacity to publish basic constitutional facts about how treaties work. ....
If these progressives want to know what actual treason looks like, they should consult liberal lion Ted Kennedy, who not only allegedly sent secret messages to the Soviets in the midst of the cold war, he also begged them to intervene in a U.S. presidential election in order to unseat President Ronald Reagan. That's no exaggeration.
According to Soviet documents unearthed in the early 1990's, Kennedy literally asked the Soviets, avowed enemies of the U.S., to intervene on behalf of the Democratic party in the 1984 elections. Kennedy's communist communique was so secret that it was not discovered until 1991, eight years after Kennedy had initiated his Soviet gambit
Mary Anastasia O'Grady writes about how Fidel Castro's prisons were designed to strip away all human dignity.
In a 1986 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Armando Valladares, who was a Castro prisoner for 22 years, described the regime's use of the "drawer cells" in its dungeons. Five or six prisoners would be confined, for days, in these very narrow, 6-foot-long spaces. "They had to sit with their knees against their body. There was no room to move; prisoners had to urinate and defecate right there," Mr. Valladares explained.
All torture was used "to break the prisoner's resistance," Mr. Valladares said. If a prisoner said "he had been wrong, if he denied his religious beliefs, saying they were from the obscure ages, and if he admitted that he now understood that communism was the solution to mankind's problems and he wanted to have the opportunity to re-enter the new communist society, then he could escape the cell and be put in a re-education farm."
There could be no higher power, no one revered more than Fidel. God was a problem so priests and nuns were imprisoned and exiled, religion was outlawed and the regime did all it could to destroy the Cuban family.
This is how socialism works in Venezuela. The government just seized nearly 4 million toys from a toy distributor because it accused the company of selling the toys at inflated prices, thus violating the "right to have a merry Christmas." Perhaps Maduro's own policies that have reduced the once prosperous country to a starving populace trying to leave the country now suffering 500% inflation are the real violations of this new natural right. What is going to happen after this? The toy company will go out of business and its employees will not have a merry Christmas. And other companies will decide not to risk importing products into the country.
Eugene Volokh discusses two examples of how "fake news" emerged in American history. He cites a legal case arising out of the 1798 Sedition Act and a 1920 case under a law about a federal law banning statements with the "intent to promote the success of the enemies of the United States" during WWI. While these cases are quite interesting, his headline made me think of how rumors were used in American elections to smear a political opponent. For example, Andrew Jackson's supporters alleged in 1828 that John Quincy Adams had procured prostitutes for the Russian czar when he was ambassador there. Why the Russian czar would have needed a straight-laced guy like JQA to help him find prostitutes in his country was never clear to me. Adams' supporters retaliated by calling Jackson's wife a bigamist (which she technically had been for the early months of their presidency since she and Jackson had assumed incorrectly that her first husband had obtained a divorce.) In 1840 when Democrats accused William Henry Harrison of sitting back on his log cabin drinking hard cider, the Whigs seized on the insult to portray Harrison as a man of the people and gave out hard cider at their rallies and had a log cabin that they toted around. Both sides were ridiculous since Harrison came from a wealthy family and lived on a large plantation.
There was the role of yellow journalism in the Spanish-American War by selling sensationalist stories to whip the public up about reports of atrocities in Cuba. The appearance of "fake news" is not unique to 2016. Of course, the internet and social media make it much more widespread. Back in the 19th century, purveyors of such stories had to print up handbills and use the partisan press. Nowadays, they just need a few clicks or characters on Twitter to start vile rumors or spread false stories.
The Washington Times lists 10 "real news" stories that turned out to be false. Oh, and don't forget Dan Rather's breathless attempt to sway the 2004 election with a fake story about George W. Bush skipping out on his National Guard responsibilities. Or Rolling Stone's story about a fake rape crisis on campus centered on a story that turned out to be totally false and for which they just got slapped with $3 million in damages. And President Obama just gave Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner an interview in which he blamed Fox News playing "in every bar and restaurant" and then praised the "great work done in Rolling Stone. It's just laughable. How many bars play Fox News? Has Obama been in a bar in the last eight years? Here in Realityville, bars play sports, not news channels and, if they did play a news channel, the sound would be off. I don't think that Sean Hannity playing in bars and restaurants swung the election against Hillary. If Trump had made a similar claim about Fox News doing "great work," it would have been a three-day freak out in the media.
Kevin Williamson does everyone a favor by writing a primer on basic economics to explain that we do not have a trade deficit.
Trade deficits are partly a question of consumer preference — American consumers really do like Hondas more than Japanese consumers like Buicks — but they are not mainly a question of consumer preference. They are mainly a question of investor preference — and investors prefer the United States, which is why there is almost twice as much foreign direct investment in the United States as in China, even though China's economy has grown at a much faster rate over the past 20 years.This is why Trump's proposal of raising a tariff on businesses that move out of the country, while probably not even constitutional, is such bad economics.
It works like this: Almost every advanced country does a great deal of international trade. They have lots of imports and exports because it is easier to grow sugar in Florida than it is in Norway and more efficient to sew T-shirts in Bangladesh than it is in Switzerland. When Walmart orders $1 million worth of flip-flops from a Chinese concern, those Chinese gentlemen receive 1 million delicious U.S. dollars, which they are very happy and grateful to have. But what can you do with U.S. dollars? You can buy stuff from U.S. companies or you can buy assets from sellers who take U.S. dollars, which ultimately means U.S.-based investments. (This is true even when you add in all of the real-world complications such as foreign exchange.) If you are that flip-flop entrepreneur in China, you probably have a very high rate of savings, which is normal for people in poor, backward, and unstable countries. There is lots of uncertainty in a place like China, and having a whole lot of savings — especially dollar-denominated assets — is a rational response to that....
Trade deficits don't happen because the wily Japanese juke us on trade policy. They happen because intelligent people holding a fistful of dollars very often decide to forgo the consumption of American consumer goods in order to invest in American assets. In economics terms, what this means is that the trade deficit is a mirror image of the capital surplus. A capital surplus isn't necessarily an unalloyed good (everything in economics is about tradeoffs), but it is a pretty nice thing to have around if you are, say, an entrepreneur looking to build a new facility in Houston or Jacksonville and looking for some investors to stake you.
If the economists are correct and trade deficits are mainly driven by investment preferences rather than consumer preferences, what would a big Trumpkin tariff actually do? Daniel Griswold of Cato considered the case back during the 1990s trade panic: "Slapping higher tariffs on imports will only deprive foreigners of the dollars they would have earned by selling in the U.S. market. This, in turn, will reduce the supply of dollars on the international currency market, raise the value of the dollar relative to other currencies and make dollar-priced U.S. exports more expensive for foreign buyers, thus reducing demand for our exports. Eventually the volume of exports will fall along with imports, and the trade deficit will remain largely unchanged."For all his bragging about how well he did at Wharton, Trump often betrays his ignorance of basic economics. He doesn't seem to realize that a tariff of 35% on companies not located in the U.S. will simply raise their prices 35% which would be quite a hefty increase for most consumers. As Taylor Millard writes,
The trade deficit might remain unchanged, but there would be a large cost attached: Without that foreign investment capital flowing into the United States, money gets more expensive. That means entrepreneurs have a harder time raising capital.
Having a fat taxman and starving entrepreneurs is not a model for prosperity — the opposite is.
But what Trump doesn't say (whether on purpose or not) is the companies who do decide to not be located in the U.S. will just raise prices to absorb the 35% tax hike. So Playstations will probably cost at least 35% more, shirts made outside of the U.S. will cost more, some alcohol prices will go up, food products, and even some weapons prices because not every gun is made in the U.S. (including the ever popular Glock). There's also the chance domestic products will go up because parts may have to be imported from foreign countries because they don't grow here in the U.S.
This is the consequences of Trump's threat to enact a 35% tax on companies who decide to not be located in the U.S. The most frustrating part is the fact Trump appears to get half the equation (hey, let's lower taxes and regulations). But then he goes into this protectionist nuttery which is only going to hurt the economy more than help it. It's possible Trump is just bloviating here and doing the 35% number so he can get something closer to 20 or 15%. This is still bad policy and one he should re-think before trying to get it pushed through Congress.
Shop Amazon - Our Best-Selling Kindle - Now Even Better
Shop Amazon - Top Gift Ideas
Shop Amazon Outlet - Clearance, Markdowns and Overstock Deals
This is just lovely - Bob Dylan sent Patti Smith to sing "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" at the Nobel Prize ceremony. She forgot the words and had to stop in the second verse, saying endearingly that she was just so nervous. Amanda Petrusich writes in The New Yorker about her "transcendent" performance. Dylan wrote the song in 1962, but it seems depressingly appropriate for today.
Here is the speech that Bob Dylan sent to be read. It's quite modest as he explains why he's never thought of his work as literature.


text:
Summer is the busiest time for wildlife rehabilitators, so this little box will have to do for me. Two starlings are already churring loudly again until I stuff their beaks, then they'll quiet down for about 20 minutes until the next feeding.
- A baby boy opossum, who arrived more dead than alive with a terrible chest cold five days ago, is finally on the mend. He was so weak that he could not stand up, he was just lying on his side. Since he could not swallow due to shortness of breath without gagging, I had to give him tiny sips a little at a time to keep his stomach from shrinking too much. Antibiotics finally helped heal his inflamed lungs, subcutaneous fluids kept him hydrated, and two nights ago he took his first bite of food. I was elated!
Then there are the two baby skunks, but I will write about them next time. Too many beaks to stuff, too many animals to feed still, and those two little stinkers deserve their own story...
I am standing by to go on a baby skunk hunt tonight. Their mother had been trapped and "relocated" (i.e., killed) by some Pest Control guy who is now bound and determined to catch and kill the babies as well. Their nest is underneath the shed of animal lovers who are trying to save them, and I told them to speak sternly with that guy and tell him that if he dares to trespass onto their property they will have him arrested. I also suggested that they call police and have an officer get rid of that guy and tell police that a wildlife rehabilitator will take custody of the babies and raise them.
More later. I wish you all a happy and safe holiday!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
WALT: write a narrative including lessons learnt from Hiwi the Kiwi.
On a quiet,sunny Saturday morning in Washington D.C there was a boy named Terry. On this particular Saturday morning Terry was excited to go fishing with his Uncle Flex.
Once they had arrived at the wharf,Uncle Flex showed Terry how to put the bait on the rod,then they casted their rods out to sea. As Terry was waiting patiently he could feel something pulling him out to sea.That was when he saw a huge fish jumping up out of the sea .Just then Uncle Flex heard a ear piercing shriek "UNCLE,help me" shouted Terry. Uncle Flex could see Terry was trying to pull a huge fish out of the sea."On the count of Three" Uncle Flex commanded,"One,Two,Three,Pull" Terry said.
Uncle Flex and Terry pulled and pulled until they found a 3.5cm fish lying in front of them."We should take it Uncle,help me lift it up?" Terry pleaded,but Uncle Flex didn't want to help Terry. "We can't take it,Terry!" said Uncle Flex gently,"why?" asked Terry that was still confused why they couldn't take the fish."If the fish is big you never know if it's pregnant and if we kill the babies,there won't be any fish left in the world" Uncle Flex explained.
That was when Terry thought about not having fish in the world so he decided to let go of the fish."Good choice,Terry" said Uncle Flex putting his hand around his nephew. "One day Terry,one day" said Uncle Flex watching the fish jumping up and down through the sea happily.


text:
Hi, Mike here, taking some time to thank those of you that came out to see some of the films on my revival lists over the past 12 months. Whether you came out once or multiple times, I thank you all for catching the following revival screenings:
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)- I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. I was expecting to do some MST3K-style commentating like I would for its annual Easter weekend screenings. Never saw the introduction by De Mille, and while it's stiff, it makes the narration go smoother. On the big screen it plays well; even if the early pageantry was numbing after a while, Anne Baxter was all over the place, Yul Brynner was a heavy form of ham, and John Derek was an attractive piece of wood. But now it will take a long time before I can see it again on ABC, the commercial breaks would be killer on my patience,
OTHELLO (1952)- It looked great and Orson always had an interesting voice, but after the first half hour, boy oh boy did I have trouble staying focused on large chunks of this,
GODZILLA (1954)- Weird seeing this as part of a kind-of double feature with Welles' Othello. Weirder still that this was better than Orson's Shakespearean adaptation. Again, this was the Japanese original film, not the heavily edited American edition with Raymond Burr inserts,
STAR TREK 4: THE VOYAGE HOME- A hit with both Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike,
WHITY- Not a film I would give a thumbs up to. However, for Fassbinder fans and for film fans of say, 12 Years A Slave or especially Django Unchained, Whity might prove to be interesting and even more provocative. Not necessarily satisfying however,
LORD OF THE FLIES (1963)- Alas, poor Piggy, alas,
SORCERER- Too bad I was the only one in my party who actually liked this film. But despite not being quite as good as I remembered it from almost 25 years ago, and not nearly as good as the original version, The Wages of Fear, this is no noble failure. It's a hidden gem of late 1970s Hollywood filmmaking,
TUNES OF GLORY- This Alec Guinness film was the only film on this list that someone had to talk me into, and boy am I glad that happened. Never seen Guinness so macho before, and even more arrogant than in Bridge on the River Kwaii. Very good character study drama,
NORTH BY NORTHWEST- the screening of this at Cinema Arts Centre at Huntington, that I enjoyed. The way the introduction of this was handled, dry like a high school lecture with handouts, and an almost pop quiz after the film ended, oy vey,
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY- a special 70mm screening, which seems like a new early July tradition at the Museum of the Moving Image,
DUCK AMUCK and other Chuck Jones cartoons- a selection of some of Chuck Jones's best Looney Tunes cartoons, so I'm including it as one revival on this list,
FEDORA- again, not every revival is a winner. Not bad, more like a noble failure. The twist is decent in theory, but the miscasting of the two lead actresses kills the film. Unlike Sorcerer, not a hidden gem of late 1970s filmmaking. And having Billy Wilder's on-screen stand-in (William Holden), complain about the young unnamed Turks that are running Hollywood, like Spielberg, de Palma and Scorsese, hasn't aged well at all. Maybe Lucas, but considering this was being shot before Star Wars became a huge summer hit, not necessarily,
RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER, THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN- A double feature that became probably the most fun I had of any revival outing in 2014,
ONE FROM THE HEART- There was much to admire visually in this film. In the end, I recommend that film buffs, self-proclaimed film buffs, and Coppola fans see it, especially on the big screen. But I don't think most of them would like it more or much more than I did. Tom Waits' music is beautiful, but some of those lyrics were a little too damn on-the-nose for my taste. Now a romantic film that goes for ultra-realism is admirable in theory. But when you spend the first half of the film wondering why did the main couple break up, and spend the later portion of the film thinking they should never get back together, that was hard for me to shake,
THE EPIC OF EVEREST- A silent film, a kind of documentary of the failed 1924 expedition of Irving and Mallory's attempted climb of Mount Everest. As a piece of history and seeing what silent film cameras could capture back then, it was amazing to watch. Even if I did get a little drowsy in the middle third,
CITIZEN KANE, VIDEODRONE- my weirdest double feature of the past 12 months, not even close,
GREY GARDENS- Once I saw Big Edie's stained bed sheets with flies all about, I grew immediately uncomfortable. My inner Felix Unger was made extremely uncomfortable, and didn't loosen up until Big Edie's Czechoslovakia line (Huh?!?!). Glad I saw it, but don't need to see it again any time soon, in any incarnation,
THE APARTMENT, VERTIGO and BLUE VELVET.
38 films, a big jump from 28 during the previous year. And unlike other years, I was able to spread the wealth with multiple people, a number of whom caught a healthy number of films with me. This has never happened before, and I am grateful. Take care.


text:
Greenshot is a lightweight screenshot software tool focused on speed, basic annotation and ease of export. The program includes an image editor, ability to output to file, printer, clipboard, e-mail, Office programs, as well as upload to photo sites like Imgur, Flickr, Photobucket, Picasa or others. Includes a variety of customizations, scrolling (full page captures), auto crop, ability to use external editors and more.
Functional in 64-bit. A PortableApps-formatted version distributed by the author is also available.
|System Requirements:
|WinXP / Vista / Win7 / Win8 / Win10
|Writes settings to:
|Application folder
|Microsoft .NET v3.5 or above
|Stealth: ?
|Unicode support:
|How to extract:
|Download the "NO-INSTALLER" ZIP package and extract to a folder of your choice. Delete unnecessary language and help files. Launch Greenshot.exe.
|Similar/alternative apps:
|PicPick, LightScreen, ShareX
|What's new?
Even though this utility is called 'portable,' it still writes an empty folder to the User/AppData/Roaming folder - an undesirable characteristic for one working on a client's PC. When it runs 100$ from the Program Files folder, only then will I consider it 'portable.'
@shodan816 - This is noted in the app's description under "Stealth".
@loner - I actually don't think the screenshot you linked to appropriately describes the software. It's not primarily an image editor, it's a screen capture app. I'll let webfork decide, since he added the app.
freakazoid: totally agree
Loner's suggestion is now a non-issue: the link he proposed is dead today.
Screenshots are at http://getgreenshot.org/screenshots/
Program is now at version 1.15, but download link automatically gets version 1.06. Until the listing is updated, you have to go to the web site and manually download the latest version.
@ Jimmy Neutron: Thanks ... and updated.
I don't really use the included image editor for anything but basic changes, but it's simplicity and ease of use is hard to beat. Use this at least twice a day. Great program.
I regularly take screen snapshots for two different SW packages, and I like to keep the snaps separate. I couldn't find where the preferences were stored, so I just made a copy of my SW folder, and tried to set the preferences for each copy to be different. I figured if it was truly portable, each copy would remember it's own data. To my shock, the preferences are stored somewhere shared. This implies that if I took Greenshot on a USB stick to a computer that already had it, then changed file pattern or location information, one or the other copy would know what the other copy had. A quick test showed this to be true: Changing preferences for a copy running from a USB, cause the local system to see those changes.
I look forward to a true portable version.
Recent additions including the auto-crop and various great highlighting/obfuscating tools built into the editor are fantastic. Really nice to see this great program continue to improve.
PF Contrib: just tested and it works fine. are you sure you used the NO INSTALLER version?
Greenshot 22.214.171.124 released.
I am not sure whether 184.108.40.206 is a stable final version, Softpedia labels it as unstable.
The Greenshot website itself links to 188.8.131.52 when you click the download link, so I think we can consider it a stable.
Greenshot 18.104.22.168 released.
@ smaragdus: Thanks ... and updated ;)
How to get links to the image when uploading it to Imgur? When i click Upload to Imgur button it uploads the image but after this it doesn't show window with links to the uploaded image that i can copy and paste in forums.
Peter202: after you click the Imgur button, you should see a bubble in the taskbar saying it's uploading, and then you should be able to paste the Imgur URL. Note that you may need to update to the latest version if you haven't.
@webfork Yes, but it gives only one url of the image to copy. I have used another Imgur uploader, which stopped working, but it gave different type of url's to use, like: for forums, for html sites, with small and large thumbnails.
@Peter202: Greenshot goes really lightweight and minimalist by design so that's not present but you might goto the home page and click 'suggest a feature'
I just started using Greenshot. With Win 7 x64.
I just cannot set Settings->General->Update_check_interval to 0. Any other value works.
Nice program otherwise.


text:
Diane Lane and Intermedia have reached an out-of-court settlement in a lawsuit the actress filed last July in Los Angeles Superior Court.
No details were revealed in the settlement.
The actress claimed breach of contract, misrepresentation and fraud in association with an aborted Intermedia production, "Me Again."
Her agency, Endeavor, announced that it would blackball Intermedia until Lane was paid nearly $2.7 million allegedly owed to her under a pay-or-play deal.
Lane's lawsuit claimed that the production and financing company was unable to come up with the funding for "Me Again." Lane was to receive $3.5 million and star opposite Bruce Willis in the thriller.
Project was to begin production in May 2003 and wrap by August, but Willis dropped out that spring and was not replaced.
Rights to "Me Again" have since reverted to the film's producer, Beryl Vertue.


text:
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
LAKE PARK — The first time an angry man came to Lake Park Towing and then left last Wednesday, the owner of the tow yard can be heard calling police and telling them the man had "scared the heck" out of her.
When she called back because the man had returned, gunshots could be heard as the man fired outside and the owner, 53-year-old Kathryn Gadoury, was under a desk bleeding with a bullet in her back.
"Honey I got hit. Please! I'm hurt. I'm sorry," Gadoury told dispatchers in the 911 calls from the shooting incident, released today by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's said 51-year-old Edward Voltz, of suburban West Palm Beach, was the customer outside firing with a semi-automatic weapon. Deputies eventually shot Voltz several times after he refused to drop his weapon, according to sheriff's reports.
In the 911 call, dispatchers question Gadoury about the suspect and she asks other employees what Voltz is wearing and tells them to stay out of sight even as more gunshots ring out.
"I've been shot. I'm bleeding," she said. "He's outside. He's firing off shots left and right."
The sheriff's office released a second call from a man, whose name has not been released. He was outside with the other injured employee, Lisa Hedrick, who was shot in the arm.
"I hear the cop cars coming and I hear gunshots. That's all I know," the man said. He goes on to comfort Hedrick. "I got you baby. You're going to be OK."
Voltz, who underwent surgery at St. Mary's Medical Center, is now being held at the Palm Beach County Jail on several attempted murder charges. Sheriff's detectives say Voltz had tried to come to the yard earlier in the morning saying he needed to get his daughter's medicine out of his car but employees told him to come back with his driver license.
Items of interest to the towing and recovery industry that are gleaned from the Web by Towing & Recovery Footnotes (www.trfootnotes.com) Associate Editor Cyndi Kight
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
911 Tape From Lake Park, FL Tow Yard Shooting Released
Man to Stand Trial in Death of Canadian Tow Truck Driver
A Winnipeg man has been ordered to stand trial for his alleged role in a two-vehicle collision that killed tow-truck driver Amanda Frizzley.
Steve Watkins, 22, was ordered to stand trial following a three-day preliminary hearing last week. A publication ban prohibits revealing certain details of the hearing, presided over by provincial court Judge Tim Preston.
Watkins has been charged with impaired driving causing death, impaired driving causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing death and driving over the legal limit.
Frizzley, 26, was killed during the early hours of Sept. 30, 2007 when a GMC Jimmy — allegedly speeding — collided with her Dr. Hook Towing truck at the intersection of York Avenue and Donald Street in downtown Winnipeg.Watkins suffered serious injuries in the crash and spent weeks in hospital, initially in serious but stable condition.
Footage from a surveillance camera at the nearby Best Western Charterhouse Hotel showed a westbound sport utility vehicle — travelling the wrong direction on York, a one-way street — crashing into Frizzley's truck as she was southbound on Donald, the hotel's manager previously told the Winnipeg Sun.The truck overturned with Frizzley and a passenger inside. The passenger suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Friday, October 24, 2008
JerrDan Receives PA Recognition
JerrDan Receives Award in Pennsylvania
Oct 23, 2008 4:17 PM
JerrDan Corporation, an Oshkosh Corporation company, received the 2008 Franklin County (Pennsylvania) Area Development Corporation (FCADC) Large Business Award. JerrDan was awarded by the FCADC Industry Appreciation Committee.
The award criteria for large businesses are those that employ more than 100 full-time employees, have been in operation for at least five consecutive years and contribute to the overall economic and civic well being of Franklin County.
"At JerrDan, we pride ourselves on our dedicated, determined and talented employees. JerrDan is committed to investing in our people and business in support of sustained growth, world-class competitiveness, and ultimately our future," said Mike Baer, vice president of Operations, who accepted the award on behalf of JerrDan management attending the event. "We believe in being innovative and creative while delivering high quality products and services."
In 2008, JerrDan invested $4.5 million in improvements and expansion to their wrecker production facility located on Molly Pitcher Hwy in Greencastle. The development provides JerrDan with additional capacity to meet the growing demand and streamline the wrecker product manufacturing processes in line with the company's "lean" manufacturing initiative.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Shooter Wounds Two Tow Company Employees in FL
LAKE PARK — A man wielding a semiautomatic assault rifle went on a rampage at a tow yard Wednesday morning, wounding two employees and firing at a sheriff's deputy before the deputy shot him down in a brief gunfight, authorities said.
Edward F. Voltz Jr., 51, of suburban West Palm Beach twice drove to Lake Park Towing, at 803 13th St., to confront employees Wednesday, a Palm Beach County sheriff's spokesman said.
On his second visit, just after 9 a.m., Voltz told the owner that he needed to retrieve his daughter's medicine from her car, which had been towed to the yard after a crash Tuesday night. Voltz said that without the medicine, his daughter would die in three hours, said Lisa Hedrick, a dispatcher for the tow company.
Skeptical employees told him to come back with a driver license.
"We thought he was going back out for proof of ownership," Hedrick said. "Instead, he came back and started shooting."
In the moments that followed, Hedrick and her boss, Kathryn Gadoury, were wounded as they tried to flee the gunman, who squeezed off shots without saying a word, sheriff's officials said.
Both women were taken to nearby St. Mary's Medical Center, where Gadoury, 53, was treated for a gunshot wound to the hip. Hedrick was shot through the elbow. Both women were released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon.
Voltz, riddled with bullets after a gunfight with a sheriff's deputy, also was taken to St. Mary's. He underwent emergency surgery and was expected to survive, sheriff's officials said.
Voltz was "heavily armed" when he returned to the tow company, said Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, who would not say how many or what types of weapons Voltz carried.
When Voltz started shooting, Hedrick said, she huddled under a desk with Gadoury, a truck driver and another employee.
"I lost count after 15," Hedrick said. "He finished off one clip and reloaded the second."
Employees dialed 911 as the company truck driver retrieved a handgun. He fired at Voltz, Bradshaw said, but it wasn't clear whether any of those shots hit the gunman.
Next door, Jill Chisholm, who manages the office at Ledbetter Masonry, heard five or six sharp cracks and looked out the window.
"I saw the shooter come out to get in his vehicle," said Chisholm, who described the gunman as a light-haired, scruffy-looking man who carried an AK-47-style rifle. "Then he walked back in, and I heard some more gunshots, but they were a different sound, maybe three or four."
As Voltz walked back to his blue Chevrolet Suburban sport utility vehicle, the deputy drove up, Chisholm said.
The deputy saw Voltz carrying a pistol and the assault rifle and watched as he leaned into the SUV and dropped the handgun, Bradshaw said. Still standing by the window, just 50 yards away, Chisholm said, she saw the deputy grab the gunman.
"The guy fell to the ground," Chisholm said. "He has the big gun in his hand, and he shoots at the officer. The officer fires back.
"Then the gentleman got up, and he went to the back of the vehicle. The officer went around the driver side of the vehicle, and they were still exchanging gunfire.
"I saw the shooter with the blood on him, and then he went down to the ground, but he was still shooting. There were a lot of shots."
When the shooting stopped, Chisholm said, she looked up to see Voltz on the ground, the deputy standing over him.
"The suspect pointed the rifle at him," Bradshaw said. "The bottom line is the deputy defended himself."
The deputy, whose name was not released Wednesday, has been with the sheriff's office since October 2005 and was assigned to patrol the Lake Park district, sheriff's spokeswoman Teri Barbera said. He was placed on paid administrative leave, routine after police shootings.
On Wednesday afternoon, Tom Gadoury, 25, who co-owns the business with his mother, stopped by the yard to take stock. He said doctors released Kathryn Gadoury with a bullet embedded in her hip. She declined to talk about the shooting.
"Right now she's in a lot of pain, and she's trying to be comfortable," he said, adding that doctors will decide in the next few days whether to remove the bullet.
Bob Miller, a family friend who said he got out of the towing business two years ago because he was tired of dealing with angry people, described Kathy Gadoury as "really tough" but "a real sweetheart."
Authorities still were investigating what set Voltz off. A husband and father, he never had been arrested in Florida, state records show. His wife filed for divorce in June 2007, and proceedings are pending, according to court documents.
Annette Voltz, a nurse, said she has not seen her husband since August 2007. She said she didn't think their daughter was sick.
Out of the hospital, Hedrick, the dispatcher, returned to the tow yard Wednesday afternoon. In the future, she said, "the customer's always right."
Staff writers Bill DiPaolo and Sonja Isger and staff researcher Niels Heimeriks contributed to this story.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Follow Up to Sept. 24th Post: Home Fire May Have Killed Suspect in Attempted Murder
A man found dead in his burning home Tuesday is believed to be the same man charged recently with attempted murder after the shooting of a tow truck driver at the same Phoenix property, police said.
Police did not identify Jesse Corman by name, but believe his body is the one recovered from his home in the 3700 block of West Dailey Street.
Phoenix firefighters responded to the blaze before 8 p.m. Tuesday in the neighborhood near Thunderbird Road and 35th Avenue. Corman's wife suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation, police said. She told first-responders that Corman was despondent. Neighbors also reported that Corman was seen sauntering suspiciously outside the home.
"He was walking around the house with a lighter in his hand saying he wanted to end it all," Phoenix police Sgt. Tommy Thompson said.
Corman, 28, faced felony charges of attempted murder, endangerment and discharging a firearm in city limits, according to court records after the Sept. 21 shooting of the tow truck driver. His bail had been set at $200,000 by Maricopa County Court Commissioner Jerry Bernstein.
Corman was accused of shooting the driver with an assault rifle before barricading himself at the home. During the incident, he also reportedly flashed a laser and shot fireworks at an overhead police helicopter.
Neighbors said Corman lived on Dailey Street most of his life. His father lives next-door.
Some were shocked to see he was out of jail after the prior incident that frightened residents in the area.
"I just don't know why after he shot the tow truck driver, held the neighborhood up all night and kept an arsenal of guns in his home, why he would be let out of jail," said next-door neighbor Colleen Dwyer.
Register NOW for ExtricationFest 2009
New Venue In an effort to better support the needs of both our students and exhibitors we have moved our venue to the Will Rogers Coliseum in downtown Ft Worth. Among many other things, this new location will eliminate the noise and distractions we experienced during classes, while offering exhibitors a much greater exposure. This new location is centered in the heart of the Ft Worth cultural district providing students and vendors with a very enjoyable week end of fun, fellowship and a world of learning.
Exhibit Hall The exhibit hall located on the main floor of the coliseum will be open:
Friday Feb 27th from 9:00 - 5:00 pm Saturday Feb 28th from 9:00 - 5:00pm
Vendors will be allowed to move in on Thursday Feb 26th from 8:00 - 5:00 pm.
Student Registration Student Registration will be Friday Feb 27th from 9:00 to 4:00 pm. At the TEEX registration booth located at the main entrance
Classes Schedules Notice: In an effort to increase hands-on training time, all class room sessions for each level will be held:
Friday evening from 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Students must attend class room sessions to participate in the hands-on classes.
Hands on classes for all auto extrication levels will be:
Saturday 8:00 – 5:00 pm Sunday 8:00 - 4:00 pm
Hands on classes for Big Rig Rescue will be:
Saturday 8:00 – 5:00pm.
Sponsorship Packages are available (Details are listed on the website)
Vendors Booths and Truck Spaces are also available inside the coliseum
You will also find we have a completely new website that is much easier to navigate. It is still the same address.
All details and registration forms are now online at www.midsouthrescue.org
Many thanks to: Mat Jack our first Gold sponsor of ExtricationFest! 2009
Monday, October 20, 2008
IN Deputy Killed While Assisting Tow Truck Operator
Here's the WTHR news story:
Bloomington - A Monroe County deputy died Sunday afternoon after she was struck by a vehicle while on duty Friday night.
Deputy Sara Jones, who had joined the sheriff's department earlier in the year, was pronounced dead at 12:15 Sunday afternoon.
Shortly after 10:30 pm Friday, Deputy Jones was directing traffic at the scene of an accident on SR 45 just west of Bloomington when she was struck by a Jeep driven by 16-year-old Bree Myers of Bloomington.
Deputy Jones had been assisting a local wrecker service pull a vehicle from a ravine on the north side of the road. While Deputy Jones was directing traffic, Myers' Jeep struck Jones with the left front of her vehicle.
"I mean, I have never seen anything like that," wrecker driver Mike Sims said. "I was pulling the truck up out of the ditch and I heard the sound of glass breaking. When I turned to look, I seen the officer being struck by the vehicle."
Sims said there was plenty of warning for drivers to slow down at the scene of the first accident.
"[I] had my lights on, sheriff's car was behind me and had its lights on and she was carrying a flashlight," he said.
Police say Myers was driving 45 miles an hour when she struck Jones - five miles an hour below the posted speed limit.
"Well, you get a lot of gawkers when you are working and accidents," Sims said. "It could be she wasn't paying attention to the road and was looking to see what was going on and didn't see her."
Monroe County Sheriff James Kennedy said the accident is far too common.
"Accident scenes are extremely dangerous," he said. "We have lost more police officers in the last few years from traffic accidents and being out on the highway than any other single cause."
The impact from the Jeep knocked the deputy's badge off her shirt. She suffered multiple injuries from the crash and was transported by ambulance to Bloomington Hospital. Jones was air-lifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis in critical condition Saturday night.
Myers was transported to Bloomington Hospital but was not injured. State Road 45 was shut down until Indiana State Police investigators could re-construct the crash scene.
Arrangements for Deputy Jones are pending, according to Sheriff Kennedy. Black flags were placed on sheriff's cars in the county and flags were lowered to half staff Sunday afternoon in memory of the fallen deputy.
Marty Decker, the vice president of F.O.P. #88 in Monroe County, issued a reminder to residents that they are not at this time collecting for any kind of fund for Deputy Jones.
"If or when we would do so, we will most certainly not do such a solicitation by phone," Decker said in a statement e-mailed to Eyewitness News.
A "Move Over Law" Being Sought in MA After Trooper is Injured
State Trooper Dana Cresta had no time to run. As he stood in the breakdown lane of the Massachusetts Turnpike, investigating a car crash early yesterday, a fast-moving 2008 Nissan Maxima careened into him. The impact sent Cresta through the Nissan's windshield.
The trooper survived, but he sustained serious injuries and was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
The accident was a prime example of the dangers troopers face when they pull over to investigate crashes or make traffic stops. Now, some legislators have renewed calls for a state law that would require highway drivers to move out of the right lane when emergency vehicle lights are flashing.
State Representative Christine E. Canavan, a Brockton Democrat, said she has been sponsoring the legislation, called the "Move Over Law," because too many police officers and tow truck drivers are hurt or killed on the side of the highway every year by errant drivers.
"So many states do something and we don't," Canavan said yesterday.
Her proposal would require drivers on highways of two lanes or more to give wide berth to emergency vehicles parked on the roads with their lights flashing. Drivers would also be required to slow to speeds 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit, or face a ticket of at least $100.
Canavan said she has sponsored the legislation four times in eight years. Although she has never heard opposition to the measure, it has failed to win approval. She said her current bill is mired in a legislative committee, where it has been included in omnibus bills.
Forty-three states have passed similar laws, according to the group Move Over America, a coalition of national law enforcement agencies that advocate for the measure. Earlier this year, New Hampshire enacted the law, expanding it to include construction trucks with amber lights used by its Department of Transportation workers. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, as well as Delaware, Hawaii, and Nebraska, are the only states, as well as Washington, D.C., that have not.
The Massachusetts Association of Chiefs of Police supports the Move Over America law. President A. Wayne Sampson laughed when asked whether he thought the Legislature would approve the measure.
"We're not aware of a single person opposed to it," he said.
Sampson said some research by national law enforcement groups has shown that drivers are sometimes mesmerized by the spinning lights on emergency vehicles and inadvertently drive toward them on the highway.
"People focus on the lights and the brighter they are, the more it distracts them," he said. "We have deep concerns for every officer that makes a moving stop at any time of day."
The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, which oversees the State Police, also supports the legislation. Spokesman Terrell Harris said he did not have information on the number of police officers injured each year on highways, but the legislation is considered to be a benefit to police safety.
Harris said it is impossible to say whether the law would have prevented yesterday's crash. For one thing, the driver of Nissan was charged with drunk driving. For another, drivers don't always abide by traffic laws.
"Incidents like this are always discouraging to the people who try to keep us safe," Harris said. "But those people aren't going to let it stop them from going out and doing their jobs to the best of their ability."
The Towing and Recovery Association of America estimates that about 55 tow truck drivers are killed each year in the United States.
In Massachusetts, two tow truck drivers were killed in 2004 as they sat in the breakdown lane along Interstate 495 in Brockton.
Timothy Kelly, 23, of Bridgewater, and Jarrod Drew, 24, of Brockton, worked for A-1 Affordable Towing of West Bridgewater. Drew was there to help Kelly, whose truck had broken down on the highway.
As the two men worked in the breakdown lane shortly before dawn on Feb. 20, they were struck by Daniel Cummings, 21, of Raynham.
Cummings later pleaded guilty to two counts of motor vehicle homicide and was sentenced to four to five years in jail.
Yesterday's crash occurred shortly before 3 a.m. on the Mass. Pike in Newton. Cresta had been investigating an earlier crash; the occupants of that car had fled. He was struck by a Nissan driven by Patrick J. Sullivan, 23, of 84 Parker Road in Framingham.
Cresta sustained injuries to his head, face, legs, and ribs. Police described his condition as serious, but improving.
Sullivan was not injured. He was arrested and charged with operating under the influence, operating in a break down lane, and operating to endanger. He will be arraigned this week, State Police said.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this story.
Megan Woolhouse can be reached at email@example.com.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Man Fatally Crushed at IN Salvage Yard
A Muncie auto salvage yard worker was killed when a sport-utility vehicle fell from a winch, crushing him underneath.Delaware County Coroner James Clevenger said Michael L. "Tiny" Bodenhofer, 30, probably died instantly when the SUV fell Monday.Clevenger called the death "a very unfortunate accident." He said Bodenhofer had used a flatbed wrecker and a winch cable to lift the 1,200-pound SUV by the bumper, so he could climb beneath it and remove some parts. Clevenger said the bumper gave way, dropping the vehicle on Bodenhofer's chest.Co-workers at Northwest Auto and Truck parts found his body at about 10 a.m., but Clevenger said the accident occurred earlier in the morning.
Deadly Days
In CA, also on Monday, a motorist was killed when a tow truck and passenger car collided on a freeway covered with smoke from a brush fire. Here's the KTLA.com story.
Last Thursday, a pedestrian in TX died after stepping in front of a tow truck. Here's the MyFox Houston story.
Also on that Thursday, a CA woman was killed in her driveway by a van that had come loose from a tow truck. Here's the CBS5.com story.
Earlier in the month, a ME woman was killed after the van she was traveling in hit a tow truck. Here's the MaineToday.com story.
NC Towers Meet About Regulations
By Laura Fowler
Ten & Nightside Edition Producer
Published: October 13, 2008
They can either be your best friends or your worst enemies.
But either way, tow truck drivers in the east say they have the right to set their own rates.
The Highway Patrol wants to set a standard price for towing cars from traffic collisions.
But some tow truck drivers say that's not fair and they need to set their own prices to cover their costs.
A group of these drivers are meeting tonight at Parkers Barbecue on Memorial Drive in Greenville to talk about fighting this mandate.
The meeting starts at 6:30.
NC Towers Face New State Regulations on Jan. 1
By Arthur Mondale
Published: October 13, 2008
Drivers will soon no longer have to guess how much a tow will cost them--that's because starting next year everyone in our state will soon be paying the same price.
The Highway Patrol says it's a way to protect the public from being over charged.
This has tow truck drivers in the east fuming and telling drivers to prepare for greater costs.
Towers like Alton Tate, prides himself on getting drivers out of the occasional sticky situation in no time, all at a fair price of course.
But that may soon change.
"This tow right here is probably about $50," said Tate. "Versus if the Highway Patrol would of got called to this. It would have been $500 the way they're trying to set it up now."
Which has other drivers seeing red.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol wants uniformity on the roads when it comes to how much towers like Tate charge drivers like you and I.
Some troopers say they've seen single tows exceed $1,200.
Towers say the high patrol is asking for collision totals, non-collision totals and cost of labor per hour from every tow truck driver in our state, in an effort to produce a median which will be used to keep companies from robbing customers.
Towers say the mandate will in turn rob drivers and the towing industry.
"Everybody's cost expenditures are different," said John Nightingale. "They want one price that fits all."
But prices aren't in stone, each year during the month of November, towing companies will have to re-submit the numbers.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol's Wrecker Policy goes into effect January 1, 2009.
The highway patrol will also mandate that companies which store vehicles charge a $10 fee per day.
Most tow truck drivers we spoke with are already charging between $25 to $40 dollars on average to store a vehicle for a day.
IL Tow Truck Drivers Want To Set Record
Click here for a PDF document on the parade.
Here's the story on the Nov. 9 event from the Southtown Star.
BY JIM HOOK Staff Writer
A group of tow truck operators is trying to make Christmas special for thousands of boys and girls this year while attempting to set a world record in the process.
They're also hoping the goodwill effort will help improve their industry's reputation, which has been tarnished by tow operators who were charging customers exorbitant fees and holding cars for ransom.
More than 400 tow truck operators and their rigs are expected to form a continuous convoy that will wind its way from the Empress Casino in Joliet to Toyota Park in Bridgeview on Nov. 9.
The trucks will begin lining up about 5 a.m. outside the Empress Casino.
Each of the trucks is expected to be filled with toys for the Toys for Tots program.
Organizer Pat Winer, owner of Worldwide Equipment in Rockdale, said he hopes the event becomes an annual occurrence.
"The idea is to collect as many toys as we can and fill as many trucks as we can for deserving boys and girls," Winer said.
He said the group still is looking for donations of toys, especially for children younger than 4 and between 12 and 18.
Winer said sports equipment is always a hit with the older kids.
He said the Guinness Book of World Records has determined the longest continuous tow truck line (a minimum of two miles long and not interrupted by other vehicles) was 83 trucks in Wenatchee, Wash., in 2004.
In September, a convoy of 292 tow trucks attempted to break the record in New York City.
Winer said the results on whether the record was broken will be known in a few months.
"We're trying for 400 to 500 trucks," he said. "We've gone to all the towing agencies and tow trade shows and invited whomever we could.
"And we've been working the phones," Winer said. "The only thing standing in our way of making this a huge success will be snow. That could be a problem."
For more information or to make a financial or toy donation, call Winer at (630) 878-9837.
Jim Hook can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or (708) 633-5961.
Monday, October 13, 2008
1948 Willys Tow Truck
1948 WILLYS TOW TRUCK PICKUP TRUCK1948 Willys Tow Truck; color is Tan with black interior. Has 4 wheel drive, bought from original owner in 1948, kept inside, well taken care of. Asking $12,500. Located in Vineland, NJ. For more information, please call 856-691-0820 or 856-692-6373.
Price: $12,500.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
NJ Towing Fee Bill Clears Hurdle
TRENTON A bill sparked by the death of a Mantua Township man took a step forward last week.
The bill would cap automotive towing fees at $100 for the first three days following an accident in which the owner was killed or seriously injured.
Sponsored by Senator Stephen Sweeney, the bill is aimed at protecting families who suffer the loss of a loved one from being taken advantage of by towing or storage facilities, according to Sweeney.
The bill, S-564, was approved by the Senate Law, Public Safety, and Veteran's Affairs Committee
Sweeney said that, if it is signed into law, the measure will be named Daniel Mackay's Law, in memory of the 18-year-old man who was killed in a traffic accident on I-295 in June 2006.
"When Daniel's family went to retrieve his car, they had trouble tracking down the location where the car was being stored," Sweeney said. "When they finally located the vehicle, the family was hit with a bill of almost $650 for towing and storage."
The bill would require the law enforcement officer responsible for notifying the next of kin to provide written information for contacting the vehicle storage facility and obtaining a copy of the accident report.
The measure would also cap storage fees at $100 for the first 72 hours after the vehicle is placed on the premises.
The bill passed the Assembly in February. It now heads to the Senate for a full vote.
$70,000 Raised for Injured MN Tow Truck Driver
A fund-raiser Saturday raised more than $70,000 for a Detroit Lakes man injured Sept. 9 while helping stage a bus crash for a Becker County disaster drill, according to Detroit Lakes Police investigator Chad Jutz.
Mike Smith, 44, remains at the Hennepin County Medical Center, recovering from serious injuries incurred in the accidentAbout 2,000 people attended the benefit, held Saturday night at the Soo Pass Ranch where the accident occurred.
It raised $71,727, according to Jutz.
That includes $22,500 raised Friday during a KRCQ Radio A-thon in which local business and listeners were asked to donate. It also includes a $1,000 matching grant from Thrivent, Jutz said.
Smith owns and operates Lakes Country Towing in Detroit Lakes and was using one of his wreckers to tip a converted school bus for the drill. A freak accident caused the school bus to push the wrecker down an incline.
Smith tried to jump into his truck to put on the brakes and was caught half in and half out, suffering crushing injuries when the truck sideswiped a tree.
He suffered extensive injuries, including a crushed pelvis and the loss of his left leg.
On Sunday, this message was posted on Smith's CaringBridge Web site:
"Just got off the phone with Mike and Julie .... they would like to thank everyone for attending and supporting the benefit!!
They especially want to extend their sincere and deepest thanks to the benefit committee and volunteers who have spent countless hours — organizing, marking and posting silent and live auction items — auditing, cooking, serving, cleaning, parking lot attendants, beer ticket sellers, bartenders, silent/live auction check out, security, clean crew, and the entertainers - sorry if they missed someone.
Thanks to WE Fest and Jim Fletcher for the use of the facilities.
Mike and Julie are amazed at the number of people and businesses who donated items to the silent and live auction. Without the generosity of everyone, including the attendees, the benefit would not have been a giant success.
Both Mike and Julie regret that the Webcam wouldn't work due to the Internet connection available at HCMC, and the fact they couldn't attend the benefit.
Today is another long, slow day of waiting. Mike didn't have dialysis today — his kidneys seem to be improving and working a little bit more each day. Surgery is scheduled tomorrow to repair (put screws in) the back of Mike's pelvis near the area where the pelvis meets the spinal column, and of course dialysis continues tomorrow as well.
The Benefit Committee extends their thanks as well to all the media, the volunteers, the entertainers and the generous donations and contributions of so very many people. We are overwhelmed by all the support – Thank you, everyone!!! — Dawn"
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
California Association of Licensed Repossessors Fall Convention & Repo Rodeo on Oct. 16-18
One Year Later, Tow Truck Driver's Family & Friends Remember
Family, friends and co-workers gathered at the corner of York Avenue and Donald Street today at 4:30 a.m. to remember Amanda (Mandy) Frizzley.
The 26-year-old woman was killed at that location one year ago at about that time when the tow truck she was operating was struck by a driver who was allegedly going the wrong way down York at excessive speed.
"I am guessing probably 50-60 people turned out," commented Frizzley's father Craig. "It went very well."
Frizzley's co-workers painted 403, the unit number of her truck, on the road to commemorate the spot where she died.
"This was the anniversary of the day that she was killed right after 4 in the morning," said Craig Frizzley. "The other reasons (for holding the vigil) were that we really wanted to get the word out about the preliminary hearing of the accused, which is scheduled for Oct. 22-24."
Steve Watkins faces charges of driving impaired causing death, driving over the legal .08 blood-alcohol limit and criminal negligence causing death, according to court documents.
"Also everyone there wanted the public to know that we're just not going to stand for these criminal acts and impaired driving on our streets."
"Its been a year of dealing with it," said Craig Frizzley, adding, "but (hopefully) final closure will come when the judicial system doesn't fail us."
Frizzley's mother Janet said in a prepared release that the vigil was a chance to raise awareness, and remind the public and the justice system that driving drunk causes devastation, destruction and the death of far too many innocent victims.
"Absolutely nothing can bring Mandy back," she said. "Our concern is not about revenge, it is justice for Mandy, and a benchmark to ensure that other families like ours do not have to live through the horror of losing a child to an alleged drunk driver."


text:
The reasons for this are simple:
1) it's like 10 minutes walk from my office.
2) it coincides with 13th month pay.
3) it's all about toy vendors unloading stock. Very little "activities".
4) there's a lot of variety.
I'm not really a "hard-core" collector. I don't focus on particular lines, and I don't really care if the line I'm buying is in a popular line, or an exclusive one. I don't usually care if it fits in with toy lines that I currently have (though I am more or less aware of scale). I just love toys.
What the Toyfair reminded me of were the yard sales I went to as a kid. Before ebay, the way to unload your junk in my neighborhood in Honolulu was the good old Yard Sale. We didn't have a whole lot of extra money, so many of my toys came second hand from my neighbors. I didn't mind. If I learned one thing from my parents, it's that second hand doesn't usually mean anything but LESS EXPENSIVE. I loved going around with my mom and digging through the tables of toys or books while she would go through clothes or kitchenware. Finding a GI Joe that I could buy for 50c or a big Transformer for $1 was a sweet deal for a kid.
There is a unique feeling you get from that that you don't get from retail stores. When you wait for a toy in Toys R' Us with the rest of the geekdom and it hits shelf, there's a feeling of gratitude that you bought it at suggested retail price and didn't get screwed over by hoarders; it's roughly equivalent to winning the office raffle. But toy HUNTING at differnt locations, or digging through piles of plastic, never knowing what you'll find, just in it for the fun... well that kind of treasure is yours alone. It's like finding gold. Or winning the Lotto.
When I first found myself at the December Toyfair, I was like a kid back at home. The other cons, although bigger, with more pomp and brighter lights, were about a part of toy collecting that I never really identified with. Great experiences all, nice photo opportunities, but not me. THIS was my kind of collecting. In the sale bins, digging in the dirt, looking for rare gems and precious idols. While I now realize that some of my purchases back then were less than thrifty (mostly Mint-On-Card stuff), I don't mind. It was the elation of being in the middle of a big yard sale, with loose second-hand toys, at (arguably) less than retail prices that enthralled.
That first year, I came out with an army duffel bag full of MOC Marvel Legends (my main line at the time). Ditto the second year out, when I came home with several MIB (Mint-In-Box) Playarts figures. I remember taking my cousin with me to this one and even he found something (Those dark fairy tale statues by McFarlane) and he's not even a collector. This year was a little slower, but I think it mostly has to do with the sheer number of toys I already have. It takes a little more work to find things to add simply because I've already got many of the ones I wanted in the first place. A little joy in and of itself and I'm grateful for it.
Next year, when Christmas rolls around and the vendors in Greenhills start thinking about unloading their excess stock, I'll be at Megamall waiting. This time I'm gonna save more and camp out there for all three days.


text:
Mayor Bloomberg Booed 'We've been dying down here!' Sandy-battered Rockaway boos mayor at paradehttp://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/bloomberg_parade_been_dying_down_BeYxdhhIvhKvr6ri7BT5GL
Here I boo mayor Bloomberg at City Hall just before he stole a third term!
Mike Bloomberg gives me the thumbs up!
Yell down mayor Bloomberg August 20th press conference CityTime and ECTP 911 Tech 2 -- I yell at him about 911 2 billion dollars and it doesn't work properly!


text:
Picture+1.jpg - [image: Picture+1.jpg] Date: Jul 30, 2017, 5:06 AM Number of Comments on Photo:0 View Photo
11 months ago
WARNING: CRIME ALERT! CPS "Child Protection Services" is kidnapping children! Stop Organized Crime! View San Luis Obispo Children Non Profits: http://www.box.net/shared/cnp6fok9i8 View your county: visit: www.guidestar.com
This is really amazing blog..Thanks for needful information..
Thanks for sharing...
Lock in your price today for Your favorite channels - and keep it there until 2010!
[url=http://aluejxfttk.com]ZYTetUY[/url] - EKXdUUNdOgLvp - http://pyfnknfrtw.com


text:
Today was our homeschool group's second annual kids' holiday gift exchange. The moms have been doing the traditional "pick a name from a hat" Secret Santa gig for a few years now, but all gifts must be crafted by hand. While the moms have to guess who made their gift, the kids each personally presented to the recipient the gift they made for them. There was a lot of creativity and care put into these gifts, and they were all appreciated.
|Cooooold weather at the park, so huddling in a circle was good.
|William and friends Andrea and Alex.
|Thomas: "What could it be?" (Connor looking on from behind)
|A cool gaming t-shirt from Connor.
|Michael: "Food!"
|Brownie joy.
|William: "A cat toy!" from Griffin.
|Kittie will be very happy.
|Post-Exchange Group Shot.
|Happy faces.
One of the things I really appreciate about our group is their genuine appreciation for anything and everything that is hand-made or home-made, from food, to winter hats and scarves, to a gift made especially for them by a friend. It's not just the moms, though I'm sure in each household there has been intentional creation of a culture of appreciation. But each kid who opened a gift had a smile on their face and a "thank you" on their lips (okay, a couple of the littles needed to be reminded by mom). This is a good time of year to remember how blessed we are by having such wonderful people in our lives.
The boys' recipients:
|Ava's snowman from Thomas.
|Ella's birdhouse from Michael.
|Stella's treasure box from William.


text:
Every Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday from 07/22/2017 to 08/15/2017
ISRAEL MISSIONS 2017 - BEIT RACHAMIM MINISTRY: Partner with our 2017 team heading to Israel in September serving along side of Larry and Bess Herzekow. Stop by the Welcome/Ministry Center and pick up a list of items being collected. Drop off items at Calvary Aurora in marked blue bins; collection ends August 15th. More info: Cassandra Austin at .


text:
Thursday, January 19, 2012
College Student Dies on Birthday Shortly After Thanking God for Giving Her Another Year of Life
4 comments:
When onitsuka tiger comes to classy footwear,
Rosetta Stone one of the best ways for 2011 will likely be classic shoes. an incredible classic footwear on the market has got to be the Onitsuka tiger mini.
Belstaff Leather JacketsThis content is made to give a quick presentation of this amazing running shoe. Tiger ShoesWe are going to check out the different features that the shoe has, along with alluring information.
- February 29, 2012 at 10:28 PM
When the Onitsuka tiger shoes was launched,
Hogan Scarpe onitsuka tiger was known as running shoe. This sneaker reached everything that runners could enjoy. it was lightweight, comfortable and presented excellent performance.
Onitsuka Tiger Shoes Over the years, athletic footwear sportsmen got these components. As a result, the shoe was a bit more worn like a casual footwear towards one for running. The Onitsuka tiger shoes are actually comfortable and individuals really put them on all < align="left">Belstaff Leather Jackets day and have no issues with h
- February 29, 2012 at 10:29 PM
- kajal vai er blog said...
well done.
- May 5, 2012 at 1:34 PM
- kajal vai er blog said...
- May 5, 2012 at 1:35 PM


text:
The Christian Kingdom in the Mountains of East Africa is a city called Axum (it is also spelled Aksum) in Ethiopia. It was the earliest Christian Empire in the world.Continue Reading
This historical site, from the tenth to first century BC, was the capital of the Auximite Empire, considered to be one of the last great empires. Christianity arrived in the fourth century to Axum, and it is known as the holiest city in the Ethiopian Orthodox Faith. Though not as grand now, the city still exudes a deeply religious reverence from both Ethiopian Orthodox and Sunni Muslim citizens, who are the guardians of the city's most sacred artifact, the reputed Ark of the Covenant.Learn more about Africa


text:
Bee: I want to learn to ride my bike with no training wheels
Me: does this have anything to do with your friend borrowing your bike when she's over?
Bee: I just want to learn. Take those training wheels off!
We drove to our church parking lot. It's huge.
Luke shows off his pedaling skills.
Here we go!
You can do this daddy.
Balance.... balance.....
Bee: Wait, don't let go!
Maybe mom can give it a try. Brian teased me so bad about my skirt and shoe combination. I needed to be able to run with her bike and I wasn't changing clothes.
Mom went too fast for Bee and daddy's taste. It's daddy's turn again.
Bee: so, can we put them back on for a little while?
Bee: Let's try again tomorrow!
She didn't quiet get it, but she is determined. We will be getting it soon!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
just like riding a bike
Posted by Beth- the mama bee at 6:09 AM
Labels: bee
2 comments:
Her helmet is almost as large as her. lol
She's pretty young to take off training wheels, but as determined as she is, she'll probably do it earlier than her friends.
Happy Mother's day!
Love Always,
- May 9, 2010 at 7:30 AM
I believe there is a story about Uncle Dave and training wheels.
- May 9, 2010 at 3:52 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
[Computerworlduk] Groups to monitor EU telcos restricting online access
Digital civil liberties groups in Europe have launched an online platform asking citizens to "name and shame" telecommunications companies that impose internet access restrictions.
The aim is to gather information about internet providers that are "violating online freedom" according to advocacy group La Quadrature du Net. Large telecom providers want to "control what you do online," the organization claims. "They want to block and throttle some of your communications, and charge you to use certain online services, content and applications."


text:
More or less semi-auto, than full-auto... and a first-time attempt at making one. (Bored this afternoon and wanted to build for quite a while). Took about 2-1/2 hours, from start to finish - including making the whole thing twice.

The gun is a modified copy of a design that I found, called the P212 PULL AU*TO , from OGG CRAFT'S GUN LOCKER.
The gun body was carved from a single piece of 3/4" x 5-1/2" pine board, using a table saw and jig saw. - The notches for the rubber bands were cut on the table saw. Had to take the blade guard off (NOT RECOMMENDED) and now I'm covered in sawdust.
The "ramp" on the pull handle is apparently too high and too deep, as the rubber bands will bind if you load every notch. There are 20 notches total, although I'm only using every other one.
The OGG CRAFT site has some really cool designs on it. I just though that this one looked like the most simple to replicate. (My woodworking skills are below retarded).

Registered users: Bing [Bot], Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot]


text:
In my constant search for stand-out all-natural and organic products, I came across Organix-South Theraneem & Naked Organix, two incredible lines of certified organic bath and beauty products that will completely change your skin and appearance. Here are just a few of the wonderful products I tried:
- Theraneem Lemongrass & Patchouli Cleansing Bar: The first thing you'll notice about this handcrafted bar is its intoxicating scent. You can now rely on this, instead of your morning coffee, to get you going. And your skin will finally be soft and smooth, despite the chill in the air, thanks to wonderful ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil and neem and jojaba seed oil.
And there's no better clean than a neem clean. Neem, from the neeem tree, is a cornerstone of Ayurvedic medicine and is absolutely amazing - it's leaf, bark and oil and contain crazy high levels of antioxidants and treats everything from dry scalps and skin to gums, helps you maintain a healthy liver and supports healthy blood sugar levels, amongst other things.
- Naked Organix Argan Cleansing Bar: I loooove argan oil. Once you see how powerfully it moisturizes and protects your skin, I think you'll be as hooked as I am. And this bar's fragrance free for those of you wanting to stay away from scents all together. (p.s. Both of these cleansing bars are paraben, sulfate and gluten free.)
- Naked Organix Argan Body Butter (pictured): It takes just the teensiest of bits of this luxurious butter to turn your skin from chicken bumps to silky smooth. Dab just a smidge on your lips and watch as your hard flaky mouth effortlessly becomes plump and oh-so-sensuous. Swath your elbows, knees and feet and see how previously hardened spots are instantly soft and sexy. So toss out your cheap drugstore lotions - this is all you're going to need to get you through the cold winter months.
- Theraneem Cinnamon Tooth & Gum Powder: My Mom has been using powders for her teeth for years and so finally, I too have made the leap. It's amazing the difference in how clean your teeth and mouth feel, not to mean how white and bright your tooth appear. And if you've never used a powder before, don't worry - this fluoride, paraben, sulfate and gluten-free formula is not dry or scratchy in the least - in fact, it's so foamy and wet, regular drugstore toothpaste seems like sandpaper by comparison. Make the switch and see how great a healthy mouth looks and feels. And tastes: mmm, cinnamon.
Shop Organix South products now and have happy, healthy skin, teeth and gums using all natural ingredients.


text:
Last week I was raving about the festive episode of Aaron Sorkin's new US TV drama, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. After some decidedly mixed helpings the show hit its stride just before the winter break when American series traditionally go on hiatus. For me the highlight of the show was its finale, when the fictional sketch show featured in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip [also called Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, natch] showcased a clutch of jazz musicians from New Orleans who'd been displaced by Hurricane Katrina. They played an arrangement of Oh Holy Night that was simply stunning.
If you'd like to see an officially sanctioned clip [unlike the bootlet clip YouTube was hosting that has now been removed], visit this NBC website page and click the link that says Watch Highlight. Best of all, you can now hear the arrangement as an mp3 without people talking over the top of it. Pure class.


text:
Noam Scheiber has a fascinating piece about the politics of TARP and whether TARP could have been more politically popular within the same policy framework.
I think if they took Bank of America or Citigroup and did a serious reorganization it would have potentially made people think that the government was serious about a penalty for the backstop; on the other hand, the short-term costs would have been larger in exchange for a better long-term situation, and as such would have been even more highly unpopular politically. The more obvious case is Ezra Klein's point for pushing for financial reform earlier and more aggressively.
One other political point that I don't think was emphasized enough was that there were many, many people who voted for TARP who fought and voted against the financial reform bill. And they are almost all Republicans, and they are almost all now getting rewarded in campaign contributions.
Zach Carter has a must-read about this point: " Of the 69 House members who voted with Wall Street on both the bailout and financial reform, 60 are Republicans, while nine are Democrats. All 21 Senators who voted with Wall Street on both issues are Republicans, and Republicans raked in over 90 percent of the total campaign contributions."
This gets under my skin, because one of the smartest and strongest proposals in the bill that was added from the original Treasury proposal was prefunding the resolution mechanism. There are arguments against this mechanism, but Republicans and conservative commentators describing it as a "bailout fund", Mitch McConnell above all, were certainly following Wall Street's marching orders in a successful attempt to get funding for the midterms. Mitch McConnell voted for TARP, against financial reform, set the narrative to weaken it, and got paid handsomely. Nice gig.
Here's an important graph from Zach's piece:
Zach has a full list of the 69 House members and 21 Senators who voted for TARP and against the financial reform bill. I wished they had gotten hammered harder for this cynicism.