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REAL ART EDUCATION DEBATE
My old dear friend Kevin is starting his first year as a high school English teacher, a job for which he has been preparing and studying for a couple of years now. As you know, I've just finished a six year stint as a high school teacher, myself. For over a year he and I have been having an ongoing discussion and debate about the nature of education: what works best, what's wrong with the system, what's right, and how to survive it all with sanity intact. These discussions have been lively at times, but always thought-provoking and fun. While neither of us have any illusions that our debates will change the nature of the public school system as it currently exists, I believe that both of us are better people for our exchanges.
For the last few days, another round of our debates has been going on in Real Art comments that was provoked by a statement that I posted that was both inflammatory and, I must admit, for the most part unexplained (however, if you really want to understand where I'm coming from on education, read this). So, while a Democrat "stay the course" corporatist debates a Republican "stay the course" corporatist on TV tonight, I figure it's appropriate to post a debate with some real clash.
Coming to you from the Real Art comment boards, another Kevin and Ron education debate:
If there actually was an atmosphere of discipline and fear of authority in public schools I might be able to agree with you. As it is, the real reason that the only students who learn are those who decide to do it themselves is that there is actually less of a punitive, authoritarian atmosphere in schools than there is in society. If you or I were to disrupt people's ability to buy products in a store or to make their way from point A to point B in the way that many students disrupt the learning process, I guarantee that we would not soon return to do it again soon (not to mention the shorter, sharper shock dealt out to those who interrupt their workplace). The reality is that after years and years of litigation against the education system, schools have become places where the students are in charge of their own learning, and those who don't really feel like learning anything are making it next to impossible for those that do to get on with it.
Motivation from within is awesome when all, or even most, of the participants are motivated. When a third are NOT motivated from within, and another third are undecided, you wind up with the current system which leaves the motivated third to their own devices and dooms the undecided to no education at all.
But Kevin, you're looking at school discipline as though it existed in a vacuum. It doesn't; it's a societal phenomenon. That is, student attitudes about discipline and motivation begin at home, and these attitudes reflect parental attitudes and methods, which are, in turn, influenced by the overall culture.
The point is that, for decades now, our culture worships and adores the anti-hero rebel. Popular culture is full of role models that don't take any shit from anybody; parents both act out such behaviors while at the same time bemoaning how unruly their children are: the schools are hopelessly mired in a 19th century system of discipline and motivation that cannot possibly work in the 21st century.
Teachers, as authority figures, are set up by society to be the targets of young would-be individuals trying to prove themselves.
That third of students you speak of is here to stay. How do we teach them? How do we keep them from disrupting all of education without descending further into educational totalitarianism in the form of "zero tolerance?"
The solution is to start over, at the very beginning. Educators cannot be authority figures; they must be facilators of learning, and children must, at the youngest ages, be taught to work together, for a common goal, instead of against each other and their teachers.
We must find a way to fly under American anti-authoritarian radar. Really, that's not such a bad thing.
And if you want the system as it is now to work better for you (for survival's sake), I strongly suggest you start to cultivate what you call an actual "atmosphere of discipline and fear of authority" in your classroom starting TOMORROW. The system can only help you if you're willing to use it. If your classroom is being disrupted by weird insurgents, you really need to go Nazi on them and not let up for at least six weeks.
I'm not kidding. Under the current system, it's the only way.
That's why I quit.
Come on now, what is it exactly that America worships?
"America worships discipline and authority"
"The point is that, for decades now, our culture worships and adores the anti-hero rebel."
I agree that the third who don't want to learn will always be there. Where we disagree is in how best to deal with them. You seem to think that a utopian balance will appear when students take charge of their own learning (something you state is difficult when every move is madated etc). Regardless of how put-upon students think they are, the freedom of choice they enjoy now was unthinkable even 15 years ago. Hardly anything can be "mandated" about student behavior without first checking with an attorney. In this atmosphere, I think that the students ARE in charge of their education
The reason so few are getting an education is that teachers now have to spend the majority of their time trying to keep those that don't care from disrupting class (without, of course, actually doing anything to the disruptive student that might curb or stop their behavior) instead of helping those that want to learn but can't do it on their own.
If you are imagining a system where those who refuse to take part in education are allowed to move on and out, then I agree, the group process approach would be amazing. If they are forced/allowed to remain, then we need more discipline not less, in order to, hopefully, teach them how to take part in positive, productive communal action (it doesn't come naturally).
I agree that there is a contradiction, but it's not in my thinking or analysis; rather it's in the culture itself. That is, Americans worship authority and discipline as long as it's somebody else who has to deal with it. Otherwise, Americans don't like to take any shit personally. You know, kind of like drug war zealots who suddenly change their tune when their house is seized because their teenage kid was selling dime bags out of his bedroom.
Contradictory, yes, but that's the USA.
And I repeat: if your classroom is being disrupted time and again by the same people, you've got to put the system to work. You've got to bust these kids over and over for the least little thing. Call their parents every damned day if you have to. It's something of a hassle, but it works, if the administration is doing it's job, too.
Also, I don't believe in utopianism, but I do believe that things can be much better. Basically, if the kind of system I'm imagining was implemented, we'd have to write off an entire generation of both students and teachers--all have been socialized into what amounts to atagonistic relationships that are, at best, inefficient for learning.
We'd have to start over with all new teachers and with brand new kindegarteners: we would have to start with play and games that focus on group responsibility, which ultimately translate into individual responsibility to the group, games that emphasize collective problem solving, games with increasing levels of challenge as each year goes by. Ideally, students would not be thrown into a system of relationships that are, by their very nature, doomed to be understood in terms of "us versus them." The idea is to create an environment where there is only "us."
Pie in the sky? Maybe, but no one's ever really tried to do this, or even study it seriously. Who knows? I don't know how it could be worse than what we have now.
I think it actually has been tried. It seems to only work if there is a plan in place to jetison those who don't buy into it (like all plans be they educational, governmental, community etc that depend on EVERYONE somehow learning that things go much more smoothly when we ALL recognize that there is really only an "us" and no "them"). There will always be a butthead, or more likely a contingent of buttheads, who will see a "them". Thus, my use of the term Utopian.
And here's my final comment:
Personally, I've never heard of it being attempted in the way that I've described, from the very beginning, schoolwide, administered by people who have absolutely no connection with or experience in the public education establishment. Students and teachers from the current system bring in attitudes and subconscious behaviors that are permenantly laden with authoritarian and antagonistic leanings. We must start with a blank slate; public education in its current state is extraordinarily successful with its indoctrinational power, for both students and teachers.
As for the buttheads, one hopes that a new, communal system of education would foster a group spirit such that peer pressure, along with the human herd instinct, would deal with the buttheads in a much less authoritarian way: the buttheads would learn that being a butthead only impedes progress and positive social interatction.
What do you think, Kevin?
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TWO FROM J. ORLIN GRABBE
Kickass Journalists Edition
From CounterPunch, an essay by longime Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk of the London Independent:
Why Have We Suddenly Forgotten Abu Ghraib?
And that, I fear, is the least of the suffering that has gone on at Abu Ghraib. For what happened to all those videos which members of Congress were allowed to watch in secret and which we--the public--were not permitted to see? Why have we suddenly forgotten about Abu Ghraib? Seymour Hersh, the journalist who broke the Abu Ghraib story--and one of the only journalists in America who is doing his job--has spoken publicly about what else happened in that terrible jail.
I'm indebted to a reader for the following extract from a recent Hersh lecture: "Some of the worst things that happened that you don't know about. OK? Videos. There are women there. Some of you may have read that they were passing letters out, communications out to their men. This is at Abu Ghraib... The women were passing messages out saying please come and kill me because of what's happened. And basically what happened is that those women who were arrested with young boys, children, in cases that have been recorded, the boys were sodomised, with the cameras rolling, and the worst above all of them is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking..."
Already, however, we have forgotten this. Just as we must no longer talk about weapons of mass destruction. For as the details slowly emerge of the desperate efforts of Bush and Blair to find these non-existent nasties, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
And from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the New York Times' Princeton economist-in-residence, Paul Krugman:
Media need to fact-check the debate
Interviews with focus groups after the first 2000 debate gave Al Gore a slight edge. Post-debate analysis should have widened that edge. After all, during the debate, Bush told one whopper after another -- about his budget plans, about his prescription drug proposal and more. Fact-checking in the next day's papers should have been devastating.
But as Adam Clymer pointed out Monday on the Op-Ed page of The Times, front-page coverage of the 2000 debates emphasized not what the candidates said but their "body language." After the debate, the lead stories said a lot about Gore's sighs but nothing about Bush's lies. And even the fact-checking pieces "buried inside the newspaper" were, as Clymer delicately puts it, "constrained by an effort to balance one candidate's big mistakes" -- that is, Bush's lies -- "against the other's minor errors."
The result of this emphasis on the candidates' acting skills rather than their substance was that after a few days, Bush's defeat in the debate had been spun into a victory.
Nonetheless, tomorrow there will be a temptation to revert to drama criticism -- to emphasize how the candidates looked and acted, and push analysis of what they said, and whether it was true, to the inside pages. With so much at stake, the public deserves better.
As for myself, I don't think I'm going to even watch a few minutes of tomorrow's "debate." They've become an even bigger joke/photo-op than party conventions. I've got better things to do.
Of course, with my luck, Kerry'll finally show some spine, and I will have missed it. Such is life. Whatever will be will be. And all those other latin-based phrases that became pop songs.
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Agencies Postpone Issuing New Rules Until After Election
From the New York Times courtesy of This Modern World:
Both industry lobbyists and their critics say that the re-election of President Bush would probably lead to the adoption of some regulations favorable to industry and the rejection or watering down of others that industry considers objectionable. Consumer groups, environmental organizations and food safety experts, meanwhile, say that delays could lead to significantly weaker rules that could increase prices on some products, reduce safety and relax environmental protections.
While the delay of completing rules, known to lobbyists and policy makers as "slow rolling,'' is common in a campaign season, some environmental groups and consumer advocates say this year is different.
"Generally, regulatory submissions often get pushed off in election years,'' said Gene Kimmelman, a senior director of public policy at Consumers Union.
"What is unusual this time,'' he added, "is the clear pattern of holding back regulatory decisions that will benefit the largest industry players and will drive up prices and market place risks for consumers, ranging from telephones to drugs to the risks of contaminants of food. The pattern of slow rolling will ultimately benefit the largest players and hit consumers in the pocketbook.''
Administration officials have denied such consequences, although they acknowledge that they are generally inclined in each instance to take the least restrictive approach and that they have been sympathetic to the concerns of business interests.
Slow rolling takes place before a presidential election because it is an axiom of political life that agencies take no action that could give an issue to the opponents of the incumbent administration.
After an election, by contrast, agency work often accelerates, particularly in anticipation of a change in administration.
In Texas, some call such a thing "dancing with the ones that brung ya." I'm in Louisiana now, so I'll speak more plainly. Bush is providing free drugs and sex for his electoral base of corporate polluters, price gougers, and food poisoners at the expense of everybody else. He's just going to wait until his administration is no longer under the electoral microscope.
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QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES
means "Who polices the police?"
From the Houston Chronicle:
Ex-HPD officer gets 20 years in drug deal
A former Houston police officer was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to taking part in a $50,000 drug deal while on duty and wearing his uniform.
Gilberto Zertuche, 43, was armed and providing protection for a deal in which a kilogram of cocaine — 2.2 pounds — and 100 pounds of marijuana changed hands at an apartment in Humble on Feb. 24, Harris County prosecutors said.
The arrest resulted from a sting operation set up by the Houston Police Department's Internal Affairs Division. Undercover police targeted the 18-year HPD veteran after receiving a tip.
Zertuche was not a buyer or a seller, but he oversaw the transaction, helping to weigh the drugs and count the money exchanged, said Assistant District Attorney Julian Ramirez.
Remember, my point in making these cop corruption posts is not to simply to bash the police, an institution society needs. Rather, I'm attempting to illustrate that there's something badly wrong with police culture in the United States: there are numerous instances of corruption and misbehavior that make it to the papers every week, but far more go unreported. Really, we're in the midst of a law enforcement crisis, even if no one wants to call it that.
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Strong and wrong
From the Washington Post via WorkingForChange:
Nevertheless the president's insistence that the world is safer without Saddam is a powerful political position for one reason: it can't be disproved. There is simply no way to rerun the past year and do a double-blind crossover study of what would have happened if we hadn't invaded Iraq.
Are we better off? Compared to what? Are we safer than we would have been with a long, continuing pressure of world forces? Safer than if we'd focused on al Qaeda instead?
For that matter, who is safer? The people Saddam persecuted? Surely. But the 1,000 American soldiers who died? The 20,000 Iraqis?
And, if that math is perplexing, no one can truly calculate safety without seeing the future. Are we safer for having taken our eye off Iran and North Korea? Safer for taking our dollars away from homeland security? Are we recruiting more enemies than we are defeating? Will we only know when and if there is another attack?
What? Who? When? Bush stands before the United Nations and every other political forum and states with certainty that Iraq is on the way to being "secure, democratic, federal and free." Kerry charges that "terrorists are pouring across the border" and calls the invasion a "crisis of historic proportions."
But most Americans have no way to either refute or to affirm the central question raised: are we safer? Indeed in the face of so many troubling unknowns and such fearful uncertainties, facts fall by the wayside. We are left relying on our beliefs, including our beliefs about human nature, about the way the world works.
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Xtreme weather meets Xtreme media bubble
From ZNet:
And yet something was missing. For the first time in history, four hurricanes -- Charley, Frances, Ivan (the Terrible), and now Jeanne -- have smacked into Florida's long coastline one after another in a single hurricane season (not yet over), and here's the strangest thing of all: Forget that in March Brazil experienced the South Atlantic's first hurricane ever -- Brazilian meteorologists didn't even know what to name it; or that the Atlantic coast of Canada got whacked by Hurricane Juan, "the storm of the century," late last year (and the Canadian government suspects a link to global warming); or that the United States has already experienced a record number of tornados in 2004; or that Japan has had the worst season of typhoons in memory; or that Xtreme weather events have increased in recent years across the planet, including massive flooding in Europe, Bangladesh, and China, and a deathly summer heat wave that struck Europe in 2003. Forget the rising sea levels and the increased melt-off toward the poles. Forget that the head of at least one (hated) country in the path of Hurricane Ivan -- Fidel Castro -- was ready to warn his people about global warning and hurricanes, or that the Bush administration's closest ally, Tony Blair of Britain, made a major speech, widely ignored in the American press, labeling global warming a danger beyond compare. ("What is now plain is that the emission of greenhouse gases...is causing global warming at a rate that began as significant, has become alarming and is simply unsustainable in the long-term. And by long-term I do not mean centuries ahead. I mean within the lifetime of my children certainly; and possibly within my own. And by unsustainable, I do not mean a phenomenon causing problems of adjustment. I mean a challenge so far-reaching in its impact and irreversible in its destructive power, that it alters radically human existence.") Forget all that, and just focus for a moment on the fact that it took almost to the moment Jeanne hit Florida for our media to produce a spate of pieces that even speculated in passing about possible links between the hurricanes in Florida and global warming -- and almost all of those articles denied that there were any connections at all.
BANNING BIBLES
GOP Flyers Hit
Hillbilly States
It turns out these weird flyers aren't just in West Virginia. From the Advocate courtesy of Eschaton:
Republican Party admits to antigay mailers
The Republican Party acknowledged Thursday that it has been sending mass mailings to residents of Arkansas and West Virginia warning that ''liberals'' seek to ban the Bible while promoting same-sex marriage, according to a report in The New York Times. As part of the GOP's efforts to mobilize religious voters for President Bush, the mailings include an image of the Bible under the word "banned" and an image of a man proposing to another man under the word "allowed." The Arkansas mailing warns: "This will be Arkansas if you don't vote." The West Virginia mailing is similar in content.
As far as I know, gay marriage is not part of the Democrats' national agenda, although it probably should be. Accusing them of wanting to ban Bibles is, of course, completely insane. However, I don't think that the Republican operatives who put these flyers together really believe what they're saying: they are clearly targeting poor states with ignorant, socially conservative populations in order to push emotional buttons. In short, they're concocting sensational lies, no doubt because they don't really have much to offer these people in the way of actual policy making.
Bastards.
Image courtesy of Eschaton.
PUBLIC EDUCATION FAILURE
It's back to basics for many in college
Nearly two-thirds of 2004's graduating high school seniors now enrolled in Houston-area community colleges are taking remedial classes because they weren't prepared for college.
Sixteen local school districts sent 6,552 newly graduated students to the Houston Community College System and the North Harris Montgomery College District this fall. Sixty-four percent of them, or 4,217, are taking high school-level courses, according to the colleges.
Although the problem is generally worse among school districts with high poverty levels, such as Houston and Aldine, some of those with wealthier populations, including Spring Branch and Katy, face the same predicament.
And it's not just community college students who are struggling. Even those attending four-year universities lack many of the basic skills necessary to tackle college-level work as freshmen.
A report released this spring by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board found that half of the state's 2001 high school graduates needed remedial help in college.
Among Harris County's largest school districts, the percentage of 2001 graduates required to take high school-level courses in college ranged from 62 percent in Houston Independent School District to roughly a quarter of Katy ISD graduates. About one third of all college-bound students from Spring Branch ISD and Cy-Fair ISD needed extra help.
This comes as no surprise.
As the Houston area public school establishment goes into crisis mode trying to figure out this latest educational travesty, I can already tell you what the problem is. Public education's overwhelming emphasis on discipline and authority not only creates an atmosphere that is detrimental to knowledge and understanding, but in prioritizing obedience as school's major goal, it also tends to deemphasize learning itself. Students, for the most part, are essentially on their own. Those who are either unwilling or unable to teach themselves fall through the cracks.
The solution is a massive revamp of the structure of public education: starting with the earliest levels, children must be taught the nature of democracy and communal action; that is, students must learn how to take charge of their own learning, as a group, which is extraordinarily difficult to do under the current system which mandates students' each and every move, making individual responsibility unlikely. Ideally, this would make the passing-but-not-understanding phenomenon go away: learning would be motivated from within, rather than by threat of punishment in the form of bad grades or disciplinary action.
Of course, this won't happen. Society is quite happy with the current system, and the corporate establishment is even happier: despite platitudes about democracy, America worships discipline and authority; the schools are the churches of this homegrown religion.
For more of my views on education and authority, click here.
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DeLay, Craddick will have to be light on their feet
From the Houston Chronicle's Clay Robinson:
Most school yard bullies wouldn't be caught dead in a dance class, or so the old macho stereotype would have us believe. Political bullies such as Tom DeLay, however, are another breed.
The U.S. House majority leader from Sugar Land takes pride in his ruthless partisan tactics, his ability to intimidate and run over opponents and raise huge amounts of political cash from special interests eager to court him.
But DeLay also is something of a dancer, although not a very good one. He and Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick were awkwardly two-stepping on the public stage last week after three of DeLay's political associates — who also were Craddick's benefactors — were indicted over fund-raising activities during the 2002 Texas legislative races.
It remains to be seen whether anyone ever will be convicted of a crime, but DeLay's and Craddick's attempts to distance themselves from the allegations were pretty weak.
Obviously, I'm totally biased against DeLay. Not only does his simplistic brand of "common man" conservatism set my teeth to grinding, but his absolute arrogance and sense of triumphant glee also sends me into convulsions. The man just grosses me out on numerous levels. So of course I think he's guilty.
Now, having said all that, I also have to say that in the political world, generally, where there's smoke there's fire. That is, when a politician seems to be bathing in a stinky pool of corruption, there's good reason to suspect that such a politician is corrupt himself. Indeed, this was the principle, coupled with the same kind of hatred that I have for DeLay, that drove millions of conservatives to demand President Clinton's investigation and eventual impeachment. That turned out to be a wild goose chase, but there are some real issues going on with this DeLay thing. Indeed, there is enough prima facie evidence to warrant a trial for some of DeLay's associates.
In pursuit of a one party nation, the Republican House Majority Leader has behaved pretty aggressively: it's not at all hard to believe that he might have crossed the line on more than one occasion. The fact that he's now trying to distance himself from an organization that he, himself, created simply spawns more suspicion--as Ronnie Earle says, the investigation is continuing; they may yet nab the Lizard King.
Or not. If DeLay's innocent of any wrongdoing, I'll continue to hate him, but I have no wish for him to be wrongly convicted. Still, I hope they roast the motherfucker.
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REAL ART: Virtual Museum of Political Art
This is a pretty cool site. Check it out. I'm particularly fond of the Socialist Realism section.
SMACK BUSH
Addictive flash-fun in cyberspace, courtesy of Dr. Menlo.
Go smack Bush!
TOM DELAY SLITHERS
An old school investigative report from the Houston Chronicle:
Records show ties of DeLay, Craddick to PAC
U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Texas Speaker Tom Craddick quickly distanced themselves from a GOP political action committee this week after a state grand jury indicted three of the group's consultants.
But a Houston Chronicle review of documents from civil lawsuits and government databases involving Texans for a Republican Majority show DeLay and Craddick were kept abreast of the PAC's operations and were personally involved in the committee's fund-raising activities.
DeLay's daughter and personal political consultants ran TRMPAC. DeLay was on the board of advisers and was the featured guest at fund-raisers.
Craddick consulted frequently with TRMPAC staff. He accepted donations for the PAC and passed along contributions from TRMPAC to Republican House candidates during the 2002 elections.
Click here for the evidence.
You know, before these indictments, DeLay seemed to have no problem at all with his name being linked to TRMPAC. Now it appears as though the Lizard King has shed his skin: sounds like it's getting to be a bit too hot for such a cold blooded creature.
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NOAM CHOMSKY EXPLAINS WHY THE
LEFT WING SHOULD VOTE FOR KERRY
Sure, voting for Kerry will feel like having a tequila hangover, but it's much better than the feeling of Montezuma's Revenge that would most certainly accompany another Bush victory. From Noam Chomsky's blog:
It doesn't take a microscope to see these differences. Many on the left seem far too casual about them, in my opinion. Not only is that wrong in itself, but it completely nullifies any possibility of appealing to the natural constituency of the left, at home or abroad. How far do you think one will get organizing people by saying, for example, we simply don't give a damn about the fact that you'll suffer more from Bush-style dismantling of the progressive achievements of the past century than by the programs of the political opposition?
In other words, Bush is doing, and will continue to do if reelected, real and significant damage to both America and the world. Even though I hate the corporate-friendly style of such "New Democrats" as Kerry, I'd be a fool not to see that four more years of Bush will cause irreparable harm.
Pass the tequila; I'm swallowing the worm.
ABSOLUTE FAILURE IN THE "WAR ON TERRORISM"
From AlterNet courtesy of Eschaton:
Until that reversal, the Detroit case had marked the only terrorist conviction obtained from the Justice Department's detention of more than 5,000 foreign nationals in anti-terrorism sweeps since 9/11. So Ashcroft's record is 0 for 5,000. When the attorney general was locking these men up in the immediate wake of the attacks, he held almost daily press conferences to announce how many "suspected terrorists" had been detained. No press conference has been forthcoming to announce that exactly none of them have turned out to be actual terrorists.
Zero. None. Zip. Zilch. You'd think that after invading two countries, curtailing numerous civil rights here in the homeland, and hemorrhaging billions of dollars into a black hole, the Bush administration would have something to show for their efforts. But no. Nothing. It's almost as though they weren't even trying.
Hey, there's a thought.
Millions Blocked from Voting in U.S. Election
And most of them are, surprise surprise, African-Americans. From Common Dreams courtesy of Dr. Menlo:
Millions of U.S. citizens, including a disproportionate number of black voters, will be blocked from voting in the Nov. 2 presidential election because of legal barriers, faulty procedures or dirty tricks, according to civil rights and legal experts.
The largest category of those legally disenfranchised consists of almost 5 million former felons who have served prison sentences and been deprived of the right to vote under laws that have roots in the post-Civil War 19th century and were aimed at preventing black Americans from voting.
But millions of other votes in the 2000 presidential election were lost due to clerical and administrative errors while civil rights organizations have cataloged numerous tactics aimed at suppressing black voter turnout. Polls consistently find that black Americans overwhelmingly vote for Democrats.
"There are individuals and officials who are actively trying to stop people from voting who they think will vote against their party and that nearly always means stopping black people from voting Democratic," said Mary Frances Berry, head of the U.S. Commission on Human Rights.
This is very much along the same lines as the Jim Crow stuff in Florida that gave Bush the election back in 2000. It turns out, however, that the same thing has been going on nationally, on a much wider scale. Needless to say, this is an absolute travesty.
Warning! Terrorist threats even
more significant than Cat Stevens!
Just go read it at This Modern World. It's well worth the trip.
Swaggart apologizes for gay killing remark
A complaint was filed with a Canadian broadcasting group, and Swaggart said his Baton Rouge-based Jimmy Swaggart Ministries has received complaints from gay groups over the remarks made on the Sept. 12 telecast.
In the broadcast, Swaggart was discussing his opposition to gay marriage when he said "I've never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry."
"And I'm going to be blunt and plain: If one ever looks at me like that, I'm going to kill him and tell God he died," Swaggart said to laughter and applause from the congregation.
Today, Swaggart said he has jokingly used the expression "killing someone and telling God he died" thousands of times, about all sorts of people. He said the expression is figurative and not meant to harm.
Oh, it was just a joke. I see. Hahaha. Very funny. Like the old joke that compares pizza in an oven to Jews in a concentration camp. Or, better yet, like the joke that talks about roofing a house with sliced up black people. Funny, funny stuff. Swaggart just cracks me up. Really, he does.
That's sarcasm, by the way.
GOP Mailing Warns Liberals Will Ban Bibles
From the AP via FindLaw courtesy of Dr. Menlo:
Campaign mail with a return address of the Republican National Committee warns West Virginia voters that the Bible will be prohibited and men will marry men if liberals win in November.
The literature shows a Bible with the word "BANNED" across it and a photo of a man, on his knees, placing a ring on the hand of another man with the word "ALLOWED." The mailing tells West Virginians to "vote Republican to protect our families" and defeat the "liberal agenda."
Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie said Friday that he wasn't aware of the mailing, but said it could be the work of the RNC. "It wouldn't surprise me if we were mailing voters on the issue of same-sex marriage," Gillespie said.
You know, I'm about as liberal as they come without drifting off into revolutionary wacko territory, and I'm all for gay marriage and everything, but banning Bibles??? Man, banning any book is bad enough, but, for Christ's sake, the Bible is one of the most important works of literature ever produced by western civilization. It's a source of morality and wisdom for millions, including my own non-believer self. Needless to say, liberals aren't even pondering banning Bibles. That's just fucking silly.
I swear, conservatives are getting kookier every day.
The Rise of Pseudo Fascism Part I:
The Morphing of The Conservative Movement
From the always thought provoking Seattle journalist David Neiwert:
What's become clear as this election year has progressed -- and especially in the wake of the Republican National Convention -- is the actual shape of this fresh beast.
Call it Pseudo Fascism. Or, if you like, Fascism Lite. Happy-Face Fascism. Postmodern Fascism. But there is little doubt anymore why the shape of the "conservative movement" in the 21st century is so familiar and disturbing: Its architecture, its entire structure, has morphed into a not-so-faint hologram of 20th-century fascism.
It is not genuine fascism, even though it bears many of the basic traits of that movement. It lacks certain key elements that would make it genuinely so:
-- Its agenda, under the guise of representing mainstream conservatism, is not openly revolutionary.
-- It is not yet a dictatorship.
-- It does not yet rely on physical violence and campaigns of gross intimidation to obtain power and suppress opposition.
-- American democracy has not yet reached the genuine stage of crisis required for full-blown fascism to take root.
Without these facets, the current phenomenon cannot properly be labeled "fascism." But what is so deeply disturbing about the current state of the conservative movement is that it has otherwise plainly adopted not only many of the cosmetic traits of fascism, its larger architecture -- derived from its core impulses -- now almost exactly replicates that by which fascists came to power in Italy and Germany in the 1920s and '30s.
It is in this sense that I call it Pseudo Fascism. Unlike the genuine article, it presents itself under a normative, rather than a revolutionary, guise; and rather than openly exulting in violence, it pays lip service to law and order. Moreover, even in the areas where it resembles real fascism, the similarities are often more familial than exact. It is, in essence, less virulent and less violent, and thus more likely to gain broad acceptance within a longtime stable democratic system like that of the United States.
And even in the key areas of difference, it is not difficult to discern that those dissimilarities are gradually shrinking, and in danger of disappearing.
Of course, it is now cliched to point to the superficial similarities between post 9/11 America and the rise of the Third Reich; however, Neiwert isn't your typical knee-jerk, outraged liberal: he has devoted quite a bit of his research and writing energies these last few years to studying neo-Nazi hate groups in America. That is, Neiwert has an understanding of the motivations and machinations underlying European fascist movements of the past, and how such thinking operates within American communities today. In other words, if anybody is qualified to truly meditate on the potential for fascism in the United States, Neiwert's your guy.
Which is kinda scary, given his assessment.
Republican fund-raising leads
to indictments of 3 DeLay aides
A Travis County grand jury today returned 32 indictments related to Republican political fund-raising activity in 2002, including charges against three top aides to U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
The grand jury returned indictments against DeLay political aide Jim Ellis and fund-raiser Warren RoBold and John Colyandro, who was executive director of DeLay's political action committee Texans for a Republican Majority. Colyandro faces 14 charges, RoBold was named in nine charges, and Ellis was named in one.
Colyandro and Ellis were indicted once each on a charge of felony money laundering.
They are accused of taking $190,000 in corporate money raised by the political action committee and giving it to the Republican National State Elections Committee. That committee in turn gave a like amount of legal donations to seven Texas House candidates.
The grand jury also returned indictments against corporate donors Sears Roebuck and Co., Westar Energy Inc., the Williams Cos., Questerra Corp., Diversified Collection Services, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Bacardi U.S.A. and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care.
What was it that the mob informer in Godfather II laughingly called the figure head mobsters insulating Michael Corleone from prosecution? "Buffers," I think it was.
It looks like they managed to get the goods on some of Don DeLay's "buffers," not to mention some of his sleazy corporate accomplices. But has the Lizard King really gotten off scot-free? Maybe from the Travis County District Attorney, but there's another investigation going on, and they're about to decide whether to take it to the next level.
Ethics committee ends fact-finding in DeLay case
House ethics committee leaders said Monday they soon will present the panel with information on Majority Leader Tom DeLay's conduct and recommend whether to undertake a full investigation.
Two allegations directly involve use of DeLay's congressional office.
One accuses the Texas Republican of soliciting corporate contributions in return for help on legislation. A second contends he improperly used his staff to contact U.S. aviation authorities and ask them to track down Texas Democratic legislators who had fled the state while trying to thwart a DeLay-backed redistricting plan.
The third allegation accuses DeLay of using his political action committees to distribute money from corporations to Texas legislative candidates in violation of state law.
DeLay has replied to the committee, but has not released his response publicly.
Here's hoping they do the right thing.
House Majority Leader DeLay
He sure does look like a lizard, don't he?
The 'lynching' of Dan Rather
Good guy journalist in exile, Greg Palast, gives his two cents worth on the CBS document scandal:
Is Rather's report accurate? Is George W. Bush a war hero or a privileged little Shirker-in-Chief? Today I saw a goofy two page spread in the Washington Post about a typewriter used to write a memo with no significance to the draft-dodge story. What I haven't read about in my own country's media is about two crucial documents supporting the BBC/CBS story. The first is Barnes' signed and sworn affidavit to a Texas Court, from 1999, in which he testifies to the Air Guard fix -- which Texas Governor George W. Bush, given the opportunity, declined to challenge.
And there is a second document, from the files of US Justice Department, again confirming the story of the fix to keep George's white bottom out of Vietnam. That document, shown last year in the BBC television documentary, "Bush Family Fortunes," correctly identifies Barnes as the bag man even before his 1999 confession.
At BBC, we also obtained a statement from the man who made the call to the Air Guard general on behalf of Bush at Barnes' request. Want to see the document? I've posted it at: www.gregpalast.com/ulf/documents/draftdodgeblanked.jpg.
This is not a story about Dan Rather. The white millionaire celebrity can defend himself without my help. This is really a story about fear, the fear that stops other reporters in the US from following the evidence about this Administration to where it leads.
Palast makes an absolutely crucial point: the allegedly forged memos used in the now infamous 60 Minutes broadcast some days ago are simply a diversionary sideshow; when taken as a whole, the report is essentially accurate, and Bush isn't denying it--he's ignoring it, in fact, while the media goes on and on about a few memos out of a mountain of evidence. Forgery or not, Bush got into the Air National Guard in order to stay out of Vietnam, and this only happened because his influential family pulled some important strings. Then he deserted.
CBS admits it cannot confirm authenticity of Bush documents
CBS News apologized today for a "mistake in judgment" in its story questioning President Bush's National Guard service, claiming it was misled by the source of documents that several experts have dismissed as fakes.
The network said it would appoint an independent panel to look at its reporting about the memos. The story has mushroomed into a major media scandal, threatening the reputations of CBS News and chief anchor Dan Rather.
It also has become an issue in the presidential campaign. The White House said the affair raises questions about the connections between CBS's source, retired Texas National Guard officer Bill Burkett, and Democrat John Kerry's campaign.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the White House appreciated CBS's expression of regret but that there were still serious questions about Burkett.
"Bill Burkett, who CBS now says is their source, in fact is not an unimpeachable source as was previously claimed," McLellan said. "Bill Burkett is a source who has been discredited and so this raises a lot of questions. There were media reports about Mr. Burkett having senior level contacts with the Kerry campaign."
The Kerry campaign has said it had nothing to do with the story.
This whole thing has been damned strange. These allegedly forged documents--CBS said only that they could not verify their authenticity--put into a tidy little basket a lot of information that seems to be available from numerous other sources. In other words, these four memos seem too good to be true in hindsight. The strangeness is compounded by the fact that the secretary of the officer to whom these memos are attributed says that even though the documents are fake, the content is true (whatever). Something's going on here, and we may never know the truth.
However, one can speculate, and that's exactly what James C. Moore, co-author of the book about sleazy political advisor Karl Rove, Bush's Brain, does in this essay via BuzzFlash courtesy of Eschaton:
Are They True Fabrications?
If Burkett is suspect, though, so is Karl Rove. Admittedly, this is a five-cushion bank shot if it does involve Rove. But such things are no longer considered impossible when looking at his political machinations. Every campaign he runs seems to have well-timed distractions. In 2000, just before his inarticulate client was to debate Al Gore, a tape of Mr. Bush's training ended up in the Gore campaign's mailbox. Reporters wrote about this discovery and overwhelmed issues and debate coverage with the unraveling mystery. An employee of Mark McKinnon, Bush's media expert, was later implicated in the scandal but nobody ever proved Rove wasn't pulling strings. Of course, it was strictly coincidental when Rove's office was found bugged in 1986, the day of a critical debate between another one of his inarticulate candidates and an incumbent governor. That mystery overwhelmed debate coverage and implicated the democratic opponent. I remember standing with other reporters outside of Rove's building after his news conference to announce the revelation he was bugged. We all laughed about how amateurish it all appeared. And then we realized he had us because we had to report it straight; not the way we perceived the facts. When the FBI file was finally made public, it showed the bug on Rove's wall had a battery with a life span of only six hours and just 15 minutes of it had been expended. Rove did it. But there are probably too many people who would have had to have been in on the fraud for him to make phony documents surface in CBS's hands.
So, Rove, it turns out, might just be both lucky and good. His deceptive behavior through the years, involving everything from Swift Boat veterans to faux environmental groups made up of Bush donors, is not a sufficient rationale for others to enter lying into the political process. Nothing is. But that appears to be what has resulted from the persistent string of lies about the president's time in the National Guard, should the CBS memos be proven false. Some of the good guys may not be the good guys any more. They may have become like their enemies. And in the process, they gave Rove what he needs to win. There is truth, however, in the fake memos. Witnesses, including commander Killian's secretary, have said Lt. Bush defied an order to take his flight physical. The White House has not refuted what is in the memos. It has only attacked the legitimacy of the documents themselves. Republican congressional leaders, who asked no questions about faulty intelligence leading to the war with Iraq, are suddenly demanding investigations and hearings on the failings of CBS. Burkett told the Washington Post to not be so confident the Killian memos were forgeries. What does he know that he isn't saying? Yet. Is it possible they are flawed transcriptions of real memos and the originals are being protected? And how would he know?
Or does he know?This has all worked very well for the Bush campaign. Reporters worried about the veracity of the Killian memos have not yet asked the president if he failed to obey a direct order to take his physical. And that's a fair question, regardless of who wrote the Killian documents. Lt. Bush missed a physical and there has never been an explanation beyond Dan Bartlett's lame argument of "formality." This most glaring lie in the president's resume, his time in the Texas Air National Guard, avoids intelligent scrutiny because memos raising the issue appear dubious.
MY LEFT SHOE '04
My former student, actually he's still in school, a senior at Baytown's Sterling High School, Miles, has become weary of making daily posts on his own blog, My Left Shoe. This I can understand: some days I'm like screw my blog; hardly anybody reads it anyway--those are the days I just slap up an excerpt and a link without much commentary, cheating really, but whatever. Anyway, Miles suggested that I might feature him as a guest blogger on a weekly basis and he would try to send some of his traffic my way. Well, I'm always hot for hits, and Miles is a cool and thoughtful guy, even if he is a bit too centrist for my taste, so I said okay. Miles even suggested that it might be a cool idea to have a Green/Democrat split here at Real Art from time to time (I'm the Green, of course), and he's right; this'll probably inspire some good posts on my part. Perhaps I should post Miles' stuff in a different font, to distinguish it from my stuff...hmmm...how about "courier?"
Here's Miles' first post (which is also on his blog; I guess he's having trouble giving it up):
As Income Gap Widens, Uncertainty Spreads
"We don't know what the next big thing will be. When the manufacturing jobs were going away, we could tell people to look for tech jobs. But now the tech jobs are moving away, too," said Lori G. Kletzer, an economics professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz. "What's the comparative advantage that America retains? We don't have the answer to that. It gives us a very insecure feeling."
The government doesn't specifically track how many jobs have gone away. But other statistics more than hint at the scope of the change. For example, there are now about as many temporary, on-call or contract workers in the United States as there are members of labor unions. Another sign: Of the 2.7 million jobs lost during and after the recession in 2001, the vast majority have been restructured out of existence, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
My dad is a web developer, who's been working his whole adult life toward his career. He's also been laid off twice in the past year. The best my family can hope for now is a temp job here and there. As I type this out, he's in Dallas (a six hour drive) doing an interview because it's the closest job he could find.
Campaigning in the poverty-stricken farmlands of the midwest, Bush tells the residents "I can hear you". It's a sad state of the affairs when the best consolation the president can offer is "I promise I'm not completely ignoring you... this year."
Posted by Miles
Still Unreported: The Pay-off in Bush Air Guard Fix
From the website of good guy journalist Greg Palast:
This week, former Lt. Governor Ben Barnes of Texas 'fessed up to pulling the strings to keep Little George out of the jungle. "I got a young man named George W. Bush into the Texas Air Guard - and I'm ashamed."
THE $23 MILLION PAY-BACK
That's far from the end of the story. In 1994, George W. Bush was elected governor of Texas by a whisker. By that time, Barnes had left office to become a big time corporate lobbyist. To an influence peddler like Barnes, having damning information on a sitting governor is worth its weight in gold – or, more precisely, there's a value in keeping the info secret.
Barnes appears to have made lucrative use of his knowledge of our President's slithering out of the draft as a lever to protect a multi-billion dollar contract for a client. That's the information in a confidential letter buried deep in the files of the US Justice Department that fell into my hands at BBC television.
Here's what happened. Just after Bush's election, Barnes' client GTech Corp., due to allegations of corruption, was about to lose its license to print money: its contract to run the Texas state lottery. Barnes, says the Justice Department document, made a call to the newly elected governor's office and saved GTech's state contract.
The letter said, "Governor Bush ... made a deal with Ben Barnes not to rebid [the GTech lottery contract] because Barnes could confirm that Bush had lied during the '94 campaign."
The media's obsession with "forgerygate" is really just a sideshow, distracting from the fact that Bush had his powerful family pull strings to get him into the fabled "Champaign" Air National Guard unit for rich kids trying to avoid service in Vietnam at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston: Bush couldn't even finish his service commitment, and later lied about it over and over again. The more info that comes out about this, the more undeniable it becomes. Bush is a deserter.
DEBUNKING "FORGERYGATE"
From Seattle journalist David Neiwert's blog Orcinus, courtesy of Eschaton:
It's pretty funny, really, how right-wing bloggers are serially breaking their arms patting themselves on the back for having exposed "Forgerygate." Actually, all they've really managed to prove is P.T. Barnum's famous adage, perhaps recast as "There's a blogger born every minute."
Have any bloggers actually yet proven definitively that the CBS documents are fake?
Well, no. All they've been able to produce so far is a great deal of speculation, much of it later proven to be entirely without substance.
Times New Roman didn't exist in 1972? It existed in 1931.
You can create a nearly identical copy with MS Word? Perhaps that's because MS Word was designed to replicate an IBM typewriter.
As I've said before this whole scandal thing is pretty weird especially because the main debunker of these "smoking gun" documents says that the content of the documents are true even though the documents themselves are fake.
To which I say, "Huh?"
TWO DIFFERENT REALITIES
An exchange in which I involved myself in the comment section on my former student's blog, My Left Shoe '04:
Why didn't Kerry run on his senate record of the past 20 years?
Truthfully I really don't care what he did in Vietnam, how he got his medals and threw them away, but then didn't throw them away, how he hated serving because of the war crimes committed, but now he is a war hero, how he was for the war on terror but now is against the war, how he voted to fund our troops before he voted against it, blah blah blah.
All I want to know is what he did as a senator, to improve this country. What did he do to keep our military strenght the strongest in the world? Things along those lines. Things that happened 30 years ago, let them go, what can he do for us today?
He's not Bush. That's enough.
No ron that is not enough. There has to be more than he is not Bush for me to vote for him. Can you come up with something better than he is not Bush, because if you can't that is very sad.
No, not really.
You're right, it's very sad that we're put in the position of having to choose a slightly less corporate, slightly less hawkish, slightly less evil man to be president than Bush. But face it, Bush is so awful, what with destroying decades old alliances, driving the economy into the ground, making America much less safe by enraging Muslim populations world wide, removing important environmental protections, and much more, that there's really no choice: he's gotta go, and Kerry's the only one who can beat him.
At this point, it's simply immoral to vote for Bush, and if you don't agree, you're a fool.
I have to disagree with you, I believe the President has done a pretty good job up to this point.
The economy is like a roller coaster rides it goes up then it comes down. It went up during the Reagan years started to go down soon after he left off, it started to go back up during the beginning years of the Clinton administration then started to go down during the end of his administration, and now it is going back up. Whoever wins this next election will take the credit for improving the economy. If it is Bush his tax break have continued to work, if it is Kerry well the fact that he was elected turned the economy around.
I don't know about you but I don't expect anyone else in the world to stand up and defend America. We were attacked whether you want to believe it that or not, something had to be done. I don't want my President, and this applies for Gore had he been in office, to go out and seek permission from the world to do what is needed to defend America. I feel the response was needed and was right if the world doesn't like it well too bad. Iraq under Saddam had broken every UN resolution ever placed on it, the oil for food money that was suppose to be used to help the Iraqi people was instead used to payoff UN personel and some of the countries who turned against us when we went into Iraq. I understand you disagree with that but that is fine.
What kind of news sells, the good news or the bad?
The answer the bad news. You watch the nightly news and you are lead to believe that the whole nation of Iraq is against us. If you talk to the military personnel who have served in Iraq and they will paint a different story for you. Who am I to believe the guys who are there serving my country or someone who is just out to make some money? I prefer to believe those who are serving.
You now have to nations of free people. Afganastan and Iraq, the people there have new freedoms that they would never have had under there old govenment structures. Are they better off today than they were several years ago? Yes. Well they be better off five years from now than they are now? Yes. Would some have preferred to keep it the way it was? Yes. But, that goes with change.
Even in our countries fight for independence there were people who wanted it to stay the same. Are we better off now because of the change? Yes.Ron I do disagree with you but I'm no fool.
Now besides Kerry not being Bush why should I vote for him?
Look, Miller, you seem to be a nice guy, reasonable, too. Problem is, I don't really know how to talk to you: we live in totally different realities.
You talk about the economy like it's some strange force that ebbs and flows like a river. I see it as the cumulative effect of the specific policy decisions made by corporations and the politicians that they control with campaign contributions. What does "a good job" on the economy actually mean? I mean, how do you really know if the economy is good or bad? I say it's bad because the vast majority of Americans aren't reaping the benefits of "economic growth."
I might just as easily say the same thing for the Clinton years. After all, real wages have been stagnant for two decades now, and the health care crisis continues to drown working people. When you can't make ends meet, it doesn't matter if the economy is "good" or "bad."
Politics is all just talk in America, and you seem to be pretty good with the language.
You talk about defending America like we were fighting Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union or something. But we're not. Instead, we're dealing with the longtime effects of our "economy" eating up the people of the third world. America, and by that I mean the corporate interests that control our government, treats people as resources to be exploited.
Of course there's horrible terrorism directed against us! What else are they supposed to do? Lie back and take it?
Defending America, as you mean it, will only make things worse, only enrage already victimized populations. The only way to end the threat of terrorism is to spread America's wealth around the world, using our great might and endless supply of money to feed the hungry and heal the sick, rather than make more money off them.
Of course, I realize that will never happen, especially as long as regular guys like you, Miller, continue to talk the deviant language of American politics.
And you ask about the news? They're speaking the same twisted words! They talk about the "economy" and "spreading freedom"and "defending America," never realizing that they're not talking about anything at all.
Like I said, Miller, you seem to be a nice guy, but you believe what they taught you in school, that the US is a light for freedom and justice in the world, yadda yadda. To some extent, that's true, but that point of view simply ignores all the awful things done in our name. I want you to face the facts, Miller. America is both good and bad, and we can go no further as a nation until we redress what's bad about us. As the Bible says, we have a rail in our eye, and we go on and on about the mote in everybody else's eyes.
I blame Bush. I blame Gore. I blame Kerry. I blame Clinton. They're all in on it. Vote for whoever you want, Miller. It doesn't really matter, because things will go on just as they have, whatever happens.


text:
Aurora is a simple yet useful attempt to create a minimalistic social network with Go and
bolt database.
#### Project structure
The project is divided into two parts, a library and an app. The directories in this project
are as follows.

* bin:
This is wehere the binaries should be, unfortunate you will only find the build script file
`build.go` in this directory.
* builds:
This is where the built project is stored. Aurora needs configuration files and templates to run
so, a built binary together with all the dependency files are copied here. Inside this directory
the build versions are used to identify builds.
* config:
configurations are found here
* cmd:
This is where the aurora commandline application is.
* docs:
Project documentation
* public:
All javascript,css,fonts and images are stored here.
* templates:
templates used by aurora.

## Installation.
You will have to build this project in order to install. Make sure you have a working
golang environment, and a GOPATH.

get the project

	go get github.com/gernest/aurora

cd into the installed library

	cd $GOPATH/github.com/gernest/aurora

Run the build script(NOTE: I have used the script  for linux only, so help is needed to
provide scripts for other platforms.) I am waiting for go 1.5 to provide cross platforms
builds. This will take a while to complete as the script runs the test suite before building.

	go run bin/build.go

If you see nothing then the build was success. You should see a directory in the builds directory
with the version number e.g `0.0.1`. You can copy this folder anywhere you want or even rename it.
You can start aurora inside this directory like this

	,/aurora

A simple single command to help start aurora , you can do like this.

	cd buils/0.0.1&&./aurora           # assuming the build is version 0.0.1

After running the above command a server is started at port `8080` on localhost. So you
need to point your browser to `localhost:8080` to view the site.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We celebrated Valentine's Day this year with an act of true love by Anna and Elsa appearing in Disney on Ice presents Frozen at Capital One Arena. The show was hosted by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, with special guest appearances by beloved Disney Princesses and characters from favorites like Disney Pixar's Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Disney's The Lion King in a whirlwind opening ensemble.
Dazzling ice skating, special effects and unforgettable music magically transport you to wintry Arendelle where Anna and Elsa learn how dangerous Elsa's icy powers can be. With dialogue and music from the movie, the show follows the sisters as they grow up and apart inside the closed gates of Arendelle. Following the coronation and Anna's engagement, Queen Elsa has trapped the kingdom in an eternal winter. Anna sets out, with the help of rugged mountain man Kristoff, his loyal reindeer sidekick Sven and the hilarious snowman Olaf in a race to bring back summer. Kristoff dazzled the crowd with his flips and tricks and stole show with his skating moves in our opinion. As Anna tries to convince Queen Elsa to leave her ice palace and return to Arendelle she is hit with another blast of icy magic in the heart that only an act of true love can thaw. The larger than life inflatable marshmallow monster, as he is called around here, made an appearance to scare away Anna and her friends. He was another fan favorite with us. Ultimately they discover true love is the most powerful magic of all when Anna saves Queen Elsa from the evil Prince Hans.
My littles LOVE Frozen! I am not new to the Frozen fanaticism, but I was overwhelmed when the arena exploded into song during Let It Go! Hearing girls of all ages singing with such emotion was heartwarming. We have worked hard to put experiences before possessions and relationships before gifts so I was not super excited when my littles became princess obsessed and then full fledged Frozen fanatics! I soon realized though, that these princesses can still fit into our family's values. They each present an opportunity to teach my littles about character and values. We have incorporated Disney performances, imaginative princess dress up and character crafts and coloring into our lives without sacrificing our sanity. Disney on Ice presents Frozen was no exception to the rule. There was merchandise everywhere, but we prepared out littles before hand that we had enough Frozen paraphernalia to last a lifetime and while they could look as much as they wanted, we would rather spend our money on future adventures.
Disney on Ice is an affordable Disney princess experience that celebrates these stories my littles love so much, but also exposes them to the art and skill of figure skating and live performances. We all enjoyed Disney on Ice presents Frozen more than Dream Big and Follow Your Heart because with only one story to focus on we see more from each of the characters. It was more like a live figure skating performance of Frozen instead of a couple scenes from a bunch of different stories. If you have littles who love Frozen this is the Disney on Ice for you!
« Jump to the Beat! Party on Sesame Street!


Alleged offenders who resist or interfere with lawful arrests in Ohio can be charged with resisting arrest. A person does not have to be the subject of the original arrest in order to be accused of this offense.
In order for an arrest to be considered lawful, the prosecutor must prove the following elements beyond a reasonable doubt: the police officer was effecting a lawful arrest of the alleged offender; the alleged offender was fairly apprised of the fact that he or she was being arrested; and the alleged offender, having been fairly apprised of his or her arrest, nevertheless resisted either by force or by recklessly hindering or interfering with the arrest. The alleged resistance cited these cases is often at the discretion of the arresting officers, and any failure to satisfy all three of the aforementioned elements can make it more difficult for an alleged offender to be convicted of this crime.
Were you arrested in Hamilton County for allegedly resisting arrest? Do not say anything to authorities without legal counsel. Contact Joslyn Law Firm for help protecting your rights.
Brian Joslyn is an experienced criminal defense lawyer in Cincinnati who represents clients accused of violent crimes in communities throughout southwest Ohio, including Anderson, Bridgetown, Delhi, Green, Harrison, Miamitown, Norwood, Springdale, Sycamore, and many others. Call (513) 399-6289 to have our attorney provide a complete evaluation of your case during a free initial consultation.
What are the possible sentences for resisting arrest convictions?
Where can I learn more about resisting arrest in Cincinnati?
Ohio Revised Code § 2921.33 makes it illegal for a person to, recklessly or by force, resist or interfere with a lawful arrest of the person or another person. Generally, this offense is a second-degree misdemeanor.
The alleged offender, during the course of the resistance or interference, brandishes a deadly weapon.
Fourth-Degree Felony — Up to 18 months in prison and/or fine of up to $5,000.
Police | City of Cincinnati — The Cincinnati Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of Cincinnati. The city is divided into five police districts, and you can learn more about each district on this website. You can also access crime statistics, read recent news, and file a police report using the website's online reporting system.
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office — Visit this website to learn more about the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. You can find information about the office's court and jail services, enforcement, administration, and support services divisions. You can also report a crime, search for inmates, and obtain record checks.
If you were arrested for allegedly resisting arrest anywhere in southwest Ohio, it will be in your best interest to seek legal representation as soon as possible. Joslyn Law Firm defends individuals in Blue Ash, Colerain, Forest Park, Miami, Montgomery, Reading, Springfield, Symmes, and many surrounding areas of Hamilton County.
Cincinnati criminal defense attorney Brian Joslyn can investigate the circumstances surrounding your arrest and fight to help you achieve the most favorable outcome that results in the fewest possible penalties. He can review your case and discuss all of your legal options when you call (513) 399-6289 or submit an online contact form to schedule a free, confidential consultation.


text:
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Knutsford sits on the edge of Tatton Park. A lot of TV drama has been shot in and around the 1791 mansion- including Granada's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the BBC's Casanova.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Featured here is a true to vintage, original, and fully functional 1940s Penn Motor Oil Gasoline Protector backlit advertising clock, produced by Gillco Glass Sign Company of Philadelphia. Truly a scarce piece that any gas and oil or clock collector would be proud to own! 20 diameter measured from the back, Gillco clocks feature fired in paint glass faces, ensuring beautiful appearance for the life of the clock. The clock is fully functional, keeping accurate time and lighting flawlessly. The item "Vintage 1940s Penn Motor Oil Gas Not Neon Lighted Gillco Advertising Clock Rare" is in sale since Friday, April 12, 2019. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Advertising\Gas & Oil\Merchandise & Memorabilia\Signs". The seller is "am4tide" and is located in Athens, Alabama. This item can be shipped to United States.


Not sure what to do this weekend? Check out these events happening on the North-West Coast, from footy grand finals to smooth jazz gigs. Get out to Latrobe on Sunday to support your favourite NWFL teams in their finals campaign. See our guide to everything you need to know about grand final day at Latrobe. Under 18s start at 9.20am, the Reserves game starts at 11.35am and the Seniors match between Burnie and Ulverstone will kick off at 2.15pm. Meanwhile at Wivenhoe, South Burnie will take on Queenstown in the Darwin Football League grand final from 2pm. If you're not keen on hanging out at the footy, Latrobe is also hosting the Apex Teenage Fashion Awards on Saturday. Creative teens have been designing and making outfits to send down the runway at this competition in hope of qualifying for the national final. The event will start at 12pm at the Latrobe Memorial Hall. Read more about the competition here. The recently reopened Circular Head Heritage Centre will be holding an open day on Saturday from 11am to 3pm. Step back in time to the 1800s when the region was just being discovered. The day will tie in with the Art About Town theme 'On the Farm' with classic cars and vintage tractors also on display in the street. See here for more details. See some incredible footage of the shy albatross, a bird endemic to Tasmania, as part of a line up of award-winning short films. On Sunday, CMAX Devonport will be hosting a screening called From Little Things - Short films, Big Stories from lutruwita/Tasmania. The screening starts with adventurer Paul Pritchard – who features in two films, joining the filmmakers for a Q&A and book signing after the screening. See here for more details As part of Smithton's month-long art festival, Art About Town, the Circular Head Community and Recreation Centre will host a chilled afternoon jazz performance. Wynyard Big Band and Annette Dawes will be performing on Sunday from 2pm. Entry by gold coin donation. See here for more details. Take a trip to the Tasmanian Arboretum to see a photographic Exhibition of Tasmanian Wildflowers and displays of Australian plants on Saturday or Sunday. There will also be a guided walk on Saturday at 11am and Sunday at 1pm. Entry for children and members of the Arboretum is free. See here for more details. The Advocate will introduce a local news subscription package for online readers from September 18. Read more about how to continue accessing the latest local news, sport and analysis online after this date.
Not sure what to do this weekend? Check out these events happening on the North-West Coast, from footy grand finals to smooth jazz gigs.
Get out to Latrobe on Sunday to support your favourite NWFL teams in their finals campaign. See our guide to everything you need to know about grand final day at Latrobe.
Under 18s start at 9.20am, the Reserves game starts at 11.35am and the Seniors match between Burnie and Ulverstone will kick off at 2.15pm.
Meanwhile at Wivenhoe, South Burnie will take on Queenstown in the Darwin Football League grand final from 2pm.
If you're not keen on hanging out at the footy, Latrobe is also hosting the Apex Teenage Fashion Awards on Saturday. Creative teens have been designing and making outfits to send down the runway at this competition in hope of qualifying for the national final.
The event will start at 12pm at the Latrobe Memorial Hall.
The recently reopened Circular Head Heritage Centre will be holding an open day on Saturday from 11am to 3pm. Step back in time to the 1800s when the region was just being discovered. The day will tie in with the Art About Town theme 'On the Farm' with classic cars and vintage tractors also on display in the street.
See some incredible footage of the shy albatross, a bird endemic to Tasmania, as part of a line up of award-winning short films. On Sunday, CMAX Devonport will be hosting a screening called From Little Things - Short films, Big Stories from lutruwita/Tasmania.
An image taken from a new award-winning documentary on Albatross Island in the far North-West. Picture: Matthew Newton.
As part of Smithton's month-long art festival, Art About Town, the Circular Head Community and Recreation Centre will host a chilled afternoon jazz performance. Wynyard Big Band and Annette Dawes will be performing on Sunday from 2pm. Entry by gold coin donation.
Take a trip to the Tasmanian Arboretum to see a photographic Exhibition of Tasmanian Wildflowers and displays of Australian plants on Saturday or Sunday.
There will also be a guided walk on Saturday at 11am and Sunday at 1pm. Entry for children and members of the Arboretum is free.


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Bush: Russians have derailed reforms
U.S. President George W. Bush, left, and Czech President Vaclav Klaus view the Honour Guard during the welcome ceremony at Prague's Castle, Czech Republic, on Tuesday, June 5, 2007. U.S. President George W. Bush arrived to the Czech Republic Monday for a two-day working visit. [AP]
President Bush risked further stoking a testy dispute with Russia over a new U.S. missile defense system on Tuesday, saying Moscow has "derailed" once-promising democratic reforms.
In a speech celebrating democracy's progress around the globe — and calling out places where its reach is either incomplete or lacking — Bush said that free societies emerge "at different speeds in different places" and have to reflect local customs. But he said certain values are universal to all democracies, and rapped several countries for not embracing them.
"In Russia, reforms that once promised to empower citizens have been derailed, with troubling implications for democratic development," Bush said, speaking at a conference of current and former dissidents.
The president asserted that this discussion of democratic backsliding in Russia under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin was just one part of a strong relationship. "America can maintain a friendship and push a nation toward democracy at the same time," Bush said.
But the lecture, however gentle, was not likely to be well-received by Putin, already riled over what he sees as unwelcome meddling by the United States in Russia's sphere of influence.
Most recently, Moscow has become increasingly irritated by U.S. plans to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe, on Russia's doorstep.
U.S. officials have been alarmed by threatening statements from Putin and others over the proposed network. Russia believes the system — with a radar base to be sited in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in neighboring Poland — is meant for it. Putin has said he has no choice but to boost his nation's own military potential in response.
Putin warned over the weekend that Moscow could take "retaliatory steps" including aiming nuclear weapons at U.S. military bases in Europe. China on Tuesday joined Russia in saying the shield could touch off a new arms race.
"Part of a good relationship is the ability to talk openly about our disagreements," Bush said in the speech at Czernin Palace. "So the United States will continue to build our relationships with these countries and we will do it without abandoning our principles or our values."


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Report: Iowa wind can help nearby states meet EPA emissions standards
Pixabay; PublicDomainPictures
Iowa's 5,688 MW of installed wind capacity is a mere 1% of the state's 570,000 MW of theoretically possible wind resource, according to a new report, "Iowa's Wind Potential for Addressing 111(d) Goals." The abundant resource is more than adequate to cost-effectively meet the state's Clean Power Plan emissions requirements and can also provide pollution-free wind power to help neighboring states comply.
The report, released last week from two veteran energy analysts, is not the first to reach this conclusion, Midwest Energy News reports. The U.S. Department of Energy Wind Vision concluded it is technically and economically feasible for Iowa to add 21,000 MW of new wind capacity by 2030.
Wind development capital investment will reach over $10 billion by the end of 2015, according to the Iowa Wind Energy Association.
Building on a growing body of optimistic reports about the state's wind potential, two industry analysts released a report last week highlighting Iowa wind's ability to help neighboring states' meet their pollution cuts required under the Clean Power Plan.
A National Renewable Energy Labs survey found that because of Iowa wind's capacity factor it could generate 2,000,000 GWh of wind-generated electricity annually while Illinois, to its immediate east, could only produce 760,000 GWh and Missouri, to its immediate south, could only produce 800,000 GWh. Wisconsin, to the immediate northeast, has only a 300,000 GWh annual potential.
Estimates of wind production vary because of natural gas price volatility, evolving environmental regulations, and the uncertainty around Congress's extension of wind's Production Tax Credit.
Nevertheless, it appears that wind generation in Iowa is significantly cheaper than in Illinois or Indiana in part because of new transmission to connect it to demand centers. Clean Line Energy Partners (CLEP) is working to build the $2 billion, 500 mile high-voltage direct current (HVDC) Rock Island Clean Line to deliver Iowa wind to Illinois, Indiana, and, through the PJM Interconnection transmission system, to denser populations with less access to wind from Ohio and Pennsylvania to Virginia and Maryland.
The Rock Island line's impact on electricity market supply-demand balance could cut "the annual cost of wholesale electricity used to serve Illinois customers by an estimated $320 million in its first year of operation," according to CLEP.
Midwest Energy News To meet EPA carbon rules, Iowa has wind energy to spare
Filed Under: Generation Transmission & Distribution Solar & Renewables Regulation & Policy


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Genome Sequencing in Healthy Individuals: Updates from the MedSeq, BabySeq and PeopleSeq with Robert C. Green, MD, MPH
This presentation will summarize research from the Genomes2People Research Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School on medical, behavioral and economic outcomes associated with sequencing of apparently healthy individuals.
Robert C. Green, MD, MPH | Presenter
Robert C. Green, MD, MPH is a medical geneticist and physician-scientist who directs the G2P Research Program (genomes2people.org) in translational genomics and health outcomes as Professor of Medicine in the Division of Genetics at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Broad Institute and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Green has been continuously funded by NIH for 26 years and has published over 300 papers. Originally trained as a neurologist and epidemiologist, he contributed for over a decade to the clinical characterization, treatment trial methodology and risk refinement for Alzheimer's disease. After re-training as a medical geneticist, he conducts empirical research on the medical, behavioral and economic outcomes around the implementation of genomic medicine. Dr. Green led the first NIH-funded trials disclosing common complex disease risk (REVEAL Study) and the first prospective study of direct-to-consumer genetic testing (PGen Study). He currently leads and co-leads the first randomized trials to explore the implementation of medical sequencing in adults (MedSeq Project) and newborns (BabySeq Project). His team recently published the MedSeq Project results assessing medical outcomes, appropriateness of care and downstream medical costs of whole genome sequencing in primary care. With support from the Air Force, and in collaboration with military medicine colleagues, he is conducting the first implementation study of sequencing with return of results in active duty military personnel (MilSeq Project). Dr. Green was lead author on the original recommendations for managing secondary findings in clinical sequencing from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and led the first published demonstration of aggregate penetrance of genomic variants in an unselected population. He is a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Committee on the "Evidence Base for Genetic Testing" and a Board Member of the Council for Responsible Genetics. He works with the Global Alliance for Genome Health and with the All of Us Research Program on implementation standards for communicating genomic information. In 2014, he won the Coriell Prize for Scientific Achievement in Personalized Medicine.
Stephany Tandy-Connor, MS | Moderator
Stephany earned her bachelor's degree from Purdue University in 2000 and worked in academic research labs for five years before attending graduate school at Arcadia University where she earned her degree in genetic counseling. After graduate school, Stephany worked both pediatric and cancer clinics for Southern California Kaiser Permanente. Stephany joined Ambry Genetics in the beginning of 2012 and is currently a supervisor of the genetic counselor cancer reporting team.
Date: Mon, July 16, 2018


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Jeremy Eichler
Echo of Time
Sing, Memory
After the end of history, listening to Shostakovich's art of witness.
The Boston Globe, October 31, 2019
It seems strange to say it, but the "the end of history" is now itself history. Next Saturday, Nov. 9, marks three decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and, for the occasion, somber reflection will no doubt be vying with unabashed memory kitsch. In today's Berlin, tourists at Checkpoint Charlie can wander through a vast panorama designed to evoke the city at the height of its division. Or they can don virtual reality glasses and take a "timeride" on a bus into the Communist past. But why stop there? Outside of Vilnius, Lithuania, for a modest price, visitors can experience a kind of Soviet-era theme park, an underground bunker complete with barking German shepherds. Apparently, you are handed a tattered coat, driven down dark corridors, and subjected to a theatrical reenactment of a KGB interrogation — followed by a shot of vodka. Nazdarovya!
But VR and disturbingly immersive theater are not the only ways to encounter the increasingly distant vistas of the Cold War past. There is also the decidedly more future-proof technology of the symphony orchestra. This week, whether by design or by coincidence, the BSO will be ringing in the anniversary of the fall of the Wall with the music of Dmitri Shostakovich.
As the orchestra prepares to resume its multi-year project of performing and recording Shostakovich's complete symphonies — with the Twelfth Symphony up next, followed later this month by the Second — I've been thinking about how we approach this extraordinary body of work today, how and why the music retains its surprisingly wide appeal, and how the meanings of this music seem to morph over time.
In order to survive the perilous central decades of the 20th century, Shostakovich (1906-75) wrote music that remains, to this day, staggeringly multivalent. In its time the works had to speak with enough clarity of official meaning to please the Party censors while also somehow speaking beyond them, to address everyday citizens directly. For his embattled countrymen, his music — at its best — held up a mirror to the grim daily realities of Soviet existence, to the great hope of its utopian experiment, to the waves of catastrophe and terror, to the accumulated impact of decades of state repression on the inner precincts of the soul.
Program notes for the Shostakovich symphonies thus often bristle with references to Soviet history, to potential double-meanings, ironic twists, Aesopian messages. They parse the shifting fortunes of Shostakovich's political reputation year by year.
Those kinds of deeply contextual readings bring rewards all their own, but they are hardly the only way to approach these scores. By this point, almost a half-century since Shostakovich's death, and 28 years after the Soviet Union voted itself out of existence, we should be permitted — even at times encouraged — to hear the works, first and foremost, as music.
The Fifth Symphony for instance is by now a hugely popular staple of the repertoire played by just about every orchestra in the country. Inhabiting a niche somewhere near the symphonies of Mahler, the Fifth is surely performed more often than many works by Mozart or Haydn. I have listened to it alongside friends and colleagues who know absolutely nothing about this music's deeply fraught context, and I have watched as they lose themselves completely in the music's extremes of pathos, of volume, of intensity, of sadness, and of triumph. But wait, you say, is that triumphant finale really meant to be taken literally, or is it a gesture of scathing irony and protest? Every listener and every performance triangulates the music's meaning anew. And you can hardly whisper complexities of context in a friend's ear, when he is already on his feet cheering.
And yet at the same time, as some of these works detach from their specific histories to claim a place in the wider classical canon, aspects of this music remain defiantly not universal. Simultaneous with their broader appeal, the 15 Symphonies and 15 String Quartets endure as a vast archive of personal and collective memory for those who survived the Soviet Union. They remain fully legible as such perhaps only to those who knew that reality from the inside. In her book "Secondhand Time," Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich addresses the subject of so-called Homo Sovieticus: "Although we now live in separate countries and speak different languages, you couldn't mistake us for anyone else. We're easy to spot! People who come out of socialism are both like and unlike the rest of humanity — we have our own conceptions of good and evil, our heroes, our martyrs. We have a special relationship with death." And in many cases, a special relationship with the music of Shostakovich.
When the Boston Symphony appears as a massed ensemble on stage, those individuals are, in fact, not always easy to spot. But they are there, in greater numbers than in many other major US ensembles. BSO violinist (and associate concertmaster) Tamara Smirnova was born in Siberia and graduated from Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 1981. BSO violinist Valeria Kuchment once played the Second Piano Trio for Shostakovich himself. Violinist Vyacheslav Uritsky grew up in Odessa, suffered from hunger during the war years, and later joined the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, where he participated in the world premieres of the Fourth and Thirteenth symphonies. Moscow-born BSO violist Michael Zaretsky, who once rehearsed the Fifteenth Symphony in the composer's presence, told me that when he plays through the fugue of the tragic Eighth Symphony, his eyes sometimes brim with tears. "It's a little embarrassing," he said. "But when you know what happened in this music…"
In this regard, BSO music director Andris Nelsons is an intriguing case. Born in Riga, Latvia in 1978, he was 13 years old when the Soviet regime collapsed. He often speaks Russian with the Russian musicians in the orchestra, who say it makes a difference that he knows, at least through his childhood and his family, the cultural crucible from which this music was born.
Yet while the music's play of meanings may be determined in part by a listener's own life experience, it is of course facile to stop there, or to extrapolate from this fact toward a false ethics of cultural ownership. It goes without saying that Shostakovich's string quartets these days are routinely performed with great insight by ensembles of all nationalities. And plenty of conductors from Europe or America — among them Bernard Haitink and Leonard Bernstein — have forged bone-chilling performances of the symphonies.
No, if this music in 2019 — unlike any other body of work I can think of — is uniquely perched on the threshold between history and memory, it is this tension itself that becomes one source of its charisma. The two cannot be separated. Even as history, Shostakovich's art speaks with the pointedness of memory — that is, it speaks with a specificity of personal meaning all the more powerful for being voiced in the abstract and untranslatable language of music.
In other words, we sense intuitively that these canvases of sound contain — like the tablet of wax that Plato saw as a metaphor for memory itself — impressions forged by untold public and private moments of suffering and compromise, idealism and fear, hope and tragedy, across decades of Soviet life. As that country's history slips year by year further beyond individual and cultural recall, the impressions themselves — carried forward in the music — retain their specificity, their bite, their aura of being forged by direct contact with the real thing. No VR glasses required.
In fact, the more clear-eyed the better. The Second Symphony, to be heard Nov. 21 to 26, is a brief early work that features a propagandistic choral setting of a text in praise of the October Revolution. The composer was said to have found it "repulsive" but nonetheless included it in his work. The music's contradictions should not be erased or argued away — but listened to for what they are.
That said, hearing the true contours of the Soviet past does not appear to be a popular activity these days. Vladimir Putin has called the demise of the Soviet Union "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of the 20th century. Around Russia, new monuments are now rising up to Stalin. Many young Russians know nothing about the Great Terror he unleashed.
To return once more to Alexievich, as she has written: "No one had ever taught us to be free. We had only ever been taught how to die for freedom." In her Nobel speech, she adds: "we are living once again in an era of power. … A time full of hope has been replaced by a time of fear. The era has turned around and headed back in time." Small wonder then that this fiercely unquiet music, like a repressed memory, keeps moving forward from that time, hauntingly, into our own.
Published in The Boston Globe on October 31, 2019 under the headline "Listening to Shostakovich as the Cold War becomes history." Image of Shostakovich in 1950 is by Deutsche Fotothek.
© 2021 Jeremy Eichler
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New for 2016, this Round Table Session will bring together three industry experts and SXSW attendees for an informal and enlightening discussion on funding.
Dan Berger runs Oscilloscope Laboratories. Berger was with O-Scope when the company wore short pants. Previously he worked at THINKFilm. He is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts His favorite Brady is Alice, the Maid.
Erin Erenberg is an agent and the Director of Crowdfunding for WME|IMG, the global leader in entertainment, sports and fashion. In her role, Erenberg advises the company's clients on all matters related to crowdfunding, from signing clients like LeVar Burton, Rooster Teeth and Goldie Blox, to ensuring the success of all client projects she oversees. Since joining WME in 2013, Erenberg has advised over a dozen campaigns across Indiegogo and Kickstarter, including Geek & Sundry's Tabletop Season 3, which at the time broke the record for web series at $1.4M and paved the way for a number of successful web series initiatives. With an overall success rate of 100% for campaigns she leads, Erenberg has helped clients raise over $1M in the last quarter of 2015 alone. Examples include Rachel Brathen (@yoga_girl) raising over $430,000 to launch a yoga and wellness platform (oneOeight), Derek Muller beginning production for a magnetic molecular modeling kit by raising over $519,000 (Snatoms), and Academy Award nominee Amanda Micheli seeding funding for a documentary about infertility (HAVEABABY). Before joining WME, Erenberg was employee number six at Indiegogo, where she ran business development and business affairs and was a vital part of the management team as the company rapidly expanded. Prior to Indiegogo, she served as Executive Director of the Academy of Country Music's charitable arm, ACM Lifting Lives. There, she produced performances for the show's CBS broadcast in order to raise awareness and funding for music-related charities and more than quadrupled both fundraising and grant-giving initiatives. Erenberg is a licensed attorney who once practiced Intellectual Property law and assisted clients from Bank of America to SESAC. She began her career at Austin's Trilogy Software.
Digital media executive focused on web video, audience growth and content development. Kareem is currently the CEO of venture-backed video startup Nameless. Nameless is reinventing television for the next generation.
Prior to founding Nameless, Kareem was a Growth Strategy Editor focused on Video at The New York Times and before that led Global Marketing and Audience Growth at VICE.


I'm sure you're aware that a year is defined as the number of days it takes for the Earth to revolve about the sun. That time is not evenly divisible into the number of hours it takes for the Earth to revolve on its axis, which is how we define the length of a day. What that all means is that instead of being exactly 365 days, a year is closer to 365¼ days.
In order to account for that extra ¼ day, we add an extra day to the calendar every four years and call that year Leap Year and the extra day is sometimes called Leap Day, which falls on February 29 in a Western calendar.
Now here's the puzzle for today: Assuming a regular birthrate, what percentage of the population celebrates their birthday on February 29?
so bon was close. <gloat>But I was closer, so I win</gloat>.


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package org.uiautomation.ios.utils;

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException;

public class SimulatorProductVersionParser implements CommandOutputListener {
  // gets ProductVersion by parsing:
  // iPhoneSimulator7.0.sdk - Simulator - iOS 7.0 (iphonesimulator7.0)
  // SDKVersion: 7.0
  // Path: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/SDKs/iPhoneSimulator7.0.sdk
  // PlatformPath: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform
  // ProductBuildVersion: 11B508
  // ProductCopyright: 1983-2013 Apple Inc.
  // ProductName: iPhone OS
  // ProductVersion: 7.0.3

  private final String sdkVersion;
  private String productVersion;
  private boolean inSdkVersion;

  SimulatorProductVersionParser(String sdkVersion) {
    this.sdkVersion = sdkVersion;
  }

  String getProductVersion() {
    if (productVersion == null) {
      throw new WebDriverException("couldn't find simulator product version for " + sdkVersion);
    }
    return productVersion;
  }

  @Override
  public void stdout(String line) {
    ClassicCommands.log.fine(line);
    // SDKVersion: 7.0
    if (line.startsWith("SDKVersion:")) {
      String version = line.substring(12).trim();
      inSdkVersion = sdkVersion.equals(version);
    }
    if (inSdkVersion) {
      // ProductVersion: 7.0.3
      if (line.startsWith("ProductVersion:")) {
        productVersion = line.substring(16).trim();
      }
    }
  }

  @Override
  public void stderr(String line) {
    ClassicCommands.log.warning(line);
  }
}


Great battle between Goku and his teammates with Super Saiyan, Super Namek, and evil, devil forces, vs other universe forces. The game is also a fight between superheroes.
Similar to "instinct Goku Saiyan Greate Battle"