text:
School sued for ignoring harassment
There must be some sort of secret legislation on the books that requires schools to lie about the bullying that takes place on their watch.
Just outside Cincinnati, Fairfield Senior High School is being sued because it refused to enforce its own anti-harassment policy and wouldn't do anything about an assailant who repeatedly assaulted the plaintiff over the course of her senior year.
This campaign peaked when the attacker punched the victim in the face, resulting in 9 stitches in her forehead.
This went on even though the victim had a court order to keep the attacker away - which the school ignored.
The school didn't do anything about the harassment because the assailant was a star softball player.
Maybe the association that governs high school sports in Ohio should suspend the school for this. It's bad enough that the school has a lax attitude regarding school harassment, but the fact that the school mollycoddles athletes is another matter entirely. (Not like other schools don't do it too.)
(Source: http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region_north_cincinnati/fairfield/fairfield-senior-high-school-%22ignored-bullying%22-says-student)
Court: people can be sued, corporations can't
Congress really dropped the ball when it wouldn't repeal the Citizens United ruling. Now look what that hath brung...
The key argument by the Citizens United school of "thought" is that corporations are people. Thus, they get rights that are supposed to be accorded only to people. It's a bogus argument, but that's their bullshit and they're stickin' to it.
Now the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has decided to grant corporations not just the same rights as people but MORE rights than people. This month, the court ruled that the longstanding Alien Tort Statute can no longer be used to sue corporations for human rights violations abroad. The court said individuals can be sued, but corporations can't.
Is that bleevoff or what?
So - according to the Federalist Society whack-a-doos on the court - corporations are considered people as long as it gives them rights, but not when it gives them responsibilities.
This ruling should not only be reversed but disobeyed in the meantime. Congress, the President, and the states should not follow this ruling. If it comes down to it, the states should pass their own versions of the law that the court gutted. And if the court tries enforcing its ruling, it can't very well claim we're the ones who started its little war of aggression.
Congress also needs to impeach the judges who are behind the ruling that grants special rights to corporations that engage in human rights violations.
America is a nation of laws, and this ruling puts corporations literally above the law. What it really means is that all one needs to do to partake in illegal atrocities such as the slave trade is incorporate, thus being shielded from lawsuits. Is that what a democratic republic is about?
If the Democratic Party had the guts to say what I'm saying, I don't think it would have much trouble keeping both houses of Congress this November. I've been through playing nice for a while now.
(Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/29/906362/-Court-Exempts-Corporations-from-Alien-Tort-Law)
American Taliban gets upset at the strangest things ('Sesame Street' Wednesday)
This is what America is up against this election season. We're up against hypocritical self-styled guardians of morality who censor 'Sesame Street'.
'Sesame Street' has long had a habit of featuring celebrities whose fan base is otherwise made up largely of adults or at least people older than preschool age. This revolutionary practice helps adults understand the ol' Ses. Gets 'em in tune with things, ya see.
So recently, 'Sesame Street' invited singer Katy Perry to drop by to perform one of her songs with Elmo. It was something kids and adults alike were gonna love! But since this is 'Sesame Street' we're talking about, it was all pretty much G-rated.
Here's the segment Katy Perry made with Elmo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHROHJlU_Ng
There's not a thing offensive about that. Nothing.
But don't tell that to the American Taliban. When they heard 'Sesame Street' was going to feature Katy Perry, they complained until the segment was yanked.
Did they even bother to watch the segment first?
Honestly, is there ANYTHING that does not offend the American Taliban?
When I was growing up in the '70s, 'Sesame Street' even featured Richard Pryor! And nobody complained. Everybody knew this was a kids' show and Richard Pryor wasn't going to use the kind of language he used in his stand-up routines. If people are raising such a stink over Katy Perry today, years after Richard Pryor appeared without any problems, it shows we've really moved backward since the '70s.
If we let the Republicans get a foothold again, the Taliban is in America's future. Brace yourselves for more ridiculous censorship like this.
Isn't that right, "Taliban Dan" Webster?
Issue #459 of The Last Word got published today, and it's our back-to-school issue!
This edition features some neato articles on poo of this sort:
• A university expands its fascist behavior profiling system.
• A local public school district tries to silence alumni complaining about the way they were treated.
• Republicans play the race card. (Imagine that!)
• And they accuse everybody else of being racist.
• The media ignores a study proving ADHD is overdiagnosed.
• A local county refuses to follow a domestic violence law.
• The story of when a motorcycle club took on a local school bureaucracy.
• A lawsuit regarding an unconstitutional drug sweep at a local school is dismissed.
• Civics education matters!
• A major league sports stadium expels fans over their political views.
So it behooves thee to point thy pooper plumb here:
http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw100928
Week 59 of POOP
The past week has been tailor-made for our POOP feature, since it involves yet another mind-numbing fuck-up by a Google-owned service.
A few days ago, I discovered that YouTube had disabled a video I posted almost 2 years ago. The video was taken crossing a long bridge in North Carolina, and it was disabled because the IFPI (which represents music publishers) complained because it used 10 seconds of the song "It's Raining Again" by Supertramp.
For the record, the manner in which I used the tune was fair use. Anybody who doesn't have a vacuum inside their head can see that, for fair use protects brief snippets of much longer songs, if the snippet is being used for a much longer work of a noncommercial nature. I carefully combed websites about fair use before I made this clip, just so I'd be on the correct side of copyright law.
In other words, the IFPI committed perjury when it submitted its complaint. They knew it was fair use, yet they lied about it.
They've done this to other people before. In 2008, the IFPI lodged a DMCA takedown order against a blog - even though the blog had been licensed to use the music that it featured. In fact, the IFPI's complaint listed a different song by a different band than what appeared on the blog.
When informed of this apparent mistake, the IFPI relented and sent a reply that read in part: "Due to the volume of infringing content we find online there will be instances where legitimate files are picked up as infringing."
So the IFPI admits to making bogus complaints. That's perjury. End of story.
Following YouPube's disabling of my fair use video, I did what 90% of folks confronted with such an act don't do: I fought back by filling out the counter-complaint form that YouTube offers.
YouTube says it submits all counter-complaints to the original complainant. That's fine with me, because I was fully prepared to defend myself in court if the IFPI sued me. But YouTube's claim that it notifies complainants of counter-complaints turned out to be another lie. YouTube e-mailed me saying that 1) they won't enable my video again (even though it's fair use); and 2) because my video is not being enabled, they are not sending my counter-complaint to the IFPI.
Um, didn't YouLube just say it sent all counter-complaints to the original complainers?
Google says I need a court order just to delete my own copyrighted posts from its archive. Where's the IFPI's court order to delete my video? You can't have it both ways, bleezixdolfs.
In the meantime, I redid the offending video and uploaded it again - this time without the music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv0nghh91i8
(Source: http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2008/07/29/ifpi_unapologetic_after_improper_dmca_takedown)
GOP candidate proud to be part of idle rich
If there's one thing the Republicans took away from the 1994 "elections", it's that this taught them that it pays to appeal to the very rich. And I don't mean the few self-made millionaires out there. I mean those who were rich from birth and didn't have to work for their money.
John Raese is the Republicans' longshot candidate for Senate in West Virginia (in a special election caused by Robert Byrd's death). Yesterday, Raese was given free airtime by some right-wing radio talk show. During this appearance, Raese said, "I made my money the old-fashioned way: I inherited it. I think that's a great thing to do."
He went on to say we should abolish the estate tax. But nobody who inherits less than $3,500,000 (i.e., 99.75% of the public) even has to pay this tax. In other words, Raese wants to abolish a tax that only the extremely wealthy have to pay.
John Raese isn't very people-faced, is he? There's so many hungry Americans out there, yet he's worried about billionaires having to pay an estate tax? How do the Tea Partiers call themselves a "populist" movement after supporting this guy?
It turns out Raese doesn't even live in West Virginia, even though he's running for Senate there. He spends almost all his time (except campaign appearances) at his mansion in Florida. He owned 15 cars the same time, and he paved his driveway with marble. He even campaigns using his own private jet.
Why would anybody vote for Marble Man unless they're living high on the hog too? Hopefully, Raese and other Republicans will learn in November that catering to the rich is a losing proposition.
(Source: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/09/24/raese-money-inheritanc;
http://www.politico.com/blogs/maggiehaberman/0910/Raeses_riches_in_West_Virginia_Florida_.html)
Lawn Chair Quarterback: "Crybaby Glenn Beck"
There is something truly wrong with Glenn Beck.
He always looks like he's about to cry! I guess I would too, if I was that much of an idiot.
So let's have some laughs at the loser's expense:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpkgCbt0t0M
Caught on video: Rand Paul assaults 71-year-old blogger
An interesting video has just emerged of how Rand Paul acts when he goes out in the world (yes, the same world that's laughing at him).
Paul held a campaign stop at a government building on Wednesday. It also included right-wing Kentucky legislator Dan Seum. Paul brushed off questions about the deficit and Social Security asked by people in the audience.
Then, Paul and Seum were caught manhandling a 71-year-old blogger.
The appearance (including the assault) was captured on video for the whole Wide, Wide World Of Sports to see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5NZJBNtuDQ
The media made such an issue over Bob Etheridge's encounter with a right-wing "kid" (who was actually about 30), yet it won't cover Rand Paul's meltdown. That's no surprise, because the media hardly ever covers anything negative about Rand Paul.
Rand Paul and Dan Seum need to face assault charges.
Posted by Bandit at 12:35 PM 10 comments!
Republican calls Contract With America redux "dreck"
Although the Republicans' new Pledge to America is incoherent and miserable, I had every reason to think the media would make it their Bible of the new decade - much as the Contract With America was their Bible of the '90s.
But it's crashing and burning before even being officially unveiled.
Even right-wing Republican blogger Eric Erickson is thoroughly unimpressed with the document. Regarding the Pledge to America, he said, "It is dreck."
That it is.
Erickson also said the Pledge to America "proves the GOP is more focused on the acquisition of power than the advocacy of long term sound public policy."
The 21-page manifesto was practically written (or at least overseen) by House staffer Brian Wild, who served as a lobbyist for Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Insurance, and other corporate interests. As a lobbyist, Wild was paid hundreds of thousands each from AIG, Comcast, and other giants of the corporate world.
The Contract With America of 16 years ago was written by the Heritage Foundation. The Hitlerage Foundation is as crazy as fuck and likes voicing support for terrible foreign dictatorships - but at least their garbage is usually readable. But the new Pledge to America was written and overseen primarily by lobbyists and hacks who can barely form a complete sentence.
If the Republican hacks ever raise a point that sounds half-decent on paper, you can never believe them, because it's nothing but a smokescreen for their real agenda: corporate statism and total regimentation of personal behavior.
Pledge to America = crap
I wasn't exactly quaking in my shoes about the Republicans regurgitating the Contract With America - because nobody liked the original one. But that the GOP did - except the new one is even sillier than the piece of shit they issued in 1994.
They call it the Pledge to America. (How original!) At least the original Contract With America was easy to read. The Pledge to America that they're issuing now is barely even coherent.
Not surprisingly, this "small government" pledge is full of ideas that expand government - particularly this "values" and "we are a nation at war" garbage.
The document is full of misleading and often illegible diagrams and graphs - coupled with rambling text. It reminds me of that ridiculous anti-drug ad that appeared in the newspaper some years back that showed a bad drawing of the solar system - if the ad was surrounded by a transcript of Glenn Beck's show.
The Republicans' Pledge to America shows they already have a huge strike against them even before the election. It proves they can barely form a coherent sentence even to express simple ideas. I firmly believe their electoral prospects have just been severely damaged all because they had the arrogance to release such a thoroughly idiotic document and think that everybody would find it worthy of unadulterated admiration.
Brought to you by the letters 'T' and 'P'... ('Sesame Street' Wednesday)
'Sesame Street' seems to be a utopia where nobody ever has to go to the bathroom. Big Bird, Cookie Monster, the Count, and the rest of the 'Sesame Street' kick-ass crew all have limitless stamina, I guess.
Eventually, however, the ol' Ses had to acknowledge the existence of toilet paper. It's called the real world.
Not too long ago, rapper MC Frontalot decided to join forces with 'Sesame Street' to teach kids how toilet paper is made:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I3Z05lC9i8
That little clip takes place in a toilet paper factory, as the rolls of bathroom tissue are sliced and diced for you, the consumer.
I notice that the first shot in this segment looks like the Foundry layout in Halo.
I always thought it would be cool to own a toilet paper factory. Maybe it's because toilet paper is cool. But who knows?
The senator we can't afford to lose
Now that Christine O'Donnell has dashed the Republicans' chances of winning back the Senate, the country needs to focus on senators we can't afford to lose.
Just as O'Donnell would be the senator America can't afford to gain, Wisconsin's Russ Feingold is the senator we can hardly afford to lose. A rarity, that Feingold is.
Feingold, a Democrat, is one of the most beloved senators nationwide. I generally don't endorse Democrats outright any longer, because of the DLC's dominance. My attitude towards party leaders is: you break, you buy. But Feingold isn't like the assholes and lightweights up there on Capitol Hill who tell us how to live and squander our money like it's their own.
The most striking example of Feingold's forward-thinking views is the fact that he was the only senator who voted against the extreme-right Patriot Act.
Russ Feingold is being challenged by Republican and official media demigod Ron Johnson. The corporate-backed Johnson is a climate change denier who supports offshore oil drilling - in the Great Lakes, of all places! His business got bailout money from the city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and he demanded stimulus cash even though he opposes the stimulus package.
Just as bad as this, Johnson even opposed Wisconsin's proposed Child Victims Act, which would have made it easier for victims of child sex abuse to sue abusers.
The Senate is full of right-wing clowns who make fools of themselves every time they open their mouths. The Capitol has its share of DeMints, Coburns, Inhofes, and Chamblisses. We can hardly afford to have Ron Johnson swell the ranks of the D.C. circus. I know you like to laugh at these morons, but they're funnier when they lose and throw a shitfit over the results. Don't cheer their election just because you think you'll save money on comedy clubs.
If Feingold wins, Feingold wins. If Johnson wins, I WILL be at the forefront of the effort to have him removed from office (just like with Chris Christie). We need to keep Ron Johnson embarrassingly weak and powerless even as a senator.
(Also, if you're still worried about the GOP retaking the Senate, bear in mind that at this point 2 years ago, John McCain was leading presidential polls by as much as 10%.)
(Source: http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/95740094.html)
Republican candidate breaks trademark law despite warning
The Rethug-a-lugs have already proven they can't govern competently. Maybe they'd be better if they didn't think they were above the law.
John Boozman is the piece of shit who the Republicans are running as their Senate candidate in Arkansas. His campaign ads prominently feature the logo of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks - in an attempt to imply that the school's athletic teams endorsed him (which they didn't).
It turns out that the university has a policy against using its mascot in political ads. So the university warned Boozman that he needed to remove the logo from his ads, as the logo is protected by trademark law.
However, weeks later, Boozman has refused to comply with the order.
Naturally, Boozman blamed his Democratic opponent, incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln, for the controversy. "Blanche needs to realize that just like in football, you have to play by the rules," said an official for the Boozman campaign.
Nothing's ever a Republican's fault, is it? It wasn't Blanche Lincoln who broke the rules, idiot.
John Boozman is just another Republican with a sense of entitlement who thinks laws shouldn't apply to themselves. This is the party that has pledged to impeach President Obama if they win control of Congress, even though he hasn't done anything illegal. Yet the Republicans break laws like it's going out of style, and they think it's their birthright to be elected. They have the emotional stability of a 2-year-old.
(Source: http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/09/09/john-boozman-blanche-lincoln-and-razorback-football-politics-i)
Right-wing election fraud found in Wisconsin
Do you seriously think every election in America is on the level?
You do? Wait, you don't.
And this article is more proof that the Republicans are rigging elections:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/9/20/903538/-Huge-voter-suppression-plot-exposed-in-Wisconsin
It boils down to this: The Republicans, the misnamed Americans for Prosperity, and Tea Party groups have joined up to suppress the vote in Wisconsin. This practice - known as vote caging - involves sending mail to addresses on lists of voters and later challenging their votes. The result is that these voters have to cast provisional ballots - 35% of which are not counted at all.
This also creates longer lines at the polling places - forcing other voters to just get up and leave.
Needless to say, this practice targets Democratic areas.
And it's illegal - but it's been going on for quite some time.
One wonders how many votes are going to be lost - again. At least now we know not to abide by any Republican upsets in Wisconsin.
Lawn Chair Quarterback: "Christine O'Donnell Is Obsessed With Basting"
I'm battling a sore hip and an ear infection, but that's no reason why 'Lawn Chair Quarterback' shouldn't regale you with the strange obsessions of Delaware's GOP Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell.
O'Donnell is a bit like having Rick Santorum back around. They're both inordinately obsessed with issues surrounding sexuality. Luckily, the public has now gained access to real blogs since the last time Santorum won an election (which was rigged anyway), so there's not going to be a repeat of the disaster that Santorum was. The pop-up media doesn't have the monopoly it had then.
The only thing that seems to be missing from O'Donnell's campaign so far is repeating liar Santorum's bogus claim that the poor are a bunch of druggies. For all I know, maybe O'Donnell has said this, but her other causes have gotten more attention. It's exactly the sort of stupid and bigoted thing her followers claim.
Our latest 'LCQ' episode highlights O'Donnell's weird obsession:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72xUCha8Ago
While we're on the topic, why is Rick Santorum still allowed to practice law? After he tried to deprive the poor of constitutional liberties, shouldn't he be disciplined?
GOP prosecutor harassed domestic violence victim
Kenneth Kratz is the district attorney in Calumet County, Wisconsin. Big Republican.
But now, Kratz is under fire for sending sexually suggestive text messages to the victim in a domestic violence case - a case that he was supposed to prosecute. One of the 30 text messages read, "Are you the kind of girl that likes secret contact with an older married elected DA ... the riskier the better?" Another said, "I would not expect you to be the other woman. I would want you to be so hot and treat me so well that you'd be THE woman! R U that good?" Another declared, "You may be the tall, young, hot nymph, but I am the prize!"
Ironically, Kratz had headed a victims' rights board that was supposed to reprimand prosecutors for harassing crime victims.
When reporters confronted Kratz about the text messages, he blew up. "This is a non-news story!" he thundered. "I'm worried about it because of my reputational interests!"
Tough shit, Kenneth.
Later, Kratz finally admitted he sent the messages. Nonetheless, he's somehow been able to avoid being disciplined for this scandal.
(Source: http://www.kidk.com/news/national/103022349.html)
GOP's Senate chances drifting back towards zero
The media has hyped a Republican takeover of Congress ever since the ink was dry on the last election. But nobody outside the media's funhouse mirror world seriously thought it was possible until the scuzzo Supreme Court created corporate "rights" out of whole cloth.
This year's ruling in the Citizens United case allows corporations to do little short of buy elections. After the rogue court illegally gutted a century-old campaign finance law, political ads no longer even have to identify as being paid for by corporations. And there's no longer any limit as to how much they can spend.
Big Business has taken advantage of this "right" that was created for them from thin air. They even ran political ads for a minor county election in eastern Kentucky - buying ad time on stations in a much larger market, even though the county in question represents only a tiny fraction of the stations' viewership. Almost all current ads for Republican candidates are funded at least in part by corporate money that no longer has to be disclosed.
This ruling was a game changer that gave the Republicans a fighting chance. Less than 5%, mind you. But it would be 0% without it.
Thanks to the hilarity that's unfolding in Delaware, I think the chance of the Republicans retaking the Senate has just dwindled almost back to zero. They've got a way of throwing it all away and making us laugh in the process. When the Democrats seize defeat from the jaws of victory like they did in Arkansas, it's just sad. But when the Republicans do it, it's funny. There's always a public kook-out involved.
The GOP might be a little luckier in the House, but that's probably gone for them too, because of the Tea Party dominance among their House picks. And if it isn't within the GOP itself, it's Tea Party whack-a-doodles splitting the vote by running third party campaigns if they lose the Republican primary. Isn't New York's Doug Hoffman doing this now?
I don't answer to the Republicans. I answer to a higher power. If the GOP can pull it off in November, I'm going to make things as rough on them as I made it for the Tea Party shit-eaters when they came to Covington. I know from experience I can't count on waiting another 2 years to fix it (because I had to wait 12 years last time), and the Refuglies are going to get the same treatment the Tea Party got here in April.
In the meantime, Congress needs to impeach Supreme Court Justices who backed corporate personhood. The Justices took an oath to defend the Constitution, and they broke it.
Christine O'Donnell's anti-basting crusade
The media is cheerfully jizzing in its jeans over the Tea Party's upset win in the Delaware primary - not like it's going to pay off in November like they think it will.
But the victor in that GOP contest - Christine O'Donnell - is obsessed with some straaaaange things.
Despite claiming to be a "small government" candidate, O'Donnell is preoccupied with policing what everybody else does in their own bedroom. One of her main targets: masturbation.
That's right, folks. I'm talking about basting here (to use the term that was common in high school)! Pulling the joystick. Polishing the trophy. Walking in Memphis. Pullin' out the fiddle and rosinin' up the bow.
A clip has surfaced of a 1996 interview that O'Donnell gave to some MTV show in which she gave a mind-bogglingly goofy lecture against masturbation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzHcqcXo_NA
What's just as funny in that clip is how Christine O'Donnell intentionally tried looking like Paula Jones. What's just as funny is that in recent appearances she tries looking like Sarah Palin.
What are O'Donnell's qualifications to be a senator? The right-wing media assails Senate candidates in other states who are no less qualified. At least those candidates have a resume. O'Donnell doesn't seem to have one at all. It's not clear what her job is, or what her job has ever been. If I'd quit my library job after 6 months at the age of 18 and never worked again, I'd be more qualified than O'Donnell is.
My message to the Tea Party thought police and its media minions: You are going to crash and burn. I can comfortably say that the result of the Senate election in Delaware is going to be one of the most lopsided in the nation against the GOP, now that Christine O'Donnell is their standard-bearer. That is a guarantee. I can't wait to see the media's temper tantrum over this one!
Broadcasters won't run anti-Meg Whitman ad
Federal rules state that TV and radio stations as well as cable companies are not allowed to reject political ads just because they disagree with them. (Ooh, an Allowed Cloud!) They can only reject these commercials if the ad makes a false claim or if they reject all campaign ads outright.
But don't tell that to cable giant Comcast, which usually isn't too fond of following reasonable regulations.
Recently, the California Teachers Association created a commersh opposing right-wing gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman. It pointed out that Whitman wanted to slash another $7,000,000,000 from California's education budget.
But Comcast pulled the ad because Whitman's attorney told it to - even though the claim was factual. KNTV-TV in San Francisco - which is owned and operated by the NBC syndicate - also yanked the ad.
Where do people get off complaining about the "liberal media"? Actually, people don't. It seems to me like only the media does. Nice little racket they've got going.
Grover blows his stack ('Sesame Street' Wednesday)
Few things are quite as hilarious as 'Sesame Street' characters throwing temper tantrums. Wonder Woman throwing a conniption fit because her Lasso of Truth broke would be funny enough, but not nearly as funny as a tantrum on the ol' Ses.
For instance, Bert famously loses his shit in a sketch in which Ernie keeps him awake talking about balloons. Bert's uproarious skizzum was likened to the ending of the original version of Michael Jackson's "Black Or White" video, in which the King of Pop reduced a car to a pile of scrap metal. (Racism fueled much of the effort to have that part of Jackson's video removed.)
But Grover once tantered up the ol' Ses too!
It happened during another of his encounters at Charlie's Restaurant with the bald, blue Anything Muppet. In this segment, Grover keeps fucking up the customer's sandwich - forcing him to have to keep fixing the order. In doing so, he squanders the customer's entire lunch hour, leaving him no time to devour his vittles. When Grover's creation goes uneaten, he angrily marches into the kitchen, and the sound of breaking dishes is heard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIucCUyZF0g
Some questions remain. For instance, why did the restaurant keep Grover as a waiter? During his meltdown, he clearly announced that he quit - and he was incompetent anyway. So why does he still work there?
And why does the customer only receive 3½ minutes for his lunch "hour"? I'm sure this sketch was filmed before Reagan began gutting workplace standards, so you'd think he'd at least get a real lunch break.
New York GOP goes from crazy to crazier
Another Tea Party victory was scored in yesterday's Republican primaries - this one in the race for Governor of New York.
Now, for ages, Rick Lazio had been considered the party favorite. And he is a total right-wing scumbag. He's built his political career primarily on the fact that he hates Muslims and the poor. In Congress, Lazio introduced a law to require public housing residents to perform slave labor. No, I'm not making this up. Although it was clearly unconstitutional, this tissue of class warfare was actually passed by Congress. However, Congress later failed to fund enforcement of this law.
Introducing a law like that should have disqualified Rick Lazio from ever being allowed to call himself human. But - needless to say - the Republican Party just didn't grasp reality.
Though Lazio was the party favorite for governor, he was challenged by Tea Party deity Carl Paladino. On the ever-present issue of economic class bigotry, Paladino decided to do Lazio one worse (if that's at all possible): Paladino advocated using unused prison space to warehouse welfare recipients.
Yesterday, Carl Paladino won the Republican primary with 63% to Lazio's 37%. So another GOP primary has gone to the teabaggers.
This doesn't matter so much in New York's general election, because the Democrats are so far ahead there no matter who the Republicans pick. But it speaks volumes of what the GOP has become. They get more extreme in every election cycle.
Now, about that DLC problem on the Democratic ticket...
Posted by Bandit at 1:22 AM 14 comments!
GOP crashes and burns with the Tea Parties
The Tea Partiers are on fire in the elections!
Thankfully, I'm not talking about the November elections. I'm talking about the Republican primaries.
The GOP actually had an overpowering chance to win the Senate election in Delaware. But now the party has blown it with a teabagger victory in yesterday's primary. (This is actually the first time this blog has referred to the Nastea crew as 'teabaggers'. I figure it would have more effect if the term was saturated on other blogs first. Really drives 'em nuts!) Delaware's Mike Castle was widely considered one of the last GOP moderates, despite his increasingly conservative voting record. Now that he lost the primary, what do the Republicans have remaining that isn't on the fringes?
Earlier Tea Party primary wins have seriously diminished Republicans' chances in Alaska and Kentucky, and they're in even worse shape in Nevada. It's possible that the only Senate seat where the Tetley terrorism will pay off is in Utah. Not much of a loss there, considering nobody expected Utah to elect a senator who made sense anyway.
Maybe this will teach the media to be careful for what it wishes for. The media has been promoting the Tea Parties endlessly for well over a year, and now it's coming back to bite them plumb on the gluteus maximus.
'UHF' actor Kevin McCarthy dies
Acting legend Kevin McCarthy died Saturday at the age of 96.
One of his most notable roles was in the hilarious 1989 movie 'UHF' starring "Weird Al" Yankovic. In 'UHF', McCarthy played R.J. Fletcher, a scowling, cynical, Monty Burns-like VHF station owner.
Details here:
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b200032_kevin_mccarthy_star_of_original.html
Murder in Greensburg
Another senseless death, sad to say - this time in Greensburg, Indiana:
http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-greensburg-student-suicide-091310,0,1101685.story
The students who caused this need to be prosecuted for murder. And if prosecutors won't go after them, they should be jailed immediately for complicity.
Yes, I've neglected this feature lately, but that's because Google has opted to take its arrogance and irresponsibility so deep that there was simply little else to go with it.
But now I've discovered that just a few weeks ago, the "Google Groups Team" posted a message in its help forums saying that - well, its help forums are no more. Not like they were worth shit anyway. Titled "Important Message About This Forum", the post declares:
"After careful review of this group, we've realized that most of the questions posted here are either duplicate questions or questions answered in our help center. As a result, we've decided to archive the group."
Bullshit. The reason they've closed their help forum is because they just didn't feel like answering questions people had. The reason there were "duplicate questions" is that Google never answered them in the help forums, so people kept reposting them. Furthermore, these questions were never answered in the help center either.
So Google lied.
This message directs folks to Google's so-called help center. If you wade shoulder-deep in crap, you can find that they've finally added a layer that deigns to answer the long-running questions about how people can remove their own posts that Google keeps using without their permission. The answer spouts the same mumbo-jumbo that Google has vomited for the past year: It says you need a court order to delete your own posts.
That's another lie. As you know, Google used to have an online form that let you delete your own posts that you made with obsolete accounts. That proves you don't need a court order at all. Google owns YouTube, which accepts fourth-party DMCA takedown notices from corporations with no court order - so Google is lying.
In summary, Google recently got rid of its help forum because they thought it was easier to do this than to keep being embarrassed by their own refusal to answer users' questions. Then it refused to provide a real solution to what may have been the most pressing inquiry.
There ought to be a law. Congress or the states need to pass legislation requiring Google to restore users' control over their own copyrighted posts. As it stands right now, Google shows no respect for either privacy or copyrights.
We shouldn't have to legislate common sense, but remember, we're dealing with idiots.
Lawn Chair Quarterback: "Why'd You Blink?"
I was out of town last week, so I just flat-out didn't do a 'Lawn Chair Quarterback'. But this week, I scream back with a vengeance!
Right-wingers are afraid of everything. Toilets. Almanacs. Pooping. You name it!
So I developed a nifty little test to gauge their inner fears. I call it the blink test:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPg0ZcXpTY0
Rand Paul staffer caught trying to defraud Daily Kos
Kidnapper and media demigod Rand Paul wants to be the next senator from Kentucky - yet he encourages fraud like this.
Thomas Kubica is a paid staffer for the Paul campaign. Now he's been caught using the handle "Huey Long" while posing as a progressive Democrat on Daily Kos - so he can attack Paul's Democratic opponent Jack Conway from the left, thereby encouraging Kos fans to focus their efforts elsewhere.
I've seen Kubica's rants on Daily Kos, and I knew they were fake from the moment I saw them. Everybody else seemed to know it too, but only now do we know the source.
The media has not reported on the Paul campaign's hoax.
There's plenty of reasons to assail Conway from the left. For instance, he's thus far neglected to explicitly condemn the Patriot Act or the failed War on Drugs. But right-wing fraudsters just ain't the right people to be criticizing him.
That said, I can't be held responsible if Conway tracks rightward. The Democrats had their chance, and as far as I'm concerned, the DLC ran me off years ago.
Bawm bawm bawm... ('Sesame Street' Wednesday)
For decades, I've insisted on one truism above all others: 'Sesame Street' in the '70s featured a skit in which several Muppets sang, "BAWM bawm BAWM bawm ba BAWM bawm BAWM...bawm bawm BAWM...ba bawm bawm BAWM..."
As with a certain Big Boy ad and several other items that once appeared on TV, everybody countered that I was making it all up. But - also like the Big Boy commersh - YouTube has once again proven me right!
I've searched for years, but now somebody has finally found the "BAWM bawm BAWM..." segment on YouPube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHQQJc4_kzo
So I'm making that up, am I?
The only fly in the ointment is that I don't think the version profiled in this entry is the same as the American version. It was posted on YouTube by somebody in Yemen, so it's probably from a regional variant of 'Sesame Street'. Although I hadn't seen the skit since about 1977, I don't remember Grover appearing in it, and I remember the other Muppets looking considerably different. The audio track might even be different.
Still, it shall suffice! It's clearly the same song as the American version.
So BAWM bawm BAWM to those who thought this was all just my imagination. Finding this segment is kind of like when the grownup characters on 'Sesame Street' finally learned Snuffy was real.
I'm home, I'm home, I'm home!
The drought of posts here lately on this blog can be accounted for by my week-long trip to the Western U.S. - from which I arrived home last night! I didn't mention this fact-finding mission here beforehand, because of the plague of home invasions I've experienced lately, but now I'm back to embarrass the Far Right more than ever!
Little has changed since I left. Major league athletes are still overpaid, almost everybody else is still underpaid, and the media is still the filth column that it was over a week ago.
Given the media's contempt for workers, you'd think it would've been so shamed in the week leading up to Labor Day that it would've kept a low profile, but I guess shame is alien to America's media moguls.
Labor Day is the traditional start of the general election campaign season - although the other side never leaves campaign mode. Although I'm not seeking public office this year, I'm making this fall a campaign against the media - as the media has now become nearly inseparable from the Republican Right.
Campaign hint for Democrats, Greens, and independents: If you want to win, run against the media as if it's part of the GOP. The pop-up press is just that, and people will see it for what it is if you keep highlighting this point. I think readers of this blog are going to be seeing a lot more here about the media's unchecked partisanship from now on.
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Christmas holidays is almost always with the presentation of the much-anticipated and well-loved classical ballet called The Nutcracker. Young and old alike, this ballet presentation of the Bayou and the girl named Clara never ceases to be loved by anyone who sees it. What more when it is backed by no less than the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra at the state-of-the-art Baton Rouge River Center, it is a sure-fire hit this December.
Watch in style and be amazed at the dances presented in the most elegant and classic way only ballet can do. See how it is able to showcase the state of Louisiana's known landmarks in this 2-hour presentation.


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The EU civil protection mechanism: How does it work?
In partnership with The European Commission
Activated 300 times since 2001 inside and outside Europe, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism is triggered whenever a country is overwhelmed by the scale of an emergency and calls for support.
Ivan Herreras Hernandez is the team leader of the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre deployed in the Bolivian municipality of San Ignacio to respond to wildfires.
He explains how the mechanism works:
"The Civil Protection Mechanism is always triggered at the request of the State. The State undergoing the emergency requests support from the European Union."
"At that time Brussels sends a notice to all member states to assess the possibility to support that third country or even to a Member State requesting help."
"Once the countries inform Brussels of the capabilities they can provide, whether they consist of assistance or units, these are offered to the State that initially made the request."
"Depending on what the country accepts, the aid will be sent. We are here right now coordinating the arrival of all that assistance and equipment that Bolivia has accepted from the countries that have offered it."
"In an emergency, the key is always coordinating the resources available. Not only here in Bolivia, but anywhere in the world. The key is to coordinate all the resources that sooner or later will be available."
"The first thing that hits you here is that we don't find the same structure we are used to."
"The first thing you have to do is to adapt to what you find here, which is neither better nor worse than what we have."
"It is simply the solution this country gives to this problem. Therefore we need to know how they are structured, and that takes time, in order to know who is who and who is the best authority we can address to at any time. Then you have to be flexible and suggest the best possible solution."
"We cannot be so ambitious as to try to put out all the fires. In this case, the team has to coordinate the arrival of the aid and the deployment of the capacities that can be sent to support the firefighting activity."
"Once the coordination has been made and the aid distributed, our mission is over. We cannot do the work the country has to do by itself."
The Mechanism also contributes to the exchange of best practices and the development of higher common standards enabling teams to better understand the others' approach and work interchangeably when a disaster strikes.
Amazon Fires: Bolivia experiences worst wildfires in living memory
As 12 million hectares burn in the Amazon, Bolivia receives EU support to tackle wildfires
Pope Francis has asked people to pray that wildfires in the Amazon will be brought under control

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Simon and Alene Married At First Sight: Couple have split.
We have some sad news about Married At First Sight's Simon and Alene.
It appears fake marrying someone on national telly wasn't the best decision for Married At First Sight contestants Simon McQuillan and Alene Khatcherian, who have announced their split two months after the show's finale aired.
Tears, you guys. We're cying FLOODS OF TEARS.
It goes without saying, the pair's plan for Alene to move from Sydney to Simon's hometown of Ipswich fell through.
Now, it seems Simon has already started looking for love again. The Courier Mail reports a Tinder profile belonging to Simon has surfaced on the mobile app.
He and Alene were one of only two couples that decided to give things a go after the show ended, with Sharon Marsh and Nick Furphy still going strong.
If anyone needs us, we'll be crying into a bag of extra cheesy Doritos.
Love is very sad today, you guys. Love is sad.


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Canada grapples with refugee influx from U.S. At the end of October 2018, Toronto said nearly 40 percent of the city shelter system's residents were asylum seekers, versus 11 percent in November of 2016. Marketplace, November 2018.
This Philadelphia museum hired Iraqi and Syrian refugees as tour guides for its Middle East gallery. New tour guides at the University of Pennsylvania Museum — immigrants and refugees from Syria and Iraq — share connections between the ancient artifacts and present-day practices. PRI's The World, October 2018.
Shark attacks still haunt residents of La Réunion. After a spike in shark attacks around the French island of La Réunion in the Indian Ocean, residents searched for ways to restore their sense of safety in the waters that surround them. NPR's All Things Considered, July 2015.
When immigration detention means losing your kids. A deported mother fought for five years to regain custody of her children. Lawyers warned cases of separated families could multiply under the Trump administration. NPR's Morning Edition, December 2017.
Paris Begins Construction of Urban Refugee Camp. The city of Paris embarked on its latest effort to rehouse migrants living in tent cities throughout Paris. Marketplace, August 2016.
Liberté and Securité. This episode reported for the Panoply podcast Life of the Law explored the complicated interplay of civil liberties and anti-terror laws in France. It follows a man held under house arrest for over two months after the Paris attacks of 2015. Life of the Law, May 2016.
This podcast episode for PRI's World in Words explores the Canadian French/English mash-up called Chiac, in which people say things like "J'ai backé mon car dans le driveway." The World in Words, March 2016.
SELECTED PRINT AND WEB STORIES
Mount Vernon on the Seine. A replica of George Washington's home is up for sale in the French suburbs. It's biography intersects with French colonial history, The Great Depression and the evolution of American vernacular architecture. Lapham's Quarterly, March 2017.
In a country that stresses assimilation, this museum highlights the contributions of immigrants. France's national museum of immigration history celebrates its tenth anniversary. The Washington Post, July 2017.


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The Hominid Post
Science . Behavior . Ecology . Culture
How to Rewild Your Backyard
Are Humans REALLY That Smart? A new book says it's complicated.
7 Homo species close to present human that existed on the Earth.
What You Can Do to Prevent Motorcycle Accidents and Injuries
How Mike Tolkien's legacy lives on in the bucket list he left his brother before he died of motor neurone disease
Featured | January 10, 2020 |
By Peter Ray Allison
In every family, there is the cautious child, and then there is the one who is always climbing trees and practising bike tricks. In the Tolkien family (of Lord of the Rings fame), the adventurous one was Mike. Mike died nearly a year ago, of motor neurone disease (MND), aged 39, but his legacy lives on through a series of challenges left for his older brother.
Growing up in the idyllic Welsh countryside, along with their sister, Mandy, Mike and his elder brother Royd were as close as any two siblings could be. Their brotherly rivalry often manifested itself with Mike climbing to the highest branches or jumping that little bit higher on his bike in order to outdo Royd.
As Mike became older (and increasingly bolder), this yearning for his next rush saw him taking part in extreme sports. In short, he became an adrenaline junkie. But while Mike was happiest jumping out of an aeroplane or snowboarding down a mountain, Royd was far more content with cups of tea and gardening.
Map of Middle Earth found loose in copy of Lord of the Rings
Despite their radically different personalities, the two brothers, great grandsons of the writer JRR Tolkien, remained close. Royd even allowed Mike to cajole him into paintballing a couple of times. Unfortunately, the experience scared him and Mike called him a "pussy". Nonetheless, they still shared common interests and would often go camping in the Norwegian wilderness, together with friends, where they would forage for food and try to live off the land.
The first sign that there was something wrong with Mike was when he began experiencing cramps in his calf muscles. As the muscle cramps continued, other symptoms began to appear, such as muscle twitch and foot drop, where he lost strength in his feet and needed special equipment to avoid falling over. Further tests were conducted, including blood tests and a lumbar puncture, but were inconclusive. Eventually, the cause of these symptoms emerged.
In September 2012, Mike Tolkien was diagnosed with MND, a terminal condition with no known cure. It destroys the neurons that send signals to the different parts of the body, while keeping the mind perfectly intact; essentially making patients prisoners trapped in their own bodies. It is an horrific condition for anyone to suffer, but perhaps doubly so for someone as physically active as Mike.
Royd with Mike and their sister, Mandy, during Mike's illness
When Mike was diagnosed with motor neurone disease," says Royd Tolkien, "I literally had to Google it." There is no single test for detecting MND and it is only diagnosed through a process of elimination as symptoms emerge. "There is no treatment, no medication and nothing you can do," says Royd bitterly. "My brother was just told to get his affairs in order."
It was a very dark place that Mike, Royd and the rest of the Tolkien family found themselves in. Later that day, they gathered at Royd's home, where they sat around the table, yet never actually talked about it. It was as if, by acknowledging what had happened, it would somehow make it more real. As the evening wore on, it was finally just Royd and Mike.
"It was kind of like a big elephant in the room," recalls Royd. "We just looked at each other and completely broke down and hugged ea ch other." That was the only moment when Royd allowed himself to acknowledge the grief he felt for his brother. From that point on, he, Mike's girlfriend, Laura, and the rest of the Tolkien family strove always to remain positive and surround Mike with love. "It was filled with fun and laughter and joy and happiness," smiles Royd. "That is really the only medicine he could have."
JRR Tolkien novel The Story of Kullervo to be published a century
As Mike's condition worsened and he lost muscle control, Royd and Laura found themselves becoming Mike's carers. Royd would care for Mike during the day and Laura would look after him at night. "As exhausting as it was for me, it was relentless for Mike," says Royd. "Any vague thought I would have of being a little bit exhausted would be pushed to one side as it didn't matter."
Some time in 2013, Mike and Royd talked about going to Queenstown in New Zealand together. Queenstown is the adventure tourism capital of the world and the place to go for any adrenaline junkie. Mike had always wanted to go but had never made the trip.
However, Mike was forced to accept that he was no longer physically able to partake in the activities, so it was suggested that Royd would undertake them in his place. "Originally, [it was] just going to be me and Mike traveling," says Royd. "Anything that Mike could not do, such as a bungee jump – which I cannot stand – I would do on his behalf, like he would push me off the cliff or whatever it may be."
But, as his condition worsened, it soon became obvious that Mike was unable to complete the trip. It was around this time the idea was floated that if Mike could not make the trip, then perhaps Royd should do it on Mike's behalf.
Mike made a bucket list of 50 challenges, which Laura typed up, as he was no longer able to use his hands. However, unlike other challenges, where the challenger is aware of what is expected of them, Royd still has no clue as to most of the content on the list.
By the end of 2014, Mike was visibly deteriorating, but there was never any discussion of preparing for his final days. The last thing a young man wants to hear is that he is getting worse. "I kept a lot of emotions bottled up during Mike's illness, because if I didn't, I would be a blubbering mess," admits Royd. "I needed to remain strong and sharp for Mike and to keep the positivity going." Finally, on 28 January 2015, Mike Tolkien passed away.
The first inkling of the nature of Mike's bucket list came a couple of days before Mike's funeral, when Laura gave Royd a note, revealing the first of Mike's challenges. In the note, Mike asked Royd to trip over during the most awkward moment of the funeral, without anyone realising what he was about to do.
Royd and Mike Tolkien as children
Royd did as Mike requested and deliberately tripped over as he stood to give his eulogy. "The reaction was shock and nobody could look me in the eye. I could see people hesitating about whether they should run up to help," recalls Royd. "I then got my speech out and held up another note that read 'trip over', and explained that they could blame Mike for that. It was not just to make me squirm, but also to cut the tensions and not make it such a sombre situation. He didn't want people mourning. It was a celebration of what a great person he was."
Royd has no clue what the other 49 items on Mike's bucket list include. The moment he learns of the nature of each challenge will be when he arrives at the location in New Zealand where each is to take place. The only hint that has come from his family, who appreciate the nature of Mike's humour, are their comments of "rather you than me". "I know [Mike] is not just going to just make me do a bungee jump," Royd says, with a laugh. "He's going to proper stitch me up to make it awkward and embarrassing. I wouldn't put it past him to have me dress as a Hobbit on the journey to New Zealand."
Despite Royd's reticence, there was never any consideration that he would refuse to heed the call. Instead, inspired by his brother's enduring bravery and selflessness, Royd, now a film producer, has decided to not only fulfil every challenge of his brother's bucket list, but to film it as well, in order to produce a documentary highlighting the horrific nature of motor neurone disease.
Royd's documentary, called There's A Hole in my Bucket, will follow his journey across New Zealand, completing the 49 remaining challenges as a way of honouring his brother's memory and all victims of MND.
"We came across people who gave up their time to do anything they could to help, from having a nice chat or physiotherapy, to helping with treatment and support with carers. An awful lot of people," he concludes, "just do not get the credit they deserve."
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The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating feat. David Buss
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FORT WORTH, Texas (May 9, 2012) – West 7th, the vibrant mixed-use development located at the southeast corner of University Drive and West 7th Street, announced today that Paciugo Gelato will be reopening this month under new management at its Crockett Street location.
Fort Worth-based franchisees Yen and Huong Tran will reopen the existing storefront at 2926 Crockett Street on Friday, May 11, 2012.
In addition to gelato, the shop will offer Paciugo Caffé, a line of smooth, full-bodied coffees and specialty beverages. Paciugo Caffé is made with 100 percent ethically grown Arabica coffee beans that are produced by farmers in premier growing areas in Africa and East Asia. Customers may pair espresso or hot chocolate with their favorite Paciugo gelato flavor to make their very own specialty Caffé drink. No syrups or other artificial flavorings are ever used.
Plus, the West 7th location will open at 8:00 a.m. Monday through Friday to serve coffee along with breakfast pastries for their morning guests.
Founded in 1995, Cypress Equities companies* have offices in Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Fort Lauderdale and specialize in real estate asset, development, and fund management. Today, Cypress Equities companies are developing and/or managing approximately 10 million square feet in projects throughout the U.S. consisting of community and power centers, as well as vertically integrated mixed-use villages that incorporate retail, residential and offices. Visit www.cypressequities.com for more information.


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Home › Liberal Arts
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Tech Family
Blake receives Argent Financial's Hambidge Center Fellowship
Ruston musician and five-year Louisiana Tech music faculty Shayla Blake is the recipient of Argent Financial Group's Distinguished Fellowship for the 2020 Hambidge Center's Creative Residency Program, which includes a $700 stipend and two-week residency at the Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, Georgia.
The 600-acre creative sanctuary in the Blue Ridge Mountains has been nurturing creative talents for more than 85 years by providing the space and time needed for visionary works to be conceived and developed.
A Ruston native, Blake plans to use the valuable time at the Hambidge Center for intense practice time both for flute and piano repertoire — she is planning for a solo recital — and for composition time and instrumental arranging projects already underway.
"To be chosen for a Hambidge residency is not only a timely artistic affirmation for me, but also it's propelled me forward as I approach and envision new creative projects," Blake said. "The uninterrupted blocks of time that Hambidge affords lends itself to lots of productivity."
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2020, Argent Financial Group (AFG) is a leading independent fiduciary wealth management firm and one of the University's most loyal friends. Argent makes the sponsorship available to applying residents of Ruston who work in writing, visual arts, dance, ceramics, culinary arts, or music.
Although Blake has never personally visited with anyone who has attended Hambidge, "I've read some responses by other fellows that were very positive," she said. "The fact that a well-respected, local company such as Argent would invest in the Hambidge Center for the Arts and Sciences was a strong recommendation for me."
Blake is a three-time winner of the Publisher's Award at the Martin Institute Composers Symposium, has received three Editor's Choice Awards from J.W. Pepper, and in 2019 was named to the list of Powerful Women Composers by Fred Bock Publishers. Her work has been published by Lorenz, Hal Leonard, Shawnee Press, Fred Bock Music and EasyChoirMusic.com. She has also released four albums with husband and vocalist Mack, all of which reflect her diverse musical styles.
All applicants were evaluated by the Hambidge Center's panel review process.
"Every year we review many extraordinary applicants, but Shayla stood out as someone who not only has a passion for music but also shows a strong community-oriented approach," Hambidge Center Executive Director Jamie Badoud said. "We are excited to hear the colorful compositions she creates."
Blake teaches piano, flute, songwriting and Choral Arrangement at Tech, works as a collaborative pianist, and teaches both piano and flute in her private studio. When she is not composing or performing, Blake volunteers as regional coordinator for Nashville Songwriters Association International in the Louisiana region and is a dedicated member of Music Teachers National Association and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
"Not only is Shayla incredibly talented, but she makes it a point to give back to the Ruston community through music," said Argent CEO Kyle McDonald. "We wish Shayla the best at Hambidge and look forward to hearing her new compositions when she returns."
The Blakes have two daughters, Abbey and Anna; each attended Tech and each married a Tech graduate.


This western redwood timber, cottage styled home and garage, sit on 997 square meters of land and offer a warm, cosy style of living.
Vaulted ceilings with exposed beams add character and charm to the two living areas. The rear living area opens out to the covered verandah and paved garden at the rear of the house. The back yard is expansive and an open palette. The second living room could be divided into dining and family zones with a log fire and bar for atmosphere.
The master bedroom has an en-suite and walk in robe. The second has built in robes and the third bedroom is an ample sized loft bedroom and there is also a loft study.
The kitchen has electric cooking, dishwasher with pantry area and features new benches and cupboards. Five star ducted heating, ducted vacuum, reverse cycle air conditioner cooling throughout.
Ten minutes walk to the town centre, primary school and local amenities. A short drive to the Westernport Highway or the Peninsula Link/Eastlink Freeway to Portsea or the city. A short drive or bus to either the Frankston or Cranbourne Shopping and Entertainment Precincts.
If you are looking for a country lifestyle then this is a must for your inspection list.


Do you like to shop online? When you purchase items on Amazon, Hope will benefit by receiving a half percent of your qualifying purchase. Sign on to https://smile.amazon.com. Select Hope United Methodist Church - Trinity as your non-profit of choice. If you need assistance, contact Carol Romanowski at 727-372-4689 x1070.


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Our own medical transportation in Norwalk, Connecticut and also hospital shuttle buses are pristine and properly equipped. Our drivers will be more than pleased to help to stepping into the bus and properly secured for protection and comfort level. United Coachways has been supplying medical transportation in Norwalk, Connecticut to hospital wards, treatment centers, optician's offices, health related centers, and nursing homes for several years.
Together with our improved upon choices of minibuses, school buses, and passenger vans, we can offer medical transportation in Norwalk, Connecticut round trip to community airports, medical centers, X-ray and radiation visits along with physical therapy medical treatments with our hospital shuttle service.
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New president chastises ministers
RIGA - Newly-elected President Valdis Zatlers gave his first address to the cabinet of ministers on July 10, his second day in office, and used the opportunity to chastise them over the handling of two national security laws that recently went to referendum (see page 1).
Zatlers commented that nearly 340,000 people noticed the government's "blunder" and voted in the referendum on the bills. "I hope in the future you will be able to explain your decision to the people," he said.
The president said that the government needs to review the entire six month long process leading up to the referendum. He went on to attack the government's behavior on a number of issues surrounding the bills, citing that they were inadequately explained, not properly debated, and pushed through Parliament with undue and unnecessary haste.
He affirmed that he would closely follow any future attempt by the government to amend the national security laws.
Zatlers' tough initial stance is bound to draw a high degree of interest from political analysts. Commentators have said that in order to be an effective president, Zatlers would have to break from the ruling coalition which put him in power.
Zatlers also noted the exceptionally low voter turnout in Latgale, the easternmost region of Latvia, and asked the ministers to increase their political activity in the area.
Daugavpils, Latvia's second largest city, had only 3,600 voters turn out for the referendum 's half as many as turned up in Kuldiga District, which is approximately one third its size.
The president also asked the politicians to work closely with the new anti-inflation plan to help curb the country's wildly rising prices.
Zatlers said that he plans to hold regular meetings with the prime minister and work closely with the government throughout his term. Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis took the floor after the president, saying that it will take hard work to promote national self-confidence, and to hold the state language, national traditions and history in high esteem. Kalvitis wished the new president good luck in his post.


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Healthcare Industry News: vascular closure
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News Release - October 1, 2008
Cardica's Anastomosis Systems Enable 'Total Connector' Beating Heart Cardiac Bypass Procedures
Dr. Husam H. Balkhy Performs First U.S. Off-Pump Cardiac Bypass Procedure Using Cardica Devices to Attach All Bypass Grafts
WAUWATOSA, Wis. and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 1 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Nationally-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon Husam H. Balkhy, M.D., chairman of the department of cardiothoracic surgery at The Wisconsin Heart Hospital, performed the first total connector cardiac bypass procedure in the U.S., without needing to arrest the heart, using only Cardica's (Nasdaq: CRDC ) automated systems to connect the bypass graft vessels. With the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance of the PAS-Port® Proximal Anastomosis System, Cardica now offers surgeons a comprehensive suite of products to quickly and reliably attach all grafts during coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. This will allow surgeons, for the first time, to achieve a total "connector coronary artery bypass" procedure, or C-CAB(TM), meaning the CABG procedure can be completed without the need to use hand-sewn sutures to connect the bypass graft vessels.
Cardica's anastomosis systems automate the connection of blood vessels (known as anastomoses) during CABG surgery, replacing hand-sewn sutures, which are more time consuming and can be difficult to perform especially in small coronary arteries. Anastomoses are often considered the most critical step of the bypass procedure. Cardica's PAS-Port proximal system attaches the bypass graft to the aorta, upstream of the occlusion, while Cardica's C-Port® Distal Anastomosis Systems connect the bypass grafts to coronary arteries downstream of the occlusion. A triple bypass procedure, for example, requires up to five anastomoses. Now, in many instances, all connections could be performed using Cardica's PAS-Port and C-Port anastomosis systems.
"By using Cardica's automated systems, we were able to successfully attach all of the bypass vessels rapidly and consistently, even in areas of the heart that can be difficult to reach, while the patient's heart continued to beat," said Dr. Balkhy. "This was a relatively difficult case, complicated by the patient's multi-vessel disease, small targets and diminished cardiac function. Performing a multiple bypass procedure using traditional techniques such as stopping the heart and placing the patient on a heart-lung machine, can be associated with significant risks. Using connectors such as these will help facilitate CABG surgery without the need to use a heart-lung machine."
Dr. Balkhy and his team at The Wisconsin Heart Hospital performed the triple-bypass procedure on a 69-year-old female patient who had severe coronary artery disease, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and aortic plaque. This made a traditional CABG surgery particularly risky. The team completed the entire three-vessel, total-connector off-pump CABG surgery in 2.5 hours. The patient was discharged three days after surgery and is doing well today.
"Today, general surgeons extensively use miniature stapling devices for anastomoses in bowel, abdominal and even pulmonary surgical procedures, whereas 20 years ago hand-sewn sutures were used for virtually all of these procedures," continued Dr. Balkhy. "Just as staplers have become the standard of care in general surgery, I believe that cardiothoracic surgeons in the United States and worldwide will eventually adopt automated stapling devices for anastomoses as the standard of care in cardiac bypass surgery."
"We congratulate Dr. Balkhy on completing the first total connector CABG procedure in the United States and his continued commitment to the advancement of less-invasive cardiothoracic surgery. We are proud of the role Cardica's products played in enabling this significant milestone," said Bernard A. Hausen, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Cardica. "As we continue to train surgeons on the use and benefits of both our C-Port and PAS-Port systems, we expect many more surgeons to switch from hand sewing sutures to using our automated devices for traditional open-chest procedures, beating heart surgery and minimally-invasive robotic CABG procedures."
OR-Live Webcast on October 9 Moderated by Dr. Balkhy
On October 9 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Dr. Balkhy will moderate and explain critical aspects of a robot-assisted, closed-chest CABG procedure performed by internationally-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Sudhir Srivastava of the University of Chicago Medical Center, using Cardica's C-Port® Flex-A® Anastomosis System. The 75-minute webcast of this minimally-invasive surgery can be viewed on http://www.OR-Live.com and accessed through Cardica's website at http://www.cardica.com.
About CABG Surgery
Coronary heart disease causes one out of every five deaths in the United States, making it the single largest killer of Americans. While other treatment alternatives exist, studies show that CABG surgery achieves the best long-term patient outcome for coronary heart disease as measured by survival rate and need for re-intervention. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that in 2005 approximately 260,000 patients had CABG surgeries in the United States.
About Cardica's Anastomosis Systems
Cardica's automated anastomosis systems attach the end of a bypass vessel graft to a coronary artery or to the aorta. This connection, called an anastomosis, is often considered the most critical step of bypass surgery. The current method of performing an anastomosis takes approximately ten to 15 minutes per anastomosis and uses technically demanding, tedious and time-consuming hand-sewn sutures to connect a blood vessel to the aorta or to small diameter coronary vessels. Using Cardica's automated systems, the connection can be completed typically in less than two minutes and requires no additional hand-sewn sutures for the anastomosis.
About The Wisconsin Heart Hospital
Located in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, The Wisconsin Heart Hospital, a member of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, was the vision of a group of cardiac, vascular and specialty physicians who wanted to treat broad-based diseases that affect cardiac and vascular systems. They began with a unique premise -- they wanted to help shape the future of cardiovascular care through locating innovative workflow, patient care, diagnostics and imaging technologies under one roof.
The only cardiovascular specialty hospital and first accredited chest pain center in the Milwaukee area, the hospital was designed for the complexities of heart and vascular care. Its services include diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization and peripheral vascular procedures, electrophysiology, surgical services, diagnostic imaging, and emergency services.
As a result of its focus on patient service, TWHH has earned numerous national awards for patient perception of quality and service. TWHH is in the top 1% of hospitals nationwide in patient satisfaction, according to Press Ganey, and has also met or exceeded state and national benchmarks in quality care. The hospital has repeatedly earned top honors in the nation for inpatient cardiology/telemetry.
For more information about The Wisconsin Heart Hospital, its award-winning care and outstanding outcomes, log on to http://www.mywheaton.orghearthospital or call 1-414-778-7800.
About Cardica
Cardica is a leading provider of automated anastomosis systems for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. By replacing hand-sewn sutures with easy-to-use automated systems, Cardica's products provide cardiovascular surgeons with rapid, reliable and consistently reproducible anastomoses, or connections of blood vessels, often considered the most critical aspect of the CABG procedure. Cardica's C-Port® Distal Anastomosis Systems are marketed in the United States and Europe. The PAS-Port® Proximal Anastomosis System is marketed in the United States, Europe and Japan. Cardica also is developing additional devices with Cook Medical to facilitate vascular closure and other surgical procedures.
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, including statements relating to the potential increased adoption of the C-Port and PAS-Port systems, specifically, and of automated anastomosis devices generally, for CABG procedures. Any statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. The words "expect," "could," "believe" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause Cardica's results to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including risks associated with the need for Cardica's products to gain market acceptance, and the long-term patency rates of grafts connected using Cardica's products, as well as other risks detailed from time to time in Cardica's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008. Cardica does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements. You are encouraged to read the Cardica's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available at http://www.sec.gov.
Source: Cardica
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Mumbai: Here's another exclusive piece of news from the desk of TellyChakkar.
The veteran and talented actress Jayati Bhatia, who has been a part of the TV industry for many years now, will be soon seen in another popular TV show.
According to our sources, the Sasural Simar Ka actress has bagged Star Plus' Naamkarann (Dhaval and Guroudev Productions Pvt. Ltd). Jayati will play Karan Kapoor's (Zaan Khan) mother.
Tellychakkar tried reaching out to Jayati but she remained unavailable for comment.
The above drama has recently taken a leap. The bold and confident Avni (Aditi Rathore) has turned into a terrified and weak girl while Neil has transformed himself into a macho looking bodyguard of Superstar Karan Kapoor.
We wish Jayati all the very best!


text:
Coffee with a candidate for governor
Photo by Travis Rains.
David Garcia, Democratic gubernatorial candidate, kicked off his campaign bus tour in Kingman Wednesday morning.
By Travis Rains
Originally Published: May 9, 2018 3:50 p.m.
KINGMAN – Coffee and muffins weren't the only treats patrons of Beale Street Brews indulged in Wednesday morning, as David Garcia, Democratic gubernatorial candidate, was on hand to speak with citizens in a laid-back and conversational setting.
"If you gather people, we'll come out," Garcia told those in attendance. "And not just to tell you what happened in Phoenix and to inform you, but to get out here early enough for you to be part of the conversation. And that is a commitment that I'm going to make as governor."
Garcia told those citizens at Beale Street Brews that he's ready to listen to what they have to say. If elected governor, he said his focus will be on education, healthcare and the environment, with an emphasis on water issues in Arizona.
Laurence Parry, Kingman resident, took Garcia up on his offer to listen to people from rural Arizona in asking the candidate how he would put Kingman "on the map."
Garcia said putting Kingman and other rural cities on the map requires discussions about opportunities and challenges facing those areas, but that the conversations can't stop there.
"You have to continue to have that conversation in Phoenix so that they understand, we understand, what's going on up here and how we can contribute and how we can help," he said.
One way Garcia said he will contribute to that discussion is through education and initiatives involving community colleges in rural Arizona. He explained his view that community colleges are economic pathways for rural Arizona.
"Through community colleges, parts of Arizona can develop training programs that can help build local economies and help create opportunities," Garcia said. "Our investment in community colleges, we believe, are a place for rural Arizona to do things like grow your own programs or create economic opportunities."
Another issue Garcia addressed at the meet and greet was the water issues facing Arizona. J'Aime Morgaine referenced the U.S. Department of Agriculture's designation of Mohave County as a natural disaster zone due to the current drought. She said there is agriculture taking place on a level that is "sucking the aquifers dry."
Garcia said Arizona's water problem keeps him up at night and that an answer has to be found. He said that can only be accomplished if everyone works together. He plans to talk with those at the state level about how to use water wisely and conserve it.
"We've got to look past partisan lines here, we've got to make some tough decisions," he said. "We need some strong leadership and to develop a plan going forward for Arizona. This is almost a post-climate change plan here as we think about how we're going to redistribute, how we're going to think about water rights and our relationship with other states as well."
Garcia's stopped in Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City as well Wednesday. He said he hopes he sees the same energy there as he did in Kingman.
"It was a great turnout with a lot of energetic input," he said. "I want to encourage people to continue that."
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