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June 21, 2006
Testimony of Debo P. Adegbile
Associate Director of Litigation of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
Reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act: Policy Perspectives and
Views from the Field
United State Senate Judiciary Committee
June 21, 2006
As Associate Director of Litigation of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), I welcome the opportunity to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the regarding the renewal of and continuing need for the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Today, my testimony is divided into two parts. Initially, I offer observations about LDF's practical experience with enforcement of the expiring provisions of the Act. My observations are informed by LDF's long experience with and work on these issues in the field. In light of that experience, I offer an analysis of some of the central policy issues that are presented in the current renewal debate. Renewal of the expiring provisions of the VRA is of critical importance to LDF as our work has long been, and continues to be, focused on ensuring that African Americans and other minority groups have equal and unfettered access to the political process.
VRA Enforcement: A View from the Field -- Evidence of Continuing and Persistent Voting Discrimination
The recent history of Voting Rights Act enforcement in Louisiana provides strong evidence of the success of the VRA in preventing ongoing and pervasive state and local attempts to discriminate against minority voters, as well as the continuing need for the Section 5 preclearance requirement. Louisiana has the fifth largest African-American population in the United States, and the second highest percentage of African-American population of any state following Mississippi. Significant racially polarized voting and voting changes adopted with retrogressive purpose and/or effect continue to be commonplace in Louisiana.
LDF's substantial experience enforcing voting rights protections in Louisiana since the 1982 reauthorization indicates that, although the VRA has facilitated some progress toward the goal of equality in voting, discrimination against African-American voters has not been eradicated. The continuing need for Section 5 preclearance in the future is highlighted by the fact that some jurisdictions - including the State of Louisiana itself - have been repeat offenders that have drawn multiple objections during this time period.
Here, I describe some of the forms of discrimination that the preclearance provision has blocked through the present day, and then discuss the experience in Orleans Parish and other jurisdictions within the state in which Section 5 has effectively protected minority voting rights from repeated threats.
Multiple Forms of Persistent Discrimination
The success of Section 5 is measured, in part, by the number of objections to proposed voting changes issued by the Department of Justice ("DOJ"). Indeed, Section 5 has been used more frequently in the years since 1982 than beforehand as the Department of Justice has interposed 96 objections to proposed voting changes in Louisiana since the last renewal.2 Put another way, nearly two-thirds of the DOJ objections interposed against Louisiana have been made since the last Congressional reauthorization of Section 5.
Formal objections, however, do not include other indicia of Section 5's effectiveness - including its deterrent effect on those jurisdictions that may be considering potentially discriminatory changes. In particular, DOJ's "more information requests" (MIRs) often lead jurisdictions to withdraw or supercede potentially retrogressive voting changes.3 Overall, jurisdictions within Louisiana have withdrawn 45 changes after receiving an MIR since the last renewal.4 Both objection statistics and MIRs, among other things, help illustrate the full deterrent effect of Section 5.
Repeat Offenders
The continued need for Section 5 preclearance is illustrated, in part, by the fact that several jurisdictions within Louisiana have received multiple objections to proposed voting changes since the 1982 renewal. Indeed, one of the worst repeat offenders is the State of Louisiana itself. The DOJ has interposed an objection to every initial reapportionment plan adopted for the State House of Representatives since the VRA was passed in 1965. The record underlying these objections, described more fully below, provides substantial evidence of both retrogressive effect and purpose underlying the adoption of the plans.
Objections to Louisiana State Legislative Reapportionment Plans, 1971-2001
In 1971, the DOJ objected to the state's first legislative reapportionment plan after the VRA went into effect, noting the "apparent racially discriminatory effects in both houses of the legislature in widely disparate parts of the state" including "an extraordinarily shaped 19-sided figure . . . [that] suggests a design to consolidate in one district as many black residents as possible."5 The DOJ also interposed an objection to the post-1980 decennial redistricting plan finding that the plan had the "net effect of reducing the number of House districts with black majorities."6 Similarly, in 1991, the Louisiana legislature once again proposed a plan that retrogressed African-American voting strength. DOJ objected to the proposed configuration of district boundaries in seven areas across the state finding that "the state has not consistently applied its own criteria" and the inconsistent application "in each instance" negatively impacted black voters' ability to elect a candidate of their choice.7
In 2001, the state filed a declaratory judgment action in Louisiana House of Representatives v. Ashcroft (Civ. No. 02-62 D.D.C.) seeking judicial preclearance process of its state house redistricting plan. In that case, the legislature argued that its proposed elimination of a viable majority African-American district in Orleans Parish was justified by arguing that white voters in this part of the state were entitled to "proportional representation," an unrecognized Section 5 defense, while ignoring long-standing Section 5 principles and disregarding significant growth of the African-American population in the Parish. The fate of Louisiana's 2001 redistricting plan was the same as that of its predecessors. The 2001 redistricting plan for the Louisiana House of Representatives is a telling statewide example that emerged during the last decennial redistricting cycle in that the evidence suggested that the pre-settlement plan was enacted with both retrogressive purpose and effect.
The Louisiana legislature's repeated attempts to violate the VRA over the course of four decades, which were arguably more blatant in 2001 than before, shows the importance and effectiveness of Section 5 in protecting African-American voters. The experience with Section 5 in Louisiana illustrates that without preclearance, we risk actual implementation of plans adopted with retrogressive effect and/or discriminatory purpose.
Other Repeat Offenders
Numerous jurisdictions in Louisiana have repeatedly proposed retrogressive voting changes that were blocked by the DOJ during the Section 5 preclearance process. Between 1982 and 2003, 11 parishes were "repeat offenders" as they submitted multiple numbers of voting changes that drew objections.8 An example of a particularly resistant jurisdiction is Pointe Coupee Parish, in which DOJ interposed objections to the school board and police jury district redistricting plans three decades in a row. Most recently, DOJ interposed an objection to a 2002 plan that would have eliminated a majority-black district.9 The persistence of these repeat offenders along with the state's long history of Section 5 objections and changes withdrawn in response to MIRs together illustrate the grave potential for retrogression to emerge in the political process in the absence of the Section 5 safeguard.
Mississippi and South Carolina
Much like Louisiana, the recent experience in the States of South Carolina and Mississippi also provides strong evidence of the continuing need for the broad application of Section 5. Although the record contains numerous examples of persistent voting discrimination, as reflected in various reports, and extensive witness testimony that has been submitted and offered, I highlight a few examples here. Indeed, in both of these covered states, DOJ has interposed a series of recent objections that reach a wide range of voting changes, many of which illustrate both retrogressive effect and purpose. For example, in 2001, the Town of Kilmichael, Mississippi, cancelled its general election for alderman and mayor, after the all-White Board of Aldermen realized that, given 2000 census data, African Americans comprised a majority of both the town's total population and registered voters. The cancellation prompted a 2001 objection from the DOJ on the grounds that the voting change prevented African Americans from electing candidates of their choice (since several African Americans had already qualified for the town's elections).10 This continued voting discrimination has been accompanied by the reality of racially polarized voting, which has been documented through a long litany of Mississippi court decisions. In Jordan v. Winter, a congressional redistricting case, the three-judge district court stated "[f]rom all the evidence, we conclude that blacks consistently lose elections in Mississippi because the majority of voters choose their preferred candidates on the basis of race."11 In Martin v. Allain12, which involved a statewide challenge to the election of state trial court judges from multi-member districts, the federal district court noted that "racial polarization exists throughout the State of Mississippi . . . and that blacks overwhelmingly tend to vote for blacks and whites almost unanimously vote for whites in most black versus white elections."13 This same pattern has been confirmed in a number of decisions throughout the state dealing with local redistricting.
Likewise, in 2003, the DOJ interposed an objection to a proposed annexation in the Town of North, South Carolina. The DOJ determined that the town had "been racially selective in its response to both formal and informal annexation requests" and found that "white petitioners have no difficulty in annexing their property to the town" while "town officials provide little, if any, information or assistance to black petitioners and often fail to respond to their requests, whether formal or informal, with the result that the annexation efforts of black persons fail."15 In the view of the DOJ the town's deliberate non-responsiveness to African Americans revealed that race was "an overriding factor in how the town responds to annexation requests."16 More recently, in 2004, the DOJ interposed an objection to the state's proposed change to Charleston County School Board's method of election because the change from non-partisan to partisan elections would "make it extremely difficult for minority-preferred candidates to win."17 While the non-partisan election system was credited by a federal judge in United States v. Charleston County (D.S.C. 2003) for its creation of opportunities for single-shot voting and plurality victory by minority-preferred candidates, the proposed system imposed a de facto majority requirement, which, when combined with an at-large system, would likely result in the defeat of minority voters' candidates of choice. The DOJ also noted that this plan was proposed in the face of opposition from a majority of minority elected officials opposed and despite the availability of non-retrogressive alternative plans that had been made available.
Indeed, this evidence illustrates the persisting nature of voting discrimination in the covered jurisdictions and the ability of the Section 5 preclerance process to ferret out voting discrimination that often manifests itself in multiple forms. This evidence must also be viewed in the context of high levels of racial polarization18 and other barriers that persist within the political process. For example, federal observers have been deployed to monitor elections in Mississippi no less than 250 times covering 48 of the state's 82 counties since the 1982 renewal. A number of these counties were covered on multiple occasions illustrating the intransigence and resistance of local officials in these areas. Moreover, courts have highlighted the steep levels of racially polarized voting in these covered jurisdictions making the role of the Section 5 preclearance process necessary to prevent impairment of minority voting strength.
Policy Perspectives
1. Why is Section 5 preclearance still necessary?
The Section 5 coverage formula was put into place after Congress thoroughly reviewed the record before it in 1965, and subsequently renewed in 1970, 1975 and 1982. During each of these deliberations Congress documented widespread evidence of persistent violations of minority voting rights in covered jurisdictions. The record before this Congress presents continued evidence of such violations, and highlights the necessity for continued review of voting changes to protect minority voters in covered jurisdictions. For example, since the VRA's 1982 renewal, violations of minority voting rights have taken the form of last minute election date or polling place changes, discrimination at the polls, and familiar dilutive tactics of "cracking" and "packing" minority voting districts.19 Additionally, as noted in the first part of my testimony, contemporary reports from the field illustrate that voting discrimination in covered jurisdictions is alive and well, and significantly continues to be checked by the prophylactic protection.
Section 5 preclearance also plays an important role in deterring covered jurisdictions from enacting discriminatory voting changes. Although many VRA opponents and commentators point to a recent reduction in DOJ objections as evidence of the decreasing need for Section 5 -- this analysis oversimplifies the many ways in which the law serves to protect minority voters. Excluded from the category of objection statistics are other categories of deterred and rejected voting changes. These include matters that were denied preclearance by the Washington D.C. District Court; matters that were settled while pending before that court; voting changes that were withdrawn, altered or abandoned after the DOJ made formal More Information Requests (MIRs)20; as well as any recognition that the very existence of preclearance deters discriminatory voting changes in the first place. Taken together, these categories provide a more holistic view of the sizeable impact, deterrent effect, and continued need for Section 5's provisions. Moreover, without the Section 5 preclearance provisions many jurisdictions that have experienced a long history of exclusionary practices in voting would have lacked the incentive to tailor their electoral changes in a non-discriminatory fashion. Even with Section 5 in place, many covered jurisdictions made voting changes that disadvantaged minority voters without preclearing them with the DOJ. Despite vigorous enforcement efforts, the DOJ -- with its limited resources -- is unable to ensure that jurisdictions have submitted every voting change for preclearance. Without Section 5, the DOJ's ability to monitor discrimination against minority voters would be severely handicapped, and the VRA's deterrent effect on covered jurisdictions would be lost. The hearings on the current House and Senate renewal bills - like those in previous decades - contain evidence that the burdens that would be placed upon voters to vindicate their rights in the absence of preclearance would be substantial.
Given an extensive and carefully assembled record of continued voter discrimination in covered jurisdictions, and the evidence that Section 5 has operated to correctly identify the jurisdictions where preclearance is most necessary given past and current patterns of voter discrimination, I believe that maintaining Section 5 preclearance is not only appropriate, but is critical to the continued success of the VRA.
2. Does Congress still have the power to renew Section 5?
Yes, in light of the strong, record of both historical and current voting discrimination before Congress, it continues to have the power to renew Section 5 of the VRA. Several factors support this conclusion. First, the VRA's renewal is consistent with recent Supreme Court precedent. The Boerne decision and its progeny, while requiring that Congress be deliberate in the exercise of its Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment enforcement powers, do not place a substantial limitation on Congressional power to enact remedial or prophylactic legislation in the area of race.21 In fact, Boerne and the subsequent case law in this area suggest that Congressional power is at its height when it enacts remedial or prophylactic legislation to protect the fundamental rights of individuals in classes afforded heightened levels of constitutional scrutiny.22 These are the precise circumstances at play here. Congress has before it an extensive record of both historical and current instances of voting discrimination that persuasively illustrates a measurable degree of progress but also the intractability of this problem in covered jurisdictions, necessitating continued Congressional protection of those jurisdictions. This record at issue here is distinguishable from the record under review in Boerne. Moreover, Boerne and the cases that followed the Court cited the VRA as the exemplar of Congress's enforcement power under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments.
Additionally, the Court recently reaffirmed its support of Congressional action on the issue of minority voting rights in the 1999 case Lopez v. Monterey County.23 In this post-Boerne decision, the court cited both Katzenbach and City of Rome favorably, and upheld the validity of preclearance in "jurisdictions properly designated for coverage."24 The Lopez decision was decided just weeks after another Supreme Court case in which Boerne was invoked to invalidate a congressional enactment.25 In light of this recent decision, there is nothing to suggest that Congress now lacks the authority to renew Section 5 of the VRA under the record before it.
Finally, this VRA renewal process does not stand alone. It is worth noting that a different constitutional moment occurs when Congress legislates under the Civil War Amendments de novo, as in Boerne, in contrast to when Congress is extending an existing piece of successful civil rights litigation. The Court has explicitly recognized that Congress acts as a continuing body when reviewing evidence, and that previous legislative findings and experience are properly part of the current record.26 In light of the strong record currently before Congress, which is supported by the records from 1965, 1970, 1975, 1982 and 1992, it seems readily apparent that Congress has satisfied its burden under the Boerne doctrine and has the power to renew Section 5.
3. Do the benefits of preclearance outweigh the costs?
Yes - Section 5 preclearance has led to widespread and well-documented benefits for minority voters with relatively low administrative or economic costs. From an economic and public policy standpoint, Section 5 is a cost-effective means to prevent discrimination. Every DOJ objection, or withdrawn, altered or abandoned voting change in response to a DOJ more information request (MIR), represents a potential lawsuit - and more importantly a deprivation of the right known to be "preservative" of all other. Blocking and deterring changes is undoubtedly better and more cost-effective than having to litigate them; Section 5 thus removes the need for private parties to spend their own and usually judicial resources to stop discriminatory changes.
Section 5 also plays an important educative function in covered jurisdictions. Through the MIR process, and as part of the submission process in general, there is extensive communication between the DOJ and the submitting jurisdiction. This communication thus facilitates public awareness and compliance with the law even short of the provisions affirmative deterrence effects.
The DOJ also applies the preclearance standard with a degree of flexibility that takes into account the nature of the electoral change being reviewed, and the time before the proposed change would take effect. For example, last minute polling place changes will be reviewed quickly before elections, whereas for more complex changes, the DOJ will be more likely to use its statutorily given 60-day review period. The DOJ's actions following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita further illustrate the flexible nature of preclearance review. After the hurricanes, the DOJ immediately sent a letter to the Secretaries of State in Mississippi and Louisiana acknowledging that they would be ready to expedite voting changes.
Although Section 5 does require jurisdictions to take steps to comply and carefully consider the impact of voting changes, many of the costs and inconvenience arguments are overstated. More significantly, the cases from Katzenbach forward the Supreme Court has recognized that the imposition of costs must be weighed against the gravity of the harm being prevented - viewed in this light, on the record before Congress, the balance falls on the side of Section 5 to continue to protect the fundamental right to vote.
4. Is there a need to change the Section 4 coverage formula?
The evidence in the record does not indicate that the existing Section 4 coverage formula, or "trigger," needs to be revised or updated. The evidence in the record indicates that the existing coverage formula has proven extremely effective in addressing voter discrimination in the jurisdictions where voters most need protection, and has allowed for tailored responses in both covered and non-covered jurisdictions, where circumstances warrant, through administration of the bail-in and bailout provisions.
With respect to the existing coverage formula, the unique history and deeply entrenched nature of voting discrimination in covered jurisdictions strongly support the use of prophylactic measures to protect minority voters in these particular areas. In several covered states, for over a century before the passage of the VRA - and in many states up until the 1980's or early 1990's - not a single black was elected to Congress. Local circumstances in many places were not much better. Section 5, through "triggering" covered jurisdictions, has thus performed the important function of protecting the rights of minority voters in the places they are most at risk, and in which they have the most to gain.
Additionally, as set out above, because the Supreme Court considers both the history and ongoing nature of discrimination when weighing Congress's legislative power to enforce the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments, the years 1964, 1968 and 1972, which are referred to in the current trigger formula, remain relevant to assessing the jurisdictions in which minority voters are most in need of protection.
It bears emphasis that the registration and turnout levels that, in combination with the history of tests or devices, determine coverage were not the only evil that the VRA sought to eradicate. Depressed registration and turnout was a symptom of a much larger problem of discrimination in voting and Congress and courts have both recognized that mandate of the VRA does not end there.28 The registration and turnout data were used as a proxy for discrimination - a proxy that informed but did not exclusively determine the inquiry. As in 1982, Congress can appropriately look to the experience in covered jurisdictions to assess if preclearance is still effective in light of the dangers that continue to exist.
Moreover, the existing bailout and bail-in provisions - Sections 4(a) and 3(c) of the act - operate in tandem with the Section 5 Coverage formula to ensure that the scope of Section 5 is appropriately contracted or expanded. To date, every jurisdiction that has tried to bail out has been successful, and those jurisdictions have expressed satisfaction with both the existing bailout formulation as well as the results they have achieved.30 Additionally, courts have imposed Section 5 preclearance on jurisdictions where violations of the voting rights of their minority citizens justify future oversight.31
There is no evidence in the record, of which I am aware, indicating that the existing bailout provisions are particularly onerous or difficult to administer. According to J. Gerald Hebert, who served as legal counsel to all of the jurisdictions who have bailed out since the 1982 amendments, the issue is not that the bailout provisions are difficult or that jurisdictions are applying and being denied, but simply that "jurisdictions are just not applying."32 While this commentary perhaps suggests the need for increased awareness of the availability of bailout by covered jurisdictions, it does not suggest that the existing provisions are not working. Given this evidence, it stands to reason that the existing coverage formula and bailout provisions have provided, and will continue to provide, an important incentive for covered jurisdictions to comply with Section 5 as was intended at their enactment.
5. Should Section 5 be extended nationwide?
Proposals to extend Section 5 nationwide are designed to end the application of the statute for both legal and practical reasons. While applying Section 5 nationwide may seem attractive upon first blush, doing so would extend the VRA beyond the targeted jurisdictions that have an established history of discrimination and make it vulnerable to a constitutional challenge. The existing record does not support nationwide expansion to places where, among other things there are no minority voters. Indeed, no serious argument can be advanced that nationwide coverage of Section 5 would be "congruent and proportional" to address the harms it is designed to cure -- namely a history of significant discrimination against minority voters -- as required by the Supreme Court's recent precedents. Accordingly, it would be disingenuous for those who seek to conform to the contours of the Boerne decisions to support nationwide extension. Congress has appropriately focused on the history of discrimination that gave rise to the coverage formula, and the evidence of persisting forms of discrimination when evaluating which jurisdictions remain subject to the preclearance requirements.
On the practical side, nationwide application of Section 5 would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the DOJ to administer, given the volume of voting changes that would have to be reviewed. This expansion of coverage would dilute the DOJ's ability to appropriately focus their work on those jurisdictions where discrimination has been and continues to be a problem.
6. Are the proposed modifications to the statute appropriate?
The proposed modifications to the statute realign the standards for Section 5 with long-standing judicial interpretations of and Congressional intent regarding Section 5. First, the proposed bill amends Section 5 of the Act to prohibit all unconstitutional discrimination with regards to the right to vote, not just discrimination that is also retrogressive. This modification responds to the holding of Reno v. Bossier Parrish II (Bossier II), which established a preclearance standard under which intentionally discriminatory voting changes (i.e. those motivated by racial animus) must be precleared where minority voters are not made worse off. This decision makes little sense, and ultimately allows for discrimination that not only violates the purpose of the VRA, but also is itself unconstitutional. The Fifteenth Amendment and the VRA each have, as one of their principal purposes, the eradication of historic and long-maintained voting discrimination. It is both unnecessary and inefficient for the federal government to turn a blind eye to purposefully discriminatory acts while covered jurisdictions persist in, renew, or develop invidious voting schemes. The modification to Section 5 will prevent this from occurring.
The proposed bill also restores the original "ability to elect" test for measuring minority voting strength. In Georgia v. Ashcroft, the Supreme Court abandoned this straightforward non-retrogression test in favor of a confusing, amorphous, and difficult to administer "influence" standard.33 This new standard permits electoral changes where the DOJ can identify that proposed plans trade "influence district" for "ability to elect" districts Although there may be situations where minority "influence" is measurable and important, in reality discerning such instances seems not only unrealistic, but administratively unworkable. For instance, in the absence of any clear metric for "influence," which was not provided by the Court in Georgia v. Ashcroft, it would be difficult to evaluate the tradeoffs that this case injected into the Section 5 analysis. Additionally, an influence trade-off theory could be used to cloak purposefully
retrogressive or discriminatory acts from meaningful Section 5 review. The "ability to elect" standard proposed by the current bill has withstood the test of time, and proven workable both judicially and administratively as a means of protecting minority communities' ability to elect the candidates of their choice.
Finally, the proposed bill would amend Section 14 of the VRA to allow prevailing parties to recover reasonable litigation expenses in addition to attorney's fees. Given the complex nature of VRA litigation, litigants currently bear significant expense furnishing witnesses, experts and other trial necessities. The proposed amendment will assist the efforts of all parties seeking to enforce the provisions of the VRA, and prevent worthwhile cases from going untried due to lack of funds.
7. Does the record suggest that renewal of the language assistance provisions is necessary?
S 2703 also provides a straight reauthorization of Sections 4(f)(4) and 203 for twenty-five years, based upon a well-documented need for language assistance among language minority citizens whose access to the political process has been barred by discrimination in voting and education.
Congress plainly has the authority to remove barriers to political participation by language minority U.S. citizens. In Katzenbach v. Morgan, the United States Supreme Court upheld the language assistance provisions in Section 4(e) as a valid exercise of congressional enforcement powers under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments.35 The Court reasoned that Congress may have "questioned whether denial of a right deemed so precious and fundamental in our society was a necessary or appropriate means of encouraging persons to learn English, or of furthering the goal of an intelligent exercise of the franchise."36 Katzenbach is consistent with the Supreme Court's 1923 decision in Meyer v. Nebraska, which held that "the protection of the Constitution extends to all, to those who speak other languages as well as those born with English on the tongue." As a result, Congress has broad remedial powers to reauthorize Sections 4(f)(4) and 203.
The record supports the exercise of those powers, as the bill recognizes in reaffirming the findings in Section 203(a).38 The Judiciary Committee and this Subcommittee have received substantial evidence documenting discrimination in voting and education that supports maintaining the protections in Sections 4(f)(4) and 203 of the Voting Rights Act for the four covered language groups. I will briefly summarize some of that evidence, first focusing on voting discrimination, and second turning to the lack of equal educational opportunities in the three states that became subject to the preclearance and minority language assistance provisions in 1975: Alaska, Arizona and Texas.
The need for language assistance in Alaska remains high, but is largely unmet.40 There is substantial non-compliance with Section 203, including lack of oral language assistance, no voter outreach, and the absence of language assistance by telephone.41 Voter turnout in these isolated Native communities trails statewide turnout by nearly seventeen percent.
In Arizona, the Department of Justice has objected to four statewide redistricting plans since 1982 because of their discriminatory impact on language minority citizens, including one in the 1980s, two in the 1990s, and one in 2002.43 Since 1982, more than 1200 federal observers have been deployed to Apache, Navajo, and Yuma Counties, identifying substantial non-compliance in the availability and quality of language assistance to American Indian and Latino voting-age citizens.44 In 1989 and 1994, the Department of Justice brought successful cases against the State of Arizona and Apache, Coconino, and Navajo Counties for denying American Indian voters access to the political process, which continued to be a problem as recently as 2002.45 Indeed, just last week the DOJ brought a Section 203 case in Cochise County, Arizona where a consent decree is currently before the court.
The record also contains evidence about the importance of the language assistance provisions and oversight under Section 5 in Texas, where 22.4 percent of voting age citizens are Latino and 12.3 percent are African-American.46 Since 1982, Texas has the second highest number of Section 5 objections interposed by the DOJ, including at least 107 objections, 10 of which were for statewide voting changes.47 A majority of all Section 5 objections to discriminatory voting changes in Texas have been since 1982, which have affected nearly 30 percent of Texas's 254 counties, where 71.8 percent of the State's non-white voting age population resides.48 Texas also leads the nation in several categories of voting discrimination, including recent Section 5 violations and Section 2 challenges.49 For example, in 2004, Waller County was stopped from disenfranchising African American students at Prairie View A&M who were trying to vote for two African American students running for County office. In 2002, Section 5 prevented the City of Seguin from dismantling a Latino city council district and then from canceling the candidate-filing period to prevent Latino candidates from running in the district and winning a majority of seats. In 2002, DOJ used Section 5 to prevent the City of Freeport from restoring at-large elections that had been eliminated after a successful voting rights lawsuit brought by Latino and African American voters who comprised a majority of the City's population.
The need for language assistance in jurisdictions across the nation is extreme in many places. Among all covered jurisdictions, an average of 13.1 percent of citizens of voting age are limited-English proficient (LEP) in the languages triggering coverage.51 These LEP U.S. voting age citizens also experience high illiteracy rates. According to the 2000 Census, covered language minority citizens have an average illiteracy rate of 18.8 percent, nearly fourteen times the national rate.52
High LEP and illiteracy rates are the product of past and present educational discrimination. Since 1975, at least twenty-four successful educational discrimination cases have been brought on behalf of ELL students in fifteen states, fourteen of which are presently covered in whole or in part by the language assistance provisions.53 Cases brought on behalf of ELL students remain pending in Alaska, Illinois, and Texas.54 Consent decrees or court orders remain in effect for ELL students statewide in Arizona and Florida, and in the cities of Boston, Denver, and Seattle, each of which is covered by the language assistance provisions.55
Educational discrimination is compounded by the absence of sufficient adult ESL programs in most of the covered jurisdictions. A majority of surveyed ESL providers in sixteen states covered by Section 203 reported that they have lengthy waiting lists, many ranging from one to three years.
Unequal educational opportunities afforded to covered language minority groups continue to result "in high illiteracy and low voting participation."57 The barriers posed by educational discrimination, language and the absence of sufficient ESL classes, and high illiteracy result in extremely depressed voter participation. According to the Census Bureau, in the November 2004 Presidential Election, Hispanic voting-age U.S. citizens had a registration
8. Do the expiring provisions serve to enhance political inclusion of race and language minorities, or further balkanize society?
The expiring language assistance and Section 5 preclearance provisions, while taking race and language proficiency into account, are fundamentally aimed at including all citizens in the electoral process and ensuring that their votes will carry weight equal to that of all other citizens. Promoting minority citizens' right to exercise their right to vote is fundamental to including them in the American political system, and these provisions take these factors into account in order to protect voters from discrimination on the basis of race or language minority status. Given that racially polarized voting remains intense in many parts of covered jurisdictions, the VRA, as amended, was designed to both give minority voters a voice in the political process and provide the opportunity for minority candidates to hold office. The VRA's success in providing African American, Latino, Native American and Asian Americans a voice in the democratic process after substantial exclusion results in an inclusive political system, not an exclusive one. Even opponents of the VRA point to increases in minority representation as evidence of progress. Although nobody asserts that the provisions will be necessary in perpetuity, the record indicates that gains have been recent, attributable, in part, to the VRA, and that they are susceptible to being lost.
Nothing about the expiring provisions serves to "balkanize" society or, encourages "racial gerrymandering." Residential racial segregation in the U.S. has a long history, and remains a reality today. Consequently, the preference for single-member districts will lead to many districts with high concentrations of geographically compact minority voters. The Supreme Court has limited the extent to which race can drive line-drawing after Shaw v. Reno, which ensures that there is no real prospect that any alleged distortions will occur in the future. It seems odd to assert that the bill that has done so much to move us away from exclusion would now implausibly be blamed for leading to it.
Furthermore, for language minorities, the expiring provisions certainly enhance political inclusion. English-only voting materials bar non-English speaking citizens from voting by effectively imposing a literacy test as a condition of exercising the franchise. In response, the expiring language access provisions allow non-proficient citizens to exercise their fundamental right to vote. Rather than excluding non-proficient citizens from voting, and thus from the political system, the language access provisions promote the inclusion of all citizens -- many of whom are the victims of voting discrimination and unequal educational opportunities. The right to vote outweighs the state interest in encouraging individuals to learn English, which can be accomplished in other, less burdensome ways.


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King's in the News
Student-led night of worship sees record attendance
Community thrives without chapel service mandate--By Jonathon M. Seidl
When it comes to worship services, The Kings College borrows a philosophy from famed economist Milton Friedman: Students are free to choose.
Instead of the college organizing and requiring chapel gatherings, it relies on students to create voluntary worship events. The success of The Tent, a student-organized and student-led worship gathering on campus, shows this strategy is working.
The Tent (or Tent for short) started about three years ago when six students saw a need for non-institutionalized, student-led worship time. Tent was recognized as an official school club, given funding to buy equipment, and allowed a special room in the lower lobby of the school. It now meets every other Thursday and has a leadership team of four students overseeing everything from the budget to room setup. This year school and Tent leaders are seeing an unprecedented response and the groups influence is spreading beyond the college.
We do not believe in mandated spirituality, said Assistant Dean of Students David Leedy. We believe in student leadership. Students bring much more creative energy to things like The Tent or the Houses than school administration ever could. And we believe spiritual growth happens more in community than it does in events like chapel services.
At this school years first gathering on September 11, over 100 students attendeda record according to Tent president Pennie Gelwicks, a junior from Indiana. I was blown away, Gelwicks said, while also explaning her desire for community. Tent has never been like that during my time here at Kings. An all-student band led worship before another student gave a message on forgiveness. At the end, he challenged attendees to break off into groups and forgive those they have harbored resentment towards. While some attendees were apprehensive at first, eventually most everyone participated.
Senior Ame Luere was one such person. I thought it was weird at first, she admitted. But people were open and it made them aware of others they needed to forgive.
Compared to years past, Luere said, this year Tent feels different: It is uplifting and real. She called the gathering a place where we can love God together, a description imbedded with the seeds of community Gelwicks is hoping to nurture. Its encouraging to see that the student body prioritizes worshiping God and they value fellowshipping with each other, she added.
According to Gelwicks, others agree. Many students have told me that God showed them something specific to their lives, that the music was great, that it was better than ever before. I think they are hungry for more, she said.
Leedy thinks so too: I think this is a reflection of a renewed hunger for God in our community.
That nights events, while strange to some, were familiar to Gelwicks and her team. A week earlier the groups leadership team, musicians, and sound technicians retreated to the Kings cabin in upstate New York and spent time fostering community. They prayed together, sang together, and, just like during Tent, forgave one another. Because Gelwicks believes Tent plays a vital role in fostering Christ-centered community, she felt Tent members had to experience genuine community among themselves before they could challenge others to do so. It paid off.
Challenges still exist, however. Because Kings does not recruit students from a particular denomination, the student body is as diverse denominationally as the city is ethnically. Finding a worship style that pleases everyone is difficult, then. The response thus far shows Tent leaders may have found a way to do just that. Still, Gelwicks recognizes theres an element of faith involved. Theres no way to please everyone, unless, of course, God shows up. . . . He did just that [on September 11], and that was more than satisfying to those who were there.
Gelwicks hopes that the first gatherings events are the beginning of something greater. I see the Tent as a rock thrown into a pond, creating wider and wider ripples, she explained. As our team seeks authentic community and Spirit-led worship, this overflows to the student body at large . . . eventually, the effect ripples out to the city.
Such a dream may not be too far off. People from outside the school have already begun attending. Last year, a security guard from the Empire State Building showed up to investigate the music in the lower lobby. He started attending regularly and eventually joined a local church with a Kings staff member.
Examples such as those have Gelwicks excited: Perhaps the Tent will turn out to be the epicenter of a movement of God in New York Cityits mind-boggling and humbling to think about. I can only thank the Lord for the privilege to be involved.
The King's College, 56 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 212-659-7200

subset: commoncrawl


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If you look down next to your keyboard right now, is your smart phone next to it? I've been to coffee shops and offices where most people would put their phone on the table next to their keyboard/laptop. I'd like to know how many of you do that, too
Posted 07 March 2013 - 22:56
Posted 09 March 2013 - 20:08


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President Obama must free Leonard Peltier by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman January 23, 2009
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ALBANY, N.Y. -- It's been a month since anyone saw 12-year-old Jaliek Rainwalker. The last person who did was his adoptive father Stephen Kerr.
"My wife and I in our hearts feel like he is alive," said Stephen Kerr.
Kerr spent most of Saturday afternoon putting up reward posters in Albany. He says he believes his son could be in the city with three teens he befriended after leaving a respite home the day before he disappeared.
"I don't think it is a coincidence. I think these 16 year old boys have some information about where he is," said Kerr.
For the last month, searchers have combed sections of Washington County and Bennington County in Vermont. So far those searches have turned up nothing. Kerr says he has cooperated with police. When asked if he had anything to do with Jaliek's disappearance, Kerr said he had no comment.
Kerr says his family is not holding up well and some have questioned Kerr's cooperation in the search. To date, he has not taken a lie detector test. Still, he says he has not lost hope his son will be found.
"He is a survivor. He has survived more in his life than anything in his life than anyone is his life would be capable of surviving," said Kerr.
The family is offering a $25,000 reward for any information leading to Jaliek homecoming.


text: Otis Toole Dirt Bag (After Dark)By Jessica G. PO Edit193L Blythe Danner Says Gwyneth Is Not Divorcing Gwyneth's mom Blythe Danner says Gwyn's marriage is a-ok, despite rumors of a split. "They don't take pictures together if they can avoid it. It's a strategy. They don't want the pandemonium." [Fox News] » 12/16/08 5:40pm 12/16/08 5:40pm


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See other Amsterdam properties
Bob's Youth Hostel
Real Reviews
Real reviews from fellow travellers
These are trusted reviews from guests who have actually stayed here. We hope you find them helpful.
Note: we only give a property a rating once it has received a minimum of 3 reviews.
- Page:1/1
- " Bathrooms in room G sidebuilding is too small for 16 people. "
- 24 Feb 2014 Ian
- " No Soap in The Bath Rooms. "
- 06 Jan 2014 Anonymous England
- " facilities not existing, i had to leave hostel at 7 am every day ,was not able to get even a cup of coffee before leaving the place which was rather inconvenient , as reception was opening only at 8 amt, and inability to have a dinner at the place was also irritating, as the all place is permeated with the smell of weed! the bathrooms weren't clean either ( constant smell of urine in the toilets and wetrooms) not good! on the positive side the staff rather friendly and the guest quiet "
- 28 Oct 2013 Anonymous Lithuania
- " Its a smokers hostel but what else do you expect. Its nothing special, cheap and close to everything. Only issue is it may/may not have bed bugs in one of the rooms...?overheard a girl saying she got bit 200 times so no that... "
- 05 Sep 2013 Scott USA
- " This is the most d disgustin place i have ever set my foot in! It was dirty, sticky and just gross! We payd a lot of money and moved to another hotell. "
- 31 Aug 2013 karianne Norway
- " Decent facilities in a good location for exploring Amsterdam. Close to the Kalverstraat and Red Light District, a bit farther away from the likes of Anne Frank Huis and Rijksmuseum, but still in a walkable distance. Dorms have a fine size and are generally well kept. Showers a bit dirty. Great atmosphere in the lobby. Only downside is that we had to stay in another building a street away. Would recommend it if you are planning to save money on accommodation and explore Amsterdam. "
- 17 Jul 2013 Mikkel Denmark
- " Good place to go if you want a laid back atmosphere, chill out and be able to talk to a lot of people. Cheap beers and drinks made it pleasant to spend time in the lobby, which fills up fast in the evening. I liked it there, but some improvements must be made to the hygiene of the rooms if I were to go back. I mean, you only need to hire a cleaning lady to come every day to make sure people are satisfied. Is that too much to ask? All in all a cool place with some minor flaws. "
- 29 Apr 2013 Anonymous Norway


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I think I like the subtle hint of music in this design, but what about adding some more music? You cold as well add some music OR put some more music in it. ...
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Courses (the overview)
The ISTD offers a myriad of courses for members and non-members to support their professional development. These range from genre specific refresher days to residential summer schools to one day courses focussing on the promotion of safe dance practice and the psychological aspects of talent development.
The Education & Training Department also offer training for Tutors working on the accredited teaching qualifications programme as well as masterclasses for students, dancers, in conjunction with faculties, and training for members of the public to introduce them to the world of dance. For further information, please check the Courses & Training pages of the website.
If you have any questions about these courses please contact Education and Training on:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7377 1577 (ext 831/836)
Fax: +44 (0)20 7247 8309
Email: email@example.com
Cecchetti Children's Choreographic Competition
Sunday 9 Mar | Cecil Sharp House, London NW1 7AY
Choreographic Competition, at Cecil Sharp House, London.
Emergency First Aid - Shropshire
Sunday 9 Mar | The Depot, 9 Holyhead Rd, Oakengates, Telford, TF2 6DW
A one day Emergency First Aid course
Modern Theatre Refresher - Merseyside
Sunday 9 Mar | 13/17 Camden Street, Liverpool, L3 8JR
Refresher of Grade 6 Girls (AM) and Dance Movements Section of Revised Advanced 1 Syllabus (PM)
Revised Grade 5 and Review of Grade 4 Tap - Norwich
Sunday 9 Mar | Clover Hill Hall, Humbleyard, Clover Hill, Norwich, Norfolk, NR5 9BN
Please note this course was originally scheduled for Sunday 2nd March
Revised Grade 5 Tap - Yorkshire
Sunday 9 Mar | Ellite Studios, The Dancer, 8 Peterson Road, Wakefield WF1 4EB
A one day Tap course for teachers
Tap Revised Grade 5 - Essex
Sunday 9 Mar | Kreate Dance Centre, Bowlers Croft, Honeywood Road, Basildon, Essex, SS14 3EE
A one day Tap course for teachers
Cecchetti Southern Area Awards 2014
Sunday 16 Mar | The Barn Theatre, Southwick, Sussex
Cecchetti Southern Area Awards, at The Barn Theatre, Southwick, Sussex.
Development of Allegro and Batterie for Grade 5 & 6 Pupils
Sunday 16 Mar | ISTD2 Dance Studios, 346 Old Street, London, EC1V 9NQ
London Teachers Group - Imperial Classical Ballet
ISTD Dancesport Spring Congress 2014
Sunday 16 Mar | Marriott Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 6JP
Don't miss this fantastic day of dance, to be held again in the fabulous setting of the Marriott Grosvenor Square, London W1.
ISTD Dinner Dance - 2014
Sunday 16 Mar | Marriott Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 6JP
Join us for a spectacular evening of dance featuring Neil Jones & Ekaterina Sokolova, WDC World Latin Champions.
Imperial Classical Ballet Grades Revisions and Clarifications and Advanced 2 Revision - Greece
Saturday 22 Mar | CHORO-LOGIE, 76 Pireos Street, 4th Floor, 10435, Athens
Grades Revisions and Clarifications (approx 10 hours) and Advanced 2 Revision (approx 3 hours)
Level 5 Health and Safety in Dance - Day 1
Saturday 22 Mar | ISTD2 Dance Studios, 346 Old Street, London EC1V 9NQ
These Level 5 CPD courses are for teachers wishing to develop and expand their knowledge on Health and Safety in Dance.


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The Silmarillion
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- Brief Synopsis:
- A number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, THE SILMARILLION is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing, a work whose origins stretch back to a time long before THE HOBBIT.
- Long Synopsis:
- A number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, THE SILMARILLION is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing, a work whose origins stretch back to a time long before THE HOBBIT.Tolkien considered THE SILMARILLION his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other writing. The story of the creation of the world and of the the First Age, this is the ancient drama to which the characters in THE LORD OF THE RINGS look back and in whose events some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The three Silmarils were jewels created by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves. Within them was imprisoned the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the Trees themselves were destroyed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. Thereafter, the unsullied Light of Valinor lived on only in the Silmarils, but they were seized by Morgoth and set in his crown, which was guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth. THE SILMARILLION is the history of the rebellion of Feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy.This second edition features a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien describing his intentions for the book, which serves as a brilliant exposition of his conception of the earlier Ages of Middle-earth.
- Book Quality:
- Publisher Quality
- 9780547951980
- Publisher:
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Date of Addition:
- 04/04/12
- Copyright Date:
- 1977
- Copyrighted By:
- J. R. R. Tolkien
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English US
- Categories:
- Literature and Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy
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Tampa Bay Lightning /Tampa_Bay_Lightning_Merchandise/search/
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In just over 20 seasons in the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning have already enjoyed successful playoff runs, including a Stanley Cup Finals victory in 2004. Also already enjoying a great 2013-2014 season, the Tampa Bay Lightning are poised for another playoff run behind strong play from stars Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. Root them on during this strong season with all the apparel and merchandise you'll need to show your Lightning pride!
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- Alumni & Development
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- Donate Online
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» The Andrew Chamblin Fund |
The Andrew Chamblin FundAndrew Chamblin, an old member of Christ Church (1991), died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2006 at the very early age of 36. Friends and relatives of Andrew have joined together to commemorate his memory by forming the Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert Fund with the intention of funding an annual organ concert to be given in Christ Church Cathedral, given Andrew's own accomplishments as an organist and great appreciation of organ music. The inaugural Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert took place in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford on Thursday 10th May 2007 and was given by the internationally renowned organist Thomas Trotter FRCO. Mr Trotter played a number of organ pieces by Mozart, Handel and Bach. Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert 2014The eighth annual Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert will be given by the internationally renowned harpsichordist Terence Charlston FRCO ARAM at 8 pm in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, on Thursday 12th June 2014. Mr Charlston will play an hour-long programme of harpsichord works by Bach, Byrd, Purcell, Blow, Forqueray and Handel. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. There are no tickets required and no reserved seating. DonationsAnyone wishing to contribute to the fund should complete either the UK, US or worldwide gift form available below:
Contributions from UK tax payers are eligible for the Gift Aid scheme which means that a donation of £100 attracts a further £28 from the UK Treasury. Contributions from US tax payers are tax-deductible. The relevant forms can also be obtained by contacting: The Development Office, Christ Church, OXFORD OX1 1DP, U.K. or American Friends of Christ Church Inc., PO Box 130, 3900 NY State Rt 22, Willsboro, NY 12996, U.S.A.
Updated: Friday 1st November 2013 15:28


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Back to the decision
This past spring, in Huntington as a guest lecturer, Payne looked at Pierson and said, similarly to 15 years earlier, "Jeff are you a bureaucrat or are you an illustrator?"
After visiting Payne, Pierson ultimately chose to leave teaching and not return to his previous job with the state.
"I walked home from that last day at the Montessori school and it was a long walk home, and I freaked out a little bit. Here I had left a really great job at the state with great benefits, insurance, all these things you're supposed to have. I thought 'What's going to happen next?'"
Pierson recalls the conversation with his wife, Shannon, a part-time art teacher, also at Charleston Montessori:
"So she said, 'Well, what do you want to be?' and I said, 'I want to be an illustrator!'"
His wife was concerned he couldn't earn a living as an illustrator. He was worried, too. Pierson said he didn't sleep that night. Fifty years ago, illustrators were in demand but as cameras and photography became more affordable the need for illustrations waned.
Pierson decided he was going to make illustrating his job. He had to be self-driven. "Nobody is going to make this happen for me."
He would have to create a market. He began compiling lists of clients, options and goals, which narrowed his focus. He had to decide what his family could do without. Could he and his wife live without health insurance? (Their 3-year-old daughter, Sylvie, is now covered under a state program.)
"I had to take some risks. I had to do some things I really didn't want to do in the interim to provide for my family before I make it. Up to this point, I had been passive. Now I have to be aggressive. Now, every time I leave the house I make it a point to talk to someone."
As his own promoter, agent, accountant, scheduler and boss, Pierson said discipline is the key.
"I can't come downstairs, go get a cup of coffee and sit on the couch for a few hours. I have to be disciplined in my approach."
He makes delineations between home life and his job by "going to work." This includes going to his home office and going through the ritual of changing clothes,
"It's a mindset," he said. "It is a mental thing that allows me to say 'OK, now I am working.'"
Pierson works every day, sometimes 16 hours a day, as an illustrator, and he also cares for daughter Sylvie while his wife works.
"The advantage to working at home is there is no such thing as weekends; the disadvantage is there is no such thing as weekends."
Pierson is slowly cobbling together a solid clientele. He has found work in more traditional sources like freelancing for newspapers and magazines. But he's also found some quirky and interesting commissions illustrating portraits, murals, home illustrations and album covers.
A lot of his work comes by word of mouth. He said living in West Virginia is both a boon and a challenge. Here, he is one of only a few illustrators available, so he has cornered the market, but the market isn't very large, unlike as in New York and elsewhere.
The Internet, though, has enabled Pierson to market himself and his product globally, allowing him to live in West Virginia for the foreseeable future.
"I can communicate with clients outside the state without being in front of them. I can email sketches and allow them to be part of the entire process."
The payoff
"The great thing about it is I am home with my family. How lucky am I? To be with my wife everyday, to be with my child everyday, it is wonderful. I feel so fortunate. Sure, it is financially challenging, but I had to decide what is important in life."
To see more of Pierson's work, you can find him on Facebook, visit him at jeffperisonillustrations.com or call 304-541-9284. You can see his work around Charleston, on the "Peer to Pier" murals decorating the highway pillars of Interstate 64 or on the back of One Stop on Greenbrier Street.
Reach Autumn D.F. Hopkins at autumn.hopk...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.


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WeahLimited Edition
Limited Edition
By Chris Britz
Item #: 12735882A
Limited edition run of 175
This fine art print is produced in a limited edition of 175 prints. From the portfolio titled The World of Footballers by Chris Britz. The portfolio includes nine offset lithographs signed and numbered by the artist, printed on 300 gram paper from an edition of 175. This image is of George Weah. He spent 14 years of his professional football career playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England, winning titles in two of the three countries. In 1995, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year, European Footballer of the Year, and African Footballer of the Year. He is arguably the greatest African footballer who ever lived. Condition A: Mint
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Disgo Tablet 6000 hands on
Pocket-lint has got its grubby paws on the Disgo Tablet 6000 - one of the devices within the first wave of Android based tablets. The Disgo Tablet 6000 is designed with the budget concious in mind - with a price tag of just £180. But does this relatively... read the full article.


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Dave's friends came up to him after work one day and asked him to go out for a few beers with them.
Dave replied, ''No, I can't. My wife gets really pissed if I come home late.''
Dave's friend said, ''When you get home, just go slide beneath the sheets, pull her panties down and give her oral sex. She won't say anything.''
So Dave goes out with his friends and has a great time. When he comes home hours later, he goes into his room and slides beneath the sheets. He pulls down her panties and begins to give her oral sex. She starts to moan and groan. After a while, Dave tells her that he has to go take a leak and for her to wait there.
When Dave gets to the bathroom he's stunned to see his wife sitting on the john. ''How did you get here?'' he asked.
''Shhhh,'' she replied, ''my mom is sleeping.''
Watch highlights.
Unlimited streams and downloads of the best stand-up specials for just $5.
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Nike Air Max Compete TR Cross Training Shoe - Mens
Sorry, this item is sold out!
Looks like you've got more shoe shopping to do - have fun!
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- Textured rubber outsole provides traction
- Vertical and horizontal flex grooves in forefoot allow for a smoother stride
- More colors available
- Imported
- View more Men's Nike Shoes


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gOS review
gOS is one of the popular distros based from enlightenment and gnome. Many people think that gOS is from google software, but the fact is gOS is not from google but from the other company that headquartered in Emeryville, California. gOS is based from ubuntu, and we can predict that gOS will be as good as ubuntu . gOS already released the stable version and it's available in gOS official website.
And this is the gOS Space features(the newest one):
Linux meets MySpace With a stunningly beautiful interface and fun MySpace Apps, gOS Space 2.9 introduces a linux-based operating system designed for the 100,000,000 MySpace users.
Web on a dock Now with the new gOS Space dock, you can email, IM, surf the web, while surfing through popular TV, movies, and music at the same time. The gOS Space dock aggregates the most popular web apps into neat, usable stacks for MySpace, News, Photos, Videos, Music, TV, Tools, and Fun.
Making beautiful open source products for the world gOS is a linux-based operating system designed with mainstream appeal and usability. gOS first debuted with the Everex gPC, a $199 PC sold at Wal-Mart stores and online. gOS has since released two additional versions of its linux operating system. To learn more about the company, please visit About section.
System Requirements:
- 700 MHz x86 processor [500 MHz also OK for gOS Rocket E(enlightenment)]
- 384 MB of system memory (RAM) [128 mb is OK for gOS Rocket E]
- 8 GB of disk space
- Graphics card capable of 1024×768 resolution [800x600 also OK]
- Sound card
- A network or Internet connection
Download gOS:
You can download gOS at here . There's 3 options; gOS Space, gOS Rocket G for the gnome environment, and gOS Rocket E for Enlightenment environment.
It seemed to be gOS merge 2 OS between ubuntu with Mac OS X Leopard. If you see the dock, it's really familiar with Mac Dock. And those dock are one of my favorite dock style. And with compiz fusion, it make gOS 3D composition really perfect.
Here's video of gOS, it's interesting:
Final Conclusion:
My personal opinion is, I will use gOS immediately and this OS will be one of my favorite distros. I hope I still have more hdd space for this distro . I really like the dock, it's really elegant. And I think you should try to use gOS also. I think users will like this distro. And that's all of my reviews. Please give a comments for suggestion or criticism. I really appreciate that. Thx.


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TANAPA We are working with TANAPA to build a new road from the Ngurunga Hills to Kavateta and then across to the Mbula water hole. This will help with increased ranger patrols and it will also give easier access to tourists or TANAPA staff who are going to Maore. [more]
Wild dog We have three new sets of wild dog puppies in the breeding compounds at Kisima. Two packs of 'wild' wild dogs have been seen in Mkomazi, including one pack of fourteen wild dogs that often comes close to Kisima. We reintroduced another pack of ten wild dogs on the Tsavo / Mkomazi border in February 2013 and nine were pinned down through telemetry over the first month of release in Mkomazi before they headed into Tsavo West National Park. Two 'wild' wild male dogs continue to be seen at our camp. They are totally self-sufficient but are based at Kisima Camp. [link]
Rhino Sanctuary New fence posts, cantilevers and wire are being replaced and maintained throughout the whole length of the Mkomazi Rhino Sanctuary fence line. We are almost meeting our targets on this essential fence post replacement and we are on track with continuing this enormous task. [more]
Elephants The dry season is taking hold here in Mkomazi. The landscape grows ever more grey, yellow and unforgiving and the wildlife scatters to the better-watered areas of Tsavo National Park in Kenya. We have not had the same return of the elephants to Mkomazi from Tsavo as in past years. This could either be due to the good rains that the Tsavo National Parks have enjoyed earlier in the year, or more ominously, it could be due to increased elephant poaching there. We will not be able to tell until after the next rainy season at the beginning of next year. [more]


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Control.Padding Property
February 14, 2014
Gets or sets the padding inside a control.
Assembly: System.Windows (in System.Windows.dll)
XMLNS for XAML: Not mapped to an xmlns.
<control Padding="uniform"/> - or - <control Padding="left&right,top&bottom"/> - or - <control Padding="left,top,right,bottom"/>
XAML Values
In the XAML syntaxes shown above, you can also use a space rather than a comma as the delimiter between values.
See Remarks for additional notes about value constraints.
Property Value
Type: System.Windows.ThicknessThe amount of space between the content of a Control and its Margin or Border. The default is a thickness of 0 on all four sides.
Dependency property identifier field: PaddingProperty
Negative values for Thickness values are technically permitted, but should be used with caution when setting the Padding property. Negative values will draw the content outside the bounds of the control surface, but could be used in this way for deliberate effect.
Non-integral values of a Thickness for Padding are technically permitted, but should generally be avoided. Non-integral values will introduce subpixel rendering, which can possibly result in antialiasing artifacts.
This property only affects a control whose template uses the Padding property as a parameter. On other controls, this property has no impact.


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How "we the people" decide what we want, and how we get it.
Registering for Peace
by Tobin Jacobrownposted Aug 06, 2009
- To register as a conscientious objector, Toby Jacobrown had to sue the federal government.
People We Love :: Peter Marshall
by Madeline Ostranderposted Jul 07, 2009
- Fighting fire with climate activism.
People Power Pushed the New Deal
by Sarah Andersonposted Jun 05, 2009
- Roosevelt didn't come up with all those progressive programs on his own.
Jump Starting Racial Justice
by Terry Keleherposted Jun 02, 2009
- Two especially promising solutions to racism are public reconciliation processes, like the one made famous in South Africa, and proactive racial impact planning and analysis now being employed widely in the United Kingdom.
Netanyahu at the White House: Not Yet Change We Can Believe In
by Phyllis Bennisposted May 20, 2009
- The reality of power–that the U.S. is still the financial, military, diplomatic and political superpower patron on which Israel depends–was not reflected in the press conference that followed the meeting.
Instant Runoff Elections are a Vote for Civility
by Rob Richieposted May 07, 2009
- Burlington's success with instant runoff voting (IRV) is a model of a clean, open debate. Is it time to take it to the national level?
In Review :: Justicia Now
by Lisa Gale Garriguesposted May 07, 2009
- Lisa Garrigues reviews this documentary about Ecuador's oil wars.
In Review :: Rules for Online Radicals
by James Trimarcoposted May 07, 2009
- James Trimarco reviews Markos Moulitsas Zúniga's Taking on the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era.
Signs of Life :: Germany Mandates Paper-Trail Voting
by Lilja Ottoposted May 07, 2009
- Germany's Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the voting machines used in the country's 2005 general election are unconstitutional.
Signs of Life :: Landmark Climate Change Bill
by Madeline Ostranderposted May 07, 2009
- Congress has begun debate on what could become the first-ever federal legislation to regulate greenhouse gases. The bill promises to cut emissions 80 percent by 2050.
Signs of Life :: A Push for Public Health Care
by Kim Eckartposted May 07, 2009
- Advocates are urging President Obama to end insurance industry domination over health care. But how should the new system work?
The Singing Revolution :: Film Trailer
posted Apr 30, 2009
- The extraordinary story of the non-violent path Estonia took to free itself from Soviet occupation.
Justicia Now!
posted Apr 30, 2009
- Justicia Now is a documentary about ChevronTexaco's toxic legacy in the Northern Ecuadorian region of the Amazon rainforest—and the largest environmental class action lawsuit in history.
Is President Obama Serious About a New Relationship with the Americas?
by Sarah van Gelderposted Apr 21, 2009
- The Summit of the Americas gave President Obama a chance to hear the hopes and fears of an entire continent. Are we, finally, stepping into a new relationship with our neighbors?
Sarah van Gelder on GRITtv
by Sarah van Gelder, Laura Flandersposted Apr 09, 2009
- YES! Magazine's executive editor and co-founder Sarah van Gelder on why we need news and also solutions.
YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps.,
YES! Magazine.
This work is licensed under a
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Gold Cup Second Round
July 14, 2005
Think you know your soccer trivia? We'll be the judge of that. Pop quiz: who the heck is Jack Marshall? Even the trivia buffs in the U.S. Soccer Communications Department would be hard-pressed to tell you that one Jack Marshall received his one and only cap way back in 1926. Okay, that was pretty much impossible. They get easier.


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I have been designing for the new retina display and it looks great. But I have seen a whole lot of slggishness within the app. I know everyone is talking about the second or two to focus in on images, but my problems go a lot further. Image Sequences take 3-4 seconds to happen even when they are auto play. Also, just swipping pages takes a few seconds sometimes.
Anyone else seen anything like this?


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DISCLAIMER: Pricing valid on website ONLY.
All NEW Glock 41 and 42 will be available for Pre-order on January 13th and Available for delivery on Mon Jan 20th.
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Hiroki Kuroda, Yanks agree
NEW YORK — Hiroki Kuroda was classified by the Yankees as an off-season priority.
On Tuesday, Brian Cashman's fast pursuit paid off as the right-handed starter agreed to return to the Yankees on a one-year, $15 million contract — a move that checks off one major item on the general manager's winter list.
"Pitching is our priority and has been our priority … we'd certainly like to add to that and deepen it and strengthen it," said Cashman, who still is awaiting Andy Pettitte's decision on whether to pitch in pinstripes in 2013 or retire.
Manager Joe Girardi repeated last week he believes Pettitte, 40, wants to return following a season interrupted by a fractured left ankle. For now, Cashman called it "somewhat of a relief" that Kuroda has decided to slot back behind ace CC Sabathia.
Kuroda, who turns 38 in February, became a reliable figure in his first year in the Yankees' rotation, going 16-11 with a 3.32 ERA.
"By coming here I suspect he left money on the table," Cashman said of Kuroda's equally aggressive suitors. Kuroda was linked to interest by the Dodgers, his former club, and the Angels — his two daughters attend elementary school in Southern California.
Kuroda also has expressed a desire to pitch one final pro season at home in Japan, though his connection to the 2012 Yankees clearly influenced his 2013 decision.
"I am very happy and excited to re-sign with the Yankees," Kuroda said in a statement that also mentioned his gratitude for "all the offers" he received from various clubs that courted him. "It was a tough decision for me to make, but at the end of the day I wanted to try to win a championship with the teammates that I went to battle with last season."
One of those teammates, Mariano Rivera, remains in discussions on a new one-year deal, though Cashman said there was nothing to report.
The Yankees have five starters with Kuroda's re-signing and Cashman counts Ivan Nova among them, despite a brutal second half. "I feel really good about Nova," said Cashman, adding that it's an issue of where he slots along with fellow right-handers Phil Hughes and David Phelps.


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Thank you Dasha and everybody for your nice words. It's always a pleasure for me to write these reviews.
To your question, Dasha: OF COURSE we want to read your review!
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