text:
@si_vault: This week's SI cover features Little League sensation Mo'ne Davis
A little bit of joy in the middle of all this madness – what a gorgeous photo (thank you Lamh!)
Chat on.
@si_vault: This week's SI cover features Little League sensation Mo'ne Davis
A little bit of joy in the middle of all this madness – what a gorgeous photo (thank you Lamh!)
Chat on.
On This Day: President Obama meets with senior advisors in the Oval Office, March 2, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
The Week Ahead:
Monday: President Obama will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The Vice President will also attend.
Tuesday: The President will hold an event on the FY2015 budget and the plan to expand opportunity for all in Washington, DC. In the evening, the President will attend a DSCC event in the Washington, DC area.
First Lady Michelle Obama will join Secretary of State John Kerry to honor the recipients of the International Women of Courage Award in the Dean Acheson Auditorium of the U.S. Department of State.
Wednesday: The President will travel to the Hartford, Connecticut area for an event on the minimum wage. Following this, he will travel to Boston, Massachusetts for two DNC events.
First Lady Michelle Obama will participate in a conversation with Robin Roberts at the Leading Women Defined Summit, hosted by BET Networks. The discussion will be around the Affordable Care Act and a personal reflection on health and wellness. The First Lady will also visit a health center to highlight the work that hospitals, doctors and clinics are doing to educate their patients about the Affordable Care Act and how patients can get insurance.
Thursday: The President will hold an event on the economy and healthcare in Washington, DC.
Friday: The President and the First Lady will travel to the Miami area for an event on expanding opportunity for all.
There. All better now. pic.twitter.com/nSwQZ29nPG
— Gus (@Gus_802) March 1, 2014
.@samsteinhp dropping bombs on the recurring "biggest test of his presidency" cliché https://t.co/plPAqq7xVI pic.twitter.com/LUpmrBPZ7A
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) March 1, 2014
Timothy Snyder: Beneath The Hypocrisy, Putin Is Vulnerable. Here's Where His Soft Spots Are
Russian intervention in Ukraine is directed against the EU, which Moscow has now decided is a threat to its interests and indeed a civilizational challenge. How can Europe respond to the immediate problem of military intervention in Ukraine and the more fundamental political challenge to European values and achievements? Much of the Russian elite has sent its children to private schools in the European Union or Switzerland. Beyond that, since no Russian of any serious means trusts the Russian financial system, wealthy Russians park their wealth in European banks. In other words, the Russian social order depends upon the Europe that Russian propaganda mocks. And beneath hypocrisy, as usual, lies vulnerability.
"Russia manufactured this crisis to create a pretext for a land-grab."
- @juliaioffe
Ari Melber (@AriMelber) March 01, 2014
Soft power can hurt. General restrictions on tourist visas, a few thousand travel bans, and a few dozen frozen accounts might make a real difference. If millions of urban Russians understood that invading Ukraine meant no summer vacation, they might have second thoughts. If the Russian elites understood that invading Ukraine meant dealing with their disaffected teenagers on an indefinite basis, they too might reconsider. If wealthy Russians understood that their accounts could be frozen, as has just happened to Ukrainian oligarchs, that might affect their calculations as well.
More here
Ukraine is biggest test of Pres Obama's presidency! Except for economy, BP, Iraq, OBL, NoKorea, ACA, Libya, reducing the debt, every SOTU—
meta (@metaquest) March 02, 2014
Pope Francis urges world leaders to promote dialogue as a way of resolving the crisis in Ukraine: apne.ws/1pOCX8e—
The Associated Press (@AP) March 02, 2014
Andrew Ackerman: Obama To Request 30% Bump In CFTC Funding
President Barack Obama's 2015 budget plan, set for release Tuesday, will request a 30% funding boost for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Obama is expected to request $280 million for the CFTC, these people said, a $65 million increase above the current-year funding levels of $215 million. The requested increase, which would be the largest in the agency's history, would be funded through user fees to entities policed by the agency. An administration official said the funding boost, if enacted, would allow the agency to increase its staff by more than one-third and modernize its technology systems.
"The president is committed to securing sufficient funding to enable the CFTC to effectively oversee the futures and swaps markets," the official said. The agency, which is responsible for implementing dozens of new rules required under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial-overhaul law, has consistently warned it is underfunded. The funding woes prompted the CFTC to furlough employees last year and delay or shelve certain enforcement matters. Under the White House plan, the user fees would ensure taxpayers don't have to bear the agency's funding costs and put the CFTC on equal footing with other financial regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission.
More here
700.000 people six feet under wished the GOP would have cared this much when Cheney was about to make $40 billion by invading Iraq. #Ukraine
— John (@linnyitssn) March 1, 2014
This meme sure hits it right on the head... #uniteblue #p2 #tcot #lnyhbt #teaparty #gop http://t.co/fytbm3mq10—
Leyla (@MiamiLib) March 01, 2014
TPM: Hundreds Of Gunmen Surround Military Base In Crimea
Hundreds of armed men in trucks and armored vehicles surrounded a Ukrainian military base Sunday in Crimea, blocking its soldiers from leaving. The outnumbered Ukrainians placed a tank at the base's gate, leaving the two sides in a tense standoff. In Kiev, Ukraine's new prime minister urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull back his military, warning that "we are on the brink of disaster." Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk spoke a day after Russian forces took over the strategic Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine without firing a shot.
"There was no reason for the Russian Federation to invade Ukraine," Yatsenyuk said after a closed session of his new parliament in Kiev. Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, announced late Saturday that he had ordered Ukraine's armed forces to be at full readiness because of the threat of "potential aggression." He also said he had ordered stepped-up security at nuclear power plants, airports and other strategic infrastructure.
More here
Cost of one year at Harvard: $56k.
Cost of one year at NYC jail: $168k.
Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) March 02, 2014
NBC News: Kerry Denounces Russian 'Act Of Aggression,' Warns Of Trade Freeze
Secretary of State John Kerry denounced the Russian movement of troops into Ukraine Sunday as "an act of aggression" and accused President Vladimir Putin of "possibly trying to annex Crimea." "He's going to lose on the international stage, Russia is going to lose, the Russian people are going to lose, and he's going to lose all of the glow that came out of the Olympics, his $60 billion extravaganza," Kerry said on NBC's Meet the Press. He warned that Russia will suffer a loss of trade and investment if Putin does not reverse course.
Russia has "major investment and trade needs" which are bound to suffer if Russian troops don't leave Ukraine, he said. "There's a unified view by all of the foreign ministers I talked with yesterday – all of the G-8 and more — that they're simply going to isolate Russia; that they're not going to engage with Russia in a normal business-as-usual manner…. The ruble is already going down and feeling the impact of this," he said. He also warned that "there could even be ultimately asset freezes," but did not specify how long it would take for foreign governments and banking authorities to freeze Russian assets held abroad. He also threatened bans on issuing visas to Russians seeking to travel to Europe, the United States and other countries.
More here (Video at the link)
Pres. Obama suspended participation in preparatory G8 meetings. Canada followed his lead. Now France joins
The Russian isolation has begun—
Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) March 02, 2014
Pres. Obama suspended participation in G8 preparatory meetings. Canada followed his lead. Now France and GB.
And so it begins for Russia.—
Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) March 02, 2014
Hayes Brown: 5 Ways The U.S. Can Respond To Russia Invading Ukraine – Without Going To War
1. Suspend Russia's membership in the G-8 Russia joining the Group of 7 in 1998, despite being the weakest of the group's economies at the time, was considered a huge boost to the prestige a country still recovering after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia is also due to host the next meeting of the G-8 in Sochi, the site of the recently concluded Olympics, this June. Rather than the U.S. simply boycotting the meeting, the Obama administration could lead the charge along with the other members to suspend Russia's membership in the group.
Secdef tells Russian Def Minister that Russian military intervention in Ukraine risks further instability in the region.—
Rear Adm. John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) March 01, 2014
3. Enact trade sanctions against Russia As recently as December, Russia was looking to boost trade with the United States — which already stands at about $40 billion annually — though remaining just shy of a free trade deal. Both Russia and the United States are members of the World Trade Organization, which brings with it certain obligations when it comes to tarrifs and trade embargoes. But insofar as those obligations allow, the U.S. can use reduced trade with Russia to show its displeasure.
3 things you should know about #Crimea npr.org/blogs/parallel… #Ukraine #euromaidan—
Justice 4 Ukraine (@justice4ukraine) March 01, 2014
4. Suspension of NATO cooperation and participation After the collapse of the USSR, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization welcomed in several of the formerly Soviet states, including Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Russia has long seen this expansion as a threat, which is part of the reason Ukraine is not a NATO member state. To help assauge those fears, NATO began outreach to Russia in the late 1990s, including setting up a NATO-Russia Council to frequently meet and exchange concerns. In light of Putin's move on Ukraine, the U.S. should move to have those meetings suspended and cooperation between NATO and Russia halted.
More here
Dexter Mullins: The 'Invisible Man' In The Age Of Trayvon And Jordan
With his widely read novel "Invisible Man," Ralph Ellison ignited a conversation and an awareness of racial alienation in America that had the potential to help bridge the gap between the nation's races. But as we celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday on Saturday, it is almost staggering to see how little has changed since Ellison published the book in 1952. Black people — and black men in particular — are still viewed and judged as though we are all one person, with one mind, and that we are all either criminals or about to become criminals. We are still treated as if we are less than everyone else, no matter the degrees we may possess, how impressive our job titles or our contributions to society. Indeed, as we celebrate Ellison today, it is a shame to have to say that the black man as an individual is still "invisible" and that the country has a long way to go.
There isn't a black man or boy in this country who has not been told by someone in his family that while people may say we are equal, the reality is quite different and that — should you find yourself in a situation with any person of authority, or a rogue vigilante who thinks he's above the law — it is better to hold your tongue and submit to the traffic ticket, search or humiliating line of questioning and get home alive than it is to try and make a stand to prove your point and come home in a pine box. At the end of Ellison's novel, the main character learns to embrace his individuality after years of conforming to society's perceptions and expectations of what a black man is supposed to be. Today, it is society that needs to embrace the individuality of minorities and re-examine where our nation's race relations really are.
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Sleepless in Kyiv: Ukraine Parliament itv.com/news/update/20… appears to be ready to authorize 'troop mobilization,' sometime Sunday.—
Bobfr (@Our4thEstate) March 02, 2014
Key facts about Ukraine's Crimea region, its politics and its people: on.wsj.com/NCueHi http://t.co/IESBDili58—
Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 01, 2014
David Remnick: Putin Goes To War
Vladimir Putin, the Russian President and autocrat, had a plan for the winter of 2014: to reassert his country's power a generation after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He thought that he would achieve this by building an Olympic wonderland on the Black Sea for fifty-one billion dollars and putting on a dazzling television show. It turns out that he will finish the season in a more ruthless fashion, by invading a peninsula on the Black Sea and putting on quite a different show—a demonstration war that could splinter a sovereign country and turn very bloody, very quickly.
The Charge Of The Bike Brigade: @TIME on what is by far the most serious development in #Crimea #Ukraine world.time.com/2014/02/28/cri… #euromaidan—
Jeremy Nicholl (@Russian_Photos) March 01, 2014
Sergei Parkhomenko, a journalist and pro-democracy activist who was recently detained by the police in Moscow, described the scenario taking shape as "Afghanistan 2." He recalled, for Slon.ru, an independent Russian news site, how the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, in 1979, under the pretext of helping a "fraternal" ally in Kabul; to Parkhomenko, Putin's decision to couch his military action as the "protection" of Russians living in Crimea is an equally transparent pretext. The same goes for the decorous way in which Putin, on Saturday, "requested" the Russian legislature's authorization for the use of Russian troops in Ukraine until "the socio-political situation is normalized." The legislature, which has all the independence of an organ grinder's monkey, voted its unanimous assent.
More here
California governor signs $687 million drought relief legislation reut.rs/1hQoZNF—
Reuters Politics (@ReutersPolitics) March 02, 2014
#WhenRepublicansAreInChargeWeGetThis http://t.co/6fIt5fcIFS—
Randy Prine (@randyprine) March 01, 2014
Paul Carr: On The Importance Of Keeping Investors Out Of The Newsroom, And Not Treating Your Readers Like Fools
Yesterday afternoon, Pando published a report by Mark Ames showing that eBay founder Pierre Omidyar invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in Ukrainian opposition groups involved in the overthrow of the country's government. Even more interesting, given that Omidyar is now publisher ofThe Intercept, a blog which vows to expose American government wrongdoing, is the revelation that his co-investor in the groups was… the US government. This morning, Omidyar Group staffer Glenn Greenwald spent almost three thousand words meticulously not responding to the piece. Whether Greenwald likes it or not, this is an important story and one we will continue to report. There is, however, one aspect of Greenwald's post that demands a firm rebuttal, and that's his continuing attempt to shrug off Pierre Omidyar's $250 million investment in First Look as if it's business as usual for a media organization.
(Here's your response, Glenn: pando.com/2014/03/01/on-…)—
Paul Carr (@paulcarr) March 01, 2014
To suggest Omidyar is just a passive investor in Greenwald, Scahill, Wheeler et al. is as ridiculous as claiming Jesus was just a passive backer of the disciples ("Nah, you've got it all wrong. He just gave us the bread and wine, it's up to us what we do with it.") Pierre Omidyar is not the dumb money behind First Look, he is the company's founder and publisher. It was Omidyar who called Glenn Greenwald and personally hired him to head The Intercept, just as it was Omidyar himself who takes credit for having hired Matt Taibbi away from Rolling Stone. Even after making those key hires, Omidyar did not recuse himself from the day-to-day editorial operations.
Pierre Omidyar, First Look's sole backer, has a vision. A vision he spends his day sharing with First Look's reporters via their internal messaging. By Scahill's own admission, Omidyar's voice is heard more frequently than any editorial staffer at the company. And yet, by Greenwald's admission, he has spent precisely no time investigating the business deals or conflicts of interest which might shape that vision, or might lead Omidyar to try to influence the reporting by the staff whose paychecks he alone signs. If that's how Omidyar believes the business of media should be transacted, that's his choice. And if Greenwald is convinced that he remains entirely incorruptible, despite the constant muzak of his master's voice playing in the newsroom, that's fine too. But it's not how most media companies do things, and it's not how we do things at Pando. By claiming otherwise, Greenwald is treating his readers as fools.
More here
Attention #Veterans: 41 GOP Senators just voted down benefits for you. Still think they deserve your vote? http://t.co/QZsRCq8dW5—
Dudette (@Dudette9t9) March 02, 2014
Bernard-Henri Levy: Ukraine's Revolutionaries Are Not Fascists thebea.st/1frl3FE #Euromaidan #Євромайдан #революція via @thedailybeast—
Siri Bjoner (@sbjoner) February 27, 2014
Washington Post: Government Expands Help For Buying Health Insurance
With just a month left for Americans to select health plans this year through new insurance marketplaces, the Obama administration is bending some rules to prevent people from being stranded without coverage because of state-run exchanges riddled with computer problems. In states with dysfunctional insurance marketplaces, the government will for the first time help pay for certain health plans that consumers buy on their own. And once people in those states are able to sign up through the exchanges, their insurance can be made retroactive. These rewritten rules, laid out in a three-page memo,
can be used by any state but are aimed primarily at helping people in Maryland and three other states whose exchanges have not been working well. The four states are among 14 that have each created an insurance marketplace under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The rewritten federal rules would allow people to receive federal subsidies for health plans outside exchanges as long as the covered benefits are comparable to those of plans sold through the exchanges. In order to get retroactive subsidies, people will have to start to pay the full price of their health plan, then get the reduction once their state's exchange is working well enough to determine whether their incomes make them eligible for the help.
More here
It's #LastCall2014—and your chance to save is slipping away. Enroll now. http://t.co/1nUtfU7V32
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 1, 2014
If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk....- Martin Luther King Jr. #quote http://t.co/mcLg7nQTWw—
Tim Fargo (@alphabetsuccess) March 02, 2014
President Obama with Donna Brazile and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz at the DNC Winter Meeting in Washington, Friday
On This Day:
Senator Obama holds up a baby as he greets supporters during a town hall meeting in Westerville, Ohio, March 2, 2008
First Lady Michelle Obama with daughters, Malia and Sasha, sled in the snow on the South Lawn of the White House, March 2, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama boards Air Force One, prior to departure from Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga., March 2, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama talks with Mona Sutphen, chief of staff for policy, Josh Earnest, assistant press secretary, and Jeffrey Lerner, of the Office of Political Affairs, aboard Marine One en route to the White House, March 2, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama signs H.R. 4691, Temporary Extension Act of 2010, in his private office in the residence of the White House, March 2, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wait in the Blue Room of the White House before greeting recipients of the 2010 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal, March 2, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama shares a laugh with National Humanities Medal honoree Wendell E. Berry, as President Obama talks with National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman in the Blue Room of the White House, March 2, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama greets Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the Colonnade prior to their meeting in the Oval Office, March 2, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a conference call about the "Let's Move!" Healthier U.S. School Challenge in the Map Room of the White House, March 2, 2011. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack joined Mrs. Obama to speak with education stakeholders about doubling the number of schools participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's program (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
President Obama is briefed by Lt. Gen. Doug Lute, Special Assistant to the President for Afghanistan and Pakistan, during a meeting in the Situation Room of the White House, March 2, 2011. Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon are at right (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama and Vice President Biden talk following a meeting in the Oval Office, March 2, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama embraces members of the Johnson C. Smith ladies' basketball team during a "Let's Move!" physical fitness promotion between games at the CIAA basketball tournament in Charlotte, N.C., March 2, 2012
Terrell Anderson Jr, 3, of Detroit, a relative of Rosa Parks, with President Obama after the unveiling of a statue in her honor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, February 27, 2013
Today (All Times Eastern):
11:0: First Lady Michelle Obama unveils proposal for major changes to food labeling rules
2:0: President Obama meets with foundation and business leaders to discuss his "My Brother's Keeper" initiative; State Dining Room
3:25: Delivers remarks on the My Brother's Keeper initiative
Joe Biden points out how the Affordable Care Act frees women from job lock, Fox says he is "demeaning" them mm4a.org/1frJUJu—
Media Matters (@mmfa) February 26, 2014
Jonathan Easley: Enroll America Adds Muscle To O-Care Push
An ObamaCare enrollment group with close ties to the White House is launching a final, coordinated push to sign people up for health insurance ahead of the March 31 deadline. A spokesman for Enroll America told The Hill the prominent nonprofit had grown its pool of volunteers to nearly 20,000, increased its field reach by 35 percent, hired more than 70 new employees since January, and increased its digital advertising budget from $5 million to $7 million for 2014. The group's "Countdown to Get Covered" will include a bus tour through Texas and Ohio, with stops at events popular with the young, like the SXSW music festival, and more than 3,000 events assisting people with in-person enrollment.
"All of the work that our dedicated staff, volunteers, and partner organizations have done over the past five months has positioned us for success in this critical final stretch," said Anne Filipic, president of Enroll America. "Thanks to the data we've collected, we know what works, and thanks to the huge coalition we have built, we're ready to leave no stone unturned as we work right up to the deadline." Enroll America is also working with the Ad Council on multimedia public service announcements for the Web, television, radio and print. In addition, the group will work with more than 2,200 partner organizations, including Planned Parenthood, MomsRising, Protect Your Care, Organizing for Action and National Congress for Black Women, and with groups participating in events like the National Youth Enrollment Day and Latino Enrollment Summits.
More here
Yahoo: Obama Embraces A Lifelong Cause: Helping Minority Boys Succeed
On Father's Day last June, President Barack Obama welcomed 14 teenagers sporting black-and-white T-shirts that read "BAM" into the Oval Office. The letters stood not for the nickname occasionally slapped on the president by big-city tabloids, but for "Becoming a Man," a program run by a Chicago nonprofit working with at-risk youth in the public schools. The president had met the group of young black men once before, when he dropped by one of BAM's hourlong group discussion sessions at Hyde Park Academy High School last February. He'd pulled up a chair and sat in the boys' circle that day, talking with them so long about their lives his aides worried he would blow up his carefully planned schedule during his visit to the city.
As the teens gathered around the president, one handed him a green and gold Father's Day card, which all the boys had signed. They had gone out and purchased it the day before, unbeknown to their counselor, Marshaun Bacon, who traveled with them to the White House. "I never signed a Father's Day card before," the young man explained as the president opened the card. "I've never signed a Father's Day card, either," Obama replied, according to an aide, improbably closing the distance between the Chicago teens and the American president. It was an intimate, private moment that moved him.
The Obama administration's most ambitious and high profile effort to tackle the systemic problems facing young men of color is rooted in a series of White House conversations led by Obama in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting two years ago. They continued and gathered momentum — including with first lady Michelle Obama — after the random shooting of another teen who lived just a mile from the Obamas' Chicago home. After his re-election, those discussions began to shape a more serious policy debate as Obama quietly began to bond with the Chicago youngsters. But what started as a second-term presidential bid to confront a vexing social crisis may be turning into a lifelong cause.
More here
Peter Schroeder: CFPB Sues For-Profit School System For Predatory Lending
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is launching a lawsuit against one of the nation's largest for-profit college programs. The watchdog announced Wednesday it was suing ITT Educational Services for predatory lending practices, pushing prospective students into costly loans and misleading them about future job prospects. CFPB Director Richard Cordray said the suit should serve as "a warning to the for-profit college industry that we will be vigilant about protecting students against predatory lending practices."
In a U.S. District Court, the regulator sued the Indiana-based company and charged that the company pushed students into predatory loans without properly explaining what they were signing up for. The CFPB said some students did not even realize they had taken out the loans until they received calls from collection agencies. The CFPB also claimed that ITT credits did not transfer to many other schools. That meant that the company would threaten expulsion and the loss of money already spent on a first year to "coerce" students into taking out more loans.
More here
USA Today: Chokwe Lumumba, Activist And Jackson Mayor, Dies At 66
Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, a longtime civil rights activist, died Tuesday afternoon at a hospital after experiencing chest pains. He was 66. His chief of staff choked up as she announced the news. "It is with heavy heart that we inform you that our beloved brother, human rights activist and mayor of the great city passed away this afternoon," Safiya Omari said at a news conference Tuesday evening. "We ask that you pray for his children and family, his friends and for this great city of ours." The national civil rights community took note when Lumumba became mayor last year of Mississippi's capital city — a place that had seen its share of violence during the civil rights movement. Lumumba, a black nationalist, had worked with mainstream and leftist figures in the civil rights world.
The native of Detroit was born Edwin Taliaferro and graduated cum laude from Wayne State University Law School. He renamed himself after Patrice Lumumba, the Congolese independence leader, and the Chokwe, an Angolan tribe. Lumumba's activism began early. On the day after Martin Luther King Jr. died, he took part in a student takeover of a campus building at Western Michigan University, where he was a student. He and others were demanding more black educators and scholarships for black students. He also pushed for more black studies programs at colleges and universities in the Midwest. He worked with Julian Bond and Dick Gregory as a leader with the Republic of New Afrika, a social movement that proposed an independent black country in the southeastern United States. He also was a target of the FBI's counterintelligence operation.
More here
RT @ethanklapper @samsteinhp: a tale of two newspapers: pic.twitter.com/q1iDwaB5D7, h/t @bgavio
— Roger Simon (@politicoroger) February 27, 2014
Steve Benen: Court Rejects Texas' Ban On Marriage Equality
Opponents of marriage equality have been on a losing streak that's nothing short of brutal. A federal court struck down Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage two weeks ago, which came on the heels of similar rulings in Kentucky,Oklahoma, and Utah. But today, the trend reached the largest of the nation's ruby-red states. A federal judge in San Antonio ruled Wednesday that Texas' ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutionally deprives some citizens of due process and equal protection under the law by stigmatizing their relationships and treating them differently from opposite-sex couples.
U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia cited recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings as having trumped Texas' moves to ban gay marriage. "Today's court decision is not made in defiance of the great people of Texas or the Texas Legislature, but in compliance with the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court precedent," the judge wrote. "Without a rational relation to a legitimate governmental purpose, state-imposed inequality can find no refuge in our U.S. Constitution." Does this mean marriage equality has come to Texas? Not quite yet. Garcia concluded that the state ban on marriage equality is unconstitutional, but existing Texas law will remain in place as the appeals process gets underway.
More here
In Florida alone, 26 children and teens were killed in Stand Your Ground cases thkpr.gs/1fI558x http://t.co/B1QQJM7kZf—
ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) February 26, 2014
Joy-Ann Reid: Are The Unarmed Unequal Under Stand Your Ground?
In the wake of the verdict in the case of Michael Dunn, convicted of three counts of second-degree attempted murder and of firing 10 shots at a car containing four teenagers, state Rep. Alan Williams underlined the need to repeal Florida's Stand Your Ground law. One of the teenagers was Jordan Davis, who was killed by Dunn. Williams said recent cases of black teenagers shot to death by strangers in the state "have renewed the argument that this injustice in our laws makes ordinary citizens feel empowered to shoot first and ask questions later; boosting murder rates and justifiable homicides and putting individuals that people too often presumed to be a threat in particular peril."
Indeed, a January 2013 study by Texas A&M researcher Mark Hoekstra found that homicide rates have increased by 7 percent to 9 percent in the 23 states that have Stand Your Ground-type laws versus those without them. For young black men in particular, who are more often consigned to societal unworthiness by implicit racial bias with the damning label of "thug" — based on how they dress or wear their hair, or their choice of music — Stand Your Ground effectively demands a specific kind of submissiveness: If they want to live, submit to the invisible authority of virtually any civilian who might believe, like Michael Dunn, per his jailhouse letters, that "if more people would arm themselves and kill these [expletive] idiots when they're threatening you, eventually they may take the hint and change their behavior."
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Greatest Twitter typo of all time from Texas State Senator @DanPatrick. http://t.co/vtMAiXj1a1—
Henry Kraemer (@HenryKraemer) February 26, 2014
Daniel Strauss: Davis 'Pleased' Texas Judge Ruled Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis (D), the likely Democratic nominee for governor, is pleased with a federal judge's ruling that declared the state's gay marriage ban unconstitutional. "She is pleased with the ruling because she believes that all Texans who love one another and are committed to spending their lives together should be allowed to marry," press secretary Rebecca Acuña said in a statement to TPM on Wednesday afternoon.
More here
The #stimulus included an amazing innovation: transport projects chosen by merit. Incredibly, the program survived. content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOT…—
Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) February 26, 2014
Tony Plohetski: Despite Negative Blood And Breath Tests, Man Arrested For DWI
To Austin attorney Daniel Betts, driving while intoxicated can sometimes be what he calls "an opinion crime." Law enforcement must decide, sometimes within only a matter of minutes, whether a person is intoxicated and should go to jail — or be allowed to simply drive way. On the night Austin police arrested his client, they made the wrong choice, he says – his opinion bolstered by a voluntary breath and blood test showing Larry Davis wasn't intoxicated when he was arrested Jan. 13, 2013. He tested 0.00 on a Breathalyzer – the lowest possible reading — and the blood test, which took months to be tested, came back negative.
"My reaction was just shock that it happened," Betts said of the arrest, after watching a police dash cam video and reviewing the evidence. The arrest meant Davis spent a day in jail, and he was left with a criminal case looming over him for more than a year. Prosecutors last week dismissed the case against Davis. "I was arrested for nothing, really," he said. "It was suspicion of drunk driving, which I wasn't so I was surprised and hurt at the same time." Davis is now working to have his arrest record wiped clean, a process that could take several more months.
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Brett Logiurato: Texas To Appeal Gay Marriage Ruling
Texas will appeal a federal judge's ruling Wednesday that the state's ban on gay marriages is unconstitutional, Attorney General Greg Abbott said. Here's the full statement from Abbott, who is also the Republican frontrunner in the state's gubernatorial race: "This is an issue on which there are good, well-meaning people on both sides. And, as the lower court acknowledged today, it's an issue that will ultimately be resolved by a higher court. Texas will begin that process by appealing today's ruling to the Fifth Circuit.
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WASHINGTON (AP) _ Kerry says US plans $1 billion in loan guarantees for Ukraine.—
Ken Thomas (@AP_Ken_Thomas) February 26, 2014
Lalita Clozel: U.S. Vows To Deny Visas To Those Accused Of Wartime Sexual Violence
Secretary of State John F. Kerry announced on Tuesday a ban against issuing U.S. visas to foreigners implicated in wartime sexual violence. "No one at the highest level of military or governance who has presided over, or engaged in, or knew of, or adopted these kinds of attacks is ever going to receive a visa to travel into the United States of America from this day forward," Kerry said during talks with his British counterpart, William Hague.
Hague applauded the announcement. "The shattering of impunity … is the crucial ingredient so that people know they will not get away with it," he said. Awareness of the use of sexual violence in conflicts grew after the 1990s war in the former Yugoslavia, where more than 20,000 women and girls were reportedly raped, and the Rwandan genocide, during which the figure is believed to have reached into the hundreds of thousands.
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AP: Child Care Centers To Follow First Lady Guidelines
The nation's second-largest for-profit child care provider is adopting Michelle Obama's healthy eating and activity guidelines. The Learning Care Group, based in Novi, Mich., says it will limit TV and computer time for children, eliminate fried foods, serve fruits and-or vegetables at every meal, replace sugary drinks with water or plain, low-fat milk, and provide at least an hour of daily physical activity. It will also allow mothers to provide breast milk for their children and accommodate mothers who want to breast feed.
The Learning Care Group says it provides early education and child care services to more than 100,000 children between the ages of 6 weeks and 13 years at its 900 centers around the country. The centers operate under five brand names: Childtime Learning Centers, Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Centers, The Children's Courtyard, Montessori Unlimited and La Petite Academy. The first lady this week has been marking the fourth anniversary of "Let's Move," the initiative to combat childhood obesity that she launched in February 2010. The healthy eating and activity guidelines for child care centers, which were released in 2011, are part of that program. Some 13,000 child care centers nationwide are now following the rules, said Sam Kass, the executive director of "Let's Move."
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Daniel Arkin: Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Vetoes Anti-Gay Bill
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has vetoed a hot-button measure that would have permitted businesses in the state to deny service to gay and lesbians for religious beliefs. At a news conference at the State Capitol Wednesday evening, Brewer said the bill "could result in unintended and negative consequences." "I sincerely believe that Senate Bill 1062 has the potential to create more problems than it purports to solve," Brewer said.
Gay rights advocates gathered outside the Capitol broke out in loud cheers immediately after Brewer's announcement. The controversial bill had sparked outcry from LGBT activists and drew vocal criticism from civic leaders, business interests and state economic groups. "Discrimination has no place in Arizona, or anywhere else," said Alessandra Soler, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona. "We're grateful that the governor has stopped this disgraceful law from taking effect, and that Arizona will remain open for business to everyone."
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Zachary Roth: Ohio Cuts Early Voting Method Favored By Blacks
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced Tuesday he is cutting early voting on Sundays and weekday evenings, dealing another blow to the voting rights effort in the nation's most pivotal swing state. Husted's change would spell doom for a voting method that's popular among African-Americans in Ohio and elsewhere. Many churches and community groups lead "Souls to the Polls" drives after church on the Sunday before the election. There's little doubt that cuts to early voting target blacks disproportionately. In 2008, black voters were 56% of all weekend voters in Cuyahoga County, Ohio's largest, even though they made up just 28% of the county's population.
"By completely eliminating Sundays from the early voting schedule, Secretary Husted has effectively quashed successful Souls to the Polls programs that brought voters directly form church to early voting sites," said Mike Brickner, a spokesman for the Ohio American Civil Liberties Union, in an email. The news comes days after Republican Gov. John Kasich signed two GOP-backed bills that cut six more days from the early voting period, end same-day registration and make it harder to vote absentee. Together, the restrictions could significantly reduce minority turnout this fall and in 2016.
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Yippee!!! -> Planned Parenthood Launches Biggest Campaign Push Ever talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/plann…—
Donna NoShock (@NoShock) February 27, 2014
Sy Mukherjee: Rand Paul Blocks Surgeon General Nominee For Saying Gun Violence Is A Public Health Threat
On Wednesday — two years to the day after George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) placed a hold on President Barack Obama's nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, over Murthy's view that gun violence represents a significant public health threat. "In his efforts to curtail Second Amendment rights, Dr. Murthy has continually referred to guns as a public health issue on par with heart disease and has diminished the role of mental health in gun violence," wrote Paul in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. But Paul is actually out of step with most physicians.
The idea that gun violence is a danger to public health is utterly uncontroversial among doctors' groups, academic institutions that focus on public health, and children's safety advocates. Although Paul criticizes Murthy's position that physicians and pediatricians should ask patients about the presence of guns in their households, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a resolution in 2011officially opposing any law that bars doctors from having open conversations about gun safety and the risks of having firearms in a household with their patients. In fact, just yesterday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued new guidelines recommending that households with children who are diagnosed with depression should remove guns and ammunition from their homes entirely.
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Here's the easy calculation that tells you the new GOP tax plan is a complete scam: ow.ly/u2IJA—
Michael Hiltzik (@hiltzikm) February 27, 2014
Michael Hiltzik: The Simple Math That Tells You The New GOP Tax Plan Is A Scam
The long-awaited Republican tax reform plan was released today by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich). It's being hailed as a breakthrough in putting real reform on the table, but also being instantly eulogized as dead-on-arrival in a Congress that wants no part of any tax reform, now or ever. Still, it's instructive to examine the Camp plan for a primer on the latest mathematical trickery aimed at making something that preserves, even enhances, tax benefits for the wealthy appear instead to be a tax increase for the wealthy. Nice try, Congressman Dave. Here's the easiest calculation. Camp says he's eliminating the preferential tax rate on capital gains, and taxing them the same as ordinary income. That would be a big philosophical change and a big tax hike on the rich, if it were true. It's not true. Camp's plan exempts 40% of capital gains (and investment dividends) from any taxation at all.
How does this work out in real numbers? The top marginal tax rate on married taxpayers today is 39.6% (couples with more than $457,600 income). The top capital gains rate is 20%. Camp wants to cut the top marginal rate to 35%. If you tax capital gains at 35%, but exempt 40% of them from any tax, your effective rate on all capital gains works out to (… wait for i t…) 21%. In other words, Camp is raising the standard cap gains rate by a single percentage point. But since he's also cutting the top rate on all income by nearly five percentage points, rich taxpayers still come out ahead. Camp would make the job of the IRS harder. He would ease the registration process for C-4s, and allow them to keep almost all their donors secret not only from the public, but from the IRS too. This is really sleazy of him. It gives rich political campaign donors more of a shield from the law than they deserve, and much more than is healthy for the public interest. If there were a single reason to laugh this tax "reform" off the table, this would be it.
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BBC: Ukraine Interim Leaders Warn Of 'Unpopular Steps' Ahead
Ukraine's acting President Olexander Turchynov and PM-designate Arseniy Yatsenyuk have warned of the need for "unpopular" steps to help restore the country's economy and politics. Mr Yatsenyuk told the BBC the central challenge for the newly named government was to "stabilise" Ukraine. Ukrainian MPs are expected to vote later on the new cabinet line up. Meanwhile, the regional parliament and government headquarters in Crimea have been seized by armed men. The two buildings in the regional capital Simferopol were seized overnight by a group of at least 50 pro-Russian men who were preventing government workers from entering, regional Prime Minister Anatoliy Mohilyov told AFP news agency.
Guide to #Ukraine's new cabinet. blog.pism.pl/en/Eastern_Pro… #EuroMaidan #Maidan—
Anders Östlund (@andersostlund) February 27, 2014
The Russian flag was seen flying over both buildings. Interim President Turchynov warned the crowds the new government would "have to pass unpopular decisions". "The government will be criticised, treated like dirt. But they must fulfil their obligations and work to the bone for the sake of Ukraine." He has promised to resign once the country is back on its feet. Acting government officials predict Ukraine needs $35bn (£21bn) in bailout loans to get through the next two years. On Wednesday, the US said it was considering offering Ukraine's struggling economy – which faces default – loan guarantees of up to $1bn. Meanwhile, Mr Yanukovych has been put on the international wanted list.
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Hey @FLOTUS, here's how I like to move! #LetsMove #Running -Jill http://t.co/e9G71gRRhq—
Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) February 27, 2014
Inside the light rail car http://t.co/0EtnPrcCC1—
(@petesouza) February 26, 2014
On This Day:
Before giving a policy speech on Iraq, President Obama places his hand on his heart as the national anthem is played backstage at the Field House in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Feb. 27, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama attends a Washington Wizards vs Chicago Bulls basketball game at the Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., Feb. 27, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama holds conference call from the Situation Room of the White House concerning the earthquake in Chile, Feb. 27, 2010. Pictured are, left to right, Tom Donilon, deputy national security advisor, Rajiv Shah, administrator of USAID, and Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff. Other Cabinet officials joined the meeting by phone (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Dr. Jill Biden, react while watching Sasha Obama and Maisy Biden, the Vice President's granddaughter, play in a basketball game in Chevy Chase, Md., Feb. 27, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama and Vice President Biden greet Susannah Flanagan, daughter of Frank Buckles, at Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Chapel in Arlington, Va., March 15, 2011. Buckles, the last surviving American World War I veteran, passed away on Feb. 27, 2011, at his West Virginia home. He was 110. (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama listen as Gladys Knight performs during the Governors Dinner in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 27, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama meets with former Chief of Protocol Selwa "Lucky" Roosevelt, left, and guests in the Oval Office, Feb. 27, 2012. The President signed a presidential commendation in honor of Roosevelt's government service (Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden talk outside the State Dining Room before addressing the National Governors Association annual meeting at the White House, Feb. 27, 2012 (Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
President Barack Obama talks with senior advisors following a meeting in the Oval Office, Feb. 27, 2013. Standing, from left, are: Rob Nabors, Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Policy; Pete Rouse, Counselor to the President; Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett; Chief of Staff Denis McDonough; Senior Advisor Dan Pfeiffer; Mark Childress, Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning; Miguel Rodriguez, Director of Legislative Affairs; Danielle Gray, Cabinet Secretary; Press Secretary Jay Carney; and Alyssa Mastromonaco, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama greets veterans of the 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) in the Oval Office, Feb. 27, 2013 (Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama at a "Let's Move!" event in Clinton, Miss. with Rachael Ray, February 27, 2013
President Obama at the unveiling of a statue in honor of civil rights activist Rosa Parks at the U.S. Capitol, February 27, 2013
On This Day: President Obama walks along along the Colonnade toward the Oval Office, Feb. 26, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
11:15 EST: President Obama departs the White House
12:50 CT: Arrives Minnesota
1:15: Tours the Metro Transit Light Rail Operations and Maintenance Facility; St. Paul, Minnesota
2:05 CT: Delivers remarks; Union Depot, St. Paul
3:05 CT: Departs Minnesota
6:25 EST: Arrives White House
"Health care reform isn't just about saving lives. It's also about living and living well." —Joshua Crutchfield at the #ActionSummit—
Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 25, 2014
Tami Luhby: I'm Quitting My Job. Thanks Obamacare!
Now that Karen Willmus can get health insurance through Obamacare, she plans to quit teaching 9th grade English at the end of the school year. The 51-year-old found policies on the Colorado state exchange for about $300 a month. That's less than what she's paying now for employer-sponsored coverage and less than half what she paid on the individual market in 2007. Obamacare is allowing them to become entrepreneurs or retire a few years early since they'll be able to find affordable individual coverage for the first time. Instead of eating bonbons on her couch, Willmus plans to start her own business with her teen daughter publishing materials for non-native English speakers and others looking to improve their literacy. She expects to work even more than she does now and hire two or three people. "I can't afford to go out and buy insurance while trying to start a business," said Willmus, of Colorado Springs, Colo. "Obamacare will allow me to be more comfortable at risking what I own."
"Millions of Americans now have the peace of mind that comes with health coverage." —@MelodyCBarnes at the #ActionSummit—
Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 25, 2014
For others, Obamacare frees them to leave a job before they qualify for Medicare. Edward Perri's job as a grocery clerk has caused him constant back and knee pain in recent years, but he continued to work because he needed insurance. Obamacare allowed him to retire in December after 39 years, 4 months and 23 days on the job. His retiring at 57 allowed a more junior employee to move up on the job, said Perri, who is single and lives in Muskegon, Mich. Had Obamacare not existed, he'd either have to try to tough it out until he qualified for Medicare at 65 or pay $500 a month for COBRA coverage. Instead, he's paying $50 a month for a policy. And, as he sees it, the $450 that he would have sent to an insurance company is going to buy groceries, fix his car and take a vacation with his girlfriend. "That is money I spend in the local economy, creating and saving jobs," he said.
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Ta-Nehisi Coates: 'I Am Still Called By The God I Serve To Walk This Out'
I told her that I was stunned by her grace after the verdict. I told her the verdict greatly angered me. I told her that the idea that someone on that jury thought it plausible there was a gun in the car baffled me. I told her it was appalling to consider the upshot of the verdict—had Michael Dunn simply stopped shooting and only fired the shots that killed Jordan Davis, he might be free today. She said, "It baffles our mind too. Don't think that we aren't angry. Don't think that I am not angry. Forgiving Michael Dunn doesn't negate what I'm feeling and my anger. And I am allowed to feel that way. But more than that I have a responsibility to God to walk the path He's laid. In spite of my anger, and my fear that we won't get the verdict that we want, I am still called by the God I serve to walk this out."
I asked McBath how she felt about her country. She paused, then gave an answer that perfectly summed up the spirit of African-American patriotism. "I still love my country. It's the only country we have. This is the best that I've got," she said. "And I still believe that there are people here who believe in justness and fairness. And I still believe there are people here who don't make judgments about people based on the color of the skin. I am a product of that. But I am disheartened that as far as we've come it doesn't matter that we have a black president. It doesn't matter how educated we've become. It doesn't matter because there still is an issue of race in this country. No, we have not really arrived. If something like this can happen, we have not arrived. And I ask myself, 'At what point are we going to get there?' And I have no answer. And I want to be able to answer."
She wanted you to know that Jordan Davis was an individual black person. That he was an upper-middle-class kid. That his ancestry was diverse. That he had blacks in his family. Mexicans in his family. Panamanians in his family. That his great-grandfather was white. That some of his ancestors had passed. Now she addressed him, "You exist," she told him. "You matter. You have value. You have every right to wear your hoodie, to play your music as loud as you want. You have every right to be you. And no one should deter you from being you. You have to be you. And you can never be afraid of being you." She gave my son a hug and then went upstairs to pack.
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Gene Lyons: Why Republicans Will Never Stop Lying About Obamacare
Politically speaking, here's the thing about those melodramatic ads attacking the Affordable Care Act currently running on TV: In terms of actual policy, they're as futile as the 40-odd votes to repeal the law that House Republicans have already cast. GOP hardliners are like a drunk in a bar fight threatening to whip somebody twice his size if only his friends would let go of his arms. It's all over but the shouting. Like it or not, the ACA is here to stay. Indeed, governors and legislatures in previously recalcitrant states including New Hampshire, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Utah and Virginia are considering Medicaid expansion they'd previously shunned.
Despite early signup problems with the federal HealthCare.gov exchange, signups for individual private policies have increased to where it now appears the ACA will come close to meeting its projected goal of 7 million enrollees by the March 31 deadline. In Arkansas, virtually every news program features a pretty, AFP-sponsored actress plaintively begging viewers to remind Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor that health care is about "people," and that "the law just doesn't work." More in sorrow than anger, it seems, because Pryor remains personally popular.
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My prayers are w/ @SybrinaFulton @BTraymartin9 & @jahvaris_martin on the 2nd anniversary of #Trayvon's death 02/26/14 http://t.co/FU36xyX55q—
Benjamin Crump, Esq. (@attorneycrump) February 25, 2014
Natelege Whaley: Rally To Remember Trayvon Martin And Jordan Davis To Be Held In NY
A day of outrage and remembrance for Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis will be held in Times Square in New York City on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Several other locations around the country will be holding marches including Los Angeles, Atlanta and Greensboro, North Carolina.
The rally is being organized by the Stop Mass Incarceration Network. The organization is calling for demonstrators to meet at the red bleachers on 47th street between Broadway and 7th Avenue at 6:30 p.m.
Participants are asked to wear a hoodie and to stand in silence holding up signs with targets stating "No More." The signs can be printed here. The aim of the event is to refuse acceptance of Black and Latino youth as targets of violence in America.
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Another NYT story on the solar revival that forgets to mention how it happened. (Tnx, #stimulus!) nyti.ms/1pqEqBz—
Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) February 26, 2014
NYT: Solar Industry Jump-Starts A Revival In California
Back in 2009, when Danny Kennedy was looking for office space for the fast-growing solar services company he had co-founded, his venture capital investors recommended setting up shop in one of the "Twitterville kinds of areas" south of Market Street in San Francisco. There, social media and peer-to-peer pioneers like Foursquare, Yelp, Airbnb and, indeed, Twitter had created a technology zone where innovative ideas could fly free and cross-pollinate among young workers meeting casually over food and drink.
Instead — after looking at buildings he deemed "foggy and frumpy and cold and wet," not to mention expensive — Mr. Kennedy ended up in an airy loft across the bay here at Jack London Square. In just four years, the company, Sungevity, has grown to 300 employees from 55 in its 11,000-square-foot space overlooking the Oakland Estuary, helping jump-start the area's stalled revitalization. Taking things a step further, Mr. Kennedy, a former environmental advocate, has developed an incubator-accelerator program, the SfunCube, to attract and nurture other solar start-ups.
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Readout of @AmbassadorPower's meeting today with Ugandan LGBT advocate @FrankMugisha. http://t.co/2MGvZfHzFj—
US Mission to the UN (@USUN) February 26, 2014
Met with @FrankMugisha today to discuss #Uganda's signing of anti-homosexuality law & the climate of fear it creates. http://t.co/X39e2R17sL—
Samantha Power (@AmbassadorPower) February 26, 2014
Zero Hedge: Ukraine Calls Russia's Bluff, Slashes Nat Gas Imports By 80%
Twice in recent years, Russia has suspended gas supplies, or notably raised prices, as the somewhatwell-known "trump card" of Russia's oil and gas supply to Ukraine (and Europe for that matter) remains Putin's easiest option for clenching his iron-first against the divided nation. Following a pre-emptive move in November by Ukraine to diversify its energy supply, Russia had reduced the price of gas for the highly indebted Ukraine in December (to entice Ukraine under Russia's wing); but, after recent events, Dmitry Medvedev signaled on Monday that the price could be raised again. However, today we find that Ukraine's state oil and gas company, Naftogaz, has slashed gas imports from Russia's Gazprom by stunning 80% in February as Ukraine tries to show Russia it can't be pushed around… of course, with limited (and more expensive) alternative supplies, we fear this could well shoot them in the foot.
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"We're building Iron Man…not really—maybe—it's classified." —Obama on boosting manufacturing: go.wh.gov/m6y3WQ http://t.co/KA2l9iMOj6—
The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 26, 2014
NY Mag: Is It Mean To Debunk Lies About Obamacare?
Some eight months before the midterm elections, the airwaves are being flooded with the sad tales of Obamacare victims. The tales all fall into the same predictable rut. First, the poor victim steps forward to share his (or, more frequently, her) tale of deprivation. Then reporters discover the putative victim is either a non-victim, or possibly a beneficiary, of Obamacare. Then conservatives get angry. Finding a person made worse off by a huge, complex social-policy reform still in its first months in a gigantic country ought to be simple, yet the Republican Party has continuously failed to achieve even in the modest task which was its charge.
In her reply to President Obama's State of the Union address, Cathy McMorris-Rogers held out the plight of "Bette from Spokane," who is facing an astronomical price increase, which turned out to be highly inaccurate. The victim, Bette Grenier, could have secured a better plan if she had checked on the exchange, but told a reporter following up, "I wouldn't go on that Obama website at all." And yes, if the criteria for Obamacare victimhood includes forcing somebody to participate in a law designed by Barack Obama in order to save money, then any Obama-created health-care law is going to produce a lot of victims.
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John Prendergast and George Clooney
USA Today: Clooney: New Lost Boys Of South Sudan
The only activity in the hospital compound in Bor, South Sudan, these days is the dozens of vultures circling overhead. In mid-January, rebel forces swept into the Bor hospital, killing everyone that could not escape. Underscoring its crime, the group collected and burned the bodies of its victims. All that remains are bloodstained shoes, charred medicine vials, and overturned wheelchairs. Scorched patches of earth show where people were set on fire. When local residents are asked who was responsible, the answer is always the same: child soldiers of a militia called the White Army.
In the 1980s and 1990s, tens of thousands of boys from the southern part of Sudan were driven from their homes and forced to trek hundreds of miles in search of sanctuary. Many were press-ganged into military service. They crossed two international borders, faced surreal life-threatening challenges, and eventually given asylum by the U.S. government, landing them in places like Phoenix, Atlanta, and D.C. They came to be known as the Lost Boys. Today, renewed warfare in South Sudan is creating a new generation of Lost Boys.
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Those who forget the past are doomed to look pretty stupid later. http://t.co/xTIOfrMaCr—
George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) February 25, 2014
Jonathan Cohn: CBO On House Obamacare Bill: More Uninsured, Higher Deficits
The Congressional Budget Office just taught the Republican Party a lesson. Governing is hard. The CBO on Tuesday issued a formal cost estimate of House Resolution 2575, a bill from Republican Todd Young of Indiana. The bill's formal title is the "Save American Workers Act." Its goal is to change Obamacare's employer mandate—the requirement that medium-sized and large businesses pay a penalty if they do not offer affordable health insurance to all full-time employees. The definition of "full-time" is anybody who works at least 30 hours a week. And, for some time, the media has been full of stories of employers—particularly low-wage employers, governments, and universities—reducing or limiting worker hours, in order to avoid the costs of coverage.
CBO takes a different view. Virtually every respectable economist who has looked at the numbers has determined that there's been no large-scale shift in hours. It's not that the anecdotes are fake. As Jed Graham of Investor's Business Daily has shown, some businesses are clearly limiting the hours of employees. It's that, ultimately, they don't add up to that much. The CBO reached the same conclusion—suggesting, in effect, that Young's bill is solving a problem that may not need solving. But that doesn't mean Young's bill would have no effect. On the contrary, CBO found, about one million fewer people would end up with employer health insurance. And while some of them would find other forms of coverage, like Medicaid and insurance from the new exchanges, overall the net bill's net effect would be to increase the number of people without any insurance by about half a million. And it turns out that moving the full-time threshold from 30 to 40 hours has a substantial effect on revenue, according to CBO: Over the next ten year period, from 2015 to 2024, the federal government would take in $73 billion less. That's real money.
More here
Me: (phoning @NancyPelosi) "Hi there" Mom: "I have to call you back - I'm at a @jtimberlake concert!" #MicDrop—
(@sfpelosi) February 25, 2014
"I may be a white boy, but I can jump," Joe Biden talks up basketball skills at Black History Month reception. nydn.us/Mthkdz—
New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 26, 2014
On This Day:
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks as Sen. Barack Obama looks on in a debate at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center February 26, 2008
President Obama arrives to discuss his proposed 2010 budget in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House in Washington on February 26, 2009
President Obama signs a wall during a tour of the International Brotherhood of Electricians (IBEW) Local 26 headquarters in Lanham, Md., Feb. 16, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama signs an executive order in the East Room of the White House February 26, 2010 in Washington, DC. Obama delivered remarks and signed an executive order for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the event.
President Obama greets Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Attorney General Eric Holder after speaking about the details of a $26 billion housing settlement between federal and state officials and mortgage lenders, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC on February 6, 2012
First Lady Michelle Obama listens to President Obama speak in the State Dining Room of the White House, February 26, 2012, during the Governors Dinner.
President Obama waves to employees during a visit to Newport News Shipbuilding February 26, 2013 in Newport News, Virginia. Obama spoke on the impact from the sequester would be for the defense industry and its workers


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Find records of Heinrich Niedan
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Heinrich Karl Niedan (1874 - 1949) was born on ca. November 17, 1874. He was born into the Niedan family.
He was baptized on ca. November 24, 1974. There are no known spouses or children on record for Heinrich. He died in ca. September 1949 at 74 years old.
He was buried on ca. September 1949.
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Steak out: Inquiring readers want to know about that construction activity north of restaurant Jimmy Changas, 2504 Interstate 45 in League City.
Crews have begun work on what soon will be Quaker Steak & Lube.
In the photo above, Myasia Johnson, center, has a Thanksgiving lunch with turkey, dressing and all the trimmings Tuesday with her sister, Paris Duke, left, and grandmother Juanita Parker in her hospital room at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
TEXAS CITY — The pit bulls that killed a 10-year-old beagle in its own backyard were "extremely aggressive" and uncontrollable even by their owner, according to a police report obtained by The Daily News.
The Ball High Tors fell flat after a strong start in their season opener, and Class 4A No. 9-ranked Houston Sterling ran away with the game 85-65 on Tuesday.
Still stinging from their playoff football loss, the Friendswood Mustangs were handed a loss on the basketball court against rival Dawson — whose large crowd of fans let Friendswood hear about it on both wins.
We've all heard of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, but do you know about "Black Wednesday?" Also known as Blackout Wednesday, it is the day before Thanksgiving, and one of the biggest partying nights of the year, especially for underage drinkers.
Historically, art has had the power to foster collaboration between societies through the power of simplicity and has a direct impact of the well-being of children.
In a flap over Thanksgiving?
November is the month that most of our wintering birds arrive, many from Arctic regions, to spend a few balmy months at the south end of the continent.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock indexes are holding near record levels as traders digest some mixed news on the U.S. economy.
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO's top commander says Russia still has enough troops stationed on Ukraine's border to mount a major incursion, and that it is using its military might to affect political developments inside Ukraine.
Posted: Tuesday, January 14, 2014 12:00 am
Work underway at Quaker Steak & Lube By LAURA ELDER galvestondailynews.com
Steak out: Inquiring readers want to know about that construction activity north of restaurant Jimmy Changas, 2504 Interstate 45 in League City.
Crews have begun work on what soon will be Quaker Steak & Lube.
Biz Buzz
Laura Elder is a reporter for The Daily News. Biz Buzz appears Tuesdays and Thursdays. Email your tips and suggestions to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Posted in Buzz on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 12:00 am.
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Tobruk Australian Outback Experience including Aussie BBQ Lunch
Read what other Viator.com travelers think about the Tobruk Australian Outback Experience including Aussie BBQ Lunch. What they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved, it's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
Click here for tour details, schedule and pricing
This was a great experience. Our guide at Tobruk was knowledgeable, personal, and had a great sense of humor. He made the experience fun. I loved trying to crack a whip and throwing a boomerang. The barbeque lunch was also nice. It's a shame they don't offer more souvenirs, but there was stuff to buy. An all around fun time. I would highly recommend it.
Driver was every good very good experience all a way around enjoyed very much.
This was a fun half day and lunch was yummy! In the morning we had some damper bread which is Australia's traditional bread with honey and some Billy Tea. Both are made over the camp fire. The bread was delicious and I bought some Billy Tea at the gift shop to take home with me. The sheep shearing demonstration was interesting and the guide made it look so easy. We were taught how to throw a boom-a-rang and had fun doing it. They also threw in a tractor ride. The hotel pick up and drop off helps to make the day an easy day. This tour is worth the price and I highly recommend it.
My daughter and I really enjoyed this tour. The staff were very knowledgable and friendly. The smallness of the group made it a more enjoyable day. The food was tasty. We enjoyed the Billy tea and Damper bread.
very friendly people - particularly Neil the lead rancher. Great demo of shearing a sheep, fun throwing the boomerang and enjoyed the fire pit stories with home made bread and tea. Great for families
Had a wonderful time. They kept us busy experiencing different aspects of Aussie life. Even if few Australians currently live/experience these things on a day to day basis, it was a birds eye view of Australia current and past
My husband and I had a great time on this trip. We especially enjoyed Nick, the man who guided the tour group around the ranch. He was informative, but with a sense of humor. Very nice person. It was fun to learn to throw a boomerang and try to crack a whip. Great day!
You have to participate fully to get the maximum enjoyment out of this tour. We ate damper and drank billy tea for breakfast, I cracked the whip (and actually got sound and smoke!) and threw the boomerang, and we ate a delicious lunch. Our bus driver was as entertaining as our Jilleroo, the dogs were excellent rounding up ducks and then sheep, the sheep shearing demonstration was fun and informative. The "Chinese Oprah" and her TV crew were there to film her experience, which paralleled ours. We stopped at a bakery on the way back to Sydney and bought some scrumptious pastries. If you can't really get to the outback, this was probably the next best thing!
Great experience, thanks to Paul the driver and the lovely people at the ranch. If you want to taste the life of a stockman in the outback go for it. Different kind of tour but very interesting nonetheless. Highly recommended if you want to see something out of the ordinary.
So much fun! I am so glad we did this tour! The description doesn't do justice to the experience. Learning how to crack a whip and throw the boomerang were the highlights for my husband while the stockman's breakfast was mine. Well worth the time and money!
Was my Best excursion while in Sydney. Hats of to Paul the driver and Jess, the rancher.
The hosts/owners of the sheep ranch were very informative, hospitable and friendly. It was enjoyable watching the dogs herd the sheep, and to watch a sheep shearing. We also enjoyed trying out a boomerang. The Aussie morning tea and BBQ lunch were fine.
Wonderful experience. loved seeing the dogs corral the sheep and run along the sheeps backs!
Absolutely wonderful! From the hotel pick up to getting dropped off again, we loved every minute of it! The people at Tobruk were super nice and tons of fun. Lots of personnel attention and audience participation and the meal was delicious. Couldn't believe how smart the sheep herding dogs were. I would recommend this excursion to everyone, young and old!!!
This was a small slice of life on a sheep farm and a nice change from life in a city. An enthusiastic host gave us a warm welcome and show us how to crack a whip and throw a boomerang. Excellent food added to this country half day.


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Castaway's favourite
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben (from Zäide)
Soloist: Edith Mathis Orchestra: Berlin State Orchestra Conductor: Bernhard Klee
Presented byKirsty Young
Booker prize winning novelist
The castaway in this week's Desert Island Discs is one of Britain's leading writers, Penelope Lively. Author of eight novels, two of which were shortlisted for the Booker Prize and one which won her the prize in 1987, Moon Tiger, she'll be talking to Sue Lawley about her early childhood in Egypt, her philistine English boarding school and the sources of inspiration for her characters and books.
[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]
Castaway's favourite
Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben (from Zäide)
Soloist: Edith Mathis Orchestra: Berlin State Orchestra Conductor: Bernhard Klee
Christmas Story
Soloist: Adele Stolte Orchestra: Schwabischer Orchestra
Howlin' At The Moon
Beim Schlafengehen (from Four Last Songs)
Soloist: Christel Goltz Orchestra: Pro Musica Orchestra of Vienna Conductor: Heinrich Hollreiser
Oboe Concerto in C major
Soloist: Heinz Hollinger Orchestra: Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam Conductor: David Zinman
Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (The Shepherd on the Rock), D965
Soloist: Margaret Price, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Hans Schoneberger
Nocturne in B flat minor, Op. 9/1
Soloist: Artur Rubinstein
Come Ye Sons Of Art
Artist: Monteverdi Orchestra
Luxury item
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BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
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text:
Key things you need to know aboutDr. Cohen:
Dr. Cohen's Experience
Research training, expertise and qualifications
Dr. Cohen's Care Philosophy
Dr. Cohen's Specialties
- Retinal Diseases
- View 1 specialty and 1 board certification
Procedures Dr. Cohen Performs
- Avastin® Injection
- Diabetes Eye Care
- See all 18 procedures
Conditions Dr. Cohen Treats
- Age-Related Macular Degeneration
- Diabetic Eye Disease
- See all 13 conditions
More About Dr. Cohen's Background
Hospital Quality
The right hospital is as important as the right doctor
- Largo Medical Center
- 201 14th Street South West
- Largo, FL 33770
- Saint Anthony's Hospital
- 1200 7th Avenue North
- Saint Petersburg, FL 33705
9 Facts About Hospital Quality
Patients' risk of dying during a hospital stay for heart bypass surgery could be 85.2% lower, on average, at a hospital rated 5 stars compared to a hospital rated 1 star for that procedure. Choosing the right hospital is critical to your health. View Slideshow
Patient Satisfaction
Patients' feedback on their experience with Dr. Cohen
Likelihood of recommending Dr. Cohen to family and friends is 5 out of 5 5 1 20
See More Survey Results
8 Facts About Patient Satisfaction Surveys
Patient satisfaction surveys provide a standardized way of reporting about healthcare experiences. But there can be more than meets the eye when reviewing scores. Here's what you should know
Appointments & Offices
Check insurance plans, locations and make an appointment
Accepting new patients?
- Yes
- Retina-Vitreous Associates of Florida - Clearwater and Saint Petersburg, Florida
- Retina Vitreous Associates of FL
- 579 S Duncan Ave
- Clearwater, FL 33756
- Retina Vitreous Associates of FL
- 4344 Central Ave
- St Petersburg, FL 33711
7 Tips to Prepare for Your Appointment
The key to a successful appointment is communication. To get the most out of your visit, prepare ahead of time so you can lead the conversation with your doctor. These 7 tips will get you ready
What to Know Before You Go
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Added Nov 25, 2008
by heidimw
P.O.S., Trinidad...
Cowl Top, low V-neck back!
Light green to dark, glitter-dotted slightly stretch material.
Folded to make long rectangular shape, top part where edges are open, i cut half a tear-drop shape to quarter length… sewed up the open seams… and voila!
2 yards of material
Gabrielle Walcott, my sis showed me this took 10 minutes if so much to make :-)
Nov 26, 2008, 12.18 PMby justmica
Nov 25, 2008, 02.31 AMby emsalot
fantastic! i love this style you should make a how to…
Nov 25, 2008, 12.33 AMby erdronen
really pretty! very creative :)
Add to Favorites 5 people added it
Sewing & Techniques
See how Meg made this edgy dress using the Janome Artistic Edge Digital Cutter!
Editors' Pick
No need to go outside… spend the morning in dolled up in this collection of vintage style pajamas.
BurdaStyle Magazine US
Get an inside look at the patterns from the first 4 issues of BurdaStyle US
As an early special Black Friday promotion you can now enroll in the course ($80 value) for $49.99!
Register for Meg's new course, space is limited!
Sewing & Techniques
Learn how to use your bodice sloper to draft this popular collar style
Get the Piped Trench Coat pattern
You must allow our "request for permission" request to login to Burdastyle with Facebook.


text:
We love eight-year-olds! They're just the right age for all kinds of fun. They still love the pretend play they've been enjoying for years, yet they're also ready to move ahead into more advanced toys and learning. All of these toys and activities will appeal to their natural sense of fun and wonder.
Personalize your very own country house! You choose the colours and where they go on this cute house that has all the details printed on, but there is no need to stay inside the lines! Use your own crayons, markers and paint to create your own colourful abode. Best of all, it's not just a work of art to look at, you can play inside the house too!
In your playroom or the backyard on a dry, sunny day this sturdy cardboard house is an awesome place to colour and play.
Details like paw prints, the cat printed on the roof and cut outs like a mischevious mouse with a piece of cheese, add another dimension to this house that brings a smile to your face.
A great gift for young ones who love to colour on everything! A fun group activity that is easy and rewarding!
Simple assembly is required.
Measures approximately 46.4" x 38" x 54"
By Jessica Prescott
Learn how to play chess, the world's most popular board game! It's easy to learn, and anyone can play it. Jessica Prescott teaches you how you can get good at it and start winning. Improve your skills through 35 fun activities. This isn't just a textbook about the rules of the game! Why not have a game of Pawn Football (pawns line up at their starting rank and race to the other side), or do the Queen Dance (make a checkmate using only a queen and king)? Try Scholar's Mate: the four-move checkmate every beginner needs to know, and when you're really good, play Bughouse, a crazy four-person game with two chess sets. All the activities have clear, colorful illustrations so you can see exactly where pieces should be on the chessboard. There are also helpful hints and tips throughout, and if you've ever forgotten how a piece moves or need to brush up on a rule, look at the Starting Out section for a reminder.
Softcover book containing 128 pages.
Learn how the history of the Earth is written in rocks! This kit is complete with a 56 page illustrated book which provides easy to understand step-by-step instructions and comes with materials for various activities. With more than 20 exciting experiments young scientists will learn how to identify rocks, create a lava fountain, smash rocks, learn about lava and a whole lot more!
A perfect gift for curious, aspiring geologists and a fun and educational activity for parties, playdates, rainy days or any time!
The ScienceWiz Rock Science Kit was authored by Dr. Penny Norman (Ph.D. in Biophysics from U.C. Berkeley) and Ann Einstein (M.A.T., elementary educator) who use appealing kitchen table experiments refined through years of testing in after school programs and camps to relate rocks to the history of our planet.
Quality time, quality play, quality learning! That's ScienceWiz!
Requires some household items (not included).
Add power to your paper airplanes with PowerUp 2.0 !
Introducing the NEXT generation - PowerUp ® 2.0 - Electric Paper Airplane Conversion Kit. Powerful, durable (featuring fiber carbon) and fun to fly! This is the second generation of the award winning PowerUp System. Take your basic home-made origami paper airplane designs to the next level with the NEW - PowerUp ® 2.0. Just attach to the nose of any paper plane and see this fly hundreds of feet above a soccer or football field. Quick charge for 20 seconds with the included power pack and see it fly across the sky. Learn the art of flight with no worry of damaging the plane - just fold another one! PowerUp kits are perfect for science classes, afterschool programs, or a sunny day in the park with friends - a challenging, creative, and educational activity for kids and adults alike. Prepare for liftoff!
Requires 3 AA batteries, Phillips head screwdriver, and paper. (sold separately)
Includes PowerUp 2.0 power module, quick charging pack, extra propeller, template, and 4 airplane designs.
This unique Christmas Countdown features activities the whole family can enjoy together. Personalize your kit to suit your family, then deliver a fun activity daily for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, or even for each and every day of December! Simply select activities from the kit that suit your family's schedule each day, and use the dated envelopes to organize yourself for the month ahead. This kit can be enjoyed year after year and is sure to become a much loved family tradition.
Includes : 35 inspiring activity cards to choose from, 5 blank activity cards for you to personalize with your own family's traditions, and 25 dated envelopes for December 1st – 25th
Make memories year after year with this lovely collection of simple daily activities!
Let the spirit of Christmas inspire your artistic talents with this brand new An Elf's Story 50 page colouring book! With scenes from your favourite holiday special, you can colour all your favourite characters like Chippey, Snowflake, Wordsworth, Zart, Santa Claus, and the entire McTuttle clan. Also includes stickers.
Softcover containing 50 pages.
This amazing bag comes with 100 multi-coloured plastic balls. Use in your backyard, basement, wherever! The multi-coloured balls are perfect for a ball pit, to play catch, and more!
Includes: 100 multi-coloured plastic balls.
Each ball measures approximately 3" in diameter.
The fast, furious game of observation! So you think you're a detective? Two seemingly identical images...but not so fast! Test your skills and see how many of the 5, 10, or 15 differences you can find in just one minute. The quickest eyes score the most points to win!
Includes 3 different levels of difficulty.
For 1 to 4 players.
BrainBox The World is the ten-second memory recall game that challenges children to study a card for ten-seconds then flip it over and answer the questions on the back of the card that correspond with the images and words on the front of the card. A great way to learn new facts, reinforce memory and have fun!
Includes 70 cards, 2 rules cards, 1 sand timer, 1 die and instructions.
For 1 or more players.
Everything you need to make 4 wind-up dinosaurs! Assemble the pre-printed patterns to create dinosaurs that you easily attach to the included wind-up components. The fun doesn't end there! Wind them up, then race your Jurassic creations across the tabletop to the finish line!
Includes materials to create 4 wind-up dinosaurs, paper tree "Start" and "Finish" race markers and detailed instructions.
Largest dinosaur measures approximately 5.75" long when assembled.
Everything a young stylist needs to put together fabulous sticker looks! Choose every stylish detail with hundreds of colourful stickers. Select just the right model, garments, accessories, fabric swatches and make up colours then stick them onto the 20 pre-formatted stylist sheets.
This fashionable sticker kit stays organized and makes it easy to style on the go since it comes in it's own spiral bound book.
The Braidzilla tool makes it a breeze to braid your very own nautical-inspired bracelets! Everything you need is included to create12 bright and colourful braided bracelets you can wear or give to your best friends!
A great gift for any fashionista and a fun activity for at home or on the go!
There is so much fun to have with the SuperSet Activity Playground from Playmobil. All 3 children are having a blast on the flying fox zip line, climbing wall and spinning carousel! All this activity has made these kids thirsty! Luckily, Mom has brought something along to drink.
Includes: 1 adult figure, 3 child figures, rock climbing wall, carousel, functioning zip line and accessories.
Show off your fancy fashion flair with this cute Fancy Nancy Stick n' Style Clutch! Use the provided "jewels" to decorate your clutch anyway you like! Also included are a pair of pretty bows, a fancy charm and a sticker sheet! Your friends will call you a fashionista once they see this adorable accessory.
Learn French with Spot it! Basic French. This educational game features universal images and French words. There is always one, and only one, matching symbol between any two cards. Spot it to win! Players search for matches between a word and its corresponding picture, between two pictures, or between two words. While the repetition encourages word recognition, the pictures support reading comprehension. Spot it! Basic French aids learning for French speaking emergent readers and second language learners of all ages.
Spot It! helps develop visual perception skills and quick reflexes. With lively action and endless fun, your family will only have eyes for Spot It!
Contains 55 round picture cards and illustrated instructions in a small, portable storage tin.
For 2 - 8 players.
Learn about renewable resources while you build a wind-powered generator to energize your electric vehicle and charge your rechargeable batteries!
The wind spins the turbine, which turns an electric generator, which in turn charges your rechargeable AA batteries (not included). You can then use those wind-charged batteries to power the model vehicles you build. The six models include a glider, sail car, jet car, tractor, race car, or tricycle.
This kit includes two styles of wind turbine blades and a gearbox with three different gear ratios for experiments. You can adjust the angle and number of wind turbine blades to make best use of the wind, to make the LED light up brightly, and to charge the rechargeable battery as fast as possible.
A great gift for young scientists who are ready for a hands-on way of learning about wind energy!
Explore this amazing, free source of renewable energy and store the electricity you generate for use in practical applications!
Requires 1 rechargable AA battery (not included.)
Four colourful characters make these pool rings worth the search! Drop them in the pool and gather them up, or check out our exciting game ideas for a fresh take on a classic swimming activity!
"Maritime Mates" water toys and pool games feature cheerful characters to encourage beginning swimmers and lots of exciting games to keep big kids splashing, swimming and having a blast. Summer is even more fun with Sunny Patch pool toys!
Largest ring: 6" x 5.5" x .5"
Have fun communicating secret messages with your friends like the real spies do! Send Morse code messages with a cool mini Morse code torch. Write on X ray secret message sheet which could only be read with Decoder Lens.
Contains 1 paper set for making inner pages of the journal, 1 card set for making the journal covers and other accessories, 2 red filter lenses, 1 plastic binder, 1 plastic bag, 1 Morse code torch, 1 invisible message writer (white), 1 invisible message developer (black), 2 message capsules, 4 message capsule covers, double-sided adhesive tape, detailed instructions with fun facts.
Learn the art of paper making and teach the importance of recycling through this fun, hands-on activity! This all-inclusive set includes: shredded paper, plastic basin, paper making tray, screens, sponge, mixing bag, drying boards, coloured tissue paper, glitter, ribbon, markers and all the crafting essentials needed to turn handmade paper into finished craft projects, -including greeting cards and gift tags, paper punch, scissors, stencil and high quality paper making tools can be used again and again!
Create your own replica of a famous piece of architecture with this 3D Parliament Building Puzzle! The pre-cut foam and cardboard pieces are easy to assemble, and require no tools or glue. Simply fit the slotted pieces together to create an amazing, realistic 3D puzzle! The back of the package features details and facts about the Canadian Parliament Buildings, making this model both an educational tool and a fun family activity! This puzzle allows you to create the West Wing, East Wing, and Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament Buildings. Best of all, when you've finished piecing the Parliament Buildings together, you can use it to decorate your bedroom, playroom, library and more!
This 162-piece puzzle has a difficulty level that is roughly equivalent to that of a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle.
Measures approximately 16" long x 13.4" wide x 9.4" tall.
It's that time of year, our 2014
Gift Guide is here! It's full of wonderful gifts and awesome deals to
jump-start the season of surprises and holiday delights. We know the way kids
play, and we've put together a collection of everything they're wishing for …
read more...
We're now hiring staff for our brand new locations in Sherwood
Park and Country Hills
and our existing stores in Shawnessy
and Westhills!
resumes to firstname.lastname@example.com
We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new store in Coquitlam, British Columbia!
Details Here


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What to Do
The Green Room Café Live music from 6-8 p.m. For hours, live music schedules, menus, and much more, please visit www.TheGreenRoomCafe.biz. Saturday, November 1: The Woody & Johnson Duo. Pop & Blues. Friday, November 7: Americana by Carrie Morrison. Vocals and keyboard. Saturday, November 8: Lake & Moore, acoustic guitar duo. Folk and Americana. Saturday, …Continue Reading »
Thursday, October 2 Taj Weekes and Adowa Doors open at 8 p.m., show starts at 9 p.m. $12 advance/$15 day of. All ages show, standing room only. The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville. Attendees are encouraged to get up and groove! Call (828) 232-5800 or visit www.thegreyeagle.com. October 2-5 and 9-12 #OUCH! (An Accidental …Continue Reading »
Friday, August 29 Stories and Music of Faith, Hope, Charity A program of inspiration, 7-9 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 768 Asbury Rd., Candler, NC. Info: (828) 670-0051 or email@example.com. Benefits church ministry and programs. August 29 – September 1 The Core of Our Labor Day Weekend The 68th NC Apple Festival …Continue Reading »
Now through August 3 Hello Dolly! HART presents a musical production full of elaborate sets, costumes and orchestra along with a cast and crew of nearly forty. August 1 & 2 at 7:30 p.m.; August 3 at 3 p.m. Tickets: $24 for Adults; $20 for Seniors; Students $12. $8 tickets for Students on Sundays. Call …Continue Reading »


text:
- Top of page
- Abstract
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Samples
- 3 Ellipsometry
- 4 Model
- 5 Results and discussion
- 6 Summary
- Acknowledgments
- References
Generalized infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (GIRSE) was applied to Sb-doped rutile SnO2(101) films grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). Coupled longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon–plasmon (LPP) modes for the two principal polarization directions of the optically anisotropic SnO2 were identified and their frequencies were determined as a function of electron concentrations obtained by Hall effect measurements. The analysis of these modes yielded very accurate values for the plasma frequencies and finally the anisotropy of the electron effective masses as a function of carrier density. Comparison to Hall effect electron concentrations yielded a non-parabolicity of the conduction band.