text:
The Russian connection: See all our coverage | Read about our investigation
Nov. 27, 2012 1:26 PM
Lance Cpl. Joshua Allen, with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, loads his M249 squad automatic weapon during a live-fire training exercise aboard the USS Iwo Jima, Nov. 25, 2012.
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Tucker S. Wolf.
David CornNov. 27, 2012 11:44 AM
It's official. Or sort of. Mitt Romney appears to be finishing the presidential race with 47 percent of the popular vote. According to the National Popular Vote Tracker, Romney's take of the nationwide vote, which is still being tallied in several states, now stands at 47.43 percent. Rounding down, that's the magic number. And given that the states that have not finalized their vote count include California and New York, where Obama won big, it's likely Romney's percentage will tick down a bit. With Obama bagging 50.86 percent, the history books will record the contest as a 51-47 percent contest.
Romney was stuck at 47 percent even within twelve swing states, where he drew 47.32 percent of the cumulative vote. In the non-swing states, he pocketed 47.49 percent. This is highly convenient. Anytime the results of this presidential race are referenced, there will be a reminder of Romney's now infamous 47 percent rant.
More MoJo coverage of Mitt Romney:
In the aftermath of the election, numerous politicos—and strangers on the street—have told me they consider the revelation of the 47 percent video to have been the game-changer. Various post-mortems have cited Romney aides saying the same. There is, of course, no way to know what might have transpired had the video not roiled Romney's campaign for nearly two weeks during the crucial general-election period, where every single day counts. The video certainly reinforced the narrative that Romney's critics—including the Obama campaign—had been pushing: He was a 1-percenter who could not relate to middle- and working-class Americans confronting serious economic challenges and troubles. But the 47 percent story also caused Romney another problem; it stole time.
Money is not necessarily the most precious resource for a political campaign; it is time. Money can always be raised. Time cannot. After the political conventions, Romney had nine weeks to execute his strategy for winning the presidency. As campaigns do, his crew mapped out how it would use those weeks: when it would run ads, when it would stress particular messages, when it would focus on this or that state. The dust-up created by the 47 percent video lasted nearly a fortnight, throwing sand into Romney's gears during that crucial period. A week and a half after Mother Jones broke the story, a top executive at a broadcast news outlet sent me an email: "Used your video tonight (not too many stories are still going 10 days strong)." The 47 percent video had become one of the longest-running dramas of the 2012 campaign.
During those days, Romney was knocked off his already not-too-sure footing—which he wouldn't regain until the first debate, thanks to President Obama's limp performance. By then, the Obama campaign and its allies were using the 47 percent video in a series of ads that reinforced its initial impact on the race. On election night, an Obama adviser told me that the campaign did not rush out 47 percent ads right after the video emerged because in focus groups, undecided voters were bringing up Romney's remarks without prompting. His 47 percent comments had penetrated the voting public so fast and so far that the campaign had no cause at first to spend money to remind voters.
Romney was the 47 percent man. And that's how he is ending up.
In a private post-election call with funders that was revealed by the New York Times, Romney explained his loss by saying that Obama had showered key parts of his coalition with "gifts," by which he meant federal support for college loans, a health care law that allows children to remain on their parents' policies, and an executive order that permits the children of undocumented residents to remain in the United States. With those comments—something of a sequel to his 47 percent tirade—Romney was failing to take personal responsibility, holding the government accountable for what happened to him, and portraying himself a victim. Now where have we heard that before?
Stephanie MencimerNov. 27, 2012 11:42 AM
Members of the Fix the Debt coalition ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange
Corporate chief executives who get involved in politics often invoke their business bona fides as a superior guide to fixing the nation's problems. The CEO's behind the latest "Fix the Debt" campaign are no exception. The top dogs at more than 90 American corporations—ranging from Honeywell's David Cote to Loews' James Tisch— have signed on to the coalition to press Congress to rein in federal spending, particularly on entitlements, and to balance the nation's books. The anti-debt coalition would like to see big cuts in Social Security benefits and an increase in the retirement age as a "fix" for the program.
Of course, American political leaders should always take the advice of rich businessmen with a grain of salt (and here they are almost uniformly men), especially when the remedy also includes big corporate tax cuts, as the "Fix the Debt" coalition is advocating for. But also, in this case, it's fairly clear that there's nothing about being a CEO that makes one especially well-equipped to dictate massive changes to the nation's collective retirement plan. Indeed, the CEO's behind the "Fix the Debt" coalition come from companies with rather dismal records of managing their own retirement plans.
Consider this: According to a new report from the Institute of Policy Studies, the 71 publicly held firms in the coalition have "a combined deficit of more than $100 billion in their employee pension funds." As with Social Security, these companies' retirement plans don't have enough money in them to pay out the promised benefits to the company workers. That's not because the companies don't (or didn't) have the cash. On the contrary.
One of the largest companies participating in the "Fix the Debt" campaign is GE, which in the 1980s had a $24 billion pension fund surplus. But GE and other big companies like it found ways to siphon money out of the fund to use for other things, like restructuring deals. GE also failed to contribute any money to the fund for 24 years. By 2009, GE's pension fund had a $22 billion deficit. Rather than draw on some of its cash reserves—some $85 billion currently on hand—GE last year decided to simply close the fund to new participants, forcing them into the sub-par 401(K) system.
Meanwhile, GE's CEO, Jeffery Immelt, hasn't skimped on his own retirement funds. He has a pension worth more than $47 million, plus another $5.3 million in deferred compensation coming his way, a nest egg that would translate into a monthly pension payment of about $292,000 for the rest of his retired life, according to IPS. By way of comparison, the average monthly Social Security check is $1,237.
IPS also includes in its report some staggering statistics about the state of the private sector's retirement planning that suggest some of these companies' retirement policies are one reason American workers are so reliant on the very safety net that the "Fix the Debt"ers want to slash. Here are a few:
Erika EichelbergerNov. 27, 2012 7:08 AM
As the fiscal cliff looms, there's a consensus that, one way or another, the rich are going to have to pay up. But that doesn't mean the poor are home free. Any "grand bargain" budget deal will be just that—a deal, which means that even though Democrats want to shield social programs from cuts, they will inevitably end up as bargaining chips on the table.
Obama's starting point for negotiations is the deficit plan that came out of the 2011 debt-ceiling showdown. It already contains heavy cuts in discretionary spending, which is spending on stuff that is not entitlements, including military and domestic programs. And 25 percent of that domestic spending goes to programs that help low-income people, according to Richard Kogan, a federal budget expert and senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Obama and the Democrats have been pretty set against cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, and long-term unemployment benefits. However, Rep. Paul "62-percent-of-my-proposed-budget-cuts-come-from-poor-people-programs" Ryan will likely be leading the charge on the other side of the aisle. He won't be able to chop up the safety net to his liking, but he and his fellow Republicans will do what they can.
Kogan says that even though a final budget deal is likely not to eliminate tax benefits for the poor, it will almost certainly include deeper cuts to lots of social programs. Here are 12 possible targets (program costs are from 2012 unless otherwise noted):
Medicaid ($258 billion): Though Obama has largely targeted providers for potential Medicaid cuts, Republicans want beneficiaries to fork over more. In which case, says Kogan, patients might be forced to make copayments, or program costs may be shifted to the states, which could decide to scale back coverage.
Food Stamps ($78 billion in 2011): The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program serves about 45 million people. It is not part of discretionary spending, but Ellen Nissenbaum, senior vice president for government affairs at CBPP, told The Nation it faces a real prospect of being cut in negotiations.
[Read more]
Josh HarkinsonNov. 26, 2012 5:56 PM
College students already smoke a lot of pot, but now some of them can also study it in the classroom.
Northern California's Humboldt State University recently launched the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research, what's believed to be the nation's first pot institute at an accredited university, according to the Eureka Times-Standard. The HIIMR will offer scholarly lectures and help coordinate reefer-related research among 11 faculty members from fields such as politics, economics, geography, sociology, and psychology.
"Across the country, there was a tendency to ignore the 'green elephant' in the room," institute co-chair Josh Meisel told the Times-Standard, explaining how the idea for the institute went from pipe dream to reality. "With these public discussions (around pot legalization), there were a lot more questions than there were answers."
Located in California's "Emerald Triangle," the epicenter of the state's pot-growing economy, Humboldt State has about 7,000 full-time students, putting it among the smallest third of the 23 campuses of the California State University system.
Unlike well-known "cannabis colleges" such as Oakland's Oaksterdam University, HIIMR won't offer classes on pot cultivation—at least not for now. But it will have the ability to teach courses for college credit. Its first annual speaker series kicks off tomorrow with a public lecture on the implications of pot legalization for "marijuana communities"—groups like the backwoods growers in Humboldt County.
Gavin AronsenNov. 26, 2012 4:46 PM
An early voting line in Florida on November 3, 2012.
According to a report in the Palm Beach Post, current and former Republican Party officials in Florida have confirmed what voting-rights advocates have long suspected: That the GOP has hyped concerns about voter fraud as a means to reduce Democratic election turnout. Former Governor Charlie Crist told the Post that party leaders approached him when he was governor to see if he'd back efforts to limit early voting. While he didn't recall the officials explicitly saying their intention was to target black voters, Crist said that "it looked to me like that was what was being suggested. And I didn't want them to go there at all."
In 2011, Crist's successor, Republican Gov. Rick Scott, signed a bill passed by the GOP-controlled legislature that slashed Florida's early voting period from two weeks to eight days. (The bill also tightened restrictions on voter registration laws, although many of those provisions were tossed after a court challenge.) This November, Florida was plagued with long early voting lines that extended into Election Day and may well have disenfranchised voters.
Crist's claims were echoed by former Florida Republican party chairman Jim Greer, who told the Post he was first approached about restricting early voting in 2009. Greer told the Post: "The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates. It's done for one reason and one reason only…'We've got to cut down on early voting because early voting is not good for us.'…They never came in to see me and tell me we had a (voter) fraud issue. It's all a marketing ploy."
Republican Party of Florida spokesman Brian Burgess told the Post that Crist, who recently left the GOP and is considering running for governor as a Democrat, "speaks out of both sides of his mouth" and implied that Greer's claims weren't credible in light of his indictment for embezzling $200,000 from party coffers. But two current Republican consultants also told the Post that their party's intentions were clear:
Wayne Bertsch, who handles local and legislative races for Republicans, said he knew targeting Democrats was the goal.
"In the races I was involved in in 2008, when we started seeing the increase of turnout and the turnout operations that the Democrats were doing in early voting, it certainly sent a chill down our spines. And in 2008, it didn't have the impact that we were afraid of. It got close, but it wasn't the impact that they had this election cycle," Bertsch said, referring to the fact that Democrats picked up seven legislative seats in Florida in 2012 despite the early voting limitations.
Another GOP consultant, who did not want to be named, also confirmed that influential consultants to the Republican Party of Florida were intent on beating back Democratic turnout in early voting after 2008.
Wayne Bertsch, who handles local and legislative races for Republicans, said he knew targeting Democrats was the goal.
"In the races I was involved in in 2008, when we started seeing the increase of turnout and the turnout operations that the Democrats were doing in early voting, it certainly sent a chill down our spines. And in 2008, it didn't have the impact that we were afraid of. It got close, but it wasn't the impact that they had this election cycle," Bertsch said, referring to the fact that Democrats picked up seven legislative seats in Florida in 2012 despite the early voting limitations.
Another GOP consultant, who did not want to be named, also confirmed that influential consultants to the Republican Party of Florida were intent on beating back Democratic turnout in early voting after 2008.
Read the rest here.
UPDATE, November 28, 2012: Republican Party of Florida spokesman (and former Rick Scott communications director) Brian Burgess sent out a press release today attacking the Palm Beach Post for its "unsupported claims" and "dubious sourcing." He pointed to a statement on the state GOP's website from Wayne Bertsch, who says he "never participated in any discussion or meetings with any of the named individuals about how to create impediments to any voters," has never been on contract with the party, and that "a quote from me [was taken] entirely out of context."
Burgess also repeated the assertions he made to the Post that Crist and Greer are untrustworthy sources with an axe to grind against the GOP, and claimed the fourth, unnamed source in the Post's story "has no first hand observations to substantiate Greer's claim" that voter suppression talks happened. Meanwhile, Florida Democrats have called for a federal civil rights investigation because of the story.
Erika EichelbergerNov. 26, 2012 3:50 PM
Mother Jones received word recently that our November/December issue had been banned by a Massachusetts prison facility. The issue's cover story was Shane Bauer's harrowing in-depth investigation into the overuse of solitary confinement in the US prison system—but that apparently wasn't the reason the magazine was rejected by Federal Medical Center Devens. It was censored because of a naked lady.
A couple of weeks ago, Mother Jones received a letter from the prison's warden, Jeffrey Grondolksy, informing us that our magazine, addressed to an inmate-subscriber, was being returned because it contained "sexually explicit information or material, or features nudity." The letter stated that, in accordance with federal regulations, no Bureau of Prisons funds could be used to distribute such material.
Immediately, speculation swirled at the MoJo hive about which racy image in the November/December issue was the culprit. (WARNING: naked ladies.)
The Rape of the Sabine Women was featured in a pg. 10 sidebar called Mansplaining Rape. Fotopedia
Pg. 19 included this ad for a book about "human males' addiction to war...and his universal domination of women." Athena Books
Just look at her! pg. 38
From pg. 26 of Bauer's story: Inside an inmate's isolation cell at Pelican Bay Prison. #meta
pg. 34
A call to Grondolsky to inquire about the offending image was directed to Todd Chapman, the supervisor of correctional systems at Devens, who revealed that the objectionable nakedness was the pg. 19 ad image featuring a depiction of Eve. Chapman explained that Grondolsky is pretty strict when it comes to enforcing the no smut rule. And for "certain types of offenders," he said, there is "zero tolerance. Our warden is pretty 100 percent. It could be something as small as a statue" or "even if a kid drew a nude picture." He did allow that the law gives leeway for anthropological or scientific content.
Indeed. The law says, "Publications containing nudity illustrative of medical, educational, or anthropological content may be excluded from this definition." Moreover: "The Warden may reject a publication only if it is determined detrimental to the security, good order, or discipline of the institution or if it might facilitate criminal activity. The Warden may not reject a publication solely because its content is religious, philosophical, political, social or sexual, or because its content is unpopular or repugnant."
Bauer's solitary confinement story details the petty offenses for which California prisoners get "validated" as gang associates, and consequently thrown into isolation for years. Among them: possession of black literature, left-wing material, and publications advocating for the abolition of prison isolation units.
But the magazine was not banned because Bauer's solitary story was "political" or "unpopular." It was censored because of an advertisement marketed to the geriatric set. And just like that, investigative journalism with pictures of flesh gets lumped into the no good list along with materials that describe how to make a bomb, show prisoners how to escape, instruct them on "brewing alcoholic beverages," or are "written in code."
Grondolsky's justification for rejecting the latest issue of Mother Jones may not even be covered within the bounds of the regulation he cites, which refers to publications that "feature" nudity. According to the statute, this means "the publication contains depictions of nudity or sexually explicit conduct on a routine or regular basis or promotes itself based upon such depictions in the case of individual one-time issues."
It's not the first time MoJo has been trashed by a prison. Mailroom censors at a Texas prison banned the September/October 2007 issue because it contained a picture of a nude child…in a story on the dangers of mining. (Guess what did get past the Texas prison censors that year? Letters to Penthouse XXVIII.)
All is not lost though. Upon receipt of the censorship notice, Mother Jones' Sharzy Makaremi promptly cut out all possible offending breasts, etc. and sent the magazine to the inmate, along with a letter contesting the rejection. When I spoke to Chapman he said he had heard that "someone pulled the page out and sent it back, so the inmate should be receiving that today."
Asawin SuebsaengNov. 26, 2012 3:00 PM
Over Thanksgiving weekend, hard-rock performing artist and self-declared "King of Partying" Andrew W.K. announced that he had just landed a new gig: America's "cultural ambassador of partying" to Bahrain. Here's an excerpt from his press release:
The US Department of State in partnership with the US Embassy in Manama, Bahrain, has invited Andrew to visit the Middle East to promote partying and positive power. In the tradition of the American Jazz Ambassadors who traveled the world in the mid 20th century as examples of American culture and spirit, Andrew has been invited by the State Department to travel to the Middle Eastern country of Bahrain and share his music and partying with the people there. Andrew will begin his journey sometime in December, 2012 and will visit elementary schools, the University of Bahrain, music venues, and more, all while promoting partying and world peace... For security reasons, the exact travel dates, details, and other specifics are being kept top secret at this time.
The US Department of State in partnership with the US Embassy in Manama, Bahrain, has invited Andrew to visit the Middle East to promote partying and positive power. In the tradition of the American Jazz Ambassadors who traveled the world in the mid 20th century as examples of American culture and spirit, Andrew has been invited by the State Department to travel to the Middle Eastern country of Bahrain and share his music and partying with the people there. Andrew will begin his journey sometime in December, 2012 and will visit elementary schools, the University of Bahrain, music venues, and more, all while promoting partying and world peace... For security reasons, the exact travel dates, details, and other specifics are being kept top secret at this time.
The US government appointing a rocker-diplomat—known for partying til he pukes, covering himself in blood, dabbling in the My Little Pony-based subculture of "bronies," and sing-screaming about the McLaughlin Group—to represent American interests in the Kingdom of Bahrain? That sounds totally plausible! Nevertheless, a host of media outlets ran with the news without bothering to check with State Department, including UPI, the Huffington Post, New York magazine's culture blog "Vulture," Pitchfork Media, Breitbart.com, Mediaite, DCist, NME, Gawker, and Russia Today.
A State Department spokesman confirmed to Mother Jones Monday that the man behind the 2001 party-rock album I Get Wet will not in fact be partying 'til he pukes in Bahrain—at least, not in any official capacity. While Andrew W.K. was invited by a US embassy "cultural speakers program" for a possible overseas trip to Bahrain, the embassy in Manama later determined that the program was "not appropriate" and canceled it promptly "some time ago." (As for why the recording artist is still hyping up his imaginary position online is anybody's guess.)
To anyone familiar with Andrew W.K.'s exploits, the singer-songwriter's story strained credulity from the get-go (Brooklyn web magazine Brokelyn expressed its doubts early on). If Hillary Clinton were to send a B-list celebrity on a goodwill mission to children's schools in a Persian Gulf Muslim country with a lousy human rights record, why would she send the guy who sang "Party Hard" or "Party Party Party" for Aqua Teen Hunger Force?
For the uninitiated, here's a clip of Andrew W.K. appearing on Fox News:
And here he is dancing on Conan O'Brien's old show:
So, no, this man will not be going to the Kingdom of Bahrain on the US government's dime in order to promote rock-star-style hedonism. That is a thing that is not happening.
Tweeted at 2:37 p.m. EST on Monday:
I'm just blown away. After a year of planning, the US State Dept. just canceled my Middle East trip because I'm too party.
— ANDREW WK (@AndrewWK) November 26, 2012
I'm just blown away. After a year of planning, the US State Dept. just canceled my Middle East trip because I'm too party.
And shortly after...
— ANDREW WK (@AndrewWK) November 26, 2012
In response to this post, Andrew W.K. sent Mother Jones the following message:
I'm not legally allowed at this exact moment to go into too many details, but they invited me a year ago and then canceled this morning. They said they had changed their mind and decided I wasn't appropriate. I was scheduled to go there this weekend...The trip had been confirmed and developed over the past year—their cancellation only happened today, which is why it's so important to make that clear that after all the planning, they canceled it THIS MORNING, not 'some time ago.'"
I'm not legally allowed at this exact moment to go into too many details, but they invited me a year ago and then canceled this morning. They said they had changed their mind and decided I wasn't appropriate. I was scheduled to go there this weekend...The trip had been confirmed and developed over the past year—their cancellation only happened today, which is why it's so important to make that clear that after all the planning, they canceled it THIS MORNING, not 'some time ago.'"
Andy KrollNov. 26, 2012 1:24 PM
Grover Norquist.
Grover Norquist's anti-tax-increase pledge is beginning to show cracks.
Over the long holiday weekend, four top Republicans in Congress said they would not be bound by their signing of the conservative activist's pledge not to raise taxes on their constituents in any way, shape, or form. These lawmakers have broken with Norquist at a crucial moment: On Monday, members of Congress restart their effort to hammer out an agreement to avoid going off the so-called "fiscal cliff" on December 31.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), ranking member on the Senate select committee on intelligence, dismissed Norquist's pledge during a Thanksgiving Day interview with a Macon, Georgia, television station. "I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge," Chambliss said. "If we do it his way then we'll continue in debt, and I just have a disagreement with him about that."
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), who chairs the House homeland security committee, said he agreed with Chambliss. Standing by an anti-tax pledge he signed decades ago, King argued on NBC's Meet the Press, "is just bad economic policy. "A pledge you signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress," King said. "For instance, if I were in Congress in 1941, I would have signed a declaration of war against Japan. I'm not going to attack Japan today. The world has changed, and the economic situation is different."
Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) said on ABC's This Week on Sunday that he agreed with Norquist on not raising tax rates, but believed—unlike Norquist—that other ways of raising tax revenue are fair game. "I think Grover is wrong when it comes to we can't cap deductions and buy down debt," Graham said. "What do you do with the money? I want to buy down debt and cut rates to create jobs, but I will violate the pledge, long story short, for the good of the country, only if Democrats will do entitlement reform."
And Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) told CBS' Charlie Rose on Monday that he was "not obligated on the pledge."
Norquist, for his part, has fired back by saying that lawmakers are bound to their constituents, not him, on their promises to oppose tax increases in any form. As for King, Norquist told CNN's Soledad O'Brien on Monday that King "knows full well that the pledge that he signed, and others have, is for while you're in Congress. It's not for a two year period."
This is hardly the first time Republicans have made noises about wiggling out of Norquist's pledge. But could this time be different? Members of Congress are now staring down the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts and a potpourri of automatic spending cuts that could total more than $800 billion in 2013. That includes a $55 billion cut to defense spending and $55 billion more shaved off of domestic programs.
Republicans don't want these scheduled cuts to become a reality. The defense cuts and the expiration of the Bush-era tax breaks could be enough to nudge Republicans into ditching Norquist's pledge. If they do, it's Norquist, whose political currency depends on the pledge and its adherents, who stands to lose the most.
Dana LiebelsonNov. 26, 2012 12:36 PM
Following reports that he posted a photo of himself in what appears to be black face, with the caption "Obama style," Sacha Dratwa, the 26-year-old lieutenant heading the Israel Defense Forces' social media campaign is shutting down public access to his Facebook profile, according to a statement he sent Mother Jones and posted online.
A screenshot of the photo, which was originally posted by Dratwa on September 29, was published Saturday by the website, Your Black World. The image appears to be of Dratwa at the Dead Sea with mud on his face. While that would not be an uncommon activity there, the "Obama style" caption drew scornful comments on his Facebook page. Mother Jones asked Dratwa for a comment, and he said:
There have been attempts to make use of private photos from my Facebook profile in order to publicly misrepresent my opinions. Due to the amount of public attention I've garnered in recent days I have decided to restrict access to my page, in order to protect my privacy and prevent further cynical use of the information therein. I am, and have always been, completely candid about my beliefs and have nothing to hide – as reflected by my Facebook profile, which until recently was open to everyone. The aforementioned photos do not reflect my beliefs and have no bearing whatsoever on my position in the IDF.
There have been attempts to make use of private photos from my Facebook profile in order to publicly misrepresent my opinions. Due to the amount of public attention I've garnered in recent days I have decided to restrict access to my page, in order to protect my privacy and prevent further cynical use of the information therein. I am, and have always been, completely candid about my beliefs and have nothing to hide – as reflected by my Facebook profile, which until recently was open to everyone. The aforementioned photos do not reflect my beliefs and have no bearing whatsoever on my position in the IDF.
ABC News, which says it has confirmed the photo is real, reports that Dratwa responded to a user on Twitter accusing him of racism by saying, "I'm not a racist, please stop [spreading] lies about me."
In charge of the Israel Defense Forces' official Twitter account, @IDFSpokesperson, Dratwa became a high-profile figure during the recent Israel-Hamas conflict. According to a profile by Gizmodo, in his free time, Dratwa enjoys snowboarding, swimming, vodka, macchiatos, and hanging out with friends.
The IDF did not respond to a request for comment.
This post has been updated.
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text: Ok, I decided to jump in with both feet on this. This is not only my first time entering a build off...It's my first time attempting to build at all. I figure Rat-rodding is for me because I have virtually NO budget...but I have a bike....well three bikes actually...kinda. I have decided that my criteria for this bike is this... 1. I has to look cool! 2. When finished, It still has to be my daily rider...which means... 3. It's gotta have multiple gears and... 4. It has to be comfortable 5. I want it to make people ask questions about what kind of bike it is and how old it is and stuff As a bonus, I would like a bouncy front end...if possible. So, I'll be starting with what I was told when I bought it last year was a stock 1981 Schwinn Cruiser 5. I found it on CraigsList in my hometown of Independence, Missouri and got it for $40.00. I love the frame, hate the forks (What were they THINKING?!)...hate all the messy cables...I have an idea of what I want it to look like and that's about it. I'm thinking RatRace...OH...Why "The Groundhog"? I just have a thing about groundhogs...and that's it. I don't have much to work with or even know what I'm doing really but HERE GOES!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
forum: Food & Drink
Pages: 1 | Home » Food & Drink » Roast pork
#1 Sun 23 Sep 12 6:58pm
- Member
- Member since Sun 23 Sep 12
Roast pork
With pork being so cheap at the moment it is so tempting to make loads of yummy things, including roasts but....my husband finds pork really bland and dry and uninteresting.
Does anyone have any good roast pork recipes and top tips as my son and I like it a lot.
Many thanks guys x
#2 Mon 24 Sep 12 5:14am
- Forum champ Occupation Book Seller
- From Jacksonville, FL
- Member since Sun 04 Apr 10
Re: Roast pork
When I make pork roasts, I poke holes all over it with a knife and insert whole cloves of garlic. I use about 8 to 10 depending on the size of the roast. In a large pot I put in cooking oil about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep ( I do it by sight not measuring really). Once the oil is hot, I put in the roast and brown all sides. Once it's all browned, I add enough water to cover the roast, lower the temp to medium and cook until the meat is fork tender. If you prefer, after it is browned you can put it in a slow cooker and cook it that way, less watching. Salt and pepper to taste. It's never dry and so tender. Great for sandwiches.
#3 Mon 24 Sep 12 6:29am
- Member Occupation Totally food obsessed bookkeeper
- From Melbourne, Australia
- Member since Wed 13 Aug 08
Re: Roast pork
Pork can be hard to cook as as the leaner cuts cook quite quickly and don't have a lot of fat to keep them moist.
Pork Belly is great to roast (as long as you don't mind a bit of fat) score the rind thoroughly and rub with olive oil and salt. Roast on a rack in a hot oven for 20 minutes then turn down to med/low and cook slowly for 1 and 1/2 hours, the crackling should be crisp and the meat tender if not cook a little longer. Rest for 20 mins during this time you can remove the crackling and finish off in a hot oven if necessary.
Another great recipe and I think it is Jamie's, I've been cooking it so long I've forgotten!! Marinate pork chops/cutlets in a mixture of lemon thyme (or thyme), garlic, salt, pepper and lemon zest all smashed up in a mortar and pestle with olive oil, and then either pan fry or grill until cooked but still juicy.
Pork works really well with asia flavours I've got a great recipe for braised pork neck (scotch fillet) if your interested.
Good luck
#4 Mon 24 Sep 12 8:43am
- Member
- From Serbia
- Member since Sun 04 Apr 10
Re: Roast pork
Which part of the pig are you roasting, and is it skin on, fat on, or trimmed? Lean cuts like leg or loin can be a bit plain when roasted, cuts like shoulder or belly are a good starting point. Another good cut is the side of the middle of the pig, the loin (skin+fat still on) with the belly still attached. When it's bonned, it's a great cut for porchetta, and it gives you a chance to get some extra flavors into the roast.
#5 Mon 12 Nov 12 10:30am
- Member
- Member since Mon 15 Oct 12
Re: Roast pork
for the best tasting pork make sure you get it from the producer and not the from the supermarkets. if you are unsure how to get hold of the producers then go to foodbritain and these people really helped me out last Christmas when i was struggling to find the perfect meat
Pages: 1 | Home » Food & Drink » Roast pork


text:
Town Square
Original post made by James, Pleasanton Meadows, on Nov 25, 2008
Three and a half months later the work isn't half done, and what work was completed is pure crap and needs to be re-done. When the project started the Tongans were there almost daily, then only every few days, then only once a week. The project dragged out with most of the work only half done or not even started.
I had originally agreed to make three equal payments; a down payment, another when the project was 50% done, and the third at the end. Not far into the work i got a sob story from the crew chief and head of the family that he needed the next payment early in order to get the materials to finish the job. I foolishly went against my own better judgement and paid him.
We were over two months into the job when he came to tell me he had no money left and would not be able to finish the job. my yard and walkways were a complete shambles. a day later his "cousin" showed up to fix the other guys mistakes. and it would only cost me another bundle to have him finish the rest of it.
the first guy low-balled the estimate, dragged out the work until you were completely frustrated and angry, then bows out for lack of money. in steps the good tongan ready to deliver you from the bad tongan, and it will only cost you nearly what you already paid to have the work done in the first place.
after dealing with the first tongan all those weeks, the lies, the broken promises and all the bad work, no way I was going to pay another one to do the same thing over again. I declined his kind offer and instead I hired a true professional landscaper to come in and finish the job.
i never got any paperwork from the tongans (which should have been another red light) in spite of many requests for it and their many broken promises to bring it "next day". so i don't really have any evidence to lay before a judge. but its definitely a scam folks, fraud plain and simple.
Don't repeat my mistake- DON'T HIRE THE TONGANS!!!!!
Comments (32)
a resident of Val Vista
on Nov 25, 2008 at 6:49 pm
OP maybe you should list the buisness name instead of nationality of the people?
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 25, 2008 at 7:28 pm
This sounds familiar - I think my neighbors had this happen to them a couple of years ago. Is there an actual business name? He said there was no paperwork.
NEVER have any work done without a contract and NEVER pay in full/nearly in full until the job is done and you are satisfied! You do get what you pay for.
a resident of Del Prado
on Nov 25, 2008 at 7:40 pm
It is amazing that this group of people are still preying on the residents of Pleasanton. I guess we all live and learn. It is just amazing to me how many people have been duped by these people including me. Our work was done over a year ago and we are still having all kinds of problems. The sob story they tell to get you to give them more money ahead of what you agreed to feed their family, pay their help or purchase supplies etc is amazing that they are still getting away with it. It is clearly something that the local authorities should look into.
a resident of Livermore
on Nov 25, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Thank you for the heads up. I think that it's cool to list the nationality of those ugly creeps.
What goes around comes around...fast!
bel...what's your problem (Inappropriate term)?
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 25, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Be sure to report them to the state contractor's licensing board. You did get their licensing info, right?
No disrespect but I think you had some idea what you were getting into. You just got burnt, which was wrong too.
a resident of Pleasanton Heights
on Nov 25, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I think the poster is on to something here. The problem originates with the Tongans. Ever since Captain Cook arrived on the islands of Tonga in 1773 at the time of an annual festival, the island chiefs have been quite angry for the disturbance. At the time they wanted to kill him, but lacked developing a good plan to do so. Ever since then, Tongans have been getting even by scamming Americans in landscaping businesses. They wrongly confuse us with the British.
a resident of Livermore
on Nov 25, 2008 at 8:42 pm
(Comment deemed inappropriate by Pleasanton Weekly Online staff)
a resident of another community
on Nov 25, 2008 at 10:24 pm
What an absurd posting. Someone's nationality has nothing to do with the job he or she does. This thread should be removed.
a resident of Downtown
on Nov 25, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Come on Cholo, get your facts right. The Hawaiians ate Captain Cook, in Kealakekua Bay. There is a momument there. The only British land in the US. He lied, he died. Sounds about right to me.
a resident of Valley Trails
on Nov 26, 2008 at 7:29 am
Ptown, there is nothing absurd about this post. The person already said they recieved no paperwork to reference. If they supplied the name of the company...I'm sure the company name would be changed by the time they knocked on the next door. He gave a description that he thought would stick in your memory. If a landscaper came to your door, you might forget the company name, but you'll surely remember if a group of Tongans knock on your door wanting to do your yardwork. Thank you to James for starting this thread, as neighbors, we should try to help one another when this type of thing happenens.... That is what this site is really for...
a resident of Pleasanton Heights
on Nov 26, 2008 at 10:22 am
I absolutely agree. Rather than check out anything about their business or references, one should immediately ask the landscapers if they are from the Tongan Islands. Of course, don't ask if you are really good at spotting a Tongan. If they instead answer that they and/or their ancestors originate from American or Western Samoa, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, the Marquesa Islands, Austral Islands, Niue Island, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Wallis, Futuna, Pitcairn, New Guinea, Bismarck, Louisiade, Admiralty, Bougainville, Solomon, Santa cruz, New Caledonia, Loyalty, Vanuatu, Fiji, Norfolk, Kiribati, Guam, Nauru, the Northern Marianas, or Marshall Islands, then they are likely to be OK. You can hire them and likely will not get burned.
a resident of Amador Valley High School
on Nov 26, 2008 at 10:58 am
This points out a fundamental flaw when most people go to "bid" over work of any kind to be done. They in general want the highest quality for the lowest price. I have friends that are contractors that try to do an honest job of bidding, but get burned because they are never the lowest price. Many think they are considering apples to apples but in fact are not. ALWAYS insist on referrals, and visit and make phone calls to verify whever possible.
I've actually had a hardwood floor guy show up at my house and introduce himself as the one who had done my floors (new construction), and asked if he could take some pictures of my floors for a brochure. I asked his company then called my contractor only to find out that another company had done the work and this was someone simply trying to take credit for another contractors work. As always the message needs to be buyer beware!
a resident of Valley Trails
on Nov 26, 2008 at 11:08 am
Thanks for being a nuisance Frank. I can see that you can google the islands now. Good Job! Or did someone help you with that? Now... so instead of thanking a person that "got burned" and is still trying to help his fellow neighbors not to make the same mistake, you want to cut and paste all of the pacific islands.... but how does that help anyone else? The guy that started this thread already admitted that he made mistakes and should have handled it different, but you just want to knit pick his description.... instead of the intent of his thread. Next time... why don't you just thank you, and keep all of your sarcastic comments to yourself...thanks Frank
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Nov 26, 2008 at 11:23 am
This thread is hilarious! People who weren't born yesterday don't need to thank James for the warning. I know that appears unsympathetic. I used to have a great neighbor next door who was born in an earlier generation and I'm sure he would've had some excellent choice words on this matter. The quote "a sucker is born every minute" is equally applicable now as it was when first coined, but somehow it seems there's more suckers today. The lesson here is to potential suckers. Always get stuff in writing before ever paying a single cent, check references, business licenses, etc.
a resident of Livermore
on Nov 26, 2008 at 12:17 pm
It's the eve of Thanksgiving and my last 2 posts were deemed "innappropriate"? waaaaaaaaaaaaaa...waaaaaaaaaaaaa...waaaaaaaaaa
I insist, the Tongans lived in Tonga and not Hawaii!!!
He was turned into a yummy soup for the sharks by being tossed off a high cliff. When he hit water, he looked like a radish and that's the realer truth!
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 27, 2008 at 2:41 pm
tonga tonga tonga
i don't wanna leave the conga
no no no no no no...
cause bingo bingo bonga
i don't wanna leave the conga
no no no no no no...
signed, Captain Cookie
a resident of Amador Valley High School
on Nov 28, 2008 at 12:07 am
It's amazing to me how one person's desire to alert his neighbors about a bunch of scammers turns into such absurdity. Where are some of you reading this forum from, a mental institution?
Even intelligent people can be "suckers". Good for you if you always use common sense 100% of the time and never make mistakes. James, I applaud you for coming forward and putting yourself out there for potential ridicule in order to spare someone else your misery. I bet my neighbors wish that someone else had done this earlier because I'm pretty sure they were scammed by the same people. And no, they aren't idiots, they are good people though - just like you.
I am a bit uncomfortable with the whole "don't hire the Tongans" as there may indeed be people of Tongan decent out there performing honest work. But, you have provided a description of a group who definitely scammed you and how else could you describe them without referring to their race - particularly if you have no business name to offer. Police offer race as part of the description all the time when a crime has been committed. So I would say, don't discriminate against someone just because they are Tongan, but knowing that there have been dishonest Tongan people in town offering landscaping services then exercise extra care. Yes, you should *always* use common sense and require license numbers, contracts, and appropriate payment options - but thanks to James it isn't likely that common sense will fail you if a group fitting his description knocks on your door!
Here's an interesting article that offers a psychological reason for why people fall for scams:
Web Link
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 28, 2008 at 11:23 am
(Comment deemed inappropriate by Pleasanton Weekly Online staff)
a resident of Livermore
on Nov 28, 2008 at 11:51 am
What about the Chinese, Asians?
Somehow I was under the impression that about 3,487 Tongans live in Birdland. Right? Hmmmmmmm...can't remember where I got my numbers.
a resident of Livermore
on Nov 28, 2008 at 11:59 am
Does everybody know that Tomba la Bomba is TONGAN? Raised in Italy.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 28, 2008 at 2:10 pm
If the people in P-town were concerned with anything other than how cheap they can get something this scam would just go away. You get what you pay for. Next time look at something other than the cost first, like maybe references. Same thing happened when Aloha and ATA went belly up. Everyone knew the tickets were too cheap to be for real for long. But they bought em at cheaptickets.com (not kidding, it's a real site) then demanded that the other airlines honor them. I say the real airlines should have just left them all in Hawaii til they paid real money for their tickets. Of course, the Hawaiians were probably glad to see those cheap tourists go home. So being cost conscious to the exclusion of everything else is always gonna get people into trouble.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 28, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Posted above by PJ, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood:
(Comment deemed inappropriate by Pleasanton Weekly Online staff)
As they would say on the islands: "Eh bra, why'd you remove my post?"
My comment that you removed made it clear that stereotyping is WRONG. Yet, the PW removes it??
In a topic that states we should "BEWARE THE TONGANS" & "DON'T HIRE THE TONGANS", my post was VERY appropriate.
Furthermore, PToWN94566, a resident of another community, said earlier: "Someone's nationality has nothing to do with the job he or she does. This thread should be removed."
My post was obviously in line with that thought.
Let's do this a different way now.
Had the title of this topic been "BEWARE THE BLACKS" & stated "DON'T HIRE THE BLACKS", as this topic states about the Tongans, would you have let the topic stay?
The answer is obviously no, as you removed my post that gave THOSE types of similar examples as being wrong. You proved my point.
Is it appropriate to say not to hire ANYONE of a certain race or nationality based on a negative experience? Isn't that stereotyping?
You can remove this post too, but, since you removed my last post, this time I've already sent an email with a link for this topic to:
General Consulate of Tonga
360 Post St, Suite 604
San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone: (415) 781-0365
Fax: (415) 781-3964
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
You can explain to the proud TONGANS why you won't remove this topic, that stereotypes and denigrates a whole people, when they come knocking at your door.
a resident of Amador Valley High School
on Nov 28, 2008 at 10:46 pm
OMG! You people are over the top. Taking the time to research the info for the Consulate of Tonga and sending an email link means you need a hobby!
James, there was no fault in describing the people who scammed you as being a group of Tongans. As I wrote earlier, the police definitely use race as a descriptor when a crime has been committed. You did err in writing "don't hire the Tongans" and "beware the Tongans" because in this attention deficient group, your point was completely lost and instead people are rallying to the aid of the poor Tongan people.
I'd have written something to the effect of: "don't hire this group of people" and/or "beware of landscape con artists".
a resident of Vineyard Avenue
on Nov 29, 2008 at 12:17 am
Let this be a lesson to everyone, before you hire a landscaper, painter, contractor or whomever, check with the CSLB online to make sure their license is valid and the person you are dealing with is the actual license holder. Get everything in writing, if they aren't willing to type up a contract with you find somebody else who is and take the time to learn your rights.
James, you can take them to small claims, you had a verbal agreement with them, it can hold up in court. If they were licensed, they should have also been bonded and you can file a claim against their bond, don't give up.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 29, 2008 at 12:24 am
OMG! You call a simple search and a couple of clicks on Google and cut and paste research? Now that's attention deficit my friend.
I agree with using a description of those individuals that he had an issue with but James made a huge leap by demonizing a whole people, not just offering a description. In the end, you do make the same point though that stereotyping is wrong. So I guess, although we see things from a different perspective, as to the big picture we completely agree.
a resident of Livermore
on Nov 29, 2008 at 10:10 am
Take a deep breath...pj...hahahahahahahhahahahahahahhaa...
pj...it would be more fun if you could just describe to everybody how it feels way way deep down inn your nose how it feels to be trashed!
hahahahahahahahahahahhahah...why can't you be more like me and take the high road?
as for artemis...are you nuts?
a resident of Amador Valley High School
on Nov 29, 2008 at 8:39 pm
I really think some people use these boards simply to stir up crap because they are attention sucks with nothing better to do with their life. Their own family and friends (if they have any) have learned to ignore them and so they come here.
a resident of Livermore
on Nov 29, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Get a grip Arte, take a deep breath, hold it...now FLUSH!
Let me be an example, take the HIGH ROAD arte...tee hee hee, tee hee hee...
a resident of Amador Valley High School
on Nov 29, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Well, since you figured I was talking about you, at least you are self aware. I'll give you that.
As for taking the "high road"... you consider comments like the one you made on the "Local Marine back from Iraq to festive homecoming" topic the "high road"? No, that's "stirring up crap". Let ME be the example: I'll stop paying attention to you now and if others do the same perhaps you'll quit making idiotic & inflammatory comments in the hope of getting attention.
a resident of Livermore
on Nov 30, 2008 at 10:44 am
arti...look in the mirrow, now flush!
Please try your best to take the HIGH ROAD. This is no time of the year to take the birth of your savior lightly; you do not have the permission of the authorities to try to harm innocent others!
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahah...are you the devil?
a resident of Livermore
on Nov 30, 2008 at 10:46 am
Correction: replace "mirrow" in above post with the word toilet bowl!
editor of the Pleasanton Weekly
on Dec 1, 2008 at 5:50 am
Jeb Bing is a registered user.
We're intentionally giving this post a rest because the postings have become repetitive, accusatory and often based on hearsay. Thanks for posting.
Livermore trustees demonstrating wisdom
By Tim Hunt | 11 comments | 1,418 views
2017 guide to summer camps
Looking for something for the kids to do this summer, learn something new and have fun? The 2017 Summer Camp Guide features local camps for all ages and interests.


text:
Four Hope College basketball players have received all-conference honors from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). The honorees are chosen by the league's coaches.
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° Junior Peter Bunn of Lansing (Lansing Christian HS) was voted to the men's All-MIAA first team while senior Chris Nelis of Zeeland (Zeeland East HS) received All-MIAA second team recognition.


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[quote user="lttaylor56"][quote user="MattMeyerBud"][quote user="JPizzack"]
[quote user="lttaylor56"][quote user="patsrule666"]Mr. Norton, Mr. Irwin, and Mr. Swanson- Your well overdue packages have been sent out this afternoon...Keep me posted as to their status.... Thank you and enjoy..[/quote]Your kindness is sincerely appreciated and I am very excited to see this package. You da man[/quote]

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u mean daven... hes probably taking a care package to the face right now
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i'll look to keep the tradition alive tom


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Nothing against Strahan, but Rice deserves it more.
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Secretary Paige kicked off an exciting 25-city No Child Left Behind Tour Across America on April 8 in Albuquerque, NM, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. The secretary spoke to a crowd of nearly 2,000 students, parents and community members, and he urged parents to actively participate in improving America's schools. He said, "There's nothing more powerful for school change than a parent who's informed and engaged and has options." Joining Secretary Paige were Senator Jeff Bingaman; Congresswoman Heather Wilson; Congressman Tom Udall; First Lady of New Mexico, Dee Johnson; Miss Navajo Nation, Radmilla Cody; several Governors of local Native American Tribes; and Olympic Gold Medallist, Tristan Gale (women's skeleton 2002).
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April 25th
Secretary Paige will deliver the commencement address at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Look for our upcoming announcement of the next cities on Secretary Paige's Tour Across America.
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|"Our job is to make sure every American understands this law and the new spirit behind it. It is our job to make sure every person working with the schools understands the commitment our elected leaders have madethe results Congress and the president demand."
|Secretary of Education, Rod Paige
We hope you find the No Child Left Behind e-newsletter of interest. We will be sending these out regularly. You can also check out our web site at www.NochildLeftBehind.gov, which is updated daily, and serves as a one-stop resource web site for parents and families.
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University of Colorado Boulder senior Kendra Stone spent part of the past semester in one of her classes tutoring Boulder High students, some of whom were struggling in the classroom due to a language barrier, while others were excelling but needed to overcome other obstacles.
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"During the semester, I helped students with biology papers who were explaining complicated processes, while also helping students who could barely speak English write simple essays," Stone said. "Throughout this experience I gained a deeper appreciation of the education I have received. It also has motivated me to keep furthering myself and to keep giving back as well."
Each semester about 350 CU-Boulder students participate in community-based writing courses through the Program for Writing and Rhetoric, contributing well over 5,000 hours of their time to local community and nonprofit organizations, according to CU-Boulder Senior Instructor Sally Green, who teaches a course that partners her students with Arapahoe Ridge High School and Boulder High School students.
"This experience gives students the opportunity to develop and apply their communication skills in authentic contexts," Green said. "They complete valuable projects for their community partners and gain an understanding of social, environmental and economic issues which informs their entire college education."
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Jeff Monaski is the Program Director and Brand Manager of WIBX 950. A contributor to WIBX First News with Keeler in the Morning, Monaski is an avid fan of sports who roots for the Mets, New York Giants, Rangers and Knicks. A graduate of Herkimer County Community College he's worked for WIBX for the last decade holding positions in the newsroom as reporter and news director. Monaski was formerly the co-host of WIBX First Look and SportsWatch. In addition to First News with Keeler in the Morning, Monaski can be heard weekends as the co-host of This Week in the Mohawk Valley.


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|Duffy sweater, MBMJ coat (old), David Kahn jeans (old but similar), Express wedges, J Crew scarf, Celine bag, Gap sunglasses
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Lemony Fresh (See Jane Wear)
39 comments
Not sure what I love most about this look; amazing sunnies, great coat, to die for purse or the flare. Love!ReplyDelete
ugh stop teasing me with that gorgeous bag!ReplyDelete
xo the egg out west.
Perfection! Definitely a great idea to wear bright colors to make these cold winter days happier :)ReplyDelete
Those pants are gorgeous on you and I love that pop of color!ReplyDelete
I'm in love with that bag (so pretty)!ReplyDelete
xx Allie
A Song to Pass the Time
I have been obsessing over your purse for weeks, it's perfect.ReplyDelete
love the yellow! and the wide leg jeans! looks fresh with everyone wearing skinny jeans now!ReplyDelete
reece xo
Absolutely love your celine! That's the first time i've seen one all in one color!ReplyDelete
WHat a cute outfit. This yellow scarf is a really cute pop of color!ReplyDelete
xo Andrea
Wonderful and Marvelous
Love your bag and scarf!ReplyDelete
love the outfit! the coat is so beautiful! xo, AlmaReplyDelete
Love the whole look and totally agree with you - sometimes punching up a winter neutral outfit with a bright color is the best way to lift your spirit on a cold/gloomy day! :)ReplyDelete
I completely agree...yellow makes me happy in the winter months!ReplyDelete
that yellow scarf is the perfect way to brighten up a dreary winter day! xoReplyDelete
love this pop of yellow girl! Jan is a month that needs some color :)ReplyDelete
Hi Jane! we've written a post including one of you outfits. Hope you like it!ReplyDelete
Kisses from Spain :)
Teresa & Maria
Such a classic ensemble. Love pops of color! Also, didn't know about the smelling a lemon fact. Thanks for sharing! - CarlaReplyDelete
Love it- lemon yellow works all year long!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous coat; love the break on the trousers, too. Perfect!
Hi Jane, you look amazing with this yellow touch!ReplyDelete
❤ Margherita ❤
Frivolezze Provinciali
LOVE your purse and coat!!ReplyDelete
Beautiful. Love the jacket.ReplyDelete
that bag is beyondReplyDelete
Yellow looks great on you and more people than they realize i think. Everyone always says its a hard color to pull off but i think the right shade looks great on most!ReplyDelete
I love the hint of lemon to keep things fresh in the winter time and your coat looks so cozy!ReplyDelete
Chelsea & The City
Absolutely love this lemony look!ReplyDelete
Love from South Africa
So cute. Lovely look. Coat, scarf , handbag every thing is perfect.ReplyDelete
love how you styled this outfit.. with a pop of bright yellow scarf, it's just perfect! :)ReplyDelete
Amor GLAMOROZA
How perfect is this look?! I love it so much. And that bright scarf can definitely combat any blues :)ReplyDelete
xx Megann of Style Surgery
Love the pop of yellow in this outfit! So chic!ReplyDelete
LOVE this look!ReplyDelete
ann e
I love a bright scarf in the middle of winter!ReplyDelete
Great look! I've been looking for inspiration on how to style a similar pair of wide leg pants, and I love how you paired stripes and a bright scarf! What do your shoes look like?ReplyDelete
Cute outfit! Loving the yellow scarf with the stripes :)ReplyDelete
xo, Ani
Love this look! Your pants are fabulous and I love the pop of yellow! Perfect for a dreary winter day.ReplyDelete
Kate xo petite-adventures.blogspot.ca
I'd have to agree: lemon or another bright color is perfect for driving away the winter blues. And I just had grapefruit this morning for breakfast! What a coincidence. ;)ReplyDelete
Fresh look, I like it!ReplyDelete
Lemon Flavor
That coat is gorgeous, and I love it paired with the stripes & bright yellow! Such a fresh winter look!ReplyDelete
Such a timeless beautiful coat! Love the lemony pop of color as well.ReplyDelete
wow i really love the fashion !!!!ReplyDelete


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September 1-7: This week in Black History
7 photos Launch gallery
September 1-7: This week in Black History
1. September 1: This Day in Black History1 of 7
2. September 2: This Day in Black History2 of 7
3. September 3: This Day in Black History3 of 7
4. September 4: This Day in Black History4 of 7
5. September 5: This Day in Black History5 of 7
6. September 6: This Day in Black History6 of 7
7. September 7: This Day in Black History7 of 7
In February, Jeff Johnson talked about Black History Month coming to a close. He said it shouldn't be celebrated just ONCE a year but everyday or every week. He asked that we set aside at least one evening or one day a week to talk about black history and to keep it alive. We plan to honor his request with a gallery every week this month to celebrate significant events, timelines, births and to remember those who have passed away.


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Unless someone on this forum is ancient, most of us have never lived in a society where there was not an expectation that people could be eligible for government money without making a meaningful contribution. Yet few if any of us have lived in a household where no contribution was expected or even tolerated. Property rights are awesome. Public entitlements...not so much. I guess that's the point you were trying to make, but once that point is made, I don't see much potential for this thread.
Finally, incorporating the additional—and significant—other forms of taxation into our calculation leads to the conclusion that nearly 100 percent of Americans pay taxes in some way, shape or form. All consumers bear the burden of state and local property, sales, and income taxes, as well as excise taxes on items like gasoline, alcohol, or cigarettes. These other taxes tend to be regressive, imposing more of a burden on low-income families than on high-income families—the state and local tax burden is over twice as large as the federal tax burden for the bottom fifth of households (Citizens for Tax Justice 2011). When you fill up your car with gasoline, you can't avoid paying the tax. The pump does not differentiate between the richest Americans and the poorest families.
Actually, I was setting-up an argument that the votes of people who pay taxes should count more than the votes of people who don't pay taxes or receive certain government benefits. Many people are aghast at the notion that some peoples' votes should count more than others, however they would have no problem with a similar arrangement in their personal lives.
Why do people who contribute nothing to the funding of the country have an equal say as those who pay the bills? Why does the vote of a parasite cancel the vote of the producer?
Ah the myth continues. Hate to break it to you but everyone pays taxes.
Not everyone pays taxes with money they earn. Entitlement money being returned to the government is not the same as paying taxes from income earned in exchange for labor.
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text:
Court programs
Effective justice strategies
Teen court program
Teen courts typically hear the cases of juveniles between the ages of 12 and 17 who have committed one non-violent offense or who are minor repeat offenders. In most programs, offenders must admit guilt and agree to abide by the program's decision before the court accepts their case.
Listing of teen courts in Wisconsin
Teen court programs come in many forms -- from three to five-person teen tribunals that recommend sentencing, to a more formal court process where attorneys, bailiffs, clerks, and jurors are all volunteer teens and the judge is an adult, usually a municipal or circuit court judge, law enforcement officer, attorney or other community member.
Teen courts in Wisconsin are funded through county human services departments, county boards, school districts, the United Way, the Office of Justice Assistance, and private donations. Many also receive in-kind contributions of space from county courthouses and other city and county facilities. In addition, some courts charge a small fee for their services, while others hold annual fundraisers.
Often teen courts require hiring a coordinator to train and manage volunteers, assist with intake, and process cases. The budget for these programs ranges from $20,000 to $60,000 annually.
Teen court models
Adult judge model
An adult judge rules on court procedure and clarifies legal terminology, youth volunteer as defense and prosecuting attorneys and jurors (may also serve as bailiff and clerk).
Youth judge model
Similar to adult judge model, but a juvenile serves as judge.
Tribunal model
Youth serve as defense and prosecuting attorneys to present cases to a juvenile judge(s) who determines sentence.
Resource: "Teen Court: A National Movement," Technical Assistance Bulletin No. 17, American Bar Association, by Paula A. Nessel, 1998
Steps to implementing a teen court
- Seek advice and input from key persons in the community (judges, law enforcement, probation departments, lawyers, schools, youth-serving agencies, etc.). See resources below.
- Assess community needs (magnitude of juvenile crime, types of offenders and offenses, existence of other juvenile diversion programs, etc.) and resources (services for youth, financial and human resources available).
- Explore legal issues that may impact the program.
- Create an advisory board, including key persons listed above.
- Define the program's purpose, goals, and objectives.
- Identify target population.
- Consider staffing issues (some programs need only a part-time coordinator, others have several staff members).
- Develop policies and procedures for referrals, case management, training, etc.
- Identify and secure financial and in-kind support for the program.
- Secure services for the program and its clients, such as arrangements for sentencing options (community service locations, educational classes, peer discussion groups, mentoring).
- Promote awareness of the program (press releases, posters in schools).
- Devise evaluation and result tracking procedures.
Resource: Peer Justice and Youth Empowerment, American Probation and Parole Association, by Tracy M. Godwin, 1998
The National Youth Court Center of the American Probation and Parole Association (external link) provides training and technical assistance and serves as an information clearinghouse to youth court programs in the United States. National Youth Court Center, c/o American Probation and Parole Association, P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578-1910; phone: (606) 244-8215; fax: (606) 244-8001; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Peer Justice and Youth Empowerment: An Implementation Guide for Teen Court Programs by the American Probation and Parole Association is available free by calling (800) 636-8736 or on the association website (external link).
The University of Wisconsin Extension can help counties and schools develop a teen court program that suits their particular needs. Contact Rich van Benschoten, state staff specialist, at (608) 262-5020.
The Volunteers in the Courts Initiative of the Wisconsin Supreme Court has program descriptions and contact people for all reported teen courts operating in the state. Contact Sara Foster at (608) 266-1298.
The Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance (external link) helps jurisdictions find teen court funding. Call (608) 266-3323.
The Wisconsin Teen Court Association has resource people who can provide technical assistance to start a program. To learn more about the Association, contact Nancy Anne Miller, Vilas County Teen Court coordinator, at (715) 479-3648.


text: Hi, I have installed the munin package on one of my Ubuntu 7.10 servers and I run munin agents on all other servers (2 x Ubuntu 7.10). These munin agents are linking through to the one server, on which I can see all servers and all domain's perfomrance graphs -well, all but one server. One server shows as node in munin, but shows no graphs. To ensure it is not a firewall or connection issue, I have installed the munin server on that physical server as well - to no avail - still no graphs. I found this in the munin wiki: Now, I tried all combinations of host_name and use_node_directive to no avail. I tested connections with telnet and got this result: Code: [email protected][email protected][email protected] [email protected] Trying 18.104.22.168... Connected to finch.chillifire.net. Escape character is '^]'. # munin node at login02.chillifire.net Connection closed by foreign host. [email protected] Trying 18.104.22.168... Connected to login03.chillifire.net. Escape character is '^]'. Connection closed by foreign host. [email protected] Trying 188.8.131.52... Connected to login01.chillifire.net. Escape character is '^]'. Connection closed by foreign host. [email protected] 'login02.chillifire.net' is the culprit. And see how that domain is not resolved by telnet to 'login02.chillifire.net' but to 'finch.chillifire.net'? finch is the hostname by the way. Now, when I run the same test on one of the other servers, the behaviour is expected: Code: [email protected][email protected][email protected] So it seems quite likely that the problems I am observing come from the behaviour of the finch server to resolve 188.8.131.52 to finch.chillifre.net instead of login02.chillifire.net. So the $60000 question is this: Where do telnet (and munin) get the idea the server's domain name is finch.chillifire.net instead of login02.chillifire.net? I checked the /etc/hosts files and could see no significant differences. No DNS record for finch.chillifire.net exists, so Bind cannot be the culprit. Please help (I am beginning to be desperate) Cheers chillifire Attachement hosts file on finch (which behaves incorrectly) Code: 127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost 22.214.171.124 finch.chillifire.net finch 220.127.116.11 radius02.chillifire.net radius02 220.127.116.11 login02.chillifire.net login02 220.127.116.11 mysql02.chillifire.net mysql02 ::1 ip6-localhost ip6-loopback finch.chillifire.net fe00:0 ip6-localnet ff00::0 ip6-macastprefix ff02::1 ip6-allnodes ff02::2 ip6-allrouters ff02::3 ip6-allhosts hosts file on blackbird (which behaves correctly) Code: 127.0.0.1 localhost.localadmin localhost 22.214.171.124 blackbird.chillifire.net blackbird ::1 ip6-localhost ip6-loopback blackbird.chillifire.net fe00::0 ip6-localnet ff00::0 ip6-mcastprefix ff02::1 ip6-allnodes ff02::2 ip6-allrouters ff03::3 ip6-allhosts


text:
Grzegorzkrol.com is a 1 year old domain, situated in Poland. The domain is linked to the IP address 22.214.171.124.
It was registered by Whois Data Protection Sp. z o.o. , who can be reached at . The site is owned by Whois Data Protection Sp. z o.o.. Registration details show that it was registered on 08 Jan 2016 through netart sp z o.o and will expire on 08 Jan 2017.
It is being generated using WordPress 4.4.2. The site is being served through Apache/2.