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Indybay FeatureRelated Categories: East Bay | Police State and Prisons
Why the Paint?
I am sure that alot of people are wanting to hear me answer this question; so below, I have prepared a statement that might clear a few things up.
Sometimes, when those who sit in control of a major institution or bureaucracy, decide to behave and conduct themselves, and the affairs and business of that institution or bureaucracy, in a way that is in complete contempt of the basic respect for basic humanity, then it becomes a responsibility, and a one's duty in life, to act against such behavior and conduct. Because to not, only allows a wicked air of banality in this world to exist, and ultimately leads society to becoming just as venal as that system or institution. The way that BART, and in particularly the General Manager Dorothy Dugger, have handled the affairs in the aftermath of the shooting of Oscar Grant, constitutes such an institution, and characterizes such a person in control of it. So on April 09, 2009; I had realized what my duty was, took responsibility, and acted.
Since the shooting occurred, BART has continued to lie and mislead the general public in an attempt to cover-up the truth behind what really happened on New Year's morning at the Fruitvale station. This deceit has taken place so that those who are responsible for crimes that led up to Oscar Grant's death, are not held accountable. When confronted, challenged and exposed with their lies and cover-ups by the public demanding justice at open comment meetings, the BART board of directors has arrogantly turned up it's nose and insultingly rolled it's eyes. They have disrespected the family and blamed the victim. Recently, BART has gotten up the audacity to think that they can pass off mendacity as the truth about the events of January 1st, by filing papers in court that say: Oscar Grant was the one who was being violent, and Johannes Mehserle only committed a 'tragic accident'. While at the same time, continuing to protect those who are guilty of crimes of accessory, like Tony Pirone, by saying that his conduct and use of force was acceptable, because Grant was a danger to him and his partner( who is also guilty of a cover-up and should be fired). If BART thinks it can keep adding insult to injury to those who have been victimized and those who demand justice, then they better think again and expect resistance.
If Dorothy Dugger, is going protect those who are responsible for crimes that resulted in a murder (as she has done with Officer Tony Pirone, by not firing him), and protect those who have lied and tried to cover-up those crimes (like Chief Gary Gee by not firing him), then she has become involved in a conspiracy of larger scale; and most important, she has become complicit in covering up the truth. I had concluded to myself that day in the boardroom, when I depleted the tube of red paint on the dais where Dugger's place is, that it was appropriate and legitimate to focus my actions in front of her where she sits, because it is the seat of the General Manager, and that position of power should of never be abused in the way that she has. It is a message that such unscrupulous behavior from those who head BART, will NOT be tolerated by the people and the community, and we will fight back by any means necessary!
I have decided to take full responsibility for my actions and I want people to know that I had acted on my own accord. I know that some people are upset with me because what I did was not in consensus with the rest of the group. For this I am sorry, but I want people to realize that what I wanted to do, I could not share with the entire group, and I could best carry out and execute my action, without risk of detection, by myself. I have accepted the consequences and am willing to do the time, and I understand that by making statements like these, I increase that chance. If I go to jail, I want people to understand that while I sit locked-up, people like: Officer Tony Pirone, who are guilty of far more serious crimes than throwing child's washable paint on the desk of a corrupt bureaucrat, and disrupting a "public" meeting, are still free and roaming our streets. Tony Pirone committed a crime, he must do the time!
Some people may say what I did is violent or unacceptable, but the true violence in this case has come from the BART Police when Oscar Grant was murdered. And what is truly unacceptable, is when that violence is protected and condoned by a system such as BART. A situation of injustice and unregulated wrongdoing has evolved in the aftermath of the shooting death and murder of Oscar Grant III. I believe that it is my duty as a human being, and before G-D, to commit myself and encourage others, to keep resisting and fighting against this ongoing miscarriage of justice. It is truly a violation of basic: equity, fairness, and respect for the rights of not just Oscar Grant, but all who are effected by repression in our society. It is only when we make a stand together and in unity, will the powers that hold us down, be no longer able to do so. It is only until then, will we be free.
In solidarity with justice,
Gabriel Mark Meyers
Comments (Hide Comments)
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009 9:24 AM
"I want people to realize that what I wanted to do, I could not share with the entire group, and I could best carry out and execute my action, without risk of detection, by myself."
At the very least, you need better planning. :P
Gabe, I don't think I know you, but I've been in your shoes -- not in the sense of throwing paint on someone (just so that's clear) but in the sense of feeling that I couldn't share with others. Ironically, the first poster (who doesn't appear to be from "the left", or at least, s/he's refreshingly self-critical) is also correct about your actions. Sometimes you can learn the most from people who aren't coming from the same perspective from you, and as such, have nothing to lose by speaking up. Your actions have consequences, not just for you, but for others as well. If you can talk with others about what you're going through, you have to do it; if it's not safe to do so, you need to ask yourself some questions, such as:
- If I can't trust these people, then why am I working with them? (Helpful hints: feeling guilty or tied to them by obligation is 100% bona fide BULLSHIT, as a justification. So is following your own conscience and fuck everybody else.)
- Is the action I'm going to take the most effective response in the present situation? (This is crucial - *FEELING* that you're right is not enough. Unchecked feelings = mountain of hurt if left unchecked.)
- What is the impact I'm doing on others? Will it potentially backfire, and undermine the intended objective?
- Is it worth the potential price? What could I be doing with the downtime, instead of being on conditional release, or whatever?
In addition, you need to read up on other activists, and see what they've gone through as a result of their actions. It's not always blah blah, fist in the air, at least I did the right thing, rousing chorus of solidarity forever, believe me. Look at Emma and Berkman's lives after Lenin booted them out of the Soviet Union, for example.
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009 10:21 AM
Hey Gabe,
While I respect your honesty, you need to be careful legally. This post amounts to a confession and is basically making it so the prosecutor can convict you without doing any work. At worst you end up martyring yourself, making it impossible to fight from jail. By your own admission, there's no movement supporting what you did so you'd just be wasting your time.
Just some sympathetic advice.
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009 10:41 AM
Good Job Gabe. Someone had to do it.... Dorothy Dugger is a loser.(period) And so are those Bart cops. The Bay Area is rife with murder, but when it's train cops who do the killin then sh_t needs to hit the fan. I personally feel that police forces in CA need to come up with other strategy's when dealing with the public, or ultimately, I fear, there will be more un-neccesary murders of Moms, Dads, and youth. Oakland residents didn't like it when people rioted in their precious city, so you'd think they'd be in on the activism too, but as far as I am concerned it is mostly outside forces coming to the aid of a dead black man.
Dear DA who reads this: Let Gabe alone. Some of us citizens support his actions.
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009 2:13 PM
"You need to be careful"
Presuming of course that this actually is Gabe, and no, saying "I'm Gabe" is not enough to establish identity; while weirder and more unjust things have happened, using a confession from a website that allows anonymous posting (as is the case with the vast majority of sites on the Internet that allow user comments) raises the possibility of entrapment, if not the possibility of a 3rd party setting somebody up. As such, I'd be wary of accepting this as evidence, if I was a lawyer (which I'm not). Better safe than sorry, though -- caution is usually a good approach, so we definitely agree there.
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009 4:20 PM
What planet do you live on? Are you a non-Oaklander patting yourself on the back for some "aid" you offered? When and where exactly?
Just so you know, there are plenty of Oaklanders working for justice for Oscar and against police brutality.
In fact, I can't think of anyone without strong East Bay ties who is doing shit about this BART case now, so I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
Please clarify your statement, with evidence, or retract it.
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009 5:18 PM
hey, a small request, could we all just check the tone in our comments a bit. before you write, if you can assume that the person you are addressing is at least on the same "less power" for cops side of the issue that we all are, just please address them respectfully, don't talk down to them or chastise them like they are little kids. e.g. rather than saying "thats bullshit, prove it" ask them to "clarify what they mean by X, because it sounds like they are saying Y".
a high level of patronization, venom, and self-righteousness in these comments will hurt our ability as a movement to use this forum as a news and communication source, as there are many forces coming together in this movement who have not worked together and have been marginalized for a long time, and patience is needed while we establish some familiarity with one another.
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009 5:39 PM
"Patience is needed while we establish some familiarity with one another."
Definitely agreed, and sorry if I came off as overly harsh. I do stand by what I said, though.
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009 6:16 PM
Thanks to 'comments' re: checking our tone.
Just a general thanks; your points are good to keep in mind.
>> a-feminist: you affirmed that you stand by your position - "...the first poster...is also correct about your actions."
I'm curious to hear what part of the 1st posters' broad characterizations you agree with.
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009 6:58 PM
Mostly what I agreed with was this:
"The DA is preparing to go to trial on the Grant case. Murder trials take a lot of prep time. Without proper preparation, the guy walks on a mistrial."
While I think the BART board was probably looking for an excuse to clear the room of pesky protestors (as tends to be the case), I also think that handing them that excuse is unfortunate. Direct action imo needs to be strategic as much as tactical, and as the commenter said, the DA is preparing for trial, and trials have been known to been held in the court of public opinion; if perceptions shift to "protestors, bad", it can give power to the DA, even though it's not supposed to, justice is blind, blah blah. This is of course presuming that the commenter thinks that killer cops walking away on a mistrial is a bad thing. :) It's also presuming that the DA is not overly interested in sending a cop to prison on a murder conviction (he is a DA, after all). If the poster wants Mershele to walk because all cops are good, saintly individuals, then whatever - I read my own opinions about the prison industrial complex into what they said. If that's the case, fuck 'em -- you want cops to walk free when they murder people? Fine then, abolish the prison system (which harms everybody) -- otherwise, too bad, he gets to rot in jail if there's any justice in this situation -- which is doubtful, but still. My first read though was that the commenter was saying, "Hey, chill out, willya? You're making the case for the DA". Could be wrong about that, of course -- he could be thick enough to think that blathering on about how tough DAs, cops, politicians, bankers, and so on have it and how unappreciated they all are would get an ounce of sympathy from anybody but other right wing trolls in these here parts, but hey.
As for the rest of the post: as I said above, I may be reading this into what they said (and please, speak up if you're lurking), but I got a sort of "wise up, ya lunkhead" sort of inflection off the comment, rather than a "ya clueless hippie, get a job" freeper one, and as much as I love y'all, the left is sort of in need of a reality check these days -- too much infighting and navel-gazing, especially in the bay area, so to be honest? I'll take what I can get. It's also been my experience that we have allies in unexpected places at times, and if it's possible to get past differences in tone, then we all benefit. No way to tell without further clarification, though, and I could be overly hopeful in this case.
Friday Apr 17th, 2009 1:55 AM
This defense of the paint action, authentic or inauthentic, hits the mark - just as the paint did.
"The DA is preparing to go to trial on the Grant case. Murder trials take a lot of prep time. Without proper preparation, the guy walks on a mistrial."
This statement assumes the DA is preparing to win a conviction. That assumption runs counter to historic evidence in cases like this, i.e., a case where someone, whose actions are normally blessed by the state, is brought to trial only by public demand (Please recall that the killer was only arrested after the first Oakland uprising - another action that many "sensible" people condemned as a counter-productive strategy). This case has similarities with the Emmett Till case: see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7PpVHyHjxw.
In more recent history, I witnessed one Assistant DA's stellar performance in a mock police trial, that was so good that he came dangerously close to winning it - before showing his true colors, and letting the "thugs" (his word, not mine) off with the equivalent of a traffic ticket: see report at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2005/06/08/17462921.php. A DA who really saw Oscar Grant's killing as a murder would not have let the suspect roam free (and leave the state!) for two weeks - without ever detaining or even questioning him. The DA claims the killing was a murder, yet refuses to consider charges against any of the POLICE that stood there and witnessed the murder, and made no attempt to detain the shooter or help the victim. Just look at the DA's bail motion: it largely accepts police claims as fact - claims made by those that were accomplices to the murder!
Staging a mock trial (held only to appease an angry public) and fixing it to fail takes a lot of prep time. While the DA is busy with that, our job is to continue to expose and disrupt the "wicked air of banality".
Gabe, please contact me at junya AT rocketmail.com to update me on your case and let me know how I can support.
Friday Apr 17th, 2009 10:38 AM
"It is only when we make a stand together and in unity, will the powers that hold us down, be no longer able to do so. It is only until then, will we be free."
Gabe, sir, with all due respect, that's exactly what No Justice No BART was trying to do. They had held open meetings you could have come to, there were specific plans made for this board meeting, there was a check-in on the sidewalk before everyone moved into the building that morning. The one single demand they wanted to push was for a public meeting *this* month in East Oakland so that the public can actually be involved in shaping BART police policy. Just as the board members were relenting on this demand with April 25th as the tentative date, you struck, making all of the work NJNB put into planning for the meeting moot. BART refused to listen to anything NJNB had to say after the paint incident. NJNB had been working hard holding demos and pickets and so forth, to get a large crowd to the board meeting, and had finally built enough cred that the board was starting to listen and respond. Now that's all largely wiped away. Now BART can move further along and solidify their plans for their phony civilian police review board before anyone from the public gets to say squat.
Putting aside the gender politics of a man "attacking" a woman, if you wanted to throw/squirt paint on Dugger, then it would have been best for you to do at a board meeting where NJNB had not staged a takeover to make specific demands. Instead, you used No Justice No BART as cover to stage your action. You stood amongst the NJNB demonstrators pretending to to be down with them, but you were anything but. You cared more about making your own personal statement than you did about what NJNB was trying to accomplish. That's not standing together and in unity. That's exploiting the hard work of another group to make your own symbolic statement. That's stepping on NJNB's message and showing complete disregard for their work.
You answered the question "why the paint?" But now I am curious if you think the painting was worth destroying months of work of NJNB? How did the painting right in the middle of the NJNB action show unity of any kind whatsoever?
Friday Apr 17th, 2009 4:16 PM
I second that. you hit the nail on the head.
Friday Apr 17th, 2009 4:34 PM
This is what I was getting at when I posted "Feedback on your post" above, and in my view, it just further solidifies what I was saying. I totally understand direct action as a tactic, as long as it doesn't mess up the work of people who are part of the same struggle. Now, what happens far more often than it should is that some group who has issues with direct action as a tactic will denounce people who commit it, even going so far as to argue for calling the cops when direct action happens (um, say what?); but that's not what I hear you saying at all.
I think sometimes there's a tendency in some parts of the anarchist community, or whatever it is we are, to see everything in terms of direct action, and that everything else is either liberal bullshit or "marxist" bullshit, which is sort of a shame, because it discredits the perfectly fine tradition of direct action on the left while messing up yet another group's business. It really does nobody any good when we go this route; we sort of come off like some anti-authoritarian version of the RCP, with all roads leading to insurrectionary uprising as opposed to the Glorious Worker's State As Prophesied By Chairman Bob (tm), with predictable results.
Again, in case it isn't clear: I'm not critiquing the tactics or intentions of Gabe's actions, just the apparent lack of strategy behind them. Taking into consideration the impact your actions have on others is as critical a part of unity building as is a commitment to diversity of tactics; which is why the principles drafted for the 2008 RNC protests serve as such a valuable model for future organizing.
Friday Apr 17th, 2009 10:33 PM
Note + caveat: In my first draft of this piece i wrote the words "alleged" for every time an act occurred. After reading Gabe's statement again and realizing the fact that he has accepted responsibility for his acts (as he has described them) i am removing the words alleged, but noting that just because one is admitting to specific actions does not mean that person is guilty of committing a "crime" as the penal codes and legal precedent defines them. There are all kinds of defenses to a criminal charge that can be made even if one admits to doing specific acts. Caveat ended. Now on to my thoughts ontthe postings and the comments.
I like Gabe, Gabe's a good person. He was the passive victim of police brutality who then got thrown thru the "justice" system's wringer coming out of a past demonstration. Coming out of that demonstration, there was world-wide support for Josh Wolfe and very little support for Gabe. All of the above probably went into what Gabe did, including knowing how ridiculous the justice system is, first-hand, and the non-solidarity he received when he was a victim of police "misconduct".
I was not there when this action occurred and i don't know what Gabe knew about the plans of NJNB, but this very symbolic act (more on symbolism versus direct action below) of throwing (washasble) paint on the chair of the BART board, is, in my opinion, better than doing it on an underling police chief. It shows that the whole BART system is corrupt and irresponsible, not just the "bad apples" of the police department. It seems that when you can no longer dismiss the actions as just a few rogue cops, the next line of of defense for a power-hungry system is to claim the police department is out of control. And Gabe, in a non-sexist act, redecorated the highest person in the hierarchy there, who happened to be a female. (Consider if Hilary Clinton or Sarah Palin had become President, would people say it was sexist for a male to criticize them?--The alleged "power dynamics" critique is a not an anti-sexist critique, but strikes me as more of chivalry, at best, or a disingenuous critique of an act you disagree with, at worst. Sometimes this is called kitchen-sinking an argument.)
Soem people claim that Gabe's action disrespected NJNB's plan's. It seems to me that Gabe's actions were in the spirit idea of No Justice No BART! whether specific people in a specific organization support(ed) it or not. If the organziation "No Justice No BART" was at a BART meeting to only demand another meeting, then maybe "No Justice No Bart" (the organization) is not in the spirit of No Justice! No BART! (the slogan). (Note: this my own personal opinion and i have not spoken with anybody including Gabe about this.)
There have been examples of controversial individual acts in history, and Gabe throwing pain on someone is not comparable to the assassination of President McKinley, or Alexander Berkman shooting the robber baron and strikebreaker Henry Frick. It is, as someone posted, a childish (child-like?) act, but not in the ageist way the poster used it, but simple and to the point with no mincing of words. An example of this kind of action was the throwing of skunk oil on Mayor Shirley Dean in support of People Park a few years back by Professor Carolyn "Blue Sky" Johnson. People may disagree whether we're at that point yet, but when BART lawyers say that Oscar Grant was in effect responsible for his own murder, a "temper tantrum" may be what is called for. Some people have also claimed tha the rebellions of the days after Oscar Grant was killed, were also "temper tantrums".
Some people here have called Gabe actions "direct action". I disagree. They were symbolic protest actions-good ones in my opinion, but symbolic (as symbolic as holding up a sign or wearing a black armband). They were pointing out a situation using the symbolism of paint on a director of BART. a militant action can be symbolic or direct. A direct action does not have to be militant. The grape boycott was a direct action, to directly affect the pocketbooks of the owners who hired the scab workers. Direct actions might have also included blocking, or chasing away the scabs or burning down offices of the company. It would nto including lobbying them or throwing paint on them. In a struggle, many tactics, both direct and symbolically indirect might take place, but we shouldn't confuse them.
Now as i wind this comment up, an aside: Someone mentioned Emma Goldman being kicked out of Russia. Emma did not get kicked out of the Soviet Union. She could see the USSR becoming the police state that Stalin consolidated and typified later. This can be read about in her book, "My disillusionment with Russia".
Saturday Apr 18th, 2009 12:26 AM
I'm not dissing Gabe, I'm questioning whether engaging in a symbolic act (as you noted, not a direct action, I stand corrected) in this context was strategically effective. I'm not putting this forth to get on Gabe's case, honest.
As for Emma: when I said booted out, I didn't mean that to infer that it was her fault. While she did leave of her own accord, she did so because it was clear that she was going to be booted out, or worse. From Chapter 52 of Living My Life:
"In the first weeks of Sasha's anguish that followed the massacre of Kronstadt I had not dared to mention the idea of definitely leaving Russia that had come to me during the siege. I feared it might add to his agony. Later, when he had bravely pulled himself together, I broached the subject to him, not at all sure that he would want to go, but certain that I could not leave him behind under the murderous regime. I was therefore immensely relieved to find that Sasha had spent many sleepless nights brooding over the same idea. After we had discussed every possibility for making our lives count for more than mere existences in Russia, we had come to the conclusion that no word nor act of ours would be of value to the Revolution or to our movement or of the least help to our persecuted comrades. We might proclaim from the market-place the anti-revolutionary nature of Bolshevism, or we might hurl our lives against Lenin, Trotsky, and Zinoviev and go down with them. Far from serving our cause or the interest of the masses by such an act, we should be merely aiding the dictatorship. Its skilful propaganda would drag our names through the mire and brand us before the world as traitors, counter-revolutionists, and bandits. Nor could we continue gagged and chained. Therefore we decided to go."
Saturday Apr 18th, 2009 2:29 AM
No offense, but frankly you have no idea what you are talking about. You weren't there, you haven't been involved with NJNB, and you haven't even spoken to Gabe about this. From your armchair, you're going to tell NJNB what their mission or "spirit idea" is or should be? You're going to tell the activists, community members, and family of Oscar Grant and his friends involved with NJNB that you and Gabe know better and that Gabe is righteous for stepping on their hard work? That's ridiculous.
While I feel for the consequences Gabe has yet to face, Gabe's actions accomplished nothing other than making himself feel better that he "did something." That it effected zero change other than it likely causing him to lose his freedom doesn't seem to matter. Yet apparently it gives you something to cheer about from the sidelines.
Direct actions, symbolic acts, whatever, are not the be all and end all, as exciting as they may be. All movements require actual *campaigns* to achieve goals. Symbolic actions may very well play important and even key roles in pushing justice forward, but on their own they accomplish little other than making statements of dissatisfaction with the status quo. There have to be organizations pushing things along where the rubber meets the road, sustained campaigns that outlast the fast and furious direct actions. NJNB is not some namby-pamby NGO looking to quell anger at BART. They have been very confrontational, moreso than any other organized group out there. They took over the BART meeting, for pete's sake. They took it over with real strategic demands. Yes, for a public meeting, a public meeting set at a time working people could attend, with BART paying for outreach to publicize the meeting, so that the public can be involved in shaping BART and BART police policy. BART had agreed during the NJNB action to a meeting at a venue NJNB had arranged in East Oakland. BART had agreed to post notices in BART stations and to pay people to flier about it in East and West Oakland. About the only thing that was not 100% settled was the date, but things were leaning strongly toward the date NJNB pushed for, this very month. If anything, Gabe's action not only accomplished zippo in the real world, but it was highly counterproductive. Now the community will be denied the chance to be heard any time soon. The community has been denied the chance to have input and contribute to the shape of the justice that it demands. It will be BART that gets to declare what "justice" looks like, at least for the time being.
Seriously, what real things did throwing paint on someone accomplish? What was the strategic goal? Is BART going to all of the sudden come up with the perfect plan for justice on their own because one of them got a dash of paint on their jacket? No, it's not going to happen like that. The Oakland community deserves to be heard on what it wants to see from BART. Gabe's action stepped on all of those voices. You can blather all rough and tough and stuff in comment threads about how NJNB's demand was "just another meeting" but it was an important meeting whereby the community could be heard on what it expects from BART.
Lastly, if you truly support what Gabe did, and it's not just meaningless blither-blather you spout in comments here, then get out there and do similar things yourself. You know where BART trains and stations can be found. You know when board meetings will be held. Get out there for fuck's sake and actually do something. Disrupt the shit out of them until there is justice. Do all the symbolic and direct actions you want. Just don't be some kind of punk that sits back and cheers others on to jail. Do it yourself. By all means, do it. Do it as soon as you can put a sensible plan together. Do it daily, weekly, whatever. But do it. The sooner the better. And for crying out loud, keep enough of a head about you not to do it in the middle of someone else's action and silence the community from having their say in the shape that justice takes.
Saturday Apr 18th, 2009 2:21 PM
"Lastly, if you truly support what Gabe did, and it's not just meaningless blither-blather you spout in comments here, then get out there and do similar things yourself. You know where BART trains and stations can be found. You know when board meetings will be held. Get out there for fuck's sake and actually do something. Disrupt the shit out of them until there is justice. Do all the symbolic and direct actions you want. Just don't be some kind of punk that sits back and cheers others on to jail. Do it yourself. By all means, do it. Do it as soon as you can put a sensible plan together. Do it daily, weekly, whatever. But do it. The sooner the better. And for crying out loud, keep enough of a head about you not to do it in the middle of someone else's action and silence the community from having their say in the shape that justice takes."
Sometimes, I think much of what goes on these days is a bit like watching Life of Brian - small, splintered sectarian groupings arguing over The People's Front of Judea vs. The Judean People's Front, and when someone comes into the Important Meeting, full of passion and life, and declares, "For god's sake, do something, there's a whole world of highly disillusioned people out there", it's like they've spouted a third head.
I don't know much about No Justice No Bart, other than observing your actions - but it seems like you're trying to push beyond the usual BS, and as long as you're not a front group, I support your efforts, and am glad to see a group of people stepping forward intelligently and coherently, without confusing incremental wins with the actual goal, and advocating for both action and structure. Given that anarchism is not about structurelessness, but organizing in communities rather than via the state (or at least, it should be), you would think people would be happy about this; on the other hand, I wish I could say that this was only a problem that anarchists have, because then we could isolate it as an internal problem and figure out solutions together, but it's not. Groups that focus more on organization building frequently get mired down in some sort of NPIC-like bureaucracy, which then leads to self-preservation and power-brokering -- which is every bit as bad as people acting autonomously in ways that undermine sincere attempts to empower communities. We're losing our ability to be self-critical, and when that goes, you've pretty much lost - at least until people start to regroup and honestly assess again. In any case, best of luck to y'all.
Sunday Apr 19th, 2009 2:15 AM
Well, I wanted to make at least one comment on here, before my posting disappears off of the front page of Indybay. First, I wanted to say thanks to all of my supporters =) It brings me a sense of joy and a smile to my face to see that there are people who think what I did was right on. People like 'concerned person' are wrong! There is a movement supporting me, which is part of a bigger movement to demand justice. I am most grateful for everyone who has showed their solidarity or stood up for me, thanks a million. When we are united, we are strong!
I suppose now I should turn my comments to those who have criticized me. There was quite a bit of criticism, but some of the stuff I wanted to comment on inparticularly, was the comments made by 'amen' and 'ahem'. Like I said in my statement, I understand that people are upset because I did not go along with what had been decided by the NJNB group, and that there are people, like yourself, who feel that I destroyed what NJNB had set out to accomplish, which was have a community meeting---'Now the community will be denied the chance to be heard any time soon. The community has been denied the chance to have input and contribute to the shape of the justice that it demands. It will be BART that gets to declare what "justice" looks like, at least for the time being'.
Well, I have to respond by saying that to let the BART Board say that they are no longer going to go agree to something that they said they would in Feburary, because of what I did, is BS(period). If BART tries to use, and misappropriate the paint incident to reneg again, or back out of a promise of a community meeting, then NJNB and the community needs to call them on it, and hold them to their word. They have no right to use what I did as an excuse, so don't let them.
Also, I do not think that it is fair to say that I am the one who is going to be responsible for any sort of civilian police review oversight board not being implemented--" Now BART can move further along and solidify their plans for their phony civilian police review board before anyone from the public gets to say squat"-- Look at this article on indybay: Glacial Pace of BART Oversight; AB 312's Civilian Oversight Committee Dead on the Tracks. There are things going on in Sacramento that are keeping a civilian oversight committee from forming. I really think that is an absurd accusation to say that I am the one who is responsible.
But the most absurd thing said by 'Amen', was that what I did was some kind of mysoginistic attack because Dorothy Dugger is a woman---" Putting aside the gender politics of a man "attacking" a woman." ---I did what I did because she's complicit in covering up a murder, not because she is a woman! Are you serious when you say this?????? That is really outrageous to imply such a thing!
To say as well, that NJNB's organizing of demos at BART stations in Oakland was what brought a large group of people out to the meeting is not totally true either---"NJNB had been working hard holding demos and pickets and so forth, to get a large crowd to the board meeting, and had finally built enough cred that the board was starting to listen and respond"--- What brought a large group, was that public was responding to BART recently filing papers in court in response to the lawsuit; saying that Oscar was the one who was violent and provoked the cops, and asshole only comitted an accident. At least that is why I know I came all the way from Sac for the Board meeting. Com'on, you know that. You know that is why everyone showed up that morning. There where all sorts of people there because of what BART had filed in court, not just NJNB people.
I was not trying to ruin or stamp out what NJNB was doing and what I did does not have to. Like I said, if BART tries to use this to once again reneg on a promise on a community meeting, tell them to eat shit and start protesting. They do not have that right and I am sure that alot of level minded people would agree.
I was not part of the NJNB organizing for this board meeting and just pretty much was there as a concerned citizen; like many people. I respect that NJNB got together before the board mtg., and set a plan and made a demand: to have BART have a community meeting with the public. Well, I think that BART needs to face the public somwhere other than they Kaiser building and answer questions, but in light of what BART had recently said in court about the case, I think that a stronger demand should of been made. The board can ostentiously show up at a meeting a blow smoke up everyone's ass just like they do at the BART Board meetings( and that is if they show up at all). To have a community meeting was a promise they made in Feburary at a board meeting, and they broke it. If I was at the NJNB organizing and planning meeting for this last BART Board meeting, I would of pushed for something as simple, but powerful, as a demand such that: the BART board publicly applogize on the spot at the board meeting and also in writing. As well as, retract what they said in court; if that is legally possible. Not, 'let's give BART a second chance on a promise they already have broken'. We need to show some teeth. The things that BART said in those papers, and the way they have been handling the issue of Oscar Grant from the start, is TOTALLY unacceptable and in my opinion, criminal . To be polite and try to get them to come to talk about it at a community meeting can be somewhat dangerously naive. No real justice will come out of that! I felt that a serious direct action approach needed to be taken.
My intentions was to not sabotage any effort made by NJNB or any one else, but I want people to realize that if we do not play hardball here and set demands, that are a hanging curve ball over the plate, then we are going to get roped. I thought that NJNB was supposed to be about disruption because of the injustice and uscrupulous behavior by BART in the aftermath of Oscar Grant. Well, I decided engage in that disruption and now some people from NJNB are slamming me. That's dumb.
That is about it for my comments and responses to criticisms. I guess that I covered what I want to. I might of left a few things out, but that is ok. My advice to everyone is to beware of what you read on here, you never really know who is writing, and form opinions for yourself. With that said, I want to assure everyone that what is written is authentic and that this is me speaking. I attatched a pic of me at graduation from college with my dad and step mom to prove it is me and some personal info in which people who know me will recognize. I am originally from Sac, lived in Az., lived in the E. Bay for 5 and half years, cooked with FNBs, use to hang out at the Long Haul, stayed at the Helarity house, have a bananna tattoo on my back. People who know me will know that this is me. If you are skeptical, write.
Sunday Apr 19th, 2009 1:04 PM
Now we know. Gabe does not believe in the work NJNB is doing. It's too timid, wrong demands, whatever. So he feels fully justified to this day in completely disrupting their action, shutting it down - as of course the cops would take over the meeting after the painting and the NJNB agenda would be squelched right then and there. Not a single bit of remorse or apology to those who organized to take over the board meeting.
Yet I have to admit I am confused when you say demands must be made. Who exactly is supposed to make such demands? You didn't make any. You just made a statement and got arrested. When demands are made that you don't totally agree with, you just shut them down. The family, the public, in solidarity with NJNB, were in the middle of making demands when you acted. So if it's not your exact demands being made, but whom exactly is to make them remains a mystery since you have no respect for the folks who *were* making demands (http://nojusticenobart.blogspot.com/2009/01/demands.html), then there will be no demands at all apparently.
All of this is good to know, though, in case you ever show up at any events in the future and pretend to stand in solidarity with groups holding actions. You might secretly disagree, have your own independent agenda that you feel takes precedent over what the group is trying to do, and you may in fact be using their action as cover to stage your own.
Thank you for your honesty, Gabe.
Tuesday Apr 21st, 2009 9:39 PM
This is going to be my last comment that I am going to post in response to the criticisms being posted on here about me and my action.
To 'Welp': I do believe in the work that NJNB is doing. Like I had said before, I was not trying to squelch what was trying to be achieved. My intentions were to make a statement of protest in front of the board, not thwart what NJNB was out to accomplish that morning. The meeting went into recess, and the demand that NJNB was making was never finalized. It was not my intention to have things work out that like that, but that is the way it happened. With that being said, I felt that I should give my opinion on this demand that NJNB was making; of getting the BART board to hold good on a promise they made in Feb. for a community meeting. I feel that it was not a strong enough demand in terms of confronting BART and their recent filing of papers in court that said that Oscar was the one who was violent and Mehserele only comitted an accident. A fresh coat of white-wash can easily be painted by the BART board at a meeting like that. They show up, have people yell at them( like people do at meetings), say: ' we have talked to the community', and go home. In the end, things are back to square one, and nothing has really been accomplished. No real justice can come out of that; others posters have made the same comment. Why do you think the BART was going to agree to this meeting, and had said to do so in Feburary? I felt the demand was kind of a softball pitch and I wanted to let people know. Despite that, I still respect what a group has come to an agreement on( although people are saying that I don't) and was not trying to disrupt or step on what NJNB was doing; once again, that was not my plan.
I have decided to give my opinion about this demand and state my intentions of my action, because of all of the accusations that have been made. I know people are angry with me and probably will be for awhile. I want to be straight up and tell everyone what my intentions were, and have the ability to respond to criticisms. Alot of outrageous accusations have been made such as: I hate women because Dorothy Dugger got splattered, or that I am some kind of agent provocateaur working for the police or the govt. Hopefully, when people read this, they can see that it nonsense and not have bearing on their judgement of what I did. Like I said in my last comment posting, you never really know who is writing this.
I really hope that the events at that board meeting, do not discourage people from further organizing to demand justice for Oscar Grant; this is a crucial time. Protest needs to keep happening and presence should be made at board meetings, at BART stations and this upcoming Police Review Committee on the 27th. Keep organizing and don't think that things said by: 'amen', 'ahem' or 'welp', or whoever it is, should stop you. What I did should NOT have to mean that the movement to demand justice for Oscar Grant needs to come to a halt. It seems that's what was being suggested by some, and my reply to that is: HOGWASH!
Saturday May 9th, 2009 7:03 PM
I read with interest how Gabe Meyers seems to think (along with many others) he is above the law. He uses big words to try to impress people he is smart and grown up but in acutuality he's juvenile and immature. It appears he's trying to make a name for himself with the anarchist at the expense of Oscar Grant.
Let's cut to the chase... You know and I know that this whole thing was very unfortunate but I guarantee you that if it was a black officer that shot a white man that night this whole thing would have been over within a week. No riots, no juvenile behavior from the college students etc.
Non-law abiding people, like Meyers, are out for a lynching and cannot stand to let judicial law seek justice. They do not know the all evidence in the case but they automatically know everyone at BART is guilty. They call for justice but they won't let justice take it's course. (Strange isn't it?) I'm glad the other millions of US citizen's allow our government and judicial system to work. Imagine if everyone acted against justice like Meyes and his friends... We would be left with total anarchy! Just what Meyer's and the like's of him are promoting!


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First, the good news: London Bridge is not falling down. The fairy tale lies. As for the rest of this city? Friday's opening ceremony can't come soon enough. Bringing in the military at the last second is seldom a sign of anything but fear, and they just keep coming. Another 1,200 soldiers were mobilized on Tuesday as the private company hired to provide the bulk of the security at these Games – G4S, the world's leading supplier of security solutions, according to its website – fought off new allegations that many of its hires cheated on tests to run X-ray scanners.
Meanwhile, trains on the Greater Anglia line can't stop at the Stratford International station – the Olympic Park – because of problems with overhead wires created whenever the temperature goes above 28.
This after the London Underground's Central Line broke down Monday night following a dress rehearsal for 60,000 folks at Olympic Stadium.
Can't move people. Can't keep them safe. Can't even get them their freaking tickets. London never was going to be able to compete with the 2008 Beijing Games for logistical wizardry – democracy's funny that way – but the trick now is to prevent people from casting wistful looks ahead to 2016 and Rio de Janeiro.
"Once the sport begins, the media will stop focusing on transport and security," grumbled Peter Hendry, commissioner of transport for London.
Turns out that playing host to an event like the Olympics isn't all that easy after all.
Now, it is true that the Summer Olympics are a different animal than the Winter Olympics in terms of scale. It is equally true that taking shots at a place's weather is not fair game.
It says more about the International Olympic Committee than London that the title of fastest man in the world might be decided in a downpour.
But at this time, as we await Friday's opening ceremony – like everything else, mired in controversy, this time about its length – it seems fitting that we proud Canadians burst forth with the rallying cry: "Remember our malfunctioning ice penis."
You remember the ice penis, right? It was one of the four mechanical sculptures that failed to rise during the opening ceremony for Vancouver. The ice penis, as the Brit press referred to it. Symbolic in its flaccidity, symbol of a Games destined to go wrong, just hours after Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died on a training run at the Whistler Sliding Centre.
You will surely remember how Kevin Eason of The Times of London wrote: "As Vancouver faces up to Games that appear to have been cursed, there is one positive outcome for London. Many believed that London would be overshadowed hopelessly by the glitz of Beijing in 2008, but Vancouver may have provided a buffer of reality that will make whatever London does look like light relief compared with Canada's gloom."
Or how Owen Slot, also of The Times, opined that: "Good news on the medal table is in high demand because the [Vancouver] Games organizers are winning few prizes for the impression that their Olympics are making on the rest of the world." For pete's sake, Marina Hyde of The Guardian chided us for being "touchy" about criticism of the 2010 Vancouver Games. "Ridicule is part of the Olympic ideal," she wrote.
Hyde was right about one thing: The British press has not spared the rhetorical sword in analyzing and discovering the shortcomings leading up to these Games. I know what it takes to be a cynic, and these folks were predicting catastrophe on the media bus going to the gold-medal women's soccer game in Beijing.
"You think this traffic's bad, wait 'til you see London," was the refrain.
So far, however, the knives have been out for the guys in suits who have mismanaged the basics. There's been enough to rip apart in the nuts and bolts of this thing, without taking the next step of broad-brush statements about a country's people or character. The euro zone is crumbling, as is this country's faith in its bankers and media, and it feels as if we are on the edge of an economic precipice here.
No, London Bridge isn't falling down, but there is a feeling that these might be the first Games wheezing just to get to the opening ceremony. Welcome to the club, London. Ridicule is a dish best served cold.Report Typo/Error
Follow us on Twitter: @Globe_Sports

subset: commoncrawl


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HOUSTON - Charges are pending against a 29-year-old man accused of crashing into a Houston police cruiser while the officer conducted a traffic stop.
Police arrested Anthony Adam Garcia on Monday. He was expected to be charged with first offender driving while intoxicated.
The crash happened on the feeder road just off of 45 near Aldine Bender Road about 3 a.m. Monday.
The police car had its lights on during the traffic stop but Garcia didn't slow down or move over in time to avoid crashing into it, said police.
"Probably about three minutes afterwards, there was another vehicle driving at a high rate of speed and crashed into the police cruiser, causing damage and proceeded to flip over," said Luke Tram with the Houston Police Department.
The force of the crash pushed the police cruiser into the truck that was pulled over. It shattered the truck's back window.
No one was hurt, including the police dog.
Copyright 2013 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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SNOW CRUNCHES underfoot as nature photographer Igor Shpilenok walks over a frozen lake from his warm cabin to an igloo of packed snow. Inside, he is protected from the harsh February wind, which sends temperatures below minus 4 degrees F on Russia's southern Kamchatka Peninsula. He sets up his camera, directing the lens through a small opening in the snow. Next to the window, nooks hold lens cases, a teapot, a mug.
Hearing a loud squawking and the flapping of wings, Shpilenok peers through his lens. Five Steller's sea eagles amass on shore around a large sockeye salmon pulled from a stretch of unfrozen water. One eagle tears at the fish's belly with its massive bill while the others watch, waiting for an opportunity to dive in. Suddenly a gust of wind and snow lifts the birds into the air. They struggle to return to the ground and the fish. Seeing an opportunity in the turmoil, a golden eagle that had been hovering nearby sweeps in to steal the fish.
The unsettled eagles land on alder trees along the lakeshore. Below, hundreds of sockeye in red and green mating colors spawn, laying eggs in pebbly nests before they die. These fish are easy prey for the eagles. Shpilenok watches as a bird returns to the ice and snatches an 8-pound sockeye from the lake with one clawed foot, flapping its massive wings to pull the fish onto blood-soaked snow.
Here at Kuril Lake hundreds of Steller's sea eagles gather each winter to gorge on salmon. Underwater springs and raging winds normally keep the lake from freezing, allowing the eagles to dine on spawning sockeye through February. In January 2007, however, when Shpilenok arrived by helicopter, the temperature dropped, and the wind ceased to blow. As the lake began to freeze, Shpilenok built his igloo at the ice-free mouth of a creek. The eagles, which had been dispersed around the lake's edge, moved in next to his igloo, some even using it as a perch. Shpilenok hunkered down for a month, enjoying a front row seat to the feeding frenzy of one of the largest eagles on Earth.
To be more exact, the Steller's sea eagle is the heavyweight champion of the raptor world, weighing in at 15 to 20 pounds. With the harpy and Philippine eagles, the Steller's ranks as one of the world's largest birds of prey, boasting a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet and a 3-foot body length. The Steller's large size helps it survive in colder climates. But the bird's massive yellow bill is what strikes most people first, along with the arresting contrast between the bird's brown-black body and its white shoulders, "pants" and wedge-shaped tail. The large, curved bill is the perfect tool for tearing large or frozen carcasses into bite-size pieces. Many people think the eagles feed primarily on salmon, and while this is true for the birds Shpilenok observed on Kamchatka where salmon are plentiful, studies on the western coast of the Sea of Okhotsk in Magadan have shown that seabirds in coastal rookeries make up most of the diet for some Steller's. To a lesser extent, eagles eat small mammals and carrion, particularly in spring. Sometimes they rob traps set by trappers, feeding on sable, red fox and mink.
Steller's sea eagles are found only along a narrow coastal strip around the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kamchatka Peninsula, wintering on Kuril Lake, the southern Kuril Islands and Hokkaido, Japan. Despite their apparent abundance on Kuril Lake, Steller's sea eagles are listed by International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources as vulnerable, meaning they are likely to become endangered unless conditions threatening survival and reproduction improve. The population's main limiting factor is the ecology of the species: The eagle's range is tied to big rivers and the sea coast, and inland they occur only on rivers where salmon spawn.
The bird is territorial while nesting. Located in mature trees and on rocks or cliffs, nests can measure up to 5 feet high and 8 feet in diameter. Courtship occurs in March, well before winter releases its grip on Kamchatka and the northern Sea of Okhotsk. The female lays one to three white-green eggs in April or May, but reproductive success is limited. In one study in Magadan, only half the nests produced chicks and, generally, only one chick survived. If all chicks die, the adults, which can live more than 30 years in the wild, do not reproduce again that year. Young birds learn to fly at 10 weeks, reaching sexual maturity and donning their adult plumage at four to five years old. Fledglings leave the nest in August and early September, departing for areas to the south shortly thereafter, depending on food availability. From there they go to the southern Kuril Islands, Kuril Lake and wide rivers on Kamchatka and Hokkaida. As with most eagles, the young birds move over large areas, and many die naturally or from human causes.
The remoteness of its nesting and wintering areas makes the Steller's sea eagle one of the least-studied birds in Eurasia. Estimating a total population of about 5,000, scientists debate whether the eagles' numbers are actually stable or slowly declining. Because recruitment of new breeders is one of the most important factors in determining the stability of the population, scientists are especially concerned with learning more about this cohort. Young birds need to be followed until they begin to breed, and such long-term studies are rare. "We know nothing about the movements and survival of juveniles in this species and very little about these for any eagle, even the most common species," says Mike McGrady, an avian ecologist who has studied Steller's since 1988. Founder of Natural Research, a small wildlife research charity, McGrady went from his home in the United States to study golden eagles in Scotland before turning to Steller's. During his first visit to Kamchatka he worked with a German ornithologist to fit two birds with satellite transmitters. In the early 1990s, he teamed with Eugene Potapov, of the Magadan Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Irina Utekhina, of Magadansky Nature Reserve, and they have collaborated on various sea eagle studies since then, marking birds and tracking them by satellite. In 2006 the San Diego Zoo began funding their research and brought Dave Rimlinger, the zoo's curator of birds, into the project.
The group fitted five juvenile Steller's with satellite tags, expecting the transmitters to provide data for up to four years. However, after the birds began their migration south from Magadan in early October, only one of the five tags was still functioning. Four birds either died or lost their tags, or the tags stopped working. A relatively high death rate in the first year is common as the young birds learn to feed themselves and undertake a long flight soon after leaving the nest. But at least three may have been shot. "The transmitter signals started to drill holes in the map," McGrady says, meaning they stopped moving. "Two were in fishing camps and one near a hunter's cabin." The movements of the one remaining young eagle took it down the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and across Sakhalin to winter on small islands just northwest of Hokkaido. The next April, it headed back north to Sakhalin and spent part of the summer offshore, possibly perched on an oil rig or ship--the eagles sometimes ride on boats for weeks at a time, McGrady says.
Although Steller's sea eagles have no natural enemies, they do face a number of formidable threats. In Russia, trappers often persecute the birds for ruining pelts in traps, and occasionally poachers shoot them. Chronic exposure to industrial chemicals, pesticides and atmospheric pollution may limit the bird's ability to reproduce. Overexploitation of fish, particularly salmon, could jeopardize eagle survival.
Decline of fish stocks on Hokkaido in the 1990s led to an unexpected turn of fate for the birds. Wintering Steller's sea eagles moved inland to feed on sika deer carcasses left by hunters. Because the island had experienced a boom in sika deer numbers, the Japanese government encouraged hunters to shoot as many deer as possible. As a result, hunters took only the choice parts of the game and left the rest to rot. Eagles fed on the carrion, ingesting lead fragments left in the deer, and began to die of lead poisoning. From 1994 to 1999, at least 55 Steller's sea eagles died from lead poisoning on the island, along with more than a dozen white-tailed sea eagles. Veterinarian Keisuke Saito, of the Hokkaido Wildlife Preservation Bureau, studied the impacts of lead poisoning in the birds' wintering grounds and advised Japan's Environmental Protection Agency to take measures. In 2001, the Japanese government banned the use of lead bullets in firearms, though lead shot in migrating waterfowl continues to be an issue. Eating one or two lead shotgun pellets, or a shard from a bullet, is enough to kill an adult eagle.
A threat of potentially larger scale comes from oil and gas development on Sakhalin and a new initiative to develop western Kamchatka's continental shelf. Development plans for the Okhotsk Sea in the coming two decades include construction of offshore drilling platforms, pipelines and increased shipping and transport of oil. The harsh environmental conditions in the region, including seismic activity and icy waters, could lead to oil spills, pollution, habitat degradation and disruption of the marine and coastal food web. With the Steller's sea eagle perched at the top of the coastal food pyramid, small disturbances in the food chain could have detrimental impacts on the species. "A little perturbation goes a long way," McGrady says, citing the incidence of lead poisoning. "You could have a negative impact happening in year one, and you could miss it because you haven't been monitoring the young birds."
About 10 percent of the Steller's sea eagle's nesting and wintering grounds are protected in nature preserves in Russia and Japan, and hunting of the bird is illegal. But the effects of poaching, increased human activity, pollution, lead poisoning, overfishing and oil development can reach even into protected areas. These issues require larger scale efforts, often outside the competency of a few committed bird scientists. Organizations like the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Russia are tackling some of these issues by promoting sustainable salmon fishing on Kamchatka, opposing further oil development in the Sea of Okhotsk and strengthening the capacity of enforcement agencies. "The Steller's sea eagle is an important indicator of overall ecosystem health," says Vladimir Krever, head of the biodiversity conservation program at WWF-Russia. "Even in relatively wild areas like Kamchatka, declining species numbers could be a sign of underlying problems such as overfishing or increasing human disturbance in nesting areas."
Laura Williams is senior advisor to WWF-Russia and is author of The Storks' Nest, a book about her life in a remote Russian nature reserve.


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Mineralogist at Peabody Museum confirms meteorite fall in Wolcott
An object that fell through the roof of a house in Wolcott on April 19 was confirmed to be a meteorite by Stefan Nicolescu, mineralogy collections manager at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
The meteorite split into two pieces as it hit the roof and fell through the ceiling onto the attic floor. The smaller part, which was brought to the Peabody for identification, weighed 7.8 ounces and is 2.5 x 2 x 1.5 inches in size. Nicolescu described the meteorite as an ordinary chondrite, the most common type of meteorite.
It has an intense black, very thin fusion crust from heat generated when the rock came through the atmosphere, and a light gray interior. Small blobs — called chondrites — are visible on the fresh inside (where it broke from the other piece found). It has enough metallic iron interspersed in its mass to attract a magnet. These are all features that are common in meteorites.
This is the third recorded fall of a meteorite through the roof of a house in Connecticut. In 1971 and 1982 meteorites fell through roofs of houses only a few miles apart in Wethersfield. The latter is on view at the Peabody's Hall of Minerals, Earth and Space along with one that landed in Weston in 1807. Known as the Weston meteorite, it was the first recorded fall of a meteorite in the New World.
Media Contact
Office of Public Affairs & Communications: [email protected], 203-432-1345


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Blanco only a speedbump on the road to more gambling, says lobbyist
Jeremy Alford - May 04, 2006
BATON ROUGE -- Rep. Ernest Wooten has his name attached to a set of bills that increase the number of video poker machines in truck-stop casinos and ups the maximum bet players can stick into the one-armed bandits.
But if you ask the retired Republican sheriff from Plaquemines Parish what impact his legislation would have, he answers with a John Wayne bravado and Rodney Dangerfield twitch that has become all too familiar to those who hear his infamous one-liners everyday during session.
Read More Stories at HeraldGuide.com!
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Holiday Inn SOLOMONS-CONF CENTER & MARINA4 Self rated
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Choose our 9 acre waterfront resort in Solomons Located on Back Creek/Solomons Harbor Holiday Inn® Solomons Conference Center & Marina Hotel is central to all local business and tourist attractions. Nearby businesses include Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, Dominion Cove Point LNG Station, and the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and 150+ contracting offices. Our hotel caters to business travelers, offering unrestricted per diem rates.
Breakfast Monday thru Friday, and a hosted Happy Hour Monday thru Thursday are all inclusive. Stay connected with our brand new super fast free wireless Internet. We have 18,000 square feet of meeting & event space to host any occasion; from the boardroom for 10, to receptions for 600 guests. Getting married, hosting an event, or having a reunion? We are the Southern Maryland party specialists! Let us work with you to make your affair as unique as you are. Additional property amenities include our on-site Isaac's Restaurant & Pub; Fitness Center & Sauna; Tennis Courts; Jr. Olympic Pool, and Marina with boat slips. Relax and enjoy priceless water views from 276 updated guest rooms and 50 suites. Spend the day fishing, exploring local shops, attending a concert, eating our famous seafood or just strolling our Riverwalk. The Holiday Inn Solomons Conference Center and Marina Hotel has a warm welcome that will bring you back!
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Atlanta MBA Admissions Multi-School Event
MBA Admissions
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Event Details
Berkeley-Haas, Cornell Johnson, Duke Fuqua, Michigan Ross, NYU Stern and Yale SOM
invite you to join us at the:
MBA Admissions Multi-School Event in Atlanta
Wednesday, October 10, 7:00 p.m.
W Atlanta Downtown
Room Studio 5
45 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd.
Atlanta, GA 30308
Take this unique opportunity to learn about six top business schools
Get application tips from a panel of admissions officers from all the programs
Learn about each school's academic offerings, student life and career services
We look forward to meeting you.
Have questions about Atlanta MBA Admissions Multi-School Event ? Contact MBA Admissions
When & Where
W Atlanta Downtown
45 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Add to my calendar


text: It takes a while to forget Collective Soul's dark past. This is, after all, the band that brought the world the heavily contested Most Generic Single Of The '90s: "Shine," a 1994 song that sounded like a Stars On 45-style medley featuring every successful modern-rock act (Alice In Chains, et al) of its time. A few okay-but-unremarkable albums later—featuring such similarly forgettable singles as "Gel"—Collective Soul has a new hit with "Run," which has benefited from placement on the Varsity Blues soundtrack. But something is different: The song, with its slack pace and breezy hooks, isn't bad at all. It's not alone on Dosage, the Georgia band's fourth album, which opens with the likably Matthew Sweet-esque "Tremble For My Beloved" and winds through a slick, safe assortment of inoffensive, radio-ready rock candy. Along the way, there's an elegant, sweetly affecting ballad ("Needs"), a pop song that could easily be reworked into an N' Sync hit ("No More, No Less"), and a few dynamite choruses that will stick in your head for ages ("Dandy Life," "Compliment"). Collective Soul's past transgressions may be hard to forgive—history will likely lump it in with Matchbox 20, Seven Mary Three, and a thousand other faceless, trend-surfing bands from the South—but Dosage sounds an awful lot like rehabilitation.


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Freedom of the Seas - Western Caribbean: Freedom of the Seas Cruise Review by mason5168
Overall Member Rating
Freedom of the Seas - Western Caribbean
Destination: Western Caribbean
Embarkation: Miami
When sailings on Freedom of the Seas were opened to Crown & Anchor members in February 2005, I eagerly signed up and (not so eagerly) paid the premium for sailings in the Inaugural Season. Over the next year, I followed the construction and pre-launch events on RCCLs freedomoftheseas.com web site, watched the May 12th inaugural and christening on the Today show, and looked forward to seeing the ship for the first time in Miami on Sunday, June 11th.
This was my 4th sailing on Royal Caribbean International. Previous voyages included Monarch of the Seas (Sept 2003 Baja), Serenade of the Seas (April 2004 Panama Canal her first westbound transit!), and Radiance of the Seas (May 2005 San Diego/Vancouver).
Sailing with a friend of mine, we were told that Voyage 1 had over 1900 Crown & Anchor members, while Voyage 2 had about 1200 members. Several crew members confirmed the More ship was not full on the first two sailings to give the crew some leeway to work out bugs, but it was expected to be operating closer to capacity on Voyage 3 and beyond. There were approximately 780 children (15%) on the sailing. Pre-Cruise.
We didnt take advantage of air or pre-cruise packages on this sailing. We did our own arrangements and flew into Miami on American Airlines on Wednesday evening, and stayed overnight in South Beach, before driving down to Key West on Thursday. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza La Concha (the tallest hotel in Key West) and took advantage of the roof-top bar for sunset drinks. We visited such local attractions as the Butterfly Gardens and the Lighthouse, and took in the Original Haunted Tour a fascinating and highly entertaining experience.
Fortunately, Tropical Storm Alberto didnt affect our Key West stay except for dumping several inches of rain on the Keys during our drive back to Miami on Saturday. Upon returning to Miami, we stayed overnight at the Intercontinental Miami in a room with a perfect view of the Port of Miami cruise terminal. We awoke on Sunday morning to see Freedom of the Seas docked and awaiting our arrival.
Day 1 (Embarkation).
Prior to our departure from home, we had filled out our pre-boarding information on the Royal Caribbean web site, and printed out our SetSail pass. Compared to past cruises, the new SetSail system dramatically reduces check-in time. All that is required is an identification and credit card check prior to issuance of ones SeaPass.
Although our cruise docs advertised boarding at 2 pm, we boarded about noon. There was no wait, and we were on the ship within 15-20 minutes of arriving at the terminal. It appeared to us that the ship was ready somewhere between 10 and 11 am for pre-boarding. That being said, staterooms were not available until after 1 pm, so most guests were mingling in public areas or eating lunch in the Windjammer buffet (we gave up on eating before 1 pm, as no seating was available).
We toured selected areas of the ship before Alberto started dropping huge amounts of rain outside. Rain cancelled the afternoon Flowrider sessions. Fortunately, the rain subsided before the 4:45 pm Muster Drill. Dinner was casual I think the term was come as you are which was fortunate because of the major baggage delays that plagued both Voyage 1 and 2. We didnt get our last bags until after 10 pm.
Evening entertainment was a comedian (Steve Bruner). The Party Around the World parade was fun, although the balloon/confetti box that was nearest to us malfunctioned. The Flying Bridge that descends from the ceiling above one of the two bridges in the Royal Promenade was amazing.
Day 2 (At Sea).
The remnants of Alberto continued to dump rain on us on Day 2. Outdoor activities were curtailed as a result or postponed to later in the voyage. Tickets for the Freedom Ice.com ice show were distributed in the morning. Within 15 minutes, only tickets for the shows on Thursday were available. Studio B (the ice rink) was open for a short time in the afternoon for free-skate, with sign-ups for the Learn to Skate program prior to the next free-skate on Day 7.
Dinner was the first of two formal nights. This was my first opportunity to rent a tuxedo for use on-board. The tux was in my stateroom closet upon arrival, fit well, and other than not really figuring out how to properly use the cuff links, was well worth it compared to hauling along a suit (and then having to dry clean it after the cruise).
The evening entertainment was a singer/comedy impressionist, Scott Record. His show was incredibly funny, enjoyable, and entertaining definitely a dont miss experience.
Day 3 (Cozumel, Mexico)
Alberto finally moved far enough north to provide partly-cloudy skies with a few sprinkles in Cozumel. The ship was tendered south of town. Transportation for the 3-4 miles to town was by taxi, of which there seemed to be a line several miles long most of the day. Freedom of the Seas was joined by Grandeur of the Seas in Cozumel, still sporting a rather large dent in its hull from the mishap in Costa Maya last year.
We decided to stay on-board, and enjoyed short lines for the Flowrider. The Flowrider staff provided a few helpful hints, as well as assisting lighter children (who surprisingly have a much more difficult time staying on the wave than heavier adults).
The evening entertainment was the Marquee production show, featuring songs from such Broadway shows as A Chorus Line, Sunset Boulevard, Joseph, Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera, and many others. It was definitely a dont miss experience, although Phantom purists will probably object to the All I Ask of You number, in which Raoul is conspicuously missing (his part is sung by the Phantom).
Day 4 (George Town, Grand Cayman)
We stayed on-board in the morning and enjoyed very short lines (4-5 people) for the Flowrider. I managed to master kneeling on the Boogie board with a very helpful hint from one of the staff that one not try to hop up on the board.
We tendered to shore in the afternoon, only to discover rather expensive merchandise for sale. Needless to say, the shopping trip didnt last long. Based on the lack of shopping bags being carried by guests back to the ship, I dont think other guests did much shopping either.
We took the opportunity to stand by for the Freedom Ice.com show in the evening (there was no Arcadia Theater entertainment that evening). Fortunately, there were a sufficient number of no shows that we got right in, and actually had very nice seats for the show. The show was terrific another dont miss experience.
Day 5 (Montego Bay, Jamaica)
We docked in Mo Bay and went ashore for the Chukka Blue Original Canopy Experience shore excursion. This zip-lining experience (6 traverses) was fantastic and is highly recommended. The highlight of the trip is a very long (280 meter) Inter-parish Express traverse, on which one can reach speeds of 35 mph. Two hints remember to brake on the last traverse to avoid crashing into the landing pad, and wear lots of mosquito repellent.
Dinner was the second of two formal nights the Venetian Feast with the dining room staff singing the traditional O Solo Mio. The evening entertainment was the Now You See It magic show featuring Drew Thomas and the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers. I liked the show, although there were a few illusions that were just a little too easy to figure out.
Day 6 (Labadee, Haiti)
We stayed on-board in the morning while at Labadee to enjoy more Flowrider time as well as no lines for Rock Climbing. We had lunch at Johnny Rockets (also no wait and no $3.95/person cover charge thanks to a Crown & Anchor coupon). The waiter wasnt entirely sure how to deal with our request for a turkey burger (one has a choice of beef, turkey, or Boca vegetarian) I guess that most people just get beef burgers& The waiters, cooks, and supervisor did a wonderful dance routine to Stayin Alive by the Bee Gees. All in all, it was a fun time.
We tendered ashore in the afternoon and rented floating mats (they dont have to be reserved in advance you can just present your SeaPass on-shore). We walked the extra 5 minutes to Hideway Beach and enjoyed a remarkably uncrowded, peaceful beach experience. Tenders back to the ship were quick, as security screening is done at Labadee.
The evening entertainment was the Once Upon a Time production show, described as A fairytale with a fun pop music twist. Indeed the music was decidedly hip, with Pinocchio set to N*SYNC and Cinderella set to Gwen Stefani among others. I thoroughly enjoyed the show, but in listening to some older guests after the show, some of them didnt enjoy it as much as the more traditional Marquee a few days earlier.
The Culinary Gala Sensation (Midnight Buffet) opened for viewing at 11:30 pm, with consumption at 12:15 am. I was disappointed compared to the buffet experience on the Radiance-class ships. The buffet was held in the Windjammer (as opposed to the dining room on Radiance ships), and it was rather unimpressive. The desserts were rather ordinary and the bread examples were limited. Perhaps having the buffet so spread out dilutes the visual impact of the presentation on the Radiance ships. In addition, on both Monarch and Serenade, the buffets included the Chocolate Buffet which is just downright awesome.
Day 7 (At Sea)
Our last full day was spent in a morning adult Learn to Skate class thanks Joel of the Ice Crew for putting up with us (!), followed by some free-skate time. Studio B was open for free-skate most of the afternoon. We were thankful for taking in the Flowrider and Rock Wall on the port days, as the Flowrider line averaged 30+ people all day, while the one session of Rock Climbing we saw had 24 people waiting to climb within the first 15 minutes.
Dinner was the Feast of Nations, and the evening entertainment was the Farewell Variety Show with the comedy of Eric Lyden. The entertainment and ship staff joined up on the stage for one final farewell, which was a nice chance for Captain Bill Wright to say his good byes.
Day 8 (Disembarkation).
The ship docked in Miami early by 6 am or so. Departure started with priority departure (i.e., carry your own bags) around 6:30 am and proceeded rapidly from there. Breakfast was offered between 6 am and 8:30 am in the Dining Room, and until 9 am in the Windjammer. Guests were to have vacated rooms by 8 am. A separate departure lounge was provided for Crown & Anchor preferred members, but since they are given the earliest departure times anyway, it was difficult to even get there before our departure color was called.
Our impression of disembarkation was that Royal Caribbean changed their slogan from, Get Out There to just plain Get Out :-). I suppose this rapid departure sequence is what permits the ship to be available for boarding between 10-11 am. Personally, I think Crown & Anchor preferred members should be given an option to select a departure time, rather than automatically getting the earliest departure times.
The slowest part of disembarkation was Immigration, especially for the many guests who were still not traveling with passports (required after 12/31/06).
We purchased transfers to Miami International while on-board ship. After collecting our luggage, we were directed to the waiting coaches. We arrived at the airport early, but flights on Sunday are notoriously full, so were unable to standby for an earlier flight. Fortunately, we were upgraded into First Class (a benefit of frequent business travel), and enjoyed a rather nice meal (nothing like the food on Freedom though) on the way back home.
As we departed to the east from the airport, we flew over the Port of Miami and could see Freedom of the Seas through the clouds. Seeing the ship as we headed back home brought a smile for all the wonderful and memorable experiences of the trip. Some General Impressions
Stateroom: Our cabin was 1538 (E1), one of only two E1 staterooms on Deck 10. Its location just ahead of the forward elevators was remarkably quiet. Our stateroom attendant, Katarzyna (Kasha) from Poland was very nice, and very attentive. Flat screen TVs provide more space in the cabin, as there is no bump out in the desk for the television. The new bedding (pillow top) was incredibly comfortable, although the heavy comforter should probably be replaced by lighter blankets for tropical voyages. Space under the bed was more than sufficient for 4 pieces of luggage. Towels were fluffy, but Royal Caribbean should get their money back on them most of them had horrible runs and loose strings in the terry cloth after just a few weeks of use. Compared to the Radiance vessels, the bathrooms lacked the annoying vent that was the source of some rather interesting odors on Radiance and Serenade. The deeper balconies were a welcome change, although the lack of an ottoman or chaise lounge prevented full enjoyment of the added space. Balcony partitions can be opened between staterooms by staff they were opened one day for cleaning. Surprisingly, the handrails had not yet been varnished. The only problem with our cabin was an ill-fitting balcony door, which despite 2 tries by maintenance to fix it, remained just barely acceptable. The top locking cam mechanism appeared to be malfunctioning, so the top half of the door did not seal properly against the window frame. Fortunately, we werent in heavy seas (as we were on Serenade between Costa Rica and Mexico) where water was splashing balcony doors on Deck 10.
Dining: Food in Windjammer and Jade was good, with the asian-inspired selections in Jade adding some variety to the standard offerings in Windjammer. Morning pastries were improved compared to previous voyages, but desserts were just barely passable. The best dessert I had all week was the Opera Cake served one day at lunch in the Windjammer. Oddly, there were no chocolate dessert selections on most nights in the Main Dining Room. We often resorted to late night trips to the Café Promenade for chocolate mudslide cookies (the only place they were offered). I purchased a soda/juice package, but Windjammer ran out of Diet Coke on more than one occasion. Entrees in the Main Dining room lacked imagination in presentation (perhaps due to the new fleet-wide menus); however, steaks, tenderloin, escargot, and lobster were all excellent. Our waiters (Jimmy and Juhdee) were terrific.
Entertainment: Both comedians were just so-so in my opinion. Mr. Lyden told an Alaska joke that probably offended most older cruisers yikes, my mom wouldve been offended. Production shows and the Ice Show were excellent, as was Scott Records singing/comedy/impressionist act. On the last evening of the cruise, I thoroughly enjoyed a Jazz Cabaret show by the Royal Caribbean Singers in the Olive or Twist night club. The parades were fun, especially the elephant in the Circus parade. I do feel sorry for the Gorilla though that costume must be warm and heavy.
Activities: The larger Fitness Center is incredible, with great quality equipment. It can be busy in the mornings however. Ice skating, rock climbing, Flowrider, miniature golf, etc. are all terrific. The pools (adult-only Solarium, H2O Zone, and Main Pool) are great, deck chairs are plentiful, although towel exchange service was rather marginal. Apparently, there has been a problem keeping a sufficient number of pool towels clean and available. The library is terrific, with an expansive selection of books and a nice seating area. The Casino is typical of other ships, although my friend managed to win a rather large slot jackpot (which I consider unheard of for ship-board gaming).
Shops: The 2 for 1 T-shirt sale on Day 7 was somewhat of a disappointment in terms of selection. We ended up using our Crown & Anchor Logo Merchandise discount instead. The Logo store and the Get Out There sportswear store are quite nice. We did purchase the Cruise in Review video for the first time; it was well done.
Staff: This was Captain Bill Wrights last voyage as master of Freedom of the Seas, as he was returning to his position as Chief of Maritime Operations as well as being on the steering committee for the upcoming Genesis-class ships. I believe he is being replaced by Captain Carlos Pedercini. Cruise Director Ken Rush did a great job.
Ship: Freedom of the Seas has an advertised cruising speed of 21.6 knots. We noted one evening that the ship was making better than 22.4 knots, although an annoying ship-wide vibration is present at speeds over 18 knots.
Wireless Access: CyberCabin has been replaced by (costly) ship-wide wireless. Cost ranges from $0.50/min to $0.33/min (in $50 packages). Cell phone coverage is also ship-wide, which is not always a good thing - I observed one clueless passenger using his cell phone while skating in Studio B. My BlackBerry worked the entire voyage, although I was never able to get the VPN to work on my laptop (it had worked with CyberCabin). Oh well, it was a good excuse not to think about work.
Some Nice Features: I particularly liked the Royal Promenade, with its glass bridge and constantly changing colors very cool. The cruise line provided us with water at all ports as well as insulated lunch bags to take home.
Some Not So Nice Things: Oddly, the neon sign on the port side of the ship was already burned out, reading Fre om of the Seas. Some parents for some reason dont believe their 8-13 year old children need supervision. Besides the obvious concerns about safety on a ship that has over 5000 people on it, watching an unsupervised group of children enjoy a lunch consisting only of French Fries (with ketchup) and another child eat a lunch of 8 desserts was rather unbelievable.
Voyage 2 on Freedom of the Seas was an incredible experience. I purchased Frommers Caribbean Ports of Call book which has useful recommendations on shopping and excursions, along with a brief description of cruise lines. I completely agree with Frommers assessment that Royal Caribbean, has managed to turn the overfed, newly wed, almost dead cruise stereotype on its ear [by creating] a more youthful product that delivers fun, humor, a touch of class, and bit of feel the burn active excitement, all without charging an arm and a leg.
Congratulations, Royal Caribbean. Freedom of the Seas is one amazing ship. Less
Published 07/06/06
Cabin review: E11538 Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with BalconyDeluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony (E1) Reviews >>
Read Cruise Critic's Freedom of the Seas Review >>
Carnival; never again
Very fun and comfortable
First and last Carnival cruise
Good for the young people!
Nice Vacation of a Lifetime fo...
Time to retire Freedom of the ...
First time cruisers
Would not recommend
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This Pyrite and Quartz specimen weighs 1lb and measures 5.5x3x2"
This mineral is from Peru.
Pyrite is known to promote intelligence and mental stability. It can assist in creativity and logic, memory retention, practicality and optimism. A pretty heady piece. It is also a powerful protection stone and can help the holder to see behind facades. Quartz is the most powerful healing tool and energy amplifier on the planet because of its unique composition of elements. It absorbs, stores, releases and regulates energies around it and within itself. At a spiritual level, Quartz raises energy to the highest possible level and, because it contains every color possible, works on all levels of being. Used in meditation, it attunes you to your spiritual purpose and filters out distraction.
To clean/cleanse, leave out under the next full moon. Do not soak in water.


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Posted by Keri
Becoming a homeowner for the first time is an extremely nerve wracking and time consuming process. You are putting everything out on the line and are not really sure what steps to take. Kerin was excellent in answering any legal questions and guiding us through the process smoothly. She was extremely available, flexible and detail-oriented as well as very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend her to anyone buying a home for the first time and I wouldn't hesitate to use her in the future.
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Kerin assisted with both the sale of our previous home and the purchase of our current home. She was knowledgeable, thorough and represented our interests to our satisfaction. We would definitely work with Kerin again.
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I hired Kerin to assist me in the purchase of a short-sale property. I knew that short-sales can be trying at best, but Kerin made the experience painless. She was absolutely amazing! She kept me informed and advocated for me throughout the entire process. Kerin always had my best interest in mind and I would strongly reccommend her to anyone!!!


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Court documents unravel that a judge has signed off on Ashley and Pete's divorce on November 22 around nine months after they filed legal papers to officially end their marriage.
Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are officially divorced. According to court documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, a judge has finalized the divorce between the younger sister of Jessica Simpson and the founder of Black Cards on November 22.
It was also uncovered that the former couple have entered into an 103-page settlement agreement which will only be filed if they have a dispute about it later on. Specifics of the agreement as well as details regarding their financial or custody arrangements, however, are being kept under tight wraps.
Ashlee and Pete tied the knot in May 2008. Six months later, they welcomed their son, Bronx Mowgli. After nearly three years of marriage, Ashlee filed for divorce back in February 2011. In a joint statement, the exes said, "We remain friends and deeply committed and loving parents to our son Bronx, whose happiness and well-being remains our No. 1 priority."
The pair indeed maintained a good relationship post-split as they have often been spotted spending time together with their son. In the meantime, each of them has also moved on romantically. Ashlee is currently dating "Boardwalk Empire" actor Vincent Piazza, while Pete has been seen going out with model Meagan Camper.


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[Plugin: NextGEN Gallery] Insert Gallery into page broken under Safari
Under Safari 5.1.7 on a Mac (OS 10.6.8), the 'Add NextGEN Gallery' edit insert button for pages is broken. Attempting to select a gallery with the dropdown list does not drop down — instead, a spinner appears and never goes away. Pressing the Insert button does nothing.
This appears to work with Firefox 14.0.1 on a PC running XP.
- The topic '[Plugin: NextGEN Gallery] Insert Gallery into page broken under Safari' is closed to new replies.


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Surging oil prices predicted!Monday, May 12th, 2008
We are slowly getting our heads round the constant rises in gas and electricity, but are we ready for oil to soar to $200 per barrel in as little as six months? If you can't quite work out how that affects us all, then the BBC News online has summed this up for us:
"Oil prices have now risen by 25% in the last four months and 400% since 2001. "
The BBC states that Goldman Sachs energy strategist Argun Murti successfully predicted rises three years ago to pass the $100 mark when at a price of $55.
This article makes for a very interesting insight into the global demand, driven by the booming expansion of countries such as China and India. Throw them in to the pot with existing demand from the US, the European Union and Japan, it can only get worse as time goes on.
If you are interested to know why these prices are so hi then take a look at this from the BBC


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Pilar Marrero eBooks
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El despertar del sue?o americano (Waking Up from the American Dream)
Pilar Marrero
Penguin, May 2012
Format: ePub
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Welcome to Flowers at Kirribilli Order Flowers
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Another entry in my Saturday night humor postings for NewsBusters, usually drawn from the clips shown at the end of FNC's Special Report which frequently come from video montages picked up off the late night comedy shows. It was a pretty weak week with some lame offerings, so this week I'm going back into the archives.
Tonight, from November of 2010, a clip of how some morning news anchors reacted with colorful exasperation when they cut away at just the wrong time and so missed a bridge demolition.
The two anchors are Larry Potash and Robin Baumgarten, from Chicago's WGN-TV's Morning News. This clip, promoted by WGN, got quite a bit of online play last year, but if you didn't see it then you can check it out now. It is amusing.
My previous videos in this "Saturday Night Funny Video" series:
> Saturday Night Funny Video: Dog Says 'It's Time for Deodorant'
> Saturday Night Funny Video: Putin Bags a Tiger While Obama Bags....a Pie
> Saturday Night Funny Video: Putting the Wrong Guest Expert on Air
> Saturday Night Funny Video: Colbert Ridicules Reid Who Mused Over His Pomegranate Trees
> Saturday Night Funny Video: Confusing the Weather Woman with Rudolph Hess
> Saturday Night Funny Video: 'ObamaCare,' 'ObamaCare,' 'ObamaCare,' 'ObamaCare,' Then Herman Cain...
> "Funny Clips" compilation presented in May at the MRC's "2011 Gala featuring the DisHonors Awards: Roasting the Most Outrageously Biased Liberal Reporting." Scroll down the main page.


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Dr. Paritosh Dutta MD Patient Reviews
- Allergy and Immunology Richardson, TX
Overall Rating
6 Patient Reviews
- Friendly Staff
- Promptness
- Spends Time With Patients
- Bedside Manner
- Fair and Accurate Diagnosis
- Easy Appointments
- Wait Time 20 minutes
- Appropriate Followup
Showing 1 - 6 reviews
5.0 of 5
July 19th, 2012
Certainly not sure what the guy's comments above refer to, because it is SURELY not Dr. Dutta! His staff is very nice and helpful and he is a wonderful caring doctor who helped me tremendously! I would highly reccommend him!
5.0 of 5
June 6th, 2012
Dr. Dutta was spot on with my allergies! He has me on a course of treatment that seems right, and the cost is reasonable. The office makes visits for shots twice a week so easy there is no excuse for not going!! Such a pleasant experience. I believe I am on the right track of getting well finally- after surgery on my sinus' failed- this is the cure!!
1.0 of 5
July 30th, 2011
Would not recommend Dr. Paritosh Dutta
I called and made an appointment with Dr. Paritosh Dutta for allergy treatment and requested the receptionist, Lee, to send me the new patient forms to complete beforehand. She never did. On the day of my appointment, I questioned her about this and she said she didn't have time. I sat in Dr. Dutta's waiting room for one hour, never saw another patient in the waiting room the whole time I was there so didn't understand why I was waiting so long. Finally I had enough and asked for my patient information forms back as I was leaving. Lee refused to return them! I told her I was not a patient, as I had not seen Dr. Dutta and they contained personal information. She refused. Later I called Dr. Dutta and spoke with him about this. He started yelling at me in a profanity-laced tirade in his heavy middle-eastern accent. I could not believe a doctor would use the type of language that he did. He would not let me talk and the more he talked the more agitated he became and louder he yelled. I ended up hanging up on him. Would not recommend this nut to anyone. I found Google reviews on him where other patients experienced the same type of treatment.
5.0 of 5
May 3rd, 2016
5.0 of 5
May 29th, 2012
1.0 of 5
March 14th, 2008
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Dr. Paritosh Dutta, MD is similar to these 3 Doctors near Richardson, TX.
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You've already got 5 items in your shopping cart, so there's no room to reserve another one. If you'd like, you can take something out of your cart to make room for this one.
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Plot: Coming off the heels of WWE 2K16, which earned critical press and fan acclaim - including an 8.8 out of 10 from IGN.com - WWE 2K17 arrives as the reigning and defending flagship WWE video game franchise champion! Get ready to be taken to Suplex City courtesy of cover Superstar Brock Lesnar! WWE 2K17 features stunning graphics, ultra-authentic gameplay and a massive roster of WWE and NXT's popular Superstars and Legends.
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Ohio Gas Prices Down To Start Work Week
COLUMBUS, Ohio
Gas prices in Ohio are down to start the work week.
The cost for a gallon of regular gas in Ohio was averaging $3.65 in Monday's survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX Inc. That's down about 11 cents from a week ago.
Monday's Ohio price is about 2 cents higher than a month ago, and about 4 cents lower than last year at this time.
The national average Monday was $3.67 per gallon. That's down 3 cents from last week, but it's a dime higher than a month ago.
Analysts expect the prices to keep falling due to ample U.S. crude oil stocks and other factors.
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