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I'm so happy to introduce Rebecca DeMarino. She was a regular at my book signings in the Hood River and The Dalles region and then she took the plunge to attend a couple writing classes I taught with my mentor Bob Welch. And voila! She has a contract for a series, the first book coming out next month. Whoo Hoo!!
Tell us a bit about yourself.
It's been my good fortune to live in many places, but I've always considered the Pacific Northwest to be my home. My father was a Navy pilot so he and my mother made a home for us all over the map until they retired to a ranch in Oregon. I grew up with horses and reading and riding were my childhood passions. Married life brought more travel. As the wife of an Air Force officer, I raised three beautiful daughters, relying on my mother's example of how to make a home anywhere and find the good in each place. All these journeys led me to where I am now, married almost eight years to my sweet husband and living in the beautiful Columbia Gorge. I'm retired from working as a customer service director for United Airlines. When I'm not writing I enjoy being with my family, genealogy, travel, reading, hiking, baking and gardening.
I grew up listening to my mom's stories about Barnabas Horton, my ninth great-grandfather and how he came across the pond from England on a ship called The Swallow. When my brother became interested in genealogy, we discovered there was a lighthouse named after Barnabas, located on Long Island. I asked my mom if she'd like to go there, and off we went. There was a lot of interesting information about Barnabas. He was a baker and a widower with two young sons when he met my ninth great-grandmother. But I could find very little about her, and I began to wonder about what dreams and motivation she had, and courage she must have possessed, when she married and then left her family behind for the wilds of Long Island. A few years later, I began writing my first novel with a desire to give Mary a voice.
I find those family stories really intriguing, too. Did you always want to be a writer?
Yes and no. I didn't grow up writing stories, but when I took the SAT as a junior in high school, I scored very high on the verbal section, which I'm sure was a result of all those novels I loved to read! The counselor put me in a creative writing class for my senior year. I think that was the first time I thought I could be a writer. And I spent years of dreaming about writing a novel before I ever actually put pen to paper. Or fingers to keyboard, I should say. It's kind of amusing to me that I did not do well in ninth grade typing class, and all those years I thought I'd write my book on a legal pad. Luckily for my procrastination I was able to skip that and go straight for a computer, no white-out involved.
Tell us about your debut novel.
A Place in His Heart is a love story set in the seventeenth century about a widower who is a Puritan and a baker with two young sons. He grieves the loss of his beloved wife, but knows he must marry to provide a mother for his little boys. He meets a young Anglican woman who is passionate and believes in love, but has given up on finding it. It is the story of love lost and found, of learning to live in God's grace and goodness during good times and bad, for better or for worse.
That is a tough question. When I began writing A Place in His Heart, I wanted to give Mary a voice, and it came out loud and clear. She is giving, selfless and courageous. She is also strong-willed and though her heart is in the right place, she tries so hard to make everything right with no help from even the Almighty.
With Barnabas I struggled. He has such a strong belief and will to serve God, but he is torn to the core with grief. He can barely hold on to take care of his children, and indeed if not for his boys he probably would give up. In writing their story, I found myself confronted with the stereotype we have of Puritans from that era. In reality they were men and women firm in their beliefs, but with tender feelings like anyone else. So I admire very much that Barnabas loves and grieves for his first wife. I find it touching that he cares for his sons, even if he is a strict father, and that he wants to provide for them.
Were there any surprises for you in writing the story? Anything that spoke to you?
Yes, several. But most remarkable to me was that almost four hundred years later, we are confronted with many of the same struggles. In the seventeenth century the mortality rate of childbirth made marriage of convenience quite common as men tried to provide for their children and could only hope that love would follow. Today the divorce rate causes many young mothers to marry more for convenience than for love in order to provide for their children.
What writing project are you working on now?
A Place in His Heart is book one of the three-book series, The Southold Chronicles. Right now I'm finishing up book #2, set to release June, 2015.
Where can we go to find more information about you and your books?
I would love for you to visit me at www.rebeccademarino.com
Subscribe to Rebecca's Blog and/or Newsletter (and there is a little freebie for subscribers!)
Read a chapter excerpt: Visit here
You can also find me on:
Like Rebecca on Facebook
Follow Rebecca on Twitter
Add Rebecca to your circles on Google+
Follow Rebecca on Pinterest
I'm so looking forward to our join signing June 6th in Hood River. Your enthusiasm and shining face at my events through the years have always been a joy and I'm so pleased to be smiling back at you at this launch of a great series. Thanks for sharing my blog today!
Thank you so much, Jane, for having me on your blog today! It's been fun doing the interview and I want to thank you to for the gracious endorsement for A Place in His Heart. Your kind words mean so much to me!
Thank you Revell Publishers for hosting a Giveaway for Rebecca. You can enter the giveaway below or go to Rebecca's website for all participating bloggers. Best wishes to the winner!
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Cottage Grove police reports
A theft was reported May 27 at Cottage Grove Middle School. A make-up bag was stolen from a student's locker. A juvenile female from the school was referred to the Youth Service Bureau for theft.
A resident in the 8400 block of 85th Street reported May 27 that an Xbox video game system valued at $583 was stolen from the residence. Police had a possible suspect.
BP gas station, 8490 Jamaica Ave., reported a $50 gas drive-off May 29. Police were working on a possible suspect based on surveillance video.
A Cottage Grove man reported May 29 that someone entered his vehicle and stole $25 cash and work identification from his vehicle while it was parked in his garage in the 9100 block of Janero Avenue. The garage door was not secured.
A Cottage Grove woman reported May 30 that a license plate was stolen from her vehicle while it was parked at Target, 8655 East Point Douglas Road.
An Oakdale-based lawn service reported May 31 that a weed trimmer was removed from a work trailer parked in the 7300 block of 99th Street. No value listed.
A Cottage Grove man was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman known to him and possessing drug paraphernalia. Police arrested Philip M. McKee, 35, after responding to a physical domestic call May 28 at a home in the 7800 block of Hearthside Court. McKee allegedly pushed a 32-year-old woman down on the ground. He was transported to the Washington County Jail.
A 55-year-old man was arrested for allegedly threatening a woman during a domestic incident. Police arrested Anthony L. Tischler, of Cottage Grove, on May 28 at a residence in the 11000 block of West Point Douglas Road. Tischler allegedly caused fear by threatening the 53-year-old woman, the report said. He was transported to Washington County Jail.
A Cottage Grove man was arrested on suspicion of terroristic threats after he allegedly threatened a roommate with a gun, police said. Frank A. Zywiec, 66, was arrested May 28 following a call to a home in the 10000 block of Ideal Avenue. Zywiec allegedly made references to having a shotgun and made threats involving the gun to a 43-year-old male coworker living at the residence, the report said. He was transported to Washington County Jail.
A Cottage Grove woman reported May 29 that her purse was stolen from her residence in the 8900 block of Jasmine Lane. No sign of forced entry. Loss: $200. Subsequently, there was a report of unauthorized activity on some of her bank cards.
Cottage Grove firefighters on May 29 extinguished a small grass fire in a wooded area of Hamlet Park.
The Cottage Grove Fire Department responded to a reported dumpster fire May 29 in the 7700 block of Hinton Avenue.
Gun complaint
Police received a report May 29 of juveniles walking with a handgun near 70th Street and Hinton Avenue. Two juvenile males were found to be carrying replica BB guns. The kids were returned to their parents.
Property damage
A Cottage Grove man reported May 30 that someone put portable construction signs on the topper of his pick-up truck, leaving paint marks, while the truck was parked in the 7300 block of Homestead Avenue. No damage reported to the truck body.
Police received a report May 31 that an unknown person threw a rock through the window of an excavator at a construction site in the 9100 block of Hemingway Avenue. Damage to the ignition was estimated at $250.
Disorderly conduct
Two juvenile males at Cottage Grove Middle School were given verbal warnings following a reported disorderly conduct incident May 30 at the school.
A Cottage Grove woman reported May 31 that someone removed the cover from a boat parked in the 9600 block of Heath Avenue. The woman also reported that someone had stolen a spare tire from the driveway.
A Woodbury man reported May 31 that unauthorized purchases totaling $172 were made from his checking account at Menards, 9000 East Point Douglas Road.
A minor accident involving a vehicle and a bicyclist was reported May 31 in the parking lot of Rainbow Foods, 7282 East Point Douglas Road. There were no reported injuries and the driver and the bicyclist handled the issue between themselves, the report said.
Suspicious activity
A Cottage Grove resident reported May 31 that he saw an unknown male looking in the windows of a home in the 8900 block of Hallmark Avenue. There was nobody outside the residence when police arrived.

subset: commoncrawl


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Reviews - The Old Vicarage Dolfor4
The Old Vicarage, Dolfor, Newtown, SY16 4BN
Customer Reviews
Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
100% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
Business stay for two nights
Had early starts for work both days, and the owners still provided me with a good breakfast at 630am.
Fantastic place, with great environmental standards and lovely fare to eat. Would stay here again for business and also with my girlfriend as a place to stay for pleasure. Brill
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Dungey out of Daytona Supercross
KTM Motorsports has announced that Red Bull/KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey will sit out the Daytona Supercross after undergoing surgery this week to repair a broken collarbone.
Dungey suffered what was initially diagnosed to be a cracked collarbone when he slid out in a turn and landed on his shoulder while practicing at his training facility in Florida prior to the St. Louis Supercross. Following the crash, Dungey, who kept the injury very private, was sore, but wanted to continue vying for his second Supercross title. He finished runner-up at the St. Louis Supercross. Further evaluation by Dungey's doctor this week found his collarbone to be broken. Dungey chose to undergo surgery on Tuesday afternoon to plate the collarbone in hopes of a healthy return to racing as quickly as possible.
Dungey currently sits second in the series point standings, 13 points behind Ryan Villopoto. He has collected two Supercross class wins this season. His return to the series is unknown.
"This is hard for everyone on the team," remarked Red Bull/KTM Team Manager Roger DeCoster. "Ryan has done an amazing job adapting to a completely new bike this year. Through the process he has won two Supercross races and has finished on the podium at seven of nine races. He was well in the thick of the championship hunt at the midway point in the series."
DeCoster continued, "It is often heard around the pits that Ryan needs to get more aggressive and tougher on the track; I am guilty of this prediction myself. But after what he accomplished last week racing to a close second with a broken collarbone; my doubts about how tough he is are well and truly gone. We knew he was hurting but we did not realize his injury was that extensive. His gutsy performance in St. Louis and determination to keep racing despite his injury is a testament to his dedication to the team."
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Less than a week ago, Matt Bartkowski was thought to be headed for Calgary. The rookie defenseman was one of the Bruins prospects involved in the proposed trade for Flames star Jarome Iginla.
But Iginla opted to take his talents to Pittsburgh, so Bartkowski stayed put and on Sunday found his way onto the scoresheet for the first time. The 24-year-old assisted on David Krejci's goal with seven minutes remaining in what turned out to be a 2-0 win over Buffalo, snapping a two-game losing skid for the B's and marking Bartkowski's first NHL point.
Check out Bartkowski's postgame interview with Naoko Funayama in the video above.
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Species Profile
Spring Blue-eyed Mary
Scientific Name: Collinsia verna
Other/Previous Names: Blue-eyed Mary
Taxonomy Group: Vascular Plants
Range: Ontario
Last COSEWIC Assessment: May 2000
Last COSEWIC Designation: Extirpated
SARA Status: Schedule 1, Extirpated
Quick Links: | Photo | Description | Habitat | Biology | Reasons for extirpation | Protection | Recovery Initiatives | National Recovery Program | Documents
Image of Spring Blue-eyed Mary
The flower of the Spring Blue-eyed Mary is bell-shaped and is composed of five lobes. The two upper lobes of the flower are usually white, while the two lower lobes are usually blue, the fifth lobe being hidden. There are lines of hairs on the stems of this plant; the capsule contains up to four seeds.
Distribution and Population
There are presently no known populations of Spring Blue-eyed Mary in Canada, though the plant was once found in southern Ontario. Throughout its range, populations of Spring Blue-eyed Mary are small and discontinuous.
In Canada, the Spring Blue-eyed Mary was found in open wooded areas located near water. This plant prefers moist rich alluvial soils.
Spring Blue-eyed Marys flower in April or May. The flowers are pollinated by bumblebees. Seeds are dispersed, by the wind, in June. The plants quickly decompose after the seeds are dispersed. The seeds of the Spring Blue-eyed Mary germinate in the fall. The shoots overwinter and regrow in the spring.
Reasons for extirpation
In Canada, the habitats of the Spring Blue-eyed Mary were destroyed through forest clearing and agricultural development.
Federal ProtectionThe Spring Blue-eyed Mary is protected under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). More information about SARA, including how it protects individual species, is available in the Species at Risk Act: A Guide.
Provincial and Territorial Protection
To know if this species is protected by provincial or territorial laws, consult the provinces' and territories' websites.
Recovery Initiatives
Status of Recovery Planning
Recovery Strategies :
Name Recovery Strategy for the Spring Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia verna) in Canada
Status Final posting on SAR registry
Recovery Progress and Activities
Summary of Progress to Date There have been three known occurrences of the Spring Blue-eyed Mary in south-western Ontario. The species was last reported in 1954. Recovery of the Spring Blue-eyed Mary is considered feasible, but its recovery will be contingent on additional studies. The recovery goal is to determine the feasibility of reintroducing the Spring Blue-eyed Mary to Canada. An action plan will be developed for the Spring Blue-eyed Mary by 2015, if reintroduction is deemed feasible. Summary of Research/Monitoring Techniques necessary for cultivation and reintroduction of Spring Blue-eyed Mary are being studied in the United States. More research is needed to determine if these techniques would be effective for the recovery of the species in Canada. Summary of Recovery Activities There is insufficient information about the species and the availability of its habitat for reintroduction to be deemed appropriate. Once these knowledge gaps are filled, the recovery goals for the species will be reviewed. URLs Ontario Biodiversity: Species at Risk:http://www.rom.on.ca/ontario/risk.php?doc_type=fact&lang=&id=52
PLEASE NOTE: Not all COSEWIC reports are currently available on the SARA Public Registry. Most of the reports not yet available are status reports for species assessed by COSEWIC prior to May 2002. Other COSEWIC reports not yet available may include those species assessed as Extinct, Data Deficient or Not at Risk. In the meantime, they are available on request from the COSEWIC Secretariat.
1 record(s) found.
- Recovery Strategies (1 record(s) found.)
Recovery Strategies
Recovery Strategy for the Spring Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia verna) in Canada (2010)The Spring Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia verna) is under the management jurisdiction of the Province of Ontario and Environment Canada. The Species at Risk Act (SARA, Section 37) requires the competent minister to prepare recovery strategies for listed extirpated, endangered, or threatened species. The Spring Blue-eyed Mary was listed as Extirpated under SARA in June 2003. The Canadian Wildlife Service – Ontario Region, Environment Canada, led the development of this recovery strategy. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources cooperated in the document's development. All responsible jurisdictions reviewed and acknowledged receipt of the strategy.
- Date modified:


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Mirabella Beauty Skin Tint Creme Reviews
AmazingI bought this foundation because I wanted to try something new and something that had my light skin tone. Almost no foundation line has my light of a skin tone but Mirabella did so I gave it a try and for only $24 I got it for why not. It was amazing. Glided on with such ease and made my skin smooth and natural looking while covering blemishes I had and making me look fresh. Love it! — 2 years, 11 months agotaylorfellman | 2 reviews
perfect foundationi have been in the industry for 10 years now. this is the best that i have found. wonderful benefits — 4 years, 4 months agojonathon_mario | 3 reviews
INCREDIBLE FOUNDATION!!!!LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS FOUNDATION!! A little goes a long way - less is more. I have oily skin and LOVE pairing this with the Mirabella Pure Press. It's a mineral foundation and provides buildable coverage. Awesome ingredients: Hydrate (Sodium Hylauranate), anti-inflammatory (Allantoin), anti-aging. My cystic acne is GONE because of this incredible foundation!! — 4 years, 8 months agonatalie_sparrow_8139 | 5 reviews
Gen - foundationThis is a fabulous foundation! I have used tons and tons of different brands and this one gave me a balance of coverage, smoothness, and a natural look. Also, a little goes a long long way! It also smells nice too, which can be hard to find at times. — 4 years, 8 months agogenevieve_dipaola_sullivan | 5 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 1 of 1 people said helpful
Catherine CrossI am so in love with this foundation! I don't start my day without it! The Fitzpatrick colour coding system offers me the perfect color! The light weight feel with the maximum of coverage I want is perfect and lasts all day.. I can also build with it and dries quickly. — 4 years, 10 months agocatherine_cross | 6 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 2 of 2 people said helpful
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My Reasons for Reporting This


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1068GCC Evaluate Efficacy & Explore Mechanism of Acupuncture in Treating Bortezomib-induced Peripheral Neuropathy (BIPN) in Multiple Myeloma
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Patients are asked to be in this study if they have multiple myeloma and are having tingling, numbness and pain from taking bortezomib (velcade®). Patients who have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma often take bortezomib (velcade®).
This research is being done to find out if acupuncture can reduce the nerve pain, tingling, and/or numbness patients experience due to bortezomib (velcade®).
Acupuncture is a medical technique of inserting very thin needles into the "energy points" on the body with the aim to restore health and well-being. It has been used widely to treat pain, such as lower back pain and nerve pain. In this study we will see if acupuncture can be used to ease nerve pain and tingling, numbness that is caused by bortezomib.
|Peripheral Neuropathies Multiple Myeloma
|Device: Acupuncture
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
|Official Title:
|A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Explore the Mechanism of Acupuncture in Treating Bortezomib-induced Peripheral Neuropathy (BIPN) in Multiple Myeloma Patients
- To Determine the Response Rate (Via FACT/GOG-Ntx Scores) Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture in Alleviating Neuropathic Symptoms When Treating Patients With Moderate to Severe Bortezomib-induced Peripheral Neuropathy (BIPN) [ Time Frame: Baseline and 10 weeks ]The Neuropathic Pain Scale (NPS) uses self-report visual analogue scales (VAS) to quantify on a scale of 0-10 (with total NPS score of 1-100), global pain intensity and unpleasantness and 8 other descriptive qualities of neuropathic pain. Response defined as average change of Clinical Total Neuropathy Score (TNSc) greater than or equal to 10% over 10 weeks compared to baseline. Effect defined as as average change of Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Neurotoxicity/ Gynecologic Oncology Group (FACT/GOG-Ntx)over 10 weeks as compared to baseline. Safety will be assessed by recording side effects from acupuncture treatment. Please note TNSc results deemed invalid as original validation of TNSc was performed by 2 neuromuscular trained physicians & the TNSc in our trial was performed by a research nurse. The reliability & validity of research nurse's TNSc not established pre-trial. For the scale range, the higher the score the worse the symptoms and function. No subscales were used.
|Study Start Date:
|May 2011
|Study Completion Date:
|December 2014
|Primary Completion Date:
|June 2012 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Acupuncture
All participants will receive acupuncture treatments over a total of 10 weeks.
Device: Acupuncture
Participants will receive acupuncture treatment twice weekly for 2 weeks, then once per week for 4 weeks, and then biweekly for 4 weeks.
Detailed Description:
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Documented diagnosis of multiple myeloma.
- Greater than or equal to grade 2 BIPN as defined by the National Cancer Institute - -Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC) 4.0.
- BIPN symptoms persist after bortezomib has been discontinued.
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-3.
- Men and women who are ≥ 18 years old
- The patient is aware of the nature of his or her diagnosis, understands the study regimen, its requirements, risks, and discomforts, and is able and willing to sign an informed consent form.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Prior acupuncture within the past month.
- Life expectancy is < 3 months.
- Plan to go on experimental drug for multiple myeloma that is known to cause peripheral neuropathy in the next 14 weeks.
- Concomitant treatment with chemotherapy, unless approval is given by the Principal Investigator.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01541644
|United States, Maryland
|University of Maryland Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center
|Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201
|Principal Investigator:
|Ting Bao, MD, DABMA
|University of Maryland Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center
|Responsible Party:
|Ting Bao, Assistant Profressor, University of Maryland
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01541644 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
GCC 1068 ( Other Identifier: University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center )
|Study First Received:
|February 20, 2012
|Results First Received:
|April 21, 2015
|Last Updated:
|November 2, 2016
Keywords provided by Ting Bao, University of Maryland:
Acupuncture Therapy
bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Multiple Myeloma
Neoplasms, Plasma Cell
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Neoplasms by Histologic Type
Hemostatic Disorders
Vascular Diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases
Blood Protein Disorders
Hematologic Diseases
Hemorrhagic Disorders
Lymphoproliferative Disorders
Immunoproliferative Disorders
Immune System Diseases
Neuromuscular Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Antineoplastic Agents
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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Three goals in six first-half minutes had promised a free-scoring
match but after the early excitement there was precious little for the
fans at Campo de Futbol de Vallecas.
Andrija Delibasic put the host ahead in the seventh minute but its lead was short-lived with Raoul Loe equalising a minute later before
Alejandro Arribas gave the visitors a surprise lead.
Piti equalised 12 minutes into the second half but a point does
little for Rayo as it leaves it four points behind sixth-placed
Malaga, which occupies the final European spot.
Rayo made an ideal start as it took a seventh-minute lead with the first attack of the game.
Alhassane Bangoura's cross from the right found Delibasic in the
six-yard box and he headed the ball down into the left-hand corner of
the goal.
However, the host's joy was short-lived with the visitors equalising just 71 seconds later.
Alvaro Cejudo sent in an outswinging corner from the right which Loe attacked, heading high into the net.
The breathless start continued unabated and after having found itself a goal down, Osasuna found itself 2-1 up in the 13th
Miguel De las Cuevas' shot was saved by Martinez Ruben and from the
subsequent corner, David Timor found Arribas at the far post with the
midfielder heading into the bottom corner.
After such an intense opening, it was naturally going to settle down
with no clear opportunities created by either side in the remainder of
the first half.
Piti fired wide for Rayo shortly after the resumption before Jose
Carlos' shot from distance was comfortably held by Osasuna goalkeeper
Andres Fernandez.
Rayo drew level in the 57th minute when Piti was found by Alejandro
Dominguez and the striker slotted into the bottom left-hand corner.
Francisco Silva's shot was comfortably gathered by Ruben but there
was precious little in attacking play as the clock ticked down.


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An Inconvenient Slope
It's shaping up as another warm winter day in the San Bernardino Mountains, but that's not what's bothering the people who run Big Bear Mountain Resorts. They've summoned reporters to a dining room in Little Bear Lodge at Snow Summit for a morning of hot coffee, cold eggs and corporate spiel—and the promise of a day of free skiing—to point out that 98 percent of their mountain is covered with man-made snow. All their skiing and snowboarding runs are open, despite the lack of natural white stuff falling this warm winter.
What? You didn't know that?
See, that's what's bothering the people at Big Bear Mountain Resorts. They're frustrated that these reporters—dutifully enduring a presentation of slides, speeches, handouts and interview opportunities while they eagerly wait to hit the slopes—have not been getting their message to the public. And they really don't want anybody straying from that message.
But as much as I love to ski, especially for free, and as impressed as I am by the technology that makes possible the laying of icy white carpet on otherwise brown and barren mountainsides, something about winters without much snowfall bothers me.
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You'd think it would bother Richard Kun, too. The snowy-haired gent is president of Big Bear Mountain Resorts, and his lineage in these mountains goes back generations, to when his family founded its business during the Truman Administration. You can call him the Mogul of the Moguls . . . if you like that kind of humor, anyway.
But when I ask Kun whether he has followed natural snowfall trends over the years, and whether he may have noticed anything strange—anything that might tie the lack of natural snow in the San Bernardino Mountains to the issue of global climate change—he has a rather startling response.
"NO!" Kun responds, so quickly and sharply that I swear the windows rattle. Startling? You would have thought I was linking his interest in man-made snow to man-boy love. His dismissive tone indicates he will not be elaborating. Well, that and the long, uncomfortable silence hanging in the air.
My mouth agape and my eyes scanning the room for sympathy, I finally meet the gaze of Kun's marketing director, Chris Riddle, who shrugs and then offers his own, brief elaboration on the topic of no natural snow: "It's a Southern California thing."
Kun fixes his piercing eyes on the rest of the room, obviously ignoring my little corner of damnation.
"The time to be concerned with warmer winters has long since passed," he says, calmer now, but just as firm.
In retrospect, I really shouldn't have been surprised.
Five winters back at the same media event, I skied with—and fell down in front of . . . very embarrassing—Kun after a presentation in which he had trumpeted Snow Summit's 50th anniversary and acquisition of Bear Mountain, which for years had been a competing ski area known as Goldmine. The two resorts are very close to one another. Since the sorta-merger, a patron who purchases a lift ticket at either resort can ski both mountains; there are even free shuttle rides back and forth.
So while Kun and I were riding a chairlift, I asked him whether he had considered creating a ski run or trail between Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, like the narrow one that connects the California and Nevada sides of the Heavenly resort that towers over Lake Tahoe.
It was if I'd lit a fuse. Squinting my way, he launched into a colorful tirade against federal protections of the California spotted owl. No spotted owls had ever been seen at Snow Summit, Kun fumed, but because their nests have been found in the same San Bernardino National Forest that holds his lease, he's prevented from removing the necessary trees to carve out such a run.
"Environmentalists!" Kun muttered dismissively into his parka.
He went on to concede that even if Summit were permitted to chop down trees (and potential owl nests) it would be problematic to directly link with Bear Mountain because the areas are separated by a valley. Lifts would be needed to take skiers from the top of either mountain down to the flats, where they'd switch places for a ride back up to the other mountain.
The memory of that day, and the experience of this one, confirms that Kun is, above all, a pragmatic businessman. He's invested so much money into making snow to cover the runs at Big Bear Mountain Resorts that it's pretty much a waste of time for him to worry about where all the natural snow has gone.
* * *
In its most definitive report yet, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change revealed on Feb. 2 that global warming is "unequivocal," will "continue for centuries" and there is at least a 90 percent chance it is caused by humans.
A lack of natural snowfall across the U.S. and Europe may be a symptom. Europe is enduring one of its warmest winters on record. Ski-related businesses are suffering from Austria to Spain. World Cup races in Chamonix, France, and Wengen, Switzerland, and elsewhere have been canceled due to lack of snow.
Canadian resort communities normally digging themselves out of white stuff are also noticing the changes. The local paper at Whistler mountain in British Columbia editorialized that the long-term economy may now have to shift its focus from winter to summer activities.
The United States has a $4.5 billion ski industry, but as it became apparent that warmer skies and less snow would make this season a challenging one for resort operators across the country, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) essentially changed the agenda of its Eastern Winter Conference and Trade Show at Vermont's Mount Snow Resort. Instead of concentrating on innovative ways to make more money, it's searching for ways to change, or at least deal with, the weather. Topics for discussion included debt management, workforce retention, maintaining positive media perceptions and keeping guests and season ticket holders happy amid crappy conditions.
In Park City, Utah, which played host to alpine events during the 2002 Winter Olympics, people drive around with license plates that read "The Greatest Snow on Earth" and oldtimers in the former mining town are fond of saying "When the silver mines closed, we discovered white gold." But the POWDR Corporation, which operates the ski resort, recently commissioned a study on the local impacts of climate change. The results didn't prompt any peppy slogans.
University of Colorado scientists, relying on seven different projections formulated by a United Nations team of experts, reported that temperatures are expected to rise 6 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century and that the winter sports industry faces dire consequences unless energy consumption is curbed. Rather than selling the resorts he owns in Utah, Nevada, Oregon and California, POWDR CEO John Cummings decided to become a leader in the fight against global warming.
Other resorts are with him. More than 50 of them in 14 states are buying renewable energy credits to offset part or all of their operational use. In addition, the NSAA, the National Ski Patrol, the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors are offsetting 100 percent of their energy use. The NSAA, which launched its Sustainable Slopes program in 2000 to encourage resorts to become more green-friendly, recently partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council for a new anti-global warming strategy called Keep Winter Cool.
But being a good environmental steward has proven difficult for some. Kirkwood Mountain Resort near Lake Tahoe is a proud signer of the national environmental charter for ski areas, but it also holds the dubious distinction of being the only California resort to receive an F grade on a report card by an environmental coalition that rated western ski areas. And the Boulder, Colo.-based Ski Area Citizens' Coalition claims that many resorts buying 100 percent "green energy" are their towns' worst offenders when it comes to protecting the local environment in other ways, including clearing out old-growth forests.
Ironically, Big Bear Mountain Resorts was an early signee to Sustainable Slopes and the company generally receives high marks for environmental stewardship at Snow Summit and Sierra Summit. But Kun's disdain for eco-activists is legendary. As part of the resort's expansion plans in the early 1990s, Summit was required by the Forest Service to help fund a study of habitats for the California spotted owl and San Bernardino flying squirrel. Those studies have since been used to protect the creatures and prevent the ski areas from expanding, prompting Kun to tell the Los Angeles Times in December 1993: "The general environmental movement has exaggerated dangers on every front. Environmental rules and regulations are a danger to our way of life and are unnecessary. Much of [the environmental movement] is hysterical, distorted, phony and anti-human being."
Ski resorts have historically found themselves at odds with their surrounding town's environmentalists, so you won't find a more dramatic example of the exact opposite phenomena than this: in December, the Aspen Ski Co. joined the lawsuit being heard by the the U.S. Supreme Court which seeks to force the Environmental Protection Agency to stem the emission of greenhouse gases many scientists link to climate change. Aspen argues in the suit—which was originally filed by Massachusetts and 11 other states and joined by three cities and 13 environmental groups—that the EPA's lack of response to global warming is negatively affecting their bottom line.
Meanwhile, studies of future weather trends show bad times ahead for California ski operators. A report last year by the New York-based nonprofit Environmental Defense titled "Global Warming and the Golden State: A Call to Action" includes this line about sustained climate change: "There will be a shorter snow season because snowfall will start later and snow will melt earlier." It's even more dire if you operate a resort in the relatively lower-elevation San Bernardino Mountains: "If greenhouse gas pollution continues at its current rate, California's ski industry will face increasingly shorter seasons—and could disappear entirely at lower elevations."
Those findings echoed "Our Changing Climate: Assessing the Risks to California," a California Environmental Protection Agency report commissioned in 2005 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that—among several other nasty conclusions—forecasts widespread implications for winter tourism if temperatures continue to rise. Declines in the Sierra Nevada snowpack could cause the ski season to shorten by as much as a month at resorts in the lower and middle elevations, and there could be many years with insufficient snow for any skiing and snowboarding at all.
When ski seasons are bad in the Sierra Nevada, they are generally worse in the San Bernardino Mountains.
* * *
Longtime local skiers will tell you there was much more natural snow in the San Bernardino Mountains in the 1960s and '70s. That's what my dad said when I asked him.
Kenneth Coker will turn 80 in April. He started skiing the local mountains more than 60 years ago, and still skis once a week—conditions permitting—at Snow Valley outside Running Springs. He used to be a ski instructor there. Everybody in his ski group has noticed how the amount of natural snow on the slopes in recent years has diminished since decades past. Not everybody agrees why, however.
"We were just talking about this the other day," he said. "I definitely think it has something to do with global warming, but most of my buddies are real conservative. Some will say, 'What about 1,000 years ago? What about 2,000 years ago? 4,000 years ago?'"
Bill LaHaye, a conservation specialist with the Big Bear Lake Department of Water and Power, said he's seen no "hard evidence" of global warming trends effecting his town and, having "only lived here 20 years," is not sure that's a large enough sampling period from which to draw conclusions about something he's noticed: much warmer summer nights. But he has heard old timers around town tell of diminishing natural snowfall in the winter, too.
"My sister-in-law said that just last weekend," LaHaye said. "I can listen, but I have no real way to prove or disprove that. The problem is precipitation in Southern California is so variable. It makes it really hard to spot trends, which is something I have to do for work. Every decade we have an El Nio, so figuring out patterns in between is just really difficult."
Scientific evidence seems as problematic as anecdotal evidence when it comes to the local mountains.
'"Inconclusive' would be a good word," says Michael L. Goulden, associate professor of Earth System Science and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Irvine. "There is suspicion that something is going on."
Goulden is an expert at interpreting weather records, and though he's focused more on the San Jacinto Mountains in Riverside County, he suspects what's happening there is also happening in the San Bernardino range.
"Winters over the last 30 years are noticeably warmer," Goulden said. "More winter storms have higher snowlines, more rain and less snow. There are definitely changes. Definitely a lot of trees have died."
Which could be a symptom of global warming, since lack of water weakens trees that are then susceptible to pests like the bark beetle, right?
"The problem is, it could be three or four things," he said. "It could be global warming, or it could be regional weather changes that may or may not be part of global warming. It could be air pollution, which has had a cumulative effect. It could be past fire suppression, the way they've put out fires for the past 100 years. It could be that there are more trees than there should be, and when you have a drought it's like there are more mouths to feed.
"On the other hand, it could be an early sign of climate change. When scientists sit around, that's what we do, we say it could be that."
The problem with interpreting weather records is what may seem like long patterns of dryness to the novice are really just a blip when compared to the long life of the forest.
"Maybe in the 1600s, the exact same thing happened," Goulden says. "Maybe in the 1700s, the exact same thing happened. Sure, what's going on is unusual in a human's lifetime, but it might not be unusual."
But shouldn't folks who want to preserve life as they know it in Big Bear err on the side of caution?
"I think people are starting to look at it," Goulden says. "I think it could potentially be a huge deal. The big thing is the severity of fires. I think that's a particularly big deal for people living up there. That's something we're looking at progressively."
So is Jonathan Nourok, a 44-year-old former Long Beach resident who has been living in Big Bear since 2001 and for months has been trying without success to convince his new hometown to adopt the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement. He gets his next crack at Big Bear Lake's City Council on Feb. 26.
"Here's the reality: I have 10 minutes to cover this entire issue," Nourok says incredulously, "including trying to convince people who are in denial that the issue is even valid."
Kun, the Big Bear Mountain Resorts president, is among those Nourok believes is in denial. Once Nourok was "finally" able to make his global-warming pitch to Kun after several unsuccessful attempts, he says Kun told him he had no desire to take a stand on the issue. As they parted, Nourok says, Kun handed him materials from the Libertarian-leaning Reason Foundation and Cato Institute that are critical of the prevailing scientific views that global warming is real and man-made.
Kun isn't the only one around town pooh-poohing Nourok's campaign. Nourok recently addressed the Big Bear board of a county agency and "immediately after the meeting, one of the board members came up to me and said these reports of global warming were just made up by a bunch of liberal scientists, and they learn what they learn from liberal universities, and it's all just a liberal conspiracy that's all about liberals taking away people's money."
As chairman of the Big Bear Democratic Club's environmental committee, Nourok is quite used to the dreaded "L" word.
"This is an extremely conservative town," he said. "When you think of mountain communities, you think there must be a lot of tree huggers. But the words 'Sierra Club' are dirty words for the vast majority of people in Big Bear."
In a town of a bit more than 5,000 people, his Sierra Club meetings draw only 15 people.
"Everything is sort of backwards in Big Bear," Nourok says. "When you have a ski area owner out of sync with the rest of his own industry, it is so twisted. The majority here are Republicans brainwashed by the federal government. The White House isn't even as anti- the global warming issue as these people.
"I'm trying to save these people from themselves."
* * *
Big Bear Lake is an entirely snow-fed reservoir that, at optimal level, is about seven miles long (measuring from east to west), 2.5 miles wide at its widest measurement and generally about a mile wide everywhere else. Western settlers came upon a small reservoir when they were hunting Indians and, noticing the black bears frolicking in the waters, dubbed it "Bear Lake" and the surrounding area "Bear Valley." Orange growers dammed it up in 1884 to help irrigate their orange groves in the San Bernardino Valley below, creating what is now Big Bear Lake.
Townspeople—as part of the Big Bear Municipal Water District (MWD)—own the land under the lake, and the district manages the water level. But the water in the lake is actually owned by the private Redlands company Bear Valley Mutual Water, which spun out of the orange-growers association that built the dams. Bear Valley Mutual only supplies water for recreational uses, and through a longstanding deal, Big Bear Mountain Resorts gets a yearly allotment of water for snow making. Residents and businesses next to the lake must import water from somewhere else.
Big Bear Mountain Resorts maintain that if their full allotment was ever used, the lake level would only drop four inches. And half of the water the resort buys returns to the lake once the snow melts, according to the resort operators and MWD general manager Sheila Hamilton.
Four inches—or two if you give half of it back—does not seem like much now. But after years of recent, brutal droughts, the lake water level dropped as much as 17 feet. At its driest, the lake was surrounded by formerly lake-front homes propped up on stilts planted in the dirt, with huge swaths of land between them and the receded shoreline.
A big, wet winter three seasons ago brought the water level back up within two feet of normal. After two more dry years (and no relief in sight this winter), the lake level is now down about three feet.
"We anticipated it would be full by now, but the winter has not been kind," Hamilton said. "It's been cold, just not wet."
But she sees no global-warming trends locally.
"The lake seems to work in 10-year cycles, where you'll have five-year cycles where it's pretty consistent and then six years of drought," she said.
She is certain of one trend, however.
"Without the lake, there would be no snow making."
* * *
Kun predicts that Snow Summit—juiced by Big Bear Lake—will have enough man-made snow to remain open through April, even if no more natural snow falls in late winter. That must make owners of other Southern California ski areas envious. Without natural snowfall, Snow Valley and Mountain High near Wrightwood must make white stuff with limited supplies of imported water kept in on-site reservoirs.
"There were a host of ski areas in these mountains in the 1930s and '40s, and they eventually either evolved into resorts or they folded," Kun says. "The reason for our success is snow making. In the '50s, we were completely dependent on natural snowfall. If it didn't snow, we didn't open."
Snow Summit, which opened in 1952, pioneered snow making in 1963. Essentially, the right combination of water and compressed air is shot into the atmosphere at optimal temperatures to trick Mother Nature into making snow that drops on the bare slopes.
"Don't even talk to us about 'artificial snow,'" Kun warns. "It drives us crazy."
As signs on his chairlift poles advertise, "Man-made snow is real snow, only man made."
Steel pipes extend underground from the resort directly into Big Bear Lake. The water is stored in a million-gallon tank at the resort's base and 5- and 10-million gallon tanks in the mountains above. The resort can draw 5,000 gallons of water a minute, which compares to the three to five gallons of water per minute trickling out of your residential garden hose.
Three electric-generating plants on Kun's mountain supply the power needed for the snow-making guns, some of which look like jet engines on wheels and others that resemble large faucets pointed heavenward and connected to fire hoses. Summit uses a million gallons of diesel fuel a year to run those generators, and Kun says his resort could generate enough power to fulfill the needs of the city of Big Bear Lake—if only the infrastructure were present to make that possible (it isn't). Thanks to technological advances, Kun says, emissions from snow making have been reduced 85 percent.
"We're making more snow for less cost, less usage and less emissions," he says, while I wonder if he disgustedly mutters "environmentalists" at the folks who pushed for the regulations that necessitated the technological improvements that are now saving him money.
Huge fans blow white stuff out over large swaths of slope. In 48 hours, Summit's crews can completely cover the two longest runs—which extend from the top of the mountain down to the base area—in one to two feet of snow. And the latest guns have computer sensors attached that measure the amount of cold and water in the air and automatically calibrate themselves. The guns shoot out snow any time the conditions are ripe for it.
"The advances have been amazing," says Riddle, the marketing director. "It's better snow, the texture is better, it's more fun to ski on."
"It can get sloppy," Kun admits, "but so can snow from nature. You can't tell the difference between man-made or natural after it's been skied on."
* * *
Skiing's growing popularity created the need to carve more runs into the mountains, install more ski lifts and, beginning in the 1980s, create ramps, rails, mounds, half pipes and terrain parks for snowboarders. Covering the expanding acreage in sunny Southern California necessitated expanded snow making over the years.
It's been expensive.
Each of the big, jet-engine-looking contraptions costs $33,000. Summit has 33 of them. Bear Mountain has 45. "We need many more of them," says Kun, patting one of them lovingly. Then he sheepishly concedes the machines have not yet made enough snow to cover their initial investment.
During another casual moment, on a shuttle bus taking us back to Summit from Bear, Kun tells me global warming concerns are mostly being aired by other resorts, particularly in Colorado, because they have always counted on heavy natural snowfall and are not as advanced as Big Bear when it comes to snow making.
Neither is Summit's most-formidable competitor for Southern California skiers, Mammoth Mountain, which may explain why Lisa Isaacs, that resort's "environmental director," is quoted in the Schwarzenegger-commissioned report as saying snow making is no panacea for the industry. "The problem is that if you're not cold enough, you can't make snow," she said.
But Kun argues that while snow making used to be deemed impossible unless freezing temperatures were present, today's machines actually work best when it is slightly warmer than freezing and the air is dry. Those conditions allow the air to hold more snow.
"The recent dry, cold winds have been ideal for snow making," Kun says. "We made more in the last month than ever in our history."
What frustrates the folks at Big Bear Mountain Resorts is that, while they can count on endless streams of skiers and snowboarders during Christmas vacation, holidays and weekends, it can be like a ghost town on typical weekdays.
"Natural snow pops the market," said Brent Tregaskis, Bear Mountain's general manager. "People see snow on the mountain, and everyone comes up at once. This is one of our biggest frustrations. I don't think people know that snow is up here. There are thousands of people down there waiting for snow to fall. It's the toughest message to get out, that there is snow in Big Bear all winter long."
But doesn't that just prove that a lack of natural snowfall—the resorts' most proven marketing tool—is keeping away crowds, that global climate change may indeed be negatively effecting Big Bear Mountain Resorts' bottom line?
Listen to Nourok, the local environmental activist, who uses the same language as Tregaskis to argue global warming is hurting Big Bear, which is economically dependent on the ski resorts.
"The challenge for these ski areas is that more and more people look up in the mountains and they don't see snow. There is definitely a relationship between when natural snow falls, people see snow in the mountains and they come up. I snowboard five days a week and even though there is man-made snow on all the runs, during the week the place is empty."
If warming trends continue, Nourok believes this will become an Orange County issue as well.
"If there's an economic downturn in California caused by global warming, and that makes people struggle with their mortgages in Orange County, how long are they going to hold onto those second homes in Big Bear?"
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text:
I know y'all remember these!
Taana Gardner – Heartbeat (You Make Me Feel So Weak)
Klymaxx – The Men All Pause
Klymaxx – Meeting In The Ladies Room
Tom Tom Club – Genius of Love
September 23, 2017
I know y'all remember these!
Taana Gardner – Heartbeat (You Make Me Feel So Weak)
Klymaxx – The Men All Pause
Klymaxx – Meeting In The Ladies Room
Tom Tom Club – Genius of Love
Biting the Hand that Feeds Them
[….] In 2011, the New York Times ran a fascinating chart about the percentage of personal income that comes from government benefits in different states. It showed that hardcore Republican states—where a lot of those older white coservative voters live—relied most heavily on benefits, with Social Security the largest form of assistance. In a previous post, I looked at John McCain's margin of victory in 2008 in those states with the highest reliance on government benefits:
West Virginia: 28 percent of all personal income in this state come from government programs.[….]
Mississippi: 26.2 percent of personal income from government benefits;[….]
Kentucky: 24.8 percent income from benefits;[….]
Arkansas: 24.5 percent income from benefits;[….]
South Carolina: 23.4 percent income from benefits;[….]
Alabama: 23.4 percent income from benefits;[….]
These numbers make you wonder: Do older GOP voters really understand that the conservative assault on government "handouts" may end up reducing their standard of living? And, if they do get better clued into that fact, will the GOP face pushback against entitlement cuts from their own base?[….]
Read more: http://prospect.org/article/biting-hand-feeds-them
H/T David Callahan
John Kasich Accepts Obamacare's Medicaid Expansion
Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced Monday that he will accept the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, becoming the fifth Republican governor to embrace the provision of the health care reform law that the Supreme Court made optional. The governor unveiled the decision as part of his budget proposal.
"We are going to extend Medicaid for the working poor and for those who are jobless trying to find work," Kasich said at a press conference in Columbus. "It makes great sense for the state of Ohio because it will allow us to provide greater care with our own dollars."[….]
Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/02/john-kasich-accepts-obamacares-medicaid-expansion.php?ref=fpa
H/T Sahil Kapur
GUESS there's an election coming up
I could be wrong but I think Kasich and his corrupt bunch will be thrown out of office.
He is not fooling anyone here.
I was listening to Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Rev Al's radio show. He said that while PBO called the family of Hadiya Pendleton twice, "but there's nothing like his presence".
Do you see the type of mofos we're dealing with here? This fool is complaining about TWO phone calls, so best believe if PBO were to show up in Chicago and/or at this child's funeral, he and other EmoNegroes would find fault with his visit. Why? Because these demands for PBO to speak about violence in Chicago are all about getting PBO to prove his "blackness".
Hold up…why is there an assumption about what Hadiya's parents want? That's why I can't stand these people because in their quest to corner PBO to do what they want, they trample over the wishes and respect of the family that's dealing with a tragic loss.
Because they don't care what Hadiya's family want. In fact, they don't care about Hadiya. They're just using her name to attack PBO and it's sickening and disrespectful.
If President Obama met with Hadiya Pendleton's family these very same folks would bitch about it being nothing more than a photo op. "Why is he here if he's not going to do anything but have his picture taken". "We need President Obama to do more, give more"! In the mean time, I'll be over here twiddling my thumbs and humming. SMDH.
If President Obama met with Hadiya Pendleton's family these very same folks would bitch about it being nothing more than a photo op. "Why is he here if he's not going to do anything but have his picture taken". "We need President Obama to do more, give more"! In the mean time, I'll be over here twiddling my thumbs and humming. SMDH.
I see Earl still ain't over PBO beating his girl Hillary in the primary. He punk ass needs to have a seat.
HEEY Sepia- —***BIG HUG** :>)- –
O.K. —-He just wrote an article sayin' that MR. PRESIDENT couldn't do – -IT- – ALONE [Gun violence/Control] – —annnnd NOW THIS!! -DANG-IT!! —-STAY on 1 side if the FENCE – –or the other.!!
DUPLICITY/HYPOCRISY- —-doesn't BECOME U!! geesh.- –
Thank U Sepia. Good 2 C U. :>)
–[Gotta "bounce". C U soon. :>)] —
The herd appears to be thinning out. Is there no one else? LOL!
Former GOP Gov. Weld Opts Against Run In Mass. Special Election
Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (R) said Monday that he will not run in the state's special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Secretary of State John Kerry, the Associated Press reported.[….]
Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/former-gop-gov-weld-opts-against-run-in
H/T Tom Kludt
When you can't run against Obama in a solidly blue state, why bother?
PPL complain when PBO says to take the video games out of ur childs hand and add a book, but they want him to come speak about gun violence.
I think it's so cool they found Richard the third. I can't read enough about the discovery.
OMG….do you know when I saw a headline about this earlier, I just assumed it was some sort of Onion parody news….I had no idea it was real..found under a parking lot!
LOL, yup a parking lot. I have been watching it all day on whatever station is covering the story.
*FACEPALM*…the picture accompanying this column is absolutely hilarious.
How Eric Cantor Is Trying to Soften the Republican Party
House majority leader's charm offensive is part of a broader effort by GOP leaders to revive their battered brand.
Eric Cantor grabs a plastic dinosaur from the pile of toys in front of 1-year-old Mekhi Scott, taps the beast on the table and growls, "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Mekhi jumps — he's startled at first — and smiles.
"You like dinosaurs?" coos Cantor, the House minority leader and one of the highest-ranking Republicans in the country. "So do I."
Watching this weirdly cute exchange Monday at The Preparatory School of the District of Columbia, I realize just how hard it's going to be for the GOP to rebrand itself after the 2012 election debacle. Republican leaders are a bit like Mekhi's plastic dinosaurs: Even when they're cute, they can be scary.
Cantor visited the school for more than an hour to gather information for a speech Tuesday that his aides are billing as an important shift of tone for the Republican Party. The speech will attempt to cast the House GOP's traditionally conservative policy agenda in terms that appeal to parents, explaining why school vouchers, tax breaks, repealing the health care law, and other Republican standards would "make life work better."
more here
That baby look like he's thinking get me the hell out of here. LOL
That poor little guy looks like he is practicing Zen, "I'm just going to think of my happy place."
Or "can drop a deuce on this guy…"
Or "can drop a deuce on this guy…"
He does, though. He's like 'If I stay calm, he'll put me down sooner.'
No point in photo ops without a moderating change in policy.
Getting nervous Joe?
READ: Sheriff Arpaio Fundraising E-Mail: "Thugs", "Clowns" Who Don't "Pledge Allegiance To Our Flag"; FACT CHECK – Posted 1/31/2013
It took Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio less than 48 hours after Arizona's Politics asked for a response to a possible recall effort – and less than 24 after that effort was announced – to make his first hard-nosed e-mail fundraising appeal to his extensive national list of supporters.[….] Arpaio also claims as fact that the recall group has "raised over $1.3 million to defeat me!", although that number comes only from a guess by a petition circulator who was not retained to gather signatures.[….] As noted earlier, Arpaio raised more than $8.5 Million for his last campaign, spent some $8.2 Million of it, and currently has $338,600.07 in the bank.[….]
Read more: http://arizonaspolitics.blogspot.com/2013/01/read-sheriff-arpaio-fundraising-e-mail.html
H/T Mitch M. and Arizona's Politics
Crow Indians' Lawsuit Against F.B.I. Agent to Proceed
Two families from the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana can proceed with a lawsuit against an F.B.I. agent that accuses him of failing to properly investigate crimes against American Indians on and around the reservation, the United States Supreme Court has ruled.[….]
The rate of violent crime on Indian reservations has for decades been far higher than in the rest of the nation. Most tribes, including the Crow Nation, rely on the federal government to investigate and prosecute serious crime because states generally lack jurisdiction there, and because tribes are prohibited from imposing sentences longer than three years. But many Indians say that the crime problem is connected to the failure of F.B.I. agents and federal prosecutors to take violent acts on reservations as seriously as they do crimes elsewhere.[….]
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/us/crow-indians-suit-against-federal-agent-allowed.html?_r=0
H/T Timothy Williams
Those tribes in Montana are as prejudice as whites. Too bad. So sad.
Dan J Kroll@DanJKroll
JUST IN: @CNN reports kidnapped 5-year-old is safe; kidnapper Jimmy Lee Dykes is dead.
Oh thank god.
Thank the heavens above!
Jimmy Lee Dykes. That name just sounds like a teabagger.
His neighbor said he listened to conservative talk radio ALL THE TIME.
No wonder!
Prayers are answered.
THANK the LORD 4 HIS BLESSINGS. – – — -CONTINUE 2 CARE 4 this "little one."/family. AMEN.- –
— Standoff in Alabama ends: Man holding boy in bunker dead, boy released (Photos) —
—-OVA 2 U nra[CISTS]!!!— —He had a —GUN!! – – –geesh!!
Miranda I want to thank you for this morning's post on the black migration north.
It got me to check my Ancestry genealogy page after 8 months of inactivity. And what do you know I found a wealth of info on my mother's & father's side of the family. I even found my father's grandmother who was a slave, I'm am so happy and beside myself right now. YES!
You're welcome!
Doing a family tree can be such a learning experience, you can easily get consumed and find yourself spending hours because you just wanna learn more and more about yourself. A few years ago, I actually got an email from the great- great-great grandson of the man that owned my great-great-great-grandfather. I had been doing all kinds of research and he happened to see a post on one of those sites (its been a long time now, I can't remember which one). He tickled me referring to his ancester as a "farmowner" and having 20 or so "workers"…I was like, "dude, those were slaves, keep it real."
Of course white folks want to believe their ancestors were farmers. Ironically I found like twenty of them living in the same house. I asked mom and she said it belonged to the sharecropper. I was like damn they still were slaves in 1940. I've been doing family research for 17 years and I would find info here and there. Then I'd get frustrated and stop for awhile, so far on my mom's side I've gone back to 1850. A lot of the problems stem from ancestors not knowing how to read & write and being treated like cattle. As a result info is hard to find. Now that I've found some really good information I'll probably find more on my dad's side.
There are still slaves TODAY on corporate farms in the south. Find a video (Amazon) called the "Cotton Pickin Truth."
I know.
– — Good Afternoon miranda/POU FAM♥ —–***BIG HUG***– –Here's ona my FAVS. :>)– – –
Annnd a JAMMIN' – –BLACK HISTORY ANNOUNCEMENT —
– —Angelou celebrates black history with Oprah, Keys– –
– —- In the midst of talking black history with Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys, Maya Angelou breaks out singing a hymn a cappella.
The acclaimed poet and author wants to show Keys, a New Yorker, what "lining out," call-and-response singing that is popular in black churches down South, sounds like.
That teaching moment is one of many during Angelou's third annual Black History Month program, "Telling Our Stories," airing on more than 175 public radio stations nationwide throughout February.
Angelou says she is obligated to share her knowledge and experience with younger people like Keys, in a way that is not "preaching" but gives context to the "human truth."
"We owe the truth, not just the facts," she said recently in a phone interview from her home in Winston-Salem, N.C. "I'm celebrating my 84th year on this planet. I've seen many things, I've learned many things. I've certainly been exposed to many things and I've learned something: I owe it to you, to tell you."
Angelou said she is sharing black history in "a way that you get it and don't even know you got it," with songs, poems, jokes and short stories woven throughout interviews with five guests, including Keys, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, singer and actress Jennifer Hudson, diplomat Kofi Annan and actress and playwright Regina Taylor.
I love this — "Angelou said she is sharing black history in 'a way that you get it and don't even know you got it,' with songs, poems, jokes and short stories woven throughout interviews with five guests, . . ."
HEEY qosine. ***BIG HUG*** :>) – – –
– —–SHE is sooo 21st CENTURY! :>) – – –LOVE her!!♥ :>)
Good 2 C U qosine. :>) – – –
So fascinating. More on Richard the third. I remember reading shakespeare in school, was always intrigued by his short reign. BTW, there is Canadian connections.
A skeleton found beneath a Leicester car park has been confirmed as that of English king Richard III.
Experts from the University of Leicester said DNA from the bones matched that of descendants of the monarch's family.
Lead archaeologist Richard Buckley, from the University of Leicester, told a press conference to applause: "Beyond reasonable doubt it's Richard."
Richard, killed in battle in 1485, will be reinterred in Leicester Cathedral.
Mr Buckley said the bones had been subjected to "rigorous academic study" and had been carbon dated to a period from 1455-1540.
Dr Jo Appleby, an osteo-archaeologist from the university's School of Archaeology and Ancient History, revealed the bones were of a man in his late 20s or early 30s. Richard was 32 when he died.
BREAKING: —Alabama hostage standoff ends with child safe, gunman dead– AMEN
Essie Mae Washington Williams, Daughter Strom Thurmond Kept Secret, Dies
Essie Mae Washington Williams, the daughter former Sen. Strom Thurmond kept a secret his entire life, died Monday, WLTX-TV in South Carolina reports. She was 87.
Williams publicly disclosed the identity of her father in 2003, six months after Thurmond passed away. Thurmond, who was famous for his support of segregation and opposition to civil rights, never acknowledged his daughter, whose mother was black.
For over 60 years, the two engaged in a clandestine relationship that included financial support, birthday cards, and occasional face to face meetings–but no deep emotions. At one point, Thurmond used one of his nephews as a financial go-between, but that man was never told exactly who he was helping…
After her disclosure, Williams wrote a book: "Dear Senator: A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond." In it, she wrote about how he never told her he loved her, despite numerous encounters.
"As much as I wanted to 'belong' to him, I never felt like a daughter, only an accident," she wrote. "Something, some strong feeling was definitely there. … That was what was drawing him to me, and me to him. But that feeling was all bottled up. We both felt it, from opposite sides of an invisible wall. It was segregated love.
Aww…sorry to hear that. RIP Ms. Williams.
RIP Ms. Williams.
Wow! I have never heard of this story. May she rest in peace.
She looked just like Strom, only brown with a wig.
She does look a lot like him. I've just been reading up on the story. He was 22, and her mother was 16. It doesn't say, but I wonder if she was a product of rape?
I don't wonder about it in the least. Her mother was an underaged servant.
I know what I think happened.
Yup; common story. It's why it so infuriates me to hear everyone and their mother claim to be the second coming of civil rights, and now you even have a few notable black people cosigning that shit. They completely understate and distort the black experience in this country. One would think that black people are simply inferior/lazy/problematic rather than endured years and years and years of economic, spiritual, and sexual depravity much of which was tolerated if not outright sanctioned by govt.
Yet she still seemed to want some kind of a relationship with him, at least from what i read on wiki.
I believe that if Medicare's age was lowered to 55, you'd see a wave of retirements roll across this country.
Everybody's working for the…health care benefits
Posted by Sarah Kliff on February 4, 2013 at 8:49 am
The Employee Benefits Research Institute recently surveyed workers and retirees on how health-care benefits factored into the timing of their retirement. The short answer is: a lot.
Three-quarters of retirees said they worked longer than they would have otherwise to maintain access to their health plan. A majority of current workers agreed with a statement that said they "planned to work longer than you would like in order to continue receiving health insurance through your employer."
Study author Paul Fronstin argues that the health-care law will change all that: It will end denials of coverage for preexisting conditions and subsidize health insurance for low- and middle-income Americans.
"It completely changes the playing field," he says. "If everything goes as planned, you've got guaranteed issue next year. You don't need the employer to fill the gap."
Another question in Fronstin's survey found that more than a quarter of Americans say they would consider an earlier retirement date, should they have guaranteed access to health benefits. That number has slowly ticked upward, from 15 percent in 2003, over the past decade.
The WashPost should know–it has been early retirement buyouts for years now.
Today in Virginia: Republican sides with Democrats
By Laura Conaway
Mon Feb 4, 2013 3:21 PM EST
Three Virginia news items, quite possibly unrelated:
•First, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling today played his role as lieutenant governor to break a tie in the Senate — but in a surprising way. Bolling sided with Democrats in the Virginia Senate to delay a bill that would make voting harder. The bill takes away common documents like utility bills and paycheck stubs as means of complying with voter ID rules at the polls. Barring more changes in the legislature, Bolling's vote means the earliest the bill could come into effect would be 2014. Bolling reportedly voted for the delay because there's no money for teaching voters about the change in time for this year's election.
•Second, the Virginia Senate has approved a bill that would let the state's governor serve consecutive terms. Only in Virginia is a governor one-and-done. The measure passed with bipartisan support, 25-15. For now, the Republican Party's pick to replace current Governor Bob McDonnell is Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Having conceded the GOP nomination, Bolling seems to be considering a run as an independent.
•Third, just for kicks: The Northern Virginia Tea Party tonight takes up the Obama-UN-mind-control plot known as Agenda 21. The meeting includes James Parmalee, chair of Northern Virginia GOP PAC, among other speakers not yet announced.
The bill takes away common documents like utility bills and paycheck stubs as means of complying with voter ID rules at the polls.
They just voted in the Voter ID bill LAST YEAR that made you use the utility bill / pay stub as a way of compliance. They just knew they were going to stop them black people from voting Obama. That didn't happen so……………
What somebody needs to ask is where is the rampant fraud that they need this even STRAWNGER bill than the one they put in place LAST YEAR?
Second, the Virginia Senate has approved a bill that would let the state's governor serve consecutive terms.
Oh, they'll shut this down again once a Democrat gets to be governor again. They must be counting on Ken Cuccinelli serving 8+ years….
Third, just for kicks: The Northern Virginia Tea Party tonight takes up the Obama-UN-mind-control plot known as Agenda 21.
::blank stare::
– —☻ 1996 – J.C. Watts becomes the first Black selected to respond to a state of the union
J.C. Watts becomes the first Black selected to respond to a state of the union address.
– – – ☻ 1986 – A stamp of Sojourner Truth is issued
A stamp of Sojourner Truth is issued by the U.S. Postal Service
– — ☻ 1913 – Rosa Parks (born Roas Louise McCauley) was born on this day.
— —Postal Service honors Rosa Parks with new stamp– – –
—— –Councilwoman Joann Watson, from left, Lloyd Wesley, Jr., Detroit postmaster, Elaine Eason Steele, co-founder of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, and Sen. Carl Levin applaud at the unveiling of the Rosa Parksí 100th birthday commemorative postage stamp at the Museum of African American History in Detroit on Monday, Feb. 4, 2013. The Rosa Parks Forever Stamp went on sale Monday and was part of a series of events scheduled throughout the day to honor her.– – –
– —–Rosa Parks – Mini Bio —AMEN
LOL..As if he had a snowball's chance in hell of winning.Tagg Romney Declines Senate Bid in Massachusetts
By SARAH WHEATON
The possibility of a new Romney campaign was dashed on Monday evening when Mitt Romney's oldest son, Tagg, announced that he would not pursue John Kerry's now-vacant Senate seat in Massachusetts.
"The timing is not right for me," Tagg Romney, 42, said in a statement, making him the latest high-profile Republican to decline a bid. On Friday, former Senator Scott P. Brown said he would not seek to return to the chamber.more here: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/tagg-romney-declines-senate-bid-in-massachusetts/?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-thecaucus
LOL — -miranda — Tagg – – –U R NOT – –IT —anyway!!– –
– – -LOL THIS: – –"The timing is not right for me," Tagg Romney, 42, said in a statement, — –
–***shakin' my head*** LOL —
miranda- —- -LOL- — -U!- – -AIN'T!- –NEVA!- — -LIED!! —-LOL- – –
– — —Disarray on the Right– – –
– —- – — While the president is trying to do a full-court press to rally support for sensible gun legislation, the right is caught up in internecine warfare. Erick Erickson, writing as a voice of the Tea Party, is blasting back at Karl Rove and American Crossroads, who started the fight by announcing that they would be doing everything they could to crush the Tea Party. Meanwhile, National Review Online is blasting Ron Paul for his insufficiently patriotic tweeting habits, and highlighting John McCain's egregiously racist tweeting habits. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is justifiably worried about a primary challenge from his right.
They are just one big harmonious family. – — LOL! —
blasting back at Karl Rove and American Crossroads, who started the fight by announcing that they would be doing everything they could to crush the Tea Party
These are the same forces which Rove himself unleashed; he's the one who heavily courted the far right in 2004…
GN – – –THANK U. – — –GUESS he 4-got THAT. — –romnesia —musta been —CONTAGIOUS!!! —LOL —
His heavy courting dates farther back, I should think. I think the TP is an embodiment of an ideological split schism in that party. Or Dr. Frankenstein going more than one step too far when creating his monster.
I think you're absolutely right; you have a way with words lol.
– – – –Soul Singer Cecil Womack Dead At 65 —
— – –R&B singer Cecil Womack (pictured) and one half of the famed singing '80s duo Womack and Womack, passed away at 65 years old on Friday from an undisclosed cause, reports Spinner.
Cecil, who was also the brother of famed soul singer Bobby Womack, was living in Africa with his wife, Linda (pictured), when he passed away. The couple, who performed together as Womack and Womack, recorded six albums together and will forever be remembered for their R&B chart-topper "Baby, I'm Scared Of You."
Watch "Baby, I'm Scared of You" here:
– — -As a producer and writer, who penned hits for such recording greats as Teddy Pendergrass ("Love TKO"), George Benson ("New Day"), Patti LaBelle ("Love Symphony"), The O'Jays ("I Just Want to Satisfy You"), and Motown recording diva and first wife Mary Wells ("The Doctor"), Cecil began his music career as a gospel singer.
The Cleveland, Ohio, native sang with brothers Bobby, Harry, Friendly, and Curtis in a group and performed on the gospel circuit during the mid-fifties. After the siblings were discovered by the late, great soul singer Sam Cooke, they then decided to rename themselves The Valentinos, making the switch to secular music in 1961.
— -CONDOLENCES 2 FAMILY/FRIENDS/FANS – – -***raises hand***
miranda — –"HAIL 2 the CHIEF" – – — -MR. PRESIDENT :>) —
—–Pres. Obama Speaks on Gun Reform with Minneapolis Police
– – —- – Minneapolis, MN
Monday, February 4, 2013
Pres. Obama delivered remarks at the Minneapolis Police Department Special Operations Center and discussed gun violence prevention with local leaders and law enforcement officials.
The President talked about recent local shooting deaths and discussed additional steps that can be taken at the federal level to reduce gun violence.
This is why I don't want to hear the emos re: drones. We have a war zone HERE. No one can tell me this man doesn't care about violence against innocents. Ditto re: thank you, Mr. President.
– – –THIS:- —We have a war zone HERE. —
Annnnd da – -STOOPID – -nra[CISTS] —-R –HAPPY 2 SUPPLY the GUNS!! – — -with –"NO BACKGROUND CHECK"!, etc,- —-
– – – -MR. PRESIDENT is the MOST COMPASSIONATE PRESIDENT – — EVER!! – –EVER!! :>) —
Good 2 C U – – -GN :>) – –
I see on twitter that there was some emoprogging from Maddow, etc., usual suspects re: drones. IMO these folks have been lulled into a false sense that the entirety of the coalition that came out to support PBO so heavily shares PL thoughts, ideas, and ideology. Okey dokey. They can keep it up with the focus on esoteric issues; the black-phobic obsession with drone attacks while not giving a flying fuck about African American matters beyond lip service and demands that we use our history and movements to move everyone ahead but ourselves…I hope that not of color liberals are able to increase their numbers because I don't see black people going to extreme lengths again to support this coalition. I hate to be negative but it is what it is. Foreign policy in this country has been a mess for years, and even with the drones, is improved from the last admin. So with black unemployment nearly twice that of the average, black families having a nickel on the dollar of wealth that not of color families have, and the terrifying reality that too many black parents face living in violence zones, why are these people running halfway around the world to obsess about (an albeit controversial) means of tracking down terrorists without opening war theaters which are far more destructive to civilian populations? I don't know what to say anymore.
Well the emo left is not really part of the emerging coalition. Most dems and liberal dems have an opposite opinion on these issues. I think the coalition will be fine because Obama and most dems ignore these people.
Or I should say the majority coalition.
Look, I think these so called leftists are deluded. They are trying to equate what the CIA did in the 1950s,1960s and early 70s, in trying to assassinate Third World leaders that Washington disapproved, with the drone attacks aimed at preventing Al Qaeda militants from carrying out attacks against Americans. The two policies are not comparable. President Obama would be derelict in his duties as president if he did not employ all necessary measures to protect the American people.
Not comparable at all. I don't agree with my President in all things but he is clearly a highly ethical person who has demonstrated an aversion to nonsensical wars and a compassion for people, particularly the infants and children. I'm tired of seeing no credit given to him for the very real ways in which he has definitely veered away from traditional US foreign policy excess, and he has brought other Dem pols with him. Bona fide progress.
HEEY nathakatun7. ***BIG HUG*** :>) —
–***fist bump*** —The -FALSE EQUIVALENCY- -BURNS!! – –HAH! :>)
– — -THIS! – -> –The two policies are not comparable. President Obama would be derelict in his duties as president if he did not employ all necessary measures to protect the American people. — –SPEAK TRUTH. :>) – —
Good 2 C U nathkatun7. :>) — —
Big Hug GLH! you are absolutely spot-on about "false equivalency." By the way, U.S. citizens who give aid and comfort to the enemies of the U.S. forfeit their citizenship rights. The term for them is: "TRAITORS!"
Said it before…..I and nobody black that I know gives a googly fuck about a gotdayum drone. It's akin to mice pissing on cotton.
said it before, will say it again..
don't give two shyts about drones.
#SCOTUS #Justice Sonia #Sotomayor's My Beloved World debuts atop #NYTimes bestseller list for non-fiction #books http://nyti.ms/WKTmMY
PBO's S. Ct. picks are worth the price of admission alone; excellent choice and congrats to Justice Sotomayor on the book's success!
She is on with Colbert tonight. She looks like she has a sense of mischief and fun–I imagine the energy between them will be good.
This is why Boyce etc. can bitch and moan till the cows come home; Pres O's stature within the black community is going to remain sky-high mark my words:
How Obamacare Is Transforming The Way Medical Schools Teach America's Doctors
Obamacare has already begun making big changes to the way that insurers and hospitals do business — and now, it's changing the very way that medical schools train doctors. As Modern Healthcare reports, medical colleges are expanding programs to teach doctors how to coordinate care with other health care workers, focus on patients' comprehensive, long-term care, and encouraging more general practitioners and primary care providers in anticipation of a changing medical landscape under Obamacare.
One of the most significant ways that Obamacare hopes to transform the American medical industry is by shifting it from an expensive system of private practices to a coordinated care model in which hospitals, nurses, general practitioners, and physicians work together to provide centralized and patient-focused care — what some in the industry refer to as a "medical home" — to lower costs and improve health outcomes.
ObamaCares is landmark.
h/t problemwiththat (July 2012)
African-American leaders join Obama for executive order
The Rev. Al Sharpton, NAACP President Ben Jealous, United Negro College Fund President Michael Lomax and several other African-American leaders visited the White House on Thursday to watch President Obama sign an executive order creating an initiative aimed at improving educational achievement.
Obama's signature launched the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, which "aims to ensure that all African American students can receive an education that fully prepares them for high school graduation, college completion and productive careers," a White House official said Wednesday before the president announced the initiative in his speech to the National Urban League.
Reps. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) were also in the group that attended the signing.
Tavis weeps.
miranda – —- Some SUPPORT 4 – -MR. PRESIDENT – —
—–Two Senators, "Proud Eagle Scouts," Urge Boy Scouts To Allow Gay Members– – –
– —As the Boy Scouts of America consider ending the organizational ban on gay scouts and leaders, two senators — both Eagle Scouts — sent a letter to the group's head asking the organization "to adopt inclusive membership and leadership policies that will allow for all Americans to participate in the Boy Scouts."
Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon noted the experience and skills they gained through Boy Scouts in the letter, provided to BuzzFeed on Monday evening. The pair told Wayne Brock, the chief scout executive, "We urge you to pursue a path which recognizes that all Americans should be welcomed into the Scouting family, regardless of sexual orientation."
Although both senators have publicly expressed their opposition to the policy in the past, this is the first time either one has approached the Boy Scouts directly urging a change to the policy.
THERE IS – MORE —– — -Good on them. :>)
I returned home tonight to a clip of the President talking about this on CBS. There was an editorial cartoon on Saturday about an old lady helping the BSA cross into the 21st century.
HEEY conlakappa —- ***BIG HUG*** :>) — –
– -Good 2 C U conlakappa. :>) —
Trayvon Martin would have turned 18 years old today. He is still being attacked in his death by racist Republican nutjobs and lunatics (I won't repeat GOP low life Todd Kincannon's recent remarks, they're here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/todd-kincannon-trayvon-martin-tweet_n_2618895.html). RIP to Trayvon, and continuing deepest condolences to his family. The spotlight on ALEC which came via the protests against his murder have already brought about change.
Chicago Woman Helps Minority Girls Access Careers in Science, Math, And Technology
Why she is a Game Changer: When Lomax learned that her daughter wanted to be a dentist, she was thrilled. But soon she found the resources weren't available to help her daughter achieve her dreams. That's why Lomax started Girls 4 Science in 2009. The nonprofit organization helps minority girls from the ages of 10 to 18 develop an interest in science, math, and education. It is the only all-girls science program in Chicago.
Excellent piece about Jackie Lomax.
That's wonderful!
miranda – – – –COMEDIC TRUTH – —Annnd MORE- —:>) – –
– –I'm the NRA – —
—— —In other news, according to Princeton scientist Sam Wang, Republican gerrymandering prior to the 2012 election was equivalent to 1.7 million Democrats staying home.
The depressing irony is that it was Democrats staying home in 2010 that gave Republicans the power to make such sweeping changes.
– –Janet Napolitano: A woman to watch for 2016 – —
– – –So, what happens if Hillary Clinton doesn't run in 2016?
— ->It is hard to imagine the presidential field without a woman contender, and here's one to keep your eye on: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Napolitano is quietly making it known that she is considering the race, and there is reason to take her seriously.
Before coming to Washington, Napolitano was a highly regarded and very popular governor in Arizona, a state not known as a hospitable one for Democrats. In 2005, Time Magazine named her one of the nation's five best governors, noting: "Positioning herself as a no-nonsense, pro-business centrist, she has worked outside party lines since coming to office in January 2003 to re-energize a state that, under her predecessors, was marked by recession and scandal."
While in Arizona, she was criticized for not being aggressive enough in dealing with the influx of illegal immigrants. But her more recent job gives her an opportunity to change that image. This week, for instance, finds her on a high-profile tour of the southwest border, where she will highlight the stepped-up resources that the Obama administration has been devoting to reducing the flow of illegal entrants to this country.
Run Janet Run. Then we'll really see how "post-racial" we are(n't.)
Came across the below and was stunned; my emphasis in bold:
The momentum in support of same-sex marriage in the African-American community is seen nowadays along generational lines. It is ironically divided between – the black civil rights era of MLK and post-black civil rights era of Obama.
What the heck is a "post-black" "civil rights era" and what a shame that it would be associated with the first black POTUS who won election via an unprecedented black vote. What in the world is going on?
wees free!!!!
So basically the gross inequalities get papered over, and "diversity" and "civil rights" now mean only passing mention of black people and our issues. We're now "post-black civil rights" where our struggles are simply a relic or reference point for privileged white folks to claim that they are the second coming of slaves, so as to steal the benefits of our legacy without suffering any of the generational harm. While our pols cosign this bullshit. We aint free, and I'm speaking up lol! Love PBO, he's doing big and good things overall and deserves massive respect, but this isn't right, this is all kinds of wrong. We as black people deserve better.
Love PBO, he's doing big and good things overall and deserves massive respect, but this isn't right, this is all kinds of wrong. We as black people deserve better.
PBO has NOTHING to do with all of this talk about "post-racial". In fact, he's has REJECTED the term:
"Look, race has been one of the fault lines in American culture and American politics from the start. I never bought into the notion that by electing me, somehow we were entering into a post-racial period. On the other hand, I've seen in my own lifetime how racial attitudes have changed and improved, and anybody who suggests that they haven't isn't paying attention or is trying to make a rhetorical point. Because we all see it every day, and me being in this Oval Office is a testimony to changes that have been taking place."
Yes, very true he has spoken out against "post-racial America." But this person is talking "post-black civil rights" and I have to say that PBO and many other politicians *have* given that impression. Read the WH's page on civil rights; majority of the entries there have nothing whatsoever to do with black people. http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/civil-rights
Not slamming him and never would, just pointing out that we have to speak up.
i do hear you. actually i think this is a good discussion and should be aired out
The article mentions the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the DOJ "enforcing laws to combat discrimination in schools, housing, and the workplace", PBO increasing budget of the DOJ's Civil Rights division, the Fair Sentencing Act…all of these affect Black people, so I don't understand how you can these things don't have anything to do with Black people.
Majority, not all, is not black-focused. Majority of the page definitely reflects this notion of post-black civil rights. Again, I'm not trying to dog PBO out here or imply that he isn't concerned with black issues when clearly he is, and he's delivered. Just pushing back on what I view as a cannibalization of our struggle which due to the racism on the left, has the potential to result in black people holding the short end of the stick (already there are a multitude of historically clueless claims from relatively privileged people that they have been dealt with worse than African Americans and thus any remedial actions taken for African Americans must include them as well–I simply disagree with that). Most (not all, but most) of the people who claim to represent new civil rights or "internet MLK" are coming from a place of ignorance re: the past and current black struggle, and they're spreading that ignorance. Civil rights has meaning and I don't care for the appropriation of that meaning to the point at which people are even claiming that we're in a post-black civil rights era. Just clapping back against it. We can agree to disagree; nothing but love and respect for both you and my POTUS.
But there's no such thing as "post-racial civil rights". It was term made up by someone looking to attack PBO because he doesn't fit their definition of someone who is fighting for Black issues. So I think there should be pushback, but at people who are creating these ridiculous terms, not PBO.
No, she was actually expressing approval: the African-American community is seen nowadays along generational lines. It is ironically divided between – the black civil rights era of MLK and post-black civil rights era of Obama." She wasn't throwing shade at PBO at all; she was describing the current era as one in which civil rights is "post-black" or in other words, civil rights is not about black people any more, and from her perspective, she is glad about it and credits it to PBO. I personally am not glad about it, and I view the left with extreme skepticism when it comes to black issues and their claims that civil rights must encompass struggles of people who are far more privileged than African Americans have ever been. I simply disagree with it. Even Ride or Die Joe referenced equal rights for transsexual Americans as "the civil rights issue of our time"—am I saying he is terrible or unconcerned about black issues? Of course not, but at the same time, I feel the need to speak up about a political trend which I don't think is helpful to black people.
"What in the world is going on?"
As far as I am concerned this just shallow understanding of history and reality. By the way, A Philip Randolph, the giant in fighting for both civil rights and workers rights, never discriminated against gays. That's why he picked Bayard Rustin, a gay man, to head the organizing for the 1963 March on Washington. Sadly, most uninformed people think that the 1963 March on Washington was organized by MLK. It wasn't. The 1963 March on Washington that elevated MLK to international prominence was originated and organized by A. Philip Randolph, and that gay human rights activist, Bayard Rustin. I strongly believe that MLK, like Bishop Desmond Tutu in SA, if he were alive today, would be supportive of the human rights of gay people. He was that committed to human equality. That's why I find the assertion that there is: "the black civil rights era of MLK and post-black civil rights era of Obama…to be totally shallow and absurd!
It is a very deliberate colonization of the struggle for black liberation, make no mistake about it. As I noted below, it is a manner of taking the benefits of black liberation and the efforts of those who fought for it by claiming to be on par with slaves/slave descendants, without having to deal with or suffer one iota of the very real and very much so continuing harm and racism which also comes with that legacy. We as black people need to be very careful about what we cosign in terms of people claiming that they are "the new civil rights" and "the civil rights issue of our time" or "the internet's MLK" and "an online sit-in like the Woolworth's protest." This is NOT paying homage to our legacy whatsoever. It is colonizing it to the point at which because of this misuse of the vernacular, people indeed believe that black people have attained rights and civil rights is just a catchall phrase for any grievance. Watering down and adding mass confusion to black liberation is a feature, not a bug.
miranda —REV. AL — – -ALWAYS — ON the move – -FORWARD – – -> :>)
— —Rev. Al Sharpton to Hold Conference with African-American and Latino Leaders to Announce New Alliance—
– – —- *Rev. Al Sharpton, host of MSNBC "Politics Nation" and founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN) will join with African American and Latino community leaders at the grand opening of The National Action Network Western Regional and Los Angeles Chapter Headquarters to announce his organization in Los Angeles is forming a committee on Latino and African American race relations in the aftermath of the hate crimes that occurred in Compton, CA.
An African -American family was recently confronted with violence at their home in Compton, by Latino gang members forcing the African-American family to move.
"The Los Angeles Chapter of NAN welcomes Rev Sharpton to Los Angeles. Rev Sharpton's bold and courageous leadership where he's a uniter in solving problems. This is the leadership our community needs right now. Especially in L.A. County where there has been an increase in recent years of racial violence between Latino and African-Americans," Stated Rev. K.W. Tulloss, President of the L.A. chapter of the National Network (NAN)
– – – -WHAT a STRATEGIST!! —-:>) – — – – -THANK U — REV. AL.:>) – – –
— –Dear POU FAM♥ – -G'NIGHT. :>) –MAY U HAVE BLESSED —SWEET DREAMS. ♥ – -♥ :>) – –
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