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Everyone is talking about the Corona del Mar High School cheating scandal.
Since the news broke in December that a group of students, colluding with a private tutor, allegedly used a computer hacking device to alter grades and access tests, a day hasn't gone by when the subject fails to arise among the network of parents I know in Newport Beach.
The story has been picked up by many media outlets, suggesting that instances of academic dishonesty strike a chord among a large audience.
Although most of us are dismayed by the brazenness of the alleged cheating, sadly the news doesn't come as much of a surprise.
Academic cheating is as old as formal education itself, and though the vast majority probably goes undetected, culprits are routinely outed, from middle school to Harvard. The means and methods might change to adapt to new technology and teaching styles, but there will always be those who succumb to the temptation to cut ethical corners.
Just two years ago, I wrote a column in this space after another incident at CdM involving a student who reportedly bought test banks online that contained test questions used by teachers, then shared the information with others.
Data on academic cheating can be alarming. One nationally recognized study, by the Josephson Center for Youth Ethics in Los Angeles, most recently surveyed more than 40,000 public and private high school students in 2010. Of those responding, 59% admitted cheating on a test during the prior year, and 34% said they'd cheated more than twice. One-third said they'd used the Internet to plagiarize.
Some education sources suggest that even findings such as these might underrepresent the full scale of cheating throughout academia.
Yet it's also important for us to understand the environmental context and underlying forces at play when discussing cases of academic dishonesty.
For one thing, the data on cheating must be taken with a large grain of salt. Unearthing the true extent of cheating in schools is notoriously difficult, and survey results are often viewed as unreliable.
In part that's because the very definition of cheating is slippery and open to varying interpretations: Does padding a bibliography count? When does collaboration among students cross an ethical line? If certain questionable behavior isn't explicitly prohibited, can it be justified? How do we keep up with the growing number of ways to access and share information through technology?
The reporting on cheating scandals nationwide is also increasingly viewed through the prism of the intensifying pressure on kids to perform academically. The stress zone of college admissions and the outsized importance placed on high-stakes exams create a climate of cutthroat competition that is the antithesis of sound educational goals. Yet these are the yardsticks by which we choose to measure our children's success.
The topic of academic dishonesty is also rarely raised without mention of broad cultural ills that give kids misguided messages about acceptable behavior. This includes media portrayals of criminals as heroic and rule-breaking as anti-authoritarian chic, and institutions that play fast and loose with truth and fair play.
In recent years, many schools have been discovered cheating on standardized tests, hardly a sterling example for students to follow.
Another important element to the context in which cheating occurs is the feeling by many young people that the system is rigged anyway. If students believe they're not being treated with respect and fairness, they'll likely be more inclined to ignore the rules. This perception applies to everything from the college admissions game to teachers who — not always, but sometimes — lack compassion, apply rules arbitrarily and intentionally try to trip up students with test questions on subjects not covered directly in course materials.
We adults must accept some responsibility for creating this breeding ground for unethical behavior.
To be sure, none of this is excuse enough for cheating on the scale that has so far been alleged in the recent CdM case.
The school board has yet to decide what, if any, actions to take regarding any students found to have participated in the scheme. Some form of expulsion and academic discipline may be on the table.
I've heard a few observers argue against harsh penalties, believing that kids' futures shouldn't be ruined because of one lapse in judgment.
I don't see it that way, nor do many other parents I've spoken with. Though I'm a big believer in the principles of restorative justice, and I sympathize with the instinct to protect children from pain, in this case if students were knowingly complicit, they need to take responsibility, face the consequences and make amends.
Their lives need not be destroyed by an academic black mark. On the contrary, it could be a gift in the long run, a chance to rebuild with the wisdom and maturity that can result from persevering after a hard fall. American culture, after all, embraces second chances.
But let us not forget that the rest of us — parents, district administrators, principals and teachers — have an obligation to reexamine the messages we send to kids. We may live in a sometimes ethically nebulous world, but if we're ever going to reduce the level of cheating in our schools, we all need to walk the walk.
PATRICE APODACA is a former Newport-Mesa public school parent and former Los Angeles Times staff writer. She lives in Newport Beach.


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The Benghazi Deniers
At last we have a Benghazi scandal that Democrats are willing to acknowledge — House Speaker John Boehner's decision to form a select committee to investigate the administration's handling of the 2012 terror attack in Libya.
This has been the occasion for outrage that Democrats haven't been able to summon for any aspect of Benghazi to this point, including the lax security at the compound despite repeated warnings and prior attacks on Western interests.
Story Continued Below
The Democrats and their allies are in the grips of Benghazi denial. They think the Republican notion of a scandal is a complete hoax. Yes, a mistake was made here or there, but otherwise, nothing to see here.
The deniers evidently believe:
An administration should be able to make erroneous statements about a terror attack that killed a U.S. ambassador in the weeks before a presidential election and expect everyone to accept its good intentions afterward.
An administration should be able to withhold a bombshell White House email from congressional investigators and expect everyone to greet its long-delayed release with a yawn.
An administration should be able to send out its press secretary to abase himself with absurd denials of the obvious and expect everyone to consider its credibility solidly intact.
No opposition party would ever accept these propositions, and of course Republicans (and a few intrepid reporters and organizations) haven't. We presumably would never have learned of the email from White House national security official Ben Rhodes to then-ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice prior to her notorious Sunday show appearances if the Benghazi "obsessives" at Judicial Watch hadn't zealously pursued records through a lawsuit.
It has long been the contention of Rice's defenders that she was merely tripped up by bad intelligence. It is true that the Central Intelligence Agency wrongly maintained initially that the Benghazi attack grew out of a protest. Yet, there wasn't any doubt from the outset that it was a terrorist attack.
In his April testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, former deputy director of the CIA Michael Morell emphasized, "The critically important point is that the analysts considered this a terrorist attack from the very beginning. They were not slow coming to this judgment."
But Rice took her cue from Rhodes, who didn't mention terrorism in his general discussion of the situation in the Middle East, or in his specific suggested answer to a hypothetical question about Benghazi. It was all about the video, and "people who harm Americans" and "challenges," including "difficult challenges."
Morell told the House Intelligence Committee that in the agency's analysis, "There was no mention of the video defaming the Prophet Muhammad as a motivation for the attacks in Benghazi. In fact, there was no mention of the video at all." Rice's viewers nonetheless heard of little else.
The administration's apologists claim that President Obama immediately called Benghazi a terror attack in a statement in the Rose Garden on Sept. 12, the day after the assault. He did indeed refer to "acts of terror," although vaguely. In an interview the same day with CBS, he was asked: Was Benghazi the result of a "mob action," or was it something more serious? "I don't want to jump the gun on this," the president said.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Looks – Going Work Safe–For Real! Looks 7/02/08July 02, 2008 I have my practice oral argument, which is basically where I speak for eight minutes, then my opponent argues against me, and then I have another two minutes for rebuttal. What's great is that it seems impossible to prepare for, so while I have some prepared remarks, I'm mostly going to wing it. Thankfully, tonight is practice, and I'm banking on it being a huge learning experience so I don't make a total fool out of myself next Wednesday when I do it for real (in front of real judges!!–but the case is fake). Court attire required at the practice, nonethelesss, hence needing to do work safe makeup for real! (I have a feeling this may be "too much" by court standards, though. Poo!)I used Soft Ochre paint pot on lid, Ricepaper eyeshadow all over lid, Brun eyeshadow in outer crease, Soft Brown eyeshadow in outer crease, Patina eyeshadow on outer lid, Ricepaper eyeshadow on brow and lower lash line, Blacktrack fluidline on upper and lower lash line, and Plushlash mascara on lashes. I had Margin blush with Scult sculpting powder on cheeks. I wore Mari-sheeno lipstick (LE) with Moonbathe lipglass (LE) on my lips.** These are recommendations for dupes based on permanent colors available — may not necessarily be identical; they are the closest I can think of!Mari-sheeno = no dupe!; Moonbathe = Love Nectar


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Barack Obama, already the first president to appoint two female justices, may have a chance to name a third during his second term in office and deepen his imprint on the U.S. Supreme Court.
With four justices 74 or older, actuarial tables alone suggest Obama will have another vacancy or two to fill before he leaves the White House in January, 2017. The oldest of the court's nine members, 79-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has indicated she might retire in the next few years.
Names of possible successors are already circulating in Democratic circles. California Attorney General Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Virginia Seitz and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan are high on the lists. Obama would almost certainly choose a woman to succeed Ginsburg, ensuring the court continues to have three female justices, said Amy Howe, a lawyer at Goldstein & Russell PC.
"If Ginsburg retired, I think it'd be hard to replace her with a white guy," said Howe, whose Washington firm runs Scotusblog, a website that tracks the court and is sponsored by Bloomberg Law. "I can't imagine he'd want to let the court go back down to two women."
A new justice would join a court now split almost evenly on questions of abortion, race, religion, gun rights and campaign finance. Obama's first two appointees, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, have joined Ginsburg in voting to uphold the president's health-care law and calling for reconsideration of the 2010 ruling allowing unlimited corporate election spending.
Shaping Law
Another Obama appointment would solidify that wing of the court, even if the balance doesn't tip. Because a new justice would potentially serve for decades, Obama's appointees would be in position to shape American law long after the onetime constitutional law professor has left the White House. Harris is 48, Klobuchar 52, Seitz 56, and Madigan 46.
"You could see effectively a Ginsburg clone at least 30 years younger to really anchor the liberal wing of the court," said Carrie Severino, chief counsel for the Judicial Crisis Network, a Washington-based group that opposed the Sotomayor and Kagan nominations.
The impact would be even greater should a Republican- appointed justice, such as Antonin Scalia or Anthony Kennedy, both 76, leave the court. That's unlikely barring a major health problem, Howe said.
Another candidate to step down before the end of Obama's new term is 74-year-old Justice Stephen Breyer, who, like Ginsburg, was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton. Neither Breyer, Scalia nor Kennedy has given any public indication of plans to retire.
Appellate Judges
The candidates to replace them also include a handful of federal appeals court judges, among them Obama appointees Mary Murguia and Jacqueline Nguyen and Clinton appointees Sidney Thomas and Merrick Garland. Thomas and Garland were on Obama's short list when he selected Kagan in 2010, with Garland getting support from Republican senators.
The possibilities would expand if no vacancy occurred for two or three years. By then, Obama may have appointed a dozen or more additional federal appellate judges, giving them stronger credentials to be elevated to the nation's highest court.
That field includes two people he has nominated to the federal appeals court in Washington, Deputy U.S. Solicitor General Sri Srinivasan and former New York Solicitor General Caitlin Halligan.
The Supreme Court at one point loomed as a significant campaign issue. That possibility diminished after the court upheld the president's health-care law in June, with Republican- appointed Chief Justice John Roberts casting the pivotal vote.
Obama made the court a secondary issue in his re-election bid, using it primarily to help make his case to women. In a speech in August, he told a mostly female audience that Republican Mitt Romney "could tip the balance of the court in a way that turns back the clock for women and families."
To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Stohr in Washington at email@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steven Komarow at firstname.lastname@example.com
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Nature's Best Natural Sweeteners-With Nutritional Benefits!
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans reported that added sugars contribute an average of 16% of the total calories in American diets. While there definitely is a place...
Before we talk about what these sweeteners are, let's get one thing straight. In most cases, these sweetener options do not necessarily save you calories. In other words, from a weight loss perspective, it is still important to view these as a treat. For example, in the case of honey and sugar, calorie for calorie they are almost identical. So while these options may provide other nutritional benefits (listed below). They are not necessarily a low-calorie option, except in the case of stevia, which is explained below.
Bonus: How Much Sugar Is Too Much?
Agave: Light and dark agave nectar both come from the same source, the agave plant, but differences in how they are made cause the color difference. Light agave nectar undergoes a finer filtration, which removes more of the natural minerals. This is why it is lighter in color. However, light and dark agave nectars have virtually the same nutritional content, and actually, ounce for ounce they have the same calorie content as sugar. However, agave nectar is about 1.5 times sweeter than sugar, so the benefit is that you use less for the same sweetness. Also, agave nectar has a lower glycemic index, which in theory means that it will raise your blood sugar at a slower rate than other sweeteners like honey, sugar, and other syrups. The real difference between light and dark agave nectars though, is taste. In addition to being sweet, dark agave has a stronger, vanilla-like flavor, while light agave nectar has a milder, more neutral taste and aroma. Try using agave nectar to sweeten Greek yogurt, smoothies, and oatmeal.
Honey: Did you know that bees have been producing honey for at least 100 million years? The color and flavor of honey differ depending on the bees' nectar source. Darker honeys are usually not only stronger in flavor, but also higher in antioxidants. Honey has been shown to act as a prebiotic, which helps with digestive health. Honey contains many nutrients including niacin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, and magnesium, just to name a few. Try using honey in marinades and to sweeten teas.
Stevia: Stevia is a plant native to South America. The extract called Rebiana taken from the stevia plant's leaves is 300 times sweeter than sugar, but has zero calories. Since it is calorie-free and has a negligible effect on blood sugar, it could be a good, natural alternative for folks with diabetes or for those who are counting calories. The Stevia in the Raw team sent me some samples recently, and I have enjoyed using it to sweeten coffee, fruit that is a little too tart and even as a sugar substitute in baking.
Fruits: Fruits are rich in the natural sugar, fructose and can be used as a sugar substitute in recipes or to sweet foods such as oatmeal and smoothies. Some of my favorite fruits to use include bananas and applesauce, which are great to use in oatmeal or in breads and other baked goods. Try replacing about half the sugar that the recipe calls for with the fruit and be sure to also cut out 1/4 cup of the liquid that the recipe calls for due to the higher water content of these fruits. Using fruit in place of some of the sugar in a recipe increases the fiber content and adds vitamins and minerals such as potassium and Vitamin C.
While moderation still reigns supreme whether you are using sugar or one of the sweeteners listed above, I encourage you to experiment with a variety of natural sweeteners to add nutritional value along with sweetness to your favorite foods and recipes.
Related Links:
Sneaky Sugar Offenders (Like Cereal!)
Lose Weight and Win Great Prizes
For daily nutrition tips follow SELF on Facebook and Twitter.
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UBS news
UBS and Credit Suisse Group create compensation fund for Biber shareholders.
UBS and Credit Suisse Group have set up a CHF 17 million compensation fund for shareholders of Biber Holding AG. The Swiss Federal Banking Commission (FBC) has taken note of and endorses this action.
UBS and Credit Suisse Group have decided to pay into a compensation fund proceeds of CHF 17.010 million (CHF 12.745 million at UBS and CHF 4.265 million at Credit Suisse Group) from the sale of Biber shares. The proceeds in the fund will be credited to shareholders of Biber Holding who bought Biber shares via the stock exchange between 14 September 1995 and 17 December 1996 and consequently incurred a net loss. UBS and Credit Suisse Group both sold Biber shares from their own holdings during this period. The fund has been created without recognition of any legal obligation on the banks' part.
The compensation fund is to be managed by attorney Karl Wüthrich of Wenger Plattner, and the distribution of fund capital is to be overseen by auditing firm Bankrevisions- und Treuhand AG. The fund manager will be publishing notices detailing the conditions of participation and outlining the procedure in the daily press at the beginning of February. Payment of fund dividends calculated on the basis of the recognized losses is expected to be made in the summer of 2001.
In setting up the compensation fund, the two banks have found a solution which has been noted and endorsed by the FBC.
In December 1999 UBS, Credit Suisse Group and the receivers appointed for Biber Holding AG and Alte PBU signed a settlement under which the two banks agreed to forgo dividends totaling CHF 40 million. As a consequence, the bankruptcy dividend for non-financial creditors of Biber Holding and Alte PBU could be raised to 100%. Following the courts' rejections of objections filed by a group of Biber Holding shareholders against this settlement, the final precondition for establishing the compensation fund has been satisfied.
Basel/Zurich, 31 January 2001
Credit Suisse Group


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Best Drug Rehabilitation's CEO Per Wickstrom Interviews Dave Veres on Helping Kids Avoid Alcohol and Drug Abuse
A new video from Best Drug Rehabilitation is featuring an interview between CEO Per Wickstrom, and former MLB pitcher Dave Veres on how to help kids avoid alcohol and drug abuse.
(PRWEB) December 30, 2013
A new video from Best Drug Rehabilitation is featuring an interview between CEO Per Wickstrom, and former MLB pitcher Dave Veres on how to help kids avoid alcohol and drug abuse.
"The key to helping kids is to educate them, so that they don't even start taking drugs and alcohol," commented Dave Veres, who pitched for the Houston Astros, Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago Cubs. "We need to ensure that today's kids have mentors that they can look up to – someone who shares their beliefs and values, and can help them make the right choices."
"Dave's point about mentors can't be stressed enough," commented Per Wickstrom. "Today's young people are under incredible pressure. Having a mentor come into their life who can help them cope with peer pressure and other challenges can make the difference between a life full of love and success, and one marked by addiction."
Best Drug Rehabilitations new video that features the treatment facility's CEO Per Wickstrom interview with Dave Veres is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm-_arMHGgE.
For additional information or media inquiries, contact Amber Howe, Executive Director BDR, at (231) 887-4590 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
About Best Drug Rehabilitation
Best Drug Rehabilitation offers treatment programs, and believes that having family close by during a stay in rehab can make a big difference in whether or not the process is successful. Led by CEO Per Wickstrom, Best Drug Rehabilitation also understands that recovering from an addiction is an intense emotional and physical challenge, and as such provides clients with a comfortable and private space that is safe and free of anxiety. Ultimately, Best Drug Rehabilitation offers recovery geared to the personalized needs of each client, which is an option that makes the chance for long-term success much more likely.
Learn more at http://www.bestdrugrehabilitation.com/
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/Best-Drug-Rehabiliation/12/prweb11448164.htm
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We are seeking males and females to participate in a paid online research study about alcohol.
The research study will be conducted via an online bulletin board over a five day period.
The research study will take place between June 11th and June 15th.
Those who participate in this research study will be paid $200 for their time and opinions.
Please click the button below and you will be taken to the pre screening questionnaire. A market research recruiter will contact you in the next few days if your answers to the screening questions match the requirements of the study, and provided that all of the participant openings have not been filled.
Comments are closed.
Dave Mitchell is the author of The Paid Focus Group Network and Paid Focus Groups Live
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The perfect bright colour for both professionals and beginners, that gives great coverage! Create different designs and enjoy hours of imaginative play with our classic light grey face paint.
Add a little water to a brush or sponge, dab on some paint and follow the easy guides included for hours of imaginative play. When you're done
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Browsing Theses by Subject "Water quality--Analysis"
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Analysis of the Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Structure for Assessment of Water Quality of the Des Moines River (Drake University, 1973-05)The problem. An evaluation of the water quality of the Des Moines River in the Des Moines, Iowa area was accomplished by sampling and analyzing the benthic macroinvertebrate community. Procedure. Artificial substrates at ...


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Shro wrote:So I live in the Bay Area now! Oakland to be precise. Super close to a BART stop, so maybe let's find a coffee shop or something that works for people because I don't really need an event as an excuse to meet up, just having a conversation with interesting people is good enough for me, and I would love to tap your knowledge about this area, since we moved here less than a month ago. Hit me up y'all!
Welcome to the neighborhood! I'm right between the Fruitvale and Merritt BART stations.
If you would like to know places and things to see/eat at/shop at/etc. Shoot me a message, or we can have coffee, or whatever.


text: PATENT EXAMINING CORPS BRUCE A. LEHMAN, Commissioner LAWRENCE J. GOFFNEY, Jr., Assistant Commissioner for Patents EDWARD R. KAZENSKE, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Patents STEPHEN G. KUNIN, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Patent Policy J.O. THOMAS, JR., Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Patent Process Services Phone Number New Case PATENT EXAMINING GROUPS Area Code 703 Date* CHEMICAL EXAMINING GROUPS GENERAL METALLURGICAL, INORGANIC, PETROLEUM AND ELECTRICAL CHEMISTRY, AND ENGINEERING, GROUP 1100-JOHN E. KITTLE, Director 308-0661 02/17/94 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, GROUP 1200-RICHARD V. FISHER, Director 308-1235 04/22/94 SPECIALIZED CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, GROUP 1300-BARRY S. RICHMAN, Director 308-0651 06/28/94 HIGH POLYMER CHEMISTRY, PLASTICS, COATING, PHOTOGRAPHY STOCK MATERIALS AND COMPOSITIONS, GROUP 1500-THEODORE MORRIS, Director 308-2351 05/12/94 BIOTECHNOLOGY, GROUP 1800-JOHN J. DOLL, Director 308-0196 11/16/93 ELECTRICAL EXAMINING GROUPS INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, PHYSICS AND RELATED ELEMENTS, GROUP 2100-STEWART LEVY, Director 308-1782 06/21/94 SPECIAL LAWS AND ADMINISTRATION, GROUP 2200-ROBERT E. GARRETT, Director 308-0511 09/11/93 COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER APPLICATION, GROUP 2300- BOBBY R. GRAY, Director 305-9600 03/10/94 PACKAGES, CLEANING, TEXTILES AND GEOMETRICAL INSTRUMENTS GROUP 2400-GERALD GOLDBERG, Director 308-0771 02/01/94 ELECTRONIC AND OPTICAL SYSTEMS AND DEVICES, GROUP 2500-JANICE A. HOWELL, Director 308-0956 12/07/93 COMMUNICATIONS, MEASURING, TESTING AND LAMP/DISCHARGE GROUP, GROUP 2600-NICHOLAS P. GODICI, Director 305-4700 09/21/93 DESIGN, GROUP 2900-JOHN E. KITTLE, Director 308-0661 06/15/93 MECHANICAL EXAMINING GROUPS HANDLING AND TRANSPORTATION MEDIA, GROUP 3100-F.R. SCHMIDT, Director 308-1113 01/31/94 MATERIAL SHAPING, ARTICLE MANUFACTURING AND TOOLS, GROUP 3200-CARLTON R. CROYLE, Director 308-1148 01/11/94 MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGIES AND HUSBANDRY PERSONAL TREATMENT INFORMATION, GROUP 3300-J.J. LOVE, Director 308-0858 04/14/94 SOLAR, HEAT, POWER, AND FLUID ENGINEERING DEVICES, GROUP 3400-DONALD G. KELLY, Director 308-0861 01/27/94 GENERAL CONSTRUCTION, PETROLEUM AND MINING ENGINEERING, GROUP 3500-A.L. SMITH, Director 308-1021 02/14/94 *A communication from the examiner should have been received in most applications filed prior to this date. Expiration of Patents: The patents within the range of numbers indicated below expire during April 1995 except those which may have had their terms curtailed by disclaimer under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 253. Other patents, issued after the dates of the range of numbers indicated below, may have expired before the full term of 17 years for the same reasons, or have lapsed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 151. Patents Numbers 4,081,864 to 4,086,663 inclusive Plant Patents 4,232 to 4,244


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No: 108-25
Date: October 27, 2004
Senate Passes S. 2845, the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004
On October 6, 2004 , the Senate passed and sent to the House, S. 2845, The National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004. This bill would reform the intelligence community and the intelligence-related activities of the United States Government. Included in the legislation are the following provisions of interest to SSA:
Title X, 9/11 Commission Implementation Act of 2004
Section 1026. Minimum Standards for Birth Certificates
- Beginning 2 years after promulgation of regulations, would prohibit Federal agencies from accepting, for any official purpose, a birth certificate that does not conform to requirements of this section.
- Would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promulgate standards for such birth certificates in consultation with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Commissioner of Social Security, among others.
- The standards would include, among other things, a requirement for proof and verification of identity as a condition of issuance of a birth certificate.
- Would require the Secretary of HHS, in coordination with SSA and others, to award grants to states to assist States in computerizing their birth and death records; developing the capability to match birth and death records within and among States, and noting the fact of death on birth certificates of deceased persons.
Section 1027. Drivers Licenses and Personal Identification Cards
- Beginning 2 years after promulgation of regulations, would prohibit Federal agencies from accepting, for any official purpose, a driver's license or identification card newly issued by a State to any person unless the driver's license or personal identification card conforms to such minimum standards required by this section.
- The standards would include, among other things, a requirement for documentation of proof of identity of an applicant for such license/card and a standard for the verifiability of documents used to obtain such license/card.
- Would require the Secretary of Transportation to award grants to States to meet such standards.
- Would require final rules to be issued by Department of Transportation, in consultation with the States and DHS not later than 18 months after enactment.
Section 1028. Social Security Cards
- Would require SSA to issue regulations to restrict the issuance of multiple replacement cards not later than 180 days after enactment.
- Would require SSA to verify records provided by an applicant for an original Social Security card, other than for purposes of enumeration at birth, within one year after enactment.
- Would require SSA to add death, fraud and work authorization indicators to the Social Security number verification system within 18 months after enactment.
- Would require SSA, in consultation with the DHS, to form an interagency task force for the purpose of further improving the security of Social Security cards and numbers. Not later than one year after the date of enactment, would require the task force to establish security requirements, including standards for safeguarding cards from counterfeiting, tampering, alteration, and theft; for verifying documents submitted for the issuance of replacement cards; and actions to increase enforcement against the fraudulent use or issuance of Social Security numbers and cards.
- Would authorize, for each fiscal year 2005-2009, appropriations to the Commissioner of Social Security of such sums as may be necessary to carry out the requirements of this section.


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Kadra ran as well and had a really good time..... and ran a good time. She is a natural, she just doesn't know it yet.
A collection of personal thoughts and experiences - mostly centered around running.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Running in Snowshoes?
Kadra ran as well and had a really good time..... and ran a good time. She is a natural, she just doesn't know it yet.
4 comments:
It sounds like it will not be long before you are going to Kadra for snowshoeing advise. I wonder how she will stand up to all of that pressure? In looking at the pictures, it looked like everyone had such a great time. I think I saw Dan's lower face with a little special one. Have a great snowy weekend. About 4 inches in Johnson City so far. You will probably get 4 feet!!! Don't you just love snow...ReplyDelete
Rick- We didn't get 4' thankfully, but we probably got another 5/6" last night. I'm definitely looking forward to spring.ReplyDelete
We're not going to be able to make the trip to Holiday Lake unfortunately. We're planning on being at PL though, so we can complain about the heat at that point. Stay warm!
wow!! that looks like SO much fun! I have always wanted to run in snowshoes!! I was in Vermont this past week and was SO close to buying myself a pair. now it looks like another snow storm this weekend!!! I REALLY should of gotten them it seems!!! either that or my own pair of XC skis! this snow is really making it hard to be consistent. ( at least with GOOD miles-- I have plenty of slow, slippy, slidey miles logged:oP)ReplyDelete
happy running!!
Big fun! I've been snowshoeing most weekends this winter, although I admit that most of it has been walking and not running, and I love it! The snow conditions definitely make a huge difference, in that the 5 weekends I've been out, I'd only consider 2 of them really 'runnable' (and I still opted to walk most of it). But regardless, it's my new favorite cross training activity.ReplyDelete


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Susan Granger's review of 'Jersey Boys'
Clint Eastwood doesn't just transfer the Broadway musical about The Four Seasons onto the screen; he adroitly delves into their complex inter-relationships, focusing on the diminutive front man with the unmistakable falsetto voice, Frankie Valli (John Lloyd Young, Tony winner for his stage portrayal).
The behind-the-music story of this iconic rock `n' roll group begins in Belleville, N.J., in 1951, when young Frankie Castelluccio was hanging out with trouble-making Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza). Fortunately, Frankie catches the attention of mobster Gyp DeCarlo (Christopher Walken), who becomes his mentor/protector. While hot-tempered Tommy manages and bass guitarist Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) does arrangements, they don't really find their sound -- or name -- until prolific songwriter Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen) joins the group. He's an astute businessman as well as a savvy musician, hooking them up with flamboyant record producer Bob Crewe (Mike Doyle).
Suddenly, they're wildly successful, churning out 1960s hits like "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "Dawn," "Rag Doll," Bye Bye Baby," "Can't Take My Eyes Off You..." and many more. Decidedly peripheral to Frankie's loyalty to his buddies are his first wife, Mary Delgado (Renee Marino), and his reporter girlfriend, Lorraine (Erica Piccinnini).
Working from Marshall Brickman and Rick Elise's screenplay/jukebox musical book, director/producer Eastwood contrasts their popular four-part harmony with their squabbling, road-warrior travails and disillusionment over Tommy's gambling debts and loans. There's no lip-syncing; the actors sing live on the set. And what's most emotionally effective is having them break the "fourth wall," talking into the camera, revealing their innermost thoughts to the audience.
Eastwood's production team includes the show's original musical director, Ron Melrose, and choreographer, Sergio Trujillo, along with cinematographer Tom Stern, who often de-saturates the color; production designer James J. Murakami and costumer Deborah Hopper, who authenticate the period; and editors Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach. Valli and Gaudio were executive producers.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Jersey Boys" is a subdued, nostalgic 7 -- with Eastwood doing a Hitchcock-like cameo.


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Here is an excellent article about the "identity crisis" Danes are having over the cartoon controversy.
"The furor over the cartoons has been a wake-up call for Danes," says Flemming Rose, the cultural editor of the paper, Jyllands-Posten. Mr. Rose, who commissioned the cartoons in the fall, announced Friday that he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the paper. "We are used to seeing ourselves as a permissive and open society on the side of the good, and it is shocking to see Danes as objects of hate."...How terribly sad and painful this is. How can a liberal society defend itself against illiberalism? We depend heavily on what we believe is the demonstrable good of a free and open society. When confronted with large numbers of people who won't agree with our idea of the good, what can we do?
As Muslim protesters across the Middle East burned Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen in effigy this week, he insisted on Denmark's tolerance. "It's a false picture to portray us as an enemy of Islam," he said in an interview on Thursday.
But Muslim leaders have pointed out that such words fail to resonate when the government coalition includes the Danish People's Party, whose leaders have publicly compared Muslims to "cancer cells."...
In a sign that the cartoon crisis is fanning even greater anti-immigrant sentiment, the People's Party leader, Pia Kjaersgaard, wrote in her weekly newsletter that the Islamic religious community here was populated with "pathetic and lying men with worrying suspect views on democracy and women." She added: "They are the enemy inside. The Trojan horse in Denmark. A kind of Islamic mafia."
Imam Abdul Wahid Pedersen, a Danish convert to Islam, with ice blue eyes and a neatly trimmed goatee, argues that Denmark's self-delusions have been destroyed by the cartoons. Imam Pedersen, who converted 24 years ago and speaks fluent Arabic, says that before the cartoon crisis his Muslim identity was embraced by Danish friends. Now he says he is taunted as a "traitor" as he walks down the street and has even received death threats.
"Blockhead right-wing politicians in this country are saying Islam is a terrorist religion, that our prophet is a con man, that we take their jobs and steal their women," he said. "The tolerance it took decades to build up has been torn down in a matter of a few months."
The Danish People's Party insists that the violence spurred by the cartoon crisis has proved that its anti-immigration policies are justified. Morten Messerschmidt, a 25-year-old rising star in the party, said that rather than preaching intolerance, the party was in fact fighting to preserve Danish liberalism — including respect for gender rights and freedom of the press — which he believes has become increasingly irreconcilable with Islam.
"The crisis over the cartoons has been an eye-opener and has shown that the culture clash we have been predicting for 10 years had come to pass," Mr. Messerschmidt said. "These people we welcomed into our country have betrayed us."
UPDATE: Here's a BBC report on a big pro-Muslim rally in London:
The event aimed to explain the views of moderate Muslims towards cartoons published in a Danish newspaper which led to worldwide protests.That seems encouragingly moderate. But read this too, Mark Steyn's new column:
Organisers also said it wanted to dissociate the mainstream Muslim community from a "minority of extremists"....
A series of speakers gathered to support the Muslim community, including MP Jeremy Corbyn.
In his speech, which was met with cheers from the crowd, he said: "The only way our community can survive is by showing mutual respect to each other.
"We demand that people show respect for each other's community, each other's faith and each other's religion."
[The European Union's Justice and Security Commissioner, Franco] Frattini explained it to the Daily Telegraph, "The press will give the Muslim world the message: We are aware of the consequences of exercising the right of free expression. . . . We can and we are ready to self-regulate that right."
"Prudence"? "Self-regulate our free expression"? No, I'm afraid that's just giving the Muslim world the message: You've won, I surrender, please stop kicking me.
But they never do. Because, to use the Arabic proverb with which Robert Ferrigno opens his new novel, Prayers for the Assassin, set in an Islamic Republic of America, "A falling camel attracts many knives." In Denmark and France and the Netherlands and Britain, Islam senses the camel is falling and this is no time to stop knifing him.
The issue is not "freedom of speech" or "the responsibilities of the press" or "sensitivity to certain cultures." The issue, as it has been in all these loony tune controversies going back to the Salman Rushdie fatwa, is the point at which a free society musters the will to stand up to thugs. British Muslims march through the streets waving placards reading "BEHEAD THE ENEMIES OF ISLAM." If they mean that, bring it on. As my columnar confrere John O'Sullivan argued, we might as well fight in the first ditch as the last.
But then it's patiently explained to us for the umpteenth time that they're not representative, that there are many many "moderate Muslims.''
I believe that. I've met plenty of "moderate Muslims" in Jordan and Iraq and the Gulf states. But, as a reader wrote to me a year or two back, in Europe and North America they aren't so much "moderate Muslims" as quiescent Muslims. The few who do speak out wind up living in hiding or under 24-hour armed guard, like Dutch MP Ayaab Hirsi Ali.
So when the EU and the BBC and the New York Times say that we too need to be more "sensitive" to those fellows with "Behead the enemies of Islam" banners, they should look in the mirror: They're turning into "moderate Muslims," and likely to wind up as cowed and silenced and invisible.