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Ilya Repin. To the 175th Anniversary of the Artist's Birth
3 october 2019—9 march 2020
The exhibition will feature more than 250 paintings and graphic works by Ilya Repin: recognized masterpieces by the master and his little-known works, as well as memorial items related to the life and work of the artist.
4 july 2019—2 september 2019
The exhibition of the first avant-garde association of Russia will present about 200 items: paintings, graphics, scenographic projects, as well as posters and archival materials.
The collection of masterpieces, chosen by the Russian Museum will allow you to make a first impression of the collection of the Russian Museum.
Russian Museum - one of the world's largest museums and is perhaps the only country where such a full treasure of national culture are presented.
Virtual tour of the museum complex. 2009 (Rus., Eng., Ger., Fin.)
In the online shop of the Russian Museum presented a huge range of souvenirs, illustrated editions and multimedia disks.
Be informed about news, events and exhibitions of the Russian Museum
© 2015
The State Russian Museum
Site development: Projector.media
The Russian Museum is the exclusive owner of all the interior images and pieces of art of the Russian Museum collection, as well as all the images and text information given on its official site. The usage of the texts and images provided on the site is only allowed with the permission of the Russian Museum.


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Today (Friday 1/5/18 at midnight) is the last day for you to comment on the National Park Service plan to eradicate Brown Trout at Lees Ferry. Please take a moment to make a comment...every comment makes a difference.
Comment Here
Here is my comment:
Comments on the National Park Service Expanded Non Native Aquatic Species Management Plan Environmental Assessment
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this EA.
Qualifications upon which my comments are based include my career as a full time fishing guide on the Colorado River since 1983. During that time I have spent more than 8,000 days or 80,000 hours on the river in pursuit of trout. By the way, during all this time on the river, I have seen two brown trout, both caught by my customers. I have logged in excess of 240,000 miles traveling up and down the Colorado River between Lees Ferry and Glen Canyon Dam. My job and success is totally dependent on my ability to provide fish to be caught by my angling customer. In order to do this successfully, I have to be a student of fish behavior, water quality and dam operations, aquatic entomology, weather and ichthyology. Additionally, I have written two books: The 50 Best Tailwaters to Fly Fish (which chronicles the 56 best tailwaters in North America to fish which goes into exhaustive detail on how and when to fish each tailwater and details the history and the ecology of each featured tailwater); along with The 25 Best National Parks to Fly Fish, which includes the Colorado River, Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon.
I own and operate Lees Ferry Anglers and Cliff Dwellers Lodge. We are a large employer in a small community and provide both year-around and seasonal jobs to more than 45 men and women, primarily local. The operation of our business and employment of my staff is 100% dependent on a healthy Lees Ferry recreational fishery.
For reasons that at this point can only be speculative, brown trout have recently become established in the stretch of river at Lees Ferry. Perhaps they have discovered it to be more suitable habitat than their previous range in the Grand Canyon where they have lived alongside native fish ever since the brown trout's introduction by the National Park Service in the early 1920's. The fact that brown trout are now seeking to live in area of the river that are as far away as they can possibly travel from native fish habitat is something that should be celebrated by all, some 60 to 75 miles!
One of the things that I discovered in researching 50 Best Tailwaters is that virtually every cold tailwater in North America contains a healthy population of both rainbow and brown trout living in equilibrium; many have native fish as part of the mix. There are two other notable tailwaters in the western U.S. where brown and rainbow trout coexist amongst themselves and native fish; both the San Juan and Green Rivers are world famous trout fishing destinations. On each of these tailwaters, both rainbow trout and brown trout are part of the daily catch by anglers who travel great distances and provide a local economy that is based solely on the sport fishing industry that these tailwaters provide. Anglers on these two rivers and on other cold water rivers in North America place great value on being able to catch both of these trout species on the same body of water.
I strongly urge the National Park Service to step back, take a deep breath, and look into the rationale for any brown trout removal measures at Lees Ferry. Furthermore, I implore the National Park Service to abandon all plans to remove brown trout from the Lees Ferry reach by electroshocking the river. It has been repeatedly proven in scientific studies that river-dwelling, non-anachronous-brown-trout do not move around in rivers. In fact, in numerous studies, displacement from established home ranges was not observed for any fish other than those spawning. So, the theory that brown trout might migrate 60 to 75 miles downstream, away from prime habitat, to potentially impact native fish populations is based purely on emotional speculation. This brown trout removal plan has no factual scientific basis whatsoever and to instigate a brown trout removal strategy at Lees Ferry based upon this premise is dangerous, irresponsible, and reckless and is likely outside of the NEPA planning process.
The collateral damage to the Lees Ferry rainbow trout fishery from mechanical removal and the public perception it creates will decimate an already distressed economic community that has been impacted by dam operations including High Flow Experiments. In addition, National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation opposition to actions benefiting the trout fishery (trout stocking) has resulted in ongoing damage to visitor use and experience and has had a deleterious socioeconomic and environmental social justice effect on the local community.
It has been previously established that authority and control over the Colorado River fishery is the sole responsibility of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. For the National Park Service to make decisions and enforce actions outside of their authority and without the cooperation of the Arizona Game and Fish Department could be construed as to instigate an illegal "take" of sportfish.
I know that this is an emotional issue. I'm sure that you have seen an outpouring of support for no action on removal of brown trout. Please consider each of these comments to reflect the desires and opinions of the people who actually utilize the resource and recreate there.
Please do nothing to harm the fish, the resource or the local fishing-based economy. Plan only a course that will actually benefit the native fish, local recreation, and local economy.
Terry Gunn
Terry Gunn
To All AZ Fly and Tie Members:
Youve seen my recent outreach to Lees Ferry trout fishery supporters asking for personal comments to the National Park Services Extended Non-native Aquatic Species Management Plan Environmental Assessment (EA). Thanks to the many who responded by submitting comments opposing electrofishing mechanical removal of brown trout in the fishery.
The Federal Advisory Committee group member representing Lees Ferry, GCDAMP Recreational Fishing, submitted detailed formal comments. Those comments are attached below this letter and consist of reasoned requests, thoughtful suggestions, and a statement on the Park Service's unacceptable proposal to initiate electrofishing mechanical removal to the detriment of Lees Ferry the trout fishery.
Overall the response exceeded expectations from organizations, individuals, and businesses weighing in on opposing the Park Service. In an ideal world, the Park Service would respond to those comments positively by withdrawing electrofishing mechanical removal from the EA and presenting an acceptable EA not damaging to the trout fishery. Unfortunately, that may not be the case. Realistically the scoping comment submissions may only be Round One with more to come.
Only the strength of numbers can push bureaucratic agendas back. With the support of the angling community and Recreational Fishing, we intend to press forward on all avenues available. As opportunities arise we will keep you informed and again be seeking your support.
Please consider sharing this letter out to your angling friends and encourage their future participation in this challenge.
Our great appreciation for all the support we have received for protecting the Lees Ferry fishery!
Terry Gunn
January 5, 2018
Kirk LaGory, Expanded Non-native Aquatic Species Management Plan
Argonne National Laboratory
9700 S. Cass Ave. � EVS/240
Argonne, IL 60439
RE: Environmental Assessment for an Expanded Non‐native Aquatic Species Management Plan
Dear Mr. LaGory:
We the undersigned are writing to provide comments on the National Park Services (NPS) Environmental Assessment (EA) for an Expanded Non‐native Aquatic Species Management Plan in Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area below Glen Canyon Dam. Since 1964, with the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam, the Lees Ferry tailwater has hosted a recreational trout fishery that has grown in importance and reputation locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. This blue-ribbon recreational sport fishery has also become a financial and economic mainstay for the small community of Marble Canyon and Coconino County, supporting fishing guide services, hotels, restaurants, fishing and outdoor recreation equipment and supplies, and visitor services.
Our comments are aimed at maintaining and enhancing a blue-ribbon rainbow trout fishery at Lees Ferry that does not adversely affect the native aquatic community in Grand Canyon National Park.
A central element of the NPSs Proposed Action includes long‐term intensive and repeated electrofishing and trapping of all age‐classes of harmful non-natives, and site‐specific use in the Glen Canyon reach to target brown trout�... This action would have a significant adverse impact on the quality of the Lee Ferry trout fishery, the welfare of the local community, and the regional economic benefits tied to the fishery. This action is unacceptable for the following reasons:
While electrofishing has been effective for managing trout in small streams like Bright Angel Creek, there is no evidence that it will be effective for controlling brown trout in the mainstem of the Colorado River.
Many more rainbow trout would be shocked for each brown trout captured. The focus of mechanical removal would be on shoreline areas that are also prime fishing areas. In addition to direct rainbow trout mortality, the behavior of salmonids that are subjected to electrofishing is negatively affected which would impact angler catch rates and satisfaction.
The collateral damage to the Lees Ferry rainbow trout fishery from mechanical removal and the negative public perception it creates will significantly harm an already distressed economic community that has been impacted by dam operations.
In 2017, the Secretary of the Interior signed Secretary Orders 3347 and 3356 with the purpose of increasing outdoor recreation opportunities, including hunting and fishing, and improving the management of game species and their habitat. Long‐term intensive and repeated electrofishing and trapping will negatively impact catch rates and potential population abundance of the rainbow trout fishery and violates the spirit and intent of the Secretarys Orders.
We believe that an Environmental Impact Statement (not just an EA) will be needed to fully evaluate the impacts of long term intensive mechanical removal in Glen Canyon.
Rather than pursuing an unacceptable intensive mechanical removal effort, we recommend that the NPS pursue other more cost-effective and less damaging strategies such as a brown trout bounty program or making changes in Glen Canyon dam operations to disadvantage brown trout spawning or recruitment.
The actions outlined in the EA will not achieve the Purpose and Need for the Project. A goal of the EA is to allow the NPS to prevent, control, minimize or eradicate potentially harmful non‐native aquatic species, or the risk associated with their presence or expansion, in the action area. This goal can only be accomplished by working with Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to address the most likely root causes of the recent increases in the brown trout numbers in Glen Canyon e.g., rising warmer water temperature, sequential fall HFEs. Actions to address the root causes, which are not addressed in the EA, may include shifting the emphasis of high flow experiments from the fall to the spring, implementing a temperature control device to regulate the temperature of water releases from Glen Canyon Dam, and/or testing the use of trout management flows to reduce brown trout spawning and/or recruitment. To address these actions NPS and BOR should work together as co-leads for this EA.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) is the management agency with primary statutory responsibility for resident fish and wildlife in the State of Arizona. In September 2015, AZGFD approved its Fisheries Management Plan, Colorado River-Lees Ferry 2015-2025 (Plan). The EA should clearly state that the Proposed Action will only be carried out in coordination with and upon concurrence from the AZGFD.
In summary, the NPS proposed intensive, long term mechanical removal action threatens rather than advances the goals of the NPS CFMP and the AZGFD Plan which is to manage a for a quality recreational rainbow trout fishery within Glen Canyon National Recreation Areas (NPS 2013 and AZFGD 2015). We look forward to your response to our comments.
Conservation/Sportsmen organization
Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation
Arizona Wildlife Federation
AZ State Council of Trout Unlimited
Anglers United
AZ Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
AZ BASS Nation
AZ Big Game Super Raffle
AZ Deer Association
AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Society
Arizona Flycasters Club
AZ Houndsmen
AZ Outdoor Sports, Inc.
AZ Shooting Sports Educational Foundation
Christian Hunters of America
Coconino Sportsmen
Desert Flycasters Club
Friends of Luna Lake
Northern Arizona Flycasters
Gila Trout TU Chapter
Grand Canyon TU
Mohave Sportsman Club
Old Pueblo TU Chapter
Outdoor Experience 4 All
Payson Flycasters Club
San Pedro Fly Fishing Club
Southwest Wildlife Foundation
SRT Outdoors
Sun City Grand Fishing Club
Sun Lakes Flycasters
The Bass Federation
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
Xtreme Predator Callers
White Mountain Lakes Foundation
Fishing Guides
Terry Gunn
Jeff English
Skip Dixon
Natalie Jensen
Tyson Warren
Dale Gauthier
Jimmy Daniels
Scott Keller
Mike Roth
Mike Hawes
Dave Trimble
Dave Foster
Mick Lovettt
Lees Ferry Anglers
Cliff Dwellers Lodge
Lees Ferry Boat Rentals
Marble Canyon Lodge
Vermilion Cliffs Lodge
Northern Arizona Guide Service
Lees Ferry on the Fly
cc Acting Secretarys Designee, GCD AMP
Superintendent, Grand Canyon National Park
Superintendent, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Regional Director, Upper Colorado River Region, Bureau of Reclamation
Director, Arizona Game and Fish Department
Senator Jeff Flake
Senator John McCain
Congressman Tom OHalloran
Congressman Paul Gosar
Terry Gunn
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I know I have not been updating my blog lately. As most of you would know, my camera was stolen and hence, I can't take any pictures (even though I have been to some nice restaurants lately). Hopefully, I will be able to get a second hand set by early next month. I still have some old pictures that are yet to be processed. Will do that shortly. Meanwhile, stay tuned for some updates shortly. Lol…
Updates… or the lack of…13 04 2010
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Tags: Updates
Categories : Personal


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Welcome to my website where you will discover publications and events that I am participating in.
In 2006 I was invited to give a talk on my personal involvement with family history at the Melbourne Writer's Festival. The event was held at the historic Melbourne Athenaeum which celebrated its 170th anniversary in 2009.
To learn how I became hooked on tracing my own family history, have a look at All In The Family: Researching Your Family History.
In July 2011 I started an online blog Diary of an Australian Genealogist to record my research (both here in Australia and overseas), links I like, articles or newsletters I read, family history news that excites me and so on.
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook
Connect with me on LinkedIn and Pinterest
Shauna Hicks History Enterprises Overview
Shauna Hicks History Enterprises is a small personal part time business specialising in local and family history research. Established in August 2009, it seeks to assist people in researching their own family and community histories. One of the primary projects I am involved with, as lead presenter, is Unlock the Past which is a series of history and genealogy events in Australia and New Zealand.
My Publications
What Was The Voyage Like?: A Brief Guide to Researching Convict and Immigrant Voyages to Australia and New Zealand , Unlock The Past, Modbury North SA, 2010
Your Family History Archives: A Brief Introduction, Unlock The Past, Modbury North SA, 2010
Family History on the Cheap, Unlock The Past, Modbury North SA, 2010
Family & Local History Resource Directory for Victoria, Unlock The Past, Modbury North SA, 2010
It's Not All Online: A Guide to Genealogy Sources Offline, Unlock The Past, Modbury North SA, 2011
Trove: Discover Genealogy Treasure in the National Library of Australia, Unlock The Past, St Agnes SA, 2012
Finding Ancestors in Church Records: A Brief Guide to Resources, Unlock The Past, St Agnes SA, 2012
Tracing Mining Ancestors: A Brief Guide to Resources in Australia and New Zealand, Unlock the Past, St Agnes SA, 2014
My Ancestor was in an Asylum: Brief Guide to Asylum Records in Australia and New Zealand, Unlock the Past, St Agnes SA, 2014
Where Do I Start?: a brief guide to researching your family in Australia and New Zealand, Unlock the Past, St Agnes SA, 2015
Discover Your Sporting Ancestors: It was not all work and no play!, Unlock the Past, St Agnes SA, 2015
All publications can be ordered online at Gould Genealogy & History
In September 2016 I was again honoured to be included in John Reid's Genealogy Rockstars list for Australia and New Zealand. This year I was the Silver Medallist and Michelle Patient did this lovely badge to mark the occasion. See the top 10 for Australia and New Zealand here.
In September 2015 I was honoured to be the Bronze Medallist Genealogy Rock Star for Australian and New Zealand in John Reid's annual survey. The top 10 for Australia and New Zealand are here.
In September 2014 I was honoured to be the Gold Medallist Genealogy Rock Star for Australia and New Zealand in John Reid's annual survey. The top 10 for Australia and New Zealand are here.
Also in September 2014 I was thrilled to receive a One Lovely Blog Award for both SHHE Genie Rambles and Diary of an Australian Genealogist. My response for Rambles is here and the response for Diary is here.
In 2013 I was honoured to have my blog Diary of an Australian Genealogist listed in Inside History Magazine's top 50 genealogy blogs. There are some great bloggers in the list which you can see online here.
Diary has also been selected for permanent preservation by the National Library of Australia in their Pandora web archive.
I was delighted to be nominated for an Ancestor Approved Award and you can read all about it here. As part of my response I listed ten websites that I believe researchers should be aware of, so please have a look.
It was really nice to be recognised in MyHeritage.com's Top 100 Genealogy Site 2010 awards. It was also good to see other Australian websites make the list, including Genealogy in New South Wales, Geniaus, Patten Project Genealogy and Twigs of Yore
I love getting feedback from people, both the positive and the not so positive. Most of it is anonymous so I can't personally thank or reply to anyone.
The not so positive usually relates to how fast I speak, how much I cover in talks, longer question time, and the need for handouts or copies of talks so that they can go over what I have covered again when they get home. This is why I now put copies of my presentations on the Resources page of my website.


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!! History Commons Alert, Exciting News
This is a scalable context timeline. It contains events related to the event April 6, 2004: US Administrator of Iraq Imposes Strict Plant Variety Protection Laws. You can narrow or broaden the context of this timeline by adjusting the zoom level. The lower the scale, the more relevant the items on average will be, while the higher the scale, the less relevant the items, on average, will be.
Revisions to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants strengthen the intellectual property rights of seed developers. The convention was created in 1961 and is one of several international conventions and treaties that operate under the umbrella of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The convention's governing body is the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The newly revised UPOV agreement extends the term of plant breeders' intellectual property protections for new varieties from 15 years to 20 years. It also prohibits farmers from saving seeds, though there is an optional clause that allows member countries to exempt farmers from this restriction under certain conditions. For example, the clause says the restrictions can be waived if member countries implement other mechanisms that provide equivalent protections for the "legitimate interests of the breeder."
[International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, 3/19/1991; Dhar, Pandey, and Chaturvedi, 6/23/1995] The revisions will enter into force one month after five states have ratified, accepted, approved or acceded to UPOV '91.
Entity Tags: International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants
Timeline Tags: Seeds
The 1991 revisions to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (see March 19, 1991) are entered into force. The controversial changes limit farmers' rights while extending intellectual property rights for seed companies and other plant breeders. [International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, 4/21/1998; Financial Times, 4/24/1998] A press release published by the UPOV notes that Article 27.3(b) of the WTO TRIPS agreement calls for its members to protect plant varieties with patents or other mechanisms, such as the UPOV convention, which it says is the "only internationally recognized sui generis system for the protection of plant varieties." The press release also notes that this obligation in the TRIPS Agreement, which already applies to developed country members of WTO, will enter into force for many developing countries on January 1, 2000. [International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, 4/21/1998]
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) passes conference resolution 3/2001, approving the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, popularly known as the International Seed Treaty. The vote is almost unanimous with only two countries abstaining: the United States and Japan. [The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 11/3/2001 ; Financial Times, 11/6/2001] The treaty—under negotiation for seven years [Financial Times, 11/6/2001]
—requires countries to share the genetic resources of all seed varieties from 35 food crops and 29 forage crops, officially designating them as part of the global commons. The seeds will be deposited in a network of seed banks for use by all member countries, free of charge, for research and experimental plant breeding. The treaty prohibits using the seeds for chemical or pharmaceutical research. Companies using the seed for commercial purposes are required to pay an equitable share of the resulting profits to a trust fund, which will finance efforts to improve the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources in developing countries. A multilateral system will be set up to facilitate countries' access to the 64 selected crops. [Australian, 10/31/2001; Reuters, 11/5/2001; Financial Times, 11/6/2001; Food and Agriculture Organization, 6/29/2004] The treaty also affirms farmers' rights "to save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved seed and other propagating material, and to participate in decision-making regarding, and in the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from, the use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture… ."
[Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture,, 11/3/2001 ] The US refusal to sign the treaty was based on its concern that the treaty does not do enough to respect intellectual property rights. Specifically, the US wanted "WTO rules on intellectual property rights [to] be applied without modification to the new treaty," according to the Financial Times. It also wanted any references critical of intellectual property scrubbed from the text. But the Chair, Ambassador Fernando Gerbasi of Venezuela, would not permit it. The US, along with countries like Australia, expressed concerns during negotiation that there would be little incentive for biotech companies to invest in crop research if they were required to share their patented GM genes. [Australian, 10/31/2001; Financial Times, 11/6/2001] Additionally, the US wanted a provision in the treaty that would have allowed for germplasm embargos against Cuba or other "enemies" of "enduring freedom."
[ETC Group, 11/4/2001] The treaty will enter into force 90 days after the 48th country ratifies it. [Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture,, 11/3/2001 ]
Entity Tags: Australia, Japan, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Bush administration (43), United States
Timeline Tags: Seeds, Food Safety
L. Paul Bremer, the head administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, abandons a goal put forth by Jay Garner and Zalmay Khalizad to assemble a meeting by the end of May in order to establish an interim Iraqi government. Bremer instead chooses to go with a "step-by-step" approach whereby the constitution would be drafted before elections are held. [Gordon and Trainor, 3/14/2006, pp. 479]
Entity Tags: L. Paul Bremer
Timeline Tags: Iraq under US Occupation
In a BBC interview, US administrator for Iraq Paul Bremer says, "We are going to fight them and impose our will on them and we will capture or, if necessary, kill them until we have imposed law and order upon this country." [Guardian, 6/30/2003]
Timeline Tags: Events Leading to Iraq Invasion, Iraq under US Occupation
Canada's seed industry forms a group to review and recommend changes to the regulatory framework governing Canada's seed sector. The group is a joint venture of the Canadian Seed Growers Association, the Canadian Seed Trade Association, the Canadian Seed Institute, and the Grain Growers of Canada. It is funded with a $600,000 CAD grant from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Fund. [Seed Sector Review, 5/5/2004 ; Seed Sector Review, 5/5/2004 ] The initiative is primarily concerned with improving the profitability of the seed sector and intends to examine ways to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights through patents, royalties, and other changes that would make it more difficult for farmers to save seed. [Canadian Seed Alliance, 5/5/2004 ]
Entity Tags: Canadian Seed Growers Association, Canadian Seed Trade Association, Agriculture Canada and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Seed Institute, Grain Growers of Canada, Seed Sector Review
The White House announces a new plan for Iraqi governance. It is drastically different from the one unilaterally announced by Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) administrator L. Paul Bremer two months before (see September 8, 2003). It flip-flops Bremer's plan, putting a transfer of power to a provisional Iraqi government first, then having elections for an interim government, and finally providing for the drafting and adoption of a new constitution. [Roberts, 2008, pp. 130]
Entity Tags: L. Paul Bremer, Bush administration (43), Coalition Provisional Authority
Coalition Provisional Authority administrator L. Paul Bremer (see May 1, 2003) asserts his independence from US government oversight, a stance assisted by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Bremer is formally slated to report to Rumsfeld, but says Rumsfeld has no direct authority over him. Instead, Bremer insists, he reports directly to the White House. Rumsfeld, usually jealously protective of his bureaucratic prerogatives, tells National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice: "He doesn't work for me. He works for you" (see Late September, 2003). But Bremer is not willing to report to either Rice or the National Security Council (NSC) either. The White House had already announced that it had no intention of playing a large role in guiding the reconstruction of Iraq, and the NSC's Executive Steering Group, set up in 2002 to coordinate war efforts, has been dissolved. Finally, Bremer flatly refuses to submit to Rice's oversight. As a result, Bremer has already made fundamental policy shifts on his own authority that are at odds with what Pentagon planners had intended (see May 16, 2003 and May 23, 2003), with what many feel will be—or already have caused—disastrous consequences. [Roberts, 2008, pp. 128-129]
Entity Tags: Coalition Provisional Authority, Bush administration (43), National Security Council, L. Paul Bremer, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice
Paul Bremer, the US administrator for Iraq, issues Order 81 rewriting Iraq's 1970 patent law. The order extends intellectual property right protections to plants, making it illegal for Iraqi farmers to save, share, or replant seeds harvested from new varieties registered under the law. The order was written with the help of Linda Lourie, an attorney-advisor in the US Patent Office's Office of External Affairs. She was invited to Iraq to help draft laws that would ensure Iraq's eligibility into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Bremer's order, however, makes Iraq's patent law stricter even than the WTO-compliant 1991 International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (see March 19, 1991), which allows its member-states to exempt farmers from the prohibition against seed saving. Lourie claims these changes were sanctioned by the Iraqi governing council, which she says wants Iraq to have the strongest intellectual property rules in the region in order to attract private investment. [Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq, 4/4/2004 ; GRAIN, 10/2004; National Public Radio, 11/24/2004]
Entity Tags: L. Paul Bremer, Linda Lourie
Timeline Tags: Seeds, Iraq under US Occupation
The Seed Sector Review, an industry-led initiative to restructure Canada's seed and grain quality assurance systems (see (July 2003)), releases its phase one final report. [Inter Press Service, 10/5/2004; Natural Life, 1/2005] The report, titled Report of the Seed Sector Advisory Committee, includes several recommendations: The report expresses the view that the farmer's "privilege" of saving and replanting seeds discourages private sector investment and makes it difficult for companies to "recoup" their investments. The report suggests developing a new system of relations between the farmer and the seed companies that would be more "equitable." Such a method would "involve examining the balance between farmer's privilege and breeders' rights." One possible solution would be to collect royalties on seed saved by farmers. "Suggestions were made that royalties could be collected through elevators or seed processors or through CWB contract programs," the report says. [Canadian Seed Alliance, 5/5/2004, pp. 33 ] The report notes that many participants of the Seed Sector Review would prefer that farmers be required to use certified seed. It cites several reasons why this would be desirable, including "improved intellectual property protection (and royalty collection), which would in turn support (fund) more research"; "a healthier seed grower and trade industry"; "more private sector involvement in Western Canada cereal breeding"; "elimination of the controversial brown bag market for sales of common seed"; "improved agricultural practices"; "improved confidence for quality assurance in the value chain"; and "increased profitability for the higher generation seed production and variety developers." The report suggests several strategies that could be employed to compel farmers to buy certified seeds. Among those listed are "link crop insurance premiums with use of certified seed"; "increase the perceived value of certified seed"; collect royalties; "require specific standards on common seed" that would make it more costly for farmers to sell their own seed; and limit "the number of generations produced from certified seed," which the reports notes would also result in common seed becoming "too expensive, making certified seed more economical."
[Canadian Seed Alliance, 5/5/2004, pp. 42 ] The report notes that participants in the review would like to see the current wheat quality system, based on kernel visual distinguishability (KVD), replaced with a new system. They complain that KVD is a "stumbling block to innovation." Several suggestions for an alternative system are made in the report. The report acknowledges that moving to a new system would be costly and suggests that this should be paid in part with public funds. "There should be some level of public investment in its development and implementation to support the competitive position of Canadian exports." According to Canada's National Farmers Union (NFU), the alternative systems suggested in the document "would increase farmers' costs for administration, testing, segregation, identity preservation, dispute settlement, and transport costs."
[Canadian Seed Alliance, 5/5/2004, pp. 41 ] The report considers the advantages that seed producers would have if Canada were to make its Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) Act compliant with the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants Convention (UPOV) of 1991 (see March 19, 1991). The 1991 UPOV is much more restrictive for farmers than the 1978 UPOV, upon which Canada's PBR Act is currently based. Adopting the 1991 UPOV for the PBR's framework would, among other things, lengthen plant breeders' protection and royalty periods from 15 years to 20 years; take away farmers' automatic right—protected in UPOV '78—to save, re-use, and sell seed (which is referred to as the "Farmers' Exemption" in the UPOV Convention) [National Farmers Union, 5/13/2004, pp. 3-4 ] ; create "a cascade right to extend PBR to harvested material and end products in crops where breeders did not have the opportunity to exercise his [sic] rights on propagating material" (The seed companies would need this change in order to collect royalties at elevators and seed cleaning facilities); and pave the way for seed companies to patent seed already protected under the Plant Breeders Rights Act. The report notes that participants in the review were highly supportive of the proposal to adopt the 1991 UPOV (see March 19, 1991). "[T]his change should be made as soon as possible."
[Canadian Seed Alliance, 5/5/2004, pp. 32-34 ] Reaction - The Seed Sector Review is not well received in the farming community. The Sakatoon-based National Farmers Union launches a "seed saver" campaign to rally farmers against the seed industry's proposed changes. The farmers see the review's recommendations as an effort to further privatize the commons, and to increase corporate profits at the expense of growers. Most of their fury is focused on changes that would compel farmers to purchase certified seed by making it more difficult to save, trade, and replant their own seeds. "There's lots of seed trading among farmers here. We rarely buy certified seed for cereals. It's rarely better seed and just not necessary," says Paul Beingessner, a third-generation grain and livestock farmer from Saskatchewan. Beingessner calculates that if the recommendations were implemented, the average Canadian farm's expenses would increase by $1,400 CAD. "It's a money grab, pure and simple," Beingessner says. Pat Mooney of the ETC Group, a Canadian civil society organization, says the Seed Sector Review contradicts the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources (see November 3, 2001), which came into force in June (see June 29, 2004). That treaty reaffirmed farmers' rights to save, trade, and replant seed. Canada ratified the treaty on October 6, 2002. [Inter Press Service, 10/5/2004]
Entity Tags: Seed Sector Review
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The International Seed Treaty enters into force. The treaty, approved in November 2001 (see June 29, 2004), creates a mechanism for the global management and sharing of 64 major crops and forages, providing some measure of insurance against the risks posed by the loss of agricultural biodiversity. It also affirms farmers' rights to save, trade, and replant their seeds. [Food and Agriculture Organization, 6/29/2004]
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This week's update for PlayStation Home includes a client update, new updates for PlayStation Home nightclub x7, an Island Bungalow space, and more.
First, the PlayStation Home client will be updating to version 1.65. A full list of features for the client update can be found here, but here are some of the highlights:
- A new simplified Menu Screen
- Furniture slot memory adjustments and enhanced visual display of available memory use
- A new Voice Chat system
- Alerts are now integrated better
- Shopping right from the Wardrobe
- Cross game invite system has been expanded
- Improved stability of real-time games
The x7 space's exclusive update will include early access to items such as new fantasy furniture, three new companions, a new x7 exclusive bundle, and even an unspecified "freebie."
Wardrobe-wise, beats by dr. dre will be made available to PS Home users in black, white, red, and blue and will be available in a bundle. Whether or not the items are available for purchase individually is not specified.
Konami is releasing new Secret Agent items for wardrobe as well, offering spy clothes as individual clothing pieces.
PS Home users looking for a companion can pick up Juggernaut's Green Machine, which can be seen in the Media Gallery below.
A new personal space is coming to PlayStation Home: the Island Bungalow, which will be available as a personal space or a clubhouse. The space comes with themed furniture, including: the Island Bungalow Lounge Chair, the Island Bungalow Outdoor Footstool, the Island Bungalow Outdoor Sofa, and the Island Bungalow Coffee Table. For a limited time, the space will be available as an open house for users to preview it. It will be available in the Estates store beginning on Wednesday. A trailer for the space can be seen in one of the two videos below.
Community Theater will see Urgent Fury and Gamer Indepth's (and The Tester Season 1 participant) Luge will be releasing videos in Community Theater this week, including a look at Sony's MLB 12 The Show and Tiger Woods PGA Golf 13 from EA, in addition to a Luge Cam Tour of PlayStation Home.
Other updates include: Granzella Samurai items, classy ladies evening wear from Juggernaut (available now), and the Elemental Auras (available now).
To view the Island Bungalow preview video and the Urgent Fury Urgent Frequency Television video, click on the videos below:
To view images of beats by dr. dre, the Green Machine companion, and the Secret Agent clothing items, click on the Media Gallery below:
PS Home users: What do you think about the upcoming update? Let us know in the comments below!
[Source: PS Blog]


text:
By Bonnie K. Goodman
Ms. Goodman is the Editor / Features Editor at HNN. She has a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University.
The President & Senate Democratic Leaders before final votes on Wall Street Reform, White House Photo, Pete Souza, 7/13/10
- Obama White House tries to turn around bad poll numbers: The polls aren't looking good for President Obama. ABC News says 51% would prefer to see a Republican Congress elected in November, as a check on Obama. A CBS News poll says only 13% of Americans say Obama's economic plan has helped them personally…. – USA Today, 7-14-10
- After 18 months of Obama, Americans already feeling fonder of Dick Cheney, less so of Al Gore: The new Gallup Poll, released overnight, shows that a near-majority of Americans now views almost-president Gore unfavorably (49%), while 44% are favorable, down 14 points since his Nobel Prize glory days of 2007. As the most recent former White House No. 2, Cheney had the most to improve in favorable ratings. And, actually, he did improve the most in the opinion of surveyed Americans.
Cheney's robust unfavorable rating melted 11 points during the past 18 months of the Democrat duo of Obama-Biden to 52% now. While the Republican's favorables surged from their low point of 30% all the way up to an impressive 36% now. That's a stunning 20% improvement. LAT, 7-14-10
- VP Favorable Ratings: Gore Down; Cheney, Biden Flat Americans more negative than positive toward Gore, Cheney: Americans' current views of former Vice President Al Gore have become significantly more negative compared with three years ago, and are among the worst for him in more than a decade. The July 8-11 Gallup poll, finding 44% of Americans viewing Gore favorably and 49% unfavorably, was conducted after the announcement that he and his wife were separating, and amid a police investigation into allegations that he committed sexual assault in 2006. Gallup last measured Gore's image in October 2007, after he was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, when 58% of Americans had a favorable view of him. All three party groups are less favorable toward Gore now compared with 2007, though his rating has declined more among Republicans (from 32% to 16%) and independents (from 57% to 43%) than among Democrats (from 79% to 72%)… – Gallop.com, 7-14-10
- Poll finds Pennsylvania Senate race in dead heat: Pennsylvania's Senate race is dead even, with Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak and Republican Pat Toomey both drawing 43% of support in a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
At this point in the race, momentum appears to be on Sestak's side. He was down 2 percentage points in May and 8 percentage points in an April survey by Quinnipiac.
"Congressman Joe Sestak, a decided underdog who knocked off U.S. Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary, has now closed an 8-point gap in the last three months to tie Pat Toomey," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a statement…. – USA Today, 7-14-10
- Crist leads 3-way Senate race in Florida: Florida Governor Charlie Crist holds a narrow edge over Republican Marco Rubio in a three-way Senate race dominated by economic worries, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.
Crist, who left the Republican Party to run as an independent after Rubio mounted a primary challenge against him, leads Rubio 35 percent to 28 percent. Democrat Kendrick Meek trails with 17 percent less than four months before the November election for the open Senate seat.
Crist holds a similar 34 to 29 percent edge over Rubio in a three-way race against Democrat Jeff Greene, who is locked in a tough party primary fight with Meek. The Florida primary will be held August 24.
In the race to succeed Crist as governor, Republican Rick Scott leads Democrat Alex Sink by 34 percent to 31 percent. But Sink leads slightly, 31 percent to 30 percent, when matched against Republican Bill McCollum. McCollum and Scott are waging a bitter Republican primary race…. – Reuters, 7-13-10
President Barack Obama announces the nomination of Jack Lew to replace Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Peter Orszag during a statement to the press in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House July 13, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
- Obama enlists Bill Clinton's aid on economy: U.S. President Barack Obama sought on Wednesday to lift sagging confidence in his economic stewardship by enlisting the help of predecessor Bill Clinton, as a leading business group issued a scathing critique of the administration's policies… – Reuters, 7-14-10
- Major banking bill faces final vote this week: President Barack Obama on Tuesday secured the 60 votes he needs in the Senate to pass a sweeping overhaul of financial regulations, all but ensuring that he soon will sign into law one of the top initiatives of his presidency. With the votes in hand to overcome Republican delaying tactics, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday took steps to end debate on the bill Thursday, setting the stage for final passage perhaps later in the day. The House already has passed the bill.
"This reform is good for families, it is good for businesses, it's good for the entire economy," Obama said as he prodded the Senate to act quickly…. – AP, 7-14-10
- White House Official: Recovery Act Has Created 3 Mln Jobs: The Obama administration's stimulus push has saved or created about 3 million jobs and is on track to save an additional 500,000 by the end of the year, according to a new report by President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers…. – WSJ, 7-14-10
- For Obama, more on legislative priorities: President Barack Obama is discussing legislative priorities with Democratic congressional leaders for a second day Wednesday. The president met with the Senate Democratic leadership on Tuesday. On Wednesday it's the House Democrats' turn. Obama is getting the meetings in before Congress takes its August break…. – AP, 7-14-10
- Sarah Palin rebuts NAACP charge of Tea Party racism: Using her favored and unorthodox means of communicating with nearly 2 million followers via her Facebook page, Sarah Palin Tuesday night expressed sadness over an as yet unpublished NAACP convention resolution accusing Tea Party activists of tolerating racist elements in their midst. The former Republican governor of Alaska, who appears to be positioning herself for a possible run at the 2012 GOP presidential nomination using the disgruntled Tea Party's concerns over expanding and fiscally irresponsible government as a major portion of her base, said:
I am saddened by the NAACP's claim that patriotic Americans who stand up for the United States of America's Constitutional rights are somehow "racists." The charge that Tea Party Americans judge people by the color of their skin is false, appalling and is a regressive and diversionary tactic to change the subject at hand. – 7-14-10
- As NAACP aims to stay in national debate, charge of tea party racism draws fire: One thing is clear as the NAACP gathers this week for its 101st annual meeting: The civil rights organization is intent on being seen as still relevant. Even former Alaska governor Sarah Palin sent out a Twitter message and posted a statement on her Facebook page, helping to make the NAACP convention a hot topic on conservative Web sites. She condemned the organization's passage of a resolution denouncing what it called "racist elements" within the "tea party" movement…. – WaPo, 7-14-10
- Pelosi, White House Feud Over Gibbs' House Prediction: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the driving force behind the Obama agenda in Congress, sharply criticized White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs during a closed-door House Democratic caucus meeting late Tuesday, according to Democratic sources.
Pelosi, irked since Sunday by what she and other top Democrats considered Gibbs' careless and dismissive comments that Democrats could lose their House majority this November, upbraided a top White House aide as she knocked Gibbs' unwelcome handicapping of House races.
"How could he [Gibbs] know what's going on in our districts?" Pelosi said, according to Democrats who attended the meeting. "Some may weigh his words more closely than others. We have made our disagreements known to the White House."… – Fox News, 7-14-10
- Obama To Nominate Former Clinton Official To Head OMB: President Barack Obama plans to nominate a former Clinton administration official to head the Office of Management and Budget, which is grappling with how to best reduce a $1.4 trillion deficit while the economy is on shaky ground. Obama will nominate Jacob Lew, who ran OMB from 1998 to 2001 under former President Bill Clinton… WSJ, 7-13-10
- Nelson ensures 60 votes for bank regulation bill: All but clearing the way for passage of financial regulations, conservative Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska said Tuesday he will vote for the sweeping overhaul of banking. His support ensures the legislation now has 60 votes to clear the Senate and land on President Barack Obama's desk for his signature. The House passed the bill last month.
"This reform is good for families, it is good for businesses , it's good for the entire economy," Obama said as he announced his nomination of Jacob Lew to be the new director of the White House budget office…. – AP, 7-13-10
- Senior Republican wins weeklong delay on Kagan: The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed scheduled action Tuesday to send Elena Kagan's Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate for confirmation, setting a panel vote for next week.
Republicans insisted on the delay, saying they needed more time to review Kagan's written answers to questions they posed to her after her confirmation hearings, and to inquire still further into how she would behave as a justice…. – AP, 7-13-10
- NAACP to vote on controversial resolution condemning 'tea party' supporters: Members of the NAACP will vote Tuesday on a resolution that condemns what the group calls "explicitly racist behavior" by supporters of the "tea party." The resolution, which is expected to pass, pits the civil rights group against the conservative grass-roots movement, which has repeatedly denied allegations of racism…. – WaPo, 7-13-10
- Obama looks to Bush's worldwide strategy on AIDS: President Barack Obama is trying to bring home some of the much-lauded strategies his predecessor used to fight AIDS around the world. The national strategy for combatting HIV and AIDS the Obama administration released Tuesday credits the Bush-era international campaign against AIDS for setting clear targets and ensuring a variety of agencies and groups worked together smoothly to achieve them…. – AP, 7-13-10
- US should better define, counter Islamic extremism: The Obama administration's recent move to drop rhetorical references to Islamic radicalism is drawing fire in a new report warning the decision ignores the role religion can play in motivating terrorists. Several prominent counterterror experts are challenging the administration's shift in its recently unveiled National Security Strategy, saying the terror threat should be defined in order to fight it. The question of how to frame the conflict against al-Qaida and other terrorists poses a knotty problem. The U.S. is trying to mend fences with Muslim communities while toughening its strikes against militant groups. In the report, scheduled to be released this week, counterterrorism experts from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argue that the U.S. could clearly articulate the threat from radical Islamic extremists "without denigrating the Islamic religion in any way." President Barack Obama has argued that words matter, and administration officials have said that the use of inflammatory descriptions linking Islam to the terror threat feed the enemy's propaganda and may alienate moderate Muslims in the U.S…. – AP, 7-12-10
- Congress returns from recess to even more of the same: Congress will return this week from the July 4th recess to a pile of unfinished business. Yes, the same might be said of every Congress returning from every recess since lawmakers wore wigs and tights. But this time it could be a big problem, especially for the party in power. When Barack Obama took office and the Democrats took control of Washington, they made ambitious promises about how much they'd get done, with or without Republican help. Now, with relatively few working days left before the November midterm elections (in part because lawmakers granted themselves another long break beginning at the end of July), they might not be able to convince skeptical, frustrated voters that they delivered — and that they deserve to stay in charge…. – WaPo, 7-11-10
- U.S. might launch 2nd suit against Arizona immigration law, Holder says: 2nd lawsuit weighed on immigration law. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Sunday that if the federal government does not stop Arizona's immigration law from taking effect, it might launch a second legal challenge to combat any racial profiling that occurs. The Obama administration is suing Arizona over the law, set to take effect July 29, which would make it a state crime for someone to be in the country illegally. During "lawful stops," local law enforcement officers will be required to question people about their immigration status if there is "reasonable suspicion" that they might be illegal immigrants. WaPo, 7-11-10
- Governors: Obama's Immigration Suit Is 'Toxic': Democratic governors expressed "grave" concerns to White House officials this weekend about the Obama administration's suit against Arizona's new immigration law, warning it could cost the party in crucial elections this fall, The New York Times reported late Sunday. The closed-door meeting took place at the National Governors Association in Boston on Saturday, according to two unnamed governors who spoke to the Times. "Universally the governors are saying, 'We've got to talk about jobs, and all of a sudden we have immigration going on,'" Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, a Democrat, was quoted as saying. "It is such a toxic subject, such an important time for Democrats." The Arizona law, which is facing a U.S. Justice Department challenge, requires police to question people about their immigration status while enforcing other laws if there's reason to suspect someone is in the country illegally….. – Fox News, 7-12-10
- With votes looming, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan plays it cool: With committee and floor votes beginning this week on the Supreme Court nomination of Elena Kagan, skeptical lawmakers could not resist the opportunity to search for a weak point that might provoke last-minute controversy. Six Republican senators submitted questions that produced 74 pages of written responses from Kagan. In ritual form, her answers — released Friday — were finely sanded to avoid any clamor. Kagan carefully hewed to the themes she struck at last month's hearings: In cases in which she voiced opinion, she said, it was that of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, for whom she once worked…. – WaPo, 7-10-10
- Obama changes VA rule to help vets get stress disorder aid: War-zone veterans will no longer have to submit specific evidence to get benefits and treatment for post-traumatic stress….- LAT, 7-11-10
- PM: Israel-US alliance strong: "The alliance between Israel and the US is stable and strong. It has the support of the American administration and people," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting Sunday. Netanyahu said that he reiterated to Obama "Israel's desire to proceed immediately to direct negotiations with the PA, with the goal being to advance the diplomatic process and try to reach a peace agreement."… – JPost, 7-11-10
- Governors avoid debate on Arizona's immigration law: The topic's not on their convention agenda, but it's on everyone's mind as demonstrators rally nearby…. – LAT, 7-11-10
- No full Social Security benefits until age 70?: Young Americans might not get full Social Security retirement benefits until they reach age 70 if some trial balloons that prominent lawmakers of both parties are floating become law. No one who's slated to receive benefits in the next decade or two is likely to be affected, but there's a gentle, growing and unusually bipartisan push to raise the retirement age for full Social Security benefits for people born in the 1960s and after. The suggestions are being taken seriously after decades when they were politically impossible because officials – and, increasingly, their constituents – are confronting the inescapable challenge of the nation's enormous debt…. – McClatchy Newspapers, 7-11-10
- Obama turns a corner on Middle East peace: Two bits of good news emerged during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's brief visit to Washington this week: First, that Netanyahu and President Barack Obama publicly reaffirmed the strength of U.S.-Israeli relations, and, second, that Netanyahu said he expects direct talks with the Palestinians to begin soon. Both items suggest a maturing of the Obama administration's foreign policy as it relates to the Middle East, and may even portend real results soon. Israel has been participating in indirect negotiations with the Palestinians through former Sen. George Mitchell since Obama named him a special envoy last year…. – Detroit Free Press, 7-10-10
- In spy swap, agents were pawns in a practiced game: In the rapid-fire spy swap, the United States and Russia worked together as only old enemies could. Less than two weeks after the FBI broke the spy ring in a counterintelligence operation cultivated for a decade, 10 Russian secret agents caught in the U.S. are back in Russia, four convicted of spying for the West have been pardoned and released by Moscow, and bilateral relations appear on track again. In describing how the swap unfolded, U.S. officials made clear that even before the arrests, Washington wanted not only to take down a spy network but to move beyond the provocative moment…. – AP, 7-10-10
- U.S.-Russia spy swap is complete: The speed of the exchange has some wondering what was behind the deal…. – LAT, 7-9-10
- Going Nuclear: Romney vs. Obama (and Kerry): Yesterday Mitt Romney blasted Barack Obama via a Washington Post op-ed denouncing Obama's nuclear Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia as the president's "worst foreign policy mistake yet." Romney complains that the Russians "badly out-negotiated" Obama and came out with a decided strategic advantage in the treaty, including the power to walk away from the treaty if the U.S. presses too far ahead with missile defense systems. Today, John Kerry, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, hit back at Romney (also in the Post), calling his argument "baloney," and tossing in some tart insults:
I have nothing against Massachusetts politicians running for president. But the world's most important elected office carries responsibilities, including the duty to check your facts even if you're in a footrace to the right against Sarah Palin. More than that, you need to understand that when it comes to nuclear danger, the nation's security is more important than scoring cheap political points…. – Time, 7-7-10
- Relief well drilling ahead of schedule: While workers keep drilling the wells, the battle over President Barack Obama's effort to suspend deepwater drilling moves Thursday to a federal appeals court in Louisiana. Oral arguments in a case that challenged the Obama administration's six-month ban on deepwater drilling start in the afternoon in New Orleans. An advocacy group called Alliance for Justice made a pre-emptive strike against the court on Wednesday. It released a scathing report alleging that many appeals court judges have extensive ties to the oil industry, including the three-judge panel that will preside over the drilling ban hearing. As the case proceeds, others hope the seas will be calm enough for vessels to return to cleaning up the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. CNN, 7-8-10
- Department of Justice seeks injunction against Arizona immigration law: In a lawsuit filed July 6 in federal court in Arizona, the U.S. Department of Justice made good on its promise to challenge Arizona's immigration law. Arizona law S.B. 1070, due to take effect July 29, was challenged on the basis that it unconstitutionally interferes with the federal government's authority to set and enforce immigration policy, accoridng to a July 6 news release from the Department of Justice.
In the brief, the administration said that "the Constitution and federal law do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country," the release said.
The Department of Justice has requested a preliminary injunction to enjoin enforcement of the law, the news release said. The department believes law's operation will cause irreparable harm, the release said.
"Arizonans are understandably frustrated with illegal immigration, and the federal government has a responsibility to comprehensively address those concerns," Attorney General Eric Holder said in the news release. "But diverting federal resources away from dangerous aliens such as terrorism suspects and aliens with criminal records will impact the entire country's safety." The Packer, 7-6-10
- President Obama wants injunction to stall Arizona's controversial new immigration law: The Obama administration sued Arizona on Tuesday to kill, or at least stall, the state's hotly disputed new law allowing local cops to target suspected illegal immigrants. In seeking an injunction to block the law from going into effect July 29, Attorney General Eric Holder said he sympathized with Arizonans and others who are "frustrated with illegal immigration."
But "setting immigration policy and enforcing immigration laws is a national responsibility," Holder declared, and "seeking to address the issue through a patchwork of state laws will only create more problems than it solves." His lawsuit said it's also flat-out unconstitutional, usurping federal power to control the borders…. – NY Daily News, 7-7-10
- Obama trying carrot, not stick, on Netanyahu: Netanyahu got off easy in Washington: He left strengthened by Obama and without having to make any real concessions. Haaretz, 7-7-10
- Obama Bypassing Senate for New Medicare Chief: Obama to use a recess appointment to put a new director in place for Medicare and Medicaid… – ABC News, 7-7-10
- Obama Returns to Missouri, Site of Slim 2008 Loss: For some in President Obama's White House, Missouri remains the state that got away, nearly two years after his election. Mr. Obama was the first Democrat since 1964 to win Indiana and the first since 1976 to win North Carolina. But his loss in Missouri by the narrowest of slivers (fewer than 4,000 votes) was of special disappointment. After all, the state has sided with the winner of the presidential race in nearly every election in the past century. Who would wish to be remembered for breaking that sort of trend? Now, even as President Obama juggles a barrage of dire matters, relatively calm Missouri seems to continue to carry some particular attention for the White House. This week, Mr. Obama will be in the state again, raising money in a competitive Senate campaign in a challenging political season for Democrats…. – NYT, 7-6-10
- Outsider Wins Alabama GOP Gov Nomination: Self-described outsider Robert Bentley won Alabama's Republican nomination for governor Tuesday night over establishment candidate Bradley Byrne with a strong showing in rural areas.
In the unofficial count, Bentley had 56 percent of the vote to Byrne's 44 percent with 83 percent of the precincts reporting. Bryne ran strong in the state's four big counties, but Bentley outperformed Byrne in small counties, including areas where Tim James and Roy Moore did well when they ran third and fourth in the June 1 Republican primary…. – AP, 7-14-10
- GOP candidate Angle rallies GOP against Reid: U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle on Friday denounced Majority Leader Harry Reid as a "desperate man" who was distorting her conservative record while ignoring a state that leads the nation in joblessness, foreclosures and bankruptcies. A day after President Barack Obama delivered a mocking indictment of her candidacy at a rally in Las Vegas, Angle accused the president and Reid of pushing billions of dollars in stimulus spending while Nevada struggles with "an economy that is a disaster."… – AP, 7-10-10
- Democrats digging harder than ever for dirt on Republicans: The Democratic Party is moving faster and more aggressively than in previous election years to dig up unflattering details about Republican challengers. In House races from New Jersey to Ohio to California, Democratic operatives are seizing on evidence of GOP candidates' unpaid income taxes, property tax breaks and ties to financial firms that received taxpayer bailout money…. – WaPo, 7-6-10
- Once a withdrawn teen, SC man now takes on senator: Alvin Greene earned the nickname "turtle" in high school — a quiet, withdrawn boy who was smart when he applied himself but rarely took a chance and tried to put himself in comfortable situations. Nearly four weeks ago, the 32-year-old unemployed military veteran turned South Carolina's political scene upside down when he won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat. And unlike that high school student, he's taking a big chance: running against powerhouse Republican Sen. Jim DeMint…. – AP, 7-6-10
- Poll: Meg Whitman, Jerry Brown in virtual tie: California's race for governor is a dead heat, as Republican Meg Whitman's massive advertising blitz coupled with Democrat Jerry Brown's lo-fi campaign have raised doubts about Brown and cut his lead among Latino voters and other key Democratic constituencies, a Field Poll released today shows.
Brown leads Whitman 44 to 43 percent in the poll, with 13 percent undecided, according to Field's survey of 1,005 likely voters. The poll, conducted June 22 to July 5, has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.
But billionaire Whitman's relentless advertising campaign has helped sour voters' views of Brown, with 40 percent holding an unfavorable opinion of him – up from 25 percent in March 2009. Still, 42 percent view him favorably…. – SF Chronicle, 7-6-10
- Feingold faces unexpectedly tough race: Add Russ Feingold to the list of Senate Democrats who find themselves in unexpectedly tough races, the latest evidence of the GOP's success in widening the playing field that President Barack Obama's party has to defend.
The Wisconsin Democrat faces a wealthy political newcomer with early backing from tea party activists in a state that has many independent voters and is known for doing its own thing. Likely GOP nominee Ron Johnson is running an outsider's campaign in a year that seems to favor outsiders…. – AP, 7-6-10
- McCain's Immigration Shift: 'Many' Should Be Sent Back: A lot has changed since 2007, when John McCain was the #1 immigration compromiser in the U.S. Senate, leading the way with a large, bipartisan bill that would have given illegal immigrants an opportunity to become U.S. citizens while beefing up border security….
Now, McCain finds himself in a different political situation, and so does the immigration issue. McCain lost the 2008 election, during which he was sharply criticized as an immigration liberal by his GOP primary rivals, and he's facing a primary challenge from Tea-Party-style candidate J.D. Hayworth. As a national issue, immigration has heated up after Arizona passed its new law and as a drug war has raged in Mexico…. – The Atlantic, 7-6-10
White House Photo, Pete Souza, 7/9/10
- Wall Street Reform: Final Votes Approach: Remarks by the President in Selection of Jack Lew to be Director of OMB: Before I begin, I just want to note a breakthrough that we've had on our efforts to pass the most comprehensive reform of Wall Street since the Great Depression. Three Republican senators have put politics and partisanship aside to support this reform, and I'm grateful for their decision, as well as all the Democrats who've worked so hard to make this reform a reality, particularly Chairman Dodd and Chairman Barney Frank.
What members of both parties realize is that we can't allow a financial crisis like this one that we just went through to happen again. This reform will prevent that from happening. It will prevent a financial crisis like this from happening again, by protecting consumers against the unfair practices of credit card companies and mortgage lenders. It will ensure that taxpayers are never again on the hook for Wall Street's mistakes. And it will end an era of irresponsibility that led to the loss of 8 million jobs and trillions of dollars of wealth.
Now, as we finish our work on Wall Street reform, we're also mindful that we've got significant work to do when it comes to reforming our government and reducing our deficit.
This reform is good for families. It's good for businesses. It's good for the entire economy. And I urge the Senate to act quickly so that I can sign it into law next week….. – WH, 7-13-10
- President Obama & President Fernandez Meet on Trade, Drug-Trafficking, and Haiti – WH, 7-12-10
- Weekly Address: President Obama Announces Changes to Help Veterans with PTSD Receive the Benefits They Need
Remarks of President Barack Obama As Prepared for Delivery Weekly Address July 10, 2010 …Today, we've made it clear up and down the chain of command that folks should seek help if they need it. In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets.
But for years, many veterans with PTSD who have tried to seek benefits – veterans of today's wars and earlier wars – have often found themselves stymied. They've been required to produce evidence proving that a specific event caused their PTSD. And that practice has kept the vast majority of those with PTSD who served in non-combat roles, but who still waged war, from getting the care they need.
Well, I don't think our troops on the battlefield should have to take notes to keep for a claims application. And I've met enough veterans to know that you don't have to engage in a firefight to endure the trauma of war.
So we're changing the way things are done.
On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs, led by Secretary Ric Shinseki, will begin making it easier for a veteran with PTSD to get the benefits he or she needs.
This is a long-overdue step that will help veterans not just of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, but generations of their brave predecessors who proudly served and sacrificed in all our wars.
It's a step that proves America will always be here for our veterans, just as they've been there for us. We won't let them down. We take care of our own. And as long as I'm Commander-in-Chief, that's what we're going to keep doing. WH, 7-10-10
- Treasury Secretary Geithner on Wall Street Reform: "All Americans Have a Stake in Reforms": Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner appeared on PBS NewsHour last night to discuss, among other items, the financial reform bill that is awaiting final passage by the Senate when they return from recess next week. In his conversation with NewsHour host Jim Lehrer, Secretary Geithner expressed confidence that the Congress will soon deliver a strong bill to President Obama's desk… – WH, 7-7-10
- Obama thanks Europe for renewing anti-terrorist financing program: The United States welcomes today's decision by the European Parliament to join the Council and Commission of the European Union in approving a revised agreement between the United States and the European Union on the processing and transfer of financial messaging data for the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP). We look forward to the Council's completion of the process, allowing the agreement to enter into force on August 1, 2010, thus fully restoring this important counterterrorism tool and resuming the sharing of investigative data that has been suspended since January 2010. The threat of terrorism faced by the United States and the European Union continues and, with this agreement, all of our citizens will be safer.
The TFTP has provided critical investigative leads — more than 1,550 to EU Member States — since its creation after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. These leads have aided countries around the world in preventing or investigating many of the past decade's most visible and violent terrorist attacks and attempted attacks, including Bali (2002), Madrid (2004), London (2005), the liquids bomb plot against transatlantic aircraft (2006), New York's John F. Kennedy airport (2007), Germany (2007), Mumbai (2008), and Jakarta (2009).
This new, legally binding agreement reflects significant additional data privacy safeguards but still retains the effectiveness and integrity of this indispensable counterterrorism program.
Protecting privacy and civil liberties is a top priority of the Obama Administration. We are determined to protect citizens of all nations while also upholding fundamental rights, using every legitimate tool available to combat terrorism that is consistent with our laws and principles. – USA Today, 7-8-10
- Allan Lichtman: Scholar's "13 Keys" Predict Another Obama Win: Although the next presidential election is 28 months away, President Barack Obama's reelection in 2012 is nearly guaranteed despite former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's prediction that Obama has only a 20 percent chance, according to American University Professor Allan Lichtman. Lichtman's "13 Keys" system predicts the outcome of the popular vote based on the performance of the party and not the use of candidate preference polls, campaign tactics, or events…. – American University, 7-14-10
- Julian E. Zelizer: Sarah Palin likes government too: During a speech at an event called "Freedom Fest," former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin warned Tea Party activists that while government spending was a bad thing, conservatives should not go too far and start calling for reductions in the military budget.
While Palin told the crowd in Norfolk, Virginia, "Something has to be done urgently to stop the out-of-control Obama-Reid-Pelosi spending machine," she also told them, "We must make sure, however, that we do nothing to undermine the effectiveness of our military."
Palin's speech touched on a historic problem for the conservative movement. Ever since conservatives embraced a hawkish stance toward national security policy in the early Cold War in the late 1940s and started to challenge Democrats for not being tough enough, national security has always been the poison pill for anti-government conservatism.
Despite all their rhetoric about the dangers of government intervention and the virtues of private markets, conservatives have rather consistently supported an expansion of the government when it comes to national security….
But when it comes to Republicans, Palin's recent comments at the conservative rally show why voters should take right-wing arguments about the dangers of government with a grain of salt. While conservative activists like to talk about a choice between big government and small government, the real debate is over what kinds of government we must have, what our priorities should be, and where our federal money should be directed…. – CNN, 7-12-10
- The Bush Tax Cuts and the Deficit Myth: Runaway government spending, not declining tax revenues, is the reason the U.S. faces dramatic budget shortfalls for years to come…. – WSJ, 7-14-10
- Julian E. Zelizer Professor of History and Public Affairs, Princeton "Bringing down the House? Why is the White House warning of a Republican takeover of Congress?": If the White House starts to talk about the other party gaining control of Congress or about how terrible midterms usually are, then they are trying to manage expectations. The White House has depended on the Democratic House to move its legislative agenda. Having votes on Capitol Hill is better than a foil and the perception of weakness…. – Politico, 7-12-10
- Gil Troy: Obama's 'we' philosophy collides with capitalism's 'me': Business leaders accuse President of using failures of a few to justify expansion of government regulatory authority…
For McGill University political historian Gil Troy, Mr. Obama's attacks on business put him well within a presidential tradition that goes back at least as far as Andrew Jackson in the 1830s. But they also betray his particular world view and a career spent entirely outside the private sector.
"Not only does Barack Obama lack corporate experience, but his defining experiences were as a community organizer, public interest lawyer and law lecturer," Prof. Troy said in an interview. "That puts him ideologically, structurally and professionally in opposition to business."
Mr. Obama, Mr. Troy continued, is "trying to convince Americans of the efficacy of government. He's enough of a [Ronald] Reagan baby to know that is not necessarily the easiest sell to make. So, if [the economic crisis] is not a God-given opportunity, it's at least a Goldman Sachs-given opportunity to make that sell."… – Globe & Mail, 7-9-10
- Republicans should embrace Paul Ryan's Road Map: For now, the road map has a relatively small but growing cheering section. A dozen House members have endorsed it. Sen. Jim DeMint praised it in his book "Saving Freedom." Jeb Bush likes it. On CNN last week, economic historian Niall Ferguson called Ryan "a serious thinker on the Republican right who's prepared to grapple with these issues of fiscal sustainability and come up with a plan."… – Washington Examiner, 7-11-10
- Kennedy's clout could grow on high court: David Garrow, a Cambridge University historian who has written about the court, said the 74-year-old Kennedy already writes a disproportionate share of the court's big decisions and will have even more chances to do so now because he can assign opinions to himself…. – AP, 7-11-10
- Julian Zelizer: Senate bill to repeal health reform lacks backing from Republican leaders: "Unified party positions are better than divided party positions," Julian Zelizer, a congressional expert at Princeton University, said in an e-mail. "When the GOP is not all on board with legislation," he added, Democrats can argue "Republicans calling for repeal are on the wrong track."
"Equally important, in an age of party unity, when divisions like this emerge it suggests [what] pollsters are saying: there is support for the healthcare bill in red America," he said. The Hill, 7-5-10
President Barack Obama talks with President Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic following their meeting in the Oval Office July 12, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)


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Best playoff block ever: Tony Allen on Pau Gasol or Tayshaun Prince on Reggie Miller?
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: It was a momentum swinger.
In game-five of the 2010 NBA Finals, Tony Allen delivered a one-two combo block that sparked the Boston Celtics. Allen, an athletic swing, appeared from the helpside to emphatically deny Los Angeles Lakers post Pau Gasol a left-handed chippie.
The play reminded me of one thing: Tayshaun Prince on Reggie Miller.
Back in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, Prince preserved a key Detroit Pistons win against the Indiana Pacers by heroically blocking what seemed like a gimme lay-up for clutch closer and superstar Reggie Miller.
The Piston won the game. And later they won the 2004 NBA Title.
So watch both clips and get at us with your call on the best playoff block ever: Allen on Gasol or Prince on Miller.
(Allen with the one-two combo block.)
(Prince with the amazing block on Miller.)


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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (27 February 1807 – 24 March 1882 / Portland, Maine)
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Silent Love. (From The German)
Who love would seek,
Let him love evermore
And seldom speak:
For in love's domain
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Every week I sort books at the thrift store. After almost two years of this, I know very well what kinds of new books get bought, and discarded, around here. It's not hard to figure out anyway: walk into any chain bookstore at the mall and you'll see the same categories, the same series, the same bestsellers. And the greatest of these is Self-Help. Do you know how many copies of The Good Life I've sorted over the past two years? How many books by Dr. Phil? How many diet books, how many personal-motivation books, how many get-smarter, live-richer promises? They get bought. Maybe they get read. And in a sadly short time, they are packed off to the thrift store.
Charlotte Mason knew this. She knew a chapter title like "Self-Education" was going to get some people excited. Yes!, they would think, that's what it's about these days! Self! Education! This is the twentieth century, and we are creative and independent and smart and agile, and of course our nation's children must become even more so, because our teachers and our schools are better than they ever have been. Look at all those things the children learn to do now! Look at their physical education programs! Look at all the fine manual training they are getting! Look at all the books that are being written and bought for their classrooms! And doesn't that mean that the children will be getting not only smarter, but turn into better people all round? How can we miss?
Yes, yes, yes, she replied, as she mentally toured the schools of her day. Large-motor and fine-motor skills, all good. Science experiments, nature study, dramatics, Sloyd, and Swedish Drill! (In my own childhood, there were listening centers with headphones! Dataman! Betamax! Environmental studies! Attribute blocks!) Things to make, things to do, things to talk about. School should be interesting and balanced, no question. Just one question for the tour guide: how sure are you that all these nice things, all this money you're pouring into educational programs, is going to have any real effect on who these children become? Not what they can do, or how many facts they know, but what they are? Otherwise, all this "new" programming and curriculum and scientifically approved teaching is just so much bulletin-board trim.
Kris Kringle: (to Susan) Second grade?!
Susan: It's a progressive school. ~~Miracle on 34th Street, 1947
Let's talk about life in general, says Charlotte Mason. Being "all livin'." Well, magic hats only bring snowmen...or people...to life in the world of Rankin-Bass Christmas specials. There are things you can do from the outside of someone to take away life: but there's nothing you can do to generate it. Right? And a living body survives on what it takes in, not on what someone applies externally. No magic plant lotion will make us grow bigger. "The body lives by air, grows on food, demands rest, flourishes on a diet wisely various."
So if our minds work like our bodies (and mind meaning our whole non-physical being), they need to breathe; they need times of activity and rest; and the right kinds of food. Lots of food! Carefully considered food! And that, says Charlotte Mason, is where our children are being cheated.
Fine, we say, pencils poised; just tell us how to fix it, what to do, and we'll do it.
Not so simple, she replies. "I have asked myself this question and have laboured for fifty years to find the answer, and am anxious to impart what I think I know, but the answer cannot be given in the form of 'Do' this and that, but rather as an invitation to 'Consider' this and that; action follows when we have thought duly."
First thing to consider: The life of the mind [or the spiritual nature] is sustained upon ideas; and a particular type of ideas. There are important ideas about the world that you can get from science experiments and all those other school activities, but here we are talking only about "the ideas that influence life, that is, character and conduct; these, would seem, pass directly from mind to mind, and are neither helped nor hindered by educational outworks." In other words, the stuff we fill our classes with, especially of the sensory type, isn't necessarily a bad thing here; but it isn't what's needed for the nourishment of the inner person. "Our schools turn out a good many clever young persons, wanting in nothing but initiative, the power of reflection and the sort of moral imagination that enables you to 'put yourself in his place.' These qualities flourish upon a proper diet; and this is not afforded by the ordinary school book, or, in sufficient quantity by the ordinary lesson. I should like to emphasize quantity, which is as important for the mind as the body; both require their 'square meals.'"
Second thing to consider: "Knowledge is not sensation, nor is it to be derived through sensation; we feed upon the thoughts of other minds; and thought applied to thought generates thought and we become more thoughtful. No one need invite us to reason, compare, imagine; the mind, like the body, digests its proper food, and it must have the labour of digestion or it ceases to function." If there are no magic hats or lotions, there are also no magic pills or potions. So what is the educational equivalent of proper food that the body digests and uses for growth? "But let information hang upon a principle, be inspired by an idea, and it is taken with avidity and used in making whatsoever in the spiritual nature stands for tissue in the physical."
So what is the point of calling this chapter "Self-Education?" Charlotte Mason is waiting for us to emit a huge A-ha here.
No, we're not getting it?
She patiently spells it out: "No one knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of a man which is in him; therefore, there is no education but self-education…"
Does that mean no more pencils, no more books, no more teachers, no more schools, and even no more homeschooling parents? Everybody's on their own?
No, it means that, first, "as soon as a young child begins his education he does so as a student," meaning that each learner, taking in ideas [of this type, meaning the normative, character-related, Big Question ideas] is also his own 'teacher'"; and that, second, "our business is to give him mind-stuff, and both quality and quantity are essential. Naturally, each of us possesses this mind-stuff only in limited measure, but we know where to procure it; for the best thought the world possesses is stored in books; we must open books to children, the best books; our own concern is abundant provision and orderly serving." You don't eat for your children; you don't chew their food or digest for them. But you do make sure it's there, and serve it in a way that's appropriate. The same with their reading.
With an urgency that reflects her own sense of limited days, Charlotte Mason expresses what is, in her mind, the only real task of an educator: to zero in on the mind-to-mind ideas.
All through lunch Oliver ate without knowing that he ate at all. A baked potato, two slices of liver, and a large helping of beets (which he detested) simply disappeared from his plate into himself without conscious material assistance on his part. Inwardly he had entered once more the little room that was his discovery, his kingdom. He dwelt longingly upon the thought of the two old sleds, the bicycle, the coffee grinder (which he planned to take apart), and above all the books. Tomorrow I'll go down again, he told himself, and whenever it rains, and Cuffy takes a nap. But I mustn't go too often. Oliver was wise for his seven years: already he knew that to overdo a thing is to destroy it. I'll keep it secret for a long, long time, he thought. He did, too; for he had great determination, and knew the secret of keeping secrets. Also he had a kind heart. Six weeks later when Randy had to stay home from school with a toothache he took her down to the cellar and showed her his discovery. It worked better than oil of cloves: Randy forgot her toothache for more than an hour and a half, absorbed in the dusty volumes of Harper's Young People.—"Ali-Baba Oliver," The Four Story Mistake, Elizabeth Enright"For many years," writes Charlotte Mason, "we have had access to a sort of Aladdin's cave which I long to throw open 'for public use.'" And here we go: look, look, look, she says: "It fits all ages! It satisfies brilliant children and discovers intelligence in the dull. It secures attention, interest, concentration, without effort on the part of teacher or taught….Parents become interested in the schoolroom work, and find their children 'delightful companions.' Children shew delight in books (other than story books) and manifest a genuine love of knowledge. Teachers are relieved from much of the labour of corrections. Children taught according to this method do exceptionally well at any school." "But these principles are obvious and simple enough, and, when we consider that at present education is chaotic for want of a unifying theory, and that there happens to be no other comprehensive theory in the field which is in line with modern thought and fits every occasion, might it not be well to try one which is immediately practicable and always pleasant and has proved itself by producing many capable, serviceable, dutiful men and women of sound judgment and willing mind?"
But it's not a potion, something to rub on or pour down, she jokingly reminds us again. "After all, it is not a quack medicine I am writing about, though the reader might think so, and there is no IS. I 1/2d. a bottle in question!" And the key to the room, she has pointed out, is not dependence on a teacher, but the understanding that children's "education should be largely self-education." "Here on the very surface is the key to that attention, interest, literary style, wide vocabulary, love of books and readiness in speaking, which we all feel should belong to an education that is only begun at school and continued throughout life; these are the things that we all desire, and how to obtain them is some part of the open secret I am labouring to disclose 'for public use.'"
And THAT is the meaning of "I am, I can, I ought, I will."


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Best Consumer Complaint SitesThursday, July 22nd, 2010
From MainStreet.com
By Seth Fiegerman
Are you not on speaking terms with a particular business? Well, MeasuredUp.com essentially acts as an intermediary between you and the companies you hate. Big name business like Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Orbitz and Best Buy have signed up with MeasuredUp to respond to consumer complaints on the site. Consider it a way to get around talking to representatives on the phone. (It's also worth noting that there are thousands of posts on this site that are actually positive, which doesn't seem to be the case on the other sites we mentioned.)
Read entire article: www.mainstreet.com/article/smart-spending/best-customer-complaint-sites


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