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Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
From the Wires
Car Rental Rates in Miami More than Triple over Christmas
By: PR Newswire
Dec. 19, 2012 11:24 AM
MIAMI, Dec. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Miamians who are looking to rent a car to drive home for Christmas better set aside a big chunk of their holiday cash. According to a new survey from CheapCarRental.net, rental rates will be more than triple their usual price in Miami over the holidays. The survey specifically compared the car rental rates of 30 U.S. destinations for the Christmas period spanning December 22–27.
In Miami, car renters will currently have to spend $84 per day over the Christmas timeframe, and that's for the cheapest available car. That's a $250% increase compared to the regular rental rates of $24 per day. It's also, by far, the biggest percentage hike among all destinations evaluated in the survey.
Other cities also experiencing strongly elevated car rental rates are Phoenix and Denver. In Phoenix, a vehicle will cost renters at least $76 per day during the Christmas holiday season. That figure represents an increase of 181% compared to regular rates. In Denver, the daily cost will be a bit lower at $62 per day but still a triple-digit increase of 148%.
The most expensive location overall to rent a vehicle is Hawaii's Honolulu. There, the cheapest available car will cost renters $106 over the Christmas time period, according to the survey. That's 112% more than it would normally set them back.
The following table shows the ten destinations where car rental rates have risen the most for the Christmas holidays. The rates shown reflect average rates for the cheapest available car during the period spanning December 22 through December 27.
1. Miami $84 (+250%)
For the full results of the survey, visit http://www.cheapcarrental.net/press/christmas-2012.html
Press Contact: Michelle Walters , email@example.com
SOURCE CheapCarRental.net
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Even one of the most mentally tough teams in NHL history isn't immune to momentum.
The only team in league history to win three consecutive Game 7s to reach the Stanley Cup Final found itselft on the wrong side of the momentum — and the scoreboard — after two New York Rangers goals in less than two minutes in the first period of Wednesday night's Game 1.
Not surprisingly, the Kings rallied to tie the game during what proved to be a crucial stretch bridging the first and second periods, setting the stage for their 3-2 overtime win at Staples Center.
"It certainly helps," Kings right wing Justin Williams said, "that we've done it time and time again."
The Kings were down by the identical score of 2-0 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday, an eventual 5-4 win in overtime over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks.
On Wednesday, it was an innocent-looking steal with three members of the Kings having already retreated on defense that reversed the momentum.
"Nobody's ever out of it," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "Keep plugging away. You can make a play to tie it. You can make a play to win it."
In a first period during which the Rangers committed just two giveaways to the Kings' eight, Kyle Clifford's steal in the corner of the Rangers' zone was the obvious turning point.
The left wing acrobatically intercepted a pass in the corner, surprising both himself and the Rangers defenders surrounding him. He made a move toward the net only to lose the puck behind the net, where the only other teammate within 50 feet of him was waiting.
Jeff Carter collected the puck and whipped a pass back to Clifford, whose low-angle, one-timer found the back of the net less than three minutes before the end of the first period.
"We had a couple of good shifts before that, so I thought we were just building off that," Clifford said. "We just want to come out with a better start. We didn't like the start we had. We had a good response to it."
By all accounts, Clifford's first goal of the playoffs created an entirely different mentality in the locker room during the first intermission. Trailing by two goals with momentum clearly on the Rangers' side would have been a stark contrast to the one-goal deficit that helped revive the 18,366 in attendance at Staples Center.
"We get out of that period still down two goals, it certainly could have gone either way," Williams said. "That's playoffs. There's little things here or there, second efforts that result in goals that we're able to come back from deficits. Making that 2-1 gives us a little bit of a step towards getting it all the way back."
Drew Doughty officially captured the momentum for the Kings by tying the game 6:36 into the second period with a spectacular between-the-legs move to set up a shot that beat the hottest goaltender in the playoffs.
The Kings defenseman took a pass from Williams, swung the puck wide before sliding it between his own legs to shield it as he went around his defender and found little between himself and Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. He beat Lundqvist just inside the near post with a shot that caught a piece of the goaltender's jersey before trickling into the net to tie the game.
"Momentum is a powerful thing during the game, but I think you've got to reset afterward every time," Kings defenseman Matt Greene said. "Getting a goal from Clifford at the end of the first period was huge. That gave us life."

subset: commoncrawl


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From ALSC
- Can a virtual committee meet in-person at conferences?As a virtual committee, all work is expected to take place virtually. It is certainly acceptable for those members who will be attending conference to gather socially. However, because members agreed to serve on a virtual committee, no work should take place. Members unable to attend may feel ostracized. If each and every member of the committee unanimously agree to an in-person meeting it is permissible, however, it should not deter from the bulk of the committee's work being conducted virtually.
- How do I handle copying ALSC leadership on emails, documents and other communication when using ALA Connect?ALSC leadership does not have access to your committee space with the exception of documents you mark as 'public'. It is important to keep leadership apprised of any significant issues related to committee work. Do they need to see every single post and discussion? Probably not, so long as you make sure to alert them of any major issues. You will need to exercise good judgment in determining what items need to be copied. Make sure to attach or cut and paste into an email to leadership any discussions of significance. If you are uncertain, consult with your PGC. You may want to consider sending leadership a quarterly summary of activities. If there is something they feel they need to know more about they will let you know.
- Doesn't leadership receive notification anytime something new is posted to a committee's Connect space?While non-members can subscribe to track a committee's space, they will not have access to everything. Additionally, given how many ALSC committee's, task forces, and other groups there are, it's best that you notify leadership on important issues directly.
- Will all the committee members receive notification when something new is posted on our Connect space?All members of your committee should be members of the Connect space. You will want to check under 'members' to make sure they are all listed. You will then need to contact your members via email request that they manage their subscriptions to make sure their Connect subscriptions are active.
- Do we need to use ALA Connect?The use of ALA Connect to store your committee's work is strongly encouraged. This ensures that future chairs and members will be able to access and review previous work thus making for a smoother transition. Your committee's ALA Connect space is a valuable tool and can serve as a repository and portal. It makes it easy for members to quickly access information. Rather than needing to search through emails, members can easily find the information in Connect.
- Do we need to use the Chat feature in ALA Connect for our meetings?While several committees have found the chat feature in ALA Connect to be sufficient for online meetings, it is not for everyone. There are alternative which are discussed XXXXXX. If you choose to use another tool, you will want to remember to cut and paste the transcript (if using another chat tool) or minutes in Connect. You will also want to make sure that all the necessary information for accessing the tool is available on Connect. Remember – Connect can server as a portal. Make sure that they necessary URL, phone number, needed password, etc… is stored on Connect and that the date and times of the meetings are listed as well. Valuable meeting time can be lost when members are late because they had trouble locating the information needed to attend.


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Serve with fresh fruit and a side salad to round out the meal.
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Even though she wasn't picked as the Kansas Teacher of the Year, Laura Moyers isn't through with her obligations as a finalist in the competition.
Even though she wasn't picked as the Kansas Teacher of the Year, Laura Moyers isn't through with her obligations as a finalist in the competition.
Moyers, who teaches music at Anthony Elementary School, will be making visits to other schools as part of a team as well as speaking to prospective teachers.
Earlier this year, Moyers was picked as one of eight finalists in the 2013 Kansas Teacher of the Year program, which was sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education.
She was on hand Saturday in Wichita when the Kansas Teacher of the Year was announced. The top honor went to Dyane Smokorowski, an eighth grade advanced language arts teacher at Andover Middle School.
Moyers, who had been selected as a regional Elementary Teacher of the Year, gave a speech this weekend as one of the finalists in the statewide program.
In her speech, Moyers discussed sympathetic resonance, a term used in music, and related the concept to education.
"Teaching is all about resonance," she said in her speech. "We're all about making impressions. We can make an impression on one student, and unknowingly cause resonance in another."
Moyers said education is like playing a piano.
"Our children's well being and our entire communities' future depend on how well we play it, and we must play it well," she said in her speech.
Moyers said she received a trophy and a technology package this weekend as one of the finalists.
Moyers said she and Smokorowski as well as the other finalists make up a team that will be visiting school districts and colleges and universities. She said the members of the team will have the opportunity to learn from each other and the schools they visit.
The Leavenworth school district will be hosting the team in February.
Moyers said the district has a lot to be proud of. She said it's been a tremendous privilege and honor to represent the district in the Teacher of the Year program.


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Love yourself
Love the flowers
Love the wind
Love the sunshine
Love the silence
Love the madness
Love the child
Love the Love
I am Love
You are Love
Love yourself
Love the flowers
Love the wind
Love the sunshine
Love the silence
Love the madness
Love the child
Love the Love
I am Love
You are Love
We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows. – Robert Frost
Create the future you want to see
... A way Beautiful Souls thrive
~ Poems,Novels and Life Events..
It's all about Having the Courage of Desire...
A thought,here and there.Words that breath life into them.So born are poems,stories,random musings-An eternal bliss!
A Magazine That Delves Into All Things LIFE.
Observing makes me curious and curiosity makes me a Learner. This Blog Admires Motivation
Welcome to home made, vegeterian, healthy & kids friendly recipes
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A journey into the wonderful adventures and stories of my Life!!
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tha blogs is about styles beauty health true story's love poetry many more )): my blog my own thoughts) monakhaan.com
The song of a heart can never be caged...
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Metaphyics, Horoscopes, Personal Blog, Modeling & Recommended Products,
Le quotidien du DIY
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Have a Read , Then Giggle !!
A collection of my thoughts
🎭दो चेहरें हैं,दो लहज़े हैं मेरे...और हर सवाल के दो जवाब "एक मैं जो लिखती हूँ दूजा तुम जो जानते हो"!! 👑Queen Of My Own Thought❣ #MyBlogMyFeeling
A Blog all about Books, Poems, Write-ups and life!!
Fairydust of words are sprinkled here to evoke emotions.
a little lunch, a little wine, a LOT of talking!
il mondo nella fotografia di strada di Violeta Dyli ... my eyes on the road through photography
Peace and Pain
The panacea you're looking for silence lies within itself.
This site endeavors to take its readers on a journey through time.
Fashion | Style | Beauty | Babble
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-- history | geography | philosophy | individuality --
These are feelings and thoughts from my Heart
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(Previous date 26.10.2015)
Temacoat GPL-S Primer - Epoxy primer
|A two-component, polyamide-cured high-build epoxy primer containing zinc phosphate.
Used as a primer
or an intermediate coat in epoxy and polyurethane systems exposed to abrasion
and/or chemical stress. Can be used as an
intermediate coat on zinc-rich epoxy and zinc silicate paints.
|Recommended uses
|Recommended for bridges, haulage equipment, cranes, steel masts, conveyors and other steelwork, machinery and equipment.
|Excellent adhesion to steel, zinc and aluminium surfaces. Rapidly recoatable.
The product has MED (Marine Equipment Directive) certificate no
VTT-C-11166-15-14 and is thus accepted for painting surfaces inside the ships.
Hardener 008 5610 enables curing even at temperatures down to -10°C.
|Colour Cards
|Temaspeed Primers colour card. TEMASPEED tinting. With hardener 008 5610 colours might slightly differ from colour standards when tinted.
|Gloss groups
Practical coverage depends on the application method, painting conditions and the shape and roughness of the surface to be coated.
|Mixing ratio
|Base 4 parts by volume 179 serie
Hardener 1 part by volume 008 5600 or 008 5605 (fast)
Base 5 parts by volume 179 serie
Hardener 1 part by volume 008 5610
|Application method
|By airless spray or by brush.
|Pot-life (+23°C)
|4 hours (+23ºC) with Hardener 008 5600
2 hours (+23ºC) with Hardener 008 5605
4 hours (+23ºC) with Hardener 008 5610
6 hours (0ºC) with Hardener 008 5610
|Drying times
Drying and recoating times are related to the film thickness, temperature, the relative humidity of the air and ventilation.
|Solids volume
|55 ± 2 % voulme % (ISO 3233)
68 ± 2 % weight %.
|1.3 - 1.4 kg / l (mixed)
|Product code
|Application conditions
|With hardener 008 5600 or 008 5605:
All surfaces must be clean and dry and free from contamination. During application and drying the temperature of the substrate should be minimum 0°C and relative humidity of the air should not exceed 80%. The surface temperature of the steel should be at least 3°C above the dew point.
The product should not be applied at temperatures below 0°C where there is a possibility of ice formation on the substrate. The temperature of paint itself should be above +15°C for proper application. Good ventilation is required in confined areas during application and drying.
With hardener 008 5610:
All surfaces must be clean and dry and free from contamination. The temperature of the substrate should not fall below -10°C during application and drying. The surface temperature of steel should remain at least 3°C above the dew point. Care has to be taken that there is no ice on the substrate.
The temperature of paint itself should be above +15°C for proper application.
Good ventilation is required in confined areas during application and drying.
Note! There is a natural tendency of epoxy coatings to chalk and discolor on exterior exposure
|Oil, grease, salts and dirt are removed by appropriate means. (ISO 12944-4)
Steel surfaces: Blast clean to grade Sa2½. (ISO 8501-1) If blast cleaning is not possible, phosphating is recommended for cold rolled steel to improve adhesion.
Zinc surfaces: Sweep blast clean with mineral abrasives, e.g. quartz sand, to an even roughness. (SaS, SFS 5873) If sweep blasting is not possible, the surface should be roughened by hand abrading or washed with PANSSARIPESU detergent.
See Pretreatment of hot dip galvanized surfaces.
Aluminium surfaces: Sweep blast clean with non-metallic abrasives to an even roughness. (SaS, SFS 5873) If sweep blasting is not possible, the surface should be roughened by hand abrading or washed with MAALIPESU detergent.
Stainless steel: Roughen the surface by grinding or sweep blasting using non-metallic abrasives.
Primed surfaces: Oil, grease, salt and dirt are removed from the surface by appropriate means. Repair any damage to the primer coat. Note the overcoating time of primer. (ISO 12944-4)
Note! Hardener 008 5610 is to be used only in steel or primed surfaces.
|Temacoat GPL-S Primer, Temabond, Temazinc 77, Temazinc 99 and Temasil 90.
|Temacoat GPL, Temacoat GS 50, Temacoat RM 40, Temacoat SPA 50, Temadur, Temathane, Fontecoat EP 50 and Fontecoat EP 80.
|By airless spray or by brush. At airless spray application the paint should be thinned
0–15% by volume. Airless spray nozzle tip 0.011"–0.017" and nozzle pressure
120–160 bar. Spray angle shall be chosen according to the shape of the object.
Use brush application only for stripe coating. At brush application the paint should be thinned according to the circumstances.
|Mixing of components
|First stir base and hardener separately. The correct proportions of base and hardener must be mixed thoroughly before use. Use power mixer for mixing.
|Cleaning of tools
|Thinner 1031.
|EU VOC 2004/42/EC-limit value
|The Volatile Organic Compounds amount is 425 g/litre of paint mixture.
VOC content of the paint mixture (thinned 15% by volume) is 485 g/l.
according to Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008
|Containers are provided with safety labels, which should be observed. Further information about hazardous influences and protection are detailed in individual health and safety data sheets. A health and safety data sheet is available on request from Tikkurila Oyj.
|Safety data sheet
|Temacoat GPL-S Primer
|Thinner safety data sheet
|Temacoat GPL-S Primer
|Hardener safety data sheet
|Temacoat GPL-S Primer


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12 Whitney St., Northborough
Home size: 3,585 square feet
Rooms: Five bedrooms, three full baths, two partial baths
Lot size: 0.97 acres
Year built: 1990
Taxes: $10,284
Asking price: $679,900
Beautiful grand Victorian rebuilt in 1990. Amazing reproduction details. Incredible Woodmaster finish work. Many original features. High ceilings. Rutt kitchen with Sub-Zero and Thermador. Vaulted family room. Period lighting, skylights and sunroom. Master suite with sitting room and private marble bath. Marble baths. Formal dining and living rooms. Wraparound porch. Detached two-story, 23-by-35 carriage house. Wine cellar. Two-by-six construction. Beautiful landscaped yard overlooking Mill Pond and Cold Harbor Brook.
Joan Laurence divides the 46 years her family has lived in this grand Queen Anne Victorian into two periods: the 23 years before the fire, and the 23 years since.
After the circa-1890 house was destroyed by flames that left little but the front porch and some of the sliding pocket doors, it was rebuilt in 1990 all the way down to the hand-tooled stair spindles. Today, the front door is the original. The rest of the house is "all new from the basement up," says husband Jim Laurence.
The Laurences raised three sons and a daughter here, and now have 10 grandchildren. "It's a wonderful place to raise a family," Joan Laurence says. "It's close to town, and the kids rode their bikes downtown for ice cream, and to football and baseball practices," she says, while the Zeh Elementary School is one street away.
The family and their house at 12 Whitney St. have been a vibrant part of the community for years. "We've heard so many times, 'This is my favorite house in town, this is my favorite house in town,' " says Laurence. When the mill pond in back froze in winter, speakers and lights were put in place for neighborhood skating parties, she says.
Their son, Andy, now owns and operates the three-generation family business, the Laurence Candle Co., founded by Jim Laurence's father in Northborough in 1943, and now located in Millbury.
Their spacious Victorian has been a "part of the family," say the Laurences, recently giving a visitor a tour.
Overlooking the mill pond is the room they call "everyone's favorite," the sunken library dubbed the "English Room." The room with skylights, Palladian window, high vaulted ceiling and faux leather wallpaper is done in a fox-hunting motif: decorations include hunting prints and stuffed plush fox dolls in riding attire. Fox glasses fill the wet bar. "At Christmas we do a tree decorated with foxes," says Laurence.
The fox-hunting decorations and a fox-hunting jacket on an articulated wooden dummy are surplus from a Brooks Brothers store, they say. Over the fireplace, behind a picture of foxhound puppies, is a wall safe. "The joke was, all the kids knew the combination," Laurence says. "We left Monopoly money in it."
Another of Laurence's favorite rooms, adjoining the dining room, is the butler's pantry, with its "silent butler" that slides up and down for handing out plates. "Everything is so accessible. It's said I could throw a party for a hundred people in half an hour," she says, with a smile. The grandkids play "store" in here, she says.
And then there's the sunroom, or the "tea room," which opens to the wraparound porch. "Every morning I'm in here, reading the paper," she says. Hand-painted ivy leaves decorate the walls. Another touch is the old-fashioned phone cabinet. Laurence likes to collect antiques, and her finds fill the house. A gas stove in the corner "provides a little extra kick in the morning," she says. The house has two more wood-burning fireplaces.
The eat-in kitchen features Rutt cabinetry, Corian counters, Sub-Zero and Thermador appliances and fittingly, lots of little pull-outs: a cutting board, a narrow drawer under the oven used for barbecue tools, and under the counter, a foldable stepladder.
This house offers the opportunity to own an antique-style home without the associated problems. Since the fire, the wiring and insulation have been replaced, and double-panel windows and six-inch walls mean savings on energy, says Jim Laurence. In each room, a switch on the wall activates half the electrical outlets. "One switch puts all the Christmas lights on," he says.
Upstairs, the master suite mixes old and new. The sitting room has Victorian filigree around the entryway and a cabinet with a handy fridge inside. Bow windows in the master bedroom are in the fashion of the original house and echo those in the dining room downstairs. In the master bath, a built-in cherry cabinet reaching to the ceiling was custom-made by a local craftsman. Marble floors, cherry cabinetry and sliding pocket doors mark both the master bath and laundry room on the second floor.
An antique Victorian barrister's bookcase decorates the landing on the stairway to the finished third floor. The bookcase and other pieces of period furniture will be offered for sale along with the house, Joan Laurence says.
On the third floor, a mezzanine at the top of the stairs has been used by the children over the years as a venue for model train tracks. A sunny bedroom with skylight and pullout couch has built-in bookshelves and cedar closet. The bathroom decorated in a barbershop motif has a freestanding sink of freckled porcelain. Another sky-lighted bedroom has drawers in the wall that serve as a built-in bureau.
In the walkout basement, a low-ceiling storage area has been converted into a wine cellar, whimsically hung with plastic vines and lighted bunches of grapes. The basement features a workshop area and plenty of space for storage, and is hooked up to water and sewer.
Outside, the original carriage house, dating to 1890, still has its tack room and three-horse stall. Ghostly decorations in the upper level recall a past haunted house Halloween party held there.
The gazebo in the yard overlooking the mill pond was added for their daughter's wedding. As many as 300 guests have attended a party on the grounds here.
The house is filled with memories, says Laurence, who plans to bring her decorative touch to a new house in Florida, where the couple plans to retire.
"I'd like to see a young family come in and enjoy it like we did," she says.
To arrange a showing, contact Karen Scopetski, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, at 508-380-0112.


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Curtis Stone
Is there anything sexier than a man who can cook? Absolutely -- a ridiculously good-looking man who can cook! We've been salivating over chef Curtis Stone from the first time we saw him on television whipping up delicious dishes and speaking in that oh-so-hot Australian accent.
Get more on Curtis Stone in his Man Candy Monday feature!


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SOURCE: The Hickok Belt Award
December 19, 2012 07:15 ET
ROCHESTER, NY--(Marketwire - Dec 19, 2012) - 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski has been selected as the Hickok Belt Award winner for the month of November 2012. Voting was conducted by a select panel of members of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA). Keselowski was selected after locking up his first Sprint Cup title in the year's final race, becoming only the third driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup title within his first three seasons.
Other finalists for the month of October in order of how the NSSA voters ranked them were: Tom Brady (football), Peyton Manning (football), Arian Foster (football), Carmelo Anthony (basketball), Matt Ryan (football), LeBron James (basketball), Chad Kackert (football), Rory McIlroy (golf), Robert Guerrero (boxing).
Keselowski's selection as the Hickok Belt Award winner for November not only recognizes him as "the best of the best" in professional sports for the month, it also marks another milestone in the return of the award given to the top professional athlete across all sports. As a monthly recipient, Keselowski becomes the eleventh of twelve finalists for the overall annual award, joining previous monthly award winners including Eli Manning, Jeremy Lin, Lindsey Vonn, Bubba Watson, Josh Hamilton, LeBron James, Usain Bolt, Pablo Sandoval and two time monthly winner Serena Williams. Winners as selected by the NSSA will be announced each month throughout 2012. The overall winner will then be announced in 2013, as the Hickok Belt Award, the crown jewel of sports, will be presented for the first time in over 36 years.
The Hickok Belt Award was originally presented annually from 1950 - 1976. Past recipients include a list of the 20th century's elite athletes including the likes of Muhammad Ali, Arnold Palmer, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Jim Brown and others that defined their sports. To learn more about the rich history of the Hickok Belt Award and keep up with all the news surrounding the award in 2012, please visit www.HickokBelt.com.
News Media:
For more information, contact
Larry Kleehammer
585-944-3996 Email Contact
News Media:
For more information, contact
Larry Kleehammer
585-944-3996 Email Contact
See all RSS Newsfeeds


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text:
Moderator: Cartographers
anamainiacks wrote:"reverts back to 3 after one full round." - The 'r' at the start of the sentence should be capitalised.
On the sticker itself, "Oxtail Tips" should be singular form, "Oxtail Tip". You MIGHT want to change "Hoof" to "Hooves", since there are 4 of them, but I think this one's understood.
Looking good, hope it gets the stamp! (:
koontz1973 wrote:dana, can you see if you can get the sticker to have a slight peeling effect on one of the corners, as if it is coming of. Do not forget the shadow that would create though.
apart from that, the sticker looks much better.
Funkyterrance wrote:Make the stars from a branding iron and I'm ready to play it.
Seriously though, the red/brown/pink contrasts are a little hard to see. Make it a nice black star with the inside empty like a brand and problem solved.
ironmanbravo wrote:Let's get it on....with this map
cairnswk wrote:the impassable fat barrier looks a little awkward out there...just from a design viewpoint, would it not be better in top right corner on it's own blackboard....which would also make blackboards in all four corners and even them up....just a thought
RedBaron0 wrote:As far a a sig is concerned, I'd say add it to your 4th chalkboard phrased as follows: "Today's butcher: dana1971" But that's just me.
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Main Site - :: Why Won't God Heal Amputees? ::
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They even made women sit in the back of the bus! The more I learn about orthodox Judaism the more it infuriates me. It may not breed the same kind of violence as fundamentalist Islam--at least, not at the moment--but it is as backwards and oppressive in many ways.
Wasn't their first PM a woman?-Nam
Quote from: Nam on October 23, 2013, 10:59:53 AMWasn't their first PM a woman?-NamDavid Ben-Gurion was trans?Whoa... who knew?


text: Livestock identification is important to maintain the health of our nation's cattle herd. Proper identification of livestock serves as the foundation for ranchers to create and maintain health, breeding and other records. Livestock identification also serves an important component of marketing by enabling producers and buyers to verify the age and source of livestock. That said, identification is only one part to keeping America's beef herd healthy. CCA policies support voluntary programs to trace livestock and source and age cattle. The U.S. remains the only industrialized nation to not have a mandatory government administered livestock identification program. Efforts at the federal level through the National Animal Identification System led to a vigorous debate throughout the industry regarding the need for a national identification program to trace an outbreak in disease to the source or the ranch or farm of origin. The federal government has departed from the NAIS program and is rather in the process of promulgating a regulation requiring the mandatory identification of cattle moving only interstate. CCA policies still support identification programs that are voluntary in nature and do not slow or disrupt the speed of commerce.


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I haven't been blogging for a while, but participating in the Menu for Hope gave me the incentive to start again. I'm donating a dozen vintage cookbooks, dating from the '20s to the '80s-- Prize #UC 19. They make good reading--there are some excellent forgotten recipes (and some very strange ones: Frozen Cheddar Cheese Dessert, anyone?). It's also a nice way to look at the history of food preparation, food fads, and even the place of women in the home, since a lot of small cookbooks were put out as new appliances came out. The manufacturers wanted the American homemaker to want an exciting new GE refrigerator or a Hotpoint stove, and they put together recipes to entice her with a vision of her ideal future (see photo above, lower right corner).
If you don't know about Menu for Hope, check out Chez Pim--Pim is the begetter and gracious overseer of this enterprise to do some good in the world, now in its 4th year. Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen is handling things for the central U.S.--take a look at her post, with a listing of other prizes that have been donated by midwesterners. A full list of all prizes is at Chez Pim, here.


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Lt. Gov. Ramsey, Speaker Harwell, Speaker Pro Tem Watson, Speaker Pro Tem Johnson, Members of the 108th General Assembly, Justices, Constitutional Officers, Commissioners, friends, guests, fellow Tennesseans, and always my favorite First Lady,Crissy:
Every day,I feel honored and blessed to have the opportunity to serve as governor of this great state, and I particularly appreciate the invitation by the 108th General Assembly tonight to report on the state of our State.
I'll begin with something we all know – Tennessee is different. We're known as the Volunteer State. We have a history of independence and service. Over the years, we've been intentional about avoiding the traps that Washington, D.C. and other states have fallen into that have gotten them in trouble time and time again.
Unlike the news coming out of our nation's capital and so many other states around the country, good things are happening in Tennessee. Barron's Magazine has named us the third best-managed state in the country. We are ranked among the lowest when it comes to the state and local tax burden on our citizens as well as the debt per capita. We are a triple-A rated state, and our most recent bond sale was done at the lowest interest rates in recorded history. The unemployment rate continues to fall, and family incomes continue to rise. CNBC ranks us 4th in America for transportation and infrastructure and 2nd in cost of living. And we've been ranked the best place in the country to retire.Tennesseans are some of the most generous in the United States – we rank 4th in charitable giving.
So what makes Tennessee different? Why are we coming out of one of the worst recessions this country has ever seen in a place of strength? I believe it's because we think differently. We have a long history of fiscal restraint that crosses party lines. We have been deliberate about not spending money that we don't have and in making a concerted effort to save for the future. A good example was last year when there was temptation for some to quickly commit and spend funds that were coming in above estimates, but in the tradition of our state's discretion, we held the line. And now we are well-positioned to continue to invest in a thoughtful, strategic manner.
Unlike Congress, this body is willing to make hard decisions. You've voted to cut the budget; you've voted to make key investments; and you've voted to set reserves aside for the future. You've also given Tennesseans their money back by cutting taxes, and you've given the executive branch the necessary tools to run government better.
We are committed to transforming state government so that our customers, Tennessee's taxpayers, are the primary focus. A good example is our driver's license centers.The budget I'm proposing tonight contains funding to put more resources toward lowering wait times across the state.
Two years ago, I stood up here and said that we would be working hard to speed up the process to receive a license, and we're making progress.At the Fayette County center, wait times went from an average of 38 minutes in 2011, to 30 minutes in 2012, and only 18 minutes in the month of December.Tonight, I'd like you to meet Patsy Echols, the manager of that center, named Center of the Year for 2012. Patsy, thanks to you and your team for giving our customers – Tennessee's taxpayers - great service.
In Tennessee, we are different. We have a lot to brag about, but this isn't the time to coast along or to be satisfied. This is a time to take advantage of our strengths and face our challenges head on, and I look forward to the executive and legislative branches working together on the issues that matter to Tennesseans.
I believe we have to begin this evening by addressing the elephant in the room – or I guess I should say the elephants in the room. There are a lot of expectations and preconceived notions about how our Republican super-majority is going to govern. There is a narrative already being written for us this legislative session: Republicans will be fighting internally, and Democrats will be focused solely on playing politics instead of working across the aisle to find common ground for good government. But I think that makes caricatures out of us and sells all of us short.
We're not always going to agree on what good policy is, and the way democracy works is that people in this room were elected for different reasons and often times because of specific issues, but can't we all agree that in the end, the focus should be and will be on a better Tennessee?
Howard Baker, a senior statesman from Tennessee who served as Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate and chief of staff to Pres. Ronald Reagan always says, anytime he was sitting across the desk from someone in disagreement, he told himself to keep in mind, "You know - the other fellow might be right."
As we go through this legislative session, I ask everyone in this chamber this evening to keep in mind what Senator Baker said: "The other fellow might be right." Tennesseans don't want us to be like Washington. They don't want continuous conflict. They do want principled problem solving.
Over the past two years, we've made a lot of progress in working together. We balanced two budgets in tough economic times with less funding from the federal government, which by the way I believe is a good thing. It's critical that Washington gets serious about getting our country's financial house in order.And in Tennessee, we're prepared to manage state government accordingly.
In talking about the budget, it's also important to talk about what we did not do to balance the budget the past two years. We didn't raise taxes. In fact, we lowered them. We cut the state portion of the sales tax on food from five and a half percent to five and a quarter percent, and we're proposing to lower it to five percent this year. We're phasing out the inheritance tax, eliminating it entirely by the year 2016 to help small business owners and family farmers keep those businesses in the family from generation to generation. We've eliminated the gift tax, and in 2011, we reduced the burden of the Hall Income Tax on seniors.
We are proposing to cut the Hall tax even further this year by raising the exemption level for people over 65from $26,000to $33,000 for individuals and $37,000 to $59,000for joint filers. We are also providing tax relief for low-income seniors, veterans and the disabled by fully funding the growth of the property tax relief program.
Another important thing we did not do to balance the budget was to cut education funding. Not only did we not cut funding, we had the second largest increase in state K-12 expenditures of all 50 states in fiscal year 2012. I'm not sure that Tennessee has ever been able to say that before. The average increase was nearly 3 percent. Ours grew almost 12 percent in state education funding. Education is another example of how in Tennessee we're distinguishing ourselves as different from the rest of the country.
Some have said that this administration and General Assembly aren't committed to public education, but that could not be further from the truth. We are literally putting our money where our mouth is, even when other states haven't done so through tough budget times. This administration is absolutely committed to public education and understands that the large majority of our students attends public schools and always will.
That's why we've fully funded the Basic Education Program the past two years and are doing so again this year. That's why tonight I'm announcing that we will invest$51million to assist locals in paying for technology transition upgrades in schools across the state – a substantial and strategic investment in our schools. Another $34 million is budgeted to address ongoing capital needs that can be used for increased security measures if local officials decide to do so. And more than $35 million is budgeted for teacher salaries. We're also providing $22 million for a new high school for the Tennessee School for the Deaf in Knoxville.
Our administration's three budgets have certainly supported our commitment to public education, but I also think it's important to note that we're not just throwing money at it. Dollars alone don't lead to improvement. There has to be a plan. Along with strategic investments, we're pursuing real reform in education that is producing results.
We've addressed tenure so that a principal doesn't have to decide after three years to either fire a teacher or grant tenure. There is now a five year time period for the principal to use data more effectively to assess a teacher's performance and then allow time to give that teacher the additional support that he or she needs to improve to earn tenure.
We've expanded charter schools to eliminate the cap on the number that we can have in Tennessee and to offer more students the opportunity to attend a charter school.
This year we're proposing to offer another option for school choice through a program to allow low-income students in our lowest performing schools a chance to receive a better education. I've heard the argument that this kind of program will drain resources in the schools that need them the most, but we're focusing resources on those schools. Last year, we committed $38 million over three years to schools in the bottom 5 percent of the state. This year we're adding $9 million more. So we're investing $47 million, over and above annual funding, to those schools to help them improve. Not only are we not draining resources from them, we're giving them additional support.
I expect this proposal will be hotly debated, but after taking a careful look at the issue and how a program might work in Tennessee, I believe a limited approach that gives more choice to parents and students stuck in difficult situations makes a lot of sense. If we can help our lowest income students in our lowest performing schools, why wouldn't we?
To us education should be first and foremost about our students, it's not about systems. And in the end we know that all of the money or education reforms in the world aren't ultimately what impact the education of our children. It is the great teacher that stands before a classroom every day and commits to making sure the children in his or her classroom are learning.
It hasn't always been easy as we've moved to higher standards of accountability. But shouldn't we all – parents, educators, legislators, and the governor - be accountable when something as important as our children's future is at stake?
In Tennessee, 55,000 more students are proficient or advanced in 3rd through 8th grade math than they were two years ago. There are 38,000 more students that are proficient or advanced in science. Tennessee is one of only two states making double-digit gains in high school graduation rates, and we saw the largest aggregate gains ever in our TCAP testing scores last year.
Tonight, I'd like for you to meet one of the many teachers across the state on the front lines of making this happen. Hope Malone is a 5th grade teacher at AvocaElementary School in Bristol. She is a reward school ambassador that will spend this year sharing best teaching practices with other teachers and schools across the state. After moving from teaching 2nd grade to 5th grade several years ago, she had a tough adjustment period. She pursued technical assistance and grew to become a level 5 teacher -the highest rating in our evaluation system – in two years. Hope, thank you for your commitment to your students and for your willingness to share what you've learned with others.
With the progress we're seeing in K-12 education, the time is right to include post-secondary education in our focus. Over the past 30 years, Medicaid costs have continued to squeeze out other priorities, and higher education has been an area that has suffered as a result.
With repeated tuition increases year after year, we risk pricing middle class families out of the market for a college education. We must address cost. We have to make a college education more accessible, and we have to make sure that we have quality programs in Tennessee.
I've spent a lot of time over the past year learning all I can about these issues - on a national level and what's happening here in Tennessee. These aren't challenges that we're going to solve overnight.
But like in K-12 education, Tennessee is getting attention on a national level for our efforts in higher education. Last fall, Time Magazine highlighted our Complete College program as a model for other states. In the past, the state has provided funding for our colleges and universities based on enrollment. Today, we base funding on the number of students who are actually graduating. This shift puts the focus where it should be – on graduates. And because we're seeing results, this year's budget fully funds, for the first time, the Complete College Act outcomes formula.
The leaders of the Tennessee Board of Regents and UTsystem have pledged that because of this funding, they will limit tuition increases to no more than 6 percent at four-year schools and no more than 3 percent at two-year schools. That will provide relief to Tennessee families that have faced double digit tuition increases for too long.
But even with this progress, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Only 32 percent of Tennesseans have earned an associates' degree or higher. That's not good enough. Our goal is to move the needle so that Tennessee is on track to raise that number to 55 percent by 2025. Tonight we begin our "drive to 55" – a strategic initiative to have the best trained workforce in America.
To do that, we must improve affordability and access in higher education. To help us achieve this goal, we're partnering with Western Governors University to establish "WGU Tennessee." It is an online, competency-based university that is geared to the 800,000 adult Tennesseans that have some college credit but didn't graduate with an associate or four-year degree. The program is unique because of its competency-based curriculum but also because of an emphasis on mentors who guide those adults through the academic process.
On the affordability front, we are proposing to establish an endowment of $35 million using operational reserve funds from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC). It is designed to provide nearly $2 million each year to support scholarships for "last dollar" scholarship programs such as tnAchieves. These scholarships fill the gaps between students' financial aid and the real costs of college including books, supplies, room and board.
Last summer, I traveled the state visiting with employers and educators about ways we can do a better job of matching the skills we're teaching our students with the real-life skills that employers are looking for to fill jobs. Out of those conversations, one thing I heard consistently is that our technology centers are having a lot of success. They're graduating nearly 79 percent of their students, and close to 80percent are getting jobs, and there are jobs available for the specific skills they're preparing their students for in communities across the state. Their challenges are with capacity and equipment. To help them train more people to fill demand of Tennessee employers, $16.5 million are in the budget for equipment and technology related to workforce development programs at our technology centers and community colleges.
We're also funding a new technical education complex at Northeast State Community College in the Tri-Cities that will be directly tied to advanced manufacturing in the region. The budget also allows for a much-needed multi-purpose classroom and lab building at Nashville State Community College as it continues to grow exponentially in Middle Tennessee.
Another constant theme we heard in our statewide discussions is that there is no substitute for direct and timely communication and cooperation between businesses and educational institutions. I am really excited about a new state-of-the-art technology center in Smyrna that represents a unique public-private partnership with Nissan. The center won't only be committed to training employees to work at Nissan but will teach the skills that other area businesses need as well. This project is exactly what we need to be doing across the state to directly link Tennesseans to high quality jobs by being deliberate in providing relevant training for those jobs.
And there are other good things happening in Tennessee in this regard, such as, The Degree Compass program at Austin Peay University. This program is designed to predict the subjects and majors in which students will be most successful. The model combines hundreds of thousands of past students' grades with current students' transcripts to make an individualized recommendation. It's inspired by companies like Netflix, Amazon and Pandora that tailor their recommendations to what their customers are looking for. That's exactly what we should be doing. Helping our students find the subjects and skills that are avenues for success.
The Degree Compass system has gotten national attention.I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize Austin Peay Provost Dr. Tristan Denley for his innovation in developing this system. Thank you for being here and for your efforts on behalf of our students.
We are continuing our commitment to put dollars toward strategic capital investments that have been on hold for far too long. We're putting$60 million toward maintenance of our educational institutions across the state, and nearly $250 million is budgeted to fund key projects. Along with the technology center and community college projects I mentioned earlier, the budget includes nearly $45 million to build a new Community Health Facility at the University of Memphis for audiology, speech pathology and nursing.
The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis will receive nearly $62 million to renovate a four building complex that will house research labs and administrative offices.
So by now it should be clear that education will continue to be on the front burner and that this administration is committed to public education. The reason is simple; to be the number one state in the Southeast for high quality jobs, we have to have a well-educated workforce to attract and fill those jobs.We want our state to be the place where our best and brightest want to earn their degrees and ultimately work, live and raise a family.
Since January 2011, nearly 80,000 new jobs have been created in Tennessee, and the unemployment rate is the lowest it's been since October 2008. Tennessee ranks first in the Southeast in new manufacturing jobs created and first in the growth of manufacturing jobs in 2012. That's good news, but it doesn't mean we can take our foot off of the gas.
You've heard me say many times before that I don't believe government creates jobs, but I do believe it's our role to create an environment that encourages investment.Jobs are created when people are willing to risk capital. We want Tennessee to be as low of a risk as possible.
To provide certainty to businesses, we overhauled our tort laws. To build on those efforts, this year we're proposing legislation to reform our worker's compensation laws. During my first year in office, I held business roundtables across the state where we heard from businesses over and over that worker's comp is an issue in Tennessee. We spent last year working with stakeholders to find ways to improve our system with a focus on fairness to both the employee and employer, and we believe the worker's comp bill we're proposing does just that.
There are a lot of reasons for people to come to our state. From blues on Beale Street to racing in Bristol; from Dollywood and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, to Market Square in Knoxville, to the Chattanooga Aquarium, to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and thousands of places in between. In Tennessee, tourism equals jobs. We have unique and popular assets across the state, and it's time that we do a better job of not only working to attract people to specific sites but to leverage our resources and have a strategic plan to market our state and tourist attractions. We are including $8 million for a statewide tourism fund to support the work of the tourism commission I appointed shortly after taking office.The industry is already working together in ways that have never happened before.
In everything we do, we look through the lens of delivering state services in the most efficient and effective way possible.
We've put a strong emphasis on customer service. As state employees, our job is to provide services to taxpayers that they can't get on their own.
Through the TEAM Act, we tackled state government's antiquated employment system and shifted our culture from an emphasis on seniority to a focus on performance. We're allowing managers to recruit the best and brightest to serve in state government, and we're establishing a merit-based pay system instead of only generic, across the board cost of living adjustments.
Now we're taking the next step in our mission to attract and reward top-notch employees. We want to continue attracting employees like Dr. Marion Kainer, an epidemiologist with the Department of Health.
Dr. Kainer played a central role in identifying the cause of the nationwide meningitis outbreak and getting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention involved. Dr. Kainer camped out in her Nashville office, and worked around the clock for weeks. She told ABC News back in November, "I brought in an exercise mat, with a pillow and a blanket and a change of clothes."
Dr. Kainer, we'd like to thank you for your service to our state and to our nation during what was an extremely tense and scary time. Thank you.
And we know that Dr. Kainer wasn't the only one sleeping in her office over those weeks. She represents a team of hundreds of Department of Health employees who were committed to understanding a complex situation with a lot of moving parts,and communicating quickly to patients, colleagues, other states, citizens and the media as appropriate. I think that they saved countless lives.
To help us attract and maintain the best and brightest employees throughout all levels of state government, we have to look at compensation. This year we are including an across the board pay raise for state employees of one and a half percent. We've also followed through on our commitment to conduct a salary survey to identify positions throughout state government where we're not competing with the private sector. We're including a total of nearly $60 million to address necessary salary adjustments resulting from the salary study.
Our employees deal with complex issues. As we raise the bar in terms of expectations, we also have to be ready to pay them more.
As part of this process, the Treasurer has reminded us that the sustainability of our state pension plan has to be part of an overall review, so we will be working with him as we evaluate compensation and benefits.
I can stand up here all night and tell you what we're accomplishing, but what I think really matters is that we're measuring our results. Shortly after the State of the State last year, we unveiled a dashboard that tracks key indicators to measure how we're doing compared to other states. While state government doesn't directly impact all of the measures, we believe each one of them is an important benchmark to gauge the overall welfare of our citizens. Many of you know that I'm a runner and a bike rider. Although, one that's getting a little bit older. I can always talk myself into thinking I'm as athletic as I used to be, but my watch tells me I'm not. It instantly holds me accountable. This is what the dashboard will do. You can find it on our state's website at tn.gov.
Yogi Berra said it best, "If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else." It reminds me of when I coached pee wee T-ball. One of my five-year-olds made contact with the ball for the first time and ran straight to third base. That's not where we want to be as a state.
When we talk about where we are going, one of the most critical drivers is the state budget. How we spend taxpayer dollars should clearly reflect our priorities. These days it is hard to tell what may or may not come out of Washington. The federal government is famous for creating a program and then withdrawing the funds years later, which leaves state governments on the hook. Our philosophy is that if the federal government decides to quit funding a program, then unless there is an exceptional reason, we will not continue to fund that program with state dollars.
There has to be serious thought given to how government provides services, and in Tennessee we've started that process. But it can't be a matter of chipping away at the edges of business as usual or trimming back budgets.
A primary example is Medicaid. In this budget, TennCare costs will be 350 million dollars more this year than last year. That increase takes into account the higher cost of medical care, more people who qualify for Medicaid in tough economic times, and primarily, the impact of the Affordable Care Act.Expanding Medicaid is not reflected in this year's budget. I am hesitant to commit additional dollars to Medicaid when it's already eating up so much of our budget, and we have to remember what the state went through seven years ago when it made the difficult decision to cut a lot of people from the TennCare rolls.
We have to be very deliberate about making a decision to add that many and more back to the rolls, but I also understand that the decision isn't just as easy as standing here today and saying, "We're not going to expand Medicaid." There are hospitals across this state, many of them in rural communities, that are going to struggle if not close under the health care law without expansion, and that's not something to take lightly. Most of us in this room don't like the Affordable Care Act, but the decision to expand Medicaid isn't as basic as saying, "No ObamaCare, No expansion."
I plan to gather all of the information possible to understand the impact on our budget, the impact on community hospitals, the impact on health care in Tennessee, and the impact on our citizens. This decision is too important not to do that.
As we talk about health care costs, we also have to talk about the health of our citizens. This year Tennessee ranked 39th in overall health compared to 41st in 2011, and we rank 35th in obesity, which is also an improvement, but not good enough. When we talk about Medicaid costs consuming so much of our budget, improving the health of our citizens isn't only about their welfare but it's also about dollars and cents. We are in the process of working with local communities and business leaders to figure out how we can better partner to encourage healthy lifestyles across the state.
We are also supporting a partnership project between the University of Tennessee's Health Science Center in Memphis and St. Jude Hospital to recruit leading researchers from across the country to address critical issues such as childhood obesity.
We expect to receive funds relating to the tobacco arbitration settlement, and we are proposing to designate those dollars for programs that address health concerns related to disease prevention and also to air, water and environmental concerns, such as replacing the University of Tennessee's steam plant in Knoxville, one of the largest sources of pollution in Knox County.
Along with health care, other mandatory costs that often impact the state budget over a number of years are lawsuits. One of those lawsuits involves the Arlington Developmental Center in Memphis and has been ongoing for over 20 years. I am pleased to announce that the state has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the plaintiffs which was approved by the court just last week. Our budget includes $10 million for the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to carry out the terms of the settlement agreement. Over the past two decades, this lawsuit has cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars. We are committed to care for Tennessee's most vulnerable citizens, and will continue to do so earnestly. I am grateful for Commissioner Jim Henry, the Attorney General's Office and the TennCare Bureau for all of their efforts to accomplish this significant milestone in moving past this lawsuit.
We are spending $48 million in Correction to compensate our local jails for housing more state prisoners. The department is working on a strategic plan to better predict and plan for our inmate population moving forward. These costs are another example of why our focus on education is crucial. The more educated our citizens are, the less problems we'll have with crime.
The rankings vary, but Tennessee was either first or second in violent crime last year. That is not something we are proud of and something we have to change. Shortly after taking office, I appointed a working group to take a comprehensive look at public safety issues. The group came up with a multi-year action plan to address three main goals: significantly reducing drug abuse and drug trafficking; curbing violent crime; and cutting the rate of repeat offenders.
The plan resulted in legislation last year focused on prescription drug abuse, domestic violence offenders, and violent offenders. This year we are proposing legislation to clarify the definition of gang offenses in actually making a list of them instead of relying on a vague interpretation of the current law. We believe this will give law enforcement more tools to curb gang violence. And we still have work to do on fighting meth and prescription drug abuse.
As we continue to fight the prescription drug abuse epidemic we face in Tennessee, we have to attack it from as many fronts as possible. We have model drug court programs in this state that are working, so our budget includes funding to expand these programs.
We are also investing in crisis stabilization units. We were all shocked by the events last December in Connecticut, and seeing those young faces and the faces of the teachers who sacrificed so much was heart wrenching. In the aftermath there has been a lot of talk about guns and schools, which is valid, but I also think there needs to be a larger conversation about mental health issues, identifying warning signs and getting people the help they need. These tragedies are larger than schools or movie theaters, and we want to commit resources to areas that will make a difference.
While we talk a lot about education, jobs and efficient and effective government, we also realize it's our job to provide vital services for those who can't provide for themselves – often times our most vulnerable citizens. We don't take that responsibility lightly. While we may have been elected on different issues and might focus on different missions, we all came to serve. I think we can all agree that caring for citizens who need it the most is a very important part of why we're here.
The Department of Children's Services will be upgrading nearly 200 case manager positions. This won't just be a matter of paying current employees more but raising the qualifications for those positions. Children's services deals with very difficult family situations, and we ask a lot of our caseworkers who are walking straight into these homes to protect Tennessee children. We should be paying them more, and we should also do a better job of setting them up for success by making sure they have the skills and experience it takes to do these emotional and difficult jobs. We are also putting more resources toward investigations and assessments in our Child Protective Services division.
Our military veterans have sacrificed more than most of us can ever begin to imagine. Veterans have more than earned our respect, gratitude and support. For those in this room that have served our country, I'd like to ask you to stand, so we can thank you for your service.
In continuing our commitment to a project we started last year, this budget includes more than $4 million for the Montgomery County veteran's home.
Another responsibility we take seriously is the long term fiscal health of our state.We understand the importance of saving for the future.
In 2008, the state's Rainy Day Fund was $750 million dollars. During the recession, it was taken down to $257 million. Working with the General Assembly, we've added nearly $100 million back to the fund over the two years we have been in office. I am proposing to put $100 million more into the Rainy Day Fund in this budget with the goal of ultimately reaching pre-recession levels. We've seen the realities of rainy days, and it is our responsibility to make sure the state is prepared for them in the future.
When dealing with serious issues that face our state, our approach is always going to be to put a lot of thought in getting to the right answer. Many times we're dealing with a conflict between two conservative principles, or situations where the answer might seem easy on the face of it but can have unintended consequences.Having strong values and principles doesn't preclude any of us from being deliberate and thoughtful.
For example, when it comes to judicial selection, it's no secret that I am strongly opposed to partisan, contested elections. And since taking office, my experience has been that the judicial selection commission has done its job in providing quality candidates.So for me this issue isn't about fixing something that isn't working, but instead, it is about hearing legitimate concerns and providing clarity.
A resolution will be before you this session to amend our Constitution. The amendment will do three things. It will continue judicial appointments by the governor, and our process will still be based on merit; it will preserve retention elections; and it will give the Legislature a process to confirm the appointments. I believe this provides clarity for those who have concerns about our current process. I also believe that it makes sense to preserve the current process until the people have a chance to vote in 2014. Making changes in the meantime does nothing but confuse the situation further.
Tennessee is unique in so many ways. We have so much going for us, and we know what our weaknesses are. It is up to us to address those weaknesses; those issues that Tennesseans care about. People want good quality jobs. People want their children to have the best education possible, and as a state we should want the same for those kids. One day they're going to be the ones that we hand the reins to. And taxpayers expect us to be good stewards of the taxes they pay.
People are disheartened by what happens – or it's probably more accurate to say what doesn't happen – in Washington. They're tired of all the talk about the problems our nation faces with not many people trying to work together to find solutions. Tennessee is different in that regard, and we want to keep it that way. Here in Tennessee, we're willing to make the tough decisions. We're willing to put politics aside and really focus on what's right for our state and citizens.That makes us different, and we shouldn't lose sight of those unique qualities.
One of my favorite movies is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and one of the most memorable scenes is when Butch and Sundance are trapped at the edge of a cliff, high above a river, when the posse that's been pursuing them for hundreds of miles catches up.
Butch says, "Alright, I'll jump first." Sundance replies, "No."
"Then you jump first," Butch says, but Sundance says, "No."
"What's the matter with you?" Butch asks. "I can't swim," Sundance says. "Are you crazy," Butch says, "The fall will probably kill you."
Sundance was caught up in his own issues and missed the big picture. It's our job to identify and focus on the real problems. We have this rare opportunity to make a difference.I know you feel like I do that every day we come to work in this building is a blessing and a privilege.
Let's remember what makes Tennessee so special. It's our responsibility to the citizens of this state to get it right, and this is our opportunity to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. That truly is service in the best meaning of the word.
Thank you and thanks for caring enough to give of yourself for a better Tennessee.
Copyright 2013 WSMV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.


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The Walking Dead Risk
Survive or die.
- The classic game of Risk - now with 100% more zombies.
- Defend yourself against other players AND the unrelenting zombie horde.
- Game play is fast, brutal, and fierce - just like in real life vs. the undead.
If you were in a world where zombies roamed, you'd have to worry about so many extra things. You'd have to always make sure you had tons of supplies stored in safe places. You'd have to protect those places from other packs of survivors you didn't like. AND, you'd have to worry about ex-survivors trying to eat your face off. Welcome to the world of The Walking Dead Risk.
In The Walking Dead Risk, it's not just "you vs. them" - it's "you vs. them vs. zombies." Battle and scavenge for your lives as you vie to be the dominant group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world infested by the undead. Zombies populate areas of the map and continue to randomly spawn at the start of each player's turn, escalating as the rounds go on. Also at the start of each player's turn an event card must be drawn and read aloud. These cards reference story events from The Walking Dead canon and provide players with challenges with potential rewards/penalties - all the while creating more overall suspenseful interaction. Gamers can expect a fast-paced game of attrition and survival in The Walking Dead Risk - it's win or be eaten!
The Walking Dead Risk
- For Ages 13 and up.
- With this version of Risk, not only do you try and command the dominant group of survivors, but you also have to fight against the undead.
- Quick play rules make the game brutal and fast. Classic Risk rules also provided for lengthening the brutality and suffering. YAY!
- For 3-5 players.
- Includes: Board, pieces, other pieces, dice, cards, and rules. Will to survive not included.
- Dimensions: Risk-sized.


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Kurt Busch: Feud is 'WWE-type' action
Kurt Busch thought he and Ryan Newman were friends. He's learned the hard way this week that he was mistaken.
Maybe that's how it goes between drivers looking to lock down jobs for next year?
Busch is once again in the starring role as NASCAR's resident villain, this time for a series of incidents involving Newman and his team last week at Darlington Raceway. It's led to a series of scathing remarks from Newman, who has accused Busch in various interviews of having a "chemical imbalance" and lying about why he ran into the back of Newman's car after Saturday night's race.
On Friday, Busch offered his version of events for the first time. He seemed agitated about the entire episode, and characterized it as the kind of "WWE-type action" that fans enjoy.
"This is good for our sport. This is WWE-type action," Busch said, snapping at reporters gathered behind his team hauler at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "This is fun. This is entertainment, right guys?"
The drama comes as NASCAR heads into Saturday night's Sprint All-Star race, which is traditionally billed as no-holds-barred event with nothing more at stake than the $1 million prize.
Busch goes into the event fresh off a $50,000 he received Tuesday for what NASCAR said was reckless driving on pit road at Darlington and a post-race incident with Newman's crew members.
It all began when a flat tire caused Busch to wreck with six laps remaining in the race. Newman, who was running behind Busch at the time, also spun as traffic stacked up trying to avoid Busch.
Busch then headed to pit road, and in his desire to not go a lap down, apparently sped through Newman's pit stall. Some of Newman's crew members were over the wall at the time, and complained they couldn't have been hurt.
Busch insisted Friday no one was in danger. After the race, Busch ran into the back of Newman's parked car, but said he was taking his helmet off at the time and didn't see Newman's car.
He was greeted on pit road by several angry crew members, which led to yelling and slight shoving.
In addition to the fine against Busch, NASCAR also placed Newman crew chief Tony Gibson on probation through June 27 for failing to control his team, and crew member Andrew Rueger was fined $5,000 and placed on probation for failing to comply with a directive from a NASCAR official.
Busch's motorhome driver, Craig Strickler, was fined $5,000 and placed on probation through the end of the year for interfering with a member of Fox's broadcast team.
"I didn't have a problem with Newman. I didn't have a problem with his crew guys. Then things just really got out of control in a hurry," Busch said. "I was taking my helmet off. Which Newman said he thought that was a lie. That's the honest truth."
Busch and Newman spent three seasons together at Penske Racing, and Busch pushed Newman to the victory in the 2008 Daytona 500. So Busch was initially surprised to hear Newman attack his character after Darlington.
"Newman and I were friends. We were great teammates, and he needs to check his trophy case on the Daytona 500 trophy that I helped him get years ago," Busch said. "We've always been great friends. There was no need for his comments afterward."
So then why would Newman say such things?
"I think we are both looking at the same scenario coming up here in the next few summer months," Busch said.
He may be on to something.
Neither driver currently has a job lined up for next season. Newman is in the final year of his contract at Stewart-Haas Racing, and although team co-owner Tony Stewart said this week he's interested in signing Newman to an extension, there's no current deal.
Busch, meanwhile, is riding out the season with Phoenix Racing. He landed with the underfunded team after splitting with Penske in December following an angry tirade toward an ESPN reporter in last season's finale.
Those past situations made Busch an easy target for Newman's post-Darlington critique.
"It's easy to see and it's easy to say that Kurt blew a fuse again," Newman told SI.com after the race. "I'm not sure why he did it and tried to run over our guys and NASCAR officials. And nobody is … (Busch was) so frustrated that he doesn't know how to deal with his anger."
Busch is struggling to overcome that reputation, which took another hit during last November's finale. His in-car camera caught him making an obscene gesture, and fan recorded him delivering a profanity-laced tirade toward an ESPN reporter in the garage.
NASCAR fined Busch $50,000 for his behavior, and his split with Penske was announced shortly after.
"I've been fined the most probably of any driver, and I've probably paid it out of my pocket more than any driver," Busch said Friday. "Is my strike zone bigger than others? Yeah. It might be bigger than others, but I don't have a problem with it."


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|Three Weeks at Wabash: 'Passion is for Pros'
Medler's own idea of what art can be was changed when a Tibetan monk visited the College's Eric Dean Gallery years ago. Medler was a Wabash religion major and watched as the monk spent a week creating a sand mandala, taking up most of the gallery's floor space with the intricate work. The day it was finished, the monk poured all the sand back into a bag and dumped it into Sugar Creek.
"I was studying Buddhism intensely at the time, then these guys come up and do the sand painting. I saw the temporal nature of these pieces, and why that is so important to think about. I wouldn't say that event inspired this work, but I wouldn't say it didn't."


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Only 1 in 5 SOA Projects Actually Succeed
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Despite its growing popularity and constant improvements in SOA technology, according to SOA survey done by Barton's group Anne Thomas Manes,
...in-depth studies of 20 companies found a 50% complete failure rate, while another 30% were considered neither successful nor wholly failed... Many of them had deployed multiple successful projects, but most of those projects were focused on just one integration problem. It was just a bunch of Web services... The service is only built for one application and it's never going to be used again
The results of the survey were echoed by several news posts, for example, Joe McKendrick and Michael Meehan both are agreeing with Anne point of view that the reason of these failures were for the main part not a bad technical execution, but rather a lack of business/architectural SOA vision, more specifically
- Lack of defined service models
- Infrastructure focus
- Governance only of SOAP-based systems, if that
- Failure of developers to leverage the runtime governance in place
- Initiatives led by and solely involving the app dev group
- Roadmaps lacking specificity
- Inability to measure ROI
- Project-centric culture
- An "I'm special" attitude
According to Chris Haddad, Vice president of application platform strategies and data management strategies at Barton group:
Failed SOA projects get too focused on the means rather than the end. The failure to focus on business goals is a problem and focusing on them is the solution There is sometimes a failure to ask the most basic questions in building the business case for SOA, Why should we be building services? What does it mean at the end of the day?... While one of the business drivers for SOA is reducing costs and achieving return on investment (ROI), ROI for SOA remains an elusive goal and SOA project leaders frequently take a leap of faith where ROI is concerned
Here are the common denominators Burton Group found within the successful efforts:
- Business and IT reorganization, usually with a new CIO coming on board
- Sponsorship at the C-level or by the Board of Directors
- Agile/iterative development methodologies put into place
- Projects tied to and measured by business goals, not IT drivers
- Well-defined funding and maintenance models that balance the needs of service providers and consumers
- A simplified architecture, making it easier to access and manage quality data
- A culture of trust between business and IT
According to Burton's report:
The problem is not technology. People and processes are at the heart of what's wrong with SOA as it currently exists in enterprises
This conclusion is supported by the post by David Linthicum:
Issues with SOA continue to be that SOA is a core and systemic change to the way we do IT. Change is something everyone seems to embrace conceptually, but when it comes down to actually changing systems that are a part of someone's job security, that's when things get ugly, fast. Moreover, those who are tasked with driving SOA within their enterprise are not given the money and/or the power to drive change. Instead they are asked to "convince" and "influence". That never works; you have to control their budgets and be able to fire them in order to drive change at the speed it needs to be driven
Furthermore, in his post David is proposing a simple recipe for improving SOA quality:
- Define the business cases clearly. If you can't, don't do SOA
- Empower those who need to drive the systemic change that SOA requires, typically, with the money and the authority to do something. Else, don't bother. You need to control the money and be able to fire people if this is to work in a reasonable amount of time. Otherwise, you're in endless meetings with people who have agendas that don't include rebuilding the architecture for agility and reuse.
- Think long term and strategic, not short term and tactical. It's okay; things won't collapse as you move from a reactive to a proactive mode. Indeed, that's how companies win their markets.
- Start small, but keep the momentum going. Small battles win the war, and little by little the architecture will get better if you just keep moving the ball forward
This proves once again that the key ingredients for SOA success are:
- An architectural based approach
- An appropriate methodology
- Supporting organizational structure
- Understanding of the business and information and a strategic vision
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SOA is not just webservices
Christopher Brind
Arum Systems uses a service oriented approach for it's DataEye product, but there isn't a web service in sight (though there could easily be if it was needed).
DataEye is based on Solstice, which is an open source platform that combines Flex and OSGi. OSGi is explicitly service oriented. However, we didn't choose OSGi because of SOA, but because it encourages good practices (such as low coupling) and makes it easy to extend, customise and maintain the product.
So once the world gets over their fixation with associating web services with SOA, and realises there are other technologies out there that promote the design principals at the heart of SOA, people will realise there are quite a few successful SOA projects and that it is a paradigm which is sound for project and application development. (Though I think most developers/architects actually know this in their heart of hearts.)
Further reading...
OSGi vs SOA:
Arum DataEye:
SOA turning out to be yet another IT solution!
Hitesh Bagchi
Re: SOA turning out to be yet another IT solution!
Sai Venkatakrishnan
It is always dangerous to focus too much on technology and loose focus on the domain. Todays SOA seems to be a best example of this situation. A lot of vendors offer solutions which attract business people and architects to implement an SOA. But the focus changes from business needs which we are trying to solve to the technology which leads to the recipe for disaster.
I hope the current trend would change to bring back the focus on what we are trying to solve.
Re: SOA turning out to be yet another IT solution!
Francois Ward
There's too few people who can deal with taking a concept, and doing the crunching to make it a reality, so those who try often don't have what it takes, and fail.
I'm honestly amazed that its as much as 1/5 (and probably more since those number are skewed). Means there's still SOME hope.


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When you attend EE Live! 2014′s free expo in just two weeks, you can win prizes like $200 gift cards and iRobot Programmable Robots with your TOUR Game Card! The conference returns this March 31 – April 3 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center — discounted passes and free Expo passes are still available.
EE Live! is one of the biggest conferences that caters to the electronics engineering community, providing plenty of opportunities to pick up new skills, learn about the latest trends and future challenges, and network with fellow professionals. Along with offering focused boot camps and events like the Embedded Systems Conference, EE Live! hosts a free expo that promises access to various educational sessions and more than 250 vendors.
When you attend EE Live! 2014's expo (April 1 – 3), make sure to pick up a TOUR Game card and visit the Expo Hall's TOUR exhibitor boots. You will need to validate your card with all participating exhibitors and enter it at the EE Live! TOUR drop box by the Fantastical Theatre of Engineering Innovation (Booth #1608) in the back of the Expo Hall to participate.
The prizes include $200 gift cards, Nest Learning Thermostats, Logitech 4000 headphones, 3Doodler 3D pens, and iRobot Programmable Robots. The Grand Prize is a Channel Master DVR and one All Access Pass to Designers of Things. The drawing times at the Fantastical Theatre of Engineering Innovation will be 5PM on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 1PM on Thursday. Participants must be present to win and claim their prize. You can see the full rules and regulations here.
You can purchase an EE Live! 2014 All Access pass or register for a free Expo pass at the event's official site. Make sure to follow updates about EE Live!'s sessions, programs, and announcements on the conference's social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.


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LPR Print Client - INTELLIscribe 18.104.22.168
INTELLIscribe® installs on Windows 2000 through Windows 7 allowing you to send print jobs to printers, print servers, or any IP addressed device, anywhere in the world using TCP/IP technology. INTELLIscribe gives you powerful printing features such as broadcast printing, fail-over printing, shared printing, and more powerful and hard-to-find printing features.
INTELLIscribe provides the ability to spool jobs to any AS/400, UNIX, Windows-based system, or hardware print device without a network server. In addition, system resources on your network server are freed up, allowing your server to concentrate on other tasks.
More intelligent printing
- Simplify document distribution
- Improve printer management
- Create a more reliable print environment
- Save time with unique printing options
- Increase efficiency with smart printing features
Improved Remote Printing
INTELLIscribe is an important link between Windows printing on the user's desktop and the world of intelligent devices, large capacity printers, and non-Windows printing. INTELLIscribe has been awarded the highest ratings throughout the Internet and continues to be the number one choice for remote or Windows IP printing.
Routine LPR Printing with Added Power
Once set up on a Windows-based workstation or server, printing with INTELLIscribe is just like routine Windows printing: select the INTELLIscribe printer you would like to print through, and click Print. And with the INTELLIscribe's shared printing capabilities, you can transform INTELLIscribe into a powerful print server, allowing other network users access to its print features.
What can INTELLIscribe do for you?
- Business Offices with multiple locations across the country are using broadcast printing to distribute reports to users at each location.
- Universities are using round-robin printing with multiple, inexpensive network printers to more evenly distribute print loads among printers and to minimize downtime.
- Warehouses are using fail-over printing to ensure that important reports are printed.
- Offices are using destination-balancing to even out printer usage among multiple printers so a single printer is not overused and so ink and toner replacements will happen at closer to the same time.
- Data Warehouses are using INTELLIscribe's reprint abilities to reprint one-time reports and queries that have been previously generated.


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Vans Women's Atwood Low Canvas Skate Sneakers
Get retro-inspired skater style with the Vans Atwood Low! This skate shoe features a classic silhouette, stitching details and vulcanized construction. Whether you're landing new tricks on the board or hanging out around town, the Vans Atwood Low promises to keep your skater style going strong!


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Back just a few years ago, Intel revolutionized the HTPC market with the Intel Atom platform. Suddenly users could have a full HTPC with extremely low power consumption in an insanely small form factor the size of the Nintendo Wii or even smaller! The only thing holding the Atom nettops from taking over everywhere was the limited performance. However, if you wanted more performance, you had to resort back to a bulky form factor, even with a microATX motherboard. Even a Shuttle small form-factor PC is too big for many home theater setups.
With the dawn of the Intel Core i series processors from 2010, Intel has greatly reduced the power consumption of their performance worthy CPUs. ASRock has taken notice of the low power Core i3 CPUs and realized that they would make a great HTPC platform. In order to solve the bulky HTPC form-factor problem, ASRock has taken die shrinks to a whole new level for their HTPC lineup.
Today we have an in-depth look at the ASRock Core 100HT with the Intel Core i3 330 processor. If you recognize this form factor, it is the same form factor as the ASRock ION 330HT-BD we reviewed in May 2010! This time though, ASRock has crammed a desktop-caliber system in an insanely small form factor!
The ASRock Core 100HT came in a box that made clear what was inside. When we first picked up the box, we were instantly surprised with how light the box was for a complete system. The only thing we needed to do to get this system up and running was install Windows 7 Professional Service Pack 1.
The bundle of the ASRock Core 100HT includes everything you need for a true home theater PC. This includes the power adapter, case badge, instructions, specs, a drivers CD, and a HDMI to DVI adapter. On top of that, there is the fully functional remote control designed for Windows Media Center with batteries included. Since the unit only comes with a single hard drive the bundle includes a SATA/power adapter to use with the second HDD/SSD if added. The last thing to note in the bundle is the large black pad. This is a grip pad to set the ASRock Core 100HT on so it doesn't slide around. The unit itself does not have pads attached to the case, so this gripper pad is used instead.
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In collaboration & solidarity…
let us know if you find broken links, out-of-date or incorrect material in these sections…. thanks!
Notable events submitted to us, or held by 4WardEver UK, or in conjunction with campaigns and third parties.
Please Note: Items are listed alphabetically and not in date order.
|Event Name
|Event Summary
|Art & Soul
|Art & Soul 'Voices from Death Row' was a small event with a big spirit, and everyone who attended was touched by the messages of hope and solidarity that affected all that were present.
|Families United4Justice
|Families and campaigners gathered in Leicester to pay tribute to those that had died in custody. The day marked what would have been the forty-fifth birthday of Mikey Powell, who died in September 2003 in police custody.
|From Ferguson to Birmingham
|Defend the Right to Protest supported by 4WardEver UK, BirminghamStrong Justice 4 All, BEMA, Campaign 4 Justice for Kingsley Burrell; with the generous support of The Drum Arts Centre presented 'From Ferguson to Birmingham' on 28 January 2015.
|INJUSTICE & MOVE screenings
|Indymedia Birmingham, in conjunction with the Mikey Powell Campaign, screened Injustice, and a short filmed interview with Ramona Africa of the US based MOVE group.
|Injustice CD Launch
|On the stage in the small upstairs bar of Catch 22, right in the centre of Hoxton, Pat Coker, the mother of Paul Coker, shakes with rage, "We will go on fighting! Until the day we die."
|Mikey Powell Family Memorial
|Family & friends of the Mikey Powell campaign held a commemorative event on the third anniversary of his death in police custody, and to help promote the new Sounds of Injustice CD.
|Mikey Powell : A decade of struggle
|The family and friends of Mikey Lloyd Powell commemorated his life 10 years after his death at the hands of West Midlands Police by holding a candlelit vigil and an inspirational after-event at the African Caribbean Millennium Centre.
|Moving Forward Together
|The event bought together families and artists including renowned poet Benjamin Zephaniah, cousin of Mikey Powell, to help launch a major new campaign, and share their stories.
|National Fathers Day Vigils 2012
|On 17th June 2012 people gathered at peaceful vigils to remember fathers that have died in police, prison, mental health and immigration detention. These nationally organised peaceful vigils took place simultaneously at a number of other locations across the country.
|Together We Are
|This was a vibrant night of live music, arts and poetry commemorating the death of Mikey Powell, who died in police custody in September 2003, and in support of Tony Egbuna Ford, an innocent black man awaiting a death sentence in Texas.
|Youth Voices 4 Justice
|This United Families & Friends Campaign and 4WardEver UK joint initiative organises key national events with a focus on young people and families that have been affected by losing a relative or friend in custody.
Events News
Conference: State racism, collusion and resistance (London)
State racism, collusion and resistance is a conference, organised by The Monitoring Group, Tottenham... Read more
Watch again: DIY SOS Grenfell community
Book Now: Interrogating State Violence conference (London)
Event: Memorial event held 25 years after Joy Gardner's killing
Support for families of death in custody victims to attend UFFC Conference
UFFC Event – Interrogating State Violence: Custodial Deaths, Justice and Resistance


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Headquartered in Jackson Mississippi, the Pyron Group was formed in 1984. Currently, there are 16 locations strategically placed across the state of Mississippi. Wherever you are, we have an office that is close to you to be able to handle your personal or commercial insurance needs. What you will find with our agency is a level of commitment and service that surpasses any expectations that you may have. We are fully staffed to handle all of your personal automobile and home and business insurance needs. We pride ourselves on our level of service. Our clients are never just clients or a piece of paper to us, we truly want to know you and thereby help you in the best way possible. You will never feel any pressure from us. We just don't believe it's necessary. Our personal service is exceptional and our products competitive. At the Pyron Group you hire an agent instead of just purchasing a policy. You can always be sure that you will receive the service that you deserve from the Pyron Group. We will always serve our customers in a timely and friendly manner. We know that you are the reason we are in business.
What you will find at our agency is a unique combination of experienced business people focused on customer service who can handle your insurance needs. Our agency is a full service agency, offering Auto, Homeowners and Commercial Products.


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|2006-04-19, 01:57
|Link #1
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Celebrities and Political Issues
Why do celebrities consistantly have to be involved in Politics? Exactly how much do these people know? In terms of expertise, they're as credible as you and I. Yet, there are boneheads out there that take the words of celebrities and base their positions on the decisions that someone on TV tells them. I don't understand it.
Edit: Yea yea, my spelling is terrible. Live with it.
|2006-04-19, 02:40
|Link #2
Aria Company
Join Date: Nov 2003
I have no problem with celeberties being involved in politics. After all, it's their right to express their opinions on all issues. One could argue that as celeberties they have a duty to use their fame to support various causes.
However, I completely agree with you about the people that base their opinion on what celeberties say. Unless the celeberty is an expert in the field, which does happen on rare occasions, it's just the opinion of someone who happens to be famous. Fame doesn't mean they know what they're talking about. People generally don't accept the ideas of some random nut on a street corner, but have that nut star in a few movies, or give him his own tv show, and all of a sudden those same ideas have merit.
|2006-04-20, 07:57
|Link #4
♪♫ Maya Iincho ♩♬
It's their status quo. Just because they're wealthier than us, doesn't mean that intelligence wise. It seems that exorbiantly popular celebraties shows their primal dumbness. I watch VH1 everyonce in a while, since my sisters seems to enjoy laughing their @%$ off watching them ridicule celebraties like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. A good example is also Donald Trump. He has his large chains of Hotels, but knowledge wise, i'm clueless about him.
You know what all of this reminds me of?
|2006-05-12, 14:09
|Link #7
Not Enough Sleep
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: R'lyeh
Age: 42
I don't like the Dixie's chicks music but i am going to buy one of thier cds in support of the fact that they took a stand on issue important to them and put thier entire career on line by doing so.
As for Arnold, at least he put his money where his mouth which is more then a lot of other celebraties are doing.
|2006-05-13, 00:28
|Link #8
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: San Francisco
Age: 36
Like Kamui4356 said, by the simple act of voicing an opinion it may get regular citizens to think and realize that there is an issue going on.
It's most noticeable when celebrities campaign on behalf of cancer foundations or charities or enviornmental stuff, but it can also work for abortion or the Patriot Act or whatnot.
The sad truth is that most people (Americans, at least) are woefully underinformed about what's going on around them.
A local baseball player coming out in favor of Proposition B will likely lead at least some people to look into what Prop B is.
|Thread Tools


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The 7 Worst Wedding Songs Ever
When I got married in June, my husband was in charge of one thing: our song. That was his project. It was one of the few things he seemed actually interested in, so I figured that I should let him make one of the decisions. I assured him that whatever he chose, I would be happy. And honestly, nothing could have ruined that day for me. Thankfully, he chose the perfect song and we lived happily ever after.
Had he chosen one of these classic wedding songs, we might have had an issue.[ITPGallery]