I just love watches! Indeed, when it is time for me to buy a new watch, I go out of my way to find a special one that will meet both my needs and my sense of style. Most importantly, I need one that is accurate, so that I can keep time for activities in my classroom and know the time in case the bells break down.

Recently, I started looking the GShock model casio watch from Bluedial.com. This watch is tough, and features featuring Atomic Timekeeping and Tough Solar Technology so that it is always accurate and always running for you. Just what I need on a daily basis in my classroom, don't you think>

Posted by: Greg at 10:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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One problem with getting laptops into the hands of students -- especially younger students -- has been the size and weight of the equipment. After all, there is a certain difficulty associated with giving a child a piece of equipment that is over 10% of their weight and 1/3 their height. But now HP is looking to solve that problem.

One more of the world's biggest technology companies is clamoring to enter the growing market for pint-sized computers targeted mainly for pint-sized customers. Hewlett-Packard Co., the No. 1 seller of personal computers worldwide, said Tuesday it's throwing its weight behind a new class of miniaturized laptops, a fledgling market already populated with products from Intel Corp., the world's largest semiconductor company, and Asustek Computers Inc., the world's largest maker of computer motherboards.

The machines are so new the industry hasn't settled on a name for low-cost and scaled-down laptops used primarily for surfing the Internet and performing other basic functions like word processing.

Intel has labeled them "netbooks," and it expects more than 50 million netbooks to be in circulation by 2011.

HP executives say their new machines, which go on sale later this month, are an important piece of the Palo Alto-based company's effort to build market share in schools, where machines had to be smaller and cheaper without losing too many functions.

This will, of course, lead us back to the push for using computers instead of textbooks -- a development I would support. After all, the ability to upload and download various assignments, along with the ability to update texts with new information, would be great for educators and students alike. If we can only get past the cost issue, I think it is doable. And with students currently being issued as much as $500 worth of textbooks every semester, is the cost of a laptop really any more outrageous?

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How would you like the option of going to a site where you can create live shows, complete with chat? Well, you can create your own live tv show at blogtv.com and make yourself the star. The live show feature lets you create a live broadcast of yourself over the net for either entertainment and informative purposes -- you decide!

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Yea, how the mighty have fallen!

CBSNews used to be the gold standard for television reporting.

Now it is cut so far that the network is on the verge of cutting a deal to have CNN do its reporting instead.

CBS, the home of the most celebrated news division in broadcasting, has been in discussions with Time Warner about a deal to outsource some of its news-gathering operations to CNN, two executives briefed on the matter said Monday.

Over the last decade, CNN has held intermittent talks with both ABC News and CBS News about various joint ventures. But during the last several months, talks with CBS have been revived and lately intensified, according to the executives who asked for anonymity because of the confidential nature of the negotiations.

Broadly speaking, the executives described conversations about reducing CBSÂ’s news-gathering capacity while keeping its frontline personalities, like Katie Couric, the CBS Evening News anchor, and paying a fee to CNN to buy the cable networkÂ’s news feeds.

Another possibility, these people said, would be for CBS to keep its correspondents in certain regions but pair them with CNN crews.

I wonder -- will the folks at CBS be reporting this as another example of a greedy corporation cutting loose employees in order to make a profit? Or will it instead present this as a strengthening of the news division, especially if the news crews are cut and the high-profile reporters are the only employees kept?

I think we all know the answer -- which chows one more example of CBSNews and its willingness to spin the truth to reach the result it wants.

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My wife loves Project Runway -- and I'll concede that watching it with her is something of a guilty pleasure on my part. I really don't care about the clothes -- the show is simply funny.

NBC knows that they've got a great ratings grabber with their Bravo hit -- which is why they are headed to court to make sure they keep the show.

NBC Universal, the parent company of Bravo network, has gone to court to try to keep “Project Runway,” one of the biggest hits in cable television, from moving to Lifetime this fall.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in state court in Manhattan, NBC accused the owner of “Project Runway,” the Weinstein Company, of violating its rights by making the deal with Lifetime.

The suit asserts Harvey Weinstein, the chief executive of the Weinstein Company, promised NBC that it would have an opportunity to match any offer to the rights of “Project Runway” and that instead, Mr. Weinstein concluded a deal with Lifetime on Feb. 7, even though he continued to negotiate with NBC Universal for two more months.

In a statement, NBC said “NBC Universal has continuing rights related to ‘Project Runway,’ including a right of first refusal to future cycles of the series, which the Weinstein Company unfortunately has refused to honor.”

The Weinsteins, through their lawyer (Al Gore's dishonest shyster, David Boies), claims that there is nothing to the NBC suit -- but that strikes me as a bit of a stretch. Assuming the claim of a February agreement with Lifetime followed by two months of sham negotiations with NBC is an accurate one, it is clear that the Weinsteins were not acting in good faith.

Besides -- I'd rather see this show move off the boutique channels and run on NBC itself.

Posted by: Greg at 09:48 PM | Comments (28) | Add Comment
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If holding the torch relay is impossible due to international outrage, how can you possibly hold the Olympics in the brutally oppressive Communist dictatorship which has set off the protests by its abominable deeds?

The IOC will consider ending the international leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay as a result of the anti-Chinese protests.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge says the issue will be discussed by the organization's executive board on Friday.

Rogge told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he is "deeply saddened" by the violent protests in London and Paris and concerned about the upcoming torch relay in San Francisco.

He says the issue must be discussed by the ruling executive board.

The greatest stain upon the Olympic movement has undoubtedly been the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which Hitler used to promote is despicable racial theories. Today, the Red Chinese promote genocide in Darfur and the continued oppression of the Tibetan people. -- as well as other acts of repression at home. The world is disgusted by the notion that such a regime will be allowed to host the Olympics, and a few brave souls are engaging in civil disobedience to disrupt the torch relay. And America will have a shining moment on behalf of human rights soon, when the torch relay reaches San Francisco and its activists disrupt the relay there as well.

When will the IOC recognize that the only viable solution is to cancel the Beijing Games?

UPDATE: A reminder of what Red China does to those who dare to oppose Beijing's policies.

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The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are Black Liberation Theology by Joshuapundit, and 5 Years, 1 year by Acute Politics.  Here are the full results of the vote:

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Are you interested in flying by private jet without the expenses involved in owning your own plane? Do you want to avoid the hassle and expense associated with sharing a plane with other individuals of entities, which makes scheduling a hassle and carries with it many expenses even if you donÂ’t use the plane that often? If so, you need to check out the deal offered by New Flight Charters.

New Flight Charters is a company that offers Private Jet Charters to a lot of popular destinations at a very reasonable cost. With New Flight Charter, you have options on how to fly – do you want to charter for a one-way trip or a roundtrip flight. Best of all they offer these services at a reasonable cost. Their website, http://www.newflightcharters.com, shows you price comparisons with other companies to prove to you that they offer the best possible deal on your flight. What more could you want?

Not only that, but the staff is professional. All flight crews are FAA certified, which answer any questions regarding safety issues. Indeed, New Flight Charters client list includes FAA officials – and you know they won’t fly with a sloppy company. They also serve music and entertainment personalities and business leaders. Even better, clients of New Flight Charters give high praise to the flight crews and other employees of the company. That is important – happy customers.

Another great perk is that with New Flight Charters, you get a choice of aircraft. You can pick large cabin jets accommodating 9 passengers, midsize jets, and smaller craft depending on the distance and the number of travelers. You canÂ’t do that with your own plane.

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Highlight the seemingly negative news, bury the positive.

The percentage of recruits requiring a waiver to join the Army because of a criminal record or other past misconduct has more than doubled since 2004 to one for every eight new soldiers.

The increase reflects the difficulties the Army faces in attracting young men and women into the military at a time of war. "Each month is a struggle, for the Army in particular," said Bill Carr, a top military personnel official.

The percentage of active and Reserve Army recruits granted "conduct" waivers for misdemeanor or felony charges increased to 11% last fiscal year from 4.6% in fiscal 2004, according to Army Recruiting Command statistics. So far this fiscal year, which began last October, 13% of recruits have entered the Army with conduct waivers.

Most waivers involve misdemeanors. The Army has granted 4,676 conduct waivers among the 36,047 recruited from October through late February. The waivers have helped the Army meet its active and Reserve recruitment goals of about 100,000 people a year for the past several years.

Obviously this constitutes a degradation of our military, right.

Well, maybe not.

Indeed, certainly not.

Recruits who have come in with waivers generally perform better than peers who haven't needed special permission to join the Army, Carr said.
"When you have people volunteering that have made some mistakes in their life, you give them fair consideration," said Frank Shaffery, deputy director of the Army's Recruiting Command.

Interesting how the fact that these soldiers out-perform their peers gets buried at the very end of the story. You donÂ’t suppose it could be based upon a subconscious desire to bad talk the troops, do you?

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Maybe.

Or maybe not.

If she is, it is news to John McCain.

Is Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice campaigning to be John McCainÂ’s running mate? If so, Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said on Sunday that he had not noticed.

“I missed those signals,” Mr. McCain told reporters on his campaign plane en route to Kansas City.

Nonetheless, Mr. McCain took a few moments to compliment Ms. Rice. “I think she’s a great American, I think there’s very little that I can say that isn’t anything but the utmost praise for a great American citizen, who served as a role model to so many millions of people in this country and around the world,” Mr. McCain said, adding that “her overall record is very, very meritorious.”

Frankly, I think that Condoleezza Rice would be a superb choice. She is a well-qualified, acomplished woman who has served this nation well.

But while I have the opportunity, let me take the NY Times to task about what Ihope is an unintentional slight of the Secretary of State.

To refer to her as "Ms. Rice" is incorrect.

Given her office, Secretary Rice would be appropriate.

Given her academic accomplishments and earned degrees, Dr. Rice would be appropriate.

I'm sure the slight is unintentional, but the editors of the paper should know better.

Posted by: Greg at 10:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It is all well and good to try to undo historical wrongs. However, doing so can have unintended consequences if one is not careful.

In this case, it could upset the entire line of succession to the British throne, and even lead to the replacement of Elizabeth II by an extremely distant German cousin.

Gordon Brown is considering repealing the 1701 Act of Settlement as a way of healing a historic injustice by ending the prohibition against Catholics taking the throne.

But doing so would have the unforeseen consequence of making a 74-year-old German aristocrat the new King of England and Scotland.

Without the Act, Franz Herzog von Bayern, the current Duke of Bavaria, would be the rightful heir to the British Crown under the Stuart line.

The bachelor, who lives alone in the vast Nymphenberg Palace in Munich, is the blood descendant of the 17th-century King Charles I.

"If it [the Act] goes then the whole Catholic line is reinstated," said Prof Daniel Szechi, a lecturer in early modern history at the University of Manchester.

"Franz becomes the rightful claimant to the throne. We would just exchange one German family for another one."

The law in question dates back to the era following the Glorious Revolution, when efforts to keep the Catholic descendants of the deposed King James II from regaining the throne resulted in the selection of the House of Hanover to replace the House of Stuart. Could a change in the law result in a restoration of the claims of the Stuart Clan?

Indeed, the Act of Succession ought to be amended to remove the bar on Catholics from the line of succession or the throne. However, a better vehicle than that currently under consideration obviously needs to be found.

Posted by: Greg at 10:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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There are few individuals in the world who speak with the level of moral authority accorded the Dalai Lama. And as the continued oppression of the Tibetan people by the Red Chinese continues, he has taken the opportunity to speak to Tibetans everywhere about the current crisis.

Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to All Tibetans

While extending my warm greetings to all the Tibetans in Tibet, I would like to share some of my thoughts.

1. Since March 10 this year, we have witnessed protests and demonstrations in almost all parts of Tibet, even in a few cities in Mainland China by students, which are the outburst of long pent-up physical and mental anguish of the Tibetans and the feeling of deep resentment against the suppression of the rights of Tibetan people, lack of religious freedom and for trying to distort the truth at every occasion, such as saying that Tibetans look towards the Chinese Communist Party as the "Living Buddha", is an ultra leftist statement and smacks of Han chauvinism. I am very much saddened and concerned by the use of arms to suppress the peaceful demonstrations of Tibetan people's aspirations that have resulted in unrest in Tibet, causing many deaths, and much more causalities, detention, and injury. Such suppression and suffering are very unfortunate and tragic which will reduce any compassionate person to tears. I, however, feel helpless in the face of these tragic incidents.

2. I pray for all the Tibetans as well as Chinese who have lost their lives during the current crisis.

3. The recent protests all over Tibet have not only contradicted but also shattered the People Republic of ChinaÂ’s propaganda that except for a few "reactionaries", the majority of Tibetans enjoy a prosperous and contented life. These protests have made it very clear that Tibetans in the three provinces of Tibet, U-tsang, Kham and Amdo, harbor the same aspirations and hopes. These protests have also conveyed to the world that the Tibet issue can no longer be neglected. These protests highlight the need to find a way to resolve the issue through "finding truth from facts". The courage and determination of those Tibetans who have, for the greater interests of Tibetan people, demonstrated their deep anguish and hopes by risking everything is very commendable as the world community has acknowledged and supported the spirit of these Tibetans.

4. I deeply appreciate the acts of many Tibetan government employees and Communist Party cadres who have, without losing their Tibetan identity, shown grit and sense of what is right during the present crisis. In future, I would appeal to the Tibetan Party cadres and government employees not to look always for their personal benefit, but to work for safeguarding the larger interests of Tibet by reporting the real sentiments of the Tibetan people to their superiors in the Party and try to give unbiased guidance to the Tibetan people.

5. Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers, Nobel Laureates, Parliamentarians, and concerned citizens from every part of the world have been sending clear and strong messages to the Chinese leadership to stop the present ongoing harsh crackdown against the Tibetan people. They have all been encouraging the Chinese government to follow a path where a mutually beneficial solution could be reached. We should create an opportunity for their efforts to bring out positive results. I know you are being provoked at every level but it is important to stick to our non-violent practice.

6. The Chinese authorities have been making false allegations against myself and the Central Tibetan Administration for instigating and orchestrating the recent events in Tibet. These allegations are totally untrue. I have made repeated appeals for an independent and respected international body to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. I am sure this independent body will uncover the truth. If the PeopleÂ’s Republic of China has any basis and proof of evidence to back their allegations, they need to disclose these to the world. Just making allegations is not enough.

7. For the future of Tibet, I have decided to find a solution within the framework of the People's Republic of China. Since 1974, I have sincerely remained steadfast to the mutually beneficial Middle-Way Approach. The whole world knows this. The Middle-Way Approach means that all Tibetans must be governed by similar administration that enjoys meaningful National Regional Autonomy and all the provisions in it, self-rule and full decision-making, except for matters concerning foreign relations and national defense. However, I have said it from the beginning that the Tibetans in Tibet have the right to make the final decision for the future of Tibet.

8. The hosting of the Olympic games this year is a matter of great pride to the 1.2 billion Chinese people. I have from the very beginning supported the holding of these Games in Beijing. My position on this remains unchanged. I feel the Tibetans should not cause any hindrance to the Games. It is the legitimate right of every Tibetan to struggle for their freedoms and rights. On the other hand, it will be futile and not helpful to anyone if we do something that will create hatred in the minds of the Chinese people. On the contrary, we need to foster trust and respect in our hearts in order to create a harmonious society, as this cannot be built on the basis of force and intimidation.

9. Our struggle is with a few in the leadership of the People's Republic of China and not with the Chinese people. Therefore we should never cause misunderstanding or do something that will hurt the Chinese people. Even during this difficult situation, many Chinese intellectuals, writers and lawyers in Mainland China and other parts of the world have sympathized and shown us their solidarity by issuing statements, writing articles and offering pledges of support that is overwhelming. I have recently issued an appeal to the Chinese people all over the world on 28th March, which I hope you will hear and read.

10. If the present situation in Tibet continues, I am very much concerned that the Chinese government will unleash more force and increase the suppression of Tibetan people. Because of my moral obligation and responsibility to the Tibetan people, I have repeatedly asked the concerned leadership of the PRC to immediately stop their suppression in all parts of Tibet and withdraw its armed police and troops. If this brings result, I would also advise the Tibetans to stop all the current protests.

11. I want to urge my fellow Tibetans who live in freedom outside Tibet to be extra vigilant as they voice their feelings on the developments in Tibet. We should not engage in any action that could be even remotely interpreted as violent. Even under the most provocative of situations we must not allow our most precious and deeply held values to be compromised. I firmly believe that we will achieve success through our non-violent path. We must be wise to understand where the unprecedented affection and support for our cause stems from.

12. As Tibet is currently virtually closed and no international media is allowed there, I doubt my message will reach the Tibetans in Tibet. But I hope through media and by word of mouth, it will be passed on to the majority of you.

13. Finally, I want to reiterate and appeal once again to Tibetans to practice non-violence and not waver from this path, however serious the situation might be.

The Dalai Lama

Dharamsala
April 6, 2008

I may not agree with everything in this statement, but I certainly recognize it as the words of a wise and decent man. I repeat it here in the hopes that these words may, as the Dalai Lama has expressed his hope, reach the oppressed and enslved people of Tibet who remain loyal to him.

Posted by: Greg at 10:11 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Whatever theological, cultural and political issues I may have with Islam, I can never countenance the desecration of the graves of war heroes.

Vandals desecrated 148 graves in the Muslim section of a military cemetery in northern France, hanging a pig's head on one of the headstones, police said on Sunday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the attack "a hateful act" and around 100 police were sent to the Notre-Dame de Lorette cemetery near Arras to hunt for clues.

State prosecutor Jean-Pierre Valensi said the vandals struck overnight, daubing insults on the graves.

"They directly referred to Islam and there were also insults directed at the justice minister," Valensi said, referring to Rachida Dati, whose parents came from North Africa.

The desecration came almost exactly a year after youths daubed Nazi inscriptions and swastikas on Muslim tombs in the same cemetery in Ablain Saint-Nazaire.

The role of Muslims in France's military is one often overlooked. During World War I, more than 10% of all Muslim colonial troops who served gave their lives in defense of France. For anyone -- especially any Frenchman -- to now desecrate their graves over current tensions is to dishonor their sacrifice and the history of France.

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Charlton Heston -- 1923-1958

Few faces or voices were as easily recognizable in cinema during the first half of my lifetime. If not the voice of God, Charlton Heston was certainly the voice of God's messenger, Moses. I won't begin to list his many great roles, except to mention his well-loved performances in Ben-Hur, The Agony and the Ecstasy, and Planet of the Apes.

Heston was an ardent believer in America and the rights of Americans -- leading him to both march for civil rights with Dr. Martin Luther King and to head America's largest civil rights organization, the National Rifle Association.

And now the voice is stilled forever.

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Thanks to Michelle Malkin for supplying it.

“People who should get in, get in; people who should not enter are kept out; and people who are deportable should be required to leave.”

How evil.

How hateful.

How racist.

How true.

Now only if it were original to Malkin herself.

It isn't.

It comes from the report of a commission on immigration reform led by Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (D-TX), one of the greatest figures to walk the halls of Congress in the last half of the twentieth century -- and a liberal African-American woman. Would that the Democrats could find a few more of her type in their midst -- the party might be worth something again.

Posted by: Greg at 08:22 AM | Comments (50) | Add Comment
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A Letter to the Editor in today's Houston Chronicle captures the sentiments of this teacher and every other teacher I know.

Tired of being scapegoat

The March 29 editorial article "Back to school" is another example of placing the blame for failing students entirely on teachers instead of dealing with the social issues that are the actual cause. I was highly insulted by the statement that "all students will benefit when educators drop the racial, ethnic and class biases" that we supposedly have, thus causing us to lower our expectations for students. That is utter nonsense. I have been teaching disadvantaged students of various races and ethnicity for six years, and I have never expected less of them than I would of students who are Anglo or more affluent. The same is true of my colleagues.

I am tired of being the scapegoat for those who do not have the fortitude to take on the real issues! The only students I, and other teachers, fail are those who choose to fail. The real truth is that many students are not motivated to learn and do not value education. Teachers continually offer after-school tutorials for failing students, but few attend. Also, teachers spend a fair amount of time waking up students and attempting to get them back on task. When I question students about their sleepiness, the usual response is that they stayed up until 1 a.m. or later. Is that my fault?

Teachers are evaluated on the basis of the TAKS scores and failure rates of their students, so it is absurd to believe that teachers would allow students to fail simply because of their race or ethnicity. The statement that teachers have class biases is even more ridiculous. If checked, the editorial board would find that many teachers, because of their low pay, are economically disadvantaged as well! All of the teachers I know, or have ever known, want their students to be successful in school.

Our tax dollars would be better spent on programs that help students realize how valuable education is, that deal with the teen drug problem and help struggling parents with their children. Teachers are caring, giving people who want the best for all children.

SHERRY LLOYD
Houston

I might quibble about some of the policy suggestions at the end, but not much. The rest of the letter, though reflects my attitude on the matter exactly.

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Has the West allowed accommodation of Islam to go so far that common sense is out the window? I'd have to argue that this case shows that it has.

When it comes to avoiding a ban for speeding, the courts hear every excuse in the book.

But yesterday one motorist offered what must be a unique reason why he should keep his licence.

Mohammed Anwar said a ban would make it difficult to commute between his two wives and fulfil his matrimonial duties.

His lawyer told a Scottish court the Muslim restaurant owner has one wife in Motherwell and another in Glasgow - he is allowed up to four under his religion - and sleeps with them on alternate nights.

He also needed his driving licence to run his restaurant in Falkirk, Stirlingshire.

Airdrie Sheriff Court had heard that Anwar was caught driving at 64mph in a 30mph zone in Glasgow, fast enough to qualify for instant disqualification.

Anwar admitted the offence, but Sheriff John C. Morris accepted his plea not to be banned and allowed him to keep his licence.

Instead, he was fined £200 and given six penalty points.

In other words, Scotland's speeding laws do not apply to Muslims -- provided they are going to take advantage of marital prerogatives of a marriage that would be illegal for a non-Muslim.

Will the courts be so accommodating of a non-Muslim business-owner who is headed home to shag his wife on his lunch break? What about someone who is going to get a quickie from his mistress?

One would think that speeding laws would be the last place that islamic exceptionalism would intrude -- but I guess not.

Posted by: Greg at 02:00 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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What the rest of the world calls a LIE.

Over the last five weeks, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York has featured in her campaign stump speeches the story of a health care horror: an uninsured pregnant woman who lost her baby and died herself after being denied care by an Ohio hospital because she could not come up with a $100 fee.

The woman, Trina Bachtel, did die last August, two weeks after her baby boy was stillborn at OÂ’Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens, Ohio. But hospital administrators said Friday that Ms. Bachtel was under the care of an obstetrics practice affiliated with the hospital, that she was never refused treatment and that she was, in fact, insured.

“We implore the Clinton campaign to immediately desist from repeating this story,” said Rick Castrop, chief executive officer of the O’Bleness Health System.

Interestingly enough, the Clinton campaign freely admits that it didn't even bother to find out if the story in question was true -- that they simply began including it in speeches and Hillary Clinton began using it.

A Clinton spokesman, Mo Elleithee, said candidates would frequently retell stories relayed to them, vetting them when possible. “In this case, we did try but were not able to fully vet it,” Mr. Elleithee said. “If the hospital claims it did not happen that way, we respect that.”

If they "were not able to fully vet it", I'd like to know what parts they did check out in regard t the story? My guess -- that Trina Bachtel and her baby both died last summer. All the rest were irrelevant details to them, once they had a putative victim (since the baby was unborn, Clinton would not consider it a person or a victim -- Roe v. Wade, don't you know).

After all, they didn't need to check out the insurance question -- after all, that would have ruined the story. Ditto the refusal to treat question -- especially since federal law would probably have required treatment of a pregnant woman in distress at any emergency room regardless of insurance or ability to pay, and there are usually signs posted in the lobby of every hospital to that effect.

No, the story was just too good to check out closely -- and so they didn't.

Time for the Hillary Campaign Theme Song again!

UPDATE: Over at Hot Air, AllahPundit supplies us with the video of Hillary lying to the American people again.

AP also reminds us of other problems the junior Senator from new York has had with those pesky facts.

I particularly like the comment from a nurse that backs up my statement above.

As a nurse who worked in hospitals and with Insurance companies (and Medicare), IÂ’m so sick of people saying that theyÂ’re refused care because they donÂ’t have insurance. Those morons clearly donÂ’t know about the anti-dumping laws that have been in place for years now to insure that people get care regardless of their insurance. If they are refused care based on their lack of insurance, one word: Lawyer. Other words - Hospitals can get shut down for that crap.

What is it with the Clintons and the truth?

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Sometimes you just need a lawyer. The thing is, how do you find one, because you usually are at a pretty high stress time in your life when you do need one. And that is especially true in the area of family law, since such case often revolve around the disintegration of one's marriage.

Well, this Canadian site has come up with a neat idea. Rather than you seeking out an calling lawyers to find the best one, you can post your information to their site and they will have one of their affiliated specialists in the field contact you! So if you need a Hamilton divorce lawyer for your case, the Canadian Family Law Lawyers network pass your information on to a member in the area so that they can call you for a free consultation. And since the CFLLN is an organization made up of specialists in the field, you can be confident that you will be hearing from a qualified lawyer.

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When I first heard that the couple had an income of $109 million since leaving the White House, I wasn't shocked. Even though book deals are illicit when entered into by Republicans, the Clintons made a bunch of book royalties. Ditto speaking fees -- the first president Bush was lambasted for giving expensive speeches, but it is clear that the draft-dodging Bill Clinton has shown WWII hero Bush to be a piker in that regard.

But at least, I thought, the couple gave nearly 10% to charity.

Well, sort of.

Hillary ClintonÂ’s presidential campaign released their tax forms from 2000-2007 Thursday, which showed the Clintons earned more than $100 million in that time period and donated $10 million of that to their own charity.

The Clinton campaign reports donating $10,256,741 to the CFF between 2000 and 2006. During that time, CFF dispersed $2,530,100 in money to other charities and causes.

The names of other persons who donated to the CFF are not required to be disclosed.

Over the years, the CFF gave $80,000 to the Clinton Birthplace Foundation Inc., $20,000 to the Shakespeare Theatre, $40,000 to the School of the American Ballet, $5,000 to the YMCA of MarthaÂ’s Vineyard, $10,000 to Amnesty International.

The CFF also donated money to the Immanuel Baptist Church in Shackelford, Arkansas, Georgetown and Yale each year.

CFF lost a significant amount of money in the last two tax reporting years. CFF claimed $4.3 million assets on their 2005 IRS 990 forms. CFF reported much less, $255,890, on their most recent 2006 tax forms. It is not immediately clear from reading the forms where the money went or why assets were lost.

Now for those who are wondering, the CFF is the Clinton Family Foundation -- and the New York Times notes this regarding that "charity".

During that time, the Clintons paid $33.8 million in federal taxes and claimed deductions for $10.2 million in charitable contributions. The contributions went to a family foundation run by the Clintons that has given away only about half of the money they put into it, and most of that was last year, after Mrs. Clinton declared her candidacy.

Only given away half the money? Where did the organization get the where withal to do that if they had depleted their assets so low that in 2006 they had only $250K in assets? And why wait until after Hillary Clinton started campaigning to give it away? I think there is clearly something there that needs to be looked at -- is the Clinton Family Foundation actually a tax-free slush-fund for Hillary's campaign?

And am I alone in being disturbed that the charitable giving -- which, in the end, only amounts to, at most, half of the amount of their claimed contributions -- was to a fund that the Clintons controlled?

UPDATE: A Commenter on the Amanda Carpenter piece makes the following comments. Anyone with an accounting or tax background want to comment upon the issue?

Greg writes: Saturday, April, 05, 2008 9:16 AM

Carpenter (and Tinsldr2) are WRONG

We have a new "urban legend" here! Carpenter's facts are wrong. The 2006 Form 990-PF for the Clinton Family Foundation shows $4.3 million in assets at the end of the year. There is NO payment to Gloria Clinton -- or anyone else. And Tinslder2 is wrong on his facts, too. The CFF, as a private foundation, is only required to distribute 5% of its assets each year. There are lots of things to criticize the Clintons about, but this foundation is entirely legit.

**********

Greg writes: Saturday, April, 05, 2008 9:24 AM

here's the link for the 2006 return:

copy-and-paste the following link into your browser, then click the "2006" link near the bottom of the page, under "990-PF" --

http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990s/990search/ffindershow. cgi?id=CLIN040

I'd rather be factually right here -- though the timing issue is STILL rather interesting, even if my source on the assets issue is wrong.

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Between weather changes here in Texas and the cold weather on the East Coast while we were traveling this past month, my lips took a real beating from the changing climtary conditions to which they were exposed. As a rule, I don’t get chapped lips – but I sure did this year. And my wife, whose more delicate skin dries much more easily, had to work to keep her lips from chapping and cracking almost any time she stepped out of doors.

But what can you use to keep your lips healthy? Well, I’m told that Cosmeceuticals and Nutraceuticals offers a great line of lip treatments to go with their other make-up and skin care products. For example, their Lip Tint (Soft Kiss) provides not only protection of that delicate skin, but also the beauty of a lip color that matches your make-up needs. And now, whenever you purchase $100 in products from Borba -- any of their skin care products, not just those related to lips – you will receive that lip care product free with your shipment!

So take a little time, drop by the Borba website and see the many great skin care products that they have to offer you – and then take advantage of that April special offer of the free Lip Tint. Your skin will thank you, and you will love the beauty that comes with using their products.

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In response to the profane, racist rant of one of its players – even though he is black.

A Jacksonville, Fla., television station has obtained documents detailing Jaguars cornerback Brian WilliamsÂ’ racist rant to police the night he was arrested in September 2006 on suspicion of DUI, News 4 Jax reported.

The police officer involved wrote in a report that Williams called him "Honky mother (expletive)," and said, "I (expletive) your momma ... I (expletive) your wife twice." Williams allegedly went on to say he would do something to the officerÂ’s daughter, News 4 Jax reported.

Williams apologized for his actions after the initial arrest, but recently withdrew the guilty plea he submitted after the 2006 incident.

That withdrawal allowed the arresting officerÂ’s notes to be made public. The officer said at the time of the arrest he did not know Williams had recently signed a multimillion dollar deal with the Jaguars, News 4 Jax reported.

Now I have to ask this question – had this racist rant come from a white player towards a black cop, would it have been swept under the rug like this? Wouldn’t we have quickly seen leaked police reports on the arrest, complete with the slurs and profanity, as well as any video of the incident?

Could we be looking at one more double standard here on race relations that we need to dialogue about?

This goes along pretty well with one of the points from John HawkinsÂ’ superb column today on race and racism.

Blacks are, on average, more racist than whites: As we've seen in the Democratic primary this year, black Americans are much more likely to vote for a person based on his skin color than white Americans. Also, most black Americans tend to think it's ok to belong to race-based organizations like the NAACP, while white Americans hold race-based groups like the KKK in disdain. Moreover, percentage wise, there are pretty clearly a lot more black Americans who dislike white Americans based on their skin color than vice-versa. Maybe that's understandable given the shameful treatment black Americans once had to endure in this country, but it's still the truth -- and don't even get me started on black Americans actually defending criminal scum like O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson, and the L.A. rioters because they're black.

Now in defense of the NAACP, its Jacksonville chapter president did condemn Williams’ language as divisive and harmful. But I can’t help but wonder whether a similarly despicable rant from a white player would have produced the same measured response – or a nuclear meltdown with demands for sensitivity training for the entire NFL and race-based kickbacks to black organizations and minority contractors with the appropriate political patrons.

In the end, though, I hope that the best punishment in this case comes from those of us who are NFL ticket holders. We need to make life very uncomfortable for this racist scumbag – with boos, jeers, and general expressions of contempt. He’ll get that from me when the Jags play here in Houston this fall.

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And if he wonÂ’t, it is time for all Republicans to throw money at his Democrat challenger in the fall.

The California congressman who called the Sept. 11 attacks "simply" a plane crash ran for cover Wednesday under a barrage of ridicule from fellow Republicans, first responders and victims' families.

San Diego GOP Rep. Darrell Issa was under siege for suggesting the federal government had already done enough to help New York cope with "a fire" that "simply was an aircraft" hitting the World Trade Center.

"That is a pretty distorted view of things," said Frank Fraone, a Menlo Park, Calif., fire chief who led a 67-man crew at Ground Zero. "Whether they're a couple of planes or a couple of missiles, they still did the same damage."

"New York was attacked by Al Qaeda. It doesn't have to be attacked by Congress," added Long Island Rep. Pete King, a Republican.

"I'm really surprised by Darrell Issa," King added. "It showed such a cavalier dismissal of what happened to New York. It's wrong and inexcusable."

Now I might give Issa a pass for having simply having made his point in an inelegant fashion were it not for his past statements on behalf of Hezbollah and assorted Arab dictators and supporters of terrorism. He is a disgrace to the GOP and the nation, and needs to be urged to get out of Congress by every Republican in a position of political prominence. As Debbie Schlussel points out on her site today, we disassociated our party from racist scumbags like David Duke (interesting, isn’t it, that the Democrats still keep reelecting a mummified Kluxer like Robert Byrd) – it is now time to do the same with a terrorist shill like Issa.

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Edwards preemptively declines vice presidency.

Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said on Thursday he would not accept the nomination for U.S. vice president as he did four years ago.

Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, dropped out of the 2008 race that is still being contested by the two remaining Democrats, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, to see who represents the party in the November 4 general election.

Edwards was picked as running mate with Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004 but the two were defeated when President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were re-elected.

After his keynote speech at CTIA, the annual U.S. wireless industry showcase, Edwards was asked in a question-and-answer session if he would accept the nomination for vice president.

"No," said Edwards, who also declined to say whether he would endorse Clinton or Obama.

John Edwards, a whacked-out, pretty-boy ambulance chaser with only a single term in the US Senate, was among the least qualified candidates to make a national ticket in my lifetime – even more than Jimmy Carter. Heck, he makes Barack Obama look qualified for the presidency, which is a neat trick given his thin resume. To know that he will not be on the Democrat ticket this year is therefore comforting to me.

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Remember when Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney split up after their very brief marriage? Well, there was a ton of speculation about her wanting kids and him not being interested – or even gay (given the “fraud” grounds for annulment)? Looks like that wasn’t it.

Hollywood singleton Renee Zellweger, who turns 39 this month, has revealed she harbours no plans to be a parent.

The actress, who showed off her stylish new look as she arrived for an appearance the Late Show with David Letterman in New York City, has said: “Motherhood has never been an ambition. I don't think like that.”

So much for that tabloid rumor.

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Is it a Brett Favre comeback?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who announced his retirement last month after 17 seasons, reportedly could be weighing a comeback with another team.

Favre's agent has quietly inquired with teams about their interest in trading for the three-time NFL most valuable player, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

Favre, 38, has yet to give written notice of his retirement to the league or the players' union. According to the Times, it's also not uncommon for players to delay in doing so, particularly if they are not in immediate need of their pension money.

Favre's agent denies he is interested in playing for another team -- but that could be a ploy to deflect speculation. But in the end, I doubt we'll see the comeback happen -- after all, would any team really be willing to give up what the packers would want for one of the greatest quarterbacks of the last two decades?

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Including, in many cases, defense related stocks.

And some observers want to raise conflict-of-interest issues regarding that.

Members of Congress have as much as $196 million collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department, earning millions since the onset of the Iraq war, according to a study by a nonpartisan research group.

Not all the companies in which lawmakers invested are typical defense contractors. Corporations such as PepsiCo, IBM, Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson have at one point received defense-related contracts, notes the report by the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics.

The center's review of lawmakers' 2006 financial disclosure statements suggests that members' holdings could pose a conflict of interest as they decide the fate of Iraq war spending. Several members earning money from these contractors have plum committee or leadership assignments, including Democratic Sen. John Kerry, independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman and House Republican Whip Roy Blunt.

The study found that more Republicans than Democrats hold stock in defense companies, but that the Democrats who are invested had significantly more money at stake. In 2006, for example, Democrats held at least $3.7 million in military-related investments, compared to Republican investments of $577,500.

Overall, 151 members hold investments worth $78.7 million to $195.5 million in companies that receive defense contracts that are worth at least $5 million. These investments earned them anywhere between $15.8 million and $62 million between 2004 and 2006, the center concludes.

Frankly, I'm less troubled by this than the authors of this study want me to be. In 2008, how do you avoid investing in Microsoft if you have a large portfolio? Good grief -- it is one of the most reliable stocks for someone to put their money in -- and there is no question that Microsoft does business with the government. Ditto PepsiCo -- heck, I would imagine that the procurement folks at the Pentagon buy quite a bit of bottled water and soft drinks for troops. And as is later noted regarding Hillary Clinton, Honeywell, Boeing and Raytheon are all stocks often found in a diversified portfolio -- though the questions she raised about the recent Airbus contract could be spun by a cynic into a sinister attempt to safeguard her investment.

In other words, nothing to see here -- despite efforts to create a story.

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And we have this fossil record because, dare I say it, sh!t happened.

The discovery was one for the pages of an archaeology classic, something with a title like “Gods, Graves and Scat.”

Some people, coming into new country long ago, stopped at a cave for years perhaps, or only a day’s rest. Time enough, in any event, for them to relieve themselves — you know, answer nature’s call, if they bothered with euphemism. The cave was their in-house outhouse.

Exploring Paisley Caves in the Cascade Range of Oregon, archaeologists have found a scattering of human coprolites, or fossil feces. The specimens preserved 14,000-year-old human protein and DNA, which the discoverers said was the strongest evidence yet of the earliest people living in North America.

Other archaeologists agreed that the findings established more firmly than before the presence of people on the continent at least 1,000 years before the well-known Clovis people, previously thought to be the first Americans. Recent research at sites in Florida and Wisconsin also appears to support the earlier arrivals, and a campsite in Chile indicates migration deep into South America by 14,600 years ago.

The find was published online Thursday by the journal Science, www.sciencexpress.org.

That serves as a reminder that not every piece of the fossil record is something glamorous, and not every aspect of the anthropologists work involves findings of something glorious.

A bunch of humans stopped in a cave and set up a privy. Now, thousands of years later, that privy is the most significant piece of evidence we have for their existence, a millennium before any other humans came to the Americas.

Amazing, isn't it, what becomes scientifically significant?

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Learning a foreign language is one of those things that doesn’t come easy for a lot of people. For example, as much as I have studied Spanish, I have neither the time nor inclination spend the hours necessary to really master the language in a traditional classroom setting. And let’s be honest – traveling abroad for an immersion program is simply not an option for me. So what am I to do?

Well, there are always online language programs and software solutions. But the question for me is whether or not they really work. Are there good programs out there that will enable learners to achieve a sufficient degree of fluency to make them worthy of the investment in time and money. And, of course, there is always the question about the availability of certain languages at all. After all, while it may be a relatively easy task to Learn to speak Spanish, French, Italian, German, or some other languages using a well-designed and professionally tested program, do such programs exist for languages that are less commonly sought out by students in the West – languages like Urdu, Swahili, or Tagalog? While I am sure that I can find French Language Software with relative ease, what if I want to learn Basque, Croatian, or Chamorro (near and dear to my heart from my years on Guam as a kid)? Does quality Language Learning Software exist out there for these languages as well?

Believe it or not, there is a place that you can find that very software. Transparent.com offers a selection of over 100 foreign languages – including regional dialects like Cornish, Canadian French and Pidgin English – for you to learn at your pace if you want. I’m particularly impressed by the array of Slavic, African, and even Native American tongues that there are to choose from. Absolutely incredible!

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For using insulting language towards an elected official.

Air America host Randi Rhodes called both Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton "whores" in a recent appearance, seen below. Rhodes, who hosts a weekday radio show on Air America, said to the cheering crowd, "What a whore Geraldine Ferraro is! She's such a fucking whore!" She then proceeded to say, "Hillary is a big fucking whore, too" to a mixed audience reaction. "You know why she's a big fucking whore? Because her deal is always, 'Read the fine print, asshole!'"

The networkÂ’s reasoning?

Air America has suspended on-air host Randi Rhodes for making inappropriate statements about prominent figures, including Senator Hillary Clinton, at a recent public appearance on behalf of Air America in San Francisco which was sponsored by an Air America affiliate station.

"Air America encourages strong opinions about public affairs but does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our Hosts," said chair Charlie Kireker.

UhhhhhhhhhÂ…Â…

Yeah.

Right.

Sure.

Especially when one considers history.

Randi Rhodes, the leftist talk-radio host who found herself in hot water yesterday for airing a skit that warned President Bush with gunfire, has joked about assassinating the commander in chief before.

Last May, Rhodes, who hosts a show on the struggling Air America network, imitated the sound of gunfire while saying somebody ought to take the president fishing and then shoot him.

On May 12, New York Daily News columnist Michael Goodwin wrote a piece criticizing Air America, saying he had listened to the liberal radio network one day for 10 hours.

"The queen of venom, Randi Rhodes, followed [Al] Franken in the host slot," Goodwin wrote. "Her imitation of a cracker military type telling a soldier to 'insert this fluorescent light bulb into that man's buttocks' was revolting. She compared U.S. prisons in Iraq to the 'Nazi gulag' and said, 'The day I say thank you to Rumsfeld is the same day I'll say thank you to the 12 people who raped me.'
Goodwin then notes Rhodes compared Bush and his family to the Corleones in the "Godfather" saga.

A review of the show's recording reveals Rhodes said the following in a discussion with a caller:

"The Fredo of the family is the president of the United States, so why doesn't his father or his brother … take him out for a little fishing, and let him say some Hail Marys – he loves God so much. … You know, Hail Mary, full of grace, God is with thee – pow [gunshot sound] – works for me."

Now let’s see here. You can revile the troops and compare them to soldiers of Adolf Hitler, one of the three most murderous left-wing dictators of the twentieth century. You can suggest the murder of the President of the United States REPEATEDLY on your show. None of this will get you suspended, or even disciplined – even if you do them on the air.

On the other hand, direct a couple of curse words towards a liberal politician off-air event and you will be suspended. But then again, maybe Air Hypocrisy executives are a little bit touchy about whores at the moment

So much for the notion that Air Hypocrisy has a consistently applied policy on ad hominem insulting language – and as such, this (well-deserved) suspension of Rhodes is an act of gross hypocrisy on the part of the failing radio network. Indeed, the only way for Air Hypocrisy to redeem itself in this instance is to immediately reinstate Randi Rhodes with an abject apology to her – or else fire her for her cumulative record of repeat violations of the policy for which she has been suspended, and put the rest of the network’s on-air “talent” on notice that they will face sanctions for similar offenses in the future.

But we won’t see either happen – after all, Air Hypocrisy is in the tank for the Democrats.

H/T Hot Air, The Caucus

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I always visit the Washington Post over lunch, just to check the headlines

Today I found myself frightened by what I saw.

I then thought, “Did they unwrap a mummy at the Smithsonian?”

“Or maybe there's an exhibit of one of those ancient Celts they pull out of the peat bogs?”

“Could it be an Andean mummy from the Inca Empire?”
more...

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Probably not.

The idea that drinking eight glasses of water a day is good for your health has been dismissed as a myth.

Scientists say there is no evidence drinking large amounts of water is beneficial for the average healthy person, and do not even know how this widely held belief came about.

Specialists in kidney conditions in America reviewed research on claims eight 8oz glasses of water help flush toxins from the body, preventing weight gain and improving skin tone.

Dr Dan Negoianu and Dr Stanley Goldfarb, of the Renal, Electrolyte and Hypertension Division at the University of Pennsylvania, said no single study indicated average healthy people needed to drink this amount of water - a total of 3.3 pints - each day.

"Indeed, it is unclear where this recommendation came from," they say in a review in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

In other words, drinking all that water does nothing for you – well, other than make you pee.

Will this impact bottled water sales, further fueling the recession?

And will Democrats blame George Bush?

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More human rights oppression!

Hu Jia, a persistent human rights campaigner in custody since December, was convicted Thursday of subverting the Chinese government through his online writings and sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison, his lawyer announced.

The conviction, widely expected since Hu's 3 1/2 -hour trial March 18, was denounced by the human rights group Amnesty International as a betrayal of China's commitments in winning the role as host of the 2008 Summer Olympics in August.

"The manipulations that led to this guilty verdict are a blatant perversion of justice," T. Kumar, Amnesty's Asia advocacy director, said in a statement. "It is deeply disturbing that officials would so openly turn their backs on commitments to improve human rights in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics. Hu Jia must be released immediately and unconditionally."

Writing and speaking on political topics is a human right long recognized by the United nations. China has promised to improve its human rights policies, but has notoriously failed to do so. So while I agree with T. Kumar's statement above, I know that won't happen -- and so again repeat my call for the IOC to simply cancel the 2008 Games as a show of support for human rights and as a way of avoiding an abuse of the Games similar to what happened with the Berlin Olympics in 1936.

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We have, after all, heard alarmist predictions each year since 2005. Neither of those predictions has panned out. I'll remain a skeptic on this one.

The noted Colorado State University forecast team expects an above-average Atlantic hurricane season and may raise its prediction of 13 tropical storms and seven hurricanes when it updates its outlook next week, the team's founder Bill Gray said Wednesday.

La Nina cool-water conditions in the Pacific and higher sea surface temperatures in the eastern Atlantic are contributing to enhanced conditions for hurricane activity, Gray told Reuters at the U.S. National Hurricane Conference.

"We're expecting an above average season," Gray said. "The big question we have is, are we going to raise the numbers from our December forecast? We might."

This is the same "noted forecast team" that has made the alarmist predictions each of the last two years -- and which under-predicted 2005. It strikes me that they are noted because the are great at hyping themselves, not because they are accurate.

Posted by: Greg at 10:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Having recently buried my mother-in-law following an extended illness caused by her smoking, this story interests me to no end.

Scientists say they have pinpointed a genetic link that makes people more likely to get hooked on tobacco, causing them to smoke more cigarettes, making it harder to quit, and leading more often to deadly lung cancer.

The discovery by three separate teams of scientists makes the strongest case so far for the biological underpinnings of the addiction of smoking and sheds light on how genetics and cigarettes join forces to cause cancer, experts said. The findings also lay the groundwork for more tailored quit-smoking treatments.

"This is kind of a double whammy gene,'' said Christopher Amos, a professor of epidemiology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and author of one of the studies. "It also makes you more likely to be dependent on smoking and less likely to quit smoking.''

I lost my grandfather to such an illness four decades ago, and so avoided smoking out of fear that i would follow in my footsteps. A good move, in my eyes, as my mothers siblings who smoked were both dead before sixty -- while my mother is still going strong in great health in her mid-70s. had i started smoking, I'm sure I would already be gravely ill -- likely because of this gene. Fortunately, free will does come into play on the initial decision to smoke.

And I already see some of my teenage students smoking -- hooked on that nicotine -- in the tenth grade, which has made m wonder to what degree there was a genetic link rather than a social one. How many will die young because of the impact of this gene?

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The marketing industry has become a cut-throat business in recent years because of the fast growth of the IT sector. As a result, you can have the worldÂ’s greatest product but still fail because your marketing strategy is weak in terms of how you use the technological means that are commonly available. And the more effective you are in your use of those means, the more likely you will be to succeed in launching and marketing your product. And that is where email marketing enters into the picture, because it is a technique that has been proven effective time and again, making it one of the dominant means of making your online presence known to potential customers.

What this all means is that many businesses will need some sort of email marketing software that will boost sales. You can find such a product http://www.campaigner.com/ where you can choose one of the products they offer to help with your online marketing program.

Say you need an easy, affordable and reliable online marketing software – there’s Campaigner. Starting at a mere $25 per month, you can attract new clients new clients and make sure that they keep coming back. Having accomplished that initial goal, you can then keep in contact with emails on your schedule – daily, weekly, or monthly, according to your marketing plan. What a great deal for such an incredibly low cost!

But what if you want more comprehensive email marketing services? Well, you can always choose to go with CampaignerPro. Spending as little as $375 per month, you can take advantage of a package that allows you the highest levels of personalization and integrated email marketing automation. This tool allows you to sent targeted, personalized content by segmenting your online marketing based upon gender, geographic location or other attributes, so that you are sending your customers dynamic content based upon your criteria. You will have more scheduling options, as well as the ability to schedule mailings in advance or based upon responses to prior emails. The possibilities are seemingly endless!
So make a move now – Professional email marketing services with Campaigner are just what you need.

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The path to recognizing someone as a saint can take decades of centuries, but the cause of John Paul II is well underway three years after his death -- and even his successor seems to have a soft spot for it, as the text of his sermon at yesterday's memorial mass would seem to indicate.

Catholics around the world on Wednesday marked the third anniversary of Pope John Paul's death and Vatican officials said they were receiving a steady stream of pleas from the faithful convinced he was a saint.

Pope Benedict, John Paul's successor, presided at a solemn Mass before tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square, from the same spot on the steps of the basilica where John Paul's simple wooden coffin lay three years ago.

"For many days, the Vatican basilica and this very square were really the heart of the world," Benedict said in his sermon as members in the crowd waved flags of the late pope's Polish homeland and banners bearing his image.

Benedict did not use the word "saint" in his sermon but said John Paul had "many human and supernatural qualities" and was a mystic endowed with exceptional spiritual sensitivities.

Why the rush on sainthood for the late pontiff? Partly because there is a sense of the faithful on this one -- a general belief among Catholics that the holiness with which the man lived out his life and ministry demonstrates the sanctity of his life. A second reason is the fact that John Paul II lived out his pontificate in the public spotlight like none of his predecessors. It seems his every word and deed was somehow recorded, and so doing the sort of research on those areas is relatively easy compared to looking at the life of some seventeenth century nun in a convent in South America or a missionary in Africa during the 1800s.

I expect we will see his canonization in my lifetime -- a quick response to the call of Santo Subito that arose at his funeral.

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It doesn't matter if you are looking for a shirt to market your business or just to express yourself, you can get exactly what you want in Tshirt Printing at I-PrintForYou.com! If they don't have what you want in their available designs, you can design your own shirt, upload the graphics, and then use their Tshirt Printing services to get it in any available color or style. What more could ask for in a custom Tshirt Printing service?

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Why is there even a question about charges in this case?

The 12-year-old boy had finished his homework and was playing a video game when he heard his mother cry out. Rushing to her aid, he found her on the kitchen floor, straddled by a fellow resident of their Prince George's County boarding house, the man's hands wrapped tightly around her neck, the boy said yesterday.

"I kept saying, 'Stop! Stop! Stop!' " the boy said, describing the events of Monday night. "But he just ignored me. He didn't stop. He just kept hurting her."

The boy said he grabbed a knife and swung, slashing 64-year-old Salomon Noubissie across the neck and opening an artery. Noubissie was fatally wounded.
The mother, Cheryl Stamp, said she did not immediately understand what had happened. "What did you do?" she said she asked her son.

"He didn't say anything," she said. "But I knew when I looked in his eyes. I said, 'Oh, Lord.' "

The shocking thing is that the cops are still trying to decide whether or not to file charges against this young hero. What is a person to do in that situation, especially when that person is a 12-year-old? Grab the nearest available weapon and use it to defend the victim of the attack, thatÂ’s what!

Sadly, though, this story strikes way too close to home for me.

My first year of teaching here in Houston, I gave a writing assignment to my English students on the topic “A Moment That Changed My Life”. I was stunned the next day when a polite young man turned in a paper entitled “The Night I Killed A Man”, all about his having stabbed and killed a man who had broken into his house and was beating up his father, who had gone downstairs to check on a noise.

That afternoon I went to my principal to show her the paper and express my rather serious concern over what I had read. Was the boy mentally disturbed and in need of psychological help? Was the story true, and did I need to inform the police? It was then I was told that this student had, in fact done exactly what was described in the paper a few months before – and that he was attending our school because of threats against his life by some of the dead robber’s associates.

I got to know this student quite well during that year. He was haunted by what he had done, even though he knew that using that butcher knife to protect his father was exactly the right thing to do. I’ve lost tack of him over the years, but I still remember him expressing his amazement with how fragile life was and how he was bothered by the fact that there was nothing he could ever do to undo the taking of a life, no matter how justified it was. It serves as one more reminder that we teachers learn from our students every bit as much as they learn from us – and sometimes even more.

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IÂ’m glad to see the arrests made, but I wonder if you notice what is missing here.

Four men in Orlando were charged with a hate crime after they pummeled a 62-year-old woman and her two mentally-challenged companions at a public park after they didn't pay a "fee" for being white, police said.

Investigators said the victims were walking into a Kaley Park when they were confronted by Christopher Colbert, Erick Golden, Willie Pritts and Antoniette Boone.

Police said the victims were told that since they are white, they had to pay a fee to be in the park.

What donÂ’t you see? How about marches and speeches led by outraged foes of racism? I guess that they just canÂ’t muster the outrage necessary to protest when the victims are white and the perps are black.

But rest assured that if the races were reversed, they would be there extorting a little something out of the public coffers.

And I’m curious – why hasn’t the media been all over this one nationally? After all, it would be a great case to use in a dialogue on race and racism, don’t you think?

Posted by: Greg at 12:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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