LEFTIST HATRED OF THE TROOPS COMING OUT
There has been a lot of outrage about a prominent Leftist columnist calling the U.S. armed forces "mercenaries". The reaction below is lifted from the NRO Blog. In a twisted sort of a way, though, maybe the columnist was right, at least from his point of view. Leftists don't see themselves as part of America so the U.S. troops are in fact fighting for another country from their point of view -- which is the definition of a mercenary.
I think we're witnessing a very public meltdown over on WashingtonPost.com. Earlier today William Arkin published a new post responding to those who took issue with his characterization of U.S. troops as bloodthirsty and ignorant mercenaries. But while the post can still be found by following the direct link, it has vanished from Arkin's home page. Did someone at the Post direct him to take it down? Or did he himself have second thoughts about certain passages, like this one:
These men and women [in the military] are not fighting for money with little regard for the nation. The situation might be much worse than that: Evidently, far too many in uniform believe that they are the one true nation. They hide behind the constitution and the flag and then spew an anti-Democrat, anti-liberal, anti-journalism, anti-dissent, and anti-citizen message that reflects a certain contempt for the American people.
The best reaction so far is John's from OpFor: "If there is a war that's unwinnable, it's the war on this type of horrid ignorance."
Ace has a good question too: "Since Arkin asserts that the troops should not be allowed to influence the public's opinion on the war, and since the entire left demands that anyone supporting the war become a troop himself — has the left pretty much created a Catch-22 by which any and all support for the war is illegitimate?"
Allah has some related audio that you've got to hear to believe. Arkin's piece represents a turning point — "baby killer" coming back into vogue. How tragic.
It's a start: "The Bush administration yesterday proposed ending farm subsidies for an estimated 80,000 wealthy individuals as part of a broad plan that would close loopholes and cut traditional farm programs by $4.5 billion over the next 10 years. The proposal unveiled by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns was the administration's opening move in what will be a lengthy tug of war with Congress over a new multi-year farm bill. The current bill, one of the most generous to farmers in history, expires Sept. 30. Debate on the new legislation comes at a time of major changes in agriculture. Booming demand from new ethanol plants has pushed corn prices to near-record levels. At the same time, U.S. trade partners are threatening retaliation unless the United States curbs crop subsidies that are said to promote overproduction here and low prices for farmers abroad."
The writing's on the wall for Iran: "The Bush administration rejected any reports that it planned to attack Saddam Hussein as 'urban legends.' The same language is now being used over the possibility of US action against Iran. But when the US is joined by the Saudis and the Israelis and their powerful supporters in Washington, it spells danger -- as the Soviets learned in Afghanistan and the Iranians in their war with Iraq."
Bush "spoiling for a fight" with Iran: "US officials in Baghdad and Washington are expected to unveil a secret intelligence 'dossier' this week detailing evidence of Iran's alleged complicity in attacks on American troops in Iraq. The move, uncomfortably echoing Downing Street's dossier debacle in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, is one more sign that the Bush administration is building a case for war."
"Price gouging" is essential and humane: ""Recently, Anderson Cooper and one of his correspondents, Gary Tuchman, condemned price gouging in New Orleans as if they were reporting an inherently unjust practice that no reasonable person would accept. So, once again, it needs explaining why price gouging is not only not bad, but is essential to the welfare of everyone involved. Without it, people don't get the essential goods they need after disasters. Free markets here are humane and necessary."
CA: Bid to outlaw spanking stirs emotions: "Leigh Bailey will never forget the day her daughter, then 2, pulled her small hand away and darted into a busy street. Brakes screeched. Bailey ran to her. Then came the consequence. 'I got her back to the sidewalk, I took her over my knee and spanked her and said, 'Don't ever, ever do that again!'' The Berkeley mother of two said that was one of very few times she has spanked her children. 'To keep my daughter safe,' she explained, 'I had to make sure she knew it was wrong and dangerous.' But was what Bailey did equally wrong? The emotional debate over spanking reignited in California when Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View, said she plans to introduce a bill this week outlawing anyone from swatting children age 3 and younger. Violators could face up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine."
Another setup for Wendy's? "A Nashville man is suing Wendy's Restaurant, saying there was human blood on a straw he used from the company's store at 719 Thompson Lane. William Hoover is seeking unspecified damages in a Jan. 24 lawsuit that was filed in Davidson County Circuit Court by his attorney, Harry W. Miller III. A call has been placed to the company's headquarters in Dublin, Ohio seeking comment. According to the lawsuit, Hoover noticed a red substance on the end of the straw after he drank a Frosty shake-style beverage from the restaurant. ... Hoover had the substance tested, and it turned out to be human blood, the lawsuit states."
It's not the yen, it's the mileage : "Ford Motor Co.'s announcement last week that it lost a record $12.75 billion in 2006 will tempt the new Democratic Congress to come to the rescue of Detroit's Big Three automakers. General Motors and DaimlerChrysler are also expected to announce SUV-sized losses for 2006, further revving the engine for congressional action. Momentum is already building to make Japanese and other foreign-owned automakers the scapegoats for what ails Detroit. Just after the November elections, Big Three executives met with President Bush to complain about 'unfair' competition from Japan. ... Despite its pleas, Detroit's woes are homegrown, not created abroad."
For more postings, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and EYE ON BRITAIN. (Mirror sites here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here).
"All the worth which the human being possesses, all spiritual reality, he possesses only through the State." -- 19th century German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Hegel is the most influential philosopher of the Left -- inspiring Karl Marx, the American "Progressives" of the early 20th century and university socialists to this day.
The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".
R.I.P. Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet deposed a law-defying Marxist President at the express and desperate invitation of the Chilean parliament. He pioneered the free-market reforms which Reagan and Thatcher later unleashed to world-changing effect. That he used far-Leftist methods to suppress far-Leftist violence is reasonable if not ideal. The Leftist view that they should have a monopoly of violence and that others should follow the law is a total absurdity which shows only that their hate overcomes their reason -- Details here and here
Comments? Email me here (Hotmail address). If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Pages are here or here or here.
IRAN WOBBLING?
Is the Khomeinist leadership preparing to retreat from confrontation over Tehran's nuclear ambitions? Until recently, the answer was an emphatic "No." According to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, such retreat would limit Islamic sovereignty by giving the United Nations a veto on Iran's energy policy. But now Tehran is trying to forestall the passage of a second, and presumably tougher, resolution by the Security Council in March.
Several versions of the presumed Iranian initiative are in circulation. Former President Muhammad Khatami presented one to American and European personalities on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. In this scheme, Tehran is prepared to comply with the Security Council demand to suspend uranium enrichment - as part of a diplomatic package. In this plan, an arbitration group would inspect and assess Iran's nuclear program, reporting back after six months. The group would include the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany, and India on behalf of the nonaligned movement. During the six months in question, the Islamic Republic would suspend enrichment of uranium. In exchange, the Security Council would postpone its March session on the issue and would suspend the sanctions it already approved. Tehran would also insist on an undertaking from the United States not to take military action against Iran. There are other signs that Tehran is trying to cool things down:
* It has not carried out its threat of suspending relations with countries that voted for sanctions, nor has it organized demonstrations by the usual suspects around the embassies of those nations.
* The regime has shown uncharacteristic timidity on the issue of its senior Revolutionary Guard commanders and intelligence officers who were arrested and are being interrogated by U.S. forces in Iraq.
* The Islamic Republic did not vote against a resolution passed by the U.N. General Assembly last week condemning the denial of the Holocaust. (This was an indirect correction for Ahmadinejad, who re-launched the Holocaust-denial debate last year.)
"We hear a moderate message from Tehran," says a senior British official. "And that in a tone we had not heard since Ahmadinejad [became president]." That at least part of the Khomeinist leadership might want ways to defuse the situation is not surprising. The sanctions, though nothing more than a gentle rap on the knuckles, have already started to bite - with a disproportionate psychological impact on some players in the Iranian economy. Iranian businessmen see the measures as a kind of aperitif for a deadlier main course to be served later.
The Iranian currency, the rial, is showing the jitters as never before. Thousands of contracts remain frozen, pending the outcome of the crisis. If current trends continue, hundreds of thousands of Iranian workers may be thrown out of work within months.
The plummeting of oil prices has also done its bit. Over the past year, the Islamic Republic has seen oil revenues decline by almost 20 percent - even as Ahmadinejad's largesse, designed to bribe his constituency, has pushed public expenditure to an all-time high. In recent months, the government has been unable to pay the salaries and bonuses of some employees, including teachers, on time.
The perception that the Bush administration may be preparing military action has sent shivers down the spines of many mullahs and Revolutionary Guard commanders who account for a good part of the wealthy elite.
Why they are smashing online gambling: ""Government taxes your winnings at the casino and it taxes the profits of the casino. If you win the governments gets some. If the casino wins the government gets some. They are the protection racket of the Mafia writ large with one difference -- the Mafia took less. But online gambling is another matter entirely. The damn casino doesn't physically exist anywhere. It is an online entity. It may be a company registered in some primitive place with low taxes like Switzerland. The people who provide the service of gambling are being allowed to keep most of what they earn. And that is what drives greedy politicians into such a frenzy."
Wealth and economic freedom go hand in hand: ""Why are some countries rich and others poor? For more than a decade, the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal have carefully examined the evidence. Every year, for the Index of Economic Freedom, they sift through data on everything from inflation to imports, from tariffs to trade -- and they do it for every country. And one big-picture message about poverty and wealth consistently shines through, year after year: Wealth and economic freedom go hand in hand, says Rebecca Hagelin, a vice president of the Heritage Foundation."
Moscow: Mayor calls gay parade "Satanic": "Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said Monday he would never allow a gay parade to take place in Moscow despite pressure from the West. 'Last year, Moscow came under unprecedented pressure to sanction the gay parade, which can be described in no other way than as Satanic,' Luzhkov said at the 15th Christmas educational readings in the Kremlin Palace 'We did not let the parade take place then, and we are not going to allow it in the future,' said Luzhkov who has been in office since 1992. The conservative 70-year-old mayor of the Russian capital also banned Portuguese bullfights in Moscow in 2001 for their violence and did not let the St. Petersburg-based rock group Leningrad perform in the city because of their explicit lyrics."
THERE IS NOW AN INDEPENDENT STATE OF PALESTINE. CELEBRATE!
Most Arab States are pretty nasty places and the new Palestine is certainly no exception
In the world of international diplomacy few issues receive more wall-to-wall support than the notion that it is essential to establish a Palestinian state. Leaders worldwide are so busy speaking of how essential it is for a State of Palestine to be founded that none of them seems to have noticed that it already exists. This state was officially founded in the summer of 2005, when Israel removed its military forces and civilian population from the Gaza Strip and so established the first wholly independent Palestinian state in history. Israel's destruction of four Israeli communities in Northern Samaria and curtailment of its military operations in the area set the conditions for statehood in that area as well.
And so it is that as statesmen and activists worldwide loudly proclaim their commitment to establishing the sovereign State of Palestine, they miss the fact that Palestine exists. And it is a nightmare. In the State of Palestine 88 percent of the public feels insecure. Perhaps the other 12 percent are members of the multitude of regular and irregular militias. For in the State of Palestine the ratio of police/militiamen/men-under-arms to civilians is higher than in any other country on earth.
In the State of Palestine, two-year-olds are killed and no one cares. Children are woken up in the middle of the night and murdered in front of their parents. Worshipers in mosques are gunned down by terrorists who attend competing mosques. And no one cares. No international human rights groups publish reports calling for an end to the slaughter. No UN body condemns anyone or sends a fact-finding mission to investigate the murders.
In the State of Palestine, women are stripped naked and forced to march in the streets to humiliate their husbands. Ambulances are stopped on the way to hospitals and wounded are shot in cold blood. Terrorists enter operating rooms in hospitals and unplug patients from life-support machines. In the State of Palestine, people are kidnapped from their homes in broad daylight and in front of the television cameras. This is the case because the kidnappers themselves are cameramen. Indeed, their commanders often run television stations. And because terror commanders run television stations in the State of Palestine, it should not be surprising that they bomb the competition's television stations.
Much more here
Hamas: 'Attack is legitimate resistance'
This story refers to a jihad martyrdom attack in an Israeli bakery. And of course this response is predictable. Everything Hamas does is legitimate. Every step Israel takes in response is illegitimate. Once you grasp that simple rule, you're ready for prime time, or a job at Reuters.
From the Jerusalem Post, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
A Hamas spokesman defended Monday's suicide bombing in Eilat as legitimate "resistance" against Israel.
Fawzi Barhoum called the attack a "natural response" to IDF policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as its ongoing boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government. "So long as there is occupation, resistance is legitimate," he said.
"Allah on 480 occasions in the Holy Koran extols Muslims to wage jihad. We only fulfil God's orders"
Fjordman sends us this item, along with this comment: "These Taliban people must suffer from Islamophobia or something, since they believe there are numerous calls for violent Jihad in the Koran." Indeed. Note Baitullah Mehsud's words: "Then we will attack them in the US and Britain until they either accept Islam or agree to pay jazia (a tax in Islam for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state)."
But try asking a self-proclaimed moderate leader in America about whether or not the Qur'an really calls on Muslims to wage war against non-Muslims and subjugate them, imposing a tax upon them. He will either not give you a straight answer or call you an "Islamophobe," or both.
Progressive Jewish Thought and the New Anti-Semitism
Excerpt from a post by Democracy Project
As if to prove the point of the essay by Alvin H. Rosenfeld, "Progressive Jewish Thought and the New Anti-Semitism" published by the American Jewish Committee, that favorite cage liner The New York Times looses its theater critic, Patricia Cohen, to poop on it.
She exposes her colors in her first sentence.
The American Jewish Committee, an ardent defender of Israel, is known for speaking out against anti-Semitism, but this conservative advocacy group has recently stirred up a bitter and emotional debate with a new target: liberal Jews.
Only a left-winged bird of a feather like Patricia Cohen can call the American Jewish Committee "conservative." And, only the self-deluded can call leftist extremists "liberal." ....
So, what does Patricia Cohen bring to her review of Alvin Rosenfeld's essay? She devotes most of her report to leftist extremists' self-justifications for attacking Israel. She doesn't, however, quote Israel critic Tony Judt's inane, "Israel today is bad for the Jews." She doesn't reflect on the use by these critics of words like "apartheid," "racism," "colonialism," and "ethnic cleansing" to describe Israel. As Rosenfeld shows:
These descriptors have become part of the standard discourse among "progressive" American Jews, who seem to take for granted that the historical record shows Israel to be an aggressor state guilty of sins comparable to those of Hendrik Verwoerd's South Africa and Hitler's Germany.
As Rosenfeld points out:
The true end point of these views is not just to force the Israelis out of the territories they have occupied since 1967, but to force an end to the Jewish state itself.
INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM VERSUS GROUP FREEDOM
Rather unusually for him, Francis Fukuyama makes some reasonable points in the excerpts below
Modern identity politics springs from a hole in the political theory underlying liberal democracy. That hole is liberalism's silence about the place and significance of groups. The line of modern political theory that begins with Machiavelli and continues through Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and the American founding fathers understands the issue of political freedom as one that pits the state against individuals rather than groups. Hobbes and Locke, for example, argue that human beings possess natural rights as individuals in the state of nature - rights that can be secured only through a social contract that prevents one individual's pursuit of self-interest from harming others.
Modern liberalism arose in good measure in reaction to the wars of religion that raged in Europe after the Reformation. Liberalism established the principle of religious tolerance: the idea that religious goals could not be pursued in the public sphere in a way that restricted the religious freedom of other sects or churches. (The actual separation of church and state was never fully achieved in many modern European democracies.) But while modern liberalism clearly established the principle that state power should not be used to impose religious belief on individuals, it left unanswered the question of whether individual freedom could conflict with the rights of people to uphold a certain religious tradition.
Freedom, understood not as the freedom of individuals but of cultural or religious or ethnic groups to protect their group identities, was not seen as a central issue by the American founders, perhaps because the new settlers were relatively homogeneous. In the words of John Jay (in the second Federalist Paper): "A people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles."
Multiculturalism - not just as tolerance of cultural diversity but as the demand for legal recognition of the rights of racial, religious or cultural groups - has now become established in virtually all modern liberal democracies. Politics over the past generation has been consumed with controversies over affirmative action for African Americans, bilingualism and gay marriage, driven by formerly marginalised groups that demand recognition not just of their rights as individuals but also of their rights as members of groups. And the United States' Lockean tradition of individual rights has meant that these efforts to assert group rights have been tremendously controversial - more so than in modern Europe.
Modern liberal societies in Europe and North America tend to have weak identities; many celebrate their own pluralism and multiculturalism, arguing in effect that their identity is to have no identity. Yet the fact is that national identity still exists in all contemporary liberal democracies.
In Europe after the second world war there was a strong commitment to creating a "post-national" European identity. But despite the progress that has been made in forging a strong European Union, the continent's identity remains something that comes from the head rather than the heart.
But many Europeans also feel ambivalent about national identity. The formative experience for modern European political consciousness is the two world wars, which Europeans tend to blame on nationalism. Yet Europe's old national identities continue to linger. People still have a strong sense of what it means to be British or French or Dutch or Italian, even if it is not politically correct to affirm these identities too strongly. And national identities in Europe, compared with those in the Americas, remain more ethnically based. So while all European countries have the same commitment to formal political citizenship equality as America, it is harder to turn that into felt equality of citizenship because of the continuing force of ethnic allegiance.
The old multicultural model has not been a big success in countries such as the Netherlands and Britain and needs to be replaced by more energetic efforts to integrate non-western populations into a common liberal culture. The old multicultural model was based on group recognition and group rights. Out of a misplaced sense of respect for cultural differences - and imperial guilt - it ceded too much authority to cultural communities to define rules of behaviour for their own members.
Liberalism cannot be based on group rights because not all groups uphold liberal values. The civilisation of the European enlightenment, of which contemporary liberal democracy is the heir, cannot be culturally neutral since liberal societies have their own values regarding the equal worth and dignity of individuals.
Cultures that do not accept these premises do not deserve equal protection in a liberal democracy. Members of immigrant communities and their offspring deserve to be treated equally as individuals, not as members of cultural communities. There is no reason for a Muslim girl to be treated differently under the law from a Christian or Jewish one, whatever the feelings of her relatives.
Multiculturalism, as it was originally conceived in Canada, America and Europe, was in some sense a "game at the end of history". That is, cultural diversity was seen as a kind of ornament to liberal pluralism that would provide ethnic food, colourful dress and traces of distinctive historical traditions to societies often seen as numbingly conformist and homogeneous. Cultural diversity was something to be practised largely in the private sphere, where it would not lead to any serious violations of individual rights or otherwise challenge the essentially liberal social order.
By contrast, some contemporary Muslim communities (and those of other religions) are making demands for group rights that simply cannot be squared with liberal principles of individual equality. These demands include special exemptions from the family law that applies to everyone else in the society, the right to exclude non-Muslims from certain types of public events, or the right to challenge free speech in the name of religious offence (as with the Danish cartoons incident).
In some more extreme cases Muslim communities have expressed ambitions to challenge the secular character of the political order as a whole. This clearly intrudes on the rights of other individuals in the society and pushes cultural autonomy well beyond the private sphere.
Asking Muslims (and other religions) to give up group rights is much more difficult in Europe than in the United States, however, because many European countries have corporatist traditions that continue to respect communal rights and fail to separate church and state. The existence of state-funded Christian and Jewish schools in many European countries makes it hard to argue in principle against state-supported religious education for Muslims.
In Germany the state collects taxes on behalf of Protestant and Catholic churches and distributes revenues to church-related schools. Even France, with its strong republican tradition, has not been consistent on this issue. After the French revolution's anti-clerical campaign, Napoleon restored the role of religion in education and used a corporatist approach to manage church-state relations.
These islands of corporatism where European states continue to recognise communal rights were not controversial prior to the arrival of large Muslim communities. Most European societies had become thoroughly secular so these religious holdovers seemed quite harmless. But they are obstacles to the maintenance of a wall of separation between religion and state. If Europe is to establish the liberal principle of a pluralism based on individuals rather than groups, then it must address these corporatist institutions inherited from the past.
Best-seller: "The holy scripture of Islam - the Quran - has become the top selling book in Denmark one year after the blasphemous caricature crisis shook up the Danish society and the Muslim world, the Munich-based Focus news magazine reported Monday. The Quran was ranked second during the important Christmas book sales period. Buyers of the Quran include many young Muslims who grew up in Denmark but do not speak Arabic".
Australia. Muslim leader advocates war with non-Muslims: "A speaker at a conference in Sydney's south-west says a revolution or a civil war may be necessary in order to create an Islamic state, or caliphate. The meeting has been organised by the controversial Muslim group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in several countries overseas. A number of politicians have called for the group to be banned here. One of today's speakers, Ashraf Doureihi, told the audience action needs to be taken to ensure an Islamic state is created. "It is important... [to move] collectively in the Muslim world to demand this change from such influential people in our lands, even if it means spilling onto the streets to create a revolution or staging a military coup," he said. Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Wassim Doureihi has told the audience a number of speakers will address the meeting today and discuss ways of establishing an Islamic super-state. "As we were here today, what is at stake is not just the destiny of the Muslim world but indeed the whole of mankind," he said.
OBAMA: A DELIBERATE AND SYSTEMATIC LIAR
His book is a tissue of lies -- a fairytale masquerading as truth. But truth never has mattered to the Left, of course
It is a classic story of the American dream made real: an impoverished Kenyan goatherd rising to become a brilliant Harvard-educated economist. On the way he fights racial prejudice at home and corruption at work, survives the heartbreak of a broken relationship and, despite it all, leads the fight to rid Africa of its colonial legacy. This extraordinary story is told by US Presidential hopeful Barack Obama as he recalls the life of the man who inspired him to political success - his father.....
Yet an investigation by The Mail on Sunday has revealed that, for all Mr Obama's reputation for straight talking and the compelling narrative of his recollections, they are largely myth. We have discovered that his father was not just a deeply flawed individual but an abusive bigamist and an egomaniac, whose life was ruined not by racism or corruption but his own weaknesses. And, devastatingly, the testimony has come from Mr Obama's own relatives and family friends....
Barack Obama Snr started life with the advantage of being able to read and write, but he also felt a profound sense of injustice. His father was a cook for British settlers in Kenya, who demeaningly called him their 'personal boy'. Grandfather Obama sent his son to a missionary school but after completing his education, the youth could find little work except goatherding in his remote village of Nyangoma Kogela, in the roadless hills of Western Kenya. At 18, he married a girl called Kezia. But Obama Snr was more interested in politics and economics than his family and his political leanings had been brought to the notice of leaders of the Kenyan Independence movement. He was put forward for an American-sponsored scholarship in economics, with the idea being that he would eventually use his Western-honed skills in the new Kenya. At the age of 23 he headed for university in Hawaii, leaving behind the pregnant Kezia and their baby son.
Relatives say he was already a slick womaniser and, once in Honolulu, he promptly persuaded a fellow student called Ann - a naive 18-year-old white girl - to marry him. Barack Jnr was born in August, 1961. Two years later, Obama Snr was on the move again. He was accepted at Harvard, and left his little boy and wife behind when he moved to the exclusive east coast university....
Mr Obama Jnr claims that racism on both sides of the family destroyed the marriage between his mother and father... In fact Ann divorced her husband after she discovered his bigamous double life. She remarried and moved to Indonesia with young Barack and her new husband, an oil company manager.
Obama Snr was forced to return to Kenya, where he fathered two more children by Kezia. He was eventually hired as a top civil servant in the fledgling government of Jomo Kenyatta - and married yet again. Now prosperous with a flashy car and good salary, his third wife was an American-born teacher called Ruth, whom he had met at Harvard while still legally married to both Kezia and Ann, and who followed him to Africa...
It is alleged that Ruth finally left him after he repeatedly flew into whisky-fuelled rages, beating her brutally. Friends say drinking blighted his life - he lost both his legs while driving under the influence and also lost his job. However, this was no bar to his womanising: he sired a son, his eighth child, by yet another woman and continued to come home drunk. He was about to marry her when he finally died in yet another drunken crash when Obama was 21....
In his book, he attempts to put the best face on it. His father, he writes, lost his civil service job after campaigning against corrupt African politicians who had 'taken the place of the white colonials'. One of Obama Snr's former drinking partners, Kenyan writer Philip Ochieng Ochieng says, however, that his friend's downfall was his weak character. "Although charming, generous and extraordinarily clever, Obama Snr was also imperious, cruel and given to boasting about his brain and his wealth," he said. "He was excessively fond of Scotch. He had fallen into the habit of going home drunk every night. His boasting proved his undoing and left him without a job, plunged him into prolonged poverty and dangerously wounded his ego."
Much more here.
I have just put up on my Marx blog a new collection of quotes from Marx and his early followers. They openly avow terrorism and mass murder. What the Soviets and other Communists did was exactly what they said they would do. We ignore warnings -- such as those now coming from many Muslim leaders -- at our peril. And note that the many professors who to this day like Marxism could not be unaware of how hate-filled Marx was. It would appear to be precisely that which they like.
Mad Methodist Democrat: "A bid by a Nebraska lawmaker to expand underage drinking restrictions to include alcohol consumed in church has drawn criticism from Catholics who say it will infringe on religious rights. Democratic State Sen. Lowen Kruse has introduced a bill that would eliminate two provisions to Nebraska's underage drinking law which allow minors to drink alcohol in their own homes or at places of worship during religious ceremonies."
A small start: "The Quebec village of Herouxville, 1300 inhabitants, has formally banned this week the stoning of women, face veils, female genital mutilation, or throwing acid at unveiled women's faces, reports Montreal daily La Presse.... The nature of the Herouxville bans suggests however that local politicians had Quebec Muslims in mind, though not a single Muslim or member of any religious or ethnic minority calls Herouxville home. But referring to Quebec's policy of encouraging immigrants to settle outside Montreal, Drouin says it was important to inform potential immigrants of the villages cultural norms: "We must ensure that people who come here want to live as we do", he told La Presse, "The Muslims who wanted to impose Sharia, had they known that we do not stone women here, maybe they would not have come". Along with the bans, the Herouxville document states that Christmas trees are a Quebec tradition, that swimming pools are mixed, and that pork meat and beef are displayed on the same shelves. Asked whether he fears being labeled a racist, Drouin answers: "We are not racists, we are explaining our culture".
Some economic history: "Sustained economic growth of even 1% per year was not a reality until the 19th century, and sustained economic growth of 2-3% was not a reality until the last 50 years. Putting it in historical perspective, it makes the recent obsession with "income inequality" kind of inconsequential. It could be a lot worse, and was a lot worse throughout human history, for the average person. And complaining about income inequality in a country like the US where per capita GDP is about $42,000, must seem very strange to those in the rest of the world where per capita GDP is only $7500. Kind of like members of an exclusive, private country club complaining about differences in income between the "rich" and "super-rich" member of that club?"
What are the best novels about politics?
Post below lifted from Tyler Cowen. I think I would have put The Last Hurrah and All the King's Men somewhere on the list. Tyler is obviously a classical fiend. I am too but I think the modern world also has its wisdom. I think the two novels I have listed tell you more about American politics than all the sociologists and political scientists put together
Queried here, I will simplify and make it books, period, but restrict it to fiction, not counting philosophy. My list of five:
1. Shakespeare's Henriad, a no-brainer at #1, if you count it as more than one book it still should take up as many slots as it needs. Psychology is primary and stands above politics, and libertinism is by no means unrelated to power.
2. Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels, vanity, pride, and self-deception are the keys to understanding political behavior, plus Swift shows an understanding of "the rules of the game."
3. Montesquieu, Persian Letters, yikes, have you ever seen that Monty Python skit "Summarize Proust"?
4. Sophocles, Antigone, the claims of the family vs. the claims of the state continue to plague Iraq and many other places.
5. Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, the former is not just a good tale but also a profound comparative study of regimes, the latter is the brutal truths of war.
Interestingly none of these are proper novels. I read Kafka's The Trial as more about theology than worldly affairs. As for politics as a profession, the source from The Economist recommends "Primary Colors", C.P. Snow's "The Corridors of Power", and "All the King's Men".
It is less fruitful and less fun to guess at the best novels about business and economics, perhaps because the relevant truths seem banal in a fictional context.
Credibility: "According to the New York Times, President Bush and Vice President Cheney "have done grievous harm to the credibility of the Oval Office and the country." Perhaps so, but by being so blatantly partisan in its political coverage, the Times has done grievous harm to its own credibility and to the profession of journalism. Does the Times not see this?"
Media hostility: "President George W. Bush's father accused the news media of "personal animosity" toward his son and said he found the criticism so unrelenting he sometimes talked back to his television set. "It's one thing to have an adversarial ... relationship -- hard-hitting journalism -- it's another when the journalists' rhetoric goes beyond skepticism and goes over the line into overt, unrelenting hostility and personal animosity," former President George Bush said. The elder Bush, the 41st U.S. president, had a relatively collegial relationship with the press but things turned sour during his losing 1992 re-election campaign. He got so fed up with media coverage that supporters at the time circulated hats with the slogan "Annoy the Media -- Re-Elect Bush."
Air America Can't Even Pull Listeners In Santa Cruz: "Pretty telling when liberal radio can't even pull listeners in one of the most liberal cities in America. Al Franken, Randi Rhodes and Sam Seeder - articulate liberal pundits - don't sell well, even in Santa Cruz. The trio are part of the nationally syndicated Air America, which was dropped from Santa Cruz radio station KOMY 1340 AM on Thursday and replaced with music from the 1950s, `60s and `70s. The left-leaning radio network, aimed at taking on Rush Limbaugh and other conservative talk shows, debuted on Central Coast airwaves in July 2005, but local advertisers never bought in, station owner Michael Zwerling said. "We didn't sell a single ad in a year and a half," Zwerling said Thursday. "I thought liberal radio would work as a viable advertising business in the most liberal town in America. I was wrong" Santa Cruz isn't the only place Air America has problems. The network is struggling nationwide and filed for bankruptcy four months ago."
IRS can't even collect taxes from government employees: "Internal Revenue Service documents show that the government is still trying to recover nearly $2.8 billion in back taxes from over 450,000 active and retired federal government employees who failed to file tax returns or pay taxes, or some 3.3 percent of the federal bureaucracy. Spreadsheets obtained by Washington, D.C., radio station WTOP under the Freedom of Information Act show that hundreds of thousands of government employees failed to file a tax return for the 2005 tax year.... The United States Postal Service was the agency with the highest level of noncompliance, while the Treasury Department had the lowest level. IRS agents can be fired if they fail to pay taxes. But, an IRS spokesman told WTOP, it's no easier to collect from the bureaucrats as it is from the rest of us. Indeed, the IRS can hardly get a handle around the tax noncompliance issue, and has been reduced to prosecuting high-profile people who they allege have failed to pay taxes owed, such as Wesley Snipes."
Immigration Benefit 'Equivalent to a Mars bar a Month': "New figures out today reveal that, on the Government's own figures, the benefit to each member of the native population of the UK from immigration is worth about 4p a week - or less than the equivalent of a small Mars bar a month. In an analysis of a series of reports on the economic impact of immigration on the UK think-tank Migrationwatch has found that overall the much vaunted contribution of immigrants to the economy is very slight indeed - a finding that coincides with the results of major studies around the world."
Obama: Just another "No Ideas" Leftist
Like most Leftists, he is so short of ideas that he just recycles old ideas that have repeatedly failed elsewhere. He wants to downgrade American healthcare to the appalling level of Britain's NHS. But no Leftist cares how destructive their ideas are -- as long as it sounds good at the time. They exploit the low level of knowledge of the average voter -- a low level of knowledge that they have themselves created by their white-anting of public education
Every American should have health care coverage within six years, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday as he set an ambitious goal soon after jumping into the 2008 presidential race. "The time has come for universal health care in America," Obama said at a conference of Families USA, a health care advocacy group. "I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country," the Illinois senator said.
Obama was previewing what is shaping up to be a theme of the 2008 Democratic primary. His chief rivals, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards, also are strong proponents of universal health care and have promised to offer their plans.
Obama said while plans are offered in every campaign season with "much fanfare and promise," they collapse under the weight of Washington politics, leaving citizens to struggle with the skyrocketing costs. He said it's wrong that 46 million in this country are uninsured when the country spends more than any one else on health care. He said Americans pay $15 billion in taxes to help care for the uninsured. "We can't afford another disappointing charade in 2008, 2009 and 2010," Obama said. "It's not only tiresome, it's wrong."
Obama's call was an echo of a speech he made last April when he said Democrats "need to cling to the core values that make us Democrats, the belief in universal health care, the belief in universal education, and then we should be agnostic in terms of how to achieve those values." His argument Thursday not only will be considered through the prism of the presidential campaign, but weighed against rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's ill-fated plan to overhaul the health care insurance system when she was first lady. Even after leading that calamitous attempt in 1993, Clinton remains in favor of universal health care and has made it a central theme of her presidential bid....
DEMOCRATS' SILENCE ON THE GLOBAL JIHAD
For McCain, a Republican presidential hopeful, the struggle against the Islamists is the paramount issue of the day. His campaign website, while spare, highlights a recent speech in which McCain called stopping radical Islam "our most important moral obligation." He described the jihadists as "moral monsters but . . . also a disciplined, dedicated movement driven by an apocalyptic religious zeal, which celebrates martyrdom and murder." We are in a battle with "those who would shackle humanity, especially women, in a feudal theocracy," McCain said. "We cannot afford to take a holiday from history."
Sounding nearly as resolute is former governor Mitt Romney, whose campaign website puts "Defeating the Jihadists" first in its list of key campaign issues. "The jihadists are waging a global war against the United States and its allies," Romney is quoted as saying, "with the ambition of replacing legitimate governments with a caliphate -- a theocracy." Speaking in Israel yesterday, Romney asserted that "a central purpose of NATO should be to defeat radical Islam," through means both military and ideological.
The Democratic candidates, by contrast, are virtually silent on the subject. Barack Obama launched his exploratory committee with an online video that mentioned the economy, healthcare, vanishing pensions, college costs, and the fractiousness of partisan politics. His only nod to national security was a passing reference to the war in Iraq, which he opposes. But 9/11 and its aftermath? The worldwide jihad? The global conflict between democratic freedom and Taliban-style repression? Not a word.
Hillary Clinton's highly praised kickoff video likewise included nothing about the overriding threat of our time. Her website does contain a speech she gave at the Council on Foreign Relations last October, but it is filled with windy rhetoric about diplomacy and international conferences and how we must address the "troubled conditions terrorists seek out." New Yorkers don't need to be told "that we are in a war against terrorists who seek to do us harm," Clinton says. But if she recognizes that the future of the civilized world depends on winning that war, she shows little sign of it.
A peace scam: "The Israeli-Palestinian peace process was a "scam" during the 1990s and because of that Washington should not be pushing Israel to make a "land for peace deal" now, a former head of the CIA said here.... Bush is the first U.S. leader to publicly back the idea of a "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But former CIA director James Woolsey said this week the U.S. should learn from past experience. Until something changes in the P.A. there would not be an Israeli-Palestinian deal, he said.... "I don't know how you realistically expect a friend and ally to negotiate a land-for-peace deal with an entity that in effect still wants to destroy it," he added."
Winston Churchill had observed Muslims close up. He said: : ""How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world".
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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-01-2005 TOWN OF GROTON – MINUTES OF TOWN BOARD MEETING TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2005 AT 7:30 PM PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL HEARING ON SMALL CITIES GRANT PUBLIC HEARING ON 2006 BUDGET/FIRE & AMBULANCE BUDGETS THE TOWN HALL, 101 CONGER BOULEVARD Those present: Glenn E. Morey, Supervisor Ellard L. Sovocool, Councilman Donald F. Scheffler, Councilman Richard B. Gamel, Councilman Sheldon C. Clark, Councilman Victoria Monty, Attorney for the Town Also present: Gary Coats, Elizabeth Brennan, April Scheffler, Tyke Randall, Phyllis Randall, Rosemarie Tucker, Frank Satterly, Daphne Slater, Stacey Crawford, Kathy Cornell, Shirley Greene, Barbara Watts, Arthur Whalen, Sr., Shirley Whalen, Robin Terwilliger, Valerie Beckley, Janice McFall, Bud McFall, John Hartfor, Alan Edwards, Jr., Theresa Hoffman, Kevin Parker, Joni Parker and several other members of the public. MOVED by Councilman Sovocool, seconded by Councilman Gamel, to approve the minutes of the October 11, 2005 meeting and Public Hearing on the Joint Town and Village Comprehensive Plan as presented. Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey. General Fund Claim Numbers 330-355 of the in the amount of $19,245.90 were presented for audit. MOVED by Councilman Gamel, seconded by Councilman Scheffler, to approve the General Bills for payment. Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey. Highway Fund Claim Numbers 175-193 of the in the amount of $23,889.96 were presented for audit. MOVED by Councilman Clark, seconded by Councilman Sovocool, to approve the Highway Bills for payment. Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey. Town Board Minutes Page 2 November1, 2005 Privilege of the Floor Supervisor Morey offered but no one wished to speak. Monthly Reports: Elizabeth Brennan, Bookkeeper\Highway Clerk – Submitted monthly reports for the Board's review and asked for budget transfers. RESOLUTION #05-107 – 2005 BUDGET TRANSFER – GENERAL FUND MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Scheffler Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey RESOLVED, that the Town Board approves the following 2005 Budget Transfer: General Fund – Town Wide: From: Contingency A1990.4…………………………$3,491.95 To: Buildings, Personal Services A1620.1………….. 438.67 Health Insurance A9060.8……………………..3,053.28 RESOLUTION #05-108 – 2005 BUDGET TRANSFER – HIGHWAY FUND MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Sovocool Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the following 2005 Budget Transfer: Highway Fund – Town Wide: From: Bond, Interest DA9730.7………………………$1,708.36 Sick Leave DA5142.12………………………….2,146.80 To: Health Insurance DA9060.8……………………..3,855.16 Richard C. Case, Highway Superintendent was absent. Report read by Highway Clerk: At the present time the Highway Department is dedicated to the preventive maintenance program and winter equipment change-over. Roadside mowing, drainage and culvert repair is still taking place daily. Hot-patch work is being done when weather permits. With regret, I accepted Randy Crispell's resignation for the position of Highway Mechanic. Randy saw us through one of the most productive summers the Highway Department has ever had. Everyone at the Highway Department wishes him well in his future. I have hired Dale Kinney from Stevens Road, Groton, to fill the position of Highway Mechanic. th Dale started work on October 26. Dale is providing his own tools and brings with him a very impressive resume and a lot of experience. I request a Board resolution to pay Dale Kinney $15.50 per hour to perform the position of Highway Mechanic. Town Board Minutes Page 3 November1, 2005 RESOLUTION #109 – APPROVE WAGE FOR HIGHWAY MECHANIC MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Clark Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves a wage of $15.50 per hour, effective October 26, 2005, for the Highway Mechanic, Dale Kinney. Supervisor Morey – We'd also like to thank Randy Crispell for very dedicated service and we thank him very much. Gary Coats, Code\Fire Enforcement Officer – We've had a lot of houses finished up and a lot of woodstoves. Life safety inspections are up to date. Yesterday Sheldon and Rick and I and Rosemarie and Leslie Chatterton, the Historic Preservation Planner for the City of Ithaca, met at Muka's property and went through the property. There's been large changes, all cosmetic. I'm going to have to write a report again. There's two buildings, actually, in one, in my opinion. As you look at the house the one on the left, it's tied to a telephone pole kind of thing inside the house and perhaps with a cable with turnbuckles and the turnbuckles draw it to the house. Evidently it had started pulling away from the house because it has no footer. It just has laid up blocks like you'd put underneath a mobile home. As far as the house goes, there are major issues with it. The foundation is sound. The floor joists, there's three or four of them broken and they could be easily repaired. But to build this to the energy code, to build this to the building code the way it should be done, I believe it's not going to be done by the current owner. If somebody bought that and wanted to make it into a nice, beautiful little house and they had, I would say at least $50,000 to put into it; a new kitchen, walls; make it energy efficient; deal with the ceiling height issues; deal with the stairway issues; yes it could be done. But I don't see the current owner as being that individual. I mean, he did an awful lot of work but he's just adverse to spending a dime. He had the Stetsons from Summerhill hauling stuff out of there. All the appliances are out of the house but there's two or three bedrooms that he hasn't gotten to yet and there's stuff two or three feet high all over. Supervisor Morey – But one of the additions up there has to be taken down. Isn't that correct? Mr. Coats – In my opinion, yes, it can't be safe. I fell through it. There's rough-hewn sill, and it's not even there underneath the door. There's a piece of luan plywood covering it up and I broke through the luan plywood. The block walls, I don't believe they are mortared and I believe there's no footer under that and that's what caused it to sink. It's pulling away from the house so they put this turnbuckle in there to pull it back in and then they flashed it to cover the gap where it pulled away from the house. So, I believe that has to go. We also did some quick math up there. If someone was going to go in and redo the house they wouldn't have to get signed blueprints from and architect or engineer in New York State to do the house only but if you added in the addition, then you would have to get stamped prints because it goes over the 1500 square foot threshold. There's no saving to it; there's no foundation. The house has got a foundation and it's fairly decent. I have confidence that house is not going to fall down but the other part will. Is that pretty much what you guys think, having been in it? Town Board Minutes Page 4 November1, 2005 Councilman Gamel – That's how I felt, Gary, I think the addition on the left is dangerous. I think that could come down at any time and I think it should come home. But the main house I think is a solid structure. Mr. Coats – To the right person that could be an asset. Councilman Gamel – I agree. Mr. Coats – Since he's started cleaning up the price has gone up. His interest is in selling the property, not to create a house there and live in it or fix it up and sell it as a house, he wants to get $25,000 for it and sell it to somebody who would do the work. But that person coming in better have the money, $50 – 70,000. Supervisor Morey – So, basically what your opinion is, is we're just going to wait until he sells it and hopefully the next owner and meanwhile this could go on for years and years? Mr. Coats – I think we should continue to get that one side torn down. Supervisor Morey – So, the recommendation for the Board is to keep going the way we have been in the court to get rid of it. So, I think we should force the issue and carry on the way we have been doing it. I don't care what happens but I want a safe house and have somebody do something with it. It's gone on too long. Councilman Clark – I agree with you. Councilman Scheffler – Pursue it to the point where it's safe. If that section comes down and the rest of it's doable I'd be willing to go that far with it. But the dangerous part definitely we need to continue on. We might as well continue until he can prove that the house is no longer dangerous and he can do that by taking down the bad spot. It's up to him. Put the ball is in his court. Supervisor Morey – We'd like to see some good faith. Councilman Scheffler – Yes, let's see some good faith. If he knocks it down and the place is solid then I'm happy. Councilman Gamel – I'd like to see the main house stay and I'd like to see the addition down. I don't think it's necessary to tear that house down. Because it's not the prettiest thing on the face of the earth I don't think it needs to come down. I don't think that's an issue that I need to make a judgment on. I don't think that's my position. I think my position is to make it safe and I think the only thing that needs to be done to make it safe is to take the addition off. Councilman Clark – I have a lot of mixed feelings on it but I'll go along with that. My gut feeling is that it ought to go but I will agree to give him a chance if he will show good faith. Councilman Scheffler – I would like to add that as a building I'd like to see it stay, if it's safe, but as a house that may be a different issue. For someone to live in a house that needs everything that you say it needs…… Councilman Gamel – No one could live in it as it sits right now, Don. Town Board Minutes Page 5 November1, 2005 Councilman Scheffler – You'd be surprised. Councilman Gamel – Yes, I know, the last person lived in it that way. Councilman Scheffler – But I'd be willing to call it a building and leave it standing. If somebody wants to make a house out of it someday, they can get the permits. Supervisor Morey – Okay, carry on Vicki. Councilman Clark asked about property located on the Groton/Summerhill border where junk vehicles were accumulating on the Groton side of the road. Mr. Coats said that the appropriate parties had been cited and told to remove the vehicles. April L. Scheffler, Town Clerk\Tax Collector – Monthly report was not submitted at this time because bank statements had not yet been received. Next week is elections. The County may be picking up some of the machines following the elections. Supervisor Morey – Have we worked anything out with the school? Clerk Scheffler – We don't have the choice to work it out with the school. They are saying that they are thinking of eventually giving them to the school after they get the new machines. But of course eventually there won't be anyone who knows how to set them up and there will be no parts for them so it won't be long before they're obsolete. We have a meeting on December 16 with the Assessment Department and Budget and Finance to talk about new tax bills and all that stuff. I told you that they are not going to extend the warrant so we have a lot of questions about that and how it's going to work. I have the Gadabout contracts to be signed. We have the website just about ready to go. And that's about it. RESOLUTION #05-110 – APPROVE 2005 GADABOUT CONTRACT MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Sovocool Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey RESOLVED , that the Town Board hereby approves the contract with Gadabout Transportation Services, Inc. for the calendar year 2005 in the amount of $4,370.00. Victoria Monty, Attorney for the Town – I have given the Board Members a confidential memo on pending litigation. That's all I have to report. Councilman Donald Scheffler, as Recreation Coordinator – Our Halloween Party went well Saturday. The kids had a lot of fun. Parents had a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun. April had a lot of fun. She darn near froze to death but had a lot of fun. We're going to try to promote it again next year. Town Board Minutes Page 6 November1, 2005 PUBLIC HEARING – PROVIDING INFORMATION ON SMALL CITIES GRANT Supervisor Morey opened the Public Hearing at 8:00PM. The Notice of Public Hearing was read by the clerk, which had been published in the Town's official paper, the Groton Independent. Stacey Crawford, Better Housing for Tompkins County – Basically the housing rehabilitation program that the Town was awarded will provide enough funds to help as many as 20 people with repairs on their homes. The cost of materials and things are going up so we're not quite sure if we will be able to help that many but we certainly will try. It can be to provide rehabilitation for a number of major systems: roof, well, septic, windows, lead paint issues. A total maximum for everything, it can't be more than $25,000 per home. Not all homes need that much so some get less than that and some get that much. It just depends on each individual household and it has to be for health and safety things, not aesthetic things or just to enlarge a house or something like that. The page I handed out has a chart on it that shows what the income limits are. Ms. Crawford explained some of the paperwork that would be needed if a person was selected. She also explained that there would be a 5-year diminishing lien on the property after the work is done and at the end of the five years it is totally forgiven. Better Housing has also started home maintenance classes to help people who are interested. She said that there is a long waiting list due to applications that have been previously submitted and the oversight committee would be deciding how the grant would be distributed. There is still paperwork that needs to be done before they begin but hope to start in December or January. People can call Better Housing to find out if they are already on the waiting list. Staff would be writing the bid specs and give help with finding contractors as well as be available if problems arise along the way. There were a few questions from the public. One person asked if replacing floor joists would qualify and Ms. Crawford said yes. Someone else asked if they would do work on trailers and she said they would if they were on private property and not in a park. Supervisor Morey – There are applications here on the table and there will be some in the Town Clerk's Office. Councilman Scheffler – Is this just for outside the Village or does it include the Village? Supervisor Morey – Outside the Village. The Village has their own program. The Committee is going to be Lewie Sovocool, myself, usually the County Representative and Stacey. We promise you that we will make this money go as far as possible and help everybody that we can. We will take care of the emergencies and the most needy first and go on from there. It will take time but we will not forget you. If you think we're not working fast enough, please call me. Supervisor Morey moved to close the Public Hearing, seconded by Councilman Sovocool, at 8:18PM. Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey Town Board Minutes Page 7 November1, 2005 RESOLUTION #05-111 – APPROVE CONTRACT WITH NYSEG SOLUTIONS MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Sovocool Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the natural gas sales agreement with NYSEG Solution for a variable price. RESOLUTION #05-112 – ADOPTION OF THE TOMPKINS COUNTY MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL ALL-HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Gamel Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey WHEREAS, Tompkins County and the municipalities therein have identified a history of damages resulting from flooding, severe storms, winter storms, and other weather-related phenomena, and have recognized the potential for future damages resulting from natural, human- caused, and technological disasters, and WHEREAS, an all-hazards mitigation plan can provide recommendations to help prevent and minimize the damages resulting from such events, and WHEREAS, the adoption of an all-hazards mitigation plan is required to be eligible to receive State and Federal funding for hazard mitigation initiatives, and WHEREAS, the County of Tompkins and the towns of Caroline, Danby, Enfield, Groton, Ithaca, Lansing, and Ulysses (Partners) executed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2003 to develop a Multi-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Mitigation Plan (Plan), and WHEREAS, the Plan has been drafted in accordance with the requirements of the New York State Emergency Management Office (SEMO), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, and WHEREAS, the Plan includes jurisdiction-specific recommendations to minimize the damages associated with natural, human-caused, and technological disasters, and WHEREAS, the Plan has been made available for public review online at the Tompkins County Planning Department Hazard Mitigation website and by placement in municipal offices, the Tompkins County Planning Office, and the Tompkins County Public Library, with notices published in the Ithaca Journal, the local paper of record, inviting public comment, and WHEREAS, public meetings were hosted by the Partners throughout the development of the Plan to discuss the contents of the Plan with members of the public, and WHEREAS, comments from the public and Partners have been incorporated into the Plan, and WHEREAS, the Plan is wholly supported by its reviewers, and Town Board Minutes Page 8 November1, 2005 WHEREAS, the Town of Groton has reviewed the Plan and affirms that the Plan will be updated no less than every five years, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Groton hereby adopts the Tompkins County Multi-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Mitigation Plan as its all-hazards mitigation plan, and resolves to execute the actions in the Plan. RESOLUTION #05-113 – ADOPTION OF THE JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE VILLAGE AND TOWN OF GROTON MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Gamel Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Plan Committee of the Town of Groton has worked in concert with the Village of Groton Planning Board to develop a Joint Comprehensive Plan for the Village and Town of Groton, and WHEREAS, the proposed Joint Comprehensive Plan for the Village and Town of Groton is intended to provide a framework for the future growth and development of the Village and Town in a manner that promotes the health, safety and general welfare of all residents, and further, promotes cooperation and coordination between the Town and the Village in addressing issues of mutual cooperation, and WHEREAS, the Town Comprehensive Plan Committee, on August 17, 2005, held a Public Hearing on the proposed Joint Comprehensive Plan for the Village and Town of Groton to receive public comments for and against the draft document, and WHEREAS, after receiving public comment, the Town Comprehensive Plan Committee, on August 17, 2005, did forward the Plan document, with minor revisions, to the Town Board with a recommendation that the Town Board adopt it, and WHEREAS, the Town of Groton Town Board, acting as lead agency for environmental review under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act, did on October 11, 2005 make a negative determination of environmental significance, and WHEREAS, on October 11, 2005 the Town Board did hold a Public Hearing on the proposed Joint Comprehensive Plan for the Village and Town of Groton to receive public comments for and against the draft document THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town of Groton Town Board hereby adopts the Joint Comprehensive Plan for the Village and Town of Groton, with those minor revisions, as recommended by the Town Comprehensive Plan Committee. Supervisor Morey – I'd like to take this opportunity, personally, to thank the Town of Groton Comprehensive Plan Committee, Chairperson Lyle Raymond, Mary Gloster, vice-chair, Monica Carey, Steven Thane, our members at large, Julie Graham and Doug Albern and our consultant Town Board Minutes Page 9 November1, 2005 George Frantz. Through their tireless efforts and dedication over the last three years, I believe they have produced a truly comprehensive plan for the Town and Village which we can use as a growth map for the future prosperity of the Town. The plan covers ten goals and objectives which cover quality of life, community character, economy, agriculture, housing, education, municipal services, the environment. I personally know that the committee spent many hours on each and every one of these goals. Public opinions were received and incorporated into the plan. I believe this is a flexible document that the Town will benefit from. I applaud the committee for their work and I want to thank them. PUBLIC HEARING UPON THE 2006 PRELIMINARY BUDGET Supervisor Morey opened the Public Hearing at 8:30 PM. The Notice of Public Hearing was read by the Clerk which had been published in the Town's legal paper, the Groton Independent. Supervisor Morey asked if there were any public comments and there were none. Amounts to be raised by taxes are as follows: A.General Fund…………………………$ 323,331.00 B.Part Town…………………………….$ 126,586.00 DA. Highway Fund Town Wide…………$ 562,600.00 DB. Highway Fund Part Town…………..$ 240,728.00 Total Town $1,253,245.00 Tax Rate for 2005………………………….$7.22 per thousand close the Public Hearing There being no further comments, Councilman Sovocool moved to , seconded by Councilman Scheffler, at 8:35 PM. Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey RESOLUTION # 01-114 – ADOPT 2006 BUDGET MOVED by Councilman Sovocool, seconded by Councilman Gamel Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby adopts the 2006 Town of Groton Preliminary Budget as the 2006 Town of Groton Final Budget. PUBLIC HEARING ON FIRE AND AMBULANCE CONTRACTS Supervisor Morey opened the Public Hearing at 8:35 PM. The Notice of Public Hearing was read by the Clerk which had been published in the Town's legal paper, the Groton Independent. Supervisor Morey asked if there were any public comments and there were none. Supervisor Morey pointed out that the Town of Groton Fire budget will be $81,000.00 for the Year 2006 and the Town of Groton Ambulance budget will be $75,000.00. Town Board Minutes Page 10 November1, 2005 close the There being no comments from the public or the Board, Supervisor Morey moved to Public Hearing , seconded by Councilman Gamel, at 8:37 PM. RESOLUTION #05-115 – ACCEPT 2006 FIRE AND AMBULANCE CONTRACTS MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Scheffler Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby accepts the Town of Groton Fire and Ambulance Contracts for the Year 2006. Set Public Hearing Date: The Town Board, wanting to pass a Local Law for disability tax exemption, set a Public Hearing on said local law for Tuesday, December 13, 2005 at 8:00 PM. Announcements: Planning Board Meeting, November 17 Groton Historical Association Annual Dinner, November 12 at 5 PM at the Benn Conger Inn, RSVP required Executive Session Motion was made by Councilman Scheffler to go into for reasons of discussing a contract issue, seconded by Councilman Sovocool, at 8:22 PM. Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey return to Regular Session Motion was made by Supervisor Morey to , seconded by Councilman Gamel, at 9:04 PM. Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Gamel, Clark, Morey Supervisor Morey – Let the record show that nothing was decided. There being no further business, Councilman Sovocool moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilman Scheffler, at 9:05 PM. Unanimous. April L. Scheffler, RMC Town Clerk


Putin is not satisfied with the information he was given
12 марта 2012, 21:12Общество
This is about the top-managers of the largest state-owned companies
VLADIVOSTOK. March 12. VOSTOK MEDIA - The Prime Minister and President-elect Vladimir Putin of Russia was unhappy with the way state-owned companies disclose information about its contractors and managers, and demanded from them for five days to correct the situation, says "Kommersant". In relation to the responsible executives with the rank of "not less than deputy head" in the same term should be "taken", and for concealing information about yourself - "personnel decisions." In addition, the state-owned companies are now required to fully disclose the beneficiaries of all their subsidiaries, and they warn that they will comply with the premiere of a new order is no less zeal than the former, but informally talk about the meaninglessness of everything that happens, says the publication.
Сюжеты: Приморский край


washingtonpost.com > Metro > The District
Georgetown U. Ejects Private Ministry Groups
By Michelle Boorstein
Protestant groups that have been ministering to Georgetown University students on campus for years say they are stunned that the Catholic university has decided to eject outside ministries from campus, a decision that affects only Protestant organizations.
Georgetown's Protestant chaplaincy, part of the office of Campus Ministry, told the six outside Protestant groups Aug. 17 that they would no longer be allowed to reserve rooms for weekly meetings, use Georgetown's name or organize on campus without an invitation from a student. Between 100 and 300 students are active in the groups, which include Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, national organizations.
Georgetown spokesman Erik Smulson said yesterday that the Protestant chaplaincy had recently been reorganized -- including making one of its three part-time chaplains full time -- and wants more control over its on-campus ministries.
Protestant students make up about a fifth of the student body at Georgetown, and there had been "communication and coordination problems" with some members of the private ministries, Smulson said. "It was hard for Campus Ministry to keep track of them," he said.
Although other campus faith communities have affiliations with private groups, such as the Catholic group Knights of Columbus or the Jewish group Hillel, Smulson said each of them is overseen by a Georgetown faculty member.
But leaders and student members of the Protestant groups were angry yesterday and met at a Capitol Hill home to trade complaints.
They said various private Protestant ministry groups have been welcomed on campus on and off for decades, and only in the past couple of years -- with new leadership in the Protestant chaplaincy -- has their goodwill been called into question.
A key issue has been whether those in the groups proselytize. Suddenly the university imposed new rules requiring them to come to Campus Ministry-sponsored events, and school officials asked questions about what they "tell students behind closed doors," said Kevin Offner, who oversees the InterVarsity program for graduate students at Georgetown, American and George Washington universities and the University of Maryland.
He said the other schools allow private ministries to reserve space and hold events, and they are "welcoming."
"It's felt over time that there has been a growing lack of trust," Offner said.
Group members said they won't press the school's decision, but they expect students, alumni and parents to speak up. Protestant students could establish a student group and access space that way.
Chris Wilson, 32, who is in a master's program in security studies, said he believes the Protestant chaplaincy is "micromanaging and being petty" because officials are upset that more students don't participate in school-run programs.
Wilson is a member of the InterVarsity Fellowship and said the university is biased when it asks evangelical Christians not to evangelize. "They don't want us sharing," he said. "They don't want us to make our presence known."
Smulson, however, said the decision is more of an administrative one.
There is a "desire within the Protestant chaplaincy to build the ministry from within . . . rather than rely on outside groups or fellowships," he said.


PA-RISC family
PA-RISC is a microprocessor architecture developed by Hewlett-Packard's Systems & VLSI Technology Operation. As the name implies, it is an implementation using a RISC design, where the PA stands for Precision Architecture. The design is also referred to as HP/PA for Hewlett Packard Precision Architecture. PA is considered by some to stand for Palo Alto, the location of HP's headquarters.
In the late 1980s HP was building two series of computers, both on CISC CPUs. One was the HP 9000 Unix workstations, designs based on the Motorola 68000 family they had acquired when they purchased Apollo Computer. The other was the HP3000 series minicomputers, based on an HP designed 16-bit CPU. HP was looking to use the PA-RISC to move all of their machines to a single RISC CPU family.
The early PA-RISC chips were 32-bit designs. They were first used in a new series of HP3000 machines in the late 1980s--the 930 and 950, commonly known at the time as Spectrum systems, the name given to them in the development labs. These machines ran MPE/iX. The HP 9000 machines were soon upgraded with the PA-RISC processor as well, running the HP-UX version of UNIX.
Other operating systems ported to the PA-RISC processor include Mach, Linux, OpenBSD, NetBSD, NEXTSTEP, and an unreleased Windows NT.
An interesting aspect of the PA-RISC line is that most of its generations have no Level 2 cache. Instead large Level 1 caches are used, formerly as separate chips connected by a bus, now integrated on-chip. Only the PA-7100LC and PA-7300LC had L2 caches. Another innovation of the PA-RISC was the addition of multimedia instructions (SIMD) in the form of MAX which were first introduced on the 7100LC.
The design was upgraded in 1996 to the PA-RISC 2.0 architecture, which is fully 64-bit, with the PA-8000's release. It featured ten functional units and an aggressive pipelining system. Another change was the splitting of the instruction cache, with separate caches for instructions that take long or short time to complete. The PA-8200 was released in 1997 and was much like the PA-8000 with better branch prediction, lower TLB miss rates, and larger, faster caches.
The PA-8500 design added the cache to the main chip, with 1.5MB of Level 1 cache. Consequently, it was a great performer for its time. With its introduction the Runway bus was upgraded to a DDR implementation providing ~2 GB/s peak bandwidth to memory. Its branch history table was doubled in size to 2048 entries and its translation lookaside buffer was increased from 120 to 160 entries.
The 8600 is essentially a higher clocked 8500 with a quasi-LRU instruction cache eviction policy. The 8700 is clocked higher than the 8600, to which it is otherwise similar, and has 2.25 MB of L1 cache. It also gained a quasi-LRU data cache eviction policy and data prefetch capability. It is worth noting that the relatively high latencies of the integrated L1, a tradeoff due to its size, may limit performance. However, the size of HP's integrated caches remain impressive for their process sizes.
The PA-8800, codenamed Mako, features 2 independent microprocessors on a single die. Thus each "chip" forms a 2-way SMP set. Each processor on the 8800 has a 1.5 MB L1 cache, but HP is leaving behind its L1-only design custom by including 32 MB of L2 cache using separate chips. The Runway bus has been replaced by the 6.4 GB/s Itanium2 bus, allowing greater bandwidth and the use of otherwise very similar server designs for both PA-RISC and Itanium.
The PA-8900 is similar to the 8800, but features a faster 64 MB shared L2 and slight core improvements such as better error detection and correction on caches. It is not a die shrink of the 8800, as was earlier rumored. It is the last in the PA-RISC line.
The core design introduced with the PA-8000 has not changed significantly to date; each later generation has concentrated only on increasing clock speed and integrating incremental improvements like larger caches and, finally, 2 cores on one chip. Along with the MIPS architecture, the PA-RISC is nearing the end of its lifecycle as a commercial UNIX-machine CPU.
Frequency [MHz]
Memory Bus [MB/s]
Process [µm]
Transistors [millions]
Die size [mm²]
Power [W]
Dcache [k]
Icache [k]
PCX-S PA-7000 1989 66 ? 1.0 0.58 201.6 ? 256 256 -- 1.1a
PCX-T PA-7100 1992 33-100 ? 0.8 0.85 196 ? 2048 1024 -- 1.1b
PCX-T PA-7150 1994 125 ? 0.8 0.85 196 ? 2048 1024 -- 1.1b
PCX-T' PA-7200 1994 120 960 0.55 1.26 210 30 1024 2048 -- 1.1c
PCX-L PA-7100LC 1994 60-100 ? 0.75 0.9 201.6 7-11 -- 1 2MB 1.1d
PCX-L2 PA-7300LC 1996 132-180 ? 0.5 9.2 260.1 ? 64 64 1-8MB 1.1e
PCX-U PA-8000 1996 160-180 960 0.5 3.8/4.5? 338/347? ? 1024 1024 -- 2.0
PCX-U+ PA-8200 1997 200-240 960 0.5 3.8/4.5? 338/347? ? 2048 2048 -- 2.0
PCX-W PA-8500 1998? 360-440 1920 0.25 140 467 ? 1024 512 -- 2.0
PCX-W+ PA-8600 2000 552 1920 0.25 140 467 ? 1024 512 -- 2.0
PCX-W2 PA-8700 2001 800-875 1920 0.18 186 304 ? 1536 768 -- 2.0
Mako PA-8800 2003 1000 6400 0.13 300 361 ? 768/core 768/core 32MB 2.0
? PA-8900 2005 1100 6400 0.13 ? ? ? 768/core 768/core 64MB 2.0
The1 shells (http://the1.no-ip.com) Free shell access to a Debian Linux PA-RISC systemde:PA-RISC
Retrieved from "https://clipart.academickids.com:443/encyclopedia/index.php/PA-RISC_family"
Categories: Microprocessors | Hewlett-Packard products


Tea Party Leader Upset With All The Gay Thugs Republicans Are Attracting
November 30, 2013 2:24 am - NewsBehavingBadly.com
The Fort Lauderdale Tea Party founder is quite unnerved by all the "gay thugs" the GOP has attracted.
In a November email obtained by the Sun-Sentinel, Danita Kilcullen said the Employment Non-Discrimination Act would force employers to "hire someone with orange hair, body/neck/face covered with tattoos, multiple piercings, or a man in a dress … or for that matter, a demonstrative effeminate male or purposeful butch-looking female." The Log Cabin Republicans, in supporting this legislation, "is a thug organization with only their own 'special interests' in play." Kilcullen's email was in response to 10 Republicans joining Democrats to approve ENDA in the Senate. ENDA, whose future remains uncertain in the House of Representatives, outlaws workplace discrimination against sexual orientation or gender identity. Following the vote, Log Cabins praised the Senate and urged Republicans in the House to vote in favor.


B1G 2016 // The Nebraska Cornhuskers traditions piece featuring Corn Nation
By Jesse Collins, Husker Mike, Jon Johnston, Ty Peteranetz, and Brian Towle May 4, 2016, 6:00am CDT
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When we were talking about different ideas for B1G 2016, one of the things our team wanted to hit on were different traditions that you may or may not know about. Babaoreally did not mess around last week and introduced us to Buttercup the Fistulated Cow. I assure you, I was never going to be cool enough to do this piece on my own, and I sure as heck was not going to have Buttercup the Fistulated Cow.
So, I naturally did what any good writer does. I asked someone else to write for me. I present to you the fine folks from Corn Nation giving you insights on various Nebraska Traditions. These all more or less make sense, but hey, hopefully you learn something. At minimum, isn't it nice that you don't have to read me droning on?
Nebraska Traditions
Jon Johnston: To be honest, I'm not much for traditions in an overall sense of the word. Traditions to me, regardless of origin, mean "Let's do the same thing we've always done". I've spent a career in IT as a consultant, and I've loved it, and I still love it, and a big reason why is because of the changes and the challenges it presents on a yearly basis.
Most people hate change so they invent traditions.
Ty: "This is how we've always done it" could be the state motto. I probably won't make a lot of fans by saying that. Some of the traditions are FANTASTIC (I LOVE the Tunnel Walk), but it seems like some are held on to because we're afraid to let go.
Brian: Don't forget about that whole "Through these gates pass the greatest fans in College Football" then doing everything that justifies taking those stupid signs down.
Look, these guys are good at the Nebraska thing
Nebraska Cornhuskers blog Corn Nation
Balloon Release After The First Score
Jon: Nebraska fans release helium-filled balloons after the team scores the first time. I wrote about this in 2014 with the slant that it should go away. It has not.
Clapping for the other team win or lose
Ty: My first experience with this was my first game at Memorial. I had driven overnight from Denver to watch the Huskers take on Iowa State in 2009. The game was at 11:00 am. The weather was GROSS- Wet, misty, cold- and Nebraska held Iowa State to nine points. However, we gave up eight, EIGHT turnovers, and scored only seven. As the dejected sea of red filed out, the Cyclones celebrated with their fans in the southwest corner of the stadium. As the Iowa State players finally ran to the locker room, every fan in the stadium stopped and applauded an effort well-done by Iowa State. I've been to many games since, and it happens every game, no matter the outcome.
The LONGEST SELLOUT STREAK IN THE HISTORY OF ALL THE UNIVERSE FOREVER
Mike: Going into year 54 now… for years, they've counted the number of sellouts. This needs to switch to years because most people now don't remember a time when NU actually had to man a ticket window for sales at Memorial Stadium.
Jon: This is pretty impressive. You can try to discount it with the old line "There's nothing else to do in Nebraska", but name something else that has continued for 54 straight years in sports.
Brian: Well, that and, compared to a whole lot of other places, Nebraska's face value of a ticket is fairly cheap compared to a lot of sporting events, college or pro.
Walk Ons
Jon: The romanticism that is Nebraska football is as such: Joey from Nowhere, Nebraska leaves his tiny little town just after he's finished wiping out the latest locust invasion and heads to Lincoln, Nebraska. He walks the 243 miles, arriving in town, shoes in tatters, and sees a sign that says he can try out for the football team so he does. He makes it, and one year later, he's a starter. A year after that, he's All-Conference, and then an All-American after he single-handedly wins a championship and gets all the girls.
The problem? WHERE THE HELL HAS JOEY FROM NOWHERE BEEN LATELY? There's certainly been a shortage on All-Conference, All-Americans and championship winners! COME BACK JOEY, DAMMIT! YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE GIRLS! JUST WIN US A TITLE IN SOMETHING!
Brian: If there's a four star at any position, by god, there's a five heart, six man hero from Bumfudge Nebraska that's better than him, he just needs the chance. Because Tom Osborne won 3 titles with nothing but corn fed walk on heroes from Schuyler, Scottsbluff, and Rulo Nebraska by fucking god. WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT WHAT RIVALS SAYS ABOUT THE BEST PLAYERS IN NEBRASKA'S CLASS C-2 ANYHOW.
The Tunnel Walk
Mike: Perhaps the only thing Steve Pederson did right. In 1994, when Sirius from the Alan Parsons Project started blaring through the stadium and the stars started rolling around the new HuskerVision screens before the UCLA game, people didn't know what to think until suddenly the screens switched to a camera in front of the team leaving the locker room.
Boom. Bedlam.
It didn't hurt that NU won the national championship at the end of that season...or the next. Suddenly, the Tunnel Walk grew to include Sears Trophies zooming every which way, and it became the must-see thing before every Husker game. Tailgates end in plenty of time so that people can get to their seats with 10 minutes to go before kickoff, just so they don't miss it. There is no "late arriving crowd" in Lincoln.
The Blackshirts
In 1964, Bob Devaney sent assistant coach Mike Corgan to a sporting goods store to get some different colored practice jerseys for the defense, since the Huskers were switching to a two platoon system. Corgan, being frugal, spotted some black pullovers that were marked down and made a mass purchase. Players liked them, and soon the coaches were calling the defense the "Black Shirts" in practice. Newspaper reporters picked up on it, and the name stuck.
In recent years, the tradition has hit some rough patches as coaches have tried to adapt the tradition to their own programs, resulting in annual "Will they or won't they" fashion debates. The hire of Mike Riley appears to have brought things back into line with the old school proponents of the tradition, with the jerseys awarded to the defensive starters at the end of fall camp, and only those 11 (or 13 depending on set).
Asking the Oracle of Lincoln his opinion about football things.
Every fall, our local media people fall over themselves trying to ask Tom Osborne his opinion about the state of the program.
Again, huge shout out to the team at Corn Nation. If you're hankering for a great Nebraska point-of-view, go check them out. They're good peoples.


Home List By Country France Journalist Nikos Aliagas Calls on French People to Visit Greece
Journalist Nikos Aliagas Calls on French People to Visit Greece
Areti Kotseli
Journalist and TV presenter Nikos Aliagas publicly calls on the French people to spend their summer vacation in Greece. It appears that the video he uploaded on the internet calling France to support Greece has become extremely popular.
It all started when the famous Greek journalist gave an interview with the French Le Figaro. The journalist asked Aliagas' opinion on where he should spend his summer holidays and Aliagas proposed Greece.
T video he posted is now circulating on every social media. "We can't talk about Greece only under an economic perspective. Should we really build a one-dimensional Europe, based only on the EU agendas and future plans for what's about to come in thirty, forty, fifty years? No.," he says in his supporting video.
"We build Europe when we change it, when we travel, when we share. So the best way to see what's really happening now in Greece, is to go and find out yourself!," he added. "A hospitable country, with thousand different colors, where the light is different, where people – even when they are sad – preserve their dignity looking forward for you. I'm no tourism ministry official, I'm just a citizen, a French-Greek that extends his hand to you. Thank you, have a nice journey. See you in Greece."
A little bit about the famous Greek journalist enjoying great success in France:
He is a Greek-born French TV host, who spent his childhood both in Greece and France. He speaks five languages and has published a book called "I Was Born Greek: The Mythology or the School of Life." Apart from his great success on French TV with the music reality program "Star Academy," he was the presenter of a show on Alpha TV called "Gros Plan" where he met international stars like Celine Dion, Jean Paul Gaultier, etc. He's been awarded in both countries for his TV presence.
French Star Academy
Greek Tourism
video supporting Greece by Greek-French TV-host
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