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Most of you might already have heard about the creationist edition of The Origin of Species that an evangelical Christian ministry will be passing out on college campuses in November. I first read about it here. U.S. News has a pair of dueling blog posts from the creationist introduction writer Ray Comfort and the director for the National Center for Science Education.
I'll have to reserve judgment completely until I actually see a copy, but based on Comfort's blog post and the Kirk Cameron video promoting this, the creationist introduction by Ray Comfort sounds like it's going to be a whirlwind of fallacious reasoning.
Supposedly it claims that Charles Darwin was a racist and didn't like women. That's a standard ad hominem attack that's a fallacy if it is used to try to discredit the person's views on other things. Darwin's personal views aren't relevant to the theory of evolution. If a Christian minister has sex with children or murders someone in cold blood, does that mean God doesn't exist?
Or there's the Hitler connection. Every muddled thinker likes to bring Hitler into an argument if they can. Far from clinching an argument, it usually just shows the irrationality of the person making it. From Comfort's blog post: "It also has quotes from Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf showing Hitler's undeniable links to evolution. Of course, Hitler also used Christianity to further his political agenda, but my point is that…." There's no need to go on. His point is that he'll use the evidence to support his criticism but ignore that it also undermines his own position, a very convenient double standard. Confirmation bias or suppressed evidence might be the fallacy.
There's further suppression of evidence. This one was spotted by the Salon article. "[Cameron] then narrows in for the killer point: 'A recent study revealed that in the top 50 universities in our country, in the fields of psychology and biology, 61 percent of the professors described themselves as atheist or agnostic."\' True, though he fails to point out that the same study found only 23.4 percent of college professors overall declare themselves atheist or agnostic. College: still pretty damn godly!" I wish I'd written that.
One major fallacy is the false dichotomy of this creationist's claims. "An entire generation is being brainwashed by atheistic evolution without even hearing the alternative," Cameron intones in the video, as if there were only these two options, and in exactly the form he proposes [my italics]. Since this is a church that apparently believes that Catholics aren't Christians, astounding ignorance about the world's possibilities shouldn't surprise me. One very likely possibility is that the students have in fact heard "the" alternative and found it wanting.
Resting on this false dichotomy, the whole project is based on the belief that debunking The Origin of Species somehow proves that creationism is true. This fallacy is known as argumentum ad ignorantiam, the argument that because some proposition hasn't been proven, then some other contradictory proposition is therefore true. But Darwin and the creationists could both be wrong. Some creationists act as if The Origin of Species is the "Bible" of evolutionists, but that's projecting the way fundamentalists think onto the way scientists think.
I'm not at all surprised by this lack of reasoning ability. I took a look at the Living Waters Ministry site. They produce something called the Evidence Bible that seems to be devoid of any actual evidence. Fundamentalists of any religion are always guilty of the begging the question. They assume as true what needs to be proven for their argument to proceed. Begging the question is the essential fundamentalist fallacy. A standard example of question begging offered in classes is this circular argument: "The Bible is true because God says it is. God exists because the Bible says He does."
Living Waters directly addresses this charge: "The 'circular reasoning' argument is absurd. That's like saying you can't prove that the President lives in the White House by looking into the White House. It is looking into the White House that will provide the necessary proof." Actually, it's not at all like saying that. There is plenty of observable evidence that the President lives in the White House, evidence open to public inspection and verification. Merely looking into the White House wouldn't prove that the person in there was the President or was actually living there. Trying to rebut the charge of question begging with another fallacy–the false analogy–doesn't get very far. (The answers regarding Bible versions are downright dissembling. If you get that far, pay attention to the weasel word versions
Cameron seems very concerned that students come to college as creationists and leave as "atheists." I doubt that most students who come to college as theists of some sort leave as atheists. Is there any proof of this? This is like those claims that the students carefully indoctrinated into right-wing doctrines by their parents are then indoctrinated into left-wing doctrines by their leftist professors. That one is merely assumed but not proven as well. The creationist one in particular is guilty of the fallacy of persuasive definition, that is, of defining something in a way that seems neutral but is in fact very loaded. Anyone who doesn't subscribe to this particular intellectually limited version of Christianity is somehow not a Christian. Belief in the Nicene Creed isn't sufficient for the this particular cult.
Persuasive definitions are a fondness of Comfort's, it seems. His U.S. News post says "The Introduction also defines an atheist as someone who believes that nothing created everything—which is a scientific impossibility." That's a very peculiar definition of atheist, but then again people incapable of meeting rational arguments on their own ground must resort to this kind of move. Does anyone believe nothing created everything?
What a college education should do is knock the fallacious reasoning out of someone and instill a capacity for critical thinking. These creationists demonstrate that they are incapable of sound argument or scientific reasoning, which puts them at a disadvantage when coming onto college campuses. The enterprise is loaded against them from the start because they are trying to use the tools of science and reason against their main practitioners without understanding how they work.
What I find either amusing or sad (depending on my mood) is that these creationists think there is actually a debate and they're just not being heard, if indeed they do think this and are not merely being disingenuous. Obviously there isn't any debate. To have a debate, one must share some premises, and there aren't any shared premises. One must also demonstrate a willingness to be persuaded, rather than confining one's mind inside an unfalsifiable ideology. At the very least one must have shared standards of evidence, and this is completely lacking.
They think there is a scientific debate between creationism and evolution, but the debate is whether the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and literally true Word of God. That's a religious debate, though, not a scientific one, and it's been tried and found want
ing by the vast majority of educated and intelligent people open to an examination of the evidence for a few centuries now. There's no battle between science and religion. In this case, there's just a battle between fundamentalists and modernity.
It's ironic that creationists try to dispute evolution because it supposedly has no evidence to support it (which the evolutionary biologists deny, but then again they would, wouldn't they!) when the creationist position not only has absolutely no evidence to support it outside of the Bible but has to ignore what scientific evidence there is. This is only a problem for creationists if they attempt to persuade people for whom science, reason, and evidence are important. Begging the question works on people who can't think clearly.
I wonder what will happen if Cameron and the LIving Waters visit my campus. As far as I can tell, Princeton is a remarkably tolerant place for people of reasonable views. Perhaps they'll encounter prominent Catholic, conservative professor Robert George and tell him he'll burn in hell because he's not a Christian. Given his ability and his willingness to engage adversaries calmly and critically, that might be an interesting discussion, indeed.
There's no use arguing with fundamentalists. That's a lesson I learned the hard way. In my home state of Louisiana, I used to be accosted by fundamentalist Christians asking if I was "born again" before they began selectively quoting the Bible at me. Back in the day when I had more time on my hands, I would engage them in discussion, to no end. Usually they couldn't even defend the Bible well, much less their other claims. (Seven years of Southern Baptist private school–don't try to trade Bible quotes with me, buddy.)
I'm not trying to argue with Comfort or against this edition of Darwin. He sensibly asks why angry atheists would want to suppress this book or rip out the introduction. I'm not an angry atheist, so I have no such desire. If one of the books somehow ends up in my hands, I will, in my capacity as religion bibliographer, definitely add it to the collection. it will make a nice curio someday for a religion scholar studying quirky manifestations of fundamentalism in America.


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subset: commoncrawl


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You can give your room an instant makeover with the quick switch of a rug. Everything about a rug, from the texture of its…
Although Oushak rugs (pronounced ooh-shack) date back to the 15th century, the style is as chic as ever – and has become the rug…
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Medawar, Sir Peter Brian
Medawar, Sir Peter Brian mĕd´əwär [key], 1915–87, British zoologist, b. Brazil. After graduate work at Oxford, he held research and teaching posts there. He was professor of zoology (1947–51) at the Univ. of Birmingham and in 1951 became professor of zoology and comparative anatomy at University College, London. During World War II, he discovered a method for joining ends of severed nerves; he later became noted for his experimental work in transplanting living tissue from one body to another. Working on a theory proposed by Sir Macfarlane Burnet, he proved it was possible under certain circumstances for an organism to overcome its normal tendency to reject foreign tissue or organs. Medawar was awarded the 1960 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine jointly with Sir Macfarlane Burnet for this discovery of acquired immunological tolerance. He was knighted in 1965. A prolific writer, his works include The Art of the Soluble (1967), Advice to a Young Scientist (1979), and an autobiography (1986).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Medicine: Biographies


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Yesterday, my friend (and fellow blogger) Kat posted her review of the new Phillip Phillips CD called "The World From The Side Of The Moon".
I always enjoy reading Kat's album reviews because she has no bias, and just tells it like it is. She'll dissect every track piece by piece and tell you exactly what she liked, and what she thought was lacking.
Although her review gave me some insight as to what to expect on his new record, for me personally Phillip Phillips' music has been "tarnished"; and it's not even his fault. The blame for it lies with two people: Drew Pearson and Greg Holden, the writer's of Phillip's song, "Home".
"Home" was actually quite a good song, that is before it became fodder. Not only has the song now been played ad nauseum on radio (a travesty into of itself) but its also been used in no less than three advertisements for television shows. I've heard "Home" played in its entirety multiple times at the Olympics, on "American Idol", as the soundtrack for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and even as the goodbye song on "America's Got Talent". I started out liking it. Now, I HATE it.
Usually, congratulations are in order when something has that much success. But as far as I'm concerned, new songs (and subsequently the artists who perform them) lose a bit of street cred when they allow their songs to be whored out to every Tom, Dick and Harry.
I'm from the "old school" way of thinking, where a hit song needs to have an aura of mystery surrounding it. Something that let you know that it's not going to be played all the time. So that when it finally is played, you enjoy the listening experience even more.
At first, it was cool to see Phillip performing "Home", and even cooler when it started making the rounds on radio. But, when it started getting into the regular rotation of television shows and commercials, it drove me crazy.
Case in point. Over the last year, the following could be heard every night in prime-time:
Randy Jackson (American Idol): "You're going to Hollywood BABY!"
Phillip Phillps Music: ♬ ♬ "Settle down, it'll all be clear…Don't pay no mind to the demons….They fill you with fear" ♬♬
Howie Mandell (America's Got Talent): "I'm sorry, the road to Vegas ends for you now!…"
Phillip Phillps Music: ♬ ♬ "The trouble it might drag you down – If you get lost, you can always be found…" ♬♬
Ty Penninton (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition): "We're gonna build you a new house and Sears is going to pay off your mortgage."
Phillip Phillps Music: ♬ ♬ "Just know you're not alone…Cause I'm going to make this place your home." ♬♬
I know what you're thinking: the placement of the song makes sense. People on 'American Idol' are finding their "Home" by living the dream. Others are actually going "Home" on 'America's Got Talent'. And then there are the people who are actually getting a physical "Home" on 'Extreme Makeover'.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against new songs being used for marketing and merchandising purposes. But I am of the opinion that some period of time needs to pass before they should be used to peddle things.
Great music needs to run its course naturally, otherwise it diminishes it as art.


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[Editor's note: A first for me, read this post in Romanian/Ukrainian cyrillic. Thanks Maria!]
First results in using the betashapes script from Schuyler Erle and Melissa Santos. Still some kinks for me to work out relating understanding how the script deals with donut holes and scrubbing the list of Yahoo GeoPlanet neighborhood names in the input. For the US, can just use Census block polygons and avoid OSM copyright funk. Use GeoPDFs on the iPhone and other iOS devices to see yourself in the map, get Avenza's PDF Maps.app. More images after the jump. Click on an image to see it larger.
More background: Betashapes are based on how people tag (and only if they also geotag) their Flickr photos. The script queries Flickr for photos for specified neighborhood tags (up to 2,500 sample size each 'hood, these SF neighborhoods calculated from ~250,000 photo locations) and counts up what neighborhood tag is dominant in any city block and then aggregates them into neighborhoods. The neighborhood names and ids are from the Yahoo! GeoPlanet database that has a mix of real and fanciful (minority report) places. If you remove the ones you don't agree with from the input, they will be ignored on the output. Lots to refine here…
View GeoPDF »
Download betashapes shapefile for SF »
Download SF geodata ingredients »
Download Y! GeoPlanet SF files »
(below) Betashapes using Flickr images and city street grid turned into polygon blocks.


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Rockets rout Cavs
Houston, TX – James Harden scored 20 and was one of seven Rockets in double-figures as Houston smoked the Cleveland Cavaliers, 116-78, on Friday at Toyota Center.
Omer Asik chipped in with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds and rookie Thomas Robinson had 15 points with six boards as Houston improved to 4-1 on its seven-game homestand.
Chandler Parsons ended with 13 points, Patrick Beverly had 11 and Donatas Motiejunas finished with 10 in the victory.
"I thought we came out here and our second unit gave us huge energy, never missed a beat with them. We played great defense," Parsons said.
The injury depleted Cavs were no match for the high-octane Rockets offense, which shot a scorching 57.1 percent. Kyrie Irving sat a six straight game and Dion Waiters' bum knee put him out for a second in a row.
Shaun Livingston scored a team-high 14 points and Wayne Ellington followed with 13 in Cleveland's fifth straight setback. The loss came two days after the Cavs blew a 27-point third-quarter lead and were beaten at home by Miami.
"It was a tough one for us tonight," Cavs forward Tyler Zeller said. "Obviously the Miami game was an emotional let down for us not being able to hold on. We are already a little short-handed with injuries. We came in and I thought we were ready to go, but that is a very potent team over there."
Houston held a 28-25 lead after first quarter, but saw its lead expand fairly significantly by the closing moments of the second.
After C.J. Miles and Tristan Thompson each netted a pair of free throws to get the Cavaliers within 40-33, Harden and Carlos Delfino canned back-to-back 3- pointers to open up a 13-point advantage for Houston.
Ellington twice got Cleveland's deficit down to single-digits with consecutive scores, but Parsons answered with a 3-pointer and Delfino's triple with the clock winding down in the second sent the Rockets into the break with a 58-43 cushion.
The Rockets continued to keep the Cavaliers at bay in the third, never leading by any less than 15 points in holding Cleveland to 25 percent shooting in the quarter.
Harden followed a pair of free throws with a 3-pointer with 2:15 to go in the third and Beverly's shot from beyond the arc had the Rockets ahead by 26 going into the fourth, where they would easily cruise to victory.
Game Notes
Houston won the previous matchup with the Cavaliers, 112-104, in Cleveland on Jan. 5 ... The Rockets have won four of the last five games against the Cavs ... Cleveland was outrebounded by a 54-32 count.


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I'm trying to come up with some good default styling for
<input>s in HTML5 and tried the following:
input::after { display: inline; }
input:valid::after { content: ' ✓ '; color: #ddf0dd; }
input:invalid::after { content: ' ✗ '; color: #f0dddd; }
Alas, the
::after content never shows up. It's not a problem with double- versus single colons for the pseudo-elements; I've tried both. It's also not a problem with having a pseudo-element and a pseudo-class; I've tried it without the
:valid and
:invalid. I get the same behavior in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox (Firefox doesn't have the
:valid and
:invalid pseudo-classes, but I tried it without those.)
The pseudo-elements work fine on
<p>, and
<q> elements -- some of which are block elements and some are inline.
So, my question is: why do browsers agree that
<input>s don't have an
::after? I can't find anything in the spec that would indicate this.


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Our friends at Woman's Day asked to hear about botched romantic gestures, and did folks deliver! From bubble bath overflows and washed-away rings, read on for some love blunders guaranteed to make you smile — and maybe even make you feel better about your own love life!
1. Currents of Love
"Keep your eyes closed," my fiancé said, as I felt the pavement turn to sand under my sneakers. It was no secret we were at the beach; it was a cold and drizzly day and the ocean was a wild roar in my ears. "OK! Open your eyes!" my fiancé said as he stood on a breaker wall with his back to the ocean, extending a ring toward me. Just as I began walking towards him, a giant wave reared up behind him and crashed over the top of his head — completely drenching him and washing the ring out to sea. Of course, I said "yes," and we headed to the nearest beach vendor to buy a temporary ring. —Diane Gribschaw
2. Caught Red-Rose Handed
One Valentine's Day, I decided to sneak out of work early and surprise my then boyfriend by making a nice romantic dinner. When I told my boss, he thought it was such a good idea that he decided to do the same for his girlfriend. Come 2 p.m., my boss and I ended up walking out together. He had a number of things to carry, including roses for his girlfriend, so I offered to help. Coincidentally, my boyfriend decided to surprise me at work that day with flowers. As he was coming in, I was coming out — laughing, roses in hand. Needless to say, my boyfriend was convinced that I was slipping out with my boss early; he literally threw the flowers at me and yelled profanities. No matter what my boss and I said, he didn't believe us. He moved out the next day. —Kathy Duret
More From Good Housekeeping
3. Family Affairs
Being the traditional man that he is, my husband, Matt, decided that he would first ask my parents permission to propose to me. He craftily called my sisters to get me out of the house for a while so he could meet with my parents. But I was so grumpy and miserable — unable to understand why he wouldn't want me there — that they took me home early. I walked in while my parents were still talking to Matt. I was shocked and asked "What's going on here?" My dad said that they were discussing our future. [Silence.] Finally, my dad asked "Well, are you going to marry him or not?!" After getting over my shock I said "When he asks me, I will!" That is how my father proposed to me instead of my husband. —Kelli Redfearn
4. Undigested Love
I was the shortest boy in my freshman class, and had little experience with love. But I had developed a big crush on a cute freshman cheerleader, Caroline. While going through a box of conversation hearts on Valentine's Day morning, I discovered the holy grail of heart messages — "KISS ME" — and resolved that I would present it to Caroline and declare my intense feelings for her. After several failed attempts, I finally caught up with her at the end of the school day and asked her to put out her hand. When she did, I dropped the candy into her palm. But as I had been gripping it tightly all day in my sweaty palms, it resembled a piece of candy that had already spent time inside my mouth. Disgusted, Caroline said "gross," dropped my heart candy to the floor and sprinted for the school bus. —Stephen Sawyer
5. Mixed Emotions
Like an astrological anomaly, on Valentine's Day 1981, I found myself dating three different guys. I thought I would be so clever and send each of them a box of homemade heart-shaped brownies with a note tucked inside the box. The flaw in my plan was mixing up the inside notes and the outside addresses. By February 15, I didn't have to worry about juggling three guys! —Mary Marlowe Leverette
6. I...Choo
One Valentine's Day, my then boyfriend asked me out for a date, but I was suffering a terrible cold so I said no. He insisted: "Please! I want us to be together on Valentine's Day. You don't even have to dress up — we'll go to the drive-in." So we went, and during the movie, he presented me with a beautiful ring and asked me to marry him. I said yes, and he held me close and went in for a tender kiss. At that very moment, I sneezed an explosive sneeze and splattered his face. He laughed; I cried. We've been happily married for 45 years. —Barbie and George Garcia
7. Mistaken Identity
One Valentine's Day, I went to where my boyfriend's car was parked at his job. Armed with a marker that wrote on glass, Silly String, and balloons, I preceded to mark his vehicle with words of my undying love. Driving home, I thought I got away with it. But I waited for a phone call…and nothing. When he got home, I met him with a big smile and asked, "How was work?" He said that a strange thing happened to a woman's car in the parking lot, and that it creeped her out. She thought it was a stalker! Needless to say, she was very relieved to find out that it was me who "loved her forever." —Barbara Duresky
8. Bubbling Over With Romance
For Valentine's Day, my husband surprised me with a stay at the Inn at Mills Falls. Our room had a fireplace, Jacuzzi tub for two, and a balcony overlooking the waterfall — perfect for our little getaway. I prepared the champagne and poured the fragrant oils I had especially purchased, and then we settled in the tub and turned the jets on high. In a matter of seconds, we were enveloped by a wall of suds. As we slipped and slid in our attempt to turn off the jets, the suds spilled onto the bathroom floor. By the time we found the off switch, we were waist high in suds. We spent the rest of the evening gathering suds in a sheet and tossing into the waterfall. Next morning, during breakfast at the waterfall café, there was a mountain of suds at the bottom of the waterfall! —Marta Gonzalez
9. An Embarrassing Display of Affection
I graduated college with a heavy heart, leaving behind my first love. Determined to beat the odds, we endured a romantically painful long-distance relationship. I anxiously planned a Valentine's Day visit, sending ahead a delivery of fresh flowers. Roses? Too cliché! Red gladiolas would be dramatic and unexpected, I thought — as many as I could afford, of course! Our reunion was strangely subdued. Did he receive my flowers? Well, yes... Was he surprised? Um, yes... I faltered, puzzled by his lack of enthusiasm — until he opened the door to his room, crammed with four-foot tall crimson blossoms. —Jill Murtagh
10. What a Rock!
Many years ago, my now husband, Josh, and I lived in an apartment with a balcony off the master bedroom. One night, he took our dog for a walk while I watched TV in the bedroom. Shortly after he left, I heard what sounded like a gunshot. I rolled off the bed and started screaming! Soon after, Josh came running in and tried to calm me down. He said he'd always wanted to try tossing a rock up to a window to get my attention, but because it was dark he couldn't see the rocks very well. He'd tried at least three smaller rocks before throwing one that finally got my attention. Yes, we kept the rock. —Joanne Deuermeyer
NEXT: This Couple Is Madly in Love — And Has Been for 70+ Years »
This story originally appeared onWomansDay.com
More from Woman's Day:
• How to Get the Romance Back in Your Relationship
• 8 Surprising Health Benefits of Love
• 7 Life Lessons From Romance Novels
Photos: Getty Images


text:
Dragon Mask Dragon Costume
These embroidered felt DRAGON masks inspire creative play and are the perfect dress-up tool for your child's imaginative play. They can be used in so many ways:
• Birthday Party Favors
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• SMALL size masks are 20" total and the mask portion is approximately 7" wide. The SMALL size is typically great for the average 2-7-year-old.
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PLEASE measure your/your child's head before ordering as we are happy to adjust the elastic band before shipping. Just add custom measurements in the "notes to seller" at check out.
• To clean- wipe with a damp cloth and air-dry flat


text:
Item #: EB42805
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|A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal.
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|Frank French
Woodstock, Georgia USA
|Index/Site Map:
|Legal Representation:
MUSIC: Russell Carter
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Decatur, GA 30030
PERSONAL: Randall Bentley
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times, dates & places
|"Frank French" BIO
|in the Studio:
|"Frank French Studios"
personal Recording, Production & Publishing
Excellence honors God
|to contact me:
email: email@example.com
voice mail: 678.640.1276
|on Record:
my personal commentary on a few favorite albums & projects out of the hundreds on which I either wrote, produced, engineered, or played.
|"The New World"
Frank French
|"Everything Looks Better in the Dark"
Frank French & Kevn Kinney
early Drivin'n'Cryin
|"Indigo Girls"
Indigo Girls
|"Slow Dance"
Jodi Zorzi
|"No Judgments"
Jodi Zorzi
|"Kuscha Giras & Divya Cherises"
the King Jesus Bluesbreakers
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Dale Frazier
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Rock'n'Soul Cafe
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current activity
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Stuff Worth Reading
lifestyle magazine
The perfect place to study and relax
Business Name:
Stuff Worth Reading
12666 72 AveSurrey British Columbia V3W 2M8Canada
About Surrey
Surrey is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located south of the Fraser River on the Canada–United States border. It is a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver regional district and metropolitan area. Mainly a suburban city, Surrey is the province's second-largest by population after Vancouver and the third-largest by area after Abbotsford and Prince George. Seven neighbourhoods in Surrey are designated town centres: Cloverdale, Fleetwood, Guildford, Newton, South Surrey, and City Centre encompassed by Whalley.
Neighborhoods in Surrey, British Columbia
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Major League Baseball Rookie Report: Alonso, Guerra, Luebke, Nunez and Cobb
Follow us on Twitter: @BloombergSports @RobShawSports @MicheleSteele
Yonder Alonso, OF, Reds
For some reason the Washington Nationals acquired Jonny Gomes this week. They could not provide the Reds with a greater favor. Without Gomes, who was barely batting above the Mendoza line, the Reds were able to bring up 24-year-old rookie Yonder Alonso. The Havana, Cuba native was batting .296 with 12 home runs and 56 RBI. The Reds would like to see him add more power, but he is a patient batter now joining a fine lineup.
Javy Guerra, RP, Dodgers
A 26-year-old rookie with absolutely no fantasy expectations entering the season has turned into a fantasy steal. Guerra is the closer for the Dodgers who has allowed just one run over his last 13 appearances. On the season, Guerra is now 2-0 with eight saves and a 1.93 ERA. Though he originally looked like a short-term option while Jonathan Broxton was on the DL, however, with Broxton taking an indefinite stay on the DL, it looks like Guerra will hold down the fort and may end up being the closer for next season.
Cory Luebke, SP, Padres
At 26-years old Cory Luebke is making his case for the NL Rookie of the Year award. There is no way he'll earn it based on the Padres losing ways and his low profile city, but the Ohio State alumnus has been splendid with a 2.65 ERA and a sensational 0.91 WHIP. Impressed by his stuff, the Padres have put the southpaw into the starting rotation and he has allowed just six earned runs through five starts. His best outing came on July 16 when he limited the Giants to four hits and two runs through seven innings, clinching his third win of the season. I guess we could have seen the success coming, as Luebke went 21-5 over the last two seasons in the Minor Leagues.
Eduardo Nunez, SS/3B, Yankees
One of the biggest surprise rookies this season has been Eduardo Sanchez. Sure, we could have seen it coming considering the age of the Yankees infielders, but still the rookie has played at a high level with three home runs, 10 doubles, 14 steals, and a .273 average. Nunez has earned himself a key role for the Yankees as he should be able to average 300 at bats the next few seasons before potentially taking over for Mr. Jeter at shortstop in 2014.
Alex Cobb, SP, Rays
A fourth round pick by the Rays out of high school in 2006, Alex Cobb is another one of those top prospects developed in the team's farm system. He has been electric so far in spot-start duties, boasting a 3-0 record and 2.57 ERA in seven starts. Cobb can still improve on his control, but with the opposition hitting just .220 off him this season, it's clear that the Rays have struck gold yet again.


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"I just want you to be happy and not have to struggle," her mother told her.
The words rang in Farnoosh Torabi's head. She had just announced her engagement to her longtime boyfriend, a software engineer named Tim. Her mother's response? Well, it was a nice way of saying, "He doesn't make enough money to support you."
But the actual struggle was that Torabi, a writer and financial columnist, would ultimately out-earn her husband — by a long shot. She and her husband wrestled over how financial decisions got made, and she worried how her status as the primary earner would affect the dynamics of their relationship. Would she emasculate her husband in the process?
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As she makes clear in her new book, When She Makes More: 10 Rules for Breadwinning Women, she's hardly an anomaly. The percentage of breadwinning women has been growing for decades: Today, 24 percent of wives make more money than their husbands, and women under 30 out-earn their male counterparts in nearly every major city in America. Even so, our attitudes about women and money remain outdated. According to a Pew survey, 28 percent of Americans believe that it is "generally better for a marriage if the husband earns more than his wife."
Torabi says her book is intended for single women whose success may intimidate potential suitors. How can they reconcile the caveman-like brain — that still needs to provide — with changing economics? "The problem is not that women are doing well and making a lot of money — that's a great thing," she told Cosmopolitan.com. "The problem is the outdated expectations and ideas that we have around money and male-female relationships."
You say that breadwinning women are less likely to get married and are more likely to get divorced. How can I avoid wanting to throw myself off a bridge reading that?
You still have the ability to lead a fulfilling life as the female breadwinner — it's just a matter of recalibrating those expectations and relearning what we've been taught about men, women, and money. I, for one, am in it to win it. My relationship isn't perfect (Whose is?), but we're finding ways to reconcile some of our challenges stemming from our income disparity. We communicate about money a lot — something couples don't do often enough, even when both individuals make the same amount.
Tell us how your breadwinner status played out in your own relationship.
Initially we struggled. For example, when we began planning our wedding (which we paid for ourselves), I took the reins in securing vendors as many eager brides-to-be do, but in our situation my dominance had far more to do with our income disparity. As the breadwinner I felt like this was mainly my responsibility. At the same time we were also house shopping and, again, I was the one mainly booking appointments, communicating with the mortgage broker as the "head o' household." But I felt isolated. I was super-stressed and really wanted his input, if for no other reason than to have him share in the blame if something went wrong.
So how'd you solve the problem?
When I brought it up, he didn't run away. He had been keeping quiet, he said, because he trusted me enough to know I wouldn't make any super-irrational choices, but also admitted to feeling uncomfortable at times speaking up because of our income gap. We decided [he] would take over certain portions of the wedding planning. As for house hunting, we based our price range on what we could both individually afford — not just what my income allowed. This meant shopping for a smaller home, but this way, in case anything should happen to my business or income, my husband would be able to pay the mortgage on his own.
We spoke a few months back for a piece called the Doormat Dynamo, about ambitious women who play down their accomplishments at home to avoid intimidating men. At the time, you said, "There is a level to which you have to stroke his ego. Let him open the door for you." That struck me as so … retro. If we constantly have to stroke dudes' egos, are they ever going to be comfortable with women being in power?
It's not like there's a formula — if you make 10 percent more, let him open the door for you, if you make 20 percent more, let him pick up the check. [It's] about finding compromises and gestures that make you both feel good. The reason that a lot of these chivalrous gestures fell out of favor is because they came with the association that women were somehow lesser than men and needed special protection and consideration. But if you're out-earning your husband, that's clearly not the case. If he likes opening the door for you, and you like having it opened, who cares?
Right. But what if you don't like having the door opened for you? You've talked about how you like to let your husband pay in public, so he can feel like the man, and you cop to the effectiveness of playing the "damsel in distress." By stroking his ego, are we actually just asking women to be less assertive?
By stroking his ego, I'm suggesting that we play to his sensitivities a bit more. That we acknowledge what helps him feel good. I don't encourage this as a constant preoccupation. It's just a once-in-a-while sort of thing. Some have read into this as "bowing to patriarchy." But, oy! Let's relax a little. Just because I let him give me his jacket when it's chilly outside — or let him pick up the tab at dinner — doesn't mean he's my master and I'm his subordinate.
This is making me sort of depressed. Aren't there men out there who can simply be self-assured enough to not need a woman to constantly make him feel like a man in the most traditional sense of the word?
Yes. I don't want to make it seem like the mere presence of a successful, ambitious woman is threatening to all men. Some men — particularly men from the millennial generation — are more aware and accepting of the fact that women don't need men to support them, at least not financially. That said, all men — even the most confident — have egos and can feel insecure from time to time for whatever reason, just like women (Who also have egos!). It's not our job to reassure our partners, but if we're in a committed relationship, we should anticipate these feelings and not believe it's so beneath us to help each other feel better if we can.
You have a section in the book called "It's not about feminism anymore." What does that mean?
My book doesn't aim to be a type of feminist manifesto, as I often see the media brand books written by women for women on the subject of work, money, and relationships are. Talk about pressure! The book is about equipping women with key information, stories, and data that can help them make healthier and smarter choices and lead more fulfilling lives when they bring home the bigger paycheck. Will those be the choices Gloria Steinem would make? I have no idea. What is certain is that our generation of women has to bust out of the roles society has created for us and forge our own paths.
OK, but let's be serious for a second. If you're with a dude who can't get over the fact that you make more, shouldn't you find a more modern dude?
Some men deserve that. But I don't think it should be the rule of thumb. Let's not forget that for some men, being in a relationship with a woman who makes more can be emotionally perplexing and he may not know how to express his feelings at first. This is relatively new territory for men — just as it is for women. It doesn't necessarily mean he loves you less or will never appreciate and support you. It may just mean he needs a little bit of time to adjust and find his groove.
10 Things to Stop Assuming About Women and Money
11 Things I Wish I Had Known About Work in My 20s
The 31 Best Pieces of Career Advice for Young Women
Cosmo Special Report: The Ambition Gap
Follow Jessica on Twitter.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Jessica Bennett is a contributing editor at The New York Times, where she previously served as the paper's gender editor. She teaches journalism at New York University and is the author of Feminist Fight Club and This Is 18.


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Feb. 4, 2011 — -- Obesity rates have doubled worldwide since 1980, according to new research published in the journal The Lancet.
In 1980, 4.8 percent of men and 7.9 percent of women were obese. Those percentages jumped to 9.8 percent of men and 13.8 percent of women in 2008.
However, over that same time period, there have also been some positive changes: Wealthy western nations have shown a big decline in the number of people with uncontrolled high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
While the number of people with high blood pressure and high cholesterol also declined in other parts of the world, it was only a slight drop.
"Our results show that overweight and obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are no longer Western problems or problems of wealthy nations," said Majid Ezzati, the study's lead author who also is affiliated with the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. "Their presence has shifted towards low- and middle-income countries, making them global problems."
Global health experts say the increase in obesity and accompanying decline in blood pressure and cholesterol levels reflects the reality that hypertension and high cholesterol can be treated with medication, while battling obesity remains a serious worldwide challenge.
"Research is undoubtedly needed into the ... causes of the recorded trends," the authors wrote.
"We need to identify, implement, and rigorously evaluate policy interventions aimed at reversing the trends, or limiting their harmful effects, the World Health Organization's Gretchen Stevens, who is also a co-author, said in a press release. The World Health Organization provided some of the funding for the study.
Obesity is associated with numerous other serious health problems, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain cancers. It's estimated that obesity-related illnesses cause 3 million deaths every year around the world. It's also at least partially responsible for skyrocketing health costs. For these reasons, the study's authors say it's urgent to address the growing obesity pandemic.
While the exact reasons for increased global obesity were still undetermined, experts said changing habits were likely contributors. Diets are different than they were 30 years ago, and modern technology has decreased physical activity. Developing countries now have a lot of the conveniences that are commonplace in wealthier nations.
"They are simply catching up with us in terms of all the modern 'conveniences,' such as fast food, vending machines and so on," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center.
"We are increasingly dependent upon automobiles rather than public transit, walking, et cetera.," said Dr. Peter Muennig, assistant professor of health policy and management at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York. "There is also a trend toward eating high-calorie processed foods, movements towards automating many manual labor jobs and working more hours at sedentary jobs."
"With globalization, there's been increased availability of Western diets that have more prepared foods, fats and certain carbohydrates," said Jeffrey Sturchio, president and chief executive officer of the Global Health Council, an alliance of organizations, health care professionals and institutions devoted to improving health worldwide. "Fresh fruits and vegetables may not be available in developing countries and lower-income neighborhoods -- even in the U.S. it may be easier to find potato chips than healthier alternatives like apples, oranges and bananas."
Sturchio said that blood pressure and cholesterol medications are difficult to get in developing countries, also contributing to the rise in obesity.
"In developing countries, there is less access to these medications, so obesity may be increasing in regions that had been characterized by normal weight. Countries that have experienced conflict or natural disaster may rely on prepared foods that often contain high levels of salt, which contributes to high blood pressure," he said.
Changing views of obesity could also be contributing to the pandemic while also reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
"Others believe that social stigma is driving the obesity-related pathology," said Muennig. "As more people become obese, the logic goes, the more comfortable people feel in their own skin, and the less stressed they feel. Stress has been strongly linked to high blood pressure and cholesterol."
In an accompanying editorial, Salim Yusuf and Dr. Sonia S. Anand of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada say strategies to reduce obesity will likely take decades to work.
Other experts say getting rid of subsidies offered for production of certain foods, taxing certain foods and making it more difficult to purchase unhealthy foods with government aid are policies that could work.
They acknowledge, though, that these strategies would be difficult to put into practice.
"In this country some people may not want the government to interfere with individual choice by taxing certain unhealthy foods," said Sturchio. "In developing countries weak health systems pose a significant challenge. This includes everything from healthcare worker shortages to access to care and treatment."
While new strategies are needed, some say stemming the rising tide of obesity could be as simple as returning to very old habits.
"We need to restore some of what used to be the norm in terms of foods direct from nature and daily exertion," said Katz.


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Electoral Vote Predictor 2004: Kerry 238 Bush 296
News from the Votemaster
Survey USA has polled over 20,000 people in 14 states and 21 cities to ask who won the first debate. In 11 states and 15 cities Kerry was the clear winner. In 2 states and 6 cities, Bush was the clear winner. Colorado was a tossup. Ominously for Bush, the 2 states that said he won the debate are Texas and Oklahoma, which he has in the bag already, but the states that gave Kerry the win include Oregon (by 19%), Maine (by 18%), Pennsylvania (by 22%), Arkansas (by 12%), and most significantly Florida (by 24%).
American Research Group has now produced more details on its post-debate poll. Not surprisingly, practically all Democrats thought Kerry won and practically all Republicans thought Bush won. But among independents, Kerry won by 19%.
Gallup's lead story today is entitled "Kerry Wins Debate." According to Gallup's poll, 53% of the people interviewed felt Kerry won and 37% felt Bush won.
How important are the debates, anyway? Take a look at John Zogby's view.
The LA Weekly has a nice article about polls and how to interpret them.
Polling junkies who are looking for data about the 2000 race might be interested in the Electoral 2000 website
A number of people verified the push polling story in Maryland. The push poll is being run by the Maryland Republican Party. Shame on them. For new readers not familiar with the practice of push polling, the basic idea is that the pollster asks mostly normal polling-type questions, and then slips in a question like "Are you going to vote for John Kerry even though he has said he will raise your taxes?" or "Are you going to vote for George Bush even though he is going to reinstitute the draft and send your son to Iraq?" Push polls are based on misleading statements or sometimes complete lies. The purpose is to skew the "poll" to make one candidate look much better than he really is. If you are push-polled, immediately ask the pollster who is paying for the poll and refuse to go further until you get an answer. In some states it is a crime for a pollster to refuse to answer that question when asked point blank.
A reader pointed out that George Bush's home town newspaper, the Crawford Lone Star Iconoclast, has endorsed John Kerry for President. Maybe they know something about George Bush the rest of us don't know. If the Boston Globe endorses Bush, I will certainly announce it here.
While we are on the subject of jumping ship, Yesterday I had an item on President Eisenhower's son planning to vote for Kerry. In the interest of balance, today I have a link to a story saying former Democratic NYC mayor, Ed Koch is going to vote for Bush.
Senate news: A new poll in South Carolina shows Inez Tenenbaum leading Jim DeMint for the open Senate seat there being vacated by Fritz Hollings. The pundits originally gave her no chance at all, but she is doing remarkably well at the moment. We'll see if it lasts, however.
Projected Senate: 49 Democrats, 50 Republicans, 1 independent
To bookmark this page, type CTRL-D (Apple-D on Macintoshes). If you are visiting for the first time, welcome. This site has far more about the election than just the map. See the Welcome page for more details.


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Washington (CNN) – Bill Clinton, just hours before planes crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, reportedly told an audience in Australia that he almost killed Osama bin Laden during his presidency.
Speaking to a group of businessmen in Australia on September 10, 2001, according to audio aired by SkyNews Australia on Wednesday, Clinton said that he "nearly got" the al Qaeda leader but didn't go through with a missile attack because of the collateral damage that would have come from it.
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"He [Osama bin Laden] is a very smart guy, I've spent a lot of time thinking about him – and I nearly got him once," Clinton said. "I nearly got him. And I could have killed him, but I would have to destroy a little town called Kandahar in Afghanistan and kill 300 innocent women and children, and then I would have been no better than him. And so I didn't do it."
The tape, which was provided to SkyNews by Michael Kroger, a former head of the Liberal Party of Australia, aired on the networks show "Paul Murray Live."
According to Kroger, who appears on the show, the Clinton remarks came from a meeting the former president had with 30 businessmen and women at Crown Casino Complex in Melbourne.
"The event was taped with his knowledge," Kroger says on the show. "The tape has never been played. … Bill Clinton was answering a question from a member of the audience about terrorism, international terrorism and he made some extraordinary remarks which had hitherto remained in my vault."
A number of books and the 9/11 Commission Report have acknowledged that the Clinton administration considered a December 1998 strike on bin Laden but scrapped the plan over possible collateral damage.
Bin Laden would infamously go on to be the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks that killed 2,977 people. After going into hiding for years, bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011 by U.S. Special Forces during an early morning raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
In hindsight killing 300 to save 2997 makes sense...
...but only in hindsight...
...and we don't live in hindsight...
Rudy.....I heard "al Quaeda was on the run". Not in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq or Kansas City. I love the way things get tweeked to "clarify" peoples points of view.
New York Times headline, February 7, 2001–front page headline: "Ex-aide to bin Laden describes terror campaign aimed at U.S."
Shame the president and VP at the time seemed to be more interested in griping about the liberal bias of the mainstream media than they were about taking threats seriously.
Osama Bin Ladin probably had less to do with 9/11 than our political leaders did. We need to stop talking about Dems vs. Repubs, and start looking at whose really in charge. Wake up sleepyheads, it only going to get worse from here....
Since when has USA started caring so much about a couple of hundred civilians. This statement does not carry any weight given how Israel has US backing in GASA killing thousands of innocent civilians. Specially the fact that its not even collateral damage. They are targeting civilians !!
Wow... can you imagine the consequences of this tape had it of come out when it should have? – I think this can also be called the recorded moment that journalism died.
i TRULY BELIEVE BIN LADAN IS STILL ALIVE. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE BODY.
Some commenters are confused.
Bill Clinton SAID this just hours before the 9/11 attacks. He was talking about a decision he had made as President back in 1998, three years earlier.
Just hours before? Try a full day and bit before. If everyone forgets Australia is a day ahead of America. 12PM on september 10 in Australia is actually 10PM on september 9 in New York. Funny because everyone is going on about Clinton not being able to see the future when not one new channel or outlet can tell the time.
ohhhh! american army killed thousands of afghani to save 300 this all is liar their propaganda is to destroy afghanistan and to take oil from iraq and looting them.... hence they didnot killed osama...
And as a result of sparing the 300(as unfortunate as it would have been)several thousand INNOCENT people were killed. And hundreds injured.
And yes. Why wasn't it brought out that day. Instead of 13 years later...?


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Story highlights
Peasant-born poet Ahmed Fouad Negm challenged Egyptian elites
Negm's poetry inspired uprisings, earned him 18 years in prison
Partnership with musician Sheikh Imam helped boost Negm's popularity
Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egypt's "poet of the people" whose biting political verses inspired rebellion and taunted successive regimes for decades, died Tuesday in Cairo at age 84.
Negm's colloquial prose made poetry an act of defiance directly accessible to millions of poor and illiterate laborers often marginalized by the palace-based Cairo government.
"Who are we and who are they? They are the princes and sultans and we are the poor convicts. Solve this riddle and use your brain: See which of us rules over the other? Which of us serves the other?" reads one of Negm's most popular poems.
Born to an impoverished family of "fellahin," or peasants, Negm published countless love poems for his maiden, the nation of Egypt, and once said: "The love for a woman exists in the body. It is temporary and passes. But the love for a cause lives in your mind and in your blood forever."
Negm shot to fame in the 1970s when he began a more than 30-year partnership with a blind oud player known as Sheikh Imam who sang his witty criticism to the music of the pear-shaped, stringed instrument.
"A great renaissance will take place. And we will finally be worth something … And we will never need Syria or Libya again. And an Arab Union will finally be formed with London and the Vatican. The poor will eat sweet potato. And walk around all cocky," Sheik Imam sings softly with a smirk as the chorus responds with the French refrain "wee wee."
The sharp-tounged satirist never shied away from controversy, which earned him a total of 18 years in prison and made him a timeless icon of resistance whose words galvanized protesters from Egypt's 1977 bread riots to the 2011 revolution.
"Prohibited from travel, prohibited from singing, prohibited from words, prohibited from longing…everyday your love brings more prohibition and every day I love you more than the day that passed," Negm wrote mockingly after the government of then-President Gamal Abdel Nasser imposed measures to limit his influence and reach.
The leather-faced poet, famous for wearing the galbya, the long robes worn by Egypt's common man, often riddled verses with crude insults and funny anecdotes that endeared him to Egypt's coffee house audience but made him plenty of enemies among the ruling class.
"Regarding the issue of beans and meat an alleged official source decreed … eating Egyptian beans makes you strong as an ox … and Dr. Mohsin added that meat is surely poison. It cause stomach pains and turns you into a thief," Negm wrote mocking the failure of the state to provide for its growing numbers of hungry and underprivileged citizens.
Affectionately nicknamed Al Fagoumi, Negm won dozens of awards but choose to imitate his art with a humble life in a ramshackle Cairo apartment where he hosted literary circles and continued to feed Egypt's revolutionary fervor with recent works like the "Brave Man is Brave," which became a staple slogan in the iconic Tahrir Square.
"Ahmed Fouad Negm is honoured for creating true poetry in vernacular Arabic that communicates deeply with people; for his independence, unwavering integrity, courage and rigorous commitment to the struggle for freedom and justice; for speaking truth to power, refusing to be silenced and inspiring more than three generations in the Arab-speaking world," said statement by The Prince Claus Fund, which named Negm as its Principal Laureate for 2013.
A rebel to the end, Negm supported the 2011 Egyptian revolution and the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsy earlier this year. When asked what he would write about Egypt's new strongman, General Abdel Fatah El Sisi, Negm said: "This man Sisi is sharper than the devil himself. After all is he not a peasant?"


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Hell by Scooter: A Video Tour of Homs, Syria's Most Devastated City
A 10-minute foot and motorbike journey into Syria's heart of darkness.
Somehow, no matter how many articles you've read or photos you've seen of the carnage in Homs, there is something uniquely chilling about watching this point-of-view video of one man's journey into its war-torn neighborhood of Jouret Shiah.
Taken partly on foot and partly from the driver's seat of a small red scooter, it portrays Homs as an apocalyptic wasteland. The streets are mostly empty and totally silent, save for a distant but steady stream of gunshots. At one point, the videographer finds a group of young men -- the only people we see are young men, everyone else appears to have fled or hidden in the few still-habitable homes -- evacuating, from the back of a sedan to the bed of a pick-up truck, a wounded and obviously terrified rebel fighter.
Somehow, it's the scenes with no action at all that are the most unnerving: a long row of burned-out cars, streets blanketed with cinderblocks blown out of neighboring buildings, a complete dining room set perched in what remains of a third-floor apartment and totally exposed after the ceiling and wall have been destroyed, presumably by the Syrian government's near-constant shelling of this city of 750,000 people.
The video, posted last Friday by the (avowedly anti-Assad) Beirut-based news site Sawtberuit.com, is one of the few records of life in Homs since the government began laying siege to it earlier this year. Even the Red Cross/Crescent gained access only on Wednesday, after convincing both the government and rebels to allow a brief ceasefire so that it could retrieve the wounded.
Though it's even more difficult to verify than the video above, one other possible first-person account of today's Homs is from the blog "Thoughts and feelings of a Syrian freedom fighter." As with so much of the media that's come out Syria's civil war, I have no ability to verify its content or even that the author is who he says he is. All I can say is that the blog, which launched last September, has been passed heavily around Middle East-watcher circles over the past week, and I've seen no one raise suspicions. His most recent post tells, hour by hour, what he says is a typical day in Homs. Here's how it opens:
I woke up at 5 AM after three hours of "sleep", checked if there's nearby shooting or shelling, got dressed then went out to the bakery. I found 11 people in front of me, and an hour later there were more than 100 behind me. At 7:16 it finally was my turn. I bought $1 worth of bread (We're not allowed to buy more) and went home.
At 8 AM, I was done with the bread (preparing it and putting it in the freezer to keep it fresh), and then I had breakfast.
8:30 AM, I watched the news, got depressed and went back to bed (Since I don't have a business to go to, because it's been closed for over a year now, like most other businesses in Homs, but that's a story for another time). In bed I tried to check my email and twitter but I found out that 3G and GPRS aren't working. I don't have ADSL at home so I have no internet connection now. No big deal, I'm used to it. But unlike the previous six days we have fresh water since morning.
12:30 PM, I got up, went out to buy vegetables which can't be found easily, and as I was walking, I heard noise, and then a security forces' vehicle passed by, followed by a tank, then a pickup truck with a huge machine gun (Shilka), I then went to a street where there's more than one store and found most of them closed.
I went inside an open store and started collecting the things I need, only to be interrupted by the same vehicles once again passing right by me, and that's when I quickly turned my Smartphone's camera on and filmed the tank passing by without them noticing.
Seconds later, the Shilka started shooting and it was only 5 meters away from me. I was inside the store so I lied down on the floor next to the salesman. The glass shattered and the goods started falling from the shelves on us because the entire place was shaking badly.
Fire paused for a couple of seconds and that allowed us to crawl to another section of the store that has a wall to hide behind and a sink. The Shilka started shooting again and this time three bullets hit the store's front. We ducked behind the wall waiting for what's coming next.
At that moment, surprisingly, I wasn't afraid. I actually felt like it's the ending of me and was somewhat relieved. As a Homsi, I made peace with death a long time ago.
Like the video, this anonymous account portrays Homs as bleak and exhausted, a city that has been beyond demoralized by months of shelling, military occupation, and an unrelenting siege. And yet, they keep fighting.


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Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, July 10, 2009, 4:56 PM
Town Square
CSU campuses denying admission to new students
Original post made on Jul 13, 2009
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, July 10, 2009, 4:56 PM
Comments (18)
a resident of Danville
on Jul 13, 2009 at 10:47 am
Good. The state schools are bloated with morons anyway. Maybe we'll stop giving affirmative action to people who don't belong in the schools. And I know af-ac is not officially the policy, but it absolutely is in practice. The liberal rulers find ways to practice their racist af-ac agendas, such as being more lenient in determining entry for kids from certain zip codes. Such as neglecting the SATs and instead going to SAT 2, which does not judge iq or critical thinking, but rather specifics such as ones knowledge of Spanish. Well take a wild guess who knows Spanish better than most American citizens. Say it with me - illegal immigrants. Of course, the libs neglect their lack of proficiency in english and also work to give these illegals instate tuition. Ending these policies would open up plenty of space for those who have earned the grades to be in csu.
a resident of another community
on Jul 16, 2009 at 10:39 pm
"Say it with me - illegal immigrants"
No i will not say illegal immigrants, the majority can't even afford to go to college. Although some do; and no they cannot get ANY aid. They pay everything form their pockets. So how can they be taking up space if theres not that many attending? It might be easy for you to scapegoat illegal immigrants in other cases but not in this one.
Also SAT2 doesn't just have spanish as a specific subject. Theres chemistry, biology, physics, and additional foreign languages besides spanish, like french, german, and italian. Its designed to help students show what else they know, so if your not good in one area you can show them you can do good in others. It doesnt have to be spanish. So if your good in chemistry take that one.
Good job hiding your prejudice though. Instead of playing the blamming game, which fascist i mean the neocons are really good at, how about we look for solutions.
Id say, they only take students with higher GPA's like lets say those that have 3.0 or higher. It works for hundreds of students and solves this "moron" problem.
a resident of Danville
on Jul 17, 2009 at 8:50 am
You really didn't disprove my point. U said that the SAT 2 could be other subjects, but the illegals don't choose to shine in chemistry. And the liberal rulers look past their scores in other subjects, saying "but look how well they did in spanish." well, they do well at Spanish because most of them never bother to learn English. I do agree with your solution that we should only bring in people who have qualifying gpas, but that was my point too. Unfotunately, the schools still practice affirmative action and let in grossly underqualified minorities. Those who put these race-based policies into place are the racists. I'm just tired of it, along with a lot of people, and we're not gonna stand for it any longer. And we're not afraid to speak our minds about it, knowing that libs will default to saying we're a modern day heretic - ie: a racist. U guys throw that word around as recklessly and irrationally as the medieval catholic church threw out the word heresy. If u don't like my fact-based opinions, then all I can say is that the truth hurts.
PS: illegals and children of illegals get scholarships all the time, even though their grades and SAT 1 scores are pathetic. They often recieve instate tuition and the lib politicians wanna ensure that with new legislation. This is all fact
a resident of Walnut Creek
on Jul 18, 2009 at 1:12 am
Rick - Do you know anything about CSU and how that idiotic system works? White people who are dumb as posts are admitted to CSU all the time. My son, a white dude with blonde hair and blue eyes, never took the SAT, SAT 2, or ACT. After high school (which he barely passed because he was a totally lazy slug), he worked in a burger joint for 6 months. After that experience, he began attending community college. He did well in community college and was accepted to CSU this past fall. So, my white kid, who never took the SAT or ACT is now a CSU student. I really don't understand how anybody can get admitted to a four year college without taking the ACT or SAT, but CSU allows for this situation all the time. I have little respect for any four year college that allows this scenario to occur.
a resident of Danville
on Jul 18, 2009 at 7:45 am
Dude, whoever you are, you are the most whacked father I've ever heard. If the story you told is really true and you're not just another lying liberal blogger, you are the most racially self-loathing person, while also being the worst father. If you are for real, you are exactly what's wrong with this country - a white man willing to insult his own child to stand up for minorities who on the whole more fit the story you told about your son.
a resident of Danville
on Jul 18, 2009 at 7:49 am
And another thing, the affirmative action minorities and illegal immigrants don't do well in community colleges before attending csu. If they did, that I could at least understand. They don't do good at anything before attending csu, or even UC. All you have to be is not-white.
a resident of Danville
on Jul 18, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I thought more on your son. Getting into a 4 year college via a junior college with good grades and no SAT is nothing new. He took the proper course. He worked, went to jc then got into a four year. That sounds like a good, disciplined white boy to me.
But you're not for real. You stink of an act
a resident of Walnut Creek
on Jul 19, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Rick -
My kid was lazy, lazy, lazy and I'm a real father. My other two children (given the same attention, encouragement, opportunities, and love) applied themselves and attended excellent schools - Naval Academy and MIT. My middle son was lazy and mistakenly thought that we would support him and let him live with us rent free for the rest of his life. I make no apologies for forcing him to grow up and accept responsibilities for the foolish choices that he made. Frankly, if you think that makes me a liberal father then I suspect you're the typical over-indulgent liberal parent turning out fat, lazy, stupid kids.
The CSU system is a joke. If you can't make it into a UC school then you should pay the entire cost of your education. As a taxpayer, I shouldn't have to fund CSU for white people or minorities. But, hey, Rick, if you want to support stupid white people who attend CSU then please spend your own money to do so- and don't expect me to spend my tax dollars.
By the way, how many white sheets do you own? Do you use a template for the eyeholes or just guess on placement?
a resident of Danville
on Jul 19, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Did I ever say I wanted to support stupid white people u moron?
a resident of Walnut Creek
on Jul 20, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Rick -
So, do the eyeholes come pre-cut into the sheets or do you cut them out yourself? Just curious.
a resident of another community
on Jul 20, 2009 at 10:24 pm
"illegals and children of illegals get scholarships all the time, even though their grades and SAT 1 scores are pathetic. They often recieve instate tuition and the lib politicians wanna ensure that with new legislation. This is all fact"
no, this is not a fact, they do not recieve in-state tuition because they have no legal status. Since they dont have legal status, they can NOT prove they have permanent residency in the state. It works the same as if the student is here on a student visa. No matter how long the student is here even with a visa they still pay out of state tuition. Believe me I work with students that have visas. Illegals RARELY get schoolarships. Most require you to give a social security number, and these are the major ones.
besides this isnt an issue of legal status, stop scapegoting. Even if they are prevented from attending college, it wouldnt open enough spots for legal students. They would still have closed the schools.
Also in case you didnt know affirmitive action didnt benefit minorities the most, it helped women the most.
The school im at the moment has a huge engineering program, there are only two women in one of my classes. There are mostly equal numbers of whites, blacks, latinos, asians. The perks the women get are surprising.
as for illegals doing bad or good in their SATs, I cant argue either way, i have seen them rank in the top 5 percentile and top 3% in their ACT. I have also seen the opposite though. SO i wont get into that one.
"Did I ever say I wanted to support stupid white people u moron?"
Im sorry, rick but you are coming off as prejudice not only toward illegals, but also toward minorities. It surprises me a bit.
Like i said we need solutions..
another thing that could work is only letting students who have reached the requierements for both english and math in their entrance exams. I have seen too many students that go to a CSU, and they still have to take remedial courses which dont even count for their degree. They are waisting money and time. Im not just talking about tax payer's money or teacher's times but also their own. They should go to a community college for these classes.
a resident of San Ramon Valley High School
on Jul 20, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Way to go Rick! Still finding your allies on the blogs are you? I would take step back and look at what a "Moron" you sound (write) like on these blogs.
You are not even worth a mouse click anymore.
a resident of Danville
on Jul 21, 2009 at 6:50 am
Jon, let me first thank you for actually knowing somewhat how to gauge in true debate. Unlike some people (Teacherman), who feel they have to provide no facts or logic, and instead make broad declarations of truth that all others must bow to, you actually provided a line of reasoning with tidbits of evidence to support your claim. Naturally, I am then inclined to provide further evidence to support mine. For this, I respect you.
Unfortunately, you're wrong about illegals not being able to get into universities.
You must know that illegals are not supposed to attain any government benefits, yet they do. They get food stamps, healthcare, go through our K-12 schools with ease. Why? Because they know how to use and abuse the system far better than most citizens. After all, eighty percent of identity theft is by illegal immigrants. But, they don't need to steal any identities even to get into CSU or UC. Here's some excerpts for you. I would be happy to provide more.
AB 540 and the "Dream Act"
A Path to Higher Education for Undocumented Immigrants
California Assembly Bill 540 (signed into law 2001)
Tuition rates are now more affordable for immigrant students interested in attending California's accredited public community college and universities. Under AB 540, students who meet ALL of the outlined requirements will qualify to pay in-state tuition.
To qualify a student must:
* Attend a California high school for 3 or more years;
* Graduate from a California high school or receive the equivalent general education diploma (GED);
* Register or be currently enrolled in a California Community College, California State University, or a University of California;
* Sign a statement with the college or university (NOT with INS) stating that he/she will apply for legal residency as soon as he/she is eligible to do so.
Web Link
Here's a little something showing how affirmative action, though made illegal in 1996, is absolutely still in practice, clogging up our schools with mediocrities.
The proposal before the Board of Regents today would do the following:
* End the requirement that applicants submit two SAT Subject Test scores.
* Narrow from the top 12.5 to the top 9 percent of high school graduates the percentage who will be guaranteed admission to the university system (although not necessarily to the campus of their choice).
* Expand the definition of applicants eligible for a full admission review to include all who complete 11 of 15 required high school courses by the end of their junior year, and achieve a grade-point average of at least 3.0
It appears that there are two separate issues here. The first is, changing admissions eligibility rules so that more students from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups (specifically, African Americans, Latinos, and American Indians) will be eligible for admissions.
Read more: Web Link
Date: October 13, 2008 Code: AA-2008-38
To: Academic Council
From: Rodney Rideau Budget Director
"Allocation. The CSU shall allocate these funds pursuant to guidelines developed in consultation with the Academic Senate, the faculty bargaining unit and the students. It is the intent of the Legislature that campuses allocate these funds in a manner which: complements and promotes the affirmative action and education equity goals of the CSU system."
Web Link
BAMN epitomizes the traitorous, impudent illegal immigrant, waving their mexican flags.
• Declaration on Immigrant Rights
Form a Chapter, or Affiliate your group to BAMN!
Have your group vote to endorse the documents above and contact us! We will reach you as soon as possible.
California BAMN Leadership Conference
WIN THE DREAM ACT: Win Financial Aid for Undocumented Immigrants!
Go to the Dream Act Page
L.A. Students Win Chávez Holiday!
NEXT STEP: Make this a true California holiday and national holiday!
Web Link
a resident of San Ramon Valley High School
on Jul 21, 2009 at 9:13 am
Oh I get it now Rick, you are lumping all people of color into the illegal immigrant category simply because they are not white. You are as racist and prejudice as the Old South in the 1950's. Lets not extend educational rights to people of color, it will cost us too much. Rick equals Jim Crow. Oh, do you know who he is Rick? Perhaps your under qualified teachers didn't have the skills to teach such a highly intelligent student such as yourself. Obviously you missed out some other very important lessons in US history.
Hi, Welcome to America! If you would crawl out of your hole and see this colorful country you live in, you might have a better understanding of the needs of our multicultural society. But until then, we will all enjoy your little racist rants because we know you are just a clown with no experience or practical knowledge outside your little prism, which unfortunately only illuminates one color, White.
a resident of San Ramon Valley High School
on Jul 21, 2009 at 10:48 am
I will let the greater public decipher that one and draw their own conclusions, Rick! Can you say, Social Darwinism? Another historical term that your teachers were to incompetent to teach you.
Danville Weekly reporter
on Jul 21, 2009 at 11:23 am
Geoff Gillette is a registered user.
Folks, this thread is becoming more about personal attacks than it is about the issue. Please try to focus on the issue and less on character, or take your conversation off thread.
Geoff Gillette
a resident of Montair Elementary School
on Jun 5, 2017 at 4:35 am
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a resident of Diablo
on Jun 5, 2017 at 8:29 am
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Tech's new entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy
- NFS is helping redefine nonprofit industry.
- REBBL drink brings in revenue to anti-human trafficking organization.
- Tech execs are ponying up more donations to nonprofits.
SAN FRANCISCO — It was the philanthropic pledge heard around the world of charity.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was giving $500 million worth of his stock to the non-profit Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which helps donors manage and identify charitable funds that are in line with their philanthropic passions.
While it underscores a recent surge in charitable giving by high-tech iconoclasts — eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison donated about $900 million last year — it also highlights the intersection of technology and philanthropy, which is being reshaped by some.
As Zuckerberg made his biggest donation to date, a small-but-gritty operation called REBBL, run by beverage industry veterans, signed an agreement for retailer Whole Foods Market Northern California to this month start carrying its herbal drink, also named REBBL, in a growing movement of for-profit partnerships in philanthropy.
The for-profit beverage concern REBBL came to fruition from Not For Sale, an anti-human-trafficking and anti-slavery non-profit backed by Path, Causes.com and Omidyar's organization Humanity United. What they are doing is nothing short of reinventing the way traditional non-profits operate — even survive — with the backing of some of the best entrepreneurial minds.
REBBL is just the start. NFS has plans to develop for-profit products such as soup, denim jeans and a phone that would theoretically pump revenue back into the non-profit.
Sales of REBBL could pump close to $50,000 into NFS in its first year, and more than $775,000 annually later.
Some call the movement "philanthrocapitalism," a natural evolution in global philanthropy.
"We want to reinvent philanthropy," says NFS co-founder David Batstone, a former entrepreneur and author who wants to change the contours of non-profits — with the aid of such tech heavyweights as Google, Juniper Networks and Humanity United, run by Omidyar and his wife, Pam.
"We're a social enterprise and action think tank," says Batstone. "We hope others follow our lead. Intellect and social capital are as important as money. It drives ideas."
NFS, a model of the Omidyars' brand of philanthropy, is based loosely on a venture-capital firm's approach. And it is quickly becoming a powerful agent for social change, as eBay was for commerce.
The unconventional approach, which is sure to ruffle the feathers of traditional charities that depend on financial donations, is gaining steam — ironically — among some old-school non-profits. With money tight in a tough economy, they may have no choice but to generate their own revenue to sustain operations — and some are.
CARE, a non-profit created after World War II to offer U.S. aid to Europe, is also dipping into social enterprises, "because we needed to be more strategic and financially viable," says Francois Jung-Rozenfarb, senior director of social enterprises. CARE Enterprises, a subsidiary that functions as a for-profit to ensure CARE's long-term success, is involved in several projects, including a network of community shops in Bangladesh.
"It will be incredibly strong, and this is only the beginning," says Daniel Lurie, CEO of Tipping Point Community, a San Francisco Bay Area organization that supports poverty-fighting groups.
Silicon Valley's givers
Charity has deep ties here. The Valley's biggest givers — Zuckerberg, Ellison, Brin, Page and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg — have been the most-high-profile faces of a recent upswing in Silicon Valley and nationally.
Local charities say it isn't just billionaires who are increasing their giving: They say rank-and-file employees whose wealth is rising are generous, too.
Nationally, donors gave nearly $300 billion to charity in 2011, up slightly from 2010, according to the Giving USA Foundation. In the Bay Area, foundations increased giving 77%, to $3.1 billion, from 2000 to 2009, the most recent year for which those figures are available. Eight of the top 10 tech-related donors gave more in 2012 than they did in 2001, says Equilar, which tracks executive-compensation data.
"Companies are beginning to understand their power in leveraging their assets to non-profits," says Suzanne DiBianca, co-founder and president of Salesforce.com Foundation. The philanthropic arm of Salesforce.com has contributed $40 million in grants and nearly 500,000 hours in service to youth causes. "It's not just throwing a check over a wall. That is the old model."
The Salesforce.com Foundation donates 1% of its equity, 1% of annual profit and 1% of employees' paid time (six days a year) for volunteer work.
Google donated more than $100 million last year — $250,000 of which went to NFS, says Jacquelline Fuller, director of charitable giving and advocacy at Google. "We look for people who are nimble, tech-savvy and innovative," Fuller says. "NFS does that."
NFS held an event in the Bay Area, she points out, that was an "impressive mix of smart people" — business leaders, a World Series-winning pitcher, lawyers and venture capitalists — that came up with the REBBL concept.
"They require you to be proactive, rather than ask you for money," says San Francisco Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt, one of 22 Major Leaguers who donate money to NFS based on in-game performance (strikeouts or home runs).
Likewise, a Who's Who of Silicon Valley — LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, and venture capitalists Bill Draper and Steve Jurvetson, among others — appeared at Google's headquarters on a recent Saturday to discuss the intersection of innovation and social change. The diverse philanthropic-minded group spanned CARE CEO Helene Gayle to Giants pitcher Barry Zito.
NFS' support network even extends to royalty.
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, praised the group's project in Amsterdam, where trafficked women are being taught cooking skills alongside professional chefs. "Imagine what hope this must give these vulnerable women — knowing they do have a future," Ferguson said in an e-mail.
Philanthropy's long dance with tech
Corporate philanthropy was the province of financial icons Carnegie, Rockefeller and Vanderbilt for decades before Hewlett-Packed entered the picture in the 1960s.
HP co-founder William Hewlett and his wife, Flora, set up a private foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, in 1967. It's now one of the largest grant-giving entities in the USA, with assets of more than $7 billion. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, named after HP's other founder, David Packard, started in 1964. It has assets of $5.4 billion.
In 1994, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which now has an endowment of $36 billion for health, education and development causes.
Tech's legacy lives on through entrepreneur Steve Kirsch and such CEOs as LinkedIn's Hoffman and Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos. In 2010, Zuckerberg donated $100 million to Newark Public Schools, a struggling district that could use the money to become a laboratory for reforms.
It was no surprise, then, that when Warren Buffett, the Gateses and others asked some of the nation's wealthiest individuals in mid-2010 to give at least half their fortunes to charity, Ellison, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and Silicon Valley venture-capital legend John Doerr were among those to pitch in.
"More tech entrepreneurs are getting engaged," says Jay Banfield, founding executive director of Year Up Bay Area, which places high school graduates in internships at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and elsewhere.
Roots of the new philanthropy go back more than a decade to Draper Richards Foundation (now DRK Foundation), a spin-off of the venerable venture-capital firm that doled out $300,000 grants to non-profits with strong entrepreneurial spirit. Some 30 to 40 ventures have been funded through the years, including Kiva, an online lending platform, and Room to Read, a literacy program.
"They started it all," says Howard Hartenbaum, general partner at August Capital and a former general partner at Draper Richards, where he was the founding investor in Skype.
Indeed, the entrepreneurial, can-do attitude of organizations like NFS "appeals to tech types," says James Higa, a former chief strategist at Apple and aide-de-camp to Steve Jobs for years. "They (NFS) reach out to the tech world. Not many non-profits do."
"Zuckerberg and Omidyar embody the new philanthropy: They want to give to philanthropy but see things change," says Batstone, who got involved with his book, Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade — and How We Can Fight It. "They're bringing the same sensibility they brought to their start-ups."


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Posted by Editor on 06/22/03
Grand Prix Cycliste de Beauce
Courtesy Organization
This report made possible through the sponsorship of Evolution by Oryx
Stage 6 - St Georges circuit race, 154 km
The start of the final stage has been delayed because of concerns over road closures. The stage has just started at 10:15 am, 30 minutes late. The race was shortened one lap because of the delay. The weather conditions are perfect - sunny with no wind - but the riders are getting antsy...
This is a difficult stage, with 14 laps of a hard 11 kilometre circuit through St Georges. The riders have a 2.5 kilometre climb each lap that will undoubtedly split the field when the inevitable attacks begin. ZVVZ, Navigators and Team Canada will all be looking to put pressure on race leader John Lieswyn's 7 Up-Maxxis squad.
- There are 80 starters. Cam Evans (Canadian National) will not start.
- Buck Miller (Jet Fuel) has been reinstated after being disqualified after last night's criterium stage. Miller took a free lap for a mechanical, but officials determined that he did not have a valid mechanical and disqualified him. Jet Fuel appealed the ruling and Miller was allowed back in the race, with a 200 Swiss Franc fine (approximately $205 Canadian).
- Lots of photos from Friday's Mont Megantic stage have just been posted.
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