text:
Table Of Contents
Cover Story
From the Pulpit
Bible Study and Inspiration
Holy Humor!
Cover Story
From the Pulpit
Bible Study and Inspiration
Holy Humor!
What I needed that seminary did not give me was a way to bring my heart and mind into harmony. Unfortunately for me, that's nothing you can learn from a book. Heart knowledge comes to us differently than head knowledge. We can absolutely know something in our head but be in blissful ignorance in our heart.
While I value the things that my mind has helped me to discover a great deal, I could not have done any of it without faith in God. I see the things that I have been able to work out by studying the knowledge others have shared, by using the mind and reason and ability to learn that God gave me. Most of all I see things by having faith in the belief I feel Jesus was really teaching, that God is within all of us and that all of us are a part of God.
I think often about myself and my position in the church. I think about what a great place that church is for a gay person to be. What great people those people were for a gay person to know. My mind loved that church.
Don't get me wrong, my heart did too. I loved the choir, the organist, the bells at Christmas, the trumpet at Easter, the "Why hast thou forsaken me" on Maundy Thursday. My heart loved the music as much as my mind loved the gay. But whereas my mind could appreciate the music, my heart was uncomfortable with the gay.
For thousands of years contemplatives, as well as ordinary folk, have
used labyrinths to release both internal and external interruptions from
their minds, and to fix their focus on God. Each time I have walked a
labyrinth I have found it a profound spiritual experience - one almost
beyond expression in mere words.
Can I be in harmony being gay and married to a member of the opposite sex? This is an interesting question. I am sure there is no "textbook" answer for this question.
The tangible signs of salvation and liberation are evident in the lives of gay and lesbian Christians. For the church to continue to deny this puts them at odds with the apostle Peter. He concluded that Gentiles should also be accepted into the church because, "if then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God?" (Acts 11:17) Peter recognized that there is no such thing as a grace too far.
For every 27 Iraqis there is just one Christian. I wondered how these Christians felt. As a queer, I searched for a queer Christian. You may think it is easy to find one among the 850,000 Christians but it was hard. I found one and we became instant friends.
The mistaken notion that same-gender-loving orientation and gender diversity are inherently immoral and unholy, not to mention the popular idea that queers go to hell, is usually at the root of a Demeter Complex. From these parents' point of view, forces of darkness and light are waging war for their child's immortal soul, and their son or daughter's homosexual orientation or expanding gender identity is proof that the forces of
darkness are winning.
Despite the United Methodist Church's restrictive policies regarding homosexuality, many gays and lesbians remain in the denomination because they feel accepted at their local churches.
Although it is highly unlikely that the new archbishop of Canterbury will be martyred, like some of his more famous predecessors, the road to the office as head of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion has been filled with some pernicious potholes for Rowan Williams.
Though studies, like the most recent from the American Academy of Pediatrics, show children adopted by homosexual parents are "not" at risk. For many conservative Christians, this is not enough. To them, the Bible stands against homosexuality, and they're not budging on the issue.
Feel like a little person? Feeling a bit left out? Neglected by God, without God or society's blessing? That does not mean you are guilty of heinous sins. Stop beating yourself up. Wait on the Lord. And serve the Lord as you wait. That is what Zacharias did. God will bless. And He will bless in ways unexpected and impressive ways.
This is the stuff National Enquirer stories are made of. A little shepherd boy slated to become the next king? A boy unknown to anybody except his family? A boy with no military experience would be the next king? A young lad from Bethlehem? The youngest in a family of eight sons? This was highly unlikely in that culture. Blessings and leadership positions were usually reserved for the eldest son. But God often has blessings in unexpected places.
As gay and lesbian people, it is easy to see ourselves as the "least ones" Jesus speaks about. And there is truth here. But have we the insight and courage to reach out with compassion and understanding to the "goats" who have abused us?
Let's look at David's grandfather Obed, whose mother was Ruth. We've all read the book of Ruth. We use it as an example of love and loyalty. But it was way more than that. It was part of
God's plan and God's purpose.
In these eight verses in Isaiah, we see a picture of what
worship looks like. We start off with curiosity. We see God, and the
sight draws us into His presence. He is majestic, enthroned in a
lofty place. His servants, the angels are ministering to Him. And
all the while, they are singing a song of praise to His majestic
greatness. The scene we see draws us in for a closer look. We want
to see all that is taking place. We want all that God has for us.
The Bible speaks specifically of the power of speech. James speaks
eloquently of the difficulty in - and necessity of - controlling the tongue.
In this article we will look at three specific sins of the tongue which are
easily overlooked.


text:
The Bill of Rights
Celebrate Bill of Rights Day- list of resources
Congress for Kids: The Constitution
The Constitution- from Ben's Guide to Government
Constitution Clips- from C-Span Classroom; register on the site for free
The Constitution for Grades 4-7
The Constitution for Grades 8-12
Constitution Day Lessons and Resources- Education World
The Constitution of the United States
Mr. Donn's Government Resources
The Signers of the Constitution- from the National Archives
Interactive Games
The Bill of Rights Game- interactive
Constitution Duel- interactive game; knowledge duel
The Constitutional Convention of 1787- interactive game
Constitution Relay Game
The First Amendment Game- interactive
Interactive Constitution
Life Without the Bill of Rights-interactive game
Lesson Plans
The Constitution: Drafting a More Perfect Union- from the Library of Congress; grades 9-12
Constitution Lesson Plans- by grade level (all covered)
Constitution Day Lesson Plan- from iCivics
It's My Right- grades 6-8
No Time for Tea- grades 3-5
Private v. Public Rights- grades 9-12
Teaching Six Big Ideas in the Constitution- from the National Archives
We the People- lesson plan from Discovery Education
Ben's Guide to Government for Kids- by grade level; resources for teachers
Congress for Kids
The Executive Branch
Government Resources- from the Library of Congress' Thomas
How Does Government Affect Me?- from PBS' The Democracy Project
Legislative Branch
NeoK12- different grade level videos
United States House of Representitives
United States Senate
The White House Official Site
Interactive Games
Activate- campaign for an issue
Branches of Government
Cast Your Vote- choose questions for your candidates to debate
Immigration Nation- guide newcomers to citizenship
Supreme Court History Interactives- nine interactives for high school students
U.S. Government Games and Activities- for younger kids
We The Jury- iCivics has provided many interactive games
Lesson Plans
Civics and Government Lesson Plans- from the Library of Congress
Foundations of Government- from iCivics
Government Lesson Plans- from Kids.gov
How Our Laws are Made- terrific infographic
TeacherVision's Lesson Plans on Government
TeAchnology's Government Lesson Plans
Three Branches of Government: Interactive Teaching Unit- grades 5-8
Civics Clip Art
Google Image Search- large images for printing
Scholastic- 22 images
American 3D Civil War- use the Google Earth plug to view
The American Civil War- from EDSITEment
American Civil War Collections- includes letters, texts, newspapers, student projects
American Civil War Flashcards-27 cards (Flashcard Machine)
The American Civil War Lesson Plans- from Teacher's Guide
The American Civil War Resources- from EyeWitness to History; some sites listed are interactive
Animated Gettysburg Address:
The Center for Civil War Photography- retouched photos, 3D exhibit
The Civil War- PBS film by Ken Burns
The Civil War Across Disciplines- from the Library of Congress; how to use primary sources when teaching about the Civil War
Civil War Battlefield Medicine- primary sources, Civil War doctors, common medical terms
The Civil War Collection- over 30 million documents
Civil War Flashcards- 35 cards (Quizlet)
The Civil War Home Page- includes official records, photos, battle maps
Civil War Interactive Poster- from Teaching History.org
Civil War Letters Collection- from libraries at the University of Washington
Civil War Potpourri- list of links
The Civil War and Reconstruction Era- free Yale course taught by Professor David W. Blight; view the course here
Civil War Sheet Music Collection- Library of Congress
Documenting the American South- thousands of links on this site
Flashcards About the Civil War- (StudyStack)
The Gettysburg Address- from the Library of Congress
Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library- around 20,000 items, including correspondence and papers; Library of Congress
Outline of the Civil War- from Great American History
Pennsylvania Civil War 150- interactive map, interactive timeline, interactive soldier, artifacts showcase
Portraits of Named Civil War Enlisted Men- from the Prints and Photographs Reading Room (Library of Congress)
Teaching the Civil War With Technology- this wonderful blog is all about the Civil War, including curriculum resources (webquests, lesson plans) NOTE: not all links are up-to-date.
Timeline of the Civil War- from the Library of Congress
14 Lessons on the Civil War- includes interactive and printed quizzes
Civil War Lesson Plans- from social studies teacher
Civil War Lesson Plans- for all grades K-12; other resources and activities listed
The Civil War: A Nation Divided- for grades 6-8 from Discovery Education
Civil War Photographs: The Matthew Brady Bunch Collection- from grades 6-12 from the Library of Congress
Civil War: A Terrible Swift Sword- for grades 9-12 from EDSITment
Map the Civil War Lesson Plan- grades 4-7
Mission U.S.- a revolutionary way to learn history
Mission U.S.- a revolutionary way to learn history
TeacherVision Resources for the Civil War- includes lesson plans, slideshows, printables, quizzes, reference
Teaching with Historic Places- nice listing of lesson plans from the National Park Service
Voices of Bull Run- for grades 5-8
Women in the Civil War: Ladies, Contraband and Spies- for grades 6-12 from the Library of Congress
10 Interactive 13 Colonies Maps- from Mr. Nussbaum's site
13 Originals: Founding the American Colonies
A to Z Teacher Stuff- lesson plans and printables on colonial America
America During the Age of the Revolution- timeline covers 1764-1775
American Memory- photographs, manuscripts. rare books, maps, recorded sound and moviesArchiving Early America- primary source materials include portraits from original newspapers, maps, writings, and music.
The American Revolution- interactive lessons for K-8
American Revolution Resources- from the Library of Congress
The American Revolution and its Era- maps and charts of North America and the West Indies
The American Revolution Center- "a living memorial to the American Revolution and its enduring legacy."
American Revolution Crossword Puzzle- from New York Times Learning Network
American Revolution Timeline
America's Story- children's site from the Library of Congress
The American Revolution- interactive lessons for K-8
American Revolution Resources- from the Library of Congress
The American Revolution and its Era- maps and charts of North America and the West Indies
The American Revolution Center- "a living memorial to the American Revolution and its enduring legacy."
American Revolution Crossword Puzzle- from New York Times Learning Network
American Revolution Timeline
America's Story- children's site from the Library of Congress
The Battle of Bunker Hill- Massachusetts Historical Society's web exhibition
Ben Franklin and His Inventions
Betsy Ross: Her Life-biography of the woman who sewed the American flag
Biographies of the Founding Fathers
Chart of the Thirteen Original Colonies- from About.com
Civil Rights News and Information- i.e. affirmative action, hate crimes, voting rights etc.Colonial America Rare Maps Collection
Colonial America Resources- lessons and printables cover grades K-12Digital History- extensive site has multimedia, primary sources, historic newspapers, interactive time line and so much more!
Colonial Currency
Colonial House- Behind the scenes of this PBS movie, with lesson plans, audio and video and a section of resources.
Colonial Life in Early America- from Kid info; covers clothing, currency, economy, education and much more
Colonial Newspapers
Colonial Williamsburg- official site
Colonization and Settlement- resources form the Library of Congress
Daily Life in the Colonies- from the PBS website, Liberty! The American Revolution.
The Declaration of Independence
Colonial Currency
Colonial House- Behind the scenes of this PBS movie, with lesson plans, audio and video and a section of resources.
Colonial Life in Early America- from Kid info; covers clothing, currency, economy, education and much more
Colonial Newspapers
Colonial Williamsburg- official site
Colonization and Settlement- resources form the Library of Congress
Daily Life in the Colonies- from the PBS website, Liberty! The American Revolution.
The Declaration of Independence
Early America's Digital Archive- covers 1492-1820
Eyewitness to History -history through eyes of the ones who lived it
Fifty States- this site allows you to access the home page for each state, including the state bird, tree, flower, flag, car license plate and state song.
Historical Documents- University of Oklahoma College of Law's site contains documents from pre-colonial times to the present. Also has a guide to American flags.
History of Jamestown
Liberty! The American Revolution-"These newspaper Chronicles let you experience first-hand the excitement and uncertainty of the American Revolution as it happened. Click on a city to read about the riveting historical headlines that shaped the war and America."
Mapping Colonial New England: Looking at the Landscape- from NEH
The Mayflower Compact
Mayflower History- includes Pilgrim history, the Mayflower passenger list, Mayflower genealogy
Mission U.S.- a revolutionary way to learn history
NeoK12- quizzes and videos on the American Revolution
An Outline of American History- first chapter is on colonial America
Paul Revere Virtual Museum
Pilgrim Hall Museum- explains the Pilgrim story, including Thanksgiving
The Real Pocahontas- compares the real Pocahontas with the movie character
Revolutionary War Animated
Revolutionary War Biographies
The Road to Independence Simulation- webquest written by students
Salem Witch Hunt- interactive from National Geographic
TeacherVision- printables and lessons on colonial America; covers grades K-12United States Newspapers- covers 1700s; from the Library of Congress collection
United States History Timeline- covers all years, including a timeline of the American Revolution
United States History Timeline- covers all years, including a timeline of the American Revolution
Virtual Jamestown- ongoing teaching and learning project
Virtual Marching Tour of the American Revolution
What Do You Think Ben Meant?- words of wisdom from Ben Franklin
Witches and Witchcraft in New England and Salem- list of resources from About.com
Words and Deeds in American History- chronological listing
CNN- news clips, video clips; excellent site
The CNN Challenge- take an interactive quiz to see how much you know about current events
Current Events Printables- from TeacherVision; by grade level
FOX News- known to be more conservative
Frontline- PBS program
Google Directory- with 8 categories to search, including natural disasters, politics and breaking news
Google News Archive Search- search the world or by country
Guzzle- customize your page to receive hundreds of feeds
HeadlineSpot- comprehensive listing for all types of news
Issues and Causes- from the Yahoo! Directory; long list includes climate change, race and racism
Izzit.org- lesson plans for current events are updated daily
Mapeas- world news on a map
Morning Rush!- Top 5 morning show moments are updated daily
News Currents- covers grades 4-12
News in Pictures- list of close to a hundred sites of news galleries, including ABC News, MSNBC and Reuters
Newseum- "814 front pages from 78 countries"
Newsmap- visual display of daily news shows larger type for more important stories; choose from 15 countries
NewspaperMap- choose your language from a world map; directly link to the website for that paper
Student News Daily- wonderful site
This Day in History- History Channel
The Week in Pictures Archive- from MSNBC
The Week in Rap from Flocabulary- at a cost of $5/month, students will love the connection to musicAnimaps- create and view beautifully informative maps
Best Blogs for Geography Geeks- 50 listed
The Best Websites for Learning and Teaching Geography- from Larry Ferlazzo's site
Census Bureau Geography
Free Blank U.S. State Outline MapsGeoGame- interactive geography game
Free Blank U.S. State Outline MapsGeoGame- interactive geography game
Geography for Kids- listing created by teacher Kathy Mitchell
Geography for Little People- kindergarten
Geography From Space Quiz 2009- from the Smithsonian
Geography and Maps-from ALA
Geography Online- huge listing of lesson plans, sites, games and printable puzzles for geography teachers
Geography Sites- from Internet4Teachers
Geography Teacher Resources- from TeacherVision
Geosense- interactive; students test their geographic knowledge alone or against other online players.
Google Earth Cool Places- "weird, cool beautiful places"
Google Earth Starter Sheet- pdf file
History Pin- "a way for millions of people to come together, from across different generations, cultures and places, to share small glimpses of the past and to build up the huge story of human history."
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators- Geography resources
Library of Congress Map Collections- primary source documents
Maplandia- Google maps world gazetteer; covers over 2 million place around the globe
Mapping for Everyone- free mapping tools; create maps online
National Atlas- produce maps of all kids; hundreds of types available
National Geographic Maps- lesson plans, activities and other educator resources
Newspaper Map- shows the locations of newspapers around the world
Physical Geography Sites- from Pro Teacher
Quikmaps-doodle on Google
Scribble Maps- from Google; draw on Google maps
Seterra Online- free map quiz games; 16 languages offered
Seterra Online- free map quiz games; 16 languages offered
Show World- interactive world map
Toporopa- geography of Europe
Worldmapper- a collection of 700 world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest.
Discovery Education Geography Lesson Plans
Geography Lesson Plans- from the Awesome Library
Geography Lesson Plans- Teachers.net
Map Activities
Mr.Donn's Geography Lesson Plans, Games and Learning Modules
ProTeacher! -map lesson plans
d-maps- close to 26,000 printable maps
Maps of the World- printables
Megamaps- 10 collections of maps which can be printed at any size, whether small or large
Outline Maps- print outs for your students
Adolph Hitler Speech:
The Anne Frank Museum
The Anne Frank Museum
Art Spiegelman's MAUS: A Different Type of Holocaust Literature
Auschwitz After 65 Years- photos from Time magazine
Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp
The Biography of Adolph Hitler
Biography of Miep Gies
The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Resource Links
Auschwitz After 65 Years- photos from Time magazine
Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp
The Biography of Adolph Hitler
Biography of Miep Gies
The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Resource Links
Classroom Holocaust Museum- set up a classroom as a Holocaust museum
History Channel- about Adolph Hitler
The History Channel - article about the Holocaust
The History Place: Hitler Youth
The History Place: Hitler Youth
Hitler and the Nazis- from Glencoe; interactive with videos and photos
Holocaust Evidence- from Awesome Stories
Holocaust Evidence- from Awesome Stories
The Holocaust Memorial Center- located in Farmington Hills, MIWWII Concentration Camps- interactive maps and photos
Holocaust Resources- teaching resources from the NY Times Learning Network
Holocaust Remembrance Day
We Remember Anne Frank- from Scholastic
Holocaust Resources- teaching resources from the NY Times Learning Network
Holocaust Remembrance Day
Holocaust Survivor Stories-"Read the stories of the survivors. Hear them speak. Look at their family photographs. Consult our encyclopedia. Read a historical introduction to the Holocaust. Leave your thoughts or ask your questions on our discussion page."
Holocaust: The Untold Story- from Newseum
Holocaust: The Untold Story- from Newseum
How Stuff Works- videos about the Holocaust
Interactive Map of Auschwitz - from the BBC
Kristallnacht in Words and Photographs- from Time Magazine; "Seventy years later, survivors share their recollections of the day the Holocaust began, in material drawn from Centropa.org, a website devoted to preserving the memory of Jewish life in Central Europe before the rise of the Nazis."
Lessons of Auschwitz Interactive Feature- from CBS News
Literature Related to the Holocaust - includes the Diary of Anne Frank, The Book Thief and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Literature Related to the Holocaust - includes the Diary of Anne Frank, The Book Thief and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Maus- this is comic book version of the Holocaust; read an excerpt here at Amazon; not well received by the Jewish people
Memory of the Camps- Frontline presentation
Life After the Holocaust-production from the National Holocaust Museum
Life in the Shadows- production from the National Holocaust Museum
Museum of History and Holocaust Education- housed at the KSU Center on Kennesaw State University's extended campus
Museum of History and Holocaust Education- housed at the KSU Center on Kennesaw State University's extended campus
The Museum of Tolerance
Night Study Guide- book written by Elie Weisel
Night Study Guide- book written by Elie Weisel
The Nizkor Project- Camp Belzec
The Nizkor Project- gas chambers
The Nizkor Project- medical experimentation
Remember.org- a cybrary of the Holocaust
Remembering Catastrophe: The Nazi Camps Today
The Rise of Adolph Hitler
Remembering Catastrophe: The Nazi Camps Today
The Rise of Adolph Hitler
The Secret Annex Online- take an interactive tour of the place where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis
Simon Weisenthal Center
The Story of Miep Gies- biography of the woman who hid Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis; Scholastic
The Story of Miep Gies- biography of the woman who hid Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis; Scholastic
A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust- site includes photos, maps, videos, quizzes, music, museums and much more.
Telling Their Stories- oral histories of the Holocaust
US Holocaust Museum Educators' Toolbox- maintained by Cynthia Peterman
US Holocaust Museum Educators' Toolbox- maintained by Cynthia Peterman
United States Holocaust Museum Propaganda Artifact Gallery- huge collection of photos and moviesVideos on the Holocaust- from How Stuff Works
We Remember Anne Frank- from Scholastic
iPAD APPS
Civic Quotes- "notable quotations from a variety of U.S. government leaders over the years "
Constitution for iPad- a copy of the Constitution on your iPad
Constitution and Federalist Papers- full text of the Constitution, 85 of the Federalist papers and more
My Congress- information on all U.S. Congressional officials
Pocket Law Firm- game
The Presidency- for elementary and middle school students
3D National Parks Lite- 2 national parks on this version; 28 on the full version
Atlas for iPad
Earth Viewer- "EarthViewer is like a time machine for exploring Earth's deep history. Based on the latest scientific research, it lets you scroll through the last 4.5 billion years with your fingertips."
Geo Photo Explorer- "an easy way to explore, organize, manage photo galleries and share photos from Google Panoramio and Flick."
Google Earth
History: Maps of the World- interactive maps
Historypin- "reveals photos near your current location and allows you to view them layered over the modern scene in front of you. You can also explore Collections of some of the best old photos from around the world, wherever you are."
Sphere 360º Photography- "See Paris from a hot air balloon, feel the energy from the American ldol stage, and hold onto your raft as you approach Hubbard Glacier."
Stack the States Lite- "learn state capitals, shapes, geographic locations, flags and more"
StrataLogica- much more than a geography reference tool
American Revolution Interactive Timeline for iPad- developed by the Museum of the American Revolution
Beyond Textbooks 2010: American History Games- from Pearson Education
Civil War Lite: History Challenge
Clever Crazes You the Time Traveler- for grades K-8
Discovery Education Techbook- if your school has Discovery Education Social Studies Techbook services
Early Jamestown- interactive textbook tells the story of Jamestown
History Line- "History Line is a collaborative learning game for the iPad focusing on US History. The game can be played by 1-6 players."
iAmerica: The Pocket Guide to United States History and the Presidency
Infinity Ring: Revenge of the Redcoats- "Revenge of the Redcoats is set in Washington, DC, during the War of 1812. Dak, Sera, and fellow HystorianRiq have to convince Dolley Madison to leave the White House—before the SQ burns it to the ground!"
James Madison's Montpelier- "makes history come alive at Montpelier, the historic home and grounds of President James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, and his vivacious wife Dolley. See the Madisons' works of art and fine china, explore the latest archaeological excavations, and even discover the hiking trails of the Landmark Forest, all in stunning detail with interactive maps and image galleries."
Mapping Revolutionary Boston- interactive map of Boston during 1760s and 1770s
Mission U.S.: Think Fast! About the Pasta- "fast-paced trivia game that introduces hundreds of fascinating facts about different eras of American history."
National Archives Docs Teach- choose from various activities to teach about historic events
The Revolution: Interactive Guide- for high school students
Social Studies Friendzy- for grades K-8
TED Talks- inspiring, motivational talks on various subjects
To the Brink: JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis- photographs, documents, and recording from the National Archives come to life in this app
Today in History Lite- over 100k historical events
U.S. History Timeline
AP World History- 8,000 BCE to the present
BBC History Magazine- from Romans to Henry VIII to Winston Churchill
Classical World Lite: History Challenge- ancient Greece and Rome
Cold War Lite: History Challenge
European Exploration: The Age of Discovery
Napoleon: History Challenge Lite
World History Games- Middle school; "More than 100 different games cover dozens of topics, such as Ancient Rome and the Rise of Christianity, The Muslim World, Spread of Civilizations in East Asia, Kingdoms and Trading States of Africa, The Industrial Revolution, World War II and its Aftermath, and more."
WWI Lite: History Challenge
WWII Lite: History Challenge
10 Worst Political Scandals - from Newsweek Magazine
America's 50 Most Scandalous Political Scandals- some are a bit racy
Articles About Political Corruption- N.Y.Times
The Battle Over Reconstruction- three lessons
America's 50 Most Scandalous Political Scandals- some are a bit racy
Articles About Political Corruption- N.Y.Times
The Battle Over Reconstruction- three lessons
Bartelby.com- search "political corruption" and you'll get results from all over the world
Chicago Times Articles on Political Corruption
Daryl Cagle's Political Corruption Cartoons- many cartoonists represented here from all over the country
Daryl Cagle's Political Corruption Cartoons- many cartoonists represented here from all over the country
Government Statistics- chart shows corruption by country
Infoplease Encyclopedia
Newsweek Magazine- articles on political corruption
N.J. Corruption- my state has been in the news a lot lately...
Newsweek Magazine- articles on political corruption
N.J. Corruption- my state has been in the news a lot lately...
Political Cartoons- democracy and corruption
Political Cartoons from Nixon's Presidency- Watergate
Political Corruption in American History- this timeline covers 1760-2010
Political Corruption Lesson Plans- from the Lesson Planet
Political Corruption Lesson Plans- from the Lesson Planet
Presidential Scandals
Rage Against the Machine- N.Y.Times lesson plan compares Blagjovich scandal with a Times article about machine politics from 1876.
Rage Against the Machine- N.Y.Times lesson plan compares Blagjovich scandal with a Times article about machine politics from 1876.
Rod Blagjovich- Illinois Governor who was impeached for trying to sell Obama's vacated senate seat
TeacherVision Resources on Political Corruption
Time Magazine- articles on political corruption
TeacherVision Resources on Political Corruption
Time Magazine- articles on political corruption
Timeline for Scandals in American History- from Google; covers 1900-2009

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The federal government collects, maintains, and uses geospatial informationinformation linked to specific geographic locations[1]to help in decision making and to support many functions, including national security, law enforcement, health care, and environmental protection. Many activities, such as maintaining roads and responding to natural disastersfloods, hurricanes, and firescan depend on critical analysis of geospatial information. Further, multiple federal agencies may provide services at the same geographic locations and may independently collect similar geospatial information about those locations.
In June 2004, GAO reported that selected agencies efforts to coordinate geospatial investments were not successful and agencies were independently acquiring and maintaining duplicative and costly geospatial data and systems.[2] GAO recommended that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Secretary of the Interior (Interior) improve strategic planning, and that OMB develop criteria for assessing interagency coordination of proposed geospatial investments and increase its oversight of approved geospatial projects.[3] OMB and Interior generally agreed with these recommendations. From 2004 through 2008, OMB and Interior created a number of strategic planning documents to encourage more coordination of geospatial assets, reduce needless redundancies, and decrease costs. In 2004 and 2006, OMB issued guidance to increase the amount of budget information available on geospatial investments and improve oversight of agencies implementation of geospatial-related policies and activities. Nonetheless, in August 2012, Interior estimated that the federal government invests billions of dollars in geospatial data annually and reported that duplication among investments is common.[4]
[1]For example, entities such as houses, rivers, road intersections, power plants, and national parks can all be identified by their location. In addition, phenomena such as wildfires, the spread of the West Nile virus, and the thinning of trees because of acid rain can also be identified by their geographic locations.
[2]The agencies reviewed were the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce (Commerce), the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
[3]The Secretary of the Interior chairs the committee established by OMB to promote the coordination of geospatial data nationwide.
[4]Interior included this estimate as a part of its exhibit 300 submission to OMB; see Department of the Interior, Geospatial Line of Business Capital Asset Summary,
Aug. 14, 2012.
In November 2012, GAO reported that the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)the committee that was established to promote the coordination of geospatial data nationwideand selected federal departments and agencies had not effectively implemented policies and procedures for coordinating geospatial data as called for by executive order and OMB guidance.[1] Additionally, federal agencies continue to make duplicative investments in areas of national interest, such as road and address data.
Specifically, the FGDC is responsible for coordinating the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)an infrastructure that includes data themes, standards, metadata, and a centralized clearinghouse for geospatial metadata.[2] The purpose of the NSDI is to facilitate the efficient collection, sharing, and dissemination of geospatial data, and to reduce wasteful duplication among all levels of government and the public and private sectors. GAO reported that the FGDC had developed and endorsed key standards, and established a clearinghouse of metadataa centralized repository of metadata records. The clearinghouse allows users to determine whether the geospatial data that they are seeking already exist and to identify planned acquisitions of geospatial data and opportunities to jointly acquire the data in order to help reduce duplication. GAO reported that the three federal departments in its review (Commerce, Interior, and Transportation) had described their existing geospatial data on the clearinghouse by making their metadata available on it. However, as of September 2012, federal agencies were not using the clearinghouse to identify planned acquisitions of geospatial data because the FGDC had not developed guidance for agencies that describes how to use the Geospatial Platformthe primary portal to access and search the clearinghouseto identify planned geospatial investments. Without the ability to identify planned geospatial data acquisitions, agencies will likely miss opportunities to cooperatively acquire the data, thus resulting in the acquisition of potentially duplicative data.
OMB guidance directed the FGDC to provide guidance to federal agencies by November 2011 about how to implement portfolio managementan approach in which agencies manage geospatial data as related groups of investments, both within and across federal agenciesto allow them to more effectively plan geospatial data collection efforts and minimize duplicative investments. However, while the FGDC initiated activities that FGDC officials said were first needed for agencies to establish a portfolio of geospatial data, it had not yet planned for or implemented a portfolio management approach. FGDC officials stated that they had developed a draft plan containing guidance to agencies in November 2011, but as of November 2012, the plan had not been finalized or approved, and officials were unable to provide a time frame for doing so.
Additionally, as GAO reported in November 2012, none of the three federal departments in its review had fully implemented important activities identified in federal guidance for coordinating geospatial data and assets, as shown in the following table.[3]
Status of Federal Departments Implementation of Geospatial Activities, November 2012
Designate a senior official with departmentwide responsibility for geospatial information issues
Prepare and implement a strategy for advancing geospatial data activities appropriate to the mission
Develop a policy to make metadata available on the clearinghouse
Make the departments metadata available on the clearinghouse
Adopt procedures for accessing the clearinghouse before expending funds to collect or produce new data
Source: GAO analysis of department documentation.
● = Fully metthe department provided evidence that addressed the criteria
◐ = Partially metthe department provided evidence that addressed about half or a large portion of the criteria
○ = Not metthe department did not provide evidence that addressed the criteria or provided evidence that minimally addressed the criteria
Further, the three agencies in GAOs review responsible for government-wide management of specific geospatial dataNOAA, USGS, and BTShad implemented some but not all important activities identified in federal guidance to ensure the national coverage and stewardship of geospatial data themes, as shown in the following table.[4] For example, only one of the agencies had fully prepared or implemented a plan for the nationwide population of the data theme that included (1) the development of partnership programs with states, tribes, academia, the private sector, other federal agencies, and localities that meet the needs of users; (2) human and financial resource needs; (3) standards, metadata, and the clearinghouse needs; and (4) a timetable for the development for the theme.
Status of Agencies Implementation of Geospatial Activities, November 2012
Designate a point of contact responsible for the development, maintenance, and dissemination of theme-related data
Prepare goals and analyze user needs in support of the NSDI strategy
Develop and implement a plan for the nationwide population of the data theme
Create a plan to develop and implement theme standards
Source: GAO analysis of agency documentation.
● = Fully metthe agency provided evidence that addressed the criteria
◐ = Partially metthe agency provided evidence that addressed about half or a large portion of the criteria
○ = Not metthe agency did not provide evidence that addressed the criteria or provided evidence that minimally addressed the criteria
Moreover, while OMB has oversight responsibilities for investments in geospatial data, OMB staff members acknowledged that OMB does not have complete and reliable information to identify potentially duplicative geospatial investments. According to these officials, this is largely because agencies do not appropriately and consistently classify geospatial investments in their budget documents submitted to OMB.
Finally, recent reports, as well as officials from state and local associations and the National Geospatial Advisory Committee, have all stated that duplicative geospatial data investments continue across all levels of government.[5] For example, according to TransportationsTransportation for the Nation Strategic Plan, dated May 2011, duplication exists in the acquisition of nationwide road centerline data across federal agencies and other levels of government, resulting in millions of wasted taxpayer dollars.[6] In addition, according to a National Geospatial Advisory Committee official, several federal agencies collect, purchase, or lease address information in an uncoordinated fashion. Further, in a report on land parcel data, the National Academy of Sciences stated that the lack of nationally integrated land parcel data has led to duplication of effort among various levels of government and between the public and private sector.[7] Moreover, representatives from an organization composed of state geospatial data managers stated that federal agencies are investing in geospatial data that exist at the state and local levels, noting that duplicative data continue to be procured in such areas as imagery, elevation, road centerlines, and address points. Improved coordination between agencies may help to reduce duplicative investments.
FGDC, federal departments and agencies, and OMB had not yet fully implemented established policies and procedures for coordinating geospatial investments because these efforts had not been a priority. Until the FGDC, federal departments and agencies, and OMB decide that investments in geospatial information are a priority; FGDC and federal departments and agencies effectively implement the policies, procedures, and plans to coordinate their geospatial activities; and OMB obtains reliable information about federal geospatial investments, investments will remain uncoordinated, and federal agencies will likely continue to acquire duplicative geospatial information and waste taxpayer dollars.
[1]A total of 31 federal departments and agencies collect, maintain, and use geospatial information, but we limited our review to three departments and three related agencies: Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Interior and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); and the Department of Transportation (Transportation) and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). OMB, Circular No. A-16, Coordination of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data Activities, Aug. 19, 2002; M-11-03, Issuance of OMB Circular A-16 Supplemental Guidance, Nov. 10, 2010; and Executive Order No. 12906, Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure,59 Fed. Reg. 17,671 (Apr. 11, 1994).
[2]Data themes are composed of one or more sets of geospatial data that have national significance, as established by federal guidance, such as hydrography (i.e., surface water features such as lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers). Metadata are information about data such as content, source, accuracy, method of collection, and point of contact.
[3]OMB, Circular No. A-16, Coordination of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data Activities, Aug. 19, 2002; OMB, M-06-07, Designation of a Senior Agency Official for Geospatial Information, Mar. 3, 2006; and Executive Order No. 12906, Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure,59 Fed. Reg. 17,671 (Apr. 11, 1994).
[4]OMB, Circular No. A-16, Coordination of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data Activities, Aug. 19, 2002.
[5]The National Geospatial Advisory Committee was established to provide the FGDC with advice and recommendations related to the implementation of established federal policies and the management of geospatial information.
[6]U.S. Department of Transportation, Transportation for the Nation Strategic Plan,
May 2011.
[7]National Academy of Sciences, National Land Parcel Data: A Vision for the Future, 2007. Founded by congressional charter, the National Academy of the Sciences is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as advisers to the nation on issues of science and technology that frequently affect policy decisions.
GAO recommended in November 2012 that the Secretary of the Interior, as the FGDC Chair, direct the FGDC Steering Committee to take the following two actions:
In addition, GAO recommended that the Secretaries of Commerce, the Interior, and Transportation implement relevant executive order requirements and OMB guidance, including implementing, of the following seven actions, those that apply to their departments and agencies:
Further, GAO recommended that the Director of OMB take the following action:
Because neither federal agencies nor OMB captures cost information in a uniform manner, determining precise costs in this area is not feasible. Nevertheless, as previously mentioned, Interior has recently estimated that the federal government invests billions of dollars in geospatial data annually and that duplication among investments is common. As a result, better coordination by agencies and better oversight by OMB could help to reduce duplication of geospatial investments, providing the opportunity for potential savings on the estimated billions of dollars spent annually on geospatial information technology.
The information contained in this analysis is based on findings from the products in the related GAO products section. GAO looked at government-wide activities to implement the NSDI, as well as efforts of the FGDC. To evaluate federal departments efforts to implement the NSDI, GAO first identified the nine framework themes, as identified in Circular A-16.[1] From those nine themes, GAO then randomly selected three themes and identified the federal departments and agencies responsible for managing the themes. The three departments, theme-lead agencies, and selected themes are: CommerceNOAAgeodetic control; InteriorUSGShydrography; and TransportationBTStransportation. GAO reviewed and assessed FGDC and department documentation such as policies, procedures, strategic plans, meeting minutes, and budget documentation; OMB budget guidance and reports; and recent reports discussing duplicative geospatial investments; and interviewed FGDC and department officials and OMB staff members.
[1]OMB, Circular No. A-16, Coordination of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data Activities, Aug. 19, 2002, identifies nine themes as critical for many geospatial applications.
In commenting on the November 2012 report on which this analysis is based, the Departments of Commerce and the Interior generally agreed with GAOs recommendations and described actions planned and under way to implement them. Transportation neither agreed nor disagreed with the recommendations. However, Transportation officials commented that the departments Transportation for the Nation Strategic Plan partially satisfied the requirement to implement a strategy for advancing geospatial data within the department, noting that the strategic plan addresses the collection and maintenance of road centerline data, which represent the vast majority of travel in terms of both passengers and freight. However, GAOs analysis is that the strategic plan does not include a strategy for advancing all the departments geographic information and related geospatial data activities, describe how the department and its agencies are to coordinate their geospatial efforts to support the departments mission, or address geospatial themes other than transportation in which department officials stated that the department makes investments. Therefore, the departments Transportation for the Nation Strategic Plan does not constitute a departmentwide geospatial plan. Thus, the recommendation to develop such a strategy remains relevant to the department. OMB stated that it concurred with the need for improved collection of geospatial-related investments, but suggested that GAO clarify the recommendation to acknowledge that a new process is not required or expected. GAO agreed and clarified the recommendation.
GAO provided a draft of this report section to OMB and the Departments of Commerce, the Interior, and Transportation for review and comment. OMB commented that GAOs review of the three agencies was helpful and that it illustrated the need for increased participation in federal-wide geospatial capabilities and the elimination of duplicative capabilities and spending. OMB also noted that, in response to GAOs recommendation, in 2012 it developed new analysis tools and updated its models to improve its ability to identify and report on geospatial-related investments. Interiors comments provided additional information on the status of steps being taken to address recommendations to both the FGDC and the department. For example, Interior noted that an updated capability for all federal departments and agencies to identify planned geospatial data investments using the FGDCs Geospatial Platform is currently under development and is targeted for deployment during fiscal year 2013. Interior also noted that it will be developing new internal geospatial policies, procedures, and plans, such as preparing, maintaining, publishing, and implementing a strategy for advancing geographic information and related geospatial activities appropriate to its mission. The Departments of Commerce and Transportation did not provide comments on this report section. Transportation reported that the Secretary had recently designated a senior agency official with departmentwide accountability, authority, and responsibility for geospatial information issues.
For additional information about this area, contact David A. Powner at (202) 512-9286, or email@example.com.
While the President and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have established policies and procedures for coordinating investments in geospatial data, governmentwide committees and federal departments and agencies have not effectively implemented them. The committee that was established to promote the coordination of geospatial data nationwide--the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)--ha...
The federal government invests heavily in information technology (IT). In recent years, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has made efforts to improve the transparency, oversight, and management of the federal government's IT investments. More recently, in June 2009, OMB deployed the IT Dashboard, a Web-based system that provides detailed performance information on federal IT investments. G...
From homeland security to tracking outbreaks of disease, to investigating the space shuttle disaster to responding to natural disasters, the collection, maintenance, and use of location-based (geospatial) information has become critical to many federal agencies' abilities to achieve their goals. Local governments and the private sector also rely on such data to support essential functions. GAO was...


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OK, you atheists. Where are you now? You are very surprisingly silent!
We have these school shootings and there is prayer all over the place --on school grounds and on court property, in parks and all over many cities. Where are your complaints now? Bring on the lawsuits!
You are serious hypocrites that are too chicken to deal with society when there is a real challenge to evil? Chickens all and shame on you. It always makes me sick that when there is a serious moral issue in our society and everyone starts praying. Funny how that becomes the initial reaction. Start complaining now, you hypocrites. Where are you? Way too much prayer on the news now, even with, good grief, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and the rest of the Kool-aid drinkers. Even they now mention religion in a positive light, even for just for a moment.
Why do they bring up God now. Is it because of ratings? God probably gets confused because there are so many people talking to Him now that He hasn�t heard from in a long while -- or ever. So all of you atheists should file a lawsuit; too much praying going on here. Where are you now? Where is your political correctness now?
Here come the gun control freaks. Ban the guns. That will solve it all. We need new laws! Just more PC chatter. Last I checked we had a law that outlawed murder many thousands of years ago. I believe it said �Thou should not kill.� Well, I guess a few people have chosen to ignore that. The bad guys will just ignore the new laws but it will you do-gooders feel better. Gun laws don�t take guns from the evil dipsticks, just from us honest citizens. The good guys follow the law.
What this society refuses to acknowledge is that when we took God and morality out of the schools and society the doors to more evil was opened. Then the parents dropped the ball and got lazy and all bets were off. Parents don�t teach morality, too many became dependent on the government, too many have no fathers, too many stopped reading the Bible, and too many have simply failed as parents.
Too many parents have lost their way and became too self-centered. It�s all about �me.� One extreme or another, let the children run wild or helicopter them so they can�t make a decision on their own. Too many parents have become selfish and lousy citizens. Morality is lost to politically correctness.
You anti-religious, morally lazy, no judgments, just have fun people have your fingerprints all over this. You don�t want any black or white, no judgment, just grey. Congratulations. Mission accomplished. You now have what you wanted. Everyone gets a pass. You should be ashamed and have no right to complain now. Asking �why� now is a joke. You asked God to go away and God said. �So be it
So where are you atheists now? Why are you not complaining about all of this public prayer now? Hiding? Try complaining now about the public prayer on this situation and you will get an earful from society and you know it. You hide now like the cowards you really are but in a week or too this will blow over and you will be back. Hypocrites and chickens all.
But in the end, as a Christian, I still pray for all of you and hope you answer the knock on your door. The good news is that you all have heard the knock; the rest is up to you to answer. God is still waiting if you�d like to get in the game. He�s very patient, more patient than me because in my mind you all stink. I�m praying to correct that -- that means even I�m working on it too. You and I are still in that struggle. Just a different levels.
Lancaster is a resident of Gaston County.


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Update May 8: "On Tuesday, city officials notified National Nurses United that they were ordering nurses to accept new, less visible, locations for the protest, under threat of cancelling a long approved permit for the public event – even though the G-8 leaders will now be 700 miles away from Chicago on that date in the backwoods of Camp David, Md." At a press conference Wednesday, "NNU will outline a legal challenge to the city's demand and discuss other plans responding to the city's move" (from a press release from National Nurses United regarding the suppression of their planned May 18 protest in Chicago against the NATO Summit).
The NATO International Security Force, which we all know is actually led by the U.S. military, killed a woman and her 5 children in an airstrike in southwestern Afghanistan Sunday, and then yesterday expressed "regret" for what they call their "mistake."
Military tribunals, the crowning achievement of a US system of indefinite detention and torture aided by and including NATO member countries, and which defense attorneys assert are rigged by the U.S. to assure the execution of 5 men in Guantánamo, have begun, in the process of continuing the unending U.S. war on terror.
U.S. drone strikes, halted briefly because of protest from the government of Pakistan (presumably a sovereign country) began again last week, killing 4 people in a school. Of course these victims were called insurgents; everyone killed by U.S. drones is a militant, by definition. NATO is now a major purchaser of U.S. drones, and has a vast role in aiding the covert U.S. strikes.
The most heavily armed empire in world history occupies and has destroyed whole countries, has a system of indefinite detention and torture in place, and is expanding secret military operations across the region.
But according to this empire, the biggest danger to peace is some hundreds or thousands of people protesting the Chicago meeting of the NATO military alliance next week? According to the purveyors of war crimes, the people decrying the destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan are the ones to fear and lock up, while the war-makers and torturers are given even more power to war critics into criminals?
Public opinion is being prepared for this criminalization. The Chicago press has featured reports on plans to evacuate Chicago because of "unrest;" on the deployment of National Guard troops to quell protests; on plans to reopen a closed prison in Joliet to house arrested protesters; on heavily armed federal teams sweeping through the central city; on closing down the public transport system in the city; and more.
Despite the measures which Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, Obama's former White House enforcer, wanted in place against protest, a well-publicized battle was successful in getting a permit for the march on Sunday May 20 at Grant Park. With the removal of a long-held permit to march on Friday May 18 by National Nurses United, the City is trying to force protest further away from city center, supposedly because rocker Tom Morello will be performing at their rally.
No matter how they parse the words of the First Amendment, what the federal authorities (who are the ones running the show in Chicago) are doing is criminalizing protest in advance. As they did at the Republican Convention in St. Paul in 2008; at the G-20 in Pittsburgh in 2009; in response to the Occupy movement, they are putting measures in place that will sweep up people who are assembling and speaking based on the content of our protest message. The message to the general public is that protest should be feared, not a system that perpetrates war crimes and mass denial of civil liberties.
We state clearly and publicly, in advance: It's right to protest the crimes being carried out in our name, in public space, near the NATO meeting. We protesters are not the endangering the people; the danger to humanity is a system which uses police-state measures to back up war crimes. The following measures are in place, or have been proposed:
* Sending arrested protesters to an old prison in Joliet.
The idea was then ditched, as the place is falling apart (To Joliet jail for NATO offenders? Sun-Times, Apr 28, 2012).
* The National Guard is deployed to Chicago for NATO Summit:
"Another contingent of guard troops will conduct a large-scale domestic response drill outside Cook County during the summit weekend, ready to provide support in the event of any problems in Chicago, said Maj. Troy Scott, deputy director of domestic operations for the Illinois National Guard."
Video of military helicopters flying over the Loop.
* Milwaukee Red Cross to Prep for Chicago Evacuation During NATO Summit:
"CBS News has obtained a copy of a Red Cross e-mail sent to volunteers in the Milwaukee area. It said the NATO summit "may create unrest or another national security incident. The American Red Cross in southeastern Wisconsin has been asked to place a number of shelters on standby in the event of evacuation of Chicago."
According to a chapter spokesperson, the evacuation plan is not theirs alone. "Our direction has come from the City of Chicago and the Secret Service," she said (accompanied by picture of demonstrators amidst flames, who knows where…).
* Vague Speculation about "Unrest" Concerns about NATO Summit Violence Leave Chicago Guessing CBS News reported on April 29:
"There also are reports that a heavily armed security team will start making a very public appearance around federal buildings in the Loop this week. Officials with the Chicago NATO host committee were completely in the dark. They had no reports of any such plans. A source told CBS 2 that security forces in full battle gear would not be seen this week."
* Chicago airspace to be closed down:
"The FAA says private planes may be shot down if they fly within ten nautical miles of downtown Chicago during the summit. The only planes allowed will be commercial passenger and cargo carriers, and police and military aircraft."
* Surgical strikes against anyone in protests who "crosses the line" beyond First Amendment activity… as defined by the Secret Service?
"Police will embrace "First Amendment activity," she told the building managers, and will surgically deal with those who cross the line into vandalism. She was asked how many demonstrators could arrive in Chicago who aren't now part of a permitted group.
"If I had that crystal ball, I'd be solid," she said.
Many building managers said that overall they were relatively satisfied with the level of information they are getting and are willing to trust the police and federal authorities to keep things under control.
"I understand they haven't got everything figured out yet," said Wes Stoginski, assistant engineer at a building on 13th Street near the Illinois Central rail line. But Stoginski also said he knows where the variables are.
"You can't legislate against lunatics," he said."
(This is the only somewhat oblique reference I could find to the CPD extraction technique of arresting the people they see as leaders, which they did at the mass March 20, 2003 arrests. The civil suit by NLG based on those arrests was just settled for $6.2 million to demonstrators. In the pre-trial discovery, that technique was documented.)
* Federal Patrols Set for Loop:
"In a memo titled Operation Red Zone, the protective service said the increased security will be extended throughout the South Loop area often referred to as the federal complex. It includes the Kluczynski Federal Building, the U.S. Dirksen Courthouse and the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Several buildings just east on State Street are also in the so-called red zone.
"The memo notes there have been no specific or credible threats at federal facilities 'related to terrorism by international terrorist organizations' but that the area around the complex will be 'directly and indirectly' affected by protests in the days before and after the summit."


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The Kentucky Department of Revenue is dedicating significant resources to stop tax fraud.
Please use the form below to report tax fraud to the Department of Revenue. You can report tax fraud anonymously, but reporting anonymously may limit the Department's ability to obtain other needed information.
Please be sure to include as much helpful information as possible, such as the subject's address and date ranges of fraudulent activity. This can be very important in initiating a tax investigation.
Confidential and personal information such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth or bank account numbers should not be transmitted via this online form. To include such information in tips about tax fraud, please contact the Division of Special Investigations via telephone at (502) 564-7118 or via postal mail at Division of Special Investigations, Kentucky Department of Revenue, 501 High Street, Station 18, Frankfort, KY 40601.


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Evin Fox / 1/14/2019 - 5/9/2019
This course includes basic principles of child growth and development, ages 0-8 years of age, focusing on cognitive and affective development and assessment of children. The course includes techniques of guidance and methods of observing and understanding children's behavior. Students will be asked to observe and interview children and families and to conduct studies using Jean Piaget's work. Student are required to complete and pass a background check. Prerequisite: EARC 105, 107, 109 and one semester of practicum and seminar.
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text:
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
2 Comments:
- Darren said...
Nice mattress.
- maicher said...
John McDonagh is a cab driver, comic, and political activist. John began his career as a New York City yellow cab driver after serving in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Vietnam War. He is also the producer, host and founder of Radio Free Eireann, a weekly radio show heard on WBAI New York for the past twenty years. John has been writing and performing comedy for over twenty years. More information and videos can be found at http://www.myspace.com/mcdonaghhack
Nice mattress.


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| WMU News
KALAMAZOO—Meeting in formal session Wednesday, Feb. 27, the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees will welcome two new members and elect a chair and vice chair to lead the board during 2013.
The day's activities will begin at 9 a.m. in the President's Dining Room of the Bernhard Center with the swearing in of Michelle Crumm of Ann Arbor, Mich. and Ronald Hall of Detroit. The two new trustees were appointed in November by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to serve eight-year terms on the WMU governing board. They will be sworn in by retired Judge William G. Schma of the Kalamazoo County Circuit Court.
Trustees will reconvene for a formal meeting at 1 p.m. in Rooms 157-159 of the Bernhard Center. At that meeting, they will select their officers for 2013. Other agenda items to be taken up include:
- Recommendations on academic program changes
- Gift report
- Grant report
- Personnel changes
- A number of other consent items


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In Take My Breath Away, Craig breaks up with Manny Santos as she reminds him too much of his little sister, Angie. This was a studio in-joke because Alex Steele is Cassie Steele's little sister.
Throughout her appearances, she is shown to be very affectionate towards Craig and vice versa.
Angie left the show shortly after Craig, but she was not seen in later seasons or Degrassi Goes Hollywood, as Craig was.
Initially, Craig's father Albert Manning forbade him from associating with Angela, so the two would meet secretly. This changed in the Season 2 premiere, when Craig moves in with Joey and Angela.
Character History
Early life
Angela was born in 1996. When she was a baby, she lived with her parents and possibly her half-brother Craig in British Columbia, though she did not remember doing so.
Season 1
In Mother and Child Reunion (1), Angela is introduced at her father's car lot as he tries to sell a car to Lucy Fernandez. When Lucy sees Angela, she is surprised at how much she has grown since the last time they saw each other. Joey picks up Angie and runs her into the office so they can sell Lucy a car.
She later comes to Degrassi with her father and Lucy where she meets more of Joey's friends and talks to Caitlin Ryan about her stuffed dinosaur Allie.
Season 2
In season 2, Angela is shown to have now started kindergarten. During the year, it is revealed that Emma Nelson babysits Angela when Joey works late during the week. Angela's half-brother Craig is also introduced, and appears to have a special relationship with her.
Angela is shown being very affectionate towards Craig due to the fact that they didn't see each other often since both were originally living in different homes.The conflict between Joey and Craig's father, Albert Manning is what made it difficult for Angela and Craig to see each other since he could never be caught spending time with her, or otherwise face his father's abusive punishment.
In order to spend time with her, Craig first just sneaks around where Angela is and takes pictures of her, but he later finds out that Emma babysits her, so he would go to Emma's house and secretly take Angela out before Joey came to pick her up, despite the fact that Emma would often disapprove a little.
One day, Angela and Craig go to the park together. While playing around on the grass, Craig's shirt lifts up and Angela spots large, purple bruises on his chest. Disgusted and confused, Angela asks what they are.
Craig quickly thinks of an idea to hide them and says that a dinosaur bit him. He then quickly changes the subject and takes Angela to the ice-cream truck.Joey arrives back at Emma's house and asks where Angela was. Emma is silent for a minute and then reveals that she went off with Craig to the park. Joey is angry and drives off to find them.
When he finally spots them outside the ice-cream store, he takes Angela in his car and tells Craig to stay away and not sneak off with her.
When Craig went home that night his father beat him after finding out that he had been spending time with Angela.
Craig ran away from home that night and went to stay with Sean. The two friends went for a walk along train tracks and talked about their past family lives.
Sean mentions that he and his brother live alone since his parents kicked him out when he was twelve years old.
Craig asks Sean if his parents ever hit him. Sean says no, but asks why. Craig does not respond and continues walking.
They come to a train station, and Craig tries to commit suicide by standing in front of a running train, but Sean saves him. Craig quickly gets up and runs off into the woods.
Horrified by his attempt, Sean runs over to Emma's house and asks her for advice. Emma and Sean decide to go ask Joey for help.
Sean tells Joey about what happened and suggests that it was due to complications with his father. Angela then confirms that earlier that day, she saw giant purple spots on his chest.
This brings up suspicions that Craig's father abuses him. Sean and Joey go off to find him and Emma stays behind to watch Angela.
They find Craig by his mother's grave at a cemetery, and after a comforting discussion with him, they discover that Sean's theory was indeed true. He moves in with Angela and Joey after these events.
Before his date with Manny Santos in Take My Breath Away, Craig went downstairs and tickled Angie, who was coloring, under the arm. She overheard Craig tell her father that he was going on a date with Manny and seemed to be surprised. Angie then showed Craig a picture that she had colored of a cow and her stuffed toy cow and said, "Look at Mr. Moo Moo, Craig. Mr. Moo Moo, Craig." Craig laughed and said, "Very nice." The next day after his "bizarre" date with Manny, Craig told Jimmy Brooks and Spinner Mason that he could not kiss her as she reminded him of Angie. Both Jimmy and Spinner thought that was weird.
In White Wedding (1), Angie was sent to her grandmother Mrs. Jeremiah's house as Joey was throwing a bachelor party for Archie Simpson. She was very excited about staying with her grandmother.
In White Wedding (2), Craig, Angela, Joey and Caitlin Ryan attended Archie and Christine Nelson's wedding. Before it started, Craig gave Angie a piggyback ride.
In Tears Are Not Enough (1), Craig became annoyed with Angie after she spilled her juice on his science homework. After he yelled at her, she began to cry. The next day, he babysat her when she had the chicken pox. At her insistence, he read Out on the Ice in the Middle of the Bay by Peter Cumming to her six times. When Joey phoned to tell Craig that he would come home late, Craig told her to count her spots, of which she had 18.
The next morning, after Craig had been hit by his father and had a bruise on his right cheek, Joey asked him and Angie if they wanted him to put anything on his grocery list. Craig picked up Angie and said, "Yeah, a steak for my eye or maybe just a patch, sort of like a pirate, huh Ange?" They then both imitated pirates. When the police came to the house several minutes later and told Joey that Craig's father Albert had been killed in a car crash, Joey sent Angie upstairs to clean her room.
Season 3
In U Got the Look, Joey was putting Angie into the car when she asked for her juice, which her father had forgotten. He turned around to find Craig and his best friend Marco Del Rossi. Craig was holding a juice box triumphantly and said, "I never forget the Angie fuel!" Joey then gave the juice to Angie. She and her brother's girlfriend Ashley Kerwin later watched Downtown Sasquatch rehearse in the garage with Joey. She was very amused by her father's attempts to jam with the band.
In Pride (1), Craig excitedly told Ashley that since they would put Angela to bed at eight and Joey would not be back until at least midnight, they would have the house all to themselves in the meantime. A very ill Snake then arrived and Joey told them that he would be spending the weekend with them as his wife Christine did not want him to infect their newborn son Jack. While Angie was excited to see "Uncle Archie," Craig was annoyed that his plans with Ashley had been ruined.
In Holiday (1), Craig videotaped Angie's performance in the Ice Capades. One of her instructors was Manny, with whom Craig was cheating on Ashley, and he used the opportunity to meet her backstage and kiss her.
In Holiday (2), Craig, Angie and Joey went to meet Caitlin Ryan at the airport to prevent her from leaving as Joey realized that he loved her. Wanting to leave them alone, Craig took Angie to see Santa. When Angie suggested that Santa would have presents for her father, Craig said, "Well, it looks like he's getting his Christmas present early this year."
In Accidents Will Happen (2), after Craig found out that Manny was pregnant, Craig said that he hoped that it was a girl as Angie had always wanted a sister. When Manny pointed out that Angie would be the baby's aunt, Craig found it weird to think of her being an aunt at seven years old.
Season 4
At Craig's 16th birthday part in Ghost in the Machine (1), the two of them and Joey watched the video that Caitlin had sent him from Thailand. Angie was eager to eat the cake but Craig told her that he was the birthday person and he wanted to open his big present, which turned out to be $10,000 from his father Albert Manning's estate. Angie again insisted that they have cake and Craig smiled at her.
When Craig and Ashley arrived at the house the next night in Ghost in the Machine (2), Joey told them to keep it down as Angie was sleeping. After Ashley had left, Joey asked Craig if he could help out with rent as the $250 per month that his father's estate gave Joey was "barely enough to keep [him] in pizza." Craig was very hurt and annoyed by this and asked Joey if he would expect the same from Angie. Joey told him that Angela was seven years old, ate like a bird and did not just spend $4,000 on a guitar but otherwise it was no different. Craig said, "Yeah, well, I'm not so sure" and stormed off, spending the night at Sean's apartment. The next day, Craig discovered that the real reason that Joey had asked him for money was because Jeremiah Motors was in serious financial trouble.
In Time Stands Still (2), Angie, Craig, Joey and Caitlin watched the coverage of the school shooting at Degrassi on the news. Angie saw the affect that it had on Craig, as he began to cry.
While experiencing a low as a result of his bipolar disorder in Voices Carry (2), Craig asked Angela to give Ashley the engagement ring that he had bought for her. He then kissed her on the forehead and told her that he "loved [her] most." Angie was extremely upset when she witnessed Craig beating up Joey but she seemingly forgave him.
When Craig went missing after going off his meds in Goin' Down the Road (2), Angela was very worried about him. She helped Caitlin make missing person posters.
Season 5
Angela appears a lot less during season 5, but still remains living with Craig and Joey. When a young woman named Diane enters Joey's life as his new girlfriend, Angela seems to bond well with her.
Diane was often seen playing with Angela and helping her with homework.
In Weddings, Parties, Anything, Craig and Angie had breakfast together.
In Together Forever, Craig worried about whether Angie would be okay if he moved to Vancouver. His best friend Ellie Nash assured him that she would be fine.
Like her father, Angie made her final appearance in Our Lips Are Sealed (1).
Season 6
In What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost? (2), it was revealed that, in the summer of 2006, Joey, Angela (and possibly Diane) moved to Calgary.
Season 7
In It's Tricky, one of the songs on Craig's album Of Two Minds was about Angela. It was entitled "Lament for Little Sister".
- When Doves Cry (1)
- When Doves Cry (2)
- Take My Breath Away
- White Wedding (1)
- White Wedding (2)
- Tears Are Not Enough (1)
- Father Figure (1) No Lines
- U Got the Look
- Pride (1)
- Holiday (1)
- Holiday (2)
- Rock and Roll High School
- Ghost in the Machine (1)
- Time Stands Still (2) No Lines
- Voices Carry (1)
- Voices Carry (2)
- Goin' Down the Road (2)
- Angie: "Craig!"
(Angie runs over to him)
Craig: "You've been gone forever."
Craig: "I know. But summer's over, I'm back from camp, and now you won't ever get away from me. Okay, say 'Bad Donkey Breath.'"
Angie: "Bad Donkey Breath!"
(Craig takes her photo)
Angie: "Let me take yours."
Craig: "Who, me? I'll break the camera."
(Angie laughs and Craig hands the camera to her)
Craig: "Remember how to use it?"
Angie: "Yeah."
Craig: "One hand there."
(Craig makes a funny face and Angie takes his photo before handing him back the camera)
Angie: "Daddy and me are gonna visit Mommy. Wanna come?"
Craig: "Just um...just tell her I miss her, okay?"
(She nods)
Craig: "Hey, you can't tell your dad about us meeting, alright?"
Angie: "I promise. Always, always."
Teacher: "Angela!"
Craig: "Love ya, kid." - When Doves Cry (1)
- (Joey and Angie are visiting Julia's grave. Angie is carrying flowers)
Joey: "That's a lot of yellow, Angie."
Angie: "But that was Mommy's favorite color. Remember?"
Joey: "Yes, I do."
Angie: "But do you think she misses us?"
Joey: "I know she does. Just as much as we miss her."
Angie: "But do you think she likes it up in Heaven? Craig said that..."
Joey: "Craig said what? Did you see Craig?"
Angie: "No, I didn't. I promise."
Joey: "C'mon, sweetie. Tell me the truth." - When Doves Cry (1)
- (Craig is drawing something on the sidewalk with chalk)
Angie: "Is that a frog?"
Craig: "Are you kidding? This is a big razor-toothed dinosaur with a taste for little girls named Angela!"
(Craig starts tickling Angie and she giggles)
Spike: "What are you guys doing to her?"
Craig: "Oh, just feeding her to the dinosaurs." - When Doves Cry (1)
- (Angie is climbing on Craig's shoulders)
Craig: "Close your eyes, Ange. You're flying. Flying far, far away from here."
(Craig takes Angie off his shoulders)
Craig: "Get up."
(Angie starts to tickle his stomach and sees where his father beat him)
Angie: "What is that?"
Craig: "Well, um, remember that dinosaur?"
(Angie nods)
Craig: "It also likes boys named Craig. That's where it bit me."
Angie: "Does it hurt?"
Craig: "Yeah. You know what would be great? To go someplace where dinosaurs can never ever get to us."
Angie: "Like where?"
Craig: "C'mon. C'mon." - When Doves Cry (2)
- Angie: "Is something wrong with Craig?"
Joey: "Not now, honey, okay? This is serious."
Angie: "No, I saw today..."
Joey: "Yeah, I know. I know you saw him today, okay?"
Angie: "No, I saw, all purple. A dinosaur hurts him. He told me." - When Doves Cry (2)
- Angie: (referring to Out on the Ice in the Middle of the Bay) "Again! Read it again."
Craig: "Ange, I've read it five times already. I could recite it."
Angie: "Craig, please! I've got the chicken pox!"
Craig: "Fine. Your wish is my command." - Tears Are Not Enough (1).
- Joey: "Uh Angie, be careful with that bag. It has the eggs in it, okay?"
Angie: "I know."
(Caitlin pulls up in a taxi outside Joey's house)
Angie: "Auntie Caitlin, watch!"
(Angie jumps down the steps and drops the bag, breaking the eggs)
Joey: "Angela Elizabeth, what did I just say?!"
(Angie sits down on the front step, upset that Joey yelled at her. Caitlin walks over to her)
Caitlin: "Hey, you alright?"
Joey: "See this is what happens when little girls don't go to bed on time!"
Caitlin: "Don't cry, Angie. C'mon..."
Joey: "Oh, she's fine."
Caitlin: "I know. You wanna see something really cool? Watch this!"
(Caitlin does a cartwheel)
Caitlin: "Woo! Can your fuddy duddy daddy do that, huh?"
Angie: "No! He's old and no fun!"
Joey: "Oh, really? Watch this!"
(Joey does a handstand)
Joey: "I am a fun machine!"
(Joey falls down and hurts his back. Caitlin and Angie rush to his side)
Caitlin: "Joey, are you okay?"
Joey: "Oh, no! Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no!" - Rock and Roll High School
- (Caitlin and Angie are running around the house wearing towels as capes and pretending to be superheroes)
Caitlin: "Watch out, bad guys!"
Angie "Ah!"
(Angie jumps on Joey's chest)
Joey: "Uh, no, no, Angie, please!"
Caitlin: "Sweetie!"
Joey: "No, no! Off, off!"
Caitlin: "Sweetie, he's a good guy." - Rock and Roll High School
- Joey: "So did you and Auntie Caitlin have fun shopping today?"
Angie: "It was...okay. I'm gonna go out and play."
Caitlin: "Sweetie, I need you to wash your hands for dinner."
Angie: "Five minutes!"
Caitlin: "No, I need you to wash them now!"
Angie: "Bye!"
Caitlin: "Hold it right there, Missy! Wash those hands now!...You heard me!"
Angie: "I hate you!"
(Angie runs up the stairs) - Rock and Roll High School
- Angie: "Daddy's mad, you know."
Craig: "Angie...listen to me. I need you to give this to Ashley, 'kay?"
(He hands her an envelope)
Angie: "Can I open it?"
Craig: "It's just a ring."
(She nods and he kisses her on the forehead)
Craig: "I love you most." - Voices Carry (2)
- In Mother and Child Reunion (1), Joey told Lucy Fernandez that Angela was starting kindergarten that year, which was in 2001. This means that she was born in 1996.
- Without the retcons, she would have graduated by now. Because of all the retcons, she would be in ninth or tenth grade.
- Craig said that he couldn't kiss Manny because she reminded him of his half sister Angela; this is a subtle reference to the fact that the actress who plays Angela (Alex Steele) is Cassie Steele's real life younger sister.
- Angela, Mia, and Liberty Van Zandt share the same middle name: Elizabeth.
- Alex and Cassie are two of eight actors on Degrassi to be related, the others being Scooter Webster (Christopher Charlesworth) and Susie Rivera (Sarah Charlesworth), Arthur Kobalewscuy (Duncan Waugh) and Dorothy (Annabelle Waugh), Erica Farrell (Angela Deiseach) and Heather Farrell (Maureen Deiseach) with the other six all being on Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High.
- Alli Bhandari shares the first name of the stuffed dinosaur belonging to Angela in Mother and Child Reunion (1).
- She is arguably the most popular little kid on Degrassi.
- She is the first character to be played by Alex Steele. The second is Tori Santamaria.
- Angela only appeared in two episodes without Craig: Mother and Child Reunion (1) and Our Lips Are Sealed (1). These were her first and last appearances respectively.
- Angela was very fond of her father's best friend, Archie Simpson, whom she referred to as "Uncle Archie." She also shared a close relationship with her father's ex-fiancée, Caitlin Ryan, whom she called "Auntie Caitlin."
- In a deleted scene from Mother and Child Reunion (2), Joey described Angie as "five years old going on eighteen."
- As a little girl, she typically wore her hair in pigtails.
- She loved dinosaurs.


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Join us at Connect for a free weekly yoga class for women led by teachers from Exhale to Inhale. Move, relax, and breathe together in a gentle and enlivening yoga class that will reduce stress and help you manage your week. Appropriate for all levels of experience and ability.
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State police reported the following:
Sometime between 4 p.m. Monday and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, someone forced entry through the basement door into a Del Sol Drive residence in Smithfield Township. A bolt-action rifle, Apple iPad, ring and prescription medication were stolen.
Sometime between 9 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. Monday, a homemade wooden Christmas sleigh decoration, measuring four feet by five feet, was stolen from the front yard of a Maplewood Drive residence in Middle Smithfield Township.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 570-839-7701.
Bolt-action rifle stolen in Smithfield
State police reported the following:


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You go into a game with the chance to own a piece of the best record in the league, and you come out of it with a concussed starting quarterback.
A concussed quarterback with a history of concussions, don't forget.
Oh, and a self-inflicted loss at home.
Jay Cutler was trying to make a play, but Houston's Tim Dobbins delivered a massive hit, catching a vulnerable Cutler flush on the chin with his helmet. Cutler finished the half, but he was done.
And so were the Bears.
Maybe they were done before that, but the second half of Sunday's game with Jason Campbell looked a lot like the second half of last season with Caleb Hanie. Campbell turfed throws, and when he wasn't doing that, he was throwing high and wide. Campbell hit Brandon Marshall for 45 yards down to Houston's 10, but they still couldn't stick it in the end zone.
Given their spectacular defense, all the Bears needed was one drive. Cutler couldn't manage it. Campbell couldn't, either. The receivers couldn't hold on to passes.
Heck, the Bears couldn't hold on to anything, and right from the start when Kellen Davis fumbled on the Bears' first play.
Next possession, Devin Hester couldn't fall forward for a yard, then Michael Bush fumbled back to the Texans after gaining 15 on fourth-and-inches.
Two possessions, two fumbles, too bad for Lovie Smith's myth of "Bear weather.''
But wait. There was more. It was Sunday night, and that is almost never Cutler's night.
And there you go: On the Bears' third possession, starting in Texans territory after a Tim Jennings' interception, Cutler was picked off by Danieal Manning.
We knew the Bears offense stunk early in games, but this was bad even for them. This wasn't play-calling. This was basic stuff. This was ball security.
To think, the Bears started with several advantages.
The first came when Texans tight end Owen Daniels was ruled out with a hip pointer. Daniels came in leading Houston in TD catches.
The second break came when nose tackle Shaun Cody was sidelined. Cody is a big reason the Texans entered the game with the second-ranked run defense.
You'd think the Bears would've been in a spot that would've led to a good start.
You'd think.
And then at halftime, Cutler was declared out with a concussion on a night when he wasn't sacked. So Bears.
Truth is, Campbell's offense didn't look any less frustrating than Cutler's miserable first half, save for Cutler's two interceptions. But it didn't feel like Campbell was in control of anything. Cutler, at least, has those fourth quarters that have saved games like Sunday night's.
But there was no saving this one, and you have to wonder how many more games are in jeopardy. The Bears face opponents that are a lot better than the mopes the Bears beat on the way to a 7-1 record before Sunday night, and they might face trying to save a playoff-bound season with a backup quarterback who couldn't produce.
Stop me if you've heard this before.


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2 DVs with different numbers of highe...
Mplus Discussion
Multilevel Data/Complex Sample
Tamara Martinovic
posted on Sunday, December 09, 2012 - 10:10 pm
Dear professors,
I want to estimate a multilevel model with 2 DVs and compare the coefficients of a contextual predictor. The participants are ethnic minority members. One DV is contacts with natives and the other contacts with other minorities. I have data from 50 municipalities, and my contextual predictors are percentage of natives in the municipality (for predicting contacts with natives) and percentage of ethnic minorities (excluding one's own ethnic group) (for predicting contacts with other minorities).
For % of natives all minority members in the same municipality get the same value (=50 higher-level units). For % of other minorities the values differ per ethnic group. This means that my higher level has to be ethnic group in municipality. I have 4 ethnic groups, which adds up to 200 higher-level units. I made an id variable with 200 values and used it for specifying the nesting.
If I estimate a model like this it gives me coefficients for both contextual predictors and their respective relations with the two DVs, so technically it works. However, the estimates for the relationship between % of natives and contact with natives are based on fewer values than the estimates for the relationship between % of other minorities and contact with other minorities. Is this a problem and can I at all compare the coefficients? If not, what would be an alternative in MPlus? Thank you
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Monday, December 10, 2012 - 12:30 pm
I am not convinced that your approach of working with 200 higher-level units is correct. You may think of how it would differ from doing a separate 2-level analysis for each ethnic minority, in which you would retain the original number (50) of higher-level units.
For within-cluster groupings such as ethnic minorities within municipalities, see also the new web note on our web site:
Asparouhov & Muthen (2012). Multiple group multilevel analysis. Web note 16.
For more feedback, you may also want to post on Multilevelnet.
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Citizen Participation and Freedom of Information Vital for Successful Local Government
Worldwatch Institute emphasizes the importance of involving the public in local governments' steps toward sustainable development
Washington, D.C.—When the issues at stake are a clean water supply, waste management, or land use, decisions at the local level can be the greatest catalysts for progress. Local citizen action is needed to ensure that local institutions are transparent, participatory, and accountable, making governments more efficient and less vulnerable to corruption. The development of local democratic procedures in cities is critical to global sustainable development, according to Joseph Foti, contributing author to the Worldwatch Institute's State of the World 2012: Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity.
In 1992, the United Nations Council on Environment and Development (UNCED) established the "Environmental Democracy Principle," which asserted that environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens. "Not all decision making for sustainable development takes place at the national level," said Foti, formerly a senior associate at the World Resources Institute and a State of the World 2012 contributing author (Foti is now Program Manager of the Open Government Partnership's Independent Reporting Mechanism). "Citizens need to ensure that laws are enforced and that the environment and equity are considered when making development decisions."
Local residents can offer useful insights into development planning, and public participation can also avoid conflict between citizens and the state: when people feel that a fair process has led to a decision, they are more willing to accept the decision even if they disagree with it.
Barriers to local participation in sustainable development often involve problems in transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness. These problems lead to a loss of citizens' faith in government, a decrease in efficiency, and a vulnerability to corruption.
In his chapter, "Getting Local Government Right," Foti provides three approaches that can improve public participation in local government decision making:
Access to information. Local governments mustmake information on all agency jurisdictions, budgeting, revenue, and procurement available to citizens. At the local level, examples include regular information on air and water quality, local decision making, and land use data.
Public participation.This refers to the opportunities for individuals, groups, and organizations to provide input into decision making that will have—or is likely to have—an impact on the environment. At the local level, public participation can be integrated into policymaking, land use planning, permitting, and project-level decisions.
Access to justice.Effective judicial and administrative procedures and remedies need to be made available to individuals, groups, and organizations. At a local level, this means that authorities create impartial, inexpensive, and efficient institutions that hear complaints of denial of information, environmental harm, and noncompliance with the law.
By giving people access to relevant information, the opportunity to participate, and access to judicial proceedings, local governments can take advantage of the major intellectual asset that local citizens represent.
Innovations like these are necessary to continue progress toward just and sustainable local governance, and to improve the quality of life. With increasing competition for global natural resources in the coming decades, citizens and local authorities must collaborate to protect their collective rights and interests.
Worldwatch'sState of the World 2012, released in April 2012, focuses on the themes of inclusive sustainable development discussed at Rio+20, the 20-year follow-up to the historic Earth Summit of 1992, also held in Rio de Janeiro. The report presents a selection of innovative ideas and practices to achieve global environmental sustainability while meeting human needs and providing jobs and ensuring dignity for all.
Notes to Journalists:
For more information and for a review copy of State of the World 2012: Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity, please contact Supriya Kumar at firstname.lastname@example.com.
About the Worldwatch Institute:
Worldwatch is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues. The Institute's State of the World report is published annually in more than 18 languages. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org.


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Readers of this site may remember our article on the Rosa Parks medal of honor, where we analyzed and debunked Ron Paul's reasons for voting against it. The RonPaulogists made several claims defending his position, claiming that it was would have been paid for in tax dollars (an outright lie), and that it was completely unconstitutional (unfounded, and contradicted by history).
So how, then, does this same group defend Ron Paul's vote on H.R. 5872:, also known as "Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act"? This bill entails the following:
- Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 350,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America.
- Requires the coin design to be emblematic of the 100 years of the organization.
- Restricts issuance of such coins to February 8 through December 31, 2010.
- Subjects coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin.
- Requires payment of such surcharges to the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation, to be made available to local councils in the form of grants for the extension of Scouting in hard-to-serve areas
The RonPaulogists would frequently defend Ron Paul by pointing out that he claims respects her. It's a pretty literal translation of prefacing an insult with the phrase, "With all due respect." It smacks of insincerity. Ron Paul voted against giving a congressional medal of honor to Rosa Parks, a civil rights hero who greatly furthered the cause of equal rights. And yet, he has absolutely no problem co-sponsoring a federal fund raiser the Boy Scouts of America, an organization with a long history of outright discrimination against atheists, agnostics, and gays. Their group bylaws even includes a "Declaration of Religious Principle," where all members must swear to recognize God as the "ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and blessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are wholesome precepts in the education of the growing members."
It's time to call the Ron Paul's tendency to shield his beliefs behind the constitution for what it really is: An outright fraud. There is absolutely no constitutional basis that could explain Ron Paul's inconsistency on these two issues. None. The only thing that is consistent is the fact that he'll support groups that promote blatant discrimination, while opposing groups that attempt to promote equality. What's the term for that?
Update: Some Paultards are trying to insist that the Boy Scout Bill is constitutional (Ron Paul Edition) under the coinage clause. I'm going to call bullshit on that. The constitution may give congress the authority to make commemorative coins. But does the constitution (Ron Paul Edition) give them the authority to sell these coins at a surcharge, and then give the profits to a private religious organization? Because that's a separate power. If Congress made a bill to coin $10,000,000 commemorative silver dollars of the ACLU, and then donated those $10,000,000 silver dollars to the ACLU directly, I doubt that most Paultards would be cool about it, despite their supposed love for civil liberties. We know they aren't cool with the Rosa Parks Medal, despite the common welfare clause, and despite the fact that Congressional Medals predate the constitution. In other words, "Anything we like is constitutional. Anything we don't like is unconstitutional. This has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not it's actually mentioned in the constitution."


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This is nice to hear. IMO, the only way the Jets have chance in the game tonight is on defense. If the suddenl start playing like we all know they are capable of, the Jets could have a chance in this game.
The Jets defense must hold the Texans offense to 14 to 17 points. Any more points and the Jets are sure to lose. The offense can probaby still capitalize on opportunities provided by turnover generated short fields. That's about the only good thing that can be said about the offense.
So if the defense does not play their very best, we are fried for sure.


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Remember the time when we all were obsessed with a game called Battlefront 2. Wow that game was amazing, its seemingly flawless campaign, and the true story behind the Jedi's demise. If they would only make another, to end this amazing trilogy.... Battlefront 3. Yes you heard correctly. This group will give you the insight on everything that is currently involved in the making of Battlefront 3. All your questions will be discussed, and answered by a small group of battlefront 3 experts. We did our research. Hours of constant google searches and looking through massive online forums, all for the Moddb Community. Please enjoy what we would like to call, one of the greatest games, almost made.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.


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What is a
Podcasting is making audio files available online in a way that
allows users to automatically download the files for listening at their
convenience using the RSS 2.0 file format. Once a provider, like Priests
for Life, serves the data as a Podcast feed, users can listen to it on
their PC or Mac by using Podcasting software. Since Podcasts are MP3
audio files, you also can transfer feeds to your portable MP3 Player.
To listen to the syndicated feeds
(XML) on your computer, you need to download Podcasting software. There are many
free or commercial Podcasting applications available for download.
(Search in the music store under the Podcast genre)