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Argo (2012)

A SDG Original source: National Catholic Register

Argo is an absorbing, entertaining thriller that tells the true(ish) story of how Canadians, the CIA and Hollywood saved the day, working together to spirit six Americans out of Tehran during the dark days of the Iran hostage crisis. Crisply directed by Ben Affleck, it’s a well-made period piece with an excellent eye for detail — and a potent secret weapon.

Buy at
Directed by Ben Affleck. Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman. Warner Bros.

Artistic/Entertainment Value

Moral/Spiritual Value

Age Appropriateness

Teens & Up*

MPAA Rating

Caveat Spectator

Frequent obscene language, often for comic effect; some profanity; a few violent images; a brief illustration depicting a nude woman.

The secret weapon is the improbable cover story created by the CIA to provide false identities for the Americans. Working with Hollywood insiders, the CIA set up a fake movie project: a schlocky post-Star Wars sci-fi spectacle with a middle-Eastern production vibe that might credibly bring a Canadian film crew to Tehran.

The fact-based premise is almost enough to sell Argo by itself. The film opens and closes as a tense political spy caper, but it’s also an affectionate send-up of the movie-making process. The old advice to writers to “write what you know” is applicable to movies about movies, from Singin’ in the Rain to The Artist, and few subjects inspire Hollywood — or appeal to movie fans and film critics — more reliably than Hollywood itself.

Many movies have shown that it’s not necessary to show successful moviemakers (Ed Wood, Bowfinger, Be Kind Rewind). Now Argo establishes that a movie about a movie project doesn’t have to involve an actual movie at all. Not that the fake movie is entirely imaginary. There’s a real script, real storyboards, costumes, even a glitzy script reading at the Beverly Hills Hilton covered by the trade magazines — all to create the convincing impression that a movie is being made.

John Goodman, who played a fictional studio boss in The Artist, plays real-life make-up artist John Chambers, best known for his Oscar-winning work on the Planet of the Apes films and for creating Leonard Nimoy’s pointy Mr. Spock ears. “So you want to come to Hollywood and act like a big shot without actually doing anything?” Chambers summarizes after getting the scoop from CIA technical ops officer Tony Mendez, played by Affleck in an effectively low-key performance and a shaggy head of hair. “You’ll fit right in.”

Affleck’s directorial chops are evident in his most ambitious film to date, a large-scale international production shot in the United States and Turkey, with Istanbul playing itself as well as doubling for Tehran. (There’s a gorgeous sequence at the Hagia Sophia, including a conversation set against the great Deësis mosaic of Christ Pantocrator, the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist, for no obvious reason except that it’s there.)

It is startling how recent events have lent Argo an almost uncanny currency — in the process highlighting sobering current realities downplayed by the media. We see images of angry, chanting mobs besieging a U.S. embassy in a Muslim country, climbing over the walls, burning American flags. Inside the embassy, personnel slowly realize the desperation of their situation in conversations not unlike the ones that must have taken place in Libya and elsewhere only a few weeks ago.

Opening voiceover (illustrated with a blend of movie-production storyboards and photographs) establishes the political back story: American attempts to engineer regime change have backfired, leading to anti-American resentment and violence. All this takes place during a Democratic administration whose stumbling initial response may have encouraged further violence.

As an early scene depicts the U.S. intelligence community brainstorming possible cover stories to smuggle out six Americans who have escaped capture and have been given secret sanctuary at the Canadian embassy in Tehran, it’s impossible not to think of the phony immunization program in Pakistan staged by the CIA in an unsuccessful bid to get blood samples from Osama bin Laden’s compound.

Could the CIA issue the six Americans fake press credentials? Mendez immediately shoots this suggestion down. If the Iranian Republican Guard catches them using fake journo passes, he points out, “it’ll be Peter Jennings’ head on a platter.” These and other considerations lead the CIA to reject “do-gooder” cover identities from teachers to crop inspectors.

This caution is cast in an unexpectedly poignant light in view of the actual fallout from the discovery of the CIA’s phony immunization program. Not only was the Pakistani doctor who cooperated with the CIA arrested, legitimate vaccination programs have fallen under suspicion and been shut down in Pakistan and Afghanistan, putting children and others at risk, and heathcare workers have been attacked and shot.

Over Argo’s closing credits, former president Jimmy Carter is briefly heard (presumably in audio recorded after the operation was declassified in 1997) noting that while it was tempting to take credit for the successful cover operation used to extract the six Americans, the story had to be kept under wraps. Why wasn’t the bin Laden immunization cover operation equally well guarded?

To help create the appearance of a real movie, Chambers brings in a veteran Hollywood mogul named Lester Siegel (a hilarious Alan Arkin), a fictional character that the real filmmakers say is a composite of industry figures. Another amalgam, CIA agent Jack O’Donnell (Bryan Cranston), works from Langley to support Mendez in the field. (Cranston conceived his character as a devout Catholic, and fingered rosary beads when shooting scenes of tension.)

Chambers and Siegel add bold splashes of color to what is otherwise a low-key cast. Affleck is all business as Mendez, a straight man with rare flashes of personal feeling, such as during a phone call with his young son living with Mendez’s estranged wife. Mendez and Siegel have a nice exchange about the toll certain businesses can take on a marriage; Seigel compares working in Hollywood to working in a coal mine, bringing the filth of the business home with you every day to your family. (Mendez has an even more charged analogy for his job: He compares his work to doing abortions. Despite this, the denouement holds out hope for a reconciliation. At one point Siegel says “Kids need their mother.” A few decades after the 1970s, it’s clearer than ever that kids need their father too.)

Argo keeps the story focused on the rescue operation, so we don’t really get to know the six Americans, their heroic Canadian hosts, or the Iranians whose actions threaten their lives. Among the supporting cast, one figure has a nail-biting scene that establishes that not all Iranians or all Muslims were the enemy. Some might wish for more character development, but I’ve always appreciated procedurals that stick to events with minimal character drama. Films like United 93, which, like Argo, shrewdly focuses on the one triumphant chapter in an otherwise bleak historical moment.

Not that Argo sticks to the historical facts nearly as closely as United 93. In the last act, in particular, the film pumps up the drama of the escape with predictable thriller complications and tension. It’s transparent and contrived, but it works all the same.

The best moment in the escape, though, comes down to a classic Hollywood pitch: a moment when a storyteller has a few moments to make his listeners believe in the magic of a movie that doesn’t exist. In a typical pitch, success or failure could mean the difference between a movie being made or not. The stakes are higher here, but the method and the goal are the same.

Drama, History, Spy vs. Spy, Thriller

RE: Argo

I must say that in the past I have always agreed with your 4-star / A reviews. With your review of Argo however I have to disagree. Yes, the movie was humorous at points and I enjoyed the inside jokes and references. But there was one major failing: The movie completely failed at making me care about the people waiting to be rescued.

I also didn’t much care for the main character that much. So at the high points of the movie, when the viewer is supposed to be full of tension, I was left in a curiously bland state. None of the characters were truly established in the movie except for the makeup artist and the producer — both very one dimensional but entertaining characters.

The movie would have been much better and worthy of your grades had either the main character or the rescued characters been established with the same flair.

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Virginia Beach Airsoft Gun Scandal: Carrying Zero Tolerance for Firearms Way Too Far

Screen capture from News KTV YouTube video by Arthur Weinreb

Screen capture from News KTV YouTube video by Arthur Weinreb

A 13-year-old boy in Virginia Beach, Virginia and his friend were suspended from school for shooting an airsoft gun.

One of the boys, Aiden, was later expelled from school. The school board has not yet decided the fate of the other boy, Khalid.

Suspensions and expulsions are not unknown except for the fact, in this case, the boys were nowhere near the school or on property controlled by the school when they discharged the “firearm.”

They were on the front yard of one of the boys property with some friends, some of whom also fired the gun.

Neighbor Knew it was Not a Real Gun but Called 911 Anyway

An airsoft gun is a replica firearm that fires plastic pellets by means of either compressed gas or spring-driven pistons.  On September 9, 2013, Khalid Caraballo, 13, was in his front yard with some friends. He and another friend, Aiden were firing his airgun. They were all waiting for the bus that was to take them to Larkspur Middle School where Khalid was in Grade 7.

A neighbor, who knew the gun was a replica and ironically, whose own son was in the yard playing with the shooters, called 911. She told the 911 operator, “He’s pointing the gun and it looks like there’s a target in a tree in his front yard. This is not a real one, but it makes people uncomfortable. I know it makes me [uncomfortable] as a mom, to see a boy pointing a gun.”

The neighbor later acknowledged there was a net behind the tree to catch the projectiles. The boys were apparently shooting imaginary zombies.

Police: Use Reasonable Care With Pellet Guns

Police investigated the matter but decided not to lay any charges. The Virginia Beach Police Department said they are aware many young people have these airsoft guns and they are in violation of a city code if they do not use “reasonable care” when using them. The police urged parents to ensure their children use reasonable care when they have these guns.

The city code allows for such guns to be fired on private property with the consent of the owner and as long as they use reasonable care. Since Khalid’s mother was not at home at the time and could not give consent for the gun to be fired, there was a breach of the Virginia Beach City Code. Despite this, police still decided not to lay any charges.

Larkspur Middle School Suspends Khalid and Aiden

Despite the fact police declined to lay charges both students were suspended from Larkspur Middle School for “possession, handling and use of a firearm.” Not only were they suspended, but the school scheduled a meeting to decide if Khalid and Aiden should be expelled for the remainder of the school year. Such expulsions could have a devastating effect on their futures.

Although the bus stop where students boarded a bus to go to school is reportedly 70 yards away from the Khalid’s front yard, the school nevertheless suspended them. Principal Matthew Delaney said the children were firing the guns at each other and a child who was 10 feet away from the bus stop was hit by a pellet.

If this was in fact the case, it is strange that the police, who actually arrived at the scene, did not charge the two boys – or even determine they were using the guns in an unsafe manner.

Click to Read Page Two: Parents Outraged

© Copyright 2013 Arthur Weinreb, All rights Reserved. Written For: Decoded Science

  1. Karen Braun says

    What right does this district have? I just am stunned as to the total lawlessness going on in this nation while other acts go unpunished. I hope the parents sue every single person and entity they can. And that neighbor who called the cops? hmmm

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Any increases in credit after this would be a maximum of £25 provided that the payment history of the customer in the past eight weeks is to terms and regular. The maximum value loan offered on one contract is £300 and a customer may have two accounts running at the same time. . Apply for a Loan here

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The collecting days are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  Wednesday although it is officially a working day we usually only ask you to work it maybe 8 times per year for servicing of the company vehicle, accounts checking and delivering hampers to your customers at Christmas time.  The rest of the year it’s a day off.  So you can work hard for two days then have a break and then work hard for two days and have a bigger break, fantastic.

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thanks for the response big rack. hopefully we will have a forum up soon for open leases and classifieds.
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Indians Frustrated by Delay in Delivery of Carrier

Oct. 14, 2012 - 01:44PM   |
India cannot enforce a penalty for the delay of the much-needed former Admiral Gorshkov, nor can it get out of the deal.
India cannot enforce a penalty for the delay of the much-needed former Admiral Gorshkov, nor can it get out of the deal. (Alexey Popov via Wikimedia Commons)
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NEW DELHI — Despite paying more than $1.7 billion more than the contract amount for a used Russian aircraft carrier, India is in a bind: It cannot enforce a penalty for the delay of the much-needed former Admiral Gorshkov, nor can it get out of the deal.

The carrier — renamed Vikramaditya and first scheduled to arrive in 2008, then postponed until this year — will not arrive until the end of 2013, as it is having problems with its boilers and engine.

The admissions came during an Oct. 10 meeting between Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony and his Russian counterpart, Anatoly Serdyukov. According to Indian Ministry of Defence sources, Antony was unable to convince Serdyukov to enforce a penalty on the carrier delay.

India will be dependent on the Russian carrier until its home-built carriers come online in the 2019-2020 timeframe, said Rahul Gangal, director of Aviotech Defence and Aerospace Advisory.

“There have been other alternatives proposed; however, the Ministry of Defence has chosen to steer clear of those offers [for carriers],” Gangal said. “It would also be interesting to note whether there is an official offer made for the two [British] Royal Navy carriers being built, which are facing budgetary contractions.

“Also interesting to note will be if Navantia or the Spanish government can come up with some options, because they have a well-established and proven build program, which is time-competitive, too.”

The Russians rejected India’s demand for a penalty, claiming the delay was due to parts bought by the Indian Navy that failed during sea trials, an Indian MoD source said.

However, no other officials would comment on what this source said.

The Indian Navy has one 50-year-old aircraft carrier — Viraat — whose service has been extended to 2017.

“The delay of the Russian aircraft carrier will impact on the plans to field two independent carrier battle groups by the second decade of the 21st century,” an Indian Navy official said.

Also at the meeting, Antony formally conveyed India’s concern over the carrier delay, later telling reporters that the aircraft carrier is important for India.

“India’s concern is legitimate, as China last month put its first-ever aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, into service,” said defense analyst Nitin Mehta.

India’s autonomous auditing agency, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), has severely criticized the delay in the delivery of the Russian carrier.

In a report submitted to the Indian Parliament on July 24, 2009, the CAG said, “The objective of induction of [Gorshkov] as an aircraft carrier in time to bridge the gap in Indian Navy capabilities has been defeated. The decision to go in for repair and refit of a second-hand ship has become questionable, as a new aircraft carrier would have cost much less and would have had twice the lifespan.”

The Indian Navy had to pay the Russians nearly $1.7 billion over and above the contracted 2005 price of refit at around $700 million.

In addition, the date of certification of a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet has been put off from 2017 to 2020, the official said. India plans to buy fifth-generation aircraft being jointly developed by India and Russia that would cost more than $25 billion.

Sources in the Indian MoD said the two defense ministers discussed the roadmap for work share between Indian and Russian scientists, and a formal agreement is likely to be inked next month.

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192 were donated in August
This month, we are on track to donate 197

honeymoon rate
(Adult / Slang)
1. Initially, in the 16 th century, the first month of a couples marriage. Francis Grose ( honey moon ) in his Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811): ' The first month after marriage.'

2. A period of blissful harmony at the beginning of a relationship or following a marriage.

3. Or: honeymoon trip , the holiday taken together by a newly married couple.

(1) Lena O'connor (Thelma Ritter) to Samantha 'Sam' Blake (Joanne Woodward) in A New Kind of Love (1963): ' One thing a fellah doesn't want from a girl is surprises. Forty percent of all divorce cases start on honeymoon night.'

(2) Allan Felix (Woody Allen) in Play It Again, Sam (1972): ' We went to Mexico for our honeymoon. I spent the entire two weeks in bed... I had dysentery.'

(3) Dan Turner (Dom De Luise) speaking of Marlo (Mae West) in Sextette (1978): ' Marlo loves short marriages and very long honeymoons.'

(4) Corey (Jane Fonda) and Paul (Robert Redford) at the Plaza Hotel in Barefoot in the Park (1967):
-- Corey: ' Paul, if the honeymoon doesn't work out let's not get divorced, let's kill each other.'
-- Paul: ' Let's have the maid do it. I hear the service here is wonderful.'

(5) Tillie Schlaine (Carol Burnett) to Pete Seltzer (Walter Matthau) after about six months of dating in Pete 'n' Tillie (1972): ' Honeymoon's over. Time to get married.'

(6) Caroline (Andie MacDowell) and Charles (Hugh Grant) in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1993):-- Carrie: ' Why do you think it's called honeymoon? '-- Charles: ' Hmmm, I don't know. I suppose it's honey because it's sweet as honey and moon because it's the first time a husband got to see his wife's bottom.'

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Definitions for kasselˈkæs əl, ˈkɑ səl

This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word kassel

  1. Kassel

    Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants. It is known for the documenta exhibition of contemporary art. In 1964, the town hosted the fourth Hessentag state festival, and is designated for the 53rd in 2013.

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This package provides the Dell Inventory Collector Application and is supported on OptiPlex, Latitude and Precision models that are running the following Windows Operating Systems: Windows 2000, 2003, 2008 R2, 7, XP and Vista.

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Friday, December 11, 2009 FULL SHOW | HEADLINES | NEXT: "Keep the Oil in the Soil": Ecuador Seeks...

Ahead of Major Climate Protests, a Rare Glimpse at Activist Preparations in Copenhagen

This is viewer supported news

Here in Copenhagen, tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in a march Saturday protesting the failure of world leaders to address the climate crisis. Saturday’s march is just one of a series of major demonstrations scheduled over the week. Activists from around Europe and the world are flooding into Copenhagen. Meanwhile, the Danish police have launched its largest security effort. Last night, Democracy Now! got a rare tour inside several of the key convergent spaces where protest organizers are preparing for the demonstrations. [includes rush transcript]

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: Here in Copenhagen, tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in a march Saturday protesting the failure of world leaders to address the climate crisis. Saturday’s march is just one of a series of major demonstrations scheduled over the week. Activists from around Europe and the world are flooding into Copenhagen.

Meanwhile, the Danish police have launched their largest security effort ever.

Last night in the rain, Democracy Now! got an underground tour inside several of the key convergent spaces where protest organizers are preparing for the demonstrations.

    LISA FITHIAN: My name is Lisa Fithian, and I’m here from the United States as part of a network called Mobilization for Climate Justice in the US. And a number of us are here as part of the Climate Justice Action.

    And we’re going from — one of the amazing things about what’s happening in Copenhagen is all this incredible infrastructure that’s been built to support the tens of thousands of people that are coming here. You know, the UN has their whole infrastructure. But here, we have just come from a place that — Ragnhildgade —- some of us call it the Rag House or the Rag Space, but it’s a place that can house up to a thousand people. It has a people’s kitchen there. There’s a cafe, meeting room space. And it’s a space that’s actually been sanctioned by the city, as well. So they actually came in and opened the buildings, put on some heat, and then brought in some port-o-johns. And we’re headed to -—

    AMY GOODMAN: Didn’t they also raid it last night?

    LISA FITHIAN: Yeah. Yeah, thanks for the little reminder of that. They did raid that space last night and came in and woke people up.

    AMY GOODMAN: Is this the Danish police?

    LISA FITHIAN: This is the Danish police, came and confiscated a bunch of materials, some — a lot of the art supplies and materials for the protest. There’s a lot of question about whether they violated the agreements. And so, actually, they went to court today to try and get this stuff back. There’s some sense that they thought they might get the materials back, because there are agreements about the use of space with the city.

    AMY GOODMAN: We’re standing in the Rag Space. We’re going to talk to someone now who doesn’t want to go on camera, but he was here, and he said he’s willing to describe the action.

    UNIDENTIFIED: We were almost all sleeping at 3:00 in the morning. The police arrived. And in three seconds, I think, they cut the lock and broke inside with almost ten camión, trucks. And there were almost 100 riot cops surrounding all the place, the first building. And after, some other of them went inside, then went to the cafe and take the people which were here in the first building, in the sleeping building, and after, taking away a lot of materials and tools and stuff we had here.

    LISA FITHIAN: And we’re actually headed to an area that’s another kind of convergence area. Convergence spaces are pretty common for these global mobilizations. But this one has lots of it. And that’s actually one of the amazing things about the organizing in Europe, how over many generations people have built their capacity to support horizontal movements, really.

    So the space we’re headed to now, there are four or five different buildings. There is the Folkets Hus, which is where there’s also another people’s kitchen, meeting space. Not too far away is the StØberiet. Somebody said, “Just call it ‘the Strawberry House.’” But it’s a convergence space, information point, also has a cafe, also has meeting space, restrooms. There is the Indymedia Center, which we know. It’s interesting, because we’re ten years from Seattle, and so the Indymedias were really born in Seattle. And so, again, they’re alive and well and thriving. There’s a working space for the other media group. And then there’s a legal office.

    AMY GOODMAN: We go into a convergence space called Infopoint. Tonight, groups of young people and students are gathering to talk about their plans. Most don’t feel comfortable talking to the press, but a twenty-year-old woman from Tasmania, Australia talks about the climate change conference. It’s officially called the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. She refers to it as the UNFCCC.

    LAURA GRAINGER: My name is Laura Grainger. I’m here in Copenhagen with Young Friends of the Earth Europe. I haven’t actually been into the Bella Center today, which has been really great, because the climate of the UN talks is totally different to the outside world. It’s a stale bubble of air where people aren’t actually talking about, you know, the way that we should be thinking. It’s very much vested interests in there and economic growth.

    It really is the kind of agenda at the moment of the UNFCCC, which is really, really bad, because when you think about it, to solve this crisis, that is really much a social justice issue now, there needs to be a global change in thinking, like everybody really needs to be opening their eyes, because it’s not an easy thing to solve, which is why something like the UNFCCC hasn’t succeeded yet in any way. It’s been going on pretty much my entire life, and yet carbon emissions and climate change is only more rapidly and rapidly increasing every single day, which is really scary, because time is running out. In fact, it’s past the time for action. It’s long past the time for action. The time is now, more than ever, for everybody around the world to open their eyes and stand up.

    LISA FITHIAN: We just came out of the Infopoint in sort of the center of town, the StØberiet House. And right across the way, across this park area, is the Folkets Hus, which is a longstanding space in the community. There’s a cafe area in the downstairs area. And then on the second floor there’s a kitchen and a big meeting room. Third floor there’s a — one of the local left TV stations, I believe, is in there. And the third floor is a bit art space. But this is a — I think this is the Sabbat [phon.], one of the Belgian kitchens is setting up at this place.

    THOMAS: I’m Thomas from Le Sabor, a mobile action kitchen from — from Europe.

    AMY GOODMAN: And what are you doing here? Why are you set up in Copenhagen?

    THOMAS: Those dates are the COP15 meeting and then all the protests, and we think it’s really important that lots of people can come here and do the things they want to do to protest the summit. So we think it’s important to make sure those people have good food.

    AMY GOODMAN: Tell us your name and where you’re from and why you’re doing this banner.

    FRED: My name is Fred. I’m from the UK, currently studying in Sweden. I’m basically doing this banner for the agricultural march on the 15th, which is next Tuesday, basically trying to drill home the point about what a huge issue agriculture is when it comes to climate change. Studies have shown, I think, it’s the cause of more than 50 percent of CO2 emissions.

    LISA FITHIAN: We’ve just left the Folkets Hus, where we had delicious food by the Le Sabbat [phon.] kitchen and then up to the banner-making room, where people are preparing for — tonight they were preparing for the agricultural demonstration on Tuesday.

    AMY GOODMAN: And can you talk about the protests that are being organized right now?

    LISA FITHIAN: There are many different protests with different themes each day of the week. Many people that have come from around the world that are, say, on the outside are working under a banner, “system change, not climate change,” because we’re very clear that everything the UN is talking about and the system of capitalism is not going to shift the problem. And so — and part of the real power force behind that is the corporations. And so, people want to go to a variety of corporations tomorrow and expose their role in greenwashing, green capitalism, and, you know, promises, the Copenhagen promises, of all the things that they’ll deliver to solve this climate crisis, even though they got us in it.

    AMY GOODMAN: It’s called “Don’t Buy the Lie”?

    LISA FITHIAN: “Don’t Buy the Lie.”

    “Flood for Climate Justice” is the name for Saturday’s protest, December 12th. And that will be the mass one with hopefully 80,000 to 100,000 people, and hopefully we flood through the streets to the Bella Center to get our message out there.

    Sunday is the 13th, and there’s an agricultural protest.

    Monday is called "Hit the Production." And there is an intention to go into the port and to disrupt business as usual. Monday is a No Borders action, where people are planning to go to the Ministry of Defense and to draw attention to the fact that many people have to cross borders because of the climate crisis. People — you know, how many islands have been submerged under water? How many people are being displaced to put in, you know, eucalyptus plantations or wind farms? And so, we have to understand that the crisis itself and the proposed market solution to the crisis are going to continue to perpetuate those same problems. And so, we need to make connections to those issues, just like we need to make the connection to war, as well.

    AMY GOODMAN: What are the plans for the 16th?

    LISA FITHIAN: I mean, basically there’s going to be a big march starting at 8:00 a.m. That’s been — that route has been approved by the police. And our intention is to take over the parking lot outside the United Nations negotiations and commence with a giant people’s assembly, with people from the inside joining us. And we have made it very clear that that is our intention and that we want to get into that lot, and whether we have to go over or through barricades in our way. People are talking about that and preparing for that, really clear that we are committed to confrontational, nonviolent tactics and to do no harm against any person. That includes the police. But I think we’re going to see thousands of people flooding in, trying to get into that space to hold a massive people’s assembly to have our voice and our agenda the focus of the day, not the corporate-supported governments inside.

AMY GOODMAN: Longtime activist Lisa Fithian, she is with Climate Justice Action. Special thanks to Democracy Now!’s John Hamilton and Mike Burke, who went on that underground tour with us.

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Fate of N.Y.'s same-sex marriage bill hinges on votes of undecided state senators

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ALBANY — A small group of undecided state senators could determine whether same-sex marriage will become legal in New York, a survey by Gannett's Albany Bureau found.

Eight senators — including the two who represent Dutchess County — indicated they are undecided on whether they would support same-sex marriage legislation if the bill comes to a vote, a survey of all 62 senators found.

The measure would need 32 votes for adoption in the Senate, and 26 senators, all Democrats, indicated they would back the bill. Twenty-eight senators expressed opposition — ...

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Fasting for Dubya
January 9, 2003
By Sheila Samples

I am weary of this gaggle of somber, anal-retentive pundits - bloated with self-importance, sighing heavily, squinting at me accusingly from one TV show after another - whining we're not in a "real" war because I'm not willing to make sacrifices. Makes me feel more than a twinge of guilt. Because they're right, you know. We all need to get more involved in this popular and delicious savagery and violence because we, like, you know, mostly need a "real" war after all the trouble Geedubya's had whipping it up for us. Just think of the sacrifices Dubya's made to protect us, while - isn't it just so like him asking nothing in return.

Well, that's not exactly true. When he first started to smoke 'em out, git 'em on the run and bring 'em to justice, Dubbie told us to get on with our lives, and just trust him to bring back the evilest-doer in the universe - Osama bin Laden - dead or alive. If we really wanted to help, he said, once we trained our eyes to blink again without screaming when it went all dark, we could hug a few neighbors and visit some shut-ins. Oh, yeah, and he said we could "watch out" for stuff, and maybe go down to our local airports and keep an eye on all the cropdusters that didn't belong to us. So I hid in the bushes at the airport for two months watching out for stuff while I focused like an laser on that dilapidated old Stearman Jim Bob fixed up to spray the cotton around here - but that was before he found out the government was paying farmers not to plant much of anything, especially cotton.

I don't go there anymore, especially since Jim Bob set up shop in a nearby clump of bushes to watch me watching him. Not much sacrificial stuff happens at a rural Oklahoma airport anyway...at least not nearly enough to make a feller feel like he's contributing to a "real" war. Between waves of terror brought on by dire Ashcroftian warnings that "they" walk among us like so many swarthy evildoing aliens deposited here by sinister spacecraft, most people ultimately managed to get on with their lives - at least priests and corporate CEOs and kidnappers and snipers and Karl Rove.

Not me. I don't even wonder about ol' dead-or-alive bin Laden anymore. Like Dubya says, "If he's dead, we got 'im - if he's alive, we'll git 'im..." I aim to support my president in his new adventure; his noble crusade to blast evil from the face of the earth. I figure Dubya needs my help to liberate people being held hostage by strange religions and crusty power-mad oil-sodden dictators. I aim to help Dubbie give them what they really want whether they know they want it or not - freedom and democracy. It's a sacrifice Dub is making for all mankind. He said so himself. History is "calling" him to complete this task and he is answering the call.

I aim to make a sacrifice fitting to the occasion because, although Dubya's been too busy answering History's call to mention it for the past year or so-I remember what jump-started his current widespread freedom crusade. I remember that nearly 3,000 innocent people were crushed, burned alive or, simply, in one ghastly instant, turned to dust. How can anyone forget that every single one of those people had lives, families, hopes for the future - plans for lunch?

So that's why I'm doing my part, even though I keep meeting with a bit of minor resistance. I've hugged my neighbors so often that two of the wives are naming me as co-respondent in their upcoming divorces. Shut-ins from a three-state area keep telling me to shut up. Some try to shut me out-one even sprayed me with Raid as I was climbing through his window for the third time after he locked the door.

But I have found a way! Not just for me, but for all of us, to make a collective sacrifice that will bring us to the Promised Land from our oozing ameobic Cro-Magnon state of grunting and pointing, and will silence forever those who mock us for our patriotic diligence. It's nothing less than a glorious sacrificial hymn of salvation and goodness not to mention a sad, desperate cry for help...

It's called Fasting For Dubya, and the directions are written on the damp and sticky heel of this wonderful site. All we have to do is sign up to fast at least one day a month for Dubya's "holiness." For those of you in Houston, "fast" means to stop cramming greasy crap into your pie-hole for 24 hours which, if you're still with me, equals one full day...The sitemaster, Bob Sjogren, concedes that some may also want to fast for such things as bipartisanship, wisdom for Dubbie's work, wisdom for Dubbie's cabinet, etc., but the rule is that sacrificial fasting will be primarily for Dubbie's holiness.

Here's how it works. We can choose the day of the month we want to fast, and our names will be put on a list of "fasters" for that day. Sjogren makes it so easy - he will remind us via email a couple of days before - so we can gorge ourselves in preparation - and if we can't make our "day," he will slide another holiness faster in our place. All we have to do is let him know at fast4georgew@heartlight.org.

What an incredibly easy and healthy way to sacrifice for Dubya, purge our colons and have happy glowing skin at the same time! Heck, I'll bet Rush Limbaugh, or maybe even CNN's Candi Crowley could manage to suspend gluttony for 24 hours a month. Think of the time and effort it would save folks like Wolf Blitzer if we could all work together to put Dubbie on the fast track to pure-dee holiness...And, the best part is, Sjogren says whenever Dubbie puts out prayer requests, Sjogren will fast-forward them right on to us.

Sjogren's goal is to have 1,000 people fasting for Geedubya every single day of the year. "That will greatly encourage him," Sjogren says, "and keep him accountable when the Evil One seeks to sidetrack him from his commitment to the Lord..." Hey, don't laugh. Last time I checked, more than 10,000 sacrificial lambs had signed up to pray for Dubbie's holiness - 10,408 to be exact, but who's counting, and is that scary or what?

So we have finally discovered a sacrifice to ease our guilt; one sufficient to fuel a "real" war, full of egocentric rage and insane drama. We have a sacrifice we can get our teeth into (except for one day a month) and one that will satisfy the writhings and shudderings and whimperings of the little bile-filled TV pundits. With our support, His Holiness will liberate all those who are for us and will conquer and destroy all those who are for the terrorists. Thanks to His Holiness, we will all be absofreakinglutely, praisegodalmighty free at last.

In the meantime, I'm gonna check out the neighbors one more time. I feel an overpowering need for a group hug...

Sheila Samples is an Oklahoma freelance writer and former Public Information Officer for Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

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The Daily Leader - Steny Hoyer · (202) 225-3130

House Meets At…
Last Vote Predicted…

10:30 a.m.: Morning Hour

  12:00 p.m.: Legislative Business

  Unlimited “One Minutes"   Per Side

  8:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Suspensions (12 Bills):

1)     H.R. 5492 To authorize the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to construct a greenhouse facility at its museum support facility in Suitland, Maryland, and for other purposes (Rep. Matsui – Transportation and Infrastructure)

2)     H.Res. 936 Honoring the 200th anniversary of the Gallatin Report on Roads and Canals, celebrating the national unity the Gallatin Report engendered, and recognizing the vast contributions that national planning efforts have provided to the United States (Rep. Blumenauer – Transportation and Infrastructure)

3)     H.Res. 854 - Expressing gratitude to all of the member states of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service (ITS) on ratifying the May 2006 Agreement to amend the 1955 Bonn Accords granting open access to vast Holocaust and other World War II related archives located in Bad Arolsen, Germany (Rep. Hastings (FL) – Foreign Affairs)

4)     H.Con.Res. 290 – Commemorating the 175th anniversary of the special relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Thailand (Rep. Manzullo - Foreign Affairs)

5)     H.Res. 1024 – Recognizing the 187th anniversary of the independence of Greece and celebrating Greek and American Democracy (Rep. Ros-Lehtinen – Foreign Affairs)

6)     H.Res. 945 - Raising awareness and promoting education on the criminal justice system by establishing March 2008 as "National Criminal Justice Month." (Rep. Poe – Judiciary)

7)     H.R. 4056 - The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Congressional Badge of Bravery Act of 2008 (Rep. Ellsworth – Judiciary)

8)     H.R. 1312 - Arts Require Timely Service (ARTS) Act (Rep. Berman – Judiciary)

9)     H.R. 3361 - To make technical corrections related to the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (Rep. Rangel – Ways and Means)

10) H.R. 5563 – Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act (Rep. McCarthy (NY) – Education and Labor)

11)   S. 2733 - To temporarily extend the programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (Sen. Kennedy – Education and Labor)

12)   H.Res. 953 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that all Americans should participate in a moment of silence to reflect upon the service and sacrifice of members of the United States Armed Forces both at home and abroad, and their families (Rep. Knollenberg – Armed Services)

Vote on Overriding the President’s Veto of H.R. 2082 - The Intelligence Authorization Act of 2008.

H.Res. 895 – A resolution establishing within the House of Representatives an Office of Congressional Ethics (Rep. Capuano – Rules) (Subject to a Rule)

Postponed Suspension Vote (3 Bills)

1)     H.Res. 924 - Congratulating Iowa State University of Science and Technology for 150 years of leadership and service to the United States and the world as Iowa's land-grant university (Rep. Braley – Education and Labor)

2)     H.Res. 948 - Congratulating the University of Kansas ("KU") football team for winning the 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl and having the most successful year in program history (Rep. Boyda – Education and Labor)

3)     H.Res. 493 - Congratulating the women's water polo team of the University of California, Los Angeles, for winning the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Water Polo National Championship, and congratulating UCLA on its 100th NCAA sports national title, making it the most accomplished athletic program in NCAA history (Rep. Lewis (CA) – Education and Labor)


text:
For Immediate Release:

February 22, 2010

Contact:Michael D. Shear and Dan Balz

Washington Post

President Obama made it clear Monday morning that he intends to make a final push for a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's health-care and insurance system, offering a new health-care plan that largely embraces the approach already taken by the U.S. Senate.

The plan, which went live on the White House Web site at 10 a.m., rejects repeated calls from Republicans to scrap Democratic efforts from last year and start over. Instead, it attempts to merge the Senate legislation with its counterpart in the House in ways that would address some of the most controversial provisions in the stalled bill.

Shortly after the president's plan went online, Republicans slammed it as "the same massive government takeover of health care" and said it undermined the bipartisan goals of the summit this week.

"This new Democrats-only backroom deal doubles down on the same failed approach that will drive up premiums, destroy jobs, raise taxes, and slash Medicare benefits," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). "This week's summit clearly has all the makings of a Democratic infomercial for continuing on a partisan course."

Among the changes Obama seeks is a delay of the tax on high-end insurance plans until 2018, an end to the special Medicaid deal that negotiators had cut for Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson (D) and new federal authority over health-care insurance rate increases. The plan does not call for a public option health plan despite pressure from progressives in Obama's Democratic party to do so.

Senior White House officials said the 11-page summary of the changes, labeled "The President's Proposal," would serve as the starting point for the bipartisan, televised health-care summit to be held Thursday. They urged Republicans to come together around their own proposal and make it public.

"This is the opening bid for the health meeting," White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said. "We took our best shot at bridging the differences. It makes some strong steps to improving the final product. . . . The president is coming to the meeting with an open mind."

Pfeiffer said the White House has made "no determinations" about whether Democrats might use a parliamentary tool called "reconciliation" to pass the bill without 60 votes in the Senate. But Pfeiffer hinted that the White House is open to the idea, saying that the president's proposal is designed for "maximum flexibility."

"The president expects and believes the American people deserve an up-or-down vote on health care," Pfeiffer said. "This is designed to provide us maximum flexibility if the opposition decides to take the extraordinary step of filibustering health reform."

By offering his own proposal, Obama is betting that Americans watching the health-care summit will provide his efforts new momentum after a nearly year-long process that ground to a halt while negotiators cut deals in back rooms and Republicans intensified their criticisms.

But the decision is not likely to sit well with Republicans, who have concluded that most Americans do not want radical changes to their health care. Instead, the GOP has been pushing a series of modest changes they say could bring down costs and improve coverage, including tort reform and new freedoms for insurance companies to sell their policies across state lines.

Obama's health plan does not include those Republican proposals, although White House officials said several times Monday morning that the president will be open to Republican ideas at the meeting on Thursday.

The president's plan does leave intact language relating to abortion already in the Senate bill that is less restrictive than the House measure. That would leave open the possibility that conservative Democrats in the House who oppose the use of federal money for abortion would oppose the measure.

Among the key changes that Obama would make to the Senate bill:

* Obama's plan would raise the threshold for the expensive health-care plans that would be hit with an excise tax, and would delay the imposition of that tax on any plan until 2018. That would essentially put in place for all such plans a deal that had been worked out last month for labor-negotiated plans.

* The plan would eliminate a deal that negotiators made with Nelson to provide Nebraska with additional assistance for increased Medicaid costs his state might encounter under the legislation. Instead, the plan adds fees so that similar help can be given to states across the board.

* The president's plan would close the "doughnut hole" for seniors by increasing the amount of money provided for rebates to beneficiaries and by reducing co-insurance payments by 2020.

* Low-income families and individuals who do not have insurance would receive higher subsidies from the federal government to buy the insurance than had been the case under the Senate plan. Individuals would still be required by the government to get health insurance, but hardship cases would be exempted.

Obama is calling for new government power to regulate insurance-rate increases as part of comprehensive changes to the health-care system that the White House unveiled on its Web site Monday. To try to generate support for his ideas, the Obama administration recently has pointed to rate increases as evidence that his proposed changes are necessary.

Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius drew attention to a California health insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross, which planned rate increases of up to 39 percent. Obama mentioned the increases in his weekly radio address and at a town hall meeting in Nevada.

The proposal released Monday would give Sebelius new authority to oversee, and potentially block, rate increases that are deemed unfair. It would be based, at least in part, on legislation initially proposed last week by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

The legislation would create a rate board, called the Health Insurance Rate Authority, that would broadly determine what increases are reasonable and justifiable. The seven-member board would have consumer, industry and medical representatives, as well as experts in health economics.

A top official said Sebelius would conduct an annual review of premium increases and could work with state insurance officials to deny increases that were seen as excessive.

Republicans have criticized the president's health-care proposals as too reliant on government involvement. Obama's latest proposal drew similar fire.

"At first glance, this seems to be an admission from the Obama administration that their massive government takeover of health care will, despite their promises, increase health-care premiums for millions of Americans," said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for Boehner.

But it could prove tricky for Republicans: They must be careful not to be seen in an election year as siding with big insurance companies that are imposing drastic rate hikes on Main Street Americans.

Senior Obama aides said the changes Obama is proposing could add up to $200 billion to the Senate bill's $871 billion price tag.

Republicans have accused Obama of using Thursday's summit as political theater, and they had raised the prospect of not attending. But the Senate's top Republican promised Sunday that he and his members are "ready to participate," while accusing Democrats of being "arrogant."

"You know, they are saying, 'Ignore the wishes of the American people. We know more about this than you do. And we're going to jam it down your throats no matter what,' " Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on "Fox News Sunday."

Pfeiffer said in response that "the upcoming meeting is an opportunity to get beyond oft-repeated and completely false talking points like these."

McConnell dismissed the idea of a GOP boycott, saying that "we're discussing the -- sort of the makeup of the room and that sort of thing, but yeah, I intend to be there and my members will be there and ready to participate."

He said, however, his party will continue to oppose Democrats if they try to use reconciliation.

"We believe that we think a better way to go is to, step by step, move in the direction of dealing with the cost issue, targeting things like junk lawsuits against doctors and hospitals, interstate insurance competition, small-association health plans," he added.

Health care dominated discussions at the National Governors Association for a second day Sunday. Four leaders of the organization issued a plea to Obama and Congress for states to have a greater voice in the deliberations over health care. But they had no plan to offer; nor did they ask to be included Thursday.

Obama met with the governors Monday at the White House.


text:
Sunday Talks, 9/9/12

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Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, will be back in the spotlight after this week’s Democratic National Convention, appearing on three of Sunday’s television talk shows. (Wow, having Republicans on the Sunday talkies so they can counterbalance the Democrats! What a novel idea! After all, we all know that the Dems get MUCH MORE coverage than the Republicans…)

Romney and his wife, Ann, will make a rare appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and Ryan will be interviewed on ABC’s “This Week” and CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

NBC also has San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, who gave the Democratic convention keynote address Tuesday night in Charlotte, N.C., and Bill Bennett, who was education secretary under President George H. W. Bush.

CBS also has White House senior adviser David Plouffe and plans to air excerpts of a weekend interview with President Barack Obama, due to be taped on the campaign trail in Florida.

ABC also has Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on a political roundtable with conservative commentator George Will and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.

On CNN, “State of the Union” hosts Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown and former GOP presidential contender Newt Gingrich.


text:
Karina Ramirez: Owners remake space into salon

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It took seven months for owners Kim and Patrick Nguyen to renovate 4,800 square feet at Southridge Village shopping center into Bella Salon & Spa.

The former Little Gym location at Southridge Village shopping center is now a full-service spa and nail salon.

The owners, Kim Nguyen and her husband, Patrick, worked a good seven months to renovate the 4,800 square feet of space and turn it into Bella Salon & Spa.

The new business offers manicures, pedicures, hair service, permanent makeup, facial treatments and more.

“It took us a while to get us back and going, but we are now here and we just want to thank our loyal clientele for supporting us all these years,” said Nguyen, 36.

Nguyen worked for eight years with Spa Pedicures, where she was able to build a following strong enough that Spa Pedicures was recognized in the Best of Denton readers’ poll from 2007 to 2011.

Spa Pedicures now has new ownership, and Nguyen said she is not competing with the owners of her previous business. But she felt she had outgrown her previous facility and wanted to continue to work with her loyal clientele.

“We have a close relationship with our clients and we wanted to keep that,” Nguyen said.

Bella Salon & Spa employs a total of 15 people, including three hairstylists. It is located at 2430 S. Interstate 35E, Suite 140, where the Little Gym closed its doors in September 2010.

Bella Salon & Spa will host a Denton Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. Oct. 24, with drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

Salon hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call 940-383-3552 or visit www.facebook.com/BellaSalonSpaDenton.

It’s never too early to talk about Halloween.

A record 170 million people are planning to celebrate the spooky holiday this year, according to the latest survey by the National Retail Federation, which follows consumer behavior and spending trends, and its partner BIGinsight.

According to the survey, seven in 10 Americans, or 71.5 percent, are planning to be in haunting Halloween mood. That’s an increase of 2.9 percent points from last year.

The average person is projected to spend $79.82 on decorations, costumes and candy, a bit more than last year.

As with back-to-school season, customers are still a bit weary and stated the economy will affect their Halloween plans, the survey found.

To alleviate their situations, 18 percent of the survey respondents will make a costume instead of buying one, and more than a third will buy less candy.

The federation’s survey of 9,393 consumers was conducted Sept. 5-11 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.

Cindy Jacobson from CCD Counseling of Denton received the 2012 June Bucy Award for Excellence from the Texas Network of Youth Services. The award was presented to Jacobson during the organization’s conference in August in San Antonio.

The award recognizes Jacobson for program excellence, leadership and significant contributions to the field of youth services in the state.

“It was wonderful. It was a nice honor to be selected. It came as a huge surprise to me,” Jacobson said. “It was a staff [member] that recommended me for it. It is nice to see that your work is valued in that way.”

Jacobson has served as a counselor and director of CCD Counseling of Denton since 1990. She previously worked for many years at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the Denton Community Counseling Center.

Jacobson is certified with the American Counseling Association. She is a University of North Texas graduate, with a Master of Education in marriage and family counseling and a Bachelor of Science in therapeutic recreation.

The award was named after June Bucy, former executive director of the National Network for Youth.

Texas Network of Youth Services is a nonprofit membership association of agencies and advocates, dedicated to enhancing the professionalism and effectiveness of community-based agencies serving youths and families in Texas.

R. Scott Alagood of Alagood & Cartwright PC was recently named to the Texas Super Lawyers list as one of the top attorneys in Texas for 2012 in real estate. Less than 5 percent of lawyers in the state are selected to be part of the list, according to a news release.

Alagood received Super Lawyer recognition in 2003 and 2004. His firm was also named second place in the Best of Denton readers’ poll this year.

Alagood is a 1985 graduate of Denton High School. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from Texas A&M University in 1989, followed by his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law in 1992. Alagood and Brian T. Cartwright formed their firm in 2003.

Now in its 10th year, Super Lawyers recognizes excellence in Texas law. Since 2010, the magazine has partnered with Thomson Reuters business data provider. The Super Lawyers list recognizes lawyers from more than 70 areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

Annual selections are made using a rigorous multi-phased process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews by practice area.

Argyle resident Ann R. Earley, an administrative assistant for Modern Woodmen of America, has completed a four-day educational program at the organization’s home office in Rock Island, Ill.

The program provides experienced administrative assistants with an advanced understanding of their position and how it interacts with home office functions like office organization, time management and other topics, according to a press release.

Founded in 1883, Modern Woodmen of America is a fraternal financial services organization that offers financial products and fraternal member benefits to individuals and families throughout the country.

Coming up

Attorney Debbie Cunningham will present a talk titled “How to Make Sure Your Kids Get Your Stuff” at the Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon scheduled for 11:40 a.m. Tuesday at Oakmont Country Club, 1901 Oakmont Drive in Corinth.

Cost is $15 for members and $20 for non-members. For more information, call 940-497-3097 or e-mail lccc@lakecitieschamber.com.

“The Power to Transform” will be the focus of the fourth annual Neighborhood Empowerment Summit scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Denton Civic Center, 321 E. McKinney St.

Sponsored by the city’s Neighborhood Planning Program, the purpose of summit is to revitalize Denton’s neighborhoods and improve the lives of residents.

Registration will be available soon at www.cityofdenton.com/neighborhoodplanning.

For more information contact Katia Boykin at 940-349-7274 or katia.boykin@cityofdenton.com.

KARINA RAMÍREZ can be reached at 940-566-6878. Her e-mail address is kramirez@dentonrc.com.

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text:
Froma Harrop: Broken U.S. immigration system stirs border fears

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The numbers are small for a large country like this, but the alarm is big over the influx of Central American children coming over the southern border. People are merging this special case involving about 57,000 children with generalized anxiety about a broken immigration system that has resulted in an estimated 11 million illegal residents.

At the bottom are fears that the United States is incapable of managing an orderly immigration program.

The surge of solitary children is especially disturbing because the arrivals are so pitiful. The public knows that they are innocents escaping war-like conditions and grinding poverty. But the public also knows that vast stretches of this troubled planet are soaked in misery.

If fleeing war, violence and destitution is reason enough to be granted the right to stay in the United States, distressed souls in the hundreds of millions would qualify.

Are these children true refugees, as their advocates insist? To be granted asylum in much of the world, one must arrive directly from a place of threat. The children from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are traveling through relatively safe Mexico.

And if what we’re seeing is a flood of real refugees, part of a humanitarian crisis, where’s Canada in all this? Canada seems to be watching the whole scene from a perch of detachment.

Finally, there’s the big question of what we should do about people stuck in corrupt countries with collapsed economies. The solution can’t be to simply move entire populations to the United States.

Here’s where the latest humanitarian crisis and the system failure do meet: Most of the children are being united with family members, many of whom are themselves here illegally, having come for jobs.

So many tough questions are nagging Americans as they watch this sad parade of kids arriving alone at Texas bus stations. It’s not just about helping several thousand bedraggled children. It’s about loss of control, the absence of a philosophical and legal foundation from which we can deal with such crises.

The recent surge is tied to a law signed in 2008 by President George W. Bush that gives child immigrants from Central America special consideration not available to those from Mexico or Canada. Bush was acting on a humanitarian impulse, as was President Barack Obama when he decided to ease up on deporting illegal immigrants brought here as children.

America veers from immigration crisis to immigration crisis in large part because it lacks the structure of a well-ordered system. It could have had that in the immigration reform legislation that has already passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis. Among other things, it would seriously enforce the ban on hiring undocumented workers, while legalizing millions who came in under the lax rules.

But the Republican-controlled House won’t go along because the plan would “reward lawbreakers.” The perverse result has been to preserve the jobs magnet that attracts the vast majority of illegal immigrants.

If foreigners risk coming here without papers in the hopes of receiving an amnesty, as many conservatives argue, that is a product of their own refusal to grant a reprieve that — given the legislation’s strong enforcement mechanism — would be the last amnesty. We call this irony.

Clearly, lines must be drawn, and that’s not easy to do when humans are involved. But good laws do make the lines easier to determine. Without an effective immigration law, the public won’t feel confident that when something extraordinary happens — such as the flow of unaccompanied children from Central America — we can balance kindness with the national interest.

We have a law ready to go. Let’s pass it.

FROMA HARROP is a columnist for The Providence Journal. Her column is distributed by Creators Syndicate Inc.

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[Full-disclosure] Pharming breaks SSL via Trojan {Emerging Threats}

An advisory written by Secure Science was issued for a recent Pharming
attack found within malware. A public version of this document is available:

External Threat Assessment Team
Secure Science Corp.

Full-Disclosure - We believe in it.
Charter: http://lists.grok.org.uk/full-disclosure-charter.html
Hosted and sponsored by Secunia - http://secunia.com/


text:
Re: REVIEW: "Mission Critical Security Planner", Eric Greenberg

From: Spectre (nothing_at_all.calm)
Date: 06/17/03

Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 07:17:29 GMT

On 16 Jun 2003 06:34:27 -0700, (Eric Greenberg)

>My book titled Mission Critical Security Planner (Wiley, 2003), which
>Slade has critiqued here, survived full scrutiny and review on
>, a tough group of folks
>and has been reviewed by many reviewers, all of which have offered
>nothing but praise.

Aw, poor baby.... your little missive got trashed because it is full
of shit and you can't stand the heat.... awwww....

If you can't play with the big kids, go home....

> I encourage you to see the other reviews on
> and elsewhere on the Internet.

Sounds more like you can't take real criticism of your work. Having
looked at the crap you spout on the web site, I'd have to agree with
Rob Slade.

>You might also visit the Mission Critical Security Planner companion
>web site, where you can download a free electronic copy of the Chapter
>1 and the free worksheets used in the book, at

Well, when you put fancy new names to old techniques, what do you
expect? Praise? Most of what you are spouting is crap... you don't
have a clue about risk analysis and there are far better missives than
yours out there....

>Judge my commitment to this book, supporting the readers, and security
>planning in general, by that material and the website.

Commitment means squat -- it doesn't translate into ability or
knowledge. As evidenced by your efforts.

>I'd ask people reading Slade's reviews to look at the one book he put
>his name on (as a co-author with others) "Viruses Revealed" (McGraw-
>Hill, 2001).

Sounds like sour grapes on your part, pal. Your only defense of a
crtique of your book is to make comments like this? And incorrect
ones at that?

You are rather ill informed about how many books have Rob Slade's name
on them as author or co-author --- I venture he's written more books
than you've read in your lifetime.

> You can buy this relatively recent book used for $1.28
>at Amazon and find out for yourself (list price on the book is
>$39.99). The reviews of his book can found at
>I encourage you to buy his book used and judge for yourself.

Great defense of the qulity of your book -- mis-direct people's
attention from the real issues...

>Eric Greenberg
>Author, Mission Critical Security Planner
> (Rob Slade, doting grandpa of Ryan and Trevor) wrote in message news:<JO5Da.4577$>...
>> BKMSCRSP.RVW 20030330
>> "Mission Critical Security Planner", Eric Greenberg, 2003,
>> 0-471-21165-6, U$35.00/C$54.95/UK#25.95
>> %A Eric Greenberg
>> %C 5353 Dundas Street West, 4th Floor, Etobicoke, ON M9B 6H8
>> %D 2003
>> %G 0-471-21165-6
>> %I John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
>> %O U$35.00/C$54.95/UK#25.95 416-236-4433 fax: 416-236-4448
>> %O
>> %O
>> %P 416 p.
>> %T "Mission Critical Security Planner"
>> In the introduction, Greenberg claims that his book provides guidance
>> on how to do quantitative security planning without calculations
>> (which sounds somewhat self-contradictory) using a new technique he
>> calls impact analysis (which doesn't sound too different from business
>> impact analysis). A technical background is said to be unnecessary,
>> the process is worksheet based, and the target audience is security
>> managers.
>> Chapter one says that protecting information is not exact (a statement
>> that doesn't seem to fit well with the worksheet approach). Random
>> security topics include planning, intruders, and a risk analysis
>> example which is, ironically in view of the introduction, more
>> computationally intensive than most. An overview of planning, in
>> chapter two, majors on the minors. Policies are not discussed until
>> twenty five pages into the material, and then the emphasis is on very
>> specific areas like exit (termination of employment) procedures,
>> leaving huge topics uncovered. Twenty eight security elements are
>> listed, and all are important, but almost all are either over-vague or
>> over-specific.
>> Chapters three and four introduce the worksheets themselves. Sixteen
>> topic areas have four sheets each, dealing with the technical,
>> lifecycle, business, and "selling to management" aspects of the
>> themes, while other domains may have only a single sheet. The
>> questions listed may be helpful as reminders to address certain
>> aspects which are often overlooked, but the odd and arbitrary
>> structure is confusing, and the real work is definitely left as an
>> exercise to the reader.
>> A description and analysis of PKI (Public Key Infrastructure), in
>> chapter five, is vague and weak, and contains much unrelated material.
>> Chapter six is a recap of the book, along with a simple list of
>> threats.
>> While the advice in the book is not wrong or misleading, and many
>> important and useful points are buried throughout, poor organization,
>> a lack of consistent depth, and gaps in topical coverage ensure that
>> the text would only poorly repay the investment of time spent studying
>> it. Certainly it should not be used as a major guide to structure the
>> security planning process.
>> copyright Robert M. Slade, 2003 BKMSCRSP.RVW 20030330
>> --
>> ======================
>> "If you do buy a computer, don't turn it on." - Richards' 2nd Law
>> ============= for back issues:
>> [Base URL] site
>> or mirror
>> CISSP refs: [Base URL]mnbksccd.htm
>> Security Dict.: [Base URL]secgloss.htm
>> Security Educ.: [Base URL]comseced.htm
>> Book reviews: [Base URL]mnbk.htm
>> [Base URL]review.htm
>> Partial/recent:
>> Security Educ.:
>> Review mailing list: send mail to

Relevant Pages


text:
Stocks leap on central banks' coordinated action

By Daniel Wagner

Associated Press

Published: Wednesday, Nov. 30 2011 12:00 a.m. MST

In this Nov. 28, 2011 photo, specialist Joseph Mastrolia, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stock markets rebounded Wednesday, Nov. 30, as renewed optimism over the state of the U.S. economy supported sentiment despite the failure of European finance ministers to announce radical new measures to deal with the crippling debt crisis afflicting the 17-nation eurozone.

Richard Drew, Associated Press

Enlarge photo»

Stocks are soaring in early trading after major central banks acted to avert a credit crunch.

The central banks of Europe, the U.S., Britain, Canada, Japan and Switzerland eased banks' access to dollars by reducing their borrowing rates. The move responds to fears that a European country would default, touching off a credit crunch similar to what followed the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers.

Banks need dollars to fund their daily operations. Their access dried up as U.S. money market funds reduced their lending to European banks.

The Dow Jones industrial average is up 319, or 2.8 percent, at 11,874 in early trading Wednesday. The S&P 500 is up 32, or 2.7 percent, at 1,227. The Nasdaq is up 70, or 2.8 percent, at 2,586.

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text:
Rage erupts in Guatemala after 6 protesters shot

By Romina Ruiz-goiriena

Associated Press

Published: Friday, Oct. 5 2012 12:00 a.m. MDT

National Civil Police agents stand near a military truck in flames during clashes with peasants protesting against the cost of electricity in Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, west of Guatemala City on Thursday Oct. 4, 2012. At least two people have been killed and dozen others seriously wounded in the confrontation between protesters and security forces. (AP Photo)

The Associated Press

TOTONICAPAN, Guatemala — Thousands of indigenous Guatemalans shouted in anger Friday and some threw themselves at the coffins of six local people who were shot to death during a protest over electricity prices and educational reform in a poor rural area.

President Otto Perez Molina acknowledged that government forces had opened fire during the protest Thursday, after saying earlier that police and troops on the scene had been unarmed and the protesters had provoked the clash.

Human rights groups condemned the government's actions and charged they were part of a pattern of excessive use of force against protesters.

The protesters were blockading a highway near the town of Totonicapan, about 90 miles west of Guatemala City, when two vehicles carrying soldiers arrived to help police who had been ordered to evict the demonstrators. Gunfire erupted after the troops came. Bullets killed six people and wounded 34, officials said.

"We were protesting right next to them when they opened fire on us," said Rolando Carrillo, a 25-year-old protester with a bandaged arm and lacerated face that he said resulted from being hit during the clash.

The president told reporters Friday afternoon that armed security guards had driven the soldiers to the protest. One of the guards apparently was the first to start shooting and then an unspecified number of others fired at the crowd, Molina said.

He said seven soldiers injured in the confrontation had said they only fired into the air to protect themselves from what they considered to be a threatening crowd.

Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla said the president had suspended the order to evict the protesters from the highway.

Some 20 human rights organizations called an emergency meeting in the capital to discuss the incident and called for a protest in front of the presidential palace.

"We've been saying for a long time that the army's use of force brings with it the risk that something like this could happen," said Francisco Soto, a representative of the Center for Legal Action and Human Rights.

The six dead were buried Friday afternoon in Totonicapan, where thousands gathered to watch their coffins pass through the town's central square. Hundreds shouted "Justice! Justice!" while dozens of mourners hurled themselves toward the coffins in grief.

Thursday's protest was fueled by anger at Molina, who has proposed constitutional reforms that he says will modernize Guatemala's economic and regulatory systems.

Among other changes, the reforms would set price caps on electricity, and require teachers to get a five-year bachelor's degree instead of a three-year vocational degree.

The protesters think the price caps are too high, and object to the longer process for obtaining a degree that many in the subsistence-farming area depend on to improve their livelihoods.

In a protest in May, about 200 people armed with machetes and guns briefly seized an army outpost in a province bordering Mexico to demand justice for the killing of a man who opposed the construction of a hydroelectric plant. Molina responded by declaring a state of siege in the area and granting the army emergency powers.

Associated Press writer Moises Castillo reported this story in Totonicapan and Romina Ruiz-Goiriena reported from Guatemala City.

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text:
Karl Rove generates polarizing political headlines

Published: Thursday, Nov. 1 2012 1:00 p.m. MDT

As the presidential race enters its last days, Republican kingmaker Karl Rove continues churning out weekly op-ed pieces for the Wall Street Journal that slather optimistic praise on Mitt Romney's campaign, heap foreboding criticism on Barack Obama's re-election bid, or both.

Rove's most recent editorial, "Sifting the numbers for a winner," appeared in Thursday's Wall Street Journal — and it should surprise nobody that the article forecasts victory for Romney.

"It comes down to numbers," Rove wrote. "And in the final days of this presidential race, from polling data to early voting, they favor Mitt Romney. … In addition to the data, the anecdotal and intangible evidence — from crowd sizes to each side's closing arguments — give the sense that the odds favor Mr. Romney. They do. My prediction: Sometime after the cock crows on the morning of Nov. 7, Mitt Romney will be declared America's 45th president. Let's call it 51 percent (to) 48 percent, with Mr. Romney carrying at least 279 Electoral College votes, probably more."

The Christian Science Monitor succinctly summarized the scope of Rove's influence in an August article: "he runs Crossroads GPS and American Crossroads, two political organizations that could spend $1 billion combined to promote Republicans during the coming election, (and) Bloomberg Businessweek magazine recently dubbed him 'King Karl' in a cover article."

Earlier this month, Politico business reporter Kenneth P. Vogel offered a plausible connection linking Rove's steady stream of Wall Street Journal op-ed articles to his affiliations with Crossroads GPS and American Crossroads: "Conservative super PACs and outside groups face the very real possibility they’ll have spent $1 billion and failed to elect Mitt Romney or deliver a GOP Senate. … So the operatives running the super PACs and nonprofits are scrambling to prove they made a difference in any way they can. They’re positioning themselves to claim credit for successes, dodge blame for failures and prove that they’re not one-trick ponies that can only do narrowly targeted advertising."

Prior to his latest article, Rove penned four op-ed articles for the Wall Street Journal throughout October:

Can we believe the presidential polls? (Oct. 4)

The dividends of Romney's debate victory (Oct. 11)

Obama won the debate but is losing the argument (Oct. 18)

Strategies for the stretch run to Nov. 6 (Oct. 25)

Jamshid Ghazi Askar is a graduate of BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School and member of the Utah State Bar. Contact him at jaskar@desnews.com or 801-236-6051.

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