text:
News Home

Audio NSW Education Minister expects a deal next week

Alexandra Kirk

The NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli says the states and the Commonwealth agree with the vast bulk of the new national school funding plan. And he's optimistic of a deal next week.

TIM PALMER: The New South Wales Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, says the states and the Commonwealth agree with vast bulk of the new national school funding plan. And he told Alexandra Kirk he's optimistic of a deal next week.

ADRIAN PICCOLI: I do want to make it clear that the states and the Commonwealth do agree with probably 80 per cent or 90 per cent of the national plan for school improvement, but there are some unresolved issues. And the only recommendation to come out of today's meeting is that the officials go away and do a bit more work before an officials meeting on Friday and of course in the lead up to the 19th.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: So you didn't hear three states and territories put up their hand in support of the Gonski plan?

ADRIAN PICCOLI: There are differing views, but I just want to highlight we are talking about a few items out of a large agreement, and the vast majority of that agreement is agreed to by consensus by all states and the Commonwealth.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Do you have a problem, as the Federal Minister suggested, with the transparency that the Commonwealth is demanding on where school funding goes, where it's spent and the sort of bang people get for the tax-payers buck?

ADRIAN PICCOLI: I've got no doubt that the transparency from New South Wales' point of view will probably be the best in Australia given we've announced already...

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Well most states would say that, but is that...

ADRIAN PICCOLI: Well we've already announced a resource allocation model of our own with or without Gonski that will start next year, which will be absolutely transparent in terms of how much money goes to schools and why it goes to schools. So that transparency issue is dealt with.

What the Commonwealth do want to do, and this is one of the items not agreed to today, was the establishment of a school performance institute. Now, the issue for me, and I'll only speak for New South Wales, is that could cost upwards of $100 million a year to run, and I think states don't see that as an effective way of spending money in education. We're trying to reduce the bureaucracy and reduce red tape for schools, not increase it.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: And does your Government have information from the Commonwealth about the outline of the new funding model and the potential levels of investment by both the Commonwealth and the states?

ADRIAN PICCOLI: I will agree with Minister Garrett here that those negotiations are best conducted in private. And all states have had discussions, I believe, with the Commonwealth one way or the other and it will be a question of what both states can afford and what the Commonwealth can afford because no jurisdiction in New South Wales, in Australia, has a great deal of money to spare, but clearly education is a priority for all states and indeed the Commonwealth.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: What chances do you rate the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting next week coming to agreement on the Gonski plan, or the Commonwealth's version of it?

ADRIAN PICCOLI: I've probably been, of all state ministers, the most supportive the entire time ever since David Gonski handed over his report. I am optimistic because his recommendations are very good and I support needs-based funding for schools. That's why we've done what we've done in New South Wales with our own resource allocation model - modelled on Gonski.

And I will always be optimistic that we can come to agreement amongst the states and the Commonwealth until the day that there's a determination that there is no agreement.

TIM PALMER: The New South Wales Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Type: response

text:
All Phones > Samsung > SGH-S366 Info

This page displays compatibility and usage information for the "SGH-S366" phone by Samsung. This includes whether or not it works with our website, and links to buy the phone or make/download ringtones.

Buy this phone from Amazon

Yes, this phone can download Mobile17 ringtones!
Yes, this phone can download wallpapers!

Make your own ringtones instantly with Mobile17.
Go here and select any MP3 file from your computer. It's fun, and easy.

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2015-27
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for June 2015
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
Microsoft partners with Best Buy and Future Shop to bring dedicated Windows section to 105 Canadian stores

Daniel Bader

October 24, 2013 9:02pm

Microsoft is betting big on retail to improve its fortunes this season as it alights dedicated Windows sections inside 105 Best Buy and Future Shop stores across Canada.

I attended the grand opening in Toronto, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and cautiously optimistic tone, to catch a glimpse at how Surface fits into the ecosystem, both figuratively and literally, and to witness the breadth of devices on which Windows 8.1 is preloaded.

While Best Buy has prominently positioned the Surface table at the front of its display, Greg Barber, VP Consumer Channels at Microsoft Canada, says that it is not trying to overshadow its larger OEM partners, but exist as a reference point for what consumers should expect from the new Windows. As a result, the kiosks will be divided by touch- and non-touch, and not necessarily by price. Surface is a product category now, with four on-market choices if you include last year’s models that Best Buy plans to continue selling, but none of them cater to consumers looking for a large laptop or small tablet.

With Microsoft reporting a solid FQ1 with $18.53 billion revenue USD and net income of just over $5.5 billion, the company is in a good position to move forward with its Windows strategy. With the recent launch of Windows 8.1, the company feels it has a solid foundation on which to push the hybridized one-screen-anywhere model, in which a tablet can turn into a laptop can turn into a desktop with nary a docking station or external monitor.

I got a distinct feeling that the disparate parts of Microsoft’s Windows strategy will begin cohering over the coming months, especially as Nokia becomes more tightly integrated into the company’s Devices & Services division. Mobile doesn’t play a huge part of its current Best Buy strategy — the retailer has BB Mobile for that — but there is a definite push to convince consumers that Windows is not just an operating system but, by combining Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox, SkyDrive, Skype, Office and others, an ecosystem.

Most interesting to me is to see how well the new Surface tablets sell. I just picked up the Surface 2 and while it’s a definite improvement over last year’s model — the 1080p display alone is worth the upgrade — and is significantly cheaper than the equivalent-model iPad Air, it still lacks the app ecosystem to justify the purchase for many. At the same time, by removing the “RT” moniker and focusing on how much better the Windows 8.1 experience is over last year, the Surface 2 becomes immediately more compelling.

Each participating Best Buy and Future Shop store will have at least one “Windows-trained” employee, who is set to wear a distinctive uniform and be more widely-versed on all things Microsoft. The plan is to have these Windows stores-within-stores for three years, both in Canada and the U.S., and Microsoft is promising continual renewal of products and services as they become available. Here’s hoping they made the right decision.

  • silver_arrow

    So my local best buy now has displays for Microsoft, Apple, Chromebooks and Samsung… Well everything in one place i guess…

  • Michael Bazdell

    Saw them setting it up tonight at my local Future Shop. It’s going to be massive. I did get to play with a Surface Pro and was quite impressed with it. Might end up getting one for work instead of a notebook now.

    • Shoey5

      One in my area is already set up, actually looks pretty good

    • KiwiBri

      Surface pro 2?

    • wes

      Buying 1st generation Surface Pro tomorrow! Futureshop dropped the price to a much more reasonable price 650 and 750 for the 64gb and 128gb, respectively. 😀

      Then gonna save for a power cover to ensure that there’s enough juice :) seeing as the 1st gen doesn’t have the haswell processor. This will be my desktop and laptop replacement, and in terms of battery life 4-5 hours is better than my 2 hours on my current laptop.

  • Michael Rankin

    Confused, every time I walk into a Bestbuy or Futureshop I’m pretty sure there is a whole department dedicated to Windows based laptops, desktops and surface tablets. Its called the computer section. Good job Microsoft on spending money on something you already had in the stores… LOOK A SHINY SIGN!

    • beyond

      But their mobile devices like phones and tablets are getting mixed up with other OS’s, and then there’s manufacturers like Samsung making devices with different operating systems (android and windows). It is a bit scattered. I think this helps bring the brand and image better into focus.

    • Mike366

      But they only showed outdated ugly thick devices at discounted prices, and hid the most sexy ultrabooks in the dark corners. Now, they will probably show some edge-cutting Windows gadgets in the front shelf.

    • Chris M.

      Nah, you’re missing the point completely. Microsoft Stores (just like Apple Stores) are part of their Marketing Strategy. Microsoft has recognized the need to place a more consumer-friendly approach towards their products as although they dominate Market Share, Apple has traditionally always been tops when it comes to service and accessibility (Seniors, people with low technical knowledge).

      The Microsoft Stores in Canada/US have been wildly successful and are growing at a very fast pace and this just allows them to jump start and get their presence more widespread. The other issue with how it was before was that there were never specialists trained on Microsoft products specifically so a customer that had any question regarding Windows would likely get a lackluster response from a random sales person or had to pay for Support.

      This changes the game for Microsoft and is long-since needed.

  • Petra

    It’s no secret that Best Buy is losing money, and that Microsoft is desperate to build their brand and capture a slice of the tablet and smartphone market. Offering Best Buy a truckload of cash for some coveted floor space is a win-win.

    • MXH070

      Guess Microsoft has an extra 250 million per quarter that they were giving to Nokia, since they bought Nokia no need to shovel the cash out now. best buy gets the cash to push windows 8.

  • gwydionjhr

    I hope it leads to an improvement in my local Victoria Future Shop. Late in the afternoon on launch day for the Surface 2 they didn’t have any on display and the Surface1 was logged out. I spent a good ten minutes explaining the difference between the Surface and Surface Pro to an employer looking for a solution for his employees. They probably could have sold a half dozen if they staff had even bothered to acknowledge us.

    • Mike366

      I guess this is why BestBuy keeps losing money. They have too many stupid or/and iFan employees

    • KiwiBri

      iFan employees only came in recent times…try buying a mac or ipad back in the day when they first carried them.. lol..

  • KiwiBri

    well, when the Surface 1 was released, I went to a local bestbuy to view.. machine was locked on homescreen, the plebs that worked there “didnt work in that section” so couldnt help me, finally I get the store manager to help me as I was pissed off.. 20mins after waiting around some guy who know a bit about it is able to unlock the device and demo it to me. I straight up told the manager back then, “This is why people shop online or in the US or at Apple”. Sorry MS, you didnt get my money then.. and I used to be such a MS fanboy back in the day…

    • Mythos88

      I always know what I want before I go into a place like Future Shop. I certainly do not depend on them to sway me one way or the other.

  • frogstar42

    The one near me no longer sells components. I couldn’t get a video card or DVD drive.

  • Ali F.

    The brain washing process has started … Soon, next young generation will get use to MS and will probably buy only MS products

    • Umar Contest

      Yeah, they should instead buy only google phones, chrome books, and their data mining products. Being brainwashed by google is fine, by any one else is taboo.

    • Ali F.

      I do not know why you assumed that. What I meant was simply that MS is now on the attack and will start its part of brainwashing just like the iPhone and Samsung zombies and they proved in the past to be good at it. I do have a HP Pre 3 and a Nexus 4 and an Ativ S and recommended already Nokia 920 to my friends. So do not worry, I am not any how brainwashed by any OS … except by the beauty of WebOS.

    • Ryan

      What you call brainwashing, sounds more like advertising.

      My Future Shop has a horrible set-up currently for Surface’s. They are at an end isle, some mixed in with Mac Mini’s and Chromebooks.
      All this will do is keep them in one area with other MS products, which is pretty much what my FS does with Apple products currently.

  • MrGreen72

    That god damn arrow you see on the 3rd pic, it sometimes shows up on my desktop after upgrading to 8.1 and there’s no way to make it go away with a mouse. FIX IT!

    • Mike366

      just do the gesture as the arrow shows, and it will go away. With mouse, Just move the cursor to the left bottom corner, and move up it straight up, and then you will see the app summary bar on the left side, and click one of them.

  • wolfcda

    Maybe this will make my local Future Shop actually *charge* the Surface tablets they have on display so people can use them. Frustrating. 😛

  • Ryan

    Hopefully this will make the Future Shop a bit more organized. Can’t speak for our Best Buy as I haven’t been there in ages, but FS is terrible.

    They have an alright set-up for Macbooks, iMacs and iPads, but the Surface’s are all over. Two at an end isle, more mixed in with Mac Mini’s and some put in with Chromebooks.


text:
Modifikasi Yamaha Fino

Yamaha Fino fire airbrush

Fino Steal Your Face

Fino Fantasy 1

Fino Fantasy 2

yamaha fino back side

Modifikasi Yamaha Fino

If we look at the foundations of Yamaha Fino, it is 115cc 4 a race SOHC, 2 valve, engine cooled by air. And officially the engine is an engine 113.5cc (but conjecture 114cc Fino made not resounded fresh enough for the marketing of Yamaha).

We always begin our agreement/to modify with a simple study of the motor bike, in the event of Fino, the engine is a regular visitor with our store of modification that all first Yamaha Fino is this, the very popular uses also of Yamaha Nouvo the same engine.

After we had a fast examination so that Fino is made with far, we decided not to exaggerate the ourself, because this Yamaha Fino will be employed most of the time by family members and joinings, we do not have surely fact wanted to forget the future of safety.

Yamaha Fino employs Mikumi BS25 X 1 carburettor, or the carburettor for the Americans, some will suggest replacing the carburettor by more sporting. But because we have perhaps a little more know-how, we know that the carburettor of Mikumi BS25x1 can be found in bicycles much larger then this scooter of 115cc Yamaha Fino.
What indicates to us, the carburettor can make this small scooter then can handle. But for people who have a carburettor available of Mikumi VM26 being around you will see increased powers in horses and execution, you must adjust the tube of breather, and it control cable of power.

I 'm always open for the idea 'the S and in Thailand, people always likes to speak about the fact that they think, which not to obtain the evil to me is a large thing. At our men of elderly of the coffee break one which returns visit sometimes suggested that all the new bicycles have electronic limitings device which prevent an engine to pass to 1 then a preset quantity of T/MN.

All it is on a certain true level in bicycles found in Europe, it is normally manufacturer put 'care of T that you shorten the lifespan of your motor bike, because in fact is this what we do. With more power we underline the reinforcement, suspension back and not to forget you if no clutch of packing is available probably must replace the clutch by a 2 months interval. Yamaha Fino comes with an automatic reinforced clutch, which with a little more power will make just very well.

Into basic the majority of the manufacturers of motor bike limit the power from there made bicycle with limiting the breathing of the bicycle. You must think of operation, full outside, around the block with your hand covering your month and the limitation air-in-takes your nose.

For Yamaha Fino, the best inexpensive execution increased than you it pot obtain if you twist the air filter, and look at exhaust, we used a certain copper pipe (aluminium will be also large) store on the corner (like you not to see most of the muffler it hasn 'seeming T perfect. For people whom we would like to make a step a little major in the rabbit hole, can try out you with various (larger) needles in your carburettor. We obtained the execution of is by simply granting the carburettor to the hand, it is a long work, but at the end it is right in value him.

For conservatives you can enter the engine and to replace the camshaft by a costume makes the camshaft hyper, which adds surely the couple and the powers in horses to small Yamaha Fino.

To modify the glances of Yamaha Fino, everyone has its own idea of what seems large. And for Yamaha Fino you can walk to any store of motor bike and fill-towards the high back of your truck record player of accessories.


text:
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Book Winner

Here's the winner of Jen Singer's new book, Stop Second Guessing Yourself.

A Mom in Jacksonville, FL said...
Sounds like a great book! :)

Congratulations! Email me at mom2my6pack@aol.com with your shipping address!

A Mom in Jacksonville, FL said...

YIPPEE!!!!!! I never win anything. SOOOOO excited! :)

Jennifer in Wisconsin said...

I married a guy that can cook and I will speak for Clay's future wife, "Thank you". It was one of the qualities that I feel in love with. Now if I could only get him to make me more "special" dinners for just he two of us......

Who's Visiting My Blog Right Now?

Home About Dawn Blog Books News & Events Press Kit Contact

Dawn Meehan 2008-. All Rights Reserved.
Site Design by Jones House Creative


text:
Friday, January 13, 2012

Parents Just Don't Understand

Shades of vintage Will Smith!

Faced with frustrations and inequities in his young life, my son has started uttering the classic phrase, "You don't understand! You don't know what it's like to be a kid these days!"

I don't know where he got it from, but it's not a new protest by any stretch of the imagination. I bet Cave Kid used to grumble, "Ma not get it. She still living in the Paleolithic Age. Things different today in Neolithic Age."
And it's partly true. The world I grew up in was different in many ways from the one my kids know today: less technologically advanced, a little slower-paced, more private, safer and less safe at the same time. So maybe I don't have a complete handle on what it's like to be a 21st-century grade-schooler in the age of Twitter, texting and Tea Partiers, but there's a lot more I can relate to.

I understand how it feels to be young and under parental supervision and scheduling. I still remember early bedtimes, school routines and being dragged along on errands when I would have preferred to hang out in my room.

I recall the frustrations of having to share with a sibling, eat meals I wouldn't have chosen for myself and do homework before going out to play. I remember hearing "no" to requests for toys. I still feel the sting of being excluded from the cool girls' club. Late at night, a little part of me still fears the shadows in the room and the mysterious thumps and squeaks (the ones that don't come from our upstairs neighbors, that is).

I also remember a time when my biggest problems were understanding long division, washing my long tangly hair and being the only kid in town whose parents drove a lime-green car with black-and-white houndstooth interior.

I remember when I didn't have bills to pay, an apartment to clean, deadlines to meet or doctors' appointments to make. I remember when my parents were young and active, not the demanding, forgetful nonagenarian and the overworked, stressed-out caregiver they are today. And I remember when a decent proportion of the day was mine, not taken up by the needs of employers and children (as loved and wanted as they are).

But I also remember that when I was their age, I couldn't imagine a time when I would be my age now. I know that for them, "the future" means next week and "the distant future" means their next birthday. I know that they can't imagine ever feeling any differently from the way they are now.

So all I can do is sympathize as best I can and let them feel the satisfaction of being misunderstood by adults who have no idea what life is like for today's youth.

One day, they'll be the ones who don't understand.

What I love about my children today:
The way they cheerfully helped pick up each other's rooms - no small feat, considering how reluctant they normally are to keep their own bedrooms neat.

My daughter saying to her brother, "I have a spot in my heart for you as big as this house."

My son saying to me with a grin, "Okay, I guess I have a little spot in my heart for her, too."

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

What I Loved...Jan 3

Again, a late-night quick recap - but at least I'm sticking to week 1 of the resolution. Longer post tomorrow, I promise.

What I loved about my son today: His writing style - expressive, humorous, not always perfectly accurate, but often insightful. He got a near-perfect score on a social studies test today for answers like this:

[What would happen if there were no checks and balances?] the government would go ka-bonkers! Nobody would be agreeing and nobody paying checks.

[Discuss the meaning of "the pen is mightier than the sword"]: The pen exspresses thoughts. And the sword only kills the living.

What I loved about my daughter today: Her love of math. Unlike her poor mom, who struggled mightily in elementary school (a teacher once wrote on my report card, "Shana needs to learn that math is not the enemy"), my girl already seems to have a knack for numbers. She can count small quantities by sight, catches on to new concepts and beams with pride when she finishes a page in her workbook. Hearing her say, "This is so easy!" is a daily joy for me.

I hope she continues her smooth sailing on the choppy waters of mathematics. (Okay, I'm not as good a writer as my little boy. I admit it.) Is it too early to introduce her to Danica McKellar?

My kids' first few years of school have been a good ride so far. Let me never take that for granted.

Monday, January 2, 2012

What I Loved About My Kids on Jan. 2

Fine. So it's early morning on the 3rd. I made a New Year's resolution, and I'm going to keep to the spirit of it, if not to the precise letter.

What I love about my son today: His spirit in the face of an annoying medical intervention. For the last 6 years, he's been enduring twice-monthly desensitization shots to treat his numerous environmental allergies. Say what you will about medical measures, but since he began treatments, the endless coughing spells he used to suffer from October through June have stopped. Heck, he barely even gets colds anymore.

He hates getting the shots - what kid wouldn't? - but he goes to his appointments with only a minimum of fuss, and amuses his doctor with his monologues about LEGOs and Star Wars. Today, we got the good news that he's not reacting to pollen as much as he once did, which means we can start weaning him off that component of the shots after this spring. His grin was even bigger than mine.

What I love about my daughter today: Her thoughtfulness. When I mentioned hating cold weather and being glad to come into a warm house, she ran into her room, got her fluffiest throw and put it over me. So typical of her. She's the first with a hug, a sticker, a picture or a cup of water when she sees someone she loves in need. May she never lose that compassion.

Nice going, kids. Can't wait to see what I'll love about you today!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

So This Is New Year's...

...and so it's time for new beginnings, expressions of gratitude and good intentions.

We spent a happy end to '11 visiting the Bronx Zoo, followed by a pilgrimage to the annual party of good friends. The kids have been attending since they were barely old enough to toddle, and they're happy to stay up past bedtime as long as there's a TV on, M&Ms in the dining room and noisemakers at midnight.

I asked them if they had any resolutions for 2012, and the answer was a resounding "Nope." They like themselves just the way they are, thanks. And maybe I can learn a lesson from them. If they're comfortable in their own skins, and are good, decent people at heart, why should they worry about setting goals for themselves that matter mostly to parents? I might prefer that they keep their rooms neater or deal with their anger in ways other than name-calling, but those things don't really weigh heavily on the minds of elementary-school children.

But I'm a flawed adult and more concerned with such trivial matters as self-improvement and goal-setting, so I'll put out some well-meaning vows on this, the first day of '12.

This year, I'll try to live more fully in the present. I was lucky enough to get some new clients for my freelance writing this year, which has made for more work - and potentially more visibility - but it also has the potential to keep me mired in the world of deadlines and superficial pursuits. I promise to look up from the computer every so often and put my attention to a spring breeze, a meal cooked with love, a child's question.

I'll lengthen my fuse. I tend to let the little things get under my skin, and I become snappish more often than I'd like to be. I won't stand for disrespect, but I'll acknowledge that my kids are still kids, and they're sensitive to the feelings of the adults around them. I want to finish my day with memories of love and laughs, not nagging and scolding.

I'll be a better blogger. It's a blast writing for a major website, but you readers might like to see more about this mom when she's not following celebrity baby bumps. I also have some ideas for actual Momsperiments that I'm eager to test out.

I'll post daily this year about the things I love about my children. Uplifting for you, meaningful for me, perhaps helpful for them in some way. So here goes:

January 1, 2012:
What I love about my daughter today: The way she hugs and holds on to me at night, her love so open, her need for loving contact so vital to her very being.

What I love about my son today: His thirst to learn everything he can about the things that fascinate him - from trivia about the Presidents to the facts about every single Star Wars character in all six movies and the Clone Wars series.

How about you? How did you spend your New Year's? And are you making resolutions, or do you take my kids' view that it's enough just to be who you are?

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Scrooge's Gay Heart and Dickens's Language Lessons

I guess it's no surprise that both my kids love to read. After all, their mom read the word "Tide" on the detergent box before she was three years old, and their dad was poring over high-school science texts in elementary school. At homework time, reading is the first thing the children want to do, and they don't consider themselves too old to have bedtime stories read to them.

So I figured this year would be a good time to introduce my son to the original "A Christmas Carol." It's got Christmas, ghosts and a classic villain - how could it miss? And though the language can get pretty dense - when you get paid by the word, conciseness isn't your primary goal - I refused to use the edited-down version created by a columnist trying to reach today's attention-span-challenged kids. An almost-9-year-old who's racing his way through the Harry Potter series should be able to handle a few run-on sentences about Saint Dunstan nipping the Evil Spirit's nose and low-browed, beetling shops with masses of corrupted fat and sepulchres of bones.

So we began with the first "stave." (Stave, Charles? Really? Surely they called them "chapters" even 170 years ago, didn't they?) Since it takes a few pages for the ghost-action to rev up, I did worry a bit that D would get restless. But when I finished for the night, he said - and I quote -

"That was the most powerful language I have ever heard. It's making a movie inside my head!"

Huzzah! He was hooked! My first attempt at a Get-Them-to-Love-the-Classics Momsperiment was a triumph!

And so we went for the next couple of nights. Marley arrived, yoked to his weighty cash boxes. Scrooge relived his boarding-school boyhood and Fezziwig's raucous celebration. (Now that was an office party.) The Cratchits had their modest feast of goose and plum pudding before reluctantly toasting the Founder of the feast. Then, right after the round of guessing games at cheery nephew Fred's house, we came to this sentence:

Uncle Scrooge had imperceptibly become so gay and light of heart...

"HEY!" cried my boy. "He used a BAD WORD!"

Whoa. I knew what was coming. And while I knew this discussion would come up sooner or later, I wasn't sure I was ready to tackle it right at that very minute.

Blast. Why do Important Teachable Moments always come at the most unexpected times? Couldn't this wait till, like, 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon instead of bedtime on a school night? Couldn't we just keep going and zip ahead to the part where Scrooge buys the Turkeyzilla for Tiny Tim?

Nope. I signed up for the full mom-package when I took on the job, and having deep talks about social issues is mentioned right there in the small print. So I jumped in.

" 'Gay' isn't a bad word," I said calmly. "At the time the book was written, it meant 'happy.' What do you think it means?"

"It's when guys kiss guys," D said succinctly.

"Well, yes, today it's come to be used to mean men who love other men. Is that a bad thing?"

"It's just weird," he said. "Justin Bieber's gay."

I sidestepped that part. "Okay, you think it's weird. And I understand - it's a new idea to you. But that doesn't mean it's bad. Isn't it more important to love someone and have someone love you, no matter who it is?"

"Yeah. But it's weird."

Deep breath. "Being gay is a difference, just like being black is different from being white. You're Jewish, so you're different from your friends who are Christian. It's just the way the world is, and there's nothing bad about it."

He nodded.

"But here's the thing. What's not okay is to call someone "gay" as an insult. That's wrong, and it's hurtful. You wouldn't want someone to insult your religion, would you?"

That he understood. "Uh-uh."

By now it was way past bedtime. Time to wrap this up - but not before making one final point. "You know," I said, "you actually know some people who are gay. Not your own friends, but friends of Daddy's and mine. People we care about very much - and who you like a lot, too."

"Yeah. So using "gay" to mean something bad is hurtful to them. And I know you'd feel really bad if you found out you were saying something that hurt them. Right?"

"Yeah." A pause. "Mom, can you turn on the Star Wars radio show CD?"

So much for that. Well, at least the ice was broken. Maybe he'll bring up the subject again soon, or maybe it'll just get forgotten in the crush of more important third-grade thoughts like LEGOs, Pokemon cards and winter vacation. Which wouldn't be such a bad thing; it'll give me more time to prepare for the next deep discussion.

But now we know that Dickens's language certainly is powerful.

God bless us, every one.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Monday Update: Just in Case You Were Wondering...

For anyone who remembers my previous posts and was under the impression that my household has since metamorphosed into a Utopia of order, cleanliness, promptness and strong work ethics, let me enlighten you.

- We still have trouble leaving the house less than 5 minutes before school starts. Sometimes it's a matter of staying in bed too long; sometimes it's an argument over the necessity of brushing teeth or hair; other times it's a blissful ignorance about time, despite reminders ("It's's's EIGHT-FREAKIN'-THIRTY-NINE"). And then there are the days when they simply don't see why they should interrupt their reading/LEGO-building/sibling-chasing/coloring just to spend 6 hours in an institution of learning.

- The Set-Your-Own-Homework-Schedule Momsperiment has had its ups and downs. Sometimes the kids will get down to business on their own and at a reasonable hour; other times the work is put off for more interesting pursuits - like playing with the neighbors - and finally done a little too close to bedtime for comfort. I admit I may be contributing to the problem by letting them play in the park after school (on a sunny 65-degree day, how could I deny them a little dose of exercise and vitamin D?); once the deep freeze of winter hits, it may be easier to get work done earlier if we go directly home.

- The forgetfulness issue?  I just flushed a toiletful of waste that's been marinating nicely for at least six hours. Homework sheets and school memos are often stuffed in my son's backpack, while the folder designated for those papers lies idly in his classroom desk. Books, pencils, crayons and little rubber toys get abandoned on floors, tables, chairs and sinks, picked up only after repeated requests (or until I get tired enough to pick them up myself).

- Nagging? Still do it, even though I hate it as much as the kids do, and it doesn't accomplish much other than resentment and halfhearted efforts. I want to stop it even as the words come out, but it's like a default setting that switches on when requests and reminders are ignored or blown off. What was that about insanity being defined as doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results each time?

So rest easy. The Perfect Mom Award is still up for grabs, and I'm not getting anywhere near the finalist list yet.

Oh, yes. We're still waiting for that Hogwarts LEGO set to materialize. Even Linus gave up on waiting for the Great Pumpkin after 24 hours.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Five Unexpected Perks of Motherhood

When women talk about how great it is to be a mom, they usually mention things like first steps, sticky kisses, crayoned pictures, piano recitals and misty-eyed graduations. But there are other terrific benefits that aren't acknowledged as often, so here's a nod to some of the ones you might not have realized. Thanks, kids - we owe you one!

You get an automatic excuse for everything. Nodding off at your desk? You can't help it - you were up with a fussy baby all night. In a bitchy mood? Who wouldn't be, after an hour of nagging the kids to pick up their rooms? Spaghetti for dinner two nights in a row? Sorry, but what with the parent-teacher conferences, shopping for the special jazz shoes your daughter needs for her 3:30 dance class, collecting your son from his playdate and getting homework done, there was no time to get to the market. If our politicians played the parenting card more often, they'd get a lot more sympathy for their political missteps. "I can't believe I couldn't remember the third cabinet department I said I was going to cut as president - but you try doing a televised debate an hour after your kid gets stomach flu and barfs on your shoes!"

You get parking lot privileges. More stores and malls are adding designated "parent parking spaces" close to their entrances for the benefit of moms and dads who have their hands full juggling kids, strollers and shopping bags. Granted, drivers without kids can try to get away with parking there too, but you're fully entitled to shoot your best glare at the college student sans car seat who pulls into the spot and offer your best wishes that one day she, too, finds herself trying to drag two tired toddlers half a mile to her car.

You can duck your civic duty. In many counties, being the primary or sole caregiver of young children makes you eligible for a one- or two-year deferment of jury duty. So don't freak out if you get a jury summons in the mail; you may not have to scramble for a sitter after all. And if you do have to serve and get put on a case? Just say that since becoming a parent, you assume everyone's guilty because you don't want to take the chance that any creepy criminals might be roaming the streets where your kid plays. You won't get past voir dire.

You get more stuff.  From the blingy push presents moms now claim as their due to the extra birthday and Christmas gifts that come "from the kids," motherhood can really pay off sometimes. Coupons fill your mailbox; contests offering sweet mom swag fill the parenting websites. And let's not forget that second Sunday in May. Presents, cards, brunch, maybe even an afternoon to yourself - all because you're a veteran of potty-training, mac 'n'cheese and SpongeBob. Not too shabby.

You meet some great people. By far, the best perk of all. The pediatrician who takes you seriously when your baby "just isn't acting like himself" and offers reassurance even when you call her service at 1 AM. The science teacher who sparks your child's curiosity about the way the world works. The moms on Twitter who host virtual "wine parties" every Wednesday night and share laughs and tips. The children's librarian who always recommends the best books and lets you know ahead of time when the new Mo Willems is going to arrive. They're a vital part of your world now, but you'd never have given them the time of day if the pregnancy test hadn't come back positive.

These five only scrape the surface. Let me hear from you - what unusual perks have you claimed since becoming a mom?


text:
What does the Samsung Gear do?

Samsung's first smartwatch does more than tell the time.

Takes pictures

samsung gear gallery

The Galaxy Gear also found room for a 1.9 megapixel camera, but strangely enough, it's not for video chatting. Instead you can use it as a sort of visual notebook, allowing you to capture low res shots of your surroundings for later reference.

- Last updated September 04 2013 05:14 PM ET


text:
CARP using Serial to sync

Is it possible to use a serial cable to "heartbeat" two openbsd firewalls together using CARP rather than the third ethernet connection? I realize that quite a bit of information probably passes along that path with states and the like and that a serial connection may not be able to keep up... but I was curious. What I had wanted to do was setup a DMZ type situation using a soekris box with three ethernet connection and use the serial connection as the "heartbeat." Thanks,


text:
19th Annual Montford Holiday Tour of Homes

Saturday, December 13, 2014
1:00 – 5:00 pm

Tickets $20… Available Dec. 1st through the 13th at
Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center Gift Shop
36 Montford Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801

Come to Montford, Asheville’s most historic neighborhood, as we showcase the 19th annual offering of homes & holiday cheer. Explore eclectic architecture that has been lovingly restored or carefully constructed to reflect the neighborhood’s historic past. Enjoy homes both old and new, and experience all the Holiday warmth and hospitality that Montford has to offer. Festive treats and entertainment will be on offer throughout the tour, thanks to wonderful neighbors who donate their time and talents to this event.

This is a self-guided tour. With your ticket you will receive a map to all tour locations & information about the individual properties.

Proceeds benefit the Montford Neighborhood Association for neighborhood improvement projects and programs for youth at the Montford Recreation Center.

For information—contact Cate Scales at 280-1576 or email scalesfamily@charter.net

Our Sponsors

Sponsored by Montford Neighborhood Association.
Visit www.montford.org


text:
Skip Navigation
County Cable Montgomery County Cable Montgomery
Comcast/RCN 6, Verizon 30
  Programs | Topics | Schedule

Black History MonthClick this image to view stories that represent the rich African-American heritage that contributes to Montgomery County's diversity. MLK Day CelebrationEach year, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Tribute and Celebration program engages diverse and talented performers and award honorees who serve their communities unselfishly. Approximately 2,000 people including Montgomery County officials and local press participate in our commemoration of the life and work of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Click this image to watch. FY 2016 Budget ForumClick this image to watch the County Executive's 2016 Budget Forum recorded live in Silver Spring. 2014 Plan-It MontgomeryMontgomery Plans is now Plan-It Montgomery! Click the image to visit the page. 2014 County Executive and Council InaugurationClick this image to watch the 2014 Inauguration of Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and the Montgomery County Council. Watch on Mobile!Watch Live Council & Committe sessions, Executive events and original programming on most electronic smart devices including your laptop, desktop, smartphone and tablet. The 'New' Bottom LineFeaturing segments such as "Face Time," The Bottom Line brings a fresh look at some of the issues, people and topics that are of interest to residents of Montgomery County. Click the image to visit the page. Watch Council In BriefHosted by producer Susan Kenedy, Council In Brief summarizes important recent Montgomery County Council activity. Residents and others can look forward to updates and important insights provided from Councilmembers. Click the image to visit the page. Watch No BoundariesNo Boundaries features interviews with newmakers from across the Montgomery County and the entire metropolitan area. Click the image to visit the page.
featured programming
Click the images below to visit the program pages for our featured offerings. Feel free to visit the program page or topics page for listings.
County Council OneonOne CountyReportThisWeek CouncilInBrief MontgomeryAlDia
ConsumerCompass Mosaic MyGreenMontgomery MakeADifference Tertulia
seniorstoday Paths to the Present No Boundaries In the Loop Small

Sign up for E-mail Updates

County Cable Montgomery

County Cable Montgomery (CCM) is the local cable station you'll want to turn to for Montgomery County, MD government news, public affairs programming, live Council sessions and County Executive press conferences. Comcast and RCN customers can watch us on channel 6 and Verizon customers can find us on channel 30.

On CCM you'll get answers on what type of services or programs your County government offers, as well as a variety of regular shows and special programming to keep you in touch with your elected officials.
Facebook Connect
Take Our Survey

View Full Program Schedule


text:
Sunday, March 27, 2011

Meet The Press - March 27, 2011

Ricard Engel
Sec, of State Hillary Clinton
Sec. of Defense Bob Gates
Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN)
Bob Woodward
Ted Koppel
Thomas Ricks
Savannah Guthrie

Gregory: the Libyan rebels are advancing!

Engel: the allied air strikes paved the way for the rebels by destroying Qaddafi’s tanks

Gregory: what will become of our former
ally Qaddafi?

Engel: I foresee a reality show followed by
Dancing With the Stars

[ break ]

Gregory: Obama said it would be days not weeks and yet were are now in the second week - why is
Obama such a failed President?

Gates: we won dude

Gregory: I hear you saying Qaddafi is routing the
rebels and Obama has failed

Clinton: no we prevented a humanitarian disaster

Gregory: will America give weapons to the rebels?

Gates: maybe

Gregory: well are we on their side or not?

Gates: the President is rooting for UConn but he’s
not sending them guns either

Clinton: it’s been 8 days and the Arab League and the African Union and the NFL are all pressuring Qaddafi to get out

Gregory: oh my

Clinton: we’re sending a message to his supporters - get out now or end up in the Hague

Gregory: so Obama hates him but won’t take him out because Obama is a wimp

Gates: his kung-fu is mighty

Gregory: Boehner supports the mission but
has questions

Clinton: the Senate called for a No-Fly Zone -
hell they demanded it

Gregory: darn

Clinton: then the Security Council and Arab League asked for action - and watch al-jazeera -
people love this!

Gregory: I don’t watch other channels

Clinton: what if Qaddafi had massacred people and destabilized Egypt - can you imagine what the GOP would have said then?

Gregory: they would have called him timid
and a wimp

Clinton: they did that even after he attacked

Gregory: no that was me

Clinton: right

Gregory: are we stretched too thin?

Gates: no most of those troops were guarding Berlin

Gregory: ok

Gates: we’re already pulling back from the
quagmire in Libya

Gregory: what if things devolve into utter chaos - won’t you admit Obama is a bad President then?

Gates: I heard you have Obama-derangement Fluffy

Gregory: will you take out Assad in Syria?

Clinton: we would love for it to happen in
a peaceful way

Gregory: why aren’t you giving the dictator of
Saudi Arabia more love and aren’t you hypocrites for giving him love?

Gates: hey they just bought a lot of weapons from America - if that isn’t friendship I don’t know what is

Gregory: there are scary muslims in Egypt!

Clinton: it’s hard to be part of a movement for hope and change and then actually take power

Gregory: heh

Clinton: their future is up to the Egyptians

Gregory: is Libya in the U.S. vital interest?

Gates: no

Gregory: OMG a lot of people by which I mean me would be shocked by that

Clinton: hey America was attacked on 9/11 but other countries joined with us - so no we weren’t attacked by Libya but it was in the vital interest of France and that’s good enough for Obama

Gregory: Geraldine Ferraro died

Clinton: she had grace and grit

[ break ]

Gregory: are we bogged down in a failed military action in Libya?

Lugar: what is the endgame? What is success?

Gregory: good questions

Lugar: those so-called rebels started a civil war - bucha traitors!!

Gregory: you go dick

Lugar: I’m appalled that we started a no-fly zone also that we might pull back from the no-fly zone

Gregory: so you’re saying Obama is a bad President

Lugar: Am I? I’m not sure

Gregory: Obama must be forthright -
don’t you agree??

Lugar: Obama told me he was saving thousands of lives and was then pulling back

Gregory: omg Obama is so bad!

Lugar: I’m confused

Gregory: see what I mean!

Lugar: America’s interest is not at stake and I was told there would be pudding

Gregory: isn’t this all too expensive?

Lugar: exactly the deficit is too high to have an 8 day no-fly zone in Libya - it could cost a billion dollars

Gregory: [ pinky raised ] a billion!

Lugar: They’re hoping Qaddafi will voluntarily leave and it would be just like Obama to get lucky like that which would be terrible

[ break ]

Gregory: Questions and criticism for Obama!

Koppel: why not alleviate suffering in Congo, Sudan, the Ivory Coast or Louisiana?

Guthrie: you have to put this in the context in the Arab Spring but Obama is not using apocalyptic rhetoric which is very confusing to people

Gregory: what if the rebels win? this is terrible!

Ricks: so you say Fluffy

Gregory: the Obama Doctrine is other nations have to enforce the Obama Doctrine

Woodward: but this isn’t a video game

Gregory: ah

Woodward: this is war which means America must kill a lot of people

Gregory: I hear you Bob

Woodward: the region would be fine except for all the damm people

Gregory: we are entering a dark territory

Koppel: the rebels are all probably with al-qaeda

Ricks: Fluffy and Ted are clearly bringing their rational paranoia to this action

Koppel: Arrraggghh!!!

Ricks: we are bombing an Arab nation and
the people there are cheering it which is kind of incredible

Gurthie: it’s a paradox because Obama carefully thought through his policy and then competently implemented it

Gregory: but we are an indispensable nation!

Guthrie: Obama is sending mixed messages because America is supposed to rush in and kick ass without planning or thinking it through

Koppel: Obama is probably responsible for a future terrorist attack on America

Gregory: is Obama getting the big ideas right?

Woodward: Obama needs to kill some foreigners
to be reelected

Gregory: right

Woodward: this is Obama’s 9/11

Gregory: how so?

Woodward: it involves scary arabs muslims

Gregory: what is the GOP position?

Koppel: they are waiting to see what happens before deciding how Obama is a failure

Gregory: Obama is a failure because the
middle east is out of control

Guthrie: the last few months have been crazy

Ricks: the military fears a quagmire but this gunboat diplomacy is very American

Gregory: but what if Obama totally fails?

Woodward: such a good point Fluffy

Woodward: A limited war is like Mitt Romney -
it makes no sense, is inherently contradictory, and it’s hard to find the ‘off switch’

Koppel: Libya is like Somalia therefore it will be a failure and lead to the deaths of 800,000 people
and terror attacks on America

Kucinich: we need peace because we
can’t afford war

Guthrie: the Obama administration is scared of a Kucinich challenge

Gregory: really?

Guthrie: ha no I’m kidding

Ricks: Team Obama will not give in to mission creep

Woodward: our oil comes a muslim arab dictator

Gregory: OMG!!!!!

I hope Reince Preibus will have some answers -
and that’s Meet The Press

This Week with Christiane Amanpour - March 27, 2011

Sec. of State Hillary Gates
Sec. of Defense Bob Gates
Fmr. Sec of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Tapper: what is happening in Libya?!

Marquadt: the rebels are excited - they kicking
ass with a big NATO assist

Tapper: bitchin’

Marquadt: a woman said she was viciously attacked by the government - they proved her she was a liar by viciously attacking her

Tapper: why not just take out Qaddafi and
install a friendly government?

Gates: Because it might not work

Tapper: how is the no-fly zone going

Clinton: we’re handing the football off to NATO

Tapper: why not attack the Ivory Coast?

Clinton: there is a UN force there

Tapper: true but those blue helmets are weenies

Clinton: Qaddafi promised no mercy - he’s from Cobra Kai

Tapper: when will we know it worked?

Gates: it’s already complete - we won!

Tapper: yay

Gates: we prevented a slaughter which a good thing

Clinton: the U.S. Senate called for a no-fly zone
you know

Tapper: yeah but they’re idiots

Clinton: and we’re handing off power to NATO and that’s a watershed moment in international decision-making

Tapper: Watershed Down!

Clinton: Obama learned lessons from our mistakes in Rwanda and Bosnia - face it the guy is smart

Tapper: how long will we be in Libya

Gates: we will be there for a while due to our
tanking ability

Tapper: home by Christmas?

Gates: um which year?

Tapper: did Qaddafi pose a threat to America?

Gates: no but he posed a threat to the revolution in Tunisia which is very popular on twitter

Clinton: what if Qaddafi had promised to kill thousands of people and then did - all the people complaining now would ask why Obama didn’t intervene in Libya

Tapper: why not go to Congress?

Clinton: they should come to us!

Tapper: no seriously

Clinton: this is different becaue the U.N.
Security Council said it was ok

Tapper: what about Yemen?

Gates: it’s a hotbed of al-qaeda - we’re going to
be sorry to see that adorable dictator go

Tapper: Pakistan?

Clinton: it’s a bit of a dysfunction relationship - they won’t help on al-qaeda but Pakistan did let our CIA killer go so that was nice

Tapper: would America let Qaddafi live in luxurious exile in a rich desert land of retired has-beens and corrupt evil decadent billionaires?

Clinton: Saudi Arabia?

Tapper: Las Vegas

Tapper: speaking of evil has-beens - what would Rumsfeld do?

Tapper: Don should we have attacked Libya?

Rumsfeld: there are too many unknowns both known and unknown

Tapper: Should we take out Qaddafi?

Rumsfeld: Syria is sponsoring terror in Afghanistan

Tapper: I see

Rumsfeld: also the Gulf if important

Tapper: Arabia?

Rumsfeld: Mexico - I’m in Pensacola buddy!

Tapper: what would you have done if you had been in the White House god forbid

Rumsfeld: Obama is now seeing how hard it is to be competent and be in the executive branch

Tapper: like you did

Rumsfeld: darn right

Tapper: so do you support the mission?

Rumsfeld: in 1991 Saddam thought he had defeated America and perception is more important than reality and that emboldens his ilk

Tapper: the Bush Administration sent Qaddafi
a fruit basket!

Rumsfeld: yes but we won in perception because he was scared of Bush

Tapper: well you certainly fucked something up

Rumsfeld: no one could have anticipated that Qaddafi would turn out to be unstable

Tapper: Wolfowitz says we must take out Qaddafi

Rumsfeld: yes we must because America’s prestige is now on the line because he could say this is the mother of all battles even though that’s stupid

Tapper: Shouldn’t you have used NATO
against Iraq?

Rumsfeld: no no no Obama’s coalition is tiny -
we had 90 countries on board against terror

Tapper: so war on terror = Iraq

Rumsfeld: look you bastard the coalition should not determine the mission - you should always plough ahead no matter how stupid an idea is

Tapper: if you say so

Rumsfeld: there’s all kinds of confusion in Obama’s mission in Libya which is bad - there was no confusion at all in Iraq

Tapper: you were wrong about absolutely everything

Rumsfeld: Exactly!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Meet The Press - March 20, 2011

Admiral Mike Mullen - Chair Joint Chiefs of Staff
Sen. John Kerry - (D-MA)
Sen. Carl Levin - (D-MI)
Sen. Jeff Sessions - (R-AL)
Michael Hayden - Frm Dir. of CIA
Richard Haass - Council on Foreign Relations
Richard Engel - NBC
Jim Miklaszewski - NBC
Andrea Mitchell - NBC
Helene Cooper - NYT
Gregory: wow the allies have launched
Operation Odyssey Dawn!

Audience: isn’t that a Carnival cruise line?

Engel: for a nation with a psychotic leader dealing
with a civil war and under attack Libya is very calm

Gregory: really?

Engel: yes it’s much like Madison Wisconsin

Gregory: doesn’t Libya prove Obama is a
bad President?

Engel: yes the rebels are already disappointed with Obama for not bombing harder or pushing for
a public option

Gregory: what is Qaddafi up to?

Engel: he is going to open up the armory to
anyone who wants a gun

Gregory: so just like Arizona

Gregory: will Qaddafi step down?

Engel: He is inviting anyone who wants to be a human shield to come live with him

Gregory: that does sound tempting

[ break ]

Gregory: Admiral are we at war with Libya?

Mullen: no - we engaging in a process of enforcing
a U.N. resolution with large explosive devices

Gregory: sounds like war to me

Mullen: it’s a focused no-fly zone and as of
today it’s working

Gregory: what happened yesterday?

Mullen: we successfully bombed the airports

Gregory: so are we done - can the troops come home now?

Mullen: no because Qaddafi is still violating international law

Gregory: killing civilians?

Mullen: Fashion crimes

Gregory: will Qaddafi attack America with balsa wood drones filled with mustard gas?

Mullen: General Ham is on the mustard situation

Gregory: what comes next?

Mullen: we will help civilians, then apply sanctions, takes sides in the civil war and finally declare ambiguous victory and go home

Gregory: what if it doesn’t work?

Mullen: but it is working Fluffy

Gregory: but what if it utterly fails?

Mullen: read the U.N. resolution - Qaddafi can stay unless he is voted out by the viewers

Gregory: is this in our vital interests?

Mullen: it’s vital that we provide naval support for the French efforts to prevent Libyan refugees from getting to Marseilles

Gregory: why go after Qaddafi but support the monarchy
in Bahrain?

Mullen: it’s true the Bahrain leader is a brutal killer but we have a lovely naval base there

Gregory: Didn’t Obama act too late?

Mullen: hey we got a UN resolution through
in record time

Gregory: how long will all this go on?

Mullen: I have no earthly idea

Gregory: what if Qaddafi flees the nation?

Mullen: the next government would be up to us and maybe the people of Libya

Gregory: just how many damm wars in the Middle East are we going to fight?

Mullen: Day One of this new war is going great -
we're going to get it right this time!

Gregory: is the U.S. going to take a back seat
in this war?

Mullen: yes thank god

Gregory: thanks for coming epaulets-man

[ break ]

Gregory: Senator Kerry did we really need
another war?

Kerry: this isn’t war - it’s more like a heavily
armed rescue squad

Levin: the air must be cleared of any threats including fighter jets, killer bees and angry birds

Gregory: I’m tweeting that

Levin: Obama used extreme caution and care before making a half-hearted non-decision

Gregory: how uncharacteristic of him

Sessions: this proves that John McCain was right

Gregory: can we really police the whole world?

Kerry: it’s not a police action - it’s people in uniform protecting civilians through enforcement of the law

Gregory: I see

Kerry: people were being slaughtered!

Gregory: what about the people being killed in Bahrain?

Kerry: in Bahrain the mischief has been managed

Levin: Hey Fluffy even the Arab world thinks
Qaddafi is crazy

Gregory: he’s politician what are you gonna do

Kerry: the Arab League and the Gulf states turned to us for help getting rid of a Middle East dictator - when the hell does that ever happen?!

Gregory: should Obama have consulted with Congress?

Sessions: I’m a Republican and even I don’t trust the fuckers on Capitol Hill

Gregory: hey I almost forgot there is a nuclear emergency in Japan

Levin: nuclear power isn’t all bad

Kerry: he’s right - after all a nuclear explosion
will kill thousands of people but we’ll all be killed by climate change

Gregory: how comforting

Gregory: Senator Sessions - isn’t Obama a
bad President?

Sessions: yes he is - we need to start drilling here in America for good old red white and blue oil

[ break ]

Gregory: Obama is dealing with a lot of shit!

Mitchell: Questions are being raised

Gregory: what do you mean?

Mitchell: indeed people are saying

Gregory: it’s too little too late!

Haas: it’s too much too early!

Gregory: we agree!

Cooper: Obama and the Pentagon both don’t want
to be involved in Libya

Gregory: so of course we are

Miklaszewski: we’re in some deep shit

Hayden: we just took sides in a civil war

Mitchell: obviously Qaddafi has to go now

Gregory: cool

Mitchell: what kind of vacuum have we created?

Gregory: Dyson ball?

Miklaszewski: Dirt devil

Haass: I don’t mean to sound callous but civilians are massacred all the time - who the hell cares

Gregory: Hillary Clinton got Obama to attack Libya

Cooper: the old Clinton hands are trying to make up for not doing anything in Rwanda

Gregory: oh my

Cooper: the girls beat up the guys

Gregory: ha

Cooper: and then the Arab League got on board which was a bit of surprise

Mitchell: it was an amazing resolution passed through the Security Council

Gregory: what if a civil war breaks out in Libya

Haass: it has

Gregory: woot

Haass: I hope the Obama administration has a good feel for all the tribal politics of Libya

Gregory: oh I’m sure they do

Gregory: will we be greeted as liberators in Tripoli?

Miklaszewski: today the U.S. is attacking troops loyal to Qaddafi

Hayden: the French are afraid a bunch of Libyans will be sleeping on the streets of Paris

Cooper: it’s so inconsistent because we support democracy in Egypt but not in Washington D.C.

Haass: John Quincy Adams warned John McCain against doing stuff like this

Mitchell: Obama believes in coalitions and
he created one

Gregory: cool

Gregory: Obama was passive in Japan and is partying in Brazil

Miklaszewski: you think Obama is passive?

Gregory: and timid!

Miklaszewski: um Fluffy there are bombs being dropped on North Africa right now

Gregory: sure but he hasn’t nuked Japan

Miklaszewski: no comment

Gregory: and that’s Meet The Press

This Week - March 20, 2011

March 20, 2011
Saif Qaddafi
Admiral Mike Mullen - Chair Joint Chiefs of Staff
Ali Aujali - Fmr Libya Ambassador to U.S.
Gerard Araud - French Amb. to the U.N.
Alex Marquadt - ABC
Martha Raddatz - ABC
Jake Tapper - ABC
Amanpour: wow a whole new Middle East war -
the old one was eight years old and we really
needed a new one of those!

Audience: yay

Amanpour: French, British and U.S. troops
are firing on Tripoli

Audience: Freedom fries!

Qaddafi: I am full of win

Saif: so I’m sitting in my house Saturday watching my TiVo of American Idol and then there are bombs falling all around - I mean what the fuck??

Amanpour: Obama sternly warned you

Saif: who pays attention ? I was watching Fringe - that show rocks

Amanpour: will Qaddafi quit?

Saif: now way - the rebels are all terrorists

Amanpour: will you starting bombing airlines again?

Saif: that’s uncalled for Christiane

Amanpour: what will you do now?

Saif: we urge America to start bombing the rebels

Amanpour: ok

Marquadt: the rebels are totally excited - Obama is using his Jedi mind tricks, the French smuggled in plans to the death star, and they are working with some adorable British Ewoks

Amanpour: what is the goal of these attacks?

Tapper: officially it’s to protect civilians - unofficially it’s to fuck with Qaddafi

Amanpour: who is running the show?

Tapper: the U.S. is not taking a lead role -
we just have 11 ships parked outside Tripoli

Amanpour: will the U.S. arm the rebels?

Tapper: we sent them two droids - that’s not enough?

Amanpour: How can America not run a war?

Raddatz: that is unusual - however an American named General Ham is in charge

Amanpour: Is that kosher?

Raddatz: British and French ace pilots are shooting at anything that moves

Amanpour: it’s like a gay bitchy Top Gun

Tapper: that’s redundant

Amanpour: Is the U.S. in charge or not?

Mullen: Ham is on top, followed by French

Amanpour: and the British?

Mullen: Col. Mustard will lead

Amanpour: this has all the ingredients of a successful operation

Amanpour: Does Qaddafi have to go

Mullen: the mission is very clear - it’s to
support the no-fly zone

Amanpour: so the mission is support
the war mission?

Mullen: right

Amanpour: it could last 12 years like in Iraq

Mullen: with any luck

Amanpour: why not protect civilians in other dangerous places like Bahrain, Yemen and Detroit?

Mullen: that’s different - the vicious dictator in Bahrain is a good friend of ours

Amanpour: Can Qaddafi attack America?

Mullen: We’ve taken out the air defenses, cut the supply lines, and blocked Qaddafi’s access to his Facebook page

Amanpour: holy shit

Amanpour: what if he uses mustard gas?

Mullen: a French squad from Dijon will handle it

Amanpour: you know Qaddafi well - what is he
really like?

Aujali: he’s crazy and will never ever stop fighting

Amanpour: so what happens next?

Aujali: the rebels must get on the road to Tripoli but they need exact change for all the tolls

Araud: zees man talks of zee reevers of blood -
ees desgusting

Amanpour: what do you think the mission
should be?

Aujali: if you want to protect civilians then you have to kill Qaddafi

Araud: ‘ee must go - ees ze madman!

Amanpour: will Libyans turn on Qaddafi?

Aujali: he’s locked himself in his compound with trapped followers - he’s like an incoherent Jim Jones

Amanpour: that sounds promising -
everyone thanks for coming

Sunday, March 13, 2011

March 13, 2011
Host: Chuck Todd
Lester Holt
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN)
Marvin Fertel - President Nuclear Energy Institute
Ichiro Fujisaki - Ambassador to the U.S. from Japan

Todd: wow in Japan thousands are dead and a nuclear reactor may be in meltdown

Lester Holt: we’re dealing with an earthquake, tsunami, recovery, rescue and radioactivity

Audience: holy crap

Holt: people are instructed to block out the radiation by putting a wet cloth over their mouths

Audience: problem solved then

Todd: this is the worst crisis since that unpleasantness from 1940-1945

Fujisaki: that’s right

Todd: I hear rescue efforts are hard

Fujisaki: we’re in full mobilization

Todd: what can the US do?

Fujisaki: you’re already sent Ronald Reagan
and that’s enough

Todd: is the plant really in meltdown?

Fujisaki: oh no not at all - we’re pouring sea water
to give it a good cleaning

Todd: is that a desperation move?

Fujisaki: one fuel rod may be getting a little hot

Todd: just one?

Fujisaki: who can say - that thing is really fucking hot

Todd: it sounds dangerous

Fujisaki: well we’re evacuating everyone we can

[ break ]

Todd: Marvin you represent the nuclear industry -
do you guys plan on killing us all?

Fertel: yeah we're sorry about all this Japan

Todd: so what went wrong?

Fertel: our working theory right now is that some really bad shit happened

Todd: Is the plant in meltdown?

Fertel: well Three Mile Island had a meltdown and everything went just fine

Todd: it was one hour away from making rural Pennsylvania completely uninhabitable

Fertel: so nothing different then

Todd: Could a meltdown happen in the U.S.?

Fertel: yes but nuclear plants in the US are
perfectly safe

Todd: is the plant in Japan totally screwed?

Fertel: if necessary we stand ready to send help an army of lobbyists and experts in public relations

Todd: truly your charitable efforts know no ends

[ break ]

Todd: Senator you were a big fan of nuclear power

Schumer: we need nuclear power - look at disaster
in Libya!

Todd: Congress passed a 3-week budget

Schumer: we reached that major breakthrough
when we left abortion out of the budget

Todd: your pal Claire McCaskill says we need massive spending cuts

Schumer: true but the GOP wants to cut cancer research for god’s sake

Todd: will you make cuts

Schumer: we’re willing to cut but we need to spend to grow the economy

Todd: are we just going to keeping running the government 3 weeks at a time?

Schumer: did you know the GOP wants to cut tsunami warnings?

Todd: well when do those ever happen

Schumer: good point

Todd: Is Obama involved enough in the process

Schumer: hell yeah - you know it’s Congress’ job to pass a budget

Todd: do you support a no-fly zone over Libya?

Schumer: let all the world’s major powers get on board -- including the U.S., the European Union,
the Arab League, NATO and Steve Jobs

Todd: Should Obama get input from Congress before intervening in the Libyan war?

Schumer: the idiots who can’t even fund the government for 30 days - no

[ break ]

Todd: Mitch when you were America’s budget director you warned against playing games with government shutdown

Daniels: true

Todd: so are Republicans in D.C. wrong?

Daniels: yes but in their defense they’re morons

Todd: what would you do?

Daniels: the entire American Republic is threatened and they are arguing over nickels and dimes

Todd: you said the debt ceiling was a
housekeeping matter

Daniels: that was before Obama was President - now it’s appropriate to use the debt ceiling for blackmail

Todd: you never even paid for 2 wars or massive prescription drug coverage

Daniels: if we had paid for those things it would have hurt the economy

Todd: how is it conservative to buy a big luxury item and never pay for it?

Daniels: Obama!

Todd: You paid down Indiana’s debt and promptly lost thousands of jobs

Daniels: that was Obama’s fault

Todd: maybe so Mitch but you’re not getting results

Daniels: the role of government is give concessions to businesses and hope for the best

Todd: you implied Gov. Walker misled voters on union busting

Daniels: I’ve met him and he is a serious dipshit

Todd: I've noticed that

Todd: do you support collective bargaining?

Daniels: yes but not for government employees

Todd: you called for truce on god guns and gays

Santorum: the purpose of American is to compare gays to bestiality

Daniels: there’s another brainless weasel

Todd: good call on that one Mitch

Daniels: I mean what’s wrong with a little freedom and liberty?

Todd: Did you lie when said you would never run for another office?

Daniels: no but gosh darn it people keep pushing me to run for President and save America

Todd: you said the GOP field sucks

Daniels: who else has my combination of name recognition and charisma?

Todd: who indeed

Todd: what about Sen. Lugar - will you do whatever he asks you to do?

Daniels: I never say no to dick

[ break ]

Balz: Mitch Daniels is a budget plan in search of
a human host

Todd: Team Obama believes you gotta get in the Presidential race early especially if your middle name is Hussein

Norris: that’s right - they laid the groundwork in the summer of 2007

Todd: Gingrich explained to a Christian tv network that he betrayed his marriage vows because he loves America too much

Balz: best interview since Charlie Sheen

Todd: future President Michelle Bachman thinks the American Revolution started in New Hampshire

Norris: the tea party loves her because she is not some snooty egghead

Todd: what about Mr. Fabulous

Balz: Mitt Romney is slick but untrustworthy

Todd: why should NPR get tax money when you clearly hate racists who after all are Americans too

Norris: because without NPR people millions
of Americans would have not have access to real news at all

Todd: but most people get MSNBC, Fox news and CNN for free

Norris: that’s my point Chuckles

Todd: David Broder was on Meet The Press 401 times

Audience: holy crap

Broder: Ross is it possible for you to give me a straight answer

Perot: hey old man I would have brought my
pie charts if you had given me your questions in advance

Broder: do you know what percentage of people don’t have health insurance?

George H.W. Bush: I have no idea - everyone I know does

Broder: really they all do?

Bush: well no some of them just write a check

Broder: Barbara Bush never forgave me for asking Poppy a question about the unwashed masses

Todd: and that’s Meet the Press

This Week with Christiane Amanpour - March 13, 2011

March 13, 2011
Jaker Tapper
Martha Raddatz
Joseph Cirincione - President Ploughshares Fund

Amanpour: I’m in Tokyo as Japan deals with earthquakes, tsunami, floods, explosions and
oh yeah a nuclear meltdown

Audience: yikes

Amanpour: there could be 10,000 people dead in Sendai and the country needed those nuclear
plants for electricity

Audience: cripes

Amanpour: the trains are running again in Japan 3 days later

Republicans: Commies

Amanpour: the coastline areas have been devastated and rescue workers are returning from New Zealand to look for survivors

Audience: oh my

Amanpour: the government said the radiation
leak is safe

Audience: well okay then

Amanpour: the Germans have brought their own personal Geiger counters

Audience: there’s no app for that?

Amanpour: the government says there could another earthquake and of course a tsunami

Muir: there is no water in this devastated town
but there is a 7-11 open

Audience: those hot dogs can survive anything

Kaku: all the backup plans to stop a nuclear meltdown failed so now they’re pumping seawater directly into the core and 200,000 people are
being evacuated

Audience: holy crap it’s like a michael bay movie

Expert: Japan is now dealing with 5 nuclear emergencies

Woodruff: Three Mile Island and Chernobyl got people thinking maybe nuclear power is not all that safe

Amanpour: Is America going to be threatened by a giant Japanese radioactive cloud?

Tapper: no but you can never be too paranoid Christiane

Amanpour: is there something the government
isn’t telling us?

Raddatz: Japanese officials may have spotted Mothra off the coast

Amanpour: how could all the backup systems fail?

Cirincione: well they lost power so now the pumps are running on AA batteries

Audience: oh ok

Amanpour: could this disaster happen here?

Tapper: yes but if it did America would turn to
Japan for help

Audience: gulp

Amanpour: could this affect our need to build nuclear power plants here?

Raddatz: um yeah I think so

Sunday, March 06, 2011

Meet The Press - March 6, 2011

Bill Daley - White House Chief of Staff
Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-WI)
David Brooks
Eugene Robinson

Gregory: Unemployment is under 9%
but the gas is still too damm high!

Audience: hells yeah!

Gregory: We have Chief of Staff Bill Daley who
brings his JP Morgan savvy and familial birthright wisdom to our show

Daley: thanks Fluffy

Gregory: gas is expensive - what the fuck!

Daley: that is true

Gregory: there is a glut of oil

Daley: do you know what glut means

Gregory: no

Daley: the average American is feeling it

Gregory: it’s on!

Daley: Obama has a solution to our energy
crisis in two words

Gregory: wow - what are they?

Daley: tiger blood

Gregory: can we arrest the Spike?

Daley: I don’t think you can arrest a network for showing repeatedly airing Star Wars:
The Phantom Menace

Gregory: well that is a shame

Gregory: Can we rid of Ghadaffi?

Daley: Obama was very aggressive -
he’s a fucking POTUS on ‘roids!

Gregory: but Muammar still there

Daley: we’re working with the international
community to stop him

Gregory: it sounds like the administration is divided
- Gates doesn’t want to attack Libya and
neither does Obama

Daley: so not divided at all then

Gregory: well you put it that way

Daley: do you even speak English bubble boy?

Gregory: what?

Daley: English motherfucker do you speak it?

Gregory: it still seems opaque to me

Daley: get a load of the big brain on Fluffy!

Gregory: Does the President understand the
Middle East as well I do?

Daley: Obama has more original thoughts before breakfast than you do all damm day

Gregory: when you talk to John McCain all the time you start to feel brilliant by comparison

Daley: Look Obama just wants a democratic regime not supported by armed crazy people

Gregory: why does Obama hate Arizona?

Daley: chortle

Gregory: so we’re still killing innocent civilians
in Afghanistan

Daley: we all feel very about that

Gregory: it sound like a bit of problem

Daley: no one feels worse that the people
doing the killing and also to a lesser extent the people being killed

Gregory: the American people were polled and they care about unemployment not the debt

Daley: right so Obama is focused on cutting spending and the deficit

Gregory: you’re going to shut the government down because both sides use fuzzy math

Daley: not true

Gregory: that is true and you know it

Daley: we have a solution to our impasse with Congress

Gregory: what’s that

Daley: send Joe Biden to Capitol Hill until
they give in

Gregory: Is Boehner helpless in the face of tea party demands

Daley: clearly he is weak and stupid

Gregory: I will be speaking to Michelle Bachmann later

Daley: oh that should be loads of fun

Gregory: Boehner is determined to cut Social Security so will Obama please cut it please

Daley: I heard your were a Social Security-cut-demanding-moron

Gregory: You’re all demagogues and refuse to cut Social Security like I want

Daley: you’re a silly person

Gregory: and you’re a crook worked for JP Morgan

Daley: touché

Gregory: Hollywood thinks maybe one white collar criminal should have gone to jail in the biggest
fraud of all time

Daley: that may very well be but
let’s not rush it

Gregory: you make a good deal of sense privileged bald white man

Daley: Obama fought the crooks and got the financial reform law enacted

Gregory: How do you know?

Daley: I was one of them Greggers!

Gregory: Is Obama moving to the center to get re-elected?

Daley: Obama didn’t want to take over the auto industry but as usual the gifted black man had to clean up the white man’s mess

Gregory: is this a center-left country?

Daley: It’s truly a land of opportunity where the son of a famous mayor can grow up to work on Wall Street and pontificate on whether the son of Governor can grow up to be President

Gregory: Let’s continue my endlessly silly obsession with Ambassador Huntsman

Daley: Idiot

Gregory: speaking of Mr. Fabulous

Daley: who?

Gregory: Mitt Romeny

Daley: LOL

Gregory: what number should unemployment be
for Obama to be re-elected?

Daley: jesus I thought I was a shallow person
until I met you

Gregory: thanks

[ break ]

Gregory: Welcome Michelle Bachmann - will there be a government shutdown

Bachmann: Obama hid 100 billion in the
Obamacare law!!

Gregory: where was it hidden?

Bachmann: in the law!

Gregory: the one Congress read and passed?

Bachmann: Exactly!

Gregory: Didn’t Obama make a big concession
on letting the states opt-out of elements of the
health care reform law?

Bachmann: that proves he’s a Fasicst-Marxist-Socialist!

Gregory: I see

Bachmann: It’s a crime against democracy!

Gregory: ok ok - so will shut the government down?

Bachmann: Nancy Pelosi stole $100 billion - you can’t slip that in secretly in legislation that Congress never reads but enacts

Gregory: about the upcoming budget-

Bachmann: Members of Congress didn’t read the bill until we enacted it - I want that money back!!

Gregory: thanks for sharing that bit of insanity

Bachmann: Thieves! Socialists! Commies!

Gregory: has John Boehner betrayed the Tea Party?

Bachmann: Obama stole $100 billion!

Gregory: so are literally insane or how does it work?

Bachmann: Obama deceptively stole $100 billion!

Gregory: um, Betsy are her doctors in the
green room?

Producer: they ran away David

Gregory: jesus christ

Bachmann: $100 billion $100 billion $100 billion

Gregory: will the Tea Party destroy the GOP?

Bachmann: Democrats are terrified of the tea party because we’re not Republicans

Gregory: ok

Bachmann: we just want all the branches of government to service white weirdos

Gregory: right

Bachmann: America is doomed!

Gregory: why is that?

Bachmann: America is in grave danger because of the debt that Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II did not build up at all

Gregory: What about Obama’s foreign policy?

Bachmann: he’s weak because we haven’t
attacked Libya

Gregory: so you want to invade Libya

Bachmann: no Obama is irresponsible for even considering that

Gregory: Do you think a lunatic like you can be elected President

Bachmann: Look at lack of job creation and out
of control spending

Gregory: you’re running against George W. Bush?

Bachmann: Obama doesn’t have true
American values

Gregory: you call him a gangster government

Bachmann: absolutely

Gregory: is he anti-American?

Bachmann: well he’s got a real funny name

Gregory: thanks for sharing your inane rantings Congresswoman

Bachmann: arble warble woooooo

[ break ]

Gregory: Polls show that people still believe in
big government

Brooks: this proves that people want small government

Gregory: How can you can I explain to the American people that we must cut Social Security

Brooks: we must use pie charts and sternly lecture the American people

Gregory: but Obama won’t Social Security!

Brooks: yes but he looks weak because he refuses to cut Social Security

Robinson: I can’t help notice the poll you used cited concerns about job creation and government and not cuts and the debt

Gregory: that’s so sad

Brooks: we need to transfer money from the
old to the young

Gregory: we’re in an opaque zone with Ghadaffi

Robinson: do we want American boots on the ground?

Gregory: maybe just the boots without any soldiers in them

Brooks: good idea

Gregory: we’re hypocrites with regard to Sunni dictatorships!

Brooks: we need to attack every dictator in the middle east

Gregory: really?

Brooks: we must remove Ghadaffi

Robinson: you think the Saudis would like that?

Brooks: We should at least talk tough even if we don’t actually do anything

Gregory: David do you have any criticisms of Obama?

Brooks: he talks tough but doesn’t actually do anything

Gregory: Obama beats unnamed GOP candidate
in 2012!

Brooks: Mitch Daniels is my dream candidate

Robinson: dear god

Brooks: also Chris Christie

Robinson: *snort*

Gregory: so which GOP candidate do you like Eugene?

Robinson: um no one

Gregory: is Romneycare an albatross?

Romney: no no no my version of Obamacare was a state mandatory health care plan so it was totally different - I would never impose my good ideas on other American people

Brooks: ok that’s just stupid

Gregory: can he talk about jobs instead?

Brooks: no because the cost of health care will still be an issue in 11 months

Gregory: how can Obama possibly hope to defeat Michelle Bachmann?

Robinson: he has to say when you have a coherent thought I’d love to hear it

Gregory: that just might work


text:
Sunday, January 20, 2008

I'm Back!

New Post on SportsHub!

Sorry for the absence, folks. I had weird shit going on from all angles. Thanks for sticking around. Anyways, that post is just the tip O' the iceberg-I've found my swagger again and have an MVN post that should be up tomorrow, a FreeDarko post that's in development hell, and a Magnum Opus post that I finished tonight and am trying to find distribution for. All I'll say about it now is:

-It illustrates one of my favorite theses/themes

-It's 3,000 words long

-It mainly deals with boxing and chess

-The conclusion sucks right now, but I'm going to try to fix it

Are you excited? I am. In the meantime, try and figure out if Silversun Pickups stole their bass line from the Breeders. Also, revel in how awesome the Breeders are. This song was worth 5 hours of the 100 greatest songs of the 90s (which could be its own 3,000 word post.) If my idea for a TV show ever comes true, this is totally going to be the theme song.

Also, have a Fiona Apple song. Again, thank you '90s, although this one wasn't on the countdown.

No comments:


text:
A Little Less Fear, A Little More Faith

July 23, 2012

Post by Hannah Wheelwright –

Brothers and sisters, there is nothing more dangerous than fear. We learn about that in Sunday school all the time. I want to talk with you a little bit about the fear of being open about political opinions. I am not suggesting that anyone is wrong or ignorant for being quiet about their support for President Obama, and I certainly am not giving expert advice on the topic. But I want to point out a few things on the topic of fear of sharing political opinions. Here’s why:

1.  This is America. You are entitled to freely express your political opinions without fear of repercussion from the federal government. Oftentimes in our culture we extend this to mean that you shouldn’t fear repercussions from anyone simply because of your beliefs. This security to state your stances freely is fundamental to our identity as Americans engaging in the political dialogue of this nation.
2. The concept of declaring your beliefs freely is also deeply engrained in Mormonism. From the oft-quoted Romans 1:16 (For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ) to the brave and heroic examples of our pioneer ancestors, we have a strong tradition of actively making our true convictions known, even when to do so puts us at odds with those around us.
3. Even if, after boldly admitting that you support President Obama, someone were to react negatively such to make you regret being open about it- their intolerance is their problem. As Mormons, we are told to surround ourselves with good people. There are plenty of good people who may not share our political beliefs but appreciate civil discourse and sharing opinions with an open mind. If someone you meet is going to give you a hard time about your beliefs purely because they disagree with you, it might be a good time to evaluate if they will be a good influence on your life in the first place.

Granted: there may be people already in your life, such as friends, family, and coworkers, who may be intolerant and unavoidable. How you handle those relationships is of course a personal decision. Additionally, I am not suggesting that we should risk death or any other extreme outcome in exchange for openly supporting President Obama.

What I am advocating for is a little less fear and a little more faith.

I openly admit that I relish the occasional dirty looks from people who are anti-Obama when they see that I support our President. It reminds me that “there must needs be opposition in all things,” and that there is still a lot of work to do to re-elect him.

Every day that goes by when another person finds out that I’m an Obama supporter (it usually becomes known pretty quickly- as I said, I’m extremely open about it) and they get excited to find someone who shares their passion, I am grateful that I put on that Obama shirt or brought my Obama water bottle with me. I cherish the opportunity to connect with like-minded people and to express my deeply held opinion that Barack Obama is the best candidate for President. No amount of insult, derogatory gestures, or rude glances can invalidate that belief. I’m not suggesting that my commitment to Obama is deeper than anyone else’s- simply that I choose to risk negative encounters because I value finding those few people in Provo, Utah who do also support the President, and those positive encounters are worth the risk for me.

If we all stood a little taller, spoke a little more freely in the appropriate settings (i.e. not at church), opened our minds to the possibility that those who we thought previously would brazenly disparage our opinion might not be as churlish as we had imagined- who knows what deeper relationships and more significant connections we might develop.

Conversely- for every opportunity we pass up to share our convictions about supporting our President, we’ll never know which voter we may have reached, directly or indirectly, who might have cast the deciding vote for President Obama.

So perhaps now would be a good time to take a minute; think about how you represent yourself and your beliefs. Heading into the heated and controversial campaign season this fall, we could have a little less fear and a little more faith that the benefits of being open about our support for the President will far outweigh the potential for push-back.

, , , ,

Subscribe to our RSS feed and social profiles to receive updates.

15 Comments on “A Little Less Fear, A Little More Faith”

  1. BDUB Says:

    Thanks for the reminder Hannah.

  2. Peter Harrison Says:

    Great advice! I always enjoy sharing my opinions about President Obama. After a while of talking to someone having them understand you, and even agree with you on some things, is wonderful.

  3. Vern Piso Says:

    It is often said that good minds think alike. You people who support President Obama are welcome to your opinion, but you should all visit other blogs(MSNBC) and read what your fellow Obama supporters are saying about your Church. I say this because the things they say are full of lies and half truths. I KNOW THERE ARE RIGHT WINGERS THAT SAY SIMILAR THINGS so if you reply you to this don’t even go there.

    My point is if the left wingers are willing to posts lies about your church, and when confronted with why it is false, continue to post the lies even though it has been pointed out to them, why would you associate yourself with these liars and support a man who sits by as your religion is viciously lambasted?

    Please demand President Obama stop the persecution of the church. It’s all on you.

    • BDUB Says:

      Vern: the majority of the right think we (Mormons) are all going to hell at least the majority of the left don’t believe in hell. When Huckelberry was running last time against Mitt he said some hurtful things about the church (or tacitly allowed hurtful things to be said). Your argument doesn’t make any sense. If Mormons only supported those who liked them there wouldn’t be anyone to support. I just wish we could keep religion out of politics but I doubt that will ever happen.

    • gina Says:

      “I know there are right wingers that say the same thing, so if you reply to this don’t even go there”

      VERN: that makes no sense. Why would you be able to use that argument and then not allow us to use the same argument?

    • Dee Says:

      I am Mormon and a supporter Of our President. I do realize false information is spread about Mormonism and I also no that President Obama has nothing to do with it nor does he tolerate it. I do wish however, that Mitt Romney would stand up to those who claim President Obama is Muslim instead of just smiling at those and other ridiculous com

  4. hannahwheelwright Says:

    Vern: I am not aware of President Obama persecuting the Church or being responsible for any such behavior that comes from either party. The First Amendment protects all of our opinions, including the opinions of those who do not believe in the LDS Church. They have as much right to publish their opinions against the Church as we have the right to publish our opinions in favor of the Church. It is not President Obama’s responsibility to ensure that the LDS Church is only ever seen in a positive light.

    • JJbarn Says:

      What about the war on religion? That definitely exists. The Obama administration’s war vs the catholic church on contraception? It’s a joke really, things like racism and sexism are treated sooooo carefully but the longer this administration has been in place the worse the war on religion has become.

    • Vern Piso Says:

      Do you remember(with in a few months) when the Reverend Wright said he was offered a bribe to stop talking during the 2008 campaign? What did Mitt do? He said religion was off limits. Yet weekly we are hit with article after article that tries to put the church in a bad light. What is President Obama saying about these attacks? Nothing. You’re supporting the WRONG candidate.

  5. Kathy Says:

    Hannah, you write such great posts! We had a new Elder over for dinner the other day (hometown: Provo, Utah) who literally freaked out when he saw my spare “Mormons for Obama” bumpersticker tacked to the fridge. He absolutely could NOT believe that a member of the church would not vote for Mitt Romney. So, Hannah, keep fighting! Your bound to change a few minds! (Although I doubt that the deciding vote for President Obama will be cast in Utah.)

  6. Frank Stark Says:

    “Oftentimes in our culture we extend this to mean that you shouldn’t fear repercussions from anyone simply because of your beliefs. This security to state your stances freely is fundamental to our identity as Americans engaging in the political dialogue of this nation.”
    Does this apply to Mr. Cathy, the CEO of Chick-Fil-A? Does this mean that you think Obama’s friend, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, was out of line?

    And by the way, pastors have been accused of hate crimes and been prosecuted for it in Canada and Sweden for preaching that homosexuality is wrong. Could it happen here? Let’s see. If the present regime can beat the Catholic Church into submission, an attempt on our Church will not be far behind. Satan is real, folks, and the Book of Mormon tells clearly how to tell if he is behind a policy. If it leads a person, ever so gently, away from Christ, from following His chosen leaders, first on one small thing, then another, and another, it is not from Heavenly Father.

    BTW, check out this apostle’s comparison of the United Order with Socialism:

  7. thelogicalmormon Says:

    The most difficult part of being part of a Democracy is not standing up for what you believe in. The hardest part is educating yourself well enough to determine which candidates best represent your viewpoints. Unfortunately, there are some institutions which aim to take advantage of this difficulty and use propaganda to “educate” people contrary to the truth.

    I don’t believe that most registered Republicans truly understand what the national Republican Party *really* stands for. It is too easy to just sit back and let Fox news tell you what to believe; people don’t have the motivation to analyze things themselves. Those of us who have spent time researching and pondering issues have a duty to help undeceive those who “are kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.”

  1. Mormons for Obama T-Shirts! | Mormons for Obama - August 1, 2012

    […] will be printed on the front!  Show your pride and proclaim your 2012 vote (as Hannah has suggested) with one of these […]

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,666 other followers

%d bloggers like this:


text:
The VICE Channels

    Life on the Other Side of the Digital Divide

    Written by

    D. Watkins

    Image: Dave Manigault

    The other I day sat on the steps of a corner store a few blocks up from where I was raised in east Baltimore. My uncle Junebug tilted a 40oz of OE to his dome as he leaned next to where I sat. This neighborhood used to be an open-air drug market full of staggering fiends and teenagers in Polo advertising dope brands and prices.

    The fiends still lurk but it’s hard to differentiate the hustlers from any of the other teens in the neighborhood because they sell off of their phones now, and everyone looks the same—young and emotionless with intense eyes locked on their cellys, fingering the home screen—not looking up for months.

    Most of the kids I know in east Baltimore don’t have internet access at home or computers. Their phones are the soul source of web access. This causes a bigger issue, prompting one to ask, how do their parents get online? Public libraries are an option for free internet access, but unlike liquor stores and churches, you can’t find one on every corner.

    “And if you do manage to make it to the library, they are not always open, especially with all of the budget cuts to public services, as we have here in Oakland,” says Jen Schradie, a doctoral candidate in Sociology at UC Berkeley who focuses on the digital divide, “and there is often a wait to use public computers, as well as a time limit.”

    The digital divide is real. Getting a job without the internet is like running through the jungle naked and not getting bit by a mosquito.

    Speed cameras from outer space clocked me on my way to the Giants over on 33rd. A few miles over the limit guarantees an $80 ticket and you’re guilty without court because computers don’t lie—even the ones that aren’t calibrated correctly.

    Light trash and hacks with ancient flip-phones are always scattered across the front of this semi-gentrified market. Hacks are unlicensed cabbies in Baltimore looking to make $5 off of a ride and semi gentrified means a mix of baby-mothers, Hopkins students, cliché yuppies in boat shoes, city workers and me. I dapped the hacks I know and entered the market.

    Inside, I patiently waited in the self-checkout line.

    At Register A, an elderly woman in cuffed peach sweat pants stood staring at the home page of the checkout screen. The screen stared back. Her index finger was erect like ET’s as she waved it like a wand at all of the multicolored options. She didn’t have the skill set to choose. No one lined up behind her.

    Register B hosted a curly headed minor, propped on her tippy toes. She bobbed and weaved through every menu as if she designed the program. She arrived after the elderly woman, purchased more items, and was meeting her mom at the door before the woman at Register A scanned her first coupon.

    The digital divide is real. Getting a job without the internet is like running through the jungle naked and not getting bit by a mosquito. Obamacare is most easily accessed through the internet. And then there’s clothing lines that only sell online, artist that only drop music online––music that you can’t bump unless you have a apple device or an iTunes account in an era where many improvised Americans don’t even have a bank account.

    “The digital elite who have 24/7 access to multiple devices have no clue what it’s like to go even a day without their gadgets,” says Schradie, “and to those who think that having a mobile device or library access can substitute or ‘leapfrog’ over laptops or other computers, I challenge you to try and do all of your work on your phone or at the library.”

    Schradie has found that people who control their internet and computer access at both home and work—and everywhere in between—are much more likely to blog, post photos or create online content in general, than those with only occasional access. “Whose voices are we hearing and whose are left out?” Schradie asks.

    The combination of all of these advancements has me split. I love that our country is a leader in innovation, but why can't we be leaders in assuring that all of our citizens can enjoy our accomplishments? It’s cool that the little girl from the market was biologically programmed to understand self-checkout but what is that lady at Register A going to do? How would she ever be able to use something like an iPad?

    And even on a larger scale, how are we going to attack our nation’s unemployment problem when so many Americans aren’t able to apply for jobs because they lack technology and the basic skills needed to function when acquiring such? The other side isn’t much prettier.

    Too much exposure to technology is a problem as well. Think about the people who are tech savvy and possess 0 percent social skills. Those recess-rejecters who live in video games all day, or the teenage girl with 10,000 Instagram post in three days—all of her face who follows 10,000 other young people with identical timelines—a collage of blank stares. The haves are just as screwed as the have-nots making the digital divide one fucked up equation. Just like everything else in America, you either have too much to care about or not enough to survive.

    Will we ever find balance?

    D Watkins is a writer and adjunct professor from east Baltimore. Follow him on Twitter at @dwatkinsworld.

    Connect To Motherboard

    Most Popular

    comments powered by Disqus